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There was an entertainment committee. They put lyrics to popular songs of the day that applied to us and the time; and we loved it. No remembrance of the music. The Mosque's ballroom was a bit glitzy. We wanted a venue that would be more festive than a hall like The Clinton Manor or The Avon Manor or Steiner's. Those were places of the day where you had a wedding or even a Bar Mitzvah party, not a prom. I know that we were not the only class that was there. Wilma
Aaron Wolkstein (1/61)
I worked as an usher at the Mosque Theater in my senior year in high school and freshman year in college. Ushers were paid $2 per show and an orange drink. I remember shows running from the classical pianists such as Leonard Bernstein to the British invasion of The Dave Clark Five. To name a few of the other stars of the past that appeared at the Mosque Sammy Davis Jr., Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and Tony Bennett. It was a wonderful cultural experience. Aaron
Erwin Jacobs (6/42)
In December 1948, I went to the mosque with my mother. We heard a wonderful piano concert by Byron Janis, the first student of Vladimir Horowitz. After he had played a few pieces, my mother leaned over and whispered in my ear, "If you had practiced more, you could be up there." Erwin
Barbara Klein Weisman (6/50)
To clarify Jack Lippman’s note, Moe Septee married Ruth Atterman who graduated with you and me in June 1950. Barbara
Arthur Chausmer (59)
Before he became a "macher," (a mover/big shot in Yiddish), Moe Septee was my bar mitzvah teacher in 1954. He had a phonograph disk made of how I was to chant the Torah portion and the Haftorah (Torah portion to be read by bar mitzvah boy or bat mitzvah girl). Before my actual bar mitzvah, at Young Israel on the corner of Maple and Weequahic, he sat with me on a couple of occasions making the many necessary corrections as to how i was to do the chanting. Arthur
Meeker/Elizabeth Avenues and Custer Avenue/Place beget additional nostalgia:
Irwin Leib (1/57)
In response to Bill Pollack's (1/53) comments about 2 Custer Avenue, I was part of the Custer Avenue group as I lived on Hillside Avenue, one block away. Your referenced "Howie," an older guy who played based in the makeshift field, he was my brother, eight
years older than me. You were known as a legend baseball pitcher, as well as a great dentist. I believe you pitched in the local semi-pro league until your late 60's or early 70's.
In addition to Richie Roberts (6/56) and Mel Lissner (6/53) and others you mentioned in the Custer Avenue group, there was Bill Krim, Tex Murray, Richard (6/57) and Leslie Segal and Marvin Rous (Sharon's [Rous Feinsod/66] older brother).
And, yes, I remember JJ O’Sullivan, the Phys. Ed teacher at Peshine. He damn near killed me because i had difficulty climbing the 16' ropes in the gym. Do you remember JJ throwing a bowling pin if someone screwed up in gym class? Those were great days and great memories. Glad to see Doc; Pollack is still kicking and maybe still pitching! Irwin
Harvey Cohen (1/53)
To Jac Toporek (6/63) in response to his comment on the Meeker/Elizabeth Avenues area, here are a few other small items. I was born at the Beth and taken home to 10 Custer Avenue/Custer Place. Then, we moved across Meeker to 374 Hillside which was also the home of Jack Lippman (50) and Howie Leibowitz. Among my friends were Mel Lissner (6/53) and his younger brother Clark (6/63). I think the grocery store in your building at 225 Meeker was called Karl’s. You once wrote about seeing the planes at Newark Airport from the roof of your building; would have loved to have seen that. After WHS, went on to Newark College of Engineering, Class of 1956. Harvey.
Memories in Orange & Brown:
Sara Friedman Fishkin (6/60)
Some denizens of Manhattan are euphoric about the D Train. We of the Weequahic tribe give credit where it's due. So, please thank Pam Scott Threets (66) for her bus-routes nostalgia. From the scorching heat of Newark's non-air-conditioned summers, to those gigantic snow storms, I, too, happily traveled the # 6, 8, 14, and 107 buses. In one of Philip Roth's books, there's mention of the #8 Crosstown. Big mistake! His editor should have caught what we aficionados of Public Service buses know, as did Pam, that the #6 was the Crosstown while the #8 traveled Lyons Avenue. Hah Hah! Sara
Lorraine Rindzner-DeAngelo (1/55)
To Barry Gruber (1/54), thank you so much for inserting a picture of the Madison Jr. High ring. Boy did that bring back memories. I lived across from MJH and graduated from there in January 1951. I drove by the school and neighborhood, S. 16th Street and Madison Avenue many years ago. Other than what looked
like 30-foot fences around the school yard, the boarded-up candy store and homes were a sight to forget. I hope for a resurgence in that neighborhood, although, sadly, it will never be the same. I have lived in northern California for the past 45 years, so I will not have another opportunity to see it. Lorraine
Maxine Feinblatt Saffel (65)
To Jerry Wichinsky (64), our family also lived in the army barracks. The picture, below, is of our backyard which, I think, was the football field. As for the photo, the two women were.my grandmother Clara Steinberg (my mom’s side) and my Aunt Minnie Rinaldi (mom’s sister). Dark hair girl is my cousin Cheryl and the other two children are my brother Les Feinblatt and me. Maxine
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