Oral history interview with Joshua H. Gortler and Michael Cohen, 2018

Overview of the Collection

Interviewee
Gortler, Joshua H., 1936-
Title
Oral history interview with Joshua H. Gortler and Michael Cohen
Dates
2018 (inclusive)
Quantity
Originals as received: 1 digital video file (mp4) and 1 computer file (PDF)
Collection Number
6213 (Accession No. 6213-001)
Summary
Oral history video and transcript of interview with Joshua. H Gortier and Michael Cohen about the history of the Caroline Kline Galland Home
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

No restrictions on access.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Joshua Gortler was born in Poland in 1936. The Gortler family survived the Holocaust by living in Siberia and then Uzbekistan. At the end of World War II, his family lived in a displaced persons camp in Germany. In 1951, the Gortler family was sponsored to emigrate to the U.S., where they settled in Arizona. He was educated in the Yeshiva High School in New York and also took classes at the public high school. Gortler continued his education at Yeshiva College and then the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University where he earned a Master's degree in Social Work. He and his wife Sarah later established the Joshua H. Gortler and Sarah B. Gortler Scholarship in Geriatric Social Work at Wurzweiler. He served for 38 years as the Executive Director of the Caroline Kline Galland Home in Seattle from 1969 until his retirement in 2006.

Michael Cohen, originally from Minnesota prior to coming to Seattle in 1953, has served on the Kline Galland Board of Directors from 1980 to the present, including as president of the Board.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Oral video history and transcript of interview with Joshua H. Gortler and Michael Cohen conducted by Howard Droker and Cora Miller on April 16, 2018. Gortler and Cohen talk about the history of the Caroline Kline Galland Home and their experiences with the successes and challenges as it expanded over many decades.

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

Forms part of the Washington State Jewish Archives

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

Watch the video and view the transcript of this interview on the Libraries Digital Collections site.

Restrictions on Use

Creator's copyrights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Nursing homes--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)

Personal Names

  • Cohen, Michael L., 1943---Interviews
  • Gortler, Joshua--Interviews

Corporate Names

  • Caroline Kline Galland Home (Seattle, Wash.)--Officials and employees
  • Caroline Kline Galland Home (Seattle, Wash.)--Presidents
  • Jewish Federation and Council of Greater Seattle
  • National Association of Jewish Homes for the Aged
  • Summit at First Hill (Seattle, Wash.)

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names
    • Washington State Jewish Archives (University of Washington) (host institution)