A collection of Yiddish songs which were gathered in oral interviews with Yiddish-speaking men and women who came to North America from Eastern Europe throughout the first half of the twentieth century. It presents a commentary on these songs, along with the sheet music for various of the songs.

Variants of songs in this collection are indicated and linked with folksong collections included in the bibliography section. Although this anthology contains some very rare songs, it is aimed at a popular audience of singers, scholars, folklorists, students, and those interested in the rich but ravaged repertoire of one of Europe's most long-running and colorful folksong cultures. It is published in cooperation with the YIVO foundation.