Behind The Scenes

At first, the most important reason
Jewish women held salons
for invited guests was
the drive for accept-
ance.
"Holding a
salon, like being
baptized, was
the ticket to -
the main-
stream," the
authors write.
"Pers6nal
association
with the
upper class
and intelli-
gentsia was the
swiftest means of
arriving, of mas-
tering high culture, %.
and the finest forum
dal
for achievement.
"undo"
As the Enlightenment
gradually brought Jews a modicum
of acceptance, a salon was a non-
threatening "strategy for negotiating
identity, attaining social position and
professional services and achieving
personal fulfillment."
In the early 20th century, however,
the pattern changed. Through per-
sonal interactions, the authors write,
"Jewish women led concerted efforts
to modernize national cultures."
And, although most of these more

longevity," Gorosh said. "These
women have such a history with each
other — I remember them from 40
years ago. But today, I no longer see
them in a superficial way. I feel like
they give me ways of continuing with
my life."
Rowe, a retired administrator with
Oakland Family Services, said the
kernel of "Conversations" began
when Hoffman spoke about a book
she'd read that examined the mar-
riages of famous writers of the
Victorian era. After discussing the
differences between the way people
lived in 19th-century London and
20th-century Detroit, the two real-
ized they knew "very little" about the
lives and thoughts of the next gener-
ation.
"At that time, in January 1995, we
invited people in their 30s and 40s,
to hear their feelings," Rowe said.
At the first meeting, the group dis-
cussed the definition of spiritualism

book are Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
contemporary "salonieres" never
(1805-1847), sister of Felix
earned anything resembling a regular
Mendelssohn and herself an accom-
wage for their efforts, their lives
plished composer; Ada Leverson
were. so full of adventure and
(1859-1936), who welcomed Oscar
achievement they forged
Wilde
to her home both before and
meaningful careers not
after his controversial arrest on
defined by title or
morals charges; and Margherita
salary.
Today, the
best known
of the
salonieres is
Gertrude
Stein, the
writer, poet
and art con-
noisseur
whose great-
est influence
was on the
creative
thinkers who
flocked to her
Paris apartment in
the first decades of the
20th century.
"What made it lively was the
presence of all the striking new
young artists in Paris talking
shop," wrote American art crit-
ic Henry McBride.
Ma;gherita Sai Patti,
"Stein considered 'talking
photographed
c. 1926,
and listening' to be the essence
by Emilio Sommariva
of human enterprise," Braun
and Bilski write.
Among the other salonieres
profiled in the exhibit and

Sarfatti (1880-1961), who, in con-
trast to the politically liberal bent of
most 20th-century salonieres, acted
as political partner for dictator
Benito Mussolini.
As Braun and Bilski write: "They
established legacies on their own
terms."

❑

The exhibit "The Power of
Conversation: Jewish Women and
Their Salons" will be shown
through July 10, 2005, at the
Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth
Avenue, at 92nd Street, in New
York City. Also on display at the
museum, through Aug. 15, is
"Wild Things: The Art of
Maurice Sendak," a major exhibi-
tion exploring the prolific career
of the renowned author and illus-
trator probably best knowA- for
the children's book Where the

Wild Things Are.
Museum hours are 11 a.m.-
5:45 p.m. Sundays through
Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Thursdays and 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Fridays. Admission is $10 for
adults, $7.50 for students and
seniors, free for children under
12. Pay what you wish 5-8 p.m.
Thursdays. (212) 423-3200 or
www.thejewishmuseum.org .

From le
Adele Robins ofiVovi
and Beatrice Rowe,
Helene Cohen and
Ruth Driker Kroll, all
of West Bloomfield,
participate in an
intergenerational
conversation.

and the reasons for its
rise in popularity, along
with language and its
uses.
"We all like to read, but it's not a
book club," Rowe explained. "To
come together without an agenda,
without a charitable cause, is an
unforgettable experience."
The subjects under discussion
include "life, literature, people and
the sorry state of the world," said

Kroll, a former advertising and busi-
ness manager who founded the
Detroit Women's Forum.
"At the beginning," Kroll said,
"Lee would bring pages and pages of
notes. She was not only a great read-
er but a great communicator. She
needed the other side of the conver-
sation.

Poet Joy Friedler of Farmington
Hills, a member of the second gener-
ation, said the women who founded
"Conversations" are her heroes.
"They opened the door for the rest
of us. Their history is my history,"
she said. "Any time I spend with
them is gratifying." ❑

in(

5 / 12
2005

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