Life in America

1900: Chelsea, MA

Acting as a transition home, the appartment in Chelsea was the launch pad for the family in America.

Rags

  • When Morris arrived in the United States, he took a job selling rags in Boston Harbor

    • "He absolutely despised the job" (Weiss)

    • He was a well educated man (he attended Yeshiva back in the homeland) who could speak fluent English (meaning assimilation was easier)

Cars

  • Morris believed that the horse and buggy was a "doomed" industry

    • He thought that cars were going to become "the next big thing"

    • Working under General Motors, Morris opened the first autoparts shop in Massachusetts at 531 Columbia Road in Dorchester (he eventually opened up 15 shops)

    • Devoting his life to the company he founded, Standard Auto Gear, Morris eventually passed his love of entrepreneurship to his children

1911(ish): Dorchester, MA

Seeking more space for their growing family, Morris and Sarah moved to Dorchester, MA.

Business

The Depression

  • Even during the Great Depression, Morris and his sons were able to keep Standard Auto Gear going strong

    • "No one could afford to buy new cars, but in order to keep their old ones running, they needed new parts" (Weiss)

  • Instead of taking cash, the company bartered for compensation

    • Weiss distinctly remembers a customer bringing "enormous boxes of tea" in exchange for a car part

Family

Growing Up

  • Sarah's job was the homemaker: cleaning, taking care of the children, and cooking

    • Sarah learned English, eventually teaching Yiddish to Julius

  • Julius and his brothers had happy childhoods

  • However, the highest level of education that Julius attained was his junior year of high school, something that would significantly impact his children

    • At this point, Julius went to work for Standard Auto Gear full-time as an assistant manager

Julie, Bernard, and Anna

Onset, MA

  • In 1936(ish), Julie decided that he had enough money to buy a house on Cape Cod to relax in

  • Anna wanted a house in Falmouth; it was close to Hyannis where she could go shopping

  • Julie thought that it would take too long to travel there (there were no highways then)

    • Onset was much closer, so Julie bought one there

  • The house acted as a vacation place for the family, staying in the family for years

Movies

  • Morris noticed the growing popularity of movies

  • He founded one of the first movie theaters in the Greater-Boston area (Weiss recalls that it was in either Chelsea or Everett)

    • "One of Morris' sisters made the popcorn while the other sold tickets" (Weiss)

  • Morris opened more theaters across the state, however he had to close them all when World War II hit

Julie and his car.

Julie and his car (date unknown).

Julie's Family

  • Julius met Anna Lebow through mutual friends

    • Anna was a "catch back in her day - she was even proposed to by a lawyer" (Weiss)

    • Anna and Julie were married in November of 1931

    • The newlyweds moved into Morris' home in Dorchester

  • Julie and Anna had three children, Bernard (born 1934), Paul (born 1936), and Sheila (born 1938)

Onset in the 1920s.

Special Featurette: World War I

  • In 1917, Julius was drafted to the army

    • While he did not deploy, the 21 year-old Julie honorably completed his service

  • Julie, growing up around an autoparts store, was very comfortable around cars

    • He made the mistake of saying that he knew how to drive and fix them

    • Julie was assigned the exhausting task of tinkering with and testing trucks before they were shipped off to Europe

  • After a year, Julie volunteered to be a cook

    • While having no background or knowledge in the field, Julie rose to the task

    • Weiss claims that Julie was "only in the kitchen to eat"

1941: Brookline, MA

Lifestyle

  • Economically speaking, the family was wealthy, however, Julie hated when people displayed their wealth

    • Much later, when he visited his inlaws (Sheila's husband's family) in Manhattan, he was disgusted by their opulent appartment

  • Julie spent much of his waking hours working for Standard Auto

    • After Morris passed in 1951, Julie became the Vice President of the company

  • Unlike his father who loved deep sea fishing, Morris didn't have very many hobbies. Instead he:

    • Loved to sit and read in his huge, leather armchair

    • Enjoyed napping to relieve the stress from work

    • Loved watching the Red Sox, always taking Paul and and Sheila to games

  • After his children left the household, Julie and Anna spent a lot of their time traveling throughout the world

    • They loved going on cruises, especially to Cuba

  • Julie loved going to the house in Onset, especially by himself, relaxing in the sunshine

Education

  • Julie emphasized education for his children, mainly because of Jewish tradition as well as his deprivation of it

    • Early in life, Julius opened a savings account for his children's education

    • Didn't want his kids to be a part of Standard Auto Gear

  • Bernard, Paul, and Sheila all attended Ivy League institutions

    • The boys both graduated from Harvard while Sheila graduated from the University of Pennsylvania

  • The proudest moment of Julie's life was when Bernard graduated from Harvard Law School

    • When Bernard decided that he wanted to become a doctor, Julius was furious

      • "How could you take someone's place at Harvard Law School?"

Julie in Onset.

Arrival Story

  • While Julius' eldest son Bernie was attending school in Dorchester, he witnessed a fight at school

    • Disgusted, "my mother insisted that we move to Newton" (Weiss)

  • Instead, Julius moved the family to a large home in Washington Square in Brookline

    • Newton didn't have any houses at the time, just apartments

    • The house was much closer to Standard Auto Gear

Judaism

  • Julius and his family belonged to Temple Ohabei Shalom, a reform synagogue in Brookline

  • While Anna enjoyed going to temple, Julie wasn't the biggest fan

    • However, he believed that attending services was good for the children in making them good Jewish people

  • Julie typically fell asleep during long sermons, taking the chance to catch up on his resting time

  • Morris told Julie: "You don't have to go to temple, you just have to belong to one."

    • Julius followed this advice after his children left the house

Julie and his eldest grandchild, James in 1968(ish).

Passing

  • Each winter, Anna and Julius escaped from the harsh Massachusetts winters by traveling to sunny Miami Beach, staying in hotels

  • In February of 1969, Julie and Anna were on their annual trip

    • Julie felt a little pain in his chest before he went to sleep, but he didn't complain too much because he didn't want to worry Anna

  • Julie passed away of a heart attack that night, peacefully in his sleep

    • He was 72 years old

  • Julie left Anna, his three children, and one grandchild (and three more to come)