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Twentieth Century Radicalism in Minnesota Oral History Project: Interview with Martin Lebedoff

Titles: Twentieth Century Radicalism in Minnesota Oral History Project: Interview with Martin Lebedoff (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Martin Lebedoff was born in 1911 to a Russian Jewish family which had immigrated to Minneapolis in 1907. His father, Saul Lebedoff, became the proprietor of a motion picture house. Martin Lebedoff followed this lead, and they formed the Bryn Mawr Amusement Company, which owned the Milo, Liberty, Homewood, and Brynwood theaters in Minneapolis. Mr. Lebedoff became quite active in the Jewish community, particularly in supporting the state of Israel. He and his wife Mary had three children: David, Jonathan, and Judith. At the time of the interview Mr. Lebedoff was retired and living in Minneapolis. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Description of the Lebedoff family and their reasons for emigrating from Russia, early 1900s. Memories of growing up in the Jewish community of Minneapolis, 1910s and 1920s: Homewood neighborhood, anti-Semitism, secular and religious life. Opinions about the state of Israel, 1980s. Workmen's Circle (Arbeter ring) in Minneapolis. Labor Lyceum of Minneapolis. Assessment of David Shier. Jewish socialist movement in Minneapolis, 1920s. Impressions of Jack Jaffe. Emanuel Cohen Center in Minneapolis. Memories of Jacob Mirviss. Geographic locations of the Jewish communities, 1910s to 1940s, and descriptions of Jewish-owned businesses. Development of the Jewish middle and upper middle class in Minneapolis. Impressions of Arthur Jacobs and George Leonard; popularity of the Farmer-Labor Party among Jews. Memories of Reuben Latz, and impressions of labor-management relations in the dry cleaning industry. Wages in the garment industry, 1930s. Unionization in the movie theaters. Schisms in the Jewish labor movement, 1919 and 1929. Labor Zionism in Minneapolis, and emigration to Israel after 1948 by Minneapolis Jews. Description of the Battle of Bulls' Run during the 1934 general drivers' strike. Anti-Semitism in the Twin Cities, and evaluation of its erasure. Impressions of Hubert Humphrey. Reaction to the merger, of the Democratic and Farmer-Labor Parties in the Jewish community, 1944. Jewish feeling about Elmer Benson and Walter Mondale. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: The interview gives a comprehensive introduction to the Jewish community of Minneapolis in the 1930s and 1940s. It does not contain much information about Jewish radicalism.

Dates

  • 06/22/1988 (Creation)

Creation

Identifiers

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Project

Quantity: 2 hours sound cassette 33 pages transcript

Format

  • Content Category: sound recordings
  • Content Category: text

Measurements

  • 01:35:09 running time

Subjects

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Documents

Audio:

Audio Part 1

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Audio Part 2

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Audio Part 3

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