My Maternal Grandparents, Reuven and Sivia
Reuven, my grandfather, had a dry goods store located within the Jaffa Gate in the old city of Jerusalem. He and his wife, Sivia, had ten daughters who were born between the years 1898 and 1913. They were Rivka, Aliza, Chanah, Pnina, Malka, Yetta, Yocheved, Zippora, Sarah, and Shaina. They lived outside the walls of the old city, two blocks away from the Montefiore Windmill, in a neighborhood called Yemin Moshe. Reuven worked very hard to support his growing family of ten daughters and a son, Yitzchak, who passed on early in life at the age of seven.
At that time, the Turks governed the area until it became a British mandate in 1917. There were times, during WWI, when a Turkish officer would enter my grandfather’s store and requisition sacks of flour and other materials for the military. It was a request that came too often and clearly put a strain on the family income. They did, however, continue to operate their store well into the 1930s. In the 1920s, four of the daughters came to the United States. My parents followed in 1930.
My Paternal Grandparents, Kadesh and Yehudit
Kadesh, my grandfather, was born in Grodno, which was occupied by Russia at that time. He and Yehudit married and had six sons - Philip, Moshe, Jechiel, Mendel, Eliezer, and Yaakov. Two of them, Moshe and Jechiel, went to Palestine with their father who pursued the study of Torah in Jerusalem and became an ordained rabbi.
My dad, Philip, who was born in Grodno, Russia, in 1893, was drafted into the Russian army in 1914 at the start of WWI. During the war between Russia and Germany, he was taken prisoner and placed in a German prisoner of war camp. It is not clear to me whether he was released or managed to escape from the camp. I heard a story that my father was involved with the food supply at the camp. He may have been able to make contact with the outside in order to escape. Thankfully, Philip eventually made his way to Holland and then to Palestine to be with his brothers and father.
My father’s three other brothers, Mendel, Eliezer, and Yaakov, along with their mother, Yehudit, remained in Grodno, and, tragically, with their families, perished in the Holocaust.
My Parents, Rivka (Rebecca) and Fishel (Philip)
My mother Rivka and father Fishel met in Jerusalem. Rivka, like her biblical name-sake, was very pleasing to the eye and kind as well. Fishel was handsome, had a commanding presence, and possessed a beautiful singing voice. There was a mutual attraction, a beautiful courtship and a flourishing relationship. They fell in love, married six weeks later in 1924, and were happy in their life together.
My parents instilled in all of the children a set of values more important than any tangible inheritance. My mother, of blessed memory, had two expressions that seemed to cover everything in life - all activities and concerns - like a guide to future living. When things were going well, she would say, “Gam zu l’tovah” - this, too, is for the good. And when things were going not so well, she would say, “Gam ze yaavor” - this too, will pass. And, you know, she was right!
My mother, Rebecca, was very positive in her thinking and attitude towards life. Every morning when she greeted us at breakfast time, she would exclaim, “Today we are going to have a wonderful day!” This is the quote that my siblings and I have passed on to our children.