From the YIVO Sound Archives: YIVO on the Radio

From 1963-1976, YIVO had its own program on WEVD, the radio station established by the Socialist Party of America in 1927 (its call letters stand for the initials of American socialist leader Eugene V. Debs), which was purchased by the Jewish Daily Forward in 1932 and became a major venue from Yiddish programming.

YIVO used its spot on WEVD for Yiddish-language interviews and discussions with leading New York Yiddish cultural figures, as well as for reporting on its own scholarly and cultural work.

This first episode, which originally aired on December 2, 1963 at 2:30 p.m., features host Sheftl Zak interviewing Dr. Julius (Yudl Borenstein) about YIVO’s new plans for fundraising and Dr. Shlomo Noble about YIVO exhibitions, surveys, and plans for 1964.

Sheftl Zak was a Yiddish actor and a director of the Yiddish theater Undzer teatr (Our theater).

Julius Borenstein (1913-1975) was the Chairman of YIVO’s Executive Committee, the Vice-president and Treasurer of the Workmen's Circle, Vice-president of the Jewish Labor Committee, Chairman of the Committee for the Jewish Encyclopedia and of the magazine Zukunft. He was also a real estate developer in the Bronx.

Shlomo Noble was a prominent teacher, historian, linguist, and staff member of YIVO.

We plan to bring you a new episode of this program every two weeks in the order in which they were originally broadcast.

Presentation of series curated by Matt Temkin, YIVO Sound Archives.

Listen to the program [in Yiddish].