Jewish Heritage Collection: Oral history interview with Edward Aberman, Mary Ann Pearlstine Aberman, Jack Leader, Harriet Marshall Goode, and Martin Goode
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- Title:
- Jewish Heritage Collection: Oral history interview with Edward Aberman, Mary Ann Pearlstine Aberman, Jack Leader, Harriet Marshall Goode, and Martin Goode
- Date:
- 1999
- Interviewer:
- Rosengarten, Dale, 1948-;Stender, Barbara Karesh
- Interviewee:
- Aberman, Edward, 1932-2000;Aberman, Mary Ann Pearlstine, 1935-;Leader, Jack, 1946-;Goode, Harriet Marshall, 1937-;Goode, Martin, 1937-
- Description:
- Rock Hill, South Carolina residents Edward Aberman, Mary Ann Pearlstine Aberman, Jack Leader, Harriet Marshall Goode, and Martin Goode discuss local Jewish history, marrying outside one’s faith, and racial discrimination and interracial relations in Rock Hill. Edward, a native born in 1932, describes growing up in Rock Hill, and recalls Jewish family names such as Breen, Friedheim, and Kurtz. His father, Sol Aberman, was a musician who, in his youth, played in nightclubs and circuses around the country. After settling in Rock Hill and opening a scrap metal business, Sol supported the musical ambitions of local children and played with the Hejaz Shrine Temple band. Besides being the leader of the small Jewish community of anywhere from six to fourteen families, Sol worked hard for various civic and charitable organizations. Born in 1946, Jack Leader also grew up in Rock Hill. His parents followed brother-in-law Harry Cohen to Shelby, North Carolina. Harry helped all his siblings get off the ground with their own businesses in the Carolinas. Jack’s parents moved to Rock Hill and opened Melville’s, later named Leader’s, which sold ladies’ and children’s clothing. Jack discusses his Jewish education and his family’s religious practices, and recalls that when he was growing up, there was an active Hadassah organization in Rock Hill. Harriet Goode, born in 1937 and raised as a Presbyterian in Rock Hill, was about eight years old when she found out her paternal grandmother, Fanny Friedheim Marshall, was Jewish. Harriet’s great-grandfather and his brothers emigrated from Germany to Baltimore and, ultimately, wound up in Rock Hill, where they opened Friedheim’s Department Store. As a child, Harriet had both Christian and Jewish friends and was not aware of any discrimination towards Jews in her hometown. Mary Ann Aberman came to Rock Hill in 1955 as a newlywed and describes the “culture shock” of moving from the larger city of Charleston, South Carolina, to Rock Hill. Martin Goode, who was raised as a Methodist in Covington, Georgia, and came to Rock Hill after college, talks about his view of Jewish people in general. Note: See also Edward and Mary Ann Aberman’s interviews (Mss. 1035-221 and 222), and an interview with Rock Hill native Sophia Marie Friedheim Beers (Mss. 1035-220).
- Collection Title:
- Jewish Heritage Collection Oral Histories
- Contributing Institution:
- College of Charleston Libraries
- Media Type:
- Audio
- Preferred Citation:
- Edward Aberman, Mary Ann Pearlstine Aberman, Jack Leader, Harriet Marshall Goode, and Martin Goode, audio interview by Dale Rosengarten and Barbara Karesh Stender, 21 September 1999, Mss 1035-218, Special Collections, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, USA.
- Personal or Corporate Subject:
- Temple Beth El (Rock Hill, S.C.)
- Topical Subject:
- Jews--South Carolina--Rock Hill--Interviews, Jews--South Carolina--Rock Hill--Social life and customs, Jewish merchants--South Carolina--Rock Hill--History, Race discrimination--South Carolina--Rock Hill--History, South Carolina--Race relations--History--20th century, Jews--South Carolina--Rock Hill--Religious life, Interfaith marriage--United States
- S.C. County:
- York County (S.C.)
- Language:
- English
- Shelving Locator:
- MSS 1035-218
- Date Digital:
- 2012-08-06
- 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 Information:
- For more information, contact Special Collections, College of Charleston Libraries, 66 George Street, Charleston SC 29424.
- Admin ID:
- 221011
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