The panel discussion titled "Aiken Pioneers, Then and Now," held at the fall 2014 meeting of the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina in Aiken, South Carolina, features ten panelists with ties to the small city less than twenty miles east of Augusta, Georgia. Family names mentioned include Cohen, Baumgarten, Efron, Evans, Kamenoff, Kaplan, Levinson, Polier, Rudnick, Surasky, and Wolf. Speakers share stories of ancestors who arrived as immigrants in the early 1900s. Those who came later in the twentieth century, including Holocaust survivor Judith Evans, describe their experiences melding with an established Jewish community and congregation, Adath Yeshurun. A consistent theme emerges: a warm and immediate sense of family. Samuel Wolf Ellis, born in 1983 and the youngest member of the panel, expresses his connectedness to the synagogue: "In my heart I feel that my heritage is sort of written into every old floorboard and every crossbeam and every pane of glass and every brick." Another theme is presented by Doris Baumgarten, who observes that Jews have always been well accepted in Aiken. She discovered documentation by John Hamilton Cornish, a minister of St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church, of "Israelites" in Aiken as early as 1856, when Jewish women helped raise money for the church with a bake sale. She notes that Rev. Gustavus Poznanski, hazan of Beth Elohim in Charleston, South Carolina, came with his musician sons to give a concert to benefit the church as well. Doris offers examples of how, in more recent times, Jewish residents have blended with and been engaged by the majority gentile community. Audience member Rosemary "Binky" Read Cohen of Charleston, the granddaughter of Aiken resident Sophie Halpern Panitz Rudnick, speaks during Q & A about how Aiken feels like a second home to her. For related materials in Special Collections, College of Charleston, see the Aiken Jewish community collection, Mss. 1042; Adath Yeshurun Synagogue's 75th Anniversary Founders Day Celebration presentation, Mss. 1035-069; and Adath Yeshurun's 100th Anniversary panel discussion, Mss. 1035-592.
Herbert Berlinsky was born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1924, the third of six children born to Bella (maiden name also Berlinsky) and Philip Berlinsky of Mogielnica, Poland. Bella and Philip likely met and married in New York City; they moved to Charleston around 1918, where Philip and his brother Hyman opened New York Tailors, a men's clothing store on King Street. Herbert talks about his siblings, Maurice Berle (who shortened his surname), Hattie Olasov, Danny Berlinsky, Barbara Stine, and Norman Berlinsky. Herbert recalls his family observing the Sabbath and keeping kosher when he was a young boy, but gradually, as he and his siblings grew older, the religious rituals at home began to wane. By the time he was fifteen or so, he felt that the Charleston families who kept kosher were a "small minority." He describes growing up in Charleston with stories of his playmates and their activities; Hebrew classes taught by Rabbi Benjamin Axelman at the Jewish Community Center on George Street; his bar mitzvah and the celebration afterward; the sports he played in local parks and at the YMCA; and junior congregation at Brith Sholom. He recalls living on St. Philip Street where his closest friends, who were also Jewish, lived. When he was about fourteen, the Berlinskys moved to Grove Street, in the city's northwest section. By that time, Herbert's circle of friends had grown to include gentiles. He notes that he has maintained close friendships with many of his Jewish and non-Jewish buddies from childhood. He does not remember experiencing any antisemitism as a youth or as an adult in Charleston. He was first exposed to anti-Jewish sentiment when he was in the military during World War II. While a freshman at The Citadel, he joined the army and served in the infantry for four years. In 1946, Philip and Hyman established Berle Manufacturing, makers of men's trousers. A short time later, they decided to split up. Hyman took the store and Philip took the factory. Maurice and Herbert soon joined Philip in the manufacturing business. Maurice left after two or three years to take a position with Palm Beach Company. Danny and Norman joined Berle subsequently. Herbert's first assignment was on the road, selling to retailers, the job he loved best. He considers how the sales aspect of the business has changed over recent decades. Herbert discusses his sense of Jewish identity and his feelings about intermarriage, noting that his first marriage was to a non-Jewish woman. He briefly mentions his second wife, Jackie Silverman Berlinsky, who is Jewish, and her three children, Lynda, Randall, and Eric, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Maurice Krawcheck. Around 1994, Herbert traveled to Mogielnica, Poland, "to find my roots," and relates details of that visit.
Mary Lourie Rittenberg was born in 1927 in St. George, South Carolina, the fourth of six children of Anne "Annie" Friedman and Louis Lourie (Luria). Mary describes growing up in St. George, where the family lived over their store. She recalls one other Jewish family in town, the Widelitzes. She felt like an outsider, "particularly on Sundays." The Louries used to take the bus to Savannah, where, as a teen, Mary made a few Jewish friends. Mary discusses the influence her grandmother Baila Friedman had on her sense of Jewish identity. Baila was on hand to help Annie with the house and children. At some point, Annie had to assume responsibility for the store after Louis became too ill to work. He died when Mary was in high school. The interviewee shares memories of her siblings. Sol, the eldest, settled in Columbia with his wife, Toby Baker, and opened a store. Sara, the second eldest, married Sherman Gordon, and it was at their son's bris (circumcision) that Sol met Toby. Mick, who had helped his mother, Annie, in the store after Louis died, joined Sol in running the new Lourie's in Columbia. Annie closed the St. George store and also moved to the capital city. Herbert married Betty Brody and became a neurosurgeon. His life ended tragically when he was murdered at his home in Dewitt, New York, in 1987. Isadore, the youngest, married Susan Reiner, and became a South Carolina state senator and the founding president of the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina. Mary recounts how she met her husband, Alvin Rittenberg, of Charleston, whom she married in 1952. She mentions Alvin's brother, Henry, and their parents, Sadie Livingstain and Sam Rittenberg, who was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1912, and then again in 1924, when he won the first of four consecutive terms. Alvin, an M.D., established his practice in Charleston Heights. Mary talks about their children: Sam, Sadye Beth, Harris, William, and Michael, and their grandchildren. The interviewee touches on her fifteen years working as a guidance counselor at Garrett High School in North Charleston. Transcript contains comments and corrections by Mary's relative David Askienazy. See also Rittenberg's interview from December 8, 2012, Mss. 1035-424. For related materials, see the Lourie family papers, Mss. 1034-042, and interviews with Larraine Lourie Moses, Mss. 1035-487; Libby Friedman Levinson, Mss. 1035-016; Henry Rittenberg, Mss. 1035-104; Henry and Sarah Rittenberg, Mss. 1035-350.
To commemorate her upcoming eighty-fifth birthday, Mary Lourie Rittenberg is interviewed by her sons Harris Rittenberg and Sam Rittenberg. Also present are Harris's wife, Meryl; Sam's wife, Evelyn; and Mary's second husband, Louis Kirshtein. Mary was raised in St. George, South Carolina, the fourth child of six born to Anne "Annie" Friedman and Louis Lourie. Mary describes growing up in the 1930s and '40s in the small town about fifty miles northwest of Charleston, South Carolina. Her stories convey the love and respect she feels for her parents, siblings, and maternal grandmother, Baila Friedman. Her mother kept kosher and closed the family's store on the High Holidays. Mary recalls instances of antisemitism that the Louries experienced living in St. George. Yet her father was well respected and involved in local politics. Mary attended the University of Georgia in Athens, majoring in economics and education. She relates how she met her first husband, Alvin Rittenberg, and what attracted her to him. Harris and Meryl discuss how Mary has influenced her children's sense of Jewish identity. Transcript contains comments and corrections by Mary's relative David Askienazy. See also Rittenberg's oral history recorded on December 4, 2014, Mss. 1035-411. For related materials, see the Lourie family papers, Mss. 1034-042, and interviews with Larraine Lourie Moses, Mss. 1035-487; Libby Friedman Levinson, Mss. 1035-016; Henry Rittenberg, Mss. 1035-104; Henry and Sarah Rittenberg, Mss. 1035-350.
Eleanor Evens Levy was born in 1936 in Pulaski, Virginia, the youngest of three children of Annie Kessler and Sam Evens [Eventov]. Sam, who was from Rogachev, Russia, was educated as an engineer. Eleanor reports he "discovered the glue that was used in plywood" and came to America "to open up American plywood plants all over the country." The first was in Macon, Georgia, where Annie lived. They married in 1918, moved to Pulaski, and opened a dry goods store. Eleanor describes growing up in the small town in southwestern Virginia. "The closest synagogue was sixty miles away." She had no Jewish friends, and did not experience any antisemitism. She attended Greensboro Women's College in North Carolina. "Immediately when I got to Greensboro, I got in with the people that lived in Greensboro, and I went to synagogue every Friday. I felt very much at home there." Eleanor met Joel Levy, a native of Batesburg, South Carolina, when she was a sophomore. They married in 1955, and moved to Columbia, South Carolina. Joel, an optometrist, established a practice in nearby Winnsboro. Eleanor notes that she and Joel decided to live in Columbia because they wanted to have a "Jewish life." She offers some details about her involvement with various programs and plays at Columbia's Jewish Community Center.
Belle Lavisky Jewler, born in 1936, grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, the only daughter of Emma Bogen and Mike Lavisky. She talks about her brother, Saul, and her extended family, in particular the Katzenellenbogens, from whom her mother was descended. Belle's father owned a number of stores in Columbia, among them, King's Jeweler's, which he opened with his partner Eddie Picow. Growing up, the interviewee says, "I felt different. I never knew antisemitism. I was kind of raised to stay with your own kind, so almost all my friends were Jewish." She met her husband, Allen "Jerry" Jewler, in Columbia when he was stationed at Fort Jackson. They were married in 1960 and moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, where she gave birth to daughter, Melissa, and son, Scott. Jerry's jobs took the family to Charlotte, North Carolina, and Greenville, South Carolina, before they returned to Columbia to stay in 1972. Belle discusses her children, her involvement in Beth Shalom, her Jewish identity, and her support for Israel. For a follow-up interview conducted on December 21, 2015, see Mss. 1035-459. See also Belle Jewler's March 4, 1997, interview with her mother, Emma Bogen Lavisky Bukatman, Mss. 1035-135.
In this follow-up to her November 4, 2015, interview, Belle Lavisky Jewler discusses in more depth her childhood memories of House of Peace in Columbia, South Carolina, at the time an Orthodox synagogue, and her involvement as an adult with the same congregation, which, by the late 1950s, had changed its affiliation to Conservative and had begun using its Hebrew name, Beth Shalom. She recalls the changes in practices that took place in the congregation over the years, in particular, allowing women to participate in services. Belle relates stories about her father's family's experiences upon arriving in America and describes her mother preparing for Passover. She mentions two of her mother's ancestors and their claim to fame: Saul Wahl Katzenellenbogen was the King of Poland for a day and a half and Louis Katzenellenbogen was a founder of the Bialystoker Shul in New York City. She remembers spending a lot of time in Caba Rivkin's deli: "A lot of what went on in old Columbia happened in Caba Rivkin's grocery store-delicatessen." For Jewler's November 4, 2015, interview, see Mss. 1035-458. See also Belle Jewler's March 4, 1997, interview with her mother, Emma Bogen Lavisky Bukatman, Mss. 1035-135.
Claire Endictor Goldberg, born in 1934 in Cohoes, New York, to Sally Epstein and Irving Endictor, is joined in this interview by her husband, Benjamin Goldberg, a native of Charleston, South Carolina. When Claire was less than a year old, the Endictors moved to Detroit, Michigan, and ran a store there before moving back to New York in 1944, settling in Troy. Claire has one brother, William, who is four years younger. The family moved again in 1948, ending up in Charleston, South Carolina. Claire remembers visiting, as a young girl, her maternal grandparents, Pauline and Jacob Epstein, in Summerville, South Carolina, where her mother grew up. She recalls her reaction to segregation after moving to Charleston. "I was infuriated and I was a rebel. . . . That particularly made me want to leave Charleston." Although she left to pursue her nursing degree at Duke University in North Carolina, she returned to Charleston and began working at the Medical College of South Carolina in 1955. Claire shares a story about a specific discriminatory practice aimed at black nurses at the Medical College, and she describes working in a diagnostic clinic with Drs. Vince Moseley, Kelly McKee, and Bill Lee, where, among other procedures, they performed "the first heart catheterizations in South Carolina." Claire discusses how she met Benjamin; the adoption of their two children, Rachel and Joel; and the design of their South Windermere home. The Goldbergs talk about their children, and numerous friends and acquaintances, Jewish and non-Jewish. Benjamin identifies the leaders of the Jewish community in post-WW II Charleston, and offers his thoughts on the Kalushiner Society; his former boss, Louis Shimel; William Ackerman's run for mayor of Charleston against Palmer Gaillard in 1971; and the 1969 hospital strike by black employees of the Medical College of South Carolina, noting that the city's Jews were "not really involved very much in the Civil Rights Movement." Interviewer and Charleston native Sandra Lee Kahn Rosenblum adds this viewpoint regarding growing up in a segregated society: "This was the way things were. Black people were different . . . I never questioned it as a child." Other topics discussed include: freelance writer and Charleston native Robert Marks; 19th-century Jewish Charlestonians who were victims of violent crimes; and Jews in South Carolina politics and government, with speculation as to why there haven't been any Jewish mayors of Charleston. See Mss. 1035-387 for a previous interview with the Goldbergs on January 22, 2014.
Benjamin "Bennie" Goldberg, a Charleston native born in 1929 to Gussie Cohen and Harry Goldberg, talks about members of his extended family, as well as his siblings, Hannah Schwartz, Leon Goldberg, and Freida Meyerowitz, and his siblings' children. He recalls his father's grocery stores, particularly the one on Coming Street near Bogard Street, where the family also lived. It was a "mixed" neighborhood and he recalls no instances of antisemitism or problems between white and black residents. Joined in the interview by his wife, Claire Endictor Goldberg, Bennie shares his early memories of Charleston's Jewish community and tells a number of amusing anecdotes, mentioning members of these families: Altman, Baker, Breibart, Brickman, Doobrow, Fechter, Fox, Garfinkel, Geldbart, Karesh, Kurtz, Schwartz, Singer, Sonenshine, and Truere. Also discussed are Seymour Barkowitz, Bennie's Hebrew school teacher; Morris Finkelstein, the coach of the High School of Charleston basketball team; G. Theodore Wichmann, orchestra director of the High School of Charleston; and Judge J. Waties Waring. Bennie describes the George Street building where he attended Hebrew School; Harold's Cabin, the restaurant and gourmet grocery run by Harold Jacobs; and several movie theaters on the Charleston peninsula. A member of Aleph Zadik Aleph, Bennie says that the Jewish youth organization changed his life. "We learned a hell of a lot. We learned parliamentary procedure. We did civic things. We traveled to other cities to compete. There were oratorical contests." Regarding the synagogues in town: "I always say that you could sum up the history of the shuls in Charleston with one word: frum [pious]. You were either too frum or not frum enough." See Mss. 1035-388 for a second interview with the Goldbergs on February 5, 2014.
Jefferson "Jeff" Tobias Figg was born in 1936, and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, the youngest of three children of Sallie Alexander Tobias and Robert McCormick Figg, Jr. Sallie was descended from Joseph Tobias, founding president of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, established in Charleston in 1749. Jeff talks about growing up south of Broad Street and shares stories about various family members, including his elder siblings, Robert and Emily; his paternal uncle, Thomas Jefferson Tobias, and Thomas's wife, Rowena Wilson; his cousins David and Judith Tobias; and his maternal grandmother, Hortense Alexander Tobias. Jeff observes, "We have never been a particularly Jewish or Christian family." His mother, Sallie, was not notably observant as a Jew, though her mother was, and, according to Jeff, her brother, Thomas Tobias, "was obsessed with Judaism." Jeff's father, Robert, was raised by Baptists and did not adhere to any organized religion as an adult. The interviewee notes: "I've always considered myself Jewish. I feel it inside of me." For several summers, he attended Sky Valley Camp, near Hendersonville, North Carolina, run by an Episcopalian minister. Jeff describes his father's career as a lawyer, particularly his role in representing the state of South Carolina in Briggs v. Elliott. He briefly covers his father's tenure as the head of the law school at the University of South Carolina and his involvement with the South Carolina Port Authority. Jeff married Catherine "Kitty" Louise Cox in 1961, and they raised three children, Susan, Catherine, and Robert, in Charleston. Figg touches on his career with Xerox and the Adolph Coors Company, where he headed the sales department. He tells stories about prominent South Carolinians Strom Thurmond, James Byrnes, and Burnet Maybank; and he recalls Jewish Charlestonians Milton Pearlstine, Walter Solomon, and Solomon Breibart. Jeff's daughter Susan, who joined him in this interview, contrasts the message of the bestselling book "The Help" with her relationship with the black woman who worked for her grandmother. For a related collection, see the Thomas J. Tobias papers, Mss. 1029.
