Dena Epstein
Dena's parents emigrated from Russia, arriving in the United States in 1910 with an 11-month-old baby, David, who died of a lung inflammation on board the ship and was buried at sea. The family had already lost three other children who were buried in Russia. Her father worked as a tailor for many years, including at Sanger Brothers and Dreyfus, and her mother spoke only Russian when she arrived. Dena's older brother Alex grew up hearing Russian, while Dena and her sister Sara did not learn the language. Her grandfather was a founding member of a synagogue and served as a Hebrew teacher.
Dena grew up on Crockett Street in Dallas, in a neighborhood she remembered fondly for its mix of families, including a Black family across the street, a Mexican family next door, and relatives who ran a grocery store nearby. She recalled learning to drive a Model T Ford at age 13 and buying a first car with her brother Alex. She attended a local school that changed names several times and later took college courses in Texas after she was married. Her family was raised Orthodox, attending a synagogue in North Dallas, and she later moved toward Reform practice as her son Gerald was confirmed at the temple.
Dena married Isidore Free, who worked in a downtown jewelry store and later as an optometrist. They raised three children: Marvin, who became a retired doctor, Gerald, who remained in Dallas, and Beverly. Deeply family-oriented, Dena was known for mothering her extended family. She was active in Hadassah, Pioneer Women, and the Shepherd Center, a senior learning organization where she contributed by sharing a joke to close each session. Interviewed near her 95th birthday, she vividly recalled the sweeping changes she had witnessed, from horse-drawn buggies, iceboxes, and party lines to cars, television, air conditioning, and cell phones.
Full Transcript
hi I'm Ruth Andrus I'm here today with Dina free epstein to talk about her life Dina first of all when is your address here one two two seven one more in Dallas Texas tell if court roped right that's where it is tell me you know what country did your parents come from Russia both of them did they need here or in Russia Russia they had buried will they had lost four four children altogether when they came here three of them had been buried in Russia the fourth one was they were carrying even their arms and that's when they arrived here they expected the children they
expected the fourth one that they were caring and when Bobby saw at the sauna but getting off the boat without any thinking of their arms well she's got a conniption to fit you know there and then realize that the fourth child that they were bringing you with them died and they buried him at sea and Bobby it would be hi roeckl Andrus who is hierarchal Clemons and she is your aunt yep what your husband was and what was his name Harry yeah and your father's name liar and your mother's Mother's Day we always do her is high but that that wasn't her real name her
real name was variable I didn't know and when they've elevated for her when did they come what you okay about him that I have their original papers here fuel you want me to interject they came in 1910 and the baby was 11 months old were they fleeing persecution is that why they can where they walk were they fleeing persecution really they never talked about anything that went on in Russia I didn't even know the names of the children and I didn't know the date of the ones they were bringing with them until count got the chips paper with the names just in the name the
name of the baby who died was Dave David of it he was 11 months old he died of what they stormed a lung inflammation on board ship she was three months probably she was three months pregnant with my father wait a minute wasn't the baby yeah I guess he figured that out baby died November 19 you have did you have brothers and sisters did I have well alex is Sarah and what was what were your parents occupations what did they do when they came here my father was a tailor and after they came here he was a tailor its Sanger brothers for many years the
Dreyfus workbook exciters drives us and there was a time when you worked at him cab and he was a ladies tale she did tailoring over there for Robbie where he worked where did you live when you grew up when I grew up Bela a dress of crack the street 19 you know what I think thank you don't what crack that's true did you live with other members of the family your cousins so your aunt and uncle no no I had a question is it okay I just wanted to know where I know they all live very close to each other I want to know where
the rest of the family lived about a block away on Pearl Street did your parents go belong to a synagogue was it where was it then Sheriff it was the North Dallas Jared central downtown God it wasn't really downtown it was endorsed Dallas and did they regularly attend it what did they regularly attend that's enough father dude did you celebrate the holidays when you grew up he wasn't a fanatic about participated in all my old days or they insisted that we went yeah did did you ever go to Hebrew school no religious school no were you involved in any Jewish organizations when you were bringing
up your children they went to his temple Gerald was confirmed temple it's a better effect he was in the last confirmation class of the temple but it was in South Dallas before a hillcrist you know and then Beverly was Varmus with she bought miss fun and it was Beverly Bob Mitzvah no and what about Marvin the oldest son where did your family experience any anti-semitism when they you lived on Crockett no and then when you moved into University Park and I did too the school was Mexican and a few Jews and we lived across the street from a black family as as a matter of
fact he was a principal of one of the black high schools at that time we had blackened mm-hmm white what was the name of your school come with her hills and then some compliment heels where did you go to school until I guess what Texas University after I was married and I lived it cost a lot of courses in Texas did you graduate from Kroger tick yeah yeah chain I think it changed things three times while I was there do you remember what they were Brian it was on Bryant Street so with high school in between there and that crow sure was the principal so
they changed the the date to Crozier so it was approach your tank what I graduated there do you know if they still if it's still there who can fake I think it was abolished it's it it's in the family book I think you're right I think just recently the fight to keep it yeah there was lost yeah tell me um who did you marry Isidore free and you told me your children were Marvin Gerald and Beverly mm-hmm and you have any grandchildren how many tell us the names okay and so Marvin has more Barbic as to whose names are Julie sorry my mother did not
speak any language except Russian when she came to this to the United States and so alex is grew up hearing Russian so he went to public school your brother when he spoke Russian or Jason either English at school and then you and your sister Sara we we did not speak Russian and what was it like in that neighborhood tell us about prophets Street and the people there you there was the black family lived right across the street there was a Mexican family with candy Carter to us and down the street was an American family and I associate it was a long they didn't make any
difference to me and you said that close by will your relatives tell us about that who were they and they ran a grocery store and welcomed with their children Isaac's well I can I fix our children that was then I'll get it you know you're okay but although Isaac said children then and daven there's the bed and David Mary's children who lives with carrier Brock was Ruben little bit and now I have to say I had to think back Reuben Dave and Norman right in that neighborhood were there any Jewish people besides your cousin's most of the Jews did your parents were they active was
your father activist at the synagogue yard Israel and what about your grandfather and to ferret a fairy doctor about father wasn't Sheriff it was two ferrets okay same as my grandfather okay so you were are you were brought up Orthodox and where are you today you said to your reformed you told me it all started there Gerald continued we lived in North Dallas and temple was the South Dallas that was part of this did you ever belong to a Jewish youth through like Binet Britt Dawson it's still laughing tell us some other organizations that you volunteer for that you've been interested in pioneer women your
equipment they pioneered out tell us about the Shepherd Center which episodes daughter Jewish or innovation tell us your involvement there only Jeffords said you're up still and what what do they do well the Shepherd Center is people remember what what age you have to be before you think you can join the Shepherd Center and it's a learning organization we have classes there abuse abuse the curtain'd use there's a panel of three people who speak Freddy would wants to come in listen to them and my part in that is that after each session that we have which is we we CLE look for sessions a year
and my part is getting a job after each session well they all leave laughing we're ready for a joke have you went on the tip of your tongue a joke well we'll come back to that how would you really describe the Jewish community through the years I have really about that much to do with a Jewish with a real Jewish community well say your Hadassah have you seen changes in the years from then to now we just supporting Israel all the way tell me about your family today where they live your Marvin your oldest son oh he's a retired doctor yeah and your son Gerald
gerald is Dallas and your daughter Beverly I'm Jewish I think what changes would have you seen in Dallas since you grew up and today what Dallas is Brett a little baby's inside since I were born here and part of changes concern were six changes even in your own announcement so that would be difficult to say the downtown sanction of course has completely changed and [Music] Elm Street to be all the way west and now it's also east that race race relations towards the depends on who you associate with tell me if you were to name one person or whatever who was your role model as
you grew up that influenced you what influenced you you're like a role model tell me also about your job you worked at the time we were about the journalist or a loved on the street which was having dark and but as far as the big influence by okay before about the ends numbers they're gonna let the family influence we were always close family oriented and what did your husband do for living we had and afterwards as an optometrist well the jewelry store we had in the downtown area who did he work for there it was a parole optical I'm gonna let charity Andres Dena's nice
ask more questions and then I will finish it on read Andres a cousin by marriage Carrie cousins by marriage first question I had was I was curious about when to ferret started where was it for North Dallas which is it was a Jewish considered or Jewish section out not not where it is now Hill crossed yeah so do you remember the street yes Oh what was it Caroline streets - Caroline Street it was a little wooden shack and to the the men had their services the grunt of the ground floor I guess and the women were on balcony and the kids would sit and look
through that through the curtains to the men who were below did you we used to living on Crockett at the time I was living all right so how did your grandfather get there walk he wanted and he was one of the founding members she said earlier I think he was one of the founding layers now when you lift on Crockett as a small child did you or plumbing from the beginning yeah we always had those too were you taught to read and write Hebrew no so just the boys learned that just the boys yeah grandfather was a Hebrew teacher yeah oh they didn't know how
to how to read and write Hebrew either really my father did not learn that bring his Bar Mitzvah it was actually memorizing it oh I knew this promise for speech in English before he did interesting and there was a great story that my dad used to tell and I'm not sure we have known any tapes about the time the sukkah caught on fire were you I don't know - but you don't know about that all right I know but more or less they did happen yeah we might have it on tape he said this sucka caught on fire one year and they had to try
and explain to the fire department what this thing was that caught on fire everybody who saw heard you had to explain like what's right but you tell me a good story on the phone the other day about buying your first car you and Alex could you tell that what buying our first card because our parents never drove a car we had a car in the family that is a Model T Ford in fact I learned to drive by driving a Model T Ford at what age did you learn to drive I was driving at 13 yeah at age 13 because at that at that time
you didn't have to take a driver's test you got in a car at you drove I had never driven in a car that before the bottle 2t that didn't have stiff gearshift but I got in there and I drove it and then when did you and Alex by the car uh well they're just about that time you were 13 hmm yeah and so Alex must have been 15 well he's 16 was 16 months and yep gold of their life well actually you know you've always said that but he was born June 16 1911 and you were born did you say you're not sure you were
born Dean up according to my birth certificate tell me about it my birth certificate which was supposed to have been the original it says baby unnamed and my father's name was finally put on that somewhere your father was mayor here he became buyer any ytr but from Russia I think his date would have bent em let's see em bie er yeah there and what you were telling us before that your mother's name was really Miriam yeah how did she become higher try oneiza life right and she was sick in one taste and so her name was changed to life so that she would get well
and they do that still and you were born toss again the year and the day well my birth certificate says I was born September the test 1913 and next week is September the 10th 2008 so what birthday is coming what's your next birthday next week well it's the 10th how old will you be too old I would say try 95 but you know what you're more like 75 so yeah we'll keep you there anything else well yeah I I asked my grandmother this question was how do you feel like what age did you do you see yourself as 95 cold everybody that knows the tiny
fight they say I don't look interacting right do you have an age that you kind of vision and vision yourself as throughout your life no okay well my great-grandmother Rita said she thought of herself at 25 that's what I was asking that's how she well we wish you a very happy birthday you're a beautiful woman and I know personally that you have mothered all the people in your family or extended family and we're thrilled to have your history today thanks so much Dean I what you're showing me you know what what is that you have about six months old of this picture the dog found
in the family album your daughter put this together my granddaughter or your granddaughter dog Beverly's daughter okay now would you tell us what it says well you can turn it around go ahead other things that have happened in 1913 as a year that I was born this stainless steel zipper would board at the same time Henry fort develops the first moving assembly line streamlining production time the United States Statistics first-class stamp two sets average income a thousand thirty four dollars a year a car was five hundred dollars a house with $4,800 prizes are first included in crackerjack candy boxes Thomas Edison invents the telephone recorder
that all happened did 90 what's up about be my entrance tell us then the changes that you have experienced for example from the telephone to the what with the first car that that we bought Alex and I I was 13 years of age it was direct toward what we called a touring car had the eyes of glass windows if it rained you had to stop a ball in order to have your windows closed well now the two said stamp this has been 40 cents I can't give you the everything it's come for it for a year I don't know that and car worth $500 we
bought our first car was $150 I don't know except for the house that we had after I was buried it I'll depart the house and lot had been sold the house had blood I think it was sold for ninety seven hundred dollars at that time and I moved to University Park but on the originals lot in Highland Park now stands a two billion dollar house million-dollar a billion dollars billion dobut million okay that's enough that's hired oh and the Cracker Jack boxes but as far as far as I don't there's always been a price at a grinding Chang will tell us that were there horse
and buggies when you were younger in Dallas and the streets what were they like unpaved just as I remember buying the water balance also the a horse-drawn buggy cuffed or whatever you want to call it and they were iKlip water bottles water bella melons and what about other foods well there was a downtown market we used to go to at a grocery store and I work at the Andrews grocery store I have a picture of the store I have a butcher's apron on and who's on your lap well that would not standing up and Reuben I think tricycle they they've really got I think this
sitting in my lap right but I was thinking you went from horse and buggy to car you've experienced airplanes television what else so many modern conveniences that you have experienced in 95 years another 95 years about flying in people well what about from the radio to television remember the radio where we had just like a little diesel that we had to place oh they're in dirt that gets a reception and what about the phonograph player then and then what after that from the phonograph could you have television and you had tapes I remember you taking programs well the types of than i taked but that
time i think one of the terror cells you kept up because you've went from from that and what about what was a telephone look like what did it look like them had a receiver it was a bass receiver now of course you have cell phones like thee I have a three room apartment I had four portable phones would it be true quite a change were you using the phone when they went to a an operator when you picked up and people were party lines you know tell us about that I guess you've noticed bills have been more expensive your bills are electricity air conditioning what
about air conditioning well we started that with this air conditioned it's outside units and you had an air conditioner of you sticking out of your windows what about in the cars and what about fans so you remember the best others but they were always did you ever ride the bus in Dallas really because at the time that the bus transportation was improved we have a car and what about cookie what was the kitchen like way back digital always had a burgers as they do used to be just gas and then change to electric which they are now you also have what now throw the microwave
though if there was a church toaster oven before that which I still have what we call it an icebox tell us about that look at the icebox The Iceman used to come and put 25 pounds of ice it'll in a pot in a container under the bus there was a pad to catch the drippings and if you didn't remember to empty the pad periodically you have water on the fork and then of course that changed to me what about your heating system the heating system with little gas stoves and everyone in each room then then we had the floor the gas from stoves that were
sent in the floor it's their network to central did you ever have coal here well thank you we've gone from 1913 to 2008 thank you get o free Deena Andres free epsilon F sign thank you