Since 1917

I graduated in 1934 at the age of 17, ready to join my dad for additional schooling. Writing and recalling that period, I am researching his past, in order to create for you an image of that time .
Pop, Israel Roth, was born in1885 and left Austria in 1902 at the age of 17. I think that he was brought to N.Y. by his older brother prior to being drafted into the army. He started his career in the dairy business and thrived on his own as a self employed businessman. Unfortunately, the depression destroyed his wholesale business. He re-enters the retail dairy business in 1930. The store was located around the corner of our house, which made it very convenient, for him and the family.

So, here I am at the age of 17, joining Pop who began his business career at the same age. My abiding regret is not being curious about his life in Europe and his voyage to the U.S. and his struggles to achieve some measure of success in a strange environment. He was close to 50 yrs. of age and had to start all over.

Dairygrocery stores in those days were entirely different to the present. There was no refrigeration. Large slabs of ice were brought in by icemen who delivered via truck, and put them in the compartment atop our dairy counters. We also had an ice-box on the floor, which housed a large milk can and another can for sour cream. We sold milk and cream loose. Customers would bring a glass container and buy these items by the measure . Butter came to us in a large wooden tapered container. To prepare it for sale to customers, we would open up the tapered cone shaped 50 pound or more slab of butter and prepare it for placement in the iced display counter. We would use a slicing tong, which was large enough to surround the slab of butter. The tong was made of steel and a steel wire was attached to this U shaped instrument. We would then slice through the butter making even layers. We re-boxed the slab of butter and put it on display in the glass enclosure. This made it possible to cut the butter to order. Little did we know, that in a short period of time small grocers would be outmoded. Frozen food was being introduced by Birdseye and self service stores were starting up. A&P the largest chain of grocers was starting to close small stores and converting to Supermarkets.

To adjust to this change, Pop started to bring in dried fruits, and appetizers, i.e,herring in barrels and smoked salmon. Because Pop closed his store on Saturday (he was Shomrei Shabbos) observed Saturday, he was permitted to be open on Sundays. (Sunday Blue Law was in effect. Retail shops were closed on Sundays). This created an opportunity for us to develop a good flow of sales in a specialty food business, while still maintaining the dairy butter and eggs and canned foods. Not only did I became an expert Lox slicer, but I got experience in marketing. Be aware of the changing markets and adapt to the change.

During this period, most immigrants were coming in from Europe, many of them Jewish So in order to earn money and support growing families, many went into food businesses. There were Kosher food shops, Deli ’s and dairy restaurants and fish stores. Now, 70+ years later, as I walk thru the city I see ethnic food shops and eateries of every nation in the world and only a few remaining Jewish places to eat. I can relate to all of the new shop owners, having gone through the same experience . But what amuses me is to see an Asian baking Bagels or a Latino slicing Pastrami in a Deli shop, etc. The new immigrants are taking over our ethnic foods. Even in this diner owned by a Greek family, that Mark and I go to on Route 17 for lunch, I get a kick when I order chicken soup with Matzo Ball.

During these four years, working with Pop, I became very close with him. He worked very hard and never complained. He had an optimistic attitude and was very jovial. He was pleasant with the customers, mostly women. In those days females were expected to stay home and raise children. (The good old days). He was observant of all Jewish holidays. Friday nights, the family ate dinner together, after he returned home from shul. Passover holiday was special. We would clean the entire house and change the dishes to eliminate all chumatz. There was also a religious program, where a store owner who owned food that was not for the Holiday,would sell his ownership to a non-Jew for the Passover period and re-take ownership at the end of Passover. I always thought this was strange. There’s a word for this procedure that allows one to maintain his Orthodox belief and still maintain his religious attitude. He cleaned out our stockroom in back of the store and displayed all Kosher for Passover goods, where we would write up special orders for delivery to customer’s homes.

This program was very successful and taught me to seek out special markets.

I have a memory that persistently pops up. It is so seared in my mind. We had returned to class in New Utrecht H.S. We were in English class and a student had volunteered to speak about his summer vacation experience. He was describing his work as a counselor, teaching younger campers to swim and boating and other sport activities. I was so envious because I had never been to a camp and knew nothing about these activities. My summers as a child was the local street and as a teen-ager the store. This same summer , when the student was in camp, I was seeking a job to earn money to help support the family. I signed up with the Good Humor Ice Cream Co. I reported to work on the first day of my vacation from High School. Unfortunately, a new law had been passed by our new Mayor . It was the beginning of the Anti-Noise Campaign, pushed through by Fiorello LaGuardia, whom we all loved and respected. When I reported to the warehouse to pick up the 3 wheeler Ice box and ice cream stock, I was given special instructions. Avoid the police, hide behind cars when you see an officer and refrain from using the bells.
I cycled towards the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn for 4 hours. I was more concerned ducking from police and holding tight on the bell ringers, silencing them, that I became paranoid about being accosted by the police. “I don’t need this”, I said to myself. “I feel like a criminal, ducking the police”. I turned back to the warehouse and returned the cart to the manager. Boy, was he angry- out for so short a period of time and no sales. Thus, ended my first day of employment.
After this incident, I went into Manhattan, seeking employment. Sixth Avenue , between the 20’s and 30’s, were many employment agencies for summer jobs. Mostly for busboys or manual work in the mountains. I found nothing for a fifteen year old youngster. However, on the way home from the elevated train station, I saw a young man selling Eskimo Bars from a cart. I spoke with him about my experience. He told me that he rents his cart and buys the ice cream from the renter. He works on a 100% markup. He doubles his money and is very happy with his work and there is no trouble from police. ” The carts have no bells. The renter is close by on New Utrecht Avenue. Go in and speak with the owner”.
So a week later, I went into business. On my first day out, I cycled my cart down New Utrecht Ave. and happened upon the Semi-Pro baseball stadium, where I heard cheering. I parked myself at the exit on the street corner. When the game was over, the spectators emerged and bought lots of bars. I was glowing from my success and stayed at the spot for awhile to sort of rest, when the baseball players came out. You never saw a happier group of men. Ice cream, they yelled, yea. They bought me out. My first day and what a success. Even the renter was surprised. When brother Bill heard about my success, he decided to join me. He had two friends,who lived nearby , who had an ice cream freezer truck for sale. Bill had a driver’s license and he had free time, because the store was not busy during the summer and he was not needed. So, we bought the truck for $25.00 and it conked out at the first effort to drive it. We pushed it to a repair shop and were ready the next day. We scouted around for a territory and chose Manhattan Beach and Sheepshead Bay. It was a good choice. We stored my cart in a nearby garage and drove the truck to and fro and finally had use for our garage. This turned out to be a worthwhile venture. It also created a close bond with each of us. We worked together for many years.

Reflecting on past incidents and behavior of our family, one sees things more objectively. We know the final results and can understand how our family was able to cope with the depression and preserve our home. I have to admire my parents for not panicking and for making the adjustment to the economic downturn a family enterprise, each of us responsible for survival, to help wherever help was needed. And when I think of the manner in which we all helped, I saw that our organizer and actually CEO was my mother. And of course my father was the provider. Mom never spoke to me about her background and I am sorry that I never asked her. But I finally got information from other members of the family, which I will divulge to you. Mom was born Aug. 1884. Her name was Hinda, anglicized to Annie. Her father left for the U.S. when she was two years old. Shipping records show her traveling with her mother Rivka from Hamburg, arriving in NY in 1896, 10 years after her father’s arrival. So, for 10 years she did not know her father. And I learned from sister Reggie that she had a miserable home life. I assume that she went to school and learned to speak English, which she spoke very well. She also spoke Yiddish and Polish. When she was 16 yrs. of age she worked in a fur coat factory as a seamstress. Her father had a junkyard and may have been a peddler. So, you can see from this type of background, Mom had to develop into a patient, understanding personality. There is no record of her move to New York. It is believed that she was introduced to Pop by a Mieletze Revra Society shiddach. (I would love to get more details, It turned out to be a great match.Anyone have pertinent info?}

Mom was a very calm person, shy, not very talkative and a good listener. I can’t recall ever hearing a harsh or angry word from her. This scene that has remained in memory for close to 80 years+, occurred after Pop’s business failure. Jack was working in the business and now was unemployed. Also, he was engaged to a young lady, which I was not privy to. He was about 22 yrs. of age, a former successful business man and a good catch for those days. And also very handsome. A good dancer, dressed well, wore spats and a derby When he walked up 46th Street from the train station, all female eyes were on him. To add to his misery of losing his job, he also lost his fiance, whose mother insisted that she should cancel their engagement. He was devastated. The memory I have took place in the kitchen and I was seated in the eating area, at the table that faced the kitchen where Mom and Jack were discussing the situation. Mom patiently listened to Jack unburdening his sorrows and offered soothing platitudes to ease his pain. “Yankele” she said, “life is never smooth, there are always problems. You have to roll with them and seek a way to overcome the situation. Now, you are free to go on your own. I suggest you get a job and go to college . Get a profession and with your business experience, you will be successful. You can do it, I am confident that you can”.

Well, with that boost, Jack enrolled in StJohns U., became a CPA, worked with Ronson as a C.F.O.and proved Mom’s prediction of his ability to succeed.

It’s difficult for me to to describe the scene with my mother, when we discussed the program and my expected appearance in the ceremony. I was doing well with the reading of the Torah and the prayers. Now, she brought up the necessity of making a speech. I was appalled by the thought of it. I objected very strongly. But Mom was very patient and calmly proposed ” Uncle Aaron will write the speech for you. You can read it” The thought of me going up on stage was frightening. And Mom relented, never pressing or yelling. (Uncle Aaron, Mom’s brother, could have been a rabbi, but chose to go into business when he immigrated here after WWI with his family. He opened a dry goods store in Lower East Side, A.J Kurtz & sons, on Essex St. I knew him well and Mom and I would visit his store, on Sunday.) I held out, but this scene was seared in my memory. . As I look back at this occurrence, I wonder at the tolerance that Mom showed. Perhaps she had experienced the same problems in her early life. Her life prior to her marriage to Pop, was not a happy one. Her father left the family and emigrated to the U.S. two years after her birth. She never knew her father, When she was 12 years old, she and her mother joined him in New Hampshire where he had a junkyard business. Mom went to   public school until she was 14 yrs. of age and she then worked as a seamstress sewing lining into fur coats.

Why am I delving into Mom’s background?  Because, I think I inherited her shy gene.  And what made her so tolerant and understanding of her husband and children.  Because she escaped from an unpleasant atmosphere in New Hampshire, when she moved to New York and married Pop.  She loved being home for her children.  She was a great cook and baker and above all an expert on the Singer sewing machine.  She did alterations on hand-me-downs, sewed our holes  on the socks, made dresses  from patterns for Reggie and Blanche.  And the atmosphere in our house was always pleasant. She was calm, soft-spoken and shy.  And that’s what I inherited.
When I saw Mark at his Bar Mitzva, I empathized with him.  He was very nervous, but he was stalwart .      When he came to the end of his reading  and the Rabbi held his arm to steady him,  he emitted a load sigh of relief that caused the attending family and friends to laugh.  But also caused our friend Gert  Bittman to remark “Why do they make them go through this?”   Mom’s gene at work.
And now, to bring this gene down to the present, we have our lovely granddaughter, now 20 yrs of age, demonstrating her shyness, when we were at a Seder in the  Colodner’s home.  She loudly expressed her shyness as she was brought into the house in Mark’s arms and asked if she would do the 4 questions and she blurted out “  But I’m so shy”.  This got a good laugh.
Shyness is a handicap, but we all have overcome it to some extent and move on.