Seth H. Bramson - LChaim!: The History of the Jewish Community of Greater Miami

LCHAIM!

The allure of what would become Greater Miami would eventually have a hold on an entire nation. In 1912 or 13, the Florida East Coast Railways publicists gave Miami its longtime appellation when they first referred to it as The Magic City, a pseudonym that has stood the test of time and has come into common usage and the public domain. It would be that mystique, coupled with the sun, sand, charm, lifestyle and business opportunities (not to mention the weather), that would draw innumerable people, including, through the years, those of the Hebrew persuasion, to come on down to see, to vacation, to invest and to live. Even today, almost 113 years after the first person of Jewish heritage stood on the shores of Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami remains The Magic City.

The History of the
Jewish Community

of Greater Miami

Seth H. Bramson

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2008 by Seth H. Bramson

All rights reserved

Cover design by Marshall Hudson

Unless otherwise credited, all images are courtesy of the author.

First published 2008

e-book edition 2011

ISBN 978.1.61423.092.2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bramson, Seth, 1944

Lchaim! : the history of the Jewish community of greater Miami / Seth H. Bramson.

p. cm.

print edition ISBN 978-1-59629-480-6

1. Jews--Florida--Miami--History. 2. Miami (Fla.)--Ethnic relations. I. Title.

F319.M6B738 2008

975.9381004924--dc22

2008029069

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The gratitude of the entire Greater Miami community is owed to the late Ida and Isidor Cohen, Claire Cohen Weintraub, Sydney Weintraub, Murray Cohen and Eddie Cohen. In addition, special thanks are due to the happily very much extant Geri Jane Cohen Riskin, for it was she and other members of her wonderful family, including her cousin, Albert Weintraub, who preserved the Jewish heritage of Greater Miami. It is to Geri, Albert and the Cohen and Weintraub families that this book is lovinglyand gratefullydedicated.

In approaching the numerous individuals and organizations who so graciously contributed to this book, the results were, for the most part, strongly positive. In several cases people who did not have material were kind enough to refer me to others who did. Occasionally, somebody would come out of the woodwork, telling me that they had heard about the book and wanted to contribute, and those calls were always welcome. In most cases, those whom I approached were gracious, receptive and helpful to the nth degree. Regretfully, however, a very small minority was disinterested. While they shall remain nameless, the reader may be assured that for them, more is the pity.

One other quite valid point should also be noted. This writers history of Miami Beach was the first-ever history of that great city written by somebody who grew up on, lived on, went to school on and worked on Miami Beach, and one cannot write about Miami Beach (well, legally, of course, one can, although that writing will be without the heart, feeling and understanding that it takes to write about such an incredible and unique place) unless one has fulfilled the four qualifications noted immediately above. So it is with a book on Jewish institutions or Jewish people.

A book written by a goy that deals intimately with Jewish topics, people or institutions is and will be, simply put, lacking, and it is a shanda for the neighbors of a Jewish organization not to have its history commemorated by a member of the tribe, for it cannot and will not have the same level or depth of feeling and understanding as a book on the subject written by a landsman. As with writing about Miami Beach, one cannot write about Jewish institutions or the Jewish community unless he or she is part ofand knowsthat community.

The other reason for this preface is to advise the reader that this book is not and was not meant to be a compendium of every Jewish person or family who has ever lived in Greater Miami, and it is not meant to enumerate every event, happenstance or organization, nor is it a list of every temple or synagogue that ever existed in Miami-Dade County. Rather, it is meant to tell a story, and that incredible story is of a community that began by chance with the arrival of one person in a near-wilderness frontier region in February of 1896. With his observing it, participating in it and commenting on its fads and foibles through the fifty-five years until his death in 1951, it has become one of the most active, buoyant, responsive and vibrant Jewish communities in America, if not the world.

However, and in response to those who might have unintentionally been slighted, or who have a story to tell or who, perhaps, should have been included, my regrets are wholehearted and fulsome, and I assure the reader that only a very few people were either ignored or left out intentionally. I ask that readers recognize that the number of pages was limited, the number of photographs was constrained by space and the amount of information emanating from the more than 112 years of the existence of Greater Miamis Jewish community borders on infinite.

Those who do have more to tell or add are asked to contact the author in Miami and every effort will be made to include those people and their stories in the next edition.

Until then, to lifeto lifelchaim! May you learn fromand greatly enjoythis book!

The list of those who must be thanked is, happily, long! Rabbi Gary Glickstein and Alice Miller, executive director of Temple Beth Sholom, welcomed me warmly and opened the temples historic files for me; Belle Lehrman graciously allowed me to go through the late Rabbi Lehrmans photos and memorabilia; Alexa Weiss Rossy provided innumerable images and memorabilia from her fabled familys past; Dr. Arlene Arvan Amarant replied to every question about her equally fabled family history; Marcia Zerivitz, executive director of the Jewish Museum of Florida, unhesitatingly stepped forward to assist; Stephen Cypen, chairman of the board of the Miami Jewish Home and Hospital, was highly supportive; Bonnie Reiter Lehrer and Judy Gilbert Gould at Federation were marvelous in putting together material for me and I am especially grateful to all of them for their help and assistance.