Jewish Heritage Collection: Oral history interview with Ralph Geldbart

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Title:

Jewish Heritage Collection: Oral history interview with Ralph Geldbart

Date:

2000

Interviewer:

Rosengarten, Dale, 1948-

Interviewee:

Geldbart, Ralph, 1924-2011

Description:

Ralph Geldbart tells the story of his father, Israel Geldbart, who immigrated to New York from Mogielnica, Poland, early in the 20th century. He used his mother’s maiden name, Goldberg, on the advice of relatives living in New York, who believed it would be an easier name for Americans to understand. (The family later reverted to Geldbart.) Israel, who began working as a tailor in New York, volunteered to serve in the United States Army during World War I and was sent to France, where he was wounded. After the war he brought his wife, Rebecca Cygielman, and their daughter, Sylvia, to the United States. They settled in Charleston, South Carolina, where Israel opened an army surplus store on King Street. The family, which grew to include Helen, Ralph, and Jack, belonged to Brith Sholom, one of the city’s two Orthodox synagogues. Ralph describes relations among members of Orthodox Brith Sholom and Beth Israel, and the Reform temple, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim. He discusses his family’s Shabbes traditions, local Jewish merchants, and the Kalushiner Society, an organization founded by landsmen from Kaluszyn, Poland. Ralph was a sophomore at The Citadel when he joined the army to fight in World War II. He recalls landing at Omaha Beach on D-Day in the second wave. About a month later, while his unit was pushing into Normandy, Ralph was wounded, and he describes his experiences during transport and hospitalization in Europe and the United States. Ralph completed college at the University of Chicago and earned his optometry degree at Northern Illinois. After returning to Charleston, he opened an optometry office on George Street near the College of Charleston. He was the first contact lens fitter in the Southeast. He married Madolyn Cohen of Lincolnton, North Carolina, and they raised two daughters, Laurie and Jill, in Charleston. Note: the transcript contains additions and corrections made by the interviewee during proofing. For related material, see the Goldberg family papers, Mss. 1051 and Family tree, descendants of Oise Sokol, Mss. 1034-035 in Special Collections, Addlestone Library, College of Charleston.

Collection Title:

Jewish Heritage Collection Oral Histories

Contributing Institution:

College of Charleston Libraries

Media Type:

Oral Histories

Preferred Citation:

Ralph Geldbart, audio interview by Dale Rosengarten, 08 November 2000, Mss. 1035-248, Special Collections, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, USA.

Personal or Corporate Subject:

Beth Israel (Charleston, S.C.), Brith Sholom (Charleston, S.C.), Kalushiner Society (Charleston, S.C.)

Topical Subject:

Jews--South Carolina--Interviews, Jewish merchants--South Carolina--Charleston--History, Jewish Sects--South Carolina--Charleston--History, World War, 1939–1945--Participation, Jewish, World War, 1939–1945--Campaigns--France--Normandy--Personal narratives, American, Optometrists--South Carolina--Charleston--History

S.C. County:

Charleston County (S.C.)

Language:

English

Shelving Locator:

MSS 1035-248

Date Digital:

2012-10-30

Digitization Specifications:

Mp3 derivative audio created with Audacity software. Archival masters are wav files.

Internet Media Type:

audio/mpeg;application/pdf

Copyright Status Statement:

Copyright © Jewish Heritage Collection

Access Information:

For more information, contact Special Collections, College of Charleston Libraries, 66 George Street, Charleston SC 29424.

Admin ID:

220979