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CNN Sunday Morning
Interview With Miriam Weinstein
Aired December 16, 2001 - 11:46 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, during this time of war, not only are we taking to heart the value of our freedom, but in this month of numerous holidays, we also reflect in our freedom of religion.
This morning we're talking about Hanukkah and Yiddish, a language that took the place of a nation. This mother tongue was the tie that bound a people dispersed from their homeland, and Miriam Weinstein has written a book on the popular history of Yiddish. She joins us from Boston this morning to talk about the romance language of the Jews. Great to see you, Miriam.
MIRIAM WEINSTEIN, AUTHOR: Good to be here.
PHILLIPS: We got you there though. All right, very good. First of all, let's talk about how you chose this topic. I know you're a journalist and a filmmaker, but why Yiddish?
WEINSTEIN: Why Yiddish? Because I grew up in the Bronx in the years after World War II, and at that time Yiddish was all around me. Everybody's grandparents spoke Yiddish, sometimes exclusively. A lot of people's parents spoke Yiddish. It was very much part of my world, and I realized that somehow when I hadn't been looking, the language had more or less disappeared.
I live in a small New England town, and I have to say I hardly hear any Yiddish, but even in the Jewish Centers in New York, you hear it less and less, and I realize that the world had changed dramatically, and that the story of the language had changed dramatically and it's a great story.
PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about the story. Let's get a little more into detail.
WEINSTEIN: OK.
PHILLIPS: You know a lot of people know Yiddish as a word here and there, but not so much detail.
WEINSTEIN: Right, which is an amazing -- because it's an amazing story. People should know the story. People should know the story. The story is briefly that this language, which has never had any real stature, it's always been looked down upon, really helped a Diaspora of people to survive for 1,000 years, and it really helped them to keep in touch with their history and their heritage and then to reinvent themselves when they were able to do that.
PHILLIPS: Did you find a favorite person or meet or discover someone unique when you were doing this research?
WEINSTEIN: Oh, the story is full of really unique characters.
PHILLIPS: Characters.
WEINSTEIN: Some of them are more savory than others. One person who stands out is a man named Aliasar Pearlman (ph) and he was born in a small shuttle in Russia in the mid 19th Century, and he decided to move to Palestine and it was his call to revive the ancient land and the ancient language, which meant reinventing Hebrew, which did not exist as a spoken language.
And he was so driven by his idea that his plan was that if he and his wife would have a child, that child would hear nothing but Hebrew, a language which basically did not exist as a spoken language. And so, his goal was to produce the first Hebrew child.
So when his wife was giving birth, he stood at the door of the room giving language exams, so that nobody could enter the room unless they knew a few words of Hebrew.
PHILLIPS: Well, Miriam, the book is incredible. I wish we could keep talking about it. We actually have some space news that we have to go to, but once again...
WEINSTEIN: OK.
PHILLPS: I want to remind everyone of the book. I know we've got a shot of the cover, and to pick this up and study a little bit about "Yiddish, a Nation of Words." And in the back of the book, also, I know there's a glossary where we had practiced and learned a few words. But we're going to have to do that another time. Miriam Weinstein, thank you.
WEINSTEIN: OK. Thank you.
PHILLIPS: ... so much. All right.
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