Ida Meshoulam
Ida Meshoulam was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, into a close-knit Jewish family. After beginning college studies in journalism and education during the Great Depression, she worked for a period before continuing her education and later moving with her family to Palestine in the early 1930s. Meshoulam settled in Tel Aviv, where she married David Meshoulam, a multilingual shipping agent originally from Bulgaria. She worked as a secretary for a prominent English lawyer before dedicating much of her time to raising their three sons and engaging in extensive volunteer work. Over the decades she lived in Israel—through the British Mandate, the establishment of the State of Israel, and subsequent wars—Meshoulam became active in a range of social and community initiatives, including aid organizations supporting widows and children, efforts assisting foreign volunteers during the War of Independence, and programs for Deaf children. She also tutored students in English literature for matriculation exams and participated actively in cultural life in Tel Aviv, attending theater, concerts, and community gatherings. After more than forty years in Israel and following her husband’s death, she moved to the United States in the mid-1970s to be closer to her sons and grandchildren, where she continued volunteering and participating in Jewish communal life.
In this interview, Ida Meshoulam reflects on her childhood in a Jewish family in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, describing family life, community involvement, and education. She recounts her family’s decision to immigrate to Palestine in the early 1930s and discusses the challenges of adjusting to life under the British Mandate, including learning Hebrew, finding employment, and adapting to social and economic conditions in Haifa and Tel Aviv. Meshoulam describes her work as a secretary for an English lawyer, her courtship and marriage to David Meshoulam, and the process of building a family and home in Tel Aviv while maintaining close ties to her parents and extended family.
The interview also documents Meshoulam’s experiences living in Israel through major historical events, including World War II, the establishment of the State of Israel, and subsequent conflicts such as the War of Independence, the Six-Day War, and the Yom Kippur War. She discusses raising three sons, participation in community organizations, volunteer work supporting widows, soldiers, and families in need, and involvement with organizations serving Deaf children and other social initiatives. Meshoulam reflects on cultural life in Tel Aviv, including theater, music, and social clubs, and describes friendships, language learning, and daily life in Israeli society. She concludes by discussing the death of her husband, her return to the United States to live near her children, continued volunteer activities in the Boston area, and her reflections on family values, community responsibility, Jewish identity, and the changes she witnessed in Israel over four decades.
The views expressed in these interviews are solely those of the speakers and do not reflect the positions of JWA or its affiliates.
