Alvin Becker's Oral History

Alvin Becker, retired veterinarian, was interviewed by Rola Younes on December 1, 2013 at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts. His parents, both immigrants originally from Belarus, met in Milwaukee via the Farband Labor Zionist Order. His father was a grocer and meat-packer and Alvin grew up speaking Yiddish with his bobe (grandmother). He also studied the language at the Sholem Aleichem folkshul (Yiddish secular school) where he was in the choir and was involved in the activities of Habonim. Alvin presented his bar mitzvah speech in Yiddish, much to the delight of the congregants. His family were "Roosevelt Democrats" who were very involved in Zionist activities; many of his relatives made aliyah and fought for Israel. Golda Meir went to school with his mother in Milwaukee, and he fondly recalls one of her visits when she focused on meeting all the children. In general, there was little antisemitism in what was then a progressive city, but he does recall his uncles and their Jewish soccer team confronting a goose-stepping German-American Bundt parade. Alvin went to veterinary school with the idea of practicing in Israel, but his wife was not interested in moving there. He ended up heading an animal hospital in the Chicago area for forty years and recently retired to Red Hook, New York to be near his children and grandchildren. Alvin currently takes adult education classes at Bard College, serves on several boards, participates in civic activities as an election judge, and is active in the Woodstock Jewish Congregation. He belongs to a yidish-vinkl (Yiddish conversation group) and very much enjoys reconnecting with Yiddish after many years. He describes his children and grandchildren – although none of them speaks Yiddish he is proud of their identification as Jews. He ends the interview by singing a Yiddish song which tells the story of Hanukkah.