Anti-semitism led brothers to change name

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I noticed in the story you ran Thursday about the “Ghost Sign” in Medford that you referred to David of Harry & David fame with his old surname. Wasn’t it changed later? Could you refresh us on how that came about? If I recall correctly, it was a result of ignorant, dark times in human history.
— J.D., Medford

Unfortunately, your recollection of how it came about appears to be accurate, J.D. And it does reflect the dark, anti-semitic side of humans that is fed by racism.

Brothers David and Harry Rosenberg were the offspring of Sam Rosenberg, who started the pear business that became Bear Creek Corp., now recognized the world around as Harry and David. The brothers entered petitions in the Jackson County court on March 21, 1939, asking to adopt the last name of their longtime, beloved stepfather, Seattle merchant John Holmes. Sam Rosenberg had died some 20 years earlier.

Harry’s wife, Eleanor, and David’s ex-wife, Muriel, who had just recently divorced him, and their children joined in the petitions which stated: “The feeling which is now being engendered throughout the world upon those who have names of apparent German and Semitic origin has caused certain embarrassment to your petitioners.”

A story in the MT back in 1995 quoted a former employee who said the chief concern was in European markets where “the name Rosenberg wasn’t going over real well.”

Back in 1939, nearly all the comice pears from the Bear Creek Valley were being shipped to Paris. Sadly, anti-Jewish feelings were surfacing also throughout the United States at the time.

In 1980, Nat Bender, a now-deceased corporation executive, in a taped interview with the Southern Oregon Historical Society, confirmed the anti-Jewish sentiment against the brothers.

“In the winter of 1938 and the spring of 1939, there was considerable feeling on the part of some people locally that these boys were ... Jewish ... well, it was just that anti-semitism was running all over the country,” he said.

It wasn’t our country’s finest hour. Or the world’s, for that matter.

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