90301060 NEBR HISTORICAL SOC 1500 R'BT LINCOLN NF
UiECRASKA, Omaha, Nob., Fri., August 3, 1984
Vol. LXII No: 49
iras! Bond d i
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By Steve KHnc Assistant director, PuLSie Eek-iionu Creighton Usivercily A nationwide anti-Catholic campaign reportedly planning to open an office in Omaha is comparable to the Ku Klu:i Klan and is being directed by a "nutty" man, according to a former Creighton University instructor who wrote a history of the Catholic Church in Nebraska. A Creighton professor of law, meanwhile, questions whether the hate campaign should be sheltered, as it is, by the Internal Revenue Service under tax-exempt status. Fr. Henry Casper, S.J., who was at Creighton from 1946 until 1963, said he can't remember anything quite like the movement headed by fundamentalist Tony Alamo, head of the Tony and Susan Alamo Foundation based in Alma, Ark. "The only thing I can recall that was similar was the Ku Klux Klan, just after the end of the first World War and previous to the Depression," said Casper, who now works in the Milwaukee offices of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. Casper's three-volume history traces the development of the church in Nebraska through the early part of this century. Casper said that while anti-Catholit; bigotry is common in the history of this country, a blatant hate campaign like the Alamo
movement I something new. And while it is a matter of concern, Casper said he doesn't get too worried about it. " . . . It's vulgar- and it's mean — it is all that, but I'm not overly concerned. I know that everyone doesn't think like me. Maybe I should be more concerned," Casper said in a telephone interview from his Milwaukee office. The league has been following Alamo's activities since February, according to Oren Love, the organization's director of publications. Alamo's followers pass out leaflets and flyers targeting Catholics and Catholic institutions. "We've been doing everything we can to get civic leaders and others to speak out against this kind of bigotry," Love said. The league's efforts have been successful, he added, pointing out that the Jewish AntiDefamation League has joined in condemning Alamo. Love said Alamo is attempting to rally followers of his late first wife, Susan, and the focal point is hate-mongering against Catholics. "Susan was the real spiritual leader in the foundation and Tony was more the business organizer," Love said. When she_ died in 1982, the fervor she inspired among her followers did not immediately shift to Alamo, (continued on page 2)
Israel's election results
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By Doris Koainsky Maxine Kirshenbaum, 1933 chairman of the Greater Omaha V.V.nc it':i Division for Israel Bonds, has I:!.:-.-:I: - LJ t!::.t Cheryl Kricsfeld has accepted the position of general chairman for 1984. Mrs. Kricsfeld is currently vice president of membership at Beth Israel synagogue, a member of Junior League of Omahu, on the board of the Omaha Community Playhouse, and K ™sfeld on the boarjds of Medical Women at Clarkson, Methodist and Pottawattamie hospitals. She has also served as recording secretary for National Council of Jewish Women and chairman of Hadassah's HIES fashion show, and was a member of the 1983 Israel Bond's executive
committee. She is one of the youngest Omaha chairman to nerved — part of the new Leadership Division of the Israel Bond Organization who is actively seeking a commitment from the younger leadership this year to become involved in Israel's needs for investment dollars. "Our theme this year is 'The generations reach out and touch Israel,'" Mrs. Kricsfeld said, "and we have many new younger women on our staff and as workers. We plan on a lively, fun, entertaining day — not to be missed. We also stress Israel Bond dollars are used for peaceful purposes and are now desperately needed for the development of solar technology, nuclear medicine, computerized telephone systems and fibre optics, as well as for highways, pipelines and power stations. We hope more women in our community will make a commitment to buy a bond this year." The Israel Bonds Luncheon and fashion show will be held Sept. 19 at the Jewish Community Center.
By Doris Rosinsky Cheryl Kricsfeld, chairman of the Greater Omaha Women's Division, State of Israel Bonds, announced the Israel Bond workshop will be held Wednesday, Aug. 8, at 2 p.m. at the home of Susie Shyken, 601 Ridgewood Ave.
zation.
Guest speaker will be Brig. General Yehuda Halevy, president and chief executive officer of the State of Israel Bond organi-
"The purpose of our workshop is to orient our workers for Bond solicitation," Mrs. Kricsfeld said. "We hope all of the women who received our invitations have responded, and to those we missed who would like to join our efforts, please call me at 3976611 by Aug. 6: Workers at that time will be asked to make their Bond commitments as well as receive the names and cards of women to be called."
According to Yale Gotsdiner, Lincoln general chairman for the State of Israel Bonds, that Joey Russell will be the guest entertainer at this year's State of Israel Bond community dinner on Aug. 22, at Tifereth Israel Synagogue honoring Betty and Hyman Polsky. Joey Russell, the son of an Orthodox rabbi, has played an active role in the Israel Bonds organJoey Russell
ization for many years. He is a founding member of the Ambassador's Society of Trustees (purchasers of $10,000 or more of Israel Bonds), and has participated in over a dozen Bond missions to Israel; As an entertainer, he has performed at the major night clubs and hotels throughout the country and is a favorite dais guest at the famous Friar Roasts. For the past 26 years he has had his own TV show in his home state of Connecticut. Mr. Gotsdiner said that, "This year's dinner should be one of the most successful ever, and if your reservations have not been made yet contact me at P.O. Box 81661, Lincoln, Ne. 68501 or call 476-1469."
gy. on equ< By Ben Gallob NEW YORK (JTA) -* The National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council (NJCRAC), representing a wide range of national Jewish organizations and local Jewish Community Relations Councils, is arranging for seminars in eight cities to work out policy and strategy at the local level for dealing with the effects of the newly-enacted equal access law, Albert Chernin, NJCRAC executive vice chairman, reported. The proposal, approved by the Senate last May, and approved 337-77 by the House in a second vote on the measure, would permit religiouB groups to hold meetings in public schools but only before and after regular class hours. Since President Reagan, at his recent press conference, listed the measure as one of six he particularly wanted adopted by Congress before adjournment, his signature is assured. Chernin told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the. NJCRAC planned to hold a consultation in New Yorl: City on Sept. 9 with the American: (Jewish Congress, to coordinate the eight regional conferences. . ' The AJCongress, in a statement denouncing the House action, said it would "carry the fight to the courts to have this legislation invalidated." An AJCongress spokesman told 'the JTA it was too early to determine ho'w such a fight would be implemented. : '
Many Jewish officials questioned by the JTA noted that one of the problems involved was that the issue would not be joined until the 1984-85 school year begins, and planned monitoring started of such public access by church groups would indicate whether-fears of Jewish groups of proselytizing of Jewish school children materialized. Rabbi Henry Michaelman, executive vice president of the Synagogue Council of America, told the JTA that the SCA's six rabbinical and congregational organizations, Orthodox, Conservative and Reform, "regretted" the new law and that the SCA planned to challenge its constitutionality. A commitment to "closely monitor" how this "controversial law" is implemented and readiness "to challenge unconstitutional practices that may grow out of its administration" was made in a statement for the American Jewish Committee by its president, Howard Friedman. ' He called the measure "a sharp departure from Congress's traditional caution and concern that religious liberty and separation of church and state not be tampered with." The Committee said the measure was "open to abuse by those who proselytize and seek to impose their religious preferences upon others. It would even allow extremist hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and the American Nazi party to gain access to the public schools." Chernin said the eight regional meetings would be held in Hartford on Sept. 13; Houston, Sept. 19; Atlanta, Sept.
20; Los Angeles, Oct. 2; Philadelphia, Oct. 3; Chicago, Oct. 8; Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 9; and in Miami, Oct. 24. Chernin said the number of Jewish communities, through Jewish community relations councils and similar local organizations, to be represented were: 20 in Hartford; 19 in Houston; 10 in Atlanta; 20 in Los Angeles; 30 in Philadelphia; 18 in Los Angeles; 10 in Miami; and 15 in Columbus. Chernin said the equal access legislation would be one of several problems in church-state relations affecting Jewish to be discussed and analyzed at the eight regional consultations. He said that the equal access measure would be examined in terms of policy and strategy. Chernin added that the consultation gatherings were expected to produce guidelines for local community relations councils and similar groups to aid them in responding to any abuses of the new law in schools in their cities. Monitoring schools is one of the strategies the eight consultations, are expected to examine and arSprove for use at the local level to determine whether abuses occurred and how court action should be taken if that step was deemed necessary by the local Jewish community relations groups. Friedman also said, in the AJCommittee statement, that "the only bright spot in this rather disturbing picture of Congressional action is that, even as Congress was consid(continued on page 2)