Some Say Sholem Aleichem — Progenitor of “Fiddler on the Roof” — Was the “Jewish Mark Twain”

Lovers of great literature will love this week’s reminiscence with Bel Kaufman, the granddaughter of Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem, best known for his many stories about life in the shtetl, including one that was adapted as the musical Fiddler on the Roof.

Aleichem died in 1916 and Bel died in 2014. But Monday Morning Radio Host Dean Rotbart and his son, Maxwell, interviewed Bel, then 102 years old, in late 2013 for a Jewish-oriented radio show the father-son duo hosted. 

Bel not only shares her recollections of her famous grandfather, she also talks about her own career, having penned the 1965 bestseller, “Up the Down Staircase.”

Caution: Bel is a bit difficult to understand, as was her right as a centenarian. But you’ll want to listen closely anyway, so you don’t miss any of her pearls of wisdom.

Photo: Bel Kaufman and her grandfather, Sholem Aleichem
Originally Posted: January 19, 2014
Best of Monday Morning Radio Adaptation: April 12, 2021
Monday Morning Run Time: 23:14