Look Co che Rock CaoJrr .Dhich yo.J .t e\ee l,ealtrt 1lJ-9r. i!'rtil 'lF.j''Jn FORMERLYSOCIETY NEWS cy)tco,co Je(Dtsl.) l-rtstonrcol socretJ volumexiii, no.4,Summer. 1990 ffi w-ffi HowUnhappy Migrants to Chicago SummerTours Off Establisheda Colonyin Palestine To GoodStart: New DissidentLoc'al Zionists oJ Ac'hoosa Movement Began TourSet for Aug.19 DoomedVenture in Galileein 1915 he Societys summerlour season got olf to its usualgreat stan with a By BernardI. Sandler soldout hall-daytour of Chiclgo's old Jewishneighborhoods on July l. Thc ast-EuropeanJews who cameto Americawith thegreat immigration tour was lcd by Dr. Irving Culler,well- of 1880-1924were determined to become"Americanized" in order knownhistorian of ChicagoJewry. to enhancetheir families' advancement in theirnewlv adonted coun- AL. ortiing to longtimc Tour. try. Their successis a matter of record. Yet among lhem was a small ChairmanLeah Axelrod,the threelours arc minority who fclt that Golus (exile) life in America endangcredtheir sur- onccagain proving to bean irresistibleway vival as Jews. Consequentlythey came forward with ideas and plans to spenda Sunday,and she expects thc two all-daytours scheduled for July 22 and uhich led to the establishmentof companiesfor American colonization Augustl910 fill uprapidly as wcll. and settlementof Palestineby Jews from the United States. TheJuly 22 tourwill lbcuson thc These groups were not recognized by the Zionist movement in America (Federationof Amcrican Zionists/ZionistOrganization of Amcri- tot inul\l oD t)d!. lt) ca) which called principally upon the Jews of America to help in the upbuilding of Palestinefor their unfortunateand oppressedbrethren of While most Jewishimmigrarts in Europewho were in needof a rcfugc. Amcrican Zionistshad declaredtime America found life someryhathard in the and again that this humanitarianeffort was not inconsistentwirh their alle- "Golden Medina," few thought of leaving giance to thc United Statesgovernment. American Jewish settlenrentin it. Brlt most of thosefew would ror think Palestinewas not parl of American Zionist ideology.American Zionists of returningto Europe:they wanied to go wele willing to belong to Am Yisraelbut not to Eret: Yisrael,to the people to Palestioe, to Eretz Yisrqet. Some Chicagoans in this group actually acted of Israelbut not to the land of Israel. upon their feelings by b€coming part of fhe Achoosa movement,The $ad expedences Zionism Not Very Popular of a Chicago group who founded a colony In the early years of this century,few American Jews heededthe in Palestine in the early years of the centu- humanitariancall to aid their Dersecutedbrethren establish themselves in ry are recountedby Bernard Sandler Dr. Eretz Yisrael the Zionist movement was a small unstable movement Sandler is on the faculty of Technion in whose "Shekel" collection was pitifully small and whose chief problem Haifa, Islasl. was finding ways and meansfor meetingthe trifling expensesof its opera- Chicago Jewish ltisrff) is inter- tions. Most Jewish immigrants were preoccupiedwith the matter of their ested ir h€aring from any readers who own Americanizationand were adaptingthemselves to their new environ- know the namesof Chicago membersof ment by leaming English (not Hebrew), seekingemployment and oblain- the Achoosamovemenl (1rln tl((t |) DUt!( o lhc abovc sl()ryfrcausc sinrilarslories con- sldnlly coDc l() our irllcnlior'las wc cxpkrrc thc p sl hisloryol our pcoplc in Chicago.A poflion ol-our rr]onlhly Board of Dircctors mcclinSsis usually givcn ovcr lo cxchaDg SocietyArticle in{ sl(r-icslhlll our rcsclrchhos discloscd. ln thal conneclion. Iwould Iikc 1o trkc lhis Unites"Lost" opportunity to lhank thc nrcmbcrsol our Board ol Dircctorsli) lhcir dcvolion 1()our FamilyMembers Socicty during thc pasl year. In parlicular, my spccialgfrlilLrdc lo Elainc Sul{)w y li)r Aru her Suct'essf'ul hcr dulics as cxcculivc sccrclafyand to hcr YearCompleted husband.Dr. lrwin Suloway. thc cdilor ol' President Chkugo.lcnislt Hrrtor-r'.Othcrs uho pcr- Waller Foth Ibnrcd stcllarwork durin-{thc ycl.itrc Burt hcn cxploring local Jcwish histo Robin. our progranrchairman; t-cah Axcl' ry, onc comcs itcross thc mosl stalcdlh{l hc had now rod. currclinalor ol our suDrmcrtoursi Dr. unusualcoincidcnccs. Last ycar I ing to Sylvan. lhat Sylvan's lathcr was Al Irving Cutlcr. nolcd Chicago historiln and rcscarchedand wrolc an arliclc lbr our Soci- Millcr, an oldcr brothcr ol Davcy. onc ol our rcgulrr lour lelders; Sol cty quartcrly on Samucl "Nails" Morton. Zeldesalso told Sylvan 1ocdll n)y Brandzcl.chairman ol-our nominatineconr- who lived in Chicagoin lhc earlyparl ol lhis inli)rmdnt 1()Iind out if hc kncw anything rDilr(\.:Elsic Orlinsll. our r',nrrnuniLrri(nr\ "A century. I callcd Nails and thc articlc aboul membersof thc lamily still in Chica- contact:and Shirlcy and SiclncySorkin. our ( Colcm ol hitrg,i' hctenrc \rrlr. Jcsnitc go. Sylvan lcarncd liom him that Sylvia hospilrlily co chairpersons.Siclncy also his rcputalionus a gamblcr and bootlcggcr. Millcr Fricdman. a daughtcr ol-Davcy playcd a spccial rolc in organizing. with was also renownedlbr his delbnseof Jews Millcr. was still alive andthat shcmight wcll chairmiln Jrnet Hagerup, our wonderlul llrst Indeed,thc simildrity ol' on thc old Wcst Sidc who wcrc thrcalcncd bc his cousin. Landsmanshalienexhibit. PastPrcsidcnt Dr lirst namesmight well bc due to their bcing by Polishand lrish gangs.I wrolc in the ani- Adele Hasl llso had a maior role in lhc namedatler lhe samccorlmon rclative.Syl- cle lhat among Nails liicnds was Davcy exhibit arrclis now mosl helptul in chairing van Millcr thcn callcdSylvia Fricdman.who Millcr. who would soon becomc a lamous oLrrlong-rangc pllnnin!l conrmiltcc.Mnrian "delindcr" remembcrcd lhitl shc did huvc a cousrn lighl relcrec and of Jcws in his Cullcr continucs to scrve as our member- nanrcdSylvun who hdd disappcarcd.rlong own nghl. ship chairman rnd Lcah Axclrod irnd lime ago. Lrsl yerr when in New Yolk. I Charlcs Bcrnslcinproviclcd our public rcla- Sylvan and Sylviu arrangccllirr a showcd a dral-l ol my alticlc to Jacob D. lions and publicity. Cldrc Grccnhcrg orgir mccting in llrc Iohh) (,1 tlt. \trirt.r T,'u, r Zcldcs. ln alk)mcy lionr Connccticrrt whom nizccl.with Danicl Bccdcrman ancl Janct Building, and both ol lhem hlvc dcscribed I mcl quitc itccidcntally rt brcaklrsl onc Hrrr'crttp.r'ur rr'rrnl Ir.( i irtin.l (.\rnin:: k) mc lheir cmolional rcunion. Dcspilc thc norning. Mr. Zclclcswas illso intcrcstcdrn with Shcllcy Bcrman.l-asl. but ccrl inly nol Ihcl that thcy did rot know cach othcr.lhcy Jcwish lristory and mcDlioncd thal hc had lcasl.lhc Socicty could hardly endurc with wcre ablc to rccognizccach othcr imrncdi wrillcn an arliclc on Uriah Lcvy, a Jcwish oul thc rcscarchand public appcarunccsol- alcly. Thcy grectedeach olher as long lost nuvul hcro and Commrndcr ol lhc U.S. ils lonrcr prcsidcDl.Normiir Schwlrtr- Hc lunrily membersand talkcd li)r milny hours. McditcrrancanFlcct in thc carly ltl(X)'s,who his clevolcdwilc. Moscllc. inspi' Thc) nou rrrcctulnrost on u $cckly bilsis. and arc an wasln anceslorol Mrs. Z-cldcs.Hearing this, rillion lo all ol us. I havr'.ince lJlcn :rn ,rrill hi\l()r) Ir'l t'rrur.churl trr.cnrl him a Lrrplol thr'urti ol Sylv{n Miller in which he recountetlfor Wc wish you a good sumner rnd clc on my Jewish"he(). Nrils Morlon. nrc the lruly enthrallingtalc of his lile. AItcr Itxrk lirrward to sccing cach of you in thc A lcw days latcr I rcccivcda lcttcr his mothcrdivorrcd hi. lather.hc up in tulumn. whctl wc cxpecl 1()commencc our liom Mr. Zeldcs sking me il il was possible -.-rc* Pcoria withoul cver becoming parl ol lhc luctiviticswilh thc rcpublicationof a classic that the Davcy Millcr I mcnlioncd in thc Millcr clan that lived in Chicago. In any volume-]listotr rt the .ltus ol ChiLul4o.by Nails slory could have been the lalher of cvent, Sylvan and his cousin Sylvia were H. L. Mcitcs. Zcldcs' cousin.a Sylvan Millcr who livcd rn linally reunitedbecausc ol-an rrticle aboul WalterRoth Munsler. Indiana.In his letterZeldes mcn- Nails Morton publishcdin thisjoumal. Prcsident tioncclthat Sylvan's mothcr had divorccdhis To compoundthe coincidencesol' lirthcr,a Miller liom ChicaSo,llier a briel thc Miller slory, a t'ew monlhs ago I receivcd marriagc antl lhc birlh of a son in thc carly a call from a young man namcd Joscph l9(X)'s. Shc had thcn rcturncd to Peoria Kraus, who had obtaincd my name from MournPassing whcrc her lamily livcd. He lhoughtthat Syl- Sylvia Fricdman.Davey Millcr's daughtcr. van's lrthcr had bccn in thc "light business" Joe idcntilicdhimsell as a grandsonol Max Of BettyGerson lrkc thc Drrvt.yVrllcr rclcrrcd to in my ani- lllillcr, a younger brother ol Davey Miller. clc. Sylvan had Iost all contact with his Hc is in his early lwentics,an Englishteach- hc Society wishes lcl express ils Ialher'slamily. cr and an aspiringwritcr. He is now busily condolcnccsto Past PrcsidcntNor Alicr I receivcd the letlcr. I spoke rcsearchingthc lifc of his grandfathcrMax man Schwartzand his wiie Moselle with u man who I kncw had done a great and thc timcs in which hc livcd. Wc may bc upon thc rcccnt loss 0l his sistcr,Elirabcth dcrl ol rescnrchon thc lifc ol Davcy Millcr. ablc to publish somc ol-his Dratcrialin thc Ccr:.orr.A lon!rimc mcmhcrol lhc Socict). Hc inlbrmcd Zeldcsthat Duvey Millcr could Iuturc. Bctly will also bc misscd by hcr many not havc bccn Sylvan'slalhcr bccauscol an **** liiends among our mcmbcrs- agc disparity.Zcldcs quickly answcredand I hrvc t lcn lhc lihcny ,.r[rccounling I.J,S.J 2 Historyof LocalJews Was Major AchievementOf H. L. Meites H ow Publis he r Suc c e eded Odessa,who had come to the U.S.