Bernstein, Simon_1971/12/22, Oral History, December 22, 1971

GREATER HARTFORD JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY ORAL HISTORY COLLECTION

Tape No.: 20 (Also see tape 639) No. of Tapes: 1 Name of Interviewee: Simon Bernstein Date of Interview: December 22, 1971 Occupation: Judge Date of Birth: Place of Birth: Hartford, CT Transcript (yes/no): yes No. of Pages: 27

Abstract: Connecticut Circuit Court Judge Simon Bernstein was one of the architects of the transition from a conservative Republican state to a somewhat liberal Democratic state. The impact of this change was the greatest since colonial times.

Simon Bernstein, one of ten children, was Hartford educated and went on to Harvard Law School following a degree from Trinity.

Post WWII events in Europe and the fight to make Israel a state made the Zionist movement in Hartford a tremendous force. In 1947 there were over 2,000 dues paying Zionist members in this community. From 1939 to around 1949 Simon held various positions with the local and state districts. Their mission at the time was to arouse Hartford legislators and citizens to the plight of Israel.

Bernstein became involved because, as teenagers, his father and Morris Juster wrote to Theodore Herzl. Herzl’s response suggested they’d be doing their best for the Jewish people if they were good boys, got a good education and waited until adulthood to decide how to help the cause. Bernstein has a copy of this letter. Simon also recalls being a very young student and joining in the celebration when Chaim Weizman and Albert Einstein paraded with Jews in Hartford. Einstein declared his Zionism which gave Jews across America the backbone to declare pride in being Jewish. This was at a time when young boys like Simon did their best to assimilate and “be good young Americans”.

Federation also got established in the late thirties and Bernstein was chairman of the youth division.

In the days before 1930 the Jewish leaders were all Republican because there had always been Republican presidents from the Civil War to Wilson’s day, except for Cleveland, and the Jews wanted to be accepted by the ruling group. The Jewish community comprised what was called the third fourth, and twelfth wards. Emanuel Synagogue was the social center since it was on the frontier between the fourth and twelfth wards. Activitists included Harold Borden, Saul Seidman, Harry Kleinman, Sam Lebon, Al Wechsler, and Abe Ribicoff.

In 1946 John Bailey won a major Democratic party primary which set the stage for the elections of Ribicoff and John F. Kennedy. This occurred because Simon Bernstien participated in this primary and held the balance of power to determine the outcome of this leadership fight.

Bernstein was unhappy with the politics of the time, particularly the unit rule (whoever controlled 51% of the delegates would be able to send 100% of their delegates to the state convention). Bernstein won in the fourth ward gave his six votes to Bailey who supported Wilbur Snow for Governor. Snow won the Democratic State convention. Simon Bernstien’s votes were of greatest importance to Bailey. All Bernstein wanted was to have the unit rule rescinded.

In future years Bernstein was law clerk of the Judiciary Committee, Deputy Secretary of State under Ella Grasso, Judge of Bloomfield Town Court., and was appointed delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1965 from Bloomfield and Windsor where he introduced into our state Constitution that there shall always be a free public educational system in Connecticut. He called this last appointment one of the finest experiences he ever had.



Subject Index:

Americanization American Jewish History Bloomfield, CT Civic Leadership (in the greater non-Jewish Community) Community Activities (in the Jewish Community) Community Leadership (in the Jewish Community) Hartford History-General Israel Judges Lawyers Oral History Politicians Zionism