Kathryn M. Yochelson (1906-2006) died on February 23 in New York City. She was 99. She devoted her life and energies to collecting and promoting Israeli art. She was passionate about Israeli art and spread her knowledge to all who met her. In 2001, she presented the Yeshiva University with artwork for their art collection and personal papers for their archives. Her gift adds immeasurable opportunity to appreciate Israeli artists for visitors and researchers. The work includes pictures by such notable names as Reuven Rubin, Elias Newman and Jakob Steinhardt. The archival material is unique and valuable in its wide scope, assortment of items, and meticulous care and preservation. It includes clippings, correspondence, research notes, and scrape books to mention just a few categories. The archives are open to researchers.
Kathryn Yochelson will be remembered for her passion and commitment. She was born in New York City, and her family moved to New Haven. In l930, she married the psychiatrist Samuel Yochelson. Her interest in the art of the Jewish people was sparked by art history lectures of Elizabeth Chase at the Yale School of Art. When she moved to Buffalo with her husband, she became an active member at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. She found little written on Jewish art at the time, but she was influenced when she discovered books by Karl Schwartz, Die Juden in der Kunst and by Elias Newman, Art in Palestine. She began to give lectures, traveled to Israel, and began collecting Israeli art. She met many of the artists and the archive contains important correspondence with these artists. She moved to Washington, D.C. with her husband and continued her interest in art. She organized art exhibits and gave lectures. She was very fond of libraries and greatly admired librarians. (She gave a lecture to our Capital Area Chapter of AJL). She often gave art lectures at libraries and warmly embraced the noted Israeli children's author, Uriel Ofek, when he came to Washington, D.C., on a visit. As a longtime member of Washington Hebrew Congregation, she belonged to the Friends of the Library, and I knew her personally. I remember visiting her apartment in Washington, D.C., and seeing the magnificent work of Reuven Rubin, The Flute Player. The painting is etched in my memory. In 1998, Israel Art: Golden Threads was published describing her life as a collector and with illustrations from her collection. She has two children and four grandchildren. Dr. Yochelson died in 1976. She was devoted to her family, painted and enjoyed gardening. She will be remembered for her commitment to Israeli art and her keen eye as a collector. Her gift to Yeshiva University Museum will be a lasting legacy. Ellen Share, Librarian Washington Hebrew Congregation [EMAIL PROTECTED] Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) =========================================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: Hasafran @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html History: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/history.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org
