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Twice-blessed wedding dress began with tale of discovery
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BY: VIOLET SPEVACK, CJN Columnist
On Sept. 15, 1969, Kathy and Fred Spector of Los Angeles were overjoyed to adopt a 5-month-old baby girl from the L.A. Adoption Agency. They named her Johanna.
When Johanna was 20, she searched for and found her birth parents.
Johanna’s initial encounter with her birth mother took place in the parking lot of the Farmer’s Market in Los Angeles. With her heart pounding, she spotted and approached a petite, red-haired, attractive woman carrying a bouquet of pink roses and a box of tissues. They fell into each other’s arms, kissing and embracing each other amid tears of joy.
They drove to a nearby restaurant and talked for hours. They were kindred souls. Johanna’s mother was personable, precious ... and Jewish.
In the 17 years since, Johanna and her birth mother have talked on the phone almost every day.
One week after meeting her mother for the first time, Johanna contacted her father, a tall, handsome African-American and a classically trained musician. Father and daughter saw each other that one time only.
Johanna also cemented a loving relationship with her maternal grandparents, both Holocaust survivors; he, an accomplished tailor and Grandma Renee Firestone, a renowned fashion designer in L.A. who spent her later years as a Holocaust lecturer.
When Johanna became engaged to Clevelander Joel Ratner, she asked her grandmother to make her a wedding gown. Her grandmother said, “Shop for a gown first, and if you don’t find one you like, I’ll make you one.” So Johanna shopped and fell madly in love with a bridal gown by noted designer Bagley Mishka.
An unstructured, off-white embroidered lace gown handstitched with precious seed pearls had a taupe slip underlay. Regal in feeling, it featured a scoop neckline with an empire waist and three-quarter length sleeves.
The only problem: It cost $10,000.
Her grandmother came to the rescue and duplicated it impeccably. Cost of materials - $120. Johanna and Joel were united in marriage in Beverly Hills on July 3, 2000, and she was radiant in her stunning gown.
Once in Cleveland, Johanna knew she had to take one more step for her wholeness of soul and spirit. She contacted Bellefaire Big Brother Big Sister Association and asked for a “Little Sister.” When Johanna met her “Little,” Mahala Glazer, it was clearly a perfect match. They spent happy times together, both of them traditional Jews, with Mahala a student at Fuchs Mizrachi School, where Johanna is the drama teacher.
Time passed. Today, Johanna and Joel’s sons Dov, 4, and Zeke (Ezekiel), 3, attend Fuchs Mizrachi preschool. Johanna’s Little, Mahala, also grew up. She and Shalom Schlagman of Rochester, N.Y., met when they were both counselors at Camp Stone. They were united in marriage on June 18 under a chupah (wedding canopy) at North Chagrin Reservation.
And the lovely bride looked resplendent wearing the exquisite wedding gown belonging to her “Big Sister” Johanna.
When Johanna was 20, she searched for and found her birth parents.
Johanna’s initial encounter with her birth mother took place in the parking lot of the Farmer’s Market in Los Angeles. With her heart pounding, she spotted and approached a petite, red-haired, attractive woman carrying a bouquet of pink roses and a box of tissues. They fell into each other’s arms, kissing and embracing each other amid tears of joy.
They drove to a nearby restaurant and talked for hours. They were kindred souls. Johanna’s mother was personable, precious ... and Jewish.
In the 17 years since, Johanna and her birth mother have talked on the phone almost every day.
One week after meeting her mother for the first time, Johanna contacted her father, a tall, handsome African-American and a classically trained musician. Father and daughter saw each other that one time only.
Johanna also cemented a loving relationship with her maternal grandparents, both Holocaust survivors; he, an accomplished tailor and Grandma Renee Firestone, a renowned fashion designer in L.A. who spent her later years as a Holocaust lecturer.
When Johanna became engaged to Clevelander Joel Ratner, she asked her grandmother to make her a wedding gown. Her grandmother said, “Shop for a gown first, and if you don’t find one you like, I’ll make you one.” So Johanna shopped and fell madly in love with a bridal gown by noted designer Bagley Mishka.
An unstructured, off-white embroidered lace gown handstitched with precious seed pearls had a taupe slip underlay. Regal in feeling, it featured a scoop neckline with an empire waist and three-quarter length sleeves.
The only problem: It cost $10,000.
Her grandmother came to the rescue and duplicated it impeccably. Cost of materials - $120. Johanna and Joel were united in marriage in Beverly Hills on July 3, 2000, and she was radiant in her stunning gown.
Once in Cleveland, Johanna knew she had to take one more step for her wholeness of soul and spirit. She contacted Bellefaire Big Brother Big Sister Association and asked for a “Little Sister.” When Johanna met her “Little,” Mahala Glazer, it was clearly a perfect match. They spent happy times together, both of them traditional Jews, with Mahala a student at Fuchs Mizrachi School, where Johanna is the drama teacher.
Time passed. Today, Johanna and Joel’s sons Dov, 4, and Zeke (Ezekiel), 3, attend Fuchs Mizrachi preschool. Johanna’s Little, Mahala, also grew up. She and Shalom Schlagman of Rochester, N.Y., met when they were both counselors at Camp Stone. They were united in marriage on June 18 under a chupah (wedding canopy) at North Chagrin Reservation.
And the lovely bride looked resplendent wearing the exquisite wedding gown belonging to her “Big Sister” Johanna.
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