| Interviewee | An Israeli learner of Yiddish who volunteers with a Yiddish cultural library in Tel Aviv |
|---|---|
| Primary Topics | Family language loss, cultural reconnection, Yiddish in Israel, Haredi and secular usage, Jewish identity, and assimilation |
| Editorial Note | Edited for clarity, coherence, and readability while preserving the interviewee’s stated views |
1. Background and First Encounters with Yiddish
- Interviewer:
To begin, could you tell me a little about yourself and how you first became involved with Yiddish? - Interviewee:
I am from Israel. A friend of mine has volunteered for several years at Young Yiddish, a Yiddish library in Tel Aviv. He contacted the library staff independently and brought me there several times. I found the place fascinating, so I began accompanying him regularly as a volunteer. The library organizes many cultural events, including concerts and theater performances, and we help with those activities. We learned about this festival through the library team. Although I do not yet speak Yiddish, I have long been curious about Yiddish culture. - Interviewer:
May I ask whether you are Jewish? - Interviewee:
Yes, I am Jewish.
2. Family Heritage and Linguistic Distance
- Interviewer:
Does your family have a connection to Yiddish? Did any of your relatives speak it, and did you grow up hearing or using the language at home? - Interviewee:
My grandparents on both sides spoke Yiddish with what I believe was moderate to strong proficiency. However, Yiddish is not widely spoken in Israel. It is often regarded as a language associated with elderly people, something that grandparents might use. My parents say they understand a little because they heard it from their own parents, but I grew up with almost no exposure to the language. I heard only occasional fragments, and they were usually presented as part of an “old people’s language.” - Interviewer:
Do you identify with a particular Jewish ethnic tradition, such as Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, or Sephardic? - Interviewee:
I am mostly Ashkenazi; nearly all of my family is Ashkenazi. My maternal grandmother is half Mizrahi, which is the only Mizrahi heritage in my family background. - Interviewer:
Could you describe any personal experiences with Yiddish or Jewish culture within your family? - Interviewee:
There is very little to describe. I might hear a random Yiddish phrase two or three times a year, but that is about the extent of it.
3. Motivations for Learning Yiddish
- Interviewer:
What motivated you to begin learning Yiddish? Was it mainly a hobby, a desire to reconnect with Yiddish culture, or an effort to connect with other Jewish people? - Interviewee:
All of those reasons played a part. My friend and I first came to the festival because our volunteering at the library had made us curious. We thought it would be an enjoyable experience and an opportunity to engage more deeply with Yiddish culture. The festival seemed like the perfect place to enroll in Yiddish language classes. I am also taking a music class focused on klezmer. At its core, my motivation is to reconnect with a cultural legacy that has largely been lost to me. - Interviewer:
Have you experienced any emotional change or personal transformation since beginning your studies - Interviewee:
I have only just begun, so I cannot really speak to that yet. I am still at the very start of the learning process.
4. Where Yiddish Is Spoken and Learned
- Interviewer:
When and where do you use Yiddish, or expect to use it outside the classroom? - Interviewee:
In my experience, very few people in Israel speak fluent Yiddish. The most proficient speakers are largely Haredi Jews, while only a small number of secular Israelis can hold a conversation in the language. My main opportunities to use Yiddish would therefore be in specialized cultural settings: festivals like this one, the community surrounding the Tel Aviv Yiddish library, and occasional conversations with Haredi people. - Interviewer:
Have you spoken much with Hasidic or Haredi Yiddish speakers? Do you think secular learners who study Yiddish for cultural or academic reasons understand the language differently from native speakers in those communities? - Interviewee:
What do you mean by “understand it differently”? - Interviewer:
For example, I study Yiddish as a way to explore Jewish history, tradition, and culture. In your view, do people today learn Yiddish primarily as a mother tongue, as a means of building community, or as a subject of cultural and historical study? - Interviewee:
My impression is that relatively few people today learn Yiddish as a first language. I also understand Hebrew to be widely used within many Hasidic communities. Most learners associated with the contemporary Yiddish revival seem to study it for two main reasons: cultural preservation and historical research. They want to understand Jewish history and Yiddish cultural history more deeply.
5. Yiddish, Israeli Identity, and Cultural Memory
- Interviewer:
Looking at Jewish culture more broadly, is there something distinctive or surprising that you would want to explain to someone who is not Jewish? - Interviewee:
From a contemporary cultural and political perspective, I am deeply influenced by a point my friend Dan often makes: Yiddish provides a very different lens through which to examine what it means to be Jewish. Growing up in Israel, I felt that we were taught a narrow vision of Jewish identity, shaped by Zionism and by particular ways of interpreting history. It is important to remember that a rich body of Yiddish cultural heritage was pushed to the margins. Modern Zionism placed the revival of Hebrew at the center of Jewish national identity, while Yiddish was often portrayed as the language of exile, something that should be left behind in the past. - Interviewer:
Do you believe Yiddish can serve as a meaningful tool for resisting cultural assimilation? - Interviewee:
Absolutely.
6. Closing Reflection
- Interviewer:
Is there anything else about your relationship with Yiddish that you would like to add? - Interviewee:
Nothing else comes to mind at the moment. My journey with Yiddish is still very new. - Interviewer:
Thank you very much for your time and for sharing your perspective.