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SERVING NEBRASKA AMD IOWA SINCE 1920
Vol. LXIII No. 7
Omaha, Neb., Fri., November 1, 1S85
Farewell to Kapoier
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Jake Adler leads the final Torah procession at the Kapulier shul on Cuming street during closing ceremonies last Sunday. An estimated crowd of 300 participated and bade farewell to the old synagogue. The Nebraska Jewish Historical Society is now launching a fund drive to pregerve and restore the essence of the synagogue as a living .museum,
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See additional coverage of the dosing of the Kapulier Shul on Pages 6 and 7.
By Morris Maline WASHINGTON — Sen. Charles Grassley (R-lowa) said that the upcoming Summit between President Reagan and Secretary Gorbachev offers real possibilities for improvement.
mally. The human rights issue with particular emphasis on the rights of Soviet Jewry led Sen. Grassley to visit the Soviet Union recently and to organize a world-wide group of parliamentarians.
In an interview with the Jewish Press of Omaha at the annual meeting of the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews here, Sen. Grassley said slow improvement in relations is within reach.
There are now over 700 members in 15 nations and-the effectiveness of the group is starting to bear fruit.,
Sen. Grassley pointed out that his group put forth proposals on human rights at the Ottowa meeting last May Gorbachev is not tied to the old way of politics in the " and more recently to the Helsinki committee in France. . Soviet Union, Sen. Grassley said, adding that Gorbachev wants to improve the ddmestic lot of his people. This latter group, he said, pressed President Mitterand The need and desire of the Soviet Union to improve do- to forcefully speak ori human rights during the recent visit mestically will be reflected in the Summit talks on trade, of Gorbachev to Paris. he pointed out. .. .• According to Sen. Grassley, his trip to the Soviet Union : Progress in this area, Sen. Grassley said, may lead to and the growing intensity of the human rights issue were improved attitudes and concessions on human rights, a sub- both aided by the Soviet Jewry Committee in Omaha and ject which President Reagan is expected to bring up infor- Des Moines.
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Soviet Jewry must be* an integral part of the upcoming Summit. Jewish communities across this land must mobilize immediately to let President Reagan know of our concern. Time is running out. In little more than three weeks. Reagan and Gorbachev will be talking in Geneva. The agenda already has been fixed. The 80 hours of discussion will be on arms control and trade. The 80 hours include time for translation and time for meals and socializing. The issue' of Soviet Jewry is not on the formal, agenda. However, President Reagan' has promised to raise the issue informally. Extent of the informal discussion can vary from minimum to maximum effort. " Concerned Jewish communities can make a difference. Morey Schapira, president, Union of Councils for Soviet Jews, Washington, has put the need quite bluntly: "Now is the time to push the accelerator to the floor, contact your Congressional Representatives and Senators and ask them to intervene on a personal and direct basis with the President." It is hot enough for Jewish communities to delegate this maximum effort to the Soviet Jewry activists. The leadership in this community must come together and forcefully push this issue. Soviet Jewry must rise to the forefront of activity for every synagogue congregation, for every Jewish organization and for every unit of the Jewish Federation. The massive effort required does not belong only to Shirley Goldstein and Miriam Simon, co-chairmen, Omaha Soviet Jewry Committee. Don't wait for them and for their few workers to contact you. There is much work to be done in the next couple of weeks. Postcards, telegrams, telephone calls, letters, contact at all levels — all must be attehded to. No avenue should be forsaken for lack of workers and motivation. , . Soviet emigration is at its lowest level and the antiSemitic posture of the Soviet government is extremely high. The Summit could well be the last opportunity for Reagan to influence Gorbachev. We must do everything that we can to encourage our President to make maximum effort toward the improvement of human rights including the right of emigration for Soviet Jews.
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Iowa Senator Charles Grassley and Congressional aide former Omahan Allie Milder at the Washigton meeting of the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews.
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