The Story Booth at the Stroum Jewish Community Center
The oral history program was invited to participate in the Seattle Jewish Film Festival in March, 2025. WSJHS staff and volunteers traveled to Mercer Island to conduct interviews with participants attending a screening of "Carla the Rescuer" at the Stroum Jewish Community Center. Participants discussed their relationship to the film itself, to the Festival (celebrating their 30th anniversary!), and to the Community Center as well.
Clement Lye
Director Clement Lye discusses his film "Carla the Rescuer" which was screened at the Seattle Jewish Film Festival in March, 2025. He discusses his background in filmmaking and his motivation to create this film.
Kristine Hoover
Producer of "Carla the Rescuer", Kristine Hoover discusses the film, highlighting the ongoing relevance of Carla's actions, even as she continues to engage with the world at the age of 101. Kristine shares about her previous experience documenting stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things with the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations.
Sylvia Angel
Sylvia shares about her longstanding relationship to the Stroum Jewish Community Center, including working with singles groups and senior groups, noting her children's participation at the JCC as well. She discusses the role of the Seattle Jewish Film Festival as well, and describes the growth she's witnessed over the past thirty years.
Carol Schapira
Carol describes her family's longstanding relationship to the Stroum Jewish Community Center, where her children learned to swim and attended summer camp.
Paul Regelbrugge
Paul, Director of Education for the Holocaust Center for Humanity in Seattle, discusses his organization's involvement in the Seattle Jewish Film Festival. Paul shares some family history as well as his connection to the film, "Carla the Rescuer".
Lucy Pruzan
Lucy discusses her longstanding relationship with the Stroum Jewish Community Center and the Seattle Jewish Film Festival. She mentions her role as a former president of the board and her consistent attendance at the festival since its inception 30 years ago. She reflects on the significant growth of the JCC and its impact on her family.
Jacky Nelson
Jacky shares about her move to Seattle in 1985 and her relationship to the Seattle Jewish Film Festival and to the Stroum Jewish Community Center.
Vivian Morrison
Vivian makes connections between the Jewish Community Center she grew up with in Chicago and the Stroum Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island. She wa a former volunteer for the Seattle Jewish Film Festival.
Leslie Mickel
Leslie describes her relationship with the Stroum Jewish Community Center as well as with the Seattle Holocaust Center for Humanity. She also discusses her recent book on the topic of Danish Jewish rescuers during the Holocaust.
Ellen Goldblatt
Ellen reviews her experience at the Seattle Jewish Film Festival, and shares her family's history in relation to the Holocaust. She discusses growing up in an Orthodox community in Cleveland, Ohio, and highlights the central role of the local JCC in her life and in the lives of many Jewish families in the area.
Geri Dube
Geri moved from Pittsburgh to attend the University of Washington. After settling on Mercer Island and starting a family, she fostered an especially strong connection with the Stroum Jewish Community Center. She discusses the importance Seattle Jewish Film Festival as an educational tool.