Ester & Jack Goldman
Esther and Jake Golden came from Russia, where Jake had served the Tsar in the military. Facing the prospect of serving again around the time of the Russo-Japanese war, he left before Simon was born. The family first had relatives in Mobile, Alabama, and Jake made his home there after arriving in the States, having also spent time in New York and Waterbury, Connecticut. When he could not make a living in Mobile, nephews already living in Dallas urged him to come, and he arrived alone around 1915, leaving his wife and children behind at first. After getting established, he sent for the rest of the family, and Simon, then about fifteen, came with an older sister.
In Dallas, Jake lived briefly with the Tobolowski family on Caroline Street, and members of the Federation helped him open a small grocery at Caroline and Payne. He kept a horse and wagon, sold groceries and wood in winter, and worked among the peddlers and immigrant families of the North Dallas neighborhood near the shul. Around 1916 he opened a kosher butcher shop at McKinney and Caroline, having learned about kosher meat while working in Waterbury, Connecticut. As the Jewish community moved south, the family relocated the grocery and butcher shop to Gould Street and later to Colonial. Jake also went into the pickle business, supplying restaurants such as the Brass Rail and hotels including the Baker and the Adolphus, and even furnishing pickles to the Texas Centennial.
The Golden children grew up in a warm, tightly knit community where, they recalled, no one felt poor. Simon worked as an errand boy at Sanger Brothers, was required to attend night school, and remembered figures like Max Rosenfield. Emma worked at Sanger Brothers as a young bookkeeper. The family belonged to both shuls and were longtime members at Shearith Israel, where Jake served on the board and where an older sister was among the first weddings held in the new building's basement. The siblings recalled social clubs such as the T-Double-O Club, dances at the Labor Temple and the Lakewood Country Club, picnics at Kidd Springs, swimming, and the Rosh Hashanah promenade through the city park.
Full Transcript
This is Rose Biederman. The date is February 12, 1987. I'm in the Archives Room. I'm sitting here and I'm speaking with Emma Meltzer, Mary Friedman, and Simon Golden. all children of Esther and Jake Golden, who operated the kosher butcher shop in Dallas. What year was that kosher butcher shop started? Do you remember? Simon, I remember Papa first opened the butcher shop on McKinney, and we were still living on Caroline. Well, that was about 1915. We came here in 1915. About 1916, 1916? Is that 1916? No, because we weren't in North Dallas for two years before we moved on Google Street. Well, all right. So... Maybe it was about 1916.
Right after the week. Are you talking about when you first started? Yeah, on McKinney. Now, you told me last week that you were born in Russia. That's right. Were you born in Russia? You were born in Alabama? I was born in Russia. And you were born in Russia? Yes. And you told me last week about why your father left Russia? Well, on account of the Japanese war, and he had already served the government. He served the Tsar, he said. He served the Tsar, and he thought there was not time for him to move, which they had. had relatives in Mobile, Alabama, which they sent for him first.
But Simon was in New York and then went to Waterbury, Connecticut, do you remember? Before he came to Mobile. Well, he didn't stay there. He made his home as he arrived in the States at Mobile, Alabama. Okay. Do you know how long he served the Zor when he was in the service? Well, it was a minimum time for all of them to serve a certain period of time. He had already served his time. Simon they ran away He and Rubikov you know ran away from them Well they managed to leave They knew they were They knew they were Yeah Now the war started in 1904 I know that What was that before?
Right. It started in 1904. So he left. He didn't want to have to serve again. No. Right. He left before I was born. I see. I was about a year old. And again, for the record, how did he, why did he come to Dallas from Alabama? Well, he had nephews here in Dallas, which were very close to one another, some European situation and that way he didn't, he wasn't able to make a living in Mobile that they asked him to come to Dallas, which he came to Dallas by himself. Okay, and you? He left the family in Mobile. And then later after he was established, then he brought my mother and Emma and Mary and my older sister, Eva, and I still remained with an aunt of ours there.
Yeah. And so that's the way it happened to be. And then when he did come to Dallas, his nephews made him acquainted, and he lived for several weeks or months with the Tobolowskis on Caroline Street. You know, one's got all those big toys. With the Tobolowskis on Caroline Street. Yes, that's right, yes. And afterwards, somehow or other he got acquainted and the nephews introduced him to different ones at the Federation. Gave them a start in a little grocery store, which was old Caroline and Payne. Caroline and Payne? Okay and so he they helped him get started with a small grocery store Yes they helped him to get located and we lived in that little place which was owned by a Jewish person by the name of Louis Linn He had a dairy, but there was living quarters in the back of the little store.
And afterwards, the father had, after he got on his feet a little bit, he sent for me and my older sister, Heber, and we came to Dallas. And we got a claim for the Jewish settlement all in that area, and the shul was right by, and gradually, little by little, we got acquainted with different ones. Simon, you went to work with the fangers, and Bertie got in for a job for three dollars a week. So anyway, we lived there for a short period of time, and then I started school there, and I got to be a big boy, and I was, they didn't put me where I thought I ought to be, So I did not go back to school, but I did get a job at Sanger Brothers, which a friend of mine that lived in the area by the name of Peter Coyne, Harry Coyne was the name.
You know how many of you think? Oh, I know who you're probably. Brother. And what school was that? He introduced me to Cumberland Hills. Cumberland Hills. He introduced me to a purchasing agent or those who hired different ones at Sanger's, and he started me off at four dollars a week as an errand boy in the office. And that was when Max Rosenfield was credit man and manager of the whole office there. And I ran errands for different ones for different things and so on And one time I passed through one of the candy counters and I picked up a piece of candy and I was paying for it.
I was called down by one of the officials on the floor. Don't ever take candy without asking for it. He bought me a camera with one of the first... And from there, I did ask for a little raise, so they gave me a $50 raise. 50 cent raise. 50 cents. You mean 50 cents a week? Another incident that happened there, that is, the weather was cold, bad, and I needed a little overcoat. So I picked up a nice old coat that had a little fur collar on it and so on. This coat was maybe about five or six dollars or something like that. And that's the cashier that paid off was the one that had charge of such as that.
And I went to Mr. Max Rodenfield and told him I'd like to have this coat, but it's a beautiful coat with a fur collar. If there's something you can do without that full collar, you can buy it for $2 cheaper. Where's it? Where's it without the collar? But talking about the pay, I worked there, oh, that was after, sometime after that, between Christmas, you know, during the holidays. I mean, during the vacation, school vacation, I went back in the office. And we had to work overtime at night. They would give us fifty cents for supper money, but you couldn't get off to go and eat the supper.
You didn't let it play through. Oh. And you got fifty cents for supper money. Now I was just going to ask you about how old were you when you went to work for Sanger Brothers? Well, I must have been about seventeen, eighteen years old. Oh, no, Simon. No, no, you were fifteen when you came to Dallas. Fifteen? Yes, I was fifteen when I was a buddy. But they were able to buy them every year or two afterwards that I went to Sanger, wasn't it? I mean, around about 15, 17 years. Okay, okay. And they insisted upon youngsters like the They told a lot of others that they must go to night school.
Oh, is that right? So after work, we'd have to go to night school. They gave us 50 cents for whatever it may be, for nine weeks or something like that. Supplementary, actually. Supplementary. But anyway, we were compelled to go to night school. Well, what were you to take at night school? What kind of courses? Anything they'd cost you. Anything you wanted? Well, no, no. They had a curriculum, wasn't it? Oh, and I remember the teacher there was Judge Alexander of one of the courts in town, but he volunteered to be a teacher at night for the different ones. And I was there, and Myra Chosky was there, and the Dynastia boys worked there, and I don't know what the church was.
They didn't want to talk to you about the church. And Abe Brennan was the head of the office. Now, did all of these people go to night school? Well, yes, most of them. What did you study at night school? Well, that I don't remember. Don't remember. Didn't learn much, didn't. Well, that's the-well, the first I've heard mention of that is why I'm asking, because I haven't heard that mention before, that Sanger's wanted the-was this all the employees or just the young? Well, just the young, young, like myself, and several others. Most of the boys have sold papers. And then there were also, the Sleepy Byers, he had a stand right there in front of Sanger's.
He was the one who had the best location for selling newspapers after school. The Freedman's always helped to book paper and a house. And I brought the sold newspapers, I believe Myra talked the sold newspapers. and most all of them. They were specialized, they put them on separate corners The newspaper company would assign certain corners for them to stand and sell their Well even then they didn have you know paper wraps or anything Oh, yeah. And when, you know, there'd be, maybe, like, anything about the war or some kind of news, well, the boys would all run down the street haul an extra. Oh, yeah.
And you'd buy a paper from them. And then when they did have some kind of flashes like a prize fight or something, it was, the Times Hero was located on Elm Street and they had a flash up there at night. It would show you the different prize fights that was going on. And everybody walked from where they lived, from Highland Street, Highland Street and so on, walked all the way down well it wasn't labor temple then it wasn't that far though it was far but it didn't know it and different we know that's right that's right you see you could ride the street car for half fare only under 12 under 12.
i don't know a few ways for a nickel the regular fare was a nickel and you got tokens for half fare and you could write for half fare So, and then you go to the movies, our mothers would give us 15 cents, a nickel to ride back and forth, a nickel for a picture show, and a nickel for ice cream. And where would you go to the picture show? Downtown. Downtown. The Crystal. The Crystal, where was that? It was on Elm Street, one of the things there. I think there was Elmer Main. Yeah. And then around Christmas time, they give you an apple in a stocking.
You know, a rib stocking. You don't know about rib stocking. It was a real, red, red, cotton, old, you know, so. They would turn green after they were washed. But the two of us would go, so we got a pair of stockings. We got a pair of stockings. The long, black, rib stockings. Oh, sure. It was a good life. Nobody knew about being poor. I understand. Because even the wealthiest, they give a party and you were invited. You have a party and they came. And even those days those different immigrants with the parents of Mr Marachowski or the Tabalaskis or uh The Janaskis all lived in Carolina They were all peddled.
What did they peddle? What did they peddle? Everything. He still had food or... There were different locations of the country in horse and wagon. And they were peddled with dry goods. Dry goods. go to Stanger's. Stanger's had a wholesale, one of the retail. And the Stanger's would credit them and you'd get out and you'd peddle and sometimes they would trade their merchandise for chickens or eggs or anything. Then they'd bring it to Ben Abelund. Ben Abelund had sort produce place and so on and they'd bring it and sell it to Ben Ablin. Ben Ablin was related to most all of them around at that time.
Ben Ablin then was supposed to be enriched but right at first, you know, Mr. Friedman would tell about Alty Ablin, that was Ben Ablin's wife, that when he would go to the country and before he'd come in, see, all the neighbors went and helped each other. Ms. Friedman was going and sew pants. She sewed Myra Chomsky's first pants for him. And who is this? Which Friedman? Bertie's mother. Oh, Bertie's mother. Yeah, she sewed Myra Chomsky's first little pants. Oh, she asked everybody. Each one would go around and help the other. So with Auntie Ablin, they said they'd go in her kitchen and she was ashamed for the neighbors not to know that she had something to cook.
So she'd have just a pint of water with the lid on top of it until Ben Ablin came home from the country and brought in a chicken or whatever. And then he was, you know, they called him the rich. Myron Ablin's father was a blacksmith. Yes, I know. She was horses and so on. And then also next door to the shul there was Levine. You know, Flanny Arnie? Lake Levine and Lake Levine and so on there. Simon, didn't they live on Caroline next to Rotenthal? They lived on the island next door, Levine lived next door to the shul there. Yeah that Jewish section there were three streets in parallel What three streets were there There was Pine Street that was a little bit nicer I mean the nicest And Caroline and Alamo, Alamo was the...
Alamo, and with the Byers was the cantors. A rabbi owned Alamo Street, a little Alamo Street. That was a shul. Which shul was it they called the remaining shul? Mr. Frank's grandfather was a member of it until he got mad at them. Now wait a minute. When you mention the shul on Highland, you're referring to Ferritus. Ferritus. Right. Now you're talking about the Remanish shul on Alamo. There was a Remanish shul on Alamo? There was just a group. Well, there was a Remanish shul. They had a shul. Yes, I know. In a house? No, they had a little shul. They had a little shul around also.
Well, who was involved with the Romanes shul? Oh, that was years ago or later, the old old man, Charlie Kaufman. That was Stanley Kaufman's grandfather. And how was that, my grandfather? See, Charlie Kaufman wasn't on there up and up, and he gave donations to a different charity, but they wouldn't accept it or it kind of wasn't close. Hey, hey, hey, that's all right. That I remember also. Okay. But anyway, going back to... Well, I'm going to ask Emma because she mentioned Shackman was... I'd like to find out who you remember was involved with the Romanischer Shoal. I know this time. I know that. Mr. Shackman.
On Alamo Street. Frank Byers. Frank Byers, he was related to somebody. They had a little shul on the island. Oh, I don't remember who. Oh, okay. I didn't know that the Romania shul had a shul there. I knew that it was on. It was known as the Romania shul. The Romania shul started up later. We were still living on Colonial when the Romania shul was there. We were living on Gould Street when the Romania shul was there. Well actually I know they started in 1906, but I didn't know that they had a location in this area that were... Well then they must have been there.
Most of them were all cattlemen. I don't mean cattlemen. Carolin was. Working hard on a Friday evening, they would come in, unhitch their horses and teams, and naturally make Shabbos. And that's the way they lived. they lived Monday morning they were all hitching up and going to different territories, Waxahachie or Tarot or this different location. Everyone would choose their own location to go and pedal and bring in such a... Everybody had a horse and buggy. Well now let's get back to your father. He had a horse and buggy? Yes. So why did he need a horse and buggy. He had a store. Was that a horse and buggy?
Yes, he had a horse and buggy to begin with because that was on Caroline Street. Yes, he had a horse and wagon and along with his little groceries that he had, he also so, so wood in the winter time that some farmer would bring in a load of wood and didn't have money to pay him, but he trusted him, trusted my father, and he eventually paid him after he sold. So we had a colored man, I remember, that would load up so much wood delivered to a certain house, and the colored man says, it is for white folks or black people or colored people, whatever they call them at the time.
So for a colored man, he would put in maybe about four, five, six extras, but not for the white people. And what was this used for in the cooking stove? Well, for a heating purpose, they mostly had cooking stove on stove, because in those days, most of them had a little cook stove. Yeah. We'll go back to Ms. Friedman's doing for everybody. She only had eight children. Yeah, the Friedmans lived on Highland Street, and we lived in the back. Yeah they kind of back down to uh Uh Uh Uh Now this first And also there uh Eleanor Ratner you remember Goodstein, uh, Goodstein, yeah. Uh-huh.
Yeah, Goodstein, uh-huh. Her-her husband was the first one when Rabbi-when Rabbi Fram came to Dallas, he was the first going to be circumcised by Rabbi Fram and he wouldn't take any money because he said they were for poor people. Well Rabbi Fram came from Mobile, moved here before we did. He was in Mobile. We knew him from Mobile. That's right. Yes, that's right. You're right. Now I'm going to show you this picture that, and this is a picture of your father's, and I have it labeled as a grocery and butcher. Is that right? Oh, yeah. The grocery market on Gould Street. And that's on Gould Street, right.
Now, this, he was a butcher and grocery. Yeah. That's right. This is Harold Goodman, you know, Mary Heckman. Right. Now, I want to ask you, was he a butcher by trade? Or did he harm that? No, exactly, no. He killed Harold in Europe. Yes, he killed Harold in Europe. His family, I understood, was more of a blacksmith or something like that. I remember in Mobile way back in my mind, talking when you had a blacksmith. How to do more work. When he learned it, he gives himself up to, see there was a whole market that had all kinds of fruits and vegetables and so on.
and this morse especially, had kosher meats. So Popple had some idea of such as that. And he volunteered to see that and see that they were served nothing but the kosher meats. Simon Popple learned that in Waterbury, Connecticut. Don't you remember him talking about going out in the snow in New York? And he went to press a pair of pants and he put the iron on it and burn it so he ran away from the tail of Johnston. So he went to Waterbury, Connecticut. Anyway that why he learned the meat That Hastings and that Dougie Because he was amongst the trape of meat and the kosher meat and he was supposed to watch and see that they served nothing but the kosher meat And I believe he's living from there on.
Well, now, he didn't, um, where did he get the, do you know where he got the meat for the butcher shop? When he fell into it, there was a fellow named Einhorn, if I'm mistaken. Engelbert, Engelbert, Engelbert. No, Engelbert was different. This Einhorn was old, matched hand packing company. A good bit of money in those days. And he couldn't pay it, so the shul took it over and gave it to Papa, the little equipment that they had or one thing or other and that's where he started. On McKinney Avenue. On McKinney Avenue. McKinney and Caroline. Okay. On McKinney and Caroline. Myra has to remember there McKinney and Caroline, he came there one day for some reason or other and he hurt himself on his hand or something and he still remembers that that's where he got hurt and go to the butcher shop.
But anyway. Well, what was, how did the, or how did your father get the meat? Who did the slaughtering? Who was the shawker? Oh, well, the slaughtering at that time was right by, oh, these Bernstein boys. Bernstein. Their father? Their grandfather. Their grandfather. Old man Bernstein was housed in Chicago with a long, beautiful beard and gray hair. They had him a gift to watch, too. And the old man, he took care of that, and he was also at that time a house, and I believe, on Animal Street. For Tiferet? Was he housing for Tiferet? I think it was. I don't remember, because... People called, let's see, at the...
From was the... Burstey had the Kaplan boys. Kaplan boys' grandfather. You know, Norman Kaplan and Zah Kaplan, who's their grandfather? That was a grandfather And Sarah was a mother with I Kaplan they called her That was years after Well, Sarah was Bernstein's daughter. Yeah, yeah. As far as the meat, they used to go out in the country and kill Tarahum. They didn't have the packing house. There was no packing house at that time in Dallas? Oh, yeah. But they didn't use the packing house. That was later. No, because Pop would go out and buy a cow, and he'd take two rabbis with him. The shepherd with him and the mishief to make sure the kill coasters.
Oh, so who were the two that would go at that time? We're talking about what time, around 19... Well, Rabbi Swift came from Galvindon. He was one of the shucked and cantors in Teferonism. For a little while Papa had his own slaughterhouse. For a while. Just a short time. Another thing, we had a Hebrew teacher by the name of Weinstein. He had a class of his own at his home. Also in this area? Yes, oh yeah, yeah. Oh, everything. Weinstein, Weinstein was related to the Aeronauts in some way. And that's where I got a job from Sangers. I went over to the Aeronauts to be a stock boy and so on.
And threw this, uh, some of Weinstein, the solid Weinstein. Why did your father move to Gould Street? Why? At that time, well, it was beginning to spread out a little bit and most of the ghetto people from California Gould moved more in South Dallas. And I happened to be working for Barney Aronoff at that time, and the old man, Sam Miller. That was Henry Miller's father. I believe he owned the place. And it had a little store in front and living quarters in the back. And the old man told me about it, and I told my father. And eventually, little by little, we did move over on Gould Street from Caroline Street.
Oh, we were moving south, really. Yeah. And this is the Gould Street location. Right. That picture is the Gould Street. Yeah. And we can see the grocery, it was grocery and butcher. I still have the scale. You still have that scale. That's wonderful. Saturday night, Saturday night. What happened Saturday night? Oh. Why? The customers coming to buy their meat. We didn't have refrigeration like we had. See, on Saturday we'd be closed. We'd open up just as soon as the sun goes down. Right, uh-huh. And we'd have people standing in line waiting. Oh, that's... Because that time meat was rash. That store was... When was meat rash?
No, no. On the wall you had to have meat. Well, I was doing the wall. Oh, that's right. Sure. Oh, we were on Colonial. You were on... That's right. We're talking about Will Street. Why didn't the people come on Sunday? Why did they come Saturday night to get their meat? Well, you see, well, some did. We also phoned them for their orders for the next day. You had to make deliveries every day. We get up early in the morning and prepare the orders. When did you start working in the butcher shop? Well, I don't know. About how old were you? Well, I was already grown, I'd say, around about eight, you know, 20 years old.
I was waiting for that, because you got married, what, when you were 21 or 20? I got married in 23. I was 23 years old. Oh, I thought you were 23. Yeah. How long did you work at Fanger? I think during this summer. During one summer? Okay. And they had me starting and I was afraid to ask them what they were going to pay me because I think it was going to be... I was just glad to go to work. So I was going to be sick. No, she did not. About how old were you when you did work there? I think of... I don't know.
I know how old I was because I went to Mobile after that division I was about 15 And they had me starting these tickets And I worked real fast so that I could learn the other And so when I started tickets, when I got my first page, in the little envelope, I went into the restroom to open it. I was afraid it was going to be less than five dollars. I was going to cry. That was a week. Well, it was $7.50. And I was thrilled. Well, as soon as I get through my work, I help the next girl to start these tickets. They taught me H-Z, E-Z, L-R-S-Z, and the commencement letter.
If you got it in the wrong... And then the next job was stuffing the ledger. So you would put the charge tickets in the right place in the ledger, so that when the Elliott Fisher operator went to post it, posted all they had to do was lift off the letter sheet and the ticket and put it on here they didn't have to check the seat because you had to work fast did you work at uh sanger's also old man rosenfield was the office manager oh he was maxwell he'd walk up and down the aisle for no reason with his hands behind him and said y'all haven't got a bit of sense to give you a red hot of the stove he wouldn't have that enough to drop it and get me and you had to work i mean he worked there for a second so then i learned how to do the um do the stuffing and i'm running real fast and that's when rose she's now rose um wachowski she was rose 20.
many of you say older sisters she was working there and so she was an alligator fish operator so she would um She at lunch time come back from lunch and I say Rose teach me how to use the Elliot sister. This was during my lunch time, but otherwise I was working on my own. And I'm hurrying to do with my work and she taught me to use the Elliot sister. So then they started me on an Elliot sister. They started all the new girls that came in on three books. They started me on five. So many early. For the same day. But Rose would tell me shortly to do that.
And they had a head bookkeeper by the name of Mr. Schwetman. He was a German. He was not Jewish. And he taught me a lot about bookkeeping. I finally became a four-yard bookkeeper. I want to find out when Golden moved to Colonial You know about when Well why did he move Was that expansion Sure. Okay. Did more people move south or? Oh, most of them moved south. Okay. So his business was more in South Valley. Yeah. He was not the only one. There were three kosher butcher shops. Who were those? Who were the three kosher Not at that, not at first, Simon. Swartburg, Swartburg, Swartburg, and old man Byers.
Byers. Byers. Byers had a little shop, had a little meat block in his garage, and also the old man Dieter, that was I.D. Dieter's father. Oh, that's right. Now what time are we talking about? What, is this around 1920 or before? Well, uh, wait a minute. Think about the war. The war was 1918. First World War. Well, it was in that area. Around that time, Mr. Gita's father had a butcher job. No, I thought we were on the New Street during 1980. He had a little meat block, and a knife, and a stall, and so on and so forth. Well, that then he was in his garage and back of his home.
And also he got his meat from the back then, back then, back then, which was the one that slaughtered for years. For the different ones, and then it was by the force force also. He had a little horse and wagon, and naturally they had, each one seemed like had so many relatives that each relative patronized for one another. So they were able to all make a living. Uh-huh, yeah. Kind of boy. Well, now you brought some wonderful pictures, and maybe you can tell us a little bit about the T-O-O Club. What does that mean, T-double-O? Excuse me, can you want to call me? The Odd One.
It was supposed to be a secret. It was supposed to be a secret. Yes, and the name of it was The Odd One. Okay. It was originated by Harry Ronix and Julia Saiso I believe it was Oh God Harry Ronix Ronick and Jewish Sizeo and uh Max Lakin No there was uh Gus uh Gus was the older one Oh, Gus, uh, Ronick. Ronick? Ronick? It was Harry Ronick. And Gus was the oldest one. And then there's, uh, this other, other Ronick, that was, that was, uh, Well, look on the picture of all the, uh, No, no. That was a type of topic of white brothers.
One with just a man. Fake robin, fake robin. Yeah. Where's the one with just a man? You didn't want to go as far as when Papa went into the pickle business? He gave up the coach to meet mom. And Harry Ronich worked for Worms' hat shop, and he got a thing of a different... Is that how you learned the happiness? Fire, Simon. It was fire. Well, Raulnick. Well, that was afterwards when Harry Raulnick already had married and everything, got established, and Gus and George Raulnick and Harry had a little hack renovating shop on other street down below the post office at that time. When did the-oh, go ahead, I'm sorry.
Then Harry somehow or other got acquainted with Byers, and that's what put the Ronick boys on their feet. So the sister, Becky Ronick, which is a topist now, she and my wife used to work at Neenah together, Becky Ronick. But anyway, that's going a little bit too fast. When did the T-double-O club begin? Well, I don't know. It must have been around about 1920. Probably about 20 years old. Yeah, before you married. Yeah, before I married. What was the purpose of, was this just a social club? A social club, definitely. Very much social. Only the boys. Very friendly. And we, after we got established and had 21 members, or maybe after a while, we had They even added on to it that their husbands and wives would meet once a month at one hotel.
We'd have a dinner. We'd have a dinner dance every month. Some of them would play cards, some of them would shoot dice, some of them would play poker, whichever was there is. Speak with dinner dancers. Well now, I noticed on some of these pictures, sort of dressed as clowns. Oh, each affair was different. Was it always sort of a dressed up type of... Yeah, there were different ones. This was... Was it hobo or... Yeah. Here's a yama yama. They call that yama yama. This is a yama yama. What does that mean? Most of them were thinking that the lake would cut the fire. Well, this was also yama yama.
Now, I've never heard yama yama. And that means clown. We would meet outside guests and they would be together in this picture. Uh-huh. That must be when you want to sell the bow and sell them with all that. Here it is. Did you always have your dances at the Lakewood Country Club? Not always. Not always. Once, I believe, I remember at the Dolphins Hotel. With the feather boa. And several times we'd meet at the, in Oakland, that hotel there. Melrose? Donely? Donely. Donely. Donely. Donely. No. Melrose? Donely was too high class. The one before that, the Oakland Springs. Melrose. Melrose. Melrose, yeah. Do you remember where this was taken?
Yes, it was taken in Lakewood Country. Oh, is it? Okay, okay. Now tell me about the pickle business. I want to get that on the tape. Well... How did your father get into the pickle business? Well Papa started buying a few cucumbers on the market and managed to get some barrels No no Let me tell her The sellers who had um the um oh what was his name One was Levine Yeah his name was uh Hatch Levine they called him He had the uh right on where Live Oak and Elm come together He had a restaurant It supposed to be one of the finest in town What was it called What was it called Now what was the man name again He called him Hags, Hags Ravine.
Uh-huh. He owned it. And his mother came to visit from New York. Well, Papa had bought cucumbers and put up pickles just to sell in his kosher market. Okay, uh-huh. And Hags Ravine brought his mother in there to buy kosher meat. Uh-huh. She came to visit from New York. Uh-huh. And he tasted these pickles. And so, oh, he was crazy about them. And he asked Papa would he put him up some pickles for his restaurant. Uh-huh. and he put up, I think, 50 barrels. And I said to Papa, if those are good enough for this restaurant, what was the name of this restaurant? I'm just trying to think.
If those are good enough for them, they're good enough for anybody. And so I talked Papa into going into the pickle business. Well, of course, he made the pickles in the back of the store on Colonial. Now, what time period? Culture Bill Pickles. No, but what, around, would this be in the 30s? No, no, I was married. I mean, not when this first started. No, you weren't married. I know, but I married soon after. No, because you went to California after that and put up pickles in California. That's right. It was a long time before you married. But before Papa gave up the kosher meat market, I remember he called me.
We were living in Houston and wanted to know, shall I give up the kosher meat market and just make pickles? And so I told him, I said, well, you're working yourself to death at kosher meat market to try it. So anyway, I got married in 1940. Brass Rail is what it was. Brass Rail. Okay. The Brass Rail. And I said, if they're good enough for the Brass Rail, they're good enough for anybody. So he started making them and I went out and I sold the Baker Hotel and the Brass Rail and the Adolphus and that Louis Delicatessen on Main Street across from the Republic Bank.
And Simon, well Simon was already the first partner with Papa, even in the meat market. And so Simon went out. Simon sold mostly the grocery stores, didn't he? And then we used to go to buy our cucumbers First we weren big enough to contract with the farmers and we go to that Joe Craddock had a pickle factory on Irby Street not too far from where the Chester Bakery was at that time Way on Main Street, and then he moved to Garner. Oh, Simon, he was out in South Dallas. I remember going there. Oh, in back of his father's truck, like that does, on Irving Street.
And I'd go back there at night. Not only you, we all would go there at night. We'd go, they'd call us when the truck came in, about 11 o'clock at night. The truck would come in and we'd grade the size pickle that we wanted. Because we couldn't use every size. Now, just a minute, the truck would, you mean, would come in the farmer's truck to bring a load or brought a load to the craddle? He bought the pickles from the grower that the grower brought to him. Okay, now I understand. And we would start out the ones we could use because we could use only certain size.
The regular pickles, they throw them in their salt vats. We didn't use salt vats. We made our pickles in barrels. But he'd throw them in the salt vats and they didn't make those a deal. After we put up a certain number of barrels that didn't have enough money to carry on, I went to the bank and I just took, well, I gave the bank my receipts from the cold storage warehouse where we stored them. And they would loan me money on these barrels of pickles. Oh, I see. At the rate of about $15, $20 per barrel. And whenever I need five or six barrels or something like that, I go to the bank and pay off the receipt there and go to the warehouse and get the pickles.
You see, you had to store the pickles for the year, because during the summer you had to put up your whole year's supply. That's right, I see. And that's why they had to be stored in full time. But I'm trying to get also a date about when this started. When you really went in... Well, when did you give up the... When did he give up the kosher market? Well, you gave up the kosher market. I was married then because I remember living in Houston. He sold it to Montrose Would that be after World War II Oh I was I got married in 1942 Oh no I was married in 1942 And he still had the kosher meat market.
It was just before Ricky was born, I believe. Well, Ricky was born in 1944. Must have been about 1943. Okay, but he was making pickles before that. Yes, he was making them in the market. And so the pickles got... We furnished pickles to the first centennial. It was our... We were across the street from... The fairgrounds. And we sold pickles to the first... We were on 50 before we were over that car in the fairgrounds. I know, but when we were crossing the fairgrounds, when we sold to the centennial, to the fairgrounds because I went over and sold them. And then the centennial was continued the next year.
And it was sold again the next year. It was called the Black Forest Restaurant on the fairgrounds. And I remember I told this buyer, I don't remember his name, he wanted us to deliver the barrels of pickles. And I said, well, we have to pay, I don't remember if it was a dollar or two dollars, to go into the gate. He said, you don't have to worry about paying for that. I will tell Swift when their truck comes out here to deliver meat to me, to come by your place and pick up your pickles and deliver. And so we had them. They were good pickles.
What other social clubs besides T-00? Do you remember that? That was a younger set known as FHH club. FHH. What was the FHH? FHH. What did that mean? FHH. They call it 15 Husky Hebrews. Oh, that's right. That's right. Now, we also had a little club in North Dallas in the ghetto section, and there was a group a group called the Hebrew Social and Outing Club. That was my organization. And Willie Sautas, when he became known after living in Dallas a couple years or so, become president of the Yeah. H-S-O Club. Wait a minute, that's H-S-O? Yeah, Hebrew Social United. I have never heard of that group.
Yes. I'll be at it before your time. It didn't last too long. Oh, it was before your time. And Willie Salters was the last president that they had for that affair, because we were acquainted with one another in those days and so just small groups. Was this more like a neighborhood? Yes. And Willie's office was older than the rest of the office. Yeah, not because he just came from New York. Yeah, our oldest is so respectable. Did the shuls have socials that people would go to? No, none of the shuls. Who gave the dances? They didn't? Who gave the dances? the labor temple the labor temple upstairs now what's the labor temple i know i mean that was not jewish that was for anyone no they read it they read it oh well who read it oh it must have been the shul or some people i don't know but i know that had weddings there and miss friedman the lady friedman that take all the kids in the neighborhood just so you brought your nickel for the streetcar fair and she'd take us all to the dances the grown-ups went and the children went she'd take all the kids in the neighborhood to the labor temple to the dances just bring a nickel for your comfort now where was this labor temple located wasn't that on young street oh yeah and i believe it's still there for now uh-huh and they had weddings around so it was like a social hall that was used by.
Yes, and they had these dances very often. Yeah, Mrs. Friedman would take us all the Jewish kids. So Mrs. Friedman would take all the kids in the neighborhood, and bring a nickel, and get on the little stuff, and round them up. And we danced, the girls would dance with each other as a kid. But the grown-ups too, and the young folk ate in the marriage group. Everybody. Well, they had chaperones the other day. Chaperones, they were all there. And the parents would come along. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. What about picnics? Were there picnics? Yeah. Well there were some picnics in the neighborhood there on Caroline Street in Highland and all Did the schools have picnics That People Social and Outing Club had a picnic several times in Kid Spring No, before Kid Spring there was...
Vickery, wasn't it? Vickery Park? I thought it was Vickery Park? No, over there in Oklahoma. Kirkland Park? No, no. Have you ever heard of Kirkland? Yes, yes. Where was that? I don't know. They had little boats there that you'd rent a boat and you... Oh, you're talking about... River Shown Quarren. Yeah, that's Gilwell Water. What water is that? It's a mineral water. It's a mineral water. They had a mineral spring that came up out of the ground. I keep still with your bottles. Simon, you're talking about the picnic where you rent a boat. Was there on Buckner, what's the name of that? No, no, there's a business section out there.
You go west on Northwest Highway. It's where on the dam. I remember rowing a boat across the dam, Bobby. Friedman and I. And when I got through the loynda boats there and back, I had listed the boat man. Sure. We would also have a picnic later on at Kid Springs. Yeah. Kid Springs, everybody would come with their horse and wagon, I believe it was maybe, that was already automobile day. And Harry Byers from Walser Heights, he would bring his family with a big pot of food stuff to eat. And God, how that man loved to eat. And that's his spring. They had flying horses there also.
That's the kids would get whatever. The streets were, and they had entertainment there, and there was a swimming pool there. Do you remember where we used to go swimming? It was all the Jewish crowds, when we lived on Google Street, used to go swimming, and there was a laundry. Oh that was Leeds Laundry on Hallwood and Florence It was called Cascade Fund That was during the war time This was a public swimming pool You paid to go. Well wait just a minute. What does Leasman's Laundry have to do with it? They owned it. Well they owned it and they had a swimming pool in there.
That was during time of the war. And the soldier boys, what would be camping at Fairport, would come over there and go swimming. Where was it located? Harwood and Corrine, right on the corner. There's some kind of a building there. Yeah, Cascade's Funks, I remember. Leachman's Laundry. That's interesting, I've never heard of that. Yeah. That's called the Cascade's Funks, I remember that. i don't remember how much we paid here well what about uh now another thing that if uh if we're through with that very part they used to have of course it wasn't just the jewish people they used to have band concerts in the city park do you remember that that's right across was your family a member of any shul oh sure definitely both shoes but he was a member at from 1916 he's on the board there at sheriff israel i see See, Hop was considered the kosher butcher shop of sharehands at that time.
And now that new silliest, when it was new and they built it across the street from the park, it's on Park Avenue. My sister Eva, my older sister, she was the second person to be married in the basement. Barry in the basement. Oh really? The first one was the Anguished Girl. The Anguished Girl. Oh really? The auditorium was downstairs. It was right in the basement. Right, yeah, right. They had a social hall downstairs. And you heard it was the second wedding, and the show wasn't completed. Yeah, it was all rocks at the moment. Oh there were rocks all around and there was lumber There was lumber in the house It wasn even completed No it wasn even completed Who did your sister marry John Levinson You were a woman of Jim Levinson Well, I don't remember him personally, but I know who you were talking about.
I don't remember him. Also, sheriffs were shooed when young Kipper would be. Everyone would walk in the car that was close to shooed. Oh, we didn't ride? Oh, no. Or my parents and the other parents would stay at the Evington Hotel or one of the others right close by that the wouldn't have had to ride. You weren't permitted to park your car near the Shule and live it well on Harwood Street, something like that. And also when Shul was over, the janitor and his wife stole Coca-Cola to the different ones right after Shul to break the fast. Do you remember his name? Who? The janitor.
It was he and his wife both. Was he Jewish? I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember. Did he live close to the shul? I'm sure I did. So he would sell cokes afterward for the break of that? You know talking about a club, you know, Crosstowns Park used to be the Elf Club and then he bought it. Well, uh, Harris Siegel was the one that bought that Elf Club. I remember the JCC. Yeah, yeah. Harry Singel bought the Elf Club for the JCC? Yes. I remember when you used to... They used to have meetings. I remember a summer fair that we all went through the Elf Club gate, and 11 o'clock at night everybody would meet in a circle and hold hands, and say, the hour of 11 has arrived.
arrived and I don't remember what else. But I remember that. Yeah, those were the good... But it was a good, good community because everybody was like one family. Good many little dancers were held there at the Elk Club there. That's when it was. Right across from the city park. It was over the one-four side and there were children. It was the city dog we're going to do. Right, right. Most all those Jewish boys belonged to the Elks Club. Now, did you belong to the Elks Club or when it was the Jewish community? Well, some did. I believe I joined it. You joined it. And I saw what it was afterwards, so I dropped out of it.
Some of us Elks, he had a tooth that was growing up out of his gum, you remember? I had a tooth. So he had that tooth pulled and he had a mounting on it. Dr. Silverman pulled it. He wore it on his watch chain and he said it was an elk tooth. All it was milk. I had Louie and I went to make me a case for it and it hung on my watch file. I see. I still have it. And Dr. Silverman pulled the tooth. Dr. Silverman pulled the tooth. Oh, God, it was him. Oh, boy. And he didn't use any kind of gas.
He was located at the Saffling Light building on Ackerd, in Ackerd, Maine. I think so, yeah. And then all the boys joined the Masonic line. Was Dr. Silverman the only Jewish dentist that you remember? No. I had a brother-in-law by the name of Charlie Goodman. That was Lena sister husband We would meet during the weather with Rush Yarnas and Kipper And we all smoked in those days So we go to the park there and they had a little nursery place back up in there and we'd hide back there, and we'd smoke our cigarettes, and then come back to Cuba. Oh, remember the parade they used to have?
We used to have our parades on Rush Yonder. Who? Parades. Go and show us all the work avenues. showing your new clothes you didn't there you got from head to top you got new clothes for reference and so they'd have intermission or whenever half of the half of the congregation was in the park and then the young girls and boys would walk through the park and the girls show off their clothes along that creek that they had oh sure you bought everything from top to bottom now Now you're talking when you were young, and that's... Well, I was already a young lady. I was a teenager.
Uh-huh. A later teenager. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. That's interesting. Oh, I'm telling you a lot of time, but... It was a good life. ...the way that I would never fall asleep with this remission things of different things that have gone by years and years ago. And how do we do it? How do we manage? You tell the youngsters today what you had gone through and how you worked and how you saved and this and that and that. No, they think they've got it all coming. Well, who knew from air conditioning, even when we moved on around...