Jeffrey Shandler: Yiddish: Biography of a Language

• Interview with Jeffrey Shandler, discussing his book Yiddish: Biography of a Language (Oxford University Press, 2020), which describes Yiddish from its origins to the present. Shandler is Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at Rutgers and holds a PhD from Columbia University. He has had a big influence on Jewish studies, particularly for his concept of Yiddish as a "post-vernacular language", that is, despite the fact that Yiddish is no longer the everyday language of large numbers of Jews, except for certain Chassidic groups, it's widely taught, studied, and translated, and is generally the object of lively interest and affection. For further info on Shandler's book Yiddish: Biography of a Language at Oxford University Press: https://academic.oup.com/book/33481 For Shandler's academic home page at Rutgers: https://jewishstudies.rutgers.edu/people/core-faculty/jeffrey-shandler The interview took place over Zoom on November 4, 2022, and was led by Sholem Beinfeld, regular contributor to The Yiddish Voice, co-Editor in Chief of the Comprehensive Yiddish-English Dictionary, and Professor of History, Emeritus, Washington University in St. Louis.

• Music:

  • Leyke Post: Yidish Redt Zikh Azoy Sheyn
  • Shifee Lovitt: Yiddish/Vaserl
  • Tsimmes: Oyfn Pripetshik
  • Intro instrumental music: DEM HELFANDS TANTS, an instrumental track from the CD Jeff Warschauer: The Singing Waltz

Air date: December 7, 2022