Disciplines
Jewish Studies
Abstract
Alice Harnell was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1930, coinciding with the Great Depression. Harnell's father was born in Russia and emigrated with his family to New York City during the pogrom of the early 1900s. Once arriving in the United States they settled on the Lower East Side, joining a community of other Jewish immigrant families. Harnell's mother was the first American-born in her German family. Harnell's father and mother moved to Detroit for her father's job as a pharmacist. However, at the age of 5 the family moved back to New York City and settled in the West Bronx.
During her early childhood at 911 Walton Avenue, Harnell remembers the vibrancy of her neighborhood including the park she would frequent, Joyce Kilmer Park. The neighborhood, she recalls was primarily Jewish, middle-class, and not particularly religious. As a child Harnell loved reading, listening to music, and visiting the theater with her friends.
At the age of 12 Harnell's parents divorced. Her father moved back to detroit while her mother stayed in the Bronx. However, her mother married a doctor who enlisted in WWII. As a result, the entire family moved to where he was stationed in San Francisco. While Harnell loves the life she has had in California, she thinks very fondly of New York City.
Recommended Citation
Omey, Caitlin, "Harnell, Alice" (2024). Bronx Jewish History Project. 57. https://research.library.fordham.edu/bjhp/57
