Bucky

My uncle, Arthur D. Bachner, “Bucky”, died this week and the funeral is today. He was two days past his 97^th birthday. 

Despite his age, it seems he suffered no known long-term illness besides being old. But he woke up, complained of stomach pain and perhaps had a stroke. Who knows?  A short while after, despite emergency medical attention, overseen by my cousin, quite a qualified nurse, he passed away. My condolences to Sindy and my other cousin, Evan, his life-partner Ed, their children, Daniella, Michael and Rebecca and their children’s children.

Bucky was married to my dearest Aunt Selma, my mother’s youngest sister, 

of the Nadel-Steckler family and their love story made it into the New York Times. I even was part of it, the 'toddler':

“And so her brother-in-law talked privately with Arthur. Then he asked Selma to babysit at his apartment while he and her sister went to the movies. She was reading on their couch, her toddler nephew fast asleep, when the bell rang. “I didn’t say ‘Who is it?’ or anything,” she said. “At the time, you just opened up the door. And Bucky was standing there.” “She had a smile on her face, and I knew that I had a chance,” he said. Six months later, they were married.”

Bucky was special in many ways. He and Selma were the ones responsible for treating me on my early birthdays. The Statue of Liberty, museums, NY Public Library. New York culture. 

One of my very first life lessons I learned from him.

Walking all the way up the Statue of Liberty he was behind me but going down, he was in front. I may have been 6 or 7 but I didn’t get the change of order. He explained that going up, if I tripped, I would fall backwards and he would be there to prevent any injury. And if I tripped descending, again, being in front, he would be there. One always needs someone to be there even if not doing anything or if anything is at that moment wrong. And now he isn’t there.

He was in the Marines* and fought in the South Pacific. 

He was in the refrigerator business and to me, he was strong and powerful. And he could prove it. 

At my Bar Mitzva, he was given the honor of raising up the Torah scroll (hagb'a) after the weekly portion had been read. It was a heavy scroll, big and with the old-fashioned wood rollers (etz chaim). As those who know, to lift it, one drops the bottom portion over the edge of the table (bima) a bit, and then one employs leverage by slowly raising it up and then, when you feel you control the balance of it, raising it up. Bucky walked up, grabbed the handles and just lifted the Torah scroll straight up, stiff-armed.

My childhood is, to my chagrin, a longways back, but I still have a vivid memory and good retention, if not perfect, and the news of his death revives so much: of the West Bronx (when I was born, it was almost 50% Jewish), until I was 7 and then later Queens where we already were, when they moved to Corona. He was funny. Quite funny. He could write backwards and I needed a mirror to read it. He did the NYTimes crossword puzzle with a pen.

He smoked, early on, a pipe (which he one let me hold while he took a dip in the sea at the Rockaways and which drew stares from people wondering why a youngster was nonchalantaly holding a pipe) and last November had a cigar.

After my cousins followed me into Betar, he and Selma provided a support group at marches, demos, overnight vigils (showing up around midnight to make sure we were okay and to supply all with hot drinks and munchies on a Manhattan sidewalk). And at Camp Betar in the Catskills. Bucky was unabashedly liberal and, perhaps, the only argument we had was over FDR. We, shall we say, discussed the Rosenbergs, too. But he was always reading and learning. I am sure reducing his library when they moved out of their New Jersey home was a painful task. Once, I, my father and Bucky were on the same couch and reading different sections of the Sunday New York Times. My aunt said to her sister, my mother, ‘the house would burn down and they wouldn’t move’.

A lot of the previous generation is gone. In fact, Bucky was the last survivor in my family of that generation. No more grandparents; no more uncles and aunts.

I last saw him end of 2019, November. 

And here we are during his 2010 trip to Israel:

My cousins took care of him well.

I could, and maybe, I should go on, but I have to get ready for the Zoom of his funeral service.

אברם דוד בן שעיה נפתלי וחיה הלוי

___________

* and they had an honor contingent at his funeral:

^

First Day in New York

We're here in Manhattan:

Lunch was at a great restaurant, U Cafe (http://www.ucafeny.com/), and it turns out he knows well our neighbor from Shiloh who hails from Paramus where he served, prior to being a restauranter, as a chazan.  I had French onion soup

my wife had grilled salmon with Israeli salad

and I had Portabella salad

and later, we had coffeee with a friend at Barnes & Noble at 86th off of Lex and there I found the book I edited with Harry Hurwitz on the shelf:



Soon to get together with my sister & brother-in-law.

^

Family History - My Father's Graduations

It has been nine years since my father, Samuel Harold Winkelman, died and going through stuff, I found these documents.

a) His JHS graduation diploma JHS 52 in The Bronx, 1933:

b) His High School Yearbook, James Monroe High School 1936:

Sometimes, Just Being A Grandfather is Neat

.

Yochai and I.


Photo credit: son-in-law Oren


Oh, and my photo:

^

I Apologize On Behalf of a Distant Relative

Reported:

Claudia Winkleman forced to apologise for F-word outburst on BBC show Film 2010

BBC1 viewers were left shocked last night when a four-letter-word rant was accidentally broadcast during Claudia Winkleman's live Film 2010 show.

Full Story.

(Kippah tip: Chaya R)

Family Visit To Bet Shemesh

Yesterday, first day of the Intermediate Days of the holiday (chol hamoed) I traveled to Bet Shemesh to visit family.

On my mother's side, the Shtecklers who came from Brody, there were 7 siblings. Four came to America. My grandmother, Sarah, died when my mother was about 12 and my grandfather went back to Brody in 1932 where he married Regina. The oldest sister was Netta or Nesha. She had three children, one of whom was Stanley Sacks. His two children, Ruthy and Mindy are my second cousins. One lives in Efrat and the other now in Bet Shemesh.

Her son, Moshe, recently got married and they visited from the States which brings me back to the beginning, my visit to them.

Here I am with the young couple:


Here's Mindy on the right:


This is Ruthy:
Some of the crowd:


Ruthy's daughter Israelah:




A good time was had by all.

Rest for the Weary

Yochai (l.) and his great-grandfather, Sidney

Rest Of Purim Pics

Some fuel:

Our local plumber disguised as a blockage:



The grill:



Grandson Yochai

Granddaughter Porat

Sabba and Yochai

Daughter and Yochai and Granddaughter Hallel

She, Claudia

My family name is Winkelman, which is why many call me Winkie.

My father's father, Julius, came from Zbarz(*), then Austria-Hungary, just south-east of Tarnapol.

This woman is Claudia Winkleman.




Her father is Barry Winkleman. His father, Willi (William), also came from Zbarz (his sister is the famous photographer, Sally Soames).

Here's Claudia's resume:-

Claudia Winkleman is one of the most sought after television presenters working today. This year she has presented Sky Movies Oscar Show for the 2007 Academy Awards and co-presented Comic Relief Does Fame Academy on BBC1, following her successful run presenting the BBC3 show and co-presented the live coverage of Concert For Diana.

At the end of last year she hosted her third series of the daily live BBC2 show Strictly Come Dancing It Takes Two...Claudia was presenter of BB3s flagship programme Liquid News.

She has presented Central Weekend Live, a live topical studio discussion show for Carlton Television and BBC 1's Holiday programme where her charm and acerbic tongue earned her her own spin off programme - an hour long prime time special which took her around the world in 34 days reporting from Japan, India, Costa Rica and Dubai.

Claudia loves to write, she has a weekly column on a Wednesday in the Independent. Also she has regularly contributed to the Sunday Times and Cosmopolitan.

Claudia graduated from Cambridge University with an MA Hons in History of Art.

Her first child, Jake, was born in March 2003 and her second child, Matilda was born in June 2006.

I think we're related.

Sally wrote me once:

I am trying for further details, Will let you know. I live in London not far from my brother Barry with whom you have been in touch. My granfather settled in London when he left Poland, or Ukraine before first world war. I will be in touch...Hello, Zbaraz is where my grandfather was born. Wilhelm Winkleman, know as William Winkleman. This is very interesting. I am contacting my brother Barry,

from Sally

========

(*)

Zbaraż 1.) a county seat in eastern Galicia, located between 49° 37' and 49° 42' longitude and 43° 25' and 43° 31' latitude from Ferro. The Gniezna [river] flows past the city, it is a tributary of the Sereth [river]. In river valley lies municipal buildings, on the northwest, from them, lies the Załuże suburb, on southeast lies the Przegrod suburb, and on the north lies the Tarnopol suburb. In the year 1890, there were 8,785 inhabitants (2,992 Roman–Catholics, 2,161 Greek-Catholics, 3,632 Jews; 2,225 Ruthenians, 6,532 Polish, 13 Germans)...By the year 1434, Zbaraż belonged to the Ukrainian prince Fedki Nieświcki...Zbaraż was burnt by the Tatars in the year 1474...Ulryk Werdum, traveling in Poland during the years 1670 to 1672, writes: "Zbaraż is a city with the title of a duchy and belongs to prince Demetrius Wiśniowiecki. New Zbaraż lies in plain near a great forest; Old Zbaraż on the mountain, about a short half mila [18] from that. This beautiful kasztel [castle] is built high from white stones. New Zbaraż meanwhile was ravaged at the beginning of the Cossack's rebellion. Nothing of it remains except great ruins, which still shine fresh with great whiteness" (Liske, Foreigners in Poland, page 158). The castle experienced in the year 1675 its second memorable catastrophe (August 2nd), when it was captured by Turks under Abraham Szyszman "so it could not badly as never more badly be", wrote Sobieski to his wife. "Was in him station of service men about full, the remainder of peasantry the great force, almost all there part of the Volhynian country, nearly five thousand. So these peasants then complain what will happen to their cottages, they desired and to protect the city. The enemy attacked the city strongly and set it on fire. Those who survived the fire escaped to castle, but Turks from the Horde separated them in half from castle and with them together with until under alone they came gate. After they had executed two assaults, other peasants, who were in the castle, revolted and began to hang out the white flag, hoping, that they [the Turks] would be lenient when they surrendered. Having seen all this, captain generał lord Kącki, a Desotel, Frenchman from Pikard, orders about 60 Hungarian dragoons, apart from the soldiers, that he does not want to allow them this, wanting defend themselves. So the peasants rushed themselves on the commanding officer, and convinced it would remove the enemy they unlocked the castle voluntarily, in which was 30 cannon. On that the Turks not respecting all wyścinali, destroyed it [the castle] with powder and burnt the city. What became of the several hundred men of the prime white sex and youth, all went into captivity (Letters of Jan Sobieski, published by A. Helca, page 268). Prince Demetrius Wiśniowiecki rebuilt the castle anew and so he and his successors kept it in a state of defence. The castle held out thanks to this during the siege in the year 1734 (father S. Barącz, "Memoir of Histories of Poland", L’vov, 1885, page 263). After the death of the last prince, Michała Wiśniowiecki, the voivode of Wileń (died 1774), Zbaraż [castle] passed together with the estate into the house of Potocki after long legal disputes. He kept it together to the beginning of present century. Around the year 1833, a sugar factory was installed which after several years went bankrupt (see "Changes", L’vov, 1833, Number 14)...