Federation Director: Omalia Yiddishiceit Wanted
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OMAHA — H«'t toil. ¥VMn glcMi*!, (ports 0 naolly trimmed Van Dykt and o "H«br«w-Afro" hair ttyl* which ht collt "li-Ro", hot on Inlactiout lough and anloys a fatt gam* o< rocquatball. 6th*r than that. Louit B. Solomon, who lail fall bocom* tho fourth tx«cutiv« diractor of th* Omaha J»wlth Ftdarotion tinea 1938, it itiil o n«w loci to many in tfw connmunity. "^ Although young (36) in ytort, Solomon brings with
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A Jmwiah Press SpecialIntervleiw him noorly 10 yoon' oxpvrionc* In th« J«wiih communol t*rvic* liald. A 1964 groduota of Indlano Univtrtlty who hold o bachelor of (clone* dogro* In rocraotion, Solomon olto it a groduot* of th« School of Jawiih Commurtol Strvico of H«br«w Union Colltg* ond hat olto ottandtd th« Unlvartity of Connocllcut't
School of Social Work. A native of Indianopolit. inc. who grew up in Doyton, Ohio. Solomon began hit carter in tt)e Jowith communal field at a youth director in tho Jewlth Community Center in Sovonnoh, Go. Ho then becom* heolth ond physical •ducalion director of tit* Jewish Cantor in Troy. N. Y.
Thar* lollowod four yaors at o ottittant director of tlte Jewish Fadarotion of St. Poui, Minn., before hit first executive directorship, in St. Patertburg, Flo. Ha tarved there two yeort t>alore accepting Omoha't offer. Now, *V, months after arriving hare, ha. hit wife Morlane — a native of Minnaopollt wfio holdi o degree in Rutslan education — daughters Mindy Jo, 3, and Amy Jo, 2, are getting settled in their new surroundings.
They will be formally welcomed to Omaha at o tpecial recaption followitfg the Sunday. Fab. I onnuol meeting of the Jawith Fadarotion. But cordial at receptiont ore, tfiay only tarve at mere ice-braokart for newcomers and longtime residents. At a tarvica to its readers, the Jewish Press interviewed Solomon to help tfie Jewish community become ijattar acquainted with the man entrusted with coordinotion of its communal life. To get things off on tfia right foot, Jewish Preet Editor Richord Pearl asked Solomon why he chpse lo coma to Omoho. JP: Oooelderlng the tact you bad anottier Job offer at tbe same time on tbe East Coaat, why did you oome back to the
Midwest?
SERVING DES MOINES,
jCOUNCIL BLUFFS, LINCOLN, OMAHA Omaha, Nob., Fri., January 23,1976
Vol. LV No. 11
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'Appointment ofArchaeologist Fulfills Nick Newman's Dream OMAHA — A divam for Omaha that the late C. M. (Nick) Newman had discussed with ' his wife, Racquel, at least (Ive yean ago came to fruition Thur sday, Jan. 15, with a special announcement at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. , The announcement was that archaeologist Dr Joe O. Seger, who hat been excavating in Israel, had been appointed as the C. M. (Niclci Newman Visiting Professor of [ Art fflslory and Biblical Archaeology at UNO. The announcennenl was made Jointly by the Nationai Foundation for Jewish Culture, whose grant It was that brought Dr. S«ger here; 'by the Jewish Federation ol Omaha, recipient of the grant, -and by Dr. Jerome M. Birdman, dean o( UNO's School of Fine ArU. The university Is subgrantee. . Dr. SafMT will b* vndkig lan. »•
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tbt Inatnirtkn of an art Ustory oouTM at UNO, aarvlng aa a eoowltant to stutata at UNO and ghrlac wwkly iUuitratad toeturaa at tbe Jewish Community Center. ^ Additionally, the 40-year-old scholar will travel within a sao-mile radius of Omaha to spealc on archaelogical efforts In Israel This coming summer, he will conduct on-site direction lor Lahav Research Project excavations in Israel. An observer noted that the appointment brings UNO and the area firmly Into the field of Internalional historical research. Dr. Seger is the first archaeologist ever on the staff at UNO and, noted Dr. Jerome M. Birdman, Fine Arts dean, his appointment also has broad ecumenical Interest, Israel being the cradle not only of Judaism, but also of Christianity and Islam. However, the detnit of Dr. Seger was of special significance to Mrs. Newman,
Of B/indspots Arjd So viet Jews
who flew into Omaha from her new California home for the press conference. It waa, •!» said, "• fwy apodal momcBt in ttna" tar her. It culminatwl a king period of tMoit by her and also by Federation Prealdont Harlan J. Noddte and oOar Onoabana to deveiop ber late bunband'sdraam. She said Nicl(. "a buff on Biblical archaeology" who had spent summers with his family digging In Israel, had lamented the fact that Omaha's location in the U.S. Midwest tended to remove II from Involvement in the Jntemstlonal cultural scene. Particularly, she said, he wanted very much to give the community an "awareness of what Jewish education and culture might offer them." A trust was established by the Newmans with the National Foundation for Jewish Culture "for the express purpose of making funds available to small and (Continued on Pages)
Editor's Note: This is the first of two features about two Omahans who will receive special recognition during the Omatia Jewish Federation's annual meeting on Sunday, Feb I. 7 30 p m. at tie Jewish Community Center. The second feature, whose subject is Joe Rice, will appear in next week's Jewish Press. OMAHA - It's twt that Wally Provost Is prejudiced. II 's that he tries so sincerely not to be. It's his desire to eliminate prejudice - both from himself and from others — that In part led him to write a widely distributed series on the plight of Jewish people in the Soviet Union today. The series, which appeared first in the Omaha WorldHtnId, was later picked up by the New York Ttanm SyikHcate for International distribution. lo rwMjiltlon of hii writing about the Soviet Jewi, tte JewWi FWaratkai of Omaha win promt tbe veteran Omaha qporti oolumniat with iti flrit Humanitarian Award at UM anmial Fedaratkm mimllm icfaeduled for 7:10 p.m. Sunday, FM>. 1, at the Jawlih Onrnmadty Center. "I try not to have blindspots. I think we should try to eliminate tbe blindspots in life," he said In an Interview with the JwrWiPrM. "It's ]uat that I'm a firm believer In the theory that every human being is prejudiced. District Judge Ted RIchlIng tells everyone on his Juries that they all have prejudices. "The town you live in, the street you live on, your general environment contribute toward your having them, he tells tl>e Jurors. He cautions litem not to say they don't have prejudices, but rather to find them and deal with them. "1 think that's a very good Insight and I'm delighted that sometMdy counsels the public in that vein. I believe that self-examlnatkM should be the first order of business in dealing with our fellow humans."
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SOLOMON: My main reason for leaving Florida was that, on its Western Coast, the atmosphere was very goyish. The Jewish community In St. Petersburg really lacked roots; people that had settled there — their main commitment, if any, lay with the community they came from. In contemplating making a change, my wife and I wanted to return to the Midwest. We wanted to raise our kids in an atmosphere wtiere people had strong family ties and the community was established. I personally have felt since leaving the Twin Cities that there was an important aspect of Yiddlshkeit missing from our lives, and Omaha offered us the opportunity to bring our children iq> In this type ol environment. JP: Were there any key factors which helped you favor Omaha? SOLOMON: A critical point in selecting Omaha was the Jewish Community Center. My wife and I both decided we wanted to be In a community with a strong Jewish Community Center — a place to which we wanted to bring our kids as well as enjoy the various cultural and social programming offered, which was really non-existent in Florida. JP: l^an you elaborate a bit on what you mean by the lack of ilea In tbe Florida area In which you were working? SOLOMON: Well, one of the main problems In developing a viable Jewish life in the community life which 1 encountered was the fact that most of the people came from another community. The Jewish institutions were weak in general; the level of commitment — financially as well as involvement-wise — was minimal; families grew up there without the benefit of having the extended family. Most of the young people — their children — did not have aunts and uncles and grandparents there to share the holidays with. Most of the elderly people, which represented a significant portion of the papulation, basically settled there to run away from the big cities, to (Continued on Page2)