Friday, May 21, 1%3 11
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Boris Smolar's
`Between You
. . . and Me'
Editor-in-Chief
Emeritus, JTA
(Copyright 1983, JTA, Inc.)
PERSONALITY PROFILE: Sam Rothberg, the very
intensive Jewish leader who made Peoria, Ill. popular in
Jewish communities in this country and in Israel by his
energetic activities in raising funds for Israel, has now
reached his 72nd year of age. He looks much younger than a
man of his age, but he decided to retire from the leading
position he has been holding for many years, as general
chairman of the Israel Bond Organization — an organiza-
tion he helped to establish more than 30 years ago and to
which he was actively devoted from the very first day of its
formation. He also served as chairman of the board of gov-
ernors of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem for 13 years.
Earlier he was one of the dynamic leaders of the United
Jewish Appeal. Among other activities he was also a foun-
der of the Israel Investment Corp. which became a pioneer-
ing model for the establishment of private investments in
Israel. He will now be honored, on June 12, at an interna-
tional Jewish dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New
York. The dinner will be attended by personalities from
Israel, from European countries and from Latin American
Jewish communities. Israeli President Chaim Herzog and
Prime Minister Menahem Begin are patrons of the affair.
Jack Weiler, the prominent philanthropist, who is himself
in the front row of activities for Israel, is chariman of the
international dinner committee. He considers Rothberg's
achievements in the deeds for Israel as "legendary." The
dinner is being sponsored by the Israel Bond Organozation
and the Hebrew University.
A leading business executive in Peoria, Rothberg —
who was born in Russia — is affectionately known in the
American Jewish community and in Israel as "Sam of
Peoria." He was a very young man when he started his
communal activity as president of the Peoria Jewish com-
munity. It did not take him long to become a national
Jewish leader by being elected a member of the national
UJA Campaign Cabinet.
Unlike today, there were no "young leadership" groups
in those years. He was the youngest among the UJA lead-
ers. In fact, his energetic and utmost dedication to the UJA
gave birth to the idea of developing "young leadership
cadres" nationwide.
MEETING CHALLENGES: Rothberg fell strongly
under the influence of the energetic Henry Montor, the
professional executive leader of the UJA campaign, who
was himself a young man at that time — the youngest
among executive directors in the Jewish communal system.
I remember the sensation caused by Montor in address-
ing the UJA convention in 1945, held in Atlantic City,
when he angrily accused from the platform the donors that
they really "do not put the hands in their pockets" when
making their contributions which are tax-deductible. He
proposed that the convention proclaim a quota of $100
million for the forthcoming year instead of the $35 million
being raised by the UJA during the years since the merger.
His proposal was considered by most of the delegates as
unrealistic, unattainable and a mere fantasy. But it was
not considered fantastic by young "Sam of Peoria."
Rothberg was one of the few delegates who took Montor's
' challenge seriously. He felt that it could be met. He became
, the chairman of the UJA's National Big Gifts Committee
and crisscrossed the country for the campaign. As •a result,
the 1946 drive produced more than the $100 million re-
quested by Montor. It broke all previous records.
ENVIABLE RECORD: Rothberg drifted away from
active participation in UJA leadership when the Israel
Bond Organization was formed in 1951. He followed' Mon-
tor to the Bond campaign. In fact, he helped Montor bring
the State of Israel Bond idea into life with Henry Morgan-
thau, former U.S. Secretary of Treasury, as chairinan of the
board of governors.
During the more than 30 years of his leadership in the
Israel Bond campaign Rothberg established for himself an
enviable record. He accompanied David Ben-Gurion on his
first visit as Israel's Prime Minister to the United States to
launch the Bond drive. He shared the platform with him in
every major city which he toured. He accompanied Golda
Meir in most of the 24 cities she visited during the tour she
made which resulted in her returning to Israel with a check
of $50 million. "I can think of few people in the United
States who have individually contributed so much — both
in resources and in dogged day-to-day effort — to the build-
ing and the development of the state of Israel," said Ben-
Gurion in a message to Rothberg on the latter's 50th birth-
day.
Rothberg played a major role in the creation of the
Harry S. Truman Center for Advancement of Peace which
was housed in the first new building to be erected on Mt.
Scopus after the Six-Day War. He was also instrumental in
establishing the Hubert Humphrey Center for Experimen-
tal Medicine and Cancer Research.
Vermont U.
Honors Prof.
Ousted in '50's
NEW YORK — Prof. Alex
B. Novikoff was awarded an
honorary doctorate of sci-
ence degree by the Univer-
sity of Vermont, the school
which ousted him for al-
leged Communist activities
30 years ago.
• Prof. Novikoff, who cur-
rently teaches at the Albert
Einstein College of
Medicine in New York, was
teaching pathology and
biochemistry and conduct-
ing cancer research at the
University of Vermont dur-
ing the height of the McCar-
thy era. He was dismissed
from his post following his
refusal to testify before the
House UnAmerican Activi-
ties Committee.
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