Wreath on Borough Hall Happy Holidays
As Christmas Eve and Christmas Day approaches, my mind goes back to past Christmases in my life.
No, I never went to see a movie, and I have Chinese food on Christmas Day. My remembrances of Christmases in my very early childhood are somewhat vague. I believe they would have been spent with my parents and other family friends with the Lombinos on Croes Avenue here in our borough. In past columns I mentioned their son Salvatore who had to change his name of identity in order to be accepted as an author.
When my family and I moved from University Avenue to the Grand Concourse in the 1950’s, I met my lifelong friend Bill Hevert. Many Christmas Days were spent with Billy’s family. I even helped decorate their Christmas tree at times. Those were very happy and festive times.
In 1960 Billy and I were on opposite sides politically. When we exchanged gifts by the tree in his apartment on 183rd Street just off the Concourse, I opened the gift box and in it was a tie. Attached to it was a Nixon/Lodge campaign button. As a supporter of JFK, I threw it across the room. Billy’s mom was Catholic. His father was Lutheran. He is an observant Catholic. His childhood Parish St. Simon Stock is about to merge with another Parish. It will survive. He and his husband Larry Bartelsen now live in New Jersey. Christmas is celebrated with Billy’s family. Billy and his husband are very important to me. We celebrate many holidays together including going to Congregation Beit Simchat Torah for Kol Nidre.
THE CHRISTMAS TREE THAT SAVED A JEWISH FAMILY
The Mandil family was Jewish, and Moshe took this portrait to promote his photography studio for the Christmas season.
When Germany invaded Yugoslavia the following year, the Mandil family tried to flee their hometown of Novi Sad, but they were detained by SS officers. Moshe showed them the photograph of his children by the Christmas tree to prove they couldn’t be Jewish.
The Germans let them go, unaware they allowed a Jewish family to proceed to safety.
In the mid-1970s I met my friends Rob Stahl and Josephine, (JoJo) Sepi, both native Bronxites. From the late 1970s through at least the early 1980’s, JoJo would prepare the typical Italian Catholic Christmas Eve dinner: all kinds of fish and seafood. For Christmas Day she once again prepared a great meal. As the years went by, the Christmas Eve meals fell to the wayside. They required a lot of work and energy. Christmas Day meals are still prepared the traditional way by JoJo and enjoyed by family and friends. Their home has both a Christmas and a Menorah. Those celebrations are still a very important part of my life.
My roots are Jewish and deep. Many of the branches extend to Christianity and the many close and dear people in my life who are Christian. This had been a very difficult year and holiday season for most of us. The year has taken its toll on me in many ways personal and more. We look forward to a year which will hopefully be better.
As Tiny Tim said in “The Christmas Carol”: God Bless Us, Every One!”
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