But What of the Future?

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, June 2, 1972-33

Choreographer Chooses New Life in. America After Success in Romania

By CHARLOTTE DUBIN
1 He and Maria have found work lacob joined 'in entertainment
The kind of fame that Jacob —he as a tailor, she in a leather ' troupe where he developed his
1.ascu has known comes to very factory. Even Eugen has a i'n'' talents and met a young dancer
few. Showered with medals, he has as a draftsman for an architect named Maria Lascu. Dancing be-
toured the continents, performing They have borrowed furniture, and came his career, and Maria he-
to full houses. A star. have acquired a car. Lascu has I came his wife.
But the Romanian ballet master no complaints, . he said. Particular ' Lascu rememhe
•
remembers well
when the
since Eugen 's dreams of a fu- idea first entered his mind to
and choreographer hears such ap-
plause only rarely now. He has Lure in architecture have a good leave Romania. Ile already had
found freedom, but has paid dearly chance of realization: in June, he success and he wasn't the only
for it.
will enroll at Wayne State Uni- 'ewish artist to attain it. for Jews
Lascu, at 46, is one of America's versify:. excelled as dancers, musicians,
But what
newest immigrants. In January.
has become of'
, ainters, sculptors, architects.
after three years of waiting and
Lascu's own dreams? A gentle.
But shortly after Nikita Khrush-
empty promises, Lascu, his wife
soft-spoken man — graving, per-
c h e w succe eded Stalin to
• , he
Maria and 21-year-old son Eugen
haps, before he should — Lascu
made a speech in the Ukraine that
won exit visas from the Romanian
offstage bears little resemblance
had the Jews aquiver. Why.
government.
to the commanding figure who
Khrushchev asked
a group of
They were enabled to come to
was ballet master of the Ro-
miners, do the Jews refuse to work
Detroit with the
manian National State Ensemble
at such menial jobs as mining and
aid of Maria's
Ciocarlia and professor of classi-
insist on going to the university"
brother, Traian,
cal ballet, character dance and
"After this," Lascu recalls, "there
who has lived
folklore at the School of Choreo-
was a big line of Jews in Bucharest
here almost 20
graphy in Bucharest.
waiting to leave the country. But
years.
And his wife, once the star of very few were allowed to go."
Permitted to
the Ciocarlia troupe, is too fatigued
In 1964 or '65. when he was
carry out of the
after a 10-hour work day to prac- ballet master and instructor of'
country only
tice dance.
the Clocarlia ensemble. lacob
enough to meet
The Jewish Center invited Lascu and Maria were advised that
the limit on com-
to conduct a four-session character they could not accompany the
mercial air car-
workshop, which is currently under troupe to the United States. One
riers-44 pounds Lasers
way, as well as a summer pro- of his dances was to be staged
each — the Lascus have received gram for teen-agers. If there is here, but the government was
some financial aid from the Jew- sufficient demand, he will teach wary of his ties—Maria's brother
ish Resettlement Service: a cloth- classical ballet at the Center this —in America.
ing allowance, the security deposit fall.
With increasingly overt anti-
on an apartment near the Jewish
Lascu also conducts one class at Semitic expression by a certain
Center,
the Kay Wise School in Birmitr- -overnment official. lacob was re-
ham and another at the Detroit moved from the ensemble Be-
Community
School. It hardly cause his wife was not Jewish. she
8
4
8
•
6 4 6 -
quenches Lascu's thirst to dance - -as permitted to remain with the
and teach, but it is something.
company, but no longer as star
"When I learn English better," For her sake. lacob changed his
he said, admitting he was no longer awn obviously Jewish name,
taking English lessons because Brumer, to her name. Lascu.
there is no time "I will write a
Photography
He was reduced to the job ef
book about what I know.•'
teaching folk dance to young chil-
What he knows is considerable, dren, yet even at this, he excelled.
30790 SOUTHFIELD
for Lascu was in great demand as He formed and led the dance en-
.* 13 Ws Road
choreographer as well as dancer_ semble of the Pioneer Palace in
Many of his more than 100 choreo- Bucharest, which performed in
graphies — some for the Jewish Furope and the USSR. Only two
Theater of Bucharest — are stilt -oars aeo, he received a master's
being staged today, and four of '^"ree in physical education from
them have received first prize at the Pedagogic Institute of Bu-
international and national festivals -barest.
Eyebrows—Neckline—Arms—Logs
and competitions.
At about this time. when the
Recommended by Physicians
Lascu has brought with him
-, inds of change saw the demotion
FREE CONSULTATION
many international awards, but
4 Lascu's nemesis in government,
the two orders and two medals
'he ballet master was asked to re-
Registered Electrologist
from the Romanian government
'urn to Ciocarlia. He refused.
had to be returned when Lascu
ADVANCE BUILDING
Earlier, during the Six-Day War
left the country for the lasetime.
23077 GREENFIELD
Room 260
4 June 1967, political observers
Nr
and Pronernre non..
The son of a Kiev tailor who re-
had noted a strange phenomenon.
PHONE 557-1108
mained in Romania after imprison-
;5 Years Downtown
Romania dared to defy the Krem-
ment there in World War I, Lascu
lin and remained the only Com-
was born Iacob Brumer in the vil-
munist government to maintain
lage of Beclean in northern Ro-
diplomatic relations with Israel.
mania. When he was 11, the family
In addition, the gates were opened,
APARTMENT DWELLERS
moved to Timisoara, where lacob
'nd thousands of Romanian Jews
began his studies in dance.
were permitted to leave for Israel
With the exception of one of
But Lascu was too late_ Without
offers a money saving plan for
Jacob's brothers, the Brumers
warning, the gates suddenly closed
you. Let us show you how easy
managed to survive the war. While
again. For three years. without
it is 'to build your own group
his father and another brother
letup, Lascu petitioned officials.
worked in a labor camp, Iacob, a
of steady customers, make extra
-0 1 the way on up to the prim.•
minor, stayed home with his
money in your spare time. Our
minister. When Israel became an
mother and worked as a tailor.
products
open
world-famous
impossible dream, he asked per-
Later,
Jacob's
father
died
of
nat-
doors fast. You meet new people,
•ission to come to the U. S.
ural causes; his mother and
make new friends. Call for de-
Perhaps the final straw was the
brother continue to live in Ro-
tails; Celia Krieg, 352-2926.
discrimination against his son.
mania.
Eugen, who sought to enter the
Drafted into the army in 1948..
-niversity for architectural studies .
Lascu admits that entrance to

As to his own future. Lascu is
pessimistic. All agree that he has
every qualification to teach ballet
on the college level, or to have a
permanent position with a dance
company, but such jobs are few
in this area. Ile has no funds to
open a school of his own.
Lascu is proud, and he is willing
to work. "I like tailoring, and I
can earn a living at it," he said.
"But it's hard to change after 25
years of my life in choreography."
lacob and Maria have visited
America before. They returned to
Romania because their son was
still there. Now. Lascu says, "I'm
not so young any more, but I'm
very happy for my son. Here he
will have a future."

Hebrew U. to Send

Grad Students to U.S.
for Teacher Training

JERUSALEM (JTA) — An in-
portant boost to the training of
applied scientists in Israel has
been given by the decision of the
Hebrew University's School of Ap-
plied Science and Technology to
send graduate scientists for post-
doctoral training in applied re-
search laboratories in the United
States so as to return as teachers.
The Robert Szold Center of Ap-
plied Science at the Hebrew Uni-
versity will cover half the cost of
sending four scientists for two
years experience in areas import-
ant to the industrial and technolo-
gical development of Israel.
The current demand for gradu-
ates trained in applied science-ex-
ceeds the supply and the 580,000
program is aimed at stepping up
I this training.

Israelis to Travel Abroad
in Record Numbers in '72

TEL AVIV (ZINS) — Despite
higher travel costs resulting from
the revaluation of Israel curren.
cy , a record number of Israelis
is expected to travel abroad this
year, according to a spokesman
for the Association of Israel
Travel Agencies.
This year sonic 197,000 Israeli
tourists will - go abroad, an in-
crease of 10 per cent over last

We find in life exactly what we
put in it.—Ralph W, Emerson.

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the university is difficult for
-veryone, not just Jews. But

there are ways to stack the
cards, he said. Three pages into
the entrance exams, Eugen
tricked about him and saw that
Ws competitors were already
familiar with the questions.
I.ascu is certain that his request
to leave the country had preju-
diced the officials against his
son.
Not every Jew wants to leave.
Among the 100,000 still in Romania.
there are some who earn a good
living as professionals and artists.
And the fact that Israel Prime
Minister Golda Meir was warmly
received there not long ago is a
good omen, Lascu believes. Per-
haps it will mean a new emigra-
tion "arrangement" for the Jews.

Jost the dr.., to , that .0 , r

September

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851 7220