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Leo M. Bernstein
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Jewish Historical Society Oral History Project
Collection Name
Jewish Historical Society Oral History Project
Title
Leo M. Bernstein, interview (part 1 of 6)
Handle
http://hdl.handle.net/1961/dcplislandora:42929
Creator/Contributor
Bernstein, Leo M. (1915-2008), interviewee
Bernstein, Stella, interviewer
Note
Part 1 of an interview with Leo M. Bernstein, real estate developer and leader in the Washington, D.C. community. He recounts his family history and the nature of the Jewish community in the late-19th to early-20th centuries. Bernstein's father and uncle ran Bernstein Brothers, the district's first Army-Navy store, and prospered in the real estate business. They were also involved in many other local businesses and neighborhood restoration projects. Bernstein recalls childhood memories of working in Chinatown, and moving around the city often with his family to accommodate the family's business and real estate endeavors. In 1927, he became a cub scout in the Jewish Boy scout group, which met at the Young Men's Hebrew Association (YMHA) at the Washington DCJCC, now known as The Edlavich Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington. Bernstein attended Central High School and was involved in the drama club, the high school Cadets, and was president of Alpha Delta Omega (ADO), the only Jewish fraternity at the time. Bernstein adds that the Baltimore Boys musicians often visited his ADO chapter. In addition, he discusses law school, everyday life in the neighborhoods, his contributions to Jewish efforts--especially relating to Israel--and his career accomplishments. One such accomplishment was his involvement in the 1933 Proctor Case in which a black (African-American) Howard University professor married to a white woman was prohibited from buying a house. This case was one of many in which Bernstein fought for the rights of blacks (African-Americans) and Jews to own real estate in restricted areas of Washington, D.C.
Leo Macy Bernstein was born to Celia Kravitz and Benjamin Bernstein in Washington, D.C. on 1915. Bernstein had two siblings, sister Miriam Bernstein and brother Norman Bernstein. Grandfather Hyman Bernstein immigrated to America and settled in Washington, D.C. between 1884 and 1885 and owned a kosher butcher shop. Bernstein attended Parkview School through eighth grade, then Central High School. He attended law school at The Catholic University of America and made a career in the real estate business. He had three children with his first wife Evelyn Bernstein, and later married Beverly Bildman. He died in 2008 in Washington, D.C.
Neighborhood
Chinatown, Washington, D.C.
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
Mount Pleasant, Washington, D.C.
City
Washington, D.C.
Subject
Judaism.
Immigration to the United States
Adas Israel Hebrew Congregation (Washington, D.C.)
Family business
Synagogues
High Holidays.
Jewish community centers.
Anti-Semitism.
Religious life.
Education
Family life.
Neighborhoods.
Real estate investment.
Real estate development.
Race.
Segregation.
Catholic University of America. Columbus School of Law.
Israel.
Intergroup relations.
Hebrew Home of Greater Washington
Source
Original version: audiocassette ; DC Public Library, People’s Archive, OHP 1 Jewish Historical Society Oral History Project
Local identifier
dcpl_ohp01-04_01.wav
Rights Information
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
In Copyright
Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington
