Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Oral history interviews with Lena Rotman, 1981, 1986
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Rotman, Lena, 1888-1986
- Title
- Oral history interviews with Lena Rotman
- Dates
- 1981, 1986 (inclusive)19811986
- Quantity
- 2 sound cassettes, 1 vertical file, 1 mp3 sound file, and 4 pdfs
- Collection Number
- 3816
- Summary
- Oral history interviews with Lena Rotman, a Tacoma Jewish community member
- 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
-
Open to all users.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Lena Rotman (2 Mar 1882 - 2 Oct 1986) was born in Sassmachen (Schatzmachen), Latvia to Feivel and Yachvid Lemchen and immigrated to Washington State in 1909 at the age of 24. Her parents and sister were killed during the pogroms after she left. She married Harry Rotman on 1 April 1910 in Seattle and they immediately moved to Tacoma to start a junking business. Lena lived in Tacoma for 62 years until her death in 1986.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Two oral history sound recordings with Lena Rotman. One interview was conducted by Isabel Studsser in September 1986. The other interview was conducted by Rotman's grandson, Harold G. Friedman on November 27, 1981.
Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top
Forms part of the Washington State Jewish Archives.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Organized into 2 accessions.
- Accession No. 3816-001, Oral history interview with Lena Rotman, 1986
- Accession No. 3816-002, Oral history interview with Lena Rotman, 1981
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Accession No. 3816-001: Oral history interview with Lena Rotman, 1986Return to Top
Scope and Content: Tape-recorded interview conducted by Isabel Studsser, Sept. 1986; family tree, undated. Summary of interview with Lena Rotman and her daughter Rose Friedman in Tacoma. Mrs. Rotman was born in Schatzmachen, Latvia and came to the Seattle area in 1910 at the age of 24. She married Harry Rotman and lived in Tacoma for 62 years until her death in 1986. She describes a community with 2 synagogues and early families who were active in the Shul and the Temple. The two congregations merged 25 years ago under the leadership of Dr. Leon Diamond with Rabbi Richard Rosenthal, a reform Rabbi as head of the new conservative Temple Beth El. Rabbi Montague Cohen is described as the controversial Rabbi of the Temple for many years. He was succeeded by Rabbi Bernard Rosenberg. The Orthodox Shul had many Rabbis and they became a conservative congregation when Rabbi Treiger was the leader. Mrs. Rotman was head of the Sisterhood rummage sale for many years. She was a charter member of Council of Jewish Women. Rose Friedman graduated from the University of Washington. She and her husband were both born in Tacoma.
Digital Content/Other Formats: Listen to the audio recording of this interview on the Libraries Digital Collections site.
Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Acquisition Info: Donated by Lena Rotman and Rose Friedman, September 1986
Description |
---|
Oral history interview with Lena Rotman |
Accession No. 3816-002: Oral history interview with Lena Rotman, 1981Return to Top
Scope and Content: This collection contains an oral history interview with Lena Rotman, conducted on 27 November 1981 by her grandson, Harold G. Friedman. Also included is the 55 page annotated transcript of the interview written by Friedman, and 3 descendancy charts for the Lemchen, Olswang, Sussman families. The interview concentrates on family history and genealogy as well as Lena's experiences immigrating to Washington State from Latvia. The Jewish community in Tacoma is also discussed.
Digital Content/Other Formats: Listen to the audio recording and view the transcript of this interview on the Libraries Digital Collections site.
Restrictions on Access: No restrictions on access.
Restrictions on Use: Copyrights retained by creator (for his lifetime) but the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections can grant use permissions.
Acquisition Info: Harold G. Friedman, December 12, 2016
Description |
---|
Oral history interview with Lena Rotman |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Immigrants--Washington (State)--Tacoma--Interviews
- Jewish women--Washington (State)--Tacoma--Interviews
- Jews--Latvia--Valdemarpils--Interviews
- Jews--Washington (State)--Seattle
Personal Names
- Cohen, Montague N. A
- Friedman, Rose D.--Interviews
- Rotman, Lena, 1888-1986--Interviews
- Treiger, Baruch, 1895-1954
Corporate Names
- Chevra Talmud Torah (Tacoma, Wash.)
- Council of Jewish Women (U.S.). Tacoma Section
- Temple Beth El (Tacoma, Wash.). Sisterhood
- Temple Beth Israel (Tacoma, Wash.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Oral histories
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Friedman, Rose (interviewee)
- Stusser, Isabel (interviewer)
Corporate Names
- Washington State Jewish Archives (University of Washington) (creator)
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)