COMMUNITY ANGELS COME TO CLEM’S AID
CLEMENT SOFFER
THIS IS THE FIFTH INSTALLMENT OF MY FAMILY’S EXODUS FROM EGYPT, CLEMENT SOFFER’S LIFE STORY. IN THE LAST INSTALLMENT, CLEM VISITED FRANCE, ENGLAND, SWITZERLAND, HOLLAND, BELGIUM, AND ITALY, THEN HE FINALLY RECEIVED A VISA TO GO TO THE USA, AS A STUDENT AT THE MIRRER YESHIVA. WHEN HE ARRIVED, HE FOUND THE SCHOOL VERY STRICT AND RAN AWAY. WE PICK UP AS CLEM SPENDS A SECOND NIGHT ON A PARK BENCH PONDERING HIS FATE.
That night I decided if something good didn’t happen the next day, I would return to Mirrer Yeshiva with my tail between my legs. I had been gone for 48 hours and I would have to suffer the consequences for leaving. I was humiliated and very upset that I was failing in my desire to improve my situation in America, but I needed help.
The following morning, as I washed my face in a park fountain, a young man about my age began talking to me. He asked where I was from and if I was Jewish. At first I didn’t answer, but eventually said I was from Egypt and I was Jewish. He told me that he was Syrian Sephardic, and he was going to Magen David Yeshivah, which was just around the corner and it was for Sephardic Jews. I felt this was a sign from the Almighty to continue on the road I had chosen.
I asked if there were many Sephardic Jews in this neighborhood. His answer — the entire neighborhood was inhabited by Sephardic Jews. I then admitted to him I needed help. He said I should go to the main synagogue to meet with Chief Rabbi Kassin, because he might help me. I immediately left the park and walked to 67th Street. As I was walking, the thought came to me that if I had gone to the right upon exiting Mirrer Yeshiva, instead of to the left, this wouldn’t have happened. This was another helping hand from Hashem.
I was going to ask Rabbi Kassin to help me get a job, so I could save my family ASAP. When I arrived at the synagogue there were many men praying. I waited until Rabbi Kassin went to his office and followed him, then told him my story and asked if he could help me get a job. Much to my surprise, Rabbi Kassin told me I was an ungrateful kid. It was illegal to work at my age and that the people at Mirrer were probably very worried about me. He told me that I had it all: housing, food, education in Torah and a proper visa and I ran away from it. He added that I must go back immediately to Mirrer Yeshiva. I pleaded, and although I told him how unhappy I was, he would not listen. As a kid it was difficult for me to understand this great Rabbi was trying his best to protect me and keep me in the USA.
He eventually saw how stubborn I was and wrote down the name of an Egyptian rabbi who might help me. Unbelievably, the name was familiar to me. He was the brother of Rabbi Abraham Choueka, Rabbi Aharon Choueka.
I could tell that Rabbi Kassin thought I was a bad boy. I walked out of his office with tears in my eyes. Here I was in America, where the streets were supposed to be paved with gold, yet I was starving, cold and dirty, but my pride would not let me go back to Mirrer Yeshiva.
As I walked, I heard a woman ask why I was crying. Her voice was kind and friendly, and she had a graceful look to her that was sincere. I told her what had happened with Rabbi Kassin. She understood and explained to me that he meant well, and was trying to protect me as a foreign boy in this country and that I was jeopardizing my visa status by leaving the yeshiva, and trying to work below the legal age would only jeopardize me more. I didn’t know these things when I left Mirrer.
She said I looked hungry and dirty and invited me to her home, where she directed me to take a bath and then fed me breakfast. She explained that she was of Jewish Syrian descent, and that her name was Sophie Maslaton. She said that she would like to help me, and understood why I wanted to get my family out of Egypt. It was the first time that a grown-up agreed with me. She made a phone call to a gentlemen named Isadore Dayan, but he was called Nouri. He was another Angel sent to me from Hashem. He was a philanthropist with a great, caring heart and president of another synagogue not too far away, called Ahi Ezer. He asked Sophie to keep me with her until the evening when he could come to see me.
After that, she sat me down and opened a box she called a TV. I had never seen one before. It was like a movie but smaller. I was glued to that screen full of amazement.
Sundown came and I finally met this wonderful human being named Nouri Dayan. He immediately understood my dilemma and explained to me that he came from Syria and lost his parents at an early age. He understood my need to bring my family as soon as I could. He explained that I needed first and foremost to adjust the status of my visa. He said that he could help me with that since Ahi Ezer Synagogue had a registered Sephardic yeshiva, and I could attend those classes. He arranged a transfer from the Mirrer to Ahi Ezer Yeshiva. However, he made it clear that I could not work for at least two years. That was a tough position to be in, but it was a fact that I had to accept.
He immediately provided housing for me in a home across the street and opened an account for me at a kosher restaurant. He told me to eat there daily and to attend the yeshiva, in addition he gave me a stipend and took care of all my expenses. I was in the hands of very warm people who wanted to help me. Every Saturday I ate all three meals at the home of his partner, another Angel named Rubin Bibi, and his wife Esther Bibi. I developed a great affection and respect for both of them, and it was reciprocated. They were real angels, and in all respects, they adopted me like a son. I respected and considered them my adopted parents.
I felt very much at home with this community. Ahi Ezer took over the sponsorship of my visa and immigration papers.
Finally, when I was old enough to get a job, I applied to be a messenger for a diamond polishing company. After a month, I asked if I could polish diamonds. But despite the protective goggles that I was wearing, by the end of the day my eyes were bloodshot. After a few days I got worried about this problem. I quit this job and I asked one of the sons of Mr. Bibi if I could work for his company, a wholesaler of chandeliers made in Spain and Portugal. He hired me. I worked for a while, but was not making enough money to bring my parents to Brooklyn.
One day I decided to see more of the beautiful USA. I went to the Port Authority and stopped at a counter by chance. I asked the ticket seller what the last stop on this Trailways bus line was. He answered, “Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.” The word “beach” was attractive to my mind. I paid $22 for the ticket and got on the bus. I had with me my work permit which was a part-time student visa, but I needed full time work. I thought if I worked full time in NY, the immigration department might pick me up, but it would be harder for immigration to find me in Myrtle Beach. I would be less conspicuous.
When I arrived, I walked straight to Main Street and East Ninth, and looked for a sign for employment. I found a beach store that was looking for help and started to work there for $1 an hour, 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, and time and a half for over 40 hours. It was more money than I ever made, but the owners were not kind to me. So, I quit that job and looked for another.
I found a job as a stock boy in a far bigger store. When I went to the basement to work, it was a mess. I asked the manager for some wood, and was given some 2” x 4” wood beams, nails and a hammer. With this I made shelving so I could organize the clothing by sizes and colors to better manage the inventory. I separated all the different items that the store carried. With the shelving it became a simple task. Then I figured out a way for the cashier to tell me what she needed without screaming. It worked like magic.
The owner came one day and complemented me on all the improvements that I had made. He asked me to come upstairs in the store and see if I could make some improvements there as well. I made some changes which pleased the customers and the owner, but the manager was not pleased at all. When he fired me, I took my bag, went back to Trailways and bought a ticket to a different city.
While waiting at the bus stop, the owner of another large beach store named Mr. Edward Massry passed by and saw me with a suitcase. He asked where was I going and why I left my job. I told him the manager fired me, because I kept increasing the productivity of the store. He laughed and offered me a job.
Mr Massry was a kind-hearted person caring and generous. I was hired to assist him as a salesman. A couple of weeks later he opened a new store and trusted me enough to make me the manager. My salary was increased and a bonus was added if the store performed well. This was a great incentive for me to do well So there I was at age 18 the manager of 12 employees, some of whom were much older than me. Finally, I was beginning to see the possibility of being able to save some serious money for my family. Hashem had sent to me another angel — Mr. Edward Massry.
