Florence Lewis (activist)

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For the American mathematician and astronomer, see Florence Lewis.

Florence Lewis
Portrait of a smiling short-haired woman in a dark square-necked dress wearing a pearl choker.
Lewis, 1965
Born
Florence B. Axelrod

(1905-11-05)November 5, 1905
Chicago, Illinois, US
DiedNovember 26, 1990(1990-11-26) (aged 85)
North Lauderdale, Florida, US
Other namesFlorence Axelrod Lewis
Occupationactivist, civic worker, and interior decorator
Children1

Florence Lewis (November 5, 1905 – November 26, 1990) was an American activist, civic worker, and interior decorator. She was active in the women's poll tax repeal movement and encouraged school integration through her membership in the National Council of Jewish Women. She served as president of the Miami chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women and was also on the board of the national organization. She was honored with their inaugural Hannah G. Solomon Award for public service in 1967.

Early life and education[]

Florence B. Axelrod was born on November 5, 1905 in Chicago, Illinois to Esther (née Leitchinger) and David Axelrod.[1][2] Her parents were immigrants from Ukraine, at the time part of the Russian Empire.[3] Her father was from Kremenchuk and her mother was from Kyiv.[4] They moved to the United States in 1904, settling in Chicago, where her father operated a tailor's shop.[3] She was the oldest child and had three younger sisters, Jeanette, Myrtle, and Harriet, all of whom spoke Yiddish.[3][5][6]

After graduating from Carl Schurz High School in 1922, Axelrod entered Northwestern University and graduated with a degree in secondary education.[7][8][9] In the early 1930s, she married Sidney L. Lewis with whom she would have a son James.[6][10] They moved to Miami, Florida where Sid owned and operated a furniture business.[11][10]

Activism[]

Lewis became an active clubwoman in the 1940s, joining the Miami chapter of Alpha Epsilon Phi, and serving as a Dean of the organization in 1952;[12][13] the Women's Division of the American Jewish Congress, for which she was elected vice president in 1947;[14] and the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW).[15] She became president of the Miami chapter of the NCJW in 1960 and served two years before being elected in 1963 to the national board.[9] From the end of the war until the early 1950s, she worked as chair of the NCJW's Good Neighbor Committee, trying to assist newly arriving Jewish settlers in refugee camps.[9][16] As a linguist, she was able to assist them in learning English and acclimatizing to life in the United States.[9][16][17]

In the 1950s, Lewis worked on women's rights and civil rights issues, including testifying to the US Congress on poll tax repeal and integration of schools in the United States.[9][15] She was involved in planning and organizing the opening of the first Dade County senior citizen's center, the Malcom Ross Senior Day Center, in Miami in 1960, and also served as the first secretary of the Coral Gables Jewish Center.[18][19] In 1963, she was one of 250 clubwomen invited by President John F. Kennedy to the White House for a discussion on how women's organizations could help solve civil rights issues in the country; her opinion was that women volunteers could assist schools in bringing educational levels to a more equal status.[9]

Lewis served on the regional board for the Anti-Defamation League and the United Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.[20] In 1965, she directed the program Women in Community Service, Inc., which recruited girls for participation in the federal Job Corps program and offered them other opportunities to overcome poverty.[20][21] She was also involved in the anti-poverty Wider Horizons Program. In 1967, the Miami chapter of the NCJW awarded her their inaugural Hannah G. Solomon Award for public service, particularly regarding her work with young women.[20][22][23] In addition to her clubwork, Lewis worked as an interior decorator and helped her husband in the furniture store until it closed in 1980.[10][21]

Death and legacy[]

Sidney died in January 1990 and Lewis died 10 months later on November 26, 1990.[10][24] At the time of her death, she was living in North Lauderdale, Florida with her son.[19] She was buried at Mt. Nebo Kendall Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Miami.[24]

References[]

Citations[]

  1. ^ Birth Records 1905.
  2. ^ The Chicago Tribune 1965, p. 54.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c U.S. Census 1910, p. 23B.
  4. ^ Birth Records 1911.
  5. ^ U.S. Census 1920, p. 14B.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b U.S. Census 1930, p. 5A.
  7. ^ Schurzone 1922, p. 4.
  8. ^ Countryman & Duncan 1925, p. 356.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Naunton 1963, p. 44.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c d The Miami Herald 1990a, p. 47.
  11. ^ & The Miami Herald 1954, p. 37.
  12. ^ The Miami Herald 1946, p. 55.
  13. ^ Gee 1952a, p. 8.
  14. ^ The Miami Herald 1947, p. 10.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b Daffron 1954, p. 3.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b Gee 1952b, p. 22.
  17. ^ The Miami Herald 1953, p. 39.
  18. ^ Dixon 1960, p. 33.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b The South Florida Sun-Sentinel 1990, p. 18.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b c The Miami Herald 1967, p. D1.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b Gee 1965, p. 14.
  22. ^ The Columns 1967, p. 6.
  23. ^ NCJW Miami 2019.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b The Miami Herald 1990b, p. 111.

Bibliography[]

  • Countryman, Ralph L.; Duncan, Andrew (1925). "ΑΕΦ: Omicron Chapter". The Syllabus. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University. XL: 356–357. – via Ancestry.com (subscription required)
  • Daffron, John F. (February 5, 1954). "Joint Hearing Held on Poll Tax Repeal (pt. 1)". The Daily News-Record. Harrisonburg, Virginia. Associated Press. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved November 10, 2020 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  • Dixon, Eleanor (December 5, 1960). "A Place to Gild the Golden Years". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. p. 33. Retrieved November 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Gee, Connie (June 1, 1965). "'Spare' Time Left for Profession". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. p. 14. Retrieved November 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Gee, Connie (May 9, 1952a). "May Breakfasts Are Legion as Groups Install Officers". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. p. 8. Retrieved November 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Gee, Connie (August 7, 1952b). "Jewish Women Tell Plan for 'An Evening of Fun'". The Miami News. Miami, Florida. p. 22. Retrieved November 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Naunton, Ena (July 5, 1963). "Kennedy Invites Miamian: Clubwomen Gather for 'Rights' Talk". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. p. 44. Retrieved November 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "1910 U.S. Census: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois (Akselrod)". Ancestry.com. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. April 29, 1910. p. 23B. NARA microfilm publication T624, Roll #257, lines 68–71. Retrieved November 22, 2020.(subscription required)
  • "1920 U.S. Census: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois". FamilySearch. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. January 14, 1920. p. 14B. NARA microfilm publication T625, Roll #338, lines 66–71. Retrieved November 22, 2020.(subscription required)
  • "1930 U.S. Census: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois". FamilySearch. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. April 3, 1930. p. 5A. NARA microfilm publication T626, Roll #493, lines 8–12. Retrieved November 22, 2020.(subscription required)
  • "Axelrod". The Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. April 12, 1965. p. 54. Retrieved November 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Chicago Birth Index: Baby Axelroot". FamilySearch. Cook County Courthouse, Chicago, Illinois: Cook County Clerk. November 5, 1905. FHL microfilm 1288097, image 298, certificate #397. Retrieved November 22, 2020.(subscription required)
  • "Chicago Birth Index: Myrtle Axelrod". FamilySearch. Cook County Courthouse, Chicago, Illinois: Cook County Clerk. January 12, 1911. FHL microfilm 1288207, image 410, certificate #90. Retrieved November 22, 2020.(subscription required)
  • "English Students to Be Feted". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. February 19, 1953. p. 39. Retrieved November 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Hannah G. Solomon Award". NCJW Miami. Miami, Florida: National Council of Jewish Women. 2019. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  • "Honeymoon in New York". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. March 26, 1954. p. 37. Retrieved November 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Honored by NCJW". The Columns. Menasha, Wisconsin: Alpha Epsilon Phi. 51 (4): 6. 1967. OCLC 243887201.
  • "Invite Guests to Luncheon". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. June 9, 1946. p. 55. Retrieved November 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Lewis, Florence A." The South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. November 27, 1990. p. 18. Retrieved November 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Lewis, Florence Axelrod". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. November 28, 1990. p. 111. Retrieved November 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Lewis, Sidney". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. January 22, 1990. p. 47. Retrieved November 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Miami AJC to Install Wednesday". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. May 26, 1947. p. 10. Retrieved November 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Mrs. Lewis Wins Solomon Award". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. January 12, 1967. p. D1. Retrieved November 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Senior Class: 19 June 1922". Schurzone. Chicago, Illinois: Carl Schurz High School. X (8): 4. June 1922. – via Ancestry.com (subscription required)
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