Page 9 - jr102622

The Manor feels like home to Roberta Wolff

BY SYDNEY CLEVENGER A FAMILY
When Roberta Wolff decided it was TRADITION:
time to move to Cedar Sinai Park’s Rose Roberta Wolff's
Schnitzer Manor, she felt it was a sign that great-grand-
her mother’s former Manor apartment was mother Bubba
empty and ready for move in. lived in Robison
“Lo and behold, her unit was actually Jewish Home's
available when I called,” says Roberta. “It original building.
was sort of meant to be.”
Roberta’s mother, Esther Kales, moved
into Rose Schnitzer Manor just after it was
built in 1987, and she lived there until her
passing in 2005.
“It’s a lot different now than it was when
my mother was here and I would visit,”
says Roberta. “But everyone seems very
content and happy and comfortable. One
of the longtime housekeepers recognized
me right away! And the caregivers are just
wonderful … It’s a good feeling to know
that people really care.”
Roberta’s grandfather, Louis Goldberg, a Roberta's mother, Esther; grandmother,
biblical scholar from Odessa, escaped Rus- Sadie; and Roberta. Roberta now lives in
sia at age 19. In Austria, Louis came upon Roberta's grandparents, Louis and Sadie Esther's old apartment at Rose Schnitzer
Sarah (Sadie), a young blonde who was Goldberg, lived in Robison Home at its cur- Manor on the Cedar Sinai campus across
drawing water. Sadie’s father was a rabbi, rent location, now Cedar Sinai Park. the street from Robison.
and he invited Louis to dinner.
“My grandfather asked the rabbi, ‘If I Drawing and painting came naturally to ing private clients.
send for her will you let her come? I want Roberta when she was very young, and Roberta began painting again after re-
to marry her’ and the rabbi agreed,” says though she “never really thought about” tiring. Her apartment at Rose Schnitzer
Roberta. Louis sent for Sadie about a year what she was doing while creating, she Manor is filled with her drawings, charcoal
after making it to the United States. won many art awards. sketches of ballerinas and a peaceful ab-
Roberta’s mother was born in Portland “My father’s family were very artis- stract of the night sky at the beach.
and married Frank Kales. The family tic people. His father was a couturier in “Most of my paintings are good memo-
moved to Longview during World War II, France. And one of his relatives designed ries,” says Roberta. “I’ve had a very emo-
and Louis arranged for his parents to come the military uniforms in Russia.” However, tionally deep life. And I’m glad to be here,
join them from Russia. They lived in the Frank wanted Roberta to “have a profes- home in Portland, at Rose Schnitzer Manor
family’s basement for a year. sion,” not become an artist. in a countryside environment, surrounded by
“Here was this tiny little Russian couple So, Roberta selected the University of Wash- people with similar backgrounds as mine.”
with their babushkas and frocked coat and ington to study interior design. After college,
top hat walking down the stairs to the base- Roberta moved to New York and studied at
ment,” says Roberta. “I think I was 7. I’ll the New York School of Interior Design.
never forget that image of them.” “They had a lot of classes in the museums
Louis later moved his parents into the orig- taught by famous people. It was fascinating
inal Robison Jewish Home on Third and for a small town girl from Portland,” she says.
College Streets, which had opened in 1920 Returning to Oregon, Roberta was em-
in the Jewish enclave of South Portland. ployed at Meier & Frank’s flagship store
The family returned to Oregon when Ro- in downtown Portland, which had its own
berta was 11. full-scope, in-house design department.
“I remember my cousin and I going every “There were very few private, profession-
Sunday with our parents and grandparents al designers at the time, so we had clients
to the Home,” says Roberta. “There were from all over the country,” she says. “It
steps up to the big front porch. ... My was the place to work. People would move
great-grandmother, Bubba, would be on a to Portland and immediately call Meier &
chaise lounge on the porch. She was blind, Frank’s design studio to get a decorator to
so she couldn’t see me, and we used to put buy their furniture and drapes and carpet-
money in her hand. I don’t know why she ing. … I felt pretty lucky.”
needed money, but having it seemed to Roberta married A.J. Wolff and had two
make her feel good.” daughters: Leslie Wolff is a U.S. geologi-
Both Sadie and Louis also spent the last cal hydrologist in California, and Cynthia
years of their lives at the Robison Home Wolff designs and sells jewelry under her
after it had moved to its current site on name. To be at home with her daughters,
Boundary Street. Roberta left Meier & Frank and began tak- Roberta Wolff, 2022.
Jewish Review Oct. 26, 2022 9