Katz, Abraham_1974, Oral History, August 26, 1974

Item — Box: OHC-4, Box: 8, Box: 1

Identifier: 76

Scope and Contents

Subjects of interview include: Growing up (Orthodox) Jewish in Hartford, regular and Jewish education, keeping kosher, time at Hartford Public High, going to Yale when very few Jews could (some undergrad, special degree to Law school), helped getting Jews into the YMCA, changing Hartford after war/people moving out, meeting and marrying wife, various fraternal organizations (including one of the few Jews admitted to the Elks, son Morton first Jew elected head of Elks ca. 1970), connections in the Hartford Jewish community, participation in Hartford government.

Dates

Creation: August 26, 1974

Interviewer

Sylvia Sheketoff

Partial Extent

From the Collection: 21 Linear Feet (43 boxes) : Compact cassette tapes, VHS, CD-Rs, Microcassette tapes

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

GREATER HARTFORD JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY ORAL HISTORY COLLECTION

Tape No.: 76 No. of Tapes: Name of Interviewee: Katz, Abraham Date of Interview: August 16, 1974 Occupation: Lawyer Date of Birth: January 2, 1892 Place of Birth: Hartford, CT Transcript (yes/no): yes No. of Pages: 18

Abstract: Mr. Katz attended the Brown School through first grade and then transferred to the Second North School. He continued on to Hartford Public High School, graduating in 1909. He attended Cheder in the morning before going to school at 8 am and later after school. He was Bar Mitzvah at the Congregation Ados Israel. His Hebrew teachers were Jacob Kemler, grandfather of Dr. Leonard Kemler, Mr. Traub, and Rabbi Kone, who directed his Bar Mitzvah. During high school he worked on Saturdays for 14 hours for 50 cents a day and in the summers 10 hours for $2.50 a week. He worked first at A. L. Foster, then at Kennedy’s and finally G. Fox until he finished high school. Friends at high school were Abraham Bordon, Jay Goldberg, and Barney Goldberg. Jews were a minority in high school and were not on the football or basketball teams. One Jew, Philip Hammerslough, was on the track team. Mr. Katz was on the debating team, a game he continued at college.

Mr. Katz attended the Sheffield School for Science at Yale University for two years, transferring to the law school from which he graduated in 1913. He was the only Jew in his class. After earning his law degree, he went into practice with Louis Katz, with whom he was associated many years.

He was very active in the YMCA, being the first Jew to be admitted after a former classmate at Yale intervened on his behalf. He was able to get more Jews admitted to the YMCA and especially their children to the summer camp. He was very interested in exercising, going to the YMCA every day for swimming, exercise, and also playing volleyball. He still goes every day to do some exercise.

He belonged to a social club, the Octave, which later became the Aaron club. He was active in politics, being the first Jew to be elected to the Board of Aldermen. He was also a Justice of the Peace. He was a good friend of the politician, Herman P. Koppelman . He spoke of the rallys to which Koppelman invited such dignitaries as Homer Cummings, who became U. S. States Attorney in Washington, Gustin Lonigan, a senator. He belonged to B’nai Brith and the Masons.

Mr. Katz married his wife, Ida Farber, in 1917. They have three children: Morton, a lawyer, Barbara Glass (Mrs. Irving) and Sheldon, a school teacher. Mr. and Mrs. Katz are members of the Emanuel Synagogue.

Subject Index: Lawyer Civic Activities (in the greater non-Jewish community) Politicians Oral History