I Interviewed My Grandfather! Celebrating Mr. Lenny Brooke's 90 Years of Wisdom and Love.

0:01 What you are about to hear is an all-access inside look at the life and legacy of an incredible man. I had the fortune of interviewing my grandfather, mr Lenny Brooke, just a couple weeks ago, on his 90th birthday, and he spoke words of inspiration. He was uplifting and he's somebody that has the experience to give over wisdom that not only motivates but is truly helpful and insightful. Mr Lenny Brook is the right person to have a discussion with and ask some of the questions, because after 90 years he's still as sharp as a tack and as happy as ever.

0:56 He gives us kind of a bright and happy look on the world when others see it as, especially in this time, a rather morbid and scary place. Mr. Lenny's, Mr Lenny. Brooks' take on the world is far from dark and scary. Summarize, and put his legacy into frankly one word he is the epitome of what it means to be a mensch, I hope you will enjoy the interview. And the beginning is a toast, a l'chaim.

1:38 Some short words by Mr Jeffrey Brook, my father, speaking about his father, mr Lenny Brook. I was only able to grab the microphone a couple minutes into his talk, so that's why it starts out in the middle of his toast. But, as you will hear, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. My father speaks brilliantly. My father speaks brilliantly and after my father ends with some beautiful words, we have the opportunity to ask a couple different poignant questions and I hope you will enjoy this episode. The audio quality isn't what it usually is because we weren't in the studio, we were outside.

2:21 My mother made a beautiful, beautiful event for him and, just like Amishnah in Avos says, there's supposed to be certain mindsets and opportunities available to a person based on their age. When someone is 18, they are to get married and they reach their strength soon after that Wisdom adulthood experience. When a person turns 90, he is lasuach and, staying away from the first shot of the commentators, which has something to do with a pit or a grave, we follow the second shot in the commentators Rashi tells us.

3:03 Wasuach could also mean to speak, because an older person may lead us to understand that Rashi is somebody who should speak because, well, they don't care what anyone else thinks about them, so they can say the truth. But also they have the life experiences to speak words of truth. I hope you enjoyed this episode. This is the interview of Mr Lenny Brooke on his 90th birthday. The price of bread was 10 cents a loaf and other things. That happened. Bonnie and Clyde were killed. Anybody know who Bonnie and Clyde were?

3:45 They were tremendous murderers. They were right. They were like the. They made the first most wanted list. This was before there was an FBI, an FBI. They were created to get Bonnie and Clyde, were they really? Yeah, there was a bunch of bank robberies back in the day, right, and the bank robbers were like. It became a thing in the early 30s. It was the Depression. It was the Depression. Hitler, yamach Shamo was coming to power. That was it. That was it. And so they created the FBI to get people. And they find their first big get was Bonnie and Clyde. The Washington Redskins were two years old.

4:27 They were two years old. They would go on to win three Super Bowls. When was the last time? Okay, that's mean. That's mean. A lot has happened. There have been probably over 20 presidents since then. I'm going to guess. Second World War, second right, and in that time period, my father, pop Pop Lave Hirsch, has been many things to many people. He's been an excellent, excellent husband and he's been a wonderful father.

5:08 He's been a great, he's been a wonderful grandfather and, most recently he's been an excellent great grandfather Amazing and he's. He's been Zoha is merited to go to probably tens of birthday parties of brisim, of bar mitzvahs, of joyous family occasions, and he's also been a very well-renowned and respected business owner, have been a very well-renowned and respected business owner and president of a shul and generally has accumulated a reputation for honesty and menschlichheit in the community.

5:58 He's been a friend and a mentor to many and he's been a great grandfather and great grandfather to all of you. Before I just finish my toast, I just want to thank my partner in crime, bonnie and Clyde, so it's Amy and Jeff. I want to thank Mom Brooke for effort, tremendous effort. I want to thank all of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and particularly all the grandchildren and grandchildren-in-law who contributed both their time and their effort and their presence to get here. That was amazing. That by itself will be a gift by and of itself and I'm sure that Pop-Pop tremendously appreciates it by and of itself, and I'm sure that Pop-Pop tremendously appreciates it.

6:46 In doing all these wonderful things, pop-pop has always taught by example. He's not a teacher, he's not somebody who's going to tell you well, this is what you have to do, this is what you have to do. He leads by example and his example is always that of kindness and gentle, and he's taught me a great many things in my life. He taught me how to drive, which I taught me, and I've conveyed that as best I can to my kids, who are now driving. I did the best I could.

7:27 He's taught me how to be a salesman. I took over his sales route one summer. That was a real challenge and every single one of the stops that I made for Pop-Pop I didn't always get the sale. Many times I did not get the sale, but every single one of the targets told me what a mensch pop up was and how much they enjoy doing business with him. One of the one of the lessons pop up told me and I still. I used this just the other day on a client. Somebody was going to approach me about representation and he was saying like well, I heard this other lawyer could do a good job, but I didn't hear good things about him and I said you know what I don't know about this other lawyer?

8:09 But my father taught me that the way you get a sale is by saying what you can do and what your qualities are, not by tearing the other guy down, and that was something that Pop-Pop taught me. He taught me many, many things. He taught me how to throw a baseball, he taught me but really what he taught me was that you have to live your life like a mensch. You just have to do what's right. When the challenges and tribulations of life come down the pike, you step up, and they may not always be good, but you have to do what's right in the face of every situation. So I just want to thank him for all of his good guidance, as my father, leonard Brook, on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

8:59 I want to thank him for being all of these things, but most of all, I want to thank him for being my dad. L'chaim, l'chaim, l'chaim. L'chaim. L'chaim. She was really adorable, and, of course, isaac and Michael that came along, which not so adorable, but they have the beards and the fact that they live in Yerushalayim, which I think is good, and you know, isaac, that's wonderful and you share her and you're right, anyway, If you could give somebody a piece of advice how to live a successful life.

9:52 You do good. You try to live life right. You don't try to take advantage of anybody you don't pardon the expression, but you don't screw anybody. You do what you're supposed to do in life to be a mensch. If you promise somebody money, you pay them. You don't try to duck them. If you tell somebody you're going to do something, you do it. You try to live a good, proper life. Everyone knows what's right and what's wrong. You don't do what's wrong. I mean sometimes you're borderline, but you try and you aim for a proper, good life. And Jeffrey did that and I think he was raised that way. Amy is that way and, of course, my wife of 62. Is that right 62 years?

10:34 We've been married longer than any, yeah. So I want to thank everybody that's here, but mostly my wife, for putting up with my shit class for 62 years. I know it's been bad, it's been a lot. There's a lot of people that have good days, like you, pop-up, and a lot of people that have bad days. Correct. What would you say to somebody on a bad day? I would say to hold the course, because good days are coming. Bad days come to an end. It's not bad all the time. If you steer the course, pray to Hashem or whatever.

11:15 Do good. Good days are going to come. It's going to change. The weather is not rainy every day. The sun comes out and I think the same thing about life. Good days will have a sunlight and I can only say I appreciate and love the fact that all of you here, my child, my daughter-in-law which is actually my daughter is here she is and my grandchildren are all here and great-grandchildren, that are here. What did he? say Hello hello, hello hello. I like this surprise for you Hello hello, hello hello. I like this pop-up and in regards to you've seen 90 years of American history, american Jewish history.

12:02 You probably have a perspective that you can give to somebody if he wants to build a family that his children respect. So you say that the point of life. You always spoke about being a mensch. If you could talk about somebody being more than a mensch, how could they live as a good spouse? If you want to be somebody that has a family that their children look up to them and their grandchildren look up to them, how is it that you become a good grandfather and raise a good family? You're a good person. By following the law, you don't try to break the law. I think also Judaically. You try to live by the Chumash, you try to live by the good book and you live by the regular book.

12:44 You know the laws of the land and, yes, I have seen a lot. Roosevelt was president. I the laws of the land and, yes, I have seen a lot. Roosevelt was president. I remember the Second World War when my grandmother was killed by the Nazis. She was in Europe. She never made it to America. That was Grandma Becky's. Well, let's actually talk about that. Your parents are who your father is. They both came from Europe. Your father's name is Isidore and your mother's name is Rebecca and his name is Rebecca and Isidore and Rebecca lived where. Where were they born? They were born in Kovne-Geberna. What's Kovne-Geberna? It's the same country, okay. Okay, kovne-geberna in Lytta. That's right. They came to Berkeley, berkeley. Did they survive the war?

13:26 They weren't here before the war, they were in the 20s. They came in the 20s they came in the 1920s, 1920s, they came to America. They were here, I'd say, 15 years before the Second World War. Okay, and where did they move to? Berkeley. Where's Berkeley? Berkeley's in Norfolk. It's over the bridge. Oh, that's the town. It's like you're going to Portsmouth, okay, very good, thank you, very good, thank you. And Isidore. Isidore Brooke is your dad and he was part of a synagogue when he grew up. Benay Israel. We grew up in Benay Israel. He was one of the— Well, they didn't live that long. They moved to Norfolk. They'd been drawn— they were third cousins. Who was that? Grandpa Izzy and Grandma. Becky, how did Grandpa Izzy end up in Norfolk Virginia?

14:10 They were related right down the line. You know everybody that came over from Europe had family that was intermarried somewhere. That's the way it was in Europe. They didn't know each other. He came first to Connecticut Connecticut Right From Putnam. It was a very Jewish community and from Putnam he moved to Bayonne and then he moved to Brooklyn to be with we have relative son. His name is son. The last name Becky's no Grandpa is his. His name was son. His name my father's uncle was son. Maybe that's why they were related Son, s-o-h-n Son.

14:53 Well, maybe you could speak just a minute about. I would actually like to really hear about this. How is? it that you met grandma. Who introduced you to? grandma. I want to hear the whole story from beginning to end and put it on record. It's what you called in Chinese ba shi, Ba shi. Yeah, right Ba shi Chinese Berserk, berserk. Yeah right, berserk. Grandma, and you were meant to be. I want to hear the whole story. What was the first time you met Grandma? First time in 1961. In the 1960s. How'd? You work your magic, Papa. I was born in we're going to have to cut that out. You met Grandma where. Very quickly, very briefly. Grandma came to Virginia Beach for vacation with two other girls.

15:35 Every year they took her vacation to different cities. Two roommates, two roommates from college, one of which, by the way, is a side One of which's son murdered someone. Oh, I have to cut that out there. And this son was arrested, okay, and Mom's girlfriend was trying to hide her son. He was in his 20s. Okay, we're going to take a quick commercial break here. Quick commercial break. We're going to do a quick commercial break here. We'll be back to the show in about three minutes here, she died Anyway, Grandma came down, let's get back to Grandma. Grandma came down, let's get back to Grandma. Grandma came down. Grandma came to Virginia Beach and I was one of her blind dates, which she had, many of Many blind dates.

16:17 And where did you guys have your first blind date? I was the least of the ones when Oceana Naval Air Station. Oceana Naval Air Station. I was the least one she thought anything of. Not true. Grandma says not true. Okay, how many times did you date Grandma? Was Grandma or not. It was in. How many dates Grandma? We had like three or four dates. We met Isaac Michael. There was a big delay in the middle. She went back. This is just one of her vacation dates. She went back to Waterbury.

16:58 I had a boyfriend named Lenny. Her boyfriend's name was Lenny. So anyway, I didn't think twice about it. So I wrote her and she wrote back. She said I'm on think twice about it. So I wrote her and she wrote back. She said I'm on the verge of being engaged and I'm not interested in another, well, another romance. So about that time, about that time, very briefly, our friend Billy Bernstein, which was a friend of mine for many years a blessed memory. He has passed away. His wife is is grandma's cousin, lesson in memory. He has passed away. His wife is Grandma's cousin and she was from West Hartford, connecticut, and she came down here to go to Old Dominion University. So she got married to my friend Billy Bernstein from Norfolk.

17:41 She met Billy here and they got engaged and got married. We were invited to the wedding. So I went to Hartford it was West Hartford for the wedding and Grandma was there again and we saw each other again. And from there, could you give Grandma the microphone for a second. I want to hear Grandma for one second. I want to ask you. Grandma, what were your first thoughts of Pop-Pop? I want you to talk into the microphone. Grandma, hold the microphone please, if you will. When you first saw Pop-Pop, what was your first thought? I thought he was very handsome and very charming, okay, but geographically inconvenient, okay. So we saw each other again at Bernstein Wedding in Connecticut and then, I think, I invited her down to Norfolk for New Year's, which I already had a date for.

18:30 Luckily, the girl I had a date with got sick. Her name was Hadassah, she was ultra-fromm, her father was a chaplain in the Army and anyway she canceled. I called Grandma, I said she'd still come, and Grandma came, and then after that we dated in neutral territory. We went to Washington, new York City, places that were in the middle somewhere, and where'd you get married? In Waterbury, connecticut. Waterbury. And your first house. Where'd you buy your first house? At the Yeshiva in Waterbury, Connecticut. You got married in the Yeshiva at Waterbury.

19:12 Those days it was Bethel Temple. Bethel Temple and your first house where did your grandma live? First house on Quincy Street. Yeah, our first house, parvin, was in Birmingham, birmingham, sussex and Norfolk. But how do you spell? I have to ask Jeffrey, do you know how do you spell? Yeah, my first thing I could spell was Quincy, which was our first name. He was like two years old. I said how do you spell Quincy? He's a singer Q-U-I-N-C-Y. I pronounce it very, very, very cute. Wow, wow. Who officiated at your wedding? The wedding was Rabbi Smith, rabbi Smith in Waterbury.

19:56 Okay, very good. And then how did you get in? What is it that you do for business, for your? You know your main career is at Southern Packing. Well, I was doing. How'd you get into that? I was doing Elsewise. I was manager of a furniture store in Portsmouth and I was very of a furniture store in Portsmouth and I was very happy there. And our father, grandpa, was having trouble with his partner at Southern Packing and so he said I'll buy him out if you and your brothers will come work here. I can't handle it by myself. So I quit my job and went to work at Southern Packing and I was there until COVID came and I was told not to come in anymore. They don't need me at COVID. So I was glad to stay home.

20:36 That was about three years ago. I've been happy yeah More and we had a wonderful time with his father, jeffrey. And another son, sam, who was really really great. You would have loved. Sam. I would love if he Could. You. I'll be honest with you Pop-Pop, I want to put it on record. Is it okay if you could describe Isaac and I have never met Sam Brooke and we also have a son or a grandson that's named for Sam Brooke. If this little one is going to grow into being a future Sam Brooke, could you describe a little bit what Sam Brooke was like?

21:20 Sam was great. I mean he was a little bit of a party animal. I think Okay, I know that story. I mean he was a little bit of a party animal. I think Okay, but then he went to. I know, that story I know that story. I know he took a shot with the water, with the fire. He broke some windows in our house. He was like two years old three years old. Okay, but let's tell a good story. What was his real? Was he genuine, was he authentic? Was he a smart kid? He was a sports nut, absolutely a sport. He knew like every football team, every baseball team. He knew every game Virginia played. He was really Was he smart. Was he smart? Very smart, Very, very very. Was he handsome? What did he look like? Like me, he was handsome.

22:00 How tall was he? Pop a microphone to the mouth. Excuse me, how tall was he? How tall was he? Yeah, about 6'2", 6'3", 6'2" yeah. He was tall. He was taller than you, maybe 6'1" 6'1". He was tall. He was tall, but he wasn't 6'3". If he was tall. If you remember a story about Sam and Mr, my father I can't say his first name, but it begins with a J If you remember a memory between Sam Brooke and my father, what memory comes to mind with Sam? and my dad. That's a good question, I don't know. Would you know one that you could think of between Sam and Jeffrey? Well, every night after dinner they went and played basketball together.

22:42 Where did they play basketball? In the backyard. In the backyard. You had a basketball hoop in Oak Grove Road, yeah, and who would win? And Sam's room, who won? the game I never won the game but it was very violent. It was very violent and Jeffrey's room. In our house we had a hoop that hooked over the door to the closet, a hooked over the door to the closet yeah, a Nerf room. We had this Nerf room. Every night he and Sam would go in that door in the bed, close the door and they'd talk. The house was coming down. Oh gosh, that's a weird one. What was that? One of the greatest things. Take the microphone. Get out of with Sam when he was getting chemo at Children's Hospital. They had a go-kart in the lobby that you could get a raffle for.

23:25 A gasoline go-kart. Right, and every time we went there I took a dollar raffle. And then it got to be the end of December and I said to him what do you want for Hanukkah? He said I want that go-kart. Oh wow, so I'll buy 25 of those. but if you don't get it, there's no more presents. That's not it we get a phone call. Microphone microphone microphone. Saying that he won it. He won the go-kart. He won the go-kart. We had a station wagon at the time. We had to go that same day out to the oceanfront. It was at the Cavalier, I don't remember. Wow, yeah, and pick it up. And at the time we had this stupid Cocker Spaniel dog. she was stupid how many dogs do you have?

24:07 A? lot of them. That was the love of his life. We have a Cocker Spaniel and Sam is there when Sam was sick keep going with the story when Sam was sick in bed, the dog used to get in bed with him and sit with him the whole night. Man's best friend, so he goes in the go-kart and as soon as the stupid dog hears the go-kart she goes outside by herself and sits in the go-kart with him. So this was the way she went with him every time he'd get in the go-kart. Amazing, amazing. The Torah calls a dog in Hebrew kelev, which means like a heart, which basically means dog is your ultimate best friend. It's just fully emotional. It loves you we took her up to Charlottesville.

24:49 Microphone, I can't hear you. We took her up to Charlottesville and she stayed in the dorm with him for a couple of weeks In the dorm where At UVA, University of Virginia I don't know what to call him. I mean, that was the love of his life. We had lots of dogs, we loved all of them, but she was stupid, incredible. She was a stupid dog Grandma. So you came down from Connecticut, you met Pop-Pop, you got married and then you moved out. You moved to Oak Grove Road correct, there's only one house. You moved to Oak Grove Road. It's the third house. We lived in an apartment when we first got married. Where's? that In Ward's Corner. Okay, it was called. Sussex, and then we bought our first house, which was in Forest Park.

25:32 Where's that? Off of Chesapeake Boulevard. Okay, that was a house that was brand new. That was a beautiful house. We loved that. So why'd you move from that house to Oak Grove Road, my? dad was like three years old then he the house to Oak Grove Road. My dad was like three years old then how did you? Dad was three in the house. Yeah, and how'd you get to Oak Grove Road? How did you? move to Oak Grove Road Because the school system was so good there and the school system where this house was was not good. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. And then what, covid? Oh, wow, well, we're going to get to that. That's a for sure question. And then how? Long was it that you lived in Oak Grove Road and then you moved out? 31 years, 31 years you moved to Virginia.

26:12 We are now 21 years, 21 years. And then what is it Could you speak to about? If you remember the life or marriage of Jeffrey to daughter-in-law Amy, could you talk just about that day, that change of life? Yeah, the greatest moment of her life. Yeah, what did you think of? mom, Mrs Amy Zuckerman. First time, I think, we saw together. We had never met Amy and we heard about her Microphone. I'm using it. And one day we were all the Jews used to go to 34th Street at Virginia Beach. That was little Israel. Oh, amy, yes, and Jeff came up. I don't remember where I was going.

26:57 Jeff. Jeffrey came up, jeffrey came up with Amy and said I want to introduce you to the girl that I've been dating. I don't remember that Microphone yeah. And I said oh my God. Jeffrey, is that the? best you could do and I said it was wonderful, she was very pretty and I met some nice girl, decent and we knew her parents Microphone. We knew her parents Microphone. We knew her mother Anyway. It was a wonderful, Beautiful, beautiful beautiful. Beautiful. I would like to actually. They got married at Bethel. Hold it, I'll hold it, I can hold it.

27:39 You're not holding it to your mouth. Okay. Okay, right up to your mouth. They got married at Bethel Bethel. We, my dad, went to the wedding. My father was desperately ill at the time he was like one month from dying and he came. He came to the wedding like a scarecrow, you know. He bagged a walk, he had a cane. Yeah, yeah, so lymphoma Grandma. Becky. Grandma Becky lived about 10 years ago. She was 102 years old.

28:22 She lived until about 50. Y'all were probably born. Yeah. You probably didn't know her, but 2001. Yeah, you were probably. Yeah, she was living in the same house. She was living on Hampton Boulevard in the same house where she lived. Grandma Becky saw the czar of Russia. Oh yeah, you bet. Can you imagine? The last convention of the Civil War veterans was held in Norfolk, virginia. The last convention it was on Granby Street. I went there and two Confederate soldiers in their gray uniforms. I cried when. I saw that, oh gosh, two Confederate soldiers in their gray uniforms.

29:03 I cried when I saw that. Oh gosh, actually two, you know two guys in the Civil War was ancient. There's two veterans in the Civil War. Next question how did you marry a Yankee? How come you married a Yankee? She became a Southerner, she converted to the South, but anyway they went on a convertible in the backseat. They were over 100 years old. I think both of them died right after that, but they were Confederate soldiers. I got it. I got it. Pop-up. Let me ask You've been alive for 90 years. You've probably seen a whole lot. What's the craziest thing that you've seen? I mean, isaac just was mentioning to me that COVID their world shutting down was a pretty crazy thing.

29:48 People can't exactly fathom Like my daughters, they can't fathom that the world shut down. What do you think of the craziest thing? I think you've witnessed a couple of world wars. What's the most insane and crazy thing you've ever witnessed? I think I'd have to go with World War II because at the time we lived on Hampton Boulevard and you know, I was a teenager maybe and the trucks were going day and night hauling equipment to the war. Because the ships left for Norfolk from Hampton Boulevard at the end and there were flatbed trucks with tanks all they're like hours they would go by truck after truck of tanks on them and then the planes were flying out of Norfolk. It was a lot going on.

30:30 Sailors, oh my God. Norfolk went over 300,000 people. Sailors were everywhere. Sailors all over downtown. They were everywhere. They rode. The street could end off, got streetcars. Sailors were, they took over the city. Wow. And you know it was a really trying time. And how about in 90 years? What's the? What's that? What's the most? Okay, you having dessert. Is it good? It's good. Papa, maybe, maybe you could speak to to him about, if you want. I mean, we definitely just spoke about the hardest thing, but in covid, I mean, when you talk about covid, how is it that life changed during the covid entire, when the world shut down?

31:16 How is it that things became rather calm? Just talk about covid for a minute for the kids that never heard of it. Is that good? That's what I figured. Are you? ready for this cake? Yeah, I'm almost ready. I'm working on it. All right Pop. COVID was a tough time. It was a tough time, that's it. That's what it is. Oh yeah, covid was tough, and then you know, then we got by. You know and we got by. You know, luckily I have COVID. I got it afterwards. I got COVID last year for three days. You know, it was nothing. Okay. So let's say, I want to think, I want to picture that I'm listening to this interview in in 30 years, you're 120 years old and we're listening to the interview together and maybe we could just highlight.

32:02 I want, I want that we should be able to highlight wait, happy birthday. You put the microphone down to you, happy birthday.