Obituaries

Obituaries from page 81

Claude Levi-
Strauss, 100
Paris/JTA
Claude
Levi-Strauss, considered
by many to be the father
of modern anthropology,
died in Paris at the age
of 100.
Levi-Strauss
Levi-Strauss died at
his home Oct. 30 and
was buried Nov. 3.
He introduced the concept of structural-
ism — the finding of common patterns
of thought and behavior in many different
human societies and activities — to the
field of anthropology.
Born in Brussels to an artistic French-
Jewish family, Levi-Strauss grew up near
Versailles, where his grandfather was a
rabbi. He studied in Paris but left France
following the introduction of the Vichy
regime's anti-Jewish laws. He fought with
the Free French Forces during World War II.
Levi-Strauss went on to teach at univer-
sities in Paris, New York and Sao Paulo. He
conducted much of his important research
in Brazil. During his career, he also worked
for the United Nations and the French

—

government.
He was the author of several significant
books on anthropology.

Seymour
Fromer, 87

Washington/JTA
— Seymour Fromer,
founder of the Magnes
Museum in California,
has died. Fromer, who
also served as the
Fromer
museum's director until
his retirement, died Oct. 25 at his home in
Berkeley, Calif.; he was 87.
The Magnes Museum holds one of the
largest collections of Judaica in North
America, including documents tracing
the history of Jews in the American West.
The museum opened in 1962 and houses
more than 10,000 artifacts from around
the world.
Fromer and his wife, Rebecca, started
the museum in response to what they
saw as California's lack of knowledge of
its Jewish heritage. The museum began
with a display case of Jewish objects in the
Oakland Museum, and grew to become the

country's third-largest Jewish museum.
"Many Jews came out here during the
Gold Rush period in the 1840s and '50s,
and some of them became among the
most prominent families in the Bay Area:'
Robert Alter, a professor of Hebrew and
comparative literature at the University of
California, Berkeley, said last week.
"Until Seymour transformed the
museum into a major institution with a
focus on Jewish culture in this part of the
country, most people were unaware of the
Jewish contribution:'

Giving Blood In Israel

Jerusalem Post
The trend of
Americans donating blood in Israel took
another huge leap forward last week as
American Friends of Magen David Adom
hosted two blood drives on one day,
helping collect an additional 127 units
of blood, surpassing the record total
for 2008, and setting a new record for
Americans donating blood in Israel.
So far in 2009, AFMDA has arranged
blood drives that have brought 1,628
blood donors to MDA, more than in all of
2008. With another several blood drives

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planned so far this year, AFMDA stands
on the verge of helping to recruit far more
than 2000 donors to MDA.
Last week's blood drives took place
at the Inbal Hotel in Jerusalem in con-
junction with the Jewish Agency Board
of Governors, and at the campus of
the Nevey Yerushalayim seminary in
Jerusalem in conjunction with Michlelet
Esther.
Jewish Agency Board of Governors par-
ticipants have now become accustomed
to donating blood during their regular
Jerusalem meetings and several of the
participants were return donors.
Rabbi Vernon Kurtz of Chicago's North
Suburban Synagogue Beth El noted,
"Being a regular blood donor and an active
Zionist, it is especially meaningful to be
able to donate blood in Israel where one
has a very tangible sense of the special
urgency sometimes needed to save lives."
As the Jewish Agency delegates were
returning to their meetings, the Nevey
Yerushalayim blood drive was just getting
busy. In total, 108 units of blood were col-
lected, marking the largest and most suc-
cessful blood drive ever organized there.

Making a Lasting Memory.

At The Ira Kaufman Chapel, we help your family with the final tribute of those you love

Detroit Public TV and the JCC 58th Annual Jewish Book Fair
Present "Sue Marx & Allyson Rockwell —
The Making of 'Detroit Remember When: The Jewish Community'"
6:45 pm, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009
D. Dan & Betty Kahn Building
Eugene & Martha Applebaum Jewish Community Campus
6600 W. Maple Rd. West Bloomfield

Stroll down memory lane with award-winning filmmakers
Sue Marx and Allyson Rockwell
as they discuss making their newest documentary,
"Detroit Remember When: The Jewish Community"

Catch a sneak preview of documentary
which features interviews and archival photos,
showcasing: Early Days, Discrimination,
Religious & Cultural Traditions, Politics and Civil Rights,
Education, Tzedakah, and Our Future Leaders

82

November 12 • 2009

Obituaries

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