Finding Aids to Collections in the Archive of Folk Culture

JEWISH, YIDDISH, AND HEBREW COLLECTIONS
IN THE ARCHIVE OF FOLK CULTURE

Compiled by: April Schwenneker and Shana Smulyan
Series Editor: Ann Hoog
Revised: July 2012

AFC 1948/098: New York Public Library duplication project
Twenty-three 12-inch discs of field recordings of folk songs of various New York City ethnic groups, including songs represented to be "Comanche Indian songs;" plus Yiddish songs and children's games; Cuban American songs and lullabies in Spanish; African American street cries, songs, work songs, and spirituals; American folk songs; French children's songs; and Scots folk songs recorded in New York City by Chris Bonet and Charles Hofmann, May 30-October 28, 1947, for the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library. [catalog record]

AFS 9087; 9089; 9090; 9093: Four discs containing conversation and 19 songs rendered by residents of the Jewish Educational Alliance and Home for the Aged. Recorded in New York City by Charles Hofmann and Chris Bonet on June 2, 1947. (18 minutes; LWO 5111 reel 181B)

AFS 9088; 9091: Two discs containing 10 children’s games and songs rendered in Yiddish by Michael Rubin and Ora Mendelson. Recorded in New York City by Charles Hofmann, June 4, 1947. (9 minutes; LWO 5111 reel 181B)

AFS 9092: One disc containing 6 Nineteenth Century Eastern European songs sung by Ruth Rubin. Recorded in New York City by Charles Hofmann, May 30, 1947. (4 minutes; LWO 5111 reel 181B)

AFC 1951/015: Aaron M. Greenberg recording of Hebrew chants and prayers
One 10-inch tape of Hebrew chants, songs, and prayers for the morning service of Rosh Hashanah, including a section of the Torah reading, Passover seder songs, and chants for festivals, performed by and with comments by cantor Aaron M. Greenberg of Jersey City, New Jersey, who learned these chants and prayers in the Galicia region, southern Poland. Recorded at the Library of Congress by Hermond Norwood, December 28, 1950. The collection includes two pages of content lists. (1 hour) (AFS 10,085; LWO 1748) [catalog record]

AFC 1951/022: Howard Bloomfield and Harry Gilpar recordings of Yiddish songs
Six 12-inch discs containing Yiddish songs sung by Anita Bonden, Anna Kelman, Zisl Nathan, and Adele Weinrub. Recorded in Los Angeles, California by Howard Bloomfield and Henry Gilpar of UCLA under the supervision of Wayland Hand, 1949. The collection includes 13 pages of song lyrics in Yiddish and English and a recording log of song titles and performers' names. (AFS 10,132-10,137) (50 minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111 reels 286B and 287A) [catalog record]

AFC 1952/021: Sam Eskin duplication project, 1952
Six 10-inch tapes of folk songs (flamenco, Italian, traditional American, and scats) from various parts of the United States. Recorded in various parts of the United States by Sam Eskin in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The collection includes 23 pages of logs and correspondence. [catalog record]

AFS 10,501B: One tape containing conversation and 19 Yemenite, Jewish, Arab, and Israeli songs rendered by Alialeh [sic.] Kaufman. (37 minutes; LWO 1923)

AFC 1954/008: Irwin E. Lawton recordings of Jewish, Russian, and Hebrew folk music
One 5-inch tape of old Jewish folk songs from southern Russia and more recent songs in both Hebrew and Russian sung by the grandfather and father of Irwin Lawton. Recorded by Lawton, September 1953. The collection includes three pages of correspondence. (LWO 3528) (AFS 10,835) [catalog record]

AFC 1960/001: The Paul Bowles Moroccan music collection
An ethnographic field collection of sound recordings, photographs, and accompanying documentation of Moroccan folk, popular, religious, and art music. The collection includes recordings Paul Bowles made in 1959 during four six-week field trips sponsored by the Library of Congress with a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation as well as additional field recordings that he and Christopher Wanklyn made between 1960 and 1962. Bowles captured vocal and instrumental music of various tribes and indigenous people at 23 locations throughout the country. The collection includes dance music, secular music, music for Ramadan and other Islamic ceremonies, and music for animistic rituals. Berber and Arab music predominates, and Sephardic liturgical music and folk songs are included. Dance was often integral to the music events. Field notes and correspondence (1957-1989) describe the recorded events (including dance) and the project, and includes correspondence about the work leading to the publication of a selection of the recordings by the Library of Congress. Photographs are undated, and depict locations, performers and their musical instruments. [Microfilm of the field notes and map is located in the Music Division.] [catalog record]

AFS 11,623B: One tape containing religious music sung by Amram Castiel and Hazan Semtob Knafa. Recorded at the Synagogue Elkahal in Essaouira, 1959. (30 minutes; LWO 3068 reels 1 and 2; tape copy on LWO 8527 reel 93)

AFS 11,676; 11,677; 11,680: Three tapes containing religious music sung by Aaron Benaroche, David Benazra, and Hazan Esaac Ouanounou, with members of the Hévrat Gézékel. Recorded at the Synagogue Benamara in Meknès, December 12-14, 1959. (3 hours; LWO 3068; tape copy on LWO 12,419 reels 14 and 16)

AFC 1960/007: Sam Eskin duplication project, 1960
Eight 10-inch tapes of instrumentals and songs recorded at various locations throughout the United States by Sam Eskin, 1940-53. The collection includes 1/4 linear inch of correspondence, 1/2 linear inch of song lists and notes. Includes Irish songs, Jewish songs, Chassidic chant, Israeli songs, Italian songs, Spanish songs, African American blues, a Pennsylvania Dutch recording, cowboy songs, bawdy songs, tales, and a few religious songs and hymns. [catalog record]

AFS 11,712: One tape containing four Jewish songs sung by Nathan Adler and seven Jewish songs by an unknown singer in both Yiddish and English. (16 minutes; LWO 2995)

AFS 11,713: One tape containing six Israeli songs sung by Ben Volcani including "The Pomegrannate," "Camel Song," and "Hava Myila," and three songs sung by Dora Kaminsky including "Minkster Tochier." (17 minutes; LWO 2995)

AFC 1961/002: Wayland Hand collection of songs and lore
Six 10-inch tapes of songs and stories recorded primarily in the Los Angeles, California, area by Wayland D. Hand, D.K. Wilgus, and various UCLA students, 1956-60. The collection includes 40 pages of correspondence, lyrics, notes, transcripts, and song lists. Includes western folk songs and songs and lore of urban minority groups in California. Keywords: Jewish; Polish; Vera Partlow; Ed Cray; Slovak; Armenian; Gypsy; Ukrainian; Japanese; Yugoslavian; Minnesota; Kentucky; Mexico; Alabama; Rosalie Sorrels; D. K. Wilgus; Philippines; Mimi Clar; Utah; Tristram P. Coffin.

AFS 11,860: One tape containing Russian-Jewish songs sung by Esther Pursell and Hebrew chants by Hershel Slavin. Recorded in Los Angeles, California, by Wayland Hand, January 11, 1957. (45 minutes; LWO 3272)

AFS 11,862: One tape containing Ashkenazic folk music and lore related by David Baim, Bernice Miller, Molly Morton, Sidney Schwartz, Rosie, Weiss, and Rae Williams. Recorded by Michael Schwartz at the home of his Aunt, Bernice Miller, November 11, 1958. (53 minutes; LWO 3272)

AFS 11,864: One tape containing Jewish songs and lore rendered by Aaron Rotman. Recorded by Wayland Hand, May 17 and 24, 1957. (1 hour; LWO 3272)

AFC 1966/005: Ben Stonehill Duplication Project
Nine 10-inch tapes of 1,078 songs of European Jewish immigrants recorded in New York City by Ben Stonehill, 1948. The tapes include a condensed collection of songs sung by refugees themselves and a YIVO lecture recorded on January 3, 1964, with comments by both Stonehill and Shmerke Kacerginsky, the Vilna poet-partisan. The collection includes 50 pages of correspondence and logs. (AFS 12,365-12,373) (9 hours; LWO 4746)

AFC 1969/006: Ruth Rubin collection of Yiddish folksongs and folklore
Collection comprises 125 sound tape reels compiled by Rubin from her field recordings of Yiddish ballads, chassidic tunes, anti-chassidic songs, children's songs, rhymes, game songs, lullabies, love songs, marriage songs, fiddle tunes, Passover songs, holiday songs, songs of World War II, Yiddish art songs, poverty and work songs, labor songs, Zionist songs, humorous songs, topical songs, street cries, drinking songs, dancing songs, jokes, and prayers. Includes conversations, interviews, memories, and stories recorded primarily by Ruth Rubin from 1947-1967. Recorded at various locations in New York City and state, including Shrub Oak, Croton, Lake Charles, and Patterson, N.Y. (Camp Solomon), 1947-1967; Montreal and Toronto, Canada, 1955-1956, 1961; London, England, 1962; Tel-Aviv, Israel, 1965 by Ruth Rubin; and Chaim Plotkin recorded by his son Norman Cazden in Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1954-1956. The collection includes lists of titles, names, and locations of performers; and correspondence with Ruth Rubin related to the acquisition of this collection dated 1969-1974 is included in the collection. [catalog record]

AFS 13,504-13,505: Two tapes containing 22 anti-Chassidic songs sung by, among others, Yidl Goldberg, Ruth Rubin, and "Lerer" Zachar. Recorded in New York City, Montreal, Toronto, and London by Rubin, 1948-1964. (1 hour; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,506-13,509; 13,519: Five tapes containing 65 Yiddish ballads sung by, among others, Anne Berkowitz, Mary Michaels, and Wolf Younin. Recorded in New York City, Montreal, and London by Rubin, 1947-1964. (4 hours and 30 minutes; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,510-13,514: Five tapes containing 77 Chassidic tunes as well as some anti-Chassidic and Moshiach songs recorded in New York City and Montreal by Rubin, 1947-1962. (4 hours and 30 minutes; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,515-13,518; 13,521: Five tapes containing 167 children’s songs – rhymes, teasers, game songs, etc. – sung by, among others, Rochele Horowitz, Ruth Rubin, and Rachel Spivack. Recorded in New York City, Montreal, and Toronto by Rubin, 1948-1964. (4 hours and 30 minutes; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,519: One tape containing a Ukrainian Jewish wedding chant sung by a Jewish ensemble in the early 1930s and sent to Rubin by A. L. Lloyd from London in July, 1964. (30 minutes; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,520; 13,548-13,549: Three tapes containing 28 Chassidic tunes, children’s tales, street songs, reminiscences, etc., rendered by Rachel Spivack, Ruth Rubin’s mother. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1955 and 1963. (1 hour and 30 minutes; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,522: One tape containing 17 drinking songs sung by, among others, Max Makofsky and Rebecca Soyer. Recorded in New York City, Montreal, and Toronto by Rubin, 1948-1962. (30 minutes; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,523: One tape containing 20 riddle songs, drinking songs, and dance songs sung by, among others, Betty Granatstein, Moyshe Perenson, and Ruth Rubin. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1948-1962 and in London, 1962. (30 minutes; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,524-13,529; 13,542: Six tapes containing 105 miscellaneous recordings including folklore, satire, ballads, moralistic pieces, street cries, badehonish, etc. rendered by, among others, Bayshe Axelbank, Moyshe Kirshboyn, and Eva Stein. The tapes also include reminiscences including that of the Yiddish poet, Malka Li. Recorded in New York City, Montreal, Toronto, London, and Tel Aviv by Rubin, 1947-1965. (3 hours; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,530-13,534: Five tapes containing 87 love songs sung by, among others, Ruth Rubin, Dora Wasserman, and Wolf Younin. Recorded in New York City, Montreal, and Toronto by Rubin, 1947-1967. (2 hours and 30 minutes; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,535: One tape containing 23 songs concerning poverty and work sung by, among others, Sam Gold, Reda Lobell, and "Lerer" Zachar. Recorded in New York City and Montreal by Rubin, 1948-1963. (30 minutes; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,536-13,538: Three tapes containing 50 songs of "social significance" sung by, among others, Yankl Goldman, Anne Kline, and Ruth Rubin. Recorded in New York City and Montreal by Mrs. Rubin, 1948-1962. (1 hour and 30 minutes; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,539-13,541: Three tapes containing 39 miscellaneous recordings including lore and songs resulting from conversations with Daniel Lipkovitsch and Sholem and Yehudis Wasiliewsky. These recollections of childhood and youth in Warsaw as they were linked with Yiddish folk songs and authored songs were recorded over a two year period by Rubin. (1 hour and 30 minutes; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,543-13,545: Three tapes containing 54 lullabies and children's songs sung by, among others, Sam Gold, Ruth Rubin, and Feygl Yudin. The last tape includes a conversation concerning "accents" with Daniel Lipkovitsch and Sholem and Yehudis Wasiliewsky. Recorded in New York City, Montreal, and Toronto by Rubin, 1947-1964 and London, 1962. (1 hour and 30 minutes; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,546: One tape containing 17 Zionist songs sung by, among others, Anne Berkowitz, Rachel Spivack, and Ruth Rubin. Recorded in New York City, Montreal, and Toronto by Mrs. Rubin, 1947-1964. (30 minutes; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,547: One tape containing 17 songs concerning soldiers and wars sung by, among others, Fenye Segal, Yetta Solomon, and Dora Wasserman. Recorded in New York City and Montreal by Rubin, 1949-1963. (30 minutes; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,550-13,551: Two tapes containing 42 humorous and dancing songs sung by, among others, Karl Elish, Ruth Rubin, and Ida Smith. Recorded in New York City and Montreal by Mrs. Rubin, 1947-1964. (1 hour; LWO 5679)

AFS 13,552-13,553: Two tapes containing 30 reminiscences, chants, and songs performed by Ezra Abrahams originally from Iraz, Bastra. Recorded by Rubin in 1960. (1 hour; LWO 5679)

AFS 14,516: One tape containing comments, fiddle tunes, and songs played, spoken, and sung by Berish Katz. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1947. (30 minutes; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,517-14,518: Two tapes containing 36 "Songs of the Underworld" sung by, among others, Sylvia Ary, Fanye Halpern, and Ruth Rubin. Recorded in New York City, Toronto, and London by Rubin, 1948-1962. (1 hour; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,519: One tape containing 19 reminiscences, songs of literary origin, and songs of WWII rendered by the Vilna poet-partisan, Shmerke Kacerginsky. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1948. (30 minutes; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,520: One tape containing 5 Yiddish tales spoken by Ruth Rubin. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1960. The tales were collected by Y. L. Cahan, author of Yidishe Folsmayses (1931). (30 minutes; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,521-14,522: Two tapes containing 29 songs divided into 2 categories – songs created inside and outside of America – sung by, among others, Etta Cohen, Herman Rabins, and Reygl Sultan. Recorded in New York City and Montreal by Rubin, 1948-1962. (1 hour; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,523: One tape containing 15 songs brought to America from Europe (most of which are of literary origin) sung by, among others, Rochele Horowitz, Miriam Meltzer, and Feygl Yudin. Recorded in New York City, Montreal, and Tel Aviv by Rubin, 1947-1965. (30 minutes; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,524; 14,527: Two tapes containing 33 mixed language songs sung by, among others, Herman Rabins, Dora Wasserman, and Feygl Yudin. Recorded in New York City, Montreal, Toronto, and London by Rubin, 1948-1967 and in Tel Aviv, 1965. (1 hour; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,525: One tape containing 17 songs concerned with dancing and/or drinking sung by, among others, Sam Gold, Daniel Lipkovitsch, and Ruth Rubin. Recorded in New York City, Montreal, and Tel Aviv by Rubin, 1955-1967. (30 minutes; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,526: One tape containing 12 songs and conversation spoken and sung by Mikhoel and Yudin Yudelevitsch. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1966. (30 minutes; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,528: One tape containing 19 ballads, love songs, and dancing songs sung by, among others, Shmerke Kacerginsky, Anne Kline, and Miriam Meltzer. Recorded in New York City, Montreal, and Tel Aviv by Rubin, 1948-1965. (30 minutes; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,529: One tape containing 13 love songs sung by, among others, Shmerke Kacerginsky, Hannah Rosenberg, and Ruth Rubin. Recorded in New York City, Montreal, and Tel Aviv by Rubin, 1948-1965. (30 minutes; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,530: One tape containing 12 songs of Slavic influence or origin sung by, among others, Anne Berkowitz, Ruth Rubin, and Yehudis Wasiliewsky. Recorded in New York City, Montreal, and Tel Aviv by Rubin, 1955-1965. (30 minutes; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,531-14,532: Two tapes containing 4 songs and conversation by Polish-born Herman Rabins. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1967. (1 hour; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,553-14,534: Two tapes containing 26 songs and conversation by Michael Fox, who was born in the U.S.S.R. following his family’s evacuation from Poland. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1967. (1 hour; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,535-14,536: Two tapes containing 28 songs about marriage sung by, among others, Esther Drucker, Ruth Rubin, and Rachel Spivack. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1948-1962. (1 hour; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,537: One tape containing 17 songs concerning soldiers and wars sung by, among others, Yankl Goldman, Hannah Rosenberg, and Ruth Rubin. Recorded in New York City, Toronto, and London by Mrs. Rubin, 1947-1967. (30 minutes; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,538: One tape containing 7 miscellaneous recordings, including folktales, poems, and songs rendered by, among others, God Royzner, Harry Rubin, and Ruth Rubin. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1948-1962. (30 minutes; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,539: One tape containing 13 songs and conversation by Moshe Frank, a journalist born in White Russia. He speaks of the Zionist movement and his memories of the first migration to Palestine prior to WWII. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1947-1967. (30 minutes; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,540: One tape containing 13 Hebrew songs, recorded in New York City and Montreal by Rubin, 1955-1962. (30 minutes; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,541-14,542: Two tapes containing 21 songs of WWII sung by, among other, Shmerke Kacerginsky, Ruth Rubin, and Dora Wasserman. Recorded in New York City and Montreal by Rubin, 1948-1964. (1 hour; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,543-14,544: Two tapes containing 40 songs, the first half sung by persons born in Europe or the U.S.S.R. and the second half by persons born in the U.S.A., including, among others, Anne Berkowitz, Ruth Rubin, and Dora Wasserman. Recorded in New York City and Montreal by Rubin, 1948-1964. (1 hour; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,545-14,546: Two tapes containing 36 holiday songs sung in both Hebrew and Yiddish by, among others, Lillian Blatt, Betty Granatstein, and Ruth Rubin. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1947-1967. (1 hour; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,549-14,551: Three tapes containing “Tsukunftt Yugnt Chor” memoirs. Moshe Perenson and Avrohom Akucki recall the composer, Yosef Glatshtein, including comments about the national jamboree of Jewish working youth in Poland, 1933. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1967. (1 hour and 30 minutes; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,552-14,554: Three tapes containing 40 Yiddish art songs composed in Europe and America and sung by, among others, Chana Factor, Leon Lishner, and Feygl Yudin. Recorded in New York City and Montreal by Rubin, 1948-1967. (1 hour and 30 minutes; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,555: One tape containing 17 songs of “social significance” sung by, among others, Bessie Dux, Yankl Goldman, and Alec Waterman. Recorded in New York City, Toronto, and London by Rubin, 1947-1967. (30 minutes; LWO 6514)

AFS 14,665; 14,667; 14,669; 14,683; 14,685: Five tapes containing 79 miscellaneous recordings including topical songs, songs in Yiddish and Ladino, sabbath and holiday songs, mixed language songs, songs of the underworld, and songs from the Slavic peoples rendered by, among others, Chinke Asher, Shmerke Kacerginsky, Ruth Rubin, and Alec Waterman. Recorded in New York City, Montreal, Toronto, London, and Tel Aviv by Rubin, 1948-1965. (2 hours and 30 minutes; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,666: One tape containing 15 art songs – or songs of literary origin – created in Europe and sung by, among others, Sabina Drucker, Ruth Rubin, and a group of elderly men and women at a summer camp in Patterson, New York. Recorded in New York, Montreal, and Toronto by Rubin, 1948-1967. (30 minutes; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,667: One tape containing 11 holiday songs sung by, among others, Moshe Perenson, Ruth Rubin, and Ida Smith. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1956-1967. (30 minutes; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,668: One tape containing 18 Hebrew and Chassidic songs sung by, among others, Chana Factor, Betty Granatstein, and Alec Waterman. Recorded in New York City by Mrs. Rubin, 1948-1967. (30 minutes; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,670-14,672: Three tapes containing 44 songs derived from the labor poems of David Edelshat, Moris Rosenfeld, and Morris Winchevsky, poets of the turn of the century. The songs are sung by, among others, Leon Lishner and Ruth Rubin. Recorded in New York City, Toronto, and Montreal by Rubin, 1947-1961. (1 hour and 30 minutes; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,673-14,674: Two tapes containing twenty-three songs and reminiscences with Ben-Zion, well-known artist and sculptor in New York City. Additional songs are sung by Lillian Miller and Ruth Rubin. Recorded in New York City by Mrs. Rubin, 1967. (1 hour; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,675: One tape containing eleven songs by Mordkhe Gebirtig and sung by, among others, Ruth Rubin, Yetta Steinberg, and "Lerer" Zachar. Recorded in New York City by Mrs. Rubin, 1948 and 1962. (30 minutes; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,676: One tape containing 14 Yiddish songs sung by American-born children, Bernard Antonoff, Ora Mendelson, Michael Rubin, and Rochelle Spruchman. Recorded in New York City by Mrs. Rubin, 1953. (30 minutes; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,678: One tape containing thirteen songs of "social significance" sung by, among others, Sam Gold, Daniel Lipkovitsch, and Ruth Rubin. Recorded in New York City and Tel Aviv by Mrs. Rubin, 1948-1967. (30 minutes; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,679-14,680: Two tapes containing in-depth interview and 8 songs with Bashevis Singer, well-known author and brother of author I.I. Singer. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, October 1967. (2 hours; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,680: One tape containing 5 songs by Philip Ney, recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1948-1964. (30 minutes; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,681: One tape containing 14 songs set to texts by Avrom Reisin and others, including commercially recorded tunes by Leon Lishner. The songs are sung by, among others, Mary Michaels, Ruth rubin, and Feygl Yudin. Recorded in New York City and Montreal by Mrs. Rubin, 1954-1967. (30 minutes; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,682: One tape containing 17 love and miscellaneous songs sung by Daniel Lipkovitsch, Ruth Rubin, and Yehudis Wasiliewsky. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1964-1967. (30 minutes; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,684: One tape containing 12 songs based on the texts of Chayim Nachman Bialik, in both Yiddish and Hebrew, sung by, among others, Chana Factor, Daniel Lipkovitsch, and Ruth Rubin. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1948-1967. (30 minutes; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,686: One tape containing 26 songs of "Americana" – Yiddish-secular camp songs from Camp "Boi Kerik" and miscellaneous American-English folksongs, Yiddish folksongs, etc. – sung by among others, David Pincus, Tedi Schwarz, and Wolf Younin. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1948-1964. (30 minutes; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,687: One tape containing 21 songs pertaining to the U.S.S.R., including a song recorded by E. Pecheny during a visit to the U.S.S.R. in 1964, sung by, among others, H. Ary, Ruth Rubin, and Dora Wasserman. Recorded in New York City, Montreal, London, and Tel Aviv by Rubin, 1955-1965. (30 minutes; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,688: One tape containing 6 songs based on the texts of poems by Itsuk Manger and sung by Ben Bonus, Ruth Rubin, Feygl Yudin, and Geula Zohar. Recorded in New York City and Montreal by Mrs. Rubin, 1948-1967. (30 minutes; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,689: One tape containing four songs and conversation with Zuni Maud, poet, sculptor, artist, and actor born in the 1890s. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1948-1967. (30 minutes; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,690-14,691: Two tapes containing 29 jokes told in Yiddish by Ruth Rubin and Feygl Yudin. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, November 4, 1967. (1 hour; LWO 6855)

AFS 14,692-14,695: Four tapes containing 34 items of conversation with Chain Plotkin recorded in Bridgeport, Connecticut by his son Norman Cazden, May 1964 and April 1956. (2 hours; LWO 6855)

AFS 19,253-19,254: Two tapes containing 31 Hebrew songs, many composed in Israel, sung by Chana Factor, Betty Granatstein, and others who learned the songs in the “movement” of Hashomer Halsair during the years 1946-1957. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1962 and 1964. (1 hour; LWO 12,459)

AFS 19,255: One tape containing 15 Hebrew songs created in Europe, America, Palestine, and Israel, and sung by Mary Michaels, Ruth Rubin, and others. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1958-1967. (30 minutes; LWO 12,459)

AFS 19,256: One tape containing 17 Hebrew and Israeli songs sung by Ruth Rubin and representing her own involvement with that type of music and the Zionist movement. Recorded in New York City by Rubin, 1960 and 1967. (30 minutes; LWO 12,459)

AFC 1970/038: Abraham Pinto Recordings of Sephardic Jewish and Berber Music in Morocco
Twelve 10-inch tapes of Sephardic Jewish liturgical music rendered by the Synagogues Tangier Tetuan and Gibraltar and Rabbi David Buzasio and Berber music performed by eighteen males and females from the Draa Valley. Recorded in Tangier, Morocco, by Abraham Pinto, 1966. The collection includes 48 pages of correspondence, logs, notes, and Hebrew documentation. (48 hours; LWO 6122) (AFS 14,280-14,291) [catalog record]

AFC 1975/050: Jewish Community Center at Teaneck, New Jersey
One 10-inch tape of Sabbath music for the home and Synagogue, including the piece "Novoh Sehiloh (to Sing His Praise is Seemly)," narrated by Rabbi Judah Washer and the Cantor David Osen. Recorded in Teaneck, New Jersey by the Jewish Community Center. The collection includes two pages of song lists. (40 minutes; LWO 8529) (AFS 17,969)

AFC 1976/014: Jack Manischewitz Duplication Project
Six 10-inch tapes containing Yiddish folksongs among various international folksongs recorded in West Orange, New Jersey; New York, New York; Cincinnati, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and elsewhere by Jack Manischewitz, 1957-1961. The collection includes 11 pages of logs. (11 hours; LWO 8692) (AFS 18,053-18,058)

AFC 1978/017: Julian Grossman Recordings of Jewish Folksongs
One cassette containing 2 Jewish folksongs and one original song in Yiddish sung and recorded by Julian Grossman of Norristown, Pennsylvania, 1975. The collection includes 6 pages of correspondence and transcriptions. (30 minutes; LWO 9969) (AFS 19,233)

AFC 1978/019: Kenneth Alan Collins / Samuel Carl Collins Recollections of Jewish Life on the Lower East Side of New York
One audiocassette of a conversation with Samuel Carl Collins, recollecting his Jewish family, including immigration and life on the Lower East Side of New York City. Recorded by his son, Kenneth Alan Collins. The collection includes 2 pages of documentation. (13 minutes; LWO 9970) (AFS 19,235)

AFS 20,198: Steven Barr Yiddish Song Project
One audiocassette containing Rose Cohan singing two songs that she learned in 1914 at a socialist school in Baltimore. Recorded in Bethesda, Maryland, by her grandson, Stephen Barr, April 1980. The collection includes 23 pages of notes, a paper by Stephen barr entitled "Socialism in Yiddish Folksong," song lyrics, and translations. (5 minutes; RYA 0003)

AFC 1981/004: Chicago Ethnic Arts Project Collection
Ninety-nine 7-inch tapes and 245 audiocassettes of a field survey of ethnic artistic expression in Chicago, including dance, foodways, instrument making, neighborhood gatherings, religious celebrations, social club meetings, textile arts, vocal and instrumental music, and wood carving. Recorded in Chicago as part of the Chicago Ethnic Arts Project by various collectors under the direction of Elena Bradunas, February-November, 1977. The collection includes 269 folders of fieldnotes, logs, and photographic materials. The project was sponsored by the American Folklife Center and the Chicago Arts Council. [catalog record] [finding aid]

AFC 1981/004: CH77- 37-44: Eight rolls of color slides containing images of the artisans Mrs. Faith Bickerstaff, Mrs. Rose Ann Chasman, Mrs. Naomi Cohen and their work, as well as the wedding of Gail and Warren Kasztel. Photographed by Jonas Dovydenas and Carl Fleischhauer, May 3-5, and June 7, 1977.

AFC 1981/004: Folder 134: Twenty three rolls of black-and-white photographs of the Jewish informants and artistic expressions. Included are pictures of the Maxwell Street Market, various artisans and their crafts, and a traditional Jewish wedding. Photographed by Jonas Dovydenas and Carl Fleischhauer, May 1-5, and June 7-8, 1977.

AFS 20,567 (CH77-To44-C): One tape containing interviews with Grace Grossman, curator in the Spertus Museum regarding museum interest in Jewish issues, Jewish numerology, and traditional artists and with Dr. Weinstein, President of Spertus College. Recorded in Chicago by Shifra Epstein, April 26, 1977. (30 minutes; RYA 0629)

AFS 20,568 (CH77-To45-C): One tape containing oral history project interviews with Richard Marcus, librarian and archivist at Spertus College regarding immigration, Jewish orthodoxy in Chicago, and the Sephardic community, and Darryl Rotman, a calligrapher. Recorded in Chicago by Shifra Epstein, April 26, 1977. (30 minutes; RYA 0630)

AFS 20,569 (CH77-To46-C): One tape containing an oral history interview with Faith Bickerstaff regarding her family and Jewish heritage. Recorded in Chicago by Shifra Epstein, April 28, 1977. (30 minutes; RYA 0631)

AFS 20,570 (CH77-To47-C): One tape containing an interview with Mazalah Kolman, a producer of amulets. Recorded in Wilmette, Illinois by Shifra Epstein, April 28, 1977. (30 minutes; RYA 0632)

AFS 20,571 (CH77-To48-C): One tape containing Jewish music and conversation with Jorah Mihailovic, Greta Swenson, and Eleanor Wacks. Recorded at the Dejan Restaurant in Chicago by Shifra Epstein, April 30, 1977. (30 minutes; RYA 0633)

AFS 20,572 (CH77-To49-C): One tape containing an interview with Darcie Fohrman, designer at the Spertus Museum, concerning Jewish cemeteries in Chicago. Recorded in Chicago by Shifra Epstein, April, 1977. (30 minutes; RYA 0634)

AFS 20,573 (CH77-To50-C): One tape containing an interview with Linda Goldman, who worked on the Jewish bicentennial exhibit in the Museum of Science and Industry. Recorded in Chicago by Shifra Epstein, April, 1977. (30 minutes; RYA 0635)

AFS 20,574 (CH77-To51-C): One tape containing recordings made at a fruit and vegetable stand at the Maxwell Market in Chicago by Shifra Epstein, May 1, 1977. (30 minutes; RYA 0636)

AFC 1981/018: Ethnic Broadcasting in America Collection
Two 5-inch tapes, 18 7-inch tapes, and 117 cassettes of a survey of ethnic radio broadcasts recorded for the Ethnic Broadcasting in America Project of the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Recorded mostly off the air by Elena Bradunas, Theodore Grame, Alan Jabbour, and Wolfgang Fleischhauer at various locations in the United States,1977-1979. The radio broadcasts include contemporary, popular, and folk music; community news and announcements; advertising; comedy; news; sports; politics; paid political ads; and religious broadcasts, with hymns, gospel music, sermons, church services, and masses. The collection includes Theodore Grame’s Ethnic Broadcasting in the United States and 9 1/2 linear inches of correspondence, manuscript material, and tape logs. [catalog record]

AFS 23,067: One audiocassette containing the radio programs "Le Haym to Life" and "Afternoon Symphony" broadcasted by Cantor David Schiff and Art Raymond on WEVD (97.9 FM). Recorded in Brooklyn, New York, by T. C. Grame, May 26, 1978. (1 hour; RYA 2926)

AFS 23,072: One audiocassette containing Jewish religious teachings and announcements as well as subsequent Yugoslav programming broadcasted on WHBI (105.9 FM). Recorded in Brooklyn, New York, by T. C. Grame, March 7, 1978. (30 minutes; RYA 2931)

AFS 23,083: One audiocassette containing "The Barry Reisman Show" broadcasted by Barry Reisman on WIBF (103.9FM). The show includes news, a community calendar, and popular, traditional, and comic Jewish music. Recorded in Jenkinstown, Pennsylvania, by T. C. Grame, March 5, 1978. (1 hour; RYA 2942)

AFS 23,142: One audiocassette containing "The Ben Gayling Show" broadcasted by Ben Gayling on WWEL (1430 AM). The show includes popular Yiddish music and local and national news. Recorded in Medford, Massachusetts, by T. C. Grame, March 12, 1978. (30 minutes; RYA 2990)

AFC 1984/048: Dough Ornaments and Festive Cookies Workshop Collection
Photographs, flyers, and recipes from a workshop entitled "Dough Ornaments and Festive Cookies" held on November 15, 1984, at the Library of Congress. Vilma Janke-Grace, Filomena Agnelli-Lesansky, Sirkka Singleton, Phyllis Frucht and some of their family members gave demonstrations of Peruvian, Italian, Finnish, and Sephardic Jewish dough ornament-making for the holiday season.

AFC 1985/027: Marcia Mint Danab Jewish Festivals Project Collection
Eight 10-inch tapes of interviews with various informants concerning Jewish holiday, festival, and religious customs in their native countries including personal narratives, family histories, and songs in Ladino and Yiddish. Recorded in Oregon by Marcia Mint Danab as part of the Jewish Festivals Project, July-October 1981. The collection includes 137 pages of logs and transcriptions. (14 hours 30 minutes; LWO 19,413; RWA 8870-8877) (AFS 23,260-23,267)

AFC 1985/030: Connie Goldman / "Horizons: The Grand Generation Collection"
One audiocassette of the National Public Radio program, “Horizons: the Grand Generation” with performances and interviews with elderly artists at the Smithsonian Institution’s 1984 Festival of American Folklife, and including interviews with Jewish storytellers Mayer and Doris Kirshenblatt. Recorded in Washington, D.C., by Connie Goldman, June 1984. The collection includes 6 pages of correspondence and logs. (1 hour and 30 minutes; RYA 4724) (AFS 23,719)

AFC 1985/031: Lionel Kilberg Recording of an Al Bluhm Concert
One audiocassette of a concert by Al Bluhm, a former roper with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show, recorded live in the 1960s and copied onto audiocassette by Lionel Kilberg. The concert features comic ethnic (German, Irish, and Jewish), cowboy, and patriotic songs in the vaudeville tradition accompanied by guitar, including a comic Jewish burlesque song. The collection includes 3 pages of correspondence and logs. (1 hour; RYA 4725) (AFS 23,720)

AFC 1988/026: Abraham A. Schwadron "Chad Gadya" Collection
Twenty 7-inch tapes, 2 5-inch tapes, and 7 audiocassettes containing over 160 versions of the Passover song "Chad Gadya" (One Kid), recorded in various parts of the United States and the world by musicologist Abraham Schwadron, 1973-1985. The collection includes 4 black-and-white photographs, 1 box of index cards and 28 folders (totaling 1 linear foot) containing background research, correspondence, indexes, informant information, logs, publicity, and writings by Schwadron. (28 hours) [catalog record] [finding aid]

AFC 1989/031: "Folkways of the Jewish High Holidays" Lecture by Dov Noy
Photographs, programs, publicity, and correspondence from the lecture on Jewish folkways in the Whittall Pavilion of the Library of Congress on October 5, 1989, by Professor Dov Noy of Hebrew University, Jerusalem.

AFC 1990/012: 1990 Neptune Plaza Concert Series Collection
Three 7-inch tapes, 2 10-inch tapes, 143 black-and-white negatives, 11 black-and-white contact sheets, 28 black-and-white photoprints, 1 color photoprint, 92 color slides, and 2 videocassettes containing documentation of the 1990 Neptune Plaza Concert Series sponsored by the American Folklife Center and featuring the presentation of folk traditions from many cultures. Recorded at the Library of Congress, Washington D.C. by the American Folklife Center, April-September 1990. [catalog record] [finding aid]

AFC 1990/012: Folder 7: One autographed concert flier, unsigned fliers, press releases, news clippings, promotional materials, and photo logs of Henry Sapoznik and Klezmer Plus, May 17, 1990.

AFC 1990/012: Folders 8-9: Five black-and-white photoprints of Henry Sapoznik and Klezmer Plus, photographers unknown, May 17, 1990.

AFC 1990/012: SR3-7: Two tapes containing a concert by Henry Sapoznik and Klezmer Plus and three 7-inch tapes containing an interview with Henry Sapoznik conducted by Alan Jabbour, May 17, 1990. (7 hours)

AFC 1990/012: SR8-9: Two audiocassettes recorded concurrently with the reel-to-reels listed above, May 17, 1990. (1 hour and 30 minutes)

AFC 1990/024: Terrence Lisbeth Collection of Washington, D.C., Folklife Presentation Events
One videocassette of the June 1990 American Folklife Center’s Neptune Plaza Concert and the Smithsonian’s 1990 Festival of American Folklife, recorded in Washington, D.C., by Terrence Lisbeth of the Library of Congress Congressional Research Service, Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division (CRS/F), 1990. Includes a performance by Henry Sapoznik and Klezmer Plus.

AFC 1990/036: Hanukkah, Feast of Dedication, Festival of Lights: Lecture and Workshop on Hanukkah Foods of Lebanon, Turkey and Morocco, December 14, 1990
One tape, one roll of black-and-white photographs, fliers, and recipies documenting the demonstrations and discussion of Hanukkah foods of the Sephardic traditions, featuring demonstrators Annie Totah, of Beirut, Lebanon, Denise Suissa, of Casablanca, Morocco, and Dina Doron, of Ankara, Turkey. Introduced by folklorist Devorah S. Sperling. Foods prepared by participants and sampled by audience.

AFC 1993/007: Reflections on a journey to Morocco : songs and stories of the Sephardic Jews / lecture by Henrietta Yurchenco
One videocassette of Henrietta Yurchenco delivering a lecture titled "Reflections on a Journey to Morocco: Songs and Stories of the Sephardic Jews," held on Thursday, April 22, 1993, 4:30-5:30 pm, Dining Room A, Library of Congress, co-sponsored by the American Folklife Center and other LC Divisions. The lecture focuses on the traditions of the Sephardic Jews of Spanish Morocco, who were expelled from Spain in 1492. Ms. Yurchenco illustrates her lecture with recollections, slides, and examples of ballads, wedding songs, and stories recorded in 1956 on location in Tetuan and Tangier. [catalog record]

AFC 1995/007: Nick Spitzer / Folk Masters 1992 Season Collection
Thirteen audiocassettes of recordings of radio programs based on the “Folk”Masters” performance series including live performances and on-stage interviews. Recorded at the Barns of Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia by Nick Spitzer, April 1-May 8, 1992. The collection includes one 32-page manuscript containing the "Listener’s Guide to Programs."

AFC 1995/007:SR12A: One audiocassette entitled "New York Klezmer and New Orleans Jazz" containing Klezmer music and interviews performed and spoken by Klezmer Plus of New York City. (25 minutes)

AFC 1996/080: Jack Manischewitz / Rachel Marshak and Harry Rudman Collection
One audiocassette of Eastern European Jewish folk songs by and conversation with Rachel Marshak and Harry Rudman. Songs sung in English, Russian, Ukrainian, and Yiddish. Recorded in Rockville, Maryland by Jack Manischewitz, July 17, 1995. The collection includes a 1-page log. (1 hour and 30 minutes)

AFC 1996/081: Leonard Kerpelman / 1995 KlezKamp Videotape Collection
One videotape of the annual klezmer music festival, KlezKamp, produced at the Paramount Hotel, Parksville, New York by the organization “Living Traditions,” December 25-30, 1995. The collection includes 13 pages of commentary by Jack Manischewitz and notes by an unknown source. (4 hours)

AFC 1997/003: National Public Radio / "Seasonings" Collection
The collection consists of two identical audiocassettes of the Decenber 1994 "Seasonings" program, an NPR series written and narrated by Gullah folklorist and commentator Verta Mae Grovesnor, which focuses on the foodways associated with the winter holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. The African American Christmas customs among slaves are discussed. Master chef Natalie Dupree and food historian Joan Nathan are interviewed, and recipes are discussed.

AFC 1997/027: David Kresh / Esther Korshin Yiddish Songs Collection
One audiocassette of recordings of Esther Korshin (originally of Ukraine) singing in Russian and Yiddish, originally recorded on a home disc recorder by Benjamin Herring in 1946 and donated by David Kresh, the grandson of Ms. Korshin. The collection includes 3 pages of correspondence and data sheets. (10 minutes)

AFC 1999/022: Henrietta Yurchenco collection from Spain and Morocco
Field recordings by ethnomusicologist Henrietta Yurchenco of instrumental music, songs, dances, choral music, children's songs, religious songs, and flamenco, from the southern, western, and central provinces of Spain and the Balearic Islands in 1953-1954. Yurchenco made twenty field recordings in Tangier and Tetuan, Morocco from April to June, 1956, which include women's songs, psalms, prayers, ballads, wedding songs and other ritual songs, romances and stories of Sephardic Jews in Morocco. [catalog record]

AFC 2000/015: Andriy Milavsky / Cheres Collection
One videocassette entitled Cheres: A Carpathian Folk Ensemble, featuring the group Cheres performing folk music of the Carpathian region, specifically Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, and Moldova, as well as Gypsy and Jewish tunes. Cheres was founded by Andriy Milavsky in 1990 and performs primarily in the New York City area. Produced in New York City with some clips from the Ukraine. The collection includes 2 publicity photos and 5 pages of correspondence, a biography of the group, a log, and a concert flier.

AFC 2003/002: Aaron Ziegelman Foundation Collection
Twenty-five linear feet of manuscripts, more than 2000 photographs, 276 videos, 160 sound recordings, and 20 artifacts from the Luboml Exhibition Project. In 1994, the Aaron Ziegelman Foundation initiated the Luboml Exhibition Project to preserve the history and the memory of his birthplace, Luboml, a shtetl (market town) in Poland, whose Jewish community was destroyed in World War II. (Luboml, Libivne in Yiddish, is now within the national borders of Ukraine.) The Foundation collected photographs, letters, maps, posters, artifacts, and oral histories from more than 100 families and archives around the world. The material was then used in a traveling exhibition, Remembering Luboml: Images of a Jewish Community, that focused on the every day lives of the Luboml Jews.

AFC 2005/044: Book of lives : drashot given during the high holy days by members of the traditional minyan at Sinai Temple, Champaign, Illinois, / collected by Ray Spooner
Collection of drashot, or talks or speeches given at high holy day services, collected and published by Ray Spooner from members of his community, Sinai Temple, Champaign, Illinois. Published by Urbana, Ill.: Been There, Done That Publications, copyright 2004. Includes torah and haftorah readings for the high holy days, in Hebrew and English. Many of the selections include family histories and personal experiences of the contributors, illustrated with color portraits and family photographs. [catalog record]

AFC 2007/005: Flory Jagoda Concert Collection
Collection of digital video, sound recordings, and photographs documenting a concert by Flory Jagoda on March 21, 2007 in the Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, as part of the Homegrown concert series sponsored by the American Folklife Center. Flory Jagoda performs Sephardic music and songs in Ladino, including folk songs, ballads, children's songs, and religious songs, from the former Yugoslavia and beyond, with Susan Gaeta, vocals, guitar; Howard Bass, guitar; and Tina Chancey, bowed stringed instruments. Flory Jagoda tells stories and describes courtship customs and family traditions of her childhood, which are the subject of songs she has learned and also composed. [catalog record] [event flyer and webcast]

AFC 2009/013: Hear, O Israel : Yiddish-American broadcasting 1925-1965, 2009 October 14 / lecture by Henry Sapoznik
Video recording and photographs of a lecture delivered by Henry Sapoznik in the Mary Pickford Theater, Library of Congress, on October 14, 2009, as part of the Benjamin Botkin Folklife Lecture series sponsored by the American Folklife Center. Sapoznik discusses the wide range of Yiddish radio shows in the United States, particularly in New York city -- from rabbinical advice programs to live Yiddish theater acts, from man-on-the-street interviews to the news of the day in verse -- representing a vibrant and vital Jewish American popular culture at its creative apex and on the eve of its terrible devastation. The lecture is illustrated with color slides. [catalog record]

AFC 2009/038: 'If it wasn't for the Irish and the Jews' : Irish and Jewish influences on the music of vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley, 2009 December 1 / lecture by M Moloney
Video recording of a lecture delivered by Mick Moloney in the Whittall Pavilion, Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress, on December 1, 2009, as part of the Benjamin Botkin Folklife Lecture series sponsored by the American Folklife Center. In vaudeville's heyday between 1880 and 1920, Irish and Jewish collaborations on stage were commonplace. They were attended by all sorts of interesting identity ambiguities, illustrated in this lecture. [catalog record]

AFC 2010/003: Henry Sapoznik collection
One thousand one hundred forty-five sound discs, 405 tapes, 10 linear feet of manuscript and 70 black-and-white photographs documenting Yiddish radio broadcasts, theater, and music, primarily in the New York City area, but also including documentation from other parts of the United States, from the 1920s to circa 1960, collected by Henry Sapoznik. Manuscripts include correspondence, manuscript music, photocopies, and other material. [catalog record]