Page 30 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN July-August 2012 Helping others help themselves By Mordecai Zalman Unfortunately, many of us are unaware of the total religious, moral, and communal package that is the <strong>Jewish</strong> heritage, and we seek meaning outside of our birthright before knowing this birthright. As a segment of our peoplehood, we find that throughout the centuries, some members of the <strong>Jewish</strong> community, who have had the good fortune to prosper economically, have stepped forward to help those in need. Mostly, economic hardship was not the result of a lack of willingness to work, only the opportunity to work and financially support the family needs. In 1880 a group of Russian Jews organized a fund to support and develop trade schools and agricultural projects in Russia to help elevate the crushing poverty of the five million Jews living there. This was the origin of ORT. <strong>The</strong> assassination of Czar Alexander II of Russia in 1881, for which the Jews were made the scapegoat, resulted in government-organized anti-<strong>Jewish</strong> pogroms (riots), which were renewed in 1882, 1883, and 1884. In addition, the new ruler, Czar Alexander III, instituted the May Laws of 1882, which resulted in harsh and more restrictive laws. At the Susan K. Friedland, of John’s Creek, was recently published in the March 2012 issue of Cowboys & Indians Magazine. <strong>The</strong> Special Collector’s edi- same time, the persecution of the Jews in Romania resulted in a mass exodus in 1900. From 1881 to 1914 approximately 2,000,000 Jews emigrated from Eastern Europe, largely from Czarist Russia and Romania, to the United States. <strong>The</strong> majority of these settled in New York City and, in a secular sense, were uneducated and unskilled. As a partial response to this situation, in 1891 the Baron de Hirsch Fund was incorporated and funded by Baron Maurice de Hirsch for the purpose of affording relief to this pressing problem. One of the solutions was to resettle these immigrants in other areas of the country, which included locating them in agricultural endeavors. In 1900, the <strong>Jewish</strong> Agricultural (and Industrial Aid) Society was chartered in New York as a subsidiary of the Baron de Hirsch Fund striving to implement selfsupporting agricultural activities. In 1907 it became an autonomous organization, which was involved in granting loans to cooperatives as well as individuals. In the 1930s, Atlanta resident Bruce “Bud” Feiman and his parents, together with a handful of other settlers, went from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Labelle, Florida, to establish an agricultural com- tion featured her image Four Friends, as part of the publication’s seventh Annual Photo Competition. This marks Friedland’s fifth award-winning image in as many years. Friedland has been noted for several other images. In 2008, Anna Walker Skillman chose her image Equs for the Atlanta Celebrates Photography exhibition “Anna Skillman Selects,” saying that the “horse portrait is grand and mesmerizing, both in its size and imagery…the soft quality of the land almost pictorial.” Equs was most recently spotlighted in a December 2011 solo exhibit at Neiman munity. Bud recalls that his aunt had a contact in New York that provided the funding for the project, but he does not recall the name of the organization. <strong>The</strong>re is no knowledge today as to the source of these funds, but there is every reason to believe that it was the beneficiary of help from the Baron de Hirsch Fund. While the commune did not succeed and they were unable to tame the surrounding vegetation, Bud recalls the enthusiasm and vigor with which the group attacked the project and the appreciation for the support of fellow Jews. For us today, it is hard to appreciate what it must have been like to live under the oppressive conditions inflicted on our ancestors. David Bressler, general manager of the Industrial Removal Office, an outgrowth of the <strong>Jewish</strong> Agricultural Society, stated that the goal was to help Unknown man, (from left), Ruth Kanif (Budʼs Aunt), Bruce (Bud) Feiman, Alle Feiman (Budʼs father), Anna Feiman (Budʼs mother), unknown man, unknown woman, unknown man, in Labelle, Florida to establish a farming cooperative Susan Friedland Marcus in Atlanta. It was concurrently featured in a gallery in New York’s Tribeca area. Although specializing in equine photography, Friedland has been recognized for other works. In 2006, she won praises from <strong>The</strong> William Breman <strong>Jewish</strong> Heritage Museum for her interpretation of the theme “Tzedakah: <strong>The</strong> Art of Giving.” Her photograph Tomodachi (Japanese for friendship) portrays an American woman and a Japanese woman laughing as they share a bowl of rice. Friedland took the photograph during an outreach program in which American women help the wives of Japanese businessmen who have been transferred the U.S. Friedland says that “a lot of times, these women feel alone, and they are isolated.... Here are these two groups, and all of a sudden, here are two cultures coming together, teaching each other.... It’s about friendship and it’s about giving.” these people to find “their own salvation.” <strong>The</strong> local committees were instructed to help the needy to find a place in which to live and not see them as charity cases. And yet, with all of the suffering and tribulation they endured, they never abandoned their faith and were forever supportive of their fellow members. In truth, they knew and understood the meaning of being a part of this community, recognizing the importance of making every effort to see that the goodness that Judaism has brought to the world over the centuries continues. Atlanta area photographer known for award-winning images Susan Friedland, Four Friends Friedland’s other award-winning images include Paris, nominated by Women in Photography International, as a Juror’s Choice Honorable Mention for the Decade of Images 2000-2010 competition, 2010; I love New York, presented at the PMG Gallery, 2010; Walk of Shame, chosen by Fay Gold, for the Atlanta Celebrates Photography exhibition “Fay Gold Selects,” in 2007; and You Say Tomato, featured in <strong>The</strong> Atlanta Journal Constitution, in 2002. Friedland has been highlighted in several publications, including Heroes Smile (2008), Jezebel Magazine (2006), Skirt! Atlanta (2006), <strong>The</strong> Atlanta <strong>Jewish</strong> Times (2006), and Southern Living Magazine (2003). Susan K. Friedland is a Savannah native and has been in the photography business for over 20 years. She received a bachelor’s degree in studio art from Oberlin College and took additional courses at Massachusetts College of Art and Atlanta College of Art. Friedland’s work is available for purchase at several Atlanta-area locations, including Heeney & Co., in downtown Atlanta; Galerie Matilda, Roswell; and Lakota Cove Gallery, Jasper. Out-of-state locations include <strong>The</strong> Cashiers Trading Post, Cashiers, North Carolina, and <strong>The</strong> Good Purpose Gallery, Lee, Massachusetts. A sampling of Friedland’s work can be seen at www.SusanKFriedland.com.
July-August 2012 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 31