Life's Voyage: Dedicated to Making a Difference

"A parade of luminaries marches through Maury Atkin's fascinating memoir. We meet Israeli president Chaim Weizmann, Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kolleck, and the economist Robert Nathan, not to mention a slew of alligators. But it is Atkin's own story that truly lights up the book, a life devoted to the Zionist dream. Then again, to paraphrase Herzl, if Maury Atkin wills it, it is not a dream. / Franklin Foer"-- Back cover.

What a remarkable voyage this is! Maurice Atkin s life has taken him, and takes us as fortunate companions, to every corner of the globe. His career was sometimes full of alligators and crocodiles, but it is thefirst-hand account of history that grabs the reader. From Israel s early days to work in the Soviet Union, Asia and Africa, Maurice Atkin made a diffference in ways that few could equal.
Michael D. Barnes
Former U.S. Congressman (D. MD.)

Life s Voyage is a wonderful recounting of events and people which span more than half a century. Since I have known Maury Atkin through Bob Nathan and his consulting firm, Nathan Associates, Inc., my interest in Life s Voyage naturally went to encounters Maury had as part of this firm. Whether it was Maury s recounting of Prime Minister Kwame Nkruma of Ghana s justification for his cut of a new shipping firm going to his mistress s Swiss bank account, or the defeat of the cattle-hide embargo of the 1950s, or farming of alligators in Louisiana by a French Cajun, Maury s clients were amazingly diverse and demanding.
John C. Beyer, President
Nathan Associates, Inc.

In Life s Voyage, Maurice Atkin offers a vivid account of his upbringing and longstanding love affair with Israel. The story of his services to the newly born Jewish state brings to life the struggles and triumphs of those momentous times. Today s young people have much to learn from Atkin about how to put their professional training to work in the service of tikkun olam.
William A. Galston, Interim Dean
School of Public Policy, University of Maryland

Maury Atkin s Life Voyage is a fascinating series of vignettes from a life of Zionist dedication and creative commitment. Some depict an infant Israel filled with excitement, confusion, food shortages, and determination; some provide evocative insights into wary encounters between Israeli Diplomats and a skeptical State Department. Atkin s remarkable extracurricular and largely unsung role in helping Israel navigate turbulent Washington waters makes for intriguing and revealing reading.
Samuel W. Lewis
U.S. Ambassador to Israel, 1977 1985

Washington, D.C. is a truly unique place. For those who are interested in pursuing career paths that are stimulating and emotionally truly rewarding, it offers an opportunity to do just that, to make a difference. Maury Atkin made full use of that opportunity by advancing the worthy causes to which he applied his intellect and his energy. The activities that he recounts in his memoirs demonstrate his accomplishments in many countries that needed help in their economic development. But the one cause to which he has devoted most of his time and energy has been Israel. From his work, in 1948 for the Israeli Mission to the United States onward, Maury has engaged in a variety of activities that have served to strengthen the social framework on which the Jewish state rests. In Israel s early years, when the country suffered from serious food shortages, he negotiated the grant of U.S. Food assistance. Later he played a key role in the creation of Hadassah hospital. These are just two examples of the work he has done for Israel across the years. He has indeed made a difference.
Richard Schifter
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights

Maurice Atkin s book is a first-hand account that reveals previously unknown solutions to problems that threatened the founding of the new state of Israel. Readers will learn about the extraordinary ingenuity the author used to support the Zionist struggle to build Israel. Drawing on his previous experience at the U.S. Agriculture Department, he found a way to ship beef secured at 5 cents a pound, grains purchased at pennies per ton, and other foods to feed holocaust survivors fleeing to Zionist Palestine. Atkin reveals how, once President Truman recognized the state of Israel, he helped Israel shape its embassy and develop ties in Washington that have been so critical to its survival. Despite all that has been written about Israel, in reading this book, you will learn things you never knew.
Janet L. Norwood
Former U.S. Commissioner of Labor Statistics

Life s Voyage is the story of Maurice Atkin, from the time he was growing up in Washington D.C. between the two world wars and displaying a keen eye for entrepreneurial opportunities to his globe-spanning career advising foreign governments as well as domestic and foreign companies. Overriding his business interests was his love affair with Israel. The vignettes of his many efforts on behalf of the new Jewish state make for lively reading. I had tears of laughter reading about how he solved the alligator problem in Israel. Looking back over nine decades, most of the 20th century, Maury dedicated his life voyage to making a difference. Indeed his story is one of how a profound difference was made. It is a worthy inspiration for young professionals as well as a great read for us all.
James W. Kuhn
Professor Emeritus, Columbia University

A parade of luminaries marches through Maury Atkin s fascinating memoir. We meet Israeli president Chaim Weizmann, Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kolleck, and the economist Robert Nathan, not to mention a slew of alligators. But it is Atkin s own story that truly lights up the book, a life devoted to the Zionist dream. Then again, to paraphrase Herzl, if Maury Atkin wills it, it is not a dream.
Franklin Foer
Author of How Soccer Explains the World

Maury Atkin paints an affectionate, vivid, first-hand picture of Israel s birth and infancy. He tells the story it reads like a friendly conversation behind the headlines and his instrumental role in opening the first embassy in Washington, and helping to feed, clothe, house and nurture the infant Jewish state. It is a richly appealing story of people, from the famous to the unknown, through the eyes of one of the founding mishpacha. Particularly appealing is his detailed and intimate account of his first visit to Israel in 1951 with his wife Flora, whose delightful diary of that adventure is quoted extensively,much to the reader s enjoyment and enlightenment. This is a picture of Israel unfamiliar to the post-1967 generation, and the view of those nascent years through Maury s eyes is an essential part of knowing and understanding today s Israel.
Douglas M. Bloomfield Syndicated columnist and Washington consultant