Remembering Authorized Lion Ted Mann

Philadelphia law firm Theodore “Ted” Mann, who led a lot of Jewish corporations the two worldwide and domestically for many years and was an early critic of Israel’s West Bank profession, died Dec. 12 from COVID-19, JTA documented. He was 92.

Burt Siegel, a retired director of the Jewish Neighborhood Relations Council of Greater Philadelphia — an firm Mann headed in the 1970s — mentioned his mentor was a modest person who recognized the this means of Jewish ethics.

“He did not feel of himself as an crucial person,” Siegel said. “He assumed of himself as somebody performing vital perform.”

“He was snug with folks and relaxed with suggestions,” claimed Larry Rubin, a different former JCRC chief, who initially met Mann as a Washington, D.C., representative of the American Jewish Congress.

Mann attained unique notoriety in 1987, when the team, with Mann as president, adopted an unparalleled assertion warning that Israel’s failure to divest itself of the West Financial institution and the Gaza Strip would inevitably drive it to decide on concerning getting a Jewish state and a democracy.

Siegel explained Mann, who dropped many family to the Holocaust, imagined it was truly worth giving up land to save Jewish life.
“He really did treatment about each Jew,” Siegel mentioned, including that Mann pushed for other individuals to be included with the Jewish local community. “Nobody needed to say ‘no’ to Ted Mann.”

The Washington Write-up, among the other publications, released obituaries of Mann, who was pretty much much better identified outside of Philadelphia than within just it. The Publish quoted Rabbi David Saperstein, director emeritus of the Religious Motion Middle of Reform Judaism, talking about Mann’s impact: “When others had been difficult the suitable of American Jews holding dovish sights on Israel-Palestinian concerns to talk out publicly in criticism of Israeli coverage,” Saperstein mentioned, “Ted served guide the argument asserting not only the moral suitable but moral obligation of critics to speak out.”

As chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Important American Jewish Corporations, Mann flew with then-Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Start to Egypt to rejoice the signing of a peace treaty with the state, later slipping asleep in the course of a stomach dance present.

Mann also chaired the Israel Coverage Discussion board, launched Task Nishma to assist the Israeli-Palestinian peace method, was a trustee at the New Israel Fund, was included with the Jewish Council for General public Affairs and the Countrywide Conference on Soviet Jewry, and was the founding chairman of Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger in 1985. In 2012, he revealed a memoir entitled “If I Am Only for Myself.”

“He was at the forefront of social justice in the nation usually, and certainly in the Jewish group,” Abby J. Leibman, Mazon’s president and CEO, informed the Submit. “You felt that from the moment you had been in his existence. There was a drive of each enthusiasm and compassion that emanated from him in every thing he stated or expressed.”

Born in Czechoslovakia in 1928, Mann came to the U.S. as a child. He served in the U.S. Army and later acquired a regulation diploma from Temple University. He argued quite a few spiritual independence situations just before the U.S. Supreme Court docket.

Mann was 1 of the founding companions of Mann, Ungar, Spector & Labovitz, which concentrated on complex business litigation, even though he also collaborated on good friend of the court docket briefs with regards to Initially Amendment situations, former partner Marc J. Zucker wrote in an e-mail.

Those situations integrated the early parts of Abington School District v. Schempp, a 1963 circumstance the place the court ruled 8-1 that it was unconstitutional for a university to sponsor Bible readings.
“It was an honor to exercise legislation with Ted, making an attempt cases jointly and formulating technique. He was a amazing litigator, a forceful advocate and a genuine mentor to me,” Zucker wrote. “He had an intuitive comprehending of human character, a eager organization acumen and was a wonderful storyteller — all fantastic assets as a industrial litigator.”

“He was a wonderful law firm,” fellow legislation companion Barry Ungar mentioned, incorporating that in 31 years of their partnership, they hardly ever experienced a major disagreement. “I realized my craft from him.”

Ungar explained Mann shown unwavering integrity. When Mann was requested to provide a two-12 months phrase to lead the Conference of Presidents, he made guaranteed to apparent it first with Ungar, his sole associate then, simply because he was anxious about the prospective profits decline from possessing to break up his time.

Mann also was witness to various historical activities, which he connected in Jewish Exponent articles.

Mann recounted in a 2013 short article how he was current through Dr. Martin Luther King’s legendary “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C., in August 1963, but didn’t hear a term. He was near the stage by the Lincoln Memorial listening to Rabbi Joachim Prinz who spoke suitable right before King. But Mann fainted from the warmth.

“Somehow, the persons that ran the monumental function obtained a stretcher into this phenomenal crowd,” he explained. “I was actually pissed off. King’s speech turned out to be everything. It was a fantastic celebration.”

The pursuing year, upon the demise of Ariel Sharon, Mann specific his 1979 interaction with the previous Israeli prime minister. At the time, Sharon was Israel’s agriculture minister, although Mann chaired the Convention of Presidents of Main Jewish Businesses — and opposed Jewish settlements in the West Lender and Gaza. Sharon wanted him to change his viewpoint.

“He in no way took no for an solution,” Mann said of Sharon. “He flew us all around in his helicopter to the several settlements he preferred us to see

A single of Mann’s daughters, Julie, stated that her father was modest about his accomplishments and allowed his small children to go after their personal passions. Mann was inquisitive in dialogue, and loved to laugh.

“As any person stated in the shiva, he led numerous diverse lives,” Julie Mann explained. “And he truly gave his total self to all of them.

Mann is survived by daughters Julie Mann (Ernie Cohen) of Wyncote and Rachel Mann of Philadelphia, son Marcus Mann of Philadelphia, two grandchildren and three fantastic-grandchildren.

Further reporting by Ben Harris for JTA.

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