Women Leaders

The women of the Aiken Jewish community have long played an outsized role in civic life.

They were the owners of iconic Aiken businesses: Julia’s Dress Shop (Julia Wolf), The Fashion Store (Augusta Polier) & Franzblau’s Women’s Store (Nettie Franzblau). They contributed to the health & welfare of the region (Anna Efron). They were artists & activists (Mina Tropp). And they were leaders in Education who promoted Interfaith Harmony (Judith Evans) and advocated for their constituents in the SC State legislature (Irene Rudnick).

These women were pioneers, leading by example. They took care of their families and demonstrated the contribution that women could make to society at large – long before these roles were commonplace.

Irene Rudnick (1929-2019)

· Attorney, Rudnick & Rudnick

· First Jewish women elected to the SC State Legislature where she served from 1972-1986

· Superintendent of Education for Aiken County

· Helped found USC Aiken (& taught there for nearly 60 years)

· Described as a “force for good in the community” who “was a legend in this area and in the General Assembly of South Carolina”

Julia Wolf (1884-1959)

· Started Julia’s Dress Shop after 30 years of marriage & raising 7 kids

· The store operated for 60+ years (1932-1989); with management shifting to her 2 daughters (Ida & Anne) after Julia passed away in 1959

· It was Aiken’s finest women’s clothing store and was a regional icon (people came from Charleston, Charlotte & Atlanta to shop there)

· Julia was also a leader in the Aiken Jewish Community: VP Adath Yeshurun Synagogue, Award of Merit from United Jewish Appeal

Nettie Franzblau (1900-1992)

· Owner, Franzblau’s Women’s & Tots to Teens

· 25 years in business: dressed 2 generations (the kids she dressed later brought their own kids)

· First President of the Adath Yeshurun Sisterhood

· Member of the American Legion Auxiliary

Anna Efron (1905-1983)

· RN/Nurse at Aiken County Hospital

· Taught nurse’s aide classes, including for African American women

· Had a successful clothing store on Lauren’s Street in the 1950s – Anna Efron Clothing

Mina Surasky Tropp (1897-1990)

· Daughter of HC Surasky who went on to become a nationally recognized artist and activist

· Known for painting collages with dried flowers; her works were displayed in galleries in New York and are in the permanent collection of several museums, including the Aiken County Historical Museum

· Lobbied Congress to increase the cap on Jewish refugees able to come to the US in the run up to WWII (the legislation did not pass)

. Became active in support of the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine; raised funds to send arms to the Haganah; worked closely with Golda Meir 

judith evans (1932-2020)

• A powerful life story: Holocaust survivor hidden by nuns during WWII; moved to Israel where she fought for Independence, married & had a two children, lost her husband in the Six Day War in 1967 & pursued a career as an Educator

• Second marriage to American Tom Evans (who worked for Westinghouse) brought the couple to Aiken

• A leader in the Synagogue who read portions from the Torah during services, first in Hebrew and then translating in real time to English

• Taught a popular Comparative Religion course at USC Aiken

• A sought after speaker & leader in the Interfaith Community; her message was captured in a 2020 Aiken Standard article that promotes the idea that “we are all the same”