The Yiddish Book Center's

Wexler Oral History Project

A growing collection of in-depth interviews with people of all ages and backgrounds, whose stories about the legacy and changing nature of Yiddish language and culture offer a rich and complex chronicle of Jewish identity.

"They Had Their Own Language in Rummy": Summer Nights in South Philadelphia

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Bobby Block, career musician from South Philadelphia, describes a typical summer night of his childhood in South Philadelphia. His family would sit in the backyard with friends, play rummy, drink tea, and talk.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Bobby Block.

This excerpt is in English.

This interview is part of the Yiddish and the Arts: musicians, actors, and artists series.

Other video highlights from this oral history

"Music Therapeutic": Performing Jewish Music in Retirement Homes

1 min 16 sec

"We've Lost That Closeness": Cultural Change in the Jewish Community

2 min 24 sec

"Abi Gezunt! (Be Healthy!)": Bobby Block Sings a Molly Picon Classic

3 min 41 sec

Jewish Mutual Aid in Jewish South Philadelphia

1 min 12 sec

Yiddish Radio in Jewish South Philadelphia

1 min 48 sec

Tearful Music: Yiddish Song and the Synaoguge

1 min 18 sec

"Finally, He Accepted it": My Father's Reaction to the Rise of Women Cantors

2 min 24 sec

Saturday Night Performances at the Jewish Nightclub

2 min 10 sec

Yiddish and Latin Music: Similarities in Style

1 min 40 sec

"It's Music From the Heart": The Feel of Jewish Music

1 min 7 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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