And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Our Vinyl

Music is a large part of telling any people’s oral history. Unfortunately, my own American Jewish heritage has been informed solely by an abbreviated stint at Hebrew school, Neil Diamond’s version of “Hatikvah” and that time I listened to the Fiddler on The Roof Soundtrack for work. The Idelsohn Society has done their part to fill in the blanks though — and with Hannukah just around the corner no less. Their new book and blog, “And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Our Vinyl,” tells the history of the Jews in America using the thousands of albums they found while scouring thrift stores across the country. The result speaks volumes about the music and impact of Chosen-Americans on the U.S. of A, as well just how much interesting crap you can find in your average thrift store. In addition to the book, the Idelsohn society is reissuing a lost classic album from the Barry Sisters where pop songs like “My Way” and “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” are given the Yiddish once over. They’re also hosting a live musical revue on December 11th at Joe’s Pub in Manhattan dedicated to this rich musical past. L’Chaim!