My Brooklyn

Readers Report


Lydia Eagle Kaplan

I was born in Brownsville, Beth-El Hospital, and lived at 545 Powell Street. I also lived at 61-71 Riverdale Avenue in the 50s. My memories are full of a vivid, colorful life in the Jewish ghetto, one foot in America and one foot in the shtetl. Because we moved around a lot, I went to P.S. 184, 144, and 183. I attended Arthur S. Somers Jr. High School (P.S. 252), and graduated from Tilden High School in 1957, a year ahead of schedule. I remember Linden Terrace, the Brooklyn Museum, Botanical Gardens, Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Library, and so much more. I speak Yiddish, although I've lost a lot, not having lived in New York for many years. I miss bialys, Nathan's hot dogs, and New York Pizza. I can get Fox's U-Bet Chocolate Syrup in Chicago, but only at Passover. These mishugene midwesterners think that it's a peysedike maykhl. I have so many happy memories of growing up in Brooklyn.

11 March 1999


Jack Wilson

My Brooklyn was as a little boy in the fifties. I lived on Atlantic and Buffalo Avenues and can remember sleeping at my grandparents' house around the corner on Herkimer and Buffalo. In the morning we would go to the corner to Molly Fitzpatrick's deli and get the rolls.

My grandfather worked for Lieb & Buchalter plumbing supplies and sometimes we would go to their yard on Atlantic Avenue and grandpa would lift my brother and me (on a skid) with the hi-lo, up to the loft. That was great adventure. I also remember walking with my father to Eastern Parkway where we would bring some bird seed to feed the birds.

Sometimes we would stop by Lincoln Terrace Park otherwise known as "Kitzel" park. Unfortunately we moved so being so young at the time, I don't have memories of kitzels at the park. I live in SC now. You can't get those rolls or bagels or even a good pizza pie. It's a shame that things must change but I'll never forget Brooklyn.

Jack Wilson's web site
13 March 1999


Ethan Goff

Did you live on President St.? I lived at that address for approx. 20 years and moved out about 43 years ago. I attended P.S. 241 when Mrs. Kane was principal. I spent many hours playing ball in the schoolyard. By the way the candy store on the corner of Franklin Ave. and President St. was known as Grouchy Sam's. When time permits I will write again.

14 March 1999


Jack M. Purvin, M.D.

My brooklyn is ENY. I grew up on Hegeman and Pennsylvania Avenue above the butcher across from Jack's candy store: 540 Hegeman. My father Saul Purvin was a lawyer with an office on 475 Alabama Avenue. He had four brothers and two sisters, Bennie, Samy, Gershie, Teddy and Sarah and Rosie Purvin. My memories are stickball at the P.S. 213 field, Going to the stamp guy on New Jersey and New Lots, the New Lots Talmud Torah, Nino's pizzeria, the Biltmore Theater, the New Lots Boys, going to Gershwin J.H.S. with my friends Evan Kleinberg, Jackie Cohen, my blood brother Billie Kichetshkie. Maybe somebody is still around knows my brother Alfred Purvin. My mother, Sylvia Masey Purvin went to Eastern District High School with her brother Jack Masey from 213 Hart Street. My heart aches from the pain of it all. But I have great memories also. Sitting on the stoop with my friends, snow storms, the Williamsburg Savings Bank, the diner on Atlantic and Pennsylvania; skelly, stickball, etc. Remember sitting on the roof of 540 Hegeman and watching the traffic on Linden Boulevard and going to the food fair on Linden and New Jersey. Mrs. Schwartz, my third grade teacher at P.S. 213. Any one knows the Purvins or Maseys feel free to contact me.

15 March 1999


Readers' reports continue . . .

[ Jump to My Brooklyn, page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368]


subway tokenReturn to Brooklyn Home Page.

Copyright © 1995-2010 David Neal Miller. All rights reserved. For clarification and limited exceptions, see the Brooklyn Net copyright page. Last updated: December 26, 2010