The Yiddish Culture Atlas (1965)

In this episode, originally broadcast on March 28, 1965, host Sheftl Zak sits down for a conversation with Dr. Mikhl Herzog, a student of Dr. Uriel Weinreich, about the Yiddish Culture Atlas project. They discuss the ways that the Atlas does more than document different Yiddish dialects. The project also maps differences in sentence construction, as well as variations in social and religious customs in different Jewish communities.

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.

A new podcast of this program in the order in which it was originally broadcast will be posted here every two weeks.

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

Listen to the program [in Yiddish].