It was November something or other, in 1888 or so that Sophie Chatzek (Jewish name… Shaina Clara) was born in a small town near Warsaw. She would later say it was “Warshava Guberniya”… which is like saying “metropolitan” Warsaw. In that day the land was under the rule of the Russian Tsar… and growing up Russian would be one of the 3 languages she would speak and understand… Russian, Polish and Yiddish — the lingua franca of the Jewish people.
Although not the oldest of the 10 children (9 girls, 1 boy), she was the first to make her way to America. As a young teenager she made her way by train across Poland and Germany to the port city of Bremerhaven. Then by ship she traveled to America, and made land fall in New York.
She had the name of a cousin who lived in New Haven, and that became her destination. She moved into the flat of her cousin, and to pay her way she was a maid in the house, and also did cleaning for some of the other tenants as well.
Her cousin had a daughter who was roughly her age, and there was this man who was paying court to this girl; but my grandmother caught his eye. And it wasn’t long before this man’s interest turned fully to Sophie.
His name was Paul Fleischner and he was a kosher butcher. And he was to take Sophie Chatzek as his bride. Their first daughter was born in 1908… Tiny (a 5th grade teacher unhappy with the sound of that name, “changed” my Aunt’s name to Thelma… which became the name that Tiny would subsequently use professionally). Sophie was unhappy with her mother-in-law, and with America at that time, and lonely for her family, she returned to Poland with Tiny in tow.
She remained there less than two years when her parents prevailed on her to return to America and her husband. In 1912 a second daughter was born… Evelyn (my Mother), known as Eve to all.
Paul Fleischner died when my mother was in her mid teens… and Sophie took over the running of the meat business. She had a horse and carriage and would deliver meat to the door of her customers. She never learned to read or write; but she had an incredible memory for detail, and was famous for giving each customer a correct accounting for what was owed.
She was successful in her business and one by one she had brought everyone in her immediate family over to America. More than bringing her family over, she was instrumental in establishing businesses for some of her future brothers-in-law as well.
Back then there were family “councils” to help decide on issues, and when my aunt Tiny was of an age and wanted to attend college, the opinion of the family was “what did she need it for?”. And Sophie stood her ground, if her Tiny wanted to go to college, then she would go… so Tiny enrolled at Syracuse University.
And four years later the family again met to discuss Tiny’s desire to go to Law School. And again my grandmother asserted her support of her daughter’s decision… and Tiny entered City College’s Law School, and 2 years later she would be admitted to New York’s Bar.
Tiny would marry another attorney, Morris Rosoff, and they would have one daughter, Paula (named for Paul Fleischner). It was for Paula that the name “Mommie Sophie” was coined. My grandmother felt she was far too young to be called by the other typical titles: grannie, grandma, nanna, grammie…so she would forever more be known as “Mommie Soph…or Mommie Sophie”.
The meat business flourished. And Mommie Soph became either the first woman driver in the city of New Haven or in the state of Connecticut (I forget which). New Haven had a sizable Jewish population (the largest between New York and Boston) and she was one of two kosher butchers in town.
Mommie Soph never re-married. Why? I do not have a clue. As far as I know she had no “interests” either… although Lynn does make mention of an “old friend” who would be affectionate (but who was married to someone else).
When my parents married, Mommie Soph came into the house… and she would live with us until she passed away. It wasn’t long after I was born that Mommie Soph sold her interest in the meat business to a fellow who she had taken in as a partner a few years before.
But by that time she was a well known fixture in the community. Not only was she known by New Haven’s entire Jewish community, World War II put her on the map to just about everyone else. Meat was a rationed commodity back then… as was gas for example. If you controlled one of the key commodities, you had near celebrity status. Our family was never in want of gas (and the gas station attendant had no problem getting ground chuck).
But in the family her status was supreme. Amongst her sisters, and the cousins (my mother’s generation) her opinion was valued at the highest level.
She was also very forward thinking about America, and what constituted American Folklore. She was true to her heritage, and maintained her own kosher kitchen in our house; but had no problem accepting my parents desire to “Americanize”.