Interview with John Yarmuth, May 10, 2017

Interview Summary

Yarmuth describes his family coming to America from Russia in the early 1900s. Immigration officials who greeted his family when they entered instructed them to change their name from Yarmuck to Yarmuth. They settled, initially, in New York in the early 1910s. Some of his family later moved to New Jersey in 1933, and then his father moved down to Fort Knox, bringing his family to Kentucky in 1943. Growing up, he lived in a primarily Jewish neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky. While he celebrated his bar mitzvah and went to Sunday school, he was raised more culturally than religiously Jewish. In high school at Atheron during the budding civil rights movement, he was involved in student government along with several other Jewish kids. He attended Yale for 4 years, graduating in 1969 and majoring in American Studies. He spent a year as a stockbroker before becoming a legislative assistant to Republican Marlow Cook in D.C at the recommendation of Mitch McConnell. After Cook lost his reelection, Yarmuth decided to return to Louisville and get involved in publishing. He published the Louisville Times, City Paper, and after those publications went out of print, he created the Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO), an alternative weekly that is still published today. In 2006, he ran for 3rd Congressional District against Ann Northup. He won the Democratic primary and, even though it was a tight race, eventually won the seat against Northup. While in office, Yarmuth has championed universal healthcare, campaign finance reform, and gun law reform. Yarmuth is also involved with the Jewish Caucus in Congress, where the topic of discussion is usually Israel. Yarmuth discusses his stance on Israel, including his distaste for Netanyahu and the direction he's leading Israel. Yarmuth, lastly, talks briefly about the resurgence of antisemitism and xenophobia as a side effect of the 2016 election and current political climate, and concludes with a statement about the strength of friendships built between people in the Jewish community.

Interview Keyword

Emigration and immigration. Entrepreneurship Jewish businesspeople Family histories. Immigrants Education, Higher Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO) Washington (D.C.) African Americans--Segregation Civil rights movements--United States

Interview LC Subject

Jewish children Jewish families. Jews--Identity. Judaism. Religion Worship (Judaism) Louisville (Ky.) Anti-Semitism Antisemitism Race relations--Kentucky Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Protest movements Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Public opinion Kentucky--Politics and government Politicians--Kentucky Race discrimination Discrimination

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Interview Usage

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