Audio file of an interview with Esther Sirott and Ethel Levy conducted by Steve Foldes and Shirley Milgren. Esther Sirott was born in Lithuania and settled with her father and brothers on lower West Side of St. Paul. Ethel Levy was born in Iowa and lived briefly on the West Side of St Paul before moving with her family to a dairy farm where her father hired out as a tenant farmer. In the interview, the women discuss life on the West Side of St Paul, including employment opportunities for Jews, Jewish Socialists, keeping kosher, Jewish neighborhoods and social strata and the meaning of Yiddishkite. The interview is part of the United Jewish Fund and Council Oral History Project, Phase 1. The location of the interview is unknown: the interviewers are Steve Foldes (SF) and Shirley Milgram (SM).A PDF version of the transcript available at http://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm4/pdf-assets/jhs-sirott-levy.pdf
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Leibman's account of his journey to the United states and experiences entering the country, traveling by train to St Paul to join his brother, his first home on the Lower West Side and a detailed description of the neighborhood. A PDF version of the transcript available at http://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm4/pdf-assets/jhs-leibman.pdf
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Audio file of an interview with Lena Senensky conducted by Lois Devitt. The interview includes: family history in Russia and immigration to the United States; daily life on St Paul's Lower West Side; creation and early years of the Jewish Home for the Aged.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Audio file of an interview with Irwin Epstein conducted by Laia Berstein. The interview includes: Epstein's experiences growing up in St. Paul; schooling; religious education; and medical school.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Debra Stone (1952 - ) begins by giving some family background as it relates to St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. In doing so, she tells briefly the story of her Communist father in Minnesota and the interesting circumstances which lead to both sides of her family settling in the Twin Cities area. As an African American, she talks of racial integration as it occurred on the North Side of Minneapolis where she grew up, Jewish life, school on the North Side, reasons for moving from the North Side to Saint Louis Park, school experience in Saint Louis Park, and class issues within Jewish society. This interview was conducted by Jeff Norman, oral historian from California. "Urban Exodus: The Saint Louis Park Oral History Project" explores the post-World War II migration of Minneapolis's Jewish community from the city's North Side to the western suburb of Saint Louis Park. The 35 oral history interviews, representing diverse perspectives from within and beyond the Jewish community, tell the complex story of how, from 1945 to 1970, Saint Louis Park became a major center of Jewish life in Minnesota.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Audio file of an interview with Sylvia Peilen conducted by Ann Greenberg. The interview includes: Peilen family history, including growing up on the East side and moving to the West side of St. Paul; Jewish-gentile relations; Sylvia Peilen's schooling and early employment history. Peilen also recalls her work with several different community service organizations, including Sholom Home, Youth Allyah, United Jewish Fund, the St Paul Jewish Community Center and Temple of Aaron.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Theatrice "T" Williams (1934 - ) gives his personal background and reasons for arriving in Minneapolis in the 1960s as a social worker on the North Side. Williams describes his relationship with the Phyllis Wheatley Center (director from 1965 - 1972) within the context of the American civil rights movement. The race riots on Plymouth avenue and other issues are explored in the context of the Jewish community, local politics and community organizations or initiatives such as the Urban Coalition. The interview concludes with a reflection on the North Side of Minneapolis as it is today and the construction of I-94. This interview was conducted by Jeff Norman, oral historian from California. "Urban Exodus: The Saint Louis Park Oral History Project" explores the post-World War II migration of Minneapolis's Jewish community from the city's North Side to the western suburb of Saint Louis Park. The 35 oral history interviews, representing diverse perspectives from within and beyond the Jewish community, tell the complex story of how, from 1945 to 1970, Saint Louis Park became a major center of Jewish life in Minnesota.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Samuel Stern (1952 - ) gives his personal background which included living in Highland Park, St. Paul, education at Carleton College, UCLA, and law school at Washington University in St. Louis. Stern's family settles in Saint Louis Park, and he discusses that community at length, including people, neighborhoods, synagogues and schools. Stern reflects on Hebrew School, Jewish Youth Organizations, Anti-Semitism, and socio-economic differences between neighborhoods. This interview was conducted by Jeff Norman, oral historian from California. "Urban Exodus: The Saint Louis Park Oral History Project" explores the post-World War II migration of Minneapolis's Jewish community from the city's North Side to the western suburb of Saint Louis Park. The 35 oral history interviews, representing diverse perspectives from within and beyond the Jewish community, tell the complex story of how, from 1945 to 1970, Saint Louis Park became a major center of Jewish life in Minnesota.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Interior view of fourth Mount Zion Temple synagogue, with several empty chairs and people standing and socializing. This photograph was taken during the construction of the building in the 1950s.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Sam Malinsky gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and World War II veteran. He was born in 1920 in Minneapolis to an Orthodox Jewish family who attended Mikro Kodesh synagogue. Malinsky went to Hebrew High School and describes poor Jewish life during the 1930s. He talks about what he knew about what was going on in Europe at the time and how he was drafted. Malinsky describes basic training and a boat ride to Barry, Scotland, where his company took enemy fire, and landing at Utah Beach on D-Day under heavy enemy fire. On the way to Belgium he describes infantry life in the woods and how he was shot by a sniper in Paris. After the war, Malinsky became an insurance agent and talks of his support for the state of Israel. This interview was conducted by Brian M. Krasnow as a part of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest World War II Veterans Oral History Project.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Joseph Brochin gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and World War II veteran. Joe Brochin was born in 1918 and raised on the North Side of Minneapolis where his father operated a store. He discusses how he studied pharmacy at the University of Minnesota, enlisted in the military, and went to the South Pacific in combat infantry. He tells numerous stories about specific aspects of World War II. This interview was conducted by Diane Siegel as a part of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest World War II Veterans Oral History Project.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Joe Garelick gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and World War II veteran. He was born in West St. Paul and trained to be an aviator in the Army Air Force as a gunner during World War II. Garelick discusses how after training in various places in the United States, he ended up on a bomber crew over Germany during the height of the war. He supplies story after story of vivid detailing of the nuts and bolts of his job, missions and social life during this period. Garelick also gives in great detail stories about his post war life in St. Paul, Minnesota. This interview was conducted by Linda Schloff as a part of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest World War II Veterans Oral History Project.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Ken Tilsen gives a brief account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and lawyer, touching also on Minnesota politics. He was born in Leipzig, North Dakota, to parents of eastern European heritage. An account is given as to why Jews immigrated to rural North Dakota. He gives family history and early memories of growing up in the predominately Jewish Selby-Dale neighborhood. The discussion turns to a variety of topics, including Ken's political activism in the 1960s before and after law school and his connections with a number of notable people and organizations. The interview amounts to a narrative about Minnesota's legal and political history during this time from his perspective and that of his associates. Further discussions involve HUAC, Jewish legal practice, and community activism. This interview was conducted by Helen Rubenstein as a part of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest Jewish Judges and Lawyers History Project.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Larry Katz gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and lawyer. He describes how he grew up in the predominately Jewish Selby-Dale area of St. Paul, MN, having been born in 1933. Katz recalls that his father was a Jewish Orthodox grocer who had settled on the West Side, giving a with a description of the neighborhood at the end of the Depression. He went to Webster and St. Alban's elementary schools, followed by Central High School and finally the University of Minnesota for law. Katz describes his experience in law school, the difficulty of finding a firm, issues in law practice and ethics in law all from a Jewish perspective. This interview was conducted by Helen Rubenstein as a part of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest Jewish Judges and Lawyers History Project.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Esther Brody discusses her early Jewish life in St. Paul and involvement in the Jewish community. She was born in 1906 to Rose and Isaac Weinstein, of Russia in St. Paul, in what is now called Lower Town, where she was raised. Brody recounts decades of work with Junior and Senior Hadassah, B'nai B'rith where she was president in the 1940s, National Jewish Welfare Board, Hillel, Young Judea, United Jewish Fund and the building of St. Paul JCC. The two conclude the interview by discussing Jewish events, people, fundraising and holidays during these years. This interview was conducted by Ruth Markowitz as a part of the United Jewish Fund and Council Oral History Project focusing on the West Side Flats/Lower West Side Jewish community in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Arthur Weisberg gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and legal practitioner. He recalls grew up on the North Side of Minneapolis and how his father was a dentist who ended up as an investor. Weisberg goes on to describe his time at North High, becoming a journalist in central Minnesota, working in the film industry in Minneapolis, and finally attending Minneapolis Law School (now William Mitchell) during the late 1940s. Weisberg tells about how he subsequently worked for Dorsey law firm and how he was active in community service. The two talk about notable people at virtually every stage of his life, with particular attention to Jewish culture in law and business in Minnesota. This interview was conducted by Linda Schloff as a part of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest Jewish Judges and Lawyers History Project.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Morris Sherman gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and legal practitioner. He was born in Minneapolis in 1935 to immigrant parents from Romania, about which he gives further detail. Sherman recalls being raised on the North Side of Minneapolis and discusses his family's haberdashery, giving some description of the North Side at the time along with an account of his Jewish childhood there. He recalls his admittance into Harvard College and the circumstances surrounding Jewish admittance and his subsequent admission into Harvard Law School. Sherman then goes on to discuss the difficulties some Jews experienced in finding work in the legal profession. While attending the London School of Economics on a fellowship, he was drafted into the Army Reserve and returned to Minneapolis. The interview is concluded with a discussion of Jewish firms, the Jewish legal community in Minnesota, Jewish values in legal practice, and community involvement. This interview was conducted by Helen Rubenstein as a part of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest Jewish Judges and Lawyers History Project.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Kokie Goldenberg (Kalmen Goldenberg) gives a short account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and discusses related subjects. He was born in 1912 in Chisholm, Minnesota to Jacob E. and Esther Rosenfield, who immigrated from Russia. He discusses how Jacob was a Zionist and describes his many associations. Goldenberg then moves on to describe how the family moved to Duluth and did business as tobacco and candy wholesalers there and on the Iron Range. They moved to St. Paul in 1941. This interview covers Zionism, anti-Semitism, the United Palestine Appeal, the United Jewish Fund, B'nai B'rith, merging Talmud Torahs and Jewish education, the assimilation of Jews into American society, and a great deal about fundraising and charity. This interview was conducted by Andy Gellman as a part of the United Jewish Fund and Council Oral History Project focusing on the West Side Flats/Lower West Side Jewish community in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Mel Orenstein gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and legal practitioner. He was born in 1926 on the North Side of Minneapolis and moved to the Selby-Dale neighborhood of St. Paul in 1938. He recalls that his father was from Russia and homesteaded in North Dakota. Orenstein gives additional family background, involving farming in northern Wisconsin as well as business in the Twin Cities. Orenstein explains that after Central High School he went into the Navy and then the University of Minnesota--which he quit in order to enter into family business --and then re-enrolled for law school. He discusses law school and practicing law from a Jewish perspective, answering questions about anti-Semitism. Orenstein discusses his involvement in a supreme court case regarding Marathon Oil, which is discussed at length. The conversation ends with a discussion of Jewish values in the practice of law and involvement in the local Jewish community. This interview was conducted by Helen Rubenstein as a part of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest Jewish Judges and Lawyers History Project.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Mel Burnstein gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and legal practitioner. He was born in 1933 and raised in St. Paul by Russian Jewish parents. He discusses some family history related to Russia and St. Paul, growing up in St. Paul in Highland Park, and some details about the West Side of St. Paul. He started in Maddox Elementary, then Central High School, University of Minnesota (accounting, fraternity, R.O.T.C.) United States Navy (supply corps in Athens, GA, world tour), State Public Examiner's Office (accounting), University of Minnesota Law School, various law firms (business, tax and banking law), and banks in Minnesota. Anti-Semitism, the Jewish perspective, and racism are the main themes covered in this interview, especially in the military and law world. This interview was conducted by Helen Rubenstein as a part of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest Jewish Judges and Lawyers History Project.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Ron Meshbesher, one of the most well known lawyers in Minnesota, here gives an account of his career with special attention afforded to his major cases, the Jewish law community in Minnesota and anti-Semitism in the law community in general. He was born in 1933 and raised in North Minneapolis. He gives his family background and a description of North Minneapolis at the time, including some talk about racism and the riots in the 1960s. Meshbesher tells stories about law school at the University of Minnesota and the Jewish students there, mentioning one of his classmates was Walter Mondale, and continues to explain how he became a personal injury/criminal defense lawyer, along with issues associated such as Jewish values and representing African Americans. The cases discussed are the Congdon murder and Piper kidnapping. This interview was conducted by Helen Rubenstein as a part of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest Jewish Judges and Lawyers History Project.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Roberta Levy gives an account of her life as a Jewish Minnesotan and legal practitioner. She was born in 1937 in Philadelphia to Russian immigrant parents who were persecuted abroad. Recalling her early life, she describes how her father had a store in Philadelphia and was a committed Socialist/Zionist. She gives a description of her childhood as a Jew in North Philadelphia, and mentions attending Gratz College and Temple University. Levy explains how her husband taught law school and took a job teaching at the University of Minnesota School of Law, causing her some anxiety due to rumors of Anti-Semitism in Minneapolis. She recalls enrolling in law school while her husband was on the faculty, how was the only woman, and describes the difficulty of finding a firm because she was both Jewish and female. Levy continues by describing her later career in a Jewish law firm and public defender, and how she was nearly appointed to the state supreme court by Rudy Perpich. Levy concludes her life story with how she became a district court judge functioning in that capacity between 1978 and 2002, including many stories from the period. The conversation closes with a discussion about the relationship between Judaism and the study of law. This interview was conducted by Helen Rubenstein as a part of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest Jewish Judges and Lawyers History Project.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Elliot Kaplan gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and legal practitioner. He gives a narrative of his life, which includes the circumstances of his birth to grocers on the East Side of St. Paul, growing up in Highland Park, attending Randolph Heights and Central High School, being president of Hillel while attending the University of Minnesota for seven years, and enlisting in the Army Reserve. The conversation moves to Jewish law firms in the 1960s, to working with numerous Jewish and non-Jewish organizations such as the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the University of Minnesota Fund. The interview concludes with changes in the legal community since the 1960s, particularly for Jewish lawyers, and implementing Jewish values and ethics into Kaplan's legal and personal life. This interview was conducted by Helen Rubenstein as a part of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest Jewish Judges and Lawyers History Project.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Avis Held (1948 - ) gives a short account of her experience growing up Jewish on the North Side of Minneapolis and subsequent move to Saint Louis Park, with particular attention devoted to the differences between school experience in the respective locales. Furthermore, the interview focuses on class differences among Jewish families in Saint Louis Park, social cliques in Saint Louis Park schools, and reasons for moving from the North Side to Saint Louis Park. This interview was conducted by Jeff Norman, oral historian from California. "Urban Exodus: The Saint Louis Park Oral History Project" explores the post-World War II migration of Minneapolis's Jewish community from the city's North Side to the western suburb of Saint Louis Park. The 35 oral history interviews, representing diverse perspectives from within and beyond the Jewish community, tell the complex story of how, from 1945 to 1970, Saint Louis Park became a major center of Jewish life in Minnesota.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Robert Levine (1951 - ) discusses moving to Saint Louis Park, Minnesota in the early 1950s and Jewish life there. The focus of the interview is on class and affluence in Saint Louis Park and the Jewish presence therein, but also touches upon Levine's parents and their role as owners of a supermarket chain, various local country clubs, Jewish teenage social groups and Saint Louis Park public schools. This interview was conducted by Jeff Norman, oral historian from California. "Urban Exodus: The Saint Louis Park Oral History Project" explores the post-World War II migration of Minneapolis's Jewish community from the city's North Side to the western suburb of Saint Louis Park. The 35 oral history interviews, representing diverse perspectives from within and beyond the Jewish community, tell the complex story of how, from 1945 to 1970, Saint Louis Park became a major center of Jewish life in Minnesota.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives