Zelda Mash
Zelda Mash was born in Philadelphia on April 27, 1934. Both of her parents were also born in Philadelphia, and both sets of grandparents came from Russia, immigrating to the United States after marrying and settling in Philadelphia. Zelda had little formal Jewish education as a child, but she learned Yiddish and took part in Jewish plays at a summer camp she attended in Pennsylvania. She trained as a dancer from a young age, dancing with a ballet company in Philadelphia at 14, though she preferred tap and kicking to ballet.
In July 1951, when Zelda was 17, her father brought the family to Dallas to see whether they would like it, and they stayed. She finished high school at North Dallas High School, where she was one of only a couple of Jewish students, and recalled the warmth and friendliness of the people she met. After high school she returned east and performed as a Radio City Rockette and appeared in the show Top Banana with Phil Silvers. She later modeled, including advertising modeling for Neiman Marcus after she was married. Her first marriage brought her back to Dallas, where her children were born.
Zelda raised a blended family of seven children with her second husband, whom she married after a four-year courtship. Her husband served for many years as youth director at Shearith Israel, and together they became widely known in the community. Zelda was active in the National Council of Jewish Women, serving in charge of membership and earning recognition for her recruitment, and she is a life member of Hadassah. The couple belonged to several congregations over the years and were honored at their synagogue. A memorable trip took them on an American Jewish Congress tour through Eastern European communist countries, an experience she found both amazing and eye-opening.
Full Transcript
I'm Nancy Youngerman and today interviewing Zelda mash it's August 29 2013 and the interview is taking place at the Jewish Community Center in Dallas hello hi I'm glad I'm glad you're here are you a native of Dallas no I moved here I think when I was 17 it was July the third 1951 I finished my last year of high school at the house where well we lived in park cities but something was wrong with Holland Park in my creds from Philadelphia which fluid elders are much more difficult in school so I went to north dallas at that time there was another jewish girl and myself
and what hispanic her parents either own el fenix or el chico everybody else was not too much Christian's at the North doubts yes probably at Highland Park to other who knows yeah yeah everybody was this forest avenue we're learning from and where are your parents okay well my parents were both born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania my daddy 119 119 07 and I was born during nineteen April 27th 1934 and before Philadelphia whether you're what are your roots my grandparents both sets came from Russia and after they were married they came to the United States I remember I was disappointed when I went to Ellis Island i
thought i could find out all the history but they never got to have a silent they were dropped over the castle guard which was the first and second-class passengers at that time and they came from financially good they stayed in New York though they land in New York and went to Philadelphia how do you how do you like it how did how was the adjustment for you it was excellent my father wanted to bring us here to see if we like it with my sister and I she's younger than I am we were very spoiled and I guess we kind of ruled the house and
he wanted to bring us here we just figured if he liked that we liked it and I just assumed it was going to be just like Philadelphia except nicer weather did you find it was nicer weather let me tell you when we first came to Dallas we stay at the warrants hotel which was just written up as redoing it or something we stayed for lauren's I tell Tom parents got a house and my mother and I walked every day and I think was like 115 degrees or something and there was no humidity i perspire or anything whereas an East Coast it's cooler but the humidity
was loud I tell me about your education after high school okay after high school I did not go to college I went back to Philadelphia for fun and then I went to the organic human rocket and then I was in the show with Phil Silvers called top banana and my leg and so I went to modeling by saying the girlfriend in Philadelphia with her family and I met my first husband there and we were married there and then he came to dallas at we stayed in dallas and so our children were born here and so you've been here since only after New York oh yeah
and we were always married in 55 the first time and if ever seventh and we moved here afterwards and we stayed here and i cleaned allison fantastic City changed a lot since I first finger they had three restaurants at that time it was unbelievable mm-hmm this was in the 50s the lay yes yeah because we could okay i said before july the third and july the fourth my parents had tickets to state fair rusical and i have to look at about how to work the internet or anything we'll have someone look up and see what show it was famous showing i can't remember what it
was yeah and the theater was so big because in Philadelphia New York the theatres are so small oh my god this place is humongous yeah yeah you've had a wonderfully interesting career tell us tell us a little bit about that I loved every minute of it I do a lot of people other than Jewish people who see these things okay I became a vegetarian when I was a Rockette because I was always invited to somebody's house for lunch or whatever on Sunday and they always had this big pan pig sit on the table which I think I really couldn't look at so I'm not I
used to eat ham in those days but I couldn't eat it while I was looking at me and so I told them we know the thing that's insult that I best and I was a vegetarian so we're couple years I was a vegetarian and only recently i remember why i do that i was but i forgot the reason why is accepting i now get a little forgetful i guess but it was it was kind of funny but it was it was very excited that people were all all wonderful to me and I've had an incredible life and I think on several times every day what
was this is off the subject but what was a typical rocket like a lot of rehearsing a lot of dancing in fact I was always now ensuring you but I was always five five and three-quarters but they may be five foot six because that was the minimum hi those days I don't know what it is now and it was a lot of rehearsals but like I love rehearsal so it was easy for me and I was the ballet company in Philadelphia when I was 14 but I never really liked ballet I loved the tap and i love the kicking and i love them everything else
and I was kind of exciting I knew it was not going to be forever I but I liked it for then I knew I'd have to do something kind of more normal how long were you go broke a I'm thinking now like about five or six months how to get magna card work and build a variety artists which I still have and I had to give it for that and he did it for the other stuff afterwards and when you came to Dallas your acting career but I didn't do anything and acting and I did bobbling in Philadelphia but when I went back but I
modeled for Neiman's and this is after i was married and I was at the advertising models they would do me they did a lot of sketches in the newspaper Nana I wasn't like a floor model I was a floor model elsewhere but not there and in fact I modeled until like I was my seventh month which was so strange because i didn't know i was pregnant for seven months I know I was pregnant idea I was never done a regular and so I I was getting really sleepy and my focus and you have to go to the doctors and maybe but since he fired a
side note of it so the doctor told me like I was like in shock strange as i thought the one day I'll just wake up and why do you really think no more something but like I really wasn't keep it there now Hannah was that I have you had any well what is your jewish affiliation what okay i am probably anything i had no Jewish education in Philadelphia my father and mother sent me to Jewish Hebrew school and I was thrown out and I was a kid and the reason I didn't even understand the reason they said I influence the voice I didn't know when
that even meant my sister was thrown out because she was seeing lon to Christmas carols so we were both like her out but here my parents belong to all three synagogues which were in south dallas at the time because they wanted us to big Jewish people and you didn't see was easily they see now because we were about the South Dallas area some people look to all three synagogues which was a temple emanuel sheriff israel and i can't remember if it was a deferred or a go to Stockholm I can't remember which it was and then now I belong to a bottom ballast which is
very Orthodox and or associate members Temple Shalom which is reform because I love the way they do things that I've been in shows there I just like the way they do things so that's our affiliation but rabbi Dabrowski synagogue which is the kabob palace they just honored my husband there may in fact that Deborah asked for video which I dropped but he like honored for I think we're out they were honored because we know a lot of people they think they've been treated the money now I don't think so but if they made us out I was i watch the pro that comedy sounds a
damn good so we've done someone a lot of nice things I guess mostly my husband does a lot of nice things I just said that um you were raised very religiously what got you around two then my grill Jewish education came from camp summer camp we went to the camp Hoffman in the wells town pennsylvania and i went there and i learned how to speak Yiddish and it's jia SP fish I don't speak it very well but I understand everything I may best be better than I think and I was in Jewish plays every Sunday then the Jewish play and people I sound said goodness
that I just got off the boat over Europe I mean I was pretty not good so in fact we were released in your husband for my 50th birthday took me to have it was American Jewish Congress Eastern European tour which was amazing it was old communist them but it was like amazing but what may need to see these countries to see you know where the Jews didn't live a I can't bring myself to go to Germany but we went to all the other countries and it was amazing to see how communist live i'm in it when people who come here and kiss the ground i
can understand that they had lines for you know I buying a bottle of the Allison or whatever the equivalent they go and they give you two or they give you four I think they had chicken once a week they had went to the restaurant this is like know how ruler of 25 American Jews and we went to this restaurant Hungary the knew that she wanted chicken fish fish and they brought it and like it's almost like in Mexico City like the maitre d speak English but the waiters really don't said they important to the table and it was my god really wrong so she set
it back and when she said about they slammed it down it was burnt to a crisp I mean they're not going to get fired so it doesn't make any difference we went to an ice cream store which was spending this big it was his table and i think was Czechoslovakian and it's not baskin-robbins they only had two melon so my husband went you too okay so then five people working behind there so one made the other one the cone wanders down one check that one was big one was small that's quality control then somehow escaped and checked and the respite people walk down there than
my husband I got hysterical laughter and be like five people you know and there no one's going to lose their job because then we haven't government to sit on it absolutely amazing and then I almost got arrested in Poland because um he had aside some papers I i printed because my writing was like a child and so by two on what talking to know okay okay i don't know so i wrote something bad and i gave it to one man and then i get to the other person and they put me in a journalist's they put many journalists line and they asked for my paper
and i said i don't have it he has it and then these people stay there there were 12 years old with guns guns up this is at Goodison mode they got the guns up the airport and it was so strange and as if he hasn't explaining the man to understand he has it so finally get this oh so sorry so sorry as you should be sorry being while our interpreter at last almost had a heart attack because I'm fighting with them and then pick up the guns like everybody not our group godson scared but I have proved my point I didn't have it I gave
it to the guy no wave in the hip Eden is also so so sorry society you should be sorry really yeah as yourself stop talking because you should not getting the hell you should be sorry I caused all the side room Asian oak everybody our trip was like it was going to be taken away with all these uniform guys that were 12 years old doesn't get it it's kind of funny I didn't realize I mean how did you get into these communist countries there well we were an American Jewish Congress tour and and everything was taken care of it was absolutely lovely about and one
of the places attorney from California on our trip had a cousin in Romania and who's a psychiatrist there and he wanted to meet him adding the guy said I will meet you but we'll be in the center of the lobby because they have everything is bugged if you buy in the table and chairs budgets but conversation is bugged so it was like really then we were told not to talk like I have big secrets government not to talk in the in the ruse because we're very nice hotels but it was that it was a magnificent or there was a 21 day tour or something and
it was wonderful we were in Australia in Romanian the country the country was so poor that they had no lights at night in the streets and I wanted to go walking in my husband can see and I said well our eyes will adjust and they didn't adjust because he did what with me but the people who live in this way live that way in those days you know it was in 1954 anymore there's been I'm going to get back to Dallas yes there's been big changes in Dallas since you were 16 years old yes him to have they affected how I feel under because traffic
is a big thing the people I mean I some of the drivers are blown me away and everybody was very very polite and Alice everybody was talking to you in the streets and at the Lawrence hotel I stopped a white slavery group I didn't know what white slavery was but I was sitting in the lobby waiting for my parents and some name was talking to me and I just had a funny feeling about him so after a while I talk what stayed behind the desk and they are actually arrested the man and he was like a white slave person or other well glue it's a
white slavery and whites lay leaders may pick baby pick up girls I might still exist and they make him like slave all sexes to sex slaves and so he was it was very friendly and very nice but I just had a funny feeling about him and I didn't think he should be talking to me because I was a child and you toss don't I had the same maybe it's a pimp yeah more than a him because he was going to hire me two teams it was part of it they found was part of the big big organization big operation so I remember that and but
I remember had three restaurants in Dallas one was telling tree downtown what was one was a Greek restaurant maybe like an oak cliff and I can't remember the other one charge the torch that's it that's it and there was another one that I can't remember but um it was it was just totally different there's any of the traffic is one big thing and the people force a lot of them are from other cities now they're not as friendly as Texans were but everybody even in school I mean all the Christians they were soaked and I were a menorah because I never did that before but
I thought have to do that because i was going to date you know it wasn't Jewish and so because they asked me out and so everybody was so kind so sweet everybody and I'm like I guess a novelty to them you know because the other Jewish girl came from Monterrey Mexico and in fact I finally went to a reunion here I own to the Philadelphia reunions but I went to read here because it was going to be to hotel downtown that not been and I want to see it so I went to the reunion and her picture I said so how come on pictures not
up there these were all dead hold up yes this is good that your pictures not up there and see I didn't see that I do so I drove his picture it was kind of funny whatever where did you children go to school they went to akiba and they didn't and then they went to hillcrest now we have seven children my husband had three from his first marriage and I had four from my first child was stillborn and then I had two boys and two girls sitting until akiba his side when I know the oldest went to a white high school the other two went to
hillcrest because by then they were living with us so the kids were over my children to label and his children play were all raised together at when I got divorced at a five-year-old a four-year-old or three-year-old 21 year old and so they were like old raised together and I met my husband the years when I was divorced and he wanted to get married right away that's gonna happen ow and I I wasn't ready to get married having to me we met it was very strange I knew his ex-wife that that arrangement dates for her and I met him I saw her with his very handsome
man it feels kappa for Captain Phil belly adesso yeah and you know she said I to me a nice and I and later on I learned he asked her who I was and he should sell the kimmel and she said you know don't you know her he said why but I know her she's a kid and I'm hired the flip you know those days ago and is it she's a kid she said she's not a kid and she has four kids so he did some research he called some people to find out who I was and then he called me up and he asked me
out for us I had a limit made in the ester now for a Saturday night and I didn't want to waste my Saturday with someone I didn't know was that may in that handsome and so so I didn't know waste my time of someone I didn't know so i said i like to see wednesday night at ten o'clock because i was charging membership of national council Jewish would and I thought ten o'clock i'll have to spend much time with anybody come to house nobody feel so he came and we're going down to have a some delicate things over later and after up to talking as
I'm talking he said you have a number for me I said like what kind of the numbers you know like when you go to bakery they have a number like what is it my turn to talk the head of my back lunge on the people he's got a sense of humor that's great so we gain it for four years until I decided maybe I'm gold enough to get married mm-hmm and so am I kids adornment they didn't call it that until seven ceremony because I think Holden mr. bash except the baby called the mission mash and because i don't like this uncle stuff that i didn't like it they were too little too cold by his first day method that was disrespectful so you got married in there nine eight seven sex yeah yeah it is and it is now I'm newstrack ago what does some was just 62 or 63 actually sure was like 21 i think when he was born and then and then patty is 16 and then Bruce is 57 but they're all I mean they think my kids go Atticus we have pictures in the office people say doing they realize it's
not the biological father I say actually thinks the biological mother because it's all about him bangkok all about him his kids called me zelda but when they introduced me to summon some always there brother introduced me but the kids are extremely close i feel very blessed because I one daughter was another one sisters I tried to help you know and I wasn't jealous of her I just didn't think my parents needed her since they had not see any point in having another baby he still trying to kill a guy adores you doesn't is Roberta close it for all under one roof seven kids and eliminate
shortly I heard you mention that you were on the board with it cancel of June national council international what what other Jewish organizations have you feel okay I used to be very active that in fact the year that I was in charge of membership I nominated myself I thought it's good that I did we want an award for her getting more members than anybody else I safer you Jewish I'm signed up a life member of hadassah and I've never been to a meeting my sister was the National Southwest national president what you do from the states from Oklahoma and one birthday she got me membership
so I mean when I got my daughter-in-law so my daughter's life members and I'm sure used to speak there than I we go to meetings better than that I don't know I pull out of time for a lot of stuff and I think I've got important advocacy is your national or a lot of other kind of a pack whatever whatever but I don't do a lot of stuff what am i leaving out what little what little stories can you add that I might have missed in this interview I don't know I just I think something is funny but you may not think it's appropriate we
move to the bonaventure maybe four or five years ago they have a holiday dinner and it's on a saturday you've got beautiful engraved invitations for six o'clock or 630 I RSVP notice came by you come at a or 830 but plenty of food seating will be capacity to be better so okay so I'm wearing a beige address i'm telling you this for a reason kinda cute we go downstairs in there and spangles the sequences I mean you can't believe like it's really like Academy Award night and that everybody knew my husband my name and then your children's name which I tend to forget them sometimes
it's amazing and so we ar dinner and we went up but we just kind of start off with laughter because my husband and I am age but you can still tell who we are but a lot of people aged and you really can't tell who they are she's aged well like I knew she was but she wasn't a party but it was just so funny to you goes the place and you see people you my god they're like my injury under and and its really kind of sad and you know people say my husband died he got grayer but like my son say they get
greater than nothing it's redder but the a lot of people you know you just you just don't know in the enemy I'm grateful now people come up and tell me that they are and my husband taught for many years these youth director cherith Israel I'm usable on there your husband was a youth director and Sharon is when Morgan or youth members that ever and he had people we met the adults their parents when their own recently or the last several years and they used to fly their kids from Oklahoma to be here to borrow his program so I'm tell you this for reason i forgot
the reason to the city just think I asked you what your about that if what if your huts I said your husband was youth directors yeah you and I yeah yeah I'm semester and that went on to yesterday yeah so like what my aunt who's moved here 10 years ago from Philadelphia she said has the city knows sean because of his teachings or his counseling and they know you because of the shows but like wherever we go you know when we were in Hungary were to synagogue and we Sean was kidding he said I want to see somebody I know because wherever we go he
see somebody knows but we go see hungry we sit down on a girl about 10 minutes later a girl comes up mr. mash is that you she was a student at sheriff Israel and she was there with her aunt not go on a trip and different trip and then the next day we saw her on the boat ride along the Danube I mean it just such a small small world so we know people from a lot of different places but it's very embarrassing oh I always go see some of my shook some of showing students are now grandparents so it's great when they tell us who they are because we'll never know I mean you look different when you're 12 and 13 and 14 then when you're in your 50s the 60s a lot has changed but they always remember him well you're terrific and I enjoy and thank you Sheila 50 not out of three sets