Sidney Marantz boasts a collection of over 12,000 Olympic pins. (Courtesy of Marantz/ via JTA)
JTA Sid Marantz loves tradition so much that he spent 20 years as a board member of his family’s Los Angeles synagogue.
So it’s a big deal that he isn’t in Tokyo this week for the start of the Olympics, the first Summer Games he’s missed since 1984. Marantz usually attends for three weeks: the 16 days of the games with a few more days tacked onto the beginning and end to trade Olympic pins.
The 76-year-old retired businessman and Jewish philanthropist is one of the world’s most committed pin traders, structuring his life around a subculture immortalized in “Boy Meets Curl,” a 2010 episode of “The Simpsons” in which Lisa Simpson becomes obsessed with collecting the year’s commemorative tchotkes.
12,000 Olympic pins: Inside a Jewish philanthropist s collection – J
jweekly.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from jweekly.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A 76-Year-Old Jewish Philanthropist From Los Angeles Is One of the World s Most Prolific Olympic Pin Traders
jewishjournal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from jewishjournal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A 76-year-old Jewish philanthropist from Los Angeles is one of the world s most prolific Olympic pin traders – The Forward
forward.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from forward.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.