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FORMERLY SOCIETY NEWS cl(n 2lco'Co J c,(l)r :'^12l') rscor.l rcol $oc rc) tJ volumeXV. no. 4. Surnmer.1992

Chicago'sHavurot Boast Varied History SummerTours DuringRecent Decades AnotherSuccess Alternative Religious GatheringsProvide Dffiring Solutionsfor Rootlessnessin City been giving the Jewish community of By Joe Kraus Chicago the opportunity to go on tours of Jewishinterest. I havehad the goodfonune n 1973 The First Jewish Catalogue,a popular guide to Judaismthat sought to go on the filst three tours this summer f gone to reconcile observancewith the energy the late 1960sand early 1970s and would have with Irv Cutler on the I of last one excpetI havealrcady done it three Iyouth movement,described a new phenomenonwithin the American Jew- times.This is being written beforehis tour ish world: the havurah. "One answer to our quest for fellowship and joy," it but I alreadyknow that he did a grcatjob, wrote, "seemsto be emerging from the youth culture - the creation of a new ashe alwaysdoes. form of extendedfamily: communes,co-ops, and, within the Jewish counter- The tours can be viewed on three culture, the havurah." That idea it suggested,the idea ofa small group ofJew- levels: l. A pleasantway to spenda ish families or individuals making a commitment to observeJudaism summerSunday aftemoon communally,had the potentialto revitalize Jewish life in the future. 2. A chanceto leam of Jewishac- In the 20 years since then - and the 26 years since the first havurah- tivity in a particulargeographical area. like group was establishedat the University of Chicago - havurot in the 3. An opportunity to understand Chicago area have created a colorful history. While the movement probably the motivationwhich hasenabled the Jew- peakedin the late 1970sand early 1980s,its roots go back to the 1960sand it remains vital today. Different communities inr different parts of the city and The altemative Jewishwo$hio and suburbshave interpretedthe havurah concept to fit their differing needsand discussiongroups called harurot may-have years groups beguu less thal 30 ago, but they have so there has been a wide variety of in the area. Some have attracted already appeared throughout Chicago's younger,more transientpopulations and so have flourished and then disband- neighborhoodsand suburbsas a new and ed. Others, consisting more often of several families of similar age, have re- distinctive way for people to explore Ju- mained togetherlong enough to watch infants grow up to go through Bar and daism. With rnany havuot still going strong, Bat Mitzvah. they remain vital, if seldom s€en,elomerts of the city's Jewish cornnunity. Although there is no clear-cut definition of what a havurah is, a typi- Chicago Jewish History edior Joe cal one usesJewish observanceas a meansof creating a senseof community Kraus. himself active in an unnamedNorth that many of its memberscannot find elsewhere.Phyllis Toback,who with her Side area haluah, has spoken \yitl several husband and children was active in a Hyde Park area havurah from about long-time havurah members in an effort !o 1982 through 1986, said that many of the people in her havurah felt rootless trace the story of $oups that have left little formal record of their doings. He invites as newcomersto the city. "Most of us did not have family living in Chicago," readerswho have personalexperiences in she said. "This was a way of creating an extendedfamily for us." Chicagoarea havurot to submit them in writ- The Tobacks' group brought together a wide variety ing and so help us prcserve this chapter in "t,":::::T::T Chicagos Jewishhistory design theseprojects, and the colloquium u ill encouragethe development of creative optionsfor the marketarea. Representa- tives of civic and ethnic organizationswill f f 7e beginanother year of our activi- be invited to attendand to enter into dia- lA/ ties with renewedvigor and plans loguewith the presenters. V V for an exciting new year. our Zashinis well qualifiedto helpdi- summertrips were again a soldout success, rect such a colloquium. As director of the toppedthis year by our first trip to Jewish Levine Hillel Centerat the University,the communitieslocated in NorthernIndiana tirsrJe$ i:h institutionto locatein thevicin- andSouthem Michigan. ity of Maxwell Streetin many decades,he We also receivedmany lettersand knows the areaas well as many of its mer- commentsfrom our membersconcernlng chants.In addition,he helpedthe Levine the article in our Chicago Jewislt History Centerwin a grantto developan exhibit publicationrecalling Lhe Romance of a Peo' aboutthe old Jewishneighborhoods. For more information on par- ple pageantproduced at Chicago's1933 President World's Fair. Someof the correspondences ticipating in the colloquium,contact Elliot WalterRoth (312) we receivedis printed elsewherein this Zashinat the LevineCenter at 829- journal. Needlessto say, they have been a 1595. o sourceof deep satisfactionto us and a re- to the Jewishinvolvement in the 1893and flection of the wonderfulmemories that we 1933 world's Fairs. It is well worth havc recalledwith all thosewho participat vlewrng. SocietyWelcomes ed in this.plen,lidrvent. lt hrs also jn Our recentbooklet published by spiredus to conlinueour researchon the the Dori. Min.ky McmorialFund conluin- NewMembers role of the pageantsin ChicagoJetish ing storjeson "ChicaSo'sJewish Street Histon. Peddlers"and "Memories of Lawndale" is Jn the wuke of dnrrlher.ummer o[ .uc- This currcntissue contains a de- continLlingto receivewide acceptance.The I ccs.ful tuurr. the Socictl i\ plea.ed to scription of tsen Hecht's pageant,lVe Wiil bookletcan be purchasedat IeadingChica I-lnnounce a numb(r ol ne\\ mcmu(r\. NevetD[e, which was produced in 1943.In go Jewishbook stores.We irlsohave sold we welcome lhcm und urge them tu panic this connection.an lsraeli proiessoron almost rll of our firsl printing ol H.L. ipate in our efforts 1()preservc the record of leavefrom Tel Aviv Universitycontacted us Meites Hi.!/o/-\'ol the Jews of Chieago.lf Chicago Jewry. enlistingour supportfor a projectwhich he 1ou hrre nut prrrchr.edthi\ book3. yct. I Harold Alper Joseph Marcus .pecial price wishes to undertaketo make a film about urSe\ou to do \o at a reduced Mr. & Mrs. Pau[ Becxl\ Patner the Jewishpageants. Any one of our readers to our members.Our recentpublication en- Boender Esther Probis who would be interestedin such a project titled S-rd8o8re.r of Chicagois also still Mr & Mrs. Charles Readmore, Inc. shouldcontact us. We would like to obtain availablein a limited quantity.This book A. Cohn Shirlel Rosenthal your help in this creativeundertaking. canbe purchasedby calling our office Philip Drcbni Ernest Rubinstein As we areon the subjectof World We shall soonhave our first meet- Mx & Mrs. Milton Glo a Schachtel Fairs, the Jewish Archives of Spertus ing for all of our membersand resumeour Fiekls Edvvanl Schuman Museumhas mounted an exhibit on the sec- otheracli\ilie'. We look forwardto 'eeing MichaelFisch Sol Segal ond lloorof theSpenus building conlaining you at that time. ln the meantimeI wish Mr & Mrs. Gerald Eve Shulruff posters.fliers and other materials penaining you all the very bestfor the New Year B Franks Mx & Mrs. Daniel KennethGardner Siegel JosephGktssberg Rabbi William beendiminished year by year Vinually all Harold Halperin Smason MaxwellStreet of the residencesin the areahave been tom K e Kinser Shelb!"Tennant down and most of the commercialdistrict Arthur Levin Janet Gerson Tribich MarketColloquium has moved elsewheredue to the develop- TedInwitz H,-man Warshawsloi ment plans of the City Departmentof RobinnMagid Harold Weinberg Planned Urban Renewaland the University.Few Mildreti Matlin Sylvia Wolfe tracesof the older ethnic groupscan be We would like to invite our new group of academics,historians and found. Exceptfbr a small numberof stores and continuingmembers to take part in the current and former Maxwell Street and eateries,what remainsis largeand var- full rangeof Societyactivities. In addition arearesidents will hold a colloqui- ied open-airmarket where a heterogenous to our quarterlyopen meetings, we have um on the historic market to determineits crowd of shoppersbargain and buy every ongoingcommittees responsible for con- placein Chicago'shistory as well as to ex- Sundayof the year from streetvendors ducting oral hi\lorie\. construclinBa amineapproaches to saveit from imminent mainly of Hispanic,African-American or ChicagoJewish photo archive,working to- destruction. Asianorigin. \ ardcemetery prerervation and tncreasing The colloquium,co-directed bY One objectiveof the colloquium Society membership.Call the office at Societyboard member Elliot Zashin,will is to proposea numberof altemativemeth- (312) 663-5634if you are interestedin bring togetherpersons with academicand ods of conservingthe historicaland physi- more information. practicalexperience in a varietyof fields cal presenceof the marketarea. There have We urge you as well to consider andspecializations, including history, urban beenr numberof innovativeproject' in giving membershipsas gifts to friends, studies,urban planning, architecture, muse- othercities to preservesites of significance iamily and all the peopleyou know who um development.sociologl. and economics to local communities,particularly groups have left Chicago but not gotten it out of for a day long gatheringon May 23, 1993at that havenot receivedmuch attentionfrom their hearts. tr the Universityof Illinois at Chicago. Iocal historiography.The project partici- The Maxwell StreetMarket has pantsinclude individualswho have helped MarksNathan HoldsReunion /^n Sunday.July 12. 1942.a reunron I lwas held for tho'e who had been \--, residentsof the Marks NathanJew- ish Orphan Home. In the years 1906 to 1946,5000 boys and girls were lovingly nunuredby this institutionwhich was start- ed with a bequestin the will of Marks Nathanwho died in 1903. The event drew former residents from as far away as Califomia. The walls of the banquetroom and lobby were deco- rated with reprints of picturesand several tables in the lobby had photo albums and B'nai Sholom, Benton Harbor, Michigan nomic activity in the communityand the othermemorabilia. lure of the big city hasdmined away many On the programwere Dr. Robert Tours continued frcm page l from the youngergeneration. Nevertheless, Bloom, executivedirector of the Jewish that they will ish peopleto survive. the Jews are still optimistic Children'sBureau; Mark Levy, Presidentof In South Haven, the Sister- The tourswere organized by Leah survive there. the Board of Directorsof the JewishChil- Axelrod with her usualconsummate skill hood held a bakesale recently which raised dren'sBureau; and Rabbi Arnold Jacob hospitalfund and attentionto importantdetails. $1000 for the local drive. Wolf whosemother was a socialworker on the guidanceof Becky The first tour, to the South Shorc This was doneunder the staff of Marks NathanHome. P.esenta- Patnerwhose family had owned area,was led by CharlesBemstein. He not Mendelson tionsfor oulstandingpersonal and business MendelsonResort. only coveredOak WoodsCemetary and the achievementwere made to six individuals enjoying trip, manyof the synagoguesin the areaal vari- One of those the who then made brief responses.This was gave a thoroughsunmary ousperiods, but alsoenhanced his commen- Iona Levenfeld, followed by entertainmentfeaturing Hasha at the Workmen'sCircle tary with much anecdotalmaterial about of the activities Mushaand the Kiev KlezmerBand. life. personsinvolved. It was intercstingto note Campand told of the effectit had on her The camamderiewas wonderful. summary,you can the effectsof demographicson the non-sur- From this brief The rediscoveringof old friends and shar- havehelped the Jewsof vival of the Jewishpresence in this area. seehow thesetours ing memorieswas heartwarming.The suc- and appreciateChica- The secondtour wasinnovahve ln Chicago understand cessof this eventwas in no small way due go's that it was a walking tour of Lake view, a JewishHistory. to the effortsof JoyceLeviton and her staff D. new departurefor the Society.With the Norman SchwanzQ of volunteers.I was happyto be an obsery- weathercooperating, Mark Mandle,cur- er at thisjoyous occasion. rently a residentof Lake View, took us on a The most poignantpart of the day pleasant,informative trip of two hours was a commentmade by a personwho said which included Anshe Emet (formerly MichaelEbner, with tearsin his eyes,"Marks Nathansaved Sholom),Anshe Mizrach (formerly Anshe my life." -Norman D. SchwartzQ Emes)and "Jewish Graceland" Cemetery. NorthShore The third tour had Leahand Judge SheldonGardner as guides.Leah told of Expert,Next the resultsof her historicalresearch and SocietyAnnounces Sheldonof his experiencesin the formerly SocietySpeaker popularJewish resort area of Michigan.we I /fichael Ebner. a historian of Guidelinesfor stoppedin BentonHarbor at B'nai Sholom, | \ / | Chicago'sNorth Shore area, will a modem building. We also saw two other I V lUe the speakerat the Society'sfall Photo synagoguesas well as the cemetery.Our membershipmeeting. He will talk aboutthe Contest local guidewas Joe Marcus,a long{ime developmentof theJewish communilies in fTthe Socier)s Photographycommlltee suburban residentand polishedraconteur He told us the Chicago'snofih shore areas. I hasreleased the rulesgoveming the that Jews were so eagerto own land (since A professorof history at Lake I firstphotography in theSociety's his- they could not do so in EasternEurope) ForestCollege and the author of the prize tory. Open to amateurand professionals that they boughtland for farming even if it winning book CreatingChicago's North alike. the contest is held in honor of was poor Many camethere during the De- Shore,Ebner is one of the leadingauthori- MoselleSchwartz, for many yearsthe chief pression.We saw many of the resortsto ties on the subject. photographerfor ChicagoJewish History. which Jews from Chicago came by the As most Society membersare The contestis seekingphotographs thousandsduring the summers. aware,the North Shore is the most recent that havean identifiableJewish theme, that We then went to South Haven Jewishpopulation cenier in the Chicago weretaken in the Chicagometropolitan area whereHy Warshawskyshowed us the first areaand so its historyshould be of panicu- and that were photographedsome time be- HebrewCongregation, founded in 1917, lar intercst. tweenJune 1, 1992and December 31, 1992. now with a membershipof 20 families.The As always,the membershipmeet- They may be black and white or color and cemeteryis sparselyused because, in the ing and presentationare open to all mem- shouldbe at least8" x 10". earlydays, Jews were buriedin Chicago. bersand their guestswithout charge.A Each photographentered should We also saw manyformer rcsofis and many socialhour beginsat 1 p.m. and the address be accompaniedby a contestentry form. To new condominiums. startsat 2 p.m. receivea copy of the form as well as fur- The reductionin factoriessupply- Themeeting will beheld at Eman- ther guidelinesfor the competition,call the ing automotiveparts has depressed the eco- uel Congregation,5959 N. SheridanRd. O Societyoffice at (312)663-5634. O chicago's Havurot ,.nnue.,fr.npasel ifl#i.,l,li';.1.513:l',Kf::ffiT::i:JH?tr,filil: runs considerablymore economically than most syn- who often had different ideas about what thev hoped io get ErouP agogues'"We have dues that we pay annually and we use out of their sharedrituals. "t, *^ u ni""o i,r o6"or. ,f;u, those for tzedakah and refreshments. Our annual budget had a lot of ambiguity utout tn",,- rp-itiro'ulity,T'-;fi"-r;i;. runs into the three digits " Some of the group's members ;;'";; oi ,ion-.etiglous Such economy is an attractivecomponent of the families, some from actively zionist or socialist back- , havurah altemative for many havurah members For some grounds that had been untt-."rigiour, unJ .,ltt oitr".r "u-" havurot that meet in one another's homes and serve pot- our of orthodox upbringings. '1;;;;;;J; u *t" pru". luck dinners,the only communal expenseis postagefor the tbr a' of us to live out rhose ;";;i";i;i", *. Eli,'{ i[" announcementsof topics and meeting locations said. Self-sufficiency carries with it another price' As far asthe levelofritual in theirobservances, the though: unusual demands on members' time and energy' Tobacks, havurahseemed to irave'sirucka c;;or;;;;;- People with full-time work or full-time studies' many of tween the davening *o.Jif ;i r;;";;p;* .il; them with the additional responsibility of raising families, the social, discussion""nt"r.ocharacter i"u,n'ir* a hard time arrangingand leading a religious service' est lbr us was that this was t;.;;hi;;"iil.;;. *; ;.;iJ ao on !3* discussionor communal meal every month or so. As Stuart shabbasand our kids could d" i;';i;h ;.. w";;t;";; .' Starr said' "One of the reasonssome havurahhave fallen our discussionsand they could plry ,"g",r'.r.::tft" ;;;. apartis jusr thatthe experienceis too intense." While the official As a result' count- oldesthavurah is in Boston ",J,r,"N",i"'"r iuuu.ar' "I was looking for somethingrhar was like LHJillT:FnUlT:fr1 sll:f"l:l l:i:fi'$?:Xthe Saturday mornins davvenins sroup I'd 3in...',"nrhe besr known *:;*^1":flt*;:ii k o., at theohio State [Jnivers.ity Hitlel..lJiJ".lt:'l$iff:?lf,? ff.T:.ffilJ"i,iiilli,i. My questionwat howdo you takea Hillel digitsor ress don't reave graduatestuients, Hilt;t situationand plunk it downin the -middle #','1.?1r:,:ffi;itl; i::"tllj:'"Y.i|"""u11i1'n1of a neighborhood."- Gary Belenke '""i;n"awithout atrace. !,"!L'rf rJ u, many others'never even ChicagoHillel Housein when talk of it today'they 1965,they established the upstairsMinyan, one of thefirst took a namefor itself members "the havurah" organizationsin thecountry tnut."rr".*.i mo.eo. l.ss to referto it simplyas who hasbeen active in havurotboth thehavurah model. In lact, accordingto long-trmeupstarrs GaryBelenke' thathavurot can expect Minyan memberMarian N"rJ.fl goiio'n" Chivurat in RogersPark and Oak Park, said benefit from an initial burst of enthusiasmfrom their Shalom,cired by The F-irstt".-iti' Cli.iti*, ,. *"fi ur to becomeincreasingly difficult to BernardReisman's 1977 study fi" C"it""rii tnecoun- memtersbut that they years "I've discoveredhavurot try,soldest, was co-founded 6y;;"i;;iU;;., ^" ttlinyun maintainafter about two ' to keepgoing. They are very easyto alumni. arevery difficult The UpstairsMinyan includedtwo rabbisin its stan''' Belenkeknows what he's talkingabout when it originalmembership but wasotricially leaderless. Attract- ln 1976he helpedfound ingan average of l0 to l5 p".pt;';;;;;i;;;"iit i;i ,o establishinghavurot :?.t"t of thecity's best known and most en- urdaymorning services, tn" g-"p-iilir tut uuootiO zs MinyanSheini' one """ Like moslyoung adults attracted to the activemembers according to neua-i. duringhavurot. wasnew lo townand feared he Thecenter ot .u.t' .eef]i-i.rvicehas alwaYs been havurahidea' Belenke w-ouldn'tfind any immediatecloseness in a traditionalsyn- a leaderlessprayer session, o"t iil" g.""p n"t iiuaiiio^"1y Managingto meeta coupleof othercouples madetime for educarionurA Oir""riion"u. ;.[ ;r b"Sl agoguesetting. sharingthe same impulse' Belenke and his wile conveneda timemember stuan starr said, ""s".. o."or" r,""..on-l. io '"rd small meetingat B'nai zion' a conservativesynagogue in the Minyan with strongou""ni"g ttirir oth.r. huue Rogerspark' comeand leamed." Neudel uoor,::tt" int.na.d io be an ed- '*" got togetherafter I movedto RogersPark ucationalexperience. Some members know quite a bit " Columbus'Ohio"' he said "I was looking for some- aboutJudaism tiom beinglong-ti-#-Ul"y"" li9t" unriketradition"r ."";;;;;;i;;', -"itU.itj'ir''. up',ui', Minyan- in keepingwith thehavurah model - is satisfiedilf"f"ffi:ft:i3.',:".:iyffi"#il'fti,ii"ffiX15fi:l you takea Hillel situationand plunk it down ro remainas smalla groupu. it ir. ittJ;;tr;;;;;;"; was'how do in themiddle ofa neighborhood" continueto know everyoneel* i" irr.'g.""p'i"l,n"i;t Belenkeand the membersof what cameto be cancontinue to carryout the bulkof thegroup's busrness ";J Minyan Sheini answeredthat questionby arrangingto meet Minyan Sheini, in contrast,has had to curtail much regularly at B'nai Zion where they conductedtheir own of its activity. No longer meeting weekly at B'nai Zion, the servicesseparate from the congregation."We met there on group now holds monthly discussionsat members' homes. a regular basisfrom 1976to about 1987," he said. "It was a Stan explained that while many membersnow have other fairly standard(havurah) structure - which meant almost placesfor regular worship, the group continuesits meetings no structureat all." because,"what's held us together,to a large extent, is per- Among the people Minyan Sheini eventuallyat- sonalfriendships." tracted was Stuan Starr, who remained active in the Up- Belenke, who moved with his family from Rogers stairs Minyan at the University of Chicago after he moved Park to Oak Park and so was less able to participateregu- north to RogersPark, but who also sought a neareraltema- larly in Minyan Sheini activities,has been active in the tive. He said that the Minyan Sheini service,like that ofthe Shir Ami havurah for the last several years. He said that Upstairs Minyan, has traditionally been open to members one reasonMinyan Sheini was unableto survive in the way of varying religious backgrounds."It's not orthodox al- it was originally conceivedis that the neighborhoodsimply though it spansthe spectrumof those who observekashrut attractsa different kind of havurah member."The Dositive and thosewho don't. A numberof peoplewho've cometo thing about Minyan Sheinrwas that being in RogersPark the minyan over the years haven't had much backgroundat we always attracteda lot of characters.Shir Ami is more all." he said. stable.We have mostly married people," he said. ln the late 1970sand early 1980s,Minyan Sheini Suburbs have been hospitable sites for havurot in found itself at the heart of a thriving Rogers Park area recent years. In Evanston,the Jewish Reconstructionist group of havurot.It had a numberof ties, includingsome Congregation has experimented with yet another type of sharedmembers, with Am Chai, a group organizedin large havurah as it has encouragedthe formation of smaller measureto serve as an outlet for political energy within a groups from within its existing congregation.JRC currently Jewish setting. That group often went to protest marches has five different havurot: a sixty-plus havurahfor seniors; togetherand a splinter of it went on to producethe altema- an inter-faith havurah for families in mixed marriages; a tive Jewish publication Chutzpah.Together, Am Chai and pot-luck havurah that grew out of a singles group victim- Minyan Sheini were even able to maintain a weekly reli- ized by its own successat marrying its membersoff; a gious school for a time. North Shore havurah for families too far from JRC to at- Also not far away was yet another version of the tend regularlyi and a day school family havurah for fami havurah model at CongregationNer Tamid. Where Minyan Iies whose children attendJewish day schools. Sheini members got along well with their host congrega- Hany Goldin, a member of the day school family tion at B'nai Zion, they never saw all of their membersjoin havurah, said that the smaller groups help make a large the larger congregation.At Ner Tamid, the egalitarian congregationfeel more inviting. "JRC's a large synagogue. minyan there establisheda model that has been followed at I think the havurah makes small networks of people and other congregationsthroughout the Chicago area. developsa senseof community within the larger communi- Rich Moline, a founding member of the egalitarian ty," he said. "Each person is more involved than just com- minyan, explained that the impetus for its founding came ing to the show." from members' dissatisfactionwith the limited role women Leah Oxman, active in JRC's sixty-plushavurah were permitted in conservativeservices. "Many of us came echoed his sentiments."The basic philosophy behind it is out of a traditional or conservativebackground," he said. reaching out to other seniorsof similar interests,"she said. Reconciling that backgroundto their social beliett became "As in any organizationnot everybody brings the sameen- difficult when, "whether a woman could give a d'var Torah ergy, but lots of peopledo participate." becamean issue." What will become of havurot in the future is hard So, minyan membersestablished an altemative ser- to predict. While many of the discussion oriented groups vice featuringequal genderparticipation that eventually are thriving, it seemsmore difficult for the ones meeting permitted them to join the congregationwithout losing weekly and featuring more ritual to continue.Nevertheless, their autonomy."When we came in there was some reluc- the impulse behind the original havurot has had an impact tance on their (Ner Tamid's) part," Moline said. "You on traditional congregationsaccording to Belenke. "Going know, they wondered 'who are thesekids' and all. But now back fifteen years ago, I thought havurot would make an it's a very warm relationship...Wepay dues to the minyan awful lot of positivethings happen," he said.Citing the in- and the minyan then pays some percentageof that so that creasing roles for women and lay members in services as all membersof the minyan are Ner Tamid membersas examples, he added, "A lot of good that havurot did has well." beenco-opted by the large congregations." Sinceits foundingin 1978,the minyan has flour- The havurot, in whatever of the many different ished. "When the group started most of us were single or variations Chicago has seen over the last quarter century recently married. It's to the point now where we have three still remains a possibility for members of the Jewish com- different programs for kids (of different ages) during the munity, however.As Gary Toback put it, "When it's work- Torah reading," Moline said. "We're about to have our first ing, it's really wonderful. Peoplewind up creating a Jewish b'nai mitzvah. It's really developedinto a community." environmentwhere they can be themselves." tr

5 he responseto SocietyPresident Walter Rothh article "Jewish Day Shook Chicago" in last quarter's issue of the newsletterwas so impressivethat we have decidedto dedicatethe middle section of this issue to responsesand ad- ditional researchon Jewish pageants in Chicago. It is with some chagrin that we acknowledgea rather prominent mistakeie fromfrom the last issue:the larRelarge photographphotopraph on pagepape 6 was not fromfrom the 1933Worldb Fair pageantDapeant but ratherfrom from a subsequentpageant stagedin 1943 and written by Chicago'sown Ben Hecht. It has provetl a fortunate mistake,however; as Mr Roth's curiosiry was so piqued that he had researchedand written an article about that secondpageanL Weshould add that we are always grateful to receivewritten responsesto material printed in the newsletterbul that we are unable to print all of it that we receive. BenHecht's Pageant Rallied chosean alias to protect the family of his late uncle, the for- mer chief Rabbi of Palestine.Bergson had been among JewishWar Efforts thosewho secededfrom the World Zionist Congressin 1935 to form the Irgun under the leadershipof Jabotinsky.He had By WalterRoth then organized a militant group of young supportersin the United Statesin the early 1940's;among his most prominent he ten years between the stagings of Romance of a followers was Ben Hecht, the notedChicago playwright. People and,Chicago's next major Jewish pageant, Ben Hecht was then at the height of his fame. After years Ben Hecht's We Shall Never Die. saw a dramatic as a Chicago newspaperreporter and writer of fiction, he had gone to Hollywood and became changein the Jewish situation.Where 1933 had been a the author of many successfulscreenplays, including Scarface,Twentieth hopeful year for world Jewry, 1943 marked the darkesttime Cen- tury and Wutheing Heights. With Charles MacArthur, he imagineable.Two million EuropeanJews had already been wrote one of the biggesthits ever producedin America, murderedwhile 4 million more stood on the edge of exter- The Front Page. Sometime in the middle 1930s,Hecht be- mination. The united, enthusiastic,Zionist-oriented groups came enragedby the anti-Jewishpersecutions in Nazi Ger- that had produced the first pageant stood momentarily many. He wrote articles,plays and advertisementsattacking stunned and seemedunable to formulate any plans for the Nazism and calling for action. In early 1943 he joined the rescueof those Jews still alive in Europe. Into this melan- Bergson group and began to write the script for a Pageant choly American scenestepped a previously silent group of to call American Jews to action by, among other things, the Jews whose angerand outrageshook American Zionism formation of a Jewish army. and culminatedin production the of WeShall Never Die. As Hecht worked on his pageant,mainstream Jew- group The militant sponsoringthe 1943 Pageant ish opposition grew to the plans for its production.The was called the Committee for a Jewish Army of Stateless Bergson group was anathemato the Jewish leadership in and PalestinianJews. The Committee was originally found- New York, in Chicago and throughout the country. On De- ed by young membersof the Irgun Zvar Leum| an under- cember 2, 1942, a nation-wide day of mouming was pro- ground group in Palestineactively engagedin fighting the claimed by the mainstreamJewish organizations- a day British restrictive immigration policy then in effect. Their for fasting, ten-minutework stoppagesand prayers.A week leader was Vladimir Jabotinsky,the founder of revisionist later, PresidentFranklin D. Rooseveltmet with a delegation Zionism, and their enemieswere not only the British but of Jewishleaders at the White House,but the only result also any Jews or Zionists who did not agreewith their para- was a statementby F.D.R.condemning the Nazis.But spe- military tactics. In America, Peter Bergson lead the Irgun cific details of the murderousonslaught then taking place in and the Committee; his real name was Hillel Kook but he EastemEurope were reachingAmerican Jews and, working

Weizmann'sCentral Refugee Fund and the possiblethat my father would have includ Letters rest was divided amongthe New York phi ed Romanceof a Peoplein a book of his es- Dear Mr. Roth, lanthropicinstitutions that took part in tick- sayr.Crisis and Decisionr. without giving Thank you for the copy of Chica- et distribution. credit to people who were responsiblefor go Jewish History which arrived today. I -Atay Citron any of the script.Meyer Wesigal'sgreat ex- readyour beautifully-writtenarticle with TelAviv pertisewas public relationsand a slight great interestbut there is only one impor- stretchingof fact sometimesenters into that tant correctionI would like to make, with Dear Mr. Roth, profession. your permission.The photographon page6 I enjoyedthe story on JewishDay I know that it is sometimesdiffi- is not of The Romanceof a People,but of at the World's fair very much. I was there cult to know the true facts of pastyears but Ben Hecht'sWe Will Never Die which was and can still rememberthe enormouscrowd the work that you personallyand the Chica- stagedin Chicagoas part of a nationaltour at SoldierField. go JewishHistorical Society do is mostim- in the springof 1943. I was very surprisedto read that pressive. Concerningthe $ 100,000that there were three autho.sof Romanceof a -Gayola Goldman Epstein Weisgalhad promisedto Weizmann,I think People.Both Maurice Samuel and Meyer Chicago the "critics" you refer to on page 7 were Weisgal were very close friends of my fa- panly right: the sum was collectedin New ther,Rabbi SolomonColdman. Maurice Dear Mr. Roth, York but the run was by no meansa finan- Samuelgave a eulogy at his funeraland T alwaysenjoy readingChicago cial loss. The net receiptswere about was the rccipientof much help from my fa- JewishHistory, but I was especiallyen- $200,000,of which half went direcdy to ther on many of his lean days.It is just not 6 with Dr. Hayim Greenberg,editor of rhe Labor Zionisr "We are here to say our Journal Jewish Frontier, Hecht wrote articles bringing the prayers for the 2,000,000 who full horror of the Nazi atrocities to Americans. His article have been killed in Europe be- which appearedin the January,1943 issueof the American cause they bear the names of Mercury detailedthe genocideas vividly as we today know Jews. We are not to weep for it to have been. He also completed the script for the We them, although our hearts are Will Never Die Pageant- burdenedwith their fate. We are MainstreamJewish organizationsopposed the here to honor them and to pro- Pageant'sinitial showingin New York's Madison Square claim the victory of their dying. Gardenon March 9. 1943.The produclionfearured an al]- For in our Testamentare written star lineup of talent: Kurt Weill wrote the musicalscore, the words of Habakkuk, Moss Hart directed it, Billy Rose produced ir and the New Prophetof Israel: 'They Shall Ben Hecht York cast was led by Paul Muni, Edward G. Robinson, NeverDie"." Luther Adler, Jacob Ben-Ami, Claude Raines,Burgess Garfield and Meredith begantheir narrativewhile an Meredithand John Garfield.Nevenheless. groups like rhe organ and a chorus hidden behind the stage provided soft AmericanJewish Congress, led by RabbiStephen S. Wise, music.Alternately, they spokeof the contributionsof Jewsto opposedthe production and saw it as a perversionof Zion- the welfare of humanity. As 150 black-robedwomen each ism. Wise had first been offended by the Irgun's full page carrying a lighted candle filed onto the stagefor eachname newspaperads calling for the payingof ransomto the Ro- mentioned,Garfield and Meredith called the roll of famous manian governmentfor the rescueof Jews and later by its Jewsthroughout history: "Moses ... David ... Solomon ... the plan for a Jewish army to fight the Nazis as a Jewish na- Prophets...Spinoza ...Maimonides ... Mortaigne... Mendel- tional unit. Such mainstreamJewish organization opposi- sohn... Disraeli ... Zangwlll... Proust ... Frence ... tion proved surprisingly ineffective, however; the Pageant Bizet... SaintSaens... Heine ... Brandeis ... Freud... was performed twice on the same day in Madison Square Einstein...We summonthis fame not to boast.but to sive Garden,to sold out audiencesnumbering 40,000 people. strengthto heartsthat haveforgo[en in their sorrowlhe On the evening of May 19, 1943,the Pageanr shield,the sword, the valor and the indestructibilityof their moved to Chicago Stadium. Despitethe lack of support for people." the event by Chicago Jewish organizations,the pageant As the lights dimmed, there appearedon the stage drew a capacity crowd of 20,000. The Committeefor a a "Table of Judgment". On one side of the table were the Jewish Army openedits own offices at 139 North Clark Axis leadersand on the other side sat the delesatesof the Streelin the ShermanHotel under its executivedirector, victoriousUnited Nations.who were thererJpass judg- ErnestByfield, a Chicagobusiness executive and President ment on the defeatedenemy. of the Sherman Hotel and Col- Up through the gigantic tablets came a long pro- lege Inn restaurant.The Chica- cessionof the slaughteredJews - men, women and children go Committeehad acquiredthe who chanted "Remember Us" as they appearedbefore the rights to the Pageantafter its audience."Remember us - we are the children of Freibere. perfbrmance in New York and hangedand left danglingfrom our kirchenwindows. Re- severalother Eastem cities, and memberus - we are from the town of Szcuccinin poland had reassembledit in Chicago ...A11of us werekilled beforesundown. Remember us - in with Chicagovolunteers. By- Lublin, 500 of our women and children were led to the fleld, the local director,was not marketplace, put againstthe wall andmachine-gunned." otherwiseidentified with Jew- The processionof the living corpsesand their sor- ish causesand had neverbefore rowful storiescontinued, until the final episodeof the taken an active role in Zionist Pageantwas heralded with a call to arms and vengeance. Paul Muni or Jewishprojects. Called "Jews in the War". lhis sequencebegan with The Pageantwas present- Garfield and Meredith dressedin Americanmilitary uni- ed in threesequences. The castof hundredsincluded movie forms, but in place of the dead starsJohn Garfield and BurgessMeredith, and the great victims,this time U.S. soldiers, actor of the Yiddish stage,Jacob Ben-Ami. The three acted sailors and marines marchedon as narrators.Leo Kopp of the Chicago Civic OperaCompa- the stage.The narratorsread ac- ny, conductedthe symphony.Cantor Avrum Matthews,a countsof Jewish war heroes. well known Chicagocantor who had led the cantorial There was Irving Strobing, a 22 singing in the "Romance" ten years earlier, was again the year old Jewish soldier from featuredsinger this night. The actors moved on a stage Brooklyn who telegraphed the towering with two tabletscontaining the Ten Command- final messagefrom Corregidor ments. As Matthews finished chanting the Kol Nidre, Ben- and who was a prisoner of war. Ami, in white robes as the Rabbi of the Pageant.came onto There was Maurice Levy, a tall, the stageand. as the audiencestood with headsbowed in lean Chicago soldier, who was prayer,he intoned: called "The Blue Crane" and Kurt Weill Th€ Stageat ChicagoStadium who killed 25 Japaneseuntil a sniper'sbullet stilledhim. with great sympathyand warmth. The Jewish press,howev- The Nazis said "The Jews cannot fight, " jeered the narra- er, almost ignored its presentation.As an example,the Sen- tor, "Wait until Barney Ross gets to Berlin." Ross, the tinel, in its May 27, 1943 issue,one week after the Pageant world middleweight boxing champion raised in Chicago's took place, carried a short note by one of its featurewriters, Maxwell Street area, would go on to win a U.S. Congres- Dr. G. GeorgeFox, which statedthat while the Pageantwas sional Medal of Honor for his war-time contributions. full of historical errors..."Nevertheless,it was a fine specta- As two soldiersblew Reveille, the orchestraplayed cle." Fox called on Byfield and his Committeeto repeatthe "The Star SpangledBanner" and the audiencecheered, Pageantfor non-Jewsso they could "really see what has while the narratorspoke:" beendone to the Jewsin Europe.We know, they don't." "Every Jew who fights today is not only a soldiel From Chicago, They Shall Never Dle moved to the but also an avenger.They fight on all fronts but we feel the Hollywood Bowl where it was performedby many more statelessJews have a right to form an army of their own famousmovie starsto a massaudience. That production and to strike back at Hitler undertheir own banner- the seemsto have been the last for the pageant.Splendidly Star of David. The corpse of a people lies on the stepsof written and produced,performed by stars,it was presented civilization. But we here tonight have a voice. Let us raise to an American Jewry that was warned to seeits main mes- it. Perhapsthe dying will hear and find hope. Perhapsthe sageas a call for "foolhardy" Jewish action. Of course,this four freedoms will hear it, and find tongue. It is the voice is what differentiatedThey ShaLlNever Dle from 1933's of prayer." Romance of a People. 'lhe Romance was presented as a "Hatikvah" was sung as the entire cast gatheredon non-controversialpageant of the glory of Jewish history the blazingly lighted stagewith the American flag and the and the emergenceof Jewish nationalismin Palestine.It Star of David being held side by side. Cantor Avrum made no direct demandson its audience.While Hitler had Matthews then led the audiencein the rendition of the Kad- come to power, extemination of Jews was not yet in grasp dish. The narrationconcluded: of humanimagination in 1933.Ten yearslater, extermina- "They shall never die though they were slaughtered tion was a fact. Yet AmericanJewish leadershipseemed with no weaponsin their hands.Though they fill the dark powerlessto help and the massesof Jews appearedbewil- land of Europe with the smoke of their massacre,they shall dered by the events. The replica of the huge Tabernacles never die. For they are part of something greater, higher that stood on the stage of the Chicago Stadium on the and strongerthen the dreamsof their executioners." eveningof May 19, 1943 and the Pageantthat was there As a one night pefomance, They Shall Never Die presentedare worth remembering.But unlike the glorious was a great success.It was widely reponed by the secular feeling of good fellowship and heroic history that were the press.The Tribune, The Chicago Times and the Daily News legacy of The Romanceof a People,only dismay is the and other Chicago paperscanied lead storieson the event, legacy of They Shall Never Die. D come all the way Letters con!inuedIftm paSe 9 whereI was the rabbi,by an overnighttrain cemible headsof the p€ople,as if planned trancedwith the article on the Romanceof to attendthis affair. and measured.The conjunctionof suchtiny a Peoplepageant. Unfortunately I couldn't I'm sendingyou a copy of the disparateacts, that of lighting a cigarette,a find myself in picture you published.It is original manuscriptwhich I sentto the Sen- cigaror a pipe,when viewed on a la.rgescale interestingto note that therewere details in tinel with my a icle on ChicagoJewry. in suchlarge numbels, presented a panorama the article of which I was unaware.So Your readersmight enjoy it. of planned purpose,programmed succes- muchfor beingtherel The Tribune that underwrotea sion, a systematicalalignment and an hyp- Bea Fox repetition of the Pageantfor July 6, 1933 notic effect. All the individual actions joint Chicago was promptedby the sponsonhip of mergedinto onegrand plan and picture the orthodoxkehilla of Chicago,led by As a flash it occured to me then Dear Mr. Roth, Rabbi M.B. Sacksand by a Mr. Lurie who and therethat Jewishhistory - or for that My brother,Seymour Mandel, conespondedon behalfof the Yiddish Jew- matter all history if viewed from a cer- sentme your newsletterwith the lead story ish Day and Arbeiter Ring in Chicago for tain vantagepoint in time shows a certain headlined,"Jewish Day ShookChicago." purposesof raising funds for the Hebrew rhythmic movementand designthat be- What memories your account of that \choolsand Yiddishschools oI our ciry. comesmeaningtul. uniqueday evokedin me! I was ten years You can readit in The Daily JewishCouri- In 1933the ChicagoJewish com- old when my mother took me and my er of that date. munity reachedits high water mark of its younger brother,the late EugeneMandel, -Leonard Mishkin development.That year did not mark quite to Soldier Field to witness"The Romance New Orleans 90 years since the first Jew arrived here. Only 85 yearsback was the first minyanor- of a Peopie." Editor's Note: What is the text of Jollows ganized;not quite four differcntgenerations We wereelectrified by the specta the letter Rabbi Mishkin wrote to the Sen, of Jews could demographicallybe marked cle cnvisionedby Meyer Weisgandthe tinel aboutthe pageant. pageantsent our spirits soa ng. up as havinglived in our city; Suddenlywe felt an enormous only 62 yearsafter the Chicago pridein b€ingJewish. We hung The conjunctionof suchtiny disparate Fire devastatedthe pioneering on every word of the narrator, Jewishcommunity of our city; thrilledto the musicand dances. acts,that of lighting a cigarette,a cigar or only 50 yearssince the begin- I wil] neverforget the moment ning of that greatwave of in- when all the lights were extin- a pipe, when viewedon a large scale in coming Jews from Russi a, guishedand the huge crowd, on suchlarge numbers,presented panorama Galicia and Romania thar signal.lit matches.Little did we a formed the old West Side Jew- know $'hat symbolismwas in- of plannedpurpose, programmed ish communityand sentwaves volved.for that was the year that of Jewishsettlers into Lawndale lights startedto go our lbr peo- succession,a systematicalalignment and and the HumboldtPark areaand pJein Germanyand subsequent, the new South Side to build up ly throughoutEurope. an hypnoticeffect. All the individual the largestJewish community in It was the first display the U.S. outsideof New York; of theflag of Israel;15 years be- actionsmerged into one grand plan and only 25 yearssince the beautiful fore our statewould be rebom,a - Rabbi Leonard Jerusalemcity of Chicagobegan harbingerof that historic mo- Dicture. Mishkin to developand flourish into a ment when the Star of David most beautiful,viable, colorful, would be unfurledacross our hustling,bustling Jewish com- Holy Land. It was also proudly saluredat On MondayJuly 3, 1933,125,000 munity with a characterof its the ChicagoStadium when Medinat Yisrael Jewsof Chicago(one third of its total Jew- own, a topographicalbeauty unsurpassed becamea reality at a massiverally that cel- ish population)filled the SoldierField Sta- anywherein the U.S.,teeming with life, ac- ebratedthat momentousevent in 1948. dium to celebrateJewish Day at the tivity. movement.alfluence and promise: As a l0 yearold I wasan ardent World's Fair commemoratinga century of the Sentinelcelebrating that year its Bar Zionist, thanksto my grandmother,the late progressof our city. Neveragain, here or Mitzvah:and it is barelyt\ro monlh\since Ida Gratchwho foundedthe LadiesVolun- anywhereelse in the world, would therebe the Nazis bumed books by Jewish authors teersof Zion. I reada\idly the accounr\in such a large crowd of Jews gatheredinto in Berlin at the "Operaplatz". the ChicaSoTribune of Jewish Day. I re- one place for an entire eveningto mark memberseeing photos of ChaimWeizmann suchan occasion. Dear Mr. Roth, in the press.His bald headand small goatee As darknessenveloped the field I enjoyedreading your article prompted andall eyeswere tumed to thehuge in "JewishDay ShookChicago. l havea coin me to tell my motherand father, 'tage the late Mollie and Arthur Mandel, that the the centerof the arena,representing the fa- that was issuedto commemoratethis day. famous man with his picture in the papers cadeof the Templein Jerusalem,wlth a One side showsMoses with the looked exactly like Max Lesser,the sham- huge replicaof a scroll openedon one side Ten Commandmentsand said in English. mas in our family business,the Gratch- reading,"In the beginningGod createdthe "The Romanceof a People,"and in Hebrcw MandelFuneral Chapel. heavensand the earth,"and thousands of ac- "And Moseswent down to the People" For this 10 year old, Jewish Day tors participatingin the pageantmassed at The other side has a Star of was the highlightfor me of the 1933Centu- the other end of the stageand in front of it, David, the date in Hebrew,and in English, ry of ProgressWorld's Fair. I shall never one becameenthalled, awed,inspired, and "Centuryof Progress,1933, Jewish Day." lbrget it. reflective- but not becauseof what one's The coin is aboutthe sizeof a half- SidneyA. Mandel eyesbeheld on the stage.But by something dollar,is a gold color,and is non-magnetic. Carmichael,CA that was unplannedand quite incidentaland Frank Nussbaum not by design.As the eyesof the beholder Chicago Dear Mr. Roth, sweptacross and aroundthe huge stadium, Edibr's Note: Mr Nussbaumhas generous- I enjoyedyour write-up on the thousandsof tiny flasheswithout cessation ly donatedthis coin to the Societ!for our "Day (that) ShookChicago (Jewry)!" I had lit up, hundrcdsafter hundreds,rolling like archives.

I Oral History: potatoesto the hotelsdowntown and he westem,I had to bring the registrarof De- would deliver.And as a kid I enjoyedthat Paul and Crane to make sure I was the verymuch. because the chef\ in theholel - samefellow. They would not acceptthat a Sol Brandzel I'd go with him - and they would, of pe6on could do that. lnterviewsJustice course,feed me. And I thoughtit was a Brandzel: How old were you at greattreat. But you had to 8et thereat four the time you were seekingentrance? o'clock in the morning.because farmers Goldberg: Well, I finishedhigh ArthurGoldberg broughttheir stuff in everyweek to that old school when I was fifteen and a half, and uhen I wa. eigh- Thefotlowing is an excerpt.lrom market. And you were through about two so I enteredlaw 'chool an otal historyconducted with the late U.S. o'clock in the aftemoon.It was one of the teen.So fifteen and a half to eighteenwas SupremeCourt JusticeArthur Goldbergby biggesttreats of my childhood.I recall that whenI went to Craneand DePaul. Societymember Sol Brandzelon March 19, mademe the biggestman on the campusof Brandzel: About your e\peri- 1985.Goldberg spent his chiltlhood in the old WestSide. Since he was there,at encesbefore we get into the law practice- Chicagoand establishedhimself as a suc- the end of the day, the peoplelike himself therewere somegreat institutions on the cessfulattorney and etpert on labor law. were given their tip: half-rottenapples. West Side: JPI, the HebrewInstitute. were He sened as Secrctaryof utbor in Presi' And he'd load up and take them home and youinvolved in anyofthose? dent Kenned!-'scabinet for a year bejbre I would passthem out in the neighborhood. Goldberg: No. My lamily...We being appointed to the S preme Court in That was a great treat. You peeledoff the were so into poverty, and I was really so 1962. He resignedfrom the court in 1965 rottenpan and atethe rest... povertystricken that it was apolitical,and I to serveas U.S.ambassador to the United Brandzel: As I understandit, you neverheard [about those things]. And so Nations nder PresidentJohnson. He ran went to CranelHigh School]? therewasn't any political discussion.Or members?My for govemor on New Yorkin 1970,but was Goldberg: Well, of course.I was who was thereto become defeated bJ Nelson Rockefeller He tlied in determinedto get an education,but I was brothersand sisterswere spreadaround. January,1990. on my own [after my fatherdied]. The kids And. as I say. they nerer went lo hiSh Goldberg: We lived in a town- were then all marlied, and they had their school.My motherwas fully occupiedtak- house.You know, a commonbathroom ar- own problemswith their families.And ing careof me and the householdand man- rengementwhere maybeten families lived some died young. One of my sistersdied agingwhat litde I earned.So I nevergot an old townhouse.And not like the New young, and then one of my brothers died involved. York tenements.Chicago didn't havehigh- young. So I had to supportmy mother So I rememberonly two sort of ex- dses- but siill a tenenment,maybe a thrce througha combinationof factorsI had a lot tracuricular things where I usedto go oc- story complexwith maybenine apartments of jobs. I worked in the post office and casionally.One was Helas.See, that's the or so with one bathroomin the middle. that'swhere I met Lillian Hersteinwho was old neighborhoodwhere I had my first Each one had a coal stove,of course,and a teacherof mine at - glass of milk in. I think it was what they you had your own coal in the basement, Brandzel: My teacheras well. call a settlementhouse where I leamedhow which I used to have to drag up as a kid. Goldberg: And she found me to play basketball.But we were not in- political But fmy father] would bring [new arrivals sleepingone morning. She was put out volved in any things.I didn't from Europe]to our house.And as a conse- with me until I explainedto her I was on know aboutthe labor movmentuntil I was quence,I neverhad a bedrcomwhen I was the night shift at the post office. So I in law school... a kid. I slept in the kitchen on the couch, workedthere. I workedin the public library [After working briefly for A.N. becausewhatever bedrooms we had were as a pagethey call it, which is a kind of Pritzker's law firml then I establishedmy alwaysin use:six other kids, my mother way of payingcheap salaries for an assis- own practice.Now I had a practice...firstit and father,and all the greenerswho stayed tant librarian,which is what I actuallywas. was largely my classmates.Because I'd with us until they foundjobs... And interestingenough, I worked in a workedin a law office - therewere no clin- And that'swhere we lived. And in branchthat was in our old neighborhood ical progmms[in law school]in thosedays Chicago,of course[immigrants] didn't nearHalsted Street. I rememberthe librari- I at leastknew where the court house have the language.And you perhapswill an, a small...shewas a nice woman.So I was. My classmatesdid not. So a great recall from your family experiencethat went to Crane, which interestingenough, bulk of my early practicewas representing thesewere the days of no adult education my wife also went to, but not...l was a year my classmates.Those were the days when courses.These were the days when you aheadof her. I never met her there; I met thereweren't very many big firms. And so tried to acquiresome language...And [my her much later in a Zionist Group, Avukah t taughtp vatepractice, arguing cases, try- fatherl tried to acquiresome, but he had to YoungZionists. ing them, writing briefs and so on. And I makea living. And what living he made And I went to Crane.And then I alsohad some small business clients. But it until he died was he got employedsort of was determinedto go to law school.And wasn't a bad period.I wasindepenedent. as an independentcontractor. He had his againthe pressurewas very great.I had to Now how do I get into Iabor own horse,which was a blind horse- the accumulatemoney to get into Nonhwestem things?Well, I at that point startedthrough only thing he could afford and a blind Law School.I wantedto go to a good law readingotherwise to becomeidentified horsewhich madeits way in Chicagoand a school.At that time you had an option:You with some liberal movementsin Chicago. wagon. And he worked in a businessthat eitherhad a collegedegree - fbur yearsand Paul Douglasand I, for example,were re- was a traditionalJewish business, and that go to law school- or you could elect to go sponsiblefor beforeI had anythingto do was in the commissionbusiness. They [beforeyou got your degree]after three with labor - for a big meeting protesting called it commission.That's wholesale years.Then you would go iour yearsto iaw the RepublicSteel massacre. That was long fruits and vegetables.And he would get up school.So I chosethe easyroute: three beforeI representedthe steelworkers. And at threeo'clock in the momingand go to years.And then I realizedI wouldn't be I had alsomanaged Paul's campaign for al- the old market on Wacker Drive and load able to makeit if I didn't hurry it along. derman... up with potatoes.He workedfor an outfit Becauseif I went to law school,I could get I rememberwalking aroundCar- I rememberthe name - CohenCommission a law job which I did and then earn penter'sHall the night [Saccoand Vanzetti] House.And as I say,he was sortof an inde- sQmemorc money. were executed- you know, a demonstra- pendentcontractor because he owned his So I went to two collegesat one tion - not like presentdemonstmtions, but own vehicle.And I usedto love to go with time. I went to Craneand I went to DePaul. we walked and I was in law school.But in him and skip schooland go becausehe sold when I presentedmy credentialsto North- the practice,I had nothingto do with labor. 10 the court." That was Author'sQuery: his favorite expres- slon... SeekingRomance So, [the labor leaderslasked if I'd take[the news- of a People paper guild casel over. That was a Memories very strangerequesr. I wasn't doing that Do you havefirst handreminis- work. And I said, cencesof Romanceof a People?Atay Cir "When will we see ron, a Theaterprofessor at the Universityof thejudge?"... Tel Aviv would like to hear from you for You see,all work he is doingtoward a book andpossible my early training, documentaryon major AmericanJewish that was one of my pageants.If you have information for Mr. assets. Running Citron and would be willing to speakwith aroundtbr thoselaw him, pleaselet us know at the Societyoffice firms, all the judges andwe will forwardyour nameto him. A knewme. As a kid I usedto go in for mo- tions for a delay or extenslonor passlng HaveTape on a legal conven- tion. That's how I RecorderWill got admittedto the Bar before I was Travel twenty one. There was Justice DeY- 1ftne of the ongoing projectsoi the oung. I came, and I lsociety is to capturethe historypre- the rules were you \./ servedin our midst thrcughthe rec- couldn'ttake the Bar ollection' anJ . turie. ol communil) until you weretwen- leaders,business pioneers and other excep- ty-one,and I wasn't tionalChicago Jews. We inviteyou to take ArthurGoldb€rg twenty-one. pan in thareflon b) joiningrhe oral hislor) Brandzel: committee. You know, the Chicagolabor movement How old wereyou when you took the Bar? Conductingan oral hi\lory is a outsideof the amalgamatedunion, don't Goldberg: I wasn't twenty-one.I way to recordand publicizehistory that you? It was run by John Fitzpatrick,Vic was twentyand a half. And I went to the can be as rewardingto the interviewerand Ronaand Mackoff and had I had nothingto judge to get an extension.I have the letter the subjectas it is to the Societyand com- do with it. I camethrough sam Levin and [he gaveme] savedin my farm. That's one munity.Many Society members are experi- MauriceBialis. The CIO wasin its infancy. thingI've saved.And he calledme in, and €nced takersof oral historiesand arc And the Chicagonewspaper Guild was on he said the Bar was to take place on Mon- availableto give you adviceon how to pre- strike...Andone day Samand Bialis called day. This was on a Friday. I hadn't taken pareand conduct interviews. and askedif they and someothers could his course.I hadn't done anything,because We at the Societyhave compiled come and sec me at my law otfice. And the rule said I couldn't takeit until Septem- a list of peoplefrom whom we hopeto take they came.And accompanyingthem was ber.I'd be twenty-onein August.And the oral hislories.You mighl considerinter. Van Brickner.Van Brickner was, as you old justice said,"Look you've beenpractic- viewing someonewe have already identi- know,Phil Murray'sright handman. And ing law threeyears. Don't you think you fied or you might bring ro our a(ention he was in chargein Chicagoof the Packing oughtto makeit legal?"And I said,"l'd someonewho hasmade significant contri- HouseWarehouse Committee and Steel like to, but I won't be twenty-one."And he butionsto his or her profession,neighbor- WorkersOrganizing Committee. And the says,"Don't you know any law?" And I hood or community.In addition,you might CIO in general,from the nationalstand- said,"What do you mean,Justice?" He considerarranging lor an oral hi.tor) lesti- point.And theyall cameto me. And they said,"We're judges of our own rules.It's mony from someonewho was a fiIst hand saidthey werethere to urgeme to takeover our rule." So he callsthe secretaryin. He witnessto someof the eventsthat are al- the defenseof the NewspaperGuild's case. said, "Dictat€ a motion to waive all the re- readyat risk of beingforgotten. And I asked,"why me?" Well, they said, quirementsexcept the Bar exam and to Think for a momentabout friends the union was repr€sentedby a communist- admit you on Monday." This was Friday.I and neighborswith rich backgrounds.Let orientedlawyer. Whether he was a commu- wasintimidated. I was crazy. I hadn'tstud- us know aboutthem so we can rccordtheir nist or not I don't know.But it was being ied. I hadn'ttaken th€ Bar review- noth- sloriesfor fururegeneralion\. Better )et. let handledin a tashionwhere they were wor- ing. This wasin July.You see,I wouldn't us know aboutthem and then work with us ried...becauseall three hundrednewspaper be t\renl)-one until Augusl.and lhat 5 prior to recordthose stories yourself. men were held in contemptby an Italian to September.That's the one thing I was Working with the Oral History judge. thinkingof. I was intimidated.I did takethe committeeis a good way to panicipatedi, Brandzel:Was that newspaper... motion. He signedit. And I took the Bar on rectly as a historianand a good way to be- the HeraldExaminer? Monday.Fortunately, I passed. D come more active in the Society.For Goldberg: Ye. HeraldExaminer information about how to get staftedcon- which fblded.And I rememberthe nameof ducting oral histories,contact Sid Sorkin, that judge: JohnnyLupe. Always use to chairmanof lhe oral histor)commirtee. ar say, "['11 take that matter in the breastof (708)s4r-2 r 88. o 11