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THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE December 26, 1986 Page 21
Highlights of 1986
Hebrew Academy of the future
unveiled at campaign fund-raiser
It’s a boy!
JFS delivers first baby to adoptive parents
Zachor Holocaust Center
will open May 5 at AJCC
The Atlanta Jewish population
was increased this week by the
advent of the birth of a child
Under normal circumstances this
event while cause for celebration,
would not he newsworthy But for
David and Shirk' Goldsmith (not
ihcu real names), it was a vcr> spe
cial occasion
I he Goldsmiths were unable to
have children, and after numerous
visits to medical specialists, they
haJ attempted to reconcile them
selves to iheir inabilitv to bear a
child It wasn't easy however, and
caused more than ihr usual amount
of strain in this young professional
couple s marriage l hcv had ap
plied to several agencies for the
adoption of a child*but were told
that waiting lists were long, that
the era ot birth . ontrol a id easy
•o-ohtain abortions created less
bab,e> available for adoption and
ibat more and more sing'e prrg
nant women were keeping their
bab.es V >i loo encouraging
I her ihey beard ab »ut the *r
'ivcd adoption program at Jewish
believe it was true when Judy Hab-
erman. JFS supervisor, called a
lew weeks ago to tell them that
they were next in line to receive a
child and that an unwed mother
who had agreed to let JFS place
her baby had just gone into labor
Unfortunately, their |oy was dam
pened when thev were advised that
the child had beer born prema
tuiely and had to he kept in inten
sive care for a week I he additional
expense to Jf S in the form ot hos
pital hills (or the natural mother
and the baby amounted to nearly
110.000 more than the estimated
cost for a normal delivery, and
some of these expenses wf'f paid
by JFS out of an emergency fund
established lor the agency bv con
tributors who wished to ensure the
success of the adoption program
“There is alwavs some risk.” 'ay*-
Ha Kerman but we tty to keep the
1 he /achoi Holocaus
he Atlanta lewish Federa
c >11 open to the public oi
V is the fulfillment
held h\ the Mlar
Ma
gdv due
the joy
ahilc "
possible In the i
ing makes it w t
Historic day in Georgia
Paroles board grants pardon to Leo Frank
by V ida Goldgar
the Stott Board of Pardons
and Paroles in compliance with
it's Constitutional and statuto r \
i. .. . herebx fronts to Leo M.
prank a pardon
vVith these words, which con-
a release issued Tuesday,
morna’ Pardons and Paroles
hoar, hopes it has brought to an
end the '■ i-vear-old controversy of
co J r ank, convicted in an aura of
nrejudice and perjury of the 1913
murder of 13-ycar old Mary Pha-
gan Despite a courageous com
mutation of Frank's death sent
ence to life imprisonment by Gov
loi n Slaton, on August 17. 1915.
f r«nk was dragged from his prison
.ell ir Milledgeville. brought to
Marietta by a mob and hanged
;*o • . »rec.
, be ugly wave of anti-Semitism
which surrounded Frank's trial
^ fear into the heart of the
Jewish community and caused
many to seek sanctuary elsewhere
In an interview published in The
Slaton commuted Fiank's death
sentence “I was very fearful that
night, as were all the lews on
Capitol Avenue and Washington
Street afraid ol the promise that
the rabble had made that they were
going to do aw 3> with every Jew
on those two streets "
Despite voluminous data col
lected. and several published
volumes clearly pointing to
Frank’s innocence, the rase was
ignored until March 1982 when
reporters Jerry Thompson and
Bob Sherborne of the Nashville
Tennessean followed up cn a tip
about an elderly man who claimed
he had been a witness ir a murder
case many years earlier ior which
the wrong man had been executed
Located in a hospital and wanting
to “get this off my heart,” 83-vear-
old Alonzo Mann told the repor
ters his story. As a 14-year-old
office boy at the National Pencil
Company, where F rank was super
intendent and Mary Phagan was
employed. Mann had stopped by
the pencil company and encoun-
never testified to what he
T here were witnesses who told lies
and I remained silent ” The Ten
nesscan reported tiiat Mann
passed both polygraph and psy
chological stress evaluator tests
“with flying colors ”
Farlicr reports that Conley had.
on at least one occasion, possibly
two confessed to the crime were
never widely circulated, and wtre
unconfirmed
Mann's revelation brought
broad reaction in both the Jewish
and general community A WGSI
radio ncwspoll in March of 1982.
which asked the question “Should
the state of Georgia pardon Leo
Frank*’*' brought a resounding 85
percent “yes” response A WGST
spokesman said at the time it was
one of the largest percentages they
had ever had Gubernatorial can
didates in that election vear were
almost unanimous in calling for
the state to clear Frank's name
It was at that time that Atlanta's
Jewish community formed a legal
committee under the coopcratise
efforts of the Anti Defamation
On Dec 72. 1983. an <
crowd of reporters. memt"
Jewish community anJ
Mann gathered at the (.
hear the hoard’s decision
As reported in The
Israelite Dec 30. 1983
on the afternoon of Dec
all over hut tne stunned
quite believing, mutteri
crowd and the fough qui
reporters trying to disco
logic for the typed press
their hands." I he pardon
denied
The release includi
words “In accepting tht
tion. the board infoimed
cants that the only grou
which the board would gra:
pardon exonerating Leo M
of the murder for which
convicted, would be con
evidence proving beyon
doubt that Frank >
The statement also refer
briefs submitted in oppo
the pardon and cited the
bility. after 70 years, o
Betty R Jacobson, president of the Atlanta Jewish federation, congratulates the Jewish Vocational Sen ice
Inc at its First corporate board meeting on July 16. Seated from left, facing camera Stan Lefco. Mark Fisher,
Albert Beerman and hoard members Steve Berman and Bob Sherman.
JVS becomes fully autonomous;
Beerman heads first official board
Special addition
... The Southern Israelite has new publishers
Women of Hadassah plan
gala to celebrate 70th year
Hadassah will celebrate its 70th
birthday in Atlanta at 6 TO pm.
Sunday, Nov 2, at a dinner at the
Peachtree Plaza Hotel
Judith Epstein, former national
president ol Hadassah. will be the
guest speaker Her incisive com
ments about international affairs
have made her a welcome speaker
in Atlanta on several previous oc
casions The evening will include a
salute to past presidents, and orig
inal entertainment
Esther Taylor, one of Atlanta
Hadassah's early presidents, will
l>e honorary chairman for the event
Mrs Taylor has been active not
only in the Zionist movement, but
in civic, cultural and social welfare
causes.
Local Hadassah leadership
spearheading the activities for the
evening include Rae Sternberg.
A home of its own
Hadassah members planning the gala include (from left) Esther Tay
lor, Reva F.pstein and Sara Alterman The meeting was held at the home
of Mrs. Taylor.
Southern Israelite was
ed this week by a Kansas
irporation. which also owns
msas City Jewish Chronicle,
as other publications. Vida
ar. who has owned The
ern Israelite since 1979. will
i as editor
Publications Inr . the new
hers, is owned and operated
• Rose family, who live in
s City Stan Rose. 68. is
tan of the board and pub-
Steve Rose. 38, his son. is
rnt and co-publisher
• are extremely excited about
portunity tocontinue a great
on in Jewish journalism, as
a has had since 1925." said
lose “Vida Goldgar is a vita!
f that link, and she will con-
to speak for The Southern
te. both through the news
itorial columns, and through
solvement in Atlanta’s Jew-
mmumty ”
administrative and market-
peels of the newspaper will
Stan Rose
he handled by The Southern Israe
lite’s new general manager. Jeff
Rubin, according to Steve Rose
Rubin. 35, has had broad expe
rience with newspapers in Virginia
and Washington D C He is a
native of New Jersey
“T he Roses arc great people who
k are a tremendous amount abn-i;
Steve Rose
Jewish journalism and becoming a
part of the Atlanta community,”
said Ms Goldgar “Their resour
ces. along with a support system
developed over many years in the
community newspaper field, will
make it possible for The Southern
Israelite to keep pace with the
growth ot our Jewish community.
Vida Goldgar
providing greater local coverage
and other improvements in the
operation Fiowever. they feel
strongly that the news and editor
ial departments be run by Atlan
tans "
Sun Publications was founded
in 1950 by Stan Rose and his wife,
Shirley Steve Rose became presi
dent of the company in 1978. They
publish The Sun Newspapers, an
award-winning group of twice-
weekly newspapers serving subur
ban Johnson County . The College
Boulevard N6ws. a weekly tabloid
serving the Overland Park subur
ban office population: and The
Kansas City Jewish Chronicle Tne
Chronicle, which was founded in
1920. was acquired by Sun Publi
cations in 1983. after the death of
Milton Firestone, who had been
co-owner of The Chronicle with
Stan Rose.
Ms Goldgar purchased The
Southern Israelite in 1979 from
Jack Gcldbart, who had acquired
it in 1977 after the death of Adolph
Rosenberg The publication, which
originated in 1925 in Augusta under
the direction of Rabbi H. Cerf
Strauss, was moved to Atlanta by
Herman Dessauer. joined in 1929
by M Stephen Schiffer, who later
became sole owner and publisher
Rosenberg, editor since 1939, be
came the publisher in 1951
Epstein School plans ’87 relocation
Yeshiva High School finds new home
1986 Goal: $8.5 million
Miraclcs Cun Happen
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