Summary(0:18) The neighborhood around Myrtle & Broadway in the 1930’s -- (2:40) The adults looking out for the neighborhood kids -- (3:27) Being from a jewish immigrant family -- (4:08) A poor but caring community -- (5:26) Going to movie houses -- (6:14) Trolley cars and Coney Island -- (7:38) Walking to school in groups -- (8:39) How the neighborhood looked -- (9:22) Movie theatres and live performances -- (11:00) Looking up to older brothers -- (11:25) Being aware of what happened in Europe and wanting to participate -- (12:28) Anti-semitism in America -- (13:25) The depression and the impact of the war on jobs -- (14:54) A patriotic and less divided country -- (15:47) Hearing about Pearl Harbor -- (17:42) The neighborhood kids joining the army -- (18:59) Brooklyn during the war -- (20:59) Enlisting and going to military training -- (22:46) Being sent by boat to Europe from the Brooklyn harbor -- (25:12) Arriving in France -- (27:52) The train to Germany -- (29:45) Showing a map of the route of his company -- (32:41) Celebrating the passover of 1945 -- (36:15) The silver plate from Hitler’s house in Berchtesgaden -- (39:42) Pictures and objects from the war -- (40:16) Becoming a machine gunner -- (41:51) The german prisoners -- (46:00) Going into Munich -- (46:53) The lady in the camp of Dachau and the picture of her family -- (48:12) The knife from the Dachau guard -- (51:29) The jewish kapo and his cup -- (55:48) The german dictionary and other objects and photographs -- (58:01) The US soldier button -- (59:09) Understanding the war through the objects and pictures -- (59:43) Coming back to Brooklyn after the war -- (60:50) Meeting his brother for the first time in four years -- (63:55) Suffering from post traumatic stress -- (64:19) Working in the garment industry -- (65:19) Advice for future generations.
NoteAudio interview conducted on May 23, 2018, by Johan Norberg at the home of Seymour Kaplan in Sheepshead Bay. Collected through Our Streets, Our Stories, an oral history project of Brooklyn Public Library. This project is a partnership with Services for Older Adults and the Brooklyn Collection.
SubjectNineteen thirties ; Nineteen forties ; Immigrants ; Jews--United States ; Anti-Semitism ; Patriotism ; Coughlin, Charles, 1885-1972 ; Lindbergh, Charles A. (Charles August), 1859-1924 ; Poverty ; Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919 ; Trolley cars ; Motion picture theaters ; Harry James Orchestra ; Goodman, Benny, 1909-1986 ; Elman, Ziggy ; Paramount Theatre (New York, N.Y.) ; Fox Theatre (Brooklyn, N.Y.) ; Roxy Theatre (New York, N.Y.) ; Great Depression ; Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack on, 1941 ; World War, 1939-1945 ; Camp Blanding (Fla.) ; Passover ; Berchtesgaden (Germany) ; Dachau (Concentration camp) ; Concentration camp guards ; Holocaust ; Pruitt, Scott, 1968-
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TitleOral history interview conducted with Seymour Kaplan on 2018 May 23.