Old Jews אַלטע ייִדן

A tale by Efroim Kaganovski, shared in memory of our friend Chayele Palevsky. With the passing of yet another beloved figure from the world of Yiddish, I am reminded of this story, long ago recommended to me by Professor Eugene Orenstein. Although it takes place in Warsaw of nearly 90 years ago, the picture it paints is familiar to anyone who ever took a stroll through the parks around the Amalgamated Houses in the Bronx, or Penn South (di Dubinski-hayzer) or Seward Park in Manhattan: an older generation gathered outside on the benches in the sun talking over what was and what will be... On the second day of Rosh Hashana 5781, Chayele passed away, a saint’s death, as has been much in the news. With condolences to the sons Elye and Moishe and the grandson Sholem, I’m sharing this video in honor of Chayele Palevsky, as well as her husband Shimen, two partisans who fought, survived, and then came to New York to help build the Yiddish cultural world we have today. Two characters we wi