The 'Yiddish Voice' Podcast

By The Yiddish Voice דאָס ייִדישע קולSociety & Culture Documentary

The 'Yiddish Voice' Podcast episodes

March 16Miriam Udel on Yiddish Children's Literature; Sholem Beinfeld on World Events
Highlights:
Yiddish Voice co-host Sholem Beinfeld shares his commentary on the latest world events, including the Iran-Israel-USA war and the Russia-Ukraine war, from a Jewish perspective. Sholem spoke to us by phone from his home in Cambridge, MA, on Mar. 11, 2026.
Emory University professor Miriam Udel (מרים אודעל) discussed her book Modern Jewish Worldmaking Through Yiddish Children’s Literature (Princeton Univ. Press, 2025) with Yiddish Voice co-host Lillian (לאה) Shporer-Leavitt, who is a Boston-based Yiddish teacher and translator. We reached Miriam on Zoom at her home in the Atlanta area on Feb. 26, 2026. Publisher info for Miriam’s book: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691254371/modern-jewish-worldmaking-through-yiddish-childrens-literature
Music:
Fish Street Klezmer: Russian Freylekhs Medley
Intro instrumental music: DEM HELFANDS TANTS, an instrumental track from the CD Jeff Warschauer: The Singing Waltz
Air Date: March 12, 2026
59 min
March 05Avremi Zaks on Iran Israel US War
This week, Avremi Zaks, presenter for Israel’s Kan Yiddish (כאן יידיש) radio show, covers Israel’s current military operation “Lion’s Roar” and related matters. We reached Avremi in Jerusalem via WhatsApp on Purim, March 3, 2026, Boston time, and Erev Shushan Purim, after sundown in Israel, the same date. To hear Kan Yiddish, featuring Avremi and others, visit: https://www.kan.org.il/content/kan/kan-reka/p-10820/
Music:
Chava Alberstein Avreml der Marvikher
Intro instrumental music: DEM HELFANDS TANTS, an instrumental track from the CD Jeff Warschauer: The Singing Waltz
Air Date: March 4, 2026
1 hr
February 13Dovid Fishman: The War in Ukraine: Jewish News
Dr. David E. Fishman (דוד-אליהו פֿישמאַן), historian and writer, talks about his substack “The War in Ukraine: Jewish News” (davidfishman.substack.com). Coming out about every two weeks since November 2024, this substack has covered the brutal Russia-Ukraine war, which began four years ago, from a Jewish perspective. Fishman is Professor of Jewish History at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in New York City and is the author of several books, notably, The Book Smugglers: Partisans, Poets, and the Race to Save Jewish Treasures from the Nazis (ForeEdge, 2017), which won the National Jewish Book Award for a work on the Holocaust. We reached Dovid in New York City via Zoom on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026.
Music:
Aaron Lebedeff: In Odess
Bronya Sakina: Di Sapozhkelekh (from the album Live from KlezKamp! The Staff Concerts 1985-2003, recorded 1985; the singer was from Ukraine)
The Alibi Sisters: Yuh Mein Liebe Tochter (the singers Anna and Angelina Zavalsky are based in Ukraine)
Intro instrumental music: DEM HELFANDS TANTS, an instrumental track from the CD Jeff Warschauer: The Singing Waltz
Air Date: February 11, 2025
1 hr 7 min
January 29International Holocaust Remembrance Day with Survivor Adela Dagerman
In observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day we’re airing an interview with Holocaust survivor Adela Dagerman. Adela (born Adela Kraus) grew up in Nyírbátor, Hungary. In 1944, as a 16-year-old, she and her family were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. She and her sister Rose survived. After her liberation, Adela returned to Hungary where she met and married her husband Jack. The couple immigrated to the United States in 1949, settling in Kansas City. We met Adela at her home in Overland Park, KS, on Oct. 13, 2025.
From our archive: interview with Holocaust Survivor Itel Landau (maiden family name: Brettler), a Holocaust survivor originally from Vișeu de Sus (Felsővisó in Hungarian, אויבערווישעווע in Yiddish), a shtetl in Transylvania (prewar Romania, Hungary during WWII, now Romania), discussing her life — before, during, and after the Holocaust. Previously aired June 19, 2024. Additional details and archived podcast recording: https://podcast.yv.org/episodes/itel-landau
Music:
Sarah Gorby: Zog Nit Keynmol (Ne Dit Jamais)
Intro instrumental music: DEM HELFANDS TANTS, an instrumental track from the CD Jeff Warschauer: The Singing Waltz
Air Date: January 28, 2026
1 hr 19 min
December 19, 2025Alex Dafner on the Massacre at Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia
Happy Hanukkah ! אַ פֿרײלעכן חנוכּה
Our normally happy Hanukkah programming was overshaddowed by the horrific massacre of Jews at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia’s Bondi Beach. We spoke with Alex Dafner, Australia’s main Yiddish radio presenter the past 40 years and a leading Yiddish and Jewish cultural activist and teacher based in Melbourne, about the horrible massacre and about the situation of Australian Jewry in general. Also heard are short excerpts from the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was murdered in the massacre. Alex Dafner is host of the Kadimah Yiddish Show, a radio show and podcast produced by Melbourne’s J-Air Jewish radio station. To listen to the live show and podcasts, go to their website: https://www.j-air.com.au/kadimah-yiddish-show-2/ Follow Alex on social media at Twitter/X: @AlexDafner or Facebook: facebook.com/YiddishRadio. We reached Alex Dafner via Zoom at his home in Melbourne, Australia, on Tuesday, Dec. 16, in the evening, Boston time, and Wednesday, Dec. 17, in the morning, Melbourne time.
Music for Hanukkah:
Cantor Pierre Pinchik (פּינחס פּינטשיק): Maoz Tsur (מעוז צור)
Cantor Sidor Belarsky: Haneros Halolu
Intro instrumental music: DEM HELFANDS TANTS from Jeff Warschauer: The Singing Waltz
Air date: December 17, 2025
55 min
December 12, 2025Sender Botwinik on New CD and Hanukkah Songs
Happy Hanukkah ! אַ פֿרײלעכן חנוכּה
Highlights:
Sender Botwinik (סענדער באָטװיניק), music and Yiddish teacher, chorus director and Yiddishist, discusses the new CD he produced and publishedZumer iz Shoyn Vider Do – זומער איז שוין ווידער דאָ featuring the music of his late father Dovid Botwinik, the Vilna-born music composer, music teacher, songwriter, chorus director and Holocaust survivor. Info here: https://botwinikmusic.com/new-album/ We reached Sender Botwinik in Philadelphia via Zoom on Dec. 8, 2025.
Music from CD Zumer iz Shoyn Vider Do – זומער איז שוין ווידער דאָ:
Anna Reisner, Tessa Pearlstein:Vider brent dos alte lempl
Mackenzie Sherman and Chorus (Anna Reisner, Joelle Pearlstein, Kendall Gold-Rappe, Laney Gold-Rappe, Skylar Zachian, Tessa Pearlstein): Shtoltse likhtelekh
Chorus: Nem in hant dos kleyne dreydl
Chorus: Dreydele
Skylar Zachian, Tessa Pearlstein and Chorus: A khanike-nes
Dina-Malka Botwinik: Dreydele
Other Music for Hanukkah:
Avram, Elisha and Sarah Mlotek: Lesht nit di likhtlekh oys
Yossi Desser: Dreidelech
Jordan Wax: Khanike iz Freylekh / Spin Around Like a Dreydl
Moishe Oysher: Blessing of the Candles
Klezmer Conservatory Band (soloist: Judy Bressler): Chanuka, Oy Chanuka
Lori Cahan-Simon: Kinder haynt iz khanike
Arbeter-Ring Kinder Khor: Hanukkah song medley
Intro instrumental music: DEM HELFANDS TANTS from Jeff Warschauer: The Singing Waltz
Air date: December 10, 2025
1 hr 10 min
November 24, 2025Mikhl Yashinsky, Translator of Max Spitzkopf, the Yiddish Sherlock Holmes
Highlights:
Mikhl Yashinsky (מיכל יאַשינסקי), a multifaceted actor, playwright, director, lyricist, translator and Yiddishist, discusses his new English translation of Adventures of Max Spitzkopf: The Yiddish Sherlock Holmes by Jonas Kreppel, published by White Goat Press in October 2025. Publisher’s page: https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/about/white-goat-press-0/jonas-kreppel More on Mikhl: https://yashinsky.com
The interviewer, Lillian (“Leah”) Shporer-Leavitt, is a frequent cohost of The Yiddish Voice and an experienced Yiddish translator and teacher. She has taught Yiddish for many years at various institutions in the Boston area, including Workers Circle and Gann Academy.
Music:
Moishe Oysher: Blessing the Chanukah Candles
Ikh Bin a Kleyner Dreydl
Pripetshik Singers: Kh’Bin a Dreydl
Marthe Schlamme: Chanuke o Chanuke
Pripetshik Singers: Akht Likhtelekh
Sidor Belarsky: O, Ir Kleyne Lichtelech
Intro instrumental music: DEM HELFANDS TANTS from Jeff Warschauer: The Singing Waltz
Air date: November 19, 2025
1 hr
November 14, 2025Zach Golden: Yiddish Activist in Los Angeles
Highlights:
Rabbi Zach Golden (זכריה גאָלדן) was ordained at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles in 2020. He is the co-founder of Der Nister Downtown Jewish Center and previously served as Deputy Editor at the Forverts Yiddish newspaper. He is the co-founder of Los Angeles Yiddish Day 2025, which takes place Sunday, November 23, 2025, on the campus of Hebrew Union College near Downtown Los Angeles. For information and registration, visit: LAYiddish.org We interviewed Zach in person at a meeting of the West Hollywood Yiddish Shmues-Krayz in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 9, 2025.
From our archive: Rukhl Schaechter (שׂרה-רחל שעכטער), editor of Forverts (a/k/a the Yiddish Forward, פֿאָרווערטס), online at forward.com/yiddish, reflects on 25 years with this Yiddish institution, originally as a writer and now as its editor. She spoke with us on Zoom from her home in Yonkers on Nov. 24, 2024. The Forward celebrated her anniversary with a Celebrate Our Rukhl event in New York, NY, on Weds., Dec. 4, 2024. Info: https://www.pages.forward.com/rukhl-celebration (A longer version of this interview originally aired Nov. 27, 2024.)
Music:
Sidi Tal:Nokhemke Mayn Zun
Intro instrumental music: DEM HELFANDS TANTS from Jeff Warschauer: The Singing Waltz
Air date: November 12, 2025
1 hr 3 min
October 06, 2025Remembering Ben Lesser
As our show aired Erev Yom Kippur, we again presented excerpts of our past interviews on The Yiddish Voice/דאָס ייִדישע קול with Holocaust survivors who died during the past year. Since our previous episode, we’ve lost Ben Lesser, who died the first day of Rosh Hashona, so we were unable to include this in our previous week’s show. The remainder of the show is a repeat of the previous week’s show.
Ben Lesser (died September 23, 2025, age 96) - Ben was a Holocaust Survivor, Author, Lecturer, and visionary founder of The ZACHOR Holocaust Remembrance Foundation. He was known around the world for his courageous testimony, tireless advocacy and unwavering commitment to education and remembrance. Born in Krakow, Poland in 1928 to Shari Segal and Lazar Leser. Ben was the second youngest of five children, Moshe Leser, Lola Lieber-Schwartz, Goldie Leser and baby brother Naphtali Leser. At age ten his life as a boy was forever changed. He endured four concentration camps, a seven-week death march, and two death trains, one of which was the notorious ill-fated death train from Buchenwald to Dachau where of the 6,000 inmates that walked on, only 18 walked off. Ben was the last living survivor from that train. We reached him by Zoom on Apr. 17, 2023. Originally aired April 19, 2023.
NOTE: MEMORIAL SERVICE OCT 19 2025: https://templebethsholomlv.shulcloud.com/form/ben-lesser-memorial
(for additional show notes, see show notes for last week’s episode: https://podcast.yv.org/episodes/remembering-aron-bell-bielski-natan-gipsman-judy-altmann-zoli-langer)
Air date: October 1, 2025
1 hr 24 min
September 26, 2025Remembering Aron Bell (Bielski), Natan Gipsman, Judy Altmann, Zoli Langer
We are again airing excerpts of interviews with Holocaust survivors, past guests of The Yiddish Voice/דאָס ייִדישע קול who died during the past year. Since our previous episode, we’ve lost Ben Lesser, who died the first day of Rosh Hashona, so we were unable to include this in our previous week’s show. The remainder of the show is a repeat of the previous week’s show.
Aron Bell (Bielski) (died September 22, 2025, age 98) - born in the village Stankiewicze, near Navaredok (now in Belarus), he was the last of the famed Bielski brothers, who led the Bielski Partisans, which collectively saved more than 1,200 Jews from the Nazis during the Holocaust. We reached him by phone at his home in Palm Beach, FL, on Jan. 12, 2009. Originally aired Jan. 14, 2009.
Natan Gipsman (died the night of September 10th, 2025, age 100) - born in Hindenburg (Upper Silesia, Prussia), Germany (now Zabrze, Poland), he was confined in the Będzin (Yiddish: בענדין) Ghetto and survived six concentration camps, including Buchenwald. We interviewed him at his home in Los Angeles on Jan. 26, 2024. Originally aired Feb 15, 2024.
Judy Altmann (died April 30, 2025, age 100) - born in Jasina, Czechoslovakia (Körösmezö, Hungary during WWII; now Yasinya, Ukraine), she survived Auschwitz and death marches. We reached her by phone at her home in Stamford, CT, on Aug. 18, 2018. Originally aired Apr. 25, 2019.
Zoli Langer (died February 28, 2025, age 98) - born in the village Minai, near Uzhgorod, Czechoslovakia (Ungvar, Hungary during WWII, now Uzhhorod, Ukraine), he survived Auschwitz and death marches. We interviewed at his home in Los Angeles on Oct. 31, 2019. Originally aired Apr. 22, 2020.
‫אַ גמר חתימה טובֿה!
Featured Announcements for Rosh Hashona/Yom Kippur:
Greetings on behalf of the American Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants of Greater Boston, featuring members Tania Lefman (Treasurer), Mary Ehrlich and Rosalie Reszelbach. Recorded Sept. 9 and 10, 2025.
Hy Wolfe, manager of CYCO Books, Hebrew Actors Foundation and the Yiddish National Theatre. Recorded Sept. 21, 2025.
Greetings on behalf of the League for Yiddish / די ייִדיש-ליגע by Gitl Schaechter-Viswanath, Board Chair. Recorded Sept. 9, 2025.
Greetings from Eli Dovek ז״ל, late proprietor of our sponsor Israel Bookshop, Brookline, MA. Recorded in 2009.
Greetings on behalf of the Boston Workers Circle / דער באָסטאָנער אַרבעטער-רינג by Libe Gritz. Recorded Sept. 17, 2025.
Greetings by The Yiddish Voice co-hosts Leye Schporer-Leavitt, Sholem Beinfeld and Dovid Braun. Recorded Sept. 17, 2025.
Music:
Sholom Katz: Zochreinu L’Chayim
Sholom Katz: Kol Nidre
Jan Peerce: Ovinu Malkeinu
Shalom Katz: El Moleh Rachamim
Leibele Waldman: Der Nayer Yor
Goldie Malavsky: Zochreinu L’Chayim
Intro instrumental music: DEM HELFANDS TANTS, an instrumental track from the CD Jeff Warschauer: The Singing Waltz
Air date: September 24, 2025
1 hr 10 min

About The 'Yiddish Voice' Podcast

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Podcast of The Yiddish Voice, a weekly hour-long Yiddish-language radio show heard in the Boston area Wednesdays, 7:30 - 8:30 PM, on WUNR 1600 AM/Brookline, MA (USA) and live-streamed via…