Oral history interview with Irving Abrams and Marjorie K. Abrams, 1997.

ArchivalResource

Rosengarten, Dale, 1948-. Oral history interview with Irving Abrams and Marjorie K. Abrams, 1997.

Oral history interview with Irving Abrams and Marjorie K. Abrams, 1997.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/52468630

Interview begins with discussion of Irving Abrams' parents, Mary Brettschneider and Harry Abrams. Abrams notes that his mother's family (Brettschneider) was originally from Austria-Hungary and immigrated to the United States in the late 1890s. Harry Abrams' parents were from Russia, although Harry was born (1894) in New York City. The family name may have been Abramowitz in Europe. Marjie Abrams speaks briefly about her family, noting that her paternal side, the Kohlers, were from Germany and her mother's relatives, the Kesslers, were from Lithuania but immigrated to Connecticut. Conversation moves back to the Abrams family, and Irving recalls his father's involvement in the textile industry which eventually led (1936) the family from New Jersey to Greenville, South Carolina, and the Piedmont Shirt Company. Irving recalls his childhood in Greenville, South Carolina, and remembers his first impressions of African Americans, including the family's African American maid. Speaking about his Jewish heritage, Abrams did not recall experiencing anti-Semitism in Greenville and had a large group of Jewish friends. The family attended the reform Temple of Israel, and Irving's bar mitzvah was the temple's first. He recounts how his father, and Shep Saltzman, owner of the Piedmont Shirt Company, revived the temple after a period of decline, so their children would have a place to worship and learn. He also mentions the influence of Rabbi Mazure, who his father and Saltzman recruited from New York to run the temple. Marjie Abrams was raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, in a similar Jewish setting, and her family attended Knoxville's reform temple. Interview concludes with discussion of the Irvings' adult lives. The couple describes meeting and marrying shortly after World War II and Irving's career in the textile industry. They discuss their three children, who all married outside the Jewish faith, and recall past days when the children attended Camp Blue Star in Georgia. A brief history of Greenville's Temple of Israel is provided, and the couple describes how ritual is more prevalent in today's services than in times past. A side story woven throughout the interview describes the Abrams' association with Max Heller and his immigration from Austria to Greenville, SC.

Sound recording : 1 sound cassette : analog.Sound recording : 1 sound cassette : digital.Transcript : 39 p. ; 28 cm.

College of Charleston, Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library