Blogs: Boroson's Anecdotage
Jewish Museum in Russia
ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFMdv58JVA0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Bel Kaufman at 100
Present at the Creation of Israel
Hava Nagila
A (Jewish) Bronx Tale
from the Internet…..
The South Bronx in 1950 was the home of a large and thriving
community, predominantly Jewish. In the 1950s the Bronx offered
synagogues, mikvas, kosher bakeries, and kosher butchers—all the
comforts one would expect
from an observant Orthodox Jewish community.
The baby boom of the postwar years happily resulted in many new young
parents. As a matter of course, the South Bronx had its own baby
equipment store, Sickser’s.
Sickser’s was located on the corner of Westchester and Fox, and
specialized in “everything for the baby” as its slogan ran.
The inventory began with cribs, baby carriages, playpens, high chairs,
changing tables, and toys. It went way beyond these to everything a
baby could want or need. Mr. Sickser, assisted by his son-in-law Lou
Kirshner, ran a profitable business out of the needs of the rapidly
expanding child population.
The language of the store was primarily Yiddish, but Sickser’s was a
place where not only Jewish families but also many non-Jewish ones
could acquire the necessary for their newly arrived bundles of joy.
Business was particularly busy one spring day, so much so that Mr.
Sickser and his son-in-law could not handle the unexpected throng of
customers.
Desperate for help, Mr. Sickser ran out of the store and stopped the
first youth he spotted on the street. “Young man,” he panted, “how
would you like to make a little extra money? I need some help in the
store. You want to work a little?”
The tall, lanky black boy flashed a toothy smile back. “Yes, sir, I’d
like some work.” “Well then, let’s get started.”
The boy followed his new employer into the store. Mr. Sickser was
immediately impressed with the boy’s good manners and demeanor.
As the days went by and he came again and again to lend his help,
Mr.Sickser and Lou both became increasingly impressed with the youth’s
diligence, punctuality, and readiness to learn. Eventually Mr. Sickser
made him a regular employee at the store. It was gratifying to find an
employee with an almost soldier-like willingness to perform even the
most menial of tasks, and to perform them well.
From the age of thirteen until his sophomore year in college, this
young man put in from twelve to fifteen hours a week, at 50 to 75 cents
an hour.
Mostly, he performed general labor: assembling merchandise, unloading
trucks and preparing items for shipments. He seemed, in his quiet way,
to appreciate not only the steady employment but also the friendly
atmosphere Mr.Sickser’s store offered.
Mr. Sickser and Lou learned in time about their helper’s Jamaican
origins, and he in turn picked up a good deal of Yiddish.
In time the young man was able to converse fairly well with his
employers, and more importantly, with a number of the Jewish customers
whose English was not fluent. At the age of seventeen, the young man,
while still working part-time at Sickser’s, began his first semester at
City College of New York . He fit in just fine with his, for the most
part Jewish classmates, hardly surprising, considering that he already
knew their ways and their language.
But the heavy studying in the engineering and, later, geology courses
he chose proved quite challenging. The young man would later recall
that Sickser’s offered the one stable point in his life those days.
In 1993, in his position as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
two years after he guided the American victory over Iraq in the Gulf
War, General Colin Powell visited the Holy Land. Upon meeting
Israel’s Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir in Jerusalem, he greeted the
Israeli with the word
“Men kent reden Yiddish” (We can speak Yiddish).
As Shamir, stunned, tried to pull himself together, the current
Secretary Of State continued chatting in his second-favorite language.
Colin Powell never forgot his early days working at Sickser’s.
Bar Mitzvah Invitation
It is with great stress, emotional and physical fatigue and incredible financial sacrifice beyond comprehension,
that we invite you to join us as our wonderful son
Samuel Cohen
is called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah.
Saturday, May 12th - (yes, we realize it’s Mother ‘s Day Weekend)
Temple Israel
14 Miller Road
Ridgewood , New Jersey 07601
at the ungodly hour of 9 am
Even though you don’t really need to be there until 10:20am to catch the real action.
If you make it through the 3 hour service,
please skip the kiddush (its just cookies and cake)
and join us instead for the ostentatious evening meal (Kosher, my husband’s idea),
which starts at 7 PM, (not 8 PM…or you will miss out on the 2000 canapes).
Ridgewood Country Club
(which we had to join just for this event and you would not believe the initiation fees)
Please have the courtesy of showing up if you RSVP that you are
attending, or you will be billed for $210 a plate if you are a
no-show. Please RSVP as soon as you get this and not the day before the
cut-off date. I can’t take the stress.
The gift of choice is either green, or contains a routing and account number.
Hope you can make it! Bob and Tiffany Cohen
Dress: Black Tie optional
Theme: 007 James Bond
Kippot and Matching Eye Patch will be provided
Jewish Vs. Goyish
Lenny Bruce did this better—
I remember from his skit that goyim eat mayonnaise sandwiches…Jews eat ketchup sandwiches…
Goyim get TB…Jews get bronchitis—
From the Internet…
Jewish Vs. Goyish
Judges Are Jewish
Juries Are Goyish
Packing all the mini hotel shampoos is Jewish
Using them is Goyish
Ordering family-style is Jewish
Ordering a la carte is Goyish
Cruises are Jewish
Walking tours are Goyish
Grabbing lox from the back of the buffet first, is Jewish
Grabbing melon from the front is Goyish
Picking from your mate’s plate is Jewish
Not wanting even a “little taste” is Goyish
Fruitcake is Goyish
Fruit and cake is Jewish
Reading “how-to” books is Goyish
Writing “how-to” books is Jewish
ESPN is Goyish
PBS is Jewish
Tiffany’s is Goyish
Your Uncle Ira in the Jewelry District is Jewish
Passing bars is Goyish
Passing the Bar Exam is Jewish
DIY (Do it Yourself) is Goyish
PAG (Pay A Goy who knows what he’s doing) is Jewish
West Coast is Goyish
East Coast is Jewish
Lunch meat is Goyish;
Deli is Jewish
White bread is Goyish;
Rye is Jewish
Sushi is Jewish;
Chopsticks are Goyish
Laughing at someone else’s troubles is Goyish;
Laughing at your own troubles is Jewish
“Youngsters” are Goyish,
“Kids” are Jewish
Buttering bread is Goyish;
Spreading margarine is Jewish
Sitting quietly to get served is Goyish:
Standing and waving one’s hands is Jewish
Beer is Goyish;
Wine is Jewish
I have just one thing to say about the Heineken can. Maybe beer is Goyish,
but Freddie Heineken, the founder of the Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam
(a very Jewish city) was a Jewish man…just thought to tell you
that…well, pointing this out is Jewish too I think…
Tattoos and piercing are Goyish;
Diamonds and pearls are Jewish
Ham sandwiches are Goyish;
Corned beef on rye is Jewish
White sox are Goyish;
No sox are Jewish
Saving Money is Goyish;
Investing money is Jewish
Snowmobiling is Goyish;
Skiing is Jewish
Doing Landscaping is Goyish;
Hiring a Landscaper is Jewish
Frizzy hair is Jewish;
Stick straight flat hair is Goyish
A party that revolves around the buffet table is Jewish;
A party that revolves around the bar is Goyish!
