SERVING NEBRASKA, IOWA
Vol.
Omaha, Neb., Fri., January 21,1983
090IOC06.
Elie Wiesel to lecture Award-winning author, I'.iio Wie&cl, Wilt be iho speaker at a free public: lecture ul B p.m., I el). ? ill Riffiie Lecture Hull on thoOeighton University campus. Mr. Wicscl'x appciranre is sponsored by Ihc ' Anli-lVf;t<nulk)it league of H'nal B'riili/Commiiniiy Relations CommitICC
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federation and Creinhion University. This is I Ihc iilnhllfjhl of their I second annual dialogue. Elie Wiesel Considered lo bo one of iho most gifted and winsitivi; writers of our time, Mr. Wtosc!'* lecture topic will be "Souls on Fins: Tho Relevance of Hasidisin to Contemporary Man." (lorn in Signet, Hungary, Mr, Wlcscl was a teenage survivor of Auschwitz and iluchnnwalri. Today hi' is ;i renowned spokesman for the; Jewish people. Ills recent novel, "The Tesiamcni" (Summit Books), deals with iho purges of Jewish intellectual!) under Stalin. In its I'rench original version, "The Testament"
won the 19B0 l'rix l.ivre-lnter ami Piixtfcs Hifjliolheaiires in Paris. Mr. U'iesel's earlier iKxiks include "A |cw Today, 1'he Trial of God," (boih ftundmn House), tho autobiographical "Nifjlit" and tin; novels "Dawn," "Th« Accident," "TheTown Beyond the Wall," •'Tho Gales of the foresl," "Beggar in forusalem," and "Tho Oath." Mr. Wlesel is thi> winner of many, honors, inrlticliiifi I lie National Jewish Book Awards by tin.1 Jewish Book Council in 1964 ami 19/3, thn Jewish Heritage Award for l.iteralurein I'/Art and the 19AII Prix Mndlcis for "Beggar in Jerusalem." Marv Polikov, Jay Lerner and Alan Nogg discuss plans for the upcoming luncheon Currently un Andrew Million Professor with Yitzhak Rabin. | in ihc Humanities ai Boston University, Mr. Wiesel also holds numerous honorary tloctoraies from various acadnmic instil ill Kins
I lu serves currently us chainnnn of Ihe tlnllcil States Hotocaunt Memorial Council. ^ Arrangements for Mr. VVicsel's appearonce in Omaha are made through the B'nal H'rilli International Lecturo Bureau.
Men's event changed; luncheon scheduled
The Mon's Division inaugural event with Conner Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin has been changed to a 1 p.m. luncheon. Tho change was marie to avoid a conflict wild the Super Howl Game on Sunday, |on. :i(). This went, lo b« held at
Iho Jewish Comtmmity Center, is open lo all men making a 52,000 contribution lo Ihi! 1983 I'ederalion Campaign. "Mr. Rabin wus gracious enough to accomintxiafo us by changing his schedule," (continued on pa<j« 3)
Tom Harkin boosts support for Israel
Gerda still helps Marilyn Waiocrkrug, co-chairman with Faye Ruback for Hadassati's Youth Aliyah 60th anniversary sweepstake*, displays handmade lace, one of the items lo be awarded at the drawing during the Feb. 23 noon luncheon at Temple Israel. Tho lace was made by Gerda Volontiner'o mother for Gerda's wedding dress. Gerda taught in Ihe public schools in Copenhagen and during World War II her group managed to send 7,200 lews to Sweden and safety. After the war, she spent several years in Austria helping Co rehabilitate concentration camp survivors. Every year since, she has been invited to spend her winters in Israel. Gerda never married. She now desires to have the lace sold with proceeds used for children's homes in Israel.
From the Near East Report Recently Tim f>?s Moincs Rcgistrr ran an editorial in which it arnued I hat the I'nili'd Stales MJOIIM rut off military aid to Israel. Tim (|i»t of the editorial was Dial tile U.S. has Ixen overly (lenemie; In Israel and that Israel In turn lias op|H)se(l U.S. policies in the Middle I last, ll concluded: "Car from increnslnn, US. aid lo Israi'l, the Untied Stales .should end all military aid lo thai country." Hep. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, look Ktrong exception to ihe Rtylster- editorial and responded with an "op-cd" column called "Israel Is Our Ally. We Cannot Withdraw Our Support." ll concludes: "To help Ifinini project itself and lo receive Israeli support for U.S. interests in ihc area rosm roufjhly S?.f> billion a year In economic and military aid. There are no American'troops In Israel. Israel protects itself, whilnassisting u* in proleclinf) our interest!! in the eastern Mediterranean and land inunn of western Asia. On thn other hand, we have nhout 355,600 troops in Europe and spend roughly S!)0 billion la $80 billion a year lo protect Europe. Most of that money is in the military
l)iitl[|cl, not file foreijjn-aid budrjef, so it does not get «H close a 'scrutiny. But lot us rememljer that the two expenditures are accomplishing) ihe some cml: promoting and protecting U.S. interests. "Aid to Israel, both military and economic, is in America's interest, ll is also morally correct. While Israel is far from perfect, ihc fact remains that it is besieged by neighbors who will not accept its existence!. Israel is a refuge for Jews in a world that is still .beset by ant'i-Semliism. "ll would be folly to terminate all military aid lo a democratic ally besieged by hostile neighbors. It would be self-defeating (o cut aid to a democracy dial is vibrant and stands alone." HarkitVs response vvns persuasive — so persuasive idol Ihe Register reconsidered. In an editorial alongside I larkin's column, th« Register stated: "We did not mean.to imply a total and permanent cutoff of aid to Israel. Our statement should have been qualified. We uureu that the United States must stand by iis only democratic ally in Ihe Mideast." It conceded that "Rep. Thomas Harkin makes a compelling argument on behalf of continuing nrms sales lo Israel,"
American ORT holds national conference By Boris Smolar t H h t h u 4 l l T
Whenta person reaches tho exceptional a$e of 100, it is considered a blessing. When u Jewish organization reaches that age, It Is a testimony to-its; vigor and usefulness. ORT is one of tho very few Jewish organizations in tho world that is now over 100 years in existence. Othcr» that old are Q'uai U'rith. HI AS, tho Alliance Israelite in rrancc, ami the Board of DepuMtw of British Jews. Tho American ORT Federation, which Li holding its annual three-day national conference in Now York Jan. 21-23, Is the American part of the ORT which Was esiabli5h«! in Czurim Russia in 1880. If was formed by a group of prominent lewisli Icadcm in St. Petersburg (now U'ningracl) to provide ariisah«hlp irainlno for Ihe Jews who lived in great mlsory in small lowiiB and villugts restricted to residence in the Pule of Settlement, and barely made a living. ; ORT soon becaimi one of thn most. Important organizations in Russia whom at that lirno more than nii million Jews lived. After World War f, ft expanded into a woridvylcloorrtanlzaiion that has provided vocajlpnfll and toch-
'nlcaj irainlnj) to millions of Jews since its inception. Today, ORT operates in 24 countries on fivo continents. Hsnctworkcomprises somo 800 vocational and technical schools and training centers with an annual student enrollment of about 1 10,000. Of ihla number, 74,000 study in Israeli ll* program includes a variety of courses — from dressmaking to hairdrosslno to computer technology; from carpentry and welding lo radar and electronics; from classes for cooking lo industrial schools, and a school of engineering in |crusalem. In each country ihc program is adjusted to thi) needs of the Jewish population there. Serve Israel In Israel,' ORT conducts about 100 schools'and rcluied programs in 4'/ cities, regions and agricultural centers. They serve.flto entire country,' they reach out in all directions. OUT lias, since tlio birth of the State of Israel, been engaged in refining human resources in Iho country into a steady flow of mechanics, technicians, skilled workers, to staff the industrial plants, ships, airfields, laboratories, farms, garages and mines that underpin tho nation's economy and its livlihood. It has 3,600 Instructors, on Jtp,
staff. Its annual b/idgct is more than SI million a week, ORT is the acknowledged leader in Israel In the field of vocational trailing and is highly regarded by the.government and tlipjcniirq Jewish[jjopujation. JiLtheJvarswhich IsraerfdccdroRT graduates played an Important rolo in the armed forces and in maintaining Israel's industrfal enterprises (nfacl by replacing experts who were mobilized for tho baitlcfront. With the increasing sophistication of technology, ORT (continued on pager 5)
Syper Sunday More than 100 volunteers will be making an estimated 1,500 telephone calls on Sunday in behalf of the Federation's 1983 C^paignandtheJsmeLSpe£ cialTuna. The calls will be made between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and from 6 to 8 p.m.
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