Oral history interview with Alex Davis, 1997.

ArchivalResource

Davis, Alex, 1922-. Oral history interview with Alex Davis, 1997.

Oral history interview with Alex Davis, 1997.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/51865702

Interview begins with discussion of Davis's father, Victor Davis (1895-1958), a Sephardic Jew who immigrated to the U.S. from the Isle of Rose (near Italy) in 1908. The family name was originally Piha, however conversation does not reveal when or why the name was changed. Victor Davis met Molly Kauffman (1898-1989), a Romanian immigrant, in Montgomery, Alabama; they married (ca. 1919) and settled in Flint, Michigan. In 1922, the Davises relocated to Greenville, South Carolina, to assist Molly's brother, Harry Kaufman, in running his auto parts business. By 1926, Victor Davis had his own auto parts establishment, and his son discusses how he and his siblings, Jack and Lewis, ran the family business until 1994. Interview continues with discussion of Davis's childhood. He recalls that his mother spoke Yiddish and father, Spanish; however English was the language spoken at home. He describes Greenville's small Jewish community and remembers having both Jewish and non-Jewish friends including African Americans; he could not recall any anti-Semitic or racial problems in Greenville. Other childhood memories include description of neighbors walking to synagogue each Friday and weekly Saturday night gatherings at Zaglen's Meat Market where Greenville's Jews waited for kosher meat. Discussion turns to Davis's Jewish education, which he felt was deficient due to a lack of qualified teachers. Other topics include Davis's recollections of the Depression; meeting his wife, Lillian Zaglen; his years in the military; Jewish community leaders, including Charlie and Morris Zaglen and Dave Sher; and his involvement with the synagogue. Conversation ends with discussion of Greenville's first Jewish cemetery (opened 1938) and differences between local Reform and Conservative congregations.

Sound recording : 1 sound cassette : analog.Sound recording : 1 sound cassette : digital.Transcript : 32 p. ; 28 cm.

College of Charleston, Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library