Buffalo Jewish Community Film and Video Archive
From the Archives
Rich Newberg Shares Jewish Buffalo History
"I’m so grateful to the JCC, WIVB-TV, and the station’s general manager Joe Abouzeid, for allowing me to share this collection with the Jewish community of Western New York. Putting it together was truly a labor of love. History, as told through the eyes of local broadcast journalists offers a living chronicle of community life and major events that help shape our destiny as a people."
"My greatest hope is that new generations of students will view this moving image history with great interest. Some incredible moments in time were captured on film and videotape. I believe the lessons we can learn from local Holocaust survivors are perhaps most important of all. Hearing their stories firsthand and producing them for a television audience helped me come to grips with history’s darkest chapter.”
“There are many upbeat stories in this collection that include wonderful family reunions of shtetl descendants, as well as the contributions of outstanding Jewish broadcasters, entertainers, religious leaders, and historical figures whose Buffalo legacies will live on forever.” - Rich Newberg
In May, 2024, Rich delivered a presentation at JCC Buffalo.
Explore the entire Buffalo Jewish Community Film and Video Archive
Holocaust: Lessons for All Time
Rich Newberg shows how his career in journalism helped him come to grips with the Holocaust. Key scenes from his major documentaries are featured in these segments from his New York Emmy Award winning TV specials: “One Reporter’s Journey” (2015) and “The Buffalo Story: History Happens Here” (2021).
Broadcasters: Jewish Pride in Buffalo
Social Issues: The Faith Club
Lori Newberg creates an interfaith club of Jewish, Christian and Muslim women who meet in Buffalo to learn more about each other’s religious beliefs and culture. Lori questions, “Why are there so many problems in this world? We’re so similar!”
The question serves as the basis for a CBS Sunday Morning feature by correspondent Seth Doane. His report suggests that three of the world’s great faiths share some common ground, including a belief in the “Golden Rule,” the story of Abraham and the belief in one God.
Arts & Culture: Susan Wehle Remembered as an Extraordinary Spiritual Leader
Susan Wehle is among the 50 people who lost their lives in the crash of a commercial jetliner in Clarence, New York on February 12, 2009. Temple Beth Am Rabbi Irwin Tanenbaum remembers her “full face smile and bouncing curly hair.” Wehle was the daughter of Holocaust survivors and spread goodwill throughout Western New York by searching for common ground for people of all faiths. At her memorial service, Reverend Gail Lewis of the Williamsville Interfaith Clergy says, “Not one faith community has been untouched by the loss of Susan Wehle.”
Andy Gold, a friend of Susan’s, says, “Honor Susan by kindling your own flame, which kindles that of others.”
Thank You to WIVB
WIVB-TV has taken a leadership role during the past four decades in helping our community pass along the lessons of the Holocaust, while also documenting the contributions of Jewish Buffalo.
This film and video archive could not have been made possible without the full cooperation of WIVB-TV and its parent company, Nexstar. My deepest thanks for giving me the opportunity to preserve this precious archive and use it as a primary source for education. -Rich Newberg, WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent (ret.)
