The Yiddish Book Center's

Wexler Oral History Project

A growing collection of in-depth interviews with people of all ages and backgrounds, whose stories about the legacy and changing nature of Yiddish language and culture offer a rich and complex chronicle of Jewish identity.

What Makes Fiddler on the Roof So Universally Loved?

Watch now:

Bruce Sabath, former engineer turned actor, thinks about what makes Fiddler on the Roof so loved and understood by cultures across the world.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Bruce Sabath.

This excerpt is in English.

Bruce Sabath was born in Rochester, NY in 1962.

This interview is part of the Yiddish and the Arts: musicians, actors, and artists series.

Other video highlights from this oral history

Bruce Sabath on His Parents Record Keeping Post-Depression

1 min 28 sec

Before I was an Actor, I was an Engineer

1 min 34 sec

A Journey from Engineering to Acting: Three Events That Encouraged Me Change My Career

9 min 50 sec

Fiddler on the Roof: Comparing Yiddish and English Productions

2 min 33 sec

"I Think About My Twelve-Year-Old Grandfather": The Connection Between Yiddish Fiddler and My Ancestral History

3 min 42 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

Themes: