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.

The Klezmer-Yiddish Family

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Pete Rushefsky, executive director for the Center for Traditional Music & Dance, reflects on the connections he's made in the klezmer-Yiddish scene, including with Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman and her descendants.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Pete Rushefsky.

This excerpt is in English.

Pete Rushefsky was born in Rochester, NY in 1970.

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

Other video highlights from this oral history

Pete Rushefsky's Journey to Klezmer

5 min 20 sec

Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman: Champion of the Yiddish Song

3 min 2 sec

The Aesthetics of Judaism and Jewish Music

2 min 41 sec

The Current Status of Klezmer and Yiddish Music

4 min 12 sec

Preserving Aesthetic Worlds Through Oral Transmission of Yiddish Song

2 min 39 sec

Becoming a Premier Tsimbl Player

6 min 54 sec

Making New Yiddish Song Resources Available: Projects of the Center for Traditional Music and Dance

3 min 19 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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