I was showing my grades 11&12 class (Cong. B'nai Israel, Rumson, NJ) some clips from the movie "Gentlemen's Agreement" and trying to give some feel for the climate in the late 1940's. Suddenly I recalled something Mr. Schlussel had told our class in the mid-1950's. He said that we owed a great debt to African Americans (then politely called Negroes), because they were the largest and most visible minority and we were next. He believed that a lot of the misfortune that fell on them would otherwise land on us.
I remember Mr. Schlussel as a talented and enthusiastic teacher and a saintly man. I think he taught at Adath Israel for only a short time. Anybody else remember him?
3 comments:
i believe his last name was Schlussel. A great guy and teacher. Dennis Deutsch
I agree with Dennis. His last name was Schlussel. He had us saying blessings over everything!When one parent found her child saying a baruchah over a ham sandwich, that was the ultimate!
Martin Schlussel coached me in learning my Haftorah for my Bar Mitzvah which took place on April 30th, 1960. He also helped me write my Bar Mitzvah speech which was in the form of a prayer. He was fired shortly thereafter for making a comment about the local doctors charging their patients too much money for an office visit. He was replaced a Mr. Tarshish and he didn't last very long either.
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