Hyman Mopsic
Hyman Mopsic was born in Russia, one of eight children in what he described as a middle class family. His father was a handler who bought and sold everything, and a generous man who kept several pushkes in the home and never failed to give tzedakah, first for Israel. The family was Orthodox, and Hyman walked about three miles to shul every Shabbos with his father, who was well learned and prepared him for his bar mitzvah. He attended cheder until age nine, when his father arranged for him to work sorting school supplies. To keep his sons from serving in the Russian army, his father sent each brother to the United States at age twenty-one, and eventually left for America himself, settling in New York at his daughter's urging.
At thirteen, Hyman came to the United States by boat, joining his father and siblings and traveling on to Norwich, Connecticut, where the family bought a two hundred acre farm with chickens, cows, and horses. He worked the farm, delivered eggs by horse to the depot, and took a job in a wool mill when farming could not support the family. After three years he moved on, entering the construction business in New Jersey, where he built single and multi-family homes. He met his wife at a dance at a place he called the Wine and Leechee in Newark, courted her for eight months, and married her. The Depression wiped out his real estate holdings, and he spent seventeen years selling insurance for Prudential.
When his older son came to love Texas, Hyman visited Dallas in April at about age forty-nine, found the weather and city beautiful, and never returned north. He earned a real estate license and worked in that field until retirement, while both his sons became attorneys, one settling in Dallas and one in New Orleans, where his son reigned as a Mardi Gras king. Hyman had grandchildren, some in college. A neighbor of the famed cantor Yossele Rosenblatt in his youth, he loved cantorial music and taught himself to sing after retiring, learning the melodies of many cantors and being invited to lead services in Israel. He belonged to the Workmen's Circle, had a brother who served as a congressman in Connecticut, and became a beloved, devoted member of the Jewish Community Center. His advice to future generations was to marry Jewish and live an involved Jewish life.
Full Transcript
I'm sitting here with my good friend Hyman Mopczyk, one of my first boyfriends when I came to the center. Good morning, Hyman. How are you? Just great. That's good. Hyman, we're going to sit a little, we're going to reminisce a little, we're going to talk a little, and find out a little bit about your life. Let's start at the beginning. Where were you born, Hyman? I was born in Russia. In Russia. Did you go to school in Russia? Yes, I went to Hebrew school. Right. Up till age nine. Up to age nine. What did your father do in Russia? Were you born into like a poor family, middle class family?
Well, I would say rich, but the middle class family. You were born into a middle class family. What did your father do? Well, my father used to buy and sell everything. A handler? Yeah. Okay. How many children were in your family? We were eight of us. Canaan Horanish. Eight. Eight. All right. So what do you remember about the house and growing up with your eight brothers and sisters in Russia? when you were little? Well, I really don't remember too much, but I'll try. Of course, but the reason is, wherever they used to reach, I had five brothers. Wherever they used to reach at age 21, my father didn't want them to serve in Russia.
So he used to send them to the United States. I see. And were you one of the younger children? I was one of the younger children. Ah, I see. So what do you remember about your house in Russia, or the town, or the street, or the school? Yes. Yes. Well, at first, it always on my mind, I remember, like I said to you, my father was a handler. So whenever he used to come in the house there was about six pushkills Right And the minute he came in the house that I do remember very well He never failed to put his hand in the pocket I don't remember how much he used to put in it, but it used to go...
First I do remember it's for Israel. And then I took a memory for Zdokin. So he always was a very giving man for Zdokin? Always used to see. First thing is he used to come down. Did you live in a little town or a Derfelash, Stetelov what? No, it was. Well, I can't tell you actually, but I do remember that I used to see movie pictures. Ah. In your town in Russia? Town in Russia. So it was a very progressive? It was a very progressive. Okay, and you went to Geder? And I went to Geder up till nine years old. Okay, and what happened at age nine?
At age nine, my father said it would be a good idea for me to go and work. So he said he knew people that used to have school supplies. Uh-huh. So he put me in there. And I was there until my bat mitzvah. So from age nine you had a job already. Yes. You never went to school. No. Isn't that amazing that at such a young age you already went and had a job. Yes, ma'am. What did you do at the school supplies? Well, they used to have supplies, and I used to help them to sort out the supplies for the school, putting on the shelves and taking care of that until I reached...
Bar Mitzvah. Bar Mitzvah. Who prepared you for your Bar Mitzvah if you didn't go to school? Well, I knew very well the Hebrew. Right. And then I used to go to shul. Were you an Orthodox family? Yes. And you went to shul every Shabbos with your father? Every Shabbos we used to walk about three miles. Every Shabbos Okay so your father taught you your master My father yes He was very well learned And he did prepare for my bar mitzvah Okay And what happened after your bar mitzvah After my bar mitzvah my father left He was felt kind of lonesome He wanted to see my brothers and sisters Who were all in America?
American. So he left for United States. And we expected to come back, because we had about five units over there, naturally. He was very well moved, and everything. And then he cabled my mother that is not coming. I have a sister in Hartford, Connecticut, and God bless her, she should leave until 120 years. She cried, told me every time when I call her on the phone, she tells me what happened. I says, what happened? She had to cry to my father that he should settle in New York. She didn't want him to let her go. So, finally, he did agree that he was going to stay there.
So he gave up my mother. And it didn't take very long. In three days, she sold the five units. The five units at that time were 6,000 rubles. Wow. So, coming to the United States was only 3,000 dollars. That happened. Mm-hmm. 3,000 dollars. Right. So, we got here. I don't know how. I mean, when we came with my father, but we all sold everything there. So, he bought a farm in Connecticut State. Okay, how did you come from Russia? How old were you then? Thirteen. Thirteen. Do you remember the boat at all? Yes. The boat was Roshia. We stopped at that time. They called it Rybava You see This belongs to the day It belongs to the Russians Right Did you have a good time on the boat You were a young boy It was wonderful It was beautiful I met such fine people.
And really, and I never ate in my life so much. Yes, the Makai Tito's. Then I ate on the boat. You weren't seasick at all? No, that's why I wasn't there. Everybody was sick, but I wasn't sick. You ate everybody's food? I ate, exactly. Oh, that's nice. Exactly. Did you remember coming into the Shores? Do you remember your father? Did he pick you up at Ellis Island? No. Yes. No, it was on 23rd in New York. Okay. It was my father came, and also came, this is my brother, the one, the one that I told you that I have a sister in Huffington. Right, right.
They're both alive, thank God. Isn't that beautiful. And both of them, . And when I came down, naturally we were alive. Much like that, I remember I was very, very happy to see her. And you went to Hartford, Connecticut. And went to Norwich, Connecticut. Okay, Norwich. So, so we got in on another boat, from Texas, from New York. To Connecticut. To New London. Right, right, right, on the Long Island Sound. And I came in there, I seen colored people, like I was going to stare. Yeah. I'd never seen colored people in my life. That I do remember very distinct. The first time you saw colored people.
Yeah, well. You know? Right. The funniest thing. So what did you do in Connecticut when you first? Well then, I came in Connecticut, and my dad done me a little bit, not too much school. Mm-hmm. And you bought the farm there. There was a lot of chickens, cows, horses. And it was a beautiful 200 acres of land. Wow. It was a beautiful farm. Speak up loudly so we can hear you. Uh-huh. And... You worked on the farm then? I worked on the farm. And at that time, I remember like today, A dozen of eggs, two cents, a quarter of a meal, and we had to deliver with two horses to a certain place where the tree called V-Cairns.
We all come together. Right, the depot. Yes, right. It was about six miles we had to throw. But day by day, we, by week, by the year, we realized that the money that brings in, we can't feed the family, and naturally, they come from the hospital. So I picked up a job in a wool mill. And I worked there quite a long time there. And I used to pay, I believe it was about six dollars. And that was a big L on the ground. Okay, you worked in a wool mill. Do you remember any social life at that time? How did you meet other Jewish boys and girls?
Were there many there in Connecticut? Did you do anything, go anywhere? Like... Well, I didn't go very much, of course. It was a lot to do on the farm. Yeah, so you didn't really have to... Well, I would do everything, from morning to night. Okay, so you worked on the farm and you worked in the mill. And when I used to come home on the farm, I was very happy to work on the farm. I had to plow and do a lot of things. And some days I used to do a lot of work on the farm. I had to work a lot on the farm.
And that's the way I spent three years. Okay. After three years, I moved to Norwich Convention. Okay, what did you do there? So then at that time I hadn't done revelry, didn't do much. And I had a sister in New York which I loved her very much and I loved her So uh some of my other I loved the construction line Had you met your wife yet No. No, okay. So I went in the construction line in New York. In New York? In New Jersey. In New Jersey. And he told me it's better for me to start a faculty meeting here, because I didn't know too much about it.
So I started there, and at first I started to build more family homes. Kept in Slauson, you know, that I was building a lot of these. Then I used to build nice homes, three bedrooms, nice flat, fair lot. We used to sell them about $6,55. That's very nice. How did you find people to work for you, to do the building and the carpenting and the engine? Well, you see, once you're in the construction line already, you get together. Okay. You see? And you find out things, of course, you're dealing already with different people and all kinds. So, then... You were a builder and you did well.
Right. Did you meet your wife while you were a builder? No. How did they come from Kotzebren Wasser? Right? And I used to love them. Okay. A lot. In fact, I used to go to New York. I used to go to New York. Speak up, Norman. I think it was Roslyn. Roslyn? I used to go there. Okay. But then when I came to New Jersey, I said, I had a younger brother with me, so I said to him, I don't know how it happened, he came to see me. And I said to him, I used to love the wine-made chain. Uh-huh. So I said to him, let's go to the wine-made chain to go dancing there.
That was in Newark. I was in Elizabeth. Right, in New Jersey. So we went down there We had a good time And there was about three or four girls And there was uh there was about three or four girls and there is where I met my wife You met her at a dance at the Wine and Leechee? Wine and Leechee. Okay. And I was dancing with her, and I took her home in my car. And I said to my brother that I'll never forget. She was young. He was just about eighteen years old, and he was in Bedlam. He carried it. Right. So that people should be naturally alive.
And I met up there and I said to my brother, I don't know why or what, I said, And this girl is going to behave herself. That's the girl the first day. And then I'll never forget. That's the girl I'm going to marry. And that's it. So how long did you take her out before you got married? Eight months. Eight months. And then we got married, and I started going into the big construction line. Right. I was very wonderful. Until we went so close to her, we had no idea. Until the depression came. The depression wiped out everybody. And then I start to give death so much money, and that amazing.
You know, I'll pick up things. I'll be able to get mortgage. Until it wiped me out, and we could destroy you, I lost that. 30-year apartments, 12 units that I bought, that I billed, because the 39,000, 14 units, $39,000, and I thought that 14 units, they won. Yeah. For 14 units, $39,000. It was a beautiful place. And I, when I got married, I lived there. Then like I said the first thing I lost everything So that I never forget as long as I live So I was walking and I see a friend of mine He stopped me and he told me He says to me, what are you going to do?
I know you lost everything. What are you going to do now? I said, I just picked up a job with a potential insurance company. says, who's going to buy insurance? Everybody starving from hunger. And I was with them quite a few years, seventeen years. Seventeen years? Seventeen years with the Prudential of Fireblocks. Seventeen years. I came in there and some of the girls, I remember, like today was three years after they got married and they had their own children. And then the mother used to say, you go down and see my children, and they're going to take out the children. And that's how you did it.
So for 17 years you-and in the meantime, how many children did you and your wife have? So I had two sons. Two sons? Yeah. Okay, where were they born? What's in it? Well, one, they were born in New Jersey. Uh-huh. New Jersey. Okay. And then, naturally, when they start to grow up, they start to grow up from high school, they start to go to college. One. Uh-huh. In Roque College, New Brunswick. All right. What are your sons doing today? Today, they're both attorneys. They're both attorneys? Both attorneys. That's wonderful. And do they both live here in Dallas? No. One lives here, and one lives in New Orleans.
Oh, how nice. You're close to both of them. And how many children do your sons have? One has got three, and the other one has got two. Canaan Horace. From two, made a lot. I want you to know that my son in New Orleans was very popular there. He was the king. I forgot in what year, actually. Yes, actually. Of the Mardi Gras? Yes, ma'am. He with his wife and his son. Isn't that nice? Yes, ma'am. And your grandchildren, are they grown up? Where are they? Yes. Now I have two of them. One goes to Florida in college. And mom goes to Houston to Moscow.
She's got a year and a half to graduate. That's wonderful. So you'll have a son that's a lawyer and a granddaughter. Okay, Jaime, let's go back a little. After 17 years of the Prudential Life, where were you working for them? In New Jersey for 17 years? Then what happened after the 17 years? You retired? Well, after the 17 years, See, this is what happened. The Second World War. My oldest son, this is my oldest son. Yeah. Mm-hmm. He was in the neuropsychiatry court, like in Denver. Right. The one that used to live in New Jersey, he used to send him to Texas. Okay. So he came there, and thank God, tapped out the wall and came over.
Mm-hmm. So he said to me, Daddy, I love Texas. Well, they're already old, you can't say nothing. Right. Okay. So I remember like today, I know I could say from the street cleaner in Nua till the mayor of the city. The mayor of the city in Nua gave me a letter to SMU for my son. He had a half reference. Uh-huh. So the mayor had to see me. That's nice. He gave me a letter to SMU and he went to SMU. So you were still with Prudential Life when he came to SMU? Right. Okay. Then my wife said to me, she said, why wouldn't you go out to see him?
I said, okay, let's go. Well, no, she don't want to go. So when I came in here, I came here in April, I don't remember just what day it was. And it was beautiful. It was so beautiful, so I took my jacket and my spring coat, how beautiful it was. And I was so really discouraged with the weather over there, with the snow, with the rain, and for so many years, never been. You never stopped to feel kind of funny. So I said well this is the place to live And I never went back home You never went back home You sent for your wife I never went back home And my wife told me I was the cleanest guy.
Which I don't blame. I don't blame her. To do anything like that, to live, I was there. I remember when I used to go, so naturally everybody know me for so many years. They said, you were just like Mayor Walker, you know. Right. Everybody said that. So what did you, how old were you when you decided you were going to move here? Well, I was already here. I was 49. You were 49. So you had to get a job and you had to get, so what did you do? That's right. Exactly. Okay. So I took up first a real estate license. I was in real estate.
And I was still private and all. After the family, the S&P family came, and my son came also from New Orleans. We also got transferred to SMU, the lower school. And they became attorneys. And you were still in real estate? And met very beautiful. I seen two beautiful girls, very beautiful. And I said, this is the one of them. Jewish girl, and I loved them very much. Nafas, nafas. And I still... So you stayed in real estate for the rest of the time? Yes. Then, then I retired. Okay. Now, Mr. Mopsik, I can see that your Hebrew education ended when you were nine, and you worked really hard all your life, and you were a man who wasn't afraid to go into new things.
You were in things that were risky. Sometimes there was no money, but you always made it. But I know when I came here, you gave me a record of you singing cantorial music. How did, or where did, or how did it all start that you became like a chazan and that you sang, and where did that begin? Where did you start that? I was just I the first time My people they used to be in New York after they moved to New York Right right 119th Street Third East 119th Street year 50th Avenue And there was a neighbor of us, Yossela Rosenblatt. Oh, that's some neighbor.
Yeah. It was a beautiful house. He was a cantor. One of his cantor. Right. Yossela Rosenblatt, the cantor was your neighbor? Yes. Oh, see. So we used to go naturally to his show. We got acquainted very good. And I used to love very much. I used to love him. And I used to love his singing. To me, he was the king of the campus. So while I used to go to Shul, I learned singing a lot. Mostly of his melody. Did you sing in a choir with him? There, no. I didn't sing with him. So I got short. I did sing in Newark. Not too much.
Walter Ketter was a good friend of mine. I used to go with him. I used to take him in my car. His name was Berlechagi. wonderful man and a beautiful man. And I used to love him. I used to thank him when I used to see him. He used to make me just to look at him. Well, anyway, I learned a lot. So then when I retired, I said, what am I going to do? So I took in the recorder in the house, and I took in playing records, and then I started to learn myself. After you retired. How wonderful! After I retired, you see.
And since that time I learned a lot of other cantors, like Cantor Hersch, Cantor Schlisky, Breale Chaget, who my best friend. And now that I came to Israel many times he put me on the pulpit Shachitz and Musaf and Minche Saturday and they sing for them a lot And I guess they must like it. That's very nice. So that came in the later years when you wanted to fill a void in your retirement. And believe me, that was a wonderful thing. Of course it is. Of course, whatever I feel, kind of start to think of it bad. My wonderful mother and my wonderful dad and everything.
I still feel like I didn't do enough of them, you know. I'm feeling it. That's the way it is. So, I start to sing. That helps me a lot. I know. Singing is a marvelous therapy. I love it. I too, sometimes in my life when I have felt really down, I just have to get up and start singing my Yiddish songs and it's the best medicine in the world. The best medicine in the world. And I can understand your feelings. And you are, when you sing, it's just you. Ah, thank you very much. It is just... Mr. Mossick, then how did you become involved in the senior program here at the center?
When did you start coming here? I see. Well, I came here, I think it's about twenty years ago, and the old. And I remember when I was in the real estate business, he has thirty-five thousand dollars each for the whole lot. Oh, you're all... And I was supposed to buy it. Uh-huh. But it beat me out of it. Of course, a friend of mine was building here two family homes, and I'll never forget it. And I came, I took a walk here, and I seen the site. Thirty-five thousand dollars. But this whole lot, this is better than out there than? And then at 11 they built it out, I came about, and I was for years here.
For years in the community center. The old time is in the old school. Right. Of course, you know, a lot of them passed away on. Mm-hmm. But I used to come here, and I was really-I loved it. And that's a living. You still love? That's the way I- You got involved. You're here two, three times a week now, aren't you? No, I'm... yeah, sure. I'm sure we are. And that's wonderful. Mr. Moffsick, what about, were you ever involved in any, in your growing up years, in any organization? Did you ever belong to any organization? Yes, yes. I used to long to the arbitrary. The arbitrary.
Workman's circle. Yes, I know of it. Yes, I do. I'm sure they did. What about, were you ever politically involved? Well, I'm sorry to say politically, no. Well, many Jewish people did not get involved politically. What? Yes, go ahead. I was just going to say, they were busy with their Jewish organization. Yes, but I had a brother of mine, since I studied youth, and I have, there were eight of us. He was a representative in Hartford, Connecticut. On the... on Congress? Congress. And he would be a senator today. Abe Rubenkov was his best friend, Abe Rubenkov. And he would be a United States senator today before, years ago.
He died. But he surely would be... the day he loved him so much. So he was a congressman? Yes, ma'am. Are any of your brothers and sisters alive today? I'm the only one alive. Well, you were the baby, so you were the younger... No there was a younger one He died and I was the only one alive All right just out of interest your brothers and sisters came before you Right What did they become? Like, what did they do? What things did they do? One was a congressman, okay? Yeah. And one of my brothers, one of my brothers, most of them were the latest black.
Okay, clothing. They were in the latest life, most of them. That's what they used to do. Right. Most Jewish people went into the... Yeah. ...the schmata business. Well, I think we're all products of schmata. Okay, in your life with your wife and your children, did you ever do any traveling? Do you remember taking any trips that made an impact on you? A vacation, you remember, or...? Yeah, I saw you. I used to travel a lot. I used to travel to Florida. I used to travel to San Francisco. I used to travel to Mexico City. Mexico City? City there. Did you take your children with you when you went on vacations, or did you leave them at home?
No, my children was married a bit. Oh, okay. That's the time I started traveling. You started to travel when the children were older and you had time. Of course. Once they're married, then you have a few pennies in their pocket. Very good. Then you have a few petties in your pocket. Well, you always are dressed like a king, matched up with the ties and the clips and the pin. You really are an immaculate person and I assume that that why you were always a successful businessman You must have walked in and they must have said uh here is a very fine man and I'm sure that you commanded a lot of respect.
Just from your appearance, you always, you know, you're always matching. My father, may he rest in peace, was the same kind of a gentleman. Mr. Mopcic, you are a special kind of person to me. I love your love for Yiddish and your love for music and your love for people. If, let's say, someday your grandchildren come into the center 20 years from now, 30 years from now, and they go into the archives library and they see this section, and they see recorded interviews with the senior citizens, and they see your name, Hyman Mopcic, and they're going to take down this tape, and they're going to play it, and they're going to hear all about their Zayda and all about his life.
What would you like to tell them about life? What advice would you give them on life, on how to lead life, what kind of a person to be? What would you like them to hear coming from their Zayda? Well, I would like to see them getting married, naturally, to Jewish. Me? Me. And to be more interested than I was in community centers and lived a Jewish life And that would be, I guess, the most important thing, if they would live a Jewish life. To live a Jewish life and be involved in it. very well in the community centers, organizations, also. She's not. Yes, yes. Anything else?
Any words? Well, Hyman, I have had... We've been talking, I want you to know, for 45 minutes without stopping. And it has been a beautiful morning, And I am very proud to have you as one of my friends at the Center. And I want to thank you for giving me the time to record your past. And I wish you, Vizal Hunderten Zwanzig, you should continue singing and coming to the Center. And I want to thank you so much. Since you're here, you gave so much to me and to everyone. in the center because that's what they tell me. That's such a pleasure to have you here and believe me, for 120 years like you said, you should do the same way.
Thank you Hyman. You're a very good friend. Thank you very much.