Phil wearing a yellow sweater vest sitting at a table

Phil at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue

30/07/2019 - 1920s, Brooklyn

In 2018, Phil went to talk to young people taking classes at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue. This short classroom talk was recorded on video. Phil at BHS Clip 1 In this first video, Phil talks about his early childhood in the 1920s: how much food he could buy for a nickel, early experiences as a child […]

At the Racetrack in India

25/11/2016 - 1940s, India, World War II

On his way to occupied China, Phil traveled through India with some of his friends in the service. (4 mins) Audio transcript: We found out that where we were quartered was short distance from a racetrack and since the Japanese never reached Bombay or bombed Bombay, this racetrack was still in operation, so we rented […]

Foley and Phil’s arrival in India

25/11/2016 - 1940s, India, World War II

After some time crossing Africa in the box cars, Phil arrives in Mumbai, India (then called “Bombay”) with a bunch of guys, including one he still remembers 70 years later: Foley. Audio transcript:   There was a guy in my boxcar named Foley, he was a little older than us. If I was 20 by […]

Signing Up for the Air Force and Navy, 1942

24/11/2016 - 1940s, Brooklyn, US Air Force, World War II

In 1942, while a student at Brooklyn College, Phil, (along with some of his friends from the corner) decides to enlist. (4 mins) Audio Transcript At the age of 19 and a half, I believe, on December 4th, 1942, I enlisted in the United States Air Force. I had finished three years at Brooklyn College […]

The Sterling Place Candy Store Crowd Responds to WWII

24/11/2016 - 1940s, Brooklyn, World War II

Phil moved to Crown Heights as a small child, and he and the people he grew up with were all drawn into World War II in one way or another. Audio transcript: I lived in Crown Heights on Sterling Place, just off of Rochester Avenue within one block of an elementary school, which then incorporated […]