David Stein

Just the other day I was talking with a friend that I have known for some time (not really for the some time part, it just seems that way) and the topic of my grandfather came up in the conversation.  I had a very, very close relationship with my grandfather and he died in the early 80's.  I was born in 1958, so I was in my 20's at the time and have very adult memories of him, as well as childhood memories. It is amazing how old photographs can bring memories back!  And I realized that in the age of the internet nobody is ever totally gone in the sense of all memories being eradicated or in the sense of never being able to be found again if someone from later generations wants to find you.  But since he died in the 80's and before the internet era, he actually is nowhere to be found outside of memories and photos, which are fragile.  So now he will have an internet resting place and at least his picture can be found forever (is the internet forever?....well, I guess not if the hosting fees don't get paid, but then again there is the wayback machine that caches old pages).

So.....this is David Stein (born Berci Stein and given the name David by immigration).  He came to the United States in 1918, leaving his family behind in Europe with a plan to find opportunity and ultimately bring them to the US as well.   He worked and sent back money to bring over two of his brothers (I think it was two) but the rest decided to stay in Europe, where they all perished during World War II.  He opened a butcher shop in Newark, NJ where he raised three children.

He was an extraordinarily kind and amazing person and I could write a book about him...but this is just a blog.  I obviously never knew him when he was the age he is in this picture. But I think the photograph expresses his energy and his spirit.  And he was a pretty good looking guy! So there.....now he has his place in internet history so he can be found for generations to come.  So Google, go ahead and get David Stein in your search database!

David Stein