A Language With Chutzpah: Yiddish And American Culture

WAMU 88.5

Published January 22, 2020 at 11:06 AM EST

Shows like 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' have kept Yiddish in the spotlight.

Yiddish has been described as a language without a country. But it’s deeply woven into the fabric of the United States.

And it’s not just Jewish people who have a connection to Yiddish. Goys do, too — from bagels and bubbes to kvelling and kvetching.

In the last century, Yiddish has become a huge part of the American vernacular — and comedy. Vaudeville, Mel Brooks, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and other forms of entertainment have thrust the language into the spotlight.

How has Yiddish changed America? And how has America changed Yiddish?

Produced by Kathryn Fink.

GUESTS

Ilan Stavans, Professor of humanities, Latin American and Latino culture, Amherst College; co-editor, “How Yiddish Changed America and How America Changed Yiddish”; @IlanStavans

Josh Lambert, Academic director, Yiddish Book Center; American literature professor, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; co-editor, “How Yiddish Changed America and How America Changed Yiddish”; @joshnlambert

For more, visit https://the1a.org.