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We invite you to listen to this conversation (in Yiddish) between Eli Benedict and
Prof. Daniel Soyer
on the topic
Hidden Autobiographies:
200 Stories of Jewish Immigrants in America
Hear about the history of YIVO’s autobiography contest in 1942, on the topic “Why I left Europe, and what I have accomplished in America,” when over 200 “ordinary,” everyday people sent in their life stories. We read some examples from those treasures and get to know some of the writers and their lives. Additionally, we discuss Soyer's own history, and his books and research that deal with Jewish immigrants, Jews in America, and left-wing ideologies.
(In Yiddish, recorded May 19, 2024, on Zoom)
https://youtu.be/89hExdhASok
Daniel Soyer, a professor at Fordham University, previously served as an archivist at YIVO. He has co-edited and authored several books in English relevant to our topic. Some of his works include: The Jewish Metropolis: New York from the 17th to the 21st Centuries (2021); The Stars Bear Witness: The Jewish Labor Bund, 1897-2017 (2017); My Future is in America: Autobiographies of East European Jewish Immigrants (2006/2008); and Jewish Immigrant Associations and American Identity in New York, 1880-1939 (1997/2001).
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