Disciplines

Jewish Studies

Abstract

Summarizer: Sophia Maier

Adrienne Plavin was born to American-born parents in June of 1944. When she was young, her family lived at 1821 Bryant Avenue in the South Bronx. She remembers the community as full of immigrants, though primarily Jewish, with Yiddish and other language spoken. She would visit the candy store on her block and also buy fresh produce from horse drawn carts. They would play games like hopscotch and jump rope. Plavin shares how her mother got into trouble in Hebrew School, which is why she herself never attended one, and some of the mischief she would get up to with her friend Gloria Katz, who was also interviewed for this project.

After elementary school, Plavin’s family moved to 745 Mace Avenue near Allerton Avenue. Her father had various jobs, working for Grumman Aircraft during WWII and later as a taxi driver and small business owner. Her mother returned to work as a bookkeeper after Plavin’s father had a heart attack. Despite the impoverished background of both of her parents and their families, Plavin attended free public schools and City College, becoming a teacher and marrying a professional. As a teacher, she worked first at DeWitt Clinton and Bronx Science, as well as in Brooklyn. Plavin describes the early environment as sexist and the conflicts that emerged over the 1967-68 Teachers Strikes. She explains that while the library system is better for students today, they face much more violence.

After marrying, Plavin had two daughters. She wanted them to have some Jewish background, so they joined a synagogue and attended religious school. Plavin taught Holocaust education for 20 years and describes the traumatized culture that exists in Israel as a result of the Holocaust and its role in Israeli society. She lives in Manhattan, appreciating the cultural diversity of New York and how different people live together in the same communities. Nonetheless, Plavin remains cognizant of the vulnerability of the Jewish community, especially in today’s political climate.

Keywords: World War Two, Grumman Aircraft, South Bronx, Bryant Avenue, Yiddish, kosher, trolleys, Brooklyn, immigration, Hebrew School, religion, religious education, Mace Avenue, Allerton Avenue, work, City College, DeWitt Clinton High School, teaching, sexism, gender, Teacher Strikes 1967-68, race, union, diversity, library, violence, motherhood, Professional Children’s School, Israel, the Holocaust, fear, Yad Vashem

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