One Splendid Day: Lester, Hyman and Charlotte

On Jan. 31, as usual, I felt propelled by numerous historical inquiries.  Following hours of reading, writing and emailing, I enjoyed a lengthy phone conversation with a quite elderly friend who no longer lives in Little Rhody.

More than 20 years ago, I wanted to write an article about an astounding painting that once belonged to the RISD Museum.  Picasso’s “La Vie,” created in 1903, had been miraculously acquired in 1937, but then “deaccessioned,” a fancy word for sold, only seven years later.

In 1945, this stunning example of Picasso’s Blue Period was acquired by the distinguished Cleveland Art Museum. I have seen it there, and in numerous exhibitions elsewhere.  The RISD Museum’s archives preserved some basic facts about “La Vie,” but not enough information to guide me further.

Given that much of my deep fascination with Picasso relates to the beauty of horror –specifically the Spanish Civil War – I somehow came up with another question.  And it was not how horror and beauty could possibly have some meaning for Jews.

Rather, knowing that many American Jews had joined the Abraham Lincoln Brigade to fight in the Spanish Armageddon, I wondered if there had been any volunteers from the Ocean State.  And how could I possibly find out?

Fortunately, my curiosity led me to many fragmentary sources, including an archive about American volunteers that was temporarily housed at Brandeis University.  So I went there several times – far more than I had imagined.  The result was an article published in the 2001 issue of the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Notes.

I was able to identify nine Gentiles who had lived at least briefly in Rhode Island before traveling to Spain to fight with Republican forces against Gen. Francisco Franco’s legions.

I also found Lester Jacobs, who had lived at 55 Warrington St., in South Providence, only a few blocks from where Temple Beth-El’s second synagogue, built in 1911, still stands.  He was most likely a Jew.  Unfortunately, I was unable to uncover much information about him – where he was born and grew up, and what he did for a living.  I did learn, however, that this idealist gave his life for Spanish democracy.

In recent years, I have occasionally wondered if I could gather some more shreds of information about Jacobs and the people he loved.  The internet has created amazing possibilities, and I have come to rely on Ancestry.com on an almost daily basis.

So, on Jan. 31, I discovered several facts.  For example, Lester lost his life in October 1937, at the Battle of Fuentes de Ebro.

There was another American volunteer, Hyman Jacobs, in Spain, so I sought to determine if these idealists were more than ideological brothers.  Indeed, they were; census records show that their Russian-born parents were Rubin and Rebecca, and that Lester was about two years older than Hyman.

Fortunately, Hyman survived and returned from Spain, possibly on the Île de France, which sailed from Le Havre to New York City in October 1938.  Unless this was another Hyman Jacobs.

But did Lester’s brother have a family?  How long did he live? Where is he buried?

Through my persistence and some measure of good luck, I could see from various federal and state census records, as well as city directories, that the Jacobs family had lived in Roxbury, Massachusetts, during the 1930s and ’40s.

After learning that Lester and Hyman were born in New York, I eventually discovered that this was not Manhattan, but Rochester.  Then I could identify their maternal grandparents – Jacob and Etta Hamburg – and even the Jewish cemetery near Rochester where they are buried.

Similarly, I found the graves of Lester and Hyman’s parents in Sharon Memorial Park.  I also discovered that in May 1937, Hyman somehow survived a torpedo attack on a Spanish ship that killed 70 Republican fighters.

Unfortunately, I have not discovered what brought Lester to Providence and what sustained him here.  I doubt that I ever will.

Occasionally, I have wondered about an old friend, Charlotte Penn, a fellow Beth-El member who was responsible for deepening my involvement in the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association.  She and I met more than 30 years ago, but we became better acquainted a few years later, when I taught a temple course on genealogical research.

She then recruited me for the historical association’s board, and in 2003, thanks to Gene Weinberg and other leaders, I succeeded Bob Berkelhammer as president.  Weinberg is now around 95, and he still cares deeply about the association, as does his slightly younger neighbor, Mel Zurier.

About a decade ago, Charlotte Penn left Rhode Island to live in a senior-citizens home in Northborough, Massachusetts, close to her younger son, Jonas.  I occasionally wondered what had become of her.  So, about a year ago, having figured out how to reach Jonas by email, I inquired about her.  Charlotte was in her late 90s then, and Jonas didn’t encourage me to visit.  Perhaps I would be shocked or disappointed.

Then, a few days before researching the Jacobs family, I emailed Jonas again. Yes, Charlotte was relatively well, and I could give her a call.  So I did, on Jan. 31.

I easily recognized the upbeat sound of her voice, and we chatted and laughed for nearly an hour.  Of course, she had to tell me about her ongoing devotion to genealogical research, which has resulted in an ever-expanding family tree, as well as many photo albums.

Needless to say, she also told me about her four adorable great-grandchildren, and her eagerness to see the kids’ grandmother – her daughter – once again.  Cori Maass had passed away in 2009.

Only somewhat in jest, Charlotte said she planned to decorate a new home, “upstairs,” where they could visit each other. She also mentioned that she had planned for a young Rhode Island rabbi to officiate at her funeral, but he, my contemporary, had passed away.

Charlotte added that she had outlived all of her closest friends, who had so much enjoyed traveling together, but a few others call once in a while.  Yes, she would be happy to read the latest issue of the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Notes, if her eyesight allowed it.

Strangely, it did not occur to me until later on that my quests to learn more about Lester, Hyman and Charlotte were closely related.  Lester had lived about 25 years, and Charlotte will turn 100 in October.  Did Hyman, who surely mourned his brother, also live a long and fulfilling life?

I felt so grateful to have encountered this remarkable trio.  Then I reminded myself that my research had begun with “La Vie,” Picasso’s haunting, timeless painting.

GEORGE M. GOODWIN, of Providence, is the editor of Rhode Island Jewish Historical Notes.