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Nestor, Barbara (audio interview #4 of 10)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - As in previous interviews, Nestor was enthusiastic and energetic during this third interview. The audio quality is good, although the interview was interrupted on a few occasions because of background noise and skips in the recording, particularly during the second half of the interview. 11/15/1974
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- *** File: refbnestor6.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-7:08)... Note: there are interruptions in the recording in this segment. Nestor discusses her views on the Arab-Israeli conflict and draws parallels to the treatment of American Indians, who were also robbed of their land. Though Blacks underwent similar types of oppression, she believes they were more militant in their opposition than Indians. As a young girl in Colorado, she visited an Indian encampment. She describes her experiences there and the Indian family with whom she became acquainted. (7:08-9:51)... Describing the atmosphere in Colorado in the late 1890s, Nestor points out that in addition to granting women the vote, it was a very progressive state with several universities and schools. She reflects on her experiences immigrating to the United States and settling in a ghetto in St. Louis. (9:51-15:39)... Nestor discusses some aspects of her life in Hungary, describing her home and recounting some of her family history. She recalls traveling to St. Louis and moving in with her paternal aunt and uncle and recounts her aunt's relationship to their former slaves, who were called Aunt Mary and Uncle Tom. She describes her first experiences with Judaism and her father's explanation for anti-Semitic behavior. (15:39-20:46)... When she was a young girl in St. Louis, the death of a schoolmate she admired greatly influenced her views on religion. Nestor talks about her mother's confrontational personality, her penchant for changing residences, and for seeking resolution through the legal system. When Nestor's father died, her mother refused to re-marry because she did not want any more "bosses." She doesn't believe that there was any romantic attachment between her parents. (20:46-25:47)... In St. Louis, she recalls living in a small house and sharing a bed with her sister. Because of her mother's penchant for changing residences, they moved around a lot. When Nestor lived in Denver, it was the first time that she lived in what she considers a neighborhood or community. In Colorado, she worked with a Jewish family making cigars ten hours a day. She enjoyed this job because it was an escape from sewing, which she despised. (25:47-29:40)... In Colorado, her family owned a cow, which they used for milk and butter. Her mother also sold butter for .25 cents a pound. The neighborhood in which they lived was in the city. It was not a ghetto comprised of only one ethnic group. Many of the Jews in the city peddled rags or were cattle ranchers. Though the atmosphere was rural, it was not a rural community. (29:40-36:39)... Note: there is an interruption in this segment as a result of the telephone ringing. Though her social life did not revolve around the Jewish community, her family often attended festivals and Jewish activities in the synagogue. Her father occupied the pulpit and sang at religious gatherings. She recalls attending Sunday school when she was eleven years old. She began reading the Bible and won a prize from a Jewish owned department store for reciting a Biblical story. (36:39-44:16)... Many of the children she went to school were also from Orthodox households. She recalls an experience as a child when several Italian children attacked her because she was a Jew. As a young girl, she was somewhat embarrassed of her Jewish heritage. She recalls hiding her lunch because she did not want other children to ostracize her for being different. With a few exceptions, she does not believe that there was very much anti-Semitism in Denver. The Jewish community was fairly large and there were class-based distinctions between the wealthy and the poor Jews. end of tape *** File: refbnestor7.mp3 (0:00-3:46)... Note: the tape begins abruptly with a continued discussion of the Jewish community in Denver. There is an interruption in the recording which makes the conversation difficult to follow. In general, Nestor had a very limited awareness of anti-Semitism as a young girl. However, she did notice the differences between herself and others, and was wary of bringing non-Jews home. When she heard people talk about "being proud to be Jewish," she did not understand why people would view themselves this way, rather than as simply a person. She traces her growing opposition to religion and the Bible. (3:46-7:08)... Nestor discusses the family's relationships and her own friendships with their neighbors, many of whom were not Jewish. Many Germans and French people lived in the neighborhood. She does not recall any anti-Semitic behavior while living with in this community. (7:08-8:44)... Her passion for books began at the age of eleven. She spent several hours at the library every day. The librarian commented on her "catholic taste" and suggested that she be more selective in choices. This librarian gave Nestor ideas about what to read. (8:44-16:53)... <There are interruptions in the recording in this segment> Nestor recalls discussing religion with a man seeking treatment for tuberculosis at the National Jewish Hospital who advised her to read Robert Green Ingersoll. The National Jewish Hospital was a very important national institution and all people were accepted there for treatment. The Jewish community in Denver was very large and there were clear class distinctions. She explains the development of her class and social consciousness after reading Ferns and Orange Blossoms by Bertha Clay. She developed a sense of justice from books, not from her parents. Her feelings about her parents led her to fantasize that she would one day learn she was not really their daughter. (16:53-22:18)... Though she enjoyed spending time in the library and wanted to continue her education, her options were limited. Because she could not work on shabbas (the Jewish sabbath), it was difficult to find work. As the eldest daughter, she was often pulled out of school to care for her siblings and help with the housework. With the exception of marriage and children, she had no other expectations. When she was nineteen, she met her first husband, Joe Rosenblum. Initially, she was not interested in marrying him and saw him as no more than a friend. They married four years later. (22:18-30:25)... Note: there is an interruption in the recording in this segment. Nestor's mother taught her how to sew at the age of two. When she was eleven years old, her mother bought her a sewing machine. Nestor made all of the clothes for the family from that point on. She left school at the age of thirteen and began working as a seamstress. Her first job was with a Jewish dressmaker; she worked ten hours a day for $2 a week. When she was not employed, she worked at home and charged 25 cents to make dresses and mend clothing for neighbors. In most cases, however, she was not paid for this work. She describes her home life as being like a prison. She reveled in any freedom from her parents and describes her trip to St. Louis in 1906 to stay with her brother. Even though she hated living with her parents, she did not think about leaving because there was no place for her to go. (30:25-33:30)... Her father allowed her to keep any wages she earned. It took her several years to save for her trip to St. Louis, which cost $14 in train fare. She was twenty-one, but wore her younger sister's clothing and pretended to be twelve years old so that she could get a cheaper fare. (33:30-41:30)... Note: there is an interruption in the recording in this segment and voices can be heard in the background. When she was eighteen years old, she cultivated a romantic relationship with the captain of the Fire Department in Denver. She describes her initial meeting with this man, the development of their brief relationship, and the circumstances of their breakup. Earlier, when she was only seventeen, she had a crush on a thirty-five-year-old socialist. She had other innocent flirtations with men before she married Joe Rosenblum at the age of twenty-three. Nestor introduced her husband to books. When they married, he was very religious, but she advised him to read the Bible and then decide on whether or not he still believed. Although he did not join the Socialist Party, he supported the movement and considered himself a socialist. (41:30-45:14)... Though politically active in Denver, she was not involved in any activities related to women's issues. She discusses her attitudes towards Emma Goldman and the anarchist movement. In general, she did not agree with the anarchists' views on free love and what she describes as voyeurism. In contrast, she had a great admiration for the IWW. (45:14-46:16)... In 1915, following a speech made by Kate Richards O'Hare at Fort Collins, Nestor joined the Socialist Party. Her early activities involved protest actions organized by the party. end of tape
- SUBJECT BIO - Barbara Nestor, the mother of Dorothy Healey (former chair, Southern California District, CPUSA), was a radical activist in her own right. Born in Hungary, she was raised first in St. Louis and then in Denver, Colorado. She became a socialist when she was only sixteen, and joined the Socialist Party in 1915. During WWI, she engaged in anti-war agitation. In 1919, when the Communist Party was formed in the US, she joined. After moving to Oakland, California in 1921 with her husband, Joe Rosenblum, and her children, she maintained a high level of activity, particularly with the International Labor Defense, and often risked arrest. She did not re-join the Communist Party until 1936, five years after she moved to Los Angeles. The interviews about the Los Angeles years detail the kind of rank and file organizing in which she engaged. Nestor's oral history sheds light both on her own thinking and on the influence she had on the development of her children's radicalism. Her interviews also reveal a great deal about her relationship with her daughter, Dorothy Healey and her grandson, Richard, for whom she had primary caretaking responsibilities, especially during the 1950s and the Smith Act trials. TOPICS - view of Arab-Israeli War; childhood experiences in Hungary; anti-Semitism; living conditions and early experiences in St; Louis and Colorado; family background; parents; general attitudes towards Judaism and being a Jew; and the Jewish community in Colorado;continued discussion on feelings about being Jewish; parents; religion; education; early aspirations; work; earnings; romantic relationships; marriage; impressions of anarchists and Emma Goldman, attitudes towards free love; impact of Kate Richards O'Hare; and early involvement with Socialist Party;
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