The 'Yiddish Voice' Podcast

The 'Yiddish Voice' Podcast

di The Yiddish Voice

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Leybl Botwinik on Israel at War for Yom Hazikaron & Yom Haatsmaut

HIGHLIGHTS On the day of Israel Independence Day (Yom Haatsmaut) and one day after Israel's Memorial Day (Yom Hazikaron), we welcome back Leybl Botwinik to talk about life in Israel while at war against Iran. Leybl Botwinik is a writer of science fiction, poetry and songs (in both Yiddish and English) who grew up in Montreal's vibrant Yiddish cultural scene. He is the son of the late Dovid Botwinik, a composer of Yiddish songs, music educator, and Yiddish activist, and the brother of Sender Botwinik, a Yiddish educator, choral director, and music producer. We reached Leybl by phone at his home in Natanya on Wednesday, Apr. 22, 2026. From our archives (2008): Hasia Segal ז״ל talks about a relatively unsung hero of Israel, and a Bostonian, the late Dewey Stone, who made significant contributions to the establishment of the State of Israel. Music Dovid Esheth: Yerusholayim Shtot fun Gold Barry Sisters: Exodus Intro instrumental music: DEM HELFANDS TANTS, an instrumental track from the CD Jeff Warschauer: The Singing Waltz Air date: April 22, 2026

Joe Szwarcberg; Pesach 2026; Rabbi Teitelbaum

We wish all our cohosts, sponsors and friends a Happy and Kosher Pesach. מיר ווינטשן אַלע אונדזערע אונטערשטיצער, פֿרײַנד און באַטייליקטע אַ פֿריילעכן און כּשרן פּסח HIGHLIGHTS: We welcome back Rabbi Yitzchok-Boruch Teitelbaum, known in his Monroe, NY, community as der Pshischer Rebbe, for Pesach greetings and words of wisdom. We reached Rabbi Teitelbaum by phone at his home in Monsey, NY, on Mar. 25, 2026. We hear Holocaust survivor Joe Szwarcberg (יוסף שװאַרצבערג) tell his story of survival in his own words. Joseph Szwarcberg was born in 1930 in Kozienice, Poland. He survived the Holocaust, including Buchenwald, where he was liberated by the US Army on April 11, 1945. At age 17, he emigrated to Australia, where he built a life and was active in the “Buchenwald Boys,” a group originally comprised of 45 young survivors liberated on that same day. Today, he is the only surviving member. We reached Joe via WhatsApp at his home in Melbourne, Australia, on Mar. 18, 2026. Special thanks to Jiri Kluc, Holocaust historian in the Czech Republic, for help producing this interview. Pesach greetings from many of our cohosts, friends and sponsors, as follows: Israel Book Shop (Eli Dovek ז״ל recorded Mar 28 2007). American Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors of Greater Boston (member and Holocaust survivor Tania Lefman, and member and Holocaust survivor Mary Erlich), co-sponsor of Boston's 2026 Commemoration of Yom HaShoah, Sunday, April 12 at 10:00 AM Eastern. We reached them at their homes in Greater Boston by phone on March 25, 2026. League for Yiddish, New York, NY, (Gitl Schaechter-Viswanath, Chair of the Board). Recorded at her home in Teaneck, NJ, on March 25, 2026. Leah Shporer-Leavitt, Newton, MA, co-host of The Yiddish Voice / דאָס ייִדישע קול (recorded at her home in Greater Boston on March 24, 2026). Dovid Braun, Leonia, NJ, co-host of The Yiddish Voice / דאָס ייִדישע קול (recorded by phone at his office at YIVO on March 25, 2026). Yankele Bodo, Tel Aviv, Israel, actor and singer (from 2016). Eli Grodko, New Millford, NJ, friend of the show. Recorded at his home in Teaneck, NJ, on March 25, 2026. Boston Workers Circle, Brookline, MA (Yiddish committee member Linda (Libe-Reyzl) Gritz), recorded at her home in Greater Boston on March 24, 2026. Sholem Beinfeld, Cambridge, MA, co-host of The Yiddish Voice / דאָס ייִדישע קול, co-editor of the Comprehensive Yiddish-English Dictionary and Professor of History, emeritus, Washington Univ., St. Louis, with extended remarks on Pesach 5786. We recorded Sholem at his home in Cambridge, MA, by phone on March 25, 2026. Hy Wolfe, Director of CYCO Yiddish Book Center, Long Island City, NY. We recorded Hy by phone at his home in Manhattan on March 25, 2026. Music: Mark (מאָטל) Murstein: Mi Yodea (Recorded at his Brookline, MA, home for the Yiddish Voice, Pesach, 2019) Moishe Oysher: Kiddush for Pesach Lori Cahan and Meyshke Alpert: Zog, Maran Lori Cahan and Meyshke Alpert: In Dem Land Fun Piramidn Malavsky Family: Ho...

Miriam 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

Avremi 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

Dovid 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

International 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

Alex 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

Sender 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

Mikhl 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

Zach 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

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