PLO HijacksConference on Women By Miriam Goodman Special to the Jewish Press EDITOR'S NOTE: Miriam Goodman, a freelance journalist, covered the United Nations Conference of Women for National Public Radio. i COUNCIL BLUFFS. LINCOLN, OMAHA COPENHAGEN (AJPA)-\VhiIe Yaslr Arafat was being honr • A i c <OO n o r e d i n Moscow. w n l l e t n e S n a n oi Iran was dying in Egypt, O m a h a , Neb., Fn., A u g u s t 15, lauo w h l I e J e w i s n children were attacked In Belgium-Leila Khaled, ' " Palestinian hijacker and terrorist, sat under the dove of peace
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omas Briccetti to iadassah Poolside Lunch to
A noon poolside luncheon will mark the opening meeting of the year for the Omaha Chapter of Hadassah. The date is Wednesday, Sept. 3 at the home of Margie Alpcrson, 305 N. Heavenly Drive. After the installation of the following officers, a program will be presented, featuring as guest speaker, Thomas Briccetti. Officers to be installed are: Thelma Lustgartcn and Mona Crandcll as co-presidents, and vice-presidents Jcri Kaplan, education; Shirley Bittner, fund raising; Beverly Franklin, local services; Velma Sacks, membership. Also, Marlene Dandy, treasurer; Clalr Feinberg, financial secretary; Corrine Levin, corresponding secretary; and Peggy Chasen, recording secretary. Mr. Briccetti, music director of the Omaha Symphony, (as well as the Nebraska Sln-
Tbotnas Briccetti fonla) marks his sixth year in . under his direction, attracting this capacity as the 1980/81 national attention. Calling him . season begins. a "poised program maker", The symphony has, devel- the publication Musical Ameroped Into a regional orchestra , lea fas described the orches-
Old Timers'Review By Art Grossman It is happening in Omaha and nearby. A Nazi flag was recently unfurled atop an Omaha school flagpole. Swastikas were painted in the fashionable Regency residential area. Reverend Gordon Winrod conducts a radio show from Waterloo, Iowa and spews streams of venemous utterances against those he calls the anti-Christ devils who live In Israel. W.A. Curry, of Columbus, Nebraska, a frequent contributor to the Omaha World-Herald Public Pulse column was linked to a radio program asserting there never was a HolocaustJews made it up. These and other antl-SemltIc activities were brought to light at the Old Timers Aug. 5 meeting by our featured speaker, Barry Morrison, director of the Plains States Region of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith. 102 Old Timers were In the audience as Morrison wove threads of concern in the fabric of his address and blamed apathy as the principal culprit In fighting back at hatcmongers and rabble-rousers. He pointed out a recent televised symposium sponsored by Doane College, Crete, Nebraska, headlined a pro-Arab, antiIsrael speaker and when Mr. Morrison asked the TV station for a copy of the tape in order to rebut the Arab's stand the station's news manager said Morrison's was the only complaint he had received.
Mr. Morrison said he is impressed with Omaha. During the few months he has lived here he sees Omaha residents living comfortably with each other but he also observes some tensions beneath the surface. He is disturbed by the frequency of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel Public Pulse letters appearing in the WorldHerald. He is likewise disturbed by the lack of response to a Carl Rowan article attacking the ADL.
order to get across Jewish perspective when a problem or situation arises. Volunteers will write the messages for persons willing to support the idea. Telegrams cost $2.80 and participants agree to pay the charges. Inquiries may be made at ADL's office at the JCC. Volunteers are needed to assist with ADL's work at the Center. Hands are needed to perform office duties. A Speakers Bureau is being Mr. Morrison said Jews can- organized and competent not look askance at what is speakers will be needed to fulhappening in Omaha regard- fill engagements telling about ing black community relation- ' ADL's work. Anyone Interships. Racial strife directed ested is urged to contact ADL. Mr. Morrison also touched elsewhere eventually can strike at Jews therefore Jew- upon his recent visit to Israel ish welfare cannot be sepa- where he attended an ADL rated from other groups In the training session. It was his fifth trip to the Holy Land but community. There is need for activism his first In the past nine years. and participation on the part He saw a beautiful spirit still of Omaha Jewry and Mr. Mor- . existing In Israel although rison urged if you hear anti- perhaps not as strong as in its Semitic remarks on TV or ear|y days, yet, he said, Israel radio to get in touch with the continues to push on. ADL office. He complimented The Early Bird discussion WOWT for providing a month- •group was conducted by Norm ly time slot for programs with Korney. It is difficult to imagJewish content. He also point- ine toasting, roasting and ed out KMTV was telecasting cramming absorbing topics public service spots for ADL. like Billygate, Jimmy Carter, He suggested viewers call and Ronald Reagan, Ted Kennedy, let the stations know they are political conventions, taxes and American hostages into a providing a good service. Mr. Morrison announced time span of only 45 minutes ADL was inaugurating a Tele- but somehow It did get accomgram Bank. Its function will plished. In the absence of marvelous be to send wires to Congressmen, U.S. Senators and others Mollie and terrific Toby In positions of responsibility in (Continued on Page 4)
at the United Nations Conference on Women. She had joined 2,000 other women from 130 countries who were attempting to write a plan of action to significantly alter the status of women around the world. Forget the speeches, the platitudes, the arguments, but remember that the U.N. accepts the PLO as a legitimate national organization and that the conference approved language that will channel U.N. money through the PLO (supposedly to help Palestinian women). Forget that the United States backed Israel in speeches and votes, but remember that a PLO spokesman told me they came to the Women's Conference "because there is no veto here." Forget that Israel is practically a creation of the United Nations and remember that a PLO delegate said, "It's a different U.N. now." Although it was supposed to be an International conference dedicated to equality, development and peace for the women of the world, little attention was paid to the issues, for the conference was hijacked visibly by the PLO and invisibly by the Soviet Union.
tra under his direction as displaying ' 'uniformly Perhaps it was not surprising. The U.N. reflects the political professional musicianship resulting in sterling perfor- tensions of competing state powers, and while the concerns of women should not be divorced from politics or economics, oil mance." Also a composer, Mr. Bric- and other national Interests took precedence over women's cetti has written more than 40 needs. Otherwise, how can one explain the hundreds of speeches works, 20 of which are pub- condemning Israel, Zionism and the United States. Each of us was equipped with a battery-operated box with a lished. The National Endowment in 1967 commissioned dial so we could hear what was going on in each committee him for a violin concerto, meeting, but turning the dial was much like switching television which has taken its place in channels only to discover that every station Is carrying the World Series. Here every committee heard speech after speech • the repertoire. on the oppression of the Palestinians . . . and once in a while He has received the Prix de someone remembered to mention Palestinian women. Rome, two Ford Foundation At this conference the isolation of Israel was almost comComposers Fellowships, and was appointed Composer-in- plete. Because Israel had been excluded from her rightful "georesldence to the Denver Sym- graphic" group — the Economic Commission for Western Asia — she had no regional groups with whom to confer. While the Sophony. viet bloc met with its own or the Arab nations caucus, Israel sat In addition, he has been asalone, with no access to private arguments or deals and no input sociated in the past with the into the rea^ politics of the conference. No wonder her delegation Indianapolis Symphony as was so often seen talking to others in corridors or at the cafetewell as the Fort Wayne Philria tables. harmonic and the Cleveland Institute University Circle orAnd so it went for 15 days. Israel was insulted at every chanchestra and has served as a nel, at the PLO press conferences and even at the alternative guest conductor. • forum, where non-governmental organizations held workshops Mr. Briccetti will conduct a and seminars on issues of direct concern to women. Whenever discussion on a range of topics the microphones were opened for questions from the floor, the relating to music and the sym- PLO was there. Equality? "We can't have equality without havphony. A question find answer ing a country." Apartheid? "Vorster was a Nazi, and now Israel session will follow.-"1 '• - Is South Africa's best friend." Rape? "Palestinian women have A sitter service will be avail- no homes, so we are more vulnerable." The recent coup in Bolivable oh request, and reser- ia? "It happened because the American ambassador to Bolivia vations will be taken until the Is Jewish." Aug.. 29 deadline by: Rose Against this massive public relations effort Israel and the Newman, 498-0115; Marlon U.S. did little more than react — with statements, press conferWine, 551-2687; Rose Roffman, ences and votes. As a member of the Israeli delegation put It, 551-2766; and Doris Wintroub, "You'd think we were the biggest and strongest country in the 391-0462. world what with all this fuss about us."
Israel Bonds Plans Campaign Workers for the State of Israel Bonds met Aug. 5 and 6 at
the homes of Jeri Kaplan and Roz Friedman to begin mak-
Federation Names New Associate Mltchel (Mitch) Orllk, a native of Cincinnati, has been appointed a staff associate by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. He succeeds Conrad Koller who has taken a similar position with the Jewish Federation In Dallas. Mr. Orlik has a BA In Psychology from the University of California at Davis, a Certificate of Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, a M.S.W. from George Warren Brown School of social work, Washington University, St. Louis Missouri, and his M.A.J.C.S. from the School of Jewish Communal Service, Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles. He worked for the Yolo County Probation Department as a counselor for deliquent youth in Woodland, California. During this! time he also worked as a teacher's aide for the Sacramento County Office of Education, Special Educa-
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MJtcbel (Mitch) Orllk tlon Department. Mr. Orlik also was a member of AZA and Young Judea in high school. In college he was a member of Hillel and Campus Campaign. He visited Israel with the UJA College Mission and again for the Tenth Annual seminar for service to Israel. Mr. Oklik is engaged to be married, with the date set for next month.
ing plans for the fall drive. Dr. Miriam Freund Rosenthai, a national leader in Bonds and Hadassah, was guest speaker. PT. Rosenthai told the women that " . . . in the thirty years since David Ben Gurion began the sale of Israel Bonds, Israel has repaid over $2 billion. Israel has never defaulted, even during times of war. One third of Israel's budget goes to debt repayment." According to Mrs. Rosenthai, in the United States over two million individuals, firms and organizations such as banks, pension funds and labor unions have bought books, making Israel Bonds the third largest bond investment, behind U.S. Treasury bonds and AT&T. The Women's Division will announce plans soon for a State of Israel Bonds luncheon. This will be the highlight of the fall drive. All women in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area will be given the opportunity to buy a bond and, as Mrs. Rosenthai said, " . . . become a partner with Israel."