Paul Azaroff

Item Information

Title:
Paul Azaroff
Description:
Paul Azaroff, Hebrew and Judaic Studies teacher and native of New York City, was interviewed by Isaac Daniel Moore on February 11, 2015 in Boca Raton, Florida. Paul was born in New York City in 1934 and grew up in Brooklyn and later Israel. He begins the interview discussing his family background. Paulâs motherâs family was from Bialystok and immigrated to America in 1929 to join family who had moved before World War One. Paul describes them as Litvaks (Lithuanian Jews) and talks about their strong Litvish (Lithuanian) Yiddish accent. His fatherâs family came to the United States in 1905 from Belarus; his father was born in New York City in 1908 and grew up on the Lower East Side. Paul tells the story of how his parents met. His father worked for a man named Paul Bernstein who was incidentally married to Paulâs motherâs elder sister. Mr. Bernstein promised Paulâs father partnership in the business if he married his wifeâs sister. Paul describes his family as large and discusses the âbarrierâ that existed between his fatherâs âAmericanâ family and his motherâs Jewish-Polish family. He tells the story of how his mother was often times referred to as a âMockyâ (derogatory term for âJewâ). Paul explains that Yiddish was the language of the home. He recalls reading The Forward, The Bialystoker and Der Tog in Yiddish to his mother and bobe (grandmother). Paul explains that he was especially close to his grandmother with whom he always spoke Yiddish. He retells many stories, including about her love of apples and her large earlobes. Paul also talks about the strict kosher dietary rules his mother followed and the special tablecloth she used when lighting candles on Yom Kippur. In one story, he recalls going to the movies and upsetting his mother by bringing popcorn and macaroni and cheese into the house. Paul recalls joining a left-wing Zionist youth organization, Hashomer Hatzair, at the age of 15 and finding his niche. He discusses reading on Zionism, capitalism, and communism, and singing Yiddish folk songs. Eventually in 1950 Paul persuaded his mother to let him travel to England, France, and Israel to meet cousins who had survived the Holocaust. Paul tells a particular story about meeting a young American boy, a âgoyâ (non-Jew) from Idaho and befriending him on the Queen Elizabeth I. Paul also recalls a lively encounter with Sholem Asch on the journey from Haifa to Marseille. Paul further discusses the construction of Jewish identity in America versus Israel and elaborates on the sharp divide in Israel between Hebrew and Yiddish. Paul remembers the feeling of having to keep his love of Yiddish âto himselfâ while in Israel. Paul talks about his education at the University of Toronto and Hebrew University in Jerusalem and describes his passion for teaching. He further reflects on his need to hear Yiddish in his life which led him to start teaching Yiddish in 1992 and to form a Yiddish club in Delray Beach, Florida. Paul discusses how some of his children have embraced a more religiously-oriented Jewish identity and talks about his grandchildren who speak Yiddish with a Litvish accent and how he enjoys hearing it. Towards the end, Paul reflects on the role of Yiddish in his life and how it has changed over the years. Paul characterizes Yiddish as âsomething that you have in your soul which makes it click.â For him, Yiddish is alive when âa mother scolds her child in Yiddish.â Paul offers advice for future generations by reflecting on his motherâs wise words. To learn more about the Yiddish Book Centerâs Wexler Oral History Project, visit: http://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/tell-your-story Paul Azaroff Oral History Interview, interviewed by Isaac D. Moore, Yiddish Book Center's Wexler Oral History Project, Boca Raton, Florida, February 10, 2015. http://archive.org/details/PaulAzaroff10feb2015YiddishBookCenter ([date accessed])
Creator:
Yiddish Book Center (Liz)
Date:
February 10, 2015
Format:
Film/Video
Location:
Yiddish Book Center
Collection (local):
Oral Histories
Subjects:
Family history
Stories about ancestors
Childhood
Jewish Identity
Yiddish language
Yiddish learning
Yiddish teaching
Yiddish revival and activism
Coming back to Yiddish
Yiddish speaker
Immigration
Migration
Other languages
Hebrew
Theater
Dance
Music
Film
Press
Radio
Literature
Books
Newspapers
Holocaust
Scholarship
Academia
World War Two
Jewish education
Religion and ritual
Family traditions
Jewish holidays
Rosh Hashanah
Rosheshone
Yom Kippor
Yom Kippur
Channukah
Khanukah
Channuka
Khanike
Hannukah
Hanukkah
Purim
Sukkos
Sukkot
Sukes
Simchat Torah
Simkhas torah
Simkhes toyre
Pesakh
Peysekh
Passover
Shavuos
Shavuot
Israel
Zionism
Old Country
Eastern Europe
Soviet Union
Western Europe
America
United States
Canada
Politics and political movements
Yiddish Book Center
Roots
Heritage
Jewish community
Love
Relationships
Paul Azaroff
Belarus
Poland
Sholem Ash
1950s
20th Century
Bund
Hebrew University
Florence Melton School
Adult learning
Ha-S
Link to Item:
https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/collections/oral-histories/interviews/woh-fi-0000656
Terms of Use:
Rights status not evaluated.
Contact host institution for more information.
Language:
English