Vaybertaytsh

In this episode, our guest host Esther Singer talks to Rivke Margolis, a professor at Monash University in Melbourne. They talked about queer yiddishkayt, Yiddish pedagogy, and comparing Yiddish to other minority languages. Thanks to Esther for being our first guest host in a very long time! You can find out more about Rivke’s research and writing here.

Want some merch to launch a new look in 2022? Check out our new Redbubble site here.

I'm so pumped about this conversation with Etl Niborski, recorded in Tel Aviv this past summer. Etl is a 19-year-old left-wing activist and a native Yiddish speaker who recently completed her national service working in a school in Jaffa for at-risk youth. We talked all about what it’s like to be an Israeli at the end of high school — all of the complicated decisions one has to make about joining the military or finding a way not to — how her Yiddishist background impacts her political thinking, what it was like to be a Yiddish-speaking, non-Hasidic kid on the streets of Jerusalem, and about her current Yiddish activities and projects.

For more from The White Screen’s album Sex, Drugs, and Palestine, click here.

To see our most recent merch, click here.

In this episode, Sosye and Meyer Dovid from the long-running Yiddish radio show Dos Yidishe Kol chat all things Yiddish, podcasting, and — you guessed it — Yiddish podcasting. It was a pleasure to get to know Meyer Dovid better, and to learn a bit about his radio show’s trajectory. You can see a concise version of our conversation in Yiddish and in English translation at In geveb: A Journal of Yiddish Studies. Thank you to In geveb’s blog team for proposing this idea and collaborating with both of our shows on this episode!

It was wonderful to get a chance to speak to Miriam Udel, sof-kol-sof! Miriam is associate professor of Yiddish language, literature, and culture at Emory University. She recently published Honey on the Page (NYU Press, October 2020 — happy 1st birthday to the book!), a rich resource of nearly fifty Yiddish stories and poems in English translation. We chatted children’s literature, Miriam’s background story with Judaism, her rabbinical studies at Yeshivat Maharat, and much more.

What a pleasure to get to know Isabel Frey! Isabel is a Vienna-based Yiddish musician with a wonderful new-ish album called Millennial Bundist. We talked about being Jewish in Vienna, her left-wing activism and her departure from the Zionism of her youth, as well as her music and her future plans. I know you'll love her story as well as her music! Read more about her and check out her music at https://www.isabelfrey.com/

You might know Perl as your former or current Yiddish teacher. You might know her as a person with the lovely singing voice at the zingeray. You might know her as your ESL teacher (okay, probably her ESL students aren’t listening to Vaybertaytsh). How do I know Perl? She’s one of my best friend’s mames, and since I had kind of a weird family life, I spent a lot of my time - like, really a lot of it - in Perl’s house, spending time with her daughter Shifra. So maybe it is a little strange that it took so long for me to interview Perl, but nu, better late than never. I had a blast learning more about her youth and her immigration to America, her experiences teaching Yiddish and ESL, and so much more. Enjoy!

Want to learn more Yiddish with Perl? Check out her website!

http://learnyiddishlive.com/paula-teitelbaum/

This week we have someone who might be a familiar face to you if you lurk on social media of any and all kinds: Cameron Bernstein of Yiddish TikTok fame! I had a blast hearing about Cameron’s Yiddish journey thus far and learning about how TikTok works! You can follow Cameron on TikTok or Instagram to see her creative, informative, and funny videos. Keep it up, Cameron! Big fan over here.

We’re back earlier than expected with a special episode. Last week, YIVO streamed a lecture as part of the Uriel Weinreich Yiddish Summer Program on the topic “Yiddish Women Writers.” (See and hear the lecture here). The lecturer, Professor Avraham Noversthern, wanted to be controversial… and, well, he succeeded in that mission!

In this episode, Jessica Kirzane, Faith Jones, and Ayelet Brinn delve into what made Novershtern’s arguments so controversial, and how his claims run counter to the scholarship of a number of female academics. We also talk about the intersections between power dynamics, gender, age, and language ability in the Yiddish World.

Perhaps most importantly, we also used this opportunity to offer and promote a variety of resources for Vaybertaytshniks who want to learn more about Yiddish women writers. See below!

Key Anthologies:
Found Treasures: Stories by Yiddish Women Writers
The Exile Book of Yiddish Women Writers
Yidishe dikhterins

Key Scholarship:
A Question of Tradition: Women Poets in Yiddish, 1586-1987
A Marriage Made in Heaven: The Sexual Politics of Hebrew and Yiddish
Gender and Text in Modern Hebrew and Yiddish Literature
Women Writers of Yiddish Literature: Critical Essays 
Queer Expectations: A Genealogy of Jewish Women's Poetry: 
Women, Men and Books: Issues of Gender in Yiddish Discourse 
How to Suppress Women's Writing
Pakn Treger "A Collection of Newly Translated Yiddish Works by Women Writers"

Women Writers in Translation
In Other Words: Yiddish Women in Translation Month
Women in Translation Month: Yiddish
Translating and Teaching Yiddish Prose by Women

Songs: “Blue Jeans” by Ladytron, “Girls Like Us” by The Julie Ruin, and “Speech Bubbles” by WHY?

…and we’re back! Sorry for the very long delay, everyone. I don’t know I’ve said this in any recent episodes, but I’m writing a book right now, and oof, has it taken a lot of time/energy out of me. But the clouds are clearing, both from the writing and from the Corona year we all just got through, and it finally feels like the right time to bring back Vaybertaytsh. I’m so excited, I could just scream!

And a talk with Reyze Turner is quite a way to get back into things! Reyze is a passionate Yiddishist, a researcher, and a language teacher, and she is also about to go start a PhD in Wisconsin! We talked a lot about her life path, career, her time in Paris working at Medem Yiddish Center, and about the state of Yiddish itself. It was a blast to chat with Reyze, and I hope you all enjoy the episode as much as I enjoyed recording it!

In collaboration with Jewish Currents, Vaybertaytsh is pleased to present a special English episode with artist and podcast producer Sharon Mashihi.

An Iranian Jew from Great Neck, NY, Mashihi places her new audio series, Appearances, at “6 out of 10 on the truth spectrum.” The protagonist of the series is a lightly fictionalized version of Mashihi named Melanie, who wrestles with questions drawn from her creator’s life: whether to have a baby as a single mother or with her non-Jewish, non-Iranian, much older boyfriend; and how to build a family that both reflects and departs from the struggles she witnessed growing up in an immigrant household. 

Mashihi and I spoke about immigrant families, Jewish and Iranian identity, Great Neck, and the ethical quandary of making art from your life without hurting the ones you love. Mashihi’s work on The Heart was a major inspiration for me when I began making Vaybertaytsh. I was thrilled to get a chance to meet and talk with her.

Appearances produced by Mermaid Palace and Radiotopia,

You can check out a shortened text version of this interview at Jewish Currents here.

Click for more information on Sharon’s work.

———

A note for our Yiddish listeners:

אין דער עפּיזאָד רעד איך מיט מאַשיהי װעגן איר באַציִונג צו ייִדישקײַט, משפּחה, און שפּראַך. אין דער אמתן, האָט אונדזער שמועס כּמעט גאָרנישט צו טאָן מיט ייִדיש. אָבער עס האָט יאָ אַ שײַכות מיט דער געשיכטע פֿון װײַבערטײַטש: אָן איר פֿריִערדיקע אַרבעט אין פּאָדקאַסטערײַ, װײס איך נישט צי װײַבערטײַטש װאָלט עקסעסטירט, אַזאַ גרױסע ראַדיאָ־העלד איז מאַשיהי פֿאַר מיר. זאָרג זיך נישט, אָבער: נײע ייִדיש־שפּראַכיקע עפּיזאָדן װעלן באַלד אַרױסקומען!

A dank Sore! For more on Sore, check out what she’s doing over at our friends In geveb here and at Columbia here.

Thanks so much to Adah Hetko for making this happen, and to the whole team at KlezKanada for inviting me to be a part of the all-digital festival. Thanks of course to Sasha Lurje, Sarah Gordon, and Joanne Borts! If you liked Forshpil, you can find the whole album here on Bandcamp.

Goldy Landau, an EMT and Johns Hopkins University nursing student born and raised in KJ, and Dr. Sholem Berger MD/PhD take your questions about the Coronavirus, and shed light on what could happen going forward in the Hasidic communities currently experiencing a rise in cases.

Thanks so much to Goldy and Sholem for participating and answering all these important questions! Also thanks to Rachel and Gnendy for chiming in at the end. And finally, big thanks to Sore Biskowitz for running our social media while I was running the live show.

A conversation, recorded on Mother’s Day, with three new moms. We talked pregnancy, birth, miscarriages, breast-pumping, and so much more. Thanks Shif, Yiske, and Leah! <3

What a pleasure to talk to Sasha Berenstein, a musician and Yiddishist who recently led a communal effort of to create a list of words and phrases that have to do with transkayt and queerkayt! The list can be read here. We talked about what inspired the list and went through some of Sasha’s favorites. Thanks Sasha!

Vaybertaytsh Shmueskrayzn continue on Zoom, every Thursday at 12PM!

This week on the show we're hearing a chat with Jessica Kirzane, the editor-in-chief of In geveb: A Journal of Yiddish Studies. We talked about her translation of Miriam Karpilove's Diary of a Lonely Girl, or The Battle against Free Love (buy it here), what's new with In geveb, growing up Jewish all over the place, being a rebbetzin in a Reform congregation, and more. Thanks Eshke for an awesome conversation!

In this special Yiddish-English mixed episode, Sandra Chiritescu sits down with Irena Klepfisz to discuss her life journey, ranging from her relationship to Yiddish, to her poetry, scholarship, and her activism vis-a-vis the Middle East. Irena has translated Yiddish authors such as Kadya Molodowsky and Fradl Shtok, and is a long-time lesbian feminist activist. We’re super thankful to Irena for talking to Vaybertaytsh, and for Sandra for conducting what we hope will be the first of many episodes!

A conversation with Sarah Bialis. Born in Poland, Sarah survived the Holocaust, moved to the nascent Jewish state, and then returned to Europe, living in Berlin for most of her adult life. She told her story of survival, immigration, and what it has been like to live in Germany ever since she returned to Europe.

Conversation contains potentially triggering information, as it is a Holocaust testimony.

For more information about Karsten Troyke’s music, including his album with Sarah’s childhood songs, see https://karsten-troyke.de/english.html.

Sosye had a great time talking to her new Aussie khaverte Reyzl Zylberman! Our attempts to record in person were thwarted twice by sound problems, but we finally got to talk “on the record” on the phone a few weeks later. We chatted about her understanding of Bundism today, being a Yiddish teacher with kids of all ages, and her job as a Multicultural Ambassador for the Australian Football League! Reyzl is pretty badass, and we think you’ll love her as much as we do. Thanks Reyzl for talking with us and for being such a great host in Melbourne!

Sosye had a great time chatting about SKIF, what teenagers care about these days, social justice, and Australian football with three Skifistn from Melbourne, Australia: Sore (also referred to in the episode as Mia), Khayim, and Yoni. Thanks so much to Reyzl Zylberman for her help organizing this episode. To watch Sore and Khayim’s amazing videos, check out Sore’s Instagram: @caulfield_mum

A live episode from Melbourne!

Follow along with the slideshow here.

Please note we had some audio difficulties, and this might be better to listen to on speakers than in ears. Sorry folks!

A conversation with Fraidy Biegeleisen about social media, education, and life in between the Chasidish and secular worlds. You can see her face art and more on Instagram @fraidybiegeleisen. A dank Fraidy!

It's happening! Listen to learn more about our new season and our new team. We can't wait to engage with you all summer and fall!

Learn more about our new team here.

Dear Vaybertaytshniks,

It’s been a great ride this fall putting out some of the episodes recorded over the summer! As I transition into a pretty intense semester, I’ve decided to put Vaybertaytsh on a brief hiatus until late Spring. During that time I’ll be doing a bit of recording, and working to build up the show’s financial and logistical backbone.

Please keep in touch with us on social media, listen to our back episodes, and let us know if you have ideas for fresh new content!

Mit vareme grusn,
Sosye-Fraydl

A conversation with Meena-Lifshe Viswanath about being an engineer, garbage and recycling worldwide, raising a kid in Yiddish and more! It was a great conversation - thank you Meena! A fraylikhn 2019 everyone!

A conversation with Gitl Schaechter-Viswanath and Sore-Rukhl Schaechter about their Yiddish childhoods, Barnard in the 1970s, Camp Hemshekh, and more.

Transcript of the interview can be found here! Thank you Jonah Sidman for your work.

Check out Tsvey Brider! https://tsveybrider.com/

Today’s episode is with Zohar Weiman-Kelman, a scholar of Yiddish literature and an all around badass. We talked about the erotics of Yiddish, fetish, ghosts, and poetry. Zohar also reads for us a spooky Yiddish poem. A dank Zohar! A fraylikhn Halloween tsu alemen!

SEE A PDF VERSION OF THE MOLDOWSKY POEM ZOHAR READS HERE.

A special Vaybertaytsh Short to tide you over til next week! This episode includes a new, queerified version of Mikhl Gordon’s song “Mashke,” written and performed by Noam Lerman and Leana Jealen. You can find the lyrics here on google docs, both for the beginning parts which are true to the original, and to the new parts written by Noam and Leana. They performed this for the Yidish Vokh “Talentanya,” and then we went ahead and recorded it in the only quiet space with good acoustics at the Vokh: inside of a closet. The irony did not escape us! Enjoy.

It’s our once-in-a-blue-moon English episode (horrah!) and we’ve got a great one: a conversation with the amazing photographer Shterna Goldbloom. Check out her work as we discuss it on the show at www.shternagoldbloom.com, and see the evolution of her newest project, “Feygele,” which was not published online at the time we spoke.

You can see Shterna’s conversation with Diana Clarke at In geveb here, and don’t forget to think of Vaybertaytsh in your donation plans this year, whether it’s a dollar or a whole bunch of dollars! Or maybe it’s cryptocurrency! You give it, we take it.

An episode recorded in front of a live audience in Stockholm, Sweden! We talked about Yiddish in Sweden and played two truths and a lie (af Yiddish, avade)!

The words Sosye talks about in Swedish are:

1. Östermalmstorg = A main train station in Central Stockholm

2. Nu = Now

3. Bra = Good

4. Slut = End

5. bröd = a sort of cracker that is everywhere in Sweden, people eat herring and bröd, for example

Follow us on Instagram! @vaybertaytsh

Thanks so much to Shoshke-Rayzl Yuni and Pearl Lipsky Krupit for their work on this episode, and of course to Troim Katz Handler for allowing us to play her amazing poetry and spread the word.

FIND THE POETRY AND ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS HERE.

A conversation with Malky Weisz and Malky Goldman on their production company, Malky Squared Productions, and their work on a new adaptation of Naomi Ragen's play "The Women's Minyan," called "Di Froyen." Check out their websites:

www.melissaweisz.com and www.malkygoldman.com.

Find more info about the Yidish Vokh at www.yugntruf.org !

You can find "One of Us" on Netflix (trailer here). Read Etty's piece on discovering her sexuality here on Refinery29.

Thanks Bella for talking with us, and Jessye Stein for her help with the episode! Thanks also to our sponsor, the Forverts. Check them out!

Check out Eli Preminger's klezmer with a Middle Eastern twist here.

If you'd like to be connected to Bella's Vos Ven Vu newsletter, get in touch with us and we'll make the shidduch. Vaybertaytsh@gmail.com

Thank you so much to our participants, David Roskies, Talia Martz-Oberlander, Michael Yashinsky, Adah Hetko, and Eleonore Biezunski. Thanks to the Yiddish Book Center for allowing us to use an archival recording of Ruth Rubin from 1978, so we could "speak" to her.  A groyse dank to our first advertising sponsors, the League for Yiddish and the YIVO Summer Program, and Sheva Zucker for her help and patience!  On the League for Yiddish's website, you can find details about "A Tog Yiddish Seminar" with David Fishman on April 22nd. The YIVO Summer Program this summer, the due date is April 2, so apply fast!

Don't forget to check out YIVO's digital exhibition on Ruth Rubin, with 1500 songs, starting April 4, at exhibitions.yivo.org. 

Many of Ruth Rubin's albums can be found on iTunes and Spotify, but the one's in this episode are mostly only available on YouTube right now. The songs in this episode are:

"Gitare"

"Shvern Shver Ikh"

"Bay Dem Shtetl" (and another amazing version here)

"Dortn Dortn" performed at the Yidish Vokh 

"Shpilt-zhe Mir"

"Dortn Dortn" 

Thanks Mindl for doing this interview right after a super intense AJS conference! 

Check out In geveb: A Journal of Yiddish Studies!

See Vaybertaytsh's updated website here!

Songs: "Ladyboss" by Rachel Bloom, "Revival" by Deerhunter.

A conversation with klezmorim Sarah Gordon and Daniel Kahn on music, yerushe, politics, plus two live versions of songs just for Vaybertaytsh!

If you're brain needs a little break mid-episode, we recommend taking a break after the first live song, "Harbst Lid".. but then come back for more conversation and another live song! (Sorry, that link I promised in the episode didn't work out this time. I gotta learn HTML!)

If you're new to Vaybertaytsh, check out the other amazing episodes in our feed or on our website.

Check out Daniel's music here, and Sarah's band Yiddish Princess here.