Interview begins with discussion of Pearlman's parents, Henry Morris Pearlman and Toba Kalverisky Pearlman, united by an arranged marriage in Warsaw, Poland. The Pearlmans had one child (Hyman) in Poland then immigrated to New York, ca. 1906, where their second child (William) was born. Toba's sister and brother-in-law, Celia and Solomon Simon, had already settled in Charleston, South Carolina, and encouraged the Pearlmans to travel south. The family moved to Charleston, and Henry Pearlman ran several tailor shops with Solomon Simon; both families lived in apartments above the King Street businesses. Three more children (Gus, Rosalie, and Hannah) were born in Charleston. Pearlman mentions that he was not given a middle name at birth, but gave himself one (Harry) during grammar school to be like the other boys. He recalls that his parents never returned to Warsaw, but talked about their European life frequently. They remained devoutly Orthodox in religious practice, attended Brith Sholom and observed many "old country" Jewish rituals which he describes. Pearlman discusses growing up in Charleston. His family moved to the St. Philip Street area (which he describes as a "Jewish enclave") when he was young, and he recalls congenial interaction between Jews, African Americans, and Catholics. Pearlman felt the shared experience as immigrants and outsiders bonded the different groups. He remembers an unspoken division between recent, Orthodox, Eastern European Jewish immigrants and Reform German Jews who had been in Charleston for many years. Pearlman describes the Kalushiner Society's role in helping Jewish immigrants establish themselves and remembers how the Jewish community often banded together to collectively take care of individual problems. Discussion moves to his family's religious practices and Pearlman mentions his mother no longer wore a wig (sheitel), an Ashkenazim tradition, once she arrived in New York and let her hair grow. He grew up eating only kosher foods, attended Hebrew school and was Bar Mizvahed by Rabbi Axelman. Pearlman discusses the process of assimilation, and how it has affected Judaism. He mentions that he and his wife (Betty Bernstein Pearlman) have joined both Orthodox and Reform congregations and ponders how religious fervor and observance change over time. Interview concludes with discussion of Pearlman's adult life. He mentions his military participation in World War II, years at the College of Charleston, friendship with Gedney Howe and their Charleston law practice, the events that led to his 36 year career as a probate judge and interaction with other Jewish lawyers in Charleston. Miscellaneous topics include anti-Semitism and racism, the various night spots that Pearlman and friends frequented (including "Jew Joe" Truere's place) during their early adult years, interactions with the Givner family and his own children's connection to Judaism.
