A short film from the Yiddish Book Center's Wexler Oral History Project

Alter Esselin: Craftsman of Wood and Words is an eighteen-minute short film that features recordings of Esselin reciting some of his work as well as reflections from the late Joe (“Yosl”) Esselin, z”l, a Chicago-based playwright and Alter Esselin’s son and translator.

Alter Esselin, a carpenter and Yiddish poet, was born Orkeh Serebrenik in the small town of Tchernigov, Russia. Esselin, who published his poetry in three books and many Yiddish journals around the world, spent years travelling around the United States as a journeyman before settling in Milwaukee. 

Running time: 18 minutes