Interview with Irving Koren, November 7, 2007, Eden, Wisconsin

Partial Transcript: Irving's father came to the United States around 1914. He took the name and ticket off of a person in Europe and did not come to America under his own name. This meant that he was never able to become a U.S. citizen because he could never provide accurate entry documents.

Partial Transcript: Irving changed his last name from Cohen to Koren after he got out of the navy in 1947. He met his wife in the navy.

Partial Transcript: Irving's father came to the United States in 1914 and was finally able to bring his wife to the United States in 1921. His father worked in Detroit at the Ford Motor Plant. He moved to Minneapolis and worked for an egg company for a while. He eventually bought property and moved to Waupaca, Wisconsin.

Partial Transcript: Irving talks about his father's properties in Waupaca. He was born in the third ward of Waupaca by a midwife in a birthing home. Irving also discusses his childhood chores.

Partial Transcript: His father owned a movie theater in Waupaca. The distribution of films was primarily handled by Jewish people in Milwaukee.

Partial Transcript: Irving's father and uncle worked together in the egg business. His father also got into the cheese business during World War II. His business graded, assembled and packaged cheese. Irving tells stories related to the egg and cheese business.

Partial Transcript: Irving's father started the egg business before Irving was born and it went out of business in 1952. He describes how grocery stores and farmers would sell eggs to his father's business.

Partial Transcript: Irving's father did not speak English very well. He also discusses how his mother communicated in Yiddish and English when she arrived in Wisconsin.

Partial Transcript: Irving's parents were from eastern Russia, which eventually became part of Poland.

Partial Transcript: Irving's mother lived through the progroms and World War I in Russia. She arrived in the United States in 1921.

Partial Transcript: Irving's parents married before 1914 in an arranged marriage.

Partial Transcript: Irving and his family rarely experienced antisemitism.

Partial Transcript: The Koren's lived above their movie theater in Waupaca. Irving had twin sisters born in 1930 and a brother who was fourteen months younger then himself. Irving and his brother worked for his father's businesses.

Partial Transcript: Irving started candling eggs when he was twelve years old. Irving loves eggs and still eats them.

Partial Transcript: Irving's father's cheese business was also headquartered in Waupaca.

Partial Transcript: Irving's father had an accent and trouble reading English.

Partial Transcript: When Irving and his siblings worked for their father, they would get spending money. The family would often visit Milwaukee or Chicago during the high holidays, but his father's businesses continued to stay open.

Partial Transcript: Irving discusses how his family would celebrate various holidays. The family kept kosher for a little while, but eventually stopped. His mother lit sabbath candles every Friday and had a sabbath meal. His father would host and lead seders.

Partial Transcript: Irving had a bar mitzvah in Oshkosh and was taught some Hebrew.

Partial Transcript: Irving had a big party with friends and relatives at the Grand View Hotel to celebrate his bar mitzvah. He also discusses the struggle of stuttering through his bar mitzvah.

Partial Transcript: Singing helped Irving overcome his stuttering.

Partial Transcript: Irving discusses the various Jewish families in Waupaca and their occupations.

Partial Transcript: Irving hung out with mainly non-Jewish kids in Waupaca and Jewish kids in Milwaukee.

Partial Transcript: Irving's parents did not allow his sisters to date non-Jews, but Irving and his brother were not restricted in who they could date.

Partial Transcript: Irving's parents belonged to the Waupaca Jewish Country Club, which was not an actual country club. The men would play poker, the women would talk, and the kids would run around. The club met monthly.

Partial Transcript: Seders were held in Hebrew late into the night.

Partial Transcript: When Irving was growing up, many members of his Jewish community spoke Yiddish. He can understand some Yiddish, but not speak the language.

Partial Transcript: Irving remembers celebrating seder at the Appleton temple or just celebrating it at home.

Partial Transcript: There was a reform congregation in Appleton in the 1930s and 40s. They would often rent a space to worship. Irving's family did not attend services with the reform congregation when he was young. The reform congregation tried to meet weekly.

Partial Transcript: Many members of the Fond du Lac Jewish community were business people. Irving discusses the various businesses owned by Jewish Fond du Lac community members. He did businesses with many of these people.

Partial Transcript: Irving's son's bar mitzvah was the first bar mitzvah in the new Fond du Lac synagogue. The new synagogue was built in 1960 and the old synagogue became a church.

Partial Transcript: Irving felt that Fond du Lac was a comfortable place for Jews to live. He never experienced any overt antisemitism while he lived in the community. The Jewish community was very active and close. They had religious school and the temple was packed on high holidays. He also discusses the various rabbis that the community had throughout the years.

Partial Transcript: Irving discusses how the synagogue in rarely open now. Jews in the Fond du Lac area often go to Milwaukee or Oshkosh for services.

Partial Transcript: Many of the Fond du Lac Jews have moved away and the Jewish community is shrinking. Irving discusses how the Jewish community is no longer close in Fond du Lac.

Partial Transcript: Fond du Lac had a B'nai B'rith when Irving first arrived, but it disappeared do to lack of attendance.

Partial Transcript: Irving did not expect his kids to stay in the Fond du Lac area once they grew up. He did his best to impart the importance of Jewish traditions to his kids.