> » r - 1 f
■ '^■» 'Ji I,"*' ^ ">
Thursday, April 27,1978-TH E BULLETiN-9
7 W BULLETIN . M. MJ JLi }^^^ FEATURE _
PROFILES
JWB staff
"Being concerned for others is the way not to b6 ehvelopied m old-age."
Jessie Allman, 75 years-young, expounded this philosophy during a recent interview in her apartment. The session was punctuated by two telephone calls from Louis Brier Home residents seeking her advice because they can readUly identify with her. She responded with strong compassion.
Mrs.. Allman — for 20 years a caseworker at the Jewish Family Service Agency iand for numerous years active at the Brier Home and with Hadassah — emphasizes that "you can disconnect yourself, professionally but not emotionally."
And that's why, today, she continue with zest and enthusiasm, actively contributing towards the betterment Of the community. Jessie Allman serves as a JFSA board life member; is a permanent bosird meinbOr of the
national Hadassah executive and coordinates Vancouver's Lilliah Freiman chapter; and, probably most significantly^ assists individuals in ri^d oh a personal one-to-one basis.
Of the two Brier residents calling, she stkted that "tboy feel more comfortable talking with someone of thieur own age and background and with whom th^ can speak Yiddish."
So she is more than willing to .help, continuing to practice the maxim .which guided her throughout thousands of days of intense work oh behalf of community^ instihiticm^ get ^motiiil^y: in thi§
type Of maximum s^
HcMiie 1^ Jessie^ Allman was originally Pavolich, Russia. As Je^ie Busoff she lived there amidst some 3JDi6^^ J^^ whom also caihe from Zionist families as did she iand her nine brothers and sisters.
JESSIE ALLMAN
She dicTnot Teceive Russian education as thishad to be paid for and family funds were not available. She recalls that both her parent's families hkd a Caiassidic background and her grandfather had a hardware store in, Russia.
Mrs. Allman cam^ in 1910 with her mo,^^ Annies and six brothers and sisters, joining her father, Samuel Rusoff, who had arrived two years earlier.
She recalls a story illustrating the strong Zionist^ interests of the family. Her father, a traveller selling groceries to country stores, regularly collected money from
Jewish storekeepers for various Jewish causies.-
On one trip, these shopkeepers gave Samuel Rusoff funds to purchase land in Palestine and he went there from 1919 to 1922 as their emissary with this'intent. This plan, however, didn't materialize due to a depression at that time and the fact that the storekeepers' funds were not. adequate to cover the purchase involved.
Forty years later, Jessie Allman and two of her sisters, while attending the 1962 Hadassah convention in Israel, planted trees at Hadera; This was the site where then: father had intended to purchase the land.
"Warm and intense," is how she answers the query of what Jiswish life in Winnipeg was like during her days there. She recalls that in her home, newly-arrived immigrants were:always present given a warm welcome and comfortable lodgings; '
"Tz^ka wias always a strong part of oiir lives,'- she strokes.
Mrs. Allman say^ of her Zionist and Jewish conbei^ns, Young Judaea was my public school; Junior Hadassah was iny high school; and Senior Hadassah was my university.'* ' ■
Sh^ married Erwin Allman in Winnipeg iii 1923. The family lived in Chicago from 1924 to 1933; m Edmonton between 1933 and 1937^ when thi^jr^rett^^ ^ Thtey; ic^me'fe^^ During this period spent in Saskatoon, where^^ beloved young daughter, Phylliss, succumbed to cancer.
The Jewish Family Service Agency caseworker recalled her start with ^ tiiat ^ Vancouver institution. Lil' Shapiro, a longtiihe city conununity worker and then chairman of the JFSA board, knew of Mrs. Allman's four years' work with ttie ChUdren's Aid in Winnipeg. Mrs. Shapuro enlisted her on the JFSA board in 1943 where she served from 1943 to^50.
Lou Zimmerman, then executive-director of the Centre and the JFSA, asked her m 1950 — as the only person on the board with professional social' work experience — to be 'temporary' case-worker at JFSA.
Twenty years later she retured from that community social service institution.
In general, Jessie Allman describes her yedrs there as "a very rich experience." She recounts among her most interesting cases those concemmg survivors of the Holocaust and also Hungarian Jews at the tune of that country's revolution in 1956.
For- all these Jews, Jessie Allman spent countless hours seeking homes and jobs, an especially difficult task because , although many of the new immigrants were trained, their experience was in Europe on poor equipment.
. "You become a part of their very necessary backgrounds," she said. "I've substituted as a mother for orphan gurls at theu' wed-duigs," she pouited out, mdicating this to be especially gratifying.
Mrs. Allman noted that in the process (^giving niaxinium se^ vice to JFSA.cases, she sometunes had to go against the opinions of the board. "I often personally funded lunch-money and car-fare for needy persons — actions which the board felt were unnecessary."
She stated that JFSA consultants, such as former Premier Dave Barrett, now leader of the Opposition, were impressed by the manner in which she dealt with cases "without red tape."
Regarding Mr. Barrett, Jessie Allman commented: "He should have remained a social worker. He could just do anything with the young kids. I speak to him occasionally now.'*
It was Mrs. Allman who made Louis Brier Home for the Aged part of the resppnsibility of JFSA. She wolfed iSyearspi^^ at the jI^,|Mrlwli^^ Additionally, jshe ■:■ \?as v at ^ the dispCNsal of Brte
tinuously at JFSA offices and served specifically as a volunteer another half-a-day per week.
She feels that Brier residents today should have more services from professional social workers.^
"But most of £dl," she stresses, ■ "these people need companionship — someone to give them "little services.' "
Speaking in general of service to individuals, she explains: "I could never ask people to make an ap-pomtment. I always tried to give them service as early as possiUe."
The;, third prinle area of Mrs. Allman's ciomniunity efforts' has been'with Hadaissah.
"Hadassah is like famUy," she says and her involvements ^th the organization were often as ex-
tensive as with one's family. She served as Canadian Hadassah regional vice-president in B.C.; president of Vancouver Hadassah Council; past president of Lillian Freiman chapter; and was responsible for formation of several Hadassah chapters plus Vancouver Hadassah Council.
In Winnipeg, she was president of Young Judaea, Junior Hadassah and organized several Hadassah chapters there.
Mrs. Allman's husband, Erwine, served at 16 with the Jewish Legion in Palestine from 1917 to 1920. He passed away lune years ago, leaving his >^e, two sons (Sheldon of Los Angeles and Samuel of Vancouver) and five grandchildren.
Out of the origmal nine brothers and sisters, Mrs. Allman now has five surviving sisters. She recalls with special sadness her deceased sister Mrs. H. (Rebecca) Sokolov of Wmnipeg, a former national vice-president of Hadassah, "who had a great mfluence on me, as did my parents."
A cousin. Rose- Halprin of Winnipeg, is the mother of noted entertainer Monty Hall.
Jessie Allman sunmiarizes: "I have had great satifaction from both niy social service and Zionist work, which began in earnest when I attended the hist<oric Zionist convention of 1927. It,was then that Menachem Mendel Ussishkin persuaded Canadian Zionists to redeem land in Emek Hefer."
' She contmues: "The three things which made my life rich were my ^ family, my conununity work and my association with fine people in the Jewish community."
She was honored at the second annual Negev Dinner, sponsored by the Jewish National Fund.
Mrs. Allman shows excitenient as she mentions that on Mayi2 and 13 she hop^ to be at the Sheraton : Plaza hotel, attendmg; a special Ck)hfer«ide bn Aging: ?
'^VTou receive^ what youv c^ concludes, with her characteristic zest . for lifte itself.
European tQurhm imcreases by 27%
JERUSALEM — Number of European tourists m Israel increased by 27 percent in 1977, and reached 544,000, according to Central Bureau of Statistics.
Eurbfiean tourists comprised 54 percent of the totol. of 1,006,500 tourists in 1977, the first year that more than one million tourists visited IsraeL Most notable increase was in number of German tourists —110.400—an increase of 74 percent compared to 63,000 who visited in 1976.
'X^.^.^,,>- /jtv^^^ I . • . • . - ::s^-'^Y.,'^l^J^- '''ic-
REpSNT FAMILY BKIJMO saw Jessie Allman [front row, lefti naeeting with sisters Fanny
Brownstone of Winnipeg [Inmt, centre] and Bess Wexl^ of Los Angeles. In ba^k row^ left to right, are: sisters Lola Sures of Winnipeg and Hilda Arkoff «^ Los Angeles* aiM slster&>ln-law Cecil® Waldman of Wlnn^g and Su8anne,Ru80^ of L(^
J ■ - ■
AN IDER THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR FAmiLY'S LIFE
rrioshav i'dan is a place whe7e the young flmerican family can experience a truly rewarding Jewish life in Israel.
« rdan:. Situated in the Arava. 30 miles south of the
Dead Sea on the road to Eilat^ « i'dcxn: fl new moshav with an economy based on
winter vegetables for export, orchards, and flowers.
• I'dan: lOO homes on individual plots, with fields, orchards, and flowers outside of the moshav.
• rdan: fl moshav with its own superette, nursery, community center, sports facilities and swimming pool. I'dan: Where a small investment will yield lifelong economic, social and cultural returns.
Now's the time to explore the I'dan Idea. Find out more by writing to: Group Rliyah Projects. Israel Rliyah Center. Inc..
950 W. 41st Ave., Vancouver, B.C. 266-5366
«ss±.