Interview with Edward "Scooter" Stein, April 9, 2018

Interview Summary

Edward "Scooter" Stein was born in 1989 and raised in Lexington, Kentucky throughout the 1990s. Scooter recounts how his family emigrated from Lithuania in 1916 and describes his nuclear family, which includes his mother, Kathy Stein a family court judge, and his father, Allen Stein a longtime member of Ohavay Zion Synagogue.

In Scooter’s young life he attended Maxwell Elementary and Henry Clay High School. He talks about his experience of Jewish holidays, and especially how one friend did not understand that there were other holidays than Christmas. As Scooter pursued higher education in the late 2000s, he moved away to Butler University where he majored in International Studies and Spanish. Scooter notes that his Jewish identity grew while at Butler. Scooter discusses his graduate school experience while at the University of Kentucky as well.

While in graduate school, Scooter traveled abroad to both Honduras and Costa Rica. Working with a small non-profit, Scooter helped provide after-school enrichment activities and tutoring to some of the poorest communities in both countries. After one year abroad, Scooter returned to finish his graduate degree and now works for the Fayette County Sheriff's Department providing social services. Scooter notes the difficulty of working in a department where many are very in-tune with their religion.

Lastly, Scooter talks at length about his personal beliefs about Israel and Palestine, noting that he believes in a two-state system and the good in people. Scooter also discusses the importance of Israel to Jewish youth and Judaism.

Interview Keyword

Holidays. Fasts and feasts--Judaism. Education--Kentucky Childhood Butler University Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce Costa Rica Honduras Fayette County Sheriff's Office Anti-Semitism Antisemitism Discrimination. Politics and government Religion and politics Israel. Palestine.

Interview LC Subject

Judaism. Families. Family histories. Jewish children Jewish families. Jews--Identity. Worship (Judaism) Lexington (Ky.) University of Kentucky College environment College students--Attitudes. College students--Social conditions Universities and colleges. College students--Religious life

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.