Oral History Collection

The Nicki Newman Tanner

Oral History Collection

As part of JWA’s mission to expand the narrative of Jewish history, we have collected and recorded hundreds of interviews with leaders, activists, and community members across the United States, documenting their encounters with major events and movements of the 20th and 21st centuries and the many ways that gender, class, place, and religious and ethnic identities have shaped women’s lives. With generous support from Nicki Newman Tanner,  Mass Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, we are proud to make these interviews and transcripts available to the public. All entries include transcripts; audio or video recordings are also available where narrator permissions allow. 

More about the collection

Selma Finstein

Project
Women Whose Lives Span the Century

Betsy Friedman Abrams and Roberta Burstein interviewed Selma Gross Finstein on September 30, 1997, in Waltham, Massachusetts, as part of Women Whose Lives Spanned The Century Oral History Project. Finstein discusses growing up in a predominantly non-Jewish area, her involvement in Temple Israel, her education at Boston Teacher's College and teaching at the Boston Public Library, her second career at Brandeis, and the influential people in her life.

Bess Fishman

Project
Weaving Women's Words

Elaine Eff interviewed Bess Fischman on May 30 and June 8, 2001, in Baltimore, Maryland, as part of the Weaving Women's Words oral history project. Fishman shares memories of her childhood, family, Jewish observance, marriage, and involvement in Jewish organizations and the Zionist movement, being involved with the Beth T’filoh Sisterhood and visiting Israel.

Nadia Fradkova

Project
Soviet Jewry

Nadia Fradkova was interviewed in Massachusetts as part of the Soviet Jewry Oral History Project. Fradkova shares her experiences of growing up in the Soviet Union, facing antisemitism, resistance from her father, imprisonment in a labor camp and psychiatric hospital, and eventually immigrating to Israel and the United States.

Ruth Jungster Frankel

Project
Weaving Women's Words

Pamela Brown Lavitt interviewed Ruth Jungster Frankel on August 7 and 15, 2001, in Seattle, Washington, as part of the Weaving Women’s Words project. Frankel reflects on her experiences growing up in Germany, witnessing Hitler's rise to power, immigrating to the United States, involvement at Temple Herzi, her husband's Alzheimer's, and her engagement in Jewish camps, trips to Israel, and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

David Freedman

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed David Freedman on December 8, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Freedman shares his journey from New Orleans to California, his rediscovery of Judaism and passion for text study, his experience during Hurricane Katrina, his involvement with WWOZ radio station, and his efforts to rebuild the city through community radio.

Ronne Friedman

Project
Soviet Jewry

Gabriel Weinstein, Tamar Shachaf Schneider, and Aaron Hirsch interviewed Ronne Friedman on November 15, 2016, in Brookline, Massachusetts, as part of the Soviet Jewry Oral History Project. Rabbi Friedman discusses Temple Israel's involvement in the Soviet Jewry movement, missions to the USSR, a tense encounter with customs agents, reconnecting with the Charney family, outreach efforts by Temple Israel, and a meaningful encounter in St. Petersburg.

Ilona Friedman

Project
General

Isadora Kianovsky interviewed Ilona Friedman on July 30, 2022, in Tampa, Florida, as part of the Jewish Women’s Archive General Oral History Project. Friedman discusses her childhood in Budapest, her family's experiences during World War II, immigration to the United States, her education and career in the medical field, her relationship to Judaism and music, her travels to Israel and Russia, and recent volunteer work.

Bernice Frieze

Project
Women Whose Lives Span the Century

Rochelle Ruthchild interviewed Bernice Frieze on January 16, 1997, in Boston, Massachusetts, as part of the Women Whose Lives Spanned The Century Oral History Project. Frieze shares stories of her family's immigration to the United States, her upbringing in Boston during the Great Depression, her family life, Jewish practice, and involvement in charitable work.

Eleyna Fugman

Project
Meet Me at Sinai

Jayne Guberman interviewed Eleyna Fugman on February 18, 2015, in New York, New York, as part of the Meet Me At Sinai conference and Oral History Project. Fugman reminisces on her family background, her personal journey as a feminist and Jew, her pursuit of Jewish and feminist education, and her activism against racism, antisemitism, and sexism.

Edith Furstenberg

Project
Weaving Women's Words

Marcie Cohen Ferris interviewed Edith Furstenberg on March 16, 2001, in Baltimore, Maryland, as part of the Weaving Women's Words Oral History Project. Furstenberg, born in Baltimore in 1910, shares her family history, educational experiences, a career in social work, marriage, and reflections on national political movements, including the Civil Rights Movement.

Vicki Gabriner

Project
Women Who Dared

Judith Rosenbaum interviewed Vicki Gabriner on July 20, 2000, in Brookline, Massachusetts, as part of the Women Who Dared Oral History Project. Gabriner recounts growing up in Brooklyn, her journey through activism, involvement in social justice issues, experiences with the Weathermen, coming out as a lesbian, and her deepening connection to Judaism and Yiddish culture.

Barbara Gaffin

Project
Women Who Dared

Judith Rosenbaum interviewed Barbara Gaffin in Boston, Massachusetts on July 11, 2000, as part of the Women Who Dared Oral History Project. Gaffin, raised in a Jewish community, recounts her career in Jewish organizations, her perspective on the relationship between American Jews and Israel, her work in Ethiopia, and the prejudice and contradictions she encountered while helping others.

Roz Garber

Project
Women Who Dared

Judith Rosenbaum interviewed Roz Garber on July 26th, 2000, in Brookline, Massachusetts, as part of the Women Who Dared project. Garber, a Canadian, shares her journey from choosing to study in the United States and embracing Conservative Judaism, to her work in the Soviet Union, educating and supporting Refuseniks, and her subsequent activism within the Jewish community, recognizing the importance of fighting injustice both at home and abroad.

Karen Geggel

Project
Adult Bat Mitzvahs

Shanya Rhodes interviewed Karen Geggel on March 16, 2005, in Dover, Massachusetts, as part of the Adult Bat Mitzvahs Oral History Project. Geggel recounts her journey from growing up in a Catholic household, questioning her faith, exploring Eastern religions, experiencing a spiritual awakening while backpacking, and eventually converting to Judaism, which has influenced her life, family traditions, and spiritual fulfillment.

Deena Gerber

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Deena Garber on December 12, 2006, in Metairie, Louisiana, as part of Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Garber talks about her experiences growing up in New Orleans, her involvement in Young Judea, her evacuation during Hurricane Katrina, and her role as the executive director of Jewish Family Services in providing aid and services to the community.

Esteban Gershanik

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Esteban Gershanik on July 24, 2007, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Gershanik shares his family background, his experience growing up in New Orleans, his involvement in assisting with medical aid after Hurricane Katrina, and his reflections on the impact of the hurricane on the city, racial tensions, and his own Jewish identity.

Alan Gerson

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Alan Gerson on August 3, 2007, in New Orleans, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Gerson discusses his family history, childhood as a Jew in New Orleans, college experience, artistic pursuits, evacuation and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, emotional toll, community support for artists, disillusionment with the government, and a vivid memory of an abandoned beach ball after the storm.

Hulda Gittelsohn

Project
Women Whose Lives Span the Century

Betsy Abrams and Bobbie Burstein interviewed Hulda “Bubbles” Gittelsohn on June 20, 1997, in Boston, Massachusetts, as part of the Women Whose Lives Spanned The Century Oral History Project. Gittelsohn discusses her family heritage, childhood religious customs, experiences at Temple and Wellesley College, family tragedies, finding support in Temple Israel, her travels around the world, and her life in a retirement community.

Myron Goldberg

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Myron Goldberg on July 5, 2007, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Goldberg, a first-generation American from New Orleans, discusses his family history, involvement with Congregation Beth Israel, running a store, raising a family, experiencing Hurricane Katrina, and rebuilding his home and business.

Priscilla Golding

Project
Ga’avah: LGBTQ+ Jews

Nicole Zador interviewed Priscilla Golding on November 9, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts as a part of the Ga'avah: LGBTQ+ Jews project. Priscilla recounts her family history, upbringing in Boston, higher education experiences, her brother's AIDS battle, her coming out journey and its reception, involvement with Am Tikva and outreach to synagogues, memories of the International Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jews, and reflections on the changes within the queer community, including her relationship and marriage to Barbara Berg.

Pamela Goldman

Project
Barnard: Jewish Women Changing America

Jayne Guberman interviewed Pamela Goldman on October 30, 2005, in New York, New York, as part of the Barnard: Jewish Women Changing America Oral History Project. Goldman, a Jewish artist and sculptor, discusses her upbringing in Maplewood, New Jersey, her exploration of Jewish identity, her passion for promoting equality, and her involvement in the Rosa Parks Wall of Tolerance project.

Irene Goldman

Project
Women Whose Lives Span the Century

Helene Bailen interviewed Irene Goldman on December 20, 1997, in Boston, Massachusetts, as part of the Women Whose Lives Spanned The Century Oral History Project. Goldman discusses her upbringing, her parents' business, her education at Mt. Ida Junior College, raising a family, her involvement in volunteerism, and their Jewish customs and affiliations.

Shannie Goldstein

Project
Women Who Dared

Abriel Louise Young interviewed Shannie Goldstein on January 12, 2005, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Women Who Dared Oral History Project. Goldstein explores her family history, childhood in Lowell, Massachusetts, her Jewish education, her involvement in the Soviet Jewry movement, her undercover trips to the Soviet Union, her views on feminism, her battle with breast cancer, and her engagement in the Jewish community.

Sherry Gorelick

Project
Barnard: Jewish Women Changing America

Jayne Guberman interviewed Sherry Gorelick on October 30, 2005, in New York, New York, as part of the Barnard: Jewish Women Changing America Oral History Project. Gorelick discusses her upbringing, Jewish activism, feminism, and her experiences with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including her involvement in peace conferences, the Gay and Lesbian Movement in Israel, and her recent diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

Jackie Gothard

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Jackie Gothard on September 20, 2006, in Metairie, Louisiana, as part of Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Gothard shares her experiences growing up as an orthodox Jew in New Orleans, the destruction of Beth Israel synagogue during Hurricane Katrina, her efforts to restore the synagogue and reassemble the congregation, and her reflections on gender and Southern politics in the Orthodox community.

Birth City

Type

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How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Oral History Collection." (Viewed on November 21, 2024) <https://jwa.org/oralhistories>.