ENGLISH CORNER, CON LINDA JIMÉNEZ – This week’s trivia question:  How many oral histories has the Wexler Oral History Project collected so far, and in how many languages?

The Yiddish Book Center, located in Amherst Massachusetts, was founded in 1980. Its original purpose was to save Yiddish books that might otherwise have been discarded.  Since then the work of the Center has expanded to include a wide range of projects to bring Yiddish culture to the wider world. 

The Wexler Oral History Project is a growing collection of in-depth interviews with people of all ages and backgrounds, whose stories offer a rich, complex chronicle of Jewish identity.  The project was started in 2010, and in 2012 we spoke with its director, Christa Whitney.  This week we are speaking with her again, about the project, what it encompasses and how it has evolved.

Watch Christa’s ZOOM presentation, in which she demonstrates the different features of the project.

If you or someone you know might be interested in participating in the project, you can request an interview here, or write to them at: tellyourstory@yiddishbookcenter.org