The Great Depression

In the early 30's, when there were lots of abandoned construction sites we would find 2x4's and attach roller skate wheels to either end making a "skate board", the forerunner of today's store bought skate board. Or we would go into the storage space of an apartment house where they kept old unused baby carriages. We would steal one, take the axels and wheels off and attach them to our 2x4, and we had a going gussie.

Racial hatred was the order of the day with anti Semitism and hating blacks in the forefront. Father Coughlin, in Detroit was on the radio with venomous anti Semitism. The Germans had the Bund and controlled Yorktown in Manhattan. An organization called America First (who was it that famously said that "Patriotism is often the last refuge of scoundrels?) The Irish kids would come into Jewish neighborhoods for the sole purpose of beating the hell out of the Jewish kids. Walking to and from school was an exercise in courage. Not getting the shit knocked out of you was the goal.

But again, we didn't know any better. We just thought that was life. We weren't "making do", we were living life as we knew it to the fullest. One of my friends had a brother who was with the Dutch Schultz Gang. Dutch Schultz was an infamous gangster who was, I believe, murdered in a barbershop chair. My friend's brother decided that we should learn how to defend ourselves so he gave us boxing lessons. Didn't help. The Irish kids still beat the shit out of us Jews. But those lessons stood me in good stead in the Army where I ended up in a Boston Irish outfit from hard nose Scollay Square. Couldn't seem to get away from the Irish whose dedication in life seemed to be the beat the shit out of Jews. Wasn't any different in the Army but by then I was ready, able and willing to fight and never "lost one". Always, silently thanked Norman's brother who was murdered with Dutch Schultz.