Lee Seeman

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Lee Seeman
Born
Leah Rose Sachs
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma materUniversity of Miami
SpouseMurray Seeman
Children4, including Roxanne

Lee R. Seeman is a former member of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, the agency of the U.S. Government charged with helping to protect and preserve memorials, historic sites, buildings, cemeteries, and other property in Central and Eastern Europe, including parts of the former Soviet Union, important to the foreign heritage of Americans.[1][2] Seeman was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1995 and reappointed by President George W. Bush.[3]

Seeman was involved in raising funds to build monuments in Eastern and Central Europe dedicated to those who perished in the Holocaust, including the preservation of one of the largest cemeteries in Wyszków, Poland and markers at the sites of former slave labor camps in Estonia during World War II.[2][4][5] In Riga, Latvia she created a memorial for a desecrated cemetery that dated back to 1725. During The Holocaust, 1,000 Jews were killed and buried in a mass grave there.  The Riga monument bears a stone scroll explaining the history.[6]

She was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1996, representing Greater Long Island.[7] Seeman served as Town Councilwoman in the Town of North Hempstead, District 5, New York from 2005 to 2022[8][9] She represented the villages of Saddle Rock, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Russell Gardens, University Gardens, Lake Success, North New Hyde Park, Garden City Park, Floral Park and other unincorporated areas.[10] Formerly, Seeman was a New York State committeewoman and the 16th Assembly District leader of North Hempstead.[7] She was co-chairman of the Clinton campaign in Nassau County.[1] January 2022, the Village of Great Neck Plaza designated a portion of Bond Street to be named “Lee Seeman Way”.[11]

Early life and education[edit]

Lee R. Seeman was born and grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens, daughter of Mollie née Getzug and Leon C. Sachs, an insurance company owner and former President of Temple Emanuel of Queens, New York.[12] Her mother, Mollie Getzug, was a millinery buyer for stores in Charlotte, North Carolina, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio, and others in the Southeast.[13][14] Her uncles on her maternal side were five brothers who were jewelers, owning Getz Jewelry in Ohio and Mayor’s Jewelry in Florida.[15][16][17][18] Her family on her paternal side dates to Israel in the 1800s. Her great-great-grandfather Michal HaCohen [he] edited the first Hebrew newspaper in Palestine and founded Nahalat Shiva, the first town outside the walls of Jerusalem.[1][19]HaCohen was one of the representatives of the Jews welcoming Emperor Franz Joseph on his trip to Jerusalem, receiving a new printing press from the emperor in appreciation.

Seeman attended the University of Miami.[2]

Personal life[edit]

In 1953, Lee married Murray Seeman, a lawyer and real estate developer who served as a captain with the US Army during World War II. Together they had four children.[20][12][9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Musleah, Rahel (1995-11-26). "U.S. Prods to Reclaim Holocaust Cemeteries". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  2. ^ a b c Hahn, Avital Louria (1997-09-14). "Restoring a Jewish Cemetery in Poland". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  3. ^ "Digest of Other White House Announcements | The American Presidency Project". www.presidency.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  4. ^ "Address to Aid Heritage Commission". The New York Times. 1995-12-10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  5. ^ Dooley, Emily C. "Councilwoman helps unveil monument". Newsday. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  6. ^ Tedesco, Richard (2011-08-11). "Seeman gives names back to Holocaust victims". The Island Now. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  7. ^ a b Swirsky, Joan (1992-07-12). "Delegates Prepare For the Convention". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  8. ^ Staff, Great Neck Record (2022-01-12). "Village Of Great Neck Plaza Honors Councilmember Lee Seeman". Great Neck Record. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  9. ^ a b Clausen, Janelle (2017-11-01). "Lee Seeman seeks to bring people together as councilwoman". The Island Now. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  10. ^ Now, The Island (2021-01-06). "Fascinating musicians and speakers to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck - Blog". The Island 360. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  11. ^ "Great Neck Plaza honors longtime Town of North Hempstead councilwoman". Newsday. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  12. ^ a b "Sachs--Seeman". New York Times. 1 Nov 1953. p. 108. Retrieved 23 Apr 2023.
  13. ^ "Miss Mollie Getzug Visits Columbus". The Columbus Enquirer-Sun. 6 Mar 1924. p. 10. Retrieved 23 Apr 2023.
  14. ^ "New Head of Millinery At Little-Long's Here". The Charlotte Observer. 18 Jul 1922. p. 5. Retrieved 23 Apr 2023.
  15. ^ "Mrs. Anna Getz, Services Are Conducted For Mother Of Five Jewelers". The Cincinnati Enquirer. 30 Jul 1942. p. 10. Retrieved 23 Apr 2023.
  16. ^ "Newlyweds Leave For Norfolk To Make Home". The Miami News. 20 Jul 1944. p. 5. Retrieved 23 Apr 2023.
  17. ^ "Noted Jeweler Fatally Stricken". The Cincinnati Times-Star. 24 Jul 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 30 Apr 2023.
  18. ^ "Charles Getz, Dayton Jeweler, Slaying Victim". The Cincinnati Enquirer. 8 Dec 1969. p. 13. Retrieved 30 Apr 2023.
  19. ^ Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am. "Nahalat Shiva, a little kingdom outside the walls". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  20. ^ "Murray Seeman dead; former Great Neck Estates mayor was 103". Newsday. Retrieved 2023-04-01.