In Loving Memory of my Father, Charles (Chuck) Guttman
זאב בן יהודה דוד חנ מלקה
By Ariel Gold, his daughter
On Monday evening, February 17, FOR-USA Executive Director Ariel Gold lost her beloved father, Charles (Chuck) Guttman (זאב בן יהודה דוד וחנה מלכה, Zev ben Yehuda David v’Chana Malka). He passed away suddenly while vacationing in Costa Rica with his dear wife and life partner of over 40 years (and my stepmom), Shirley Ladd.
A direct descendant of the great Sephardic sage Rabbi Yoseph Caro (born Toledo, Spain, in 1488; died Safed, Palestine, in March 1575), my father had the warmest smile, rosiest cheeks, and softest beard imaginable. Along with being one of the early practitioners of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), Caro is renowned for the codification of Jewish law (halakha) through his authorship of the Shulhan Arukh. Like his ancestor, my dad was passionate about and skilled in numbers, logic, order, and fairness, and in building a Beloved Community.
Chuck was born on January 7, 1949, in New York City. While pursuing a bachelor’s degree in physics at Cornell University, he helped Daniel Berrigan evade the FBI as they came to arrest him while he was giving a speech on campus. The week prior, Daniel and his brother Phil Berrigan had defied the FBI’s order for them to report to prison for destroying draft records two years earlier in Catonsville, MD.
As the FBI descended, Daniel’s speech was cut short, and the Jesuit priest was led off the stage, hidden in a large burlap-and-papier-mâché puppet of an apostle, and taken to a car driven by Chuck, where he escaped into the Ithaca night.
As a young adult, my father was a tireless protester of the Vietnam War, an active member of Students for a Democratic Society, and an ally of the Black Panthers. He loved to tell his grandchildren the story of the time he was tasked with guarding Fred Hampton.
Published in the Cornell Daily Sun, April 13, 1970:
“Eleven white students sat in at Ward Hall on the Engineering Quad for four hours Friday night in support of the black demands. About 75 students, most in support of the eleven, milled about and built a bonfire outside the building. The action resulted in the arrest of three students.
The eleven issued a statement, hastily written on a paper towel at about 10 p.m., which said, “We are in the Ward Nuclear Reactor Lab in support of the Cornell black community. The trustees have not acted seriously and as members of the Cornell community, we felt that it is necessary for whites to act in response to the nonresponse of the trustees.” Shortly after midnight, the students were asked to leave and told that those who did not would be placed under arrest. Eight left the building and the other three were placed under arrest and charged with third degree criminal trespass. The three are Allen P. Margulies 71, Charles J. Guttman ’71, and Craig L. Jackson ’71.”
Building his life as an attorney in Ithaca, NY, the city he fell in love with as an undergraduate activist, Chuck turned his gaze locally. His 50-year career of practicing law in Ithaca was marked by his unwavering commitment to fairness and empathy. The instruction of Deuteronomy 16:20, “Justice, justice, you shall pursue,” was deeply embedded in his heart. He represented and offered pro bono legal services to the downtrodden, needy, unfairly persecuted, the Redbud tree-sitting forest protector, the Catholic Worker facing prison, and many more.
Between 1990 and 1995, Chuck served as City Attorney under Ithaca Socialist Mayor Ben Nichols. In this capacity, he advocated for LGBTQ+ rights by helping shepherd the passage of one of the first U.S. domestic partnership ordinances and health benefits for city employees. He was a co-founder of the Ithaca Food Co-Op, originally on his and my mother’s front porch, one of the original members of the local Collaborative Law Group. As an active board member of Ithaca Hospicare, he assisted in the passage of legislation to establish the first free-standing Hospice residence in New York State. He also contributed to the Ithaca Farmers Market, the Trumansburg, NY Grassroots Festival, the Ithaca Drop-in Childcare Center, the Ithaca Science Center, and many other progressive community organizations. He beamed with pride at the news that I had been hired to lead the Fellowship of Reconciliation – USA.
A devoted family man, my dad found his greatest joy in the love and laughter he shared with my stepmom and our blended family (children: myself, Carrie Lintz, and Molly Rutan; grandchildren: Daniel Lintz, Elijah Gold, Isabella Gold, Jacob Lintz, Madison Rutan, and Rylie Lintz). Along with his wife, children, and grandchildren, he is survived by his beloved sister and brother-in-law Nancy and Philip Newfield, and their children and grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his beloved parents, Anne (Caro) Guttman and David Guttman.
Despite him being entirely tone-deaf—a trait I inherited—our family always appreciated his contribution of Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 to our Passover Seders:
“God said to Abraham, “Kill me a son”
Abe said, “Man, you must be puttin’ me on”
God said, “No”, Abe said, “What?”
God said, “You can do what you want Abe,
but the next time you see me comin’ you better run”
God said, “Where do you want this killin’ done?”
Out on Highway 61″
My dad appreciated music, food, cats, squirrels, water birds, and the game Skip-Bo. He loved vacationing with Shirley, especially in Canada, but nothing made him happier than having friends and family at the lake house to swim, eat, cook on an open fire, sing, and play guitar. Although not a musician himself, he would tap his foot to the music. The last year of his life was especially enjoyable as Shirley was joined on guitar by my daughter Isabella, who collected and learned the songs her “Papa” recommended.
Donations in my dad’s honor can be made to FOR or any other progressive charitable organization of one’s choosing, if one feels so compelled.
The Jewish condolence, “May his memory be for a blessing,” is an entirely apt expression for Chuck’s passing, as his memory certainly will be.
