Temple's Founding Librarian Moving on to Next Chapter
This article appeared in the Palm Beach Post's Accent section on November 29, 2001. Congratulations, Elsie! And thanks to Alice Warren for alerting the newspaper about Elsie's achievements!
Thurwachter: Temple's founding librarian moving on to next chapter
By Mary Thurwachter, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Thursday, November 29, 2001
A stellar book collection just doesn't happen, says Alice Warren, the new librarian at Temple Israel in West Palm Beach.
"It is carefully and methodically created, just as a painting is carefully and methodically painted," Warren says. "And at Temple Israel's library, the artist is Elsie Leviton."
Leviton, 85, Temple Israel's founding librarian, is retiring this week after 40 years of volunteer service. The temple will honor her on Friday for her dedication in establishing the library and maintaining it for four decades.
Warren says Leviton's knowledge of Judaic materials is outstanding. "And the temple's book collection is remarkable, considered one of the finest in the Southeast."
Leviton said she is "sort of embarrassed" by the all the attention she is getting.
"I didn't do it for this," she said. "I did it because I had a great time . . . I am very happy surrounded by books. In my house, books were very important. Everybody read."
Forty years ago, the rabbi at the temple pointed to a room and suggested Leviton start a Jewish library.
"I told him I didn't know anything about Jewish writers, and he said, `You'll learn,' " she remembered. "And I did."
She had a degree in English literature from Northwestern University but no training as a librarian. Today, Temple Israel 's library has 7,000 volumes, and Leviton purchased most of them and catalogued all of them.
"This is a specialized Judaic library with Jewish history, culture, holidays, and everything Jewish," she said. "It's a complete resource for those interested in the Old Testament and Jewish people. It's a community resource."
Leviton, who enjoys playing tennis a couple mornings each week, said she has long been a community activist.
"I've lived here since the second world war, when my husband was stationed down here," she said. They raised three children, and she became active with the University Women's Club, League of Women Voters, Hadassah and other organizations. She pointed out the need for integrated schools and helped get the county library system started. She was the first woman to serve on Palm Beach County's zoning board and pushed for a sewer system to stop the dumping of raw sewage into the Intracoastal Waterway.
For 20 years, she taught English as a Second Language, a task she dearly loved. She also taught a class in citizenship.
Throughout all her work, the temple library remained a constant.
"I have had a very stimulating and good life, and I've enjoyed being part of the Palm Beach County community," she said. While she will continue to be involved in the community as a volunteer, she plans to spend more time with her husband, Dr. Lawrence R. Leviton, a retired pediatrician.
Pioneers of the new century is a weekly column about people who make a difference. To nominate someone, write Mary Thurwachter at The Palm Beach Post, P.O. Box 24700, West Palm Beach, Fla. 33416; call 820-4576; or e-mail mary_thurwachter@pbpost.com.
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This page created and maintained by Heidi Estrin, heidi@cbiboca.org. Last updated November 29, 2001.
