Jewish Heritage Collection: Oral history interview with Selma Blick Dickman and Janis Dickman
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- Title:
- Jewish Heritage Collection: Oral history interview with Selma Blick Dickman and Janis Dickman
- Date:
- 2015
- Interviewer:
- Filler, Lilly
- Interviewee:
- Dickman, Selma Blick, 1915-2015;Dickman, Janis, 1948-
- Description:
- Selma Blick Dickman of Columbia, South Carolina, is joined by her daughter Janis Dickman in this interview, which focuses on social issues dating to the late 1940s. Selma, a New York transplant, describes how she feels about living in the South. After moving to Sumter, South Carolina, in 1949, her tendency to talk about New York was greeted with advice from the Jewish natives: talk less about New York and more about her new home. Selma discusses her past perceptions of Jewish-Christian relations and notes how they have changed over time. She and Janis respond to questions about antisemitism and Janis recalls that as a child growing up in Columbia, "I always remember feeling different." Both describe their reactions to learning of the Holocaust and Selma remembers the arrival in Columbia of survivors Jadzia Sklar and Ben Stern, the interviewer's parents. Selma considers how her views of African-Americans have changed during her lifetime; both interviewees talk about racism, segregation, and present-day race relations, including the controversy surrounding the presence of the Confederate flag on the South Carolina State House grounds. Selma's husband, Max Dickman, who died thirty years before this interview, co-founded the scrap metal business, Columbia Steel and Metal. The Dickmans raised three daughters in Columbia. In a postscript to the interview, Janis describes the Dickman family's relationship with Florida Boyd, an African-American woman who worked in their home for forty-three years. The transcript also includes comments and corrections made by Janis during proofing and additional background information she provided upon request.
- Collection Title:
- Jewish Heritage Collection Oral Histories
- Contributing Institution:
- College of Charleston Libraries
- Media Type:
- Oral Histories
- Preferred Citation:
- Selma Blick Dickman and Janis Dickman, audio interview by Lilly Filler, 28 June 2015, Mss 1035-448, Special Collections, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, USA.
- Topical Subject:
- Jews--South Carolina--Interviews, Antisemitism--South Carolina--History, Race discrimination--South Carolina--Columbia--History, Holocaust survivors--South Carolina--Columbia--History
- S.C. County:
- Sumter County (S.C.), Richland County (S.C.)
- Language:
- English
- Shelving Locator:
- Mss 1035-448
- Date Digital:
- 2016-08-30
- Digitization Specifications:
- Mp3 derivative audio created with Audacity software. Archival masters are wav files.
- Internet Media Type:
- audio/mpeg
- Copyright Status Statement:
- Copyright © Jewish Heritage Collection
- Access Statement:
- All rights reserved.
- Access Information:
- For more information, contact Special Collections, College of Charleston Libraries, 66 George Street, Charleston SC 29424.
- Admin ID:
- 220712
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