Jewish Heritage Collection: Oral history interview with Melvin Jacobs and Rose Wexler Jacobs
Date:
1998
Interviewer:
Rosenblum, Sandra Lee Kahn;Jacobs, Ruth Bass
Interviewee:
Jacobs, Melvin, 1909-1999;Jacobs, Rose Wexler, 1918-2005
Description:
Melvin Jacobs and Rose Wexler Jacobs, audio interview by Sandra Lee Kahn Rosenblum and Ruth Bass Jacobs, 14 January 1998, Mss 1035-172, Special Collections, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, USA.;Melvin Jacobs reminisces about growing up in Charleston, South Carolina, where his father, Louis Jacobs, ran a shoe store on King Street. The Jacobs family attended the Orthodox synagogue Brith Sholom and observed Shabbos, although around 1913 Louis began opening his shop on Saturdays. Melvin was drafted into the marines at age thirty-four; he served in the supply corps, stateside, from 1943–45. In 1947 he married Rose Wexler of Savannah, the daughter of Romanian immigrants. They raised four children in Charleston. Melvin, who joined Louis in the family business, describes how his father made the switch from selling shoes to selling hosiery. The couple discusses the schism at Brith Sholom that produced the Conservative congregation, Emanu-El; the merger of the two Orthodox synagogues, Brith Sholom and Beth Israel; and their involvement in the establishment of the Jewish day school, Charleston Hebrew Institute. Note: this is the second of two interviews; the first was in 1997 (Mss. 1035-139). For several related collections, search for “Pearlstine” in Special Collections, Addlestone Library, College of Charleston.
Charleston County (S.C.) and Orangeburg County (S.C.)
Language:
English
Shelving Locator:
MSS 1035-172
Date Digital:
2012-06-08
Digitization Specifications:
Mp3 derivative audio created with Audacity software. Archival masters are wav files.
Internet Media Type:
audio/mpeg;application/pdf
Copyright Status Statement:
Digital resource copyright 2014, College of Charleston. All rights reserved. For more information contact Special Collections, Addlestone Library, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 29424.
