Introduction
Ellis Goodman, Camden realtor and civic leader, circa 1950
ELLIS GOODMAN was born April 24, 1898. He opened his real estate office in Camden NJ at 515 Market Street in Camden NJ in 1926. He moved his business to 427 Market Street sometime in the 1950s. He also was involved in insurance, and was the president of the Kaighn Saving and Loan Association. Ellis Goodman was also an active member of Camden and South Jersey’s Jewish community. He was a director of Congregation Beth El, on Park Boulevard across from Farnham Park, and an officer of the Federation of Jewish Charities and the Zionist Organization of America.
Congregation Beth El, by William M. Hoffman, Jr., Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University
Ellis Goodman lived during the 1940s and 1950s at 2596 Baird Boulevard in Camden NJ. He lived in Cherry Hill NJ in the latter years of his life. He passed away in September of 1982.
Ellis Goodman was married to Lillian Rosengarten, daughter of Robert Rosengarten, who was partners in Dewees & Rosengarten, a typewriter and business machine sales company on Market Street. Lillian Rosengarten Goodman carried the Ellis Goodman realty business forward until her retirement in 2004.
Her Marriage Announced
Camden Courier-Post
Mrs. Goodman before her marriage on Saturday, June 19, was Miss Lillian Rosengarten, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Rosengarten, of 1125 Langham avenue, this city. The ceremony was performed by Rabbi Solomon H. Metz, of Washington, D. C. Mr. Goodman is active in Camden civic and fraternal circles, being a member of the Camden County Real Estate Board and a director of the Joint Taxation Committee. He is past president of the B’nai B’rith. With his bride he will reside at 2596 Baird boulevard.
Reflections from Robert M. Rosengarten
My Uncle Ellis Goodman’s real estate and insurance business was at 427 Market from approximately 1950 to 1995. My Aunt Lillian Goodman retired officially a few weeks ago. Prior to 1950, Uncle Ellis was at 515 Market. I think he had the building there since 1926 when he went into business.
That fancy marble on the 427 Market façade was custom ordered by my Uncle Ellis when he refurbished the building before moving into it. Aunt Lillian said there was some extra put aside just in case it got damaged. Someone did run into that building damaging a piece last year but the money the insurance company offered to fix it wouldn’t touch the cost of repairs, even with the spare marble.
Ellis Goodman was quite a philanthropist. He was a wealthy man but lived fairly conservatively. It is safe to say he contributed millions of dollars to the Zionist movement. I really wish I’d gotten to know him better, but when you’re a kid you aren’t interested in the same things you are at age 50. Hell of a guy and dearly loved by the Camden Rosengartens!
Uncle Ellis never spoke much of his childhood, but I guess I never asked. I know he came to the United States by way of Toronto, Ontario. He and I were looking at an atlas once as he tried to show me how he got to Camden. I am not sure why Camden— probably he knew someone there. I am guessing it may have been a brother, Morris Goodman who had come to the United States earlier and was in the Philadelphia-Camden area.
Most of Uncle Ellis’s family perished in the Holocaust. One sister survived and went to Israel. I don’t think he knew exactly what happened till the late 1940s. Aunt Lil said someone in Philadelphia had all the information and they went to see this person. She said she was so scared as she didn’t know how Uncle Ellis would react. Two brothers were killed and the one sister escaped into the woods. I guess she lived in the woods and foraged for food at night. I am sure it was at that time my uncle became immersed in the Zionist movement.
— Robert M. Rosengarten, November 2005
Camden B’nai B’rith to Install Officer
Camden Courier-Post —
Meyer L. Sakin will be installed president for 1928 of Camden Lodge, No. 915, Independent Order B’nai B’rith, at a meeting to be held Sunday evening, January 8 at 7 o’clock at the Hotel Walt Whitman.
The lodge will be addressed by Rabbi William H. Fineshriber, of Keneseth Israel Temple, who will talk on “Jewish Youth” and by Rabbi Nachman S. Arnoff, of Beth-el Synagogue.
Judge Joseph Siegler, of Newark, and Max Drob, of B’nai Jeshurun Congregation, Philadelphia, have been invited to attend.
The past president’s certificate will be presented to Lewis Liberman, by Joseph Varbalow, assistant prosecutor of Camden county. Sakin will be installed by Herman Moskowitz, of Philadelphia.
Plans are being made by Camden Lodge for the annual banquet and dance which will be held March 25. Addresses will be delivered by the noted lawyer, Aaron Sapiro, of Chicago and New York; Judge John A. Matthews, of Newark; Rabbi Louis Wolsey, of Rodeph Sholom Temple, Philadelphia, and Judge Joseph L. Kun, of Common Pleas Court No. 1, Philadelphia.
Dr. Leopold Goldstein, state deputy of New Jersey I. O. B. B., will serve as toastmaster. The committee consists of Meyer L. Sakin, Fred Sirls, J. E. Brown, H. James, A. E. Friedberg, Dr. D. E. Cooper, H. Odlen and Dr. Hyman I. Goldstein. The last named is chairman.
New members recently admitted to Camden Lodge are Maurice B. Wessel, Samuel Varbalow, Ellis Goodman and Benjamin Shindler, all of Camden.
B’nai B’rith Installation Ceremony
Camden Courier-Post —
B'nai B'rith Installation Ceremony, Camden Courier-Post, January 9, 1928
Richards Opens Camden Quarters
Camden Courier-Post —
Camden campaign headquarters for State Senator Emerson L. Richards, one of the four candidates seeking the Republican nomination for governor, was opened yesterday in the Hotel Walt Whitman building on the Broadway side.
At the same time, Jack Weinberg, who is supervising the campaign of Senator Richards in Camden, announced a committee of 50 business and professional men of Camden county who will aid him. Weinberg announced the personnel of the general committee as follows: Former Assistant Prosecutor Rocco Palese, Jack Reiners, L. Scott Cherchesky, Carl Kisselman, Barney Brown, Benjamin Asbeil, Eugene Verga, Jay Remington, William D. Sayrs, Jr., Neil Deighan, John Hanlon, John Charles T. Humes, Meyer Adelman, James Roberts, Neil Zeidman, Dr. Marvin Segal, Byron Edwards, Ellis Goodman, Edward Callow, Morris Bloom, Milton D. Sweiger, Horace Acco, Abe Lippman, William Mead, Ellis Kircher, George B. Ulizio, R. L. Brest, Henry Jones, Samuel Lippman, John McCarroll, Anthony Balatesta, William Kelly, E. L. Kappel, William Feit, James McCarroll, Herman Greenberg, John Sappio, Benjamin Hardy, Joseph Fuhrman, Harry Chew, George Maggee, John Frost, George Smith, John Weber, Frank Evans, R. Radcliff, John Plum and William Udell.
Committee Studies Tax Rate to Learn of Possible Saving
Camden Courier-Post —
Analysis of the 1936 Camden city tax rate of $4.30 to discover to what extent costs of various municipal functions and services are having upon the rate is being made by the Joint Taxation Committee.
The committee is composed of delegates of the Camden County Chamber of Commerce, Real Estate Board and League of Building and Loan Associations.
The committee, meeting yesterday in the assembly room of the Chamber of Commerce in the Broadway-Stevens Building, discussed plans for the establishment of an annual high school award or scholarship for the best essay upon questions of city and county government.
“Local civic education can make a tax-conscious electorate, and I think the place to start getting such an electorate is through some sort of program in the schools,” said Ellis Goodman.
The plan was proposed by Carl Evered, who offered $25 toward the project, and was matched with a like sum by Goodman. A committee will make recommendations for a definite project.
NOTED RABBI SPEAKS IN CAMDEN TONIGHT
Camden Courier-Post —
Jewish Community to Fete Dr. Goldstein, President of Palestine Fund
Rabbi Israel Goldstein, of New York, president of the Jewish National Fund of America, will speak tonight at a mass meeting at the Hotel Walt Whitman, in celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Jewish National Fund.
Preceding the meeting, he will be the guest at a dinner tendered by members of the Jewish community here.
Leon H, Rose, Camden attorney, who is president of the Jewish National Fund Council of Southern New Jersey, will be toastmaster. Rabbis N. H. J. Riff and Philip L. Lipis [of Congregation Beth El] will speak.
Dr. Goldstein is rabbi of Congregation B’nai Jeshrun, and active in Jewish communal, civic and interfaith movements. He is a member of the New York Regional Relations Board and of the National Executive Committee on Workers and Farmers Rights, and president of the Jewish Conciliation Court of America. The Jewish National Fund of America, of which he is head, has for its purpose the purchase of land in Palestine.
Those at the dinner will include:
David Breslau, Ben Zion Steinberg, Isaac Singer, Mrs. Samuel Kaplan, Mrs. Abraham Kaplan, Samuel Varbalow, Meyer Adelman, E. George Aaron, Jacob Leventon, Jesse Satenstein, Lewis Liberman, A. J. Rosenfeld, Judge Joseph Varbalow, Elias Klein, Mark Marritz, Albert B. Melnik, Dr. Samuel H. Blank, Barney B. Brown, Jacob Naden, Samuel Ginns, Ernest Dubin, Ellis Goodman, Leon Naden, Louis Rovner, Joseph Ruttenberg. Morris Liebman, Albert Caplan, Lester Abrahamer, I. J. Milask, Isadore H. Hermann, Milton C. Nurock, Harry Trautenberg, Manuel Winigrad, Hanan Yarden, Morris Drob and Mrs. Dora E. Rose.
Willson Says Busiest Month Was in November ‘Recession’
Camden Courier-Post —
Realtor Sees Defeat of ‘Lawyer’s Bill’ as Feather in Cap of Board — PREDICTS SLUMP WILL END IN APRIL
Harry A. Willson, who recently retired as president of the Camden County Real Estate Board, wants the world to know that he is one of those “who is selling Camden and Uncle Sam long.”
In other words, the Camden realtor says he didn’t know the real meaning of “recession” in 1937, that November was his best month, and that by the middle of April, 1938, he expects to see “things humming and business okeh everywhere again.”
“The biggest accomplishment of the year for the real estate board was the defeat of the bill which would permit only lawyers to negotiate real estate transaction. It was the so-called ‘lawyers’ bill.’ Under its provision no realtor would have been allowed even to draw an agreement of sale. We know that there are negotiations that require a lawyer’s services, but we realtors feel we are fully capable of making an agreement of sale, drawing a lease and making a settlement.”
“We consider that victory as perhaps the largest feather in our cap for the year. But we’re proud that we moved into decent headquarters as well. We nave headquarters now at 421 Cooper Street, with an executive secretary in charge at all times.”
“I think the real estate board has been of great help in solving municipal problems, too. Carl Evered has been aiding in the matter of direct taxation and Ellis Goodman, on his committee on public parks and beautification has rendered a splendid service to Commissioner Frank J. Hartmann, who has charge of that department.”
“Their joint efforts have resulted in ridding the boulevards of unsightly signs that were bad advertising for the city. Goodman and his committee also aided in the movement that rid the city of buildings that were unsightly, and standing, gave Camden a bad reputation abroad.”
Ellis Goodman
Camden Courier-Post —
Who has been in business here for 24 years at the same location, 515 Market street, thinks if Camden’s tax rates were equalized with those in Philadelphia, it would encourage Philadelphians to settle here.
Goodman, who attended a course in real estate appraisal at Temple University, is president of Ellis Goodman & Co., a director of the Camden County Real Estate Board, vice president, Society of Residential Appraisers, and of Chapter 1, New Jersey Property Managers. He also is a director of the Camden County Insurance Agents Association, since he operates an insurance business in conjunction with real estate and mortgage financing.
He is a director of the Federation of Jewish Charities, vice president of the New Jersey Region, Zionist Organization of America, and a director of the national board of the Zionists, a director of Congregation Beth-El, and numerous other organizations. He is president of the Kaighn Savings & Loan Association. Goodman lives at 2596 Baird boulevard.