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SERVING NEBRASKA AND IOWA SINCE 1820 Vol. LXIII No. 16
Omaha, Nab., Fri., January 3, 19M
Federation honors volunteers at Jan. 12 annual meeting By Claudia Sherman Since 1979, the Jewish Federation of Omaha and its agencies have recognized the value of dedicated volunteers through their Volunteer of the Year Awards. The eight volunteers who will be honored at the Federation Annual Meeting on Sunday, Jan. 12 at the Jewish Community Center are representative of the hundredis of volunteers who give thousands of hours of time each year to the Omaha Jewish community. Nominated by the Jewish Community Center for serving relations spokesman for all the JCC's Health Services programs, Celia Blank "has been a dedicated volun1 teer for a number of years." Her articles appear in the "Jewish Presi" and the "JCC Centerpiece" and have kept \ JCC membei4 as well as the entire Jewish conimunity upI to-date on/nealth services programs and seiiflces. "CelijB^Blank has demonstrated a true spirit of volun; tarism, «>mmitment, and dedication in all that she undertakes irivhelping to promote the Jewish Community ; Center," s^id llene Klein, president of the JCC Boafd of directors. |. Lisa LewisV who is involved in a variety of community ' organizationB,\as been nominated by the ADL/CRC for the Volunteer ot\the Year Award. She has served on the ADL/CRC BoarcK^f Director8_for several years and has been co-chaimurn or ./CIRC Law jt/CRC Coinmittee for the past two years. Mrs. Lewis's other Jewish community activities include serving as chairman of the JCC Music Committee, working • on the Federiation Campaign as a captain, and participating ^ on the Yom Hashoah Committee last April. She is also a i; member of the National Council of Jewish Women and was I recently appointed to attend the NCJW Joint Program Inr Btitute in Washington, D.C. This conflererkce deals with leg' islation and federal laws regarding such issues as women's ^. and children's rights, and the rights of the elderly. I In addition to> her private law practice, Mrs. Lewis is also i involved in the Junior League of Omaha and serves as a \ Board member of the T\ieaday Muaical Conperjt Setiai. Serving on many Jev(>ish Fantiiy %ivice oomn^UM, I "Glen Fineman exhibited leaderahip qualities" and "imI presJwd both his peers and the professional staff with his ; ability to organize and administer" agency policies and pro' grams, said Rabbi Allan Gonsher, executive director of JFS. i Fineman has served as vice president of JFS, chairman of i the Adoption Committee, chairman of the Ad Hoc Liaison » Committee, as a JFS Board member, and as .& JFS Education Committee member. Fineman's professional expertise has also been utilized • .through his professional affiliations with the University of ^'Nebraska at Omaha School of Social Work. He has also I been involved on the local level of the National Association f. of Social Workers through his participation in programs, !'. conferences, and the ongoing evaluation of the School of I Social Work. With Creighton University for the last five and one half ; yearsi Fineman is a social wot'ker with Creighton Family i' Practice. Active with Beth EirSynagogue, 6ten Fineman' [ was nominated by Jewish Family Service as Volunteer of ' the Year. ' Laying aside his business concerns and personal life, Jerry Hoberman, president of Tires Inc., has on numerous , occasions come to the aid of the ADL/CRC as wrell as other • agencies. Recently, Hoberman spent weeks devoting countless hours to ensure the success of the ADL/CRC's Society I of Fellows reception honoring Judge Samuel Van Pelt who [ received the Torch of Liberty Award. Believing that Jews 'must recognize the accomplishments of non-Jews who ' choose to speak out against anti-Semitism, Hoberman I ^ranted to make sure Judge Van Pelt was appropriately j honored in the eyes of the entire Omaha community. Hoberman responds on ahort notice and with quality involvement, said Sheldon Kilger, executive director of the ADL/CRC, which nominated Hoberman for Volunteer of the Year. Morris Epstein, program vice president for the Young Eneigetic Seniors, has Mptnt countless hours on the telephone arf anging entertaining and informative programs for thisaocial gnMq> for more than ten yaan. He has Mciued a variety of talent includinc singers, dancerii choral groups, baitdt, musidans, and lacture* — two ' programs every week. E^pstcin ha* alao dctisionally assisted tha OlfhiiMra group and the Rose Blui^ikin Horn* in setting up their programs. "Having giwn fireety «f his time," aaid Eugene Brandt, naciitive di^ebtor of the Bureau M the Aging, Epstein "is .moat deaerving to be named Volunteer of the Year for the BurMU for the Aging." Nancy Greenberg has served on the Boards of Directora ofthe Jewish Federation of Omaha, Jewish Family Service, sarid Tsmpk laraei Siaterbood. She was a member of the "Roee Blunilin-Livingi!E»n*^la)!a Steering Odmmittee. Her service to the Roee Blumkin Jewish Home earned her the 198S Volunteer of the Year Award from the Bureau for the Aging.
Morri* Bpttoin Co%&itiUift^«irM'l8^ eration Campaign and chairman of the 1986 Women's Division, "Nancy's dedication and commitment to her community andthe Campaign" have already helped achieve a 23 percent increase in Women's Division totals for 1986, said Sondra Rosenblatt, associate director of the Jewish Federation which nominated Mrs. Greenberg for its Volunteer of the Year. For many years, Santa Cooper has served as chairman of the Israel Pilgrimage Committee of the Bureau of Jewish Education which has nominated her for its Volunteer of the Year. Aa chairman of the Israel Pilgrimage Committee, Mrs. Cooper has been responsible for encouraging numerous local Jewish high school students to benefit from the religious, cultural, and historical opportunities which Israel has to offer. Mrs. Oooper contacted potential pilgrims and publicized the program and its scholarship opportunities. She strengthened the general organization of the program on both the local and national levels, said Rabbi Jonathan Rosenbaum, executive director of the Bureau of Jewish Education.
- Mrs. CoaiW'iSgiifcNftil Hi:.OMaa&»;liiM|a^,^ tional Board of tMe Rainah Conumini^ Pilgrimage. After encouraging her own children, Jeff, Amy and Felicia, to go to Israel, they, in turn urged oUier youngsters to go, too. ^ As chairman of the Matza Bakery, the College of Jewish Learning, and the Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration, Doi«en Lerner has furnished leadership for programs that provided many formal as well as informal educational experiences for the Omaha Jewish community, aaid Ann Kibel Schwartz, director of the Jewish Cultural Arts Council, As chairman of these JCAC programs, Mrs. Lerner recruited volunteers, conducted numerous maetfi^ and delegated tasks which covered program and budget planning, publicity and public relations, schedule coordination, preparing facilities, and hosting-events. "Mrs. Lerner personally wrote educational and promotional materials such as news articles, workbooks, and brochures to complement the programs she directed. During the past year, despite ilhiess, she hag sened the JCAC as secretary. "She has been a source of inspiration and sound advice," wrote Mrs. Schwartz in nominating Mrs. Lerner as the JCAC Volunteer of the Year.
BariDie trial postponed By Edwin Eytan PARIS (JTA) — The Supreme Court has postponed the trial of Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie which had been scheduled to open Feb. 3. France's highest court announced on Dec. 20 the postponement of the trial after it overturned a lower court decision and after it ruled that the 73-yearold former Gestapo officer could be charged with crimes against French resistance fighters as well aa Crimea against Jewish civilians who he ordered deported to death camps. Legal experts said today that the trial could begin next March or ^ril,'at the earliest, after the upcoming legislative elections. Although the postponement is not linked to the elections, many bfliwe that the government wanted to avoid a possible political scandal during tha pre-election period. Barbie's lawyer, Jacques Verges, haa said that be intends to shed light on the betr^ral of France's wartime raaiatance leader, Jean Moulin, to the Naais. Vern* has implied that other rsaiitance leader* informed the Geatapo of Moulin'* whereabonts for political reasons. Some li^nch newspaper* predicted that Barbie wiD never be put on trial because of hi* poor health. The Naxi war criminal iaMnder treatment for §^ varie^(«f illnesses at the Monthic Priaon in Lyon where he ha* been detained *ince hi* expulsion from Bolivia in February, 1963. The Svqpteme Covrt leconaidered Barbie's case at the
request of a number of surviving resistance fighters. Barbie was formally charged by investigating Magistrate Christian Riss with crimes against humanity. A Ljmn^urt confirmed his indictment, ruling that the arrest, deportation and repression of the resistance fell under the -definition- of war crimes, which are covered in France by a statute of limitations. Under French law. Barbie could not be tried for such crime* more than 40 years after he committed them, the L^n court maintainedA Now.that the Supreme Court haa''nversed the lower court, the file will go back to the Public Proaecutor's Office in Paris which will interrogate Barbie pnoe again and prepare a new indictment. In^iew of the htiMbsds of thousand* of documents which miut be exiaminMl and the intricate legal procedure this could take month*. Barbie, known aa "the butcher of.I^on," waa *«ntenc*d to death in abaentia in 1962 and again in 1964 by French military court* in Lyon for criioA* ai*in*t rwaktino* fighter*, liw death *eBtanc* axpiiwl with the atiitiirf* of Ibnitation*.' -• The Siqireme Court ruling was baaed on it> finding* that the lower court half no juiiadiction to dictingaiah between crimes against humanity and war crim**. The proaecutioB. which generally eqnea*** the govenunent'a-Tiew*, bad aaked the court to mrmle the lower tribanaL