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Page 20 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2012 The Jews of Macon, Part II BY Stuart Rockoff While the late 19th- and early 20thcentury wave of Eastern European Jewish immigrants settled primarily in the cities of the Northeast, a small number came to Macon. They were tradesmen of all kinds, including tinners, tailors, and trunk makers. When a group of thirty Jewish immigrants arrived in town in 1881, they were greeted by members of Temple Beth Israel and were permitted to stay temporarily in the vestry room of the synagogue, until other accommodations could be made. Once settled, many of the recent emigrants from Eastern Europe had their own ideas about practicing Judaism. In 1898, they established a burial society, The Hebrew Aid Society, and purchased land in Rose Hill. Soon, they decided to establish their own, more traditional, synagogue. On November 10, 1904, 54 men petitioned the judge of Bibb Superior Court, W.H. Feldon, Jr., and were granted a charter incorporating Congregation Sherah Israel. At first, services were held in rented halls and then a larger two-story house, which was also home to the rabbi’s family. Rabbi Charles Glyck served the newly formed congregation intermittently, until his death in 1923. Most of its members were recent immigrants. As late as 1940, the congregation still held adult education classes in Yiddish. In addition to this new Orthodox congregation, Beth Israel continued to thrive. The women of Temple Beth Israel played a large role in supporting and maintaining the congregation. Around the time of the semicentennial in 1909, the Temple Guild and the Ladies’ Aid Society made contributions Temple Beth Israel Hanukkah party, 1948 to the congregation. Beginning in 1917, the Ladies’ Aid Society began calling themselves the “sisterhood” and became the strong right arm of the congregation. Since then, they have assisted in funding a variety of purchases and improvements, including tables and cloths, electrical appliances, a furnace, Sunday School equipment, carpeting for the sanctuary, a new organ, and even a Bible for the altar. By 1909, the Macon Jewish community was thriving. According to a survey taken by the Industrial Removal Office, there were approximately 470 Jews (110 families) living in Macon at the time. Along with the two congregations, there was also a local chapter of B’nai B’rith and a Progress Club. The IRO report declared that it was a “fine city for Hebrew gentlemen,” especially since kosher meat was available there. In March of 1913, the Industrial Removal Office officially set up a committee in Macon to help new immigrants find work. The local IRO committee was led by Gustav Bernd, one of the most prominent Jews in Macon, who ran a harness-making company started by his uncle in 1866. But the invention of the automobile drastically decreased the demand for saddles and harnesses, and, by 1922, the company no longer manufactured those goods, focusing instead on the hide business. In 1981, owner-president Gus Bernd Kaufman retired and sold Macon’s oldest familyowned company, ending a 115-year tradition. When America entered World War I, Macon Jews performed their civic duty. Rabbi Harry Weiss, of Beth Israel, conducted services at Camp Wheeler, the local army base, while the congregation provided religious services and home hospitality for Jewish soldiers. Members of both Beth Israel and Sherah Israel served in the armed forces. Even before the United States was officially involved in the war, Jews in Macon raised money for Jewish War Relief, an organization that helped victims of the destruction. In 1917, Macon was made the state headquarters for the Jewish National Congress, and delegates from the state traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the debates concerning the refugees in Europe and a proposed Jewish state in Palestine. After the war, both of Macon’s Jewish congregations expanded. In 1919, Sherah Israel purchased land for a synagogue. The building was completed in 1922. That same year, the L a d i e s Auxiliary for Congregation Sherah Israel was officially formed at the home of Fannie Kaplan, with Annie Goldgar as the first president. In 1920, Rabbi Marcuson returned to Beth Israel. A new temple annex, which had been postponed because of the war, was built and dedicated in honor of Gustav Bernd, the congregation’s president who had recently passed away. Beth Israel invited the members of Sherah Israel to worship at their temple while the new synagogue was being built. Even though the war was over, the Jewish War Relief organization continued to raise money for those Jews starving in Eastern Europe. Among the most generous contributors was Walter Dannenberg. His father, Joseph Dannenberg, emigrated from Germany in the 1850s, but did not arrive in Macon until after the Civil War. In 1867, Joseph started a wholesale dry goods store with Myer Nussbaum. In the 1880s, they split up and went into business separately. At age sixteen, Joseph’s son, Walter, joined the company, and he eventually added a retail business. The company was a leading wholesale enterprise, while also becoming one of the first firms in the country to departmentalize its retail store. Dannenberg’s Department Store was one of the leading stores in Macon. During the Civil Rights era, Walter Dannenberg served on the Committee of Businessmen and Black Clergy and helped bring about the peaceful integration of Macon Dannenberg Department Store ad s t o r e s . Dannenberg’s quietly took down the segregation signs in its stores without any official announcement and proceeded to integrate its lunch counter without incident. When Dannenberg’s closed in 1965, it was the largest department store in the area, but it had been hurt by the opening of the local mall. In order to compete, the family would have had to renovate the s t o r e ; instead, they decided to liquidate the business. T h e start of World War II reactivated Camp Wheeler in Macon and brought an Air Force base to Cochran Field, as well as an air materiel depot to nearby Warner Robins. Young men from both congregations fought in the war. Beth Israel’s sisterhood helped out by throwing temple receptions and hosting camp social hours. Members of both congregations threw themselves into work with organizations such as the U.S.O., Red Cross, and Bundles for Britain. Thousands of servicemen and women found a home away from home in the temple annex. The Passover Seder held by the sisterhood was met with such an over- Shaʼarey Israel (photo: Julian Preisler) whelming response that it eventually had to be held in the Shrine Mosque. The Ladies Auxiliary of Sherah Israel also held Seders for servicemen. In 1947, Rabbi Charles Rubel came to Macon and served Sherah Israel for eleven years. He helped lead the congregation away from strict Orthodoxy. During his tenure, the congregation instituted its first confirmation ceremony, adopted a new Conservative prayer book, and affiliated with the United Synagogue of America, the national organization of Conservative Judaism. The congregation remained strongly Zionist, and a celebration was held in honor of the United Nations’ decision to partition Palestine and create a Jewish state. The following year, a campaign to expand the building was launched under the guidance of the congregational president, Sidney Backer. Two houses next to the synagogue were bought and torn down to allow for an expansion. In 1953, Sherah Israel dedicated its new annex, which featured a large auditorium, five classrooms, a rabbi’s study, a library, and a kitchen. The 1950s was a decade of transition at Beth Israel. On September 2, 1952, Rabbi Isaac Marcuson, who had spent over 40 years leading Beth Israel, died at his desk. Visiting rabbis, the president of the temple, and other members conducted services until Newton J. Friedman, of Cleveland, Ohio, was installed as rabbi the following year. In 1955, the constitution and by-laws were revised, granting wives the right to vote. In 1957, Rabbi Friedman resigned from Beth Israel, and Harold L. Gelfman, originally from Springfield, Massachusetts, was hired to replace him. Rabbi Gelfman served Beth Israel until 1976. During the decades after World War II, Sherah Israel experienced change as well, especially in the role of women in the congregation. In 1958, Mrs. Henry Koplin became the first woman elected to the Board of Governors. In 1960, much like Beth Israel five years earlier, Sherah Israel adopted a new constitution and by-laws that granted wives the right to vote within the congregation. In 1961, the congregation celebrated its first bat mitzvah. Ten years later, Beverly Kruger became the first woman to serve as an officer of the congregation. By 1974, they were counting women toward the minyan and allowing them to receive Torah honors on the bimah. In 1966, the religious school began teaching the Sephardic pronunciation of Hebrew, reflecting the congregation’s movement away from its Ashkenazic immigrant roots toward a See JEWS OF MACON, page 21
September-October 2012 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 21 Georgia and the ISJL: perfect partners The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) is not only providing services to communities throughout Georgia but is also benefiting from the state’s wonderful resources, individuals, organizations and what they are able to offer the ISJL’s constituents. Michael Scharff, Augusta Marcia Lindner, Atlanta Jews of Macon From page 20 Jewish identity in which Israel played a central role. Unlike many other Southern Jewish communities, Macon’s Jewish population has remained strong in the decades after World War II, largely due to the local economy. The Jewish community of Macon went from 850 Jews in 1937 to 900 in 1980. The population seems to have plateaued in recent decades at around 1,000 people, though it has likely declined a bit over the last decade or so. Originally with a cottonbased economy, Macon became a manufacturing center. With the coming of the interstate highways in the 1960s, the economic focus shifted from agriculture and industry to retail and service. Much of the local economy today is based around healthcare, the financial and insurance industries, and higher education. As in many other Southern cities, Macon’s Jewish population has moved away from retail trade into the professions. Today, Macon still has two strong Jewish congregations. In 1999, Bari Norden, Ann Dodson, and Meryl Poku, Macon This June, the ISJL kicked off the tenth year of its education program. The ISJL’s innovative education initiative delivers much-needed resources to Jewish congregations in our region, particularly to those often overlooked and under-served. Georgia was represented at the conference in multiple ways. On the participant side, nine Georgia congregations were represented by teachers, volunteers, and leaders of their respective synagogues: Adas Yeshuren and Congregation Children of Israel, Augusta; Temple Beth Tefilloh, Brunswick; Temple Israel, Columbus; Rodef Shalom, Rome; Ahavath Achim, Atlanta; Congregation B’nai Israel, Fayetteville; and Congregation Sha’arey Israel and Temple Beth Israel, Macon. In addition to conference participants, there were also presenters and vendors from Georgia who enriched this year’s event. Education consultant Robyn Faintich, of Jewish GPS, brought her expertise in tech- Congregation Sherah Israel decided to return to the community’s original name, Sha’arey Israel. Rabbi Pamela Gottfried leads the Conservative congregation. Beth Israel has shrunk slightly from its peak of 123 families in 1970 to 99 families in 2012, though the congregation is still vibrant under the leadership of Rabbi Laurence Schlesinger. This history of Macon, Georgia, Part II, is a segment from the ISJL Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities. Readers are invited to learn more about the history of Jewish communities by visiting www.isjl.org and looking under the History tab. The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life considers the encyclopedia to be a work in progress and encourages the public to contact Dr. Stuart Rockoff at Rockoff@isjl.org with additional information related to the history of Jewish communities in Georgia or other communities of the South. Throughout the Southern region of the United States, the ISJL provides educational and rabbinic services, provides Jewish cultural programs, and documents and preserves the rich history of the Southern Jewish experience. nology and innovation in Jewish education and kept Twitter conversations going throughout the event. Karen Paz, of Amit Atlanta, introduced participants to new and meaningful ways to engage learners with special needs and is excited to continue conversations with the ISJL to further strengthen communities’ resources in this area. And everyone loved the books available from RuthE Levy of And Thou Shalt Read! Karen Paz, Amit Atlanta All told, the ISJL education program will serve more than 3,000 children and their families in the 2012-2013 school year. To learn more about the ISJL and its programs, visit www.isjl.org, call 601-362- 6357, or find the organization on Facebook (facebook.com/theisjl) or Twitter (@TheISJL). Splish, splash—swimming adventures with the kids BY Marice Katz It was a Sunday in July, and the weather was beautiful. The water was a little warm, but not bad. Ari is six and will be seven in October. Cade would turn four on the 6th of August (my birthday, too). We all jumped in the pool, and Ari immediately went under the water and did a handstand, with her legs directly in the air. I said that I sure would like to do that, but every time I went under, the water pushed me right back up. Ari said, “Aunt Marice, I think you need to be younger to do that.” Good point. Cade entertained us by jumping into the pool, and then Ari and I raced the length of the pool. Hate to tell you who won. Then, it was time to go in and eat pizza. Delicious. However, as we sat there, Cade asked me if I could be a frog, and I said, why, no. He told me I could if I said, “Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit.” So I did, and Cade said, “See?” When they got ready to leave, I hugged all three of them. When it was Ari’s turn to be hugged, she said that she hoped she could spend some time with me again soon. That put a warm glow on my face. Just an added note here: It is true you need to spend some time during the High Holy Days reflecting on your life and how you might improve and become a better person, as well as giving thanks for your blessings. But those kids brought out my thanks, my good feelings, and joy in being with them right then. A good prelude to the holidays.
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