Tachna, Max ²

   Another name for Max was Meyer Tachna.

  General Notes:

1.) Graduated from Columbia Law School in 1909. In charge of Gimbe l Bros department store 1909-1911. Member School Board 49, Queens, N. Y. 1927-1937. Once director of the American Zionist Commonwealth. Pre sident of the Allied Civic League of The Rockaways 1930-1936. Vice Pr esident for Queens of the Greater N.Y. Consumers' League 1932-1934. Sy nagogue: Shaaray Tefila Congregation, Far Rockaway, N.Y.
2.) Author of numerous columns and letters to the editor in the New Y ork Times. Cited in the 1939 edition of Who's Who in American Jewry.
3.) Secured the release from Ellis Island of Briendle (Tachna) Perlmu tter and her children Rose, Al, and Annie in 1920. Thereby preventin g their deportations back to Poland.
4.) Written by Ruth Candace Tachna about her father Max Tachna [Wed , 7 Mar 2001], "Tac did not found ACLU. He did found American Jewis h Congress along with Rabbi Stephen Wise. I have pictures of a testim onial dinner for Tac that Congress gave when he was president of the M anhattan division. Wise is in that picture. He enjoyed good speaker s and was an ardent fan of Jon Haynes Homes a famous minister and we h ave a pew in his church in NY. As I child I had to listen to speeche s by Harry Emerson Fosdick a VERY rightg wing preaher because Dad appr eciated his abilities as a speaker. He also admired Billy Graham an d I can still hear him praising Graham's use of gesture. It wasn't t he religion that mattered to him.
Dad also was in love with good theatre and I remember him telling me a bout
a director who tied his star actress's hands but at her climax scene s he broke the bonds to raise her arms and he told her that was the wa y to use gesture.
If we ever said "uh" he was on us, 'Think first".
Dad was a very good trial lawyer and a frustrated actor which all goo d trial
lawyers have to be. When we were little and he read stories to us he d idn't
just read he acted them. Also he was very handsome and knew it. He o nce
said, "I only need one or two women on the jury to win my case."
But he also taught me that no case is won or lost in court, it's won o r lost
in your office and nothing takes the place of proper preperation. I r emember
that one of the clients beame furious with my father because of the gr illing
Dad put him through in the office but his comment afterward that ther e wasn't
a single questiion put to him during the trial that he didnt have th e winning answer."
5.) Written by Leslie Ann (nee Bauman) Levy about her grandfather Ma x Tachna [Wed, 7 Mar 2001], "Robert, I'm forwarding this to Mom who c an answer much better than I. However, here is some partial informati on. He loved religion, almost any religion, provided speeches were inv olved. (That's also why he became a member of Alcoholics Anonymous! H e didn't drink, but he liked listening to the people giving speeches a bout their lives.) I have no idea if he wanted exposure to diverse pe ople. Mom thinks he was not involved in founding the ACLU; I thin k I remember his telling me otherwise.
I think Mom can better describe what kind of law he practiced. Howeve r, I recall that he incorporated Longines in this country, as well a s Gimbel's and possibly Saks 5th Avenue? Anyway, I think there wa s a second prominent department store.
I would assume that he must have enjoyed litigation, given his love o f speech-making. I was present at some of his speeches, and he certai nly was a fine speaker. He had the audience in the palm of his hand.
Mom just told me that he founded the Jewish War Veterans Society. I t hink I already told you that he founded American Jewish Congress. Fran kly, he did so much that it's hard to keep track of everything.
Again, Mom will recall more.
Leslie"
Leslie,
I'm curious about some of your grandfather Tac's endeavors. What kin d of law did he
practice?
Do you know why he used to belong to so many different churches and
congregations? Was it to gain exposure to the diversity of people an d to try to
understand them? How was he involved in the ACLU?
It just intriques me. I had to ask.
Robert

  Noted events in his life were:

• Birth in Week. ² Thursday

• Jewish Birth Date. ² 4 Av 5646

Max married Rose Rosenblatt, daughter of Louis J. Rosenblatt and Mary Hachani, on Sep 10, 1912 in New York, New York, United States.² (Rose Rosenblatt was born on Aug 7, 1888 in Petrograd, Russia ² and died in Jun 1974 in Nassau, New York, United States ².)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• Marriage In Week. Tuesday

• Jewish Marriage Date. 28 Elul 5672