My Paternal Grandparents
Since we lived in New York, Brooklyn Grandma [Sadie] and Brooklyn Grandpa [Ben] visited us every week.
Sadie and Ben's families each has their own complicated Eastern European Jewish refugee stories, the details of which will be subjects of future exploration and research. My father always told me that even though Ben was born in New York, his first languages were Yiddish and German (his parents had immigrated from what was then, Austria), and he only learned English when he went to kindergarden. My grandmother, Sadie, took elocution lessons to learn to speak elegant English, perhaps to bolster her professionally as a lawyer. I remember Sadie always said "If you please", rather than the simple "please".
My connecction to my Brooklyn grandparents was intensely close and also deeply tied to food. I frequently slept with my sister on my grandparent's couch in their Brooklyn apartment--screaming and laughing "feet to feet", our toes touching.
The most momentous symbol of my grandparents' visits to our apartment in Manhattan, was the big box of Brooklyn jelly donuts that they would bring. Large circles, full of strawberry jam and covered with powdered sugar, they were just like my warm and round grandma.
