Victor Margolin
It has been a year since Victor Margolin left this realm. In my personal journal, I made this note one year ago:
Victor Margolin died yesterday. I learned about it in the middle of the night on Facebook. A post by Latifah Taormina informed me and she would link to the SICA-International site and remind us Victor was one of the, if not THE prime force that helped create SICA in 1983:
History
The Subud International Cultural Association (SICA) was founded in 1983 by Bapak Mhd. Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo in response to an initiative led by Victor Margolin who chaired the Cultural Working Party at the Subud World Congress at Anguraha in Windsor, England, August 1983. Artists, educators, and cultural activists representing creative disciplines across all sectors and from many nations were members of this working party. Their initial intention was:
- To establish a communication network for Subud members working in creative fields to share experiences and best practices;
- To provide opportunities for collaborative projects and mentorship;
- To build greater public awareness and support for the positive role arts and culture could play in the development of Subud and in building a more human and more livable world.
A full and historically accurate report by Victor Margoin of the inspiration for the working party as well as its results that were presented to Bapak is attached — and it’s a very good read! Click here to download that report. Bapak welcomed this new initiative, but advised SICA to embrace a very broad definition of culture as culture is not just about the arts. “The arts can show the way,” he said, “but culture includes all aspects of human endeavor.” He chose SICA’s first chair and vice-chair and prayed that they be like “pioneers in the cultural field” in leading SICA forward. Bapak also felt the establishment of SICA signaled the beginning of a cultural rebirth:
“Culture has been reborn through the existence of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, and it is still small, like a seed that has just been sown, which is about to develop and come to life.”
Just a year earlier, UNESCO, at its World Conference on Cultural Policies, had adopted its celebrated broad definition of culture that linked culture irrevocably to development:
“Culture is the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or social group. It includes not only arts and letters, but also modes of life, the fundamental rights of the human being, value systems, traditions and beliefs.”
This is critical information and why does it take someone’s death to make one look at this, or to find this stuff?
So I made a post in the middle of the night to get the news out about Victor and I got an American Sentence:
N.28.2019 – Nothing as clean as the Creator’s own design – goodbye Dear Victor.
New Chair
Paul E Nelson (SICA-USA Chair) Photo by Philip Brautigam
I write this post as the new Chair of SICA-USA. I was elected Friday, November 20, 2020, after going though testing and other Subud protocol. Hamilton Cheifetz has agreed to stay on the board one more year to insure a smooth transition and to help us restore harmony to the board. My hope is to restore harmony, maintain regular blogging and then build a case for why readers of this blog should support it financially and in the process, help re-build SICA-USA. There are other projects beginning to be discussed and planned. Details coming here before too long. Thank you for reading.
I live in the UK and my first trip to the USA was in 1979. In Chicago I enjoyed the friendly Subud group, and meeting in a Jewish deli after latihan. Victor stood out as a colourful, warm and humorous fellow creative. It was a great pleasure to meet him.
Thank you Paul for keeping SICA so present each Saturday morning. I look forward to the SICA posts. Thank you Hamilton for your beautiful music , your dedication and heart.
Congratulations, Paul, on being chosen for SICA USA Chair. The longer this pandemic continues, the more vital I feel it to be to express and share what we have learned from following our spiritual practice. What matters to me now is sharing with the world, not just amongst our own members, although that is needed too. Healing and spiritual experience are needed in the world now, perhaps more than ever before, so may God grant us the courage and energy to share our gifts. To quote one of my gurus, Tiny Tim: “God bless us, every one.”
Paul, your name should appear somewhere in your very good letter. I’m a ling-time Subud member but had never seen your name and picture together, or met you. Then there are the people who’ve only bern opened a few months. They need to know your name!
Now your name is showing by your pic. It wasn’t when I first read the letter….
Congrats, Paul! Well deserved. Thanks too for the reminder about Victor’s passing a year ago on 11/27. He was my best and oldest Subud friend, from when we both comprised part of the then youth membership of Subud-NYC in 1961. I miss him terribly and still get groans from my friends by sharing some of his jokes. Here’s a favorite: A Reform Jewish congregation moved in next door to a Quaker meeting house, and now some of my best Jews are Friends! Thank you, dear Vittorio da SICA. I bet you have the angels cackling upstairs! After all, they’re all Jewish, like God. Right?! With love and gratitude,
Reynold Ruslan Feldman
Subud-Boulder-CO
Dear Paul, I am so glad you tested for this position. I was concerned that you were retiring all together. You have already done such a wonderful job revitalizing SICA-USA and I look forward to the days ahead. Blessings and Love!
Thank you Paul and Congratulations!!
Congratulations, Paul. What wonderful news that you will be the next SICA chair. And THANK YOU for posting the blog about Victor. It was so moving….
Hello Paul, Always love and good thoughts when Victor is spoken of. So glad to hear of your willingness to endure and share. An example to us all. Your generosity, like Victor’s and Shoshanah’s, will always be humbling.
Joseph, I am grateful for your reading of this blog and especially your kind and generous comments. Paul