History

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HISTORY

2015 
First interview (Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg)
Discussion with Lorelei (administrator) about feasibility of web site: Jewish Journeys
Discussions with Sarah Chisholm and Herschel Poger about instruction to CST high school students

2016  
Training for CST high school students: 1/25, 2/1, 2/8, 2/29, 3/7, 3/21
Interview with William Hoffman (student Adena Collins)
2 interviews on site
Website development
Preparation for opening of site

2017
October 8, 2017 Opening of site & presentation: Advantages/Disadvantages of Oral History/Overview of JJ project
Interviewer training:
Participants: Larry Boocker, Cary Levy, Stacy Ziegenfelder, Brian Yamstein, Mary Chezick, Cary Levy, Carolyn Comai
5 interviews collected (end of training of interviewers)
December: 9 interviews collected

2018
Meetings with Interviewers: Larry Boocker, Cary Levy, Stacy Ziegenfelder
Development of themes
Classification of interviews by eight themes:
Anti-Semitism, Conversion, Doctrine, Holocaust, Immigration, Jewish Gentile Relations, Observance, Upbringing
Dena Scher awarded: Ahavat Safa Kedosha Award (Lovers of the Holy Tongue) by Congregation Shir Tikvah
November: 18 interviews on site

2019
January: 25 interviews collected (interviewers: Larry Boocker, Cary Levy, Dena Scher, Stacy Ziegenfelder)
February 1, 2019: JJ Shabbat—Reb Aura, Cary Levy & Dena Scher
Discussion of transcripts & attempts to raise donations for transcripts
Use of online service (Fiverr) for some transcripts
Continued work on getting index or transcript for each interview

May: 26 interviews collected
June: 28 interviews collected
August: 30 interviews collected
Accounting started
Transition to new website
Work with Lorelei on making a web page for each inteviewee
Continued transcriptions or index for each interviewee
Addition of individual pages with transcript or index for each interviewee
Discussion of ideas for presentations
November: 30 interviews collected; 25 on JJ web site

2020
30 interviews on JJ website
Website enhancements: Complete Interviews page is index, individual pages for each interviewee contains audio interview and index or transcript
Jan 14: Cary Levy--program on Jewish Journeys for
"Lunch and Learn" Congregation Shir Tikvah

Preparation of panel proposal for OHA (Oral History Association) annual conference in Baltimore, October 2020.
April: Acceptance of panel: The Quest for Religious Minority Identity: Jewish Journeys for 2020 National conference of Oral History Association.

Interviewers:
Larry Boocker (10):
Ahuvia, Boocker, L. Bruer, M. Bruer, Fraymovich, Gruca, Schreiber, A. Starr, Paul Wenig, Phyllis Wenig
Cary Levy (7):
Bernstein, Comai, Kovacs, Rubin, Scher, R. Starr, Zachman
Dena Scher (5): Crowe, Levy, Sleutelburg, Tauber, Thams
Stacy Ziegenfelder (4): Michelin, Silverman, Spitzer, Walker
Carolyn Comai (2): Greenwald, Isenberg
One each: Mary Chezick/E. Chezick, Adeena Collins/Hoffman, , Brian Yamstein/Yamron

Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg was our first interviewee in 2015. Here is a snippet of his family’s incredible history.

If you would like to hear the complete interview, please click here.