Sample Interview Protocol A: (For people who grew up in Lexington, KY)
Introduction Template: Hello, our names are X and X and X. As students in Dr. Fernheimer’s WRD 401: Composing Oral History, we are conducting this interview as part of our work for that class and for the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence Jewish Kentucky Oral History Project. Today is X [insert full date Month, date, year] and it is our great honor and pleasure to interview X at the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History Studio [or wherever you are conducting the interview] here in Lexington, KY. Thank you so much for joining us today!
Background and Family Origins
- For the official record, please state (and if necessary, spell) your name at birth?
- When and where were you born?
- Tell me a little about your family background…..
- What are/were your parents’ names and occupations? When and where were they born? Where do they reside now?
- When did your family arrive in the U.S. and where did your ancestors come from? What brought them here? Did your parents and/or grandparents names change when they came to the U.S./ America?
- How many siblings do you have? What are their names and ages relative to you?
- Now that we’ve talked a bit about your family background, let’s shift gears and focus on your childhood.
For People who Grew Up in Lexington, KY
- Tell me about your experiences growing up in Lexington……
- Please describe your childhood and growing up in Lexington, KY….
- Where did you go to school (elementary, middle, high school) and when ?
- How many other Jewish students attended with you? What was it like to be one of only a few Jewish students attending a school of X ? How did you feel around the winter holiday season? How did your peers and teachers treat you?
- How would you describe your parents’ relationship to Judaism?
- Describe Judaism in your family.
- How often did your family attend religious services (only on the high holidays of Rhosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, every shabbat, some shabbats, other holidays?) Which synagogue did they attend? What holidays did you celebrate, with whom, and how? What food was consumed and who prepared? –Rhosh Hashana, Yom Kippur break fast, Hannukah, Purim, Pesach/Passover, Shabbat, Shavuot, Sukkot)
- What was the role of Jewish tradition in your childhood?
- What did your parents teach you about Judaism?
- What kind of Jewish education did you receive?
- (i.e. did you attend Sunday school and Hebrew school, one or the other, both? )What attitudes did you have toward religious school? What attitudes did your parents have toward religious school? How many other students were in your class/cohort? Did you become bar or bat mitvah at age 13–if so, what kind of training did you receive –did you read from the Torah, learn to chant, something else? –or celebration did you have?)
- How involved were you with Jewish youth group ? Which one?
- What kind of experiences did you have with Jewish summer camp (where, for how long, how far away from Lexington, what kind of orientation did the camp have–emphasizing Zionism, environmentalism, etc?) How important was it to you and/or your parents to socialize with other Jewish peers? To date Jewishly?
- What is your most vivid memory from childhood that you feel comfortable sharing?
University and Young Adult Life
Now we’ve talked about a little about what it was like to grow up Jewish in Lexington, KY in the XXXXs, we’d like to shift to learn more about your adult life. [This question will be personalized to specific individuals.]
- Where did you attend university and what was your major? When did you attend/graduate (make sure to get dates here for when they started, completed or left)
- What was important to you and your family in choosing this university? How important was it to you or them that there be a Jewish community at the schools you considered?
- What motivated you to study at university?
- What extracurriculars were you involved with while there? How important was it for you to be involved with Jewish groups–fraternities/sororities/ Hillel, Jewish Student Union?–
through the university you attended? - How big was the Jewish population on campus or in the local town, and how often did you interact with other Jewish people?
- What was life like for you after college? Where did you land your first job and how?
- Tailor additional questions here to trace out career path….
- How did your first job prepare you for….? How did your university studies prepare you for your first job?
Courting, Partnership and Building a Jewish Home of One’s Own
- We’d like to learn more about the ways Judaism has played a role in your adult life including dating, marriage, children, and family life. We’ll begin with short series of questions about each of these topics–starting with dating…
- How important was it to you date other Jewish people?
- How did you meet them?
- When and how did you meet your partner/spouse?
- What kind of Jewish background did s/he/they come
from? - What was your courtship like? [first date, proposal?]
- (If married) When did you two get married and how long were you two married for?
- What kind of wedding did you have–which Jewish traditions was it important for you to incorporate?
- As you built your own household what practices were important for you two to maintain? How have those changed over time?
- For example–how did you approach kashrut? sabbath holiday observance, going to synagogue regularly/or at all?)
- (IF they have children)When and how did you decide to have children?
- How old are they? Where do they live now? What do they do?
- What values did you hope to instill in them?What Jewish values were important to you to
instill in them and how did you do that? - How did you handle their Jewish education? What kind of Jewish education did you provide for them?
- How was your family, or you specifically,
involved in the Jewish community when your children were growing up? - How did you balance childrearing with career and community responsibilities?
- What kind of ritual observance/holiday celebration did you engage in as a family–(which holidays, at whose houses, what kinds of food?)
Experiences in Jewish Organizations/Institutional/Communal Life
- We know from reading X…..that you’ve held a number of leadership roles in the Lexington community.We also know that you were very involved P and Q organizations. Starting with the P, please share with us a little bit more. And for the record please state what institutional leadership roles you have held within the federation and when..
- When did you get involved and in what role?
- What was your experience like?
- What were some of your daily or weekly duties that were required by your positions?
- What motivated you to get involved? Why did you think it was/is important?
- When and How did you get involved? What leadership roles did you hold, when, and why?
- What are your attitudes towards Israel?
- What are your attitudes about Zionsim?
Concluding Reflections
- How have things changed in the Jewish community during the period of time you’ve been here? More specifically how have you seen the Jewish community change in Lexington?
- How does your relationship to Jewish identity and practice compare to your parents’ or children’s?
- How has where you grew up and have lived your adult life affected your relationship with Judaism?
- What is your relationship to Judaism now?
- Is there anything we have not asked you about that you would like to discuss?
Protocol B: If not originally from Lexington
Introduction Template: Hello, our names are X and X and X. As students in Dr. Fernheimer’s WRD 401: Spring 2019: Composing Oral History, we are conducting this interview as part of our work for that class and for the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence Jewish Kentucky Oral History Project. Today is X [insert full date Month, date, year] and it is our great honor and pleasure to interview X at the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History Studio [or wherever you are conducting the interview] here in Lexington, KY. Thank you so much for joining us today!
Background and Family Origins
- For the official record, please state (and if necessary, spell) your name at birth?
- When and where were you born?
- Tell me a little about your family background…..
- What are/were your parents’ names and occupations? When and where were they born? Where do they reside now?
- When did your family arrive in the U.S. and where did your ancestors come from? What brought them here? Did your parents and/or grandparents names change when they came to the U.S./ America?
- How many siblings do you have? What are their names and ages relative to you?
- Now that we’ve talked a bit about your family background, let’s shift gears and focus on what brought you to Lexington, KY.
Growing Up in XXX??
- When did you move to Lexington and what brought you here?
- So tell me about your experiences growing up in……
- Please describe your childhood and growing up in ….
- Where did you go to school (elementary, middle, high school) and when ?
- How many other Jewish students attended with you? What was it like to be one of only a few Jewish students attending a school of X ? How did you feel around the winter holiday season? How did your peers and teachers treat you?
- How would you describe your parents’ relationship to Judaism?
- Describe Judaism in your family.
- How often did your family attend religious services (only on the high holidays of Rhosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, every shabbat, some shabbats, other holidays?) Which synagogue did they attend? What holidays did you celebrate, with whom, and how? What food was consumed and who prepared? –Rhosh Hashana, Yom Kippur break fast, Hannukah, Purim, Pesach/Passover, Shabbat, Shavuot, Sukkot)
- What was the role of Jewish tradition in your childhood?
- What did your parents teach you about Judaism?
- What kind of Jewish education did you receive?
- (i.e. did you attend Sunday school and Hebrew school, one or the other, both? )What attitudes did you have toward religious school? What attitudes did your parents have toward religious school? How many other students were in your class/cohort? Did you become bar or bat mitvah at age 13–if so, what kind of training did you receive –did you read from the Torah, learn to chant, something else? –or celebration did you have?)
- How involved were you with Jewish youth group ? Which one?
- What kind of experiences did you have with Jewish summer camp (where, for how long, how far away from Lexington, what kind of orientation did the camp have–emphasizing Zionism, environmentalism, etc?) How important was it to you and/or your parents to socialize with other Jewish peers? To date Jewishly?
- What is your most vivid memory from childhood that you feel comfortable sharing?
*Note you will need to tailor the spacing of the transition questions depending on when they moved to Lexington, how old they were when they moved?
- What was it like to move from X to Lexington, KY in XXXX? What was most suprising? What helped ease the transition?
- How did you feel about moving to Lexington?
- What was your reception here by the Jewish community?
- Professional community? How did that change over time?
University and Young Adult Life
Now we’ve talked about a little about what it was like to grow up Jewish in XXXXX in the XXXXs, we’d like to shift to learn more about your adult life. [This question will be personalized to specific individuals.]
- Where did you attend university and what was your major? When did you attend/graduate (make sure to get dates here for when they started, completed or left)
- What was important to you and your family in choosing this university? How important was it to you or them that there be a Jewish community at the schools you considered?
- What motivated you to study at university?
- What extracurriculars were you involved with while there? How important was it for you to be involved with Jewish groups–fraternities/sororities/ Hillel, Jewish Student Union?–
through the university you attended? - How big was the Jewish population on campus or in the local town, and how often did you interact with other Jewish people?
- What was life like for you after college? Where did you land your first job and how?
- Tailor additional questions here to trace out career path….
- How did your first job prepare you for….? How did your university studies prepare you for your first job?
Courting, Partnership and Building a Jewish Home of One’s Own
- We’d like to learn more about the ways Judaism has played a role in your adult life including dating, marriage, children, and family life. We’ll begin with short series of questions about each of these topics–starting with dating…
- How important was it to you that you date other Jewish people? How important was it to your family?
- How did you meet them?
- When and how did you meet your partner/spouse?
- What kind of Jewish background did s/he/they come
from? - What was your courtship like? [first date, proposal?]
- (If married) When did you two get married and how long were you two married for?
- What kind of wedding did you have–which Jewish traditions was it important for you to incorporate?
- As you built your own household what practices were important for you two to maintain? How have those changed over time?
- For example–how did you approach kashrut? sabbath holiday observance, going to synagogue regularly/or at all?)
- (IF they have children)When and how did you decide to have children?
- How old are they? Where do they live now? What do they do?
- What values did you hope to instill in them?What Jewish values were important to you to
instill in them and how did you do that? - How did you handle their Jewish education? What kind of Jewish education did you provide for them?
- How was your family, or you specifically,
involved in the Jewish community when your children were growing up? - How did you balance childrearing with career and community responsibilities?
- What kind of ritual observance/holiday celebration did you engage in as a family–(which holidays, at whose houses, what kinds of food?)
Experiences in Jewish Organizations/Institutional/Communal Life
- We know from reading X…..that you’ve held a number of leadership roles in the Lexington community.We also know that you were very involved P and Q organizations. Starting with the P, please share with us a little bit more. And for the record please state what institutional leadership roles you have held within the federation and when..
- When did you get involved and in what role?
- What was your experience like?
- What were some of your daily or weekly duties that were required by your positions?
- What motivated you to get involved? Why did you think it was/is important?
- When and How did you get involved? What leadership roles did you hold, when, and why?
- What are your attitudes towards Israel?
- What are your attitudes about Zionsim?
Concluding Reflections
- How have things changed in the Jewish community during the period of time you’ve been here? More specifically how have you seen the Jewish community change in Lexington?
- How does your relationship to Jewish identity and practice compare to your parents’ or children’s?
- How has where you grew up and have lived your adult life affected your relationship with Judaism?
- What is your relationship to Judaism now?
- Is there anything we have not asked you about that you would like to discuss?