Jewish High Students Visit Skokie to Study And Offer Solidarity
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Jewish — 7,000 of these being By Conrad Roller survivors of' the Holocaust and Marlene Solomon Omaha, Neb., Frl., May 26,1978 "When the Nazis came for These 7,000 survivors equal a the Communists I did not pro- - greater population than the test. I was not a communist. entire Jewish community of When the Nazis came for the Omaha. Jews I did not protest. I was Rabbi Kanter addressed the not a Jew, When the Nazis group last Friday night, as came for the Catholics I did President of the Chicago not protest. I was not a Catho- Council of Rabbis, concerning lic. When the Nazis came for the development of the curIzed six years ago and for the ship. Customs and Ceremo- me there was no one left to rent situation. He spoke of the moral and legal responsibilipast four years has been affili- n i e s , and the Hebrew protest." Taking this lesson from his- ties that go along with the ated with the Montessorl Edu- language. 1 cational Center for the secular The secular portion of the tory, 15 Jewish High School freedom of speech. He related studies program. curriculum is superior and our students under the auspices of how the Nazis used the freeThe open classroom and In- children consistently score the Omaha High School of doms of the German Constitudividualized approach allows above their age and grade Jewish Studies made a trip tion to gain the power to deny last weekend to Skokie, Illi- others that same freedom. the children to master the dual level on objective testing. nois to show solidarity with The group attended Shabbat curriculum during a normal Scholarship assistance Is the people of that city hi their morning services, where their school day. available, If needed. Further fight to prohibit the Nazi presence was welcomed by Adult Jewish committment Information may be obtained march. the congregation. One lady is directly related to the depth by contacting Ms. Eileen The trip in the form of a came up to two of the particiof Jewish Education in childZahner at the school (333-3451) Shabbat study weekend came pants, Tammy Rubin and Shahood.' Our school is seeking during the day or Dr. Margolls as an outgrowth of Al Ross' ron Brodkey to thank them for children from all movements (391-7415) or Steve Rlekes clasSfln International Jewish coming.'She didn't think anyof Judaism and we encourage (333-8498) after school hours. one cared. The girls felt that Issues. the children to participate In the activities of their own ConHaving discussed the pro- the incident was sufficient to A cantorial concert to benegregation. fit the Jewish Day School will posed march in class, the stu- make the weekend worthwhile for them — to have brought The emphasis in the curricu- take place May 28 at 7:30p.m. dents were eager to experience the situation that had comfort to Just one person was lum Is on Bible, Jewish wor- In Beth Israel Synagogue. gained International attention. reason enough to have made At Rabbi Issac Nadoff's sug- the trip. Next, the Mayor of Skokie, gestion, Al contacted' Rabbi Milton Kanter of the Skokie Al Smith, spoke to the group. Valley Traditional Synagogue. He explained that at first, the With the help of Rabbi Dov city council had taken a postHosenbloom, Educational Dl- ure of ignoring the proposed • rector of-the congregafltm; a -tearch. When made aware of Shabbat study -weekend was the emotions'of one survivor — of the powerful feelings •-; lains aboard the S.S. Dorches- ber of Temple Israel Syna- arranged. Skokie is a village of 70,000 evoked by seeing one's own ter, an Army troop transport gogue, is SAC's only Jewish people,' 35,000 of whom are flesh and blood murdered in sunk by a German submarine, chaplain. cold blood — the council reFeb. 2,1943. versed itself. Four chaplains gave their "We can not allow these life jackets to troops and went Nazis to reopen the wounds of down with the. ship and the Game Rooms 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. the good citizens of Skokie — more than 600 aboard. Outdoor Pool 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. we wlU fight I" said the CathoTennis Courts lic mayor. Handball Courts 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. "Our lodge keep's alive in Mayor Smith told the group Health Club the minds of the American (hat Nazism Is an evil that afAdministrative of flees will be closed on Monday; May 29 public the great act of brotherfects every American whether hood and faith, by honoring one chaplain of each service who best exemplifies the spirit and action of the famed four chaplains," said Richard Leibowitz, the Lodge's president. Chaplain Hoffman, a mem-
COUNCIL BLUFFS, LINCOLN, OMAHA
Vol I or
...oh Day School Plans For Next Academic Year
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ByDr.Irving Margolis President, Jewish Day School Board The Board of Directors of the Omaha Jewish Day School has announced plans for the next academic year, 5739 (1978-79). . As we come to the end of our most successful academic year, we look forward to even better things with the same excellent faculty in a beauftiful new building next year. Our current teachers, Mrs. Mlna Engelson.and Mrs. Joanna Bromberg have done wonders with our children this year and will continue with us next year. The Day School was organ*.
Rabbi Hoffman Receives Four Chaplains Award Lt. Col. Sydney L. Hoffman, a Strategic Air Command chaplain, and a member of the Omaha Jewish Community, Is the Air Force recipient of the Four Chaplains Award. ; Chaplain Alexander D. Goode-Ben Goldman, Lodge 1564 B'nai B'rlth In New York City, selected Chaplain Hoffman for the award. - T h e presentation was made last weekend at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel at the awards dinner given annually to commemorate and honor chaplains in the military. The award Is in rememberance of four military chap-
MEMORIAL DAY JCC SCHEDULE
Omaha Women Report On Chicago Convention
By Sharon Welntraub More than 450 delegates from eight Midwestern States and Winnipeg, Canada, convened in Chicago, recently to attend the B'nal B'rith Women District Six Convention. Mrs. Arnold Weintraub and Mrs. Wayne Siegel of B'nai B'rith Women of Omaha were In attendance. Also in attendance from Omaha was Judy Handleman the District N'slali. The Convention opened with a dramatic presentation paying tribute to 80 historic years of services performed by B'nal B'rith Women, an International Organization with chapters and units In over 23 countries. Evelyn Wasserstrom, international president, emphasized that B'nai B'rith Women-should bC;Ccnslstcfttly responsive to the new needs A finale to the dazzling fireworks display last week hiconnection brought about by the increaswith the 30th anniversary of Israel party at the JCC produced ingly complicated demands of this Star of David enveloped by an aerial burst. <JP Photo by the times In which we live. lfallne)
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Star :rs tho Sky
In celebration of the state of Israel's 30th anniversary, an international night banquet was held and featured the Hon. Arrtnon Rubinstein, member of the Knesset as keynote speaker. The Hon. Nahum Shamir, Consul General of Israel In the Midwest was honored. Outstanding B'nal B'rith Women of District Six were honored for accomplishments as volunteers.. B'nalr B'rith Women of Omaha received a Chat Certificate of Honor for having exceeded its financial responsibility. B'nai B'rith Women, an organization with over 150,000 members maintains non-governmental o r g a n i z a t i o n <NGO) status at the United Nations where their representative Is an active participant in briefings, meetings and conferences. ; They help support the 65 year bid Antl Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, the
Youth Services consisting of B'nal B'rith Youth Organization for both teenage boys and girls, Hillel Houses on college campuses, career and counseling services to evaluate and help guide youth of today and to redirect the adult Into new careers as well as the woman returning to the working world. Also, Operation Stork, services to the elderly and handicapped. In Israel, B'nai B'rith'Women sponsor a Jewish-Arab Human relations project as well as being the sole support of a children's home for emotionally disturbed boys. Services'which span continents and reach into every comer of life where they are needed, emphasize the continuing commitment of the B'nai B'rith Women to the ideals and principles of Jewish Womanhood and the relevance of the Jewish Way of Life.
hi Skokie, Alaska, or the hills of Virginia. The Mayor further said that all Americans suffered and felt some loss because of WW II which he now refers to as the war'against the Nazis. Abe Rosenbloom related by his personal experience the overriding influence of "luck" In determining who would live to tell what had happened to the majority of European Jewry. In a sense, the impact of Mr. Rosenbloom's statement was the conclusion that we are all survivors. Some of us having the luck to be In America, while others having had the luck to be one of those to make it through the Nazi barbarism. The many complex issues of the Holocaust experience were presented by five of the participants in the form xtf a play called "We Who Survive". Sharon Brodkey and Kevin Scudder played the parts of Rachel, an activist, and David, and pacifist, two 15 year old friends hiding In Nazi occupied Europe. Their family and friends had been murdered or carted off to extinction by the Nazis. Also in the cast were Mike Herman; Bob Chapman and Tammy Rubin...... Special- arrangements were made to open the Spertus Col-• lege Museum of Judaica on Saturday night for the Omaha group. David Weinstein, president of the College, gave a tour of the museum's many unique collections including the Zell Holocaust exhibit and the YIVO photography collection of 19th and 20th century Polish Jewry called, "Image Before My Eyes". (The two and one-half hours alloted was not enough for the group to ask all their questions. They were asked to leave at midnight.) In evaluating the weekend, the participants felt that they had to carry the message back and to relate their experience to others. "Not only do we want to, but now we are able to talk with others about the situation," said Mike Herman. The entire group felt that the trip changed an abstract Idea Into a Concrete concept. If It can happen In Skokie, a town where there are McDonalds and people who look and sound like us, then it can Happen here. "We came because ' we care," said Syndey Rubin. "This is a beginning, now It Is up to us to do something because of our caring," said Tammy Rubin. As a follow up project, the group decided to do a survey on Holocaust awareness of the general population of Omaha. The participants included: Sharon B r o d k e y r E f r e m Bromberg, Hillel Bromberg, Emma Bursztyn, MaryiBucszr. tyn, Bob Chapman, Jonathan Duitch, Bruce Goldberg, Mike 'Herman, Jenny Karpen, Bob iLutz, Syndey Rubin, Tammy Rubin, and Kevin Scudder.