Bernard and Selma Brown: Our Family Legacy

Bernard & Selma Brown
Our Family Legacy
As told by Bernard & Selma Brown

Bernard & Selma Brown
Our Family Legacy
As told by Bernard & Selma Brown

Produced by Family Heirloom Arts
www.FamilyHeirloomArts.com
Portland, Oregon
Lisa Kagan: Director, Oral Historian, Writer, Photography Editor, Book Designer
Emily García: Book Designer, Production Manager
Anya Hankin: Text Editor
Elizabeth Katz: Researcher
Connie Lenzen: Genealogist
Joseph Webb: Digital Photography Artist
Joan E. Hamilton: Transcriptionist
Julie Zander: Copy Editor
Mollie Firestone: Proofreader
Copyright © 2014
Bernard & Selma Brown
All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without permission is prohibited.
Printed by Stevens Printing, Portland, Oregon.
Book binding by Grossenbacher Bros., Inc.
Front Cover Caption:
Bernard and Selma Brown on their wedding day, February 9, 1946
Cover design by Emily García

Harry and Rose Brown
Tillie and Manuel Nepom
Content for this book is based on oral history interviews of Bernard and Selma
Brown; their three children Shelley, Jordan and Eden Brown; and their daughter-in-law,
Stacey Brown. Content for Chapter 11, “Celebrating Bernard and
Selma,” is based on additional interviews of their friends and family, including
Frieda Cohen, Charlotte Amiton, Jerry Stern, Beverly Galen, Lynn Coleman,
and Les and Lila Kerr. Interviews were conducted by Lisa Kagan and Eden Rose
Brown in 2011–2014. Extensive research conducted by Elizabeth Katz provided
the background information for the family history included in Part I, “Origins.”

This book is dedicated to my grandparents in honor of their
courage, determination and sacrifice, and to my parents for
their unwavering love, wisdom and support. May their
compelling stories and their gifts so selflessly given serve to
inspire and encourage the generations to come.

Contents
Part I
Origins
Introduction
by Eden Rose Brown
vii
Chapter 1
Bernard’s Story
4
Chapter 2
Selma’s Story
44
Part II
Our Life
Together
Chapter 3
Letters During
the War Years
72
Chapter 4
Building a Strong
Foundation
92
Chapter 5
A Lifetime of Service
104
· vi ·

Chapter 6
Three Generations
Together
122
Chapter 7
Spirit of Adventure
142
Chapter 8
Our Adult Children
168
Chapter 9
Investing in the
Next Generation
210
Part III
Celebrating
Sixty-five Years
of Marriage
Chapter 10
A Lifetime of Love
220
Chapter 11
Celebrating
Bernard & Selma
228
Appendix
Notes, Ancestral Charts,
& Acknowledgments
264
· vii ·

Introduction
by Eden Rose Brown
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sequis illoreptur, el ide sant et et eatas.
· ix ·

Bernard & Selma Brown
Our Family Legacy

Part I
Origins

Understanding what our ancestors have gone through
encourages us not to take our own freedom for granted.
Knowledge of who and what came before has given
me a richer context for making sense of my own life.
I am deeply inspired by the strength and courage
of our family, and I admire the dedication to building
a better life, even against the odds.
–Bernard Brown
I hope that through reading this book our grandchildren
will be able to connect with the origins of our family
history, and that they will feel proud of where they
have come from. I hope these stories give them the
courage they need to overcome challenges in their own
lives as they arise, just as the generations before them
sought to do.
–Selma Brown

Bernard’s Story
As told by Bernard Brown
When I was a child, I knew very little about
my ancestors, yet their stories have always
been a part of me, helping to shape the person I
have become. As I have grown and learned more
about their experiences before they came to this
country, I have come to realize just how valuable
their stories are. Understanding what our ancestors
have gone through encourages us not to take our
own freedom for granted. Knowledge of who and
what came before has given me a richer context for
making sense of my own life.
I am deeply inspired by the strength and courage
of our family, and I admire the dedication to
building a better life, even against the odds.
It is very special for me to be able to share
these stories with our children and grandchildren,
weaving together tales of the generations that came
before us with reflections on our own life experiences.
It is my hope that this book will provide our
children and grandchildren with a deeper understanding
of where they have come from as they
Facing page: A collection of photos of the Brown family and
friends over the years I
continue to grow and develop in the years to come.
It has only been in the last twenty years that
Selma and I began to truly discover our family history.
The process of uncovering stories and pictures
while we piece together our legacy has been profoundly
rewarding, but not without its challenges.
My grandparents were not very eager to share
recollections of their life in Russia. They avoided
talking about their experiences, because many of
their memories of those years were unpleasant and
laden with hardship. They did not want to call to
mind the pain they had endured, or burden the
younger generations with stories of suffering.
My grandparents’ lives were quite difficult
before they came to America. Every day was a
struggle for them, but still they persevered. I
appreciate what they endured in order to travel to
America, and I know they fought to survive for the
future of our family.
My parents also shared very little about their
childhood. When I was growing up, I never
thought to ask them questions about their early
experiences or inquire about their pasts. As a child
I was more focused on what was going on in the
· 5 ·

Harry and Rose Brown
moment. Therefore, my parents rarely volunteered
much personal information, as it was hard for them
to explain how different their lives were before they
moved to America. Their primary focus was on
doing their best to develop their lives here. They
did not want to dwell on the past; they wanted to
build toward the future. They were able to establish
more comfortable, prosperous, and stable lives for
themselves and our family, and that was what was
most important to them.
As a young adult, I recognized what my parents
had been able to accomplish. I realized that if I put
my mind to it, I could achieve the goals I set for
myself, just like they had done before me. I built
upon their successes to create the best life I could
for our family.
Due to the hard work our parents, and their
parents before them, Selma and I had and continue
to have all of the freedoms to live as we choose.
Our children and grandchildren are afforded
expanded opportunities to pursue their passions
and goals. None of this would have been possible if
our parents had not come to this country, and I am
thankful for all of their efforts.
Each generation can learn from the examples of
the generation that came before them. We all have
our unique set of challenges and opportunities. We
have to do the best we can with what we have. I
cannot express in words the depth of the appreciation
that I have for my ancestors and what they
went through for us. There is no end to the gratitude
I have for them.
I think the family stories in this book will help guide the younger generation to
grow into their best possible selves. The origin stories highlighting the ancestral
history blew me away. You begin to see how different patterns and tendencies
emerged in our family, dating back as far as our ancestors in Russia, and how
they have been passed on throughout the generations. It begins to give you a different
perspective on your own life and how being connected to your roots can
help direct you on your own life path.
– Jordan Brown
· 6 ·

The Volhynia Region
Both my paternal and maternal great-grandparents
came from the Volhynia province. Although
the Volhynia province lies in what is now the
northwest area of the Ukraine, it was previously
ruled by Lithuania, Poland, the Russian Empire,
and the Soviet Union. The Jews in this area
thought of themselves as Russian, or sometimes
Polish, but not Ukrainian. My great-grandparents
and their families primarily spoke Yiddish. They
hardly knew any Russian, since Jews were not
permitted to attend Russian schools. In those days,
Jewish boys attended yeshivas, intensive study
schools, where they studied Hebrew and traditional
texts. It was not customary for Jewish girls to
attend yeshivas at that time.
The Volhynia region is an area made up of coal
mines, forests, lakes, marshes, and rich agricultural
lands. It includes the headwaters of the Pripyat and
Western Bug rivers. Jews have lived in Volhynia
since the twelfth century and worked primarily
in commerce and crafts. In the early seventeenth
century, nobles began to lease their estates to Jews,
enabling them to manage the properties and bring
in revenue from the estates. This opened additional
avenues for members of the Jewish community to
earn decent livelihoods. The growing power and
success of the Jews embittered the peasants, townspeople,
and lower aristocracy, who turned on them
in the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648.
Although the Jewish population rebounded
quickly, persecutions and misfortune, including
life-threatening diseases, continued into the eighteenth
century. In the mid-nineteenth century,
many of the community’s wealthy Jews leased the
alcoholic beverage excise from the government, and
the number of Jewish innkeepers grew. Following
the mid-nineteenth century, Jews became
increasingly involved in industries such as wood
processing, animal products, and agricultural crops.
The Jews of Volhynia were not harmed directly
by pogroms during the 1880s and throughout
1905–1906, but many disasters befell them during
World War I and the Russian civil war. During
World War II, they suffered not only at the hands
of the Germans, but also of the Ukrainians. Tens
of thousands perished.
As conditions worsened for Jews in this region,
my family and others in their community had
to wrestle with a difficult decision; should they
continue to struggle in order to remain in their
country of origin, or should they risk everything in
search of a better life elsewhere?
The Bronstein Family
Aaron and Esther Bronstein were my paternal
great-grandparents. Their son, Harry Abraham
Browne, was my paternal grandfather. Harry
was born on February 3, 1862, in Dombrowitz, 1
Ukraine, in the Volhynia region. Harry was the
oldest of six children, and his parents’ only son.
His sisters were Sura, Bayleh, Faygle, Rahsel, and
Mariam. Years later, when he emigrated to the
United States, my grandfather’s last name was
changed from the original “Bronstein” to the anglicized
“Browne.”
The Fish Family
My maternal great-grandparents were Beryl
and Bessie Fish who also lived in the Volhynia
region. Beryl was born around 1838 in Horodets, 2
Ukraine. Bessie was born a few years later, around
1840, in the same town. Their last name, “Fish,”
is an anglicized version of the German and Jewish
word “fisch.” It is thought to be drawn from
nature referring to fish, or of occupational origin,
· 7 ·

I was his German interpreter for the prisoners
in Germany. That was quite a bonding experience.
He said, “Well, are you ready to stay in the
military? I can arrange that for you.” I said, “No,
I want to get out as soon as I can.” He said, “How
many points do you have?” I replied that I had
only forty-three points. He said, “I’m going to put
you in for a Purple Heart for the time when you
were wounded. If I do that, you are going to get
more points.” I was wounded in action on April
2, 1945, in France when I was hit with mortar
shrapnel in the back of my upper right leg and in
a small section of my back. It was a bloody injury,
but I do not recall much pain. My wounds were
treated by our company medics, which allowed
me to continue in battle with my unit. Thanks to
my captain and his recollection of this incident, I
did receive a Purple Heart and I was able to leave
the service early.
It had been an incredibly challenging and
frightening two-year span. I was inducted into
the service on July 23, 1943, in Salem; I departed
Europe on September 4, 1945; and finally, I arrived
back in the United States on September 11, 1945.
I received an EAME Ribbon. The European-
African-Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon and
Medal was awarded for service performed in those
theaters between December 7, 1941, and March
2, 1946. I also received a Combat Infantry Badge,
which was awarded for participation in combat.
Many soldiers felt this was the single most important
decoration a man could wear. In addition I
was awarded an Expert Infantry Badge, a Good
Conduct Medal, and a Purple Heart.
The Adjusted Service Rating (ASR) was a
system that sought to discharge soldiers from
service in an equitable manner. My ASR rating was
50.38. Those who had served overseas would be
discharged first, and the men who had fought in
combat would be the first to leave. When the war
ended, men were shifted to units where everyone
held a similar point total. The last unit a man
served in was not always the one he fought with.
My Separation Qualification Record is as follows.
I spent three months as a private in basic
infantry, sixteen
months as private
first class (PFC)
as a light machine
gunner, one
month at PFC as
an ammunition
bearer, and five
months at PFC as
a clerk typist. In
the latter position,
I maintained
the sick book,
morning reports,
duty roster, payroll,
and vouchers
at company
headquarters. Bernard’s Purple Heart
As a private, I
earned fifty dollars base pay per month. My pay
increased as I moved up in rank, served overseas,
and received various decorations. I spent none of
my income during the war years, and therefore I
was able to have the money I earned sent home
and put away as my savings after the war.
The feeling that I had upon being discharged
from the service is indescribable. It was so
strange—all of the possibilities for my life really
opened up again. It was a huge relief. I could not
wait to return to Oregon and begin the next phase
of my life.
· 42 ·

Bernard's formal Army photo, 1944
· 43 ·

Selma’s Story
As told by Selma Brown
Everybody has a history, yet many of us know
very little about where we came from. Now
there is more of a movement for people to learn
about their ancestors than when I was growing up.
I really appreciate that our daughter Eden started
uncovering our family stories. I would have never
thought of embarking on creating a book like this;
we are very grateful to Eden for this opportunity.
It has been an extremely meaningful process. It is
amazing to me that we can access so much information
about our family immigration stories. I had
no idea that so many of the ship rosters and travel
records were still available and could provide such
detailed information about their journeys.
Now I wish I had asked my parents to tell me
more of their stories while they were alive. As a
child, I thought that my parents just started existing
when they came to Oregon. When you are
younger, you tend to focus more on yourself. As
you grow older, your awareness changes. My parents
rarely shared early memories of their lives with
Facing page: A collection of photos of the Nepom family
over the years II
anyone, not even members of their community in
Portland who had similar experiences. They did
not have very happy memories, so they probably
preferred to forget them.
My parents experienced significant changes in
their lifetimes, yet they rarely complained about
the difficulties they endured. I think they were
always grateful for all of the opportunities available
to them in the United States. Having come from
Russia, where religious persecution was rampant,
they valued the religious freedom afforded to them
in America.
Judaism was very important to my parents.
They were quite generous with their congregation—Shaarie
Torah Synagogue—throughout their
lives. Even though they did not have very much in
the beginning, they always shared what they could
with the synagogue. My father was the first board
member to be nominated for life at Shaarie Torah.
I definitely obtained my Jewish identity from my
parents. For the younger generations, Judaism
is part of their identity, but they may not always
appreciate it in the same way because that aspect of
their identity was never threatened. I learned from
· 45 ·

Manuel Nepom’s jitney in front of Shattuck School in South Portland, c. 1916
my parents how meaningful it is to be able to practice
your religion openly in your community.
In addition to the religious freedom we experienced
here, my family appreciated the wealth
of business opportunities afforded to them in
America. My father, Manuel, as well as Bernard’s
father, Harry, took advantage of these opportunities
and decided to start their own businesses.
They made up their minds to do it, and they did.
There is a lot of incentive to become an entrepreneur
here. By becoming your own boss you can
gain more control over your destiny. My parents
enjoyed the freedom to make their own way. That
was a huge change from the life they had led in
Russia. I really appreciated the life my parents
were able to build for our family.
Both Bernard and I had it much easier than
our parents did when they were growing up. In
turn, our children and grandchildren have had
things a bit easier in some ways than we did. Each
generation has some advantages to start off with
that the previous generation did not have. Our
grandchildren are just beginning to develop their
own directions in life. They are figuring out what
is important to them and what kind of lives they
want to establish as they grow older. I hope that
through reading this book they will be able to
connect with the origins of our family history, and
that they will feel proud of where they have come
from. I hope these stories give them the courage
· 46 ·

they need to overcome challenges in their own
lives as they arise, just as the generations before
them sought to do.
As I began to enter adulthood, I started to
realize how hard it is to manifest my own dreams,
and this gave me more respect for what my parents
endured to gain their success. Even with some help,
it is very challenging to become successful and
build a stable life. As my parents aged, they were
very proud of what Bernard and I had achieved.
That meant a lot to us. We have been very fortunate,
but we worked hard for what we have. It did
not just come. We are very proud of our children
and grandchildren. We are appreciative of our close
relationships with them. It is remarkable to see
how our family has developed and grown since my
ancestors came to this country.
The Nepom Family
I never had the opportunity to meet my paternal
grandparents, Moishe Shmuel Nepom and
Rose Hanken. I was named after my grandfather,
Moishe. My Hebrew name is Shimela, which I
guess is the feminine derivative of Shmuel. In
Jewish tradition it is common to name a newborn
child after a deceased relative, though I am not
sure how common it was to name a girl child after
a male relative. My mother
always called me “Shimela
Diamond from the Sky.” So
even though I never knew my
grandfather, we were connected
through the lineage of
our names.
Moishe and Rose lived in
Krolevetz, Russia, which is
about 400 miles east of the
Horodets area. They had five
children: Aharon, Ya’akov, Rose, David, and my
father, Manuel. Their daughter Rose’s Hebrew
given name was Rachel or Raisel, but she went by
Rose once she immigrated to the United States.
It is thought that my grandparents’ oldest sons,
Aharon and Ya’akov, were killed in the Russian
Revolution. Since they died young and never came
to the United States, the family knows very little
about them.
My grandmother Rose passed away when she
was a young woman, leaving my grandfather
Moishe with their five children. Following this
devastating loss for the family, my grandfather
eventually married a woman named Luba. They
went on to have two children of their own, Bertha
and Melvin Meyer.
Following the death of their mother, my father,
Manuel, and his siblings David and Rose decided
they wanted to leave Russia and seek a better life
for themselves in America. My father’s brother
David was the first member of the Nepom family
to immigrate to the United States. In the
travel records, David Nepom’s name was listed as
Nochum Nepomnjastschi. He departed Bremen,
Germany, in 1910 and migrated to Portland. 38
David entered the United States through
Galveston, Texas.
I have settled down in Portland, Oregon and make
ten dollars a week. I hope that with God’s help I
will be making more soon. In Galveston, people
cared for me and other emigrants as a father would
care for his children. 39
– David Nepom (From an excerpt that David wrote about his experiences)
· 47 ·

Letters During
the War Years
As told by Bernard Brown
I
began writing to Selma while I was in the
service. I was also writing to some other girls
at that time, but they were girls I knew from high
school in Salem and they were not Jewish. Both
Selma and I dated different people in high school,
and we had never dated each other. My connection
to the Jewish community was important to me, so
I thought that if I wrote to Selma, I could get the
news of the Portland Jewish community.
Selma told me she was flabbergasted when
my first letters arrived. As time passed, my letters
became more romantic, but Selma did not reciprocate.
She always answered my letters but she did
not return my romantic sentiments.
I appreciated her responses. I had seen many
other men receive letters full of what I considered
to be unrealistic promises. At the time I did not
even really think about our connection developing
into marriage. I was just a nineteen-year-old
kid who was scared and a bit homesick. Selma’s
letters were so comforting to me; they were not
We rarely saw each other before he
went overseas. I don’t know why
he thought to write. I guess that
is what you call fate. Why did he
write to me? I was not interested in
him and I was plenty busy.
When I started receiving
Bernard’s letters, I felt that he was
probably lonely and scared, and
it must have made him feel better
to think he had a girl waiting for
him when he returned. That was to
be expected. Yet I anticipated that
nothing would come of it after the
war was over.
– Selma Brown
Facing page: A collection of photos and letters celebrating
Bernard and Selma’s early relationship III
· 73 ·

· 74 ·

The first letter that Bernard sent to Selma when he was in basic training in the Army
· 75 ·

I did not do anything to encourage
Bernard in my responses to his
letters. I was going with somebody
else pretty seriously when he started
writing to me. Yet Bernard’s letters
grew more and more romantic
as the time went on. I really felt
compassion because I knew he had
to be scared to death. What did he
know about living like that? How
could anybody be prepared for that
kind of experience?
– Selma Brown
Selma
gushy or anything like that, but they were real.
Selma remained in my thoughts while I was away.
Throughout the war, I carried Selma’s picture in
the handle of my pistol.
As Selma’s letters kept coming, the feeling
grew that I just wanted to be closer to her. I did
not know her very well. We never dated. Her letters
were so down-to-earth, I could really relate to
them. I wanted to get to know her better. Yet the
more I pursued her, the more she rejected me. She
had a whole other life going on at home that I was
not a part of. I did not ask her to marry me through
the letters, but sometimes I would write “when
we’re together” or “when we’re married,” though
that was mainly something I was hoping for.
When I returned from my time overseas, I was
back in Salem for a few days on furlough before I
headed to Brownsville, Texas, to finish my military
service. As soon as I arrived home, I knew I had to
see Selma. We made arrangements to go out one
night. I could not wait. I arrived at her house and
knocked on the door. She opened the door and she
looked at me and said, “Oh, you grew a mustache.”
She was not that taken by the mustache, yet that
did not seem to deter us from hitting it off the rest
of the evening. We went to dinner at a Chinese
restaurant in the Hollywood District of Portland.
I remember it so well. As we talked, I got a better
· 76 ·

sense of who she was. I kept thinking to myself,
“Boy, she is the real thing. I would really like to get
together with her.”
We continued to spend time together during
those few days while I was home on furlough.
One night we were at Hill Villa, where the Chart
House restaurant is now, and we were sitting in my
car overlooking the city. We were necking and I
decided to ask Selma to marry me. I said, “Selma,
I want you to be my wife. Let’s get married.” She
said, “Let’s do it” or something like that. I guess
she was so much in love she did not even think
twice. I was thrilled; it felt right. Then I said to her,
“I need to talk to your
parents also. I want to
get their permission.”
I felt like I had to ask
Selma first to make sure
that she would say yes.
The next day I asked
her parents’ permission.
It helped that I already
enjoyed a good relationship
with them from
when we were growing
up in South Portland.
I had always been crazy about Selma’s mother,
Tillie. In fact, I called her my “girlfriend” for
as long as I can remember. Her father, Manuel,
said, “Well, I always want you to take good care
of my daughter.” They gave me their blessing. My
parents thought Selma was the finest girl they had
ever known.
As it turns out, our parents were connected
before we even got together. My mother’s sister,
Gittel, and Selma’s mother’s brother, Benjamin, got
married in Europe. Our mothers lived in the same
village in Europe, so they knew each other. They
were the first of our families to settle here and then
Bernard was a pretty cute guy. I felt like I should go for it. I said “yes” when he
proposed, even though we had spent only a few days together when he was home
on furlough. My parents were deliriously happy. Not only did they love Bernard,
but also they had not been that fond of my previous boyfriend. Bernard has been
a wonderful husband. He takes care of me, which is really important. I take care
of him too. It works both ways. It has turned out really well.
– Selma Brown
· 77 ·

Building a Strong
Foundation
As told by Bernard Brown
When we moved to Salem in 1950, we
rented a little house at 658 Breys Avenue
in Northeast Salem while we began looking for
a home to purchase. I knew the Candalaria area
from my high school days. I had always liked the
big hill in that area, which was not developed then.
The hill was woodsy and covered in Scotch broom,
which bloomed bright yellow, and there was a road
to the top with great views.
Not long after we moved to Salem, I came
across an empty lot in that area and contacted the
owner, who was willing to sell it. We paid $4,000
for the lot, which was the last one to be developed
on the corner. We obtained a loan from First
National Bank, at the new Candalaria branch. We
opened the first two accounts at the new branch.
During that time our daughter Shelley Nadene
Brown was born on May 25, 1951. We were very
excited about having our first child and we could
not wait for her arrival. It was amazing to bring her
home. She was such a beautiful baby. It is hard to
Facing page: A collection of photos highlighting the early
years of the Brown family IV
put into words the way I felt when she arrived. We
were filled with love for her and eager to welcome
her into our family.
As we acclimated to becoming new parents,
we also embarked on the project of designing
and building our first home on the lot we
had purchased. Selma worked with architect
Roscoe Hemenway to design the house. Roscoe
Hemenway was born in Cottage Grove, Oregon,
in 1899, and practiced architecture in Portland
for more than thirty years. He became one of the
city’s most prominent residential architects, with
many fine homes to his credit before his death
in 1957. The majority of his residential designs
were in the Colonial Revival style, but he also
designed some ranch style homes like ours. Roscoe
was also the architect who had designed Tillie
and Manuel’s new Portland home at 2808 NW
Cumberland Road.
We had the lot leveled and we received fill for
free from nearby excavations. After Shelley was
born, with Selma’s history of miscarriages, we did
not know if we would be able to have any more
children. With this in mind, we altered the original
· 93 ·

Shelley and I were only two-and-a-half years apart, so we shared a lot of closeness
growing up. She was a wonderful big sister. We played dolls together when we
were very young because that was the kind of activity she did in those days. She
took care of me throughout elementary school, always looking out for me since I
was a few grades behind her. Shelley had wonderful friends and they were always
very kind to me, even though they were three years older. Shelley and I both
went on to attend the University of Washington, where she helped me acclimate
to university life when I was a freshman. We continued to enjoy spending time
together as we grew older, and always look forward to our visits to this day.
I loved to play sports as a child and when Eden was old enough, I started
teaching her how to play ball, how to throw and catch. It was a lot of fun for us
to play sports together and, as a result, she grew into a very coordinated athlete.
Eden also always enjoyed hanging out with my girlfriends when I would bring
them over. A number of the girlfriends I had in high school were athletic and
liked to play sports, so I think Eden looked up to them. We would take Eden
along on some of our dates and she was always excited to be included.
– Jordan Brown
was born seven years later, on March 1, 1961, completing
our family of five. Eden was an absolutely
darling child and a beautiful baby. It was always a
pleasure to be with her. From the beginning, Eden
always looked so much like her mother. Since she
was ten when Eden was born, Shelley really took
over caring for Eden when she arrived home from
school. Shelley was like her little mother. From the
very beginning they were close. They have always
loved each other so much and still do.
Eden was a very clever and thoughtful child,
and an avid reader from a young age. She has
always been a natural at sports and held her own
when she played sports with her older sister and
brother. From the
beginning she was
very independent
and strong-willed.
She forged her
own way. We were
a little bit more
easy-going with
our parenting
approach by the Jordan
time she arrived,
which allowed her to explore and experiment from
a young age. Raising our children has been one of
our greatest joys and we had a lot of fun doing it.
· 98 ·

Jordan
Shelley
Shelley and Jordan
· 99 ·

Celebrating
Bernard and Selma
Reflections by Family and Friends
Reflections by
Frieda Cohen
Bob was my baby cousin, the favorite of the
entire family because he was so beautiful and so
sweet. Selma was like my little sister; she was an
adorable little girl. I knew both of them from the
time they were born and no day ever went by that
I was not in Selma’s home because her older sister
Betty was my best friend. The sun did not set on
a day that I did not see Betty. That was the way
we grew up. So every day I was at their house and
Tillie, Selma’s mother, was like my second mother.
They lived just about four blocks from our house,
and all the children attended the same schools. We
were very close as a family. Tillie’s brother, Ben
Lorber, was married to my aunt Gittel, my mother’s
older sister. My sister Lillian worked for Manuel,
Selma’s father. Manuel was one of the most honorable
businessmen I have ever known. He was
extremely good to my sister as an employer. He
was the type of businessman who made you wish
Facing page: A collection of images from Bernard and
Selma’s 65th wedding anniversary celebration XI
that all businesses were run by someone like him.
He worked very hard and expected his employees
to put in the same effort. That is why he loved my
sister; she was his counterpart in that way.
As a young girl, Tillie used to often come to
our house because she loved to feed and play with
my older sister Lillian when she was a baby. Of
course my parents would say, “Tillie, you’ll stay
and have dinner with us.” One of Tillie’s favorite
stories was that they had fresh pumpernickel
bread and butter on the table. My father told
her to take some and she picked up a piece and
barely smeared a little bit of butter on the bread.
My father took it away from her and lathered the
bread with butter. She told me as long as she lived,
she had never tasted anything that good. She
always appreciated my family’s friendship and generosity
to her over the years, from the time when
she had just arrived in Portland as a poor immigrant
girl into her adulthood.
Bobby’s mother, my aunt Rose, was my
mother’s baby sister and my mother adored her.
Five days a week I went to Hebrew school at the
Neighborhood House, and Bobby and his family
· 229 ·