Audio
Charles Remembers Maintaining His Identity
Transcript
Levine:
Did your mother and father have the attitude that they wanted their children to become Americanized and they wanted them to hold on to the traditions of Jews in Russia?
Beller (Maintaining Cultural Identity):
My father would want us to go to synagogue on the high holy days; and I always went with him. The other boys, they strayed away from the religious part of it. But I always went with him on every high holiday and the like. I went to Hebrew school. I had the rabbi come to the house for awhile. Then I went to the Rabbi's place in order to learn until I was thirteen years old. And after that I didn't care about that. I wanted to be Americanized. I want to be an American, and I want to accept my opportunities and take the, make the most of them. Take advantage of everything that I could learn. And I did just that.
Description
Charles W. Beller recalls holding onto his Jewish culture, then wanting to become Americanized.
Duration
59 seconds
Credit
Ellis Island Oral History Collection
Date Created
08/29/1991
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