Interviewee Interviewer Date(s) of interview July 14, 1976 (2 tapes) ~~~--'"----~~~---'~~~ Setting (place of intorvie1·1, peop1e present, impressions) We met at :Mr. Bieber' s anartment at C,lover and East Av. His .. I\ _.._ ._:,1-={...., ,:;JI~ c1.~'1 .,,~ 5 n • • • :9lac0 has many fine [\d rare ;pepre~et:re11,::; 01 impress1r:m1sts painting, a point of pleasant discussion before the inter­ view began. At the end of the sy,cond tape, Mrs. Herman Bieber ca.mA into the room and of.fered her mpinions on the subject of re.st~:"icted neighbo·~·hoods and anti-Semitism at the G..-:mnett papers where she ·i;wrked. Background of' intervie-uee Mr·. Bieber was born in the Bronx in 1901. 1,fuile still in colB rce he pursued business interests, becoming involved in c~luloid. He moved to Rochester in the late 1920s,workin~ first with his brothBrs in clo-t:hi~i.g, and t '"en with tbe Feinbloo:r1s and the Chrunpion knitwear co. Brom 1927 ~'r'"the pres:=mt he hel:oed t11e com9any grow into a mul\;i-million:'busffiness1 a~. active in sales and management. Though his work took him away from the J.oc'.ll 11.rea for much of t11 e year, Mr, Bieber bec2..me involved in Beth-El, the JY,and the almost excluslvely Jewish Irondiquoit Col..mtrv cJ ub · Interview ·ti.bstra'bt Due to keen insi~hts md experience with one of Rochester's most profitable businesses, - the __t12terview offers v::i.luable information about Jewish life both in business and as an exner:lence. His· acquaintance with the New York City area provideo an interesting contrast w:i. th t".le loc«::i.l area, re.:. vealil,1g the relatively sm2ll incidence of' anti-Semitism, the centers of Je:·Jish life, and the nature of business develoumAnt in Rochest0r. Intervie~·J index (corresponding to tape nv.mbers, sides of tape, and cassett recorder numbe~_..,s) Social history -:<--::- - Jewish coa'nuni ty. 1;- _co!:lmunity relations Demo.o:ranhic/re nidenti al -lHH:- _H.elir;i --:us life -::- - ·~· . Ee onomi c ..::- ..~~-~~ JeHish e(lucation Political/civic none __Zionism/Israel iH~ Intervie~1 lor. a) coy-re snonclin0.'. to tap3 n~1~bers. sides of t:xoe, n.ncl casse tt rer:order nos b) inc1tJ.dinc: rcferencc8 to oth0rs in the nochestr.:r cornmuni ty ·. __ ,,.,,,::. f'ollo1-:i:no- p:J_,,e(s) -- u ~ .,,, -- ~ ·- - . ~ . ._ Herman Bieber Klein/l July 14, 1976 Tape 1, Side A I. Biography A, Bronx (+901) and Booklyn B. Educr>,tion c. Frunily D. Synibgogues •t;_ Rochester (1926) F. Busibess fE: Champion Ifni twear Co. 1927-1971. (sales) G. Hife and child.:K!lm. H. Residential I. Temple Beth-El (1928- II. Champion Knitwear Co, (1927- ) A.The Feinbloom•s B. Nat.ure of· corrmanv: volume and market C. ·Beginnings ( c. 1922) -::. D. ~ales: January- June--on the read E. $ 65 million business F. Manufacturing (Perry, Livoni, Geneseo) G. Labor --;:-:~- 1. Good relatio s~ non-union 2. 11 The hinterlands": no trouble, no organization 3. Unsuddessfuil: organization 4. The city: strong union eP~R~0at~eR orientation H. J-::-;vrs i11vol ved in th·.. company ~:~:·~:- 1. management:originall y all Jews 2. sales: high percentage 3. labor:few 1~. Jewish-non-Jewfa h relations 5. Jews on managerial level: observations 6. Recruitment tor positions $. Reference to minor raciaill tensions I. Responsibili tes within the company -::- ~- J. From pri vate to public mmership (1960) K. Impact of Depression ~~* Tape 1, Side B K. Imprrct of Depression (cont.) III. Fa..rnily A. Back.o:round B. Irmni~~ration to America -::- C. Settler.ient ih Rochester -iH!· D. Early business ventures in Rochester: Cei11u1C>irl, "Bieber and Bieber, 11 Champion -:H:- IV. Isrnel A. Reactinn to :Munich su.nuner Olymniics -i:- . 'v Herman BiAber Klein/2 B. 1967 war: reactions C. Support, contributions D. State of Israel/Zionism * E. "Sports for Israel" -i~ V. 2Rt:Pffi2:l: Synogogues A. Beth-81 B. Orthodox shul (NYC.) 11 C. "Young Israel Movement of Flatbush : a founder D. Reconstruct:knist leanings -::- , E. Philip Bernstein: personal recollection (Syracuse, as student) * F. Beth-El: Rabbis (Minkin, :f.iax:k Berman, Fischer, Rosenberg) -~:--i:- 1. Those active in Temple (Hart, FranMel, etc.) 2. Rosenberp:: mixed reception 3. Abraham Karp - VI. Relations with non-Jews A. Brookl;,m B. Customers C. Tensions: incidents ~ (WIG)-!:· D, RocheRter: before 1920s, intense Anti-Semitism; after 1920s, virtual. ly none -l~ E. 196!1. Riots -l'.- 1. Jews too/\.. advantage of blacks: world of business ~. - Tape 2, Side A. F. Schaeff8r Fish market incident (1973):observations G. Country clubs: prAsence of anti-Semitism H. Dachau: ob ser1n tio s I. Incidence of an ti-Semitism in Virginia -::· VII. JY A. Resident (late 1920s) * B. Like a "YNCA .;:- VIII • Je-wish organizatins: a member:t(l but not active A. Fellowship B. Irondic:ii.wit Country Club (loon.'3 Jews) -lHH:· 1. Originally German Jews exclusively 2. After 1,·FfII: barriers b"'twaen wg:st/Ostjud.en broken down 3. Attract·"'!d to its predor1inant Je-t-rish composition C. Basis of personal Jewish life * /01. IX. Miscellaneous , A. Jewish demo~ranhic pattersns: observati~~s ~H~ B. Hrs. He·· 0 r'18n- Bieber: - Hestricted areas ~H:· c. Mrs. HerYrJan Bieber: "I felt inferi·'r ••• on the other side of the trn.c1rn 11 (,Joseph A.v. area) ~~ D. Mrs. Ho,rm1:m Bi0ber: Anti-Semitism at Gannett papers: obsr:rvat:i_rw1s ·Y.· ·s. Hr. Horman BiAher: Anti-Semitism in banld:ng Q This is Dennis Klein talking on July 14, 1976 with Mr. Herman Bieber at his home and this is tape #1 side A. thought we would begin just with your backround to get an idea of who you are, who we're talking with, you can tell us where you were born when you came to Rochester. Kind of fill us in that way. A Well, I was born in the Bronx in New York City in 1901, and as a child was one year old when we moved to Brooklyn and I spent the rest of my time in New York City in Brooklyn before, that is before emigrating to Rochester in 1924 or 1925, 26. The dates are really a little hazey there. Do you want to know something about my education, my backround? Q Yea, why don't you a? A I went to grammer school in Brooklyn, I went to Boys High School in Brooklyn, gratuated from Boys High School and then spent a couple of years at NYU on an engineering scholarship and that didn't a, that um started in the 1918 at the end of the war l d war, First Wo,r:l d War .. Q Um. A I was one of eight children, I had four brothers and three sisters, I was the next to the youngest in the family. We were always, in fact it might be in­ teresting to know that we were - we lived - we moved from Berl park before there was a Shul or Synagogue in Berpark. Now you wouldn't believe that possible, would ya? Q In Berlpark. don't know that area. A That's a very, very strong Jewish City and our family has always identified with one of the synagogues there until we moved to Flatbush in 1910, oh about 1910, 1911 begore the First World War, infact, there were no synagogues in Brooklyn at all then. We used to traipse from Flatbush . Q I had no idea it was that way. A Yea, We moved from Flatbush to .. on the holidaysi walked from Flatbush to Berl park to the synagogue on the major holidays. Some of our neighbors walked Page 2 with us, one of whom was Rabbi Halpern. he was an outstanding Rabbi in Flatbush. He was the first Rabbi at the Jewish Community Center, Communal Center in Flatbush and then he bacame the Rabbi of the East Medwood Center when that was built, but this all followed. I would say that he must of started his term in the fabbinate about 1917, but that's Brooklynand you'renot concerned with that, but he became one of the a, Professors at the Theological Seminary. Q What was his first name? A Rabbi Harry Helpern. He had a brother who was a Rabbi in Long Island, Peter Helpern who applied for a job for the position of the Rabbi at the Temple Beth El when Rabbi Rosenberg left. That was before Rabbi Fischer took the office at temple Beth El. But when I came to Rochester to set up with my brother here, he was in the cloth~ng· business and I went in the clothing with him in 1927. Q ·A 11 right and after that? You can give us kind of a sketch, we' 11 go back to these points. A After that I left. Well he didn't have his mind on the business. He was a clothing man he went back to New York and so I teamed up with a group of men known as the .. named Feinbloom who were the head men so to speak of the Champion Knitwea~ Company, which manufactured sweaters for the school trades and I started with them in 1927-28 the fall of 27, and I was with them until 1971 when I retired. I was with them 43 years, then remained as a consultant for a couple years until 72-73 and I have been retired ever since. Q Where did you move to when you came to Rochester? What area of the City? A I lived with my brother for a year or so and lived in downtown hotels.