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Bigman-Wexler, Oscar & Rita

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Correspondence between Oscar and Rita Bigman née Wexler, mainly from the period of Oscar's service in the American Army

Reference Code
P428
Dates
1904; 1940-1964
Consists of
45 files.
Languages
English; Yiddish; Hebrew;
Title Bigman-Wexler, Oscar & Rita.
Contributors RitaBigman
FriedaWexler
CliffordWexler
AbeBigman
SarahBigman
DevorahPliskin
AbePliskin
LouBigman
JoelBigman
NathanBigman
DavidBigman
HaroldWexler
US Army Edgewood Arsenal Chemical Research and Development Laboratories
Notes Papers, originals, photographs
Host Item Bigman-Wexler, Oscar & Rita - Private Collection
Level of Description Fonds Record
Biographical summary Rita and Oscar were both born in the USA. Oscar's parents were from Belarus, and immigrated to Detroit during World War I. Oscar's father Abe Bigman came first, with the idea of earning money to bring his wife and two children over, but the war and the Russian Revolution interfered, and he succeeded in bringing them only afterwards. Rita's parents were from Romania. Her mother had Sephardi roots, as her family name was Abarbanel. Her father’s last name was Wexler. They lived initially in New York where Rita's father was a tailor, and made suits for affluent clients. The business faltered during the depression, and they moved to Detroit. Rita and Oscar met in November 1947, at a soccer game featuring a team from Eretz Israel. It was a social event for young Jews in Detroit, and shorlty afterwards Rita and Oscar began dating. At the time, Oscar was in the US army. He had started medical school just before the Second World War, and the army paid for his studies, which he finished in 1946. Since Oscar was able to visit Detroit very occasionally, they wrote to each other almost daily and this is the first set of letters.Oscar served in a number of army bases. He spent some time in Texas, but mostly was in a chemical warfare facility near Baltimore. Rita and Oscar were married on January 1, 1949. At the time, there was a rule that married officers would not be sent overseas. Then the army changed the rules, and Oscar was sent to occupied Japan for about 6 months. This resulted in another set of letters.The Bigman couple had a strong Jewish identity. Many of their longing love letters also refer to Hebrew studies, “our people”, Zionist meetings, kosher food, events in Israel, etc. .Some of the main characters portrayed in the letters: Rita Wexler's parents: Frieda & Clifford (Akiva) Wexler, Rita's younger brother: Harold Wexler, Oscar Bigman's father: Abe Abraham Bigman, Oscar's paternal grandmother: Sarah Bigman, Oscar's paternal aunt: Devorah Pliskin ("Dveirel", "Dora", "Dorothy") married to Abe Pliskin, Oscar's paternal uncle: Lou Bigman ("Leib", "Leibl", "Yuda Leib"), Rita's & Oscar's children: Joel, Nathan, David, and Hassidah (Hassie)
National Library system number 997010820024505171
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