ELUL 28 · DAY 28 of 29 · SEPTEMBER 8, 2026

In 1906, Moshe Yehuda Genauer was a young father in Tchernowitz, Austro-Hungary. After a pogrom, his aunt said, “This is no place to raise a Jewish family.” She gave him a ticket to America, telling him to earn money and bring his family to a better place for Jews.

Moshe came to New York. Being a yeshiva bochur, he had no professional skills. He decided to become a peddler. He went to the East Side but saw dozens like him trying to peddle.

He went to Seattle, where he bought a used suit from a man in a wealthy neighborhood. He went back to his room to fix the suit and resell it. He found a valuable diamond brooch in the pocket. He immediately walked back to the mansion and asked to see the man. His wife resisted but relented when he explained he had found a brooch in the suit. When she called the man in, Moshe said, “I bought a suit from you, not a diamond brooch, so I am here to return the jewelry.”

The man was president of Rainier National Bank. He said to Moshe, “I see that you are a truly honest man.” He extended an open line of credit to him. Moshe settled in Seattle and used the credit to open a wholesale men’s clothing firm. The business supported him and his six-son family for a century.

Jewish ethics teach us that honesty is the best policy. Our family’s story teaches us that the greatest inheritance we can leave our children is our integrity.

This is Blu Genauer Greenberg’s family story.