Newspaper Page Text
by VIDA GOLDGAR
I remember my first meeting
with the man who was to so com
pletely change ray life.
A missed deadline ... a
rhani .
you to write my obituary ... to
hold until the proper time.”
I promised — making no
attempt to hide my tsars — and
an otter. “Fve been meaning to
call you,” Adolph Rosenberg
said. “I like your style - I like
the way you write. Would you
like a job?".
"No” was my answer. *Tve got
a job.” i
Nonetheless, he was per
suasive and a part-time arrange
ment was worked out. A week
later I sat down at an ancient
Underwood and stand at blank
paper. It’s only temporary, I
thought
r • • •
I remember our final meeting.
Last Friday, with that week’s
Southern Israelite off the press,
I approached the hospital bed:
"When you get back to the of
fice,” Adolph instructed, "I want
«*- a, newspaperman
_ to the end — said, “Your
lead might be ‘Adolph
Rosenberg fast a four year battle
with cancer today.' ” Seventy-
two hours later, be did lose that
battle. His words an the lead for
this issue’s page one story.
* • •
And I remember the IS years
between the first meeting and
the last. Thirteen years during
which Adolph Rosenberg hand-
walked me through the oc
casionally intricate paths of
Jewish journalism — sharing
both his naches and his disap
pointments. Sharing, too, his oc
casionally flaring temper and
hi# more frequent spoken
“That’s s good story.*-
I remember, s year or so after
Lipshulz: Carter Committed
To Aid Soviet Jewry
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17
(JTA) - Native Atlantain
Robert Lipehuta, Presidentelect
Jimmy Carter's designated
White House Counsel, told a
B’nai B'rjth Board of Governors
luebaon hart Monday that the
incoming President we# com
mitted to "remove the logjam on
emigration” of Jews and others
from the Soviet Untei, but "how
that will be done will be deter
mined at a later date” Ha aba
tion to the Arab boycott ofSrwsl
but could not be specific as to
what action, the new President
will take on that issue.
lived
fldak aad guests attending the
dosing hmchfcon of the Board of
Governor’s three-day meeting, it
was his &pt public appearance
since his appointment was an
nounced. B*naf B’rith president
DnvM m. Blumberg introduced
the Gttqtfan as a former presi
dent of the Atlanta Lodge of
B’nai B’rith, a member of the
Reform Temple in Atlanta and
active in Atlanta's Jewish
n. j a.i
■ vOBigllOn.
VOL. LIII One Section, 20 Pages Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, January 21, 1977
NO. 3
TSI Editor & Publisher
Adolph Rosenberg Dies
Adolph Rosenberg lost a four year battle with cancer Monday
afternoon. He was.Cg years old.
For over 35 years, Rosenberg also began at that time a tradi-
had been editor of The Southern
Israelite. Since 1961, he had been
its publisher as well.
Born August 14, 1911, in
Albany, Ga., Rosenberg was the
ton of Aaron and Anna
Rosenberg. He graduated from
Albany High Sehool, where he
began his journalistic career on
Ute high school newspaper. He
I Remember.
tion of service when he was
elected president of the Georgia
Scholastic . Press Assn. Many
journalism organizations have
benefited from his leadership
since. • - *,
While s student at the Henry
W. Grady School of Journalism
at the University of Georgia,
from which he graduated in
three years, Adolph Rosenberg
was one of two nominees for the
prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.
Before affiliating with The
Southern Israelite, Rosenberg
I joined The Southern Israelite,
Adolph’s decision to finally
make that long-postponed first
trip to Israel. How thrilled he
was to finally see this land for* reporter for both the Atlanta
which he, like so many, had Constitution and the Atlanta
worked and dreamed. That was Journal.
not to be hi
Over the 37-year-span of his
identification with The Southern
Israelite, Rosenberg waa known
for his total and uncom
promising dedication to main
taining the integrity and ethical
standards of Jewish journalism.
Active in the American Jewish
Press Assn, almost since its in
ception, Adolph Rosenberg filled
every office of that national
organization of English-Jewish
newspapers. In 1966, he waa
elected the AJPA president. It
waa during that Brat term of of
fice, that Rosenberg determined
to broaden the direction of the
AJPA. He devoted his first year
in office to expressing tangible
personal support of the troubled
Jewish State by arranging for
and leading .an unprecedented
convention in Israel.
As he wrote later, "As time far
the convention departure came,
history was to taice an unex
pected part, catapulting the
AJPA event into astounding
proportions. First came the
withdrawal of the UN forces sod
the blockading of the Gulf of,
Aqaba.
“These two 1967 occurreneee
pressed s panic button among
the 29,000 tourists then in the
State of Israel and they began to
worked for the Albany Herald, stampede literally into getting
the United States baity in outofthupotenttellydJ^erZ
Washington, the Carroll Coun- place”
try Fra# Press aad waa a As the time of decision drew
in public life
been essentially on
i teachings and
i system. ' .
ily trip.
None, however, was as
momentous as the second visit,
which began in May 1967 as a
convention- of hi# beloved
colleagues in the American
Jewish press, and ended with
Adolph remaining in Israel as
the only accredited Jewish jour
nalist throughout the Six-Day
War.
He returned to talk of bunkers
and the Sues, of children in
shelters and of aging adults
volunteering 4 for service, of
bullet holes in his hotel room
and of camouflaged Israeli
soldiers resting at the ready un
der JNF trees.
/ remember Adolph reaching
for the candy jar kept ready
when mothers visiting his office
brodght their youngsters. His
patience and affection for
children was a dalight to watch.
Never married, lie had no
children of his own. But lie must
have been at least nominal "god
father” to dosena. His sisters’
children were dose to his heart
His sense of family was unex
celled.
Somewhere in that 13 years /
remember quitting in something
of a huff. And I remember being
fired , . . neither of which sur
vived the day. Others of his
staff, from whom be received an
intense loyalty, had that ex
perience. Hardly anyone who
.ever worked for Adolph
Roeenberg waa a short-termer.
Adolph’s sadness on that
dreary March dagin 1973 - that
day when the last issue #f Thfe
Southern Israelite to be produc
ed in his own prfetiag plant roil-
•V - —TURN TO PAGE 14
to go, I
ntMti tfi# times called tor s
group to come in confidence and
in solidarity, to stand beside the
Israelis during this time of cri
sis ;
With fell intent to carry out
the trip, even if he want alone,
Rosenberg found thkt a great
many of those who had signed
up were willing to accompany
him.
The group’s presence drew the
admiration and gratitude of
both Israeli officials and the
“man in the street.”
' At convention’s end, though
the rest of bis colleagues left for
-TURN TO PAGE 14
Carter Inaugural Has
"Jewish Flavor"
Jimmy Carter’s inaugural as
89th President of the United
States had a definite religious
flavor on Thursday. He chose to
add the words, “so help me God,”
to the oath of office and quoted a
famous passage from Mioah in
the Old Testament in his accep
tance speech.
There was also a Jewish flavor
to the ceremony as Cantor Isaac
Goodfriend, s yarmulke firmly
in place, concluded the formal
inauguration by singing the
National Anthem in a . deep,
strong baritone. Cantor Good-
friend’s part in the ceremony
was perhaps symbolic of
Carters avowed sensitivity to
the problems of the Jewish peo
ple. The Cantor represented not
only the Jews of the world) but
as a survivor of the Holocaust is
living testament that Jews can
struggle against seeming insur
mountable odds and continue to
dream of freedom.
Carter, a “born again
Christian,” has surrounded
himself with several key Jewish
advisors. Atlantans Robert
Lipshuts aad Stuart Eisenstat
will occupy offices in the Whitt
House and are expected to have
considerable input to the Oval
Office. Secretary of Defease
Harold Brown is an active
Jewish leader from California
and although Secretary of
Treasury Blumenthal no longer
practices tile Jewish faith, he
can be expected to have a sen
sitivity in Jewish matters.
Carter’s liberal choice of
minorities for key positions and
the role of Cantor Goodfriend at
the inaugural aeem to contradict
the protest earlier ia the week by
a national Jewish organization
that a rabbi shouM have beta
among those delivering prayers
at the inaugurate 9