Interviewer: Judith Berlowitz
Interview Date: August 29, 1991
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
Duration: 0:30:36
Schecter opens the interview by briefly describing where she and her husband each grew up, how they met, and why they moved to Corvallis. She then describes her religious background and her perceptions of the Jewish community in Corvallis when she first arrived. She mentions several families and individuals who made concerted efforts to draw the community together, including the Goldbergs, who sought out the new Jewish families and hosted events at their house.
The interviewer then asks about the reaction of non-Jewish neighbors to Schecter and her family. Schecter describes the confusion with which she was treated by her neighbors, and also mentions anti-Semitic occurrences that she witnessed. She also describes the lack of Jewish-oriented organizations during the first few years they lived in Corvallis, mentioning that some families were not bothered by it but that others felt more strongly about the lack of an organized community. She then returns to her memories of families that were particularly involved in the community. She describes a latke party hosted by the Katzes as well as a few more community events organized by the families.
From there, Schecter talks about Hadassah’s latke and blintze fundraisers, describing how the group initially hosted a latke party but switched to blintze because it was easier to prepare for a large number of people. The interview concludes with Schecter describing an anti-Semitic campaign that was undertaken against a community member who was running for a position on the school board, and also remarking on how pressure from community members led Hadassah again to become involved as a group.
Lita Schecter was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1931, and raised in Fresno, California. Her husband, Larry, was born in Montreal, Canada and raised in San Francisco. The two met at the University of California, Berkeley, when Lita was a freshman studying Political Science, and Larry was finishing up his Ph.D. program. They moved to Corvallis in 1955 so that Larry could take up a teaching position at Oregon State College. Lita was also a schoolteacher and raised the couple's two children. She passed away in 2016.
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The interviewer then asks about the reaction of non-Jewish neighbors to Schecter and her family. Schecter describes the confusion with which she was treated by her neighbors, and also mentions anti-Semitic occurrences that she witnessed. She also describes the lack of Jewish-oriented organizations during the first few years they lived in Corvallis, mentioning that some families were not bothered by it but that others felt more strongly about the lack of an organized community. She then returns to her memories of families that were particularly involved in the community. She describes a latke party hosted by the Katzes as well as a few more community events organized by the families.
From there, Schecter talks about Hadassah’s latke and blintze fundraisers, describing how the group initially hosted a latke party but switched to blintze because it was easier to prepare for a large number of people. The interview concludes with Schecter describing an anti-Semitic campaign that was undertaken against a community member who was running for a position on the school board, and also remarking on how pressure from community members led Hadassah again to become involved as a group.
Lita Schecter was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1931, and raised in Fresno, California. Her husband, Larry, was born in Montreal, Canada and raised in San Francisco. The two met at the University of California, Berkeley, when Lita was a freshman studying Political Science, and Larry was finishing up his Ph.D. program. They moved to Corvallis in 1955 so that Larry could take up a teaching position at Oregon State College. Lita was also a schoolteacher and raised the couple's two children. She passed away in 2016.