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Memorial at Babi Yar Denies Jewish History Vol.^Vo^/
NCIL BLUFFS. LINCOLN, OMAHA Omaha. Neb.. Fri., October 1,1976
Between You and Me
CJFWJ Stresses Greater Needs The CJFWF believes that the Jewish comThe Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, the central national Instrument munities in the U .S. and Canada have the finanof about 800 Jewish communities in this coun- cial resources and the requisite leadership, try and Canada; has alerted its affiliated com- both lay and professional; however, they have munities to trie fact that the $500 million they not yet Implemented In full measure the raised in 1970 — although a significant achieve- elements that determine the results of a comment — will not be cnought to meet, during the munity campaign — the recruitment, the new'Jewish year, the responsibilities accepted motivation, and the training of the quantity and quality of volunteers for campaign activities. for human needs In the U.S. and in Israel. • • Reports presented at the four-day CJFWF The CJFWF therefore urges its memberboard meeting— held In New York on Sept. 1C- .communities to pay greater attention to this 19 - Indicated that the $500 million is not aspect of their campaigning during the new , • enough to keep pace with inflation In financing Jewish year. TJie organized Jewish communities will face the existing services. Nor is it enough to carry out planned innovative programs in the fields a number of special problems during the new of Jewish education and of enhancing Jewish Jewish year. Most of them relate to inflation, identity and commitment — fields which ore pressure of unmet needs and changing ser. ! ' ' /•' considered the springboard for all the com- vices. munal efforts of American-Jewry. They are A major problem is the setting of new also not enough to meet other needs fully, in- priorities In the allocation of funds for local and cluding the need to receive and absorb, In national programs, Some programs — llke.lmIsrael and In this country the Jewish im- proving Jewish education and work among colmigrants arriving from the Soviet Union and lege youth ^-*have become a prime necessity (Continued on Page2) ( other countries where Jews arc oppressed.
NEW YORK - "The Soviet Govenrment's newly erected monument at 'Babi Yar, perpetuates the Soviet's denial of Jewish history," said ; Eugene Gold, chairman of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry (NCSJ), on the 35th anniversary of the Nazi massacre of Kiev's Jews. "The monument which makes no mention of Jews, is an all embracing embargo and a prime example of the soviet authorities' lnsensltivity to Jewish suffering." Hitler's systematic extermination of Kiev's Jews at Babl Yar began on Sept. 29,. 1941 when Nazi machine guns murdered men, women and children . in the' ravine, Estimates of the number of Jews killed vary between 70,000 and 100,00. Thereafter,, the site was used as a routine place of execution and in the next two years thousands of people of various Soviet nationalities were' slaughtered and buried there. . / According to Soviet news agency reports, and an account in Pravda, a newly dedicated 50-foot high^ memorial depicts 11 dead and" dying victims about to fall into the Babl Yar ravine, It omits all references to Jews. The inscription reads, "Here in 19411943 German Fascist .oC-{ cupicrs killed moxe tharr 100,000 citizens of Kiev and prisoners of war." The monument is a further example of the USSR's conspiracy of silence regarding all aspects of the Jewish con-
tributlons in the fight against Hitler and the brutal fact that the Nazis had planned a total extermination of European Jewry/'Gold explained. Knowing-the symbolic power of the" site' Soviet authorities had planned to level the raving and build a park and sports stadium. But by 1961 when Soviet poet Yevgeny Yeytushenko wrote •has famous.poem "Babi Yar" the issue of commemorating the thousands killed became an international, cause celebre. . .. 1 "To this day there is not One NEW YORK. - Golda Melr official major monument to will be the recipient of the the Jewish victims of Nazism "Joseph Prize for Huniah anywhere in the Soviet Union. Rights," the international 'Not only do the Soviet award of the Anti-Defamation authorities oppose the building of Jewish memorials, League of B'nal B'rith. According .to Seymour • but to gather at Babi Yar, to Graubard, national chairman visit the sites of massacred -of pie League, the former relatives and participate In prime minlnster of Israef will services of remembrance for accept the award, a gold the dead, Is an act which Is medal and $10,000, at a formal closely watched by the Soviet presentation in Jerusalem, secret police (KGB). "To pray for the Jewish Nov. 22, during Jhc 83rd annual meeting of ADL's na- dead is considered bourgeois nationalism and Jewish tional commission. The award, in recognition of bourgeois nationalism, is outstanding contributions to another term'fof Zionism 'acthe Improvement of human cording to Soviet ideologists," relations and the preservation Gold continued. "The edifice or growth of human rights, of stone at Babi Yar,'who's was presented for the first meaning hss been rewritten time last year In New York to and perverted, is as much a Senator Hubert IT. Humphrey symbol of anti-Semitism as of Minnesota and Roy Wilkins, t^e ravine," The fallowing letter, adexecutive director of the National Association of Colored dressed ^o Jewish comPeople. . muni ties In. the free world, - Noting ih-ai Mra. Meir had .was received bv Shirlev been the unanimous choice of Goldstein,; chairman- of the~ the Joseph Prize Awards Com- -Omaha Committee for Soviet mittee, Mr. Graubard said she Jewry, from the Union- of Councils for Soviet JewTy,~ ~•:. - r lifelong dedication to the.' liberation of a persecuted peo- Dear friends:' The 29th of September 1976 ple and her contributions to the development of a free and . is the 35th anniversary of the tragedy of Babl Yar. Babl Yar democratic homeland."
Mrs. Meir Is 'Joseph Prize' Recipient
This picture was taken during the dedication ceremonies at Beth Israel Synagogue at Its
opening 25 years ago. <•
Beth Israel Celebrates Congregation's 25 Years OMAHA - Twenty-five y e a r s ago two Omaha Synagogues,'Beth Hamldrash Hagodol and B'nal Israel, combined their congregations and moved to 52nd and Charles Streets forming a new synagogue—Beth Israel,
vice will be Jack.Epstein, Joe Dlcntsfry, Paul Crounse and Michael Brown. Other members of the congregation' .wilt also participate. An Oneg Shabbat will follow. Services on Saturday mornIng, Oct. 23, will honor surviving members of the original To celebrate the silver an- s y n a g o g u e board. Co~niversay. Beth Israel Is plann- charimen of Uie. event; are ing aiv/s-dsy eslsbrsties c,i Mot. ShirleyBerrnrin"ami Paul _; - .Friday. Oct. U and Saturday.' C r o u n s e . C o m m i t t e e Oct. 23. members include Rabbi' and ceremonies, will Mrg,-Isaac Nndoff, Mr. and start with a dinner at G p.m. Mrs. Henry Appel, Mrs. BerFriday. A special Shabbat ser- nice Crounse, Al Crounse, Dr. vice in honor of the 25th an- and Mrs. Bennett Fishbain, niversary will start at ft:3o Mr: aitd Mr$. Harold • p.m. Participating In the ser- Franklin, Mrs. Janet Glass,
Maurice Katzman, Mrs. Betty Kozlen, Mr. and Mrs. Jay Stoler, Mr. arid Mrs. Leon Wlntroub and Mrs. Lucille Zellnsky. Dinner reservations can be made at the synagogue office, 55WS288.
Early Deadline Set Due. to the Vom Klppur. holiday. Monday^Oct.: ._<C copy and advertising deadline for the Oct. 8 issue of the Jewish Press will be noon on Friday, Oct. I.
At Babi Yar a newly erected memorial makes no menUon of the Jews massacred by a 150 man SS extermination team. Soldiers stripped Soviet Jews naked) and machine gunned them, only stopping long enough to shovel sand over each layer of bodies. The job was done, 38 hours later, the murder squad bad efficiently performed an act of genocide, unsurpassed by the death machines of Auschwitz. 'is the most outstanding and the most tragic, place of the' catastrophe of Soviet Jewry where more than 100,000 of our brothers and sisters -lie Ad death..JThe FaSclsts.trledLio destroy all the-Jews physicat ly and contemporary antiSemites try to wipe out every memory of-the sacrifice and suffering of our people. For many years now Babi Yar has been the only place of the Holocaust where Jews are not permitted to • pay their respects to the memory of their slaughtered- brethren. Only under the Pressure of public opinion did the Soviet authorities finally agree to put a monument at Babl Yar — pressure of world public opl; nlon in the free world — but the aim of this monument is (Continued on Page 2) .
Omaha — Herman Rubin, starts his position as Jewish Community Center assistant executive director on Oct. 1. for more details see Page 11.
Also this Week uuiTianlan tennis star~makes home in Omaha, Page 3. Synagogues plan programs to eMcfi family life, Tage 7. Jewish Community. Calendar for October Page 9. The Center-; Scene, Pages 11-12 •