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The Impact and Influence of the Rubin
Family
By Louis M. Iatarola
By the turn of the 20th century, it was becoming apparent
in Tacony that this paternalistic, primarily English village
was giving way to a more pluralistic society. Over a quarter
century has passed since Henry Disston began to implement
his plan for an orderly industrial town at Tacony, and waves
of immigrants including Irish, German, Italian, African-American,
and Jewish families began to settle here. Although this influx
of new Taconyites weakened Disston's concept of paternalism,
it cemented ethnic and religious diversity in the neighborhood
which continues to this day.
The bulk of Tacony's Jewish population
did not emerge until the 1920's; however, several pioneering
entrepreneurs paved its way by opening several businesses
along the main thoroughfare of the day, Longshore Avenue.
In addition to Guggenheim's Dress Shop, Myra Zier's Shoe Store
and David Bree's Ladies Shop, the Rubin Brothers Department
Store was a prominent Jewish-owned retailer during the early
part of the last century.
When constructed in 1905 at the northeast
corner of Longshore Avenue and Hegerman Street, the Rubin
Brothers Department Store had already been in operation at
Tacony for nearly eight years, increasing its patronage steadily
by providing quality goods at rock-bottom prices. The new
26 foot by 90 foot, two-story brick building was regarded
in 1906 as "one of the best, if not the finest, business
properties in Tacony today" by the Tacony New Era. In
profiling some of the leading businessman of the day, the
paper went on to describe the business as "having been
characterized by fair, square, honorable dealing and a conscientious
effort to please and satisfy its patrons, and few businesses
here today enjoy to a greater degree the confidence and respect
of the people of Tacony...The business is regarded as a reliable,
progressive, and successful dealer." The new showroom
featured the largest variety of its day in clothing, hats,
shoes, dress materials, and men's furnishings.
On December 17, 1896, Hymen Rubin was
born to Esther and Joseph Rubin, one of the Rubin Brothers
who would become leading retailers in the fast-growing Tacony
community. Unlike most sons of successful Jewish businessman
in the neighborhood who would join the family business, Hymen
Rubin chose to study law and returned to Tacony to establish
both personal and professional roots. Although he dropped
out of high school, Principal Alvin Snook from Frankford High
School persuaded young Rubin to return to the school and served
as somewhat of a mentor for young Rubin. Heeding Mr. Snook's
advice, Hymen went on to become president of the student assembly
and editor-in-chief of its yearbook.
 Hymen
Rubin graduated from Temple University's Law School in 1919.
At the age of 23, he organized the Forty-First Ward Savings
and Loan Association to aid returning war veterans for the
purchase of homes. Later known as Fidelity Federal Savings
and Loan, located at 6958 Torresdale Avenue, the building
housed the banking institution on the first floor with Rubin's
living quarters above. Fostering the virtues of thrift and
debt-free home ownership throughout sprawling Northeast Philadelphia,
Rubin was an active part of the institution for over fifty
years. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Tacony
Building and Loan Association, housed at the southeast corner
of Longshore Avenue and Tulip Street in the Trust Fund Building.
Hymen Rubin married Miriam Magil Rubin,
a descendant of the chief rabbi of Lithuania. Her father,
Joseph Magil, was a Philadelphia publisher of biblical translations
and Hebrew works distributed worldwide. When the Rubins settled
in Tacony, only about twenty-five Jewish families called the
area home. In 1925, Miriam Magil Rubin established the first
Hebrew religious school in Northeast Philadelphia. The Tacony
Women's Hebrew Association conducted classes three days a
week on the second floor of the Tacony Trust Company building.
With experience gained from assisting
with a Hebrew school operated by her father, combined with
a passion for extending to Tacony's community the desire to
learn heritage and take part in community, Miriam believed
and often said, "the cause is greater than the individual."
It is said that she could be seen pushing a baby carriage
with two small children beside her, knocking on doors of Jewish
families and business owners to spread the word of a need
for a center of Jewish learning and worship for their children.
A small congregation eventually formed, which for several
years conducted services in homes above the stores of Jewish
merchants.
By 1936, the building which had formally
housed the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at the northeast
corner of Walker Street and Tyson Avenue became available
after the Church built a larger facility on Cottman Avenue.
This one-story building, originally constructed as an ACME
supermarket, became know as the Northeast Community Jewish
Center and was issued its charter in the same year. Modestly
adorned with a Jewish star set in stained glass above the
doorway and the letters "NJCC" within a Mogen David
star set in concrete at the front, this building served as
home to the congregation for fifteen years, until in 1952
a larger building was constructed at the northwest corner
of Algard Street and Tyson Avenue. Re-named Temple Menorah
for its prominent exterior, the new building could hold 484
members, nearly five times the capacity of the original building
known as "The Shul." In honor of its founder, the
building's auditorium was named the Miriam Magil Rubin Auditorium.
In 1954, Miriam was chosen Mother of the Year by the Menorah
Chapter, B'nai Brith Youth Organization.
The Rubins raised three children, Alan,
Judith, and Daniel, at their home above the banking facility
on Torresdale Avenue. Besides his personal and professional
achievements, Hymen Rubin wrote a work on Jewish history which
was published in the Zionist Press, serialized on radio and
produced on the stage, playing for years in cities throughout
the country under the title, "A Romance of the People."
He also founded the Savings and Loan Institute dedicated to
the training of young men in industry and co-founded the Tacony
and Wissinoming Relief Association. When Hymen Rubin learned
that Mr. Snook, his formal Principal at Frankford High School,
had become blind in his later years, he arranged to have a
person sent every day to read to him. His gentle manner, humble
spirit, and sincere generosity made Hymen Rubin one of the
most respected citizens of his day.
Perhaps Hymen Rubin's greatest community
legacy was his weekly column, titled "Hi, Neighbor,"
which appeared in the Northeast News during the 1950's and
1960's. A synopsis of the values for which he strived, the
manner in which he conducted himself, and the pride which
he felt in his hometown of Tacony, these articles described
fond recollections of his past, profound observations of the
present, and even told details of his vacations, through which
his readers would enjoy vicariously. The handful of articles
handed down to Tacony's Historical Society include reminiscences
about old Dr. David Umstead, the Holmesburg-to-Tacony ("Hop,
Toad, and Frog") Rail Line, and soccer-game tales of
his youth. Perhaps his most eloquent and sincere thoughts
were summed up in June, 1956, upon the "Tacony Week"
celebration and memorabilia display, for which he shared his
enthusiastic spirit with his readers. An excerpt from this
column detailing the impact of such a proud exhibition of
Tacony's rich past, reads :
What does this exhibit do? What does
it mean? Let us briefly delve into these queries and make
comparisons. Many of us have large photographs of grandparents
and parents that we have seen over and over again, until,
because of our familiarity with them, we nonchalantly put
them out of site. Mankind is essentially deeply sentimental.
Witness the change in your own attitude. Those of you who
visited the exhibit will, I am sure, agree with me. As you
gazed upon the familiar faces of friends and relatives,
recollections carried you back many years. Comparisons between
then and later years ensued. A wonderful outing, a pleasant
date, school days together, associations at work or in local
or social effort, a sad illness, a happy wedding, all such
recollections and many more were brought to mind. I have
seen some of the folks wipe tears from their eyes as recollections,
whether they were sad or joyful, stirred their emotions.
Personally, after seeing the photographs of so many Tacony
friends, it occurred to me that I should prize the old,
big square or oval photographs of my departed or living
relatives. A feeling of warmth and pride was rekindled and
I sensed a renewal of desire to retain them. I saw that
others were obtaining emotional thrills, gladness, and joy
because of the opportunity to live over again the incidents
of yester-year. Though recollections may be sad, the emotional
system is helped by the out-cropping of sighs and tears.
Emotions encased in the remote recesses of the subconscious
mind spill over and a sense of mental satisfaction and relief
is attained... Recollections and reminiscences are heart
warming, refreshing, and stimulating. I am most happy that
so many Tacony friends recognize the value of our exhibit.
It gives the entire community a mental boost. The exhibit
cannot grow too big. I can assure you that we at Fidelity
Federal Savings and Loan Association will put forth every
effort possible to help in expanding the exhibit for your
and our joint edification.
 In
many ways, Hymen Rubin is responsible for "passing the
torch" of Tacony pride and history to those who lead
Tacony's civic life today. During an age of the Cold War,
highway construction and shopping mall development, history
was not exactly a fashionable topic. This was not the case
in Tacony, thanks to leaders like Hymen Rubin, who so genuinely
wanted to reinforce a sense of place and a feeling of optimism
among his fellow Taconyites.
Although Hymen and Miriam Magil Rubin
divorced around 1962, both still played active and important
roles in Tacony's civic and cultural life into the 1970's.
Hymen served as director of the Tacony Merchants Association,
participated in the Northeast Boys Club, and became Director
of the Northeast Regional Board of the Pennsylvania Banking
and Trust Company. He was a member of over thirty social,
business, and religious organizations. He also helped from
the Board of Trustees for the Oxford Circle Jewish Community
Centre (O.C.J.C.C), an organization which bestowed upon him
"Man of the Year" honors in 1968. Temple University's
"Down Town Club" named Rubin "Man of the Month"
in October, 1971.
On October 26, 1974, Hymen Rubin died
at his residence on Torresdale Avenue at the age of 77. He
was appropriately memorialized in December, 1974 by members
of the O.C.J.C.C., who stated, "He never lost his cool
or raised his voice in anger... He had the heart to sense
one's anguish and reckon with one's perplexity... A man of
integrity himself, Hymen Rubin always looked for it in others.
He searched for it in society and with it all he was a man
of simplicity, and man who lacked any measure of ostentation.
Because he cherished these virtues, he constantly appreciated
them in others... He was blessed with an artist's soul, loved
beautiful things, music, and nature. Anyone who visited his
office must remember the fresh flowers which adorned his desk
every day, and must also remember the orderliness and systematic
arrangement of his scheduled affairs."
Miriam Magil Rubin resided at 7007 Gillespie
Street after the divorce and remained a significant part of
Temple Menorah and the community. For 25 years she served
on the Board of Jewish Education of Philadelphia and the Delaware
Valley. In 1973, she was recipient of the Humanitarian Award
of the Oxford Chapter, B'nai Brith Women. Mrs. Rubin was also
active in a multitude of civic causes including the United
Fund, Deborah Foundation, Pennsylvania Association for Retarded
Citizens, N.A.A.C.P., A.C.L.U., and the American Technion
Society. She was also know among some Taconyites as more than
willing to provider her competent accounting and notary public
services for little or sometimes no compensation. Miriam Magil
Rubin lived to be 79 years old, succumbing to leukemia at
Graduate Hospital on January 7, 1977.
It is difficult indeed to imagine the
cultural and civic landscape of today's Tacony without the
influence of Hymen and Miriam Magil Rubin. Their love of faith,
love of family, confidence in fellow man, and dedication to
serve all of them would make both true role models in any
era. We in Tacony should be thankful for all that they gave
to better this community. By enshrining their names in our
hearts and in our minds, may we always remember that an optimistic
approach and sincere dedication to a given cause is all one
needs to truly succeed.
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