WATCH: How Israel’s Yiddish Radio Pioneer Reached Past The Iron Curtain
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Forverts Staff February 22, 2018
This article originally appeared in the Yiddish Forverts.
Few people today know that in the 1950s, Yiddish programming on Israeli radio had half a million listeners every evening. Even Jews from abroad would listen, including those behind the Iron Curtain, where Jews would seek out ways to listen to the banned transmissions on their transistor radios. A number of Soviet Jews who later settled in Israel said that those Yiddish programs gave them hope and actually played a role in convincing them to emigrate.
The legendary radio announcer of those years, Mikhael Ben Avraham, describes it all in this documentary about the history of Yiddish radio in Israel. With subtle humor he relates how he responded to the supervisor who told him to Hebraize his name, which was Weinappel, and how he helped develop a specific style for Israeli Yiddish radio. We hear an excerpt of one very popular broadcast: Ida Kaminska in the role of Jacob Gordin’s “Mirele Efros”. Afterwards, Ben Avraham himself reads a chapter of M. Tsanin’s historical novel “Artapanus Returns Home,” which describes the lively character of Jewish Warsaw from the perspective of a local Jewish physician.
This documentary is one of ten in which acclaimed Yiddish writers and cultural figures of the pre-war generation speak openly about their lives. The films (in Yiddish with English subtitles) were directed by award-winning writer and former Forverts editor Boris Sandler and produced through the Forward Association as a DVD series called “Monologues of Yiddish Writers”.
I’m personally matching all gifts to the Forward, up to $36,000. Can I match your gift now?
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
