B'Nai Mitzvah
I have learned a lot about my family history in my B'Nai Mitzvah class I have two great stories told by my wonderful parents. First my mom's well I have two short stories from my mom but one long story from my dad.
Mommy: My mom's grandfather Lewis was her mom's father, he had a very big family with six or seven brothers and sisters. They came from Russia but we are not sure if they were born there. Lewis was the only Grandparent my mom knew. Her Aunt Eve and Uncle Nat were two of Lewis's siblings and my mom and her family would always visit Eves' apartment. Nat owned a pharmacy in Framingham were my mom and my Aunties grew up. My Auntie Robin thinks of one word when she thinks of our family: FOOD! As far back as she can remember, food was the thing that connected them with immediate and there very small but, colorful family. She remembers her grandpa's bagels and gray candies ( Licorice candies). She also remembers her uncle Mike ( one of the writers for the Carroll Burnett Show,) sending my Grandma See's chocolates from California where he lived. One of her favorite food memories was her holiday meals, Blintzes to break the fast, apples and honey for rosh Hashanah, Matz ball soup for Passover, and my Grandma's Famous Brisket a recipe that still lives on through my mom and my Aunts. And every time they make it They and I both think of there mom, my Grandma.
Papa: My great-grandma Mary's family comes from Black sea area of the Georgian mountains. She had a long auburn curly hair. Her family were merchants. My great-grandpa Max was one of eleven children, living in Boboysk,, a ghetto in the Ukraine. He and his family were very poor and when he was 14 he ran away to his uncles home where he learned to cut leather for a living. As a young man he was forced to join the Russian army. He was also arrested for revolutionary activity and was sentenced to death but, was pardoned. He got married to Mary, who's first boyfriend was a soldier and was killed in the war. Max made his way alone to Portugal where, on borrowed money he took a ship to New York. He soon took a train to a suburb of New York called Milwaukee. Max loved sour cream and had a bowl of it at every meal. He was shy. But after Mary died he remarried my Aunt Ida. Aunt Ida was in the New York communist party. But, Max was a labor Zionist (socialist) But they loved each other any way. Max loved his leather cutting union, and when his union went on strike the usually kind and gentle Max was very mean to scabs.
