since there seemed to be a grocery store on almost every corner. As a little boy, Herman found Uncle Baruch to be one of my favorite people even though he could not speak English beyond a few words. He loved his sister and respected my father. Working in the streets he was often ridi- culed and insulted. It took real courage for him to continue. I learned to have the highest respect for him. When my uncle finally worked his way down to our house, he would always come in for a rest and a hot cup of tea. He was a wonder- ful man. Years later, I thought so highly of him that I named my daughter, Wendy, after him. Boruch was also both a Shomerin* and a Gabbai. A Shomerin is a guardian of the dead. He would sit with a dead body throughout the night and recite the prayers until burial. Doing this job gives great solace to the grieving fami- ly and is considered a mitzvah. A Gabbai keeps the prayer service moving along . They aid people to the Torah and do other jobs as needed. I always thought that Boruch’s wife Ida (1887 - Nov. 29th, 1979) was a difficult person to be around. Truth be told since she could not speak a word of English, I never got to know her. I guess I came up with this opinion because whenever I saw her, she seemed to be always yelling at my uncle, but honestly, as a kid, I had no idea what she was even saying. They had four sons: Sam, Izzy, Jake, and Leon. At one time or another, they all owned grocery stores. Izzy was married to Nettie. They had bril- liant children. One day Izzy was hit on the head by a robber and never fully recovered. He died young. Nettie is still alive to this day (2015); she is 100 years old. Jake was a tenant of our family on a small prop- erty we owned. According to Dora, he was a conniv- er, and she was not fond of him at all. Leon was a wonderful soul. But Leon never was able to get ahead in anything. We were good friends but eventual- ly lost touch with each other. I am told he died at a young middle age in Florida. Sam, the oldest, was a wonderful person. He died while a young man. He
Dora’s Brother Benjamin ‘Barouch’ or Benzy’ Chomut / Emmett
BENJAMIN CHOMUT / EMMETT aka Benzy or Baruch (1886 - March 11, 1960)
Dora’s brother Benjamin was also known as Baruch or Benzy, was the first Chomut to immigrate to America. Unskilled, he got a job at the shipyards in Chester, Pa. Later, he sold fruits and vegetables from a pushcart barely making a living, struggling each step of the way. Eventually, he opened a small grocery shop. He earned $4 a week at the shipyards saving enough to send for his wife and first child. He woke at the break of dawn to walk his empty pushcart two or three miles uptown near the docks at commission row and fill it with produce. Then he would work his way down 3rd Street pushing that loaded cart another three miles yelling out, in almost impossible to understand English, the foods he offered to sell. “Chorn! Tomatoes! Chab- bage!” (i.e. corn and cabbage). This is how he made a living. Not an easy task, especially
* - Herman had a Shomerin when he finally passed. Know- ing that he was not alone was truly a blessing for our family.
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