and no money. He got the GI bill. A friend
of his who was in the army with him told
him to go to Vienna to study because the
American dollar is very strong there and
with the GI bill he would get $110 a month.
I was in the town of Graz, and so that’s
where we met. And that was it! Instead of
going to Israel to be with my parents, I
came to America with him. And we had
to come to Providence.
When we came over, Providence was
doing really bad. The jewelry business
was going under. Although for the two
years we were here, I worked at Brown
University as a research associate in the
chemistry department. He was also a
chemist. We moved to New Jersey because
it was a big industry for chemists. We had
good jobs. My two sons were born there.
But he always wanted to come back to
Providence. It was home for him.
So, we moved back to Providence and
I had no regrets. No way. It was home.
We owned a house on Savoy Street for
forty-six years. Looking back, we always
said we made the right decision to come
home. At that time, years ago, we didn’t
go out much to restaurants. We had dinners
at the house. We invited people over
and we dressed up in long dresses and
the men came in ties. And we had people
over to play the game of bridge. We went
to the Philharmonic, although it wasn’t
as good as now. In the summer we sometimes
rented a place in Narragansett for
a week. We loved the ocean.
Now, I have a yearly subscription to
the Gamm and I go to the Philharmonic.
I still cook a little bit, but not too much
anymore. I still like to play bridge, too.
For sixteen years, I was a docent at Roger
Williams Park Zoo. I really love animals.
And I still go to water aerobics twice a
week. Sometimes, I also talk in schools
to children. Unfortunately, my husband
died young but he always felt very happy
here. And me, too. I wouldn’t budge from
Providence. We made it our life here.
For some survivors like my husband,
they went through hell. Many were bitter
after. But maybe, because he was younger,
he was very optimistic and always with
a smile even after everything. I never
realized it. Life was not easy all the time.
But I don’t look back. Maybe I am lucky.
What was, was. It was bad times, but I
don’t dwell. I don’t look back, I only look
ahead. I just roll with the punches. I am
really fortunate.
2020-21 SEASON ANNOUNCED
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2020-21 SEASON COMING SOON
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street • Sweat
Tiny Beautiful Things • Fairview • The Diary of Anne Frank • Anna K.
Plus! A Christmas Carol and The Prince of Providence
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RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l MAY/JUNE 2020 129