{"id":1016889,"date":"2026-08-22T11:04:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T11:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1016889\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T11:04:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T11:04:15","slug":"letters-julius-rosenwalds-wisdom-about-people-with-wealth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1016889\/","title":{"rendered":"Letters: Julius Rosenwald’s wisdom about people with wealth"},"content":{"rendered":"

My thanks to the Tribune and Harold Pollack for his op-ed about Julius Rosenwald (\u201cModern-day billionaires don\u2019t compare to Julius Rosenwald,\u201d<\/a> Aug. 14). In addition to the many listed gifts he bestowed on the world, Rosenwald also left behind a plethora of very useful quotations.<\/p>\n

One of my favorites, which I often use in discussions (or arguments) about the best candidates for elective office, is the following: \u201cDo not be fooled into believing that because a man is rich he is necessarily smart. There is ample proof to the contrary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Frank D\u2019Alessandro, Chicago<\/p>\n

Rabbi influenced Rosenwald<\/p>\n

I enjoyed the Harold Pollack op-ed on Julius Rosenwald and the effect of his philanthropy on the history of America. But Pollack doesn\u2019t note where Rosenwald\u2019s motivation came from: his Jewish faith and his rabbi, Dr. Emil G. Hirsch, at the Classical Reform synagogue Chicago Sinai Congregation.<\/p>\n

Hirsch advised Rosenwald to use part of his fortune to help build high-quality public schools in the South for Black students and to build a bridge to success for many Black students. This was just the start of Hirsch\u2019s influence on Chicago and in fact America. His weekly sermons were about social change as the duty of every Jew based on the Torah and Rabbi Hillel\u2019s teachings to treat others as you would treat yourself.<\/p>\n

Hirsch was one of the founders of the NAACP and one of the early supporters and board members of the Chicago Public Library. To stand before Hirsch\u2019s Ark door and his lectern at Chicago Sinai Congregation was to feel the power of faith in creating societal good.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Frank Vozak, Oak Park<\/p>\n

Swimming in Lake Michigan<\/p>\n

I enjoyed Michael McColly\u2019s essay on lake swimming (\u201cLake swimming restores me. But a divide exists in Chicago,\u201d<\/a> Aug. 18). I, too, learned how to swim at a young age in Lake Michigan.<\/p>\n

On warm summer days at South Shore Country Club, Mom clad all six of her kids in red swimsuits so she could easily identify us. We never wore floaties or life vests, and we never took swim lessons.<\/p>\n

Under the watchful eyes of lifeguards and parents, we adapted to the cold Lake Michigan water. I remember swim races, underwater handstands and big waves that toppled us over.\u00a0Even the dreadful summer, when thousands of dead alewives washed ashore, couldn\u2019t stop the O\u2019Rourke kids from frolicking in Lake Michigan.<\/p>\n

Because of those childhood days, I\u2019ve become a lifelong lap swimmer. I love to start my day in the cold bracing water of my local YMCA.<\/p>\n

Michael\u2019s right. Swimming is more than exercise. It\u2019s a release, a cleansing, a recovery of mind and body.<\/p>\n

I wish all kids in Chicago could experience the joy of swimming in Lake Michigan and adapt a lifelong love of swimming.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Mary Ann O\u2019Rourke, Barrington<\/p>\n

The MVP race is exciting<\/p>\n

I followed the 2024 MVP race between the New York Yankees\u2019 Aaron Judge and the Kansas City Royals\u2019 Bobby Witt Jr. and last year\u2019s race between Judge and the Seattle Mariners\u2019 Cal Raleigh, I\u2019m glad to see the Cubs\u2019 Pete Crow-Armstrong going toe to toe with the Los Angeles Dodgers\u2019 Shohei Ohtani.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s more exciting than theme games such as the recent Field of Dreams contest or the past Speedway game, though those are intriguing, too. Just having this MVP conversation lends a very big hand for baseball.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Adam Silbert, New York<\/p>\n

New job for Poe, Sullivan<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want to create extra work for sportswriters Julia Poe and Paul Sullivan, two staffers who are excellent at their work and always lead with their humanity, but that quality is what qualifies them for more. Like, say, appointing them to the Tribune Editorial Board, which is in need of that very quality.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jeff Epton, Chicago<\/p>\n

Sold-out shows at Goodman<\/p>\n

On the afternoon of Aug. 13, I attended the matinee performance of \u201cIceboy\u201d in the Albert Theatre of the Goodman Theatre with Nick Offerman and his wife, Megan Mullally, in the roles of Eugene O\u2019Neill and Vera Vimm, respectively. It\u2019s no surprise the remaining performances of the show were sold out. The Albert Theatre is the larger of the two theaters at the Goodman.\u00a0What a way to conclude the Goodman\u2019s centennial season.<\/p>\n

Every season, the Albert Theatre has around five shows, not including the annual production of \u201cA Christmas Carol.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are 856 seats in the Albert Theatre. Maybe it is a good thing it doesn\u2019t always have celebrities in shows. Everyone would be crammed in the lobby.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Stephen Verhaeren, Palos Park<\/p>\n

Entertained by \u2018Bliss\u2019 comic<\/p>\n

I have never subscribed to a newspaper until about a year ago when I discovered the Chicago Tribune carries the \u201cBliss\u201d cartoon most days. I promptly subscribed to the online edition and have been exceptionally pleased with myself for doing so.<\/p>\n

Bliss and his dog Penny never disappoint; neither do his other dogs and squirrels. His humor on human nature is usually spot-on. I am not a fan of his grim reaper, but who cares? I know Penny will return!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Deborah Bayly, Chicago<\/p>\n

Note to readers<\/p>\n

Construction on Chicago streets and bridges this summer has created headaches for many drivers. We\u2019d like to hear from you about your frustrations with the delays and the city\u2019s management of the closures and detours. Send a letter of no more than 400 words by Wednesday, Sept. 2 to letters@chicagotribune.com. Be sure to include your full name and city\/town.<\/p>\n

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here<\/a> or email letters@chicagotribune.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"My thanks to the Tribune and Harold Pollack for his op-ed about Julius Rosenwald (\u201cModern-day billionaires don\u2019t compare…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1016890,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5124],"tags":[960,406935,406936,338999,5386,1818,43621,406937,1277],"class_list":["post-1016889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago","tag-chicago","tag-emil-g-hirsch","tag-goodman-theatre","tag-iceboy","tag-il","tag-illinois","tag-julius-rosenwald","tag-lake-michigan-swimming","tag-pete-crow-armstrong"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1016889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1016889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1016889\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1016890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1016889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1016889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1016889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}