You'll Love Deb!

Greetings and salutations from Bubbe, full of gratitude for mahj friendships!

I’ve made lots of friends because of mah jongg. In my last article, I wrote about the 2020 Card for Change, created by Deb Love and Lisa Gelber, two clever, politically committed women in the Los Angeles area—and now Deb is my newest friend! Making a friend is all the more miraculous in this period of social isolation…and now I want to introduce my friend to all of you, with a secret bonus fact! 

First, you should go back and read the blog about the card. It reflects her ability to imagine and follow through on a project (a clue!) as well as her commitment to mah jongg, politics, and philanthropy.

I asked about her history with each of those things, starting with mahj, of course! Deb grew up in Great Neck (“North!”) and left the East Coast when she was 20. She wasn’t exposed to the game until her late 40’s, when one of her friends offered to teach her the basics. Her mom, also a latecomer to mahj, bought her a vintage set for her 50^th birthday, and from that moment on, Deb was hooked. She has, in turn, taught others to play. She had a few weekly games—she still meets one group online every day, but the others have been hard to keep up with lately, for obvious reasons.

The social aspect of the game is most important to her, and she looks forward to playing, even in quarantine. “We go on Real Mah Jongg and Zoom at the same time. Friendships are important to women, we socialize throughout our lives. That’s why women live longer,” she added. (Another clue...)

Her group generally gets tired of the new NMJL card after a month or two (Deb says, “it’s such a snooze!”), and for the past few years they have incorporated “crazy cards…to make (our) brains work.” They keep track of who wins each hand, but put all of the week’s money into a communal pot and save up to take mini mahj vacations together.

As for politics, Deb has always supported liberal/Democratic causes. She joined a political advocacy group called MoveOn.org before the 2016 election. Whether it’s supporting a candidate, passing legislation, or changing the culture, MoveOn members are committed to an inclusive and progressive future. She is currently a Text Team Volunteer Leader. She spends several hours a week training other activists and texting for various projects both state and nationwide, including Get out the Vote drives and check-ins for individuals around the country during the pandemic crisis. The text team is able to mobilize millions of people to contact their congresspeople, or spread the word about upcoming events.

Her philanthropic skills began with a very effective local program. When Deb’s two children were in elementary school, she began to advocate for public education and joined the Board of the Santa Monica Education Foundation. It’s the centralized fundraising arm of the local public school system, supporting 16 schools and 11,000 families.  Their efforts have raised more than $2 million annually to support programs for the entire community, sharing the proceeds between more- and less-advantaged schools in the district.

Deb and her friend Lisa were already inclined to use alternative mah jongg cards—already interested in liberal politics—and already thinking about how to give back to the community. Everything fell into place when they decided to write their own card. They chose to make it timely for the 2020 election. Their friend and graphic designer, Josh Freeman, donated his time and talents to design a great cover and layout.

As the pool of candidates for the nomination grew, they realized that they could not make a hand using any specific person’s name because he or she might be out of the race, early on. Instead, the card refers to Democratic leaders like Michelle and Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Adam Schiff. They include Mitch McConnell, but in the context that he will be voted OUT of office in November, 2020.

As for what to charge for the cards, Deb and Lisa found that the bookkeeping involved in selling cards and then donating the proceeds would actually not be the most effective way to raise funds. Instead, they created an “honor system” whereby they provide cards to whoever asks for them, and suggest that the individual makes a donation to a democratic organization of their choice. The first run created a batch of 500 cards. “If each one results in a donation of $20, the cards will have raised $10,000!” she explained.

So how else has this woman used her talents? Having self-published, and now marketing and shipping my books, I know what would be required for the Card project to succeed: a creative idea, attention to detail, and commitment to follow-through. I had done a little sleuthing (thanks, Internet!) and found out that Deb had indeed been involved in many a project beyond making a mah jongg card.

Of course, she considers her kids (now grown) to be the top accomplishment of her life, but she’s got more on her resume than that. For instance, she has always enjoyed working in the kitchen (ooh, another clue). “I love to cook and bake, I find it relieves stress.”

On previous occasions, however, she has used her culinary skills to great acclaim. She submitted her “Mexican Wedding Cake” cookies to the Los Angeles Times Holiday Cooking Bakeoff in 2012, and was honored among the Top Ten. In 2013, she submitted “Meyer Lemon Lavender Shortbread” cookies, and again made the Top Ten. “I won twice, and then retired (undefeated).”

Deb’s other talent lies in the Arts—specifically film. She was a Film Studies major at Sarah Lawrence in New York, and joined the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles, working on many film projects over the years as an assistant director and/or producer (last clue!). She had hoped to straddle being mother and filmmaker, but it was challenging. The Northridge earthquake of 1994 was the final straw—she has only returned to filmmaking once, since, as executive producer of an award-winning documentary, “Big Voice” (2015). The movie follows a year in the life of a high school choral director, and is really quite wonderful. 

Ok…enough with the hints. A woman who sees projects through; who appreciates the value of lifelong friendships; who enjoys working in the kitchen; who worked in the film industry. I was thrilled to see that one of her last projects, before retiring from feature films, was an all-time Bubbe favorite about lifelong female friendships and food. Released in 1991, nominated for Oscars and Golden Globes, it was (drumroll)….the excellent Fried Green Tomatoes! (Bubbe was about to say that, sadly, the movie lacks mah jongg scenes, but one of the four lead actresses, Jessica Tandy, had just starred in Driving Miss Daisy, where her character DID have a weekly mah jongg game!) If you haven’t seen FGT yet, you must!

Bubbe loved making a new friend and sharing her story with you! If you have a friend you’d like to share with us, email me at bubbefischer@gmail.com and perhaps I’ll do a profile of them, too!
 
Talk to you soon!

Bubbe