Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42931449@N07/5771025070/sizes/m/

Esra Modiin's social evening on July 14th was fascinating.

Harriet Spitzer, a beloved member of our group, gave a book review on "Fiorella's Sister, Gemma Laguardia Gluck's Story", second edition of memoires newly edited by Dr. Rochelle Saidel. This fascinating story details Gemma's experiences in the USA, Europe and her horrifying detention at Ravensbruck Concentration Camp and sheds new light on the personality of her famous brother.

One of our new members, Irene Berman of Shoham, who unfortunately didn't make the evening, informed us that she graduated from the High School of Music and Art (ìM&Aî) in Manhattan (the model for Thelma Yellin High School). She tells us that Fiorello founded the school along with four other "special" high schools in the early 1930s, including the "Fame "school, the High School of Performing Arts (ìPAî). However, he had a special fondness for "M&A" and some of her teachers who had been there from the start would tell them that they remembered that the flamboyant Fiorello would appear unannounced at the school, every so often, driving up on a firetruck and wearing a firehat. According to Irene, today "M&A and "PA" are one school, the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of the Arts. She said that being a student there was a superb experience.

We were honored to have as our guests at this evening, Esra’s new chairperson Debby Lieberman and Myron, her husband, and also Audrey Goodman, branch chair.