Lillian Melnick

Full Transcript

And what is your name please? My name is Lillian Melny. And how many years have you lived in Dallas? 67. So you came in 1930? Yes. Did you, where did you come from? Yeah. And where did you, where were you born? Oh, I was born. They say Rosy in Poland. Sometimes it's Rosy, sometimes it's Poland, they say. Well, when I was born, I guess it maybe was Rosy, I don't know. But I'm a subject from Poland. My citizen status is I'm a subject from Poland. Which city were you born in Poland? They said Katuz Baroza, in Poland they said Baroza Katuzka. And how is it you left your Poland?

Twenty years. No, when, what year? What year did you leave? 1914. 1914. And why did you leave? How did you leave? I had to better myself, better myself. Was there any particular reason? Did it have anything to do with the World War? There wasn't. I came here before the First World War. I came here before the First World War. Did you come to your family or something? No, myself. Well, there are a few more girls who went to my town. There are fewer of us friends. Three went to New York. Three of us went to New York. One went to Cleveland. One went to Philadelphia.

Oh, a few Jewish girls. How is it you went to New York? How what? How was it that you went to New York? Well, it was all right. I had family. they took me out to the last stages and I was a little doctor here. Now how did you come to Dallas? Oh I was tired of New York How many years were you in New York Well probably about 15 And what brought you how come you decided on Dallas Oh, I had a relative. She used to come to buy merchandise in New York. She had a, actually she lived in Denson. I had a dental department and she used to come to New York to buy merchandise and I just came from Los Angeles.

It was 1929. It was a depression. Los Angeles was terrible. So, she said, why don't you go to Dallas? Dallas is a fine city. She said, I'll retire, I'll live in Dallas. And she does live in Dallas. Who is she? Cromwell, in Cromwell. What did you do when you were in New York? When you came to New York, how did you make a living? I went to work in a factory, ladies' garments' workshops. I had to join the union. What did you do? What part did you start? Operator. Was it men's clothes, women's clothes? No, ladies' clothes. And when you came to Dallas, what did you do?

Trossel stuff. Were you married when you came to Dallas? Oh, I was married in New York. I was already married for 10 years in New York before I got here. When did you marry? What year did you marry? What year did you get married in? Married in 1980. I came in 1940 and I got married in 1980. And then from in 19, when did you leave New York? Well, I left New York in 1929. And then you went to California? Yeah. And then? Then I had to go back to New York, but first my father came. See, I sent for my father. And he came from Europe, and I had to go back to New York, take care of my father.

And then I didn want to stay in New York and went to Dallas You and your husband came to Dallas then Where did you come to when you came to Dallas Where? Which part of the city did you live in? We were in Dallas. First I lived in South Dallas for a while. Do you remember your address? The first one I lived somewhere, parents, in the place and went away here. And how long did you live there? About a year. And after that? After that, we moved to Oclius. How did you choose Oclius? Because we bought a grocery there. And so you moved to Oakley.

How long did you live in Oakley? When did you move to Oakley? Well, most of them lived there about five, six years. And then we had to buy another grocery, the war broke down. So the man that had the grocery came to my husband and said, you've got to get my grocery. He said, how can I? I have a, he said, but you have to get mine. And so he got somebody to take care of. They only bought in South Dallas one year. What year? He had to go to the Army. He was arrested. And he said, you have to get mine. Yeah, what year did you buy the grocery store in South Dallas?

And I was like, should be in North Clive, we might call it the 1930 or the war in the 18th. In North Clive it would be already 1941 when the war broke out. Just when the war broke out and he was arrested. And he said, we've got to get my girlfriend. Yes, let's back up. What did your husband do in New York when you lived in New York and you were a machine operator? He worked too. He is a painter, a contractor painter. Now did you work after you got married Were you you stopped working then when you got married I would but I wouldn have gotten pregnant Uh Was Harold born in New York?

Was Harold your first child born in New York? I don't have my first child. Oh. And that's why I'm in Dallas. I see. When you came to, where did you buy the store in South Dallas? Well, South Dallas, I think it was an hour to three. And how long did you have the store on Harwood Street? Well, we had the store still the main thing back from the war. Was that Oxford? No, it was a mailman. Mailman, I mean, yeah. Mailman. And people hold us mailman for all these years. Hill, Hill, Lester Melnick came here. Lester Melnick came here. They learned that this is the Melnick.

That's wonderful. He came back and when then did you give up? What happened after he came back? Oh, he came back, we gave him back the grocery store. Yeah. And what did you do? Well, my husband went to the building and real estate. Now, what year did he come back? What year did you give up the grocery store? He must have come back right after the war was over. He wasn't a very young man. It must have been my quarter size or so. And then how long did you live in South Dallas? In South Dallas? Well, we lived in South Dallas. Let's see. Well, I lived in South Dallas already after the rest of the All the time now.

All the time, I mean. We lived in South Dallas till about 1949, till we moved to University of South. Okay, when you lived in South Dallas, you said you first lived on Pennsylvania? Is that correct? No, the police, they were moving, but we lived in Parco. We lived in Parco. Is it 41 then? Believed in power call. Well, see, we moved from Oakley to South Dallas in 1941, just before the war broke out. We just moved in, in power call, and they announced the war, you know, that was in Pearl Harbor. Yes. Yes. Even in the war. We just moved in that day or week, you know, there, and then the 12th War.

That was 1941 we came back from Oak Ridge. Uh-huh. Now, did, you lived in Park Row, on Park Row then in 41. Did you stay on Park Row until you moved to University Park in 49? Yes. And then after you lived on, in University Park, on University, what was the address on University? On Marquette, that's right. On Marquette? We lived in University Park until I got here. And when did you move here? Ten years ago. Ten years ago. So in 77 you moved here from, you lived on Marquette? I lived on Marquette. What was the address? 35 or 8 March 10. There's no doubt, not even a dress left.

But we were there. All the places we lived, there isn't anymore there. Parkway isn't there anymore. University of Texas, the airways isn't there anymore. Not even a dress. We had shrubs and flowers. and trees and sprinklers and everything, and they didn't leave even like the rest. They put up a few buildings taken up from the alleys, filled with shrunk Now let talk about Jewish education As you were growing up in Poles what was your education like Nothing. A little bit Jewish, a little bit Russian, a little bit everything, a little bit people, a little bit of everything. Where did you go to school? What kind of school did you go to?

In June, I didn't get to school. My father taught me people. I had a teacher that taught me a little bit Jewish. And I had a teacher a little bit Russian. I went to Russian peasant school, too, like real Russian, too. Yes. And I remember one day I was a little girl. My mother dressed me up so nice, and she made me a new clothes, a red clothes, Very shiny hair buttons. And I have one and it was cold winter, and I had to walk by to brush it up. And I had to put on the shirt and all the buttons were all taken out.

They cut out all the buttons just... just Russian girls cut out all my buttons. That's a calamity. Sure, it's a calamity. Were the Russian kids mean to you because you were Jewish? Oh, yeah, they were Russian for me, you see. Oh, sure, well. Did girls and boys go to the same school? Hmm? Girls and boys go to the same school? No, not the only girls. The boys went through a lot of men in the same neighborhood. Not 12 years. And then after you left school how many years did you go to school I went there one year one year and I didn go another year And I had a little bit of teaching for teachers I was working for 15 years old.

I went to work in a store. What kind of store? There was in Russia in a little town, the top of it was salt and keratin, because there's no in it, no food today. Salt is the one that possesses food. And keratin, my children, that this is what we sold, in herring. Herring. So, well, you said you were 15, so that was about 1912, is that correct? Yes, probably. Well, I was for five years in that store, and they paid me such a high salary, like a man would be glad to make that salary. And that was so popular with my store. When I hated it, I was so folding into something.

I was breathing. And I hated it, and that's why I left too. About how old were you when you started working in the store then? Fifteen years. Then you... I worked five years, till twenty, till I left all my stuff. So you were twenty and you came. They wouldn't leave me gone. They wanted to get me this and that. But so-called, my kids would leave from the coast. How did your parents feel when you left? Real parents feel, you know, when they see I go on first and already, they are depressed. But they knew that maybe I'll do better for them. and I got here in a few months, the war was out, the first real war, and they were asking me money, money, money.

So they asked you to send them money? They asked to send them money. I asked my uncle I had uncle to be the Captain Devil to send them money Because they got together and the money And I had to spend the money all the time, until I lost them in the second place. Of course, I was trying very hard to get them over. They said they had to go in the quarters. So I went to send for my father. and they said a father can bring his wife's children. So I brought my father, and I thought, because I tried, and I couldn't, and I was in New York here.

And I went to the Hayat, and I said, I sent my sister, and then it's already more than a year, a second year. He says, you cannot get a sister. I said, why? He says, because the others take up the quarter, the husband's wife, children. So I said, all right, thank my father. My father came right away, didn't pay for it. When he tried to get the family, I put up money for him. I was already in Dallas that time when he was trying to get a family. I had money, I put it up for him, and he went to Hayat. They sent for the family, and they said, Because these children are not children anymore.

They're all grown up. And they have to go in the corner. In the corner. And that's, they didn't come. One brother came. I had a brother in New York. He was a rabbi. And he had six children. And he died. He left six children. He was much younger than I am. He died almost 20 years ago. Six children. What was your maiden name? Oh, six children got married. What was your maiden name? What was your... When you came here now, did you bring your father to Dallas? Were you able to bring your father to Dallas? Were you able to bring your father to Dallas? Yes, I could, but it wasn't good for him.

He had better. New York, he came here a couple times, and he went back because he came here. I was set up in New York. Now, when you came to Dallas, what was your religious life like? Well, when I was an uncle, we were so busy. We used to sit and sit and sit and lay and night or what. No, no. So, nothing. But after a while, then my husband, we got a little money and all that. So I said to my husband, I'm going to start. I was going to have to send these children to school to give it to you. So I moved away, and I got somebody to have my place.

And that's for these children, and it's pretty thankful. But the girl just had to stop school, you know, regular school. I mean, she's just about six. But the boy already was nine years old, and I thought she was five years old. So your husband stayed in Oak Cliff, and you moved to South Island? But she didn't stay there. I was going to stay. the war for South, and he had to live that grocery, went to South Dallas. Then he went to South Dallas, I went to get him to go to the grocery store. See, he was supposed to close, you know. So did you buy another...oh yes, okay.

He bought that store and he paid him back. Yes sir, he went out to the grocery store and then I had more time. Did you work in the grocery store? Sure. How long did you work in the grocery store? Just a few hours, a busy time. And then how long did you stay in the grocery store? Did you work all the time until you moved to the baby store? Well, I used to let my husband go, and I had to take the place, you know, I used to live with people. What were the hours like? The hours were nothing, as long as the... When did you open Well I didn open see I just came at a busy time But when we were over the place my husband used to open at 6 o in the morning And when did you open?

10 o'clock at night. The people were full and they didn't have food. They had to go and come and buy and eat and use what they can get, you know. And we were in that co-host, black labor. They used to go up to Captain's, seven or six o'clock in the morning, they needed something. He would go up at six o'clock at ten. So first, I didn't say six because he got sick. So the doctor told me that I was up. So I took over. I used to have a place for a lens or a restaurant. Yeah, yeah. And now when you moved to South Dallas, what time did you open the store?

Or did your husband open the store? Well, maybe he opened it at 7 o'clock or something. And then how late was it open? We closed the restaurant earlier, probably 8, 9 o'clock, something like that, 9 o'clock. that little sort of house. Yes. And you know, Sunday clothes, you know, and what, you know, Christmas didn't close, you know, like, the person who would come in and go out and go in there. Was the store a regular store? No. Well, we just had sources. Mm-hmm. But it was a regular storefront? It hadn't been a store that was made over from a... No, it was a regular store.

So we got somebody, you know, clean, and then we got the men in South Dallas. Did you, were you observant at all? What were Jewish holidays like? Did you have any observance of Jewish holidays? Jewish holidays? Well, you know, I was raised, I know everything about Jewish holidays, and I know everything. You know, you see, they know how to eat and eat and eat because my father was a Malamite teacher. You know what a Malamite teacher? A teacher. A teacher. And the rest of it, my brother, the rabbi, told me the rest of it. So I know the holidays exactly how and what and what you allowed to do and what you not If I observe it I don think it different When we were in the Gulf of the Caribbean, that's why I didn't want my father to be here, because we had to keep the store open on Saturday.

And when I saw the stores open on Saturday, I mean, when I saw in New York, what did they do to them Saturday? So I figured, well, Jewish doesn't come. They're told in New York, they work on Saturday, the Jews. It was very hard coming from the other side and see how they have their family here. How about your husband? How did he feel? I guess he wasn't so... He thought, this is it, you know, that's all. You know, my father wasn't in America in 1900. And he came back in 1904 or 1903. I don't remember exactly. I was a little young. And he so was in New York and he didn't want to bring back.

I mean, she had the already sister, was my little sister for all of us in the New York, 1900s. Well, did your husband have... did he come from a traditional home? There were all the seniors who were traditional homes. There wasn't. They were, they, especially the poor people, you know, they're really, already went to the gymnasium, they called it, and they were already different. But the poor people, they don't have it. There isn't another tradition. But he came from a different country Where was he from Well he came from Masarabia It near Romania Now, where did you meet your husband? You met him in New York.

When you joined temple, have you always... When I came to South Dallas, I put the children in from the school, and I joined just the sister, and it was too expensive to join the temple, but it was very expensive. So I was there, Mr. Sir. And they were very nice. And he was my mistress. My son was my mistress. They said that he in the temple doesn't have my mistress. But I didn't ask if they have or not. I said, we'll be my mistress. And God left to which gave him a sign by mistress, gave him a nice five-oving, with Persians and Mrs. Leftricks and Mr.

Leftricks. And somebody says that they don't have a list. I said, it's written in black and white. I got it hundred. It is Bible. They actually gave them Bible. The year, the year and everything. What year was that? It was probably the 13 years. Oh no. That's amazing. It was Bar Mitzvah, he brought it to you. Interesting. Did they call him to the Torah? Did they read the Torah on Saturday? Hmm. At Temple? When he was Bar Mitzvah? Yes. Did they call him to the Torah? What kind of ceremony did they go to? Yeah, there was a regular ceremony. He read the... The Bar Chum?

Yeah. The Haft Torah? Yeah, sure. He read the whole thing. They told him Rabbi Leslie himself, told him how to do it. He himself, Rabbi Leslie. Yes, Rabbi Leslie, yes. Yes, people didn't believe it. I have a black and white in the Bible there, you know, just everything. What member, what type, what was your social life here? I don't know, we just had a lot of people, they belonged to the workmen circle, to this and that, so we were one of them. What was the workmen circle like? Well, when we came already, they walked, you know, Mrs. Andrews could give, she gave in the outtires a whole lot for the workmen circle because she said she used to take the children to teach them the Jewish in the workmen circle because she had all that.

But when I say, my children already didn't go there, they didn't have it no more. And I say they didn't have it. But that was the school of the work, the Arbethyring Schuller, right? The school. That is the school from the Western Circle. They didn't have it. My children didn't have it already, a place to go to learn Jewish. not too much, you know, they didn't have a very big activity. They had a building which they sold, and they didn't have much activity. Okay, what were the activities of the workman's circle? Now, one of the activities had been the Yiddish school. school. What were the other activities like?

Well, I tell you, when I came, they didn't have any activities, so I really don't know what the activities. They just probably paid They were not used. They were supposed to have, you know, in case of sickness, they were supposed to have a weekly pay. But what is it then, these payments, what is a month, six hours of each or something? It wasn't any joke. It was just, you belong to the movement, but the value of money wasn't any important. Was there a connection between the Workman Circle and the Yiddish Art Theater The Yiddish what Art Theater The Art Theater Do you remember the Yiddish Theater we had?

Well, when I came already, yeah, you had the Yiddish Theater. I mean, it was Tanyan, the teacher, Tanyan. Yeah, well, I think Tanyan was there. Yeah. And he was trying to have it, but it didn't work, you know. It didn't work. When I came time, he was here, yes. But that had nothing to do with the Irish artists? Yes, it's the Richmond Circle, I guess. But that was the business of the artists. That has nothing to do with whether they supported it or whether they supported it. I don't think so. Did they have meetings in Yiddish? When they had meetings, what language did they use?

As I say, the last thing they were in the activities. So I don't know. But this we know, we got together with all the Jewish people. people knew more, could have understanding better. I used to spoke to my husband, my children, but they didn't like it. Did they learn Yiddish at all? No, as I say, when I came, there wasn't that very true. No, but when you spoke to your husband and Yiddish, the kids just took it out? They didn't like that. They were talking about that. Was there anything that you did politically in the Arbeitge-Ring, in the workman's circle? Politically, yes. We were all involved in everything, you know.

We were voting, we were citizens. They were very much more, as Jewish always was, for the animals. Yes, yes. Did you have problems in the community because of that? No I have never had But I tell you one thing all cleats is amfismillage We very interesting It was anti It was very anti What about the blacks that you dealt with? Were they also anti-Semitic and Nukle? They changed the blacks. See, we had our blacks first. Oh, the black, the black, the black for life. But the white, the black, the black, the naked. That's why they want to us outside. When you came to South Dallas, did you also find anti-Semitism?

No. In South Dallas. Do you think... Well, I tell you what, in South Dallas we lived in Jewish neighborhoods. In North Lich we have to live in non-Hughes neighborhoods. Yeah. We didn't have, you know. But if I lived in the University Park, I didn't find out. You didn't find out in the University Park? was nice. University Park was very nice. What about some of the other Jewish organizations that you were members of? Well, there was, they called it another, I forgot the name now, and the, I think it was already the county time or something, they said that they have the birth certificate and they broke it up.

So nobody, they broke it up. They don't have the international workers on it? Yeah, they broke it up. They broke it up. It was the International Workers Order that they broke up here? Well, they broke it up. Well, they worked it up all over, but were you a member of the International Workers Order? I wasn't, but my husband was. Ah. Okay. Did... Now, what... How about the... Arbeitering, the Workman's Circle? Did they also break up the Workman Circle No they didn break up the Workman Circle The Workman Circle is still here I mean not here There nothing there in Dallas you know than the workman circle in Dallas But New York has.

New York has still activities there. Oh, they have meetings, and they have... They have... They still have everything. I mean, not like it used to be, not at all, but... I mean, but they still... They're still alive. Yes, yes. Oh yeah, New York is still, even in Florida they have it. My daughter sends me in Qadda from Florida many times, so I can read what they're doing there. She sends me Qadda, she sends me a lot of Qadda. There's very a lot of Jewish activity in Florida, oh, Miami. Yeah, oh, she sends me in, but it's going there on a whole lot. But now, you never had-or the workmen's circle then never had problems with the McCarthys?

No, they didn't have problems. They said that the air organization wasn't solvent. That's what they claimed. It wasn't solvent enough. Okay, so you weren't threatened because... when did it really kind of drift off? What happened with the workman's circle? Well, not the workman's circle. Well, in the small towns, the working circles were gone anyway. The people died out. Yes. The old people are back. That's why in New York, if they have it, you know, whatever they have, is because they have some younger people. old people are in the nursing homes. They have even some nursing homes in the working circle in New York. But now, the working circle here in Dallas, what happened to the group?

They died out. About what year? I don't know, but maybe I know since I'm in this house, I know there wasn't anything, you know. you know they they die the people die people die you know i'm an old lady i'm not supposed to be german a long time ago i live in bad times now i understand what you're saying but there's a A real date that they just gave up and... They died out, that's all, just what it was in this small town. But in New York, there are some younger people. And the old people around the nursing homes, I know. My daughter sends me in so much cutout from Florida, because there's a lot of old people in Florida, you know, in Miami, you know.

So she sent me so much of what I used to have it. I would show you what she sent me in. And there, still they have everything. They have even a Jewish school that they teach children Jewish in Miami. Now we're talking Dallas. I'm concerned about when in Dallas. Dallas doesn't have anything. What are some of the other organizations that you were a member of? I wasn't active and I really wasn't in any organization except I'm a life member in the Greek, I'm a life member in Pai Ngurimi, I'm a life member in Hadassah. And I was a life member, I mean, if it still exists in City of Hope.

That's the first one years ago. When did you join City of Hope? Oh, City of Hope I joined probably twenty years ago, maybe, or something, I don't know. Then they were here, but they were not here anymore. But I get the bulletin from the main office, what is going on. Yeah, I joined that a long time ago when I was very long. Now, Pioneer Women is now Nama. When did you join? Probably, at my 20th grade. Were you a member of Pioneer Women when you were in South Alley? in South Dallas? No, I think probably I think maybe the time in the living I was in the University of town.

But I joined the Adapter and I was still in South Dallas So that a little foolish And when I was still in South Dallas I was a doctor but I wasn a life member But I became a life member when I came back from Israel in 1958. I went to my niece's wedding in 1968 in Israel. So when I came back, I became a life member. You know that? And now you know what Hadassah done to me. What? What did they say? Oh, you didn't hear that story. Oh, yes, I did hear that story. Yes. You want to tell us? Yeah. I thought I was a mess.

You're sure? What did Hadassah do to you since you mentioned this? What happened? That was some mistake. I gave the Hadassah a year ago, $160. I had him to book for the head. And then I told them I don't have my name yet. And I gave them last year, a hundred and fifty thousand. I have already for this year, for the donor lunch. Because when I give their money, the money goes for the donor lunch. But I don't go to the donor lunch. I don't go to a meeting. I haven't been to the group meeting, I don't know where. I don't go to a meeting.

I said, go. I'm not able to. I'm not well. I take a whole day medicine. I made a mistake, um... I'm sorry. Now tell us about your family. How many... how... you've got a... Harold was born in 1930 then. My son was born in 1930. And your daughter? And my daughter was born in 1930, three years later. And I was already an old woman in that time. So I had to pick up make it up Make it up And by the way I tell you my brothers my guys the last six children they all married They have 45 children. The children have 45. Are they all traditional?

Are they all traditional? You're talking about your brothers and relatives. Oh, they are more than my brothers are. They don't work in front of me. They don't take off. Keep off the hats. Three of them are neighboring. I have three neighbors, my sister and my father-in-law. They are neighboring. And three are in New York, of course not in New York, but Brooklyn Mountain. What was, when you moved to Dallas, what was the Jewish community like? When I moved to Dallas, I tell you, because I didn't pay anything, I didn't get active in anything. Because when I came to Dallas, I had my baby, and I was busy.

And then we had the doors also, so there couldn't be any. Then we moved to Aclique, in the Leeson Aclique, and had doors also, like I told you from 6 to 10. We were there and nothing else. What about when you moved to South Dallas? Oh, when I moved to South Dallas, I told you, I put my children in school. And then I could go, I went to Keith Temple, I was driving. If I had my class in my 70s, I would ride children. I was driving children all the time. They were going to music listen they were going to some of the schools they were going They belong to all the Jewish organizations you know children and I used to drive it Were most of the activities in South Dallas, or were they other parts of the city?

What about the activities? What about what? The activities that the kids did, where did they usually... Yes, I tell you the truth, I've been driving the whole time with children. I don't know, they were, they were, you know, in places, you know, and they were active. And I've been the driver. Were there anything, were there parts of the community like that you... Yes, I told you I belong to all these organizations. At that time, I've been going to the meetings, see? At that time, I belonged to all these organizations that I've told you. I belong now to the community center, since Pocahontas Street. You know when they were on Pocahontas Street?

I belong there, where we came, both of us, the first thing we joined, the community center. That's the first thing, because this is what, you know, you get in touch with Jewish people. See, the first thing we joined is this. And I still belong because my husband's been paying. You know, he used to pay him how much? He's 15 now, he's 125 now. But I don't go, but I hate to get out. If you belong from there, now I'm from Pocahontas. So I came to go after I paid. It's like a dog. Well, I've been going to all the meetings and I used to take people, we always have a full staff, taking the women.

Oh, you know, I joined the sheriff's on the account of Mrs. Smiley. Yes, she wants me to go with her. I say, you don't want to pay for me for lunch and make me stand up. I say, I can belong, it's only five dollars. I say, I can belong, I still belong there. To the sisterhood? Yeah, I belong to the sisterhood, yeah I do, sure. Yeah, I belong to the sisterhood. Did you have some of the other than the clubs? What were some of the activities? See, what I told you, all these organizations. I've been going to the meetings, taking people, been playing charts a little bit.

What about activities that both your husband and you did together? Both of us. I don't remember, we used to have a picnic, We should get up with some friends and have a picnic if we had time. If we had time, that was already later on, because in the younger years, we had the store stores in the children. Was your...how long were your...was your store open at seven days a week or were you open six days a week? Almost seven days a week in Oakley, yes. Almost seven, because they'd never let them Sunday close the store. He wanted to close it to one o'clock or so, and they stepped into four o'clock.

They didn't have a lot of money, so as soon as they got a little money, they'd come right the way to the store, and they wouldn't let them close the store. And they liked them, the people, the fellow people liked me, liked my husband who was I was very friendly with them. Oh, Frank, when he sold out, Frank, you're not going to leave us. Yeah, they liked him. He was a friend. He was a friend. Yeah, he was a friend. Yeah, they liked him very much. We done all the business in the rest of the world. And they wanted us to do it. They were afraid they were going to kill us.

When you moved to South Dallas, were most of the customers also flying? When you moved the store to South Dallas, did you also have mostly black customers or were many other people? No, no, this was all white customers. Were they Jewish and non-Jewish? No, no, no, they were only non-Jewish. Non-Jewish. No. All white. They were black or better than white. Oh. Interesting. Where was the store in South Dallas? And how was the Harwood near what cross street? Me and Donovan Somewhere near 35 wasn it Lower lower hardwood It a park yeah maybe Somewhere in your city park yeah maybe There's a big sofa there, and I would treat you.

Yeah. What are some of the changes you've seen in the Jewish community? Well, all I can see, there are so many synagogues now. It's just amazing how many, how they can exist. It's amazing. What are some of the other things you've noticed? What are some of the other things you've noticed as far as change in the Jewish community? Oh, oh, it's a big city. Oh, it's a traffic. It's almost a New York. Do you miss not living in a Jewish neighborhood with a lot of Jewish people around you? Well, I don't mind to live among Jewish people. We have a lot of Jewish people in this building.

When you moved to Marquette, were you alone? A few Jews? How many? We didn't have any immediate neighbors, but there were a lot of Jewish people who were living in the neighborhood. But we didn't have immediate neighbors. Did they live fairly close to you? Did you see them? Not very far. What they didn't have is maybe they could go in. To say the truth, and I moved to Zilwoistapar, I missed Parkour, because there we had a lot of Jewish neighbors. and they would come, you know, they didn't have air conditioning, the door was open and it turned off and summertime they would come, the neighbors, and sit down on the porch.

And when I moved away, I missed it. Did you find you did more visiting in South Dallas than you did in university Oh yeah sure South Dallas we had a lot of visits Neighbors girls take more fire and stop over Yeah, I miss it. How did the kids do when you moved? Well, the kids, it happened while I moved to the University Park. My daughter had already a friend in the University Park, and I had to go from Park or whatever, University Park, and I was there all the time. So I thought, maybe I can move to. Well... Was there anything in particular, any activity that really meant a lot to you that you were involved in, that you participated in?

Well, I was involved in all this, I told you, around my life, and all this organization. And I used to have friends, and I'd take them to the meetings, and they didn't drive. I was a driver. And they kept me busy. They called me, and I had a lot of friends. And then just made a little bit of trouble. Now, which, could you say there was anything most, you know, that took more of your time than others? That's all. I didn't have family so much in Dallas, you know. We didn't have friends, of course, but we didn't have a big family in Dallas. Yes, but was there any particular group that you were more active with than the other groups?

No, not particular. Not particularly. I would go to all the meetings, the luncheon. Luncheon meetings. Luncheon meetings. Luncheon, you know. And I had friends and they would keep me busy. They would keep me calling. They wanted to go. Oh, yes. I was very busy. Anything special that you can remember offhand? Did you have any special happening? Nothing special happened The voice what has happened is that I lost my family in the Holocaust I tried so hard tried hard I went to lawyers and rabbis and said get them, and they said they have to go in the quarter. And the war was all happened, that was the end of it.

See, there was no more trying. There was no more time. And as soon as the war was over, I sent a postal card to... As soon as I saw the war was over, I know a postal card is good because I sent one to my brother in a different time, one to my mother in a different time. And a man answered me. He told me who he is, and I knew he was scared. I mean, I remember his death. That was already after the Second World, and I came before the first World War. Right, right. And he says, the town is born in Damm, and there's not a Jew, not in this town, not in the other town, and not in this town's around.

There isn't any one Jew. I'm the only one, because I came back from Roche. They didn't let me come back, and the Germans came in. already in town so they didn't let me go in so i wasn't curious when i came back and my family's gone and so the whole town is going and i know where they were buried they bear the whole town So I tried, of course you know that doesn't help any if my accountant Yeah, I had their house, but still it was. Sure. Well, do you have any memorabilia, any pictures or any letters or anything that you can share with me?

You know, I looked in to see my European friends kept sending me so many pictures. I have bunches. I posted them. But I'm keeping something. You're okay. Until today? Do you hear from anybody? Up until when? Until they're all gone. You know, they're all gone. Until the second day of work. None of them you found? Nobody. Thank you very much. Masha, do you have any questions? Or is there anything in particular that you can ask about? Because, you know, I know the answers. I mean, you know, I knew them all that time. I know. I know. Well, some of the things that should be enlarged going on.

I thank you very much. Do you want to say? All I can see about Dallas is some very religious city, so many Symmasins. Don't see how they tell you. Well, there are a lot more Jews here today than there were. Yes, Papathites. There are many more Jews.