Russak (Joseph) interview

• Main Authors: Russak, Joseph, Kaplan, Meta; Russak, Adina;
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: 1976
• Subjects: Russak; Boris; Louie; Hashalom; Olav; Avram; Goldberg; Kive; Feivel; Sam; Getsel; Brenner; Ruthie; Uchida; Benny; Schwartz; Frank; Henderson; Sidell; Davy; Glant; Jules; Irving; Buttnick; Harry; Jack; Krevin; Isaacson; Itzie; Kutoff; Label; Steinberg; Burt; Hank; Lawson; Shimshie; Oseran; Mel; Lustig; Barney; Feldman; Kotchke; Ordell; Bernard; Fryer; Erica; Aroni; Lee; Gmilas Chasodim Society (Schtapes; Russia); Alaska Junk Company; Aleutco Corporation; California Bag Company; Bloch and Company; The Ogden Corporation; Harry Russak Truck Part; Bikur Cholim-Machzikay Hadath (Congregation : Seattle; Wash.); Talmud Torah (Seattle; Union of Orthodox Congregations of America; Torah Emsorah; B'nai B'rith. Anti-defamation League; Totem Distributing; Yukon; Pacific; Alaska
• Online Access: http://cdm16786.contentdm.oclc.org:80/cdm/ref/collection/ohc/id/2441

In this oral history interview, Joseph tells of the family life in Minsk. Harry Russak, Joseph's father, arrived in Seattle in 1907 with not one cent and left a multi-million dollar estate when he died in 1969. He came from Schtapes in Minsk in Russia where the family had lived for about 300 years. He tells of his father's upward mobility from selling vegetables door to door with a horse and wagon to owning industrial parks where he was a landlord to big corporations. He tells of the Mir Yeshiva which his father attended and his father's life in Europe. He gives insights into the life of an orthodox Jew in the world of big business. Russak also includes interesting details of early years in auto wrecking and land buying and of selling kosher meat at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific-Exposition. This accession is part of the Washington State Jewish Archives. To request a high resolution or uncompressed reproduction, or to obtain permission to use any portion of this item, contact the University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections. Email: [e-mail]. Please reference the Digital ID Number.