Naomi Cherny
Naomi Orenberg Cherny was born on January 14, 1924, and grew up in Roxbury, Massachusetts, during the Great Depression and World War II. Raised in a Jewish family active in charitable and community work, she developed an early commitment to education, independence, and public service. Despite her family’s opposition to women attending college, Cherny worked full-time while earning a business degree from Boston University and later completed graduate studies in counseling and education at Northeastern University. Throughout her career, she held positions with the War Manpower Commission, Veterans Administration, Harvard University, Brandeis University, and Hanscom Air Force Base, where she worked in chapel administration and Equal Employment Opportunity counseling. Cherny also played a central role in developing the Jewish community in Arlington and Lexington, Massachusetts, including fundraising and educational work for Temple Emunah. Appointed as a justice of the peace by Governor Michael Dukakis, she officiated interfaith and multicultural weddings for more than two decades while continuing her work in education, counseling, and community service.
Naomi Cherny discusses her upbringing in Roxbury, Massachusetts, during the Great Depression and World War II, including her memories of Franklin D. Roosevelt, wartime culture, Jewish family life, and gender expectations within her household and community. She describes working full-time while earning a degree from Boston University, later completing graduate studies at Northeastern University, and balancing professional work, family responsibilities, and community leadership. Cherny details her involvement in developing Jewish institutions in Arlington and Lexington, Massachusetts, including fundraising and educational leadership at Temple Emunah, as well as participation in Hadassah and Sisterhood activities. She also reflects on raising her children, her mother’s volunteer work with chronically ill patients, changing attitudes toward women’s education and independence, and the role of nutrition, exercise, and recreation in family life. The interviews document her professional experiences with the War Manpower Commission, Veterans Administration, Harvard University, Brandeis University, and Hanscom Air Force Base, where she worked in chapel administration and Equal Employment Opportunity counseling. Cherny further discusses her appointment as a justice of the peace by Governor Michael Dukakis, her work officiating interfaith and multicultural weddings, and her reflections on the atomic bomb, wartime propaganda, segregation in public schools, and postwar social change.
The views expressed in these interviews are solely those of the speakers and do not reflect the positions of JWA or its affiliates.
