Family History He landed in Castle Garden, which is now the Aquarium, in 1902. Grandpa Friedman met him and took him home. Dr. Samuel Friedman's father, "Fetter Mendel", got Papa his first job in a suspender factory where he worked four weeks gratis, in order to learn the trade, after which he earned $3.00 for a 60-hr week, working piece work. Back in the town of Zboro, mother, A.H., and Sam were left alone. They gave up the five-room house and were given a meagerly furnished room by Meyer Fuchs, the father of Mrs. Pearl Fuchs Seltzer, who owed Papa money for merchandise bought at his grocery store. The rent was to be deducted from the debt. Papa was now earning about $8.00 a week, and although he wrote that things were bad, Mama could stay alone no longer. Five months elapsed since Papa left for America, and it was Mama with her two children that were now making this trip. They left Zboro for Hamburg where they boarded the liner Bismarck, reaching American soil 15 days later. Although Mama had little difficulty in getting aboard ship, she had more than her share during the trip, for nine-tenths of the time she hardly got off the bed, having been sick throughout the entire trip. Traveling fourth class worked to her advantage, for there were many people in the large room, which was furnished with beds in the same manner as the ferry boat that took Papa from Hamburg to London. The people, who were most kind, were able to give some help to the children. Luckily Mama had taken along with her bread, cheese, and salami, which was the food which she was able to give them plus milk which they received aboard the boat. Mama felt grand when the nurses, after giving the faces of A.H. and Sam a most deserving washing, remarked that they first discovered what beautiful children they were. Mama arrived at Castle Garden on Saturday and was being given a thorough cross-examination, in the midst of which A.H. recognized Papa through the window and called "Tata Tata". The examination ceased immediately, and they were permitted to leave. Papa, who had walked to the Battery from Fourth St., together with Izzy Carmiol, remained with Mama and Sam until dark, while Izzy Carmiol took A.H. home. They soon had him washed up and dressed in American clothes and by evening had his "Peyus" (curls) cut off. After dark, Aunt Pearl and Aunt Fanny rode to Battery Park, bringing along milk for the stranded Schreiber’s. They then took them home, by the then horse driven trolley cars, to Avenue D and 4th St., where Grandpa waited on the corner for their arrival. They immediately rented a two-room apartment on Third St. between D and C. Water was in the hall of the tenement house. The lavatory was in the yard. They lived there but two months and moved to Stanton St. where, on the fourth floor, they had a three-room apartment with water obtainable in the apartment by pumping. The lavatory, however, was still in the basement. The entire apartment was completely furnished for $26. The apartment was very cold, however, and it was "Mama Sura Mittleman," the mother of Mrs. Pearl Schoenfeld and Mrs. Lena Jacobs, who delivered a brand new stove without letting anyone know that she was responsible for the good deed. They lived there a little over a year and then moved to Fourth St., in the same house with Grandpa Friedman. They now had running water with a lavatory in the hall on the same floor. Their rent was $13 monthly. Papa was still working at suspenders, which job he held until he finally took over the butcher store, formerly owned by Dr. E. D. Friedman's father. This store originally was given to E. D. Friedman's uncle who, in turn, sold it, through the good help of Levi Horowitz, to Papa. The family moved to 706 Fifth St., which apartment had similar conveniences to the previous one, with the additional convenience of having the butcher store also in the same building. Papa and Mama now got busy raising Americans and by the end of the second period, Hannah, Pearl, Max and Aaron had come into the world. Not quite two 7-yr. periods went by living at 706 E. 5th St. They were difficult years - years of struggle, years of bringing up little ones, years of preparation for school, years of sickness. The butcher business was a difficult one. Part of every day was a working day and going to the slaughterhouse in the wee hours of the morning, especially for a bearded Jew was a living fear of death. Papa had to go some to earn a living for his wife and his then six children, and the going was tough. There were times when Mama couldn't afford sufficient milk for one of her babies and had to substitute water instead. There were times when things looked awfully black, especially when I, Aaron, sick with typhoid, gave it to Papa, who against his will, had to remain in bed for six long weeks. Papa and Mama surely learned, in these periods, what the Hebrew phrase of "Tzar Gidul Bunim" - the pain of rearing children - meant. Poverty was lying at the door at times, but our parents did not allow it to enter. There were a few incidents, however, that made them forget some of their troubles. For one, the golden wedding anniversary of Grandma and Grandpa Friedman. Then came the Bar Mitzvah party of A.H. So many people crowded into the kitchen that they broke the iron sink, the result of which was a brand new white sink, the first one of its kind to be installed in the entire house. Following that came the birth of Leiby, who was a most beautiful baby; followed by Sam's Bar Mitzvah. The end of the third period was hardly over and A.H. and Sam
were already going to work doing their share of easing the
burden. Soon
came Max's
Bar Mitzvah;
after which the folks moved to 74 Avenue C where, for the first
time, they had a bathroom in the apartment. There, all celebrated
the end
of the last
war with the effigy of the Kaiser, which was strung from our
house to the house across the street. There, Aaron was run
over. Then
came a flu
epidemic,
which
struck down most of the family. The family, recovering from
illness, bought new furniture and was more than happy to
move to 325 E.
4th St. where we
lived in what was called a two-family house. The winters were
bitterly cold and the
summers were terribly hot, and we all had our chores, from
bringing coal from the yard bin to dragging up ice from
the dock. The last three years at 325 E. 4th St., which were the first three years of the fifth period, were at last the beginning of better times for the Schreiber’s. The family got its first telephone and its first radio. Things began to happen. A. H. and Sylvia were married, the first wedding and real joy for our parents. After Leiby's Bar Mitzvah, the family became real swell and moved to the then exclusive Boro Park where, a year later, the first of the grandchildren was born - Carol - the daughter of the A. H. Schreiber’s. The last three years of the fifth 7-yr. period brought more joy. Pearl and Maurice, the Plessers, were married; a second daughter was born to the A. H. Schreiber’s, Rosalie. Sam and Frances were married; losing no time and Sara (Cookie) was the result. Happy occasions continued from beginning to end throughout the sixth 7-yr. period. The first boy grandchild was born to the Plessers and in that same year, Mama was able to go around saying, "I have a son a lawyer." A third daughter was born to the A. H. Schreiber’s. Hannah and Harvey were married. Aaron and Blanche were married. Tully was born, second son for the Plessers. It was in this period that Papa retired from the butcher
business. No more did Aaron have to worry about coming
to the store to
help with the
chickens
because the help didn't show up. If it were up to our parents, they probably would call the seventh period the grandchild age, for more than half of the grandchildren were born then. Mr. Buruch Leifer surely did the business. We disappointed him at first with Max and Hinda's first child a daughter, Sura, followed by the Leifer's child a daughter, Sheila, but then things started to happen. A second son for the A. M. Schreiber's, Simeon, and a FIRST SON for the A. H. Schreiber’s finally arrived, Elly Tully - Messiah had come. Then followed a son for the Max Schreiber’s, Mosha, and then Saulie, pride of the L. J. Schreiber’s. Mr. Leifer was now able to go on vacation because the second child of the Sam Schreiber’s was lovely little Ruthie, followed by Honey Ruth, and really a honey, daughter of the Louie Schreiber’s. There was a slight pause for the Bar Mitzvah
of Pudgie, the first of the male grandchildren
to become so. The period ended with the
birth of the THIRD SON
of Blanche and Aaron - David Naphtali - known to the Philadelphians as King
David. With our country and brethren now at war December 10th, 1994
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