Jewish Heritage Collection: Oral history interview with Mary Lourie Rittenberg
Date:
2012
Interviewer:
Rittenberg, Harris;Rittenberg, Sam
Interviewee:
Rittenberg, Mary Lourie, 1927-2017
Description:
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.
