A photograph of my grandmother and Marlene Dietrich. Marlene Dietrich was invited by one of the Jewish charities to help sell Israeli bonds. This photo was taken in the early 1960s.
CarensClassicCinema
Film Nights at My Place
A photograph of my grandmother and Marlene Dietrich. Marlene Dietrich was invited by one of the Jewish charities to help sell Israeli bonds. This photo was taken in the early 1960s.
CarensClassicCinema 
That’s amazing! What a treasure. And they are both so smartly dressed!
Yes, my grandmother liked to dress chic! I’ve always loved this photo, thanks!
This is a great photo! I would love to know whether you had any specific details about the charity as well as the location and date of this event. Marlene did a lot in service of the State of Israel throughout her life, and I would like to gather more details of her involvement and efforts.
Thanks for your interest Joseph. Unfortunately my grandmother is no longer alive. I have asked my mother about it but I don’t recall that she knew any details. However, I will make a point of re-asking her and my uncles and will get back to you if I can gather any interesting information to pass on to you.
Thank you, too, for your response! Possibly, it was at the Beth Sholom Temple in Toronto? I have found a photo of Dietrich wearing the same outfit for an Israel Bond fundraising event at this location. Please see http://www.billgladstone.ca/?p=8646
Hi Joseph. I put the query to my mother and uncles and here are the responses I received:
1) My mother belonged to Hadassah, ORT and B’nai Brith but I don’t remember which organization this picture was taken at.
2) My best guess would be either Hadassah or ORT and I favour a connection to Hadassah. Here are some articles about Marlene Dietrich and Israel. You’re right, she was a great friend of Israel. Her two visits to Israel in the 1960s are documented in photographs in the Central Zionist archives. You can see them and lots of other information if you follow this link.
https://www.google.ca/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=JcJMVvX9NqyC8QfY-qPwBw&gws_rd=ssl#q=marlene+dietrich+and+Israel
3) I think that mom met Marlene in relation to her work with ORT. She volunteered for ORT for many years. I hope this helps.
4) Mom was the involved with two or three organizations and was the chapter head of at least one. She would have organized charity bond drives and may have been involved in bringing in Marlene Dietrich.
With regards to the article you posted, it’s quite interesting because my grandparents were active members of Beth Sholom, even being donors for one of the beautiful stained glass windows.
Thanks for your information which I will pass on to family.
PS: One of my uncles just wrote me that the woman in the article and my grandmother were good friends.
I totally missed your replies to this discussion so am glad I stumbled upon this post again after searching “marlene dietrich” on your blog. It would be interesting to get in touch with the families of other women in your grandmother’s circle to see whether they have photos of Marlene, too. I envy your family connection!
Unfortunately, I never met her and I might have been too young to have appreciated the experience. But I am thrilled to have the family photo.