Friday, November 28, 2008

Who's Almost Who In Knickerbocker Village History: Neal Sedaka


There's pretty strong evidence that Neal Sedaka's father lived here in 1920-directly across from where my father lived at 122 Orchard.
A quote from Neil
"My paternal grandparents were born in Istanbul, Turkey, and came to
New York around 1910. My father, Mac, born on the Lower East Side, drove a taxi for over 30 years in order to put me through The Juilliard School of Music.
"Although my upbringing was not Orthodox in nature, nonetheless the feeling within the home was that of a Jewish family with Jewish traditions. As a cohesive family unit, my wife and children attend the High Holidays in New York and it's an event we look forward to each and every year. I have a great love for Jewish culture, as does my
88-year-old mother Eleanor, who lives and enjoys life in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A few months ago they featured my biography on A&E and Mom was interviewed, which was a great thrill for all of us.

The people living at the above address were:
Heiman Sedaka 34, Dora Sedaka 30, Bella Sedaka 8, Max Sedaka 3 7/12, Sadie Sedaka 1 8/12 Home in 1920: Manhattan Assembly District 2, New York, New York
Father's Birth Place: Turkey, Mother's Birth Place: Turkey, Marital Status: Married
Year of Immigration: 1913
Neil Sedaka' father moved to Brooklyn around 1930. His father's Social Security Death listing has him born in 1914, which reinforces that the Mac or Max was his father. There are a few other Max Sedaka's on the LES at that time, but none make the case as well as the one at 131 Orchard. My father and Bruce Bueller's father Hy were friendly with members of the Sedaka (some spelled it Sedacca) family. Bruce's father Hy was friendly with a Dave. They were among the boys from the University Settlement who went to Washington D.C. to meet J. Edgar Hoover in 1935.
According toHy Bueller, Dave Sedaka was related to Neil's father

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