Through my years of volunteer and organizational work I have come to believe in “the principle of thirds.”  Whether it be a congregation, a parents support group, a committee, or a board of directors, one third of the group does not participate, one third will get involved on a periodic basis, especially when asked, and one third is committed and enthusiastic to getting things done.  On a percent basis, in whole numbers, each third would be 33% and add up to 99%, slightly less than 100% because not everybody was involved.  Lately I have come to wonder if there is a fourth group, a 1% which could also be called a “special one percent.” We all know these people who are self-less, and tireless in pursuit of the greater good.  They are able to rise above self-interest, they lead by example and raise the level of all.  We admire their devotion and effort and we aspire be like them.  They are mentors and they leave a mark on our lives.  They motivate us to do more and be better when they are present.   They also inspire and motivate even when they are no longer around.  They can also be called pillars or cornerstones, as they carry the weight and shoulder the responsibilities of many.

When you lose a pillar, an organization or group is forced to deal with this new weight no longer carried by these “one percenters.”  Hopefully, others will rush in to carry the load.  Hopefully, your top third will generate new “one percenters,” people ready to serve at the next level.  Our community has be blessed have had many “one percenters” over the years.  Yale and Ida Schulman are “one percenters” and while we are very happy for them to be moving to be closer to family, we are also very sad to be losing them from our lives and our community.  On behalf of the Greater Altoona Jewish Federation, we wish them the best.

Two themes seem to continue to repeat in my life.  Looking a second time always seems to provide new insight and Judaism can be found in unexpected places.  Upon a visit with my parents this holiday season in San Antonio, Texas, these themes were again revealed during a visit to a traveling exhibit of reclaimed art from the Holocaust.  The story of plundering art during World War II by the Nazis has been a recent subject of interest for me through books such as The Forgers Spell and movies at our Altoona Jewish Film Festival such as the Rape of Europa and Making A Killing.  I became aware that there was an exhibit while speaking with Rebecca Cohen at the SAMA Shirley Goldfarb reception.  Rebecca, the daughter of Yale and Ida Schulman, lives in Austin, Texas, recommended I check out an exhibit of reclaimed art from the Holocaust when I was to visit my parents in San Antonio. Fortunately, I was able to make time to visit the McNay Museum of Art.

“The exhibit, Reclaimed, reveals the extraordinary legacy of Jacques Goudstikker, a preeminent art dealer in Amsterdam, whose vast collection of masterpieces fell victim, and was almost lost forever, to the Nazi practice of looting cultural properties.  In 2006, after years of working with a team of art historians and legal experts, Goudstikker’s family successfully reclaimed 200 of his paintings from the Dutch government – one of the largest claims to Nazi-looted art ever resolved.  Featuring nearly 50 of the finest examples of the recovered art, along with original documents and photographs, the exhibition reveals Goudstikker’s influence as a collector, art dealer, tastemaker and impresario; and celebrates the historic restitution of the artworks to the rightful heir.  Ten of the paintings on view have never been exhibited in North America before. Also included are 20 original documents and photographs relating to Goudstikker’s life – most significantly, Goudstikker’s own notebook inventorying the bulk of his gallery’s holdings at the time he fled the Netherlands.”  Click here to read more about the Goudstikker family story.

http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/GoudstikkerRelease

While one would not expect such an exhibit to be in San Antonio, I was also surprised upon arrival at the museum to find that I had already seen the exhibit at the Jewish Museum in New York City in May.  Regardless, a story this compelling was worth a second look.