Reflections of Liberty: Memoir by Barbara Post-Askin

By Barbara Post-Askin

The stories of Barbara Post-Askin’s struggles and triumphs during many of the darkest years of this country’s history illuminate the forgotten potential of the American people. These tales of experience take us back to a time when freedom, hard work, perseverance, and family connections were the undeniable
rights of our young nation’s population. From the steam ships that carried hopeful immigrants to this new land of opportunity, to the tragedies surrounding the brutality of World War II, Reflections of Liberty takes readers on a journey of national, spiritual, and personal revival. Braided with humor and romance, but also
fear and uncertainty, these stories remind readers of the power of interpersonal trust and connection, while also shedding light on the dangerous parallels that are becoming ever more visible between today’s political climate and that of an early 20th century America. Although the spirit of Post-Askin’s stories remains true to the author’s intent, the events depicted are based primarily in memory, and some of the unrecorded chapters of her family’s lives have been revived via educated creativity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Apr 28, 2014
• ISBN: 9780991301331

Book preview

Reflections of Liberty

Memoir

by Barbara Post-Askin

From the steam ships that carried hopeful immigrants to this new land of opportunity, to the tragedies surrounding the brutality of World War II, Reflections of Liberty takes readers on a journey of national, spiritual, and personal revival.

About the Author

Barbara Post-Askin was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She married the love of her life, David Askin, and their lasting love brought them three beautiful children to carry on their legacy. After the birth of their children, Marc, Shelley and Lawrence, Barbara became an accomplished estate planner in the state of New York. She currently resides in Tampa, Florida.

Reflections of Liberty

Memoir by Barbara Post-Askin

Self Publishing

Copyright© 2013, Barbara Post-Askin

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored or transmitted by any means- whether auditory, graphic, mechanical or electronic-without written permission of both Publisher and Author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. If excerpts are used, proper citation of the novel is required. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and punishable by law.

ISBN 978-0-9913013-1-7 (Print)

ISBN 978-0-9913013-3-1 (eBook)

Foreword

The stories of Barbara Post-Askin’s struggles and triumphs during many of the darkest years of this country’s history illuminate the forgotten potential of the American people. These tales of experience take us back to a time when freedom, hard work, perseverance, and family connections were the undeniable rights of our young nation’s population. From the steam ships that carried hopeful immigrants to this new land of opportunity, to the tragedies surrounding the brutality of World War II, Reflections of Liberty takes readers on a journey of national, spiritual, and personal revival. Braided with humor and romance, but also fear and uncertainty, these stories remind readers of the power of interpersonal trust and connection, while also shedding light on the dangerous parallels that are becoming ever more visible between today’s political climate and that of an early 20th century America.

Although the spirit of Post-Askin’s stories remains true to the author’s intent, the events depicted are based primarily in memory, and some of the unrecorded chapters of her family’s lives have been revived via educated creativity.

This book was inspired by and is dedicated to every member of my wonderful family. I thank you all for having the courage and willingness to share our history and heritage. I hope you pass it on for generations to come - never forgetting how we all became a strong and united family - forever!

And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.

-Abraham Lincoln

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my daughter Shelley for inspiring my desire, and for being instrumental in leading the pathway for me to provide the legacy of our heritage, for our children and our children’s children. I could not have done this without her burning determination in coordinating and building the team necessary for this endeavor.

An additional thank-you to our dedicated support team for helping turn my dream of writing this book into a reality. To Juliana, Tiffany, Brandie and Paige: Your skills and hard work are deeply appreciated.

Reflections of Liberty

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Far Reaching Roots: My Family’s Settlement in America

Chapter 2. Growing Up in the Depression: A Simple, Happy Childhood

Chapter 3. My Two Working Parents

Chapter 4. The Important Connections of Family

Chapter 5. Celebrating Mealtimes and Holidays During the Great Depression

Chapter 6. Earning Our Keep: Life before Credit Cards

Chapter 7. My Tendencies toward Injury and Illness

Chapter 8. The Glamour of Hollywood

Chapter 9. Take Nothing for Granted: Appreciating our Possessions

Chapter 10. World War II: The Strength of a Great Nation

Chapter 11. After the War: America’s Recovery

Chapter 12. Past, Present, and Future: Making a Difference is Now Up to You!

Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.

- Albert Einstein

Chapter ONE

Far Reaching Roots

My Family’s Settlement in America

What value is a life unrecorded? What good can we relate with forgetting? Our spirits live on in our memories; our lessons are passed down through our stories. I grew up during a time without the instant ability to photograph with a cell phone, without the access to shared information of the internet, without the obsessive posting on Facebook. I grew up during a time when we relied on our families, friends, and communities as a source of connection—when to ‘share’ or ‘like’ something meant you had to actually see it with your own eyes, and pass it between your own hands. The Great Depression (1) and World War II (2) seem so far away to today’s generations, conjured as the scenes in faded photographs portrayed in the rampant media of the present day. But the faces in those photographs once existed as living, breathing Americans, and those people continue to exist so clearly in my memory. The stories of the past often remove the human elements, yet what would any event be without each individual’s recollections? In my memories, in my stories, the past relies on its players: the hardworking, loyal, courageous people who risked their lives over and over to ensure the prosperity of their families, to protect the lives of their fellow countrymen, and to preserve the wonder and magic of their stories.

My tales begin even before my time, with my Polish grandparents on my mother’s side. It was in the early part of the 20th century, and as Jewish persecution increased in Poland, my Grandfather Morris worried about the safety of his family. His wife, my Grandmother Hannah, had just given birth to her first son, my Uncle Ben. Morris knew that in order for his family to survive, he must take action to make a better life for them. Like many Poles and Jews, he and his brother Phillip discussed the idea of going to America, agreeing that it was the right thing to do for their families, no matter the cost. They talked it over with their families and received their blessing to begin the long journey.

Eventually, my Grandfather Morris and his brother Phillip scraped up enough money to buy their steamship tickets to America, with a little left over to help supplement their difficult endeavor to this far off land. The brothers would make the trip together and, like many stories go, save up in America in order to bring the rest of their loved ones overseas. Their hearts were very heavy knowing that they had to leave their families behind. Despite the fear and doubt that plagued my grandparents at the thought of leaving one another, my Grandmother Hannah told my Grandfather Morris that he must go, that there was no life bringing up a Jewish family in Poland. There was too much hatred for the Jews in their homeland. There was no choice anymore. Seven years later, it seemed that Morris’s risks and hard work would finally pay off.

Morris awoke one Tuesday morning on the hard mattress of a brick boarding house near the New Jersey shoreline. A dull light drifted through the mossy shade covering the window. A bedframe screeched as Phillip, Morris’s brother, rolled over. Phillip sat up and pushed his hair from his eyes, glancing at Morris with a small smile. Good morning, Phillip said to his brother.

Morris himself sat up and placed his feet against the floorboards. He inhaled deeply, steadying his hands against his knees. Despite his recent waking, his heart pounded in his throat. Good morning, he replied. With a nervous sigh, he looked toward the window. Today is the day.

Standing up, Morris breathed again, audibly, as if to remind his own lungs to function. Please God, he said as he pulled on his trousers and secured their suspenders, please deliver my family to me safely. Please let this wait be over.

Phillip walked behind his brother and placed a steady hand on his shoulder. Everything will be fine, he said.

Carrying a small piece of luggage packed for this short trip, the brothers left the building, dropping a few coins into the hand of the landlord for their stay. Walking out onto the street, Morris caught himself wringing his hat between his palms. Phillip chuckled and pulled the hat out from his brother’s clutches, placing it gingerly on Morris’s head.

Morris cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders. Seven years, he said. Seven years since I’ve seen them. Seven years since I’ve held her in my arms... since I’ve heard his tiny laugh... The baby would, of course, no longer be a baby. He had grown into a sturdy child, Morris knew, from the scant photographs he’d received since leaving Poland. His first son, grown up without a father present... Morris felt guilt for his absence, but shook his head to ward it off. There had been no choice. The opportunity in America would wash away all guilt.

Phillip walked beside his brother quietly, knowing his mind was racing. Morris continued to think about meeting Ben, his son, essentially for the first time, as he walked quickly down the street towards the shipyards. Steam rose out on the ocean, pumped into the air by the drifting ships. One of those ships contained his loved ones, he knew. His little boy, and his wife. His wife. Hannah, he whispered to himself, nearly choking on her name. He steadied himself once more with a breath and continued to the shore, Ellis Island (3) coming into view.

In a dimly lit cabin below deck, Hannah’s attention snapped back to the present as a sharp sneeze issued from the small boy lying next to her. It was morning, she guessed, by the increase of bustling noise she could hear coming through the door, ringing down from the ceiling. She had not slept. The sniffling of her son filled her whole body with fear as the ship approached New York. To her, it was just a cold, nothing too much to worry about, probably brought on by the stress of the journey. But to the American health inspectors, it could be a reason to deny them entry into the country. There was no fooling around with foreign diseases, and she worried about her ability to convince anyone that Ben’s sickness was nothing serious. She took a deep breath and tried to push it out of her mind, trying to convince herself that she could wish it away.

Ben sat up in the small bed and