Uncle Abe
Where Ya At ? (Genesis Ch. 111-
V9)
Uncle Abe was my father’s brother-in-law.
He married my Aunt Sarah, hence, he was a fake uncle, not related
by blood. He was the kind of guy, who if you ever met, you would
never forget. He was a big bear of a man, huge hands, loud, a
chaser, a big drinker, and a gambler with an explosive temper.
Not what one would expect of a Jewish husband and father.
My dad’s brother, Uncle Sam, and Abe
loved the fights and were always at ringside when Jewish fighters
were on the card. There were many Jewish fighters in those days.
This particular night a fighter with a Star of David on his trunks
was beating the hell out of an Irishman when a guy sitting right
behind Abe yells, “Kill the Jew!” Abe turned around
and decked him. The guy's buddies got into the act but were unsuccessful
in their efforts to restrain Abe from beating on them. Three cops
arrived and after a scuffle, handcuffed Abe and hauled him away.
Abe owned an Army Navy surplus store on Market
Street. It was basically a junk shop. One day I dropped in to
say hello and I saw a man shoplifting. I told Abe. He said that
he didn’t care since, “I paid nothing for this crap,
anyhow.”
The whole surplus operation could only be described
as “total mayhem.” In the midst of all this mess,
there was an open door on the main floor leading into Abe’s
office. A “customer” wandered in and was going through
a mountain of papers on Abe’s desk when an employee politely
asked the man to leave. And this is how it went:
The “customer” gets very upset
and calls this employee a “nigger” and tells him to
shove off, or words to that effect. The employee goes to Abe and
tells him what the man said. Abe doesn't like what he hears. With
all of Abe’s faults, he doesn’t like the N word, especially
used on his employee. Abe, in a huff, hustles to his office and
tells the guy to leave the store before he throws him out.
The fellow ignores this advice, and with blood
in his eyes, launches an attack on Abe. Big mistake. One punch
and the guy lands on the floor. He gets up and comes at Abe again,
another serious judgment error. This time Abe throws him through
a glass showcase. Finally, the guy gets the idea and flees.
A few weeks later Abe was sued for assault
and battery. It seems that this guy was an epileptic and the judge
sided with him. Abe had to shell out $7,000!!! The judge felt
that the last “throw was excessive force!”
Just before WW 2 the Government asked that
all trade with Japan stop, especially trade dealing in scrap metals,
which was exactly Abe’s business. A short time later, pictured
on the front page of the Call-Bulletin (the afternoon paper) was
Abe’s truck with his son, Harvey, sitting on top of a huge
heap of scrap metal heading for Japan.
Abe was interviewed and asked about the embargo.
“I ain’t mad at nobody!” was his retort. “I
ain’t mad at nobody!” Sixty years later that great
line lives on. What a legacy!!!.
Every year, my Aunt Sarah would throw a Hanukah
party. As we entered their home, Abe would be right there at the
door, welcoming guests as one might in a reception line. Even
as a little kid we would shake hands with him and look up into
those watery blue eyes, and to every one of us, child or adult,
he would look down and say “Where ya at?”
When God asks Adam in Gen. Ch 2 V. 9., “Where
art Thou?” The obvious question is why is God asking this
since He is the One who put Adam right there in Eden? The answer
is, as the rabbis tell us, we all must constantly ask ourselves,
“where ya at?”
Do you think Abe??????? No way---------but
maybe.