PRESS RELEASE -- For Immediate Release
Date:  January 5, 2011   
Contact:  Arielle Jackson   413-256-4900, ext. 124  ajackson@bikher.org

SMITH ALUMNA JOINS YIDDISH BOOK CENTER BOARD

AMHERST, MA – Lori Lober, executive producer of the Los Angeles-based Artists Company and a Smith College graduate, has joined the Board of Directors of the Yiddish Book Center. The Book Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to Jewish cultural education and outreach. During its 30-year history, the Book Center has rescued a million endangered Yiddish books, placed the full texts of 11,000 titles online, and created educational programs, exhibits, and other resources based on the books’ contents.

Lober’s involvement with the Book Center began in 2005, when she and her husband Robert Schmidt established the Solomon and Irene Lober Fund for the Rescue and Preservation of Yiddish Books there. “The Fund honors my parents and, equally important, assures them that the Yiddish language and culture that represent their past have a meaningful place in our future.” Solomon and Irene Lober live in Florida.

As executive producer at The Artists Company, Lori Lober provides creative direction and logistic support to a roster of diverse talent across a range of filmmaking formats in the production of television commercials. Her producing credits on behalf of major advertising agencies include campaigns for Microsoft, Levi’s, Target, and Mercedes-Benz, among others. Her work has received numerous industry awards and she has been widely recognized as an expert in large scale mechanical and in-camera visual effects.

Widely traveled, Lober has been to all seven continents and visited some of the most remote parts of the planet. With her husband, she is a strong advocate for animal rescue. Robert Schmidt is the inventor of the popular Hoodman line of digital camera accessories. 

As a member of the Book Center’s board, Lober is especially interested in the organization’s educational initiatives and serves on the board’s education committee. “While the next generation of students is being nurtured and inspired by the Book Center, there is much more work to be done,” says Lober. In 2010, Lober supported the Book Center’s winter term course, “Elementary Yiddish,” which enrolled 18 Five College students for three weeks of intensive language study and cultural education. A similar 2011 course is being held at the Book Center this January.

Aaron Lansky, founder and president of the Yiddish Book Center, says, “Lori Lober, with her diverse talents and range of experience, is a wonderful addition to our board. We welcome her warmly.”

Information about the Yiddish Book Center’s latest programs and resources is available at www.yiddishbookcenter.org.