‘Dolls of Democracy’ put history on a pedestal

Even if you never played with dolls, the new “Dolls of Democracy” exhibit, which showcases 10-inch tall dolls of historical figures, might be your thing. The exhibit’s official opening will be Sunday, May 10, at the Jewish Community Campus.

Thirty-nine dolls will be on display in the glass cases of the Jewish Community Archives in Conference Room C, while another 10 to 12 will be displayed in cases near the entrance to Village Shalom.

The doll project started in the 1950s with the local chapter of B’nai B’rith Women (now known as Jewish Women International), according to Joanie Kort, a past local and international president of JWI.

Pairing with black businessmen from a group called Fellowship House, Jewish women visited inner-city elementary school classrooms to tell students about the famous personages embodied by the dolls.

From the famous black vocalist Marian Anderson to Temple B’nai Jehudah’s crusading Rabbi Samuel Mayerberg, the varied collection of dolls was meant to “show the students that they could overcome any kind of barrier in their life — poverty, race, lack of school or a condition like blindness,” Kort said. “The B’nai B’rith women went into the schools and literally were role-modeling harmony and (making) a breakthrough in black-white relations and also telling these inspiring stories so the children … would have some higher aims and strive for overcoming any kind of challenge they felt in their lives.”

Growth and decline
A woman from Independence, Mo., Mrs. Cecil Weeks, made the dolls by hand between 1951 and 1970. According to David Boutros, associate director of the Western Historical Manuscript Collection, which houses the Jewish Community Archives, the Kansas City program quickly became a regional one and by 1953, it was a national project. Weeks made about 1,000 dolls for programs all over the country.

Boutros did the research for the exhibit and was responsible for tracking down Weeks’ daughter-in-law, Jannene Slaughter, who will attend the opening and speak about her memories of Weeks and the dolls.

“It was one of those hands-on projects, where women felt they were really making a difference in their community,” Kort said.
Kort estimates about 90 communities had Dolls of Democracy projects.

The program here began declining in the 1970s, after Weeks stopped making the dolls, according to Boutros.
Laurel Rogovein, vice president of collections for the Jewish Community Archives, said a lack of volunteers contributed to the program’s demise.

Then, too, Boutros said, “There may have been a sense that the purposes were somewhat accomplished … by the 1970s.”

Making a difference
Kort still does an occasional doll demonstration. As part of her introduction, she demonstrates the Emma Lazarus and Marian Anderson dolls.

“Each doll lady (presenter) was a researcher. She developed her own presentation about one to three characters who were represented by the dolls. Often, two volunteers went together, so as many as six personalities could be explained to the children … to explain how this person overcame his or her personal challenges to make a difference in the world — the ultimate act of tikkun olam,” Kort said.

At a May 28 program at Village Shalom, Kort, Joyce Koch, Evie Lowenthal, RaeAnn Rubins, Sharon Friedman and Beryl Silberg will give doll demonstrations.

For the original program, “doll ladies” made visits monthly — sometimes even weekly — to schools.
“I think the most interesting thing was the tremendous desire of women in the ’50s who wanted to do something besides hold Tupperware parties and play bridge,” Kort said. “They were willing to go into inner-city neighborhoods; they wanted to use their intelligence and their love of kids to make the world a better place.”

Get dolled up at exhibits

“The Dolls of Democracy” official opening will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 10, in Conference Room C of the Jewish Community Campus. The exhibit will remain open for a year, during Campus hours. A simultaneous exhibit will be on display at Village Shalom until June 21. Jewish Women International and the Jewish Community Archives will hold a program at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 28, at the Village Shalom Social Hall featuring several doll ladies. Organizers encourage parents to bring children to this program. There is no charge for the program or the exhibits.

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