The Legend of Zelda

by Hedy Bass

When 93-year-old Zelda Kolodner Siskind is asked what it was like growing up Jewish in Macon, Georgia, she quickly responds, “I was just growing up!”

An only child born to Russian immigrants, Zelda says Macon had a sizeable Jewish community at the time, so she never sensed a feeling of being different or on the outside. Born on the cusp of the Great Depression, she describes a happy childhood that included both Jewish and non-Jewish friends. One of her fondest memories was when she was 17. It was wartime, and Zelda and a group of Jewish girlfriends formed an entertainment troupe that sang and danced for soldiers at nearby Warner Robins Air Force Base.

While attending the University of Georgia, Zelda met Melvin Siskind. A handsome young man, he had recently returned from the Philippines after fulfilling his stint in the Navy.

After college, Melvin learned about business by working with his dad. An independent and determined young man, he wanted to marry Zelda, but first he had to set his own course. When a salesman came into his father’s store and mentioned a retail store for sale in a place called Sanford, Florida, Melvin was intrigued and drove to Sanford to learn more. Impressed with the community, he thought it would be the perfect location to start a business and a family with Zelda. In October 1948, the Army-Navy Surplus store opened its doors to customers on Palmetto Avenue.  

One month later Zelda and Melvin were married.

“We got married the same year Israel became a state,” Zelda says with pride.

Partners in marriage and business, Zelda worked in the store alongside her husband six days a week while also raising three children – Teri, Jeff, and Marcia.  

Building on their success, Zelda and Melvin eventually opened additional stores in Sanford including Jeff’s Department Store on Sanford Avenue, Surplus City on First Street, as well as a shoe shop. The couple became influential and respected members of the community. Whether entertaining friends or getting involved in civic and philanthropic endeavors, they enjoyed an active and social life.

Zelda and Melvin were members of Congregation Beth Israel in Sanford until it was sold in the late 1960s, after which they became congregants at Temple Israel. As they prospered, they gave generously of their time and treasure to many local and Jewish organizations including the Jewish Federation, Jewish Family Services, The Jewish Pavilion, The Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center, and the Sanford Historical Society. Zelda was very involved with Hadassah and received many tributes over the years for her work.

After 42 years running the Army-Navy Surplus store in Sanford, Zelda and Melvin retired, but they never stopped loving the community that loved them back.

Melvin died in 2014 at the age of 89. That he and Zelda enjoyed 65 remarkable years together is evidenced by the many family photos that grace every wall of Zelda’s Lake Mary apartment. Whether it’s photos of her three children, five grandchildren, or five great-grandchildren, photos of her youthful days with Melvin, or pictures of the Russian parents who came to this country for a better life, each represents her deep love of family.

In all that they did, Zelda and Melvin strived to make the world a better place.

“We had a good life,” Zelda says. “We raised money for those things that were necessary for the community. I hope my grandchildren will do the same. I think they will, and that makes me feel good.”