Funeral
New York (JTA) — Leading Jewish and Christian theologians joined "500 other persons at funeral services Sunday for Rabbi Abrahani Joshua Heschel, one of the foremost educators and philosophers of Con-
servative Judaism, who died Friday at the age of 65. Dr. Heschel, who* was professor of Jewish Ethics and Mysticism at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America for 27 years, was eulogized by his many
disciples and colleagues who attended the funeral. Referring to his deep concern for the victims of injustice and discrimination, Rabbi Wolfe Kelman, executive vice-president of the Rabbinical Assem-
Serving Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Lincoln, Omaha Vol. ill—No. 17
' New York (JTA)—American Jews and their leaders joined t h e i r fellow-Americans in mourning the death of former President Harry S. Truman at t(ie age of 88, remembering him particularly for his support of the aspirations of Zionists which culminated in his decision, within hours of Jewish Statehood, to extend de facto recognition to the newborn State' of Israel, making the
OMAHA, NEB., FBI., DEO. 29, 1073
United States the first country to do so. Countless formal statements of sorrow were issued by Jewish 1 e a d e r s throughout the world recalling Mr. Truman's courageous statesmanship; his broad sympathy'for the aspirations of all men and his innate h o n e s t y and commitment to serve his fellow man. Reaction from Israel The Knesset suspended its
bly, described Dr. Heschel as "a voice who spoke for the downtrodden and who felt their" pain." Rabbi Heschel was in recent years an outspoken critic at racism and the war in Vietnam, an ardent defender of the right of Soviet Jews and intensely concerned with the problems of ecumenism and the search for peace in the Middle East. Dr. Heschel was born in Warsaw and educated in Berlin where he received his Ph.D. from the University of Berlin in 1933. He came to the United States in 1940 and served as an instructor and later associate professor of Jewish philosophy and' rabbinics at Hebrew Union College from 1940-45 and in 1945 joitied the faculty of the JTS. He also served as visiting professor at the University of Minnesota and the University of Iowa.
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Rabbi Heschel was the author of more than 20 books in which he formulated a Jewish
session for 15 minutes when minute of silence in the late word was received of the death President's memory. of former President Truman. The first official reaction to Knesset Speaker Yisrael Yeshayaliu delivered a brief eulo- the n e w s of President Trugy recalling President Tru- man's death was expressed by man's vital contribution to the Foreign Minister Abba Eban in Zionist cause at its most cru- a radio interview. Eban said of Truman, "He cial juncture in .history. The Knesset rose and observed a h e l p e d suffering humanity
Federation Pilgrimage Prag Omaha—A broadened program to encourage O m a h a teens to study and travel in Israel this summer was approved by the Omaha Jewish Federation Executive Committee at ' its meeting last Sunday. In addition to the Omaha Israel Y o u t h Pilgrimage program, approval was given to provide a limited number of teens,with s u b v e n t i o n s to participate in other approved Israel Study programs such as't those sponsored by. National Zionist Movements and.National Youth Organizations. Federation's agreement to the additional proposal offered by the Pilgrimage Committee, requires the program to be one that is approved by that committee, and that the participant attend the orientation sessions conducted for the Omaha Youth Pilgrimage participants. The maximum individual subvention, of $250 was authorized. Information about the national programs as well as the
theology related to the moral issues of the. times. His best known work was published in two parts; "Man is Not Alone: A Philosophy of Religion" in 1951 and "God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism" in 1955.
Rabbi Abraham Heschel
stand on its feet and straighten its back again." Referring to Truman's post-war policy and the Marshall Planj the' Israeli Foreign Minister observed that President; T r u m an''• believed that America's;right to play a crucial role in global affairs was implicit in the very fact of its great might. "He believed in the defense of the right of small nations to exist,", Eban said. v , _ , „_ ^ _
The Foreign Minister recalled how President Truman had opposed immigration stricOmaha Youth Pilgrimage will' tures in P a l e s t i n e in 1946 be available at each synagogue which the' Mandatory regime school office and at the Youth imposed on refugees from the Nazi holocaust and how he Program office at the JCC. backed the United Nations par(Elsewhere in., this i&uc is a tition plan in 1947. Eban recopy of the letter sent to eli- called further that Truman had gible teens about the Omaha been the first chief of state to Israel Youth Pilgrimage.)' extend recognition to the newly born State of Israel "and Other Actions from t h a t day on continued In other actions, the Execu- American political and practitive Committee approved the cal aid to Israel." major portion of the report of the 1972 Allocation Committee which was responsible for the distribution of funds raised in the 1972 Jewish Philanthropies Campaign. The balance of the' allocations will be considered Tel Aviv (JTA)-RaizaPalatat the January board.meeting when some additional informa- nik, the 36-year-old Odessa librarian who served two years tion will be provided: The Federation board a l s o in a Soviet prison for allegedly heard a' report on the construc- distributing "anti-Soviet literation progress for the new Jew- ture," arrived in Israel last ish Community Center, and au- week with a large group of oththorized a small portion*of land to be given to the county for er Soviet Jews. She told rethe widening of traffic lanes porters at Lod Airport, "I will on 132nd Street in front of the be absorbed very soon in my building. homeland where my people ai;e living." A world-wide campaign for her release was started almost as soon as she was first detained in Dec. 1970 in Odes,sa. • ]
Raha Patafnik; Arrives in Israel
Des Moines Names Levitt Honorary Chairman of Drive Des Moines. — Ellis Levitt,' honorary chairman of Dial Finance Co., has accepted the honorary chairmanship of the All-In-One Campaign of the Jewish Welfare Federation. I.i conjunction with the ongoing celebration of the 231li anniverMr. Levitt, a past president sary of the State of Israel, the Judaic Heritage Society an- of the Federation, was the renounced this week (prior to his death) the selection of Harry S , cipient of tiie Federation's HuTruman as tbc recipient of the Society's first Man of the Year manitarian Award in 1969.-He Award. The award medal pictured above portrays President was given a Distinguished ServwjiTruniauiliv May, 1918 as be receives,a Torah ScrollifijQin,Is-1 ice , Citation by j the., National. i i rod's firsts president, Chaim Wclzraaun, symbolizing thcigrntlv Conference ofi'Christians and n '(ude of the people of Israel. ' ' "; ' , in, Jews in I960, and.tJi
Miss Palatnik said that dur-* B'rith Man of the Year Award in 1956. , ing her imprisonment' she had Long-time president arid lat- been frequently interrogated in er chairman of the board of efforts "to persuade me that I Dial Finance, Mr. Levitt has was wrong' and that I .should been associated with a number reform." She commented that of philanthropic and humanitar- she had been jailed with crimian activities in the .Des Moines inals "with whom it was easiar community. He is known for his to talk than with the' prison donations, of time, abilities, and management," and reported funds to building projects at that her parents had been per,tho Des?! Moines Art Center, , Emitted, to ivisit her only twice Drake University, • and. Mercy a year and that she was barred Hospital, ...feqm..getting fliAil or parcels.