Newsletter of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency community news reporter, January 5, 1979

Published by Jewish Telegraphic Agency / 165 West 46th Street / New York, New York 10036 Vol. XVIII January 5, 1979 No. I HONORS AND APPOINTMENTS NEW YORK (JTA)?Rabbi Frederick J. Margulies has been named rabbi of the Town and Village Synagogue, succeeding Rabbi Stephen Lerner. . LAS VEGAS (JTA)?Mrs. Dorothy Eisenberg has been elected president of the Combined Jewish f Appeal of Las Vegas. ?/ BOSTON (JTA)?Dr. Michael ATMeyer, professor of Jewish history at Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion, has been elected president of the Association ot Jewish Studies. LAKEWOOD, N . J . (JTA)?Sidney Troy has been elected president of the Ocean County Jewish Federation. SOCIETY GETS GRANT TO RESTORE YIDDISH FILMS WALTHAM, Mass. (JTA)?A matching grant of $41,400 has been received by the Amer-ican Jewish Historical Society to begin the re-habilitation of a major collection of Yiddish films recently acquired by the society, according to David Pokross, society president. The society, with the cooperation of Bran-deis University, received the grant from the American Film Institute/Arts Endowment Film Archival Program. The Rutenberg and Everett Yiddish Film Library of the society, claimed to be the largest existing collection of Yiddish films in the free world, has 37 titles, Pokross said. These films, firoduced in the United States and Poland in the 930s and 1940s, include "Tevye," "Green Fields," "Mirele Efros," "The Dybbuk," and "Uncle Moses." The grant w i l l make possible the inclusion of English subtitles, the re-recording of sound tracks and the documentation of the films. The Library of Congress is assisting in the preserva-tion of the original nitrate materials. The Amer-ican Film Institute is making a worldwide search for missing or deteriorated pieces of the films. The grant w i l l make possible preservation of a select number ot the films, their renovation and adaptation for public use. Pokross said the films "reflect the rich heritage of a people, the great tradition of the Yiddish theater, the social milieu of an immigrant society and also the contribution of one ethnic group to the American cultural scene." Sharon Rivo, society film curator, said the grant w i l l make possible "the preservation and renovation of a remarkable signt and sound record of a vanished world so that educators as well as the general public can en|oy this unique group of films." TOURO COLLEGE OFFERS PACKAGE FOR EDUCATION CERTIFICATION NEW YORK (JTA)?Touro College in Man-hattan is now offering a specialized course in ed-ucation accredited by the New York State Depart-ment of Education, qualifying students for pro-visional certification in elementary school educa-tion, according to Dr. Bernard Lander, Touro president. Dr. William Brickman, faculties dean, noted that with the college's general curriculum, the 24 credits of course work which can be taken in Judaica studies and the additional six credits of suDervised student teachina constitute a new program especially geared to f i l l i ng the demand for qualified teachers in Jewish day schools. He said 20 students were registered for the 1978-79 school year for the special program in which the student can qualify whether the student seeks a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science. The school does not have a major in education, Dr. Brickman said. The concentration in education, as the program is called, is being offered in the Touro women's and men's division, and school of liberal arts and sciences at Touro's Manhattan campus. Starting in February, the program w i l l be available to students in the Touro Borough Park/Flatbush evening program for women in Brooklyn. The evening program in Brooklyn is planned to meet also the needs of graduates of Beth Jacobs, a famous Orthodox school for girls, and for seminary students and graduates. He said the program w i l l offer the women a chance to continue college studies "in a setting that conforms to their personal and religious values." He said students w i l l have the option of concentrating in education to prepare to qualify for New York State teacher certification or of majoring in accounting or other business-related disciplines. Liberal arts courses also w i l l be offered. Lander said transfer credits w i l l be given for work satisfactorily completed at other schools. State and federal financial aid, as well as Touro scholar-ships and grants, will be available to qualified stu-dents. Touro college will continue to offer its Borough Park/Flatbush evening program for men at a separate location. Now in its third year, this program enrolls men who study yeshiva studies during the day. The students may earn a B.A. in accounting and complete a fully accredited Certified Public Accounting program. They may also major in economics, finance, man-agement or take an integrated pre-law program. WASHINGTON (JTA)--A $7500 federal pre-liminary planning grant has been awarded to B'nai B'rith for research on programs in the humanities for senior citizens. The grant was made by the National Endowment for the Humanities. B'nai B'rith is involved in a variety of projects for elderly Jews, including sponsorship of low-cost housing units for the elderly. B'nai B'rith officials said the research w i l l be conducted in three parts. The first is a study of programs in the human-ities? history, literature, language, law, philosophy, art criticism, sociology and political theory?currently available to the elderlv outside the framewor'~~~f- B'NAI B'RITH GETS GRANT TO STUDY HUMANITIES COURSES FOR ELDERLY JTA Community News Reporter - 2 - January 5, iy/y institutionalized adult education. The officials said these programs are often found in church and synagogue groups, residences for the elderly and senior citizens clubs. The second part is a surv^ of a representa-tive sample of senior citizens to determine how they see their needs for life enrichment in the area of humanities programming. The third part is an assessment by a panel of experts to learn whether there is a common thread between what is being done and what the elderly perceive as their needs, the officials said. The results should provide guidelines for agencies working with elderly persons to further develop those programs which have been proved successful and to give direction to the formulation of new programs to meet needs disclosed in the study, officials said. The study, coordinated by the staff of B'nai B'rith's program and resources division, is sched-uled for completion early in 1979. FDA ISSUES NEW RULES ON SHORTENING DETAILS O N LABELS WASHINGTON (JTA)?The Food and Drug Administration has reported that food processors are complying with a year-old mandatory federal rule requiring that fats and oils in foods be iden-tified specifically as to components by origin on all packaged food labels. Responding to an inquiry from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the FDA said i t was not aware of any violations of the regulation which was promulgated in the Federal Register Jan. 6, 1976 and became mandatory on Jan. I, 1978. The query arose after inquiries were re-ported from observant consumers wondering why products formerly labeled as containing only "veg-etable shortening" now show they have animal shortening as w e l l , including lard. Until the regulation became effective, the JTA was told in response to its inquiries, "fats and oils could be Jisted simply as being of animal, vegetable or marine origin, or, in some cases only, as 'shortening.'" Under the new rule, fats and oils must be identified by name?for example, cottonseed o i l , corn o i l , soybean o i l , or beet fat. The term "veg-etable o i l " or "vegetable shortening" can still be used on the label butonly if i t is followed by listing the specific oils used. Dr. Alexander Schmidt, former U.S. com-missioner of food and drugs, said in a statement announcing the regulation, that, as a result, "consumers w i l l now be better able to follow doctor's orders to restrict certain kinds of fats and oils in their diet. They w i l l also be able to select the fats and oils they wish to consume for health and religious reasons and personal pref-erence." He cited various emblems denoting kosher certification and added that none of them "are required by or are under the authority of any of the acts" enforced by the FDA. WOMAN DENTIST LEAVES $350,000 BEQUEST TO YESHIVA UNIVERSITY NEW YORK (JTA)?A bequest of $350,000 was made to Yeshiva University fcy Dr. Anna R. Bruenn, who had a limited dental practice in Carmel, N . Y . for ten years until ner death in November, 1976. University officials said she was one of the few women dentists when she began her career in 1920. A woman of many interests and humani-tarian concerns, she had a lifelona involvement in Jewish and other areas of local communal l i f e , evidenced notably in her intentions to advance through her bequest the professions she and her husband both loved. A university spokesman said Dr. Bruenn had been a staunch admirer of Yeshiva University and its achievements. Dr. Bruenn provided the legacy to establish scholarships in science and dentistry in her name and that of her husband, Edward L. Carow, who died in 1957. Mr. Carow was an engineer and metallurgist who designed a number of bridges. His wife used her maiden name throughout her professional career. The couple was childless. Carow was 74 when he died. Dr. Bruenn, who was 78 at her death, moved from New York to Carmel in 1966 to practice on a limited basis. She had her office in her home. She became active in local communal l i f e , making bequests to a memorial library in Carmel, the hospital where she died and to the Jewish Center and Temple Beth Sholom in Mahopac. She also left bequests to the Jewish Chautauqua Society, Mount Sinai Hospital, the United Jewish Appeal, Columbia University, Hadassah and the New York Botanical Garden. In addition to the fact of few women in dental practice, there was for Dr. Bruenn the additional obstacle of being Jewish. A letter to her from a medical facility said she would not be welcome either as a woman or Jew but she persevered. She earned her bachelor's degree at New York University and her dentistry degree at the Columbia University School of Dentistry. LOS ANGELES (JTA)--A pilot project to reach "the tremendous reservoir" of Jews on the west side of Los Angeles currently unaffiliated with the Jewish community, is being developed, according to Robert Cowen, one of the re-appointed chairmen of the 1979 Los Angeles United Jewish Welfare Fund campaign for western area men's and women's divisions. Cowan said one way "we hope to achieve this is by planning an evening activity" forwhich the admission price w i l l be "to bring a guest who has never been involved" in Jewish communal activities. Vivian Ershoff, another co-chairman, said the area was "very young" and that i t was important "that we reach the unaffiliated. We are well on our way to developing a real feeling of community in the westside." The other co-chairmen for westside of the UJWF, the annual fund-raising effort of the Jewish Federation'-Council, are Aaron Fenton and Sherry F. Goldenfeld. NEW YORK (JTA)?A 32-page resource manual providing information on the rights of Jewish patients entering New York City's hospitals has been published by Agudath Israel of America. The preface to the Jewish Patients Resource Manual declares that i t is designed "to help patients recognize their rights, make use of these rigrtts, and when necessary, know whom to call for assistance in implementing these rights." The various sections cover the role of the Jewish chaplain, arranging for kosher food and for other religious services, visiting the sick societies, accom-modations for family members, patient representatives, facts about hospitals in the New York metropolitan area and listings of community agencies and rabbinic groups. The brochure was conceived by Dr. Bernard Fryshman, chairman of the Orthodox agency's commis-sion on legislation and civic action. GUIDE FOR JEWISH PATIENTS IN HOSPITALS NEW PLANS SET FOR WEST SIDE OF L . A . TO REACH UNAFFILIATED