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.

Sidney Zoltak's Oral History

Sidney Zoltak, child Holocaust survivor, was interviewed by Christa Whitney on August 17th, 2016, in Cote-St-Luc, Quebec, Canada.

This interview was conducted in Yiddish.

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Video highlights from this oral history

Childhood Memories from Siemiatycze, Poland

3 min 12 sec

Defiant Singing Against the Soviets During WWII

7 min 4 sec

"Shik Mir a Shtral (Send Me a Ray of Sunshine)": Memories of Yiddish Songs After Liberation and Earlier

3 min 59 sec

Escaping the Siemiatycze Ghetto Before Liquidation

4 min 12 sec

Fundraising to Record a CD of Yiddish Ghetto Songs

1 min 37 sec

What Yiddish Means to Me

2 min 6 sec

Artifacts related to this oral history

Group Photo of Sidney's Wedding

Train from Austria to Italy Pt 2 1945

Photo of Children's School in Italy

Train from Austria to Italy 1945

Sidney and Cousin in Italy

Uncle with Gathered Bones from the Ghetto Burying in Mass Grave 2

Sidney and Friend Portrait

Uncle with Gathered Bones from the Ghetto Burying in Mass Grave 3

Sidney childhood photo 2

Uncle with Gathered Bones from the Ghetto Burying in Mass Grave

Sidney with Mother in Italy

Uncle, Aunts, Mother, and Cousin Family Photo

Sidney Zoltak-Childhood Photo of Sidney

Sidney Zoltak childhood photo

Yiddish Folk Songs Summer of 93 Front

Children's Home in Italy

Sidney Zoltak's Father Passport Photo 1945 or 1949

Yiddish Folk Songs Summer of 93 Back

Family Photo of Grandparents, Aunt, Uncle, Sidney, and Cousin

Sidney's Father Young

Family Photos Spread

Sidney's father, father's brother, and father's mother

Father, Mother, and Aunt at Sidney's House - S Zoltak Sign

Sidney's Father, Mother and Aunt

Father's Grave in Milan, Italy

Sidney's Grandmother and Aunt Before the War

Friends from Children's Home in Italy Sports Teams

Sidney's Grandmother

Friends from Children's Home in Italy Sports Teams 2

Sidney's Mother Portrait 2

Friends from Children's Home in Italy

Sidney's Mother

Grandmother in Front Shtetl Home

Sidney's Wedding Photo

More information about this oral history

Themes:

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