Photograph of Rachel Calog sitting in a chair. Rachel Bella Calof is the author of "My Story", an autobiographical account to her marriage to Abraham Calof and their efforts to homestead and raise a family on the plains of North Dakota at the turn of the century. Despite desperate hardships, the Calof's raised nine children, and Rachel was a driving force in the establishment of the regional school district. After 23 years outside Devil's Lake, the Calofs moved to St. Paul in 1917. Rachel begin her autobiography in 1936, which she wrote in longhand. The manuscript was "discovered" in the American Jewish Archives in the early 1990s, and published in 1995 as "Rachel Calof's Story".
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Rabbis Abelson and Aronson lead the Beth El congregation during the years that the congregation was located on Penn Avenue. The photograph with Senator Humphrey was taken at the Penn Avenue building. Aronson especially worked closely with Humphrey, during Humphrey's tenure as Minneapolis mayor, to improve North side inter-community relations during the late 1940s and early 50s.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
A portrait photograph of Rabbi Samuel Deinard. Deinard was Rabbi at Shaari Tov, later known as Temple Israel, and a committed Zionist. He also served as the editor-in chief of the American Jewish World, the Twin's Cities foremost English-language Jewish newspaper; and in the Department of Semitics at the University of Minnesota.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
A portrait photograph of Rabbi Albert Minda. Rabbi Minda succeeded Rabbi Samuel Deinard at Temple Israel after Deinard's death in 1921. Minda was a graduate of Hebrew Union Collage, and served Temple Israel until his retirement in 1963. Minda was an exceptional leader, presiding over the construction of a new synagogue in 1929, the founding of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation in 1949, the Minneapolis Urban League and The Minneapolis Roundtable of Christians and Jews. In Minnesota's Centennial year--1949--he was designated as one of the "Hundred Living Great [sic] of Minnesota."
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Members of the Schwartz family posed on an outdoor porch. The Schwartz's lived at 1101 Upton Avenue N. Max Schwarz owned Schwartz Used Cars on N. 7th St.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Jonathan, Judy, and David Lebedoff stand behind a display of folded paper animals. Judy holds an instruction book on how to make the paper animals. Martin and Mary Lebedoff lived on the North Side of Minneapolis. The triplets were born in April of 1938.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
A portrait of Robert Lazarus, who played violin with both the Chicago and Oakland (CA) Symphony Orchestras during the 1920s. After his professional playing career ended, he opened a violin repair shop in downtown St. Paul.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Portrait photograph of Ida Cook sitting in a chair. The Cook family, headed by Rabbi Isaac Cook and his wife Ida, arrived in Duluth in the 1880s from Lithuania. They organized minyans and their home served as a welcoming center for new immigrants coming to the city. Ida Cook spearheaded the establishment of Duluth's first Hebrew school.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Harry Goldie posed in fighting stance wearing boxing uniform. He was an exceptional boxer; the first boxing coach for the University of Minnesota; and the developer for the Calhoun Beach Club, a Minneapolis architectural landmark.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Etta Zrive and Abraham Bearman were born in different Lithuanian shtetls in the 1870s. Their clothes and home furnishings suggest they were economically comfortable by the time that this photo was taken in the early 1900s.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Portrait photograph of the Minneapolis, Mars basketball team with Max Winter as coach. Max Winter coached a variety of Minnesota sports teams, and later in his career co-owned the Minnesota Vikings and the Minneapolis Lakers. Winter was born in Austria: his family immigrated in 1913 and settled on the North Side of Minneapolis. Winter is on the left in the back row.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
A woman stands in front of a microphone, while Hurbert Humphrey sits at the table next to her at a Hadassah Supply Shower luncheon. Hadassah promoted health and welfare services to Jewish women and children in Palestine. By the end of WWII, the Minneapolis chapter of Hadassah was 1900 members strong. This photo taken at the Supply Shower luncheon at the Nicollet Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. The luncheons helped collect goods such as layettes and linens to be sent to hospitals and clinics in Palestine. Minnesota dignitaries like Humphrey spoke to show their support for Palestine relief, and by extension, a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
A member of the B'nai B'rith synagogue Women's War Service Committee serves sandwiches to three smiling male servicemen at a Hanukkah Party given by the committee. This event was likely co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota chapter of Hillel, founded in 1940 to assist Jewish college students away from home.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Hubert Humphrey standing behind a podium and speaking into a microphone during a Hadassah luncheon. Hubert Humphrey was one of several prominent Minnesotans invited to speak at Hadassah luncheons held in downtown Minneapolis. The setting and prominence of the speaker suggests the organization's political clout.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Leonard Levy, better known as "Butch", was a football and wrestling standout at the University of Minnesota. He served in the Navy during World War II, and afterwards played football for the Los Angeles Rams. His athletic versatility enabled him to wrestle professionally during the off-season. When his athletic career ended, he went on to be a successful insurance agent and securities salesman.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Judge Mendow sits behind his desk at his law office. The desk had previously belonged to Governor Bob Lafollette of Wisconsin. Judge Mendow continued to practice law until the age of 102.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Joseph Schanfield was born in Romania, and became successful in Minneapolis' booming turn of the century real estate and insurance markets. At 23, he became the head of the Adath Jeshurun congregation on Minneapolis's South Side. During his years of service to the community, there were few leadership positions he did not hold, including president of the Jewish Sheltering Home and the Jewish Home for the Aged, as well as the Adath Cemetery Association.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Joe Numero and his business partner, Fred Jones, were responsible for the creation of the first refrigerated truck. Their invention, financed by Numero and engineered by Jones, revolutionized interstate commerce. A trucking company could deliver perishable products to far-flung markets without fear of spoilage en route. The invention happened at a fortuitous moment--the beginning of WWII, when the country had need of moving large quantities of produce and meat across long distances to feed hungry troops.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Jesse Codden stands holding the reins of a pony while her four younger brothers sit on its back. The Codden family of St. Paul were one of the founding families of Sons of Jacob Synagogue.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Walter Schwarz gives an account of his life as a Jewish World War II veteran. He was born in Romania, 1921. Schwarz gives family background in Europe, explaining that his father had ties to Czechoslovakia in the textile industry. He describes his childhood in Europe and teenage years at high school in Czechoslovakia, where Nazi violence and intimidation found him after Germany invaded the country. Schwarz and his family ultimately leave to the United States through Italy destined for New York. Wishing to fight Germany, he attempts to enlist and is later drafted. Schwarz discusses his training in the United States, which involved learning how to interrogate prisoners. He discusses his activity overseas was mainly in France and Germany at the end of the War. Schwarz was able to visit relatives who survived Auschwitz, and concludes with explaining his post war life and connection to 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, 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, Sidney Lorber (1916 - ) discusses the life and work of his friend and associate, Minneapolis lawyer and community leader Amos Deinard (graduate, University School of Law and Harvard Law School, 1920s). Mr. Deinard gained notoriety by taking leadership positions in a number of local and state organizations that spanned causes from anti -discrimination, Jewish immigrant welfare, Jewish-Christian relations and health concerns. This interview was conducted by Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest volunteer Chester Prochan in effort to document the stories of Jewish immigration to and community leaders in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Sidney Feldman gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and World War II veteran. He was born in St. Paul to Russian immigrant parents. Feldman gives a description of his childhood, basic training at Fort Knox, arriving in France twelve days after D-Day by boat, fierce combat in France and the living conditions, the journey towards the Battle of the Bulge, some recollection of the battle itself, his injury and Purple Heart and adjusting back home after the war. This interview was conducted by Fay Kaye 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, Sherman Richter gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and World War II veteran. He was born in 1924 to an Orthodox Jewish family in North Minneapolis. Richter discussed leaving North High early to enlist in the Marine Corps, being somewhat aware of the Jewish situation in Europe in the early 1940s. He was trained in California to operate a machine gun at the age of nineteen and gives some account of the culture there in regards to Judaism. Richter describes fighting in the South Pacific on various Islands such as Majuro. After World War II he returned to the North Side and operated at a bakery which later became the Lincoln Deli. Richter gives a description of this time and place from the Jewish perspective. He was drafted as a Marine to Korea and left his family for fierce fighting, mentioning the "Nightmare Alley' and other encounters with North Koreans and Chinese. Having been injured, Richter received several medals and memorabilia. 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, Sheldon Kaplan gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan, legal practitioner and veteran of World War II. In his account of his life, Kaplan describes the circumstances of his birth on the North Side of Minneapolis to Lithuanian parents who were in wholesale produce, attending Lincoln Junior High, the University of Minnesota, Columbia Law in New York, practicing civil law in New York, joining the Military Police and helping refugees escape from Europe, working as a lawyer on wartime termination contracts, and finally working as a lawyer with Kaplan, Edelman and Kaplan, specializing in tax law, trusts, estates, and civil law, representing such clients as the Minnesota Vikings. He sees Jewish and non-Jewish lawyers integrating more and more. 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, 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
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, Rose Godes gives her account of her involvement in the Jewish community in St. Paul and some of its history. The interview covers the early history of the Daughters of Abraham, which was closely associated with the work of the Jewish Home for the Aged, and financing various initiatives for assisting the aged. This interview was conducted by Annette Mack 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, Rosalind Simon gives an account of her life as a Jewish Minnesotan and World War II veteran. Rosalind was born in Minneapolis and gives some details about her Jewish Minnesotan family. She explains that before World War II she was a social worker, and later married her husband that was a graduate of West Point. The married couple were stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii when it was bombed by the Japanese. Simon gives a detailed account of the bombing, including life before and after. She goes on to describe their later life and career in Minnesota, telling stories about her husband who eventually made the rank of colonel, how he headed a national program called Service Corps for Retired Executives, and worked for the Army Air Defense Command. Simon gives some details about these programs, Army administration, associated women's organizations and the lives of army wives. 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, Roger DeClercq (1922 - ) gives his personal background, which includes World War II military service, an advanced degree from the University of Minnesota and landing a teaching job in Saint Louis Park. The discussion moves to schools and education in Saint Louis Park during the 1950s and 60s, including information about the new influx of Jewish students, theater productions and theater trips. 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
Rabbi Bernard Raskas (1924 - 2010), who led Temple of Aaron synagogue of St. Paul, Minnesota for 37 years, here gives a detailed account of his life and times as one of the most prominent leaders of the Twin Cities Jewish community. Highlights include meeting his wife and attending the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City, the establishment of the new and prominent Temple of Aaron, his relations with other influential rabbis and the Minnesota DFL party, teaching religion at Macalester College in St. Paul, and how his vision of Judaism was enacted by programs and policies. This interview was conducted by Dr. Linda Mack Schloff, former director of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest, in effort to document the stories of Jewish immigration to and community leaders in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In this interview, Paul Roitenberg (1931 - ) gives his personal and family background, including information about a family grocery business. He gives reasons for why he moved from the North Side, along with some of his family members. 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
Myron Bright was a federal judge in the state of Minnesota. In this interview, he gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and legal practitioner. Bright was born in 1919 in Eveleth, Minnesota. He explains how his Jewish Orthodox father was possibly a fisherman in Russia near the Black Sea, who deserted the Russian Army near Germany, fled to London, then Canada, then Duluth where he worked in the shipyards, later becoming a clothing merchant. Judge Bright discusses more family history and moves into Jewish life growing up on the Iron Range in great detail. He recounts how people on the Iron Range valued education. Therefore he went into Junior College in Eveleth. Bright remembers moving on to the University of Minnesota for Pre Law and then onto the law school there. He speaks about the Jewish experience and anti-Semitism in law school and later as a lawyer in Fargo. A contrast is drawn between light anti-Semitism on the Iron Range and North Dakota with the heavier anti-Semitism of Minneapolis. Bright gives details about the Jewish community in Fargo, along with practicing law and politics there in the 1950s. He concludes with how he became a federal judge and his views on race and religion. 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, 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, 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
In this interview, Maxine Goldenberg gives an account of some of the Jewish community initiatives taking place in the mid-20th century. She explains that she was on the board of the United Jewish Fund (St. Paul) in the 1950s and also the campaign chairman. Goldenberg mentions additionally that she served in several organizations in Duluth, which are covered in some detail during the interview. She also discusses the needs of St. Paul Jews at the time and how the National Jewish Fund was addressing them, such as Talmud Torahs and the Sholom Residence on Randolph Ave. They conclude by discussing the National Jewish Fund in greater detail, along with the role of women in the community at that time. This interview was conducted by Linda Schloff 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, Maurice Lazarus (1947 - ) discusses his family background on the North Side of Minneapolis, his education, experience teaching, law school, family life and settlement in Mendota Heights. The discussion turns to his grandfather Zalmen Brochin and Brochin's, a notable store/delicatessen on the North Side. He then turns to race riots and the Jewish exodus to the western suburbs during the 1960s. Lazarus discusses the reasons for the exodus and provides examples. 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, Marvin Jacobson gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and World War II veteran. He was born in Duluth, 1926, and recalls that he was raised in St. Paul by Zionist parents. Jacobson tells the story of how he graduated at age sixteen and entered military employment as a civilian. He continues to explain that at age seventeen, he enlists in the Navy, and after training around the United States, was stationed in Hawaii after Pearl Harbor occurred. He describes his life in Hawaii inspecting and repairing equipment and moves on to post-war life in St. Paul as an electrical engineer, having been educated at the University of Minnesota. This interview was conducted by Laura Savin 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, Mark Swedlund (1950 - ) discusses his father's building company Ecklund and Swedlund, which constructed homes in the western suburbs of Minneapolis during the period of returning World War II G. I.'s and immigration of Jewish families from North Minneapolis. Development and building are discussed within this historical and geographical context. 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, Lionel Greenberg gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and World War II veteran. He tells the dramatic story of how while as a navigator in the Army Air Corps during World War II, his B-24 collided with another B-24 over Bavaria. Miraculously surviving, Greenberg explains how he was taken prisoner for seven months and forced to march from prison to prison. The Russian Army liberated him from his final camp (Dulag Luft III), a place later depicted in the major motion picture The Great Escape. Greenberg's experience in Germany is described in great detail, with special emphasis on his Jewish perspective. He also explains the circumstances of his birth in Grafton, North Dakota, 1921, and how his poor Jewish family came to arrive there. Greenberg continues, describing his college experience at the University of Minnesota, subsequent jobs, enlisting in the Army Air Corps, training in Texas and Idaho, and the journey to Europe in detail. 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, Linn Firestone gives an account of Jewish and non-Jewish organizations in Minnesota during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. He explains how he got involved in organizations, his role within organizations and the roles of other prominent individuals. Firestone describes his Jewish family background and education in St. Paul before going on to describe his professional and non-professional activism, including information of numerous organizations, some of which he was president of and others where he sat on the board. Some examples of organizations include the Jewish Family Services, Mount Zion synagogue, the St. Paul Jewish Community Center in the 1950s, the United Fund in the 1960s and professional legal organizations and initiatives relating to anti-discrimination in the 60s and 70s. This interview was conducted by Jeanne Boutang 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, Leonard Parker discusses in some detail how as an infantryman in World War II, he was among the few first Allied soldiers to arrive at the Dachau Concentration Camp in southern Germany. Parker gives an account of his life and relationship to Minnesota from a Jewish perspective. He was born in Poland, 1922 to Russian Orthodox, Zionist parents. Before this, Parker describes his early childhood memories as an Orthodox Jew in Milwaukee. He enlisted to serve in the military, and because of high casualties he was assigned to the Army in a specialized unit. Parker completed some training in civil engineering in Minnesota before departing for southern France, where he became a platoon leader, for eight months of combat at the end of the war. His platoon over time suffered greatly. Parker recalls life in foxholes, fighting along the Siegfried Line before liberating Dachau. After the war he returned to Minnesota to fulfill a promise to a fallen comrade and ended up staying to attend architecture school. Subsequently Parker did graduate work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and designed buildings around the country and around the world. 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, 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, 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