Browse Items · The Filson Historical Society Digital Projects

Interview with Irvin Goldstein and photographs, 1980s-1990s, 2010-2018

Summary of an oral history interview conducted with Irvin Goldstein (1929-2019) in 2010 and 2018. The summary is accompanied by a circa 1980s-1990s portrait of Goldstein, photograph of Goldstein taken by Margaret Mazanec on June 23, 2013, biography, and resume. The interview was part of the Louisville Jewish Family and Career Services's project to document the lives of Jewish seniors in Louisville, Kentucky.

Irvin Goldstein descends from Polish and Russian ancestry and was born in Louisville, speaking English and a little Yiddish in his family. Irv lived in the Highlands with other family members in the area and maintained Jewish practice by attending synagogue at Adath Jeshurun. During the Great Flood of 1937 his family was a little crowded in their house as they also welcomed his aunt and three cousins after their basement suffered flooding, and they received typhoid shots at a local library. Beyond that, nothing especially severe occurred to his household. Irvin observed all Holy Days with his family, was confirmed in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was also Bar Mitzvah’d. Following high school at Ohio Military Institute then Male High School, he attended the University of Kentucky, where he ultimately majored in Elementary Education. He wound up teaching Canada, followed by New Albany, Indiana. He enjoys building model airplanes and H. O. model railroads, has a stamp collection, and values the participation of his children and grandchildren in Jewish activities.

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Clay water jar, 2018

Cherokee artist Mary Thompson crafted this red, Lizella clay water jar using traditional coiling techniques and a hand-carved paddle stamp process. The Filson Historical Society purchased this jar from Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, an artist co-op whose members are enrolled citizens of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. This piece illustrates the cultural resilience of the Cherokee people despite their forced displacement once pioneers began to settle on their lands. Though the Eastern Band of Cherokee now reside in North Carolina, Thompson occasionally travels back to her ancestral homelands in Kentucky to gather natural materials for her artwork. This piece took 1st place in the 2018 Cherokee Indian Fair held annually by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.