Brooklyn, NY – I came to Kramer’s hardware in Brooklyn, N.Y., to meet a man name George, who everyone said would give me an interview unlike any I’d ever done before.
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His responses to questions about when customers starting coming in and what the store was like in the old days didn’t result in much of a response.
Then I realized I was asking the wrong questions. George’s boss, Isaac Abraham, says I should have started out by asking him something like – what’s the inventory control number on this random set of faucet handles? “99-0163, they’re Centrals,” George quickly responded. He’s right. And he can do it with just about every part in the place.
Abraham compares George’s incredible memory and ability to track endless numbers and quantities of inventory to that of Dustin Hoffman’s character in the film “Rain Man.” Hoffman won an Oscar for his portrayal of an autistic savant. “He qualifies to be Rain Man number two,” says Abraham.
Born with what doctors said back then was a developmental disability, George started working at his father’s hardware store in 1951. When Abraham bought the place 30 years later, he kept George on – partly as a promise to George’s dad — but mostly because Isaac realized that the place would fall apart without George.
When asked what George does for the store, Abraham said, “Basically everything.” The store doesn’t need a computer, he says. George keeps track of all this inventory – in his head. He also knows the phone numbers of all the suppliers, and can even tell you how to get there. Never mind that he doesn’t drive and has never even been there himself.
No one can say for sure how he does it or why genius would manifest itself through hardware parts. But one thing is obvious — it gives his life order — and order, for all of us, is comfort.
Wow that is amazing – the rest of us surely cannot compete with him!
If he looks at lotto #s he can figure out poss. the winning #s
There is a guy like this in my beis medrash. He can remember the daf and amud for every machlokes between every second and third tier amaraim but he cannot explain why they have any relevance to anything else.
won’t it be amazing to hear what these people have to tell us when moshiach finally comes?
A savant?
Hashem gives everyone the tools they need for life and what one person may have someone else may be lacking that’s what makes us all unique, there are plenty of frum chuildren like this in our communities who are unfortanatly getting “written off” by our yeshivah system or lack of system, if only the powers that be recognized the individualism and would follow chanoch lenaar al pi darco these children can have bright futures after all who’s to say who the normal one really is
George is a really nice guy…always a nice word and a great memory for addresses, as well. Keep up the good work!!!!
Does he a life insurance ?
Very interesting story, at the other hand it’s a big Kiddush Hashem how Mr. Isaac Abraham is keeping his promise about this Mr.George keeping in a good shape and environment so he can run the store for him,
At the same time Mr. Abraham is always available to help his people in the community. Just keep up your good work……
Search for Kramers Hardware on google maps and zoom to streetview. You’ll see Mr Abraham and George loading up the car.
I know George well. He is the sweetest guy anyone can meet. It’s always been a pleasure to talk with him.
I enjoyed this story
This man is truly a pitiful person. I don’t think you folks understand what an autistic savant is. True, he can keep facts and figures in his head forever, and that is quite amazing on the surface, but in reality he is a very disabled person. He remembers names, addresses and numbers but he has no understanding what any of them mean or why they are important. He can’t make a value judgment, doesn’t know what emotions are and I will bet that he can’t do simple addition or subtraction either. He can’t appreciate things like a nice day or a good meal, to say nothing about being married and having a family. His life is all ordered – numbers and names and that’s it. I will also bet that Mr. Abraham kept him on because if he didn’t, and George’s routine is broken, he could very well become dangerously psychotic and would need to be institutionalized.
I’m sure many of you did not see “Rain Man” but it was a very touching portrayal of an autistic savant.
To 5T Resident
This is for the readers of this blog and a response to you
I have never seen a person define and issue, illness and peson as wrong as you did with an english that makes you look like a doctor with many degree or a psychologist
.
You are wrond on every remark, I have been with him now for 30 years, he knows when he has a good meal, good music, loves his family, sends over 2,000 birthday and holiday cards to friends and family.
I think you should have a check-up at the nearest clinic, because George was never and will never be a danger, he is more like a teddy bear in life.
The main think to learn from this story is not to lock these people in a house or send them to a mental institution and pump them with drugs on tax payers expense, give them a job and responsability and they are productive citizens just like me and you. and this is what I have done.
WOW unbelievable