Personal History Questions for Jews
From FamilySearch Wiki
Creating A Personal History Personal History Questions for Jews
If you grew up Jewish here are some questions for you. Please feel free to add additional questions that would help a Jewish person write a more complete personal history.
- Did you grow up in a Jewish or in a Gentile neighborhood?
- Did you feel comfortable in Gentile neighborhoods?
- Was your Jewish neighborhood a close one?
- What languages were spoken in your Jewish neighborhood?
- Did you only associate with other Jewish kids growing up?
- Who were they and what are they doing today?
- Why did your family settle in the area where you grew up?
- Did they want to live somewhere else?
- Being Jewish, did you feel separate from the community?
- Did you very suffer any discrimination either in public schools or otherwise?
- Did you ever wish you were not Jewish what may have made you feel that way?
- How did you celebrate the various Jewish Holiday’s?
- Which one is your favorite and why?
- How did your family deal with the various non Jewish religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter?
- What are your favorite Jewish foods?
- Did your family eat “kosher”?
- Do you do so today?
- Describe your “Bar Mitzvah” or “Bat Mitzvah”?
- Was there any occupations you could not go into because of your Jewish upbringing?
- Was a “matchmaker” ever talked about in the selection of a spouse for you?
- Did you ever know any family members married with the help of a matchmaker?
- What domination (Orthodox, Reformed, etc) were you growing up?
- What domination are you are present?
- If different, why the change?
- What is your feelings about other Jewish dominations?
- Any remembrances on how some Jewish dominations treated other dominations?
- Which Synagogue did you belong to as a child?
- Do you belong to one today?
- What is your activity in Synagogue today?
- Did you or do you now wear any special articles of clothing?
- Did you attend Hebrew school?
- Can you read Hebrew now?
- What is you attitude of the non-Jewish people?
- Was there any particular family member that had the greatest influence on you as far as your attitude toward Judaism today?
- What was the Sabbath like in your home? Describe in detail.
- Have you read the Torah or any other sacred books of Judaism?
- Any Rabbis you remember in particular and what was their influence?
- Did you ever entertain the thought of being a Rabbi?
- Did you ever investigate any other Jewish dominations and why?
- Did you ever investigate any Christian dominations and why?
- Did you ever investigate any other religions and why?
- Did you ever attend any other the services of any other the above?
- Describes your thoughts and feelings about your investigations.
- Any feeling towards those who converted from Judaism to other religions?
- Did you family change its name from the old country when they came to the US?
- What was it?
- Who changed it?
- Did your family take pride in now being American Jews or did they still continue to look upon themselves as Russian Jews, Polish Jews, etc.
- Was it easy for your ancestors to except the American culture?
- Did your family ever talk about immigrating to Israel?
- Do you have such thoughts? If not, why not?
- Have you been to Israel and how did you feel being there?
- How does having grown up in a Jewish family effect you today?
- How would you characterize your family’s activity in Judaism as you were growing up?
- How would characterize your family’s activity today?
- Did it have any influence on your school activities that take place on Friday night?
- Any relatives victims of the Holocaust?
- Tell what you know about them and what areas they came from?
- Any of your family past or present active in Zionism?
- What is your attitude about the problems in the middle east?
- How do you feel about your arab cousins
- Other questions and notes: