Stanley Kravetz, September 20, 2016

Stanley Kravetz, September 20, 2016

Stanley Kravetz was born in Georgetown, Kentucky on March 4, 1934. Both his mother and father were born in Lithuania and immigrated to the United States as refugees. Kravetz discusses his grandparents’ lives, his experiences growing up in rural Kentucky, as well as how his family came to Kentucky. Next Kravetz explains what Judaism was like growing up, explaining how his parents were Orthodox and how they celebrated holidays. Then Kravetz discusses his relationship to Judaism when living in rural Kentucky and going to school as a Jewish boy. Furthermore, he goes on to describe his memories from childhood, and family ties in Cincinnati, Lexington, and Georgetown. Kravetz briefly describes a story of his father when he lived in a Russian shtetl and only spoke Yiddish. He then shifts to the University of Kentucky and his daily life as a college student during the 1950s. Next he discusses his involvement with Jewish organizations, such as Zeta Beta Tau and Hillel at U.K. as well as his involvement in the Lexington community while he was a student at UK. Kravetz then discusses life after college, including his involvement in the army and later his career as an optician. Moreover Kravetz discusses practicing non-orthodox Judaism as a parent and an adult, which was different from what he was accustomed to in his early life. Kravetz briefly discusses his strong feelings about Israel and how he perceives it as a “ last resort” for Jewish people in the event that another Holocaust were to happen. Finally, Kravetz describes pictures from the past of himself, his father, and his grandfather. The interview concludes with Mr. Kravetz graciously thanking the interviewer.

audio

2016oh394_jk031

Janice Crane

Stanley Kravetz

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Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.