Robert H Lieberman directing the independent film, Green Lights (2002). Click on images to enlarge.

Kew Gardens Movie
Began Filming October 9th

Film director and novelist Robert H. Lieberman [www.ithacamovies.com] began shooting his documentary on Kew Gardens on Sunday October 9th. The film will focus on the children who grew up in Kew Gardens in the 1940�s and 50�s and went to P.S. 99. It will look at four generations, beginning with the parents of these children, many of who were German-speaking refugees from the Nazis.

If you grew up in this period or have information about it, please contact Robert H. Lieberman by email at: .

The filming began with a gathering at P.S. 99 at 10:30 A.M. on October 9, 2005 and was followed by a walk through Kew Gardens by these former residents. On subsequent dates there will be follow-up interviews with people around the country.

Visit the Kew Gardens Movie Web Site at:  www.kewgardensmovie.com

KEW GARDENS MOVIE MESSAGE BOARD
to post a message here.

September 24, 2006
Editor's Note:  The Kew Garderns movie is now in the editing stage. Richard Breyer and his team are handling this stage of the production together with Robert Lieberman. Click on the link below to see baby pictures of Jerry Springer and his sister, Evie Springer Strauch, which are just some of the old images that will appear in the film.
Click here to view the photographs


Filming completed
April 3, 2006
Editor's Note:  Professor Lieberman has finished the filming. One of his last interviews was with Jerry Springer. The project now goes into the editing phase when more than 50 hours of film must be culled down to 90 mins. To see production stills of the final interviews, click on the following link and cursor to the bottom of the page. There you will see links to the individual shots.
http://www.kewgardensmovie.com/schedule.html


Class of 1964, hypothetically
January 8, 2006
Kew Gardens from 1946-1971.
I�m still in the area.
I remember many friends / neighbors and many still missing many more.
       Wayne Carp 
       Malcolm Mallory
       Michael Rakozy
       Mina Chester
       Rona Esterowitz
       Roger Moss
       Doris Goldstein
       Stephanie Landsman
       Mary Lou Weller
Anyone can call to say hello.
Paul
Paul M. Onish
East Brunswick, NJ
732.613.1515 Office
732.613.1226 Fax
732.241.0800 Cell


A Younger KG'er
January 4, 2006
Hello,
It amazes me that I�ve only just found out about your project. I�m a younger KG�er - my family celebrated 20 years here this week � and love the neighborhood, its unique charm, and its history.
All the best,
Nicole



Kew Gardens Reminiscences
December 30, 2005
Hello everyone! I lived in Kew Gardens from shortly after my birth in 1949 until my parents moved to Great Neck, Long Island in 1966. I'm so glad a movie is being made about the old neighborhood. It really was a great place to grow up in. After school I'd meet my buddies, Jerry Bernstein, Eliot Lieberman, Jan Levy, Richie Marx (sometimes Steven Wolf and Alan Hollander would join us). We'd either congregate around the Big Rock for a pow-wow, or get a game of touch football going in the park, or ride our bikes. We weren't tempted by gangs or drugs, and I remember it being a wholesome place to live. German Jewish refugees lined the park benches and strolled the park with their hands clasped behind their backs. For years I thought everyone over the age of 60 had a German accent. Old Fogy sat on a bench in a corner of the park and waved her umbrella at us threateningly when we rode our bicycles past her. Some days we were mischievous and hurled water balloons over the park fence. The "twins," two older brothers with short cropped, blond hair (obviously not Jewish like the rest of us) used to chase us around the park and I took a good fall one day, scraping my knee (I still have the scar). Amy Fenner was my first love. She also lived in Kent Manor and we had a little thing going on when we were about 10 years old. Ah, those were the days! I'd love to connect with any other KG folks and reminisce. I live in Phoenix, AZ and my email is .


Kew Gardens Movie Web Site Update (Dec. 2005)
December 17, 2005
Editor's Note:  The web site for the Kew Gardens movie has been updated with production stills from recent interviews. To view them, click on the following link which will take you to the filming schedule. Once there, click on the individual links you will find from Dec.7th - 13th.
Click here to go to the Kew Gardens Movie Web Site


Kew Gardens Movie Web Site Update (Nov. 2005)
November 16, 2005
Editor's Note:  The web site for the Kew Gardens movie has been updated with production stills from recent interviews. To view them, click on the following link which will take you to the filming schedule. Once there, click on the individual links you will find from Nov. 9th - 12th.
Click here to go to the Kew Gardens Movie Web Site


Kew Gardens Movie Web Site and Email Address.
November 7, 2005
Editor's Note:  The Kew Gardens movie now has its own web site at: www.kewgardensmovie.com. The web site includes a page showing the scheduled shoots. Also, please note the movie's new email address:  .


New York Times article out today
October 29, 2005
Editor's Note:  Click on the link below to read the New York Times online version of the article about the Kew Gardens movie. The link will open in a new window. Close out the window to return here. The hard copy will go on sale tomorrow.
Click here to read the article


Newsday article out today
October 27, 2005
Editor's Note:  Today's issue of New York Newsday (a local newspaper) has an article on the October 9th filming. Click on the link below to read it. The link will open in a new window. Close out the window to return here. Remember, the New York Times article on the filming is due out this coming Sunday.
Click here to read the article


From Arlene in Woodhaven
October 26, 2005
       I lived in Kew Gardens from 1965 through 1988. I am living in Woodhaven, NY right now and my parents still live there. They live at 112-62 Park Lane South (and 115th Street).
       I don't know what information you are looking for but if you want you can e-mail me at the below address or at home at my home e-mail at .
Arlene Mielczarski
The NIA Group
(212) 850-0158



New York Time article due out Sunday
October 26, 2005
Editor's Note:  I'm told that the City Section of this coming Sunday's New York Times will have an article (with pictures) of the October 9th filming.


Movie Update from Robert H. Lieberman
October 18, 2005
       I was amazed at the turnout in front of P.S. 99 on Sunday. I lost count, but I think including the film crew we were over sixty people. What a cast. What a way to launch a movie.
       First and foremost I want to thank everyone for coming. Including Andy Young, our shooter. He�s a top-notch cinematographer with both an Emmy and Academy Award nomination (His father is the well-known director Bob Young and talent seems to run in that family).
Present residents of Kew Gardens were incredibly generous with their time and help. Renee Levine let us take over her house for filming interviews and Sylvia Hack helped with organizing the dinner. Joe De May has been incredibly generous with his time and energy. Had it not been for Joe�s website and tireless efforts, this gathering of sixty people would never have happened and it would never have even occurred to me that Kew Gardens represented the unique nucleus of a film.
       Beginning October 19th we start filming in Ithaca. It turns out, believe it or not, that there�re plenty of Kew Gardens/Refugee connections right in my own backyard. I�ve lined up an illustrious cast. They are stellar figures like Roald Hoffman who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry and the famous naturalist Tom Eisner (who came to Kew Gardens via Uruguay). Kurt Gottfried, the Chairman of the Union of Concerned Scientists will talk about his career as a Physicist, and how he was shaped by his family�s escape from Vienna. We�ve scheduled Ed Saltpeter, another world-renowned physicist as well as Bob Richardson (another Nobel Prize winner who will provide some comic relief). Last year Hans Bethe (yet another refugee and Nobel Laureate in my department) passed away. As a child I used to ride on his back, playing �horsey.� I�m hoping he will make an posthumous appearance in the film through archival footage and recollections by others.
       November 8th through the 10th we head back to NYC for three days of shooting, and then on to Washington D.C.
       I�m trying, so far no luck, to get in touch with Jerry Springer who grew up in Kew Gardens. I think he�d add an interesting touch to the movie.
       I�ll continue to keep you posted on the progress of your/our film via this website rather than with individual emails� things are pretty hectic right now.
       As we accumulate footage, I�m also actively working to find completion funds. If anybody has any good, solid ideas, please email me:
       Again, my sincere thanks to all of you.
Robert H. Lieberman



Movie Slideshow - Part 2
October 16, 2005
Click on thumbnail to begin slideshow.
Editor's Note:  Click on the thumbnail for more photographs taken at last Sunday's filming of the first scenes for the Kew Gardens movie..


Movie Slideshow - Part 1
October 14, 2005
Click on thumbnail to begin slideshow.
Editor's Note:  Thanks to Robert H. Lieberman for these photographs taken at P.S. 99 last Sunday morning during the filming of the first scenes for the Kew Gardens movie. More to come..


Revised Estimate
October 11, 2005
John of the Austin Ale House told me that he had 48 reservations for yesterday. Since some people did not join us for lunch, I believe the attendance was much higher than 40 estimated.
Bea Newman


Off to a good start
October 9, 2005
Editor's Note:  Although it was cloudy and overcast, the weather cooperated and we had no rain. I'd estimate about 40 former Kew Gardens residents met at P.S. 99. Some had not seen each other for decades. Filming began there and continued as the group and the film crew made their way down Lefferts Boulevard and right on Metropolitan Avenue over to Forest Park, stopping at various points along the way to record recollections. Barry Lewis was there and also spoke at length about the neighborhood. As the group progressed, some people broke off to tour the neighborhood on their own. Most everyone met for lunch at the Austin Ale House (formerly, the Old Bailey) on Austin Street after which more interviews were filmed at Renee Levine's house on 82nd Avenue. I took some photographs which I will post here when I finish the roll and get the film developed which I hope will be by next Saturday. Free lance writer Marc Ferris covered the event for the local Newsday newspaper. I will provide a link to his article when it appears online.


Auschwitz Survivors
October 8, 2005
       I lived in Kew Gardens from the mid-1950's to '70s. My mother and grandmother were Auschwitz survivors, one of the few that actually survived the gas chamber due to a malfunction that day. My mother is still alive, living Los Angeles, as do I.
       In July, I fulfulled a lifelong calling and visited Auschwitz. In addition, I traveled to her childhood town, formerly in Czechoslavakia, but which is now in the Ukraine. I stood in the house that she grew up in and where the Nazi's dragged her and her family out of to send to the concentraton camps. A life impacting experience, as one could imagine.
       What a wonderful idea to do this documentary. Anything I can do to assist, please contact me.
Larry Gross


Grandparents Owned Maurice Cook Funeral Home
October 8, 2005
hi my grandparents owned the maurice cook funereal home on metro right off brevoort i was born in kg hosp in 1961 lived in kg until 96 have lots of memories about the area if you have any questions write back and i'll do my best to help out
craig cairone


Best Wishes
October 7, 2005
       All the best wishes on your film endeavor and hello to Bill Lehman, who lived across the street, and my classmate Alan Israel, who was tall.
       My sister, Carol, and I both attended PS99 from Kindergarten to 6th grade during the late 40�s and 50�s. Carol, who is a couple of years older than me, is presently living in NYC and also has homes on Long Beach Island, New Jersey and the state of Washington. Our father, who left Germany in 1932 to live in Palestine, and came to the US in 1939, is still alive. He turned 98 today and is living in North Miami Beach. He still has his minds and thoughts and would probably be happy to have an interview, although you would have to talk loud. My mother passed away 11 years ago. She left Germany in 1939 to live with a family in England and came to the US about one year later. Feel free to contact me by e-mail, phone or other.
Michael Fischer
Saratoga Springs, NY


Don't worry about the rain
October 7, 2005
Hi Kew Gardeners,
       Don't worry about the weather.
If it's raining on Sunday, just go to P.S. 99 as planned. One of my production assistants will be at the school to point you to alternative arrangements (under shelter).
       If you haven't confirmed lunch, please do so. Warmest Regards,
Robert Lieberman

Editor's Note: Check this page for the latest updates on the filming to take place on Sunday.


Looking for Alan Isreal
October 7, 2005
Hi I want to write to Alan Isreal again. I had written to him about a year ago and I want to say Hello again. Maybe if I put my head together with him We can send some info about the filming for you.
Shelley Reiss


Another Offer of Help
October 6, 2005
My sister, brother and myself grew up in Kew Gardens in the 50-70�s. Parents both deceased, were holocaust survivors. I am very interested in this project and would love to be of assistance if I could.
Conrad Kupferman


Sunday
October 5, 2005
Hi Everybody,
       I'm just getting ready to fly to NYC to get everything ready for Sunday. It looks like we're going to have a lot of people which is wonderful.There are apparently people coming from all over the country!
       Remember, we're on rain or shine, though the weather report looks promising.
       I'm going to be super busy, so I can only respond to urgent emails.At this point I have to focus on the film.
       If you haven't contacted the Austin Steak and Ale house, please email your reservation to John. All the info is on the Old Kew Gardens website.
See you all!
With Best Regards,
Robert H. Lieberman


The Response
October 5, 2005
Hi Joe,
Here are the mails received to date. Can you get quickly them up on the "movie" page?
Best Regards,
Robert Lieberman

Dear Mr. Lieberman:
Just wanted to tell you that I grew up in KG in the fifties and 60's. We moved there in 1950 and lived in the Curzon House for 3 years and then moved to 117-12 Park Lane So in 1953. I went to PS 99 from 4th to 6th grade and graduated in 1958. My brother and sister were born in the KG hospital and also grew up in the 50's. Am anxiously awaiting your film.
Ronnie Roubin


       I grew up in Kew Gardens, lived on Park Lane South, attended PS 99 from '55 - '60. I'm curious to know about your planned film and, as I was an avid photographer and budding film maker from my teens and forward, perhaps I have memories and images that may be of interest to you.
       I hope to hear from you, but if you've been swamped with similar messages, I'll understand ....In any case, best of luck with your film -- you've certainly chosen an interesting time and neighborhood to document.
Cathy Simpson
I believe my brother and I were the first two German Jewish refugee children at PS 99 in early l937.


       I was born in Kew Gardens General Hospital in 1944, and attended PS 99 from 1949 to 1956. The photograph of class 6-2 (1956) shows me sitting directly in front of Mr. Ellenport, either because I was the tallest boy in the class or because I was class president.on October 9th My sister, Rosalyn (Israel) Firemark is shown in the 1954 Graduating Class photo.
       We both live in California and neither of us is able to attend the mini-reunion on October 9th. However, I would be delighted to share my memories of growing up in this unique place, and I would be happy to hear from you either by e-mail or phone.
Sincerely,
Alan Israel


Hi Dr. Lieberman,
       I grew up in Kew Gardens (lived on Talbot Street from the age of 8 months until I went to college). I attended PS 99 from 1950 until 1957. My educational experiences there were much like yours (and none too positive). I regarded PS 99 more as a prison than a school and my spinster teachers akin to prison wardens. Somehow, many of us awkward boys survived and have led productive lives.
       My parents immigrated to the US from Germany in the late 1930s, although many in my family weren't as fortunate. My father was the co-owner of Bauer's Meat Market on Leffert's Blvd. (featured on the OKG website yesterday), and fairly well-known in the German-Jewish community in Kew Gardens. (We can trace our ancestry back to the 1700s in rural southern Germany, and I derive from at least 5 generations of cattle dealers (Jewish cowboys), meat-handlers and butcher-shop owners. Therefore, it shouldn't be surprising that I somehow chose to follow a path that led me to become a muscle researcher {as is also Susan Lowey, another PS99 grad. and interestingly, a number of other 1940-50 PS99 stars have gone on to successful careers in the biology and molecular biology, as well as to pursue other academic careers}.
       Unfortunately, I can't come to your session next Sunday because of previously arranged family obligations, but if you happen to need any information that I can provide, feel free to ask. Perhaps, we could do a short on-line interview at some point?? You can also check my contributions to the OKG web-site, by plugging in my name into the "Find-It" search tool.
Best wishes,
Bill Lehman


Yes. My parents and grandparents left Berlin in 1941. My aunt and uncle in 1939. We all lived in Kew Gardens. My grandparents had the house on the Lefferts/Abingdon corner that was torn down - but a picture of it exists on the website. This is the "Guttfeld House." I lived in Kew Gardens from 1947 to 1970 when I moved to Huntington Beach, CA. Our house was on Abingdon Road. Went to 99, Russell Sage, RHHS, Quenns College. I think if we put our minds to it, the add'l funding needed could be asked for in the website. Open up something where people could make donations on-line. Us Kew Gardenites might want the film enough to help fund the documentary. Just an idea.
Tess Bergen Friedman


Good luck.
If I can be of assistance, let me know. My father built some of the "taxpayer" building on Leffert's Blvd.
Neil Fried
Born Kew Gardens...1951
P.S. 99 1st -6th grades
Older brother and sister both went to PS 99.


Hi Anne: One of my Kew Gardens friends told me to look at this website. I've seen it before and love it. I grew up in Kew Gardens, went to PS99 (as did my entire family of cousins and brother). I married and now live in Kew Gardens and both of my children attended PS 99. When my son was in the 6th grade, I was the president of the Parents Association. I still live here and work in Kew Gardens in the Courthouse on Queens Boulevard. If I can help you in any way, please contact me.
Audrey Brookner



hi
ived in kew gardens during the 50's and 60's and attended ps 99; grew up on talbot street; please keep me posted thanks
ronnie leiser


Hi
My brother and I grew up in Kew Gardens in the 50s. Went to PS 90, then Richmond Hill High.
Diane Scheiman


Dear Ms. Skandera:
       I was born in 1946 to parents who had grown-up in Manhattan and the Bronx, and who moved to Kew Gardens in 1935. I liven in Kew until 1973. If there is anything I could assist you with, I'd be more than happy to do so.
       In any event, I wish you great success with this project.
Sincerely, Franklin J. Goldberg


I saw the message on the Kew Gardens web site. I moved to KG in 1942, an 11-year old refugee from Nazi Germany. I attended PS 99 and then Richmond Hill High School and Queens College. I moved from Kew Garden in 1954 but my mother lived there until two years before her death in 2001. If I can be of any help in this interesting documentary by Mr. Lieberman, please contact me.
Beatrice Schwarz Newman


Hello Anne,
       I'm a faithful follower of the Old Kew Gardens website. I now live in the Chicago suburbs but grew up in Kew Gardens-my mother still lives there. I was born at the old Kew Gardens General Hospital in 1950-went to P.S. 99 from 1955-1962, then Russell Sage 1962-1965 and Richmond Hill High 1965-1968-then off to college. My memories of growing up in KG are vivid and through this wonderful website, I have been able to reconnect with many of my childhood friends from Kew Gardens. I'd be happy to share memories with you for this endeavor. Please contact me if you'd like. KG was the best place to grow up-it afforded a community of friendship, diversity and beauty.
       Hope to hear back from you.
Linda G. Gottlieb


Hello
I saw the message on the Old Kew Gardens Site about your upcoming Kew Gardens shoot. I lived there from 1939 through 1963 and have been putting alot up on the Kew Gardens site. Search Jay Rogers. See Austin Theatre, Big Snow for example. I have a quantity of photographs from this period - I did my own work - and they have, in turn, kept my memories pretty sharp.
Jay Rogers


I grew up in Kew Gardens in the 50's& 60's
I was born in 1951 in Queens
I have lived in Kew Gardens all my life, except for five years in college at S.U.N.Y. at Buffalo.
If you need any info. Please contact me
Best,
Peter


       Hi..my name is Helga Marcus Stein and I lived in Kew Gardens in the 1940s. I graduated from PS 99 in June, 1946 and I hope to come to the school on October 9,
       I am one of the refugees who came to Kew Gardens with my parents in the early forties ( I think). Let me know if I can help!!
Sincerely,
Helga Stein


l grew up in kew gardens in the 50 and 60, who are the people that are featured in your upcoming movie, probably know them
thanks
ron leiser


Hello Bob,
       I don't think I've seen you since we were both at Cornell in the 60's, although I seem to recall that some subset of our parents maintained contact for a while. I just heard about your film project this evening - although I followed your career, especially while I was living in Ithaca and on the Cornell faculty in the 70's and 80's, I had not encountered your name for the past few years. I left Cornell for Washington in '83 (I thought for a year's leave) and have been mostly at the US Environmental Protection Agency since then, living either here in the Washington area or on a few stints abroad.
       I've stayed in touch with and see regularly a few old Kew Gardens friends - chief among them Ed Feige (now an emeritus professor of Economics at UW-Madison who's mom went to grammar school with my mom in Germany during WW I, and at whose Kew Gardens apartment I was deposited every afternoon after nursery school for a year because my mom was working), Ron Pollack now living near us here in Virginia (who's mother was the head of the Congregation Habonim sisterhood), Ralph Hammelbacher (with whom I was driven to Ithaca when we started Cornell together in 1961 and who's dad was the chairman of the Blue Card German Jewish refugee charity) ... and a few more PS 99ers as well.
       Over the years, as I've been going through various family records and memorabilia, I've sent photos and notes to Joe De May who runs the wonderful OldKewGardens.com web site, and who has incorporated several of them into his online collection, but am still trying to decide what to do with our family holocaust material.
       I'm enchanted by the idea that you are working on a project about Kew Gardens as we knew it, and only wish that I could be there for your PS-99 session. Unfortunately, I'll just be getting back to DC from California the day before so NY seems like it might be pushing things.
       I'd be delighted to hear from you in any case, and would be pleased to know if there's any way that I could be of any help, even if only with wonderful memories.
       Please do get in touch,
       Best wishes, and Shabat Shalom,
Peter
Peter R. Jutro


Dear Mr Lieberman,
       I am living in Hampstead N.C. about 20 miles from Wilmington.
       I have read with interest about your proposed documentary on Kew Gardens. I am one of five boys in a greek/russian family who lived in Kew gardens from 1941 to 1954 . Most of us attended PS 99. forest hills high school and I graduated city college. My brothers graduated other colleges all over this country. My father came from Cyprus, trained as a shoemaker, he , after working for his sponser for almost ten years. opened his own shoe maker shop in kew gardens on Lefferts Blvd . in 1941 He named it Five Sons Shoe Repair. I beleive he made only one pair of shoes in this country and that was for a U.S.Senator. I can still see the letter of thanks from the Senator hanging in the store. We all worked in the store now and then shining shoes, waiting on customers , helping as little as we could =cause we had more important things to do. Besides he didn't pay us. We had paper routes and delivery jobs- that paid. The sons in order of age are named Michael- he bcame a nyc Fire captain, he died a few years ago -John, thats me- I became an engineer, tennis club owner,etc, then came Tom, he now lives in a house boat in Seattle and is some sort of manager for a cement appliance distributer- Nick - he started as a nyc bus driver and ended up as the supervisor of surface transit in Queens and Brooklyn- he died a few years ago , and finally Sam, he was and is a tennis pro - somewhere in nevada. look foward to meeting with you some day . Bye the way ask Joe De May to show you my postings on his site . May 26,2003 ,june 29, 2003 and another about our reunion 0n lefferts ans beverly jan 1 2000.
john mihoulides


       Saw your message on the Kew Gardens web site. I attended P. S. 99 from fall '55 to Jan, '60 and then transferred to Kew Forest when my grandfather's estate provided funds for me to go to private school. I lived on Austin Street just off 80th Road, and well remember shopping on Lefferts Blvd. at Bohack (which gave King Corn Stamps for purchases), Bauer's Meat Market, Mimi's Candy store and the pizza place diagonally across from Bohack. I even attended some movies at the old Austin Theatre on Lefferts Blvd just off Austin Street. I was a member of Boy Scout Troop 15 which met at the annex of the church at Lefferts Blvd near Kew Gardens Road. Both my parents and both my maternal grandparents are buried at the Maple Grove Cemetary across from P.S. 99. My grandfather was a well known doctor, who had a practice on Park Avenue in Manhattan.I remember Jahn's Ice Cream parlor and the amusement park nearby in Forest Hills called Fairyland. My aunt lived in Forest Hills for many years before moving to San Diego. I moved to Manhattan in 1964 and graduated from Rhodes School in 1967 before going on to NYU.
       Whatever additional information I can furnish to help you with your undertaking, I will be glad to do. I currently live in Ohio where I am retired from Target Stores. I have 3 sons aged 24, 22 and 12 who live with their mother in New Jersey. I sincerely wish I could come in person to attend the reunion, but barring unforeseen special happenings, that would be, as of now, impossible. I wish you luck in your film undertaking and would love to get a DVD or VHS copy of the final draft.
Michael Oberlander


I grew up in Kew Gardens from 1945-1968 and returned in 1979. I am currently living in Kew Gardens. I went to P.S. 99, Russell Sage JHS, and Richmond Hill High School. My parents were born in the United States. If I can be of any help to you please let me know.
Lynn Silverstein



Dear Anne,
       Thanks for your message. The original message I received about the reunion focussed on Kew Gardens but also on the refugee experience of many of us who grew up there. I've recently become interested in exploring that aspect of my family's life.
       I don't know if it's appropriate here, but I'll pass on a brief summary.
       My father lost his job late in 1933 when the department store in Cologne where he worked as a buyer was declared "Judenrein." He was sure he could find a job elsewhere in Europe, in Hamburg where he had heard of vague possibilities or, failing that, in Amsterdam. Although he knew French, he did not speak a word of english. He was in his forties, much older than my mother, had served as a draftee in the German army in the Great War, and found the prospect of starting all over again in the utterly foreign world of America more terrifying than waiting and hoping that things would get better in Germany. My mother's brother, who had immigrated to the US in the 1920s, was so alarmed at my father's refusal to recognize the mounting danger that he returned to Germany, vowing not to leave until he could persuade my parents to emigrate. He would provide the affidavit of support and give them whatever help they needed. When my mother announced that she and their three-year old son were leaving, with or without my father, he finally relented and they were able to emigrate in May 1936.
       I am presently working on the diaries my father left of his World War 1 experience: his battle diary of Verdun, 1916, and his prisoner of war diary, 1917-January 1920, in work camps all over France. Since my German is rudimentary, he translated the prisoner diary for me into English when he was almost 90 years old.
       My brother (PS 99, 1945) and I ( PS 99, 1951) grew up in Kew Gardens and lived there until we went to college. In reaction to the pervasive atmosphere of anti-German suspicion during the war, my brother came back from school one day and announced that he was changing his name from Hans Helmut to John. PS 99 was, for the most part, a positive experience for me. I had many good teachers, whom I still remember. I liked going to school, which I found an easier reality that that of my refugee parents at home.
       When I was asked in college what language my parents spoke at home, I realized that I had rarely heard a sentence in one language: sentences were grammatically German with English nouns inserted as my parents learned them.
       I recall vividly the walk I took every day, from 83-26 Lefferts Bd. (near Metropolitan Ave) to PS 99. And I loved the park , where we took a "Spaziergang" every Sunday. The playground was primitive (and dangerous!) by today's standards, but a source of much fun. In the park when the weather was good we would often meet the Brunschwig family (Monique Brunschwig Schatten, with whom I'll be arriving on Sunday).
       I look forward to the Kew Gardens reunion on October 9th.
Best,
Dorothy Kaufmann


Dear Mr. Lieberman,
       I am extremely excited to learn you are producing a documentary on Kew Gardens. This beloved neighborhood holds many fond memories for myself. my older brother Eric & my sister Heidi. My parents moved from Brooklyn to Kew Gardens to start their family in 1950, and of course we all went to P.S.99. Kew Gardens has always been about its charm,its people and the many families that grew up here. It was a neighborhood where we could be free to play in Forest Park from the moment the sun came up until we had to come home for dinner. There was no shortage of children, no shortage of love in this little village called Kew Gardens. We all knew each other! We knew each others parents,brothers & sisters. We all walked to P.S.99 together, we watched out for one another, it was a safe place to be a kid!
       Everything was within walking distance to the grocery, pharmacy, bank, Ziggy's corner candy store, the pizza place,etc. Every Sunday my grandma Ethel, from Poland would come to visit us from Brooklyn by taking the subway, then the bus to the corner of Park Lane South & Metropolitan Avenue. There are so many stories to tell. I often travel back to Kew Gardens with my two sons (16 &12) and share with them the places, the games we played & memories that helped make their father the man I am today. I feel so fortunate to have grown up in a neighborhood of rich culture & diversity.
       Kew Gardens will always be my home. I can only hope to somehow be a part of your documentary in some way. Please feel free to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Lewis Marcus


       I attended PS 99 from 1948 to 1955 anbd lived on Cuthbert Road from birth till 1972 when I immigrated to Canada.
       Not sure I can offer much. My father was a french proterstant and my mother a very assimilated Jewess. Most of my neighbors and many of my class mates were Jewish immigrants.
Marianne Lods

Kew Gardens Movie Update
October 2, 2005
Hi Everybody,
       It looks like everything is in place for Sunday, October 9th's get-together. I'm very excited to see everybody and think it'll be a big turnout.
       I have a film crew hired and we now need to have your help with some details. So that everything clicks, there's a need to respond to this email, but NOT to this address... So read carefully.
       We're going to meet, rain or shine, in front of P.S. 99. People will start arriving at 10:30 A.M. I'm bringing my children and grandchildren to show them the old neighborhood and hope you'll do the same (also it's nice to have young people in our film!).
       Bring a pencil. You'll need to sign a release form so we can film you. It'll also be a way for us to get good contact info.
       We need to get a handle on the number of people attending. IF you're coming please send a blank email to: .
       In the subject area put the the fact that you're coming and the number of people coming with you. For instance "4 attending"
       If you have clear pictures of yourself, particularly at school age, or interesting photos of early Kew Gardens (the 40's & 50's) or home movies, we might like to incorporate them in the film. We need either high quality copies or originals (Xeroxes aren't good enough). If originals, you could supply a stamped, self-addressed envelope for safe returnThat would be an enormous help.
       We are going to make a loop, walking down Lefferts Blvd, then right on Metropolitan Ave. up to Kent Manor and the Park.
       By 1 PM we'll then return to Austin Street where I've made arrangements for lunch at the Austin Steak & Ale House.
       John, the manager, needs to have an estimate of people and their wishes in order to make food preparations. Please make your selections from the menu below, indicating the number of people and choice, and EMAIL him DIRECTLY at:

$20.00 per person includes tax and tip With Entree and Unlimited Soda, Juice or Coffee
or
$23 per person includes tax and tip With Entree and Unlimited Domestic Draft Beer, House Wine and Soda, Juice or Coffee

Rolls~ Garden Salad and Dessert

ENTREES (Choice of One)

1) Chicken Francaise
2) Penne Ala Vodka With Chicken
3) Marinated Sliced Steak
4) Grilled or Cajun Chicken on Garden or Caesar Salad
5) Grilled Salmon
All Entrees served with potato and vegetable except Salad, and Pasta

Dessert Choice of Apple Pie Or NY Cheese Cake
Coffee or Tea

With Best Regards,
Robert H. Lieberman
Ithaca Film Works



Reunion
September 22, 2005
       Members of the PS 99 class of 1954 are getting together for a mini reunion on Sunday, Oct. 9th. We will be meeting at the school about 10:30 and then will tour whatever places the group would like to see. We plan to have lunch together and share memories and pictures. I also hope we can begin to plan a larger gathering at a future date to include people who live out of the area.
       If you know of members of the class who have not been contacted who might like to join us please contact them and have them write to me at .
Anne Parnas Skandera


September 20, 2005
Hi,
I moved here in 1958 and have been here ever since. My 2 daughters attended P.S.99 in the early 70's, so I don't think that's what they're looking for.Just thought I'd give that info in case it was usable.
Aaron Adler
[Ton contact Aaron Adler, .]

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