Northwest School

Interview

Life in Hartford, Jewish life in Hartford, family history. Pessin’s Deli on Windsor Street owned by her father and his brother. A brother died in World War II Career as a social worker Religious life and education Grandparents switched from Ados Israel to Agudas Achim.

This interview does NOT talk about Marcia's experience during WWII.

People File This file contains the oral history interview release form from the 2003 interview, signed about a month after it took place. There is also a partial transcript from the 1997 interview (see corresponding Scope & Contents for more information) as well as a photocopied newspaper article about Kaufman's participation in an oratory competition sponsored by the Aleph Zadik Aleph organization. There are also two photocopied photographs of Leo Kaufman in various clubs at Weaver High as listed...

Scope and Contents

Topics covered in this interview include: Growing up in Springfield, parent's immigration, family, employment in Hartford area, service in World War II and veterans organizations, advertising agency.

1993 Interview The topics covered in this interview are: Childhood/growing up Jewish in Hartford, being raised by grandparents after the death of his mother, founding of Emanuel and discussion of some of the spiritual leaders, served in Navy in WWII and was unofficial Jewish chaplain, medical residency/medical school, meeting his wife Joan, talks about his two children David and Louise, opening practice in Hartford as thoracic surgeon, work in various area hospitals, bias against Jewish doctors at Hartford...

Interview The topics covered in this interview are: Childhood/growing up Jewish in Hartford, being raised by grandparents after the death of his mother, founding of Emanuel and discussion of some of the spiritual leaders, served in Navy in WWII and was unofficial Jewish chaplain, medical residency/medical school, meeting his wife Joan, talks about his two children David and Louise, opening practice in Hartford as thoracic surgeon, work in various area hospitals, bias against Jewish doctors at Hartford...

Scope and Contents

Subjects covered in interview are: Family history, parent’s immigrating to America from Russia, growing up in Hartford, childhood friend & actor Mike Kellin, baseball, education, newspaper route, career in accounting, famous people he interacted with (a pitcher for the Yankees for whom he did taxes, Angela Lansbury), home life, getting married, athletic coaching, children and their accomplishments, World War II.

Scope and Contents From the Collection:

This collection contains oral history interviews with rabbis in the Greater Hartford area on cassette tape as well as detailed abstracts of the interviews.