Omahans Meet with Carter, Joint Chiefs
COUNCIL BLUFFS. LINCOLN. OMAH/ )
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Responses to Nazi Activity wd
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Omaha, Neb-Fri., March3,1978
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Beyond the violent reaction of some survivors is the violence threatened by American born Jews, who are willing to do batUe with a • small group of self-styled Nazis. These can number in the thousands and have massed support in Skokie from different parts of the country. Often violent reactions by American born Jews relates to the connection that each Jew feels with the Holocaust. This relationship will undoubtedly continue for centuries.
There are many reactions by Jews in America. They are often tempered by the social and educational level of the Jewish community as well ad passionate 'defense by the J e w i s h c o m m u n i t y of American values of Justice - under law, Violent reactions are peripheral to the mainstream of the Jewish community, though understandable. The threat of violence by sonje The Irony is that the Nazi concentration camp survivors is also understandable, given group in Chicago, the National their experiences whlcfe ,BO Socialist Party of America led ' one else can fully com- by Frank Collins, Is small and pnhendi perhaps not even powerless and is able to evoke a violent confrontation by the tbeir children.
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Jewish community even though the Nazis are not the major source of anti-Semitism In America. .*• }(the Jews are In-danger, it is not from the Nazism but from others, the respectable bigots, that the threat will come. The Nazis play upon, destabilizing social forces but' they alone cannot tip the b a l a n c e toward s o c i a l upheaval, I suggest that because the JewiBh world is being assaulted on many sides ~by problems that It cannot readily resolve — Israel, Soviet Jewry, Intermarriage, Jewish illiteracy, etc., segments of the Jewish community have focused on that which is easily Identifiable as anti-Jewish and which is directly and visibly assaulting the Jewish community—the Nazis.
Frustration Added is the frustration the feels/ Tecnuwrof Its inability t o ; assuage the pain of the sur-' vlvors. Even though three decades have past since the s e a r i n g e v e n t s of the Holocaust, the American Jewish community has only recently begun to discuss openly its own role.
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For decades, American Jews were afraid that when this question was raised, they would fall short of what they felt they should have done. Ths constant presence of survivors has' reenforced this guilt feeling.
esdership Award
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Leonard Goldstein (center) presented Blchard Zacharla and Ruth Errnun with the Justin Greenberg Memorial Young Leadership Award at the recent meeting of the Omaha Jewish Federation. The award Is given to those who have demonstrated outstanding leadership as a model for young people In the Jewish Community.
In a community like Skokie, which Is over half Jewish and Ttias a significant number of survivors, the still festering wound of. pasl experiences acts as a raw nerve that ' vibrates when struck by Jewish communal problems. How much more response can be expected when a new Hainan raises primordial fears of total extermination? (Continued on Page 8)
Youth Council Conducts First Weekend Program By Stuart Shkolnlck Tonight through Sunday is the first Jewish Youth Council' Weekend. All Jewish Youth of nigh school age may attend 'any or all of the functions. Tonight's program Is the at-, tendance'of Shabbat Services s t Bslh Israc! Synagogue. Services start at 8:15 p.m. and after the services there will be a cultural In the Synagogue re-
creation room. . On Saturday night there Is a disco-dance at the JCC, hosted by the Complete Music Company with Dennis Bernslde of WOW Radio, the Disc-Jockey. Dance begins at 8 p.m., — On. Sunday afternoon, Edlar and Ner Tamld are sponsoring a fashion show-In the JCC Theatre at 2 p.m. The fashions
are by; Joey's Girls at Wolf Brothers. A Bowling Tournament will be held at 3:30 p.m. at Bruns* wick Mockingbird Lanes at 96th and "L" Street on Sunday, Anyone interested In bowling should contact Stuart Shkolnick *t_ 33.^8875, j m . phies will be awarded in a meeting room at the bowling alley after the bowling. ^
By Stu Chapman Several Omaha residents selected by Senator Edward Zorlnsky to attend briefings in Washington D.C. on •• the Panama Canal Treaties returned late last week from the Capitol after meeting with the President, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and representatives of the State Department. Those attending met with Ambassador Sol Llnowitz, Chief Negotiator Of the Panama Canal Treaties, General Bernard Rogers and General John Stetson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Security Advisor Zblgnlew iBrzezlnski and with President Carter. According to Jack Katz, one of the members of the delegation, the briefings consisted of four parts. Ambassador Llnowitz gave an "overview" of the history, and' the basic language of the old treaty; Generals Rogers and Stetson outlined the defense posture presented by the new treaties; National Security Advisor Brzezinskl presented morql arguments in support of the treaties and President Carter gave a general overview of the i new treaties along with answering any questions the delegation had regarding the treaties. . Many of those who were In attendance praised Senator
Zorlnsky and President Carter for arranging the meeting between officials, and "ordinary .citizens." ' Gerald Hoberman, a participant in the Treaty briefings, remarked that "I felt very lortunate to be in the White House and to be around those officials who briefed us." Rabbi Sidney Brooks,' who also attended, viewed the briefings as a chance to gain more information on the issue of the treaties. He noted that "negativism (on the treaty Issue) was more visible . . . I had read more against the issue than for it." Had the briefings changed anyone's mind? E l l i o t Hechtman, a delegate attending the briefings stated that those Nebraskans who were against the Canal Treaties would not ask questions on the Treaties themselves and felt "that very few opinions were changed there.". T h o s e who w e n t t o Washington for the Canal briefings, - found It to be a memorable, Knot historic, occasion and were proud to have attended. ' Rabbi Brooks described the Washington briefings a s " , . . An honor and privilege of citizenship that I have not had before."
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Telethon Coordinator . Leon Wintroub, a salesman with GraceMayer Insurance Company, has been named Telethon Coordinator for" the 1978 Combined Campaign, Joe Klrshenbaum and Harlan Noddle, Campaign . Cochairmen, have announced'. The Telethon will take place March 12-19.
National Coordinator To Speak Pioneer Woman,- Shoshana Pioneer Women seminar parChapter, will hold Its annual ticipants in Israel In 1970. spiritual Adoption.Dinner at Together with her husband, the Jewish Community Center and children she has made a on March 12. The speaker will number of return visits. be Judith Telman, Pioneer Mrs. Telman has served in Women's National Coor- many capacities in Chicago dinator (or the Midwest Area. Pioneer Women, as president Mrs. Telman was one qf the of her club, the Suburban Jewish Agency sponsored District, and-Chicago Pioneer
Open Letter to the Omaha Jewish Community In view of the inquiries the Jewish Federation has received regarding the room arrangements for the Beth Din, the Jewish Court of Law, the Federation offers the following explanation: • The selection of the room, the seating and other arrangements were In strict accordance to the orders of the court and agreed to in advance by both parties. The court selected the social hall rather than the larger auditorium because the Beth Din did not want the hearings to lose their seriousness and dignity which might not have been' possible in a larger room. The social hall offered the most court like atmosphere. Further, because of the number of persons, such as court officials, attorneys, rabbis, numerous witnesses and other necessary persons, there was limited seating for members of the Jewish public. Seating for observers,. therefore, was put on a first come, first-seated basis. THESE RULES WERE NO DIFFERENT THAN THOSE IN ANY OTHER COURT Because of the tremendous turn out on Monday, some ' people were unfortunately turned away, but many who "waited It out" did eventually get seats. To those who did not wait we can only say that the Federation followed the Instructions of the Beth Din. ' We regret that some who wanted to observe were Inconvenienced, however, strict observance of the rules of the Beth Din was mandatory hi order that the hearings could be conducted with dignity. ~ • • We are grateful for the cooperation of this community in our effort touring this controversial matter to a just conclusion, and for the support of the Federation board in votingthefiiauo to bfingUieBetii Din to Omaha. Mary Felhnan, President Jewish Federation of Omaha
' Judith Telman Women, in audition, she IS a vice president of the Chicago Zionist Federation, serves on the board of the Conference of Jewish Women's Organizations and on the Community of Jewish Organizations. In her many trips'to Israel, Mrs. Telman has observed the social, service program of Pioneer Women/Na'amat. In addition to the! speaker, guest artists will be Arlene Rlchman and an Omaha Israeli Dance Troup. The en-, tire 'community may attend. Cocktail hour: 5:30 p.m.; dinner: 6:30 p.m. For reservations and price information call by March 6: Bea Pappenhelmer, 333-0115, Gall Abramson, 333-5415 or Pearl Rosenberg, 556-9939. ANNOUNCEMENT A Beth Din, conducted under the auspices of the Rabbinical Court of Justice of the Associated Synagogues of Massachusetts, heard testimony this week in Omaha in the m a t t e r of the withdrawal of supervision of kashrut of Shukert's Meats, Inc.
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A spokesman.for the Court said that a Judgment might be rendered by March 15.