Benjy Fox-Rosen

Item Information

Title:
Benjy Fox-Rosen
Description:
Benjy Rox-Rosen was interviewed by Pauline Katz at KlezKamp in the Catskills on December 30, 2010. Benjy Fox-Rosen’s interview begins with an in-depth exploration of his family’s history. Benjy details how his paternal grandparents were from Poland, his grandfather from Lvov and his grandmother from Krakow; and, how his maternal grandparents were from Germany, his grandfather from Vienna and his grandmother from Dormant. The geographical details, however, only brush the surface of the stories Benjy shares about his grandparents and his parents, which includes migrations from Europe to Israel to New York and California. In fact, Benjy’s grandmother, Sara Rose, wrote a book that explains much of what Benjy covers called “My Lost World.” Benjy goes on to describe his life growing up Los Angeles in a conservative home. He went to Solomon Schechter elementary school and Milken Community High School. He spends time describing both his father and mother’s lives before children, proudly sharing how his mother was one of the first female rabbis in the world. Benjy describes the smattering of languages he heard growing up: Polish from one set of grandparents, German from another, Hebrew from his parents, and the occasional bit of Yiddish. Benjy also recounts his summers at Camp Alonim, an unaffiliated institute that cultured a labor Zionist environment for camp goers. Benjy then moves on to describe his evolution as a musician. Beginning with his first attempts at the piano, Benjy careful traces his interests in trumpet, guitar, and eventually bass with beautiful detail. The middle section of the interview is filled with incredible detail as Benjy recounts his time playing music in his adolescence as well as his work as a student at The New School at New York University. The section ends with Benjy’s descriptions of his final project, and how that concert led him into the career he is now pursuing today. The last portion of the interview focuses on Benjy’s conceptions of his work, his involvement with Klezkamp, and his thoughts on Yiddish language and culture. He discusses his tours in Europe and why he thinks there is an audience for such music, as well as describing those who have helped him and worked with him throughout the years. The interview ends with Benjy looking towards the future; he explains that he plans to return to school to get a Master’s in composition. Benjy ends the interview imploring those interested in Yiddish to just begin; there is so much out there to learn, and it’s all for the taking! Learn more about the Wexler Oral History Project: http://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/tell-your-story To cite this interview: Benjamin Fox-Rosen Oral History Interview, interviewed by Pauline Katz, Yiddish Book Center's Wexler Oral History Project, KlezKamp 2010, December 30, 2010. Video recording, http://archive.org/details/BenjyFox-rosen30december2012YiddishBookCenter ( [date accessed] )
Creator:
Yiddish Book Center (Christa)
Date:
December 30, 2012
Format:
Film/Video
Location:
Yiddish Book Center
Collection (local):
Oral Histories
Subjects:
Yiddish Book Center
National Yiddish Book Center
Wexler Oral History Project
Nybc
Ybc
Yiddish
Jewish culture
Childhood
Jewish Identity
Yiddish language
Yiddish teaching
Yiddish learning
Yiddish revival and activism
Yiddish scene
Music
Klezmer
Song
Singing
Career and Professional Life
Education
Jewish education
Religion and ritual
Travel
Yiddish personalities
Transmission
United States
Eastern Europe
KlezKamp
Benjy Fox-Rosen
Bass
Vocalist
Singer
Link to Item:
https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/collections/oral-histories/interviews/woh-fi-0000097
Terms of Use:
Rights status not evaluated.
Contact host institution for more information.
Language:
English