ROBY'S UNVEILING

Seven months have passed. Sunday, July 17th, the unveiling was held at the Mt. Nebo Kendall Memorial Gardens cemetery. Bernice was there with her sons, Howard and Lynda and Ed and his friend Sherry. Very dear friends of Roby and Bernice, Rita and David also attended. Ellen and Robert and Jeff and Debbie were there. Cantor Rachelle Nelson from Temple Beth Am conducted a very meaningful service. Bernice told me "the service was warm and loving - a wonderful tribute to Bob from our Cantor who knew him for many years and truly loved him. I read a few things and Jeff also." Barry and I wish we could have been there - we both miss him a lot. As in, every Red Sox game we watch...............

He is sorely missed but will always be remembered in his writings, in our memories, and there will be a special section in the Temple Beth Am library dedicated to him along with some of his writings including the Hagaddah he wrote. Eventually, more of his writings will be available on his blog Robert Sandler's Views.

JULIUS SILVERMAN - THE MALDEN YEARS 1964-1974

Recently, Barry and I have been peppered with questions by our friends regarding Julius Silverman and his possible relationship with Whitey Bulger, Irish mobster recently captured by the FBI. (see Boston Herald)

My acupuncturist asked me if Julius knew Whitey. I said I didn't know but that I would ask Barry. Barry said no, however, he was friends with the Angiulo brothers, Frankie + Jerry from the the Italian Mafia ! (see Wikipedia )  He told me Shirley went shopping in Manhattan for the day with one of their wives. They departed from the '57' restaurant where Julius and Shirley went out on their first date.

WELCOME TO THE MALDEN YEARS 

Enter Julius Silverman. In May, 1963 Shirley went out on her first date with Julius. When he came to pick her up on 104 American Legion Highway, she told me to stay in my bedroom with the door closed. He didn't know about me. Shirley was a bookkeeper and she met and married a bookmaker !

Whitey Bulger, for those who might not be paying attention to the FBI's Most Wanted list lately, was recently captured by the FBI for his alleged role in organized crime in the Boston area, as head of the Irish Mob. (see Wikipedia) His arrest has made national news, major headlines in every newspaper documenting the FBI arresting him in his condo in Santa Monica. 

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MALDEN SILVERMAN YEARS

Barry was born a year after they married on may 12, 1965 ! I was thrilled ! Finally I had a sibling ! I did not care that he was 15 years younger than me. He was like a living doll that I could take everywhere. When he got older I took him to movies, concerts, museums, etc. When I lived in Cambridge, he stayed over a lot and he still has fond memories of those days and how much fun it was to live in Cambridge on Mass. Ave. right down the street from the Orson Welles cinema, Uncle Bunny's Incredible Edibles ice cream place and an arcade, 1001 Plays that had a three dimensional huge pinball sign.........but i digress......

The FBI came to the door of 45 Lillian Road one morning at 6:30 am; "OPEN UP, THIS IS THE FBI, OPEN THE DOOR OR WE WILL BREAK IT DOWN !!!!  Yikes !

He was arrested on September 12, 1972 after tapping our phones we learned later.  Barry must have been around seven; he was sent downstairs to my room. I was scared to death. The fact that the FBI came to my house was so surreal, it was like I was watching a movie.....how could this be happening in Malden, Massachusetts ? !  To me ?!?! Barry was a little boy...we were both scared to death and cowered under the covers. Barry peeked out and remembers they looked behind the paintings on the wall. Looking for cash. It was a sting operation.  They arrested  a lot of bookies that day in Malden and elsewhere. The story I got was that they all had their cars towed away. Not Julius. The car stayed in the driveway. He was back in a few hours as I remember and then it was back to the Club (operating out of the DAV), business as usual. They took all the phones, from our house and the Club.

*see: On a side note – if you are interested in reading a book about Jewish gangsters and bootleggers during Prohibition, my gangster-historian father (Paul Maccabee, author of John Dillinger Slept Here), recommends the following: But He Was Good to His Mother, Tough Jews, and Meyer Lansky’s biography Little Man.

http://tcjewfolk.com/bootlegging-rabbis/ by Leora Maccabee Aug 21, 2009 

FOURTH OF JULY-TWILIGHT ZONE MARATHON

Welcome to Sullivan Way, Chez Barry's for our fourth of July barbecue. We picked up a chicken at Brookline's brand new kosher butcher, Grapeleaves. Then it was off to Whole Foods for veggies and salmon. I did get into an altercation in the produce department - when I picked up a bunch of collard greens, a woman appeared out of nowhere and said "those are My collard greens !" I laughed and said ."you're kidding" and she said no, so i said, "here you go"- there were 75 bunches sitting there ! Finally she laughed too.....We barbecued a chicken using Barry's 'chicken thing' otherwise known as a vertical roaster. (vegetarians please avert your eyes) Grillmeister Barry made perfect grilled peppers with garlic......

A man, his dog and a grill.

What else do you want ? THE TWILIGHT ZONE MARATHON......

Barry and I watched till our eyeballs fell out of our heads..........we have both seen each episode probably a hundred times so we know them by heart. Watching on a 56" TV set was like seeing them for the first time ! I watched them in the original series in the '50's , every friday night in Boby's house. This time I have Miss Lena to snuggle with.