Page "Woody Guthrie" Paragraph 19

Marjorie Mazia was born Marjorie Greenblatt and her mother, Aliza Greenblatt, was a well-known Yiddish poet.

With her, Guthrie wrote numerous Jewish lyrics.

Guthrie ’ s Jewish lyrics can be traced to the unusual collaborative relationship he had with his mother-in-law, who lived across from Guthrie and his family in Brooklyn in the 1940s.

Guthrie ( the Oklahoma troubadour ) and Greenblatt ( the Jewish wordsmith ) often discussed their artistic projects and critiqued each other ’ s works, finding common ground in their shared love of culture and social justice, despite very different backgrounds.

Their collaboration flourished in 1940s Brooklyn, where Jewish culture was interwoven with music, modern dance, poetry and anti-fascist, pro-labor, classic socialist activism.

Guthrie was inspired to write songs that came directly out of this unlikely relationship, both personal and political ; he identified the problems of Jews with those of his fellow Okies and other oppressed peoples.