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January 18, 2002/5 Shevat 5762, Vol. 54, No.18
History has always been Morton's 'thing'
LEN GUTMAN
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 Beryl Morton |
What began as a position as a curator at the Sylvia Plotkin Judaica Museum in 1988 has led to a leading role in the Jewish community chronicling the history of Arizona's Jews as executive director of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society.
Morton, who is stepping down from that role at the end of this month after more than five years, has always been drawn to history.
"I've been a history person all my life," says Morton. "Even as a little child when I was nine or 10 years old in Chicago I would take a streetcar by myself to the historical society after school and just walk around."
Morton grew up in Chicago, and after graduating with a bachelor's degree in psychology from University of California Los Angeles and a master's degree in social work from the University of Chicago, she began a career as a social worker. She moved to Arizona in 1957 with her husband Ira, now a retired advertising executive. After continuing her social work career here, she decided to become a stay-at-home mother when her two children reached their pre-teen years.
It was then she says her civic life really began.
Morton's daughter, Debra Gelbart of Phoenix, is now a writer and public relations professional and mother of Morton's two grandsons, Jonathan and Ben. Her son Joel Morton is an aspiring screenwriter who lives in Aspen, Colo.
In 1988, while Morton was working at the Plotkin Museum, then AJHS Executive Director Pearl Newmark approached her to organize an exhibition on the history of Jews in Arizona.
"When I did that exhibition I realized the collection at the historical society was really in terrible shape and nobody was doing anything with it," says Morton. "So I offered my services to put the collection in order and become the curator/archivist. That was how it started."
Morton took over as executive director of the historical society in 1997 when Newmark moved on.
"We look for anything that signifies that Jewish people lived here, that there has been a Jewish experience in Arizona and that we've made contributions to the economic, political and social growth of Arizona," explains Morton.
These days Morton is working on her biggest project to date - the purchase and renovation of the former Temple Beth Israel in downtown Phoenix. If it indeed comes to fruition it could become the historical society's crowning achievement, she maintains.
The Culver Street Synagogue - "the little shul" - has monumental historical significance to Arizona's Jewish community, says Morton. In the early 20th century, the small Jewish community of Phoenix was without a base. The congregation met in people's homes. So in 1916 the B'nai B'rith began raising money to build a synagogue. Five years later, by scraping together nickels and dimes, they built what began as the Hebrew Center Association but quickly evolved in the 1920s into Temple Beth Israel.
"It was truly like a community center because they had programs and lectures and dances and seders and all kinds of things," says Morton. "There was a sense of community and camaraderie that probably has been lost in this greater Phoenix Jewish community."
The building is located at 122 E. Culver St. and looks out over the Margaret Hance Deck Park.
"Pearl and I have been talking about this for 15 years, but they were never interested in selling," says Morton. "Now they are bursting at the seams and want to go elsewhere. We're in negotiations with them and I'm reasonably sure we'll come together on a price."
The AJHS hopes to turn the Culver Street Synagogue into a Jewish cultural center. When completed, the center will be the headquarters for the historical society, and the sanctuary will be restored and be for used for lectures and programs. The historical society also plans to make the sanctuary available to the community for weddings, b'nai mitzvah services and more.
"My vision of it is that it could be a treasure for the Jewish community, but it is going to be very costly," says Morton.
Morton says she feels fortunate to have made a career out of something she loves as much as history.
"I always thought of history as an avocation - it never crossed my mind that a person could make a living out of it," she says.