Ida & Bennie Gordon

Following the death of their mother during a pogrom, Ida and Bennie Gordon traveled from their home in Grodno, Poland with their father Ozer in the early 1900s and initially settled in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1910, unable to care for his children while working, Ozer placed them in the Home.  

In 1916, at ages 16 and 13, Ida and Bennie returned to their father who had relocated to New Orleans. According to the 1920 census, Ida worked as a saleslady in a novelty shop while Ben held a clerical position with an insurance company.

Ida made her way to Houston, where she married Meyer Cohen and raised a family. She was joined in Houston by her brother Ben, who married the former Leota Thompson, raised a family, and managed an auto finance company before selling scrap metal. In honor of the Home’s 1960 reunion, Ben sent a generous check that – to the surprise and delight of the alumni organizers – covered the cost of a band for the banquet and dance.