Date: Time Period: 1960 - 2012; 2012-06-13; Interview recorded: May 13 2012Material: Digital audio recording made using Zoom H2 digital recorder.Dimension:
Total running time: 0:37:49
Creator: Rebecca Rushfield interviews by Sheila WilliamsIdentifier: aql:20528 rushfield_rebecca_full
Description: From interviewer, Sheila Williams, "Rebecca Rushfield lived in Kew Gardens, Flushing New York for 56 years and she lives with her husband and two sons. Although Kew Gardens is a subdivision of Flushing, Rebecca considers Kew Gardens to be a family neighborhood. She mentions that her neighborhood was boring for a while, until the Queens College started building up. The campus brought some activities and life to the neighborhood. Actually more people from the weekend college classes increase the flow of traffic. With this change, it also changes the community. She lives in an apartment building that went Co-op in 1980, which once were all predominantly Jewish families. Now she finds that her neighborhood is gradually changing like other parts of Flushing neighborhoods. The boundaries included her apartment building with Asian families moving in. They are also able to purchase apartments through the Real Estate agent; the rules changed when it came time to purchasing within the building. A tenant would never sublet the apartment. Years ago a person would sell the apartment back to the building not to an agent. Just like the houses in the neighborhood, small houses went for astronomical prices and new owners rebuilt larger houses on the same lots. The Jewish communities live closer to the synagogue that also makes homes’ prices go up. The stores on Main Street, always provides for the Orthodox Jewish community; everything one needed was purchase in the stores on Main Street. None of the Asian stores made it to Main Street, except for one Afghanistan Restaurant. Growing up for Rebecca in Kew Gardens allowed her to adventure out more not like today unable to travel much. She says, “We were able to become more acquainted with the neighborhood, crossing the streets, and leaving doors unlocked. Having a synagogue in the community was considered too be safety place. A Jewish family was able to carry out of “ones personal domain.” The Jewish community built a construction call “Eruv,” which made it easier and safer for all the Orthodox Jewish communities. This brought unity during the Sabbath. There are many memories of the old Jewish community, but now there are also so many changes among the community. Although there is not too much to do, Kew Gardens is still a nice place to live. As long as there are mechanism to get you around: to go shopping, to the Queens Museum or to a close park Kew Gardens, Flushing provides a little urban and suburban, tree lined streets and a College campus. It has enough culture to raise a family." Only edited excerpts from oral history interviews are available online. For access to full interviews, contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org
Creator : Rebecca Rushfield interviews by Sheila Williams
Date : Time Period: 1960 - 2012; 2012-06-13; Interview recorded: May 13 2012
Summary/Description : From interviewer, Sheila Williams, "Rebecca Rushfield lived in Kew Gardens, Flushing New York for 56 years and she lives with her husband and two sons. Although Kew Gardens is a subdivision of Flushing, Rebecca considers Kew Gardens to be a family neighborhood. She mentions that her neighborhood was boring for a while, until the Queens College started building up. The campus brought some activities and life to the neighborhood. Actually more people from the weekend college classes increase the flow of traffic. With this change, it also changes the community. She lives in an apartment building that went Co-op in 1980, which once were all predominantly Jewish families. Now she finds that her neighborhood is gradually changing like other parts of Flushing neighborhoods. The boundaries included her apartment building with Asian families moving in. They are also able to purchase apartments through the Real Estate agent; the rules changed when it came time to purchasing within the building. A tenant would never sublet the apartment. Years ago a person would sell the apartment back to the building not to an agent. Just like the houses in the neighborhood, small houses went for astronomical prices and new owners rebuilt larger houses on the same lots. The Jewish communities live closer to the synagogue that also makes homes’ prices go up. The stores on Main Street, always provides for the Orthodox Jewish community; everything one needed was purchase in the stores on Main Street. None of the Asian stores made it to Main Street, except for one Afghanistan Restaurant. Growing up for Rebecca in Kew Gardens allowed her to adventure out more not like today unable to travel much. She says, “We were able to become more acquainted with the neighborhood, crossing the streets, and leaving doors unlocked. Having a synagogue in the community was considered too be safety place. A Jewish family was able to carry out of “ones personal domain.” The Jewish community built a construction call “Eruv,” which made it easier and safer for all the Orthodox Jewish communities. This brought unity during the Sabbath. There are many memories of the old Jewish community, but now there are also so many changes among the community. Although there is not too much to do, Kew Gardens is still a nice place to live. As long as there are mechanism to get you around: to go shopping, to the Queens Museum or to a close park Kew Gardens, Flushing provides a little urban and suburban, tree lined streets and a College campus. It has enough culture to raise a family." Only edited excerpts from oral history interviews are available online. For access to full interviews, contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org
Subject : Department stores; Eruv; Jewish families
Rights : This recording is the property of Queens College Libraries' Department of Special Collections and Archives. Please contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.
Coverage : Locations discussed: Kew Gardens Hill, Queens, NY Kew Gardens Hills (New York, N.Y.) Queens (New York, N.Y.)
Type : Oral history
Format : Digital audio recording made using Zoom H2 digital recorder.; Total running time: 0:37:49
Rights Notice This recording is the property of Queens College Libraries' Department of Special Collections and Archives. Please contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.
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