The rich story of iconic Jewish actor Leonard Nimoy’s connection to Yiddish heritage is among the first offerings to hit the Jewish streaming service ChaiFlicks as part of its new partnership with Yiddish Book Center. This collaboration will bring the Center’s wealth of Yiddish literature and culture from its Wexler Oral History Project, featuring the Nimoy’s oral Yiddish history from a 2013 interview conducted by Christa Whitney.
This interview, partially conducted in Yiddish with English subtitles, delves into Nimoy’s roots and his connection to Yiddish culture, providing a profound and personal perspective on the actor best known for his role as Spock on “Star Trek.”
“We are thrilled to partner with the Yiddish Book Center and continue their mission of disseminating and sharing the beauty of the rich Yiddish language and culture to as wide an audience as possible,” said ChaiFlicks’ co-founder Neil Friedman. “We know that our subscribers globally will enjoy and thoroughly appreciate the wide variety of Yiddish content that features the likes of Leonard Nimoy, Peter Sokolow, and many others.”
The Yiddish Book Center, founded in 1980, has long been a bastion of Yiddish literature and culture. Its Wexler Oral History Project, launched in 2010, has amassed over 1,300 video interviews with Yiddish speakers, klezmer musicians, and descendants of Yiddish authors. These interviews offer an intricate chronicle of Jewish identity and the evolving nature of Yiddish culture, providing a rich tapestry of personal histories and cultural insights.
“Through this partnership, we can amplify the stories that we are capturing by sharing them with ChaiFlicks’ extensive audience.” said Christa P. Whitney of the Yiddish Book Center.
One notable documentary to be featured is “What’s the Matter with the Klezmer? The Peter Sokolow Story,” a short film that delves into the life of the renowned klezmer musician. Another highlight is the featurette on Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman, a beloved Yiddish poet, songwriter, and painter. The award-winning feature “Ver Vet Blaybn?” (“Who Will Remain?”) also joins the lineup, showcasing the enduring impact of Yiddish culture through compelling storytelling.
In addition to these documentaries, ChaiFlicks is set to launch a six-episode series titled “Kafka,” based on the life of the famed Bohemian writer Franz Kafka. This series, timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Kafka’s death, explores his troubled personal life and its influence on his groundbreaking literary work that blended realism with the fantastical.
