Jewish Heritage Collection: Oral history interview with Herbert Berlinsky
Date:
1997
Interviewer:
Grossman, Michael Samuel
Interviewee:
Berlinsky, Herbert, 1924-2010
Description:
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.
