Oral history interview with Rose Rudnick Rubin, 1996.

ArchivalResource

Rubin, Rose Rudnick, 1917-. Oral history interview with Rose Rudnick Rubin, 1996.

Oral history interview with Rose Rudnick Rubin, 1996.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48843776

Majority of interview pertains to Rose Rubin's parents, circumstances of their immigration to America and subsequent move to Aiken, SC. She speaks of her father, Morris Rudnick (b. 1892) and recounts details of his journey (1905) from Poland to New York as a thirteen year old boy. Notable are descriptions of his initial New York living conditions and means of employment. A discussion of Rubin's mother, Sophie Halpern, follows. Halpern grew up in Bialystock, Poland but fled the country after being cited for distributing pro-revolution literature. She also immigrated to New York. Rubin recounts details of her mother's first job in America, (rolling cigarettes) and first husband, Ralph Panitz, with whom she moved to Aiken, SC. Rubin describes growing up in Aiken. Within this account are details of racial tensions prevalent during the 1920s, presence of the Ku Klux Klan, and discussion of the relationship between Aiken's Jewish merchants and African-American citizens. She also describes her mother's defiance of state segregation laws. Rubin discusses her immediate family and secular Jewish upbringing, and mentions the Jewish publication, Forward, as an important vehicle for fostering a sense of community among Jews. Other topics include the Depression and its impact on Aiken's Jewish businesses, the Holocaust and its affect on the Rudnick family, and Rubin's knowledge of the Happyville community, a group of Russian Jews commissioned by Governor Duncan Clinch Heyward (1864-1943) to come to Aiken, SC (from New York) and cultivate land.

Sound recording : 1 sound cassette.Transcript : 23 p. ; 28 cm.

College of Charleston, Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library