Richard Avedon: Family Affairs Exclusive U.S. Venue On View through August 2 Abraham Lincoln’s Jewish Connections Historic LGBT Anniversary
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Contents
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Traveling Suitcase Lincoln’s Surprising Jewish Connections Richard Avedon: Master of Portraits Important Anniversary in LGBT History
12 13 14 15
The Dress that Saved a Life Calendar of Events Honoring the Jews of the American West Happenings at NMAJH
On the cover: Images clockwise from top left: Katharine Graham, Chairman of the Board, The Washington Post Company, Washington, D.C., March 11, 1976. Jerry Brown, Governor of California, Sacramento, California, March 20, 1976. Barbara Jordan, U.S. Congresswoman from Texas, New York, July 14, 1976. Walter Annenberg, publisher, Radnor, Pennsylvania, May 10, 1976. Bella Abzug, U.S. Congresswoman from New York, New York, June 19, 1976. George H. W. Bush, Director, CIA, Langley, Virginia, March 2, 1976. Photographs by Richard Avedon. Š The Richard Avedon Foundation. From the Collection of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Joint gift of Gagosian Gallery and the American Contemporary Art Foundation, Leonard A. Lauder, President, to American Friends of The Israel Museum.
From the Director
< C ompleted in 1866, Cincinnati’s Plum Street Temple is an iconic example of American Jews’ optimistic anticipation of a “golden age of a true universal brotherhood.” Located just opposite the city’s leading Catholic and Unitarian churches, the building signified Judaism’s equal stature in the city. Plum Street’s organ, choir loft, and family pews underscored its embrace of religious reform and innovation. This picture appears in the part of our exhibition that tells the story of the birth of Reform Judaism.
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Image: Plum Street Temple, Cincinnati. The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives.
I could not be more excited to share the second issue of Beacon with our members and friends far and wide. More than 50 percent of you live outside the Philadelphia area, and though you may not be able to visit the Museum often, you can travel here through the pages of this magazine. Many wonderful things have happened at the Museum since we sent the inaugural issue of Beacon. One of the highlights of our year to date has been the opening of our current special exhibition, Richard Avedon: Family Affairs. Avedon’s portraits have an uncanny way of getting to the heart of the matter—the essence of his subject. His 1976 portrait series “The Family” puts a finger on the pulse of a particular historical moment. How intriguing to see the younger visages of those in power then and think about the roles they have played in our nation in more recent days, figures like George Bush and Jerry Brown, along with others whose names and faces have not endured the test of time. I’m particularly fond of the image of Bella Abzug, the extraordinary, hat-adorned New York congresswoman, who came to speak to my student assembly at P.S. 24 in the Bronx. While hardly a new idea in the early ’70s, the notion that girls could grow up to be anything they wanted seemed earth-shattering at the time—at least to this second grader. (Speaking of second graders, I encourage you to use and share our “Family Stories” insert, an activity guide for children under 12.) I know every visitor to the Museum will make his or her own connections to these lively characters, and to the heroic, monumentalized family members of the Beat poet Allen Ginsberg. It is tempting to imagine what a similar project would look like now, in the lead-up to the 2016 election. One would imagine there would be more women and people of color. Would icons of the newspaper world still appear? Or would it be the icons of the tech world, such as Mark Zuckerberg or Sheryl Sandberg? Although recent, it is history nonetheless. Our Museum loves to look back, if only to cause us to more closely consider our current moment. Avedon does just that—with breathtaking simplicity and elegance. I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I do. We look forward to hearing your comments at beacon@nmajh.org. Warmly,
Ivy L. Barsky, Gwen Goodman Director and CEO
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Photo by Xiao Sun
Jose Ramos’s 7th grade class discusses immigration, sparked by the arrival of the Museum’s Traveling Suitcase.
Traveling Suitcase The Museum Pioneers a New Way for Schools to Teach the History of Immigration Eva was only 17 when she stepped onto American soil, all alone, with a suitcase in her hand … A teenager in America today may find it difficult to envision what it was like to immigrate to this country at the turn of the 20th century. It may be hard to imagine the challenge of choosing which possessions to pack or the emotional impact of leaving beloved family, friends, and customs behind. Textbooks alone may not be sufficient to fully teach students the challenging experience of immigrating and settling in a new land. In an effort to help students conceptualize the trials of American immigrants during our largest wave of immigration, the Museum has developed a hands-on program called Becoming American: History of Immigration 1880s–1924. Becoming American is composed of two parts: first, the Traveling Suitcase, containing museum-quality object and document replicas, visits the classroom; then students visit the Museum. During the class visit, a Museum educator or docent helps students trace the journey of Eva Baen, an actual Russian Jewish immigrant (from present-day Ukraine) who came to Philadelphia at age 17. Through an exploration of Eva’s belongings and primary source documents, students piece together aspects of her life to discover how she persevered to become an educated, successful American—preparing them to see the original artifacts at the Museum and to experience her story in the larger historical context. In small groups, guided by visual thinking prompts (I see … I think … I wonder …), students analyze what Eva’s passport, her school notebook, a muffin tin, and other artifacts teach about her story. “[The prompts] allow for a lot of critical exploration and thought,” says José Ramos, a seventh grade 4
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teacher at Philadelphia’s Cook-Wissahickon Elementary School. “I am a strong proponent of learning by doing. The use of artifacts creates an opportunity for students to engage in key strategies for developing literacy skills.” The Traveling Suitcase went to José’s classroom this winter, and his students visited the Museum shortly thereafter. While exploring the 20th century immigration galleries, they “met” Eva and saw the actual artifacts replicated in the suitcase. Cook-Wissahickon is one of roughly 20 public, independent, archdiocesan, and charter schools that have participated to date. Currently, Museum educators bring the suitcase to schools locally; however, teachers also have the option of ordering the suitcase by mail and having a Museum educator as a virtual guide via video conference. In September, the Museum will offer nationwide a kit of lesson plans, resources, and extension activities that will enable teachers to conduct the class program independently or with a Museum educator via video conference. The goal is to make Becoming American—which turns history into an engaging and relevant learning experience, empowering students to develop critical and visual thinking skills—a program that’s as flexible and accessible to as many schools as possible. To bring the Traveling Suitcase to your school, please contact Vera DaVinci, education outreach manager, at 215.923.3811 x118 or vdavinci@nmajh.org.
—— The Traveling Suitcase program is funded by the May Spirt Charitable Remainder Trust as well as the many donors who supported the 2014 #GivingTuesday campaign online.
Photo by Jessi Melcer
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile Brings Artist’s Drawings Home Exhibition Celebrates the Beloved Reptile Bernard Waber appreciated the Jewish value of teaching the next generation. That’s one of the reasons why the Museum is so pleased to bring the upcoming exhibition Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile and Friends: The Art of Bernard Waber to his native Philadelphia. Waber’s 50-year career as an author and illustrator of more than 30 children’s books was rooted in his own family’s life, when he discovered how much he adored reading to his three young children. His impact on children, however, has extended far beyond his own. Waber is best known for the Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile series, whose animated namesake was based on sketching trips to the Philadelphia Zoo. According to Waber, whose books have sold nearly two million copies, he was “taken back a bit, and deeply touched, to know that the Lyle books have been read to or by generations of children.” Born to Yiddish-speaking Eastern European immigrants in 1921, Waber graduated from Philadelphia College of Art (now known as the University of the Arts). He spent most of his adult life in New York. The exhibition celebrates Lyle as well as Waber’s other sometimes silly but always poignant characters through nearly 100 sketches, dummy books, art supplies, and other memorabilia. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile and Friends will be on view from August 27 through November 1.
S TA FF
P R OFILE
Naomi Echental
Director of Visitor and Volunteer Services It may come as a surprise that the director of Visitor and Volunteer Services for a history museum is actually a scientist by training, whose nearly 20-year museum background includes stints at three science museums—including the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York and Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute. However, Naomi believes that working with visitors and volunteers is a skill that’s transferable across museums. “While there’s no academic connection,” says Naomi in reference to her work at the Museum, “there is a deeply personal connection for me here.”
Shaping the visitor experience: She joined the Museum before the current site opened, using her experience to build—from scratch—her department, which includes admissions, group sales, and floor operations. Best part of the job: “Meeting the variety of people, Jewish and non-Jewish, who come through the Museum’s doors, and getting to see and hear directly how the story we tell here affects them.”
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile and Friends: The Art of Bernard Waber is organized by the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, Massachusetts. Support for the organization of this exhibition has been generously provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Illustration © 1987 by Bernard Waber.
—— Funders as of May 1, 2015 include: Hallee and David Adelman, and the Louis and Bessie Stein Foundation Fund #2 and Audrey Merves, Trustee.
On managing volunteers: “The great thing about working with our more than 100 volunteers is getting to learn all of their diverse stories and seeing how much they care about the Museum.” Roots ... and wings: An only child from Stamford, Connecticut, Naomi has a love of animals and nature and an environmental ethic fostered by her parents; she has traveled with them to many exotic wildlife habitats, including in Africa, Asia, and South America. Cool fact: She lived for six weeks in Africa’s Congo Basin rainforest as part of a research and collecting expedition for AMNH’s Hall of Biodiversity. SUMMER 2015
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Lincoln’s
Surprising
Jewish Connections Articles by Dr. Jonathan D. Sarna
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his year marks the 150th anniversary of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, often viewed as America’s greatest president. For all the many biographies of Lincoln, however, his extraordinary Jewish connections and their significance have largely been overlooked. Astonishingly, more than 100 of Lincoln’s friends, acquaintances, and appointees were Jewish—far more than those of any previous president. The growth of the Jewish community during Lincoln’s lifetime partly explains this. There were perhaps 3,000 Jews in America when he was born in 1809, and 150,000 when he was murdered in 1865. Lincoln appreciated Jews’ growing national significance. In one case, Lincoln deliberately appointed a Jew named Cheme M. Levy to office, because, as he wrote, “we have not yet appointed a Hebrew”—a sign that he made the inclusion of Jews a priority. He likewise championed other Jews, defending them against prejudice and making sure to include them in White House functions, this at a time when Jews in the United States often faced overt antisemitism and social discrimination. Lincoln felt especially close to Abraham Jonas, a Jewish lawyer and politician from Quincy, Illinois, whom he knew for more than two decades and described as “one of my most valued friends.” He also befriended and trusted a skilled Jewish chiropodist (podiatrist) named Issachar Zacharie, employing him as a spy and “a means of access to his countrymen, who are quite numerous.” In 1863, when a long-bearded Christian “prophet” urged the President to work for the emancipation of the Jews and their restoration to Palestine, Lincoln assured him that “I myself have a regard for the Jews.” The diversity of Lincoln’s social network—the fact that for fully half his life he welcomed Jewish friends and acquaintances—helps to explain why he repeatedly intervened on Jews’ behalf. On two critical occasions, Lincoln’s intervention ensured that Jews would be treated as equals in the United States. First, he shaped and signed legislation amending the law 6
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that formerly restricted the military chaplaincy to Christians. He then appointed Jacob Frankel, on September 18, 1862, as the first Jewish military chaplain in American history. This represented a major political victory for the Jewish community, and it remains a landmark in the legal recognition of America’s non-Christian faiths. Second, he overturned Ulysses S. Grant’s 1862 order expelling “Jews as a class” from his war zone. “I do not like to hear a class or nationality condemned on account of a few sinners,” he explained. Years later, Grant apologized for the ill-conceived order. Lincoln even changed his personal rhetoric in response to Jewish sensitivities. For years, he had reflexively described America in Christian terms and characterized Americans as a “Christian people.” In the face of Jewish criticism, however, his Gettysburg Address and deeply religious Second Inaugural bespoke a conscious effort to redefine America through phrases like “this nation under God.” The rhetoric and actions of Abraham Lincoln exemplified for Americans what it meant to embrace Jews as insiders. ——
Above: Abraham Lincoln seated. Photographed by Anthony Berger. Courtesy of Library of Congress.
An 1865 Ode to Abe { In Hebrew} “Happy art thou, Lincoln, who is like unto thee!” the poet Isaac Goldstein (d. 1876) sang out in a Hebrew poem, preserved in handwritten form. This ode to Lincoln, published in the Jewish Messenger of May 26, 1865, was composed in a rich Maskilic (“Enlightened”) Hebrew replete with biblical allusions. Its words form an acrostic: the first letter of each of its 13 main stanzas, read downward, spells out in Hebrew letters Abraham Lincoln’s name. Goldstein, born in Poland, immigrated to the United States in the 1850s and rose to become a successful merchant; he wrote Hebrew poems and pursued traditional Jewish scholarship on the side. Like many Central European immigrants, he became enamored with Abraham Lincoln, especially in the wake of the Emancipation Proclamation and the string of victories over the Confederacy. His poem—composed during Lincoln’s lifetime and published following his death— focuses on Lincoln’s unique role in preserving freedom and redeeming the slaves. Its key lines, translated into English, read as follows: ne Father has created us, O thou hast said; Therefore thou hast proclaimed Freedom in thy land. The Black people thou hast redeemed unto Freedom: Forever they will praise and bless thy name. W ho among princes is like Lincoln? And who can be praised like him? This acrostic and many other objects are available to the Museum through special loan agreements from the Arnold and Deanne Kaplan Collection of Early American Judaica at the Library of the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Above: Acrostic commemorating Abraham Lincoln. Isaac Goldstein, 1865. Arnold and Deanne Kaplan Collection of Early American Judaica, Library of the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, University of Pennsylvania.
—— Jonathan D. Sarna, PhD is the Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History and Chair of the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program at Brandeis University, as well as Chief Historian of the National Museum of American Jewish History. Dr. Sarna spoke at the Museum in April about his new book, Lincoln and the Jews: A History, coauthored with Benjamin Shapell.
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Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State, Washington, D.C., June 2, 1976. Photograph by Richard Avedon. Š The Richard Avedon Foundation. From the Collection of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Joint gift of Gagosian Gallery and the American Contemporary Art Foundation, Leonard A. Lauder, President, to American Friends of the Israel Museum.
RICHARD AVEDON Master of Portraits
Exclusive U.S. Venue On View at the Museum through August 2 By Dr. Josh Perelman Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions and Collections
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n the spring of 2014, I traveled to Israel with an esteemed group of curators and leaders from a variety of museums. In Jerusalem, I spent time with James Snyder, director of the Israel Museum. He excitedly introduced me to a special exhibition organized to celebrate a major donation of Richard Avedon’s work to the Israel Museum’s collection. I was thrilled to see that it featured Avedon’s magnificent mural of Allen Ginsberg and his family, a work I had wanted to exhibit at the Museum for some years. Mr. Snyder and I had spoken many times about a potential collaboration between our two museums. Like many things in life, exciting opportunities become possible due to a confluence of serendipity, inspiration, and dedication to a vision. In this case, a short year after that visit we opened Richard Avedon: Family Affairs in Philadelphia.
These two bodies of work weave together the story of a nation undergoing a transformation. They also mark the critical period in Avedon’s career when he was defining himself as an artist, one who would leave an indelible mark on American art and culture. The stories these photographs tell, and the emotions they provoke, can be powerful catalysts for discussions about both historical events and everyday experiences.
He was an ardent urbanite steeped in the liberal Jewish ethos of Western individualism. —John Avedon, Richard’s son
There are numerous connections between Avedon’s life and the stories that we tell in the Museum. His father was ••• an immigrant and both of his parents worked in the clothing This exhibition confirms Richard Avedon’s stature as an industry. A lifelong New Yorker, Avedon came of age when American icon and his sophistication as a socially engaged many New York Jews identified with secular cosmopolitanism storyteller. It unites two bodies of work that Avedon created and considered the arts a venue for activism. To highlight between 1969 and 1976: four seminal group portraits, the these connections, the exhibition features several portraits centerpiece of which is that incredible Ginsberg mural, and a of Avedon himself. We meet him at twelve, sitting in Central series of 69 portraits called “The Family,” published in Rolling Park with the Young Men’s Hebrew Association camera Stone magazine just before the 1976 presidential election. club; later in 1964, we see a film of him, famous and dashing,
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Allen Ginsberg’s Family, Paterson, New Jersey, May 3, 1970. Photograph by Richard Avedon. © The Richard Avedon Foundation. From the Collection of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Gift of the American Contemporary Art Foundation, Leonard A. Lauder, President, to American Friends of the Israel Museum.
at an exhibition opening; finally, we encounter him nearing 80, just two years before his death while on assignment for the New Yorker. Family Affairs highlights a pivotal moment in Avedon’s career, just after he began to use a new camera—the Deardorff 8 × 10—to create his iconic black and white images. Decades before the smartphone, the selfie, and Instagram, Avedon described his process: “I stand next to the camera, not behind it, several inches to the left of the lens and about four feet from the subject. I am close enough to touch the subject and there is nothing between us except what happens as we observe one another during the making of the portrait.” The new camera transformed Avedon’s approach to portraiture and inspired the photographs featured in Family Affairs. •••
In January 1976, Jann Wenner, the editor-in-chief of Rolling Stone magazine, contacted Avedon with an offer to photograph the candidates for the upcoming Bicentennial presidential election. Published serially, it would begin with the primaries and end with the election, and, according to Wenner, “constitute 50% of everything we will do about politics this year.” Uninspired by the sport of professional politics, Avedon soon pitched a new framing for the project. “Instead of running the portraits serially,” Avedon proposed, “why not … broaden the concept to include a much broader range of people, not running for President, but a collective portrait of people involved in the political leadership of
America, an Album of power in the United States in its Bicentennial year.” Wenner agreed immediately and the resulting 69 portraits were published in the October 21, 1976 issue. Each portrait tells a story. But their greater significance is as a “family,” convened by Avedon to portray a challenged and changing America as it entered a new era.
There are clues to things, to mysteries and stories that I’m not necessarily capable of filling in, nor do I want to. It’s enough; it’s there. —Richard Avedon Avedon is present throughout the exhibition, as much a creator as a character—a remarkable, complicated, and charming individual as well as an exceptional American Jewish artist. His photographs helped define our image of beauty, politics, and power for over half a century. His remarkable ability was to draw out his subjects’ humanity even as he was documenting a larger phenomenon. There is no doubt that, despite their renown, the individuals featured in Avedon’s portraits are human beings, animated by a gesture, smirk, smile, or twinkle of an eye.
—— Josh Perelman, PhD is Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions and Collections at the Museum, where he oversees the core exhibition, special exhibitions, digital projects, and the artifact collection.
Major support for this exhibition has been provided by the David Berg Foundation, the Director’s Fund, and Lynne and Harold Honickman. Additional support has been provided by the Abstraction Fund, Gagosian Gallery, Macy’s, the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, Annette Y. and Jack M. Friedland, the Consulate General of Israel to the Mid-Atlantic Region, Gwen and Alan Goodman, and Marsha and Stephen Silberstein.
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Left: First annual Reminder Day picket at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, July 4, 1965. Leo Skir in front of the picket line. Skir was a Beat writer and an early gay rights activist. Photo by Kay Tobin © Manuscripts and Archives Division, the New York Public Library.
Right: Orange Tuesday photograph of Harvey Milk. On June 7, 1977, Harvey Milk and Jerry Pritikin took part in a march in San Francisco in response to an anti-gay campaign launched by Anita Bryant in Dade County, Florida. Pritikin submitted this photograph and others to the Museum’s LGBT Stories: A Collecting Project. Photo by Jerry Pritikin.
Important Anniversary in LGBT History The Museum Celebrates “Annual Reminder”
At a time when gay men and lesbians were denied employment and recognition and were harassed by the police when they assembled in public, these events were revolutionary. By Dr. Rebecca T. Alpert
If you walk down 6th Street just north of Independence Hall, right around the corner from the Museum, you’ll pass a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission marker— one of 244 markers boasted by the city. It commemorates an important moment in the history of American rights—the Annual Reminder, a landmark in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) community’s history. Beginning 50 years ago on July 4, 1965, and continuing until the Stonewall Riots in 1969, the East Coast Homophile Organizations (collectively known as ECHO) engaged in what the marker describes as “peaceful protests” planned to coincide with Independence Day celebrations. With great courage, gay men and lesbians, in conservative dress, demonstrated in front of Independence Hall. They carried signs and walked with silent dignity to remind the American people that they did not enjoy the basic civil rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness promised in the Declaration of Independence. The marker was unveiled ten years ago to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first Reminder. As we approach
the half-century mark, LGBT organizations like William Way Community Center and the Equality Forum will be joined by many Philadelphia community partners in a 50th anniversary celebration, and the Museum is proud to contribute. The Museum has launched a website, LGBT Stories: A Collecting Project (http://nmajh-lgbt.tumblr.com), to document the stories of Jewish Americans in the LGBT movements from the 1950s to the present. Along with the National Constitution Center and other museums and libraries, we will present a display and a series of programs and events to coincide with the July 4 anniversary this summer. Although there are many places in our country and around the world where people in the LGBT community still need courage to claim their rights, this commemoration makes us aware of how much things have changed. —— Rebecca T. Alpert, PhD is Professor of Religion at Temple University and academic advisor to the Museum. Alpert was among the first women in America ordained as a rabbi and is author of numerous books.
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The Dress That Saved a Life How an Object Joins the Museum’s Collection
When George Weisfeld, a World War II Army pilot, jumped from a flameengulfed airplane over a French battlefield, he could not have imagined that the parachute that saved his life would play a part in his wedding. After he returned to the States, George married Belle Rabinowitz, with whom he had grown up in Philadelphia. Since fabric was scarce due to the war, Belle had her gown fashioned from George’s parachute. They were married 59 years and raised three children. Four years ago, their daughters, Joan Mack, Hope Maissner, and Ellen Weisfeld, recognized the Museum as “the perfect place” to donate their mother’s dress. To Joan, the dress represents “a love story that was the start of a new generation of one Jewish family.” Belle’s gown, currently on display, is one of more than 30,000 objects in the Museum’s collection. The Museum treasures donations like this one because they come with rich stories from the families who have cherished them. When donors like the Weisfeld family offer materials to the collection, Museum eated @ Full Size Type: L.1 personnel gather information so that a
committee of specialists can consider whether it is appropriate for the Museum. The committee evaluates whether each object fits the Museum’s mission, whether it closely duplicates other things already in the collection, and whether it is in good condition. Once an object is accepted, the donor is invited to deliver it to the Museum. Curatorial staff then begins the “accessioning” process, which means that data is recorded to allow people to easily learn about the object and thereby gain “access” to it. The staff measures, photographs, and describes each object in a special database. Each artifact is rehoused in a safe manner that helps the Museum to preserve it. In addition, it is assigned a unique identification number so that it can be tracked efficiently. When anything is selected for display, curators create a label (see diagram below) with information about it and many times with its story. If the object comes from the Museum’s collection, the staff includes the identification number and a credit line acknowledging the donor. The significance of the object is described in brief text.
The Anatomy of a Label
c LeapNational Museum of American Jewish History
indicates that the dress is a part of the Museum’s artifact collection. Sometimes the Museum displays artifacts that are on loan, in which case the lender’s preferred credit line appears here rather than the Museum’s name.
mber 27, 1944, the Army Air Force oted by Joe Fry and George Weisfeld the year in which the dress 004) was2011 hitindicates by German fire. The crew was accessioned into the collection. rom the 158 burning plane, as instructed, but indicates that this was the 158th group of objects be processed in 2011. and Frytostayed on until the glider they ing – filled with ammunition to resupply uring the of the Bulge – safely 12 Battle | d. Burned severely on his face and neck NMAJH
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George and Belle Weisfeld on their wedding day. Gift of Belle Weisfeld and family in memory of George Weisfeld.
Artifacts on display are rotated periodically to ensure their preservation and to offer visitors access to a greater portion of the collection. The parachute wedding gown is displayed on the third floor, which covers the time period 1880 to 1945 and includes stories of how American Jews like the Weisfelds experienced World War II.
Wedding gown of Belle Rabinowitz, 1945 National Museum of American Jewish History, 2011.158.1 Gift of Belle Weisfeld and family in memory of George Weisfeld
Belle Rabinowitz and Lt. George Weisfeld, Philadelphia, 1945
1 indicates that this was the first object in that 158th group.
National Museum of American Jewish History, 2011.158.6
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE MUSEUM • SUMMER 2015
Photos by Matthew Christopher
Calendar of Events
June
July
La Historia de Mi Familia Opening Event Esperanza Academy Charter School Student Exhibition Wednesday, June 3 • 5 - 7:30 pm
‘70s Summer Cinema Series Wednesdays in July • 7 pm
Included with Pay What You Wish Museum admission
Young Friends’ Curated Cocktails Thursday, June 4 • 7 - 9 pm $12/Free for Members
Members’ Quarterly Book Club Sunday, June 7 • 11 am - 12:30 pm Free for Members
Philly Pride Shabbat Friday, June 12 • 6 pm reception, 7 pm dinner and program $20/$14 students and 65+
Richard Avedon: Darkness and Light (USA, 1996, 90 min)
Wednesday, June 17 • 6 pm Included with Pay What You Wish Museum admission
Individual Films: $8/$5 Members Series: $32/$20 Members Presented with longtime film critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Carrie Rickey
National Legal Panel Thursday, July 2 • 6:30 pm Free An exploration of the past, present, and future legal challenges facing the LGBT community. In collaboration with the National LGBT 50th Anniversary Celebration Full schedule at lgbt50.org
Independence Day at NMAJH Saturday, July 4 • 10 am -5 pm
$40/$30 Young Friends Members
August Member Preview Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile and Friends: The Art of Bernard Waber Wednesday, Aug 26 • 10 am - 8 pm Free for Members
Save the Date Grandparents Day Sunday, September 13 • 10 am - 3 pm Free with Museum admission
Free
Teen Photography Class Wednesdays July 8, 15, 22, and 29 1:30 - 3 pm Free
Second Sunday Family Activities Free with Museum admission
Sunday, June 14 • 10 am - 3 pm
Members’ Curator Tour Tuesday, July 21 • 10 am - 12 pm Free for Members at the Patron ($360) Level and above
Remember!
Young Friends’ A Midsummer’s Eve Celebrating Life, Love, and Tu B’Av Thursday, July 30 • 8 - 11 pm
Sunday, July 12 • 10 am - 3 pm Sunday, Aug 9 • 10 am - 3 pm
PAY WHAT YOU WISH WEDNESDAY EVENINGS
In conjunction with Richard Avedon: Family Affairs,
Memorial Day through Labor Day, 5 pm to 8 pm.
from the Collection of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
Check NMAJH.org/PublicPrograms for additional details and to purchase tickets. Advance registration is highly recommended for both free and ticketed programs. Students always get the Member price.
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Photo by Ilana Blumenthal
“ The Museum, with its themes of tradition and heritage—where we’ve been and where we’re going—resonates with our own beliefs and values.” Nancy and Paul Woolf in the 4th floor Moving Westward Gallery
Honoring the Jews of the American West Docent and Supporter: Dr. Paul Woolf When Paul Woolf visited Sante Fe, New Mexico, several decades ago, he was surprised to learn that Jewish immigrants were among the pioneers who lived in the American West during our nation’s early expansion. Before he made this discovery, Paul believed, as did many others, that the history of Jews in the United States was largely limited to cities like New York and Philadelphia, as well as some smaller towns and cities, where they made their livings as shopkeepers, peddlers, or in the garment business. “You don’t think of Jews as frontiersmen,” says Paul, “but they were.” Paul, a retired physician and former chairman of medicine at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, lives with his wife Nancy in Media, Pennsylvania. He has been a docent for more than two years and recently decided to include the Museum in his estate plan. His fascination with Jews in the West led him to research and develop a themed tour called Jews and the American Frontier. Paul serves as guide on this tour that explores themes of freedom, perseverance, individualism, and how geography helped shape Jewish identity. The tour highlights the adventures of Jewish migrants who became successful businessmen, including Otto Mears, who was instrumental in creating
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Colorado’s transportation infrastructure, and Levi Strauss, best known for his denim empire. In addition to his interest in the Jewish men and women who helped settle Colorado, Oregon, and California, Paul feels a strong personal connection to many stories in the Museum’s core exhibition. He fondly recalls watching Molly Goldberg on TV and having lunch with his parents at Katz’s Delicatessen on New York City’s Lower East Side. “It brings back memories,” says Paul. “I like to bring visitors along and weave their stories into the themes that are not necessarily obvious as we experience the Museum, display by display.” The discussions that emerge, according to Paul, are as interesting and unique as the visitors in each group he leads. These conversations, along with his interest in Jewish pioneers and his desire to preserve the ongoing American Jewish story for future generations, led the Woolfs to their decision to become members of the Museum’s Legacy Society. —— For more information about the Legacy Society and how to become a member, please contact Cobi Weissbach, Associate Director of Development, at 215.923.3811 x131 or cweissbach@nmajh.org.
Happenings at NMAJH
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1. Israeli Embassy Staff visit the Museum in March, 2015; left to right: Phil Darivoff, Ambassador Ron Dermer, and Ivy Barsky. Mr. Darivoff is Co-Chairman of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. 2. Young Friends at the 2015 Masquerade Ball in Celebration of Purim. Left to right: Ben Philipson, Rachel Hollander, Alicia Broudy. Rachel and Alicia are members of the Young Friends Board. 3. 2014 Only In America Gala Chairs Beth and David Blum at the pre-gala Patrons’ Party. 4. Museum supporters at the 2014 Only In America Gala. Left to right: Matthew Kamens, Joseph Neubauer, Jeffrey Honickman, and Liz Kamens. Mr. Kamens and Mr. Honickman are Museum trustees. 3
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Rent a Space at NMAJH “ The National Museum of American Jewish History was the perfect place for our wedding. The reception was flawless and the terrace added an amazing romantic touch. There was so much love in the air and we owe it all to NMAJH.”
– D A N I A N D J O S H , W E D D I N G C L I E N T S
Did you know that you can rent the Museum for weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, or corporate events? We have a variety of options to suit many tastes and budgets. Please see NMAJH.org/eventspace or call Ellen Weiss at 215.923.3811 x143 for more information. Above: Photo: Hieu Pham at Tyler Boye Photography.
SUMMER 2015
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101 South Independence Mall East Philadelphia, PA 19106-2517 215.923.3811 • NMAJH.org
Want more updates on the latest at the Museum? Send your email address to membership@nmajh.org and we’ll sign you up for our monthly e-newsletter. Beacon © 2015 National Museum of American Jewish History
WHAT IS IT and
what do these initials stand for?
Pictured here is a detail of an object from our collection. Can you tell what the object is? Submit your guess to membership@nmajh.org and be entered for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to our Museum Store! Watch for the answer to be revealed in our July e-newsletter!