Newspaper Page Text
>
Page 14 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE November 14, 1986
Moments in Georgia history
A Jewish woman who made a difference
This column is provided by
Secretary of State Max Cleland.
The Georgia Department of Ar
chives and History assisted with
the research. —Editor.
“There are wayward girls...
whose doom is certain unless
reformatory restraint and train
ing can be furnished. The cost of
a girls reformatory school now
would be nothing compared to
the ultimate cost to society of all
these human wrecks."
This assessment was written in
1913, when female delinquency
was one of the many social prob
lems exacerbated by urbaniza
tion and industrialization; when
governments did little to rehabil
itate the imprisoned, impoverish
ed, disabled and insane. But the
Georgia woman who authored
these words would provide en
lightened leadership to public'and
private programs and earn the
state an international reputation
in social work.
Rhoda Kaufman, born and
raised in Columbus, graduated
from Vanderbilt with Phi Beta
Kappa honors in 1909. then moved
to Atlanta. Like many women of
means or education, she under
took volunteer work for human
itarian causes. Kaufman, though,
brought a special devotion to
such efforts, prompted no doubt
by her own physical handicap—
one leg had been amputated when
she was 12 years old.
Her first position of responsi
bility was chairing the Girls In
dustrial School Committee for
the Southern Association of Col
lege Women. Through speeches,
letters, pamphlets and press re
leases, Miss Kaufman and her
co-workers pressured the legisla
ture to fund a reform school for
girls, as it had earlier created one
for boys.
Preaching both compassion
and economic sense. Miss Kauf
man won endorsements from the
Prison Commission of Georgia,
the Prison Reform Association,
the benevolent Men and Reli
gion Forward Movement, and
judges and women s clubs across
the state.
Members of the General As
sembly were deluged with pas
sionate correspondence. At the
summer session of the legisla
ture. the House Penitentiary
Committee unanimously in sup
port of the bill to create a girls
reform school.
Many lawmakers, though, felt
the state’s finances could not
bear the cost. Gov. John Slaton
threatened to veto the bill if it
appropriated more than $10,000.
The public clamor proved ir
resistible. The bill passed with
funding of $20,000. After Slaton
signed it into law, the Atlanta
Constitution editorialized, “The
Association of College Women,
under the able leadership of Miss
Rhoda Kaufman, took the initia
tive and engineered the bill,
through almost desperate condi
tions, to a successful issue.”
Miss Kaufman’s flair for pub
licity and lobbying won another
victory six years later, when Gov.
H ugh Dorsey appointed her exe
cutive secretary of his Commis
sion for the Feebleminded. With
backing from the U.S. Depart
ment of Labor, and Dr. V.V.
Anderson from the National
Committee for Mental Hygiene
as scientific consultant, Kaufman
directed a study of Georgia’s
population which concluded,
“The state at the present time is
offering (its 10,000 mentally im
paired citizens) little protection.”
On this issue, Miss Kaufman
elicited support from the Geor
gia Medical Association, the State
Educational Association, the
Manufacturers Association of
Rhoda Kaufman earned a national reputation for her leadership
in public welfare programs. Photo courtesy of Georgia Department
of Archives and History.
Georgia and Rotary Clubs. The
legislature appropriated $ 100,000
for the Georgia Training School
for Mental Defectives in August
:mk:
rx»c
3UC
oiKz:
—MM"
MIC
It’s a dream come true.
1919.
She accepted a position as as
sistant secretary of the State
Department of Public Welfare in
1920 and became its executive
secretary, 1923-29. With five staff
members, she was responsible
for inspections of 50 institutions
for juveniles, 52 agencies for
dependent adults, 62 almshouses
(homes for the poor) and 156
jails.
She also found time to con
duct significant studies and de
velop model programs. She ef
fected new child placement and
Continued next page.
EYEYEYEYEYEYEYEYE
King Springs Village
Luxury Retirement Community
404 King Springs Village Pkwy.
Smyrna, Georgia
(404) 432-4444
I
Choice of: Studio,
One Bedroom or Two
Bedroom Apartments.
There’s no more dreaming about your retirement or need to search for a
really ideal setting for active retired people to live-really live in. It’s here now
at KING SPRINGS VILLAGE.
Your single monthly check includes rent, utilities, maid and laundry service
and meals in the elegant dining room.
Full-time activities director, beautiful year-around indoor pool and sauna are
available for your well-being.
!• cheduled free transportation to local shopping.
Come out today and see our beautiful on-site display apartments
Adjacent to the retirement community is a 32-bed professional health care
center to provide 24-hour emergency service.
A
No Entrance — No Endowment
XW XK
Fee Required
30C
‘ )wned IV Henry ® Barbara Urossher
Israel W Yetra Goldberg
Kosher Meals Available Upon Request
the:
CXD'ptical
oervices
offers
Quality
Selection
Experience
We have a
beautiful selection
of designer frames...
at below
retail prices.
2441 Cheshire Bridge
Suite 112
6369727
Y
E
Y
E
Y
E
Y
E
Y
E
Y
E
Y
E
Y
E
Y
E
Y
E
Y
EYEYEYEYEYEYEYEYE