Jewish Neighborhood Voices

Chelsea

Sara Lee (Saievetz) Callahan was born in Cambridge, MA in 1944 and grew up in Chelsea, MA. Her parents were Rose (née Malatsky, of Chelsea, MA) and Meyer Theodore Saievetz (of Boston, MA). She worked in IT and taught at the high school and college level. With her husband, Michael Callahan, she raised two children, Larissa, and Benjamin. She now lives in Swampscott, MA. In her oral history, Sara Lee describes growing up in an ethnically diverse neighborhood; her daily interactions with neighbors, teachers, and friends; the multigenerational Jewish home that shaped her and that remains in the family today; and her belief that the triple-decker house represented the Jewish American neighborhood experience—with grandparents living on the first floor, the next two generations on the second floor, and non-Jewish neighbors on the third floor.

Robert “Bob” Feinberg was born in Chelsea, MA, in 1931 to Mary (née Melamed, b. 1900 in Russia) and Charles (b. 1898 in Boston, MA). Bob grew up across from the Walnut Street Shul in Chelsea. After earning Master’s degrees from Boston College and University of Rochester, he became a nuclear physicist with General Electric in Schenectady, New York. He married Carole Feinberg, and had two sons, Curt, and Mark. In his interview, Bob tells of his immigrant grandparents’ experiences working and prospering in Boston and Chelsea, and his own experience growing up poor and Orthodox. Among his many colorful memories and stories, Bob recounts his grandmother’s living-room-based funeral through a child’s eyes, and he describes being harassed for money by another boy, Albert DeSalvo—who years later was identified as the Boston Strangler. While he now lives in Niskayvna, NY, Bob speaks movingly throughout his interview, of the deep, lifelong impact growing up in Chelsea had on him.

Norman “Norm” Henry Finkelstein, z"l was born in 1941 in Chelsea, MA, where he also grew up. His mother was Mollie (née Fox, of present-day Moldova) and Sydney Finkelstein (of Kilikiyev, Ukraine). After his Chelsea start, Norm was a teacher, librarian, and writer. He had three children, Jeffrey, Robert, and Risa, with his wife Rosalind, and settled in Framingham, Mass. until his passing on January 5, 2024. In his “Jewish Neighborhood Voices'' oral history, Norm discusses his close-knit, religiously observant family; how the Jewish character of Chelsea impacted Jews and non-Jews alike; his long affiliation with Hebrew College’s Prozdor program; and how Chelsea has changed from his childhood.

Cheryl (Glassman) Goldstein was born 1950 in Winthrop, MA, and was raised in Chelsea, MA. Her parents were Sylvia (née Weisman, b.1917 in Newark, NJ) and Benjamin Glassman (b. 1916 in Chelsea, MA). In her interview, which husband Ken joined, she fondly recalls her grandparents, who lived above her, and her love of her grandmother’s cooking; and she describes the family store that her father and grandfather ran, with its credit system, home deliveries, and familiarity with its customers. She calls the neighborhood she grew up in her “own little ghetto,” a term she uses positively to indicate an insular, protective neighborhood of Jewish family and friends. Cheryl also recalls attending Shurtleff Street Synagogue, which her grandfather helped found, and speaks of her regret that she did not receive more Jewish education or become a bat mitzvah.

Estelle (Kaufman) Ringer was born in 1926 in Chelsea, MA, to Anna (née Ganick, b. 1901 in Boston, MA) and Abraham Kaufman (b. 1892 in Russia). Estelle had three children with her husband, Morris, and now lives in Dedham, MA. In her oral history, Estelle tells the story of how her parents met and how her mother lost her citizenship status, unbeknownst to her, when they married because Estelle’s father did not yet have his citizenship. She captures her strong-willed mother and grandmother with such stories as how her immigrant grandmother marched in Boston suffragist parades, and when her mother finally decided to stop keeping separate sets of kosher dishes. Estelle describes her childhood home in detail; and remembers her bat mitzvah at Temple Emmanuel in Chelsea, an uncommon event for girls in the 1930s. She also discusses her parents’ involvement in Zionism and their concern about what was happening to Jews in Europe during the war.

Dorchester/Roxbury

Elaine (Kellem) Baskin was born in Boston, MA, in 1935. Her parents were Dorothy (née Giller, of Malden, MA) and Samuel Kellem (of Ukraine). Elaine lived in Roxbury, MA until she was five, when her family moved to Dorchester, MA. As an adult, she earned a Master’s in Education and raised three children. In her oral history, Elaine describes growing up in a Jewish area of Dorchester, with such intimate detail as walking to school by herself at an early age and using her pocket money to buy a pickle on her way home. She also vividly brings to life her grandparents and others of their generation who spoke Yiddish and followed Orthodox tradition. She recounts how her father, who had come to the United States in 1921 and had an eighth-grade education, was successful enough as a tradesman to move the family to Newton, MA in the late 1940s, following the general socioeconomic and geographical pattern of Jewish families of the time—and how her parents went on to co-found Temple Reyim in Newton. Elaine currently lives in Worcester, MA.

Abbot Laurence Gilman was born in 1953 in Boston, MA, and grew up in Dorchester, MA. His parents were Miriam (née Firger, b.1913) and Max Michael Gilman (b. 1908). Abbot went to Northeastern University and became a technology entrepreneur. He and his wife, Lisa, have two children and they now divide their time between Boston, Cape Cod, and Florida. Abbot’s oral history relates how he was named for a Harvard president; his grandparents’ migration from the North and West End immigrant neighborhoods of Boston to Dorchester; the vibrant neighborhood life in Dorchester; the influence of Hecht House and youth groups in his teen years; his love of basketball—and the ethnically diverse makeup of his Hecht House basketball team.

Arthur Goldstein was born in Roxbury, MA, in 1936 to Ida (b. 1911 in Keene, NH) and Hyman Goldstein (b.1909 in Ukraine). He lived in Roxbury until 1946 when his family moved to Dorchester, MA. He worked as a CPA, and he and his wife, Edith, had three children. He now lives in Randolph, MA. Arthur’s oral history details the streetscape of Blue Hill Avenue and neighborhood life in both Roxbury and Dorchester; his family’s poverty; their desire to assimilate into American life; and their emphasis on education as the foundation for a successful and meaningful life. He describes his first neighborhood in Roxbury, like several other narrators do, as a “ghetto,” explaining his use of the word not as a derogatory term as a way of describing a concentration of Jewish families in one area. “It was just everybody together … basically, everybody you knew was Jewish.”

Marshall Silberberg was born in 1944 in Roxbury, MA, and grew up in Dorchester, MA. His mother was Frances (née Greenside, b.1899 in Boston, MA); his father, Saul Silberberg (of Poland), came to the United States as a refugee in 1938. In his oral history interview, Marshall discusses his father’s deafness and his challenges both learning to read lips in English rather than Yiddish and fitting into American life as a recent immigrant. Marshall gives evocative descriptions of the stores, streets, and sounds of his Dorchester neighborhood; he also recalls going to Temple Beth Hillel Hebrew School five days a week and later being a member of Hecht House. At different points in his interview, Marshall speaks about “blockbusting” and its impact on both Black and Jewish communities in Greater Boston. Marshall currently lives in Randolph, MA.

Paul Sugarman was born in Boston, MA in 1931 to Rebecca “Ruth” (née Chofnas, (b.1906 in Boston, MA) and Samuel H. Sugarman (b. 1903 in Boston, MA). Paul mostly grew up in Dorchester, MA, and lives in the Boston area to this day. In his oral history interview, Paul remembers living on Blue Hill Avenue surrounded by a strong Jewish community, represented in synagogues, Jewish storefronts, and, of course, “the Wall” at Franklin Field. He reflects on the economic situation of his families and more broadly of the neighborhood’s residents, as well as the pressures of assimilation and acculturation–and the impact this had on education for children growing up in the neighborhood. He went to Roxbury Memorial High School for Boys and attended Boston University for both his undergraduate degree and his Juris Doctorate degree. Upon graduating from Law school, he was immediately drafted into the Army, where he served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. In his interview, Paul discusses the difficulty many Jewish lawyers faced in finding a position, and the importance of Jewish-owned law firms, like that of Nat Fink, to those searching for a job. Paul joined Nat Fink’s law firm in 1958, now Sugarman & Sugarman. He has had a 60-year career focused in civil and appellate litigation.

Laura (Markowitz) Till was born in Boston, MA, in 1951 to Lillian (née Levy, of Boston, MA) and Nathan Markowitz (of Boston, MA). From the age of three until junior high, Laura spent her childhood in Dorchester, and briefly in Roxbury. Her family moved to Malden, MA before she started high school. In her oral history interview, Laura discusses her experience growing up in Dorchester in a multifamily home with her grandparents in the post-World War II era; the atmosphere of their triple decker, surrounded by a Yiddish-speaking immigrant community; the stores of Blue Hill Avenue; the high holiday gatherings on Franklin Field; the impacts of redlining and blockbusting on the Jewish community and migration out of Dorchester. She now lives (and was interviewed from her home) in Natick, MA.

Kenneth “Ken” Wolkon was born in Dorchester, MA in 1939 to Pauline (née Kaplan, of Boston, MA) and Samuel Wolkon (b.1900 in Volhynia, Ukraine). Ken grew up in the Grove Hall section of Dorchester, MA, and in his “Jewish Neighborhood Voices” interview, he remembers an insular Jewish childhood in the neighborhood. He discusses the impact of Hecht House and the YMHA Day Camp, and his high school experience at the Boston Latin School. He also discusses his family’s move to Brookline, MA, and the redlining and blockbusting behind movement out of Dorchester for many Jewish residents, as well as his later life.

Ethel (Chase) Sinofsky, z"l was born in Roxbury, MA in 1921 to Lillian (née Chase, of Syracuse, NY) and Samuel Chase (of Russia). Ethel lived in Roxbury with her parents until her marriage in 1946, when she and her husband moved to Newton, MA to raise their three children. Ethel passed away on November 24, 2023. In her “Jewish Neighborhood Voices” interview, Ethel discusses her upbringing in Roxbury, where her father started an umbrella factory, focusing on the insular Jewish neighborhood, her education, and the local businesses. She discusses the experience growing up on a street with Leonard Bernstein as her neighbor. Ethel also speaks about her marriage and the impact World War II had on her wedding. She reflects on her fearfulness and tentativeness as a child and gaining confidence with age — particularly as she anticipates turning 102. Ethel still lives in Newton and has recently become a great grandmother to baby Alexis.

Jack Weiss was born at Allerton Hospital in Brookline, MA in 1943 to Ruth (née Cohen, of West End, Boston, MA) and Murray (of Revere, MA). Jack grew up in Roxbury, MA, and now resides in Lake Worth, Florida. In his “Jewish Neighborhood Voices” interview, Jack reflects on his childhood in Roxbury, focusing on his memories of food, on gendered experiences he witnessed of his mother and grandmother, and the pressure his uncle's felt to assimilate and leave their Jewishness behind. He also discusses his later life working as a credit manager at General Electric Credit Corporation and then at Barney’s department store, and how his relationships with both his family and with Judaism have changed throughout his life.

Lynn

Judith “Judy” Ellen (Zimman) Armell was born in 1944 at Boston Children's Lion Hospital to Helen (née Pearlman, b. 1919), Harold Owen Zimman (b. 1916). In her oral history interview, Judy discusses her childhood in Lynn, MA, where she grew up closely with her co-narrator and cousin Michael. Always in the background of their interview is the family business, Zimman’s. Judy remembers the impact her family had on the community – in particular, Michael’s mother and her own, and their involvement in founding the Jewish Community Center (JCC) nursery school. Judy was in the first kindergarten class at the JCC. She discusses the challenge of adjusting to her family’s move to Marblehead, and the broader trend of the time for Jewish families away from Lynn to other neighborhoods of the North Shore. Today, Judy lives in Brighton, MA.

Joanne “Chichi” Fox Brumberg was born in Lynn, MA in 1944 to Natalie (née Litvack, b.1912 in Lynn, MA) and Jacob “Jack” Fox (b.1905 in Lynn, MA). She grew up in Lynn, and attended Smith College in Northampton, MA, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Math. She married Leonard “Len” Brumberg in 1967 and moved to Long Island, NY where they raised their two children. Chichi now lives in Manhattan. In her interview, Chichi discusses her childhood in Lynn, where she was one of the only Jewish students in her elementary school; as she grew older, like many other Lynn narrators, much of her social life revolved around the Lynn Jewish Community Center (JCC). She reflects on the differences between the knowledge of Judaism in Lynn and that of New York City, where she resides now, and the influence that her more secular upbringing had on her more observant life now.

Joel Sherman was born in Lynn, MA in 1940 to Sarah (née Peckerman, b. 1911 in Pativka, Russia) and Abraham Sherman (b. 1905 in Romanov, Russia). He grew up in Lynn and received his bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College. He then graduated from New York University’s Law School in 1964 and joined the United States Army Reserve, becoming a hospital registrar, an officer, and ending his commission as a captain around 1970. Joel went on to have a successful career as a lawyer. In his interview, Joel shares his family’s immigration story from the Russian Empire, and his father’s role in the Lynn shoe business. Joel recalls in great detail the shops, streets, and atmosphere of Lynn as he was growing up, and the major influence Rabbi Zaitchik had on his relationship with Judaism. He now lives in Cambridge, MA.

Arleen (Rosenfeld) Silverlieb was born in Salem, MA, in 1939 to Celia (née Moskowitz, b. 1912 in Romanov, Ukraine) and Morris Rosenfeld (b. 1912 in Salem, MA). Arleen grew up in Lynn, MA, and attended the Practical Arts and Letters Program at Boston University before receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. After receiving her master’s degree, she went on to work for the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center. She now lives in Swampscott, MA. Arleen remembers fondly her work as a teenager in a Lynn shoe factory (one of the largest and most important industries at the time) and spending much of her time at the Lynn Jewish Community Center. Her father was hugely influential in her life, as she remembers in her oral history interview.

Jack Stahl was born in Lynn, MA in 1930 to Bessie (née Porter, b. 1904 in Poland) and Harry Stahl (b. 1904 in Poland). Jack grew up in Lynn and went to Suffolk University on a four-year basketball scholarship. He went on to co-found the Boston Traders company. Jack married his wife Arlene at Temple Israel in 1962; they had three children, Susan, Elizabeth, and David. After living in Swampscott for many years, Jack has returned to Lynn, where he lives with his daughter and granddaughter. In his interview, Jack remembers his father’s involvement in the shoe factory and the impact of Camp Simcha and Camp Tevya on his life. He describes the importance of the Jewish Community Center and his involvement in Aleph Zadik Aleph, a Jewish fraternity that had chapters in Lynn.

Michael Zimman was born in Cambridge, MA in 1949 to Phyllis Virginia (née Fisher, b. 1921 in MA), and Barry Zimman (b. 1920 in Lynn, MA). Michael spent his early childhood in Lynn, MA, before his family moved to Marblehead, MA. He went to Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME, and worked as a teacher for a year after graduating. He grew up working in the family business, Zimman’s, a pillar of Lynn’s Jewish community, in its history and present. Michael, who now lives in Somerville, MA, is the store’s third-generation owner. In his oral history interview, he remembers the Lynn Jewish Community Center.