Twins

In 1925, giving birth to twins was quite a novelty. Grandma Evelyn had no idea there were two babies on the way until she had given birth to one and the doctor declared that there was another coming!
We are fortunate to have these wonderful photographs of the fraternal twins, Margaret & Maurice, from their early days in Cleveland Heights. (I just love the cars!)
That's "Sister" in the curls.
The great tragedy was that the twins would lose their father to cancer only 5 years later.
The last photograph was taken shortly before William died.

Who Knew Grandpa Could Do That?

Granda Belle, Grandpa Morris (cigar in left hand) & me.

I was about 7 years old visiting my grandparents in New York City. Grandma Belle always took me shopping when I came for a visit, usually for school clothes or a special dress. As a reward for following her through the big New York department stores for hours, she took me to the toy department (maybe it was Macy's or Bonwit Teller) and let me pick out a doll.
I remember the counter where a sales lady stood, and behind her a wall of dolls on shelves going up to the ceiling. My eye was drawn immediately to a small nurse doll.
" I want that one!," I proclaimed.
I think it was that little blue cape that did it for me. It was like a superhero cape. I had to have it.

Nurse Nora

And so Nora was mine. I carried her everywhere as we continued to roam the big city, jumping on an off buses and walking down the busy upper west side avenues. (This was the 1960's, so it was a nice neighborhood, but not nearly the chic area it is today.)

Eventually we returned home and I proudly showed off my new doll to Grandpa Morris.

"Where's her little nurse hat?" he asked.

I was mortified. Nora's perfect little white nurse hat was gone.

Grandma must have been exhausted from the day at this point, but she agreed to take me back out to retrace our recent steps and see if we could find the lost hat.

Nora stayed safely on the couch in the apartment with Grandpa.

Morris & Belle. Again with the ever present cigar.
(He lived to age 95, I'll have you know!)

We searched up and down West 79th Street, but of course there was no sign of the little hat. It was long gone. After about 30 minutes of scouring the sidewalks we gave up and headed for home. I was miserable. 

I remember walking into the apartment to deliver the disappointing news to Grandpa and seeing a sort of smug glint in his eye. He pointed to Nora, still sitting where I had left her on the couch.

There on Nora's head, was a perfect little white nurse's hat.

Confused, I ran to get a better look.

It was just the right shape and had a little length of elastic to hold it in place. It was perfect.

Grandpa had whipped it up from a piece of fabric from an old pillowcase, knowing that there was little chance we'd find the original lost hat out in the big city. 

"The elastic strap will help it stay on so you won't lose it," he said. 

Today the elastic is stretched out and the formerly white material has faded to a dingy brownish hue, but it remains a treasured possession. Proof that my cantankerous and often grouchy old grandpa had a heart of gold and a hidden talent with a needle and thread.

After he passed away in 1994 I kept his grey fedora. 

He always felt that one should really never leave the house without a hat.

He never did. 

And neither did Nora, thanks to him.

My daughter with Nora

Thank You Paul Newman

It was 1974 and I was thirteen years old. My best friend Jacqui and I had recently gone to a screening of the classic 1969 movie “Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid”. We spent some time debating afterward, who was dreamier; Paul Newman or Robert Redford. I believe it was a draw.

Not long after that, my grandparents were over for dinner and I was telling them about the movie I’d seen.

“Ya know,” my grandmother remarked casually, “We are actually related to Paul.”

I was awestruck.

“Do you know him? Have you met him?! How come I didn’t know this?!,” I demanded. I was thinking about my meager autograph collection, which included signatures from Aaron Copland, Carl Stokes and Charles M. Schulz.

“Oh, he’s just another human being, for crying out loud,” my grandfather muttered. (My collection also included a signed photo from Grandpa, just because he seemed rather put out when I hadn’t yet asked him for one.)

“Well your Aunt Bob (Babette Newman, my grandmother’s sister in law) is in touch with him all the time. Why don’t you ask her for his address and write him a letter? I bet he’ll write you back.” encouraged Grandma.

Paul, Aunt Bob Newman,and
Joanne Woodward on the set of Hombre, Tucson 1966

So I did. Aunt Bob was happy to oblige, as long as I promised not to share the address with anyone. I wrote “cousin “ Paul a lengthy letter starting with a paragraph explaining how I got his address and what the connection was. I made sure to ask for a real signed photo because I had recently written to some famous people who’d responded by sending printed “signed” photos.  (Valerie Harper, I am talking to YOU, Rhoda.)

I also remember asking him about whether he and Bob (hey, we were relatives, I could be informal, right?) used stunt doubles when they jumped off that cliff in Butch Cassidy. (Well heck YEAH, ya dumb kid!)

So I sent off my masterpiece and then kind of forgot about it.

I mean, I didn’t REALLY think THE Paul Newman was going to write me a letter, did I!?

Some time later an envelope arrived addressed to me.

Yep. He’d written. I didn’t get answers to my silly pages of questions. But I did get reassurance that the signature was real. I ran all the way to Jacqui’s house to show her my prize that afternoon.

I called Grandma and Grandpa. (Grandpa harrumphed)

In 1986, the year I got married, Paul won the Academy Award for best actor in “The Color of Money”. I wrote him another note. No questions or requests this time.

I just wanted to say, “Congrats, the family is proud of you. No need to write me back this time. Just want to let you know that you made a young girl so very happy when you wrote that nice note a few years back.”

I don’t think I have to tell you about Paul, and his great talent, or many accomplishments, his incredible blue blue eyes, or his work with The Hole in the Wall Gang Camps, or with Newman’s Own.  (Who recently reached the amazing milestone of $300 million in charitable giving.) You know all about that stuff. If not, that’s what google is for.

Just wanted to share my little story.

Thanks Paul. Even though we never met, I do miss you.

Mark Twain & my great grandfather Maurice Weidenthal

With all of the hullaballoo this week over the publishing of a “sanitized’ version of the Mark Twain classic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, (in which the offensive “N” word has been replaced by the word “slave” throughout the text….) it brought to mind a rather exciting photograph and letter I came across in a box full of papers a few years back. 

Maurice Weidenthal was born in Hungary in 1856, and came to America in 1870. He held various newspaper jobs in Cleveland, including that of reporter for the Herald (which became the News), drama critic and editorial writer for the Cleveland Press, (for whom my father, also named Maurice worked for more than 30 years) and city editor for the Plain Dealer and for the Cleveland Recorder. In 1906 he became the editor of the Jewish Independent, a position he held until his death on July 21, 1917. 

Among the many things my great grandfather accomplished, he appears to have been the secretary for a dramatic organization called The Davenport Club. One day while sorting through old stuff over at my dad's house, I found a cardboard box at the bottom of a closet filled with his grandfather's memorabilia. Two items that caught my eye were a letter and photograph which appeared to be from the esteemed Mark Twain. (Or should I say, Samuel Clemens) Yeah, I know. Mind blowing.

Hartford March 24

Dear Sir:

I desire to express to you my thanks for the compliment you pay me in proposing to make me a member of the Davenport Club of Cleveland. With my best wishes for the long life & prosperity of the Club, I am
Very Truly Yours,

Samuel L. Clemens

Mr M Weidenthal

•••

Seriously??! Holy smokes!!

After coming across this lovely letter and cabinet card with a photo of a gentlemen who looked so very familiar, I wrote a note to the “Mark Twain Project” at The University of California, where they have an enormous library of the author’s papers. They were happy to learn of my discovery, asked for copies, and responded by sending me a scan of a letter which my great grandfather had sent to Samuel L. Clemens on May 8, 1876:

Davenport Club, City 
Cleveland, O., May 8th 1876 

Sam’l L. Clemens Esq.
Dear Sir 
It gives me great pleasure to notify you, that at a meeting held by the Davenport Club you was unanimously elected honorary member. Hoping that we will prove ourselves worthy of the great honor bestowed upon us by your acceptance of the membership I remain your obdt servant

M. Weidenthal Sec.

P.S. Not wishing to insinuate anything, I would like to tell you that just as a matter of information of course, that the walls of our club room contain such photographs as those of E. L. Davenport, Lawrence Barrett, Charles Sumner[,] Edwin Booth &c.

I think a picture of Mark Twain would be a splendid ornament to our room

Yours &c

M. W.

 •••

The Mark Twain Project Assoc. Editor wrote to me:

Dear Mrs. Saltzman:
We have now had a chance to examine Mark Twain's letter of 24 March 1876 to your great grandfather, Maurice Weidenthal. The following sequence of events is clear to us: Probably around mid-March 1876 your great grandfather first wrote to Mark Twain, informing him that the Davenport Club proposed to elect him a member and asking his consent. It was that letter, which does not survive, that Mark Twain answered on 24 March. Then on 8 May 1876 your grandfather wrote again, informing Mark Twain of his election and suggesting that his picture would be a welcome addition to the club's photo gallery. Mark Twain answered with a letter of 13 May, enclosing two photos, one of which presumably was put on display in the club while the other, a print of a photo taken in 1869, was retained by your great grandfather (the one you now have with Mark Twain's 24 March letter).

Unfortunately we do not have Mark Twain's 13 May 1876 letter to your great grandfather. Perhaps you will yet find it in one of your boxes of memorabilia. We only know that it was sent because we have the Davenport Club's 13 June 1876 reply to it, written by Ira C. Cartwright, your great grandfather's successor as secretary of the club. We can send you a copy of Cartwright's letter if you would like to have it.

We would be happy to have any information you could share with us about your great grandfather. Was he the journalist Maurice Weidenthal (died 1917) who was associated with the Cleveland Plain Dealer and in 1906 became editor of the Jewish Independent? Also, do your family records include any information about the Davenport Club? If a club archive has been preserved somewhere, Mark Twain's 13 May 1876 letter to your great grandfather might be in it, along with the photograph that the club apparently displayed.

As it happens, we are now editing Mark Twain's l876 letters for inclusion in the online edition of his letters that we hope to begin posting in the not to distant future. So the 24 March letter to your great grandfather surfaced at a very opportune moment. Of course, we will credit you as the owner of the original document.

Sincerely,

Michael B. Frank
Associate Editor
Mark Twain Project

•••

You can see the items online in the MTP archives by clicking here and here.

Needless to say, these items no longer reside in a musty cardboard box in my dad’s hall closet. 

Next week maybe I’ll tell you about how we came to have Albert Einstein’s and William Jennings Bryan's signatures.

Thanks for dropping by.

-Susan

standing on the side of love

Bravo for my cousins Melissa & Dez and their wonderful daughters!

A Celebration of Hope- Tonight!

Somehow it seems so perfect that this event is always called A Celebration of Hope. We lost my mother-in-law, Hope to this brutal disease in 2005. In her memory, I have created a special beach glass necklace for the silent auction at this Cleveland Alzheimer's benefit.
Come to this worthwhile event and place your bids...and join the fight to eradicate this disease that touches so many lives.

A Celebration of Hope
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Marriott at Key Center
Public Square, Cleveland

Proceeds from this event will benefit families by ensuring care, education and support throughout their journey with Alzheimer's disease.
For more event information, please call 216.231.1466

Many thanks to my Etsy clevelandhandmade teammate Jodie, for tracking down these lavendar Lake Erie beach glass pieces for this piece. This color is quite rare!

LAST CALL GIG at Rick's Cafe

L A S T C A L L
r o c k n r o l l

Appearing live at
RICK’S CAFÉ
86 North Main Street • Chagrin Falls
Saturday, April 4th, 2009
9:30 pm

Featuring...
Rob Lash – Bass
Mudcat – Guitar
Bill Saltzman – Drums
Irit Slain – Lead Vocals
Keith Chelm – Keyboard, Harmonica

Nice cap!

circa 1959
Willy has always had a knack for fashion.

Mom! I shook his hand!

©2009 Smartwork Studio, Inc.

©2009 Smartwork Studio, Inc.

Cleveland, Ohio February 26, 2007 ©2009 Smartwork Studio, Inc.
It was the first of three times we heard him speak in our town. Many folks we knew weren't really sure who he was. My 17 year old daughter had read both of his books from cover to cover and was adamant about going to the rally. We got there early, stood in line for hours, and eventually found ourselves less than 10 feet away from the platform. The crowd was exuberant. The Shaw High School marching band was rocking in the stands...the speech was inspiring...and afterward I lost track of my daughter as she worked her way through the throngs to get closer to the promising senator from Illinois.
A short time later she found her way back to me.
"I shook his hand, Mom! " she exclaimed giddily.
"And I'll be 18 just in time to vote for him!"

Good luck Mr. President. We're pulling for you.

Morley LOVES Snow

There's about a foot of snow out there this morning, but Morley doesn't mind a bit.
He just knows there's something interesting underneath it all.


Morley is an eleven year old Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier.
He feels that though Labradoodles

and Portuguese Water Dogs

are perfectly nice, it's obviously a Wheatie that the Obamas need as FIRST DOG.

The Klezmer Nutcracker

If you are in the New York City area this week, you must check out my amazing cousin Ellen in this wonderful production of The Klezmer Nutcracker at the
Vital Theatre
2162 Broadway, 4th Fl. (at 76th St.)
(Playing now until January 3)
www.vitaltheatre.org
"In the end, Chanukah cannot compete with Christmas, nor should it. Still, Chanukah has become (for better or worse) an important holiday on the Jewish calendar, one that reinforces both unity and identity. The Klezmer Nutcracker has to spin on its own two feet. -Paulanne Simmons"
Click here to read this review in its entirety.

The story: Sara is miserable at the family Chanukah party. But when mysterious Tante Miriam (played by the multitalented Ellen Kushner) arrives with the gift of a Golden Dreydl, everything changes. The Dreydl, an enchanted princess in disguise, whirls Sara away on an exciting adventure through a magical world. A delightful holiday tale for everyone, that weaves together threads of folklore and tradition with fantasy and humor.

Ellen Kushner is the host and writer of the award-winning national public radio show PRI's Sound & Spirit, hailed by Bill Moyers as "the best show on public radio!" With the band Shirim, she created the original radio version of The Golden Dreydl: a Klezmer "Nutcracker" for Chanukah (winner of a Gracie Allen Award). In 2007 The Golden Dreydl, was published, and in 2008 Vital Theater commissioned a full-scale theatrical version. Ellen Kushner is also a performance artist and award-winning fiction writer for teens and adults. A popular public speaker, she also teaches writing workshops all over the place. She currently lives in New York City. (but was raised here in Cleveland)
Go El!

NCJW Designer Dress Days

Win this necklace!



The Cleveland Chapter of The National Council of Jewish Women holds the spectacular DESIGNER DRESS DAYS event every fall at the JCC . (This is the 40th anniversary of this event!)

There are always amazing deals to be had on gently used designer clothes and accessories. You won't believe the great stuff they sell here. They work the entire year accumulating treasures for this sale.

For 2008 they are adding an auction to the deal. I have donated an original SToNZ necklace. Hope you can drop by, find some incredible deals, and take a chance on winning this necklace!

I cannot go to this sale without thinking about my wonderful Aunt Sis Gottlieb who worked so hard and gave so much of herself to this great organization year after year. Her dedication to NCJW was an inspiration, and I will never forget her beautiful smile and generous nature.
She and my Uncle Harold were also great supporters of my artistic endeavors.

I miss them both.


Harold & Sis

See you there!
26001 South Woodland Rd.

Preview day: (Admission $20)
Fri. Oct. 31 - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Sale days: (Free admission!)
Sun. Nov. 2 - 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Mon. Nov. 3 - 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Tues. Nov. 4 - 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

(Don’t forget to vote on your way home!)


Sis & my dad, her twin brother Bud
circa 1928 (guess they were looking for stonz!)

From the NCJW Newsletter:
Sis Gottlieb, our beloved past president and winner of our coveted Hannah G. Solomon Award, passed away on June 15, 2007 at the age of 81. The Hannah G. Solomon Award is presented to an individual who “brightens a community by service, leadership, and continued action toward improving the quality of life for women, children and families, the aged, and disadvantaged.” Sis lived her life by these words. She was deeply involved in the creation of Council Gardens and also worked with 19 others to establish Council House, the first group home for severely mentally-and chronically-ill men in the Greater Cleveland community. She began her involvement with social services as a volunteer at Mt. Sinai Hospital in 1949 and went on to volunteer and be active in other organizations, although NCJW was always her first love. Sis was a dear friend and mentor to many of us who are active now and her wisdom, guidance and sweetness will be greatly missed.

October on Lake Erie

It's no secret, I am beach obsessed.

My brother-in-law, who is a fellow beach addict, often stays late into the afternoon on his favorite Rehoboth, Delaware beach long after the crowds have called it a day.
"It's the golden part of the afternoon!" Joel exclaims.
He's so right.
Yesterday I spent a few hours at my favorite Lake Erie beach, and realized that it's now the golden part of the year. Most of the crowds have gone home...and yet, it was warm and sunny, and quiet and well, perfect.

Not to mention the fact that they have stopped "cleaning up" the beach of all the stones that they usually rake off to the side so that beach goers have smooth sand on which to sunbathe.

My first beach visit. Hooked!

Mentor Headlands, Lake Erie

My twins...a long time ago!