Neal Hellman's Passover Crisis

an excerpt from the full story at Neal's blog

How Anne Baxter Changed My Religion
I had my first spiritual crisis at the age of eight. It was Passover 1956, our yearly ritual that was always held at my Bubbie’s apartment on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. I was turning a page of the illustrated Haggadah, a kind of a child’s guide to the Passover, when I found myself gazing straight into the face of the Angel of Death. She had long, wild hair, and she was descending from a darkened heaven and wielding a very foreboding scythe with both hands. It was on the same page as the four questions, and that’s where I came into the ritual. As the youngest child I had to read the questions. However, I was so fixated on the dark angel I could barley speak.
I knew the story well—Moses warned Pharaoh nine times before the big blow. In ascending order they were water to blood, a rain of frogs, lice, wild beasts, blight on livestock, boils, hail, locusts, and then the death of all the Egyptian firstborn. Staring at the Haggadah, all I could think was, “What kind of an angel would do that? I thought angels were sweet.”
After the plagues had been run by and the prayers had fallen silent, I piped up. My question probably came from a confluence of Seder wine and fear. I asked, “Why couldn’t God spare the Egyptian children too?”
My Uncle Samuel shook his head. “It’s part of the story, it’s always been that way.”
“Don’t take it so literally,” said uncle Max, “it’s a metaphor.”
My Aunt Esther added, “Try to view the spiritual side.
Yahweh loved the Hebrews so much He’d do anything to set them free.
My father, Solomon, commented, “God warned the Pharaoh with the previous nine plagues. He had plenty of time to think it over.”
Bubbie then spoke up. “There’s still chicken. Nobody’s eating it. Is there something wrong with the chicken?”
It made no sense to me, but I, like Jacob, often wrestled with God. I wrestled with many things growing up on the Lower East Side. I was constantly worried about breaking any of my parents’ numerous socialist taboos, like watching Walt Disney, who was antiunion, or eating any product made by John Welch, who was the founder of the John Birch Society. Besides my parents, danger lurked outside the apartment in the form of young men from the Catholic school, who held me personally responsible killing their Savior.
We had our pleasures, too. Baseball, comics, street games, television, and of course the movies. In those days there was only one big screen and the movie houses looked like great palaces. When a new movie opened it would play in just one theater. It was a major deal to go uptown and see a first-run film.

166 Cherry Street, 1932

a close up of the above. These buildings would soon be torn down with the construction of Knickerbocker Village, They are just to the west of Market Street.

Three Triangle Shirtwaist fire victims and one survivor lived near this building in 1911. Images from the mcny collection

More On The Cherry Street Triangle Fire Connection

from Leon Stein's great book on the Triangle Fire. The connection between Sophie and Delia is mentioned previously

Triangle Fire Victims’ Families Gather To Affirm Ongoing Legacy – Forward.com

the above picture, from the mcny collection, shows the approximate site on Cherry Street where the victims mentioned below lived. In the background is PS 177. The girls could attended the school.
Triangle Fire Victims’ Families Gather To Affirm Ongoing Legacy – Forward.com
from the article:
The Cherry Street connection

Earlier on March 25, descendants of Triangle victims marched down the streets of Lower Manhattan, carrying handmade shirtwaists (blouses) with sashes bearing the names of the dead. Mary Alice Del Castillo of Baldwin, N.Y., in Long Island’s Nassau County, bore a shirtwaist with the name of her aunt, Josie Del Castillo.
Another Long Islander, MaryAnn Lupinacci, approached her. “Are you related to Josie?” she asked.
“Yes,” Del Castillo responded.
Lupinacci told Del Castillo she was the niece of Josie’s best friend, Santina Salemi, who also died in the fire. In fact, their names were on the same tombstone. The families had a lot of catching up to do.
As it turns out, Lupinacci’s cousin Loo Miano, of the Astoria section of Queens, had been trying to find out more about the mysterious Josie for years. His mother was named after Salemi, so he felt a close tie to the fire.
“I did some genealogical research and tried to figure out this name on the grave,” he said. Both came from Cerda, a village in Sicily. After moving to America, Santina and Josie lived on Cherry Street together with Santina’s cousin Rosie Cirrito, who also perished in the fire. Salemi’s sister, Frances Salemi, survived. As the fire raged, she prayed to God for her safety — and promised that if she survived, she would devote her life to God’s work. She later became a nun.
“I was really thrilled,” Del Castillo said. “We didn’t know that much about Josie.” She first learned about her connection to the fire 45 years ago, when her husband’s great-aunt mentioned it. “We will definitely stay in touch.”

Four Girls From One Block On Cherry Street

those 4 girls were
Rosina Cirrito, 18 years old, 135 Cherry Street, (Rose or Rosie Cirrito)
Santina Salemi, 24 years old, 174 Cherry Street, (Sophie Salemi)
Josie Del Castillo, 21 years old, 155 Cherry Street, (Giuseppina Del Castillo)
Frances Salemi, Sophie's sister, survived the fire.
The above Cherry Street addresses were approximately between Catherine and Market.
from last week's commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Fire

100 YEARS AGO, New York City experienced its most devastating workplace tragedy before 9/11. In the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, 146 immigrant girls, mostly Jewish and Italian, died trying to escape flames that roared through the upper floors of a garment factory near Washington Square. Trapped behind locked doors, many never had a chance to escape. Others jumped out the windows, some hand-in-hand, their hair and clothes aflame. The Triangle Fire became an unparalleled catalyst for social reform. Public outrage over the event galvanized the progressive movement, women's suffrage, and instigated many of the reforms of The New Deal. The Centennial commemoration of the fire presents a unique opportunity for New Yorkers to honor those who lost their lives at Triangle and provides an important moment for the city and the country to reflect on the legacy of "The fire that changed America."
From the Fire a new work created by the Tony nominated composer, Elizabeth Swados, writer/director, Cecilia Rubino, the poet, Paula Finn, and designed by Bonnie Roche-Bronfman, will dramatize the history of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and bring the event into the 21st century.

Happy Birthday Nancy

Rich Karney's letter to Nancy's brother Bruce from 3 years ago in May

Bruce,
Please accept my condolences on the passing of Nancy. It came as a shock to me when David called me up when he heard the news. I was and am deeply saddened. Having not seen Nancy for over forty years, the get together in April was so much more meaningful. Nancy and I were close during our years in P.S. 177. Regardless of what she may have said, I never resented having lost the election of Safety Squad Captain to her. I didn’t mind being her lieutenant. Probably not too many people did either.  Speaking with her in Tanahey Park and the Chinese restaurant brought back many memories of growing up in Knickerbocker Village.  And the pictures she brought were special if not poignant. Discussing with her the fates of the sixth grade girls in the picture she showed is so damn ironic now.
I always felt Nancy was special.  Not because she stood out from others but that she had sincerity to others.  Not sure if she discussed some of the events I remembered and mentioned to her walking back from the restaurant.  They may have not been of historical significance but to me they showed how she treated people, certainly those from our formative years, and made folks feel good if not special.
We became less close once we split after sixth grade, she going to JHS 12 and me to JHS 65.  We did regroup at Camp Cummings in the Summer of 1964 and it was nice to spend a few months as teenagers together in a relaxed atmosphere.  It was fun times, as I laugh about one deep discussion we had as she explained female monthly encounters.  Looking back, she allowed me to be ignorant while maintaining some sense of respect of and for me.
I’m sure it will take some time for you and your family.  And please express my sadness to your father too.  He might remember me from living in the F building. 
It was good to see you last month and so, so special to have seen Nancy.
Richard

My Life: Russo Inqui, A School Technology Project On LES History

A school technology project, circa 2004, where a student from a lower east side school used a primary source to imagine the life of an immigrant attending that same school 80 years in the past.
Born 1912. Russo's record shows his marks in the 7th and 8th grades where he had the following subjects: English, Oral English, Arithmetic/Algebra, Science/Sewing, Music, History, Geography and Shop/Cooking. His marks were mostly in the 70's. He only got a 65 and a 66 in History and Geo9graphy. His official teacher was someone named Tucker. He moved 4 times before he came to PS 20. He went to PS 104, PS 79 and PS 19. He used to live uptown on 84th Street.

My Life: Catherine Fazio, A School Technology Project On LES History

A school technology project, circa 2004, where a student from a lower east side school used a primary source to imagine the life of an immigrant attending that same school 80 years in the past.
Born in 1925. Catherine's student card shows that she attended PS 91 before she came to PS 20. She lived on East 4th Street. In the 7th and 8th grade she got separate marks in the subject areas. The subjects were: English, Oral English, Arithmetic/Algebra, History, Geography, Science/Sewing, Music and Shop/Cooking. Her marks weren't too great.

My Life: Peter Inguatiato, A School Technology Project On LES History

A school technology project, circa 2004, where a student from a lower east side school used a primary source to imagine the life of an immigrant attending that same school 80 years in the past.
Born in 1909. From his record card we see that Peter lived at 313 Bowery all during his elementary school years, which was unusual for those times. People moved a lot. He went to PS 79 for most of that time and transferred to PS 20 in the 7th grade. He repeated 2B in 1918, maybe because he got a C minus the first time. He was out sick for a long time in 1921.

An Interview With Sam Zilberzweig: Lower East Side Historian

from 3/3/11

Heave Away Santy Ano: Staten Island Ferry History

An old ferry history slide show that I just refitted with lyrics calling for the Yankees not to trade their rookie pitchers for Francisco Liriano

From Boston Town we're bound away,
Heave aweigh (Heave aweigh!) Santy Ano.
Around Cape Horn to Frisco Bay,
We're bound for Californi-o.
So Heave her up and away we'll go,
Heave aweigh (Heave aweigh!) Santy Ano.
Heave her up and away we'll go,
We're bound for Californi-o.

She's a fast clipper ship and a bully crew,
Heave aweigh (Heave aweigh!) Santy Ano.
A down-east Yankee for her captain, too.
We're bound for Californi-o.
So Heave her up and away we'll go,
Heave aweigh (Heave aweigh!) Santy Ano.
Heave her up and away we'll go,
We're bound for Californi-o.

Back in the days of Forty-nine,
Heave aweigh (Heave aweigh!) Santy Ano.
Those were the days of the good old times,
Way out in Californi-o.
So Heave her up and away we'll go,
Heave aweigh (Heave aweigh!) Santy Ano.
Heave her up and away we'll go,
We're bound for Californi-o.

When I leave ship I'll settle down
Heave aweigh (Heave aweigh!) Santy Ano
I'll marry a girl named Sally Brown
Way out in Californi-o
So Heave her up and away we'll go,
Heave aweigh (Heave aweigh!) Santy Ano.
Heave her up and away we'll go,
We're bound for Californi-o.

There's plenty of gold, so I've been told,
Heave aweigh (Heave aweigh!) Santy Ano.
Plenty of gold so I've been told
Way out in Californi-o
So Heave her up and away we'll go,
Heave aweigh (Heave aweigh!) Santy Ano.
Heave her up and away we'll go,
We're bound for Californi-o.

Gabe Pressman: The Lower East Side

Senior Correspondent Gabe Pressman, with Producer Keith Feldman have been visiting the neighborhoods of New York reporting on the people, their lives and their hopes. This report is on the Lower East Side.