Jewish Studies Commons^™

The Paper Brigade Of Vilna, Maeghan O'Conner

The Ozark Historical Review

For the Jewish community in Europe, threats to their life, culture, and community had become a real burden, even before Nazi-occupation. An ever marginalized and terrorized lot, efforts to collect Yiddish history and literature had not been particularly successful. That is why the presence of the Libraries and Archives in the "Jerusalem of Lithuania," or Vilna, which had made efforts to preserve and research Yiddish culture, was so important and why their fall in 1940 was so devastating. This work looks at the actions of everyone involved, from the fearless smuggling of the Paper Brigade to efforts to collectivize and …

Silver. Jerry And Irene, Reyna Lee Stovall

Bronx Jewish History Project

Jerry Silver grew up in the Bronx after moving from Brooklyn in the mid-1930s. His family rented an apartment on Kruger Avenue before buying a home on Holland Avenue during the Depression. Jerry attended PS 96 and PS 76 before graduating early from Christopher Columbus High School and later earning his undergraduate and law degrees from NYU. He fondly remembers playing in the street, working part-time jobs, and being passionate about baseball, often attending games. He served in the military from 1952 to 1954, started a small law practice in the Bronx, and worked extensively with the Legal Aid Society. …

Brooks, Martin, Reyna Lee Stovall

Bronx Jewish History Project

Summarizer: Sophia Maier

Martin Brooks, b. 1947, lived in the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx until he was five years old. He then lived with his family in Germany for three years, before returning to the Bronx until the age of 11. His father had served in WWII, and they had moved to Germany as part of his service. Brooks’ mother worked as a secretary but became at stay-at-home mother when Brooks was born, despite wanting to stay in the workforce.

Brooks recalls going to pickle stores, delis, bakeries, and butches along Lydig Avenue and the Allegro Inn, an …

Bisson, Michelle, Sophia Maier Garcia

Bronx Jewish History Project

Transcriber: Sophia Maier

Michelle Bisson lived the first nine years of her life in the Edenwald Projects in the Bronx. Her mother was born in Budapest, Hungary, and fled to the United States in 1941. There, she met Bisson’s father, who had grown up in Inwood in Manhattan, marrying and moving to the brand new Edenwald Projects in 1951. Bisson describes the Projects as very integrated, with both Black and white people, who got along for the most part. The children became friends, playing in the courtyard and parking lot. For kindergarten, Bisson attended the historic PS 15, before attending …

'James', Reyna Lee Stovall

Bronx Jewish History Project

Summarizer: Sophia Maier

‘James,’ born 1951, grew up on Narragansett Avenue in the Bronx. He remembers the neighborhood as heavily Italian, with a sprinkling of Jews, Irish, and others. It was primarily small, private homes, many attached like their own. Their own neighbor expressed a dislike of living next door to Jews, directly to his parents’ faces. Yet, James grew up to become friends with the non-Jewish neighbors. He describes their own practice of Judaism as less prosperous and traditional than other parts of the Bronx.

James attend PS 108 with many of the Jewish kids in the neighborhood, as …

Resisting Nazism Within Hitler’S Germany, Patricia M. Mische

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Nazi-Confiscated Art: Eliminating Legal Barriers To Returning Stolen Treasures, Stephanie J. Beach

Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review

World War II ended over three-quarters of a century ago, but there still remain prisoners of war. Before and during the war, the Nazis confiscated approximately 650,000 works of art—an “art theft” orchestrated by Adolf Hitler to rid society of Jewish art and artists and to collect worthy works to build his own art capital. Seventy-five years later, looted Holocaust-era artworks are still either undiscovered or in the possession of museums across the globe without proper ownership attribution or payment to Holocaust survivors or their heirs. There are modern remedies, such as the 1998 Washington Conference on Holocaust Era Assets, …

Finding Edith: Surviving The Holocaust In Plain Sight, Edith Mayer Cord

Purdue University Press Book Previews

Finding Edith: Surviving the Holocaust in Plain Sight is the coming-of-age story of a young Jewish girl chased in Europe during World War II. Like a great adventure story, the book describes the childhood and adolescence of a Viennese girl growing up against the backdrop of the Great Depression, the rise of Nazism, World War II, and the religious persecution of Jews throughout Europe. Edith was hunted in Western Europe and Vichy France, where she was hidden in plain sight, constantly afraid of discovery and denunciation. Forced to keep every thought to herself, Edith developed an intense inner life. After …

In Spite Of You, We Live On: A Commemorative Painting, Goldie Gross

Publications and Research

This painting is the product of a Yiddish language independent study with Professor Debra Caplan. It depicts a war portrait of Hitler with a stumbling stone inscribed with the words "אויף צו להכעיס דיר לעבן מיר נאך" (in spite of you, we live on) in the center of his face. It is accompanied by an explanation of the painting.

Jud Ms 05 Sumner T. Bernstein Papers Finding Aid, Susannah Clark

Search the Manuscript Collection (Finding Aids)

Description:

Sumner Thurman Bernstein (1924 - 2002) grew up in Portland, Maine, the son of lawyer parents. He served in the South Pacific in the U.S. Army during World War II (achieving the rank of Captain) and attended Harvard University for his undergraduate education and for law school. He returned to Portland after marrying Rosalyne Spindel in 1949, to join his father and uncle’s law practice, which he helped to grow into Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer and Nelson in 1964. He was very engaged with the community, participating in the following organizations, among others, often serving as president or chair of …

A Nation Within A Nation: Tolerance Within The Dutch Identity, Madlyn Kaufman

Georgia College Student Research Events

When looking at a country like the Netherlands there is one characteristic that sets it apart from all other countries of Europe. The extent in which tolerance is displayed, or lack thereof, has shaped its history and people within ways that shows a unique identity. This oral presentation will take an in depth look at the kinds of tolerance being practiced within the Netherlands focusing on the Jewish population from the 17th century to World War II. The research that was conducted for this presentation is a method that incorporates at home study of the 17th Century Dutch Jews and …

To See In Color, Sarah Rebban

Geifman Prize in Holocaust Studies

No abstract provided.

Jud Ms 02 Portland Jewish Community Center Uso Guest Book Finding Aid, Karin A. France

Search the Manuscript Collection (Finding Aids)

Description:

The Jewish Community Center on Cumberland Avenue in Portland, Maine was the site of United Service Organization (USO) social events, held regularly from at least October 1943 to September 1946. Most of the servicemen (and some women who were nurses) who attended events at the Community Center were in the Navy, stationed on shops docked or anchored in Casco Bay. These social events were sometimes held out on the islands. Although hosted by the Jewish Community Center, anyone was welcome, regardless of religion. Eleanor Edison Taft saved this ledger listing the names of attendees at the USO events when …

05/31/1946, Israel Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter to Sumner Bernstein from father Israel regarding family visits; summer school; Kravchenko's I Chose Freedom.

05/29/1946, Sumner T. Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter to family from Sumner Bernstein regarding visit with family (Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Don, Aunt Esther, Ellen); summer school; court martial; Cluny Brown.

05/28/1946 B, Israel Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter to Sumner Bernstein from father Israel regarding attempt to call Senator Brewster; registration for Harvard.

05/28/1946 C, Rebecca Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter to Sumner Bernstein from mother Rebecca (Peggy) regarding attempts to move up Sumner's discharge date; Harvard summer school.

05/28/1946, Sumner T. Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter to family from Sumner Bernstein regarding meeting with Colonels; when he will leave the Army; registering for Harvard.

05/27/1946, Sumner T. Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter to family from Sumner T. Bernstein regarding meeting with Colonels on timing of his leaving the Army; life insurance.

05/27/1946 B, Israel Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter to Sumner Bernstein from father Israel regarding train strike.

05/26/1946, Sumner T. Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter to family from Sumner Bernstein regarding plans for leaving the Army; visits with family friends in Allentown, PA.

05/24/1946, Sumner T. Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter from Sumner Bernstein to sister Helen Barbara regarding correspondence; Harvard registration; news from home.

05/23/1946, Sumner T. Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter to family from Sumner T. Bernstein regarding life on base; demobilization; strike.

05/21/1946, Sumner T. Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter to Sumner T. Bernstein regarding life on base; Harvard summer school; demobilization.

05/22/1946, Israel Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter to Sumner Bernstein from his father Israel Bernstein regarding correspondence; Sumner's last few weeks in service; mother's eye surgery; staying in the reserves.

05/20/1946, Sumner T. Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter to family from Sumner Bernstein regarding weekend trip to New York.

05/17/1946, Sumner T. Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter to family from Sumner T. Bernstein regarding life on base; Jewish services; weekend plans.

05/16/1946, Israel Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter to Sumner Bernstein from father Israel regarding news from Sumner; the American Zionist movement; reading I Chose Freedom by Victor Kranchenko.

05/15/1946, Sumner T. Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter to family from Sumner Bernstein regarding upcoming demobilization; pay; leave; thoughts about joining the reserves.

05/14/1946, Sumner T. Bernstein

Sumner T. Bernstein Correspondence

Letter to family from Sumner Bernstein regarding correspondence; news from home; weekend plans; life on base.