903010-00 60 NEBR HISTORICAL SOC 1500 R ST iLINCOLN NE 63503
SERVING NEBRASKA AMD IOWA SlUCE 1920 Vol. LXEil Mo. 2 6
Omaha, Htb., Fri., L'aseh 15,1S85
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Tom Fellman and Howard Rooper, cochairmen of the 1985 Federation Men's Campaign have announced their cabinet members for this year's Campaign drive. Co-chairing the Pacesetter Division will be Joe Kirshenbaum and Harlan Noddle, both veterans to the Men's Campaign. The Pacesetter Division is comprised of donors of $5,000 or more to the Campaign. Grand Gifts Division, which covers gifts of $2,000-$4,999 will be co-chaired by Paul Cohen and Leonard Lewis.
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The Women's Fcdes'ation Campaign will hold a luncheon and preview of the Main Event for Campaign workers at noon, March 26, at the Jewish Community Center. Above, workshop chairman Julee Katzman, left, and Carol Katzman, work out final details for the afternoon's events. Reservations may be made by calling 334-8200, ext. 271, and complimentary babysitting \yill be available by appointment. The Women's Business and Professional Division will also hold a workshop on March 26, from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. at the JCC. The evening's theme will be, "Understanding the Federation Campaign and Your Role in It," and wine and cheese will be served. Contact captains for reservations. .
Heading up the Leadership Divrsion this year, will be Howard Vann and Don Dandy; co-chairing the Builder's Division will be Stan Edelstein and Arnold Ban. Two new divisions have been established this year: The Medical and Dental Division, which will be co-chaired by Dr. Stan Malashock and Marcel Kahn, and the Lawyers and CPA's Division co-chaired by Alvin Abramson and Stan Baumblatt.
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Alvin's son, Mike Abramson, will cochair the Young Men's Division, together with Jeff Newman. George Schapiro and Sol Mann will cochair the Oldtimer's Division, and Bob Slutzky will chair the Newcomer's Division. Marshall Kushner is chairing the special "Operation Moses" campaign. The cabinet will form the framework for the 1985 Campaign whose theme will be "Partners For Life". "We're very excited about working with this dedicated and capable group of men," said Mr. Fellman and Mr. Koop.er.
Kallah WeekendThe 1985 Kallah Weekend will be held March 22-24. An interview with Dr. Allan Gould, Kallah Scholar-in-residence, ap* pears on page 2.
3 '^rrrv The third Annual Joint American Affairs Luncheon sponsored by the Omaha Chapter of Hadassah, Women's American ORT and National Council of Jewish Women, Omaha Section is scheduled for March 27. The event, to be held at Temple Israel, will begin at noon. The theme of the afternoon will be "American Women — Masters of our Fate". A panel discussion on current Women's issues will be presented by John Cavanaugh, Omaha attorney and former U.S. Congressman, speaking on "Woman and Legislation", Sheldon Filger, executive director of . Plains States ADL, whose topic is "AntiSemitism and Woman" and Deborah Kaniewski, National Council of Jewish Women Washington Representative, who will present "Women's Issues". National Resolutions for each organization represented will be presented by Alice Trustin. Luncheon cost is $4.50 and reservations are requested by March 25. Reservations are being taken by. the following organization representatives: ORT — Marty Tichauer, 895-3476, Beth Leeds, 333-5532, NCJW —
Hindy Batt, 397-0808, Caryn Rifkin, 3347216, Hadassah — Rose Roffman, 330-4314, Marion Wine, 551-1953, Hermjne'Zweiback, 397-3906, Ellen Slosburg, 496-3100, Fannie Manyitz, 391-3997, Reva Oruch, 391-8344. Babysitting will be available at Temple Israel by reservation. Facilities for infant care are not available. American Affairs Luncheon Committee members include Sandy Kohll, Omaha Hadassah president, Marty Tichauer, Women's American ORT president, Sharon' Cipperley, National Council of Jewish Women, Omaha Section president, Martha Lerner, program chairman, Ellen Albin, luncheon arrangement, Cathy Christensen, Debbie Josephson and Fran Coren, Table decorations will be provided by ORT. All those attending the luncheon are asked to bring donations of non-perishable food and paper goods for the Jewish Family Services Food Bank and the Omaha Food Bank. These jtems will be distributed to those in need in the community for the upcoming holidays of Passover and Easter.
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Cantor Harold Firestone (right) of Temple Israel shows Hebrew letters mounted on the classroom walls of Temple Israel. The Hebrew letters were cut from wood as a gift from Harvey and Ann Pickel. Cantor Firestone painted the letters different colors and mounted them on the walls.
From Lodz, Ben was sent to camp Sdrojen near Danzig back to my barracks and hid under the bunks. My LithuBy Doris Rosiholiy . (Gdansk) and for over a year cleared trees in the forest to anian guard looked the other way. The next morning they Israel Bonds. Volunteer hid me in the forest near where we were working. For two ' On Sept. 8, 1939,'the German army occupied Lodz, Po- make way for the German autobahn from Berlin to the port land, and the little town of Ozorkow, 16 miles north, where of Danzig. At firsti he was able to write his mother and • weeks this went on. Our foreman sent a couple people to get some food from the farmers for me to eat. He said, 'See . 19-year-old Ben Josin lived with his parentG, an older sister receive packages from her which he used^to barter for food. that he gets his strength back.' It saved my life," Ben reThis ended when his family was sent to the Lodz ghetto and two younger brothers. members. later in 1940. . In April, 1940, he was. ; It was early 1943. He was sent to severalmore labor His sister died of starvation there, one brother died in a •snatched off the streets o f camps before Kaiserwald, where he first met Emma. camp near Poznan, and he heard his parents and other Ozorkqwv along .with other . At dawn on Tuesday, June 24, 1941, the German tanks brother died at Chelmno outside Lodz.' :' . young Jews, and forced onto ' • After Sdrojenjihe.was sent to many small labor camps in entered Vilna, Poland where Emma was born. She lived a streetcar that ran between there with her mother and three brothers. Two days before, Lithuania and Latvia, mostly clearing trees. In camp Pahis town and Lodz. lemonas (Lithuania) Ben remembers "There was no place' on Sunday, the German planes bombed Vilna. "I remember "They asked, me, 'Mister, it like today," Emma said, "the sky was dark with airplanes for water. You had to.drink water from a ditch that had are you a Jew?' and when I . . frogs in it. And they were killing Jews there everyday, just and the Russians ran out, even in their pajamas, to get into said yes, they took" me. I their trucks and leave." hanging them or shooting them." Then he was sent to camp couldn't tell my family anyBefore she and her mother were sent to the Vilna ghetto Eleja Meitene (Latvia) where he Was sick for three mbnths thing," Ben said. on Sept. 6, 1941, one'brother was taken away, another ran with typhoid fever. About that time they were thinning out For the next five years he to the partisans, and her youngest brother, who lived in a the camp, getting rid of the old, the side and the children. • miraculously survived many small town nearby, also disappeared. Later on, her mother. His ordeal of hiding, changing clothes and being helped German camps under the . by his fellow prisoners and his work foreman saved his life. was killed in the ghetto. She survived there for two years most inhumane conditions . Ben Josm until Sept. 24,19,43, when they were liquidating the ghetto. before he was finally liberated by the Russian army in April, The SS Dr. Wiesner, from Kaiserwald, had come to the She was 14 and one of about 1600 young women still able 1945. Sometime around Oct. 1943, he was sent to Kaiser- camp to point his finger at who would be put on the trucks to work who were sent to camp Kaiserwald. The men were wald in Riga, Latvia where he met Emma Wilion, his future for exterminations, and who would live. 1 (continued on page 5) "He said to me, 'You're sick, you go with them.' I got wife. • ,••