[Read by Hannah and Matthew Miller, her grandchildren]
As I thought about making these remarks, I realized that few people know my lovely wife's background. So, I decided to provide a little biography so that her life of 84 years gets the full recognition it deserves.
Pearl was a Jewish girl with braids who grew up to the age of 13 in Poland, the land of Marshal Pilsudski, Pope John and Jewish shtetls. She lived with her mother, Helen, her father, Chiel, and her older sister, Ruth.
They lived in the small town of Mielec, located near the large city of Krakow in southwestern Poland. It had a Jewish population of 7,000, which made up about half of the total population. They were poor. Their one room home had no plumbing and no outside water pump. Water was purchased from a peddler in the street.
Pearl was always a good student. She took naturally to learning and reading books. Her knowledge of Latin and Greek mythology was prodigious. Ask her any question about these two fascinating subjects and she had the answer. Her story-telling ability was well known to all who knew her.
When she was only one-year old, her father decided to move to America to make a better life for himself and his family so he took his older daughter, Ruth, with him and left his wife and Pearl in Poland.
He made his way to Manhattan's garment district where he made a living as a tailor carrying his sewing machine on his back looking for work.
After twelve years he saved enough money to bring Helen and Pearl to America. Having been apart for 12 years, they each had a different perspective on life. Helen was well-read -- she read Goethe and Schiller and was proud of her education. She spoke Polish, German and Yiddish and learned English well but Chiel who spoke the same languages only learned a few words of English.
They lived most of their lives in Boro Park, Brooklyn, where Pearl went to school; she graduated from New Utrecht High School and then went to Brooklyn College at night where she earned a degree in Sociology. During the day she worked in factories to help support the household and have carfare for school.
I met Pearl in 1942 when we were only teenagers. We worked in a factory on Perry Street in Manhattan –The Polarizing Instrument Company. The factory manufactured torpedo percussion primers for the war effort. She worked on a drill press and I worked next to her, on a punch press, feeding her the pieces to be drilled. Polarizing was one of the first companies to add women to their ranks and Pearl was among them. She was a good looker and a hard worker. To me “Pearl, the driller” was like “Rosie, the riveter.”
Because we looked like a couple made for each other, the workers on the production floor paired us off every time I approached her machine. They would sing lines from a love song to make the occasion more significant than it was.
In 1943, when I was 18, I was drafted. I left to fight in the Philippines and Pearl continued to work in different factories supporting the war effort from home. I was an infantryman and I named my rifle, Pearl, because I knew how important my weapon was in combat. It was always close to me.
When I was discharged in 1946 we were married at the Menorah Temple in Boro Park. She wore a borrowed wedding dress from a friend.
With her Bachelor degree in hand Pearl started an 18-year career as a Social Worker in New York City where she carried a caseload of 85 clients – a huge number. She worked while I completed the four-year curriculum at Cooper Union, an engineering college in Manhattan.
Pearl was the most giving person I ever met. She always put others first and was constantly doing favors and giving gifts when she could. Every Thanksgiving, we would deliver a turkey to one of Pearl’s clients – Mrs. Terry – and it was truly gratifying to meet her children and see the joy on their faces when we brought their holiday fare.
Later on, she completed her Masters degree in Education at Hofstra while I worked. In this way we both got our bachelors and master degrees.
When our precious daughter, Ruth-Joy, was born, Pearl decided to change her vocation. She took another exam and became an elementary school teacher.
She taught for 25 years – in Bedford Stuyvesant, Far Rockaway and then Howard Beach. She loved to teach and her students loved her. Many times, when we’d walk through the Green Acres Mall, we’d hear someone call out, "Mrs. Sarfaty, Mrs. Sarfaty," as a former student would rush over to say hello and reminisce. You could see the respect and love they had for her. Pearl showed interest in each and every child and believed all children had the ability to succeed in whatever they pursued as long as they worked for it. I knew it was exhausting for her but she loved doing it.
In 1996 Pearl showed signs of Alzheimer’s Disease and for the next 11 years we watched this beautiful person fade before our eyes. Alzheimer caregivers call this the long goodbye.
Even though the last years of her life were marked by sickness, Pearl will always remain the beautiful, strong, kind, courteous, generous, learned, and hard-working woman who taught me how to be a mensch in our 59 years of marriage. She was a feminist who was also feminine - a great wife, mother, grandmother and all around wonderful human being.
I loved her and now you know why.
As I thought about making these remarks, I realized that few people know my lovely wife's background. So, I decided to provide a little biography so that her life of 84 years gets the full recognition it deserves.
Pearl was a Jewish girl with braids who grew up to the age of 13 in Poland, the land of Marshal Pilsudski, Pope John and Jewish shtetls. She lived with her mother, Helen, her father, Chiel, and her older sister, Ruth.
They lived in the small town of Mielec, located near the large city of Krakow in southwestern Poland. It had a Jewish population of 7,000, which made up about half of the total population. They were poor. Their one room home had no plumbing and no outside water pump. Water was purchased from a peddler in the street.
Pearl was always a good student. She took naturally to learning and reading books. Her knowledge of Latin and Greek mythology was prodigious. Ask her any question about these two fascinating subjects and she had the answer. Her story-telling ability was well known to all who knew her.
When she was only one-year old, her father decided to move to America to make a better life for himself and his family so he took his older daughter, Ruth, with him and left his wife and Pearl in Poland.
He made his way to Manhattan's garment district where he made a living as a tailor carrying his sewing machine on his back looking for work.
After twelve years he saved enough money to bring Helen and Pearl to America. Having been apart for 12 years, they each had a different perspective on life. Helen was well-read -- she read Goethe and Schiller and was proud of her education. She spoke Polish, German and Yiddish and learned English well but Chiel who spoke the same languages only learned a few words of English.
They lived most of their lives in Boro Park, Brooklyn, where Pearl went to school; she graduated from New Utrecht High School and then went to Brooklyn College at night where she earned a degree in Sociology. During the day she worked in factories to help support the household and have carfare for school.
I met Pearl in 1942 when we were only teenagers. We worked in a factory on Perry Street in Manhattan –The Polarizing Instrument Company. The factory manufactured torpedo percussion primers for the war effort. She worked on a drill press and I worked next to her, on a punch press, feeding her the pieces to be drilled. Polarizing was one of the first companies to add women to their ranks and Pearl was among them. She was a good looker and a hard worker. To me “Pearl, the driller” was like “Rosie, the riveter.”
Because we looked like a couple made for each other, the workers on the production floor paired us off every time I approached her machine. They would sing lines from a love song to make the occasion more significant than it was.
In 1943, when I was 18, I was drafted. I left to fight in the Philippines and Pearl continued to work in different factories supporting the war effort from home. I was an infantryman and I named my rifle, Pearl, because I knew how important my weapon was in combat. It was always close to me.
When I was discharged in 1946 we were married at the Menorah Temple in Boro Park. She wore a borrowed wedding dress from a friend.
With her Bachelor degree in hand Pearl started an 18-year career as a Social Worker in New York City where she carried a caseload of 85 clients – a huge number. She worked while I completed the four-year curriculum at Cooper Union, an engineering college in Manhattan.
Pearl was the most giving person I ever met. She always put others first and was constantly doing favors and giving gifts when she could. Every Thanksgiving, we would deliver a turkey to one of Pearl’s clients – Mrs. Terry – and it was truly gratifying to meet her children and see the joy on their faces when we brought their holiday fare.
Later on, she completed her Masters degree in Education at Hofstra while I worked. In this way we both got our bachelors and master degrees.
When our precious daughter, Ruth-Joy, was born, Pearl decided to change her vocation. She took another exam and became an elementary school teacher.
She taught for 25 years – in Bedford Stuyvesant, Far Rockaway and then Howard Beach. She loved to teach and her students loved her. Many times, when we’d walk through the Green Acres Mall, we’d hear someone call out, "Mrs. Sarfaty, Mrs. Sarfaty," as a former student would rush over to say hello and reminisce. You could see the respect and love they had for her. Pearl showed interest in each and every child and believed all children had the ability to succeed in whatever they pursued as long as they worked for it. I knew it was exhausting for her but she loved doing it.
In 1996 Pearl showed signs of Alzheimer’s Disease and for the next 11 years we watched this beautiful person fade before our eyes. Alzheimer caregivers call this the long goodbye.
Even though the last years of her life were marked by sickness, Pearl will always remain the beautiful, strong, kind, courteous, generous, learned, and hard-working woman who taught me how to be a mensch in our 59 years of marriage. She was a feminist who was also feminine - a great wife, mother, grandmother and all around wonderful human being.
I loved her and now you know why.
