Disciplines

Jewish Studies

Abstract

Summarizer: Sophia Maier

June Genis lived in the Bronx from the time she was three years old until she left for college in 1963. When he father, who had been a dentist, passed away, Genis and her mother moved to Creston Avenue and 192nd Street near Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse to be closer to her family. At the time, the area was predominantly Jewish, with some Irish and Italians. They were surrounded by major shopping areas on Fordham and Kingsbridge Roads, and across the street from St. James park where Genis played as a child. Starting in sixth grade, when she began taking the subway alone, Genis would travel around Manhattan to museums. She walked a lot through Manhattan and the Bronx.

Genis attended Elizabeth Barrett Browning Junior High School and Walton High School, both public all-girls schools. She did well in school and considers it to have been a good education that set her up for success at the University of Buffalo, where she studied biology before switching to an engineering degree. A year after college, she moved to California to work in the computer center at Standford University; she then worked there for 20 years. Genis speaks to her experience as a woman and a Jew in these institutions, and how often these qualities served as both advantages and disadvantages.

Genis’ mother worked in accounting for Robert Hall Clothing in the Bronx. The family was not observant, though she did attend Sunday School in the fourth grade. They ate a lot of Chinese food, and, because of the influence of an Irish nanny, ate Irish potato pancakes before latkes and had a Christmas tree in addition to a menorah. Genis herself questions religion in general and today considers herself an atheist. Genis has also been involved in the Libertarian party since college, becoming a member in 1974.

In revisiting the Bronx, Genis saw the signs that were once in Hebrew are now in Spanish, and the ice cream stores, candy stores, and bakeries she fondly remembers are now gone. Overall, her memories of the Bronx are positive, despite once being almost mugged. It was, to her, a carefree and enjoyable upbringing.

Keywords: New Jersey, Grand Concourse, Creston Avenue, 192nd Street, Fordham Road, Kingsbridge Road, shopping, St. James Park, museums, Manhattan, Bronx Zoo, Elizabeth Barrett Browning Junior High School, Walton High School, gender, education, STEM, engineering, computers, Stanford, antisemitism, sorority, religion, atheism, University of Buffalo, food, California, crime, Libertarian

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