RE: Where are you from?

[Allen Davis <adavis...>]

I'm new to the list, and have enjoyed learning about list members through 
this thread, especially about people I have met and know of.

I grew up in South Phila., with Strawberry Mansion one of the two Phila. 
Jewish immigrant communities. My zayde was the shamash of the shul we lived 
next door to, and my father , Ben Davis, born in Europe, was first a 
yontoivim mole makher, and then a yontov chazen, davenning in So. Phila. 
and South Jersey. South Phila. certainly lost lots of its immigrant Jewish 
population (not all, though -- see Rakhmiel Pelz's fine book "From 
Immigrant to Ethnic Culture"), and my family stayed longer than most.

My family moved to Northeast Phila., and while our neighborhood was 
primarily Jewish, and the public schools were empty on almost all Jewish 
holidays, the community was hard at work assimilating, and the flavor of 
Jewish life was thinning, rapidly.

My connection to my old country was my father -- he performed Yiddish folk 
and art song programs and concerts around Phila., at venues like Hadassah 
meetings and Bagel and Lox hours on Sunday mornings, and he schlepped me 
along when I was a teenager to accompanied him on piano and guitar. By the 
time it was too late, when my father became sick, I began enjoying it, and 
realizing what a gift he had given me, and what I had lost.

I moved to Amherst, MA for graduate school in 1966, and have lived here 
ever since. As a double bass player, I've been active in "Pioneer Valley" 
classical music circles, and more recently, I've been very active in the 
local Jewish music scene at our synagogue, the Jewish Community of Amherst. 
I've taught courses there on aspects of Jewish music, organized Jewish 
Music Festivals, created a String Kapelye and run klezmer workshops, helped 
organize children's and adult choruses, and helped lead musical religious 
services.

My wife and I have no plans to move anywhere else -- our sons are grown, 
and one is married and lives locally. It's taken many years, but as the 
older generation back in Phila. is now completely gone, we're it, and this 
is home. Abi Gezunt!







At 03:31 PM 3/29/02 -0500, you wrote:
>>I grew up in Midwood, Brooklyn, New York City (Andy Statman's current 
>>neighborhood) and now live in Spuyten Duyvil, the Bronx, NYC.  (BTW, I 
>>believe that Ari and I were in the Junior Year Abroad program at Hebrew 
>>University in Jerusalem the same school year.)
>>
>>Bob Wiener
>>
>>I've enjoyed this thread and wanted to thank Bob for getting the ball 
>>rolling.
>>
>>I've lived in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts for the last 25 
>>years or so (with brief, year-long stints in Israel and Manhattan in the 
>>early-mid 1980s). Mostly in Williamstown, but more recently in Great 
>>Barrington, where we've been for the past year and where we'll be 
>>probably for the next 8-10 years or so.
>>
>>In keeping with the Andy Statman orientation, I was born and lived in 
>>Jackson Heights, Queens, for the first few years of my life, which is 
>>Andy Statman's original neighborhood.
>>
>>Then, like George's family did to him, my family ruined my life by moving 
>>us out to Long Island, but even further east than George, all the way out 
>>to Bay SHore and then Islip, in Suffolk County. I've never forgiven them.
>>
>>Fortunately, my grandparents and cousins mostly stayed put in New York, 
>>so I had plenty of doses of the old country on visits to their places.
>>
>>Our plan is to move back to the old country (New York) (my wife was born 
>>in Brooklyn but grew up in Boston) after the kids are grown and out of 
>>the house.
>>
>>--Seth Rogovoy
>
>
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