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Artist, activist and author turns 90
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BY: Fran Heller Contributing Writer
“Keep busy working and doing things you believe in … and not kvetching.”
That’s Mort Epstein’s formula for staying healthy. Epstein, who turns 90 next week, is living proof of his own advice.
The nonagenarian continues to create art, stays politically active, exercises on a treadmill, and has just written a book titled 69/90. It is a visual memoir of Epstein’s 69 years working as a designer in Cleveland.
The book is part of a birthday party, book signing, and family art show being held at the ACLU of Ohio’s Max Wohl Civil Liberties Center on May 19. All proceeds from book and art sales will benefit the ACLU of Ohio Foundation.
It’s a fitting place to celebrate someone who has spent a lifetime working on behalf of civil rights and racial equality. In the 1960s, the tall, distinguished-looking Epstein championed fair housing; in the 1970s, he marched in Washington, D.C., and in Cleveland in protest against the Vietnam War; and in the 1980s, he fought against anti-Semitism to help lower the barriers for Russian Jews to emigrate.
Epstein admits that creating his book was somewhat of an ego trip. “I guess I felt I’ve contributed a lot to this community over the years in design and other ways … it’s sort of a record that might get lost after I’m gone,” he says.
Epstein has founded two design firms and was one of the early founders of the Cleveland Civil Liberties Union. He and his late wife Marion helped found Beth Israel-The West Temple, where he continues to belong.
A life in art
The moniker “Renaissance man” suits Epstein, whose design acumen embraces architecture, sculpture, film, photography, industrial design and graphic design.
Most of Epstein’s work was for nonprofits. Major clients, to name but a few, were Oberlin College, the former Mt. Sinai Hospital, University Circle, and the Jewish Community Federation. Graphic designs for these organizations and others are featured in his new book.
Other Jewish institutions Epstein has designed for include Hillel at Case Western Reserve University, for which he won a competition, and an outdoor Chanukah menorah for Federation. Epstein recalls his mortification when a snowstorm and high winds blew the flames horizontally the first time the menorah was taken outside.
One of Epstein’s favorite projects from his distinguished career is the Chanukah menorah and mezuzah he originally designed for Cleveland’s Mt. Sinai Hospital.
Another favorite is the redesign of the bimah at Beth Israel-The West Temple. The contemporary design of the Torah-reading stand symbolizes the raising of the Torah scrolls. It’s organic yet functional, an important precept in his design concept.
One of his greatest challenges was a design for a stained-glass ceiling at Temple Beth Shalom in Kansas City. The design was made up of stylized Hebrew letters (Epstein also does calligraphy) that spelled the Shema (“Hear O Israel”) prayer.
In addition to his years as a designer, Epstein taught for more than 20 years at The Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland College (a forerunner of Western Reserve University), and in Akron.
“I love teaching,” he says. But when asked why he isn’t teaching now, he acknowledges, “I can’t relate to this generation.”
Epstein is visibly proud of his body of work and says there has only been one disappointment n a design for a Holocaust museum in Cleveland that never took root.
The Epstein family art show at the ACLU spans three generations: from Mort’s latest passion, photo-mosaics and woodturning (akin to throwing pots), to late wife Marion’s prints, daughter Gene’s kinetic books, and son Jesse’s video. Jesse also wrote the affectionate foreword and afterword in Mort’s book.
Epstein’s three grandchildren are also artistic. The show includes Robin’s wall hangings, Isaac’s photographs of China, and Brenna’s original film about her relationship with Marion during her childhood and later when Marion became ill. Diagnosed with a rare brain disorder in the late 1990s, Marion died in 2002. The Epsteins were married 60 years.
What was the secret of their long marriage? “We did a lot of talking,” says Mort.
Civically minded
The precocious son of immigrant Orthodox parents, Epstein was raised in Staten Island, New York, where he graduated high school at age 16. His father wanted him to become a lawyer, but Epstein had other plans. He dropped out of St. John’s University and enrolled in night school at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art to follow his lifelong interest in drawing. There he met Marion Miller, a fine-arts student from Brooklyn and his future wife.
When the Epsteins decided to leave New York (they didn’t want to raise children in the city), Mort started to look for jobs in the classifieds.
A firm on Cleveland’s West Side hired him. Housing was scarce after WW II, and finding a place on the West Side for a Jew proved very difficult. Each time Epstein responded to an ad, they would ask his name. “Are you Jewish?” invariably followed. When Epstein said “yes,” what he heard next was, “We don’t rent to Jews.”
Undaunted, Epstein, who had served in the Army and was very handy, placed his own ad which read “Veteran will remodel.” The couple found their first apartment near West Blvd. and Lorain Ave.
Their West Side life didn’t stop there. Later, they built their first house in Parma Heights.
The Epsteins were one of only five Jewish families in Parma Heights, where they remained for 21 years. Their two children had to tough it out in the public schools, an experience Epstein says was very good for them, forcing them to stand up for racial and religious equality.
It was also in Parma Heights that Epstein’s lifelong involvement with the fair housing movement began. It started when a Korean family wanted to build a house in Bay Village, which sent the locals into an uproar. With the help of Rabbi Dan Litt, spiritual leader of Beth Israel-The West Temple at the time, a social-action committee was formed that helped establish the Fair Housing Organization.
“So many African-Americans worked in the auto plants in Parma and at NASA and couldn’t find housing,” Epstein recalls. “We helped move a few brave families in.”
As Epstein expresses in his book, “Being exposed to anti-Semitism has made me even more aware of the greater difficulty African-Americans face.”
Of his many civic accomplishments, Epstein remains most proud of the fair-housing movement, which he personally saw grow and become law, and of the movement against Soviet anti-Semitism.
Epstein was director and editor of a film on Soviet anti-Semitism, funded by the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland. The film’s commentary was by Rabbi Abraham J. Heschel, whom Epstein remembers meeting with a mixture of fondness and awe. Heschel’s photograph is included in Epstein’s book.
Today, the only thing slightly slower about the razor-sharp Epstein is his gait. He can rattle off names, places and events faster than most. He also remains politically involved, working recently on U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown’s campaign.
Forty years ago, Epstein stood in opposition of the Vietnam War. Now he works for “Veterans for Peace” against the Iraq war. How does he stay optimistic in the face of such turmoil?
“You have to live with yourself,” he responds. “What did Gandhi say? ‘One step at a time.’”
Opening reception and book signing, Sat., May 19, 5-9 at ACLU of Ohio, Max Wohl Civil Liberties Center, 4506 Chester Ave. RSVP to 216-472-2220 or contact@acluohio.orgExhibition open to the public May 20-25, noon-4.
That’s Mort Epstein’s formula for staying healthy. Epstein, who turns 90 next week, is living proof of his own advice.
The nonagenarian continues to create art, stays politically active, exercises on a treadmill, and has just written a book titled 69/90. It is a visual memoir of Epstein’s 69 years working as a designer in Cleveland.
The book is part of a birthday party, book signing, and family art show being held at the ACLU of Ohio’s Max Wohl Civil Liberties Center on May 19. All proceeds from book and art sales will benefit the ACLU of Ohio Foundation.
It’s a fitting place to celebrate someone who has spent a lifetime working on behalf of civil rights and racial equality. In the 1960s, the tall, distinguished-looking Epstein championed fair housing; in the 1970s, he marched in Washington, D.C., and in Cleveland in protest against the Vietnam War; and in the 1980s, he fought against anti-Semitism to help lower the barriers for Russian Jews to emigrate.
Epstein admits that creating his book was somewhat of an ego trip. “I guess I felt I’ve contributed a lot to this community over the years in design and other ways … it’s sort of a record that might get lost after I’m gone,” he says.
Epstein has founded two design firms and was one of the early founders of the Cleveland Civil Liberties Union. He and his late wife Marion helped found Beth Israel-The West Temple, where he continues to belong.
A life in art
The moniker “Renaissance man” suits Epstein, whose design acumen embraces architecture, sculpture, film, photography, industrial design and graphic design.
Most of Epstein’s work was for nonprofits. Major clients, to name but a few, were Oberlin College, the former Mt. Sinai Hospital, University Circle, and the Jewish Community Federation. Graphic designs for these organizations and others are featured in his new book.
Other Jewish institutions Epstein has designed for include Hillel at Case Western Reserve University, for which he won a competition, and an outdoor Chanukah menorah for Federation. Epstein recalls his mortification when a snowstorm and high winds blew the flames horizontally the first time the menorah was taken outside.
One of Epstein’s favorite projects from his distinguished career is the Chanukah menorah and mezuzah he originally designed for Cleveland’s Mt. Sinai Hospital.
Another favorite is the redesign of the bimah at Beth Israel-The West Temple. The contemporary design of the Torah-reading stand symbolizes the raising of the Torah scrolls. It’s organic yet functional, an important precept in his design concept.
One of his greatest challenges was a design for a stained-glass ceiling at Temple Beth Shalom in Kansas City. The design was made up of stylized Hebrew letters (Epstein also does calligraphy) that spelled the Shema (“Hear O Israel”) prayer.
In addition to his years as a designer, Epstein taught for more than 20 years at The Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland College (a forerunner of Western Reserve University), and in Akron.
“I love teaching,” he says. But when asked why he isn’t teaching now, he acknowledges, “I can’t relate to this generation.”
Epstein is visibly proud of his body of work and says there has only been one disappointment n a design for a Holocaust museum in Cleveland that never took root.
The Epstein family art show at the ACLU spans three generations: from Mort’s latest passion, photo-mosaics and woodturning (akin to throwing pots), to late wife Marion’s prints, daughter Gene’s kinetic books, and son Jesse’s video. Jesse also wrote the affectionate foreword and afterword in Mort’s book.
Epstein’s three grandchildren are also artistic. The show includes Robin’s wall hangings, Isaac’s photographs of China, and Brenna’s original film about her relationship with Marion during her childhood and later when Marion became ill. Diagnosed with a rare brain disorder in the late 1990s, Marion died in 2002. The Epsteins were married 60 years.
What was the secret of their long marriage? “We did a lot of talking,” says Mort.
Civically minded
The precocious son of immigrant Orthodox parents, Epstein was raised in Staten Island, New York, where he graduated high school at age 16. His father wanted him to become a lawyer, but Epstein had other plans. He dropped out of St. John’s University and enrolled in night school at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art to follow his lifelong interest in drawing. There he met Marion Miller, a fine-arts student from Brooklyn and his future wife.
When the Epsteins decided to leave New York (they didn’t want to raise children in the city), Mort started to look for jobs in the classifieds.
A firm on Cleveland’s West Side hired him. Housing was scarce after WW II, and finding a place on the West Side for a Jew proved very difficult. Each time Epstein responded to an ad, they would ask his name. “Are you Jewish?” invariably followed. When Epstein said “yes,” what he heard next was, “We don’t rent to Jews.”
Undaunted, Epstein, who had served in the Army and was very handy, placed his own ad which read “Veteran will remodel.” The couple found their first apartment near West Blvd. and Lorain Ave.
Their West Side life didn’t stop there. Later, they built their first house in Parma Heights.
The Epsteins were one of only five Jewish families in Parma Heights, where they remained for 21 years. Their two children had to tough it out in the public schools, an experience Epstein says was very good for them, forcing them to stand up for racial and religious equality.
It was also in Parma Heights that Epstein’s lifelong involvement with the fair housing movement began. It started when a Korean family wanted to build a house in Bay Village, which sent the locals into an uproar. With the help of Rabbi Dan Litt, spiritual leader of Beth Israel-The West Temple at the time, a social-action committee was formed that helped establish the Fair Housing Organization.
“So many African-Americans worked in the auto plants in Parma and at NASA and couldn’t find housing,” Epstein recalls. “We helped move a few brave families in.”
As Epstein expresses in his book, “Being exposed to anti-Semitism has made me even more aware of the greater difficulty African-Americans face.”
Of his many civic accomplishments, Epstein remains most proud of the fair-housing movement, which he personally saw grow and become law, and of the movement against Soviet anti-Semitism.
Epstein was director and editor of a film on Soviet anti-Semitism, funded by the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland. The film’s commentary was by Rabbi Abraham J. Heschel, whom Epstein remembers meeting with a mixture of fondness and awe. Heschel’s photograph is included in Epstein’s book.
Today, the only thing slightly slower about the razor-sharp Epstein is his gait. He can rattle off names, places and events faster than most. He also remains politically involved, working recently on U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown’s campaign.
Forty years ago, Epstein stood in opposition of the Vietnam War. Now he works for “Veterans for Peace” against the Iraq war. How does he stay optimistic in the face of such turmoil?
“You have to live with yourself,” he responds. “What did Gandhi say? ‘One step at a time.’”
Opening reception and book signing, Sat., May 19, 5-9 at ACLU of Ohio, Max Wohl Civil Liberties Center, 4506 Chester Ave. RSVP to 216-472-2220 or contact@acluohio.orgExhibition open to the public May 20-25, noon-4.
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