Monthly Archives: February 2016

Me and Sylvia and Nicole Hollander

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civil1-1I had the honor and pleasure of hanging out with a childhood idol this week–or the woman behind the idol, anyway.

Feminist, Sylvia cartoonist and Chicago escape artist (in that order) Nicole Hollander is in Savannah, and I wrote a column about our Bad Girl Chat.

A few Jewish gems didn’t make it through the editorial Cuisinart, like how I invited her to Shabbos dinner (she and her friend Janice are coming this week) and this bombshell:

“You know, I never thought of Sylvia as Jewish.” WHAT.

Read on:

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Schlepping with Sylvia

WHEN I was a teenage anarchist sitting around my suburban bedroom plotting how to subvert the patriarchy without chipping my nail polish, I had a fabulous role model.

Sylvia did exactly what I wanted to  do when I grew up: She spent her days clacking out opinionated missives at her desk and snacking on donuts in the bathtub with a cigarette dangling from her mouth.

She wore lipstick and a feather boa but rarely dealt with her hair. Her cats were smarter than most people, and she was not in the least bit afraid of Rush Limbaugh.

Let’s just say I saw more to emulate in Sylvia than I ever could in Farrah Fawcett.

It hardly mattered that she was a cartoon; Sylvia represented a woman who did and said and ate whatever she wanted, dominant paradigm be damned. As the kids say these days, she gave no fucks.

In spite of such bodacious outrageousness, Sylvia managed to infiltrate the masses. Her socially-conscious comic strip enjoyed a 40 year-run in the funny pages of over 60 daily newspapers across the country, causing subversive chuckles in big cities as well as unlikely places such as my suburban Arizona town and Savannah, GA. (Maybe you remember her trans fashion advice for Gernif the Venusian?)

My mother, a fan of both feminism and feather boas, also kept a pile of Sylvia’s bestselling compilation books in her bathroom, including Everything Here is Mine: An Unhelpful Guide to Cat Behavior and You Can’t Take It With You, So Eat It Now. I spent a lot of time sitting on the bidet and giggling.

Obviously, when another of my favorite sardonic sages, Jane Fishman, slipped the word that Sylvia creator Nicole Hollander was in Savannah, I plotzed. (Think a Jewish version of the Scarlett O’Hara faint.)

Read the rest at connectsavannah.com

In Loving Memory: Marcia Lebos, 1942-2015

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It’s been a hectic few months in Yentaland, and some readers may know that we lost my mother-in-law at Thanksgiving. It was a very long twilight for this sweet, special lady, and while her passing brings relief from her suffering, she will be greatly missed.

I look forward to peaceful meditations visiting with her at Bonaventure Cemetery, where she was laid to rest along the banks of the Bull River.

Here is the obituary from Gamble Funeral Home:

MARCIA SHARON SMITH LEBOS

In Loving Memory of Marcia Sharon Lebos — Marcia Lebos was a wife, mother, artist and teacher who loved life and all its gifts. She died Thursday, November 26, 2015.

lebos - marcia (150 x 204)Marcia was born June 13, 1942 in Newport News, VA to Mr. Herman and Ruth Smith. She was the valedictorian of her class at Newport News High School, where she participated in Speech & Debate and edited the school newspaper. She was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa chapter at Duke University, where she met her husband, Dr. Harvey Lebos.

The couple wed on June 14, 1964 and moved from Winston Salem, Miami and Tacoma, WA during Dr. Lebos’ medical training and military service. In 1974, they settled in Savannah, GA with their two sons, David and Mark. Marcia was very involved in the Jewish community, volunteering for numerous projects and leading musical programs for children at the Shalom School at Temple Mickve Israel.

One of Marcia’s proudest accomplishments was developing the docent program at the historic Mickve Israel, the third oldest Jewish congregation in the United States.

She earned her teaching certificate and taught French at several local schools, including Hancock, Myers Middle School and Windsor Forest High. Passionate about the language and the people, Marcia chaperoned several student trips to France and led the Windsor Forest French Club—many still remember her lively Bastille Day reenactments.

Marcia traveled the world with her husband, enjoying art museums and restaurants. She worked locally as a guide for Tauck Tours, sharing her knowledge of Savannah and its history. She was a member of the inaugural class of the Savannah College of Art & Design in the Interior Design program. She loved Virginia Beach and Tybee Island and spent many glorious afternoons walking on the beach and bobbing in the ocean waves.

She is survived by her husband, Dr. Harvey Lebos; her sons, David and Mark; her daughter-in-law, Jessica; her two grandchildren, Abraham and Liberty; her sister, Bobbie Horwitz and her husband, Ken; her niece and her nephew.

The funeral service will take place at Congregation Mickve Israel at noon, Sunday, November 29. Interment will follow immediately at Bonaventure Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Savannah Jewish Federation – 5111 Abercorn Street, Savannah, Georgia 31405-5214 or to a memorial fund set up in her name at Congregation Mickve Israel – Post Office Box 816, Savannah, Georgia 31402-0816.