The Jewish Braille Institute of America today announced that it will record the first Yiddish “Talking Books” to fulfill requests of elderly Yiddish-speaking blind. Each “Talking Book” will be a full book-length album of long-playing records of the outstanding works of Yiddish literature of the present and the past.
“Blindness, as a degenerative disease, is becoming a constantly more important problem of the aged because of the increase in life expectancy in our time,” Dr. Jacob Fried, director of the Institute, stated. Pointing out that the result has been a comparatively large population of elderly Yiddish-speaking blind, he said that their virtually “desperate” psychological and cultural need for Yiddish “Talking Books,” as made known to the Jewish Braille Institute, must be met.
Explaining that an average high fidelity “talking book” of twenty 12″ long playing records, amounting to 10 hours of playing time, costs $3500 in the smallest edition of 125 copies, Dr. Freid continued, “I know we can count upon the generosity of open-hearted American Jewry to contribute to this program.” He also called upon the local Jewish communities and homes for the aged throughout the United States to send the names of those who would wish to have Yiddish “talking books.”
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