Dorothy, Dora, and Herman
simply overwhelmed with emotion. His brother Harry’s advice was blunt, “Take a cold shower,” he said. My mother was more sympathetic: out came the fruit and the tea and the food. My mother didn’t always have such good instincts about how to make people feel good about themselves. On another occasion she and I and Pearl were walking down the Har Zion Temple steps after making arrangements for Pearl’s wedding; we were all happy about the wedding. As we were talking my mother said that as happy as she was, she would have been even happier if her older daughter had been the first to be married. Pearl’s feelings were hurt. It is an old Jewish tradi- tion to have the oldest marry first but, when that doesn’t happen, it is a good idea not to bring it up with the bride-to-be. Sometimes the most well meaning parent can be insensitive. PEARL AND AL GET MARRIED Pearl and Al’s wedding was a grand affair. My parents mortgaged the house to make sure their daughter had the wedding of her dreams. Little did they know how soon after their other daughter would be married.
At Pearl and Al’s wedding they sat Herman and me with the married couples. That annoyed Herman. He danced most of the night with the maid of honor. That annoyed me. Every time Herman came back to the table from dancing with one of the women they remarked what a good danc- er he was. Then the orchestra leader announced that Herman and I would do a tango. So we did. The tango is not an easy dance to do but we were both good dancers in those days. I wish I felt as confident on the dance floor now as I did then. I couldn’t put my parents through two big weddings so close together. Our wedding was a more modest affair. But the results were just as good. OUR WEDDING Herman and I were married six weeks later, February 24, 1953, at a temple at 22nd and Delancey streets. It was a small wedding with just our imme- diate families. But Uncle Meyer from Montre- al, Canada, was in town so he was there. I wore a pink chiffon dress (I had to buy it at someone else’s dress shop because we had sold the only one of the same dress from our own shop.), a jeweled match- ing jacket, and jeweled headpiece with a little veil. I also wore pretty satin shoes with a couple of tiny straps. Everything was pink.
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