In the mid-1930s , New York City was struggle through the Great Depression . Unemployment was high , the local economic system was floundering , and kids had little in the manner of entertainment outside of school day . The city ’s mayor , Fiorello La Guardia , recognized the need not only to find jobs for the city ’s adults , but to find a way of life to keep the weight of the Depression off of small fry ’s shoulders , so he turned to city recreation managing director Abraham Hurwitz for help .
Hurwitz was a governing employee with a Ph.D. in educational direction , but he was also a magician . For years , he ’d beenusing magicto get kids excited about learning , incorporating magical tricks into his deterrent example plans at the Brooklyn Hebrew Orphanage , where he worked as a guidance counselor-at-law .
La Guardia noticed the piece of work Hurwitz was doing with baby and decided a mo of magic was exactly what the nestling of New York City ask , so he appointed Hurwitz the prescribed magician of New York City .
For 18 years , Hurwitz performed magic for the nestling of New York , journey to schools , recreation sum , and parks where he ’d lead wizardly course and put on shows . He founded a program for youthful conjurer , called the Peter Pan Magic Club , later renamed Future American Magical Entertainers ( or F.A.M.E. ) in the 1950s .
Hurwitz saw witching course as theultimate acquisition prick , and developed a serial publication of programs tailored to kid ' specific needs . He used conjuration to help shy kids with public oral presentation , created sleight - of - hand lessons for unsighted tiddler , and even made up a magic human activity to teach Kyd the rules of grammar . The New York Timescalled him “ The Magic Man , ” and noted in 1945 that he ’d already performed for over a million kid .
Though Hurwitz eventually go to bed from the New York diversion department , he continued to put on military volunteer magic shows for many years . He also passed on his love of illusion and education to his daughter , Shari Lewis , a ventriloquist who went on to server thebeloved youngster ’s showLamb Chop ’s Play - Along .
