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ck)fcoco Je(^)rsl) Lrrstoprcol soctexA Vol.22, No.3, Fall, 1998

AmericanJewish Art AnnualMeeting FeaturesMusic Club Celebrates702 and Welcomes Group of ChicagoJewish Artists Reflects BoardMember on its Historv and the Manv Talented The Society's 1998 Amual Artists Whohave been Part of it Meeting and Member Brunch on June 7 proved both a celebration of the Society'swork and an opportunitv for By Ethel Fratkin Shulman members to vote on the board he AmericanJewish Artists Club is celebratingits 70thAnmversary membersuho will guidc thc Socictr this year.Its predecessorgroup, Around the Palette,was formedin for the next few years. 1928 when a group of Jewrshartists in Chicagofelt the needto Carolyn Eastwoodwas electedto a in responseto the eventsin Europeat the time. becomeorganized three-year term, and Ethel Shulman protest Theseartists wanted to the systematicdestruction of Jewrshscholarly and Albert Erlebacherwere re-elected works, books,parntings, etc.in Europe. ln Chicago, Around the Paletteled to threeyear temls as wcll. thecall to condemnthese atrocities. The meeting The successof the first exhibitionof parntingsard sculpturedone by connnuedon page J ChicagoJewrsh artrsts further encouragedthese artists to form the group Around the Palette.This exhibit, held at the Hebrew Institute,was made lnside: possibleby theJewish Women's Arts Club. rUnusualDocument Helps Amongthe exhibitorsin the showwere Emrl Armin, TodrosGeller, Abbo OstrovsLy,William Schwartzand Max Weber. The first annualexhibrtion of PreserveStory of Chicago Around the Palettewas held at the College of Jewish Studiesat 30 N. JewishAid to Plonsk Dearbomin Decemberof 193I . roral Historyof Former In succeedrngyears, they held exhibitionsand lecturesin slmagogues, K.A.M.President Max culturalcenters, and schools,especially at the SholemAleichem Institute. RobertSchrayer Aroundthe Palette activities included informal discussions ofthe different aspectsof art and artists.These discussions were held in the artists'studios. lRecallingZionist Pioneer The studio most frequently used was that of Todros NachumSokolow's 7973 Geller. There,on Friday night, Mrs. Geller would feed tnuetton oape l Visitto Chicago suburban flight "as if a "neutror.r bomb" had hit it . Rumors.block- busting follorved bv riots. violcnce and threats panicked the Je*ish communlly. "Thc SoLrtli Sidc - Thc Racial personsto crcatc fifteen composltc The middlc-class blacks n'ho Tralsfomratron of characters-of fomrcr and cllrrent moved in cor"rlddo nothing to alt Alre ncan residcntsof the corrmunities.both reassurethe fleeing Jervs uto sarr Ncighborhood" Jervishand Afro-Americans threatsto their childrcn in thc schools \\ nttelr Dv As a former resident of the and the dropping ofthe vah-reof their Chicago born Chicago'sSouth Side. a numberof houses as the onll' rerlard for Louis Rosenmade the Jervish composites are easilv staying. It soon becamea familiar for intoresting recognizableas persons that were story for many such events in the reading this past rvell kno*.n to me. The Synagogue. subsequent demise of rvhite sllmmcr. The The Jeu,rshCommunitv Centerand neighborhoodsin adjacent areas of Walter Roth book had beerr local delicatessenare all familiar. as SouthShore. callcd to m\ is the Rabbi- xho is a centralpart of Strangelvand ironicallv. as Rosen attcntiorbv mr son.Ari Roth.uho ts this sadtale. retumedto his old neighborhoodtrvo a fiicnd of thc author and is staginga It is the Rabbi who rvas a leadcr vears ago be for.rndthat it looked plar bascdon thc book at thc Jcwisli of the Jer.vislicommunity. a civil remarkablv similar to rvhat it did Thcatcrin Washington-D C. rvhere rights activist and a n.ranrvho rvas thirtl' years ago "in fact it looks Ari is thc lrtistic director the ralll,ing point tbr manv activists. bettcr nolv". The houses.the lar.ms Mr Rosen- lorr in his earll When the Rabbi suddenlv decided and the trecs all look good to hul lbrtics.prcsenth lives in Nerr York to leave his congrcgation. the "[t is all the same- exceptthe Cit\ but he grerr up in a Jeu'ish Jelvishcommunitv was sturmed. Jervsare gone. "How is it"- he asks cnclavc on the far South Side of Rosen recalls that he was "that pcople spent twentv \1ears Chicagorn thc areacomrnonlv knorvn outraged (as were many others) at building a comrnunitv onll to as SoLrthShore Gardens and Sor-ilh this so-called"betrayal". Pcrhaps he abandonit?" Shorc Valln'. Hc attendeda local overreacted-Rosen concludesafter Tlre questionis harsh its pLrblic grammar school and thc interviervingthe Rabbi thirty 1,ears plirasing may seem unfair to some. rugionalHigb Scliool.Borven High. aftcr the ovent. but. the anslveris part of the historv Hls ston encompassesthe two The Rabbi tells Rosennot to be of our people in Chicago-not to be dccadcsbcgirning in thc latc 1950's so hard on his eldersas "the feet of ignoredand forgotten. ald thc bLrilding of ncl Jervish thc fathcrsornetirnes tlrm to cla) in I liighll' recornmendthe book to comnruniticsin the areas south of the eyesofhis children". you for interesting and stimulating SoLrthShorc. One ofthe localareas The story Rosen relates to ris readrng. rnclLrdcdin histale is " Pill-Hill".rvell tlrrorrghlris ir)tcnic\\srs sad - In addition- on behalf of rnvself knotn fbr the man\ doctors and thorrglrrrot ls rrrrrrsualtodav as it and our entire Board of Directors. I dcntistsrrho sottlcdin the arca. rvasover thirtv vearsago. uish you our very best for a healthv Roscn rcturncd to Chicago lt is a ston of r thrivrngrrlrrte and prosperousNerv Year. tr rcccnthand iltcrviclcd a numberof communitr'- stampeded into

Looking/or Help: tains articles. reprints of old docu- remain involved in the publicatior ments. excerpts front our extcnsrvc We are looking for someoneinter- SocietyPublication oral histon collection.letters to the ested in Jervishand Chicago litstory editor-nrernoirs. lnd rrerrsof Soci- rvith some experienceas a rvriter as SeeksNew Editor etl events. u,ell. Experiencewith desktoppub- The Societvis lookingfor some- Our current editor. Joe Krar"rs. lishing 'ivouldbc helpftrl as lvell. oDc \ho call takc over the central has recentlvtaken on nerv emplov- If vou are interested or knos ('htcagct duticsof cditingof Jewish ment. and he can no longer scc to someonewho might be- contact Joe H i.\len the day-to-da1,duties of compilrlg Kraus at (773)27 4- 1323 or. e-mail. Our quarterlv publication con- the newsletter. He does intend to j-kraLrs@nriuedu tr

2 Jewish Street Peddlers: Toehold oral histories,Eastwood has already AnnualMeeting on the Bottom Rung, the first-ever announcedher intentionto work with continuedfroft page one MinskyAward winning manuscnpt. the Society'soral hrstoryproject as shehas already contributeda great well as in othercapacities. took placeat BedermanHall of the deal to the Society'smission of The annual meeting drew Spertus Institute and featured a preservingand retelling the history approximately 100 membersand performanceby Ella Altshuler. of Chicago'sJewish commuruty. their guestsand helpedusher in our Altshulerdemonstrated her wide Shehas also written for Chicago 23rdyear as a society. repertoire by singmg Jewish, Jewish History; her article on the We look forward to anotherfine Russian.and Broadwaysongs in colorful West Sidetailor, Hal Fox celebrationnext surnmerand invite addition to performing original - inventorof the Zoot Suit - all of youto join us. composluons. appearedfour years ago in volume In the meantime,we invite you as Eastwoodis a newboard member, 18,number l. well to considerparticipating ln our but sheis hardlynew to the Society. Herself the author of a various Society activities all year As the author of Chicago's manuscriptbased around a seriesof long. D

Romanceof A Peopleis a thirty memberscontributed by writing por- Video Historv of minute video which combinesrare tions of the scnpt and by offering film footage, vintage photographs, suggestionson what elementsshould ChicagoJewry soundrecordings, and interviewsto be included. Wins StateAward recountthe story of the building of Society PresidentWalter Roth Chicago'sJewish community and said the Ilhnois Histoncal Sociery Romanceof a People:The First its impacton the life of our city. Award is a welcome acknowledge- Hundred Years of Jewish Lrfe in The video's title comesfrom the ment of the video's overall quality Chicago,1833-1933, the video his- title of the programput togetherfor and of the Society'scapacity to pro- tory of the first 100years of Jewish the 1933 Chrcagoworld's Fair on ducethoughtful and enduringhistory. Chicagoproduced by the Societyand the occasionof JewishDay, likely "Romanceof a People is some- directedby Beverly Siegel,has re- still the largeslgathering of Jewsin thing that took many years to see cently receivedan "Award of Supe- Chicago lustory and a culminating through,"he said. rior Achievement"in the Categoryof eventin the video. "We have believed it is a valu- "Public Programming:Multimedia One of the video'shighlights is able and thoughtful work for a long Productions"from the Illinois State the footage Seigeluncovered of the time. It's gratit/ing to seethat others HistoricalSocietv. original pageant;that footage had agreewith us and recoguizethe qual- Eachyear, the Illinois StateHis- not been shown publicly in almost ity ofBeverley'sand our work." torical Societyrecognizes the efforts 60 years. The video is availablethrough of dedicatedhistonans through its In addition, the video features Ergo Media, Inc. of Teaneck,New Au'ardsProgram. Their societypre- the participation of many long-time Jersey,at a cost of S29.95plus $5 sentsawards to thosewho havemade Society members. Interviews with shippingand handling. outstanding contributions toward several membersare incorporated To order Romanceof a People, preservingand interpreting tlre cul- into the finished video, and other call(800) 695-3746. A tural heritaeeof Illinois.

Karzen'stalk will featurea slide ticle on page one), we have invited Next OpenSociety show in addition to his lecture and Karzento deliverit again. Meetinsto Feature question-answerperiod. This marks only the secondtime The talk is a repnseof a Society in 20 years that we have repriseda Michael Karzen presentationthat Karzen gave rn presentauon. The nextopen meeting ofthe So- 1985.Because that talk wasso well Karzenwill talk on October25 at ciety will featureMichael Karzen,an received,and because it seemspar- Temple Sholom. The presentation artist and former teacher.who will ticularly relevant again in light of beginsat 2 p.m.,witl a I p.m.social speakon ChicagoJewish artists from the AmericanJewish Artists Club hour. Membersand suestsare wel- I 940-1980. anniversay(see Ethel Shulman's ar- come. Club greater awarenessof its existence,I understandthat American TewishArts someoneelse's thesis on JewrshArt wasaccepted. conttnuedfrom page one During the Depression,many of the artistsfelt the the artistswith her goodieswhile the debatesand critical needto expresstheir feelingsfor the hopelessnessof the analysrsof eachothers'work was going on. times. Such artists as Leon Crolub,Mitchell Siporin, painted The questionof whether there was or was not a Morris Topchevsky and Maurice Yochim protest inequities. Jewishart arosefrequently. This generatedheated and canvasesto society's Delano Rooseveltbecame President scholarlydebates. When Franklin programs,including Some artists believed that there was a uniquely he inaugurateda number of the the lt many Jewrshart whrle others felt that art had no religious FederalArt Projectunder W.P.A. employed in the country,many of whom barriers and still others maintainedthat works of art of the mosttalented artists reflect the uniquenessof the artists regardlessof their wereChicagoans. paintings were religiousbeliefs. This argumentcontinues to the present Murals, and sculptures commissioned of govemment buildings. A day for the beautification Todros Geller, who was consideredthe Dean of Jewrsh artlsts in the Midwest, beleved very stronglyrn a valid Jewish Art. He was supportedby such artists as David Bekker and Leon Garland \Lhen I was working on my Masters Degree from the Art Department at the University of L'hrcagoduring the early 1950s. Todros Geller encouragedme to wnte my thesison JewrshArt. \\'hen I presented the toprc to the Head of the d rt .lo^arf nAhf hp w,ouldnot acceplit, his argumentbelng that a uniquelyJewrsh art did not exist and that there was insufficientresearch availableon thesubject. Even after much arguingon my paft, I was not permittedto do my researchpaper on Jewtsh An. A numberof years later.after much research had been done on the sublectand therewas a Todros Geller's The Past shall Not Be Repeated,Woodcut ReDnntedfia Louise Dun n yochin s H^Nesr of Fre€dom:A Surveyof JewishArtisls in Amenca $30.000 prize for a mural in the St. Louis post office was awarded to tr.vo Chicago Jewish artists, Edrvard Millnran:rnd l\4 itchell Siporin. Siporin later became the Head of the Art Department at Brandeis Unrverslry*. A. Ravmond Katz and Willianr Schwarlz were comnissioned to do mtrrals for Chrcago's Century of Progress lVlanv of these artlsts achieved natrorralrecognition and contributedin therr own ways to the Jewish conlmunlq. Here in Chicago,Todros Geller, a prolific aftist, expressed himself througlr nurrerous media. During his lifetinrehe receivedmary awards and r.vasrecognized as a leading authonty Ethel Fratkin Shulman's Shabbos, Oil lleft tntel h\ rI\\t,rt ,,i tl( !t rn the field of Jewish religiousart. t)!t 'r His ,,vork can be found in rnany synagoguesthroughout the country. Duringthe period Wrlliam Schwarlz,Harry Mintz, Louise Dunn Yochrnt 1920-1927he taughtart at the JewishPeoples lnstitute. and MaurrceYochin.r. Many of his studentssuch as Mltchell Srporrnand The purpose of the club was to effect an awareness Aaron Bohrod achrevednational and international of Jewishart andartists in the contmunity Its actrvrties. recognltlon. rn the tradition of Around the Palette,consisted of' Gelleralso served as a Supervisorof Art for the iectures,forums. syrnposiunrs and exhibrtrons Board of Jewish Prizes donated by Educatron and as y)ould patrons in the Jelvish Directorof Art for the TheHead of theArt depctrtment not communlty were College of Jewish *ccept it, his argumentbeing that a awarded at therr l uried Studies. uniquelyJewish art did not existand that exhibits for works After Geller's depicting both Jewish retlre ment other therewas insufficientresearch available. and secularsubjects members of the As I mentionMrtchell American Jewish Art Srporin,I am remindedthat threegenerations of hrs Club followedhirn asSupervisors of the art progran.rsin farnilywere members olthe AmericanJewish Art Club Yiddishand Hebrew Schools and in the J.C.C.s.They Mitchell and his sister,Shoshanah Siporin Hoffman wereMaurice Yochim and Victor Perlmutter,both of (who painted under the name Shoshanah)were r.r'hornfollowed in Gellerstradition. membersfor manyyears Bv 1940,Chicago Jewish aftists were enragedby In herlater years,their mother. Jennie Srporin. picked the newsthey werehearing of Hitler's savageattack on up a brushand began painting her primrlive works She all thingsJewish. They gathered together in the studio was calledthe JewishGrandma Moses a-nd becanre a of William Schwartzto considertheir responseas memberof theclub. Jewishartists and the AmencanJewish Art Club was Yearslater, Joshua Hoffinan. a sculptorard theson forrned.with Todros Geller as its firstpresident of Shoshanah,also became a merrber He latermoved The group'scharter membership included rnany to New York andhas achieved great recognltron. promlnentJewish artists such as Emil Armrn,David For manyyears the AnrericanJewish Art Clubheld Bekker, Aaron Bohrod, Todros Geller, Samuel theirannual exhibits in theFisher Hall Greenburg,A. Raymond Katz, Mitchell Siporin, Gallery at the Board of Jewrsh .,,1tth'('t,'tt),t!.t t andwas saidto havecarried offthe illusionthat he mrght ZionistNachumSokolow be a Polish nobleman. His marmersand dresswere impeccable. Calledfor ModerateVision Like Weizman, he loved to travel and when he did, it was always as a dignitary, staying at the finest hotels or of Zionismin 1913Visit clubs, much like an emissaryfrom a foreign courtry. He was said to be a perfectspecimen of a diplomatfor the By Walter Roth Jews, like a "Shtadlan"of EuropeanJewish medieval There is a splendid group photograph in H.L. historywho representedhis fellow Jewsin dealingswith Meites's 1924History of the Jews of Chicago enilled the authoritres. "Nachum Sokolow and a Group of Chicago Zionists Sokolowtalked to the headsof Europeanstates, he Taken on the Zionist LeadersFirst Visit Here, April talked to the Pope, but he rankledmany of his Zionist 1912." compatnotsbecause of his vacillation on issues and Meites was mistaken - Sokolow's visit to Chicago middle-of-theroad positions. They said he lackedpas- really took place a year later in April l9l3 - but, sion, but they could not denyhis geniusas a writer and as nevertheless,the photographpictures fourteenprominent a scholarand his love for rovingmissions and travel. His earlyClucago Zionists. Sittingbetween Chicago Ziorust home was in Europe, first Warsaw, then Cologne, Ger- leadersBemard Horwich and Max Shulmanis Nachum many and after World War I in London, where his Sokolow. devotedwife awaited him in soite of the fact that he was Sokolow was follow- saidto be seldomthere. ing a traditionestablished It was on his first trip to by early Zionist leaders, It was said that he and Weizmanwere a the United Statesin l9l2- such as Aaron Aaronson partnership, not without tension 1913 that he came to and ShmaryaLevin who Chicago. His missionwas visited the Jewish com- and conflict. Weizman'sdetermined to explain Ziorusm as he munities in Amenca to doctrinism sharply contrasted w ith saw it to theJewish masses explaintheir cause and to views. in the New World and to obtain much neededas- Sokolow'smiddle-of-the-road seek their aid for settle- sistancefor their impov- ments in Palestine. His erishedbrethren in Palestine. moderation was quickly appzfent as he spoke to his The ChicagoTribune on Monday, Apnl 14, 1913 Chicagoaudience. under a front pageheadline "Jews Cheer Plea of Noted In 1913,a year beforethe outbreakof World War I, Zionist" reported: "Nachum Sokolow of Warsaw, he sawZionism a movementthat "looks afterthe welfare Poland,a leaderof the Zionist movement,spoke to an of the Jew as a Jew, whatever the country in which he audienceof nearly 1,000 yesterdayat the Amertcan abides."Unlike manyRussian Zionist leaders who spoke Music Hall. Whenhe was introducedby Max Shulman, of retuming all Jews to Palestine, he stressed that a charrman,the audiencearose, waived hats,handkerchrefs Zionistlooks first afterthe welfareof the Jew."Judarsm, and canes,and cheeredfor two minutes beforejudge aswell asZionism requrres knowledge of Jewishhistory, Hugo Pamobtained silence for Dr. Sokolowto speak." traditionsand literature." Sokolowwas well-known lo his audience.He was an On April 18, 1913, The Chicago Sentinelreporled elderofthe newZionist movement founded by Theodore that Sokolowhad beenthe guestof honorat a luncheon Herzl at Basel in August 1897 With Herzl's deathin given by JacobM. Loeb, the Presidentof the Chicago 1904,Sokolow along with the youngerChatm Weizman Hebrew Institute at the LaSalle Hotel. The Sentinel wereamong the foremostZionist leaders. notedthat Mr. Sokolowhad madea few remarksabout Sokolowwas bom in 1860 in Poland.Like his col- the need to support impoverishedJewish settlers from leagueVladimir Ze'ev Jabotinsky, he was a pioneerin Eastem Europe who had no place to immigrate but to Hebrewliterature and prolific in Yiddish,Polish, English Palestine,then under Turkish rule. andGerman. "Nearly 100,000of our peopleare living therenow - Unlike Jabotinsky,Sokolow was not a doctrinarre not as Talmudicstudents, but as workersin tradesof all politician. lnstead,was a moderatewhen it came to kinds,"Sokolow reportedly said. He urgedAmericans to politicalviews. financially assist their brethren in Russia to seftle in In Poland,he wrote frequentlyfor the Polishpress Palestine,to build a land for further colonization"by 6 thosewithout funds." "Thosewith sufficientfunds canreadily succeed," he He also reassuredAmerican Jews that Zionism did not Russian said. "The land is adaptableto the growth of fruit and opposeimmigration of Jewsto Americaif they will yield largeprofits to the investorbut it takestime for couldmanage to immigratethere. put "a the treesto bearfruit andhere lies the presentdifficulty. As he it, Zionismdid not considerthat lossto We need financialassistance. lt is for our brethrenin Palestineor our cause.There is no competitionbetween America.in Euroneand elsewhereto lendtheir financial this countryand Palestine in thatregard...While by far the great supportto this work." bulk of thoseJews who comehere will remainin Those presentat the America. we Zionists feel that evenfrom those luncheon,accordrng to Wth Israeli leadersrecently speakingof theSentinel, included the or their descendants. probably following Chicagoans:Jewish life in the Diaspora countriessuch therewill be settlers who may some J.M. Loeb, Max Shul- as the United Statesin a more Dositive man, N.D. Kaplan,Dr. day come to Palestine, immigrants frorn Pedott, Charles light, Sokolow'svision seems renewed. and land Schaffner,E. Lowen- such a and trained great glor;- stein,Albert Stein,Max underits and Klee,Israel Cowan, Louis S. Berlin, James Davis, Alfred ous institutionswill be of tremendousasset to their past, Meyer, A.L. Stone,Dr. Yudelson,Bemard Horwich, brethrenin the landof their common whenthat land present." EdwinAustrian, Adolph Stein and W.B. Frankenstein. becomesagain a landoftheir common The Sentinelarticle concludedwith a statementthat DunngWorld War I, Sokolowfound hirrself in Lon- working with Weizman European on his tour rn the Unrted States.Sokolow had received don, closely andother leaders for homelandin muchencouragement. to obtaina commitment a Jewish Anotherarticle contarning Sokolow's view was earlter Palestine. It was said that he and Weizman were a partnership, publishedin theSentinel on April I l, 1913. He again not withouttension and conflict. Weizman's determineddoctrinism sharply contrasted with Sokolow's stressedthe need for colonizationin Palestineand the middle-of-the-roadviews. Sokolow needto encouraseJewish culture and educationthere. .onrntleu t,1 Pd

The Original caption as H.L. Meites wrote it: NachumSokolow and a Group of chicago Zionists Taken on the Zionist Leader'sfirst visit here,April 1912 [sic] UpperRow: B.A.Antonow, H.L. Meites. D.P. Pollock, Bernard Shulman, Meyer Abrams, Harris Horwich, H. Miller,and Jonah Fisher;Lower Row: H. Steinberg,H. Waiss,B. Horwich,Nachum Sokolow, Max Shulman, SamuelGinsburg, Benjamin Perlstein rabbi andthe membersof his committeein Plonsk,and a copywzrs sent to the Vereinin Chicago. DocumentReveals Extent of :t{.* Aid Offeredby Chicago WhatRabbis Katz andPosner found were the names and addressesof I 15 childrenwho were the beneficra- Plonskersto Jewsof Europe ries ofthe $400 sentin two equalpayments in October andNovember, 1927. This $400 in Americandollars was exchangedinto By Sid Sorkin approximately600,000 Polish zlotys. A few yearsago, Norman Schwartz,past president For eachchild, the documentlisted an address,the of the Society,received a phonecall from a memberof schoolshe or sheattended, and the namesof his or her the PlonskMutual Aid Benefit Society. Mr. Schwartz parentsor guardians;the documentnoted if a child was was invitedto come down the Plonsker'sbasement to an orphan. Many were the children of widows, and look at a 2' x 2' x 5' document,enclosed in a heavy quitea few hadparents without anyoccupation at all. woodenframe and coveredwrth a ouarterinch sheetof Many childrenended up eatingtheir main meal of plateglass. the day at the yeshiva. Many also receivedshoes, shirts, Mr. Schwartzcommented, "I couldbarely get it into or other necessaryitems from the fund, and the docu- my car." mentrecords such provisions as well. The documentwas writtenin Yiddish andconcemed For all of the items the childrenreceived, the docu- a yeshiva in the town of ment listedthe merchant Plonskwhich is 40 miles or tradesmanfrom whom northwest of Poland's Many children endedup eating their main the cloth,thread, buttons, capital,Warsaw. Thanks mealof the day at theyeshiva. Many also shoes, shirts, socks, or to Rabbis Shmuel Katz other items that were and Josef Posnerof the receivedshoes, shirts, or other necessary purchased. Northwest Suburban itemsfromthefund, and the document It shouldalso be noted ChabadLubavitcher, the records provisions well. that even the teachers' document was recently such as salarieswere funded translated. from the Chicago But, first a word aboutthe Plonskersover thereand tzedakah. overhere. A completeaccounting of the disbursementof funds ,l+* was sentto the Chicagolandsleit. Jewswere on the booksin Plonskby 1446. It was How could one judge the impact of this largesse part of the Councilof Four Landsin the 15th and 16th uponthe 8,000Jews ofPlonsk? centuries. It was the birthplaceof David Ben Gurion, +** the first prime ministerof Israel,in 1886, and it was JewishPlonsk was liquidatedby the Germansbe- knownas a placeof Zionistactivity. tweenNovember I and November5. 1942. TheJewrsh population was 2,801 in 1808and 8,200 * ,i. ,1. rn 1939. The generationthat had immediatetres to therrsltetl As if the camageof World War I wasn't enough,the found ways to help - if not their familiesthen their areaendured the Russian Revolutions of 1916and 1917 communlty. and then the war between the Russian Reds and the The remnants that survived the Holocaust did not Polishand Russian Whites. reestablishthe Jewrshcommunity in Plonsk. Most of Polandfought for its own independence,which it thosewho were locatedin displacedperson camps or establishedin 1920. Recoverywas slow, and Poland scafteredacross Europe were given opportuniliesto sufferedanother economic crisis is the late 1920s. begin new lives in North and South America or in A changein economicpolicy by the Polishgovem- Israel. mentdevastated Jewrsh communities across Poland Again, they receivedhelp fiom their landsleit, the During this time, someof the Jewsof Plonskwere JewrshAgency, the AmericanJewish Joint Distributron supportedby the PolanskerRelief Verein of Chicago. Committee,and the Hebrew Immi- The reportof the distributionof funds was signedby a grant Aid Society. connnuedon pase s

E Sokolow helpedto persuademany Jews to acceptZiomsm. His speechesin Chicago conllnueaJtonpage in l9l3 area goodexample of how this unusualman tried to convinceAmerican Jewsto embraceZionism while at the sametime contin- came to the United States and Chicago agarnn 1922 uing to build their livesin America. with Vladimir Ze'ev Jabotrnskyto conducta firnd rais- While this position clashed with other Zionist ing campaignfor KarenHayesod After decades of thinkersof his day and later with someIsrael leaders, struggle,he finally suceededWeizman as Presidentof suchas David Ben-Gurion,his uews havea prophetic the World Zionist Organizationfor a short period in ring to them in our day. 1933. He had alsobecome a renownedscholar, histo- With Israeli leadersrecently speaking of Jewishlife rranand diplomat. in the Diasporacountries such as the UnitedStates in a Sokolowdied on May 11,1936. more positivelight, Sokolow's vision seemsrenewed. His visitsto Chicagogave our crty an oppomrnityto Today, like Sokolow in 1913, increasingnumbers of meet this remarkableman in person. Blessedwrth a Zionists see no conflict betweenencouraging Jewrsh photographicmemory and a soothingmanner - which educationand culture in the United States and the was unusualfor Zionist leaders.to sav the least- he upbuildingofa Jewishhomeland in Israel. O

AmericanJewish Art Club Cooper,Michael Karzen, and Sheldon Burke. For manyyears Louise Dunn Yochim was the "glue" contihued lrom page 5 that held the group together. At the present time Irmgard Hess Rosenberger is continuing in her Educationbuilding until the building was sold. The footsteps. exhibitionsthen moved to the CovenantClub for a short The club's current membership includes manv tlme. Later, they moved professional painters, to SpertusCollege. Somebelieved that therewas a uniquely sculptors, printmakers, Severalyears ago they craftsmen and art couldno longerexhibit at Jewishart while othersfelt art had no educators. Spertussince it was felt religiousbarriers; othersmaintained that Currentlythe American that many of the artists' Jewish Artists Club is works did not have worksof art reflectthe uniquenessof the celebrating its 70rh Jewishcontent. This led artists regardle ss of their re ligi ous beliefs. anniversary. to discussionsofwhat the The 70th annual goals of the club should exhibitionwill be held at be. the Dittmar Gallery in the Norris Center of Since the artist is free to choosehis or her own Northwestem University in Evanston, Illinois from sub1ectmafter, it was recentlydecided to renamethe September14 throughSeptember 30. A club the AmericanJewish Artists Club. Throughout the years the club has functioned under Thanks to Louise Dunn Yochim. whose book. the leadershipof numerouswell-known artists such as "Harvest of Freedom" was the source of much of the TodrosGeller, SamuelGreenburg, Leo Segedin.C.E. material on the earlv vears. PlonskerDocument Israel,the Ark, andother needy Jewrsh organizations in Chicago. There is also a separatePlonsker Cemetery conttnuedfron page 8 Association. Until Septemberof 1997, some Plonskersof As with all of the other landsmanshaftena great Chicagowere still meetingthree times a year. O portion of the PlonskerSociety's money and energies The above article is adapted.fromSorkin's book, cameto be directedtoward helping Israel. Bridges to an AmericanCity: A Guide to Chicago's For the ChicagoPlonskers, most oftheir fundswent Landsmanshaften,1870-1990. Sorhn is a lons-time to the Jewish National Fund, and Plonskersstill in Societyboard member. history of Chicago. Wren the project is finished- ev- SocietyReceives The highlight of that da)' rvas a ery member of the Societvrvill have AdditionalGrants magnificentpageant staged b) thou- a copy of an original documentthat sands of Jervish children and per- helps illumrnate one of the most ex- for Fair Proiect fomlersat SoldierField. citing occasionsin cltl- histon . Thc Roscnthal Foundationand CalledRomance o.f a I'eople-the Elegantand fulI ofspecific histor- pageant Sanr PfctTer havc cach pledged inspired us at the Societl' ical informatior.r. it also preserves $i000 tolard a Societvpro_ject that rvith the title for the recent award- ephemerasuch as unusualads and a l rll rcprintthe origrnal program from nirming video historv on the Jelvsof graphic layout tl.nt reflectsthe stt les Jcrrish Dar at thc 1933. Chicago. andtastes ofthe earl1,I930s Thc RosenthalForrndation made The ftrnds tliat the Rosenthal There is no specific time table on arr identicalpledgc last vcar to help Foundation and Sam Pfeffer havc lheproject. but rre lookfor*rrd ro its s ith thc samcproject. donatedwill undenvritethe amota- complctionrnd ro tlrccorrrributron ir Jcsish Dar rras the largestgath- tion and reprrblrcrtronof lhc orrgr- lvill maketo our collectiveknorvledgc program crinq of Jcus in onc placc in the nal from JervishDal,. of ChicagoJervisli history. tr

This 1'earfeatured a tour of Slg- took place. bocletv s Summer nificant sites of Chciago Jervislrla- In addition-thcr offer a cl.ranceto TourSeries Boasts bor. a tour of Jelish Milu'aukee. sceold friends and to makc nc\\ ones and a rcpriseof thc ChicagoJervish while taking part in the rvork of our AnotherGood Year roots tour that Dr. lrr,,rngCutler has Societ,"-. r 1-hc Socictl's Aunual sumnrer led for the last severalvears. If ou are disappointcdat lla\lrg Tours fascinating torrr serics-organizcd and ovcrsccn are a and en- nissed this season'stour program. join br Leah Axclrod- has proved suc- tertaining\vav to apprcciatehistory resoiveto us next summer. you ccsstulrct again. \'ith all three of since thev bring face-to-facs Our tours tend to fill up quicklv- tlrisrelr's torrrsfilling rrperrd rrirr- r,ith the buildings.streets. parks. but rvervor.rld be happvto make room places rringgood rer. iel s. and other rr{rerethat histor! for 1,ouand your friends. A

Stcm's subjcct* ill bc his long- Through his photographslie has Larry Stern to tcnr pro.iectto photographtlic svn- alreadr. preservedimages of Jeuish Speakat agogucsof Chicago.and he sill Cliicago that arc often unavailablc January bringslides ofhis *ork. annvhere elsc. and he has done so Open Meeting Stem's rvork has been riidcll xith r-rmrsualskill. reproduced.but his talk promiscsto The talk beginsat 2 p.m.. andthe Notcd photographcrLarn Stem be a rare opporunitv to see thc Societvis sponsoringa socialhour rrrll rt llr. Jilnu:ln llr Soci(t) 'p.lL scopcof his proiLcl]nd to esk Irirrr startingat I p.m. o opcnmecting at TcnrplcSholonr qucstionsabout it.

ablccstatc'l cietr. of Chrcago.Illinois. fbr ConsiderUs for While *e hopevou \\ill \\ant to thc unrestrictedusc ofthc Soci- Year-EndGifts make lifetimegifts so rou can scc etr'. as detcmrinedbY its Board tlrcgood Lirrt is rccornplrslrcd.il rs of Directors." l)id roLr knol thot \ou cau re- \er\ easv to make testamcntarv For restrictedgifts: ccrrc tlx bcnctrtsfor contributiorrsro gifts br vour lastrr ill or lii ingtmst. "l give $_ (or thc Socictr'l Ol coursc-r oLrrannuAl Simplr harc rour attornevincludc specif-icd propert\') to thc (lLrcsilrc lil\ dcdLrctiblcBLrt- drd rou hrrgrr:rgcsrrrtrlrr to tltc lbllorrrrrg rn ChicagoJorish HistoricalSo- rcillizcthat anr additionll gifts dur- citherr our u ill or \ our trust-as the cietr'.of Chicago.Illinois. to be rrrr,lrlitrrrrr' rl.o qrr.rlrhfor :rrrrr- cascmar be. uscd solelvfor the purposeof cor)ra[l\ dcdLrctron(assurnrng rorr For unrestrictedgifts: rr.nrrz. d.drrclrorrs)errd llret giRs "l give $_ (or If lou or vour attomev has anr' gir cn at dcathqualili for a charrtable specified propcrt\') to th€ questionsabout this. plcascgivc us a dcdLrctionagaiust an othcn\isc ta\- ChicagoJerr ish HistoricalSo- call. tr

10 SocietyNewsletter disk in WordPerfect, Microsoft evokea broaderpast. Word,or ASCII format. (Forthose Keep in mind that your story SeeksMemoirs of of you without accessto computer ought to be a good one, but that the technology,good old paper will best memoirsfunction by insprrrng JewishChicago work also.) the readerto recall his or her own Chicago Jewish History, Ihe The editors consider both the story. newsletterofthe ChicagoJewish His- caliberof the writingand the origi- If you are consideringpotential torical Society. occasionallypub- nality of the subjectmatter in topics,think of thestories you would hshes memoirs of individual weighingwhich memoirswe will be most like to sharewith youngerfam- Chicagoans. ableto publish. ily members. Examplesof the sort of memoirs We attemptto comrnenton every The mostsuccessful memoirs arE we publishinclude one man's memo- memoirsubmitted, but are not al- narrowin scope.They tell a specific ries ofgrowing up as the grandsonof ways able to do so. Be certainto story and bring in surprising details a West Side butcher and one include a retum addressand phone that suggesta broader kind of his- woman'srecollections of helpurgto numberwith your submission. tory. entenain Jeuish soldrersdurins We encourage you to record Unsuccessfulones often fail be- WorldWar II. whatyou rememberfrom your first- causethey attempttoo broada scope Individualmemoirs give us the hand experiences.Memories are and then do not do justice either to opportunityto presenthistory in its mostconvincing when they aremost the material they recount or to the narrowestcontours. The storiesthat personal. contextin whichit tookplace. you might recall from your childhood Much of the rest of the work we For example,a memoiron Lawn- or fiom someunusual situation rn publishin ChicagoJewish History dale would probablybe too broad; which you found yourself often focuses on broad themes, famous one in which you recount a couple prompt other peoples'memories to individuals, or notable events. years of your your childhood on a flow aswell. Memoirsallow us to focuson the particular block or in a particular The memoirswe seekare refined history that most of us actually neighborhoodwould likely be more versionsofthe samestories you may lived. successful. well tell at family gatheringsor when Suitablememoirs may involve The editors accept query letters, you and old friendscome together. distinctivepersonal memories - but cannotguarantee the pubhcation Keep in mind that manuscripts detailsas obscure as the name ofthe ofany workthat is submitted. shouldbe no longerthan six double- cormer market or the way a neigh- Submissionsmay be sentto Joe spacedpages and, preferably, should borlnight hand wash her laundry - Krausat 2443W. Lunt,Chicago, IL, be submitted on lBM-compatible but shoulddo so in a waythat helps 60645. a

give you adviceon how to prepare what usesfuture historianswill find Help Wanted with and conductinterviews. for them. Oral Histories Think for a moment about Taking and preservingoral histo- friends and neighborswith rich nes is a meansof stockpilingratv Oneofthe ongoingprojects ofthe backgrounds. Let us know about material for the writers and story- Societyis to capture historypre- tle themso we can recordtheir stories tellersto come. servedin our midstthrough the recol- for future generations. Better yet, The oral history project has been lectionsand storiesof community let us know about them and thcn a priority ofthe Societytle pastyear leaders,business pioneers and other work with us to recordthose stories and we are anxious to include as exceptionalCtucago Jews. We invite yourself. manyof our membersas possiblein you to take part in that effort by Such oral historiesare invalu- thework andplanning. The voices we joiningthe oral historycominittee. able documentsfor recordinghis- recordand transcribemay well tum Conductingan oral historyis a tory. We make it a practice to out to be the voicesthat tell today's wal to recordand publicizehistory publish excerptsof a different one historyto tomorrow'shistorians. that can be as rewardingto tle inter- from our files in each issue of For informationabout how to get viewerand the subjectas it is to the Chicago Jewish History wherewe startedconducting oral histories, con- Societyand community. Many Socr- hopethey are of somecurrent inter- tact the Societyoffice (312)663- etv membersare experiencedtakers est,but thereis no way of knowing 5634. O of oral historiesand are availableto

11 Chicago Jervish Archives of tlie Patnnos, Eli Levin. Martie Cohen. RadicalElders SpcnusInstitutc of Je\\ishStudies and Peshkeand Moishe Stein. ProiectWins Grant in order to help catalogue and The Scheuer Foundation rs maintainthe project. devoted to the advancement and Group SeeksNominees In addition. the grant rvill understandingof Jervish hfe. The 0s t nrervlelt JuoJecIS provide financial assistance to foundation is interested in flurding individuals rvho rvill produce projects rvhich Thc Chicago Radical Je* ish stimulate an written summaries of present and understanding Eldcrs VideotapeProject has bcen ofthe Jelish condition future tapcs and rvill help and its historv in America arrardcd a grantfor $24.000from the and undemritc a national survey to elservhere. Stocn and AIda Brill Schcucr locate other collections.projects- FoLrndation Information on the RadicalJeuish and repositoriesof similar audio EldersProject rs rrell as applicatron Thc projcct.dirccted br Stanlel and video tape histories of Jeuish forms for being intervrewed Roscn. ProfessorEnreritus- Labor rvill bc radicalelders. senl on requesl. rrrd IndLrstrirlRclat iorrs. Urircrsitr Rosenand othersinvolved in the A rideo exphinrngthe pro1cct ol Illinois. riill add another 70 is project have already intervietved also availablefor ridcotapcd intcrvinrs to the 70 $20. more than 50 different subjects. The project will irten icrrs alreadvcompleted. be administered The project asks sr-rbjects to through the Illinois Labor Histon Roscn is a fonrrer board member explore. "the relationship betrveen Society at 28 E. Jackson. Room of tlrc Socictr'- and many of the radical or progressiveand Jervish 1012.Chicago. Illinois. 60604-2215. Project's Jcrrish subjccts havc cousciotrsnessin terrns of their Thetr societv can also be reachedav spokcn about thcir cxpcricncc as rurdrvrdualJervish life history." (312)663-4t01. Jerrs. Individuals alreadl, intervierved In addition, Stan Rosen can Thc grant l ill be usedto train and be include Leon Despres. Marury reachedat P.O. Box 5496.Santa Fe. pa1 si: intcn invcrs uho l.ill Tutcur. Elyne Handler- Jack New Mexico. 87502. (505 - conduct r idco irtcrv-ieus and to )473 Spiegel. Carl Sliier. Charlotte 4803 proridc tinancial support to the tr Koch- Milton Herst. Sandv

projects.those projects flourish. projects, and in the plaming process Society Welcomes In company lvith our existing behind the many new events we Members members, they make possible our undertake. ]oining Societyas a lvhole. Above all, we ask you to help us the Past We are grateful for our in expanding the audience for our Quarter continuing membersas rvell as the rvork. It's bccna quartcrof grouth for follorving nelv members: Wren you yourself are interested thc Socict\ and rre rrould like to in something you learn at one of \\ clcomc thc man\ ncr members l,lr. & h,lrs. BsJJ,eJoss meetings. through a Minskl, llro harc.joinedin the last three Sanclv,lrorin Helen Kaplan publication- through our ne\.vsletter- nlonths. l4r. & l,lrs. A.lr.& it,|rs.,4be through one of our summertours. or We rrelcome each of them Harold Burak through some other medium, please scparatcl\ and all of them Ba'crly Chrbat share rvhat you've found *ith collectirch. The of tellingthe itlts.,4lbcrr .job Eisenbcrg Siegal friends.neighbors. and relatives. histon oiour communitris possible .ludy Frrnklin Shi[ey ll ci stei Spread the rvord about lvhat rve orrhrr lr,:rr :lll of rrspanlclprte ln rt. do, and you'll be doing some of or:r Wc arc an all-volunteer most lmporant work. organization.and re reh on ollr ne\\ We invite everyoneto participatein Finalh. pleaseconsider giving r)r(l]1b(rsto lrulprrs cottlirtrrc rtakittg ail of or.rractivities. memberships to our Societ) to possiblc thc projects and research See the nervsletter and other an.vone\rou can think of rvho might that\\c do mailings for announcementsof our appreciateChicago Jervishhiston. \\re look to them to ratifi \\ho \\'c quartcrlv open meetings and Your gift to them is a gift to r:s as arc and lfiat rc havc chosento do. consider participating in our oral rvell. tr \\'hcn thcr.join us in ollr ongorng history project. our other ongoing

12 Oral History Excerpt: of started in that? Schrayer: Well- I would say this. I went to religious Max Robert Schrayer schoolat Temple Isaiah, and I was very much interested.I had the feeling that I was the best in the confirmationclass RecountsExperiences as as far as krorving u,hat rvasgoing on. being interested.But when it came to confirmation services. I rememberthe K.A.M. President rabbi picked the son of the richestguy in the congregation to be the valedictorian. I neverforgot that. I'm very much The.followingoral history excerpl was laken by Society upsetabout that. Past Pre.\identNorman Schwartz on August 25, 1986 at Schwartz: \Mrat age did peopleget confimredat in those the off ce.sof Max Robert Schrayer,230 W.Monrce. days'1 Max Robert Schrayer: [Having received an engineering Schrayer: Well. I got confirmed ... As a matter of fact. at degreefrom the University of Michigan,l I tried to get a I 3. The rabbi r.vasvery hesitantto let me in the class.but I .job rvhen I graduated. At the time. the best job I u'as nas that far ahcadin schoolbecause mv motherput rrc into offered paid $100 a month. And I just lvouldn't accept school at 5. So I graduatedat 12 from granmar school. that. So I rventback for a Master's degree. The rabbi was very hesitantto let me in the confirmation Norman Schwartz:In rvhat? class,but thesewere m1,friends and I insistedr:pon it. He Schrayer: In mechanicalengineering. hr air conditioning. finally gave in. At ar\ ratc. my' father - in spring vacation of that year. Schwartz: Therc u'as no Bar Mitzvah in thosc days at r.nrfather \\as operatedon for prostateand they discovercd Isaiah'l he had a vcn bad caseof cancer. And the doctor told me Schrayer:No. This rvasa Refom congregation.There hc *ould never come back to rvork. that I'd better do rvas no such thing as a Bar Mitzvah. Wc didn't n,cn havc \\'hate\erI had to do to tal(ecare of his business. So I serviceson Fndal night. didn't go back to school. I wrote them a letter.and told Schwartz: Whcn rvercthe serviccs'/ them l couldn't comeback. I rvouldbe back later: keepm1 Schrayer':On Saturdalmoming That'sall.just Saturdal e\perilrcnts.and I sould finish at a latcr date. But m1 noming. fathcrdidn't diefor alrnosta vcar.and bv thattime I dtdn't Schwartz: No Sundaveithcr'l \\ant to go back. Schrayer: No Sundal... Ald mv grandparcnts mv Sch*artz: He hadan insurancebusiness ... mothcr'sparents \\ere stalNartsof that congregation. Schrayer:No. He didn't havean insurancebusiness. hc As a mattcr of fact. they bclonged to that corgregatiorl jobber uas a nranulbcturerof tinlare and a of household lhcn it rvason thc West Sidc lt las originallr on thc goods He liad a vcry succcsstirlbusincss- but it lras a West Side somclhcrc. I don't cvcn remcmbcruhcrc. disappearingbusiness Our businesslas donemostlv nith beforc tl.rc\ movedto 45th and Vincennes. Becauseat that \ariet\ storcsand smalldepartmcnt stores. And thc things tinreand in thoseyears - 191I to 1920- that \\as thc lc sold becameobsolctc. becausene catercdto the exch.rsiveneighborhood for Jeu'islipeople in Chicago. M1 inrrnlgrantpopulation rvho lived in apartnent buildings or grandparentshad a homeon Grand Boulevard. That nas a housesrrhere the.v lived practicalll,in the kitchen. And ther- lovch street. Do vou knorv Grand Boulevard'l It changcd cookcdtheir neals. For instance-the biggestitcni that rie its nametu'ice ... [it's norvlKing Drive. manufacturedby hand *ere rvash boilers. I find that m1 Schwartz: There nere a lot of svnagogucson Crand childrendon't cvenkno\\'\\11a1 a uash boileris. It's a dcad Boulevard'l itcm. Ard rre usedto scll thcm bv the thousands.We used Schrayer:Just Isaiahand Sinai. I don't knou ofanronc to scll stovepipe. Pcoplchad stovesin tlreirkitchens. and else that rvas there. Then. Grand Boulcvard uas rcalh a thcv had to have pipcs for ventilation. The itcms rvereall beautiftll street. Bctrveen35th and WashingtonPark therc old fashioned.even r.vhenI was taking over the business rvasa bear:tifuldrive in the middle and driveson cach sidc after mv tatherdied. It was an old fashionedbusiness- and Thev s'erethree streets.realh . thc chain stores \\'erc taking arvav the business likc Schwartz: Parkrvavs. Kresgeand Wool*orth - fellons like that rverecomtng tn. Schrayer: Parkuavs-ves. lt uas a bcautifirlstroct \\ith The littlc varietv stores rverc dving becausethcv couldn-t beautifulhomes there. We livedon Vincennesrrhich ras exist. So. I xent to be an insuranceman. I had a fen other oneblock arvav. ... thingsin betrveen... Schwartz: Anyliorv- vou went to the Sunda) School and Schwaltz: I knolv that you've been active in the Jelvish got confirmed? You indicatedan interestin Judaism. Was communityfor a number ofyears. Tell me rvhenyou kind thereanlthing like the Young People'sDivision'l

13 Schrayer: Therewas nothinglike the Young People's summer.And therabbis went away for summervacation. Division,and there was nothing like keepingin touchwith Ald I couldn'tfind a rabbito marry me so I calledup a a confirmand.The resultwas I wentaway to Michigan. Conservativerabbi, Rabbi Simon. He was also out of In the next tlree or four years, severalthings happened. town, but he had an assistantwhose nane escapesme First of all - not in the orderof whenthey 6s6u1ed- now. but, first of all, my mother and father both died in the Schwartz: Was that RodfeiZedek? succeedingfour years. And we had no membership, Schrayer:Rodfei Zedek. ... Attyway,I calledhim up and confirmandswere not connected.I didnl evenhear from told him I warted to get married. He didn't know me and the temple. AII I knewwas that they mergedwith Temple askedme who I was. And he saidto me,"Well, is thegirl Israel. RabbiStoltz retired and Itabbi GersonLery took you'regoing to marry Jewish?"I said,"Sure, of course over. And they movedthe building over Hyde Park she'sJewish." "Well," he says,"I'm a little bit worned. Boulevard,so I reallydidn't haveany connection with the I don't knowyou, andI don't knowher." So I said,"Do synagogue. you know Philip Weinstein?"He was a memberof their What really happened- as far as tlrat part of my life congregation.He said,"Sure." So I said,"Why don't rs concemed- I got married, and I lived on tJreSouth you call up Philip Weinsteinand ask if he knowsme and Side. Oneday I got a telephonecall from a fellow named knowsif I'm Jewish." He says,"If you tell me you are, Mountner... Leo Mountner.And thathe'd like meto join I'll takeyour wordfor it." So,he manied us. K.A.M. That Rabbi Freehof was beine offered a Schwartz: Well, that's an interestingsidelight to what congregatlon and was has changed,becaus€ at threatening to leave and The biggest item that we manufactured Temple Sholomnow we the only way they could have servicesall through keep him was to get a by hand were wash boilers. Ifind that thesummer. couple hundred more my children don't evenknow what a Schrayer:Well, I cantell members. So, I didn't you that I wasresponsible have much of a washboiler is. for that. It went this way. connection. so I joined. When I became the That'show I happenedto join K.A.M. presidentof K.A.M., maybe even before I became Schwartz:I wantto go backto a coupleofthrngs. When president,I couldn't understandwhy we didn't have you were at Michigan was there any kind of Jewish servicesduring the summer. And I said to the rabbi, if activitythere? there's any reasonto haveservices during the fall, I don't Schrayer:There was somekind of Jewishactivity. We seehow you can say we don't needJudaism - or services had a Hillel Foundation. I would say that they were not - during the summer. I think that's disgraceful. And I very popular. I neverattended. I was very active on the think anybodywould say to us, why shouldwe comein campus. Octoberif we don't haveto comein July? I said,"Let's Schwartz:Do youbelong to a Jewishfiatemity? start havingservices all year. And the rabbisagreed. And Schrayer:Yes. I belongedto ZB'1,Zeta Beta Tau. And we started... we madea big dealout of it. I wouldsay that while we wereJewish, without a question Schwartz:Which rabbi was that? of doubt- therewas not one singlenon-Jewish person in Schrayer:Rabbi Jacob Weinstein. And I believethat as t}le fratemity all the four yearsI was there,not one- we a result of our efforu in that direction all of the temples didn't go to services. We really didn't do anything eventually[came to] have servicesall year. I think we Jewish,which I objectedto, but there was no syrnpathy wereresponsible for startingthat. for that. Schwartz: I think that was a wonderfulthiry. How could Schwartz:Who married you? youtum religionon andoffjust becauseit wassummer? Schrayer:When was I married?That was in Nippersink. Schrayer:I nevercould understand that. I wantedto getmarried when I wasn'tworking. You see, Schwarfz: So then,because of this attemptto keepthe I took over my father's businesswhen he died and rabbithere, to keepRabbi Freehof at K.A.M., youjoined struggledwrth it for a coupleof years. And really,there thetemple? wasnobody in chargeof it but me,when I was 20 years Schrayer:I joinedthe temple. And I reallydidn't know old ... 2l yearsold. So it was hard for me to go on a muchabout this temple,but I had heardFreehof was a weddingtrip or anfhing. So,I pickedthe day of July3 to wonderfulpreacher. He gavegreat sermons,and that was getmarried because I'd havea holidayfor July 4. And on true. And I don't think it wasa yearafter I joinedthat he that day. all of the Reformrabbis were on vacation. In left. He left in spiteof that. He wentto Pittsburgh.And thosedays. all of the Reformtemples closed up for the so we pickedas a rabbi a youngupstart who cameup

14 there. And becauseI *as near his age- he \\'asvoLrnger Weinstein. than I uas but not too much vounger - I kind of got A,ndhe becamemv best fricnd. Mr rrife and his ri iti intcrestedin hln. His name\\'as Joshua Liebman. And I \\'eretogether all the time. But rrhat happcncdsls I rras fascinatedbl him. And the first servicehe gave rlas $alrted the congregationto gro\\. And I \\orkcd on Rosh Hashanah.and I *as sitting in thcre next to a lot fevcrishlr. I startcdall thesccornmittces: rrc hadaboLrt i() of old gurs rlho thouglrt."This gu1's no good" So I conur.rittees.We had a chairman for ncn onc. Wc hld dccided['m goingto helpliim. educationalprograms in even onc. Wc \\cnt fronr about Ard that's ho\\ I got interested.and we becameven 300 membersto 900 membersin four rcars. close- iltimate friends. I rvas his closestfriend. and u'e Tlie onlv problem las. I had thcsc cournrittccs spentthree or four lears toggtlier. That's rvhenI became meeting.even one of thcm...even thc housecommittcc active in the temple. nhen I becamevice presidentand had a programof leaminghorr srrragoguesare bLriltand ras in line to becomethe next president. When all of a what the ftlmiture has to be and uhat all thc diflcrcnt sudden.out ofa clearskr'. he announced he didn't even appointr.nentshave to be in bLrildinga svnagogue.We had tell me hc uas consideringit - he a louncedhc uas a programfor even committee.It \\asn'tjust a mattcrol lear'ingand goingto Boston. And I uas reallyupset. I doingthe job. I keepcalling it a.job. And then\\c got a thought that \\'as secretar\ to do thc You'rc dislolal. and I thought I workedfeverishly. I started all these .jobs. (to myself) chairman ol this inexcusable-and he committees;we had about30 committees...Wecommittcc.but r oLt'r'c never even told me had educationalprograms in everyone. We got to teach thcsc about it. and so forth. people. I got Gerald I tell \ou. I rvas l.ris wentfrom about 300 membersto Herst. rho belongcd closcst fiiend. But years. to Sinai.and I saidto 900 membersin four '-YoLr that \\ as it. He felt Gerald. Iikc that \\'as a better music. Whv dorr-t opportunity.and I can't blame him. He died about 2 or 3 you run the music br:t have it scliooled. Tcach pcoplc vearslatcr- at the age of40, so lie was a very young man. rvhat Jer.vishmusic is." He got so good at this hc ncvcr Schwartz:He \vrotesome ... \,!'entto temple or anlthing: lic belongedto Silai - he Schrayer: He wrote one book, PeaceofMind. finally- u'hen we were on our l00th annivcrsan- hc gavu Schwartz: I'eace o.f Mind. yes. That r'vas verl' rvell a seriesof speecheson s\'nagoguemusic. And I \\ant to knoun. Then rvhobecame the rabbi there'/ tell yor.r.they rvereterrific. Schrayer: Then I had thejob of picking the rabbi. And I Schwartz: That rvouldhave been in 1947'l rvas detemrinedI lvas going to sholv Liebman rve didn't Schrayer:It was the !ear of our l00th anniversan,.r'cs. ncedlrirn I rras determinedrrc were going to get an ... I got other fellou's sho never \\'erc intcrcstcd.but I outstandirgrabbr. So, r.vhodid I go to'i I rventto Sachar. rvould only take them if thev riould have an edr:cational And I tried to talk him into quitting rvhat he was doing. program. Ald I stressedthe fact that peoplc go to Hc ras r.orking for B'nai B'rith. and came to be our organizationsif the1,liave tiicnds there. It's got to bc rabbi. And I saidto him.... "You can do other work if 1,ou social. It can't be oulv social. If it's onlv social.it's \\'ant to- but vou've got to be there for the main service. rvorthless. But. basicalh-pcople likc to be rrith othcr You've got to be there for the High Holidays. and if people rf thcl like them. And rr,'eused to havc groups. vou're busl and have other things to do, r.ve'll get an We used to get groups togethcr: the clroir committcc executivedirector to run the congregation." I wanted to would be a group of good friends. You klol. the house get Sacharto be our rabbi.... committeervor.rld be a group of good friends. Ald ther''d He didn't comefinally. but he says. "I'll help you find like to have meetingsbecause the)' got togetlier and used a rabbi.'' And he said to me. "I knorv a fellorv named to have somethingto eat and talk about their problerrrs. Weinstein in Califomia. Ard he's out of the rabbinate And rve did a really good job. but rlc ran into troLrblc. becausehe got in trouble. He had ajob in Los Angelesor (Laughter) San Franciscoand ... he gave a serrnondefending [Sacco Tlie trouble rvasthat everybodvrvho had a committee and Vanzetti]." As a result he lost his job, and nobod,v meetingwanted the rabbi there. Because.hol could thev rvantedto tonch him. have a meetingrvithout dre rabbi'i So he \\'as startil'rgto Sacharsaid. "This is a brilliant guy. and I think you get calls for every single night ofthe u,eek. And he began ought to meet him." So I did. And on Sachar's to complain. and his rvife complained. "What kind of a recommendationrre hired him as our rabbi. Jacob job is this *,hereyou don't haveanv time offl" tr

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