You’ve heard no doubt, of the Energizer Bunny.
Now meet Energizer Bernie, the 97-year-old who is living on his own in the house in northwest Phoenix, purchased in 1949 on the GI Bill, where he and his late wife raised their children; he is driving (and thriving!) and working in sales (albeit not full time) and he is a treasure trove of memories related to the history of the Jewish community here in the Valley.
Old-timers doubtless recall the location at 4314 N Central Ave. where Gross Delicatessen and its neighbor, Karsh’s Bakery, and its predecessor, Sun Valley Bakery, were the singular destination for all things kosher.
The Grosses traveled from their native Russia to Harrisburg, PA, in the early 1920s. They were sponsored by family members who helped to ease their way into the New World. A year after their mother died in 1933, Bernie and a younger brother left Harrisburg venturing cross-country via Greyhound bus to join their father, Sam, in Phoenix. A pioneer at heart, Sam had headed to Arizona “for health reasons and the idea that he could earn a living.”
His father’s initial venture, Bernie relates, was a small market for “sodas, milk and basics,” at 506 N Central Ave., “and we all lived in the back for a few years.” A unique feature at the time was a “moveable fruit stand,” which the senior Gross built and maneuvered on skate wheels, rolling it daily to the front of the store. Bernie remembers, “shining the apples and the fruit.”
Though the family was Orthodox “in the Old World,” Bernie says kosher food wasn’t readily available in the Valley at the time. He remembers his father saying, “Later we’ll eat kosher, but now – we gotta eat!”
“We concentrated on making a living,” Bernie says. “Life was tough, but we didn’t know it!” And when the Jewish community needed them, “they would find us to make a minyan!”
He describes the area then, on North Central between Van Buren and Jefferson streets, as having “lots of shops, lots of foot traffic” often catering to “a fancy crowd of movie stars and politicians” who stayed at the Westward Ho Hotel and strolled around the area. During that period, Bernie “hawked the Phoenix Gazette” – for 2 cents a copy – “after school on the sidewalk near the store.”
Until his high school years (at Phoenix Union) Bernie says he had thought he was a U.S. citizen, but he found out in civics class that wasn’t the case. He became a citizen upon
Meanwhile, Bernie’s younger brother, who had been stationed in Italy, returned to the States with an Italian Catholic pregnant bride named Maria. “I was going with a nice Jewish girl at the time,” Bernie remembers, “but then Maria’s sister Gabriella came to visit – and she was gorgeous. It was love at first sight for both of us. She didn’t know one word of English, but I was an excellent student and figured it out.” Bernie and Gabriella, who passed away in 1989, were married for 37 years and had four children.
Bernie explains that he rarely was behind the counter at Gross’s but was active behind the scenes, handling all the business aspects and responsible for some excellent business investments for the family.
“We were the only game in town for many years for kosher stuff, for Jewish stuff. Everyone came to us with their questions, and we were able to help. We really were almost famous.” But in the early ’80s, Bernie remembers, “Supermarkets began to carry kosher merchandise and things slowed up for us. One day a young real estate guy (Ron Bookbinder) who specialized in Central Avenue properties told us he had a buyer for us if we were ready to sell. My brother and I looked at each other – and said ‘Sell it!’ ”
Bookbinder, who now lives in Los Angeles, recalls Bernie as “a terrific businessman with great integrity.” Bernie and his dad had purchased acreage “near and back of the store and also some frontage.” The investments eventually proved very lucrative.
Not one to ease into retirement, Bernie has pursued myriad interests since the sale of the delicatessen, including successful stints selling long distance phone cards, learning the art of furniture upholstery and working with his brother in a video game warehouse.
To fill the days when his “baby brother,” who had lived in the house right next door for many years, passed away at age 81, Bernie accepted an invitation by a local rabbi to “come to Chabad.” He attended services for 11 months to honor his brother’s memory. “I never missed – and I am still there,” he says. Bernie recently baked a batch of “knockout cookies” in the Chabad kitchen on Lincoln Drive for Shabbat. And he is working on some new recipes.
The traditional blessing for long life, “You should live until 120,” relates to Moses, whose 120-year lifespan is recorded in the Torah. What does Bernie, slight and sprightly, say to that: “I wonder if it’s possible – if it is – I wouldn’t mind!”
L’chaim, Bernie!
(A shout out to Arizona Jewish Historical Society, who provided additional information for this article.)
