Both sides of Allan Sindler's family emigrated from an area near the border of Lithuania and Latvia to Baltimore, Maryland. His mother's father was active in HIAS, Hebrew Immigration and Aid Society. Skip's family came from Knyszyn, Poland, to Chicago and after her parents met there and married, they moved to Aiken, S.C., where they lived with the Surasky family. Although Allan's father ran the only men's clothing store in Bishopville, S.C., and had wonderful stories to relate about it, the brothers were not interested in going into the business. His mother, a high school graduate, kept the books for the business. Allan tells of rituals in the store and buying trips to Baltimore, mentioning the names of several vendors. Allan finished college at the University of South Carolina in only two years, by the time he was eighteen, even though he participated in several sports. He was eager to follow his older brother into the military during the war. He returned to USC after the war and met Skip there. Skip tells about her father in his store in Aiken, S.C., and her mother's considerable skills in the kitchen. She discusses the differences between the Jews in Aiken who experienced anti-Semitism and the Jews in Camden who were not considered the immigrants since Jewish families like the Baruchs, the Geisenheimers, and the Schlosburgs had been there since the Revolutionary War. She recalls refusing to recite the Lord's Prayer every day with her first grade class. She tells of Kivy, her oldest brother, and his success in school, his ability to "bridge the gap" between the Jewish world and the non-Jewish world, his skill in languages, and the news that he became acting mayor of a small town in Germany after the war. She tells of her mother's extensive reading in English, Russian, and Yiddish, mentioning in particular the work of Tolstoy and two papers they received: "The Day" and "The Forward." They examine and discuss family photographs and candlesticks, Kiddush cups, and a samovar that came from Europe. They discuss Temple Beth El in Camden which was originally a Catholic church and their individual experiences in Jewish education. Allan tells of becoming a Unitarian and of their children's religious beliefs. He describes sculptures he created for the Tree of Life, Beth Shalom, Richland Memorial Hospital Chapel (all in Columbia, S.C.), and Beth El Temple in Camden, S.C. They speculate on the future of Judaism and of the temples in small towns in South Carolina and compare the family atmosphere at the temple in Greensboro, N.C.
