Oral history interview with Henry Rittenberg, 1996.

ArchivalResource

Rittenberg, Henry Woodrow, 1918-. Oral history interview with Henry Rittenberg, 1996.

Oral history interview with Henry Rittenberg, 1996.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/52523809

Henry Rittenberg discusses his family background and his life in Charleston, South Carolina. His father's father was Wolfe Rittenberg, also known as Cobbleshevsky, who married Sarah Liebstat in their native Lithuania. Their son Sam, the interviewee's father, was born in 1867; he came first to Buffalo, N.Y., before settling in Charleston, S.C. in 1892. He worked as a clerk in M. Hornik and Co., working with James Byrnes. He married Eleanor Flaum in 1895 in Charleston; they had three children, Sidney, who later went into law practice with Louis Shimel, and Julia and Nell. The family left Charleston in 1907 for New York, moving back in 1912 after the death of Eleanor Flaum Rittenberg. Sam Rittenberg became involved in real estate; was elected to the SC Legislature when he ran in 1914, and when he ran again in 1924, he was again elected, serving until his death in 1932. His second wife was Sadie Livingstain Pearlstine, the widow of Abe Pearlstine. She brought her children Jack and Milton Pearlstine to the marriage. Sadie and Sam Rittenberg then had two children, the subject of this interview and his younger brother Alvin. Henry Rittenberg speaks of growing up Orthodox at the corner of Morris Street. and Rutledge Avenue and later, on Huger Street. The family attended Brith Sholom synagogue, and he went to Hebrew School at the Jewish Community Center on George Street, of which his father was first president. Both Henry Rittenberg and his brother Alvin attended James Simons Elementary School, High School of Charleston, the Citadel and the Medical College of South Carolina. After graduating the Citadel, he worked for a while at the Greenwood Cotton Mill, before serving in the army from 1942 to 1946, seeing active combat in Germany. He became a pharmacist before becoming a doctor and having a general medicine practice with his brother.

Sound recording : 1 sound cassette : analog.Transcript : 29 p. ; 28 cm.

College of Charleston, Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library