{geni:about_me} I, Alice Enfield Ginsburg Hurowitz, was born on August 30, 1907, in
Buffalo, New York. I am the first of four children born to my parents,
Samuel(Shee'ye) and Ida(Chaya) Levin. My parents were immigrants, my
father hailing from Poland, and my mother from Russia.

My father of blessed memory, was a baker. There was not any work to
be had in his profession, so, shortly after I was born, in 1908, my
parents moved to Brooklyn, New York, to seek employment.

I, being an infant, was susceptible to an epidemic ragging at the
time. I contracted infantile paralysis, known today as poliomyelitis. As
my parents did not have the means, I received little medical attention.
Later, my mother took me to the Vanderbilt Hospital in Manhattan. I
remember it being far away from home. There I was fitted with metal
braces, on my right arm and left leg. Although I can't recall, my mother
told me that I was unable to walk until I was four years old.

In 1909, when I was two years old, my sister Lena was born. She
called herself Lee. Two years later my sister Freeda was born, and in
1915 my brother Mordechai was born. I remember my siblings being born
only as screams heard from mother. I attended public school and the a
girl's high school. I intended to become a librarian. I would get milk
and a graham cracker at school for 6 cents.

I was allowed to sit with my parents when there were visitors
instead of playing - I didn't have many friends to play with. When I
went to high school though, I made lots of long lasting friends. I kept
in contact with many of them. Some of them also moved to Los Angeles.
I've kept in touch with the friends who stayed in New York, writting them
them and calling them throughout their life. Momma never taught me how
to cook or clean but did teach me to use my hands in knitting and
crocheting. We continued living in Brooklyn until 1925.

Then we moved to Los Angeles. Papa continued working as a baker. My
mother stayed home, took care of the family, and knitted and crocheting
and baking. I was fortunate to be able to Finish high-school, and
graduated in 1924. Going to high school was not compulsorary in those
days, and my sisters didn't go. I feel that the still resent that I did
go and that they didn't till today.

While I was working in the Klien and Stewart (Stuart) toy store in
downtown Los Angeles, I met my first husband, David Ginsburg, who was
also worked there. We were married on April 21, 1929.

We began our married life together living and working in Yosemite, a
place I love to this day. We returned to Los Angeles and had a short
attempt at owning and running a liquor store. Only one and a half years
into our marriage my husband suffered from a burst appendics. It took him
five years to recuperate, as he also came down with TB, and I was forced
to work to support us. During this time, I worked for the City of Los
Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, and the State of California. I also
worked for several years as a medical secretary at the Cedars of Lebanon
research Laboratories and for several prominent psychologists.

In 1937 my first child, Bernad Robert was born. In 1940 we were able
to purchase our first property and we custom built a house. In 1941 my
daughter, Sandra Joan was born. A year later my husband joined the
service for personal reasons and came home at the end of the war.

In 1946 I started to work as the secretary at a Jewish after
school program, the City Terrace Folk Shul, founded by Mina and David
Yaroslavsky In 1952, at the age of 45, I decided to further my education
and became a student at the University of Judaism, earning my teaching
credential and certificate in Sunday School administration. I went on to
become the Sunday School Principal, for many years, at the Alhambra
Synagogue Center. I also served as an Adult Education teacher for many
years with the Los Angeles Unified School District, teaching English as
a second language, typing and basic arithmetic.

In 1957 we joined the wave of the Jewish relocation to the west side
and purchased a duplex on Spaulding Ave, in the Fairfax district. Two
years later I became a grandmother for the first time. That same year my
husband had a heart attack. This was the first of seven heart attacks,
the seventh one killing him. I was again relied upon to be the primary
bread winner. I became a widow on August 7, 1972.

Almost ten years later, in 1982, I met and married David Hurowitz
The first part of the marriage was invigorating, but soon he developed a
heart condition, and then was stricken with Parkinson's disease. He died
on August 16, 1993.

I, Alice Ginsburg Hurowitz live alone in Woodland Hills, CA., near
my two children.
July 1995


"...Alice Ginsburg Hurowitz died on February 6, 1998, at the age of
ninety. Despite her physical challenges, she was always alert,
quick-witted and sharp. She enjoyed reading, foreign films and
traveling to places that her "well traveled" children have not yet had
the opportunity to visit.. Her favorite place was Yosemite. From the time
she lived and worked there in the 1930's to her last visit there in the
summer of 1995, it retained a special place in her heart. She was
listening to a "Sounds of Yosemite" tape when she left us.
"Alice had a love affair with words and languages. She was an
expert in "50-cent words". In addition to a very cultured English she
spoke Yiddish, Hebrew, French, Spanish, and some Russian. She once had a
Japanese student and was so proud to have learned many Japanese words.
Whenever the opportunity presented itself she tried out her languages.
In a restaurant "water without ice" became "Agua sin yellow"!

. "For over 10 years now, Alice and Bernie had an almost daily ritual
- the 7:26 phone call -"Did you know the answer to the final Jeopardy
question?", or more precisely, and Alice was precise, did Bernie know the
question to the final Jeopardy answer because up until the very end she
knew the answer four night our of five! Whenever one of her
grandchildren needed to know how to spell a word, or the exact definition
they knew that Gramma Alice would be able to help them."

- from the eulogy written by her son