The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2014 - Page 12
The Maurcie and Evelyn Schaller Collection
Maintained by the Foundation of Shalom Park for the Enjoyment of All
By Kelly Keeling
Many people have heard
of Levolor® Lorentzen
window blinds, but how
many Charlotteans know
that the glass eolleetion
given by its former CEO,
Mauriee Sehaller, is eared
for by the Foundation of
Shalom Park (FSP)?
Mauriee Sehaller (1917-
2008) started his eareer in
1937 in New York City. In
order to avoid being re
fused a job beeause he was
Jewish, Mr. Sehaller neg-
leeted to indieate his reli
gion on the job applieation
At the dedication of the collection in October 2010,left
to right: Anita Rounds, Nick Rounds, Eve Rounds,
Jacob Bradley, Jason Hart, William Hart, Adriana
Hart, Bonnie Hart; Ethan Bradly is in front. Photo
courtesy ofThe Charlotte Jewish News.
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(asking about religious affil
iation was eommon praetiee
in the 1930s). He found em
ployment at H.K. Lorentzen,
Ine., as an offiee boy/janitor.
Thirty-one years later, Mr.
Sehaller was Mr. Lorentzen’s
“seeond hand man,” aeeord-
ing to the New York Times
(NYT, May 15, 1988), and
president of the eompany.
Throughout his eareer, Mr.
Sehaller never diseussed
being Jewish, though he
often heard many derogatory
and anti-Semitie remarks at
board meetings.
Mr. Sehaller attended
Brooklyn College and
Fordham University,
and was admitted to the NY
State Bar. He married Eve
lyn Feit, and they raised two
daughters, Anita and Bon
nie, in Flushing, NY and
Clifton, NJ.
“When times beeame
easier and my father was
well up the eorporate ladder
and eould have safely said
he ... was Jewish, he felt
that the slurs made in front
of him in the past would
make eontinued eontaet
with those business people
embarrassing,” Anita
“Neef ’ Rounds shared at the eol-
leetion’s dedieation in Oetober
2010. “So in spite of the hurt he
felt by not admitting he was Jew
ish, he kept silent. This eaused
him a great deal of guilt beeause
he did feel a strong eonneetion to
his heritage. As soon as he was fi-
naneially able, he started making
major donations to the elosest
Jewish Federation.”
“The only time Dad eame to
Temple was when we were doing
something, to show us support.
Most people assumed that only his
wife was Jewish,” says Bonnie
Hart, refleeting on her ehildhood.
After retirement, the Sehallers
lived in Pompano Beaeh, FL,
where Mauriee’s beloved Evelyn
died in 1986. Mr. Sehaller relo-
eated to Lake Wylie, SC in 2006
to be eloser to his daughters. Sue
Littauer of the Jewish Federation
of Greater Charlotte (JFGC) de
veloped a warm, friendly ex-
ehange of phone ealls and emails
with Mr. Sehaller, and he made
many generous donations to fur
ther the work of Jewish ageneies
in Charlotte and abroad.
The popular Frog Prince (Centennial Heritage) with
Steuben s Mystic Castle and the Heritage Unicorn.
Photo courtesy ofThe Charlotte Jewish News.
Insurance for Home, Auto, Business and Life.
Upon his passing, Sehallers’
daughters offered the glass eollee
tion to the Jewish eommunity.
Buteh Rosen, former Exeeutive
Direetor of FSP, reealls Sue Wor
rell of the Federation, ealling him
about a possible donation. Buteh
and Foundation Board Member,
Bill Goreliek, visited the eollee
tion and were astounded by what
they found. They deeided they had
to make this work. Rosen says,
“The Sehaller Colleetion demon
strates how ageneies ean work to
gether for the good of the whole
Jewish eommunity.”
The Sehaller eolleetion eonsists
of over 40 pieees, mostly Steuben
glass, filled with whimsy and
wonder at the natural world. The
Foundation eommissioned Gaines
Brown to design a display ease,
whieh eehoes the arehiteeture of
the hall. Rosen and Goreliek
plaeed the entire eolleetion on ta
bles in the Oasis Senior Center to
eurate the exhibit. About 60% of
the eolleetion is on display at any
one time.
In the eolleetion, one finds
Afriean zebras galloping aeross
the savannah and a unieorn deli-
eately treading thru an enehanted
wood. It is hard to ehoose a fa
vorite, as eaeh pieee is uniquely
wonderful. The eolleetion eon-
tains many limited editions
and the glass-in-glass de
signs are exquisite (e.g.,
Artie Fisherman depiets an
Eskimo fishing down an iee
hole and Balloon Rally
shows hot air balloons tak
ing off in a sky of glass).
Karen Maniloff, Assoei-
ate Direetor of the Levine
JCC, says, “I love to wateh
the 2, 3, and 4-year olds
from the Charlotte Jewish
Presehool enjoy the Sehaller
eolleetion on their way to
Shabbat on Fridays.” The
ehildren delight in the ani
mals, and they just may find
Frog Prinee (plaeed just at
the
their eye level) to be their favorite
of all.
For us, however, Mauriee
Sehaller is our prinee, whose love
of his Jewish heritage brought this
lasting gift to our eommunity.
The Foundation of Shalom
Park is the steward of the faeilities
and grounds at Shalom Park. For
questions about how you ean give
a legaey gift to eare for Shalom
Park, please eontaet Kevin
Levine, Exeeutive Direetor, FSP
at hklevine@shalompark.org or
eall 704-944-6840.^
Amy Kmkovitz contributed to
this story.
1
I, i(i/
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BBYO
(Continued from page 8)
man shared her story of hope with
us. We sent a great group of Mem
bers in Training (MITs) to our
MIT/AIT Convention and they
eame baek inspired to be even
more involved in our ehapter. We
want to eongratulate Jessie Saehs
on her marriage to her fianee, Joni
Cohen, on Oetober 26.
- Chai Chaverim BBG had a
great turn out for MIT/AIT Con
vention. Our new members eame
baek passionate about BBYO.
Anna Wilson planned an amazing
program regarding Israel and our
Jewish identity. She ineluded
themes of how to eombat anti-
Semitism and diseussed different
eurrent events that we faee as
young Jewish leaders.
- Miekey Barak Aberman AZA
has had a great fall season. We
sent many new members to new
member eonvention and they all
eame baek with a great knowledge
of what AZA is all about. We had
a very sueeessful business meet
ing on Oetober 7, where we were
able to plan our programs for the
next few months. We had an awe
some Football and Wing Day on
Oetober 19 while we watehed the
Carolina Panthers play. We are
still looking for an advisor. If you
are looking for a way to give baek
to AZA please eontaet our City
Direetor, Erin Goldstein at
eringoldstein82@gmail.eom
- Hank Greenberg AZA is eon-
tinuing to have a great month. Just
like the other ehapters, we had a
group of guys go to MIT/AIT and
eame baek ready to dig deep into
BBYO. We had a great survivor
program planned by our S’gan,
Grey Silverman, in Oetober. We
are gearing up for Global Shabbat,
Sweetheart Beau, Regional Con
vention, and International Con
vention in Atlanta.
If you have questions or want
to beeome involved in Charlotte
BBYO, please eontaet Erin Gold
stein, Charlotte City Direetor, at
eringoldstein82@gmail.eom or
980-253-4863. 4^