Interviewer: Judith Berlowitz
Interview Date: August 13, 1991
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
Duration: 0:25:19
The interview opens with Molly Goheen describing when and why her family moved to Corvallis, Oregon. Her husband, Harry Goheen, had been offered a position as a professor of mathematics at Oregon State University. The couple moved to Corvallis with their three children and Molly was offered a job working in the public library.
Goheen then describes the Jewish community in Corvallis at the time of her arrival. She estimates that there were only around ten Jewish families in town at that point, although not all of them participated in community gatherings or activities. Within the ten families, several different approaches to Judaism were represented, ranging from orthodox to reform. She recalls that the adults in the community were accustomed to being part of a minority group, but her son had some experiences with anti-Semitism in the larger Corvallis community.
She then talks about the implementation of Hadassah, a Jewish women’s organization, in the community. The families would sometimes get together to celebrate holidays, but there was little stability or regularity, which is why the community felt the need to have an official organization to help run things. She concludes with a recollection of a memorable latke party and the names of local families that were the most active in the community.
Molly Goheen was born in Seattle, Washington in 1914, and moved to Corvallis in 1955 with her husband, Harry, and their three children. Initially a children's librarian at the Corvallis Public Library, Goheen later moved on to a position as a science and technology librarian at the Oregon State University library, where she worked from 1958-1981. She passed away in 2002.
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Goheen then describes the Jewish community in Corvallis at the time of her arrival. She estimates that there were only around ten Jewish families in town at that point, although not all of them participated in community gatherings or activities. Within the ten families, several different approaches to Judaism were represented, ranging from orthodox to reform. She recalls that the adults in the community were accustomed to being part of a minority group, but her son had some experiences with anti-Semitism in the larger Corvallis community.
She then talks about the implementation of Hadassah, a Jewish women’s organization, in the community. The families would sometimes get together to celebrate holidays, but there was little stability or regularity, which is why the community felt the need to have an official organization to help run things. She concludes with a recollection of a memorable latke party and the names of local families that were the most active in the community.
Molly Goheen was born in Seattle, Washington in 1914, and moved to Corvallis in 1955 with her husband, Harry, and their three children. Initially a children's librarian at the Corvallis Public Library, Goheen later moved on to a position as a science and technology librarian at the Oregon State University library, where she worked from 1958-1981. She passed away in 2002.