Charles Olshansky, a civic and Jewish community leader on the Peninsula, died last Friday in Medical College of Virginia Hospital in Richmond. He was 72 years old. Olshansky served as the first director of the Jewish Community Center and Federation (now the United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula) for more than 35 years until his retirement in 1975. He was a member of Rodef Shalom Temple in Hampton.
He came to the Peninsula in 1941 to serve as director of the USO, developing programs for the thousands of soldiers and sailors who served at area military installations in World War II. He worked with the USO in Puerto Rico in 1944-45.
He served as president of the Virginia Association of Social Workers, vice president of the Middle Atlantic Section of the National Association Jewish Center, board member of Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP) for 11 years, board member of Beth Sholom Home of Eastern Virginia and a member of the board of directors of Newport News Girls Club. He served as program coordinator of the Peninsula Agency on Aging until his death.
Olshansky was involved in the civil rights movement on the Peninsula during the 1960’s. Along with student leaders from Hampton Institute and the management of the former Nachman’s department store in Newport News, Olshansky was instrumental in negotiating the integration of the lunch counter at Nachman’s.
He was a recipient of the Brotherhood Citation of the National Conference of Christians of Jews in 1981, and was recently made Executive Director Emeritus of the United Jewish Community. The UJC named a Humanitarian Award in his honor.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
