Marder, Abraham_1972/10/11, Oral History, October 11, 1972

Tape No.: 34 No. of Tapes: Name of Interviewee: Abraham Marder Date of Interview: October 11, 1972 Occupation: Date of Birth: circa 1895 Place of Birth: Kashmir, Besarrabia, Russia Transcript (yes/no): Yes No. of Pages: 38

Abstract:

This interview was made when Mr. Marder was on a return visit to Hartford from his home in Israel. He emigrated to Israel with his family with the second Aliyah in 1933 and lives in Chara, Chadera which is between Tel Aviv and Haifa. He spoke of the primitive conditions when he first arrived and the dangers and hardships. He still lives in the same home.

His father, a teacher, died in Russia in 1909 at the early age of 36. In 1911 his uncle in Hartford, Nathan Salzberg, brought him to Hartford where he worked at several jobs, saving money to bring his mother, brother and sister over in 1914. He attended evening classes at the Temple Street evening classes for immigrants. His teacher was Miss Clark. He married in 1923 and went into the vending business.

He was a very ardent worker in the Zionist movement, first in Russia and then in Hartford. He was a fund raiser and was very active in Zionist groups: the B’nai Zion, the Sons and Daughters of Herzl and the Maccabees. He owned one of the first shares issued by the Herzl Bank of Palestine. During WWI he helped raise funds for the Jewish Relief Organization for refugees in Europe. He named leaders in the early Zionist movement in Hartford: Gerson Cohen, Sam Hoffenberg, Messrs. Gelman, Glazer, Nirenstein, Neiditz, Klugman, Ruby Taylor, Schwolsky, Judge Glassman, Ruby Schoolnik, and Miss Selinsky.

Before becoming part of the national organization, the Zionist groups raised funds for Palestine through Flag Days and Flower Days. There was friction during these functions with the socialist-labor groups who harassed them. At the 1916 convention in Pittsburgh, the Hartford groups became part of the Zionist Organization of America. Mr. Marder spoke of Sholom Aleichem’s visit to Hartford in 1916. Mr. Aleichem addressed the large crowd and was harassed by one of the socialists. He also spoke of the lecture by Ben Ali in 1919. He substituted for his father, Professor Moseman of the University of Israel in Palestine, who was responsible for making Hebrew the official Israeli language.

Mr. Marder has given a book to the Jewish Historical Society about the history of the early Zionist movement in Hartford. He discussed the background of some of the items he gave to the JHS. There was a picture of friends who joined the Jewish Legion in 1917 and fought with the British army under Jabotinsky. Names mentioned were: Flagman, Korn, Frank Lieberman, Sam Eisen, along with others from New Britain and New Haven. He talked about the visit to Hartford in 1921 of Chaim Weizmann and Albert Einstein. They were given a reception at which $50,000 was raised in support of the Weizmann plan for Israel in opposition to the Brandeis plan. Jacobinsky spoke at New Britain. There was a parade in their honor and Christians and the mayor joined with the Jews on this occasion. He named the generous people who gave money to help Israel get started: Barney Rappaport, E. Goldbert, L. P. Tufts. S. E. Goldberg donated land in Ramat Gan. He mentioned the dedication of Louis Lipsky and Bernard Rosenblatt of the Zionist Organization of America.

Subject Index:

Community activities (in the Jewish community) Community Leadership (in the Jewish community) Hartford History, Jewish Oral History Zionism

Note: On a subsequent visit to Hartford, Mr. Marder was interviewed by Gloria Bein on April 6, 1986, Tape #369. In that tape Mr. Marder spoke of his life in Israel.