Hi WHSites,
Marc Chinoy (Chancellor) newly joins in the Weequahic neighborhood chatter at mpc.regis@ren.com:
Spent a great deal of time writing fiction. Now, at the urging of friends and family, I have placed a fiction section on my corporate website. Swap out short stories every Friday night. Invented a form called "Single Pagers" where an entire story can be told in one page. For the enjoyment of writing, I have written over 300 so far, plus scores of full-length short stories and a dozen novels. Until last month, I only shared with friends and family.
The site is https://www.regisgroup.com/services. The fiction tabs show up in two places. I would be pleased with having subscribers to the “WHS Note” read the stories. There is zero tracking of who visits the site. No cost to anyone of any kind. Hope you like them. Marc
Murry Sherman informs of alum passing:
This is Dee's (nee Deanne Gulkin; WHS 1/59) husband, Murray. I am so saddened to tell you that Dee died last Wednesday. She would often tell me what was going on and always looked forward to getting the latest news about Weequahic. Murray
Education, Public and Non-Public:
Fred Goldman (6/62)
Hear I go again! After reading one of the recent newsletters, it finally hit me why I was so screwed up growing up; it was all the schools I had to go to. The first was Peshine Avenue School, but, after the first year, we moved up to Wolcott Terrace and I had to go to Hawthorne Avenue School. At The time, Clinton Place Jr High was being built. Since it wasn't ready, we were shipped to Bragaw for a year. When Clinton Place was finally done, so off I went there, I think for a year (I lost track). Finally, made it to Weequahic, after four WHS feeder public schools.
Thought I was set but my parents sent me to three or four Hebrew schools. And to one tutor; I was a very bad student. So, now I'm thinking, “Done with all the schools.” Like they say, play it cool or take it over in summer school. I wasn't very cool, more like a fool. To make sure I would graduate, I had to go to South Side H.S. for two summers, really bad experience.
After all the new teachers, new friends and new schools, how could anybody take it education seriously. I didn't and paid the price. Took school as a big joke, but somehow, I did graduate with my WHS class. When I think back on it now and the rough time I had in Newark’s schools and neighborhoods, I finally know why I was so messed up, but it's just too late for help. Fred
Bill Freedman (55)
Reading Jack Lippman's (50) recollections of two Rabbis Halberstadter summoned a memory of my own. My mother was the English section principal of the Hebrew Academy on Clinton Avenue where I was “studying.” I don't know which, but one of the two, Joseph, I think, was the superintendent of all the Hebrew Academy Schools, a worldwide chain that dwarfed MacDonald's and taught more Chumesh (5 Books of Moses) than MacDonald's ever did.
Anyway, I was a serious discipline problem, a wise guy, joker who couldn't shut up in class and something had to be done. Halberstadter assumed I behaved that way (he was wrong) because my mother was who she was and that one of us, therefore, had to go. Since she was earning quite a bit more than I (though not nearly enough) as principal, I was selected for life-changing deportation to Avon. Bill
Mel Rubin (56)
With regards to Jack Lippman’s (50) comment about Hebrew school, I attended Talmud Torah on Osborne Terrace which was run by Rabbi Halberstadter. There were several Halberstadter brothers active in education. I used to sing in an Essex County choral group run by the Halberstadters. We rehearsed at the Hebrew Orphanage on Clinton Avenue near the Roosevelt Theater. They had quite the thing going. Mel
Responses to Steven Epstein (6/63) re WHS BB accomplishments:
Steve Bogner (66)
In response to the post about the 1962 and 1967 basketball teams, another player on the 62 team also received a D-1 scholarship, Charlie Myers to Nebraska-Omaha.
Both were great teams, as was the 1966 team. They all had one common denominator, Coach Fein. Mr. Fein was one of the greatest basketball coaches in NJ history. He coached, I believe, 11 seasons going to five Group IV State Championship games and winning three. He took care of his players with summer jobs, great advice and college scholarships. Being around him in any capacity was an honor.
I believe Chris Perval, the leader of the 1962 team and Dennis Layton (67) were the two best players of the Les Fein era. Steve
Michael Gross (6/63)
As a follow up to the topic, can anyone, but Steve, name the starting 5 on the 1962 championship team and these questions. Who was the player who left the team mid-year because he graduated and I think went to play at LIU? The identity of the player on the team who went 7 for 7 from the field in that championship game? The name of the 6’10” center on the Westfield team who was stuffed by Perval on one play? Michael
Robert Lombardo (1/63)
Too fellow classmate Bob Cipriano. I agree with your comments about some great Weequahic basketball players. I was at the championship game when Chris Perval played an amazing game to win State. I think Mo Layton (67) should get some love also. Bob
Jerry Field (6/59)
Besides being a great ball player, Tom Boose (1/59) is one of nicest people I’ve ever known. I remember him as the rock and foundation of our basketball teams in my junior and senior years. It was great having him as a teammate because I always knew he would be there when we needed a rebound or a basket. Tom made it possible for us to easily win two City League Championships in 1958 and 1959.
Tom had a special place on our team. Whenever Jerry Greenspan, Danny Enzer and I would get too loud and crazy having fun mocking each other, he would always bring us down to earth. He would stand off to the side watching us with a half-smile on his face. When it became too much, Tom would make a comment and we instantly knew that it was time to get back to work. We really needed Tom in that capacity to bring us down to earth and get serious.
I believe that if Tom, who graduated in January, 1959, would have played in the Group IV Final (March or April 1959) against Camden, we would have won Weequahic’s first state championship. He would have taken my place covering Itchy Smith and done a much better job.
No one seems to remember that our 1958-59 team was the beginning of Weequahic’s excellence in basketball and also Les Fein’s first really successful season. He told me just before the State Final against Camden that it was a tremendous accomplishment winning the North Jersey sectional Group IV title. I guess he had no idea at that time what heights he would eventually reach. Click on the following link to access The Legend for June 1959 and the pages highlighting the achievements of the WHS basketball team Yearbook Link. Jerry
Celia Litt Salzman (6/630
My brother Milton Litt, use to play hoops with Tom Boose. He always talked highly of Tom's basketball abilities. Tom lived down the street from us if I remember correctly. Celia
Bagel mania continues:
Mickey Mintz (6/59)
Over the years there have been discussions about Watson Bagels. I was born and raised in Newark and eventually moved to West Orange in 1961. As a child, I lived on Aldine Street and St. James Place and moved to Scheerer Avenue and Osborne Terrace in 1945.
I do remember Watson's on Prince Street and on Clinton Place, but do not recall the store on Chancellor Avenue near the Temple close to Irvington.
I would like to put to rest where the store was on Clinton Place. The Stein's Boys (corner of Shephard Avenue and Osborne Terrace) was started by me and John Drewry) in 1952. The group rented a store on Clinton Place, two doors from Watson's. With that in mind, I can state with certainty that Watson Bagels was located just past the corner of Clinton Place and Shepard heading towards the Annex. Once Shepard Avenue crossed Clinton Place, it became St. James Pl. Diagonally across the street was Becker's Candy Store.
The Stein's Boys still meet in New Jersey and south Florida. Mickey
Meredith Merry Kurz (6/58)
To Jack Rudowsky (1/49), I lived at 40 Aldine Street for some years, and Watson was right around the corner on Clinton Place. I lived upstairs in a two-family house owned by Diane Kastner’s mom and dad, Ceil and Harry. Diane and I were very good friends and also knew Naomi Pearlman. The Pearlmans always gave us free bagels because we were Naomi’s buddies. Merry
Ronnye Windholtz Bertoglio (Battin 64)
To Dennis Estis (65), the bagel shop on Elmora Avenue in Elizabeth was called Elmora Bagel Bakery and was solely owned by Sonny Amster. They sold plain, salt, poppy, sesame and pumpernickel!
Jac Toporek (6/63)
Our family moved to 225 Meeker in the late 50s and my twin brother Nor and I attended Peshine Avenue School for grades 6-8. Moved from Meeker Avenue residence to Union in 1965 or 66. During that period of our years on Meeker, there was a Watson Bagel on Watson Avenue. If my blurry memory is still sound, it may have been located next to and a few doors away from a sort of store that sold candy, newspapers (got Star Ledger there every Sunday morning), comics (also a favorite buy) and, I am sure, lots of other stuff. Wish I could recall the cross street near Watson’s; maybe Jelliff Avenue? I think that Watson Bagels moved from there to the Chancellor Avenue location at some point in the late 60s. Jac
To Jack Heller (6/55), Joe Pearlman was the owner of Watson Bagel Bakery on Clinton Place until sometime after the big bagel bakers' strike was settled (1957?). That's when Sonny Amster became Joe's partner.
As my mother was Sonny's bookkeeper, I kind of know these things! Sonny was my mom's baby brother. As a matter of fact, it was only the other day going through old stuff and came across my mother's "payroll info" from Watson! These yellowed sheets have bakers' names and number of boxes they produced. Bakers were paid by the piece. Ronnye
“Dem W-Days” of yore:
Berthe Weissman Nathanson (59)
Re the item by Barry Gruber (1/54) regarding Rabbi Prinz, there was a wonderful film about Rabbi Prinz, I believe called “I Shall Not Be Silent: The Story of Rabbi Joachim Prinz.” A few years ago, I showed it to our congregation at my temple in Woodcliff Lake, NJ and to members of another temple and members of a local Hadassah chapter as well. The rabbi’s daughter attended and talked about him and the film. As Barry said, most people are not aware of Rabbi Prinz’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, but they should be. I highly recommend watching this film if you can get hold of it, and showing it at your temples or organizations. Berthe
Rita Kirsch Morris (64)
My father was known for his delicious corned beef sandwiches. The place, K’s Fine Foods, was named after our family name, Kirsch. It was our second family restaurant. The first one was Abe’s located in Downtown Newark down the street from the Prudential insurance building.
By the way, were you related to the people who owned the Lerner Shop on Clinton Avenue? One could buy a simple white blouse for one dollar. That is unbelievable when you think about prices these days. There was a lovely lady who owned that shop who left me a large 50 cent piece as my tip for waiting on her at a very early age, a very long time ago. Rita
Steve Epstein (6/63)
Glad to see one of Weequahic ‘s best at basketball, Sandy Salisbury, is still around. I used to play one-on-one with his neighbor Robert Leiter. Bobbie’s basket favored left ballhandlers which he was. Sandy’s favored right handlers, which I was. You can guess who won on whose court. Actually, Bobby had my number. Steve
Audrey Blumenfeld Posnock (6/53)
Sally’s on Main Street, Bradley Beach, is long gone. However, the wonderful memories of Bradley Beach still remain in my heart. Audrey
