University of California Berkeley Regional Oral History Office University of California The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California California Jewish Community Series Sylvia L. Stone LIFELONG VOLUNTEER IN SAN FRANCISCO With Introductions by Rabbi Joseph Asher, D.D. Miggs Post Bernice Scharlach An Interview Conducted by Eleanor Glaser in 1982 Copyright (cj 1983 by the Regents of the University of California and the Trustees of the Judah L. Magnes Memorial Museum This manuscript is made available for research purposes. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to The Bancroft Library of the University of California at Berkeley and the Judah L. Magnes Memorial Museum. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publica tion without the written permission of the Director of The Bancroft Library of the University of California at Berkeley. Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to the Regional Oral History Office, 486 Library, and should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Sylvia L. Stone, "Lifelong Volunteer in San Francisco," an oral history conducted in 1982 by Eleanor Glaser, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California at Berkeley, 1983. Copy No. SYLVIA L. STONE (MRS. DANIEL STONE) JUNE 1983 TABLE OF CONTENTS Sylvia L. Stone PREFACE i INTRODUCTION by Rabbi Joseph Asher, D.D. ill INTRODUCTION by Miggs Post v INTRODUCTION by Bernice Scharlach viii INTERVIEW HISTORY x CHRONOLOGY xv BRIEF BIOGRAPHY xix I EARLY YEARS 1 Parents and Early Death of Mother 1 Grade School Years 5 Lowell High School 8 Fund Raising, World War I 10 Teaching at San Bruno Settlement House 12 II UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY (1919-1923) 13 Teaching at Temple Emanu-El Sunday School 13 Experience With Lie Detector 15 Campus Activities 16 Reporting for San Francisco Examiner 18 Campus Honor Societies 19 III NEWSPAPER WORK AND MARRIAGES 22 Reporting for Oakland Post-Enquirer Marriage to Lucien (Mike) Lehmann, December 16, 1926 25 Birth of Children 28 Widowed, Remarriage and Second Widowhood 29 Children s Early Years 30 Grandchildren 33 IV COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES 37 Community Chest League of Women Voters 38 Temple Emanu-El 40 American Red Cross 44 Hebrew Home for the Aged 47 Emanu-El Sisterhood Residence Club 49 V TAKING CHARGE 51 President, Mount Zion Hospital Women s Auxiliary, 1950-1953 51 President, San Francisco Girl Scout Council, 1953-1956 57 Chairman, JACKIE Foster Care, 1958-1959 64 VI JEWISH AND GREATER COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT 70 Jewish National Welfare Fund 70 American Jewish Committee 72 National Council of Jewish Women 74 Federation Endowment Fund 76 Israel Bonds and More on National Council of Jewish Women 77 More on Sisterhood Guild of Temple Emanu-El 79 Recreation Center for the Handicapped 80 San Francisco Senior Center 81 VII A SUMMING UP 83 TAPE GUIDE 91 APPENDICES I Family Tree 92 II Meditations 1954, 1959, 1962, 1963 93 III Scripts 1. "San Francisco Cavalcade, a Hundred Years of Fashion and Philanthropy," written for the Jewish National Welfare Fund Donor Luncheon, 1957 101 2. History of the National Council of Jewish Women, San Francisco Section 114 "From 3. Lace to Levis , -a Sisterhood Story in Style and Song," October 2, 1982 121 4 . Prayers Thanksgiving, 1939 127 Girl Scout Dinner, October 11, 1961 129 5. Minutes - JACKIE Foster Care Committee, April 2, 1959 131 INDEX 133 PREFACE The Northern California Jewish Community Series is a collection of oral history interviews with persons who have contributed significantly to Jewish life and to the wider secular community. Sponsored by the Western Jewish History Center of the Judah L. Magnes Memorial Museum, the interviews have been produced by the Regional Oral History Office of The Bancroft Library. Moses Rischin, professor of history at California State University at San Francisco, is advisor to the series, assisted by the Center s Advisory Committee, Norman Goliver, chairman, Harold M. Edelstein, Seymour Fromer, Mrs. Theodore Geballe, James M. Gerstley, Douglas Goldman, Professor James D. Hart, Louis H. Heilbron, Mrs. Leon Mandelson, Robert E. Sinton, Frank H. Sloss, Daniel Stone, and Mrs. Matt Wahrhaftig. The series was inaugurated in 1967. In the oral history process, the interviewer works closely with the memoirist in preliminary research and in setting up topics for discussion. The interviews are informal conversations which are Cape recorded, transcribed, edited by the interviewer for continuity and clarity, checked and approved by the interviewee, and then final-typed. The resulting manuscripts, indexed and bound, are deposited in the Jesse E. Colman Memorial Library of the Western Jewish History Center, The Bancroft Library, and the University Library at the University of California at Los Angeles. By special arrange ment copies may be deposited in other manuscript repositories holding relevant collections. Related information may be found in earlier interviews with Lawrence Arnstein, Amy Steinhart Braden, Adrien J. Falk, Alice Gerstle Levi- son, Jennie Matyas, Walter Clay Lowdermilk, and Mrs. Simon J. Lubin. Ua tran scribed tapes of interviews with descendants of pioneer California Jews conducted by Professor Robert E. Levinson are on deposit at The Bancroft Library and the Western Jewish History Center. The Regional Oral History Office was established to tape record autobiographical interviews with persons prominent in recent California history. The Office is under the administrative supervision of Professor James D. Hart, the director of The Bancroft Library. Willa K. Baum Department Head Regional Oral History Office 31 May 1978 Regional Oral History Office 486 The Bancroft Library University of California at Berkeley ii CALIFORNIA JEWISH COMMUNITY INTERVIEW SERIES Rinder, Rose (Mrs. Reuben R.), Music. Prayer, and Religious Leadership; Temple Emanu-El, 1913-1969. 1971 Koshland, Lucile Heming (Mrs. Daniel E. , Sr.), Citizen Participation in Government . 1970. E. Koshland, Daniel , Sr. , The Principle of Sharing. 1971. S. Hilborn, Walter , Reflections on_ Legal Practice and Jewish Community Leadership: New York and Los Angeles, 1907-1973. 1974. F. Magnin, Rabbi Edgar , Leader and Personality. 1975. Fleishhacker, Mortimer, and Janet Choynski (Mrs. Mortimer), Family. Business, and the San Francisco Community. 1975. Haas, Walter A., Sr. Civic , Philanthropic, and Business Leadership. 1975. Haas, Elise Stern (Mrs. Walter, Sr.), The Appreciation of Quality. 1975. Salz, Helen Arnstein (Mrs. Ansley) , Sketches of An Improbable Ninety Years. 1975. Jewish and Coimnml Service in. San Sinton, Edgar, ty Francisco , A_ Family Tradition. 1978. H. and San Francisco Kuhn, Marshall H. , Marshall Kuhn: Catalyst Teacher; Jewish and Community Leader, 1934-1978. 1978. Hirsch, Marcel, The Responsibilities and Rewards of Involvement, 1981 Koshland, Robert J. , Volunteer Community Service in Health and Welfare. 1983 1983 Stone, Sylvia L. , Lifelong Volunteer in San Francisco, Related information may be found in other Regional Oral History Office interviews: Lawrence Arnstein, Amy Steinhart Braden, Adrien J. Falk, Alice Gerstle Levison (Mrs. J.B.), Jennie Matyas, Walter Clay Lowdennilk, Mrs. Simon J. Lubin, Harold L. Zellerbach; Bay Area Foundation History series; The Petaluma Jewish Community series (interviews conducted by Kenneth Kann) ; California Women Political Leaders series Ann Eliaser, Elinor Raas Heller, Carmen Warschaw, Rosalind Wyman; Dr. Rubin Lewis, (chest surgeon); James D. Hart (fine printing); Maynard Jocelyn (wine technology); Ruth Hart (volunteer leader). Untranscribed tapes of interviews with descendants of pioneer California Jews conducted by Professor Robert E. Levinson are on deposit in The Bancroft Library and the Western Jewish History Center. iii INTRODUCTION by Rabbi Joseph Asher, D.D. By her own assertion, Temple Emanu-EI occupies a significant place in Sylvia Stone s life. This sentiment is reciprocated in full measure by the Congregation. To every activity she contributes to this institution she brings her own inimitable elegance and charm. By all accounts and by common consent she is Temple Emanu-El s First Lady. A regular worsniper at Sabbath and Festival Services, her presence in the Sanctuary lends the occasion an especially exalted meaning. We are aware not only of her religious commitment in the pew, but of her constant endeavor to trans form the teachings of our Faith into a lifestyle wholly in harmony w i th it. At a recent 65th Reunion of her Confirmation Class, coinciding with the Confirmation of the Class of 1981 she presided as a model, not by her intent but by our perception, to the newest class. These young people will not soon forget her as the prototype of what is best in a person, whose soul and spirit are permeated by the teachings, that have been conveyed to them. Whatever they have been taught in class is clearly manifest in Sylvia Stone. and the As the rabbi of Congregation Emanu-EI , among many blessings accruing to me in this post, I consider Sylvia s friendship as one of the most precious. Our friendship reaches beyond the confines of the Temple. Her home and family reflect her transcendent nature. The beauty of her appearance is matched by the radiance of her goodness. iv There is never a cause, in which the Temple engages - or for that matter any other worthy cause - to which Sylvia does not lend her generous support. She does so shunning any kind of appreciation of them. She bears all the honors that have been showered upon her with fitting modesty. She constantly insists that she derives as much, and more, pleasure and fulfillment than she deserves. I only know of one request she has ever addressed to me, and thus to the Temple. Upon her death - and we pray that she may be spared for many more years - she wishes her funeral to take place in our Great Sanctuary.