Jewish Historical Society Oral History Project
Scope and Contents
From 1980 – 1981, the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington, D.C., conducted a total of 26 oral history interviews with local Jewish senior citizens to learn about growing up in Washington in the early years of the 20th century as well as the development of the Jewish community. Topics include arriving and settling in Washington, military service, education, businesses and professions, family relationships, synagogues, traditions and customs, and leisure time activities. Individuals were selected from a cross-section of senior citizens in the Jewish community. Ellen R. Epstein, a Society member and director of the Center for Oral History and Director of the Center for Oral History, trained volunteers to conduct the interviews. The volunteers were Stella Bernstein, Estelle Bossin, Joyce Chaiet, Phyllis Dreyfuss, Tammy Friedman, Suzanne Helfand, and Ida Neviaser. A grant from the D.C. Humanities Council provided funds for transcribing the taped interviews. The timed indexes offer an encapsulated version of topics discussed during specific periods of the taped interviews. In addition, summary pages of topics discussed precede transcripts
Dates
- Creation: 1980 - 1981
Creator
- Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington (Organization)
Conditions Governing Use
The D.C. Public Library does not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission from the Jewish Historical Society of Washington, D.C., Greater Washington to publish or exhibit information.
Biographical / Historical
Founded by volunteers in 1960, the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington was incorporated in 1965 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to interpreting Jewish history in the greater Washington area. With a mission to explore the unique Jewish heritage of Washington as a hometown and as the nation's capital. The Society is the region's foremost destination and source for American Jewish history and engages the community through exhibition, public programs and educational initiatives. The Society activity collects and preserves material culture that documents the story of the Jewish community in the Washington, D.C. region.
Extent
6.25 Linear feet
3 Boxes
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Series 1: Project Overview
Materials in this series are general in nature and pertain to this oral history project.
Series 2: Indexes
Materials in this series are timed indexes for the interviews conducted by the Jewish Historical Society.
Series 3: Interviews
Materials in this series include master and patron access copies of the oral histories on audio cassette. There are two copies of each audio cassette except for 01-17, 01-18, and 01-19.
Custodial History
From 1980-1981, the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington, D.C. conducted these interviews. In 1982 the tapes, bound transcripts and indexes were donated to the D.C. Public Library.
Processing Information
Prior to their donation to the Library in 1982, the transcripts for these interviews were organized alphabetically and bound by the Jewish Historical Society. These bound transcripts have been cataloged and added to the Washingtoniana Book Collection. Tapes were duplicated by the Library with the original being placed into off site deep storage, and patrons given access to the use copy. Indexes and subsequent materials related to the project and the interviews were foldered and placed into a filing cabinet for patron access. Following digitization of the tapes, transcripts and indexes in 2014, the foldered materials were reprocessed and boxed. Indexes were foldered and placed original order. folders were then boxed for long term storage. Master and patron use copies of the audio cassette recording were placed in new archival boxes. Release documents between the interviewee and the Jewish Historical Society were moved to the control file. In 2017, the Jewish Historical Society granted the Library the right to publish the digitized materials on the Library's website.
Topical
- Title
- Jewish Historical Society Oral History Project
- Subtitle
- An inventory of the Jewish Historical Society Oral History Project at DC Public Library
- Author
- DC Public Library, Special Collections Department
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the The People's Archive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Repository