Interview with Ethel Baer, 2010

Summary of an oral history interview conducted with Ethel Baer (1924-2012) on October 26, 2010. The interview was part of the Louisville Jewish Family and Career Services's project to document the lives of Jewish seniors in Louisville, Kentucky.

Ethel C. Baer was born to Polish immigrant parents and was raised in a practicing Jewish household in which she spoke Yiddish and English. Her neighborhood, in which very few other Jewish families lived, accepted her and she made many good friends. She attended Atherton High School and enjoyed going to drugstores with friends, walking Cave Hill Cemetery, and getting groceries locally from farmers and butchers. The Baers were not severely affected by the Great Flood; however, they did assist others in escaping the floodwaters and finding food. Each side of the family lost relatives in the Holocaust. Ethel’s husband served in WWII when he was 19-21 years old. Ethel was heavily involved in religious life and practice, observing feasts such as Passover at home, keeping strictly kosher, and her daughter had a Bat Mitzvah at age 50. Her interests include playing Bridge, playing piano for senior citizens at the Jewish Community Center, and living life by the mantra of “Live and Let Live.”

024x6 Jewish Family and Career Services interviews, The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Kentucky

The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Kentucky

Jewish Family and Career Services (Louisville, Ky.)

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