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Jews in Minnesota Oral History Project: Interview with Ernie Fliegel

Titles: Jews in Minnesota Oral History Project: Interview with Ernie Fliegel (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Ernie Fliegel was born in Barlad, Romania, in 1904 and came to the United States in 1910 with his grandmother, mother, brother and sister. (His father was also in this country but had little contact with the family). His mother worked in a New York sweatshop to earn money for their trip to Minneapolis. Fliegel sold newspapers by age seven and later became a professional boxer. He was a contender for the featherweight championship before an eye injury forced him to retire in 1927. He became a fight promoter, traveled with Jack Dempsey and became an owner, with his friend Max Winter, of the 620 Club on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis. He married his wife Eileen in about 1925, and they have one son, Richard. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: His childhood in Romania and Minneapolis; extreme poverty; selling newspapers, including a 1916 strike by newsboys; his amateur and professional boxing career; the 1930s Depression; bootlegging; the 620 Club; the truckers' strike of 1934; and education. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Fliegel bar mitzvahed with Edward P. Schwartz, who was also interviewed for this oral history project.

Dates

  • 05/07/1976 (Creation)

Creation

Identifiers

  • Library Call Number: OH 131.8
  • Accession Number: AV1979.142.3

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Project

Quantity: 1 hour sound cassette 16 pages transcript

Format

  • Content Category: sound recordings
  • Content Category: text

Measurements

  • 00:59:16 running time

Subjects

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Documents

Audio:

Audio Part 1

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Audio Part 2

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