Ruth Rubin (1906 - 2000), a preeminent authority on Yiddish folk song, was successful as an author, concert singer, and folk song collector, with four albums in the Folkways catalogue. Although she recorded Hebrew songs also, most often she sang in Yiddish, the primary secular language formerly spoken by the Jews of Eastern Europe. On this recording, she sings 18 Yiddish folk songs, a cappella, from her personal repertoire. Liner notes provide detailed information about each song, as well as the lyrics in both English and Yiddish.