Jewish Heritage Collection: Oral history interview with Rose Surasky Seldin and Evelyn Goodman Surasky Caplan
Date:
1996
Interviewer:
Rosengarten, Dale, 1948-
Interviewee:
Seldin, Rose Surasky, 1917-2005;Caplan, Evelyn Goodman Surasky, 1918-2001
Description:
Rose Surasky Seldin, born in 1917, and her sister-in-law Evelyn Goodman Surasky Caplan, born in 1918, describe growing up in Aiken, South Carolina. Rose’s parents, Annie Sarah Rudnick and Solomon Surasky, emigrated from Knyszyn, Poland, joining his brothers and brother-in-law H. L Polier in Aiken. The interviewees recall the family businesses, including Augusta Polier’s lingerie shop and millinery. Augusta was married to Morris Polier, Evelyn’s grandfather. When Augusta died, Evelyn’s mother, Rebecca Polier Goodman, took over the store. Rose and Evelyn discuss several family members, in particular, Rose’s first cousin, Mina Surasky Tropp. Among the topics covered: prejudice; keeping kosher; the Jewish farming community called “Happyville,” established in 1905 by its promoters in nearby Montmorenci; and how locals responded to and were affected by the building of the Savannah River Plant in the early 1950s.
Rose Surasky Seldin and Evelyn Goodman Surasky Caplan, audio interview by Dale Rosengarten, 4 May 1996, Mss 1035-070, Special Collections, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, USA.
Personal or Corporate Subject:
Savannah River Plant (E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company)
