Charlotte Herzberg Abrams
CODA
Charlotte Abrams is the daughter of Deaf parents, Joseph and Ruth Herzberg of Chicago, III. In her hometown, the neighbors called them “The Silents”. She used that forthe title of her book which tells the story of how she and her sister Adelaide grew up in a Deaf family.
Abrams says that her only connection to the Deaf community was through her parents and an aunt. “They are long gone,” she says, “My father in 1983, my mother in 1981, my aunt in 1994. They all lived in Pilgrim Tower on Vermont in Los Angeles, CA. My relationship with my parents was a close one, yet my extended hearing family was also an important part of my life. But that’s all in the book. It details my life with them until their deaths. Both Adelaide and I were very close to their deaf friends and moved in those circles with them, but as a single participant, neither she nor I were involved in the Deaf community.”
In addition, Abrams explained that while her parents were very involved in the auxiliary of a temple in Chicago, and occasionally attended Temple Beth Solomon during the winters when they visited their daughter, their involvement with the Jewish Deaf community was minimal. “Of course,” she added, “We spent the Jewish Holidays together, Passover always at my home. I n fact they spent all the holidays with me.”
One of the events chronicled in “The Silents” is about attending a Deaf Jewish convention (which was the Third National Congress of Jewish Deaf’s biennial convention in 1960). “The Dinner Dance in Chicago was a real eye opener for us,” Abrams reminisced. “Adelaide and I and our husbands loved the experience. It was the first time we actually saw a band playing for the deaf. And the fact that the entertainment was designed for the deaf was our first experience. My father loved having us there. He was such a sport wanting to show us off and to show off for us.”
After her parents died, Abrams felt a strong motivation to document their lives. “I had written some articles for the L.A. Times, done some in house producing for the company I worked for in the Valley. But again, that was a long time ago. I am now 73 years. The book was published in 1996.”
‘The Silents” is an interesting saga of the life of a Deaf family during the years of the Depression and World War II. For those growing up today, it may seem difficult to imagine life without anti-discrimination laws, and without the benefit of TTY’s and closed captions. It was a time when Deaf Clubs were the main social venue for Deaf people, and when having a job was a privilege that Deaf people struggled for. Life was difficult enough for hearing people during the Depression, but for Deaf people, it was doubly so.
Abrams says she was glad to have written the story. “The response to my book has been wonderful. I’ve done many speaking engagements to hearing groups. It’s amazing how many people don’t understand what it is to be deaf and how the deaf communicate. I was happy to illuminate.” She also wrote a screenplay based on the book, and hopes that someday it will be produced.
She has had a full life, Abrams said. “I went back to work as a secretary when my children were teenagers, then worked in real estate,” she explained. “My daughter passed away in 2001 from cancer-she was 48 and I’ve taken aback seat to writing for now. I’ve just completed my mother’s family tree and am busy getting that out to all my new found cousins.”
Charlotte Abrams is retired and lives in Venice, California.
