OCTOBER 8 • 2020 | 35 ever, ” he said. “I can still talk about them, and I still know exactly who was in them. Now today, you see some movies — yeah, they entertain you. But afterwards? It doesn’ t leave much behind. ” Zydower suggests some of this may be due to the loss of stars and the relationship that viewers could form with them across their many frequent works. “Most movies they are mak- ing today, it’ s very seldom they have top stars like they used to have before, ” he muses. “Even though you never met some of them in real life, you felt like they belonged to you. ” LIFE IN AMERICA But Zydower remains sensi- tive to painful recollections. Movies that address the Holocaust can stir memories of both the hate he experi- enced and the violence he observed and heard about against those around him. “It upsets me terribly, ” he says of watching Holocaust- themed films. “I start crying. ” Even now, he describes a sense of disbelief at the horrors he’ s heard of and seen. Fortunately for Zydower, his time since his arrival in America has been almost exclusively free of antisemi- tism and hate. “I tell you, the minute I got off the boat I felt I was in par- adise. When I arrived in San Francisco, the driver — who had to be Jewish — he told us that Israel had been created that day. ” Immediately upon arrival, he made the most of the coun- try’ s then-penchant for show- ing double features. “By the time I came to America, I only had seen 174 movies. And I was 18 years old. In San Francisco, I went almost every other day — the theaters were open night and day. There was this one on Market Street, I’ d go and watch two movies. And then, the next day I would again watch two. ” The habit continued when his family migrated to Detroit, and he began working in industry. Zydower still vividly remembers a range of neigh- borhood theaters in Detroit that have gone over the years; the Linwood and the Jersey were frequent fixtures in his life, and he still remembers when each would rotate its weekly programming. Today, Zydower’ s vision has declined enough that he can no longer drive, and theaters have been closed amid the pandem- ic. But he still watches a lot at home on Amazon (he praised Once Upon a Time in Odessa, a recent series about a Jewish gangster) and appears lively and undaunted even amid a historically difficult time. When asked if movies pro- vide an escapist function, he agreed they often can, espe- cially in “the bad times. ” As an example, he recalled a conver- sation overheard in Shanghai between a couple, a pair of foreign refugees contemplating the price of a Strauss operetta; they were weighing, as he and his family often did, the value of an artistic experience against what they needed to survive. Whether escapist or not, Zydower’ s story suggests the experience of watching movies has largely been worthwhile. Though not every film’ s a win- ner, impressions of the finest viewings, stars and theaters seem to live on for him as viv- idly ever. “I tell you what, ” he says of Here Come the Waves, a long-ago viewing experience among an incredible many: “I remember every bit no matter what. ” SlowYin Gentle Flow/Chair Yoga Fusion 8: 30 - 9: 30am 1 0: 30 - 1 1 : 30am 1 2 - 1 pm UPSCALE CONSIGNMENT & AUCTION HOUSE WE ARE OBSERVING ALL STATE COVID19 GUIDELINES & RESTRICTIONS CALL LESLIE WEISBERG TODAY FOR A FREE CONSULTATION 248.709.9648 | changinghandsestates.com Let our experienced team at Le Shoppe Too & Changing Hands handle your Estate Sale needs. Your items can be valued and consigned or auctioned at our store. We offer hands free-hassle free estate sales. Have a Happy Healthy New Year! SUMMER STORE HOURS TUES–SAT Noon–5pm | MON closed SUN and evenings by appointment only 3325 ORCHARD LAKE RD, KEEGO HARBOR, MI 248-481-8884 | www.leshoppetoo.com NOW ACCEPTING CONSIGNMENTS ICONIC 20th CENTURY FURNITURE, FINEART, HOME DECOR & LIGHTING