Germans invade Poland 9/1/39 and seize Warsaw by 9/27/39. Jews rounded up. 400,000 people crammed into ghetto followed by mass deportations to death camps or concentration camps. (by train). Paul Goldfinger still images obtained from the Netflix doc.
Captive Jews make boots for German soldiers. Women sewed uniforms. Some were allowed to work in factories on the “aryan side” but eventually all were murdered.
Starvation and disease, especially typhus resulted in high mortality rates in the ghetto. A small number hid outside the ghetto. but were mostly killed or captured during the ghetto uprising. (4/9/43).
Starvation on 140 calories per day.
700 Jewish fighters fought bravely, living like rats in bombed out buildings. The Germans used Ukrainians and Latvian soldiers to stamp out the resistance. This is a famous photo of survivors. The uprising was crushed by 5/16/43. All survivors were murdered.
Many Jews were trapped in burning buildings. There is one photo of an entire family jumping to their deaths out of an apartment building balcony.
Germans liquidated the Ghetto and burned it to the ground.
During the occupation of Warsaw, no one was allowed to photograph except Germans. But there were some Jews who managed to get some images, but they were few, and some can be seen, for example in the National Holocaust Museum or at Yad Vashem in Israel.
A courageous 23 year old Polish fireman Leszek Grzywaczewskiego obtained a camera and taught himself how to develop film and make prints. He hid his prints in his family home. Many years later a collection of his photos was unearthed by his children who found them in hidden floor hiding places. His photos are now considered to be very rare and valuable historic records .
Eventually an HBO documentary of about 33 of his photos was made, and I took these still images from the Netflix documentary . It is now available for viewing. The 5th image down is a famous photo of remaining survivors. I don’t know the source of that photo.
Cravings Desserts is on Main Street in Allenhurst. Very good. Pies are $25.00. Over 30 years in business. Paul Goldfinger photo. Nov. 2025. Open early for Thanksgiving . 6 am here. We were first for the pie pickup. Blogfinger.net. Click once to enlarge.
Photo by Paul Goldfinger. Allenhurst, NJ The “Power Station” (former JCP&L property) seen above is at the east side of the Allenhurst revitalization project which has just begun. But this mess should quickly turn into a magnificent change for the Borough of Allenhurst which does need a makeover. Note that this popular project is near downtown, the ocean, and the train station.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net. Originally posted11/19/25. Ocean Grove NJ, USA. Now revised 3/21/2026.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor, Blogfinger.net
Allenhurst is a small wealthy borough with a large downtown building lot and new ambitious plans which have just begun revitalization. This massive property used to be part of a JCP&L facility and is now referred to by the developers as “The Power Station.”
The project will have several phases. Large expensive condos will have private garages. And there will be commercial and shopping facilities as well as low income housing. The design will pay tribute to this quaint town’s history and character. Most everyone in town is supportive. The downtown which could use an upgrade will become an admirable location for businesses and restaurants.
Allenhurst will become a sought after location as more visitors are sizing up this Jersey Shore area as a desirable residential and business investment site. The “Power Station” project will do very well.
They began construction a few months ago, and the photo above shows how it looks today (11/19/25).in the east part of the development area.
One developer prevails now, but some private builders are being allowed in. That’s better than what OG has gone through with its North End Redevelopment Plan.
This project is part of a larger plan including rebuilding the train station and town parks. The developers are well aware of the project’s proximity to the Ocean. It sounds like a wonderful concept. It should be finished in a few years.
And there will be some low income housing as required by the State of New Jersey.
And unlike our Ocean Grove North End fiasco, all Allenhurst parties involved are focused on what’s best for the town, and the word “redevelopment” is missing.
But there are a variety of issues which are currently surfacing causing troublesome “tensions” in Allenhurst, and Coaster reporters have their sensors turned to “on.” These concerns involve Beach Club fees, concerns about overdevelopment, concerns about compromises regarding the town’s history and traditions, and issues about State housing mandates. And there may be more to be revealed. For example, citizens demanded a public meeting with elected officials, and the meeting was held outdoors during freezing weather. Talk about a “cold shoulder!”
And here is a quote from the latest Coaster :
“Peggy Marquezi, a lifelong Monmouth County resident, expressed concern about the broader changes: ‘It feels to me like the current government doesn’t really care about the heart of this town..Every plan that’s being implemented is strategically designed to wipe out all the remnants of the town’s history and integrity,”
And another Coaster quote; about recent town meeting: “The gathering reflected a town torn between nostalgia and progress. “
Ocean Grove continues its unfocused ways as its residents gaze awkwardly into the future.
In fact, other new beautiful projects in our part of the Jersey Shore such as Ft. Monmouth, Colt’s Neck, Long Branch, Bradley Beach, Asbury Park, Red Bank and Monmouth Mall are moving ahead optimistically without the need for “Redevelopment designations” such as were approved by Neptune for Ocean Grove 17 years ago, and that project at our North End is still stuck in the mud, and most Grovers dislike the idea. It will suck the life out of our small historic town and we will be left behind floundering as the rest of the Jersey Shore in this area becomes more distinguished.
I’m beginning to think that OG would have been better off without the “historic” designations which hold us back now. We also have the Camp Meeting Association, The Chamber of Commercials, developers from inside and outside the town, and the Neptune Comedy weighing in to influence how the Grove evolves. Look what they have done at the North End.
So, keep an eye on Allenhurst and Asbury Park as they evolve by comparison into the future.
This past Sunday, late in the afternoon, we were on the Asbury boards where it was happening. There were musicians, photo shoots, busy restaurants, kids in the playground, bikers, and quite a few people walking the boardwalk—all kinds of people. We stopped at Days, walked on, and made a U turn near Convention Hall. People watching is really good in Asbury. The place has a happy feel. It wasn’t noisy, but there was a quiet cacophony due to all the board walkers. I could have done without the guy playing drums.
By the time we went through the Casino back to the Grove, dusk was settling in, and the sun was beginning to set. At 6:00 pm we were at the Pavilion.
It was striking how different the two towns were at around the same time. Asbury seemed more alive, like the Jersey Shore towns I experienced as a kid. But Asbury is not Seaside Heights or Pt. Pleasant, and it is the differences from town to town that make the Jersey Shore so fascinating.
These two shore towns (OG and AP) are both wonderful in their own ways, but so different. I think they complement each other. We are fortunate to be able to go so easily from one to the other. It’s almost like magic.
On the OG side, there were much fewer people, and the most striking difference was in the relative quiet on the OG boards. A woman walked by and said to her friend, “Look at the pier. It’s amazing.” But she was gone before I knew what was so amazing. The sound of her voice stuck out. There was some soft recorded music playing in the Pavilion. A few people were inside chatting.
Then I became aware of the bells. Those bells seem so peaceful and comforting unlike the sound of drums and an electric guitar over in Asbury.
Here is a sampling of the sounds in the Grove at 6:00 pm last Sunday at dusk. And then A.Park
Paul Goldfinger photo. Painter Diane Hutchinson turned this image into a painting (see link below). Click once to enlarge. Nagle’s will reopen in April, 2026.
A new shipment of sweet onions had just arrived; from where? Maybe Peru.
Eileen and I were selecting some onions. We liked their color, size, shape, and potential for salads. We were discussing the situation.
Suddenly I felt a presence behind me; I turned. A man, perhaps age 60 was standing nearby staring at our onion exploration.
Me: “Eileen, I think this man wants to get at the onions.”
She: “OK;” We stepped aside.
Me: I turned toward the man and I said, “Ok you can get the onions. ”
Man: “I don’t want any”
Me: “Oh. It seemed like you do.”
Man: ” No; I was just eavesdropping on your conversation.”
Me to him: ” I didn’t know that we are so fascinating .” He smiled as did I.
Then we headed towards the potatoes. He stayed by the onions.
On the way to the cashier we squeezed some avocados. Eileen is an expert avocado squeezer. She picked out four, and we were done. She prefers to check out with a person. I like the electronic self checkout, but I need help about 1/3 the time. It’s more complicated than you might think.
” Duo For Two Shoppers in E Major” by Jacque Offenbach. Uh, oops—It’s for two cellos.
The Asburians might think so, and the media coverage of the Casino plight ignores the Grove, but maybe they need to take the bypass or the breezeway (when it opens) and walk on the OG wild side: After all, although we do have our religious side, secular Grove might be a surprise.
Girls in their summer clothes: Ocean Grove,NJ, USA. Paul Goldfinger photo Blogfinger.net
AMY WINEHOUSE with JOOLS HOLLAND and PAUL WELLER. From the 2006 album At The BBC. “Don’t Go To Strangers.”
Paul Goldfinger photo on the Casino bypass. It came in handy to go to and from the Zombies. Asbury Park made this happen. 10/7/23. Click to enlarge. Blogfinger.net.
We learned from Google search today (3/20/26) that the Casino bypass is open again.
While the recent debate over the Casino had been happening, the roof was repaired, and then, as promised, the bypass has reopened on March 19, 2026. The shortcut is approved for walkers and bikers but no electric devices .
That beach side walking path was a big help when the indoor “breezeway” was closed, and walkers and bikers needed a short way to get to one boardwalk or the other. Many have assumed that the Ocean Grove side belonged to the Grove up to the Casino entrance, but actually the Asbury boardwalk extended a short distance south past the Casino entrance. But, as a practical manner, when one exited the breezeway on the OG side, most people believed that they had stepped over the CMA OG property line.
The Google report on 3/19/26 is one of the few media discussions, besides Blogfinger’s, to emphasize that the Casino breezeway connected the AP boards with the Ocean Grove boards. Most ignored the OG component.
This is an important fact which ought to be emphasized when the Casino’s importance is reviewed now that a decision to rebuild has been agreed upon.
And for the record, Asbury Park was founded in 1871 by James Bradley who also was the first to buy a lot in Ocean Grove. It looks like some in A. Park are waking up to the need to recognize and save historical places in the City, even if history is defined by more recent components like the Casino. And the AP history story needs to include the Grove.
Here a Blogfinger photo from 2022:
This is James Bradley behind Convention Hall during the Sea, Hear, Now Festival of 2022. Paul Goldfinger photo. Click once. The shirt says “Asbury Park.” Old Jim is also wearing a skirt. He’s in drag. Blogfinger.net
It seems like Greenwich Village by the sea. Café Volan can be a bit hard to find. It’s tucked into a side street, at an angle off of Cookman, unobtrusive on the left side of Bangs Avenue.
When you walk in, it feels like a beat up Beatnik hangout from the sixties. You expect to find Alan Ginsburg sipping an espresso. The crowd is not boisterous; in fact it is downright in whisper mode with no laughing. The customers seem serious, but maybe that’s because they are seriously enjoying a superb cup of real coffee. The cappuccino’s are excellent, although they serve them warm–the baristas say that’s the correct temperature.
I like the vibe at Café Volan. I went with Steve Valk who is spending a month in the Grove (from Germany where he lives) and he loves to go there; it’s about the mood and the coffee. We met there to discuss a variety of subjects. The place feels comfortable.
Steve is is enjoying his family in the Grove while developing some serious academic ideas as he plans for his PhD studies. Next week he will go to Duke for discussions with faculty there.
But now, in the Grove–where he spent his childhood summers—he tries to figure out how we could obtain some coherence among the Groverian factions. Steve has a lot of experience working with diverse populations and he is an optimist.
He wants to meet with anybody in authority: CMA/Neptuners/HOA or whoever would agree to talk to him (besides Blogfinger—we like to talk to Steve) because he has ideas as to how to pull this town together.
Personally, I don’t see much chance of that without a sea change in attitudes among Grovers of various stripes.
BOB DYLAN. He would like Volan. He played a lot of coffee houses in the day. This song is from his latest album Triplicate.
“I Could Have Told You” is a Sinatra song and a standard. It’s a far cry from the folk music scene of the fifties and sixties, but Volan is a far cry from Bleeker Street and the Bitter End.
