Riva Ginsburg

Item Information

Title:
Riva Ginsburg
Description:
Riva Ginsburg, the daughter of Holocaust survivors and Yiddish teacher and translator, was interviewed by Jessica Parker on March 11, 2013 in Boca Raton, Florida. Riva was born in a Displaced Persons camp in Germany to Soviet partisans who came from neighboring towns in Belarus. She spends the beginning of the interview primarily telling their stories, including her mother's narrow escape from a ghetto liquidation and the story of how her father and his brother were responsible for blowing up twenty-two Nazi supply trains. Later, she describes her childhood and how it was shaped by this legacy. She speaks, in particular, about growing up in an observantly Jewish household and how this taught her to engage with and find joy in her Jewish identity. At the same time, she recalls a palpable sense of loss which was always present. The family members and community which were destroyed in Europe were regular topics of conversation as her parents strived to instill in their children the obligation to remember what was lost. As a result, Riva's passion for Yiddish is evident. She sees Yiddish language and culture as an important connection to her family, history, and identity. In addition, she sees her work in Yiddish revival and activism as a means of carrying on her parents' legacy of resistance to anti-Semitism. As an adult, she has made the language a part of her career, working at various times as a teacher, translator, and speaker on Yiddish topics. She is confident that Yiddish will "outwit history" and continue its long tradition of survival in the face of adversity. To learn more about the Wexler Oral History Project, visit: http://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/tell-your-story To cite this interview: Riva Ginsburg Oral History Interview, interviewed by Jessica Parker, Yiddish Book Center's Wexler Oral History Project, Boca Raton, Florida, March 11, 2013. Video recording, https://archive.org/details/RivaGinsburg11march2013YiddishBookCenter ( [date accessed] )
Creator:
Yiddish Book Center (Emily B.)
Date:
March 11, 2013
Format:
Film/Video
Location:
Yiddish Book Center
Collection (local):
Oral Histories
Subjects:
Advice
Family history
Stories about ancestors
Childhood
Jewish Identity
Yiddish language
Yiddish teaching
Yiddish learning
Post-vernacular uses of Yiddish
Immigration
Migration
Music
Literature
Poetry
Career and Professional Life
Jewish professions
Holocaust
Education
Religion and ritual
Family traditions
Jewish holidays
Israel
Eastern Europe
Western Europe
Soviet Union
United States
Yiddish Book Center
Food and culinary traditions
Transmission
Jewish community
Assimilation
Riva Ginsburg
Germany
Troy NY
New York
Belarus
Dovid Katz
Ruth Wisse
Helen Epstein
Binghamton University
Florida Atlantic University
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1990s
2000s
Underground Resistance
Reform
Orthodox
National Yiddish Book Center
Wexler Oral History Project
Nybc
Ybc
Yiddish
Jewish culture
Link to Item:
https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/collections/oral-histories/interviews/woh-fi-0000389
Terms of Use:
Rights status not evaluated.
Contact host institution for more information.
Language:
English