Page A-16 The Jewish Week, Washington, D.C. Sept. 2-8, 1976 Sam Beber, 75, founder of Bnai Brith Youth CHICAGO -- Sam Beber, who founded the Bnai Brith Youth Organization, largest Jewish teenage movement, died here Aug. 25. He would have been 76 next month. Beber had been in failing health. Death was attributed to pneumonia. In 1924, Mr. Beber, then 22 and a magna cum laude graduate of Creighton Univer- sity's law school, organized a boys group in his native Omaha to encourage among Jew- ish youth "a sympathetic appreciation and love of his religion and people." He named Sam Beber it Aleph Zadik Aleph, utilizing the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet as a One of Beber's earliest disciples whom counterpoint to Greek-letter fraternities. he enrolled in AZA was Philip M. Klutznick, Two years later, Beber, serving as the later to serve as president of Bnai Brith and youngest member ever of Bnai Brith's na- a U.S. ambassador at the United Nations. tional board, persuaded the organization to They became brothers-in-law and busi- assume sponsorship of the program which, ness partners in the creation of Park with a girls counterpart added in 1944, be- Forest, Ill., as a model for planned commu- came the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization, nities. Begun in 1946 at a time of postwar currently enrolling more than 40,000 housing shortages, the pioneering develop- youngsters in its activities. ment is now a city of 50,000. Some 650,000 others have participated in Beber maintained his home in Omaha. the program since its founding and Mr. In the early 1930's he helped organize the Beber took pride in the subsequent profes- Independent Voter's League as a reform sional and public achievements of its movement in that city, "alumni". Economist Leo Cherne, play- Beber had been active with many civic wright Henry Denker, Congressmen Ed and philanthropic organizations. He served Mezvinsky of Iowa and Elliott Levitas of on the national boards of the Boy Scouts, the Georgia, and actors Tony Martin and Leon- Jewish Welfare Board and the United Jew- ard Nimoy are some of the former AZA ish Appeal. He had also headed Omaha's members who achieved prominence. Federation for Jewish Services. An AZA Distinguished Alumnus Award, A recent major gift by Beber enabled named for Beber, is presented each year. Bnai Brith to establish a summer youth Newspaperman Carl Bernstein, of Water- camp in southern Wisconsin. It is to be gate fame, was this year's recipient. known as the Bnai Brith Beber Camp. David M. Blumberg president of Bnai Beber is survived by his widow, the Brith and himself an alumnus of the youth former Helen Riekes of Omaha; a son, Har- movement, described Mr. Beber as "a vi- ley Beber of Rockville, Md.; two daughters, sionary and an activist whose unique gift to Mrs. Floyd Abramson of Chicago and Mrs. Jewish youth is an everlasting monument to Jerald Kattleman of San Diego, and a sis- him." ter, Mrs. Paul Landres of Los Angeles.