Heritage Words features interviews about the words we've inherited and the meaning they bring to our lives. Heritage Words is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project, which raises awareness about Jewish ancestral diversity through the lens of language, in partnership with HUC Connect. Sarah Bunin Benor is the host.
Curses and Code Switching: Dreaming in Yiddish with Sheldon Londner
Sheldon Londner, a secular Yiddishist raised in Los Angeles, shares the powerful legacy of his Polish survivor parents and his lifelong bond with the Yiddish language. Sheldon recounts his parents' miraculous survival of the Holocaust, their journey to America, and how they passed down Yiddish as his first language. He discusses the unique linguistic gift of growing up bilingual, the cultural concept of the "Yiddish gas" (Yiddish street), and the challenges of maintaining fluency without an active speaking community. Today, Sheldon actively preserves this heritage by organizing a weekly Yiddish reading circle.
Heritage Words – conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives – is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.
Host and producer: Sarah Bunin Benor
Assistant producer and video editor: Kyle Elbaz Fingerhut
Editor: Avishay Artsy
Theme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.
9 Sept 2026
From Calcutta to Philadelphia: Baghdadi-Indian Language and Identity with Rahel Musleah
Rahel Musleah, an award-winning journalist and educator, discusses her roots as a Baghdadi-Indian Jew from Calcutta. Rahel details the history of her name, explaining how the Arabic pronunciation ‘Musleah’ contrasts with the Hebrew ‘Matsliach’ due to her family's Iraqi origins. She describes her linguistic upbringing as primarily British English, yet deeply infused with Hindustani and Judeo-Arabic heritage words like awafi and kabrowed. Through leading heritage tours to India and preserving her father's Baghdadi melodies, Rahel celebrates her multifaceted ancestry. She concludes by emphasizing her dedication to passing down these unique, blended traditions to her grandchildren.
Heritage Words – conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives – is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.
Host and producer: Sarah Bunin Benor
Assistant producer: Kyle Elbaz Fingerhut
Editor: Avishay Artsy
Video editor: Talia Ehrenberg
Theme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.
2 Sept 2026
Dementia Summons Dad’s Childhood Language: Preserving Kashi with Sabrina Hakim
Sabrina Hakim, an Iranian Jewish real estate administrator in Los Angeles, discusses her upbringing in Tehran and her family’s roots in Kashan. Sabrina describes migrating to California in 1978 during political unrest, overcoming initial language barriers in high school, and growing up speaking Farsi. When her father developed dementia and unexpectedly began speaking Kashi (Judeo-Kashani), Sabrina urgently started documenting his native language. She details her collaboration with the Jewish Language Project and emphasizes the vital importance of preserving endangered Jewish dialects to safeguard family history and memory.
Heritage Words – conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives – is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.
Host and producer: Sarah Bunin Benor
Assistant producer: Kyle Elbaz Fingerhut
Editor: Avishay Artsy
Video editor: Talia Ehrenberg
Theme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
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