The Nieman Family
Ettie, Jack, Sally and Frances, 1949
by Marcus Tetro
Jack and Ettie (Esther) Nieman were the much loved parents of Sally Tetro (Auckland) and Frances Oppenheimer (Jerusalem).
Ettie (nee Solomons) was born in London in 1902, although she was always somewhat furtive about how many birthdays she had actually had. When only 14 years old Ettie, along with her twin brothers Sid and Ernie, were orphaned. Sid’s daughter Shirley (Shaw) went on to have three children who remain today great friends of Ettie’s grandchildren.
Ettie was outrageously funny and much of her Yiddishkeit lives on today through us, her somewhat irreverent grandkids. I remember she once referred to a woman as having a “f’crimpta punim”. I asked what she meant. She said, “It’s obvious, look at her. She looks like she’s been chewing on a lemon.”
She often added a somewhat laconic “my angel” to many of her utterances. When she had dinner guests and was worried about the menu, she would mutter “If they don’t like it, they needn’t come back, my angel”. Or when it came to spending money, “There ain’t no pockets in shrouds, my angel”.
As kids, we were the envy of our peers. We had the cool granny.
Jack had a challenging start to life. He was born 1910, the youngest of six and his father died when he was two. His youngest brother Reuben was sadly killed in a street fight in New York. Life was difficult, Jack grew up in a kosher boarding house in Southport with his three sisters helping their mother run the business.
He left school at 14 to help the family make ends meet. He eventually set up a tailor shop, “John Norman”, where his early marketing skills emerged as he cleverly installed a couple of bonnet monkeys in the window to attract customers.
Jack met Ettie in 1932 and they were married in London, 1 January 1933.
When it looked like the war was knocking on London’s door, Jack decided to move Ettie and their two year old daughter Sally, to Southport.
The joyous and unexpected arrival of Frances in 1947 preceded their departure to New Zealand, a destination chosen for its remoteness from war-torn Europe. The Nieman Four set sail on the Queen Elizabeth from Southampton to New York on 6 January 1948 with Sally turning 11 on the journey.
Sally and Gaby’s wedding, Auckland, 1959
Jack and Ettie, 1974
Sally and Frances, 2017
The Niemans (including Jack’s brother Sam, and his 4’ 2” wife Gertrude) landed at Whenuapai airport on 26 January 1948. They knew nobody.
On arrival, they stayed at a boarding house, (Glenalvon, Waterloo Quadrant), which was owned by Beattie and Nathan Solomon. In addition to meeting and forming a friendship with the Solomon family, they also met a Pan Am stewardess who told them of a house for rent in a place far away called Milford. This serendipitous act explains why some of Sally’s family can still be found today in Milford, whilst others have emigrated as far as Takapuna.
Sally married Gaby (Tetro) in Auckland, 1959. They settled in Takapuna where Gaby ran his medical practice until he sadly died aged 62 in 1997.
They have four kids:
· David (1960), married to Stella; sons Daniel (1993) and Sam (1995), daughter Sasha (1997).
· Marcus (1962) married to Liz Tindall (previously married to Juliet Moses with sons Isaac (2003) and Noah (2005)), stepdaughter Amelia (2005).
· Joel (1966) married to Shelley-Louise; Son Cole (2003).
· Sara (1969) married to Rob Fyfe (previously married to Craig Innes with daughters Gabriele (Dolly 2001) and Tobi (2002)); stepson Nichol (1994) and stepdaughter Christie (1996).
All remain on the North Shore, strategically located within walking distance of Sally’s dining table.
Frances made Aliyah in 1967 where she met and married Bruce (Oppenheimer). Fran inherited her mother’s sharp wit and is a tour guide in Jerusalem. They have three lovely kids. Adi (married to Amnon Manzur) with daughter Ayala and son Nitai. Efrat (married to Shay Filosof) with daughter Amalia and son Micha. Frances’ son Gal was previously married to Pola Goldberg and they have a daughter Roni. Gal has a new partner, Jayne, and they live in the UK. The Tetro and Nieman cousins live far away but are very close.
Auckland in 1948 was a complex new world for the Niemans. The polio epidemic was in full swing so Sally couldn’t attend school for three months. However, those random words of the Pan Am stewardess had again brought them good fortune as Milford was also home to Flora and Maurice Shieff. The Shieff children - Wendy (Ross), Lesley (Max) and Judy (Green) continue to be longstanding friends of the Niemans/Tetros. Such is the randomness of life and the richness of our community.
Jack was a cutter and tailor by trade, however he got a job as a salesman with the Korman Brothers (Hillel and Stan). He then moved on to Holeproof where he spent two years honing his natural sales skills and rising to the role of sales manager.
In 1952, he took over as GM at Silknit, which was a bit like being promoted to Captain of the Titanic - after it had hit the iceberg. Jack bailed it out and returned the company to profitability. The company rewarded him in 1967 by buying him a dark blue Mark 2 Jaguar, which can still today be seen cruising around Shul (not on Shabbat of course) with the author behind the wheel.
Bob Sell recalled the time when Harry M Millar, (who was working for Jack at Silknit), wanted a raise. Instead, Jack had new business cards printed for him and appointed him “Vice President in charge of Sales in the Waikato”. Harry was thrilled with his Middle Earth promotion. Jack was thrilled too, it hadn’t cost him a bean.
Jack was extremely well regarded in the industry and was made a life member of both the NZ Manufacturers Association and NZ Garment and Textile Federation.
Like many immigrants who did the hard yards, Jack and Ettie would be pleased to know that the massive upheaval they went through all those years ago to build a better life for their family has resulted in such happy lives for their children, their grandchildren and their great grandchildren. I am very grateful to them.
Being Jewish was very important to both Jack and Ettie, it really was embedded in their fibre. If the Chevra Kadisha was ever short a minyan, his old mate, Percy Bookman would ring Silknit and Jack would go tap the shoulders of his colleagues Harry M Millar, Bob Sell, Charlie Weiner, brother Sam and my uncle, Michael (Tetro). Sorted. Jack would smile wryly if he knew today that those same calls were now being made by Percy’s son Brian (Bookman) and myself.
I often heard Jack say Kaddish for others. I know he worried that there should one day be someone left to say Kaddish for him and for Ettie.
I hope he knows that there is.
The Tetro and Oppenheimer Families gather in celebration of Sally's 80th birthday, 2017
About the Author: Marcus Tetro, son of Sally and Gaby. Grandson of Clara and Joseph Tetro, Jack and Ettie Nieman. Marcus is a proud Auckland Jew and an active member of the Auckland Chevra Kadisha. He is married to Liz Tindall Tetro and they live in Takapuna. They have three kids between them; Isaac and Noah Tetro, and Liz’s daughter, Amelia (Taite).