Friday Jan 18

by


Same as yesterday
in my company were Sister
Clara & husband.

I.M.W.
again writes me to help him
I shall give the letter to Budiener

———-

Matt’s Notes

I can’t quite figure out what the second section of this entry says. I.M.W. (if I’m reading that right) might be a reference to Papa’s brother, Isaac, over in Europe (Papa has started to write something that looks like “Isaac” and crossed it out, though it’s mostly illegible). I’m also having trouble with the last word of the entry (Budinier? Badinez?) so I don’t know to whom or what Papa plans to give “I.M.W’s” letter.

My other theory is that this is a reference to the tubercular acquaintance “I. Marlanoff” from Papa’s January 2nd entry, and “Budiener” is a doctor or representative of a landsmanshaft, or mutual aid society. Supported by dues, such groups served as ready-made social networks for new arrivals, formed religious congregations, and provided medical care, loans and burial services to landsman (people from the same place).

Papa’s charitable fraternal order, B’nai Zion, probably qualifies as such an organization. Many of his old friends are buried in Sons of Zion cemetery plots and I know they ran a credit union and resold life insurance. But while many of the old landsmanshaftn were geared toward people from the same town, I don’t think B’nai Zion was. Such narrow regional focus might even have been on the wane by the 20’s as Jews stitched themselves into a broader community and as formal support became more available from government agencies and organizations like labor unions. This would be consistent with the overall evolution of fraternal organizations, which, as noted earlier, grew less chauvinistic as the path to Americanization grew clearer.

By the way, I learned a lot about the landsmanshaftn during a visit to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum yesterday (they have a link to some good information here) and I also got a much clearer idea of what Papa’s living situation must have been like in early 1924. I’ll add more about that later.

Saturday Jan 19

by

Visited Rifke and then attended
the Kessler Club Installation
of Officers (offices?) party.

Again pretty girls but ridiculous
stupid, I saw girls falling for
strange boys whom they never
met before allowing them to
get too familiar with them
and let them take them home.

Those boys who were not members
of the club just visitors for the
evening took advantage of
some stupid girls weaknesses
and even in public did not
act gentlemanlike.

Where is that perfect girl
I dream so much of finding?

———-

Matt’s Notes

Ever since co-ed parties were invented, sensitive young men have found themselves at the edges of the room, puzzled by the body language and easy laughter of those who make sport of sex. And so, piqued and frustrated, unable to penetrate the flirtatious fray, they have retreated to their journals, picked up their pens and issued some variation of the eternal lament: “why do the assholes get all the girls?”

At least that’s part of what’s happening here. Against his usually formal prose, Papa’s use of the word “stupid” to describe the women at the Kessler Zion club feels especially acidic; a less discrete writer (okay, I) might have ranged to the saltier side of the dictionary. Papa’s instinct for forgiveness, his reflexive ability to make the most gentle assessment of the least gentle people would become nearly legendary in my family, but here we see it shakier, nascent; only after twice calling the women “stupid” does he find the generosity to say they’re merely naive.

He makes no apologies for the men, though, who offend his sensibilities from too many angles. First, they are merely crude, and Papa is conscious of his distaste for their behavior (“even in public [they] did not act gentlemanlike”). Perhaps more deeply offensive, though, is the fact that they ply their crudeness at a club to which they don’t belong. As I’ve mentioned before, such clubs were crucial for the well-being and comfort of uprooted people like Papa, so party crashers at the Kessler Zion Club would have struck him like burglars in his family’s house.

Fueling his frustration from still farther beneath the surface is the way this party makes Papa question his footing. At 29, he was certainly among the older people there. Those cavalier boys and giggling girls might have been ten years his junior or even American-born. They may have had no use for his Edwardian sense of propriety, his grown-up politeness. Make no mistake, he would have been happy to take (or at least walk) a woman home, but such a possibility must have seemed urgently unlikely that night.

But perhaps, at the deepest root, his dismay is a just symptom of his resilient, baffling, beautiful romanticism. The boys and girls chatter in crass, ugly cadences, not in the poetic strains Papa would prefer. Yet notice how he asks “Where is that perfect girl I dream of finding?” rather than questioning whether such a girl could possibly exist; his belief in poetry is absolute. His anger, then, is not so much a bitter reaction as it is a necessary response to those who would shake what he knows to be unshakable. We see the strain such principles put on my grandfather as a young man, but to the end of his life he would remain capable of feeling only surprise when the world tried to disappoint him.

Update 1/20

My mother confirms that, even later in life, Papa was not a “hail-fellow-well-met,” as they would have said back in the day — that is, he remained gentle and somewhat serious-minded and never felt at ease with more jovial, back-slapping types. This is consistent with his disapproval of the the un-“gentlemanlike” men described above.

Sunday Jan 20

by

Visited Rose Sherman,
she and her sister Tillie and
myself then visited my
cousins Lena & Jean who are
also known to them.

May it be known that
although not entered
regularly in this book or
not at all, every day includes
a visit to my sister Nettie
and my little darling niece
Rosie (Ruchale)

——————
Matt’s Notes:

The cast of characters expands. Looks like Papa’s cousins and sisters must have all lived close by on the Lower East Side, or at least within walking distance since the January cold didn’t keep them from strolling around and visiting each other. (Then again, I imagine the New York cold didn’t impress Papa too much since he grew up in an Eastern European ghetto where they probably ate bowls of hail for breakfast).

————–

Updates

2/4 – Via e-mail, my mother adds:

Did you know that niece “Rosie” called Ruthie by my cousin Jeanie is the one that died of spinal mennengitis at about 11 yrs of age? My middle name Ruchle or Ruth is after her. Aunt Nettie never recovered from her death. I can barely imagine Papa’s sorrow.

Monday Jan 21

by

My birthday today according
the Jewish calendar, celebrated
in bitter disappointments of
the past, blasted hopes etc.
but with a hope for a brighter
future.

Attended Dr. Thon’s reception
meeting at Cooper Union enjoyed
speeches of Weitzman Lipsky and
others. Some more mental food.

The picture of my niece
Tabale with her husband in
bridal dress which first
arrived today, brought a tear
from my eyes. I recalled old
happy memories when we were
all together, and I left her a
small child.

How everything has changed.

—————————–

Matt’s Notes

Sometimes what Papa writes is so sad that I don’t know whether to comment on it or just let it stand on its own, but a few things really get me about this entry.

It’s bitterly ironic for him to rattle off “the bitter disappointments of the past, blasted hopes etc.” going through his head on his birthday, as if those things are de rigueur for birthdays (he would have turned 29 this day by the Hebrew calendar, which in my book is as good as, or even worse, than turning 30 for prompting soul-searing soul searching). He adds a typical dose of optimism in noting his “better hopes for the future,” but I’m not sure he believes it at this moment. (He’s so low that he barely touches on the event he attended, in which the true heavyweights of Zionism gathered at Cooper Union, one of the most storied intellectual venues of the day.)

The wistfulness keeps piling on, as often seems to happen when you’re having a depressing day, with the arrival of his niece’s wedding photo. The distance and years separating him from Tabale, and by extension his parents and other siblings, must strike him on this day even harder than it might have. Even thoughts about the sister and niece who live right around the corner don’t help. And, since his self-reflection no doubt centers on what his life is coming to, whether he’s running out of time to make his mark, and whether he’ll ever have a family of his own, the image of his young niece already on her way to building a life for herself must feel all the more bittersweet.

Again, though, maybe this analysis is not necessary. It’s enough to think of him as he arrives home from his lecture and there’s an envelope from the old country waiting for him on the kitchen table, he’s excited for news from home, so he opens it by gas light, or maybe his hosts are asleep or he can’t spare a coin for the gas meter so instead he sits up on his rented cot in the corner of the parlor, and it’s too dark to read the letter so he pulls out the photo instead and angles it toward the window, and so by the street light he squints and turns his head and turns the photo and finally he makes out the image of his niece, all but unrecognizable as the little girl he last saw, standing in her wedding gown, standing with a man he doesn’t recognize, by now his eyes have adjusted to the low light and he would like to see the picture more clearly but he can’t blink away his tears, so he stretches out on his cot and looks around the room at the candles and cups and bowls and books, all of them belong to another family, everything he owns fits under his cot in a trunk and he has no one, no one but his diary to share his thoughts with on his birthday.

——————————-

I don’t have any pictures of Tabale from 1924, but she’s in this picture sent from Snyatyn in 1938. Tabale is second from the left, her husband is the tall guy in the middle rear, and her kids are up front.

Here are their faces:

Oh, and by the way — Papa, this is you:

Tuesday Jan 22

by

Light

A Poem by
Francis William Bourdillon
———————–
The night has a thousand eyes,
And the day but one;
Yet the light of the bright world dies
with the dying sun.

The mind has a thousand eyes
And the heart but one;
Yet the light of a whole life dies
When love is done.

—————-

Matt’s Notes

Papa has clearly not shaken the wistful, reflective mood triggered by his Hebrew birthday and the arrival of his niece’s wedding photo on the previous day. You need only read this poem a couple of times to understand his mood.

————

Call for research help

It’s about to get harder for me to spend as much time as I’d like on research for this project. That’s why I’m asking you, my legions of readers — and make no mistake, your numbers are so vast that to keep count takes almost all of my fingers — for help.

I’ve posted a page on this site called “Cry For Help” with a list of the many people, places, organizations, musical references, events and details of New York life that appear in Papa’s diary. If you know about or are interested in any of these subjects, please write to me at papasdiary ‘at’ gmail.com or post comments about them. If you’d really like to dig in to a subject that might require ongoing research or collaboration, let me know and I’ll set up a collaborative document for us to work on.

I’ve added the list of subjects below, but it’ll always be available on the “Cry For Help” page of this site.

Note: If you want to delve into anything under a “some information already collected” heading, please let me know and I’ll share with you what I’ve got.

——————————–

Organizations:

Total mysteries:

  • David Wolpohn Club
  • Downtown Zionist Club
  • Holland Belgium Club
  • Jewish Students Club
  • Judea Insurance Company
  • Kessler Zion Club
  • Kinereth Camp (probably a B’nai Zion camp in Borough Park)

Some information already collected:

  • B’nai Zion (a.k.a. Order Sons of Zion)
  • Bar Kochba camp of B’nai Zion
  • Hebrew Free Loan Society
  • Keren Hayesod
  • Montefiore Home (later hospital)
  • Tikwaith Yehuda club
  • Zionist Organization of America
  • Information or artifacts and photos relating to Jewish fraternal organizations in general

People (many names are incomplete in the diary, but most of these people would be affiliated with B’nai Zion, Keren Hayesod or the Zionist Organization of America):

Total mysteries:

  • “Rabbi Cook”
  • “Mr. Graf”
  • Rabbi David Horowitz
  • Leibel Krebs (described as “a legendary figure from the old country”)
  • “Dr. Schecter”
  • “Dr. Thon”
  • And a ZOA organizer mysteriously named “Blitz”

Some information already collected:

  • Joseph Bluestone
  • David Blaustien
  • Abraham Goldberg
  • Arthur Ruppin
  • “Judge Strahl”
  • Maurice Samuel
  • “Mr. Zeldin”

President Calvin Coolidge

  • Relationships with Zionism and labor
  • February 12 speech on radio
  • February 22 speech on radio
  • Radio announcement of reelection on November 4

Places

Total mysteries:

  • Boisy (?) Hotel
  • Café Royal
  • Malick’s Restaurant
  • Regina Mansion
  • Snyatyn Synagogue
  • Spring Valley, New York — Jewish summer colonies or other Jewish presence

Some information already collected:

  • Pennsylvania Hotel

Movies and Movie Theaters

Total mysteries:

  • Academy of Music
  • “Song of Love”
  • “White Sister”
  • Lists of releases playing in New York for each month of 1924

Some information already collected:

  • Capitol Theatre
  • Clinton Theatre
  • “Woman of Paris”

Sports

Some information already collected:

  • Abe Goldstein (a professional boxer; won a title fight in 1924)
  • 1924 New York Yankees
  • 1924 New York Giants
  • 1924 Brooklyn Robins (a.k.a. “Dodgers”)

Leisure

General and specific information needed:

  • Central Park in the 20’s, esp. scenes of people rowing
  • Coney Island of the 20’s (overall experience, transportation, summer rental lockers)

Music (history, clips, general background, 1924 prevailing opinion, reviews or performances and recordings):

  • “Drigo’s Serendade”
  • Eastern European Folk tunes that would have been played in immigrant-oriented Radio in 1924
  • Gypsy String Orchestra (particularly their radio presence in the 1920’s)
  • “Gypsy Chardash”
  • “Indian Love Lyrics” (?)
  • Kessler’s Theater
  • “Kreuzer Sonata” (at Kessler’s theater on 10/9/24)
  • “Rubenstein’s Romance”
  • “Shubert’s Waltz op 64#2”
  • “Sleeping Beauty
  • “Straus’s Waltz, Artist’s Dream”
  • “Tosca”

Opera (history, clips, general background, 1924 prevailing opinion, reviews or performances and recordings):

  • “Cavalleria rusticana” (March 8th Performance)
  • “Carmen” (December 4th performance at the Met)
  • “Le Roi de Lahore” (March 26th at the Met)
  • L’Cock D’or (heard on radio march 30)
  • L’Oracolo” (heard on radio march 30)
  • Madame Butterfly” (November 22nd performance)
  • “Martha” (December 5th performance)
  • “Mefistofele” (with Chaliapin, November 24 performance)
  • “Pagliacci (March 8th Performance)
  • “Tannhauser” (November 5th at the Met)
  • General History of the Met, the New York Opera scene, and what the Opera experience would have been like for cash-strapped immigrants

Radio events and history:

  • 1924 Democratic convention coverage radio coverage
  • November 4 Election returns coverage
  • November 5 Coolidge reelection announcement
  • 1924 Democratic convention coverage, esp. June 26, June 30, July 8
  • April 14 Daughters of the American Revolution ceremony
  • Radio Station WEAF
  • WNYC history esp. early broadcasts in July and August

Lifestyle:

  • Cars (Photos and information regarding cars available to immigrants in the 1920’s)
  • Writing instruments (Photos of pens and pencils used in the 1920’s)
  • Telephones (usage and technology in 1924, images of private phones in 1920’s)
  • Public transportation (trolley and subway history, maps, fare information, usage in 1920’s)

Wednesday Jan 23

by


Attended the
performance of The Miracle
at the Century Theatre.
It is certainly the most
stupendous production
I’ve ever seen.

———————

Matt’s Notes:

Stupendous, indeed: “The Miracle” was a “spectacular” designed by famed theatrical and industrial designer Normal Bel Geddes, who converted the entire theater into a huge Gothic cathedral replete with stained glass windows, lofty arches and burning incense. The substance of the show did not seem to impress the New York Times reviewer, John Cobbin, who devoted most of his column to descriptions of the production’s sets, logistics and legions of workers.

The Century Theatre, where “The Miracle” played, was located on Central Park West and 63rd Street, and was demolished in 1931 to make room for the Century Apartments building, which should be recognizable to any New Yorker who’s ever been in Central Park. According to Fred, our resident transit expert, Papa probably got there from the Lower East Side by taking the Second Avenue el from Grand Street station to South Ferry, then the Ninth Avenue el to 59th or 66th Street. He could also have taken the Sixth Avenue el to 58th Street or to 53rd and 8th Avenue.

Here are some photos of the Century Theatre in 1909 (when it was known as the New Theatre) though it probably looked the same when Papa went there in 1924:

Those are trolley tracks in the foreground, but Fred says “…those tracks belong to the Eighth Avenue line, and they’re headed for the Polo Grounds. The line was discontinued in 1935, I’m told. Not likely Papa would have used it, because it began on the west side.”

Here’s an interior hall.

And here’s more of the interior. The theater looks pretty ornate to begin with — it must have been quite a sight when Papa saw “The Miracle.”

—————————–

Additional references

If you enjoyed the little snippet of subway information above and crave even more, check out this 1924 IRT map and this 1924 BMT map. For the truly insatiable transit lover, this page of more historical New York transit maps could keep you from sleeping or eating for days.

Image credits: Library of Congress LC-USZ62-55256, LC-USZ62-120460, LC-USZ62-55255. Inquiring into restrictions.

Thursday Jan 24

by


Again meetings

Right from work one
meeting attended at the
Biosy Central Hotel by
the East Side K.H. Executors
and the 2nd meeting
of the Maccabean Camp
at 50 Delancey St,

I notice that our new
camp is gradually
improving.

——————

Papa worked in a garment factory, but he doesn’t write much about it. Perhaps, after so many years of factory work, his routine didn’t surprise him enough to warrant much attention in his diary, or maybe he just considered his Zionist activities to be his “real”work.

In any event, knowing he went right from the factory to a series of meetings gives us another small hint as to what the atmosphere in those meetings was like. I’m not sure yet whether they convened in smoky, crowded social club basements, in private apartments where boxes of Zionist flyers stood in for chairs, or in little rented offices papered with Yiddish posters. Maybe Papa and his compadres pressed around the corner table of a kosher restaurant in a tight ring, craning their necks to see whatever papers or materials their leader spread out before them, urgently pointing and gesturing.

We do know, though, that they were all probably dirty and tired, their clothes and hair and nails carrying with them whatever traces of grease or thread or dust or blood their professions exposed them to. I wonder, too, how many of them were like Papa — clever, articulate people who couldn’t wait to rush from work to these gatherings where their ideas and powers of reason and most serious thoughts, having been suppressed all day, could finally burst forth and collide in the air. Maybe the American Zionist and labor movements benefited, in some way, from the way this pent-up intellectual energy fueled the urgency of meetings like the ones Papa attended.

By the way, for those of you just joining us, “K.H” refers to Keren Hayesod, a Zionist fundraising organization that’s still around today. “The Maccabean Camp” refers to Papa’s chapter of the Order Sons of Zion (a.k.a. B’nai Zion) a charitable fraternal organization I’ve mentioned before. Here are some stats about them from the 1924-1925 American Jewish Year Book:

ORDER SONS OF ZION
Org. Apl. 19, 1908. OFFICE: 44 E. 23rd, New York City
Fourteenth Annual Convention, July 1923, New Haven, Conn.
Camps, 101. Members 7,000.
PURPOSE: Fraternal and Zionistic

And here’s a little more background from the 1917-1918 Jewish Communal Register:

PURPOSE: “Aims to improve the condition of the whole Jewish people at large and to help the Zionist Congress create for the Jewish people a publicly owned, legally secured home in Palestine.”

BENEFITS: Graded insurance against death ranging from $100.00 to $2000.00. Health and accident insurance.

ACTIVITIES: Supports Jewish and Zionist Educational Institutions. Encourages the study of the Hebrew language

An essay in the Register also has some interesting things to say about the importance of fraternal orders like B’nai Zion:

In their present form the Jewish Orders constitute a valuable and important factor in our communal life. The interests of about a million Jews are involved in their existence and welfare. Their influence for good is of inestimable value to our social activities. In his lodge and order, the Jew, who is a member, finds an agency which affords to him and his family a certain measure of protection in the event of death, illness or distress, and at the same time, a ready means to aid and assist others when in similar circumstances.

But:

With all the good features these organizations possess, and the good work they actually do, their existence as a whole, with very few exceptions, is uncertain and insecure.

As mentioned before, the Jewish fraternal system did indeed become far less important to Jewish life as Jews found other means to organize and Americanize. Still, greatly transformed descendants of fraternal organizations — including B’Nai Brith and B’Nai Zion — still carry on.

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