WEBVTT
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Daughter: Who you calling? She called. I said you'd call her later when
you were all busy.
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Robert Candee: Asking about rabbis again. Um, Mrs. Bowen, how did you feel
about the difference between Rabbi Sivits and Rabbi Ashinsky? Do you
remember?
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Sonia Baum: And that was it. I didn't know it.
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Candee: And you only know.
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Candee: Okay. Um. I myself don't know who they are, so.
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Baum: Believe you married me.
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Candee: Um, what changes occurred in the, the, uh, industrial. Uh, World
War Two. During World War Two, did it undergo some changes because of the
war?
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Baum: What changes do you, buddy? I don't believe so.
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Candee: What about the. The Irene Kaufmann while my mother wasn't.
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Baum: Connected with it then, so she wouldn't really know the answer. The
Concordia did it. Why so little? No, but I don't. I don't think that the
war affected some of them, went to war and some of them were killed and
some of them did.
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Candee: But as a club itself, it just stayed a social club.
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Slap down there with the names of all.
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Candee: I have a question again about synagogue or temple? Yes. Uh, how
often do you attend?
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Candee: And you are?
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Baum: I spend almost as much time over there as I do at home because I'm
involved with a. Everybody has their wants to do. Many meetings.
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Candee: Did the temple itself like the congregation or the. Did the temple
go under change during World War II? Was there any particular reaction to
the world?
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Baum: I don't think so. Are you ready? I wouldn't know. I wasn't that
intimately involved with. As we lived out of town.
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We would just move back.
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Candee: What about during the 1950s? Uh, say with the. The different
groups you belonged to. Still belonged to? Did they go through changes like
the Industrial League ended in the 1958?
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Candee: Uh, did.
Candee: During the 1958 after the World War. War. World War did. The.
Temple or the National Council of Jewish Women go through changes. Oh, and
during World War two, the National Council of Women Change. Was it?
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Baum: Later years has been an interesting. To be or.
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Candee: Does the Pittsburgh chapter adhere to the national policies in
general? I mean, is there different emphasis?
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Baum: So I don't know.
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Candee: Was the, uh. What happened to the Jewish Council? National Council
of Jewish Women because of the World War. The second. Well, Was there any
particular change in emphasis?
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Baum: I don't know. I don't know of any change.
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Candee: Did they do any political work for, say, getting into the war
against Hitler?
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Baum: I don't know.
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Baum: I don't think they could do anything against that fella.
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Candee: Did the World War or the First World War or the Second World War
affect you in personally?
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Daughter: Well, John was. John was. In the Second World War, which caused
a certain amount of. Concerned, but fortunately, he came through it in
time. He was in Germany. Of course, he could talk the language. It made an
awful difference.
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Candee: Do you have?
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Candee: Money saved with or insurance held with any of the clubs or the
National Council of Jewish Women or. No, no, no. Have you ever borrowed
money from any of these groups? Or made cemetery arrangements with them.
The temple was traditional. West View.
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Baum: Cemetery. West View Cemetery. Yeah, that's it. We have a plot
there.
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Daughter: Is buried there. Um. Who.
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Candee: What other group might you go to if you were in need? Say rather.
If you couldn't be helped by the temple here or the National Council. What
would you say were the most crucial aspects of being Jewish while you were
growing up?
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Baum: What I like. All my nurses I have.
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I don't know how many nurses there are.
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Baum: Well, no, the question was. Sir. What were the crucial aspects?
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Candee: Yes. What?
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Candee: Let's see here the most crucial aspects of being Jewish when
growing up. Well, did you. In other words, did you feel different from
anybody else when you were growing up because you were Jewish?
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Baum: I never did.
I was fine with my religion. And I was.
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Candee: Thank you.
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Candee: Didn't know how to interpret that. Um, what about aspects of the
American culture which came into conflict? Conflict with your upbringing?
You were already American as they come, right?
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Candee: No.
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Baum: There is no conflict. You are an American first and you second. You
were American by birth and nationality and a Jew by religion was.
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Candee: Um, what is the role of women in national organization? Jewish
women. It's an all women organization. Are there any male members?
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Baum: That I'm aware of so many.
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Candee: Uh, what about the Irene Kaufmann settlement? When you were with
that, uh, was that mostly women at that time? Was it mostly women working
with it or was it women and men? Women? I didn't.
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Baum: The men.
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Baum: Are active.
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Baum: Center.
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Baum: And there's a lot more. Good stuff. Why am I? Which is.
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That's part of that's connected with the.
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Candee: Um, what about the industrial League? Was that mostly women also,
or all women? Was that all women?
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Baum: Yes, only.
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Women. I don't know how many years.
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Baum: Was in existence.
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Baum: Not a long time.
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Candee: How what changes do you feel have come about in the role of women
and in your congregation, or it's called Congregation right in your
congregation.
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Baum: Tell me more about that. I can. Well, there are women on the board
of the congregation. By. Take part in the services. As a reform Jew, a
woman has always been considered to be the equal of a man. We always had
confirmation at age 15 or 16, so that at which time both men and boys and
girls are confirmed.
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Conservative congregation may have lost their.
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Baum: Environments for which. 40 1013. He was able to read from the Torah
and thus was considered old enough to be considered one of a minyan, a
group of ten men necessary to say prayers. Then they decided. Also had the
service for girls.
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Baum: Only in the last.
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Baum: Nine years has wrote off shore had barmitzvah from. But it was not
considered the end all of religious training. Children are expected to be.
Confirmation that.
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Baum: And hopefully.
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Baum: I took part in one. Year and a half. Jewish History.
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Baum: Lastly. Rufinus.
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What we call them sister group.
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Baum: Bisphosphonates. Daughter of.
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Candee: Uh, you.
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Candee: Are. Most are American. Do you identify very much with, uh,
German? Jewish as a nationality group? As an ethnic group?
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Baum: But that's not the question. You think of yourself first as an
American. Actually, the German Jews are not an entity as such anymore
because it's been a melting pot in this country and you don't consider what
a person's background was, where the person came from or where his parents
came from. They're Americans. You know, I grew up already in American.
There. And it didn't matter if.
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Your father was a Polish Jew or.
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Baum: As far as I was. Okay.
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Candee: Do you feel there are like, the Polish Jews or the Russian Jews?
Are some of them who might be more. Specifically Polish Jews or Russian
Jews. Do you feel any of them are more like German Jews? Like there, you
don't feel there's much of a difference?
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Baum: Well, I think there's a different background. It depends on it
depends on what the person's education is. They were different a generation
ago. Or two generations ago when they had just come to this country.
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Candee: Did you either of you have much contact with people who were
strongly affected, say, having just come over or their parents having
just.
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Pittsburgh. And not foreigners.
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Baum: The only ones that we knew were people of the family who had come
from Germany, who came over like the blocks in the late 30s or the middle
30s. That's right. Our associations.
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Were. From other backgrounds.
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Candee: How did being a member say of the industrial league or the
settlement? How did that affect your social relations with other people?
How?
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Baum: Appreciated the fact that I.
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Candee: Did that make you more important in the community?
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Baum: I don't think so.
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Candee: How about being on the board over here?
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Baum: Venice.
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Baum: Well, I don't know what it makes be more important to the community.
I guess I have more exposure. More people know my name than otherwise
would.
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Baum: Thought provoking.
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Baum: Learning.
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Candee: Does being in the Concordia Club offer? Oh, does that offer any
special status? To the members. Is that a high level group.
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Baum: Or what was.
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Baum: Supposed to be? In order to become a member, you have to contribute
to. He feels he can afford to belong and that he can afford to make punk
suitable. From what I understand.
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We are not members because of this.
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Candee: Has being say in the industrial league or in the settlement in the
Irene Kaufmann settlement? Has that helped your family? No. Or say your
marriage.
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Baum: It's just bearing on your own and.
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Candee: It didn't hurt at all. It didn't hurt. It didn't help. Didn't.
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Candee: Uh, what.
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Candee: Class do you identify yourself with? Say.
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Candee: Lower.
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Candee: Middle. Upper, middle, lower, upper. What social class would you
identify?
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Well, I think. Very nice person. Excuse me.
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Daughter: Would you like to step.
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Baum: Out for a minute and then.
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Daughter: Come back? Yeah. To, like, Scuse this place.
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Baum: Just a few more questions.
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Candee: Um, I asked you about what class you felt.
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Baum: Upper class, don't you think? What said. What class you consider
yourself? Upper class, wouldn't you? Yeah, sure.
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Baum: I'm educated.
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Candee: May I take this with me? Yes.
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Candee: The the National. All right. Um.
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Candee: This question. Apparently the way we get people to interview is by
asking other people that we have already talked to. Um. Would you have any
idea of somebody who would be interesting for us to interview? Who would
know? Uh, quite a bit about the, uh. Organizations say the National
Council.
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Baum: This is a settlement. This is an open source. Mary Sussman.
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Daughter: One day the.
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Baum: Young man asked if we knew anybody special who would know about
these organizations, who could give him more background on the
organization? Then he says, That's right. She wouldn't know.
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Candee: Are there other people who are with the industrial League or with
the. And Irene Kaufmann settlement. Who you might. Know who would be?
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Baum: Well, I think the thing to do is to ask about the hiring. Itself or
in Squirrel Hill. I don't know much about the.
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Candee: Uh, do you remember.
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Candee: The red light district in, uh, the hill? The red light district.
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Baum: Red light district. For the prostitutes.
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Candee: How about the founding of Montefiore Hospital? Do you remember
that? What? Do you think of intermarriage, say, between Jewish and, um,
Catholic Protestant.
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Baum: But of course.
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Other people may.
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Baum: It's up to individual.
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Candee: Um, another question on your views. Excuse me. Maybe I should ask
for a glass of water.
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Daughter: One drink of water. Yeah.
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Candee: She's. She offered. Um, how have your views on Zionism changed
through the past years? On Zionism, the national movement with Israel. What
are your feelings towards that?
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Baum: Well, I don't know. You see, I get out, so.
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Candee: Were you ever conscious, say, years ago, of a Zionist movement?
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Baum: Well, I always believed that Jewish people. Where's Cookie? Betty?
She's in the other room. Mother. You want her? No. No.
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Candee: What about the formation? My throat has something in it.
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Candee: What? How do you feel.
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Candee: About the, uh, organization of a Jewish state like Israel? What
have your feelings towards that been your.
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Baum: Well, I mean, I'm.
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Baum: Not interested in going to Israel.
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Candee: But do you think that's a good thing, that it's.
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Baum: Well, I guess it is. I'm satisfied to stay right here.
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Baum: Tended in this country.
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Embrace you, America.
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Candee: Your family is all around here. Do you know anything about a
family club?
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Candee: Club.
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Candee: Okay. I think that's about all the questions I have. Thank you
very much.
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You're welcome. I'm sure.
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Candee: As this was my first interview. I can't compare it with any
others. It was in Mrs. Baum's residence, which is across from Rodef Shalom
Temple on Morewood Avenue. Uh, we were in a sitting room. Mrs. Baum is in a
wheelchair. The room had plaster walls. I think the sound level was rather
high. There were people in other rooms. I heard silverware being clanked
and so forth. I don't know. That was too much. Um, rapport with Mrs. Baum
and her daughter was quite good. There's no problem. Miss Mrs. Baum's
daughter was quite helpful. It was a friendly tone or mood. One comment I'm
not sure was made on the tape. Mrs. Baum's husband died in 1935.
