Batt Heads Building Construction Committee Omaha—Norman Batt has been named chairman of the Building Construction.Commit•tee for the new Jewish Community Center. Announcement of Mr. Batt's appointment was
made this week by Daniel Katzman, overall chairman of the new JCC project. Members of the committee serving with Mr. Batt include Robert Bernstein, Charles Mo-
nasee, Robert Newman, Yale the design of the new Qenter Richards and Elmer Gross.'VBuilding was based on the proKen Nelson, architect; will gram recommendations made serve as a consultant to the by the members of the New committee. Center Planning Committee several months Mr. Katzman explained that who spent p needs and interstudyinp tje groups in the ests opment plans Baker, arch-
JEWISt
g draware now being - according to Mr. ..an, will be completed
Serving Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Lincoln, Omaha Vol.. M—No. 44
OMAHA, NEB., FKI., JULY 7, 1972
Oiiics Omaha — Funeral services were held Thursday, July 6, 1972, for Cantor Manfred F . Kuttner, of 545 South 87th Street. Cantor Kuttner passed away July 4 at the age of 60. Rabbis Sidney H. Brooks, Barry Weinstein and Lawrence Rubenstein officiated at the 2 p.m. service at Temple Israel. Interment was at Temple Israel Cemetery. In Ills eulogy, Rabbi Brooks described Cantor Kuttner as "the most civilized, humane human being I have ever known. The depth of his love and compassionJauched everyone with whom he came in contact." Cantor Kuttner joined the staff at Temple Israel in Omaha in November, 1961, where he served as.Director of Music and as a member of the religious school staff. A musicologist of note, Cantor Kuttner's talents were widely recognized i n ' the general community. He was a violinist with the Omaha Symphony orchestra and presented a variety of musical programs for many groups in the general -community. He conducted a weekly program on KIOS-FM that utilized his rare and extensive collection of .classical records as well as his broad knowledge of classical music. . Cantor Kuttner began his long musical career at the age of 6, singing in the synagoguo
the Cantor of Beth Zion Temple in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, serving that congregation for 16 years prior to moving to Omaha. . His contributions in Johnstown included his reviving and conducting the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra. He was the founder of the Johnstown Youth Orchestra and Symphony Chorus. In addition to his basic education which he received in Germany, Cantor Kuttner held certification from the Hebrew Union Collego School of Sacred .•"Music and was a "member'of ' the executive board of the American Confcrencn of Cantprs. - ., Cantor Kuttner is survived by Cantor Manfred Kuttner . his wifc> Use; daughter, Mrs choir in his home t o w n of , Russell (Naomi) Johnson and Frankfurt, Germany. He later son Daniel, serving with the became the Music Director of United States Navy in San Diethe Chief Synagogue in Frank- , go. furt. He came to America in The family'request memori1938 and served in the United als be made to Temple Israel States Navy during World War or to the Ben Shemen Youth Village in Israel, in care of After the war, lie became Temple Israel.
Jewish Facilities Hit Hard by Flood New York (JTA)—Jewish or- ecutive vice-president of the ganizations, centers and indi- Synagogue Council of America, viduals were rallying this week Rabbi Siegman said that to aid synagogues and Jewish "very extensive damage" had businesses "wiped but" in Har- been caused to.; the Jewish risburg and Wilkes-Barre, Pa., cemetery and to the United by the floods in the wake of Hebreiy Institute' Ben Zionj ' tropical storm Agnes. Reports Academy in Wilkes-Barre. reaching Jewish organizations ' Wilkes-Barre's Temple Israel here told of considerable dam- has been, "entirely washed -age, to Jewish facilities: One out," with its possessions "just, synagogue said to have had about entirely destroyed," it most or all of its, possessions was. reported by Dr. Mortoa , washed away is Kesher Is- Siegel, executive director of < rael Congregation in Harris- the United Synagogue of Amer-j burg. Other synagogues were ica. He said that most syna--, seriously damaged, according gogues in the area had been to Rabbi. Henry Siegman, ex- spared, but that many Jewish homes were "washed out,"-. Similarly struck, said Dr. Sie-; gel, was the Solomon SchechterDay School in Chevy Chase,, Md, In Pittsburgh and upstate;
Democrats Adopt Minority Plank Expressing Wallace Views on Israel
Washington (JTA)-The 150 member Democratic Platform Committee this week overwhelmingly approved a minority foreign policy proposal representing the views of Alabama Gov, George C. Wallace which contains a plank on the New York (JTA)—The Amer- Middle East that differs In ican Jewish Congress expressed many respects from the stronggratification over the U.S. Su- ly pro-Israel plank incorporated preme Court's ruling that com- into the Party's 1972 platform. pulsory attendance at chapel by The P l a t f o r m Committee cadets at U.S. service acad- agreed that the Wallace proemies was unconstitutional. posals would be presented as a • The Court's decision upheld separate minority report to the a brief filed as fricnd-of-the- Democratic Convention which • court by AJCongress special meets in Miami Beach, Fla. counsel Leo Pfcffer on behalf July 10. of 13 Jewish organizations, The Wallace Middle East secular and religious. The organizations included affiliates plank differed most markedly of the Orthodox, Conservative from the majority plank in that and. Reform branches of Amer- It failed to mention the status of Jerusalem. The majority ican Judaism. . They were joined in similar plank specifically calls on the briefs filed by 42 Protestant US to recognize Jerusalem as groups, Pfeffer's brief argued Israel's capital and to transfer that compulsory chapel attend- its Embassy to that city from ance was "archaic? and "in- Tel Aviv. The Wallace proposals also consistent with American tr'adi, tions of religious freedom,?.. • . . differed .from tho majority:
Compulsory Chapel Unconstitutional
Norman Batt
and ready for bids by September 1,, Mr. Katzman' said, "the Building Construction Committee takes over from where the New Center Planning Committee left off. In supervising too construction of the building, the Building Construction Committee has the responsibility to see that the wishes of the Planning Committee are executed.4' Mr. Batt said that his coni/> mittee will be involved in ev» ery step of the construction process until the building U completed. "Our major rpsponsibility," he said, "will be to see.". that the complet ti building provides all the facfjt ties and' serves all the ne< ds defined and recommended, by the Planning Committee. Fpr» tunately," he said, "in addition to myself, two members of the Building Construction Committee, Bob Bernstein and Chuck Monasee, have been involved in the entire process of planning for the new Center. We served on the Architect Selection Committee and have been involved in all phases of the' study process. The Building Construction Committee is thus very aware of the thinking that went into the planning of the building, and we will make every effort to supervise the construction phase accordingly."
.New York, he added, no serU; oiis damage to Jewish property : plank in that it made, no men- most is the need for sincere had been reported. tion of Soviet Jews .while" ex- negotiations" between Israel The Council ,of Jewish Fed-j pressing concern for the "cap- and the Arab nations. Wallace tive satellite nations" of East- also declares that "We must erations.arid Welfare Funds is ern Europe. Wallace's support- assure that no imbalance of ''in touch" with it Philadelphia . ers, however, did back a pro- force comes to exist in this Federation, which is "giving, posal by-the 15-member plat- area" because • "nothing could' direct help" to victimized tern-: pies in the form of prayerform drafting . sub-committee more endanger the peace." : calling for the US to utilize The majority report incorpor- s h a w l s , prayerbooks, b u s , "diplomatic contacts" with the ated into the platform was transportation and c 1 e a n-up ' USSR to help Soviet Jews. At much stronger. It recommend-' aid, according to Charles Zibthe insistence of the Wallace ed that the US "be unequivocal- bellj associate CJF executive people, the Platform Commit- ly committed to support- Is-' director. tee inserted a clause urging rael's right to •exlstwithin.se—--C.JF executive director Philip such assistance for the ."oppressed" in Eastern European cure a n d defensible boun- Bernstein said the "communal countries and the' "minorities" daries" and called for "long aid to. victims was "a marvel-' in the Soviet Union as well.as term public commitment to ous example of people pitchprovide Israel with aircraft and ing in." "The response was one Jews. other military equipment" to of the most beautiful things we Approval of the Wallace for- "preserve her d e t e r r e n t have ever encountered," as- • eign policy proposals as a min- strength in face of Soviet ar- serted Seymour Brotman, exority report for consideration senaling of Arab threats of re- . ecutive director of the Scran: by the convention was seen -newed war." torr (Pa.) Jewish Community here as a gesture of conciliaTho Wallace plahk~~wduld; Center; "People immediately tion toward supporters of the commit the US-to -"strive in began calling to volunteer Alabama governor. The- pro-• every way to merit and re-; ""their services, homes for sleep-* posals represent the first full ccivp the friendship of all par- ing, food, clothing, medical presentation of Wallace's for- ties ot this (Arab-Israeli) dis- supplies and whatever other eign policy views.' put and to earn the rgspect and necessities might be needed to • Regarding the Middle East, good will of Israel and the Arab make the evacuees more com*' • they, state that, "first and, forest nations alike.'!., . , , , ) , , • Jfortable.1:., . ' , . . . . < i.