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My father’s mother, my paternal grandmother, would always tell me that Sol and her father in-law David Joe (the one who was a local hero), were the only two people in the whole family basically that loved to get together and “L’Chaim” everything. They would sit together at the table, fill up a shot glass or the like and make a toast to something and “L’Chaim”, celebrating life’s moments, big and small.
L’Chaim, you may know, is another way of meaning “Cheers”. But it actually translates to “To Life” or even more accurately “To Lives”, the plural. It’s been said for at least 2,000 years before drinking wine or liquor.
I think it’s actually very apropos that the two of them did this.
Sol & George and their employees at Lorimer Shoe Factory, August 1926
David helped to save peoples lives and Sol helped others live a better one.
Before the Great Depression of 1929, Sol and one of his brothers, George, owned a shoe manufacturing factory. Sol THRIVED in that environment. He had many people working for him. He got to use his creativity. He felt useful.
But, in the wake of the tumultuous economy, he and his brother were forced to close the doors of their beloved business.
Unsure of what to do with himself, with his creative mind and hands, during a time when people could barely get a job, he decided to open his own small shoe store down the road from where he and his family lived in Brooklyn.
The throngs of bustling employees that he once worked with were evaporated into the not-so-distant past and replaced by one employee.
He was so bored.
There were a lot of quiet moments in the store, and he would stare out at the streets, seeing so many people walking by in need. He noticed that there were people who had difficulty walking or had a disability that prevented them from walking, and their shoes, and for some lack of shoes, made it difficult.
So, in those hushed moments, he would sneak off to the back room. He would shut the door behind him, flick on the lamp, take out some paper and channel his genius into designing unique shoes. But this time, the energy was funneled into helping those who had a hard time walking.
After hours and days of toiling, he would bring out the materials that he did have in the store, and then MAKE the shoes. He brought them up to the front of the store and displayed them proudly.
Somehow, the word got out that in addition to everyday footwear, he specialized in shoes that could help people. His business never quite boomed as you can imagine during the Depression. But his doors stayed open until he was able to open a new slipper factory years later.
These special shoes changed not only his life, but so many other people around him. The creativity that surrounded him gave him strength and the world around him just the same.
These were life-changing shoes. There was magic in the midst of the depression.
And sometimes, when I feel uninspired by the simplicity of my own contribution to the world, I look to my ancestors. We each have our own purpose and journey, for ourselves and the world around us. But when it feels like all bets are off, we sometimes have to look to others by example to remember what is already within us. And, that can include our ancestors.
Thank you, Sol. Happy Father’s Day.
What’s something that inspires your about your ancestors? Comment below!
Want to learn more about your family history, find living relatives or create a family tree? In honor of Father’s’ Day, I’m extending the friends & family rate through Father’s Day, June 16, 2019! CONTACT ME for details.