Goldie Sprecher’s Life Story

by Claire Sprecher Horowitz

Goldie’s eldest daughter

Preface

The process of writing Goldie’s story (my mother) began when I decided to submit a second listing on the Stern Family Yahrzeit Memorial website and mobile Yahrzeit stand at Beit Rayim Synagogue and School. My first listing was of Arnold z”l, her husband of 53 years. Now their life stories are joined as they were joined so beautifully throughout their lives.

The project provided the opportunity and motivation to seek information about my grandparents, Max and Clara Haber. Much of the information uncovered was new to me and my sisters, Rosalie, and Marlene. Now, it can be passed on to our children, grandchildren, and extended family.

So much value has been added to our family by the act of gathering the information and sharing it with everyone. The process has sparked many conversations among my sisters, children, and cousins reminiscing about their interactions with Arnold and Goldie. We are all enriched by this experience.

May 11, 2022

History of the Haber family’s early years in Montreal

My dear mother, Goldie Sprecher z”l (nee Haber) was born on September 30th 1920, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She was a sweet lady with a warm smile who was very devoted to her family from childhood to adulthood to her senior years in her various roles as daughter, sister, wife, mother, partner in business, grandmother, relative and friend.

Goldie was the youngest of the three children of Max Haber z”l (1891-1952)and his wife, Clara z’l, nee Feldhammer, (1895-1937). Her brothers were Hyman z”l (Hymie 1918-1988) and Louis z”l (Louie 1920-1987).

My sisters and I knew very little about our grandparents on my mother’s side. We knew that Max came from Austria and that Clara passed away at the young age of forty-four.

As part of writing my mother’s story, I thought it was important to try to uncover more information about Max and Clara. In gratitude to Nadia Roy, a colleague of David Wolinsky, my brother-in-law, we learned some interesting details about their early years in Canada. Nadia has access to archives and repositories. She assisted me in uncovering many of the details that follow (Appendix I).

A passenger list from a ship bound for Canada indicates that Max came to Canada in 1913. He was born in Austria, but we do not know the town or city or his last place of residence.

Another passenger list states that Clara arrived in Canada in May of 1914. She worked as a “tailor” and planned to do the “same” at a “brother’s factory”. Her previous place of residence was listed as “Praha” aka Prague, Czechia. In1914, Czechia was part of Austria-Hungary. This accounts for Clara being listed as Austrian on several legal documents.

We don’t know how Max and Clara met.

However, we do know that they signed a marriage contract on December 2, 1916, as required by the Province of Quebec (Notarial Records). The “Register” at the Austrian-Hungarian Synagogue in Montreal states that they were married the following day on December 3, 1916. The marriage certificate states: “Max Haber 25 years old born in Austria son of Chaim Haber and Rose Bruker and his bride Clara Feldhammer 21 years old born in Austria the daughter of Chaim Lieb and Goldie Schaiel Feldhammer” were “United in Matrimony of Marriage”.

The June 1,1921 Canada Census tells us that Max was 30 years old, Clara was 26 years old, Hymie four years old, Louie two years old and Goldie was eight months old. They are listed as living at 157 Duluth i.e., 157 Duluth Ave. East, in the District of Georges-Etienne Cartier in Montreal.

Sadly, Clara passed away on Sept. 24, 1937. She succumbed to a brain tumor. Her death is listed in the JewGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry. Her obituary was published on Sept. 26 in the “Keneder Adler”, the Yiddish newspaper of the time. The notice stated that she had three brothers in Montreal and two sisters in Bukovina. The territory of Bukovina was from 1775-1918, an administrative division of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire (1804), and Austria-Hungary (1867). Bukovina became part of Romania after World War I. Also published in the “Keneder Adler” was the date of Clara’s unveiling, August 14, 1938.

Our family never had any knowledge about links to Bukovina.

I do have a recollection of her sister, Dora, who lived in Montreal. Dora Ship (nee Feldhammer) lived with her family for part of her life on de Vimy near Barclay Street in Montreal not far from where our family lived on Barclay Street. Dora Ship z”l passed away on November 30,1998 at the age of 86. Her obituary lists Hyman Feldhammer and Wolfy Feldhammer as her brothers. Hyman might have been the person that we knew as Chaim Leib who came around from time to time to visit Max when our family lived on Querbes Ave. And I do have a recollection of Wolfy’s wife Ruth (Ruthie). She passed away on May 28, 2011.

The loss of her mother had a profound effect on Goldie’s life. She was approaching seventeen years old. She took on many of the roles in the household that normally fell to her mother, such as cooking for her father and brothers. But I mostly remember her speaking about bringing lunch or dinner to her father, Max, while he worked long hours in his grocery store. She became very close to him. Goldie was a very devoted daughter.

Max married Sarah z”l Berterinsky on December 7, 1938. The Marriage Certificate tells us that Sarah was the daughter of Benjamin Berterinsky and Freida Berterinsky nee Gelfen. They were married at Poale Zedek Synagogue in Montreal, 7161 St. Urbain Street. After a fire in September 1988, the building was sold to the Buddhist community. Poale Zedek amalgamated with Adath Israel Congregation of Hampstead in 1992.

The story continues - 1943

Arnold Sprecher z”l and his brothers, Simon z”l, and Herman z”l, were German Jews who fled Germany, after spending six months at Dachau Concentration Camp (see “Arnold Sprecher: Mensch!” for their full story). Arnold and Simon were living in Ottawa after their release from a Canadian prisoner of war camp in Sherbrooke, Quebec, “Camp Newington”. Simon was invited to a Jewish wedding in Montreal and asked Arnold to join him. At the wedding, Arnold met Goldie, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Arnold moved to Montreal. A tailor by trade, Arnold found employment as a tailor. On March 26, 1944, Arnold and Goldie were married. Max was very supportive of the union and shortly thereafter helped to set Arnold up in business as a merchant in a men’s clothing store.

As a result of Goldie’s marriage to a German, Goldie lost her Canadian citizenship. Her status was reported and published in “The Herald” on March 6, 1945. This is how she described her predicament. “It didn’t affect me very much as it was largely a technicality. I went to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and explained my plight, together with my life history. In four months, I was a Canadian again – with naturalized papers to prove it.”

Arnold and Goldie initially lived with Max and Sarah at 4865 St. Urban Street. I was born there on November 15, 1946, named in memory of Clara. When the family grew to include Rosalie, born on April 1, 1949, named in memory of Arnold’s mother Rosalie Sprecher -nee Schewachowitz, they moved to a two-story house at 315 Querbes Avenue. Max and Sarah lived on the first level and Arnold and Goldie and their two daughters on the second level. I remember it as a happy time for all.

I remember sitting on Max’s lap in a big chair in the front hall as well as outside on the front balcony. He always had special treats in his jacket pocket for me and my sister, Rosalie. We loved him very much.

On June 22, 1952, Max had a sudden heart attack and passed away at home. It was a sad time for the family. I believe Goldie never fully recovered from the loss of her father, although she did not express her feelings openly. Very occasionally did she mention that she missed him. Sarah went to live with her family.

Later that same year, they sold the house on Querbes Ave. and purchased a duplex at 2235 Barclay Street.

Life at 2235 Barclay Street

I was close to six years old when we moved and was beginning kindergarten at Adath Israel Hebrew School on Ducharme Avenue. Hebrew Day School was chosen in keeping with the wishes of Goldie’s father, Max. Rosalie attended in due course and Marlene, until Grade three.

Arnold was doing well with his men’s clothing store, “Arnold”, located on St. Hubert Street in the east end of Montreal.

Goldie worked alongside Arnold in the store as his main “salesman”. She would go to the store regularly on Friday afternoon and Saturday, major holidays like Christmas and Easter, and in between whenever needed. Goldie was his “best salesman”. Goldie also enjoyed taking in the “cash” at the register. She enjoyed the interaction with customers always with a smile.

Goldie was also the bookkeeper and did the payroll. She had taken a stenographer and bookkeeping course probably just after attending Baron Byng High School. She had the skills to run a business and a household!

I remember when Arnold would call her on the phone and say, “We are having a rush!” meaning that there were more customers in the store than he and the staff could handle. She would call a taxi or take the Van Horne bus all the way to St. Hubert Street.

Much of the conversation at our dinner table was about the store, specific “sales”, manufacturers, the salesmen, or upcoming preparation for the “holidays” when more time or staff were needed. She was an integral part of running the store. At one point, they had two stores.

Goldie was ahead of her time without knowing it. Women were beginning to take on roles and responsibilities outside the home, balancing home, and careers. She took it on naturally without a thought of being a trail blazer and role model for her three daughters.

One highlight in the store every year was a Christmas party. It was held at the closing of the store on Christmas Eve after almost a month of long hours and a peak selling season. Goldie, with Arnold’s help, organized the delicacies for all to enjoy, mostly delicatessen. They had some hard liquor to mark their success and bring in the joy of the holiday for the staff. Louis Galardo had been a long-time employee and seemed to be ever present in the store. I can picture them all having a great time with the goodies laid out on the little grey laminate table in the “back” of the store.

We were fortunate to spend many winter breaks, particularly between Christmas and the New Year, up north in the Laurentians, at the Geiger Hotel in St. Agathe. Rosalie and I learned to ski there, with Goldie watching from the sidelines. She always had a smile on her face. She enjoyed the sleigh rides and being served in the dining room.

Marlene was born on March 21, 1956. She brought much joy to the family! Goldie was a very busy Mom.

Our family spent many summers in Plattsburg, New York, renting cottages on the shores of Lake Champlain. Louie and Pearl and their children Alan, Esther, and Maxine had a cottage nearby. So did their friends Sydney and Francis Brownstein and their family. Goldie’s brother Hymie and his wife, Celia, and their children, Rosalind (Rozzie) and Harvey rented a cottage in the next development. All the moms would line up their lounge chairs close to the water and enjoyed being together while the kids played in the sand or in the water.

Arnold would come for weekends and at least once during the week. He became the chef on Sundays, making hamburgers and steaks on the bar-b-que. We would get French fries nearby. Goldie loved the “red hot Michigan” hot dogs with meat sauce on top.

When we were a little older, we spent a few summers in Trout Lake in the Laurentians. Goldie enjoyed purchasing “Danish” pastries from the back of the bakery truck that came from Montreal. We enjoyed other excursions to Burlington, Vermont, and Lake Placid, New York.

I must mention the birthday parties in the dining room on Barclay Street. They were filled with kids, our extended family, decorations and of course, special birthday cakes. The adults stood around the table while the kids partook of all the treats. What a great time we all had!

Arnold and Goldie were very welcoming and hospitable. Their homes were always open for guests, especially the family, a value that has been passed down to us and our families.

Goldie enjoyed family dinners on Sundays, a time for the extended families to be together. We would go to China Town for Chinese food. Uncle Simon, Arnold’s brother, and his wife, Bessie, often joined us there. Goldie also enjoyed (and we did too) Sunday lunches or early dinners alternating between our house and the homes of her brothers, Hymie, and Louie. The cousins had a chance to have some fun together. Later, we frequented the Yangtze Chinese Restaurant on Van Horne Avenue. Goldie particularly liked the fried wontons with the “red sauce “.

Arnold’s brother Simon often came over to watch “boxing” on television, a favourite because Arnold had been a lightweight boxer in Germany. They would move their fists and arms as they watched, mimicking the boxers on the screen. What a funny sight! But not funny for them. One time I mimicked Simon. He got so upset that he immediately left in a huff and a puff. I was told not to do that again.

Arnold’s sister, Rachel and her husband, Alex, lived up the hill from us on Lennox Ave. in a big apartment building. From their balcony, Rachel could see her nieces playing outside. We visited each other often. We also visited Arnold’s sister, Elsa and her family. They settled in Montreal after the War.

Life in Cote St. Luc

In the mid 1960’s, Arnold and Goldie bought a larger home in Cote St. Luc, at 5609 Chamberland Crescent. It had a finished basement with a full bar. My parents held some very memorable New Year’s Eve parties. Great times were had by all.

Arnold and Goldie spent several winters at Century Village, Boca Raton, Florida. Their friends outside of the family, Lil and Peter Gotfrid, rented a condo in the same development. They shared happy times together at the Club House, shopping at the Town Centre in Boca Raton and just being in sunny Florida for part of the winter.

Their social life also revolved around Arnold’s membership in a Chapter of the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal, social, and charitable organization. Arnold attended meetings and educational programs organized by his Chapter. Goldie particularly enjoyed the dances and the banquets organized as fundraisers to advance the organization’s mission.

There was always lots of communication between the sisters-in-law, Pearl and Celia and later, Hymie’s second wife, Pearl.

I married Barry Horowitz, a U.S. citizen on June 23, 1968. We lived in Queens, New York and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and later Ottawa and Toronto. Arnold and Goldie came to New York for the brises of their grandsons, Adam, and Noah. We had much fun when they visited. They loved to go to the Lower East Side and Delancey Street where all the vendors were outdoors or had small stalls. It was a glimpse of an earlier era.

When my family moved to Milwaukee in 1975, Arnold and Goldie arrived for a visit within the first two months. They made it a priority to share special moments with us wherever we lived. They came again for the birth of their granddaughter, Raquel in September 1976. In 1980, they made it possible for Barry and me to take a trip to Israel by babysitting for the grandchildren for two weeks! How lucky we were!

There were many more notable occurrences over the years that demonstrated Goldie’s love and devotion to her family and how important they were to her. My sisters have their own experiences of love and devotion. Rosalie was the only married daughter living in Montreal in the 70’s. Arnold and Goldie enjoyed much quality time with Rosalie’s sons, Jeffrey and Michael.

Special Milestones

Goldie was always ready with her special baked goods for the holidays and for any occasion. For example, we often recall her “munn” (poppy seed) cookies, roly poly filled with fruit, cheesecake with a cherry topping, and chocolate cake with sprinkles. Yummy!

Arnold turned 65 in 1979. What did Goldie do? To mark the occasion, she planned and held a beautiful party in his honour. Family and friends attended. Was it a surprise for Arnold? No, but suddenly just as the party was getting underway, he did have a big surprise! My family, me, Barry, Adam, Noah, and Raquel poked our heads out of a side bedroom and shouted, “Surprise!”. He was blown away! We had driven to Montreal from Milwaukee, WI where we were living at the time.

My daughter, Raquel, who was three years old, probably internalized the experience. This past November, she flew to Toronto from Vancouver and showed up on my doorstep in Thornhill to celebrate my 75th birthday. I had a most wonderful surprise! Is this paying it forward or a message to be spontaneous and let your feelings of love create special moments? Goldie did it for Arnold, my family did it for Arnold and Raquel certainly did it for me.

The next major milestone celebration took place on Arnold and Goldie’s 50th Wedding Anniversary (March 26, 1994). The party took place on April 30th at Le Bifthѐque- the Conestoga Room on Cȏte de Liesse, St. Laurent. It was a catered affair in a room full of family including all seven grandchildren, and friends. There were decorations, and special entertainments. Their

three daughters sang “the Anniversary Song”. Marlene and David’s children, Samantha, and Gabriel, both dance enthusiasts and students, performed. A guitarist played popular Yiddish and English folk songs. Arnold and Goldie danced to the Anniversary Waltz and other favourite tunes. There was lots of love in the room that evening!

Insights

Goldie loved beautiful things and had many keepsakes around their homes. I must mention one of the focal points – the buffet in their dining room with a three or four shelf breakfront. It was filled with gorgeous crystal glasses of all sizes, wine glasses, goblets, parfaits, shot glasses all the same pattern. She also displayed fine English bone China cups and saucers, unmatched but collectors’ items at the time. The bottom held her special “good” dishes reserved for special occasions such as the Jewish High Holidays. She had a double set to fill in for breakage.

The interesting story about the dishes was their import into Canada from China. Isaac Choueke, and his family, Sephardi Jews from Shanghai, China, were the tenants living upstairs on Barclay Street. He had a store downtown in which he sold a wide variety of items from China including sets of dishware and tablecloths. Isaac imported two sets of hand painted dishes from China for them. Arnold and Goldie arranged for packages, each with a place setting, to be sent to family members and friends. The phone would ring informing them that a package had arrived. It created much excitement over a period of about a month until they had their two sets of dishware. We had much fun opening the boxes!

The bottom drawer of the buffet was reserved for her favourite tablecloths. Some required dry cleaning after use. Goldie took great pride in setting a beautiful table with all her sparkling glasses and imported dinnerware.

Both Arnold and Goldie were always very well dressed; Arnold in a sport jacket and dress shirt most of his life. Only in retirement did he switch to a more casual look. Goldie also kept up with the latest fashion and loved shopping at the department stores or small women’s clothing stores in the Cote St. Luc Mall. She hardly ever had a problem walking while she went around “tapping” the clothing on the racks in the stores .

Our home was infused with “Yiddishkeit”. Jewish artifacts were on display in almost every room. Goldie lit the Shabbat candles most Friday nights (including lighting them before she went to the store). She prepared elaborate, traditional meals for the Jewish High Holidays and Passover Seders. The Jewish holidays were so important to Goldie! Arnold led the Passover Seders and made delicious “crispy” potato latkes for Chanukah. Goldie made “halishkes” (cabbage rolls) once a year for Rosh Hashanah. Being Jewish was integral to the rhythm of our family. These were special times to be together. Her beautiful spread of food was her way of

creating special moments with her family. My sisters and I still try to replicate some of her recipes.

Arnold and Goldie were members of Adath Israel Congregation on Ducharme Ave. when we lived on Barclay Street and Beth Zion Congregation when they lived in Cote St. Luc.

Goldie kept a kosher home her entire life keeping the tradition from her childhood. Every week, she would call Sammy the butcher, to place her order for meat for the week. She was a traditional cook and prepared wonderful meals. Monday night was spaghetti and meat balls night. We loved that! On another night we had beef or veal, and of course, chicken for Shabbat sometimes making “Pitcha” as an appetizer. Later in life, she added a fish meal. Yummy! Yummy for all of them!

Travel

“Joie de Vivre” was one of Arnold’s strong characteristics. Both he and Goldie loved to have a good time. In many instances that included going dancing and at other times, they took time off from the store and went on vacations far beyond the cities and towns that surrounded Montreal.

They travelled several times to London, England to spend time with Arnold’s brother Herman and his wife, Franzi, and their sons David and Simon. One time, Goldie came home with a custom-made black suit, cut and beautifully hand stitched by Herman, also a tailor by trade. On one of their trips to London, they were accompanied by Goldie’s brother Hymie and sister-in-law Celia. They went on tours of Europe, sometimes crossing several cities including Paris, France; Zurich, Switzerland, Vienna, Austria, the latter to get a sense of Goldie’s father’s roots. One trip included Spain and Portugal. They particularly enjoyed a side trip to Majorka off the coast of Spain. And of course, they travelled to Israel to visit Arnold’s sister Sonni and her family, the Hsus. They were able to spend time with his eldest brother, Willi on their early trips to Israel. They often returned with souvenirs from each country, some of which I have to this day. In 1979, they had a wonderful time visiting Rosalie and her family when she was living in Israel.

I remember their visit to New York in 1969 as a stopover to departing for Israel from Kennedy Airport. Arnold’s brother Simon, and his wife, Bessie, were flying in from Montreal to catch the same El Al flight. They would meet at Kennedy Airport. Sounds reasonable, except that New York City experienced the biggest snowstorm of the decade that day of the flight. It was a nightmare to drive them to the airport! But Barry and I did! We sat at the airport with the four of them until 4:00 am when clearance for takeoff was announced and boarding began. We arrived safely at home that night and they arrived safely in Israel!

In later years, Arnold and Goldie’s visits to Toronto and Ottawa were quality time with family. In Toronto, we always made a stop at the Lawrence Plaza and had brunch at United Bakers Dairy Restaurant.

Retirement

Arnold and Goldie moved two more times; first to rent an upper duplex on Kildare Ave., near Caldwell, and then to a two-bedroom apartment in an upscale building, The Fairway House, at 612- 6505 Cote St. Luc Road.

In their retirement, they spent much time at the Cote St. Luc Mall. The Mall, at the time, was at its peak. It was a centre not just for shopping and movies but functioned as a meeting place for socialization for the many seniors living in the area.

Arnold and Goldie sat and had coffee with friends and acquaintances almost every day. They often held hands and became known as the “love birds” of Cote St. Luc. I can picture them smiling and laughing as Arnold entertained with his latest joke.

Goldie had some physical problems throughout her life including hypertension and mobility problems due to poor circulation in her legs. She tried very hard not to slow down. Later in life, she took rests when walking became a little more difficult for her. Even before she had some difficulty, but particularly in their later years, Arnold always drove Goldie from door to door and as close as he could get to any destination. He was always respectful of her situation. In his caring manner, he did his best to make life as easy as possible for her.

Of course, Goldie’s story is Arnold’s story. It also provides a picture of our early years as a nuclear family growing up in Montreal. We are fortunate to have had such loving parents. They provided well for us and gave us the loving foundation to pass on to our families and children. We cherish those wonderful times and dear memories.

Goldie’s passing on October 16th, 1997, was precipitated by a car accident exiting the Queen Elizabeth Way in Ottawa. Arnold and Goldie were on their way to visit Marlene and her family to be together for the High Holidays. The car had been loaded with goodies of all kinds, main dishes, and sweets. Goldie was bringing love and nurturing as she did throughout her life. We all miss her so much.

Not a day goes by without my asking, “how are you, how are you feeling, what would you like to do today?” She is in my heart and in all our hearts. Mummy, I love you and miss you very much.

This year, 2022, on October 16th, and on Erev Succot, we will mark the 25th anniversary of her passing. We will keep her in our hearts and memories forever.