GRANDMA ETHEL, z'l, by Joy Krauthammer

GRANDMA ETHEL of Blessed Memory

Ethel Bell Mossman 

 Grandma and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
by

- Joy Krauthammer

www.my-grandma-ethel.blogspot.com

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Grandma Ethel, z'l, of blessed memory, a Russian immigrant (as was her husband), owned a little grocery store at 312 Marshall St., beginning in 1947 (until she retired), in a poor Black neighborhood, filled with government supported housing projects, in Decatur, GA, a  4 mile square suburb of Atlanta. Before Marshall St. she lived with her family behind their first Mossman Grocery at 346 N. Mc Donough Street. She later lived on125 Patillo Way, a corner house, down the street from the railroad track.  In 1965, Grandma retired and moved from Patillo Way to University Drive, near a daughter Edith, and sister, Rebecca. Then Grandma Ethel could travel up North to visit NY family.

Grandma's husband, Abram, z'l, AKA Abe, a Kohen, had had a stroke when their children were young, was paralyzed for many years, and died six months after I was born, thus I never knew him. Grandma had the full responsibility caring for her husband and running the store, so she enlisted the help of her twin daughters and older son and daughter, living at home. My mom was the eldest and was no longer home. At the store, Grandma had to cut the delivered large meats, and chop smaller the freezer ice blocks, purchase all, stock, and sell.

All the customers loved "Mama" and she was very good to them and knew them all by name. I remember from my visits during holidays, that the children would come into the store with their clothes held up with safety pins. Grandma barely made a profit, doing her mitzvot/good deeds. In later years after Grandma died, I'd be visiting in Atlanta with my aunt Perle, and Black people would introduce themselves to us, recognizing my aunt and tell her how beloved Mama was to them. 

Grandma told me how she would send her 16 year-old twin daughters, Perle and Pauline, to feed Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was in jail down the street at the DeKalb County Jail on N. Mc Donough St. around 1954.  Grandma sent the twins, P & P, with "moon pies" for dessert because that is what MLK loved to eat. She made him a ham sandwich on white bread with mayo.* Grandma said that MLK was always getting put in jail with any excuse, when coming into the area for any "small infraction" that the cops could find; maybe "something not quite right with the car's light that he was driving."

I remember meeting Mrs. Coretta King when she was speaking years ago at my graduate school, University of Judaism, now American Jewish University. She appreciated that I shared the story with her. 

Grandma also told me how the Klu Klux Klan threatened to "TAR AND FEATHER" her because of her chesed, her kindness to the 'colored' people; not known as Black in those days, but as "colored, Negroes" or other names. Grandma called the race, the "colored folk".  Grandma said she recognized who the men were under their white KKK hoods and garments, and that hurt she said, because she knew them.   

There were few Jews where Grandma lived, not far from the grocery. I guess that was in the 1950's. Grandma shared with me that when she immigrated in 1911, one hundred years ago, from ship to America, the ship stopped in England. There for the first time she saw black people, and was scared, but thought that their skin was dirty, colored because of charcoal. That made sense because Grandma's family had worked at the train depot in Kamenitz Podalski (near Breilov/Breslov) and trains needed coal, in Russia on the Czar's land. Grandma's family would secretly stay at the depot in winter so that they too could have charcoal and stay warm from the winter cold. 

We all loved Grandma and she was loving to us all.  Grandma taught me that if "you have nothing nice to say about a person, don't say anything at all."

When my daughter was young, I took her to Atlanta to see Grandma, and also to visit the childhood home of Martin Luther King, Jr.  When we got to MLK's home, my daughter asked where the "king" was. She missed the king, but instead received all the love from her beloved great-grandmother, for the 11 years they knew each other. Grandma delighted in her great-granddaughter, Aviva Bell, named in English for Grandma's maiden name.

Sincerely,

Joy Krauthammer

Aunt Perle Mossman clarified for me that usually the "trustees", that is the prisoners, would come to the store running the errands for the jailers, and pick up special meals needed. Perle explained that MLK would often get arrested, but that with arraignment he could return for the prison sentence and serve, when he had time and was not so busy. At times MLK came and the meal had already been served, so the special meal was sent for at Grandma's grocery.  The jailers were kind enough to order the ham sandwich at $1.69 lb, versus the less costly bologna sandwich at .49 cents lb.  At times for some customers, Grandma would charge what the ingredients cost and not for a 'sandwhich'.

Perle said that when MLK was going the few miles (5) through DeKalb County from Fulton County, the Sheriff's office was on lookout to arrest MLK for anything. Desserts cost 5 cents and moon pies were big for the money. Perle also said that when the trustees came to the store for the food, they would use Mama's pay phone to do "numbers", not just for themselves, but for the jailers as well. Numbers were like a lottery.

Decatur, GA links:
video:
http://www.decaturga.com/index.aspx?page=95
About Decatur: http://www.decaturga.com/index.aspx?page=91
City maps: http://www.decaturga.com/index.aspx?page=104
map: http://www.decaturga.com/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=26

See where Grandma Ethel is from:
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Kamyanets-Podilskyy/

Please click and view OLDER POSTS at very end which include family portraits.