Jews in Minnesota Oral History Project: Interview with Slovie Kissen-Marver

Titles: Jews in Minnesota Oral History Project: Interview with Slovie Kissen-Marver (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Slovie Kissen was born April 23, 1905, in St. Paul. Her father was Rabbi Wolfe Kissin, who came to St. Paul from London via Kansas City, Missouri, to open a private Hebrew school, Rev. Kissin's Parochial School. Later he became principal of the newly organized Capital City Hebrew School. Slovie Kissen had three sisters, Leah, Sternie and Sarah, and two brothers, Joe and Alfred. The family moved to Duluth in 1911 and returned to St. Paul in 1913. Next they lived and farmed on a five-acre farm called Slingerlands, Mahtomedi, White Bear Lake. Kissen graduated from Mechanic Arts High School, and on December 28, 1924, she married Bernard Bernstein. (He changed his name back to Marver, his family's original name, in 1940.) They have three sons. The family operated various clothing and general stores in St. Paul and South Dakota. Kissen-Marver was also involved in many community service organizations, including the Ramsey County Mothers' March on Polio, the state and national boards of the United Nations Association, the St. Paul Inter Club Council, and the board of the St. Paul YWCA. She also was a dramatics teacher for community playgrounds and in Catholic schools. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background and religion; family involvement in farming; family life and child-rearing; her father's career as a rabbi, fundraiser, businessman and horticulturist; her education; her courtship, marriage and three sons; Bernie Marver's businesses; her life in small towns; and work on various community services. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Two male voices on the tapes are Bernard Marver and one of the Marvers' sons. The MHS manuscripts collection contains one folder of letters and other documents from Slovie Kissen-Marver.

Dates

• 11/07/1986 - 11/10/1986 (Creation)

Creation

• interviewee: Kissen-Marver, Slovie
• interviewer: Lewin, Rhoda G.

Identifiers

• Library Call Number: OH 131.14
• Accession Number: AV1987.64

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Project

• Oral History - Project, MHS Collection, project: 'Jews in Minnesota Oral History Project' <OH 131>

Quantity: 3 hours sound cassette 96 pages transcript

Format

• Content Category: sound recordings
• Content Category: text

Measurements

• 03:06:39 running time

Subjects

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