I sometimes wonder myself, but then I refer to the book I wrote for my family titled. "Everything Changes, Nothing Stays the Same"...and I remember... Paternal Grandparents We can only trace these beginnings to the year 1884 which is the birth year of Carol-Rose's paternal grandmother, Rose E. She was born in Sborov, Austria and came from modest beginnings. Rose E's, father was Moses, and her Mother was Miriam. Not much is known of their life in Austria. Grandma Rose would tell the story about how she washed the floors for her mother in Austria. She had the innate ability to make this laborious job sheer fun. She devised her own method of tying scrub brushes to her feet and whirled through their abode as though they were skates. While accomplishing what some people would call "toil", she sang songs and pretended their humble home was a ballroom. In her village, she was applauded for having the cleanest floors. In reality she was enjoying herself with this ingenious method and fantasizing about her beautiful grand ballroom. Antisemitism was growing in the confines of Europe. It was always a dream for Moses to come to America,, flourish, and keep his family safe. When Rose was 16 years old, in the year 1900, Moses decided that he would make the journey, to the land of golden opportunity and establish a home. Her Mother, Miriam, stayed behind with the younger children and allowed her daughter, Rose, to accompany her father and pioneer their future. In time, through hard work and sacrifice, Moses was able to send for his wife and children. They resided on the lower east side of Manhattan, New York. Rose reached the age of 18, and her parents decided it was time to get married. Rose became engaged through an arrangement made by her parents. She was not a happy girl when she met her betrothed. Unbeknownst to her, help was on the way. At that time, it was customary for you to rent sleeping space to a new immigrant arriving from Europe, and more than likely from your home town. And so, shortly thereafter, Benjamin K. arrived from Austria and was afforded a bed in Rose's household until he could establish his own. He was what was known as, "The Boarder." Benjamin was considered a respectable boarder, as he came from "the other side" with a trade. He was a tailor and specialized in men's pants. By being a boarder, he was able to save money to bring his 3 brothers to the new land. THE AFFAIR OF ROSE E. AND BENJAMIN K. EAs it seemed, Rose was terribly unhappy with her arranged marriage. One day, she went up to the tenement penthouse, (then known as the roof) to cry. There, she came upon the boarder, Benjamin K., who took the opportunity to profess his secret admiration and love for her.
Benjamin told Rose, "I think you are beautiful. I love your cooking and admire your sewing talents." And, what else could a man ask for???? Rose responded, "I think you are handsome and am pleased that you have a job." And, …what else could a woman ask for???? She agreed to tell her parents that she would be married to Benjamin. It was a "Mitzvah" and the beginning of the Rose and Benjamin K. family. IT WAS A GREAT MATCH!! To be continued... Watch for the next chapter... Episode 2, ...next month.
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