Four Questions

A Family Tradition

DAVID ADELMAN, owner of Jerry's Pawn Shops in Buckhead and downtown, says he is proud to be serving as president of the National Pawnbrokers Association (NPA). He answers Julep's Four Questions:

1. What book, movie, TV show or other medium are you dying to share and why?

First, the Broadway show 700 Sundays starring Billy Crystal that my wife, Sheila, and I saw in New York a few years ago. I still think about the powerful message this play had about family and relationships. Billy Crystal relates to the audience in a humorous and meaningful way in a series of stories about how his father died when he was young and how he realized that he only was able to spend 700 Sundays with his dad. This play resonates with me because of the strong relationships I have been fortunate to have with my family. Recently, I attended the Hallelu Atlanta concert. It was a revelation of our history, religious thought, brotherhood of man, prayerful music, ballads of our identification with a God of all peoples, praises to God with gospel as well as country-style music. The concert was especially meaningful when the children's choirs performed in the finale with 16 cantors and the adult choirs singing Hatikva.

2. If you could have lunch with one biblical or historical Jewish figure, who would it be and why?

Moses. He led the people of Israel through the desert, never to see the promised land, but had the strength of his relationship with God to come down from the mountain and make the people see that their belief in a true God, rather than an idol, would carry them through the centuries ahead, and it has.

3. What is your favorite Jewish food?

For starters: matzah ball soup, borscht with sour cream and boiled potatoes or chopped liver. EntrŽe: brisket, roasted potatoes and gravy (Sheila's is the best), tzimmes. Dessert: rugelah and strudel. The real question: Do I still get to enjoy this? — Not a chance!

4. Nu? (So?)

Recently I was elected president of the NPA, an organization that represents about 2,300 members. My career in this industry started almost 30 years ago when I began working with my father-in-law and mentor, Jerry Mandel, at Jerry's Pawn Shop. The family tradition has continued with my wife, Sheila, working with me, as well as my daughter, Denise, working at our second store. After serving as president of the Pawnbrokers Association of Georgia, I became involved in the national association. This was an opportunity for me to network with other pawnbrokers to develop programs for our membership as well as community outreach programs. The industry has had tremendous growth, and as president, I am fortunate to be able to serve at a time when our industry is concentrating on significant issues that have become prevalent since 9/11. Right to privacy, customer profiling and electronic data transfer of personal data are but a few of the issues we are looking into at this time.