Interview with Annette Mayer, March 24, 2016

CRANE: OK. For official purposes, today is March 24th, 2016. My name is Janice Crane, and I am part of the interviewing team for the Jewish Kentucky Oral History Project, funded by the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence. I'm honored to be here today with Annette Perlmutter Mayer. I've known Annette for many years but have never had an opportunity to hear details of her life and listen to her story, so I'm excited to share this time with her and looking forward to our chat. So, Annette, before we get too involved, I have a few general questions--

MAYER: --OK--

CRANE: --uh, informational questions for you.

MAYER: OK.

CRANE: What was your name at birth?

MAYER: Annette Perlmutter.

CRANE: OK. Did you have a middle name?

MAYER: No.

CRANE: OK.

MAYER: I didn't have a middle name. I was cheated.

CRANE: (laughs) When and where were you born?

MAYER: Brooklyn, New York.

CRANE: OK. I know your parents are no longer alive, but what were their names, 00:01:00and where were they originally from?

MAYER: My mother's name was Bertha Schwartz. My father was Jacob Perlmutter. And they both were born in Austria.

CRANE: Oh. Uh, what were your parents' occupations?

MAYER: Well, my mother was definitely a homemaker. Now, my father was--and you won't believe this--he was a furrier. He made fur coats--

CRANE: --ooh.

MAYER: --from skins. And I remember seeing him laying out skins on a great big table, and then sewing them together to make a beautiful fur coat.

CRANE: Do you have any of them?

MAYER: No. (laughs)

CRANE: Just thought I'd check.

MAYER: I mean, we're talking a long time ago, and you don't have fur now.

CRANE: That's true. Uh, what brought your family to Kentucky, and how old were you when you moved here?

MAYER: It was 1942, and the United States had been attacked, and we were living 00:02:00in Dallas, Texas at that time, and my father was afraid that we would be--we meaning the United States--would be invaded through the South, and he wanted to get out of Texas. So he looked for a job someplace inner United States, and he found one in Lexington, Kentucky. So that's how we moved here.

CRANE: And what was the job he came here for?

MAYER: As a furrier. There was a department store here named, uh, B.B. Smith & Company. This was probably before a lot of people were born. And they had an opening. They had a fur department, and they needed a furrier.

CRANE: Hm.

MAYER: So he got the job, and that's how we came to Lexington.

CRANE: If you have siblings, what are their names and ages relative to you?

MAYER: I have a sister who is, uh, five years older than I am. Her name is now 00:03:00Ruth Levin. And then, uh, I have a brother, uh, Jerry, and he is two years older than me, and he lives in Florida, and my sister lives in Vermont.

CRANE: And for the record, what was your husband's name?

MAYER: Ken Mayer.

CRANE: And what are the names and ages of your children and your grandchildren?

MAYER: Uh-oh. OK, my daughter, Michelle, is, uh, about forty-seven, and my son, Mike, is forty-five. And I have two grandchildren, Elliott, who's four years old, and Madison, who's going to be one year old pretty soon.

CRANE: And this is their home, right?

MAYER: This is their home, yes.

CRANE: How would you describe your parents' relationship to Judaism?

MAYER: Oh, um, very close. Uh, I would say we were a mix between Orthodox and 00:04:00Conservative before we moved to Lexington, uh, and then, uh, we were--my father was sort of like a cantor, and he had a great voice. And, uh, he was--I mean, they were fairly religious. And, uh, you know, pra-- we practiced. We were very, uh, you know--we kept kosher, and, uh, very strict about that.

CRANE: And what was keeping kosher like in Lexington, Kentucky at that time?

MAYER: Tough. Uh, I know that you probably heard about Mr. Goller --

CRANE: --um-hm.

MAYER: --and his store, and I vividly remember, uh, when I went to Lexington Junior that I would walk up--it's just a block away from, uh, Mr. Goller's store--I would walk up and get kosher meat there, and I would go with my mother 00:05:00there, and she would go in his backyard and find a chicken, and pick the chicken that she wanted for Shabbos, and, uh, he would slit its throat, and she would sometimes just take it home and pluck it herself, or sometimes she would stay there and pluck it.

CRANE: Okay. (laughter)

MAYER: Yeah.

CRANE: Uh, what was, uh, Judaism in your family like growing up? You said you kept kosher. Um--

MAYER: And we were very strict in observing the s-- the holidays.

CRANE: Okay. How did you celebrate them?

MAYER: In Texas or here?

CRANE: Either one.

MAYER: Oh, okay. Well, um, for the major holidays, you know, like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, uh, you know, very, very strict. In fact, uh, when I first married, and my husband was from New York, and we were living here--uh, you know, of course, at that time we were here in Lexington--uh, I was, uh, so 00:06:00concerned about the high holidays that we used to stay downtown in a hotel so that we could walk to services at what we called the old synagogue, and, um, and I was so--still then I was really religious, and I wouldn't turn on lights on the Sabbath or anything like that, and that's why we stayed in the hotel.

CRANE: And did you do this growing up?

MAYER: Yes.

CRANE: Stay in the hotel?

MAYER: Here in, uh--

CRANE: --in Lexingt--

MAYER: --after we were married?

CRANE: No, before.

MAYER: Before. No, we were living close enough to the synagogue that I could walk--

CRANE: --okay.

MAYER: --and, and I would walk to the synagogue. This was before I was married--

CRANE: --right.

MAYER: --growing up.

CRANE: I know that as an adult you attended the synagogue, but not sure if that's where you spent your youth, or if that's where your parents went.

MAYER: No. I mean, oh, yes, they were--

CRANE: --OK.

MAYER: --they were at the synagogue, of course.

CRANE: Describe your family's in-involvement in the Jewish community, not yours 00:07:00as an adult but yours as a child, or a young adult--

MAYER: --well--

CRANE: --young teenager.

MAYER: --unfortunately, my father passed away three years after we moved here, so now we're talking 1945. And it was--you know, those were sort of tough times. And, uh, so, you know, we observed the holidays as best as we could, but always going to the synagogue.

CRANE: Okay. Share some of your religious school and Hebrew school experiences, yours--

MAYER: --uh, what--

CRANE: --and how they were different or the same as that of your children.

MAYER: I didn't have as much a, uh, attachment to a--what's--what I find different now is that going to, uh, Sunday school is big here in Lexington. I never went to Sunday school in Texas; it was always Hebrew school. And I 00:08:00remember that we had a bus that used to come and pick me up, take me to Hebrew school, and then bring me back home. But here in Lexington it was different, but I did go, uh, to Hebrew school here in the old--what we call the old synagogue. And, uh, I did not have a bat mitzvah because growing up it was not customary for women to have bat mitzvahs.

CRANE: But did you did go to Hebrew school.

MAYER: I did go to Hebrew school and learn Hebrew and everything, but--

CRANE: Who was the rabbi when you were in Hebrew school.

MAYER: Rabbi Schwab.

CRANE: When you were in Hebrew school?

MAYER: Uh--Yeah, I think it was Rabbi Schwab. I don't know, it might've been Rabbi Peppenheimer.

CRANE: I think it was--

MAYER: --probably Peppenheimer, and then into Rabbi Schwab.

CRANE: OK. Um, describe the relationship you had with other Jewish families and Jewish friends growing up in Lexington.

MAYER: I had a couple of close friends growing up in Lexington, and, uh, our 00:09:00relationship with other families was very casual, because, uh, most of the time we were just busy with our own lives.

CRANE: OK. Who were some of your friends growing up in Lexington, Jewish friends?

MAYER: Uh, Sue Newman--

CRANE: --um-hm.

MAYER: --and her husband, Kay Frankel.

CRANE: Oh, yeah.

MAYER: And, uh, I'm--I have a distant relationship with, uh, some family in Frankfort, Kentucky, and, uh, I was very close with one of the, uh, girls who lived in Frankfort, Betty, uh, Betty Marcus. And, um--

CRANE: --did they own a furniture store?

MAYER: They owned a furniture store, and--well, actually her--it was her uncle who owned the furniture store, Betty's father owned a jewelry store--

CRANE: --oh.

MAYER: --in Frankfort. And she used to come into Lexington quite often. And 00:10:00we had a, uh, BBYO group when I was growing, the B'nai Brith young girls organization, and, uh, they were about--there were several of us involved in that.

CRANE: And what year was this?

MAYER: I knew you were gonna ask me that, and I can't remember. (laughs) But I guess we were all probably about thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, getting ready to, you know, think about going to college.

CRANE: Okay. How did you connect with the larger Jewish community? I know that you went to the synagogue, uh, but did you spend time with, uh, some of the children from the temple, or from Cincinnati, or Louisville?

MAYER: No, no, I don't recall, uh--Uh, we were very--a very close-knit group here. And of course, uh, at that time growing up, uh, I didn't have access to a 00:11:00car, so we were limited in transportation. So it was very, you know, just centered around the synagogue.

CRANE: Lexington has never had what we would call a large Jewish population. In fact, regardless of what public or private school you attended--and you already mentioned, um, Lexington Junior--that being Jewish in Lexington made you a minority. What was it like for you being Jewish in a predominantly Christian environment in Lexington?

MAYER: Well, you know, maybe I was too dumb, but I didn't sense any discrimination. And, uh, the only thing that used to bother me were the, uh, holidays in December, when there was a lot of emphasis on Christmas in the schools. And that would kind of bother me, but I never felt like people were looking, uh, strange at me because I didn't celebrate 00:12:00Christmas, and I always made sure to tell them that I didn't celebrate Christmas. But I never felt any real discrimination because of that.

CRANE: Did you have any experiences with anti-Semitism then growing up here?

MAYER: I didn't--I didn't sense it. Now, maybe it was there and I was just too dumb and didn't recognize it, but it never bothered me.

CRANE: I'm sure that you've learned a lot about being Jewish from your family and your friends, but what were the things that you learned that you feel really had a significant impact on your life?

MAYER: As far as Judaism--

CRANE: --um-hm.

MAYER: --is concerned? Just the fact that I was Jewish, and I felt that this made me different. And also, at times I felt I was smarter, because, you know, I was used to reading a lot, and I think the emphasis of Judaism is education, and looking at the whole world rather than just your immediate surrounding.

CRANE: What is your most vivid memory of Jewish life and ritual?

MAYER: Uh, probably, you know, the high holidays.

CRANE: What do you remember about them?

MAYER: Uh, that they were intense, and, um, of course, in the old synagogue, the one on Maxwell Street, uh, you know, there was definitely--because of the rabbis, it was more Orthodox than it is today. Uh, and remember, we're going back quite a few years. And I do remember, you know, that the women sort of sat in one area. The men sat in another area. And then what, what was always interesting to me is I saw people I never saw any other time during the year, which was great, which was great.

CRANE: And the women with their hats.

MAYER: With their hats. And people did dress.

CRANE: Yes.

MAYER: 'Cause I remember, no matter how tough times were, we always got 00:14:00something new for the holidays. And that was special. And that made it special.

CRANE: Since you stayed at the Kimball House, did you see the monkeys there during the holidays?

MAYER: No--(laughs)--no, I don't remember. I don't remember that at all.

CRANE: OK, before we get into your college and adult life, is there anything else unique we should know about your family b-background or your childhood years?

MAYER: No, I, I don't, I don't think so.

CRANE: Or that you'd like to share?

MAYER: No, not right now, mm-mm.

CRANE: OK, after high school you attended the University of Kentucky. What years was this, and what did you study?

MAYER: Uh, I entered UK, it was nine--it was January of 1950. I, I was in the last midyear graduating class at Henry Clay High School. We were the last graduating midyear, and we had--actually had formal graduation ceremonies.

CRANE: Hm.

MAYER: So I don't know how that happened. I guess I skipped something at some point. Um, so I, I started UK in 19--in January of 1950.

CRANE: OK.

MAYER: And I, I didn't pick a major until about at least two years into, into UK.

CRANE: And what was your major?

MAYER: My major was--(laughs)--radio arts and television, with a minor in journalism.

CRANE: I would expect that from you.

MAYER: And I was fortunate enough to have as my advisor the first, uh, really chair of the radio arts television division at UK, uh, Len Press, who founded KET, and he was my advisor, and I majored in what I did because he was so nice to me. So I had no major at that point, and I was taking a couple of the 00:16:00introductory classes. And so he said, "Why don't you major in this?" And I said, "OK." And that's how it started.

CRANE: Describe a day in your life as a college student. What kinds of things did you do? Where did you go? Where did you live? And what did you do for fun?

MAYER: Uh, well, again, uh, times were not the greatest. I went to UK because it was so convenient, and I worked all the time I was a student at UK. And, uh, you're probably--a lot of people don't remember this, but there was a theater in Chevy Chase called the Ashley Theater, and it had just been built. I was a senior at Henry Clay, and I got a job there as the cashier. I was the first cashier for the theater. So I started work in the afternoons, so I arranged all 00:17:00my classes at UK, morning classes. And at that time, we lived in a little house on a street called College View, which is right in back of Memorial Coliseum, but it is a parking lot now.

CRANE: Hm.

MAYER: There was a street there with these really sweet little houses, and then UK wanted to build Memorial Coliseum, and they took the houses on that street by eminent domain.

CRANE: And then where did you move from there?

MAYER: Well, by that time I was already getting, uh, ready for, uh--I had graduated college.

CRANE: Oh, I see.

MAYER: So we're now talking 1954. And I had graduated college, and was looking for a job, and I really wanted to move to a larger city. So I was--I got a job in Cincinnati.

CRANE: I see. Well, you were pretty much on campus, then, during your campus years.

MAYER: Right.

CRANE: You lived at home.

MAYER: Right, I lived at home and walked over to UK. And, uh, as I said, I arranged all my classes, they better fit in in the morning, and if not I didn't take 'em.

CRANE: You know, Annette, I remember the Chevy Chase Theater really well growing up on Fontaine, and for a quarter you got in, and for a nickel you got one of those all-day suckers.

MAYER: Right, right.

CRANE: So--

MAYER: --yes.

CRANE: --I remember it quite well. So what did you do for fun?

MAYER: You know, I can't remember doing anything for fun. I wasn't able to go to the football games or the basketball games, and I--at that time you used to have passes. You know, the university would issue them. And so I had a lot of people who thought they were my friends because they wanted my, my student tickets, which I gave to people naturally, 'cause I couldn't use 'em. I was too busy working.

CRANE: It's my understanding that you were a member of the Jewish sorority on 00:19:00campus, Phi Sigma Sigma, which began in 1952?

MAYER: Right.

CRANE: Typically young ladies go through a rush process as a way for sorority affiliates to recruit new members. Describe the process that you went through to become a member of Phi Sigma Sigma.

MAYER: To be honest with you, I don't remember any really strict process. In other words, I was Jewish. They were looking for Jewish girls, and so I joined. And again, my closest friend, Sue Newman, who was--became Sue Friedman--was a member, 'cause she was a year ahead of me. And so, uh, she said--you know, there was no discussion. "You, you have to be a member. We need members." We were very, very small group, but yet, what we tried to do was really be involved in some of the projects that sororities were involved in at that time.

CRANE: Can you describe some of those?

MAYER: Well, for example, um, can't remember the occasion, but we, uh--it was 00:20:00gonna be a parade of some sort, and we did a float like everybody else, a huge float. And, um, uh, you know, we entered in anything that we could, limited by our size, and that were--we, were really a small group. But what was really nice is we had a couple of families here in Lexington, Jewish families that were very nice to the sorority. And I don't know if anyone has mentioned, uh, Helen Goldfarb and Evelyn Wides. They were two well-known, uh, Jewish women here in the community. And actually, they sort of were like town mothers for us and helped us out, 'cause both of the women are now deceased. But, uh, Mrs. Goldfarb's children went to UK, and, um, they--And so she had a real feeling for 00:21:00UK. And then Mrs. Wities had a couple of, of relatives at UK. And so they were very helpful to us, and for the--at some of the, uh--there were about three or four of the girls were, uh, not from Lexington. And so the Wides or the Goldfarbs would have them over on some of the holidays for some meals and, and just to be--get together.

CRANE: How were the girls that, um, were not from here, how were they identified or recruited?

MAYER: You know, I have no idea how someone knew they were Jewish, or, you know, um--I don't know. I really don't know. But they--we suddenly found them. I'm sure there were others who were Jewish that we didn't find, or didn't know about.

CRANE: Describe the Jewishness of the sorority, besides that you, you all were Jewish. Um, what kinds of things and activities made the sorority Jewish?

MAYER: Other than the fact that we were Jewish, and that kind of fe-- we felt 00:22:00that we had to be strong within ourselves in order to compete with the larger sororities, uh, that were on campus, and so we, we, uh, we were, you know, trying--tried to be together as much as we could, mainly for each other to show that, you know, we had a lot to contribute, even though it may not look like a lot, but at least being together made us feel a little bit stronger in an environment that was not predominantly Jewish.

CRANE: Did you all have a house?

MAYER: No.

CRANE: Or you met at one of--at either the Goldfarbs' or the--?

MAYER: Right, or in, you know, someplace on UK campus.

CRANE: What were some of the other members, um, besides Sue--uh, where were they from, and what kind of relationships did you have with them?

MAYER: Well, I know there was one girl, uh, her name was Judy Sonnabend, and 00:23:00she was from New Jersey, and, um, I guess the others were probably, um, here, you know, in Lexington. They were--and I can't remember--there was another girl, and I--now I can't remember her name, who was also from up East. And then other--I think the rest of us probably were from Kentucky.

CRANE: About how many of you were there?

MAYER: Yeah, I'm thinking in terms of probably either nine or ten, we were always very small.

CRANE: How did Phi Sigma Sigma interact with the other Greek organizations at UK, especially the Jewish fraternity, ZBT, that was on campus at that time?

MAYER: They were very--ZBT was very supportive of our group, and occasionally, I think, we got some help from them. Like, for example, I remember building the float. I think they came out wherever--I can't now remember where we have it, but they came out, some of the guys, and helped us. And then, of course, they 00:24:00did have a house, and, um, I think once or twice we were over there, you know, for a social of some sort.

CRANE: Someone, um, spoke of ZBT inviting a member of Phi Sigma Sigma over on Shabbat to light the candles. Do you recall any of that?

MAYER: No, I don't, but it sounds--

CRANE: --it sounds sweet. (laughs)

MAYER: It sounds very sweet. Very sweet.

CRANE: I thought so. Um, describe your experiences with other Jewish or non-Jewish organizations on campus. Was there a Hillel at the time, and what was your involvement with Hillel?

MAYER: To be honest with you, I don't remember a Hillel. I'm sure there was, but, again, I worked, uh, you know, every afternoon and a lot of evenings. And the only real interaction I had with other students is I--there was one semester 00:25:00that I served as the station manager for the, uh, radio station at UK, WUKY, and, uh, so I was on campus a lot because of that. And the only reason I did that was because I got free tuition that semester for serving as the station manager of the station, which at that time was a lot. I mean, not a lot of money in terms of money today, but at that time it was a lot of money.

CRANE: How did you feel about affiliating with a Jewish sorority, or participating in other Jewish campus organizations which, I guess, there weren't any other ones?

MAYER: There weren't any, that I know, and I don't remember a Hillel--

CRANE: --OK.

MAYER: --uh, at all. There might've been.

CRANE: And how did you feel about being a member of Phi Sigma Sigma?

MAYER: To be honest with you--(laughs)--I did it because Sue wanted me to.

CRANE: You were a good friend, yeah.

MAYER: You know, she, uh--And, you know, I felt like we needed 00:26:00represent--representation on the campus, and what little I could do--and mainly because, you know, come one o'clock I would leave and go to the theater and work, because I was working my way through school.

CRANE: Did your experience, um, with the sorority or your Jewish friends, how did that impact your Jewish identity, um, dating, marriage, how you lived your adult life?

MAYER: Uh, I don't think there was any real connection. I mean, whatever connections I made with other Jewish--you know, I, I dated some Jewish boys on campus. You know, I don't even think they were members of ZBT. I think they were just maybe people that were in my classes that I got to know one way or the other. I didn't do much socially, 'cause I had no--I didn't have time for it.

CRANE: Describe how you continued your, your Jewish life after college.

MAYER: My Jewish life after college. Well, at that time, uh, after college, I moved away to Cincinnati where, uh, again, I was trying to establish myself, because I was alone. I was, you know, on my own and, uh--But at that time, Sue was also--was in Dayton, working for the Girl Scouts, so we would get together. She had a car, so she would come down to Cincinnati, and we would do things every once in a while together, which was really nice.

CRANE: Did you have a job in Cincinnati?

MAYER: Yes.

CRANE: What was it?

MAYER: I worked--my job--first job out of college was with, uh, WLWT, which was a television station in Cincinnati. And I worked for them as a publicity writer. And then after, uh, I think about three years, I went over to--and I 00:28:00worked for the United Way, or rather at that time it was called the Community Chest and Council of Cincinnati. And again, I did publicity writing for them.

CRANE: I know that you raised your children in Lexington, um, so at some point you came back to Lexington. When was that, and how did you get back here?

MAYER: I got back here because, um--let's see, how can--how can I put this so it--so we don't go into a great, big, long story? Uh, at that time, Sue was coming back to Lexington, and, of course, my mother was living here, so I was coming back, you know, every two, three weeks to spend a weekend with her, 'cause she was alone. My brother had married, and my sister had married, and they were in Florida or in Vermont. And, um, so Sue was coming back quite 00:29:00often, and she started dating this guy who was working for IBM called Ted Friedman. And Ted had a roommate, and his roommate was Ken Mayer.

CRANE: I had no idea. That's interesting.

MAYER: So they--and so Ted was dating Sue, and Sue said, "Well, I got this friend who lives--who's in Cincinnati right now, uh, Annette Perlmutter." So I would come down, and we would double date. And this was nineteen--about 1957, '58. And Ken was here because, uh--(clears throat)--excuse me--his mother grew up in Frankfort, and she was a Marcus, the Marcus family. And she had married 00:30:00and moved to New York, where Ken's father, uh, was at that time living. And so, um, Ken needed--at that time Ken was a CPA, and un-until you could get your license you had to work for two years with another CPA in order to sit for the CPA exam. So he came down, and he worked for Ben Goldfarb, Helen Goldfarb's husband, who was a CPA and had his own little firm. So that, because of Ken's family connections in Frankfort, he came down to Lexington, and that's how we met.

CRANE: I see. Describe your children's experience, and what supports and challenges you were faced with in raising your, your children Jewish in Lex--here.

MAYER: Well, the, the main thing was that, you know, when the kids got old enough to go to school, or to have, you know, friends come over, and, um, you know, they, they went to Hebrew school, they went to Sunday school, uh, like the kids do now, and, uh, grew up knowing that, you know, very much so, that they--you know, Mike had his bar mitzvah here, and, uh, Michelle couldn't really decide whether she wanted a bat mitzvah or not, and she did decide she wanted a bat mitzvah, and so we had a bat mitzvah for her. But she was going to Hebrew school all along, and Mike was going to Hebrew school, and they both were going to Sunday school at that time. And there was a very strong group of girls for Michelle in her age group, and so she was very close with a lot--her--a lot of 00:32:00her friends were Jewish friends. There weren't as many boys Mike's age when he was growing up. Well, he had one or two close friends, David Ades and a few others, but there weren't as many boys as there were girls. And unfortunately, at that time, there wasn't very much interaction with the kids at the temple.

CRANE: Tell me about your involvement in the Jewish community as an adult.

MAYER: Um, other than--you know, what involvement I have had has been connected with the synagogue, uh, but, uh, uh, because of, of the kind of work that I do when I first came back, I was--I started working for Transylvania University, and I got very involved with the academic side of Transylvania, as well as 00:33:00involved with the student organizations at Transy. So I spent a lot of time with them. At one time I was advisor to their student publications, and over the years, because I spent--I, I worked with them for so long, I spent time in various different departments doing different things.

CRANE: How does your relationship with Judaism and your practices compare to that of your children's now?

MAYER: I think my children probably are--were more involved. Um, for example, Michelle went on year-course to Israel for a year, and, uh, she went to, uh, camp, uh, uh not tel yehuda. Um, well, she went to, to Jewish camps, uh, quite often, during the summers, and, um, more so than Mike. Mike, uh, was more 00:34:00involved in sports and in, um, computers. In other words, he went to a couple, uh, high-level computer camps when he was in high school, because of his interests. And, um, and so the kids were always involved in something, but--and it's because of them I would be involved in some things.

CRANE: I see. How has your Judaism and your practices changed over the years?

MAYER: I have--to be honest, I've become more lax. In other words--(laughs)--I don't walk to shul on the high holidays. Uh, but I do, you know, of course, observe them, and, uh, encourage--have always encouraged my kids to observe them, which they do.

CRANE: What has been the role of Israel and Zionism in your activities, and of 00:35:00your identity as a Jew?

MAYER: It's probably not as strong as some other people's. Uh, I think I would best be classified as middle in the road. Um, I, to be honest, I don't see Israel as the all end of everything. Uh, if you really read up on what has been going on, is going on, and probably will continue to be going on, there are some things that you would not--that I don't agree with. I guess you'd say I'm a little bit more liberal, and, uh, over the years, you know, I, I have tried to keep myself aware of what's going on, but, uh, uh, you're not gonna see me on a street corner holding up a sign saying "Israel Forever." But I do believe in, 00:36:00in, you know, this feelings of Israel, and I certainly support it through contributions, but I'm not gonna be sitting there saying everything that Israel does is right.

CRANE: OK. Uh, you've been a part of the Lexington Jewish scene for many years. How, how do you see that things have changed within the Lexington Jewish community since you've been here? Um, for example, the relationship between the synagogue and the temple, um, has the population changed, um--

MAYER: --well--

CRANE: --Jewish organizations, such as Hadassah, B'nai B'rith, or the Federation? How do you see those changes over the years?

MAYER: Well, certainly they become more open to each other. I mean, there were probably many years that people in the temple didn't speak to the people in the synagogue, and vice versa. And I, I think it's great that there seems to be 00:37:00more interest in each other's activities and ideas, and willing to, you know, be, uh, compassionate with each other. I mean, there are some people over the years that were very strongly opposed to any kind of interaction, and now there seems to be some real, uh, cordial relationships, which I think is great. Uh, if, if there's anything that disturbs me, it is--I don't see the Jewish community--and some people aren't gonna like this, if they hear it--(laughs)--uh, I don't see the Jewish community as really becoming--being a part of the Lexington community. And that's what disturbs me from time to time. I--

CRANE: --can you explain that a little bit now?

MAYER: OK, I go around to different organizations, and I'm members--and I'm members of different organizations. And you've heard the saying of--for the 00:38:00African Americans in breaking the ceiling, or for women, breaking the glass ceiling. Well, in some groups, I'm the only Jewish person involved, and to me they're worthwhile groups that do things for Lexington. And I would like to see more Jewish people involved in some of the things that will continue to make Lexington a growing community, an open community, and, um, and help this community in many ways.

CRANE: What are some of those groups that you're speaking of?

MAYER: Uh, that I would rather not say right now.

CRANE: OK, that's fine.

MAYER: OK.

CRANE: Um--

MAYER: --but that, that's, that's--and that's my personal feeling, OK?

CRANE: That's what all this is about.

MAYER: OK.

CRANE: Um, and then I know that you've been very active in both the Jewish community and the community at large, which is one of the reasons you were chosen for this interview. Um, you spent a great deal of your adult life both volunteering and working in varying degrees in what some might call political 00:39:00and social activism. If you could share some of your leadership and activist roles in the community over the years, both Jewish and non-Jewish--for example, your work with the Central Ken--Kentucky Council for Peace and Justice, uh, I know that you were on the Pew Civic Leadership Initiative, um, the Speak Out Lexington Advisory Committee. I know that you've been really active with Book Buddies and Irving County government, and, of course, your present leadership role with the One World Film Festival. If you could just speak a little bit about those and your involvement.

MAYER: Um, where should I start? Well, actually, the, um, the Pew Civic Entrepreneur Initiative was something that happened about twenty, twenty-five years ago, and the whole idea behind that was to help people in the community develop into civic entrepreneurs, and it was a great program, and the City had 00:40:00received a grant from the Pew Foundation for this program, and they picked, I think, about ten cities in the United States for this program. And I was on one of the local committees. And from that, after the grant dried up, we started, uh, just a small group. We had, um--there was this incredibly brilliant, uh, man who was a native of India, who was a PhD MD at UK, and he had the idea that through film we can help educate people about different cultures. And from that we started the One World Film Festival, and it's now in its eighteenth year of bringing cultural films to the community and showing them without cost. And that has involved getting, uh, organizations and businesses to contribute money 00:41:00so that we can continue to do that without charging people. And, uh, it has grown so that, uh, we can--for example, we show a film on, uh--as part of the City's celebration of Martin Luther King Day. And so we provide a film appropriate for the day, and show it in the afternoon on MLK Day to the community free of charge. And we have been averaging close to six hundred for every film showing on MLK Day. And this last, um--this last MLK Day, we showed the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, and I had the--a professor at UK, a professor of history, whose specialty is Africa, and he compared Nelson Mandela 00:42:00with Martin Luther King, the comparison of the two men. And he did an excellent job, and we had that before the film showing, for people to try to understand the connection that you could see between Nelson Mandela in his later life, when he became President of South Africa, with what Martin Luther King was trying to accomplish here in the United States. And so we bring in cultural films. And then I've also been supportive of a number of, of candidates running for political office, because I do think the ballot box is where it all starts. And, uh, you know, sometimes successful, sometimes not, but it's very important.

CRANE: And in 2016, the ballot box is--

MAYER: Kinda closed. (laughs)

CRANE: Quite a challenge. (laughs) Um, address Speak Out Lexington a little bit.

MAYER: Speak Out Lexington is, uh--we had various topics, and we tried to involve people that were not involved in anything else to come say, where we'd have these, like, forums, and have people express their opinion about certain issues in the community, and how to bring people together. And, again, this was in the '60s and, and '70s. And the important thing we felt was trying to involve people who were not involved in anything. And, you know, there are some really bright people in this community. There are times you wish you could kick some other people out and get these other people to get involved and do things, because they are so intelligent, so educated, and, and this is really--Lexington is a very highly educated community, and what UK brings in in terms of their 00:44:00faculty is just unbelievable. If people on the outside take a look at what, what UK has, I think you would be amazed.

CRANE: Can you look at any of these positions that you've been in in the community, um, and your involvement and see if how you were raised, um, as a Jew had any kind of impact on your participation in these groups?

MAYER: Probably, because I think from our heritage that we try to, of course, always do a mitzvah, and there are so many groups in this community that need a helping hand, that it's really very easy to get involved in an organization that is out there trying to help bridge the gap between the various segments of the community. And Lexington is still a kind of divided community, and now with so 00:45:00many people moving into the--coming into Lexington who are not natives of the United States, this is--you know, right now, uh, it's my understanding that there are about ninety different languages spoken in the public schools. And so that just shows you how many different groups Lexington ha--is supporting. And many--and these people need the helping hand. And also, uh, because Lexington has been a small community, there are a lot of people that don't really realize how open this community is, and how many people need a little helping hand.

CRANE: What do you mean by a "divided community"?

MAYER: There are a lot of people who--and I say--I use the phrase of they don't cross Main Street, but--(laughs)--you know, th-they are so involved, I guess, with their own ethnic group, and some of them realize that, that this is a 00:46:00welcoming community. Others don't realize that. And so you're always working with groups one way or the other, and when it doesn't work, that you don't get the group involved that you want to get the group involved, uh, it's because you feel like they don't feel like they're welcome. And, of course, there's great, uh, inequality as far as, uh, finances in this community. And, uh, you know, you pick up the paper, and you see where someone is having, uh, a dinner or a fundraiser, and the price tag is at $125, $150 for a dinner or something like that, and then you wonder if they would just take that money and really help somebody, it would be so much better. I mean, the people attending a fundraiser for the most part, they don't need the food. And, um, it would be nice if some 00:47:00of that was directed where there is a real need in our community.

CRANE: Where do you see the need?

MAYER: Uh, with people who, who are just low income. And low income starts, you know--is the start of why we have so many problems with young people who either drop out of school or don't have the advantage that s-some other kids have, and afterschool programming, to help them really become better citizens and be productive citizens.

CRANE: I'm just curious: of all the films that you've, um, that you've shown in your O-One World Film Festival, what was your favorite? Or do you have a favorite?

MAYER: It--there are so many great films out there that, that we have brought in, and, um, I--you know, I really--it's so hard. I mean, I've, I've seen about 125 films, and, uh, I think--

CRANE: --or any that really touch your heart?

MAYER: I can't now remember the exact title, but it was a Sesame Street film, and what it was at that time--and this was at least probably ten years ago that we showed this film, where the production people from Sesame Street went around the world and did a Sesame Street production in certain foreign countries, with the native people, and it was fabulous.

CRANE: Wow.

MAYER: It was just unbelievable.

CRANE: Looking back on that, what, if anything would you change about your relationship with Judaism?

MAYER: I can't think of anything right now. I, I know I probably should be 00:49:00more involved in Jewish activities, but I feel like, you know, some of my really close friends are not Jewish, and, as I say, when I go and I work with some of the organizations, and I'm the only Jewish person, and I try real hard, if I accept a position of leadership in, in an organization, to do the very best job I can, mainly because they--everybody knows I'm Jewish. I've never, you know, uh, put it under the covers or anything like that, and I want people to know that, gosh, just because--you know, there's no difference, even though I might be--religion-wise I might be Jewish, I still can contribute to anything I say I want to help with.

CRANE: Why do you feel, um, that there's not enough involvement in Lexington 00:50:00community at large activities, uh, from the Jewish community?

MAYER: Well, because, as I say, I have been involved in a number of things, and I've always been the only Jewish person. Is that--

CRANE: No, I understand that. I mean, why do you think that's so? Why are people not en-engaging in these activities?

MAYER: Maybe because, uh, again, that they are so involved in, uh, the synagogue, or the temple. And even though I don't know everybody who's Jewish, um, I, I just, you know, see people. For example, um, when we show what we call a, quote, Jewish film as part of the One World Film Festival, we're not showing 00:51:00it because it's a Jewish film. We're showing it because we hope that we can explain or enlighten, uh, some members of our Jewish community, and as well as the non-Jewish community, some of the things maybe J--uh, Jewish people have had to face over the years, or what some of their cultures--uh, something about their culture. And that's the whole point of the films. I mean, uh, we just finished our 2016 series. One of the films that we showed, uh, was entitled Raise the Roof. And, uh, actually we got it from the Jewish Film, uh, Center at Brandeis University. And, uh, and it was about the reconstruction of a very famous synagogue that was destroyed by the Nazis in Poland. And it took the 00:52:00group that was, uh, doing the reconstruction work, uh, almost ten years to develop it. So we brought it in, and, um, I spoke with the gentleman here in Lexington who is President of the Kentucky Society of Architects, and asked him would he introduce the film, and he said he would. And, of course, he's not Jewish, but he was looking at the film, and I was looking at him, to provide, uh, the way for people to understand what the people who developed--who reconstructed this, uh, project, who worked on it, why, why they were doing it, in addition to understanding, uh, what the synagogue meant to the people in Poland after it was--when it was destroyed by the Nazis, that he could explain that, in addition to what they did to develop it. And we had about 150 people 00:53:00to see the film, and there were a tremendous number of non-Jews who came, which is exactly what we are striving for. And it had nothing really as a--on a personal level, but yet, on a international level, to see what some people--and the people who reconstructed it primarily were not Jewish.

CRANE: Annette, clearly you have done some great work in our community, and we all thank you.

MAYER: Oh, it's life.

CRANE: Is there anything else, um, that you would like to share that I haven't already asked you about that you feel is important?

MAYER: Well, I just wish people would get more involved in things. I mean, this is a great city, and it has a lot to offer.

CRANE: Can you recommend a few, um, places?

MAYER: You know, um, again, because I guess my background in journalism and, uh, you know, uh, from the sidelines television--and, of course, my daughter is very involved in, in television, and, you know, she works for ABC News.

CRANE: Oh.

MAYER: And, um, a-again, behind the scenes, because she's the stage manager for World News Tonight for ABC. And, um, I just wish people would maybe read more and think more about the community, and, and what's going on. And, uh, especially now, this year, I don't know how anyone can say to people like you and me, "Oh, I don't want to pay any attention to that." But so much of it--of what is going on is going to affect you and me, and everybody else.

CRANE: That is true, Annette.

MAYER: And it worries me.

CRANE: Well, I thank you very much--

MAYER: --thank you.

CRANE: --for this interview. Thank you.

[End of interview.]