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.

Gerry (Gershn Yankl) Tenney's Oral History

Gerry (Gershn Yankl) Tenney, musician and cultural activist, was interviewed by Christa Whitney on October 8th, 2016, in Oakland, California.

This interview was conducted in Yiddish and English.

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Video highlights from this oral history

Why I Attended Hebrew School

2 min 59 sec

"Lomir Zikh Iberbetn (Let's Reconcile)": Uniting a Family Through Yiddish Song

1 min 52 sec

Gerry and Leslie Tenney Sing "Shtil di Nakht iz Oysgeshternt (Quiet, the Night is Full of Stars)"

2 min 3 sec

"Di Arbuzn (The Watermelons)": A Soviet Yiddish Folk Song

2 min 34 sec

"Mir Zaynen Do (We Are Here)": Every Yiddish Word is Like a Blow to Nazis and Fascism

1 min 3 sec

Gerry and Leslie Tenney Sing "Mayer Khazer," A Soviet Yiddish Folk Song

2 min 33 sec

Finding a Young Jewish Political Community in the 1950s

4 min 31 sec

More information about this oral history

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