Vida Goldgar Papers

Vida Daab Goldgar (1930-2004) was an important contributor to The Southern Israelite for almost forty years. She moved to Atlanta from New York with her husband and four small children in 1959. After moving to Atlanta, she quickly became involved in the Jewish community and joined the staff of The Southern Israelite in 1964. Over the next forty years she filled many positions from columnist to managing editor. On January 1, 1979 she purchased the paper and became editor and publisher. She owned The Southern Israelite until August 1986 when she sold it again. After selling the paper, she continued to serve as a senior editor and columnist until her retirement in 1994. She continued to serve as a regular columnist for the Atlanta Jewish Times, formerly The Southern Israelite until her death in July 2004. Goldgar’s journalistic talent and leadership gained her national recognition. In 1988 she was elected the first woman president of the American Jewish Press Association. Earlier, in 1979 she was elected the first woman president of the Society of Professional Journalists. As well as being a successful journalist, Goldgar always managed to find time to serve her community. She served as trustee of the Marcus Jewish Community Center in Atlanta, as a board member for the Anti-Defamation League, and as a board member for the National Conference for Community and Justice. Her community service earned her honors such as the State of Israel Bonds Award (1994) and the Humanitarian Award from the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation (1991).