H
NEE-R HISTORICAL 1500 R ST TiN'COLN ME
SOC
SERVING NEBRASKA AND IOWA SINCE 1920
Vol. LXIII No. 35
Omaha, Neb., Fri., May 17,1985
David Spizm • MoVFTY I'?
David Spizman, j "1 son of Phillip and J j Dorothy Spizman, | has been elected ' . • president of the •• j Missouri Valley Federation of Temple Youth. Mo\ VFTY is this area's S •: J region of the North j ,' American Federa"'" tion of Temple \ Youth (NFTY), the 'youth alliance of ' •, the Union of Amer_ ..„"." ican Hebrew ConDavid Spizman gregations which is the international .organization of the Reform movement in North America. MoVFTY includes all Temple Youth Groups in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado.. This past year David served as president
of Temple Israel Youth Group here in Omaha. As MoVFTY president, he will serve also on the NFTY National Board. David is the fifth youth grouper from Temple Israel to be elected to MoVFTY president. Preceding him were Martin Weil (1957-G8); John Spitzer (1962-63); Gary Kaplan (1965-66) and Mitchell Warren (198384). In addition to his youth group activities, David is layout editor of the Westside High School yearbook and was involved at Westside, as part of a student-parent group, in studying a program on chemical abuse. He was elected this year to the National Honor Society. After attending the NFTY Leadership Training Program in New York this summer, David will be spending six weeks in Israel as part of the NFTY Israel Academy Program.
The. University of Nebraska has conferred the honorary degree Doctor of Hu-. mane Letters upon Rabbi Sidney H. Brooks at its annual spring commencement. Writing to Rabbi Brooks informing him of the degree, Chancellor Del Weber said, "This is the higher honor conferred by the University and one you most certainly have earned for tho contributions you have made' to your profession." Rabbi Brooks-has been active in many community organizations and has -taught
classes at both the University and at. the College of St. Mary for many years, v He has devoted many years of service to the Central Conference of American rabbis as a member of its Executive Board and numerous committees. Rabbi Brooks received a citation upon conferral of his honorary degree. "Rabbi'Brooks'will retire from the rabbinate May 31 after 33 years as rabbi of Temple Israel. At that time, he will be invested as Rabbi Emeritus of the Congregation.
NEW YORK, N.Y. - The Rabbinical Assembly, the international organization of 1200 Conservative rabbis, has declared 51 members of Israel's Knesset (Parliament), including Yitzhak Shamir, Ariel Sharon and former Israeli Ambassador to the United. States, Moshe Arena,'OB "not welcome as speakers or honorees in the 850 Conservative synagogues, which they have sought to "discredit." The Conservative rabbinic action was in response to these members of the Knesset, belonging mainly to the Likud and National Religious Parties", who voted in support of changed in the Israel Law of Return which would have discredited the validity of Conservative and Reform conversions. "The time has come when we must let those Israelis who do not feet a responsi-
bility for the Jewish people knqw that they are not welcome to lecture American Jews on American Jewish responsibility to Israel" asserted Rabbi Kassel Abelson, Vice President of the Rabbinical Assembly from Minneapolis. Rabbi Abelson explained that until now the 1.5 million members of Conservative synagogues had exercised "patience because of our devotion to Israel and its desire not to undermine fundraising efforts on behalf of Israel." He stressed that in no way should this action be interpreted by anyone not to continue to support "to the utmost of our ability", the United Jewish Appeal, Israel Bonds and other institutions that provide programs and services for Israel and her people. (continued on page 2)
Marc Berkowitz, a survivor of medical "experiments" performed by the infamous Nazi, Dr. Josef Mengele, in Auschwitz will be the guest speaker at the State of Israel Bonds New Life community-wide dinner Sunday evening, June 2 at Beth Israel Synagogue. ', The event will recognize and pay tribute to Ben Josin, a survivor of the Holocaust, who rebuilt his life in the Omaha community. Berkowitz, a native of Czechoslovakia was ten years old when he was deported with his parents, brother and sister to Kolomai in Galicia where the family miraculously survived a brutal massacre of nearly 2,000. Following this, they were moved to a succession of towns and villages. His father and brother were executed and Berkowitz, his mother and sister were finally deported to Auschwitz in 1944 where his mother was exterminated. It was also during that year that Berkowitz was. subjected to Dr. Mengele's diabolical experiments. Mengele was attracted.to Berkowitz because he was a twin and Mengele was doing research into what causes multiple births. One of the experiments included an operation on Berkowitz's 'spine. After surviving the surgery, Berkow-.
By Ben Gcllob NEW YORK, (JTA) - The 18 woman rabbinical candidates to be ordained this month and next — including the first woman Conservative rabbi in American Jewish history — will bring to 110 the number of American woman ordained as rabbis since the process began in the Reform movement 12 years ago. Moreover, the annual survey of the status of woman as rabbis conducted by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency indicates that, based on enrollments in the three seminaries — the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC), and the rabbinical school of the Jewish Theological Seminary of American (JTS) — continuing additions to the pool of women rabbis are virutally assured for the future. The HUC-JIR announced the names of
the 12 candidates who will be graduated in ceremonies here an in Cincinnati. The JIR campus is located in New York. The HUC campus is located in Cincinnati. The RRC, which hod no women ordainees at the end of the 1983-84 academic year, announced that five women would be named as rabbis next month. A spokesperson for the JTS told the JTA that there are now 20 women candidates enrolled at various academic levels at the JTS rabbinical school. Amy Eilberg, who was one of the first class of women admitted for / the 1984-85 year to the JTS rabbinical school, will be one of the 12 graduates who will be ordained May 12 nt the JTS. Rabbi Gordan Tucker, the JTS rabbinical school dean, had reported previously that rabbinical candidate Eilberg had received enough rabbinical school credits for courses (continued on page 2) ,
On the 28th day of Iyar, which this year falls on the 19th of May, we in Jerusalem will be joined by our friends throughout the world in celebrating the 18th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem.•• Eighteen in' Hebrew is symbolized by the word "chai" — life. And this very much reflects the theme of our efforts in the past eighteen years: to preserve the heritage and the history of our city while ensuring that it is a living city; to improve the quality of life for all the city's residents, closing the vast gaps which existed in 1967; to foster tolerance and understanding which will enable each community to live as is its custom. Jerusalem lived with an ugly division in its midst for nineteen years. The city has now been reunited nearly as long.' We have replaced a border town, marked by fortifications, barbed wire and tank traps with a thriving city, marked by parks and gardens, houses 6f worship, theaters and museums, restored ancient monuments. Perhaps more important, we have replaced a townWhere two peoples arid many small ethnic religious groups lived in strife and enmity with a city where people are learning to live together in good neighborly relations. We celebrate Yom Yerushalayim — Jerusalem Day — on this note of peace. Jerusalem the ancient, Jerusalem the modern, Jerusalem the focus of world Jewry, Jerusalem the capital of Israel, Jerusalem a center of pilgrimage — this is Jerusalem of the future. Teddy Kollek
New educator dren. She will also be involved in special program planning. Ms. West earned her B.A. degree (Magna Cum Laude) from Boston University and her M.A. in Jewish Education from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and the University of Southern California. '• . She has had formal and informal Jewish teaching and administrative experience in Colorado, California and Pennsylvania, and has been honored with academic awards in both Jewish Education and Youth work. She was selected as Valedictorian of her master's degree program. Ms. West will begin her duties formally in June.
Temple Israel has announced that it has engaged Jane D. West to be director of education. ' j In January the Temple began a search for a person qualified to direct all of the education and youth programs in the Temple. Ms. West's reJane West sponsibilities will include all adult education as well as the Hebrew and Religious Schools and youth programs for the chil-
itz was used as a camp messenger. With his blue eyes and blond hair, uncommon for a European Jew, Berkowitz was able to pass for an Aryan on several occasions. After being liberated by the Russians in 1945, Berkowitz briefly returned to his hometown, spent some time in sev_- " eral displaced persons camps, and in 1948 came to the United States with his sister. He now travels extensively, lecturing to Jewish and nonJewish audiences on the Holocaust. An executive board member of Holocaust Survivors of Auschwitz, Berkowitz is president of the newly, founded organization "CANDLES," an acronym for Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly La6 Experiments Survivors." These people known collectively as "Mengele's Children" recently held an international reunion in, Israel. Chairmen for the event are Joe Fishel and Joe Polonski. Both Mr!'Fi.shel and Mr. Polonski said the response for the dinner is excellent and they are encouraging the whole community to attend. For reservations, please call the Israel Bond office at 341- : 1177 or write to 518 Service Life Building, .1904 Farnam Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68102.
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