Friday Mar 21

by

(above date) First day of Spring
proper to renew hopes

I am restless, if my
not for my radio which
kept me spellbound, in
the report round by round
of a championship boxing
fight at the Madison Square Garden
where at the End a new Jewish
champion was crowned,
I would not [be able to] stand my
loneliness. —

Just at this time I am
thinking of the 20th C. girl.

Before long I expect to have
the pleasure of her company
at an opera performance.

Received a letter from home
(parents) father still ill, May
the next letter bring me the news
of his speedy recovery.

——————

Matt’s Notes

The boxing match Papa listened to while he pined for the 20th Century Girl was a bantamweight bout in which Abe Goldstein, the challenger, took the title from defending champ Joe Lynch in a 12-round decision. According to the New York Times, Goldstein was “a product of the Ninety-second Street Y.M.H.A. and a graduate of the fistic nursery over which Nat Osk, Y.M.H.A. athletic instructor, reigns.” This refers to the very 92nd St. Y known today for its upscale guest lectures (“In Conversation: The Nimoys on Collecting”) and adult education programs (“Healthy, Wealthy & Wise: Life After 50”) so it’s a little hard to picture it as a hotbed of pugilism.

Yet so it was. Abe Goldstein was one of the many Jews who, hoping to box their way out of the ghetto, came to dominate the sport in the 1920’s. In Papa’s day, more New York boxers were Jewish than Irish or Italian, and Jewish gym owners, promoters and trainers also “assumed disproportionately prominent roles in all aspects of the sport”.1 In fact, when Goldstein left the Y for Grupp’s Gymnasium on 116th Street in Harlem, he came under the wing of the great Jewish trainer Ray Arcel, a Stuyvesant High School grad who trained 20 world champions including Kid Gavilan, Roberto Duran and Larry Holmes. The owner of Grupp’s was apparently such an anti-Semite that Arcel and his charges picked up and took their act to the little-known, Jewish-owned Stillman’s Gym on 125th street, after which it grew into one of boxing’s legendary gyms.2

Jewish boxers usually wore Stars of David on their robes and trunks and rarely tried to pass for gentile, though their attitudes varied as to whether they were fighting on behalf of the Jewish people or just doing their jobs3. Papa had no such ambivalence, though. Like many Jewish immigrants who had experienced European anti-Semitism firsthand, Papa took pride in his fighting landsmen and other “muscle Jews” who refused to appear stereotypically weak and cowed. Remember, he nicknamed the chapter of the mutual aid society he belonged to “The Maccabeans” after the Jewish warriors of old, so living, breathing Jewish athletes (who probably lived across the alley from him) must have filled him with more than garden-variety ethnic pride.

Alas, no one — not “Slapsie” Maxie Rosenblum, Benny Leonard, or Ray Arcel himself — could have shown Papa how to conquer his loneliness or beat the poverty that kept his ailing parents in the old country. We’ve seen before how milestones made him especially contemplative and melancholy, and though the arrival of Spring was “proper to renew hopes,” I’m not sure he felt genuinely hopeful. Stay tuned.

————-

References for this post:

———————

And here’s a 1922 Benny Leonard fight via YouTube:

————–

Our friend J.R. adds:

For what it’s worth, Abe Goldstein’s first fight was on June 30, 1916, in New York, New York – he knocked out George Lewis in the 8th round. On August 4th, he defeated Kid Rago, and on August 26, he made quick work of a boxer who went by the name Smiling Willie. From what I can tell, the names of his competitors grew more and more comical as he went along culminating in successive and, one would assume, heartbreaking losses in 1925 to Bushy Graham in New York, and Dixie LaHood in Butte, Montana. (Even the names of the towns he fought in got funnier if you read them wrong!)

He was considered to be among the top five bantemweights of all time… presumably by some guy who was familiar with at least five bantemweights.

Saturday Mar 22

by


Attended the Hadassah
Ball at the 71st Reg. Armory

It looked more like a
fashion show, because
of the attendance
being of the most prominent
Jews, displaying their
best in evening dress.

However it did not impress
me very much I felt
rather lonesome throughout
the evening although I met
numerous friends.

—————–

Matt’s Notes

In 1924, Hadassah was well on its way to becoming the enormously successful Jewish womens’ organization it is today, though it had technically become a subset of the Zionist Organization of America in 1918. Its growth outstripped ZOA’s almost from the start, though, and it would only be a few more years until resulting organizational tensions effectively ended the relationship. Papa was an active, loyal member of the ZOA, so I’m sure he picked up on some of these tensions. This may be why he was so uncharacteristically quick to dismiss the guests at the Hadassah function as vain and self-important — his ZOA compadres must have lit up the schvitzes with such talk.

I wonder, too, if his unforgiving reaction to the “prominent Jews” at the ball was related to the “20th Century Girl” (if you’re just joining us, the “20th Century Girl” was the latest object of Papa’s ardor). He pined for her constantly, but worried that her social aspirations — her need to be “prominent” — precluded a relationships with a lowly “wage earner” like him. As a result, he’d felt lousy and forlorn for days. Perhaps, deep down, he was angry at the 20th Century Girl, blamed her for his apprehension, and took it out a little on the highfalutin’ Hadassah folk she aspired to be like.

———————-

The Sienese-inspired 71st Street Armory was a mighty fine building, but it’s been gone since the 70’s. Here’s what it looked like while it still stood on 33rd and Park:

Papa, of course, would have worn his tuxedo there that night:

————-

Additional notes:

For a better Hadassah history than on the Hadassah site itself, check out this excerpt from the American Jewish Desk Reference.

Image source: 71st Regiment Armory, Library of Congress call # LC-D4-19584

——-

Updates:

I’ve updated my March 19th post with early 20th Century Eastern European Purim images from the Yivo archive. Give them a look if you’ve got the time.

Sunday Mar 23

by

this was the most beautiful
day this spring season.

Everything is fine and
beautiful but something
is missing.

Attended in afternoon
the East Side Keren Haysod
meeting with Weitzman at
Cooper Union. Nothing new
excepting the collection of about
$18,000 — the the fund, and
the presentation to Weitzman
of a $25,000 check by the Comittee.

In Evening I hung around
the Z.Z. with Blaustien, nothing
seems to be able to drive away
my monotony.

————

Matt’s Notes

Boy, Papa was really in a funk — he attended an event with Chaim Weitzman himself, saw 18 grand raised for his beloved Keren Hayesod, and still he said it was “nothing new.” This would be like me sitting next to William Shatner on a plane, seeing a gremlin crawl along the wing, and later reporting that my flight was “fine.”

He had a lot on his mind, though. When he said “something is missing,” he might have been talking about the ailing father he hadn’t seen for years, the longed-for company of the “20th Century Girl,” or, more likely, a little of both. As we’ve noted before, Papa would take stock of his life with apprehensive introspection at milestones like his birthday or New Year’s Eve. And here it was again: The beautiful weather made his melancholy stand out in relief; the world was thawing, but he felt more frozen than ever.

I understand these feelings because I’ve felt that way myself. But not always, Papa, because this was you and me:

Monday Mar 24

by

Attended the Banquet at the
Astor in honor of Weitzman. for
the K.H.

Another source of joy.

Very seldom have I heard such
an outpour of idealism at
one meeting.

About $160,000 has been
raised at this gathering.

—————

Matt’s Notes

Papa’s been sort of a Chaim Weizmann groupie over the last couple of days, first seeing him at the Cooper Union and now following him to the Hotel Astor, a grand and gorgeous Times Square spot we’ve discussed earlier.

hotel astor

It seems to have been a choice venue for high-profile Zionist fundraising activities. Last time Papa was there he saw the influential Rabbi Joseph Silverman throw his previously-withheld support behind the cause, and now another all-star lineup of American Zionists (including Silverman) showed up on behalf of Keren Hayesod. (At a recent visit to the New York Historical Society, I saw a pamphlet describing one of the Astor’s key attractions, a gallery that featured Native American artifacts and busts of various tribesman. It struck me as well-meaning but rather exploitative; I wonder what Papa made of it, or if Weizmann and company hung around in there.)

In any event, it’s good to see Papa feeling joyful and idealistic after a long string of lonely, anxious days. (I say this partly out of self-interest, too — the more I work on this project, the more I think my own moods are starting to mirror Papa’s.)

———-

References for this post

Tuesday Mar 25

by

Had the 20. Century girl on the
phone. Arranged a date
with her for this coming Sat. at (torn)
opera for which occasion I have (torn)
secured the choicest best seats.

Attended the performance
and movie at the Capitol.
Again the usual divertisement
Ballet & Music which appeals
so much to me.

The terpsy chorus interpretation
to the music of Straus’ Waltz,
Artists dream, was more than
wonderful.

————-

The movie Papa saw at the Capitol that night was The Unknown Purple, a sci-fi thriller notable for its use of purple-tinted frames and special effects (the film’s villain wields a purple invisibility ray while committing his dastardly deeds). The New York Times review was lukewarm, though the anonymous reviewer enjoyed the action scenes. Looks like Papa liked it even less, since he was more interested in the night’s ballet and music presentation than in the film (remember, the movie palaces of old supplemented their screenings with live, “highbrow” performances of all sorts to give their decidedly less priveledged audiences a taste of culture).

Note: Though I’m no one to question Papa’s knowledge of classical music, I think the musical piece he saw interpreted at the Capitol was Strauss’s “Artist’s Life,” not “Artist’s Dream.” Perhaps the slip happened because Papa’s own dream — a date with the “20th Century Girl” — was in the offing.

—————–

A couple of the words in this entry are partially missing due to a small tear in the side of the page, but it also has a couple of other words I can’t quite make out. It looks like he’s written “the terpsy chorus interpretation of Straus’ Waltz” in reference to the house orchestra at the Capitol Theatre, but that’s obviously not right. Give it a look below. Any ideas?

unknown word

Update:

My mother adds:

He may have meant Terpsichore, who was the muse of
dance. He probably heard the word, but didn’t get the spelling right.

That makes sense. The word he was trying to write was “terpsichorean.”

unknown word
—————–

References for this post:

Wednesday Mar 26

by

I have really intended to
spend the Eve. at home, but
(torn) Jack Breitbart upset my plans
by calling my to accompany
him to the Metr. Opera house
which gave me an opportunity
to listen for the first time
to, Le Roi de Lahore (in French)

It is a wonderful romance
with a still more wonderful
ballet.

————–

Matt’s Notes

The 1924 production of Le Roi de Lahore was regarded in its day as a spectacular trifle. The New York Times treated it as a curiosity because it had never been staged in New York and was early work by Jules Massinet (who after writing it went on to a long and storied career). In a cheeky review, the Times repeatedly described it as grand but unoriginal, notable for its bombast, spectacular sets, and (as Papa noted) its elaborate ballet:

The ballet was very elaborate and brilliant…The little children, with sprouting wings, made a pleasing episode, which could not have occurred upon the stage, in, for example the State of Massachusetts…Nor should the the admirable elephant of act four go unmentioned. His legs deserved the highest praise.

Irving Kolodin has less fun with the production in his The Story of the Metropolitan Opera (1883-1950) :

The total of works by Massenet seen in New York climbed steadily higher when Le Roi de Lahore (new in 1877) was introduced on February 29 amid and eye-filling decor by Boris Anisfeld. [Guiseppe] De Luca was an excellent Scandia, Delia Reinhardt a tasteful Sita, and Larui-Volpi sand Alim with fine vocal quality. [Louis] Hasselmans conducted acceptably, and [Rosina] Galli led an elaborate ballet with traditional charm. The fault, and it was a fundamental one, was with Massenet’s score, a weak suggestion of the man who was to write Manon. Four repetitions sufficed for Le Roi de Lahore.

Papa had a weakness for the corny and spectacular, so this story, set in 11th-Century India and full of war, palace scandal and glimpses of the afterlife, would have been a treat for him. (Especially since his friend invited him unexpectedly, kind of like the way I felt about seeing Lucinda Williams at Radio City the other night — I never would have gone on my own, but the tickets a co-worker dropped on me at the last minute softened me up quite a bit.)

——————

Additional references:

Thursday Mar 27

by


Again meeting at the
Maccabean

1st payment of $10 on 1924 pledge
for K.H.

——————-

“The Maccabean,” as we now know, was the nickname of Papa’s chapter of the Order Sons of Zion (a.k.a. B’nai Zion) a fraternal and mutual aid society dedicated to the Zionist cause. B’nai Zion routinely collected money for the Zionist fundraising organization Keren Hayesod (the “K.H.” mentioned in today’s entry) so Papa undoubtedly made his pledge through them.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Statistics, $10 in 1924 had the same buying power as $119.01 today. That’s a lot of money for a factory worker like Papa, even if he had gotten a $5 raise two months earlier. Looks like he talked the talk and walked the walk, in a Zionist fundraising sort of way.

⇐ Previous 7 Days|Next 7 Days ⇒