SONYA Prelude Exhibition on Myrtle

September 13, 2008


Maurice’s (Morris’s) Christmas Windows

Maurice Epstein’s (Morris’ 5&10 cents store) as we pronounce it, celebrated Chanukah, but they decorated Christmas with love and magic for all of us to celebrate. That’s Brooklyn.

There was the Magical Windows of Maurice’s (Maurice and Esther Epstein’s) Department Store on the corner of Ryerson Street and Myrtle Avenue. As a very young boy of eight and nine, I went out into the snow at night- to see the magical displays of Maurice’s Christmas displays and the wonderful Christmas lights in those window displays. The windows were hexagonal and split on each side by the entrance door to that wonderful store.

For me, it was Santa’s Toyland in Brooklyn. Esther and Maurice created a true North Pole of toys and gifts. I always liked being sent to Maurice’s by my Mom to buy some sewing thread or other homespun items. Esther was always so kind and attentive in listening to what I said that my Mom wanted me to get. She was a patient and kind woman.

The Maurice’s had two Sons. I only remember Daniel who was in my Brother Al’s Class with Mrs. Boyd of P.S. 157, in the eighth grade. Daniel went to Brooklyn Tech; my brother Al went to Boys High. Al became a senior engineer working as a civilian with the U.S. Air Force, and then with IBM - on the Nuclear Submarine (The Trident). My brother Al was brilliant.


The word “Diversity” was born in Brooklyn. No one knows what diversity really means until they visit Brooklyn. The Jewish bakery on the corner of Park and Kent Avenue filled the winter evening air with the wholesome scent of freshly baked Pumpernickel bread - while Pizza by the slice was baked three blocks away on Skillman Street and Park Avenue, in the Sicilian neighborhood. Rockwood’s chocolate factory was west of Kent Avenue on Washington Avenue, and the aroma of chocolate filled the air almost every evening. About two blocks north was the Brooklyn Navy Yard where our valiant Aircraft Carriers were being built for service in the South Pacific during WWII.

The German Schafer Beer Co. brewed its pops and sent its aroma throughout the Jewish Hassidic neighborhoods in nearby Williamsburg; the section of Brooklyn that was the home of Israel’s future leaders.

My Brooklyn is a place that lives in the memory of its young children and the spirit of its people. The “Tree of Diversity” grows in Brooklyn, where the Hot Dog stands are perfect and the Knishes are delicious in the cold winter days of December.


Maurice’s example showed that people in the neighborhood could instill human values in Children that could last for a lifetime. For me it was an experience that I’ll always remember. I am indebted to The Epstein’s for their concerns for children, and appreciation of other folk’s cultures and their beliefs.

Fiore Custode
77 Ryerson Street, (1943)
Brooklyn, 5 N.Y.
________________________

941 355-3420
fcustode@ringling.edu

Hey Eric - You're posting your health problems on a Art Exhibition Topic referring to an event which took place months (in May 2008) not "one month" ago. Sorry I can't give you any advice,except perhaps walk alot, it will improve your circulation and you'll eventually feel more "with it" in general.