Jewish Heritage Collection: Oral history interview with Meri Friedman Gergel and Rae Friedman Berry
Date:
1997
Interviewer:
Grossman, Michael Samuel
Interviewee:
Gergel, Meri Friedman, 1922-;Berry, Rae Friedman, 1929-
Description:
Meri Friedman Gergel and her sister Rae Friedman Berry discuss growing up with their two sisters, Ann and Rose, in Kingstree, South Carolina, where the Friedmans were one of just a few Jewish families. Their parents, Sam Friedman and Rebecca Dreiszek, immigrated to the United States from Poland as teens and met in Charleston, South Carolina, home to Rebecca’s sister, Jenny Cohen. In the mid-1920s Sam and Rebecca moved from Charleston to Eutawville, South Carolina, and then Kingstree, opening Friedman’s Department Store. Meri describes the layout of the store and its clientele. Both sisters recall a generally happy childhood, overshadowed, however, by Rose’s chronic health problems, later diagnosed as multiple sclerosis. The family moved to Columbia in 1947, to access better medical care for Rose, but she died the same year. Meri talks about the antisemitism she experienced growing up in Kingstree. Both sisters discuss their sense of Jewish identity; the foods their mother served; the family’s religious practices; and their college years and their children.
Meri Friedman Gergel and Rae Friedman Berry, audio interview by Michael Samuel Grossman, 17 July 1997, Mss 1035-154, Special Collections, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, USA.
