WHEN SHEP MET SHEP: PARENTS, TELL YOUR CHILDREN...PLEASE!

After a lifetime of diligently working to secure our family history records, and befriend many long-lost relatives along the way, I concluded that it’s incumbent on all of us, to ensure that future generations know the connections and we keep the chain in gear. That’s one reason my husband and I make every effort to attend family events whenever we are invited.

In last week’s blog post at sharonmarkcohen.com, How Many People Have a Cousin Who Owns A Tree Farm? Cousin Shep Bloom was introduced. On April 29, 2024, after responding affirmatively to attending his granddaughter’s bat mitzvah, his daughter Stephanie, Maya’s mom wrote:

“We are thrilled that you are joining us for Maya's bat mitzvah!!!” She went on to inform me of the planning for the weekend and mentioned other cousins who would be in attendance, hoping that I would enlighten everyone on our relationship.

You may wonder why Shep B.’s daughter Stephanie invited us to her daughter’s bat mitzvah if she didn’t know us. The answer is that family is everything and I’m the person who knows all the exact relationships in the Bloom clan.

In my book, Kitchen Talk, I recorded a sentiment from Shep B. about the disconnect with families. On February 19, 2010, he wrote: “It is a bit aggravating that my parents generation thought it was not important for us kids to know our relatives. Actually, my dad did care about this to some extent. He once (but only once, as far as I can recall) indicated that he was going to visit some old relatives and wanted me to come along. He said they would like to see me. I said I didn't want to go, and he dropped it. I have no idea who he was talking about, but I have been sorry about that ever since.”

To add to the memories of the family, in a three-part blog post, I wrote about Cousin Zelda and her zest for life. (See The History of That Piece of Pottery-Part One, July 30, 2019 at: https://www.sharonmarkcohen.com/blog/2019/5/5/the-history-of-that-piece-of-pottery and The History of That Piece of Pottery-Part Two, August 6, 2019 at: https://www.sharonmarkcohen.com/blog/2019/5/26/the-history-of-that-piece-of-pottery-part-two).

Zelda was a first cousin to Shep B. Their fathers were siblings and those elders were first cousins of my mother-in-law. Zelda taught me so much. Everyone can enjoy part three in the Zelda series with some of her: Recipes for Life and Sustenance, by reading my blog post, dated August 13, 2019, at sharonmarkcohen.com.

For Stephanie and Maya, the explanation of our relationship is mapped out below with photos starting with a picture of Maya’s great-great-great-grandmother Goldie, my husband’s great-grandmother. According to Goldie’s grandson Morris Bloom, as visitors left, Goldie wished everyone who came by, “ol dus goots.” That descriptive letter from Morris is a treasure and fortunately, he took the time to pen it.

For someone closer to Maya, I can send her the words of her treasured grandfather Shep B. Scanning old emails from Shep B. back to 2010, when I first started keeping them on my computer, I stopped and smiled at one response from him after sending information on long-lost cousins.

On January 28, 2010, he replied, “Great. I have trouble keeping things straight, but I suppose things will become clear when we see it laid out in standard format.

“You are a good woman, Sharon Cohen”

I post this not to toot my own horn but to demonstrate what a good man Shep B. was and why I respected and adored him. While I didn’t recall his accolades before reviewing the stored emails, and whether or not it was a rhetorical statement, I will not forget Shep B.

I’m certain that his children and grandchildren learned mounds of good things and acts of kindness from Shep B. I doubt, however, that those conversations were recorded. Now they can view the written words showing how much goodness and kindness was in his family for generations and where we fit in. Maybe the reason we were invited and attended Maya’s meaningful bat mitzvah in Redwood City, California, is now clearer.

Will Maya remember who we are? Or will this be the case such as a statement by Cousin Dan Bauer at our son Moss’s bar mitzvah party, when he said on tape, “When you look at this in years to come you won’t know who I am - who was at your bar mitzvah.”

My hope is that Maya will continue the tradition and show the pictures to her great-grandchildren while wishing them “all the good.” Maybe she’ll tell them that her Great-great-great-grandmother spoke those kind words in Yiddish.

As for Cousin Dan, he’s from a different clan, and his connection is spelled out in another blog post worth the read. See When Was The Last Time You Looked Through Pictures From Your Wedding Album? — Sharon Mark Cohen posted on December 20, 2022, at: https://www.sharonmarkcohen.com/blog/2023/1/10/when-is-the-last-time-you-looked-through-pictures-from-your-wedding-album

Dan’s mother, Trudy, was my father-in-law’s first cousin. Gladys’s father was my mother-in-law’s first cousin. Gladys came to Moss’s bar mitzvah service on the Sabbath when no photography was permitted. She was not at the party the next day when the photographer snapped a photo of Trudy and Dan at the party.

It’s fun and important to note that Gladys and Trudy lived in adjoining towns on Long Island. After inquiring if any guests would be traveling from her area, Trudy hitched a ride with Gladys and her date to attend the services in New Jersey. Trudy’s son Dan, living in New York City, was her escort to the party.

I reiterate. Will Maya remember us and know our relationship? Hopefully, all the photos and stories in this blog post will help.

Gladys Albert, Zelda Danziger, and Hilda Cohen meeting at Hilda’s house at 346 Pennington Street, Elizabeth, New Jersey
Gladys’s and Zelda’s fathers were brothers and they were first cousins to Hilda because their father Shepsal and Hilda’s mother Jennie were siblings

Rina and Judd Cohen with Gladys Bloom Jackson, Mississippi 1998

Shep and Sharon Cohen with Judd Cohen resting on Gladys and Shep Bloom Jackson, Mississippi 1998

TRACING WHERE IT ALL STARTED: