Personal History Questions for Jews

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.

1. Did you grow up in a Jewish or in a Gentile neighborhood?
2. Did you feel comfortable in Gentile neighborhoods?
3. Was your Jewish neighborhood a close one?
4. What languages were spoken in your Jewish neighborhood?
5. Did you only associate with other Jewish kids growing up?
6. Who were they and what are they doing today?
7. Why did your family settle in the area where you grew up?
8. Did they want to live somewhere else?
9. Being Jewish, did you feel separate from the community?
10. Did you very suffer any discrimination either in public schools or otherwise?
11. Did you ever wish you were not Jewish what may have made you feel that way?
12. How did you celebrate the various Jewish Holiday’s?
13. Which one is your favorite and why?
14. How did your family deal with the various non Jewish religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter?
15. What are your favorite Jewish foods?
16. Did your family eat “kosher”?
17. Do you do so today?
18. Describe your “Bar Mitzvah” or “Bat Mitzvah”?
19. Was there any occupations you could not go into because of your Jewish upbringing?
20. Was a “matchmaker” ever talked about in the selection of a spouse for you?
21. Did you ever know any family members married with the help of a matchmaker?
22. What domination (Orthodox, Reformed, etc) were you growing up?
23. What domination are you are present?
24. If different, why the change?
25. What is your feelings about other Jewish dominations?
26. Any remembrances on how some Jewish dominations treated other dominations?
27. Which Synagogue did you belong to as a child?
28. Do you belong to one today?
29. What is your activity in Synagogue today?
30. Did you or do you now wear any special articles of clothing?
31. Did you attend Hebrew school?
32. Can you read Hebrew now?
33. What is you attitude of the non-Jewish people?
34. Was there any particular family member that had the greatest influence on you as far as your attitude toward Judaism today?
35. What was the Sabbath like in your home? Describe in detail.
36. Have you read the Torah or any other sacred books of Judaism?
37. Any Rabbis you remember in particular and what was their influence?
38. Did you ever entertain the thought of being a Rabbi?
39. Did you ever investigate any other Jewish dominations and why?
40. Did you ever investigate any Christian dominations and why?
41. Did you ever investigate any other religions and why?
42. Did you ever attend any other the services of any other the above?
43. Describes your thoughts and feelings about your investigations.
44. Any feeling towards those who converted from Judaism to other religions?
45. Did you family change its name from the old country when they came to the US?
46. What was it?
47. Who changed it?
48. 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.
49. Was it easy for your ancestors to except the American culture?
50. Did your family ever talk about immigrating to Israel?
51. Do you have such thoughts? If not, why not?
52. Have you been to Israel and how did you feel being there?
53. How does having grown up in a Jewish family effect you today?
54. How would you characterize your family’s activity in Judaism as you were growing up?
55. How would characterize your family’s activity today?
56. Did it have any influence on your school activities that take place on Friday night?
57. Any relatives victims of the Holocaust?
58. Tell what you know about them and what areas they came from?
59. Any of your family past or present active in Zionism?
60. What is your attitude about the problems in the middle east?
61. How do you feel about your arab cousins
62. Other questions and notes: