Look to the rock from which you were hewn Vol. 35, No. 4, Fall 2011 chicago jewish historical societ y chicago jewish history the fall book issue listings begin on page 7 he feature article in this issue of CJH rating the pageant. Members of the CJHS, Tprofiles Nathan Vizonsky, the gifted who, as young children, had participated choreographer of The Romance of a People, in or viewed the Jewish Day festivities, the Jewish Day pageant at Chicago’s 1933 shared their reminiscences. Actress/vocalist World’s Fair. In 2002, our Society published Renee Matthews sang a “duet” with a a facsimile of the elegant pageant program vintage recording of her father, Avrum book, with an added introduction by Matthews, the star of The Romance . historian Stephen J. Whitfield and an essay continued on page 3 by our president, Walter Roth. That year we Cover, Chicago Jewish Historical Society 2002 also presented a public program commemo - reprint of the 1933 Romance pageant program. Nathan Vizonsky: Dancing Master of Jewish Chicago BY KAREN GOODMAN n his 1954 article titled I “Evolution of the Jewish Folk- Dance,” for The Chicago Jewish Forum , Nathan Vizonsky quoted an old adage: “ A yid vet zikh nisht aveklosen tanzn glat azoi – a Jew will not let himself go a-dancing without reason.” Vizonsky, as one of the earliest dance professionals in the United States to write about Yiddish dance, wanted his audience to understand not only the pleasure of dance, but its importance. Nathan Vizonsky was born in 1898 in Lodz, Poland. Early on, he was exposed to idealized visions, and as his daughter, Phyllis Funari, wrote to me in 2002, he remained a utopian idealist throughout his life. From Lilith , 1934. Choreography by Nathan Vizonsky. Photo courtesy of Phyllis Funari. continued on page 4 2 Chicago Jewish History Fall 2011 President’s Column Look to the rock from which you were hewn chicago jewish historical societ y PATRIOTIC COMMEMORATIONS. Officers 2011-12 The Statue of Liberty celebrated her 125th birthday on October 28. Mazel tov! Dr. Edward H. Mazur The words of an American Jewish poet, President Emma Lazarus (1849-1887), are engraved Jerold Levin within the pedestal on which the statue Vice President stands. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your Muriel Rogers* huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” Secretary The Sephardic Emma Lazarus wrote her poem Directors “The New Colossus” in 1883, just as the huge Leah Axelrod Edward H. Mazur immigration of Eastern European Ashkenazi Rachel Heimovics Braun* Jews to the United States was beginning. Dr. Irving Cutler We Chicagoans Dr. Carolyn Eastwood have our own engraving Herbert Eiseman of the poem. It can be Elise Ginsparg found on the base of Dr. Rachelle Gold the Triumvirate of Clare Greenberg Patriots Monument at Dr. Adele Hast* the corner of Wacker Janet Iltis Drive and Wabash Joy Kingsolver Avenue, where George Seymour H. Persky Washington is flanked Dr. Stanton Polin by the Revolutionary Burt Robin War financiers Robert Walter Roth* Morris and Haym Norman D. Schwartz* Salomon. The Dan Sharon monument project was Dr. Milton Shulman promoted by the Carey Wintergreen Chicago Jewish attorney *Indicates Past Presiden t and politician Barnet Chicago Jewish History Hodes in the late 1930s, and it was Published quarterly by the dedicated on December Chicago Jewish Historical 19, 1941, soon after the Society at 610 S. Michigan Ave., attack on Pearl Harbor. Room 803, Chicago, IL 60605. (Read an article about Phone (312 ) 663-5634. E-mail: the monument in the [email protected]. Spring 2004 issue of Successor to Society News. CJH on our website.) Single copies $4.00 postpaid. IN OCTOBER I was Editor/Designer Bev Chubat in York, Pennsylvania, Editorial Board Burt Robin, at the Fall Meeting of Walter Roth, Milton Shulman the Eastern Division of Send all submissions to: the Train Collectors Editor, Chicago Jewish Association. My hobby Historical Society, via e-mail or is collecting, repairing, and trading in tinplate toy Lionel and street address shown above. American Flyer trains. While there I learned of a synagogue service If manuscript is sent via continued on page 16 standard mail, enclose SASE. Chicago Jewish History Fall 2011 3 Romance continued from page 1 An Eventful Summer and Fall for the CJHS A few years earlier, we had ur bus tour on Sunday, August 14 was devoted to Jewish Builders of discovered a live-in-performance O Downtown Chicago. As we rode down Michigan Avenue, CJHS film clip of pageant dancers, and we guide Marshall Rosenthal told us that the trademarked name “Magnificent included it in our award-winning Mile” was coined by realtor Arthur Rubloff; engineer Joseph Sensibar documentary Romance of a People: stabilized the landfill that became Grant Park; and one third of the funding The First 100 Years of Jewish Life in for Millennium Park came from Jewish philanthropists. Chicago, 1833-1933. (See ordering We stopped in at the Auditorium where a guide told us of the troubled information for the program book history of the magnificent building. About the same time that the structure and the DVD on page 8.) was completed, with a hotel as a profit-making part of it, Chicago’s “L” Read about our Romance system was begun, bringing the noise of the trains into the hotel rooms commemoration in the Year-End (which had European-style shared bathrooms—another drawback). When 2002 issue of CJH posted on our Congress Street was widened, the shops along the front of Auditorium were website. Click on “Publication eliminated and the entrance diminished. But the building’s many financial Archive” and scroll down to it. setbacks and structural alterations did not affect Dankmar Adler’s superb Get fresh insights on the pageant acoustics in the theater or Louis and its significance in an upcoming Sullivan’s exquisite decorations. presentation. Mark your calendars! We next visited the handsome Welcome, New Pritzker Military Library, located on Members of the Society Lecture at Spertus the southwest corner of Michigan A Center for Jewish Learning & Culture Mark Altschul Avenue and Monroe Street. Founded 610 South Michigan Avenue by James Pritzker, a US Army Chicago, IL Dr. Lauren Love veteran and reserve officer, the Arthur & Pearl Cohen Library’s mission is to preserve the Skokie, IL The Romance of a history of our nation’s Armed Forces. Susan Dressler People at Chicago’s In addition to rooms of shelved San Luis Obispo, CA books and displayed artifacts, there is David Gaynon 1933 World’s Fair: a theater for lectures and screenings. Celebrating Jewry on the Our last stop was at the city’s Huntington Beach, CA International Stage newest architectural icon, the Aqua, Susan Jacobson Saturday, January 21 at 225 North Columbus Drive. Chicago, IL The 81-story tower, with its curving Philip & Ellen Leavitt 7:30 p.m. “wave” balconies, was designed by Paradise Valley, AZ Jeanne Gang. The Jewish component Reception follows program Fred Loewinsohn is the building’s developer, the Dr. Lauren Love is Assistant Chicago, IL Professor of Communications and Magellan Group. Thanks to CJHS Dr. Susan V. Meschel Theatre Arts at the University of Tour Chair Leah Axelrod for Chicago, IL Wisconsin-Baraboo/Sauk County. planning such an interesting day. Her research focuses on the rchitecture was the topic of the Betty Lou Saltzman connections between activism and A presentation at our open Chicago, IL theater. Her essay on The Romance meeting on September 18. Herbert & Susan Schwartz of a People was recently published in Guest speaker Ward Miller Nashville, TN The Drama Review ’s special issue on discussed the new book The Ellen F. Steinberg Jewish American performance. Complete Architecture of Adler & River Forest, IL Admission $18 Sullivan. Appropriately, we met in a Eugene Stopeck Spertus members $10 lecture room in the Auditorium Chicago, IL Students $8 campus of Roosevelt University. Buy tickets online at spertus.edu (The University owns the building.) Carey Wintergreen or phone (312) 322-1773 continued on page 17 Chicago, IL 4 Chicago Jewish History Fall 2011 Dance continued from page 1 e continued these endeavors in However, he began writing H 1926 Chicago, becoming about Yiddish dance even earlier. indispensible to the Jewish The 1930 article “ Vegn Yiddishn There was the Chasidism he was community there for all things Folks-Tanz , (About Jewish Folk- born into, burgeoning Socialism, dance. He taught, toured the Dance)” is in the first edition of and dance classes he attended with Midwest and formed a dance Shikage , (Chicago), a Yiddish- his sister. Jewish labor unions company. He was the choreographer language journal of poetry, criticism, established art societies. There were of the great pageant The Romance of and cultural news. In it we see him strikes, arrests, pogroms and a People on Jewish Day at the 1933 connect Yiddish folk dance to the performances. Chicago World’s Fair. modern dance of the time. Chaim Nachman Bialik, Y.L. Vizonsky is best known today Vizonsky was a Socialist, a Peretz, and Sholem Aleichem came for his 1942 book Jewish Folk Yiddishist, and a Jewish Nationalist, to speak in Lodz, and their works Dances, A Manual for Teachers and who, on his immigration papers, were read at home along with Leaders , published in Chicago. Now when asked for his race, put Yiddish translations of Mark Twain rare, this small, beautifully presented “Hebrew.” His article is equally and others. gem is always listed in Yiddish dance partisan in terms of both identity In Berlin on a ballet scholarship, bibliographies. Vizonsky and his and the character of Yiddish dance. Vizonsky studied and then collaborators, composer Max That was exactly the point in those performed, saw Isadora Duncan and Janowski and artist Todros Geller, days of ethnology expeditions and Ruth St.