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Vol. LXIV No. 31 Omaha, Nebr.
SERVING NEBRASKA AND IOWA SINCE 1920 2 lyar, 8747 Friday, May 1. 1987
Yom Ha'Atzmaut celebration planned at JCC on May 3
Omaha welcomes Eli Wiesel A delegation of OmalunB met Nobel Peace Prise winner Eli Wiesel at Eppley Airport Wednesday and poaed for thia photo following a press conference at the airport. Professw Wiesel spolie to an estimated 3,000 at the Civic Anditorinm in the evening. From left are: Caator Leo Fettman, Professor Wiesel, the R«v. Elizabeth Beams, Rabbi Mendel Katiman, the Rev. Nancy Phillips, Soaan Paiey, Sam Fried and Jeffrey Aizenberg. (More OB I¥ofesaor Wiesd's visit ia next week's paper)
The Jewish Cultural Arts Council's expression of what is within the heart," accelebration of Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Israel's cording to Dr. JoAnn Tucker, group foundDay of Independence, will take place on May 3 with festivities geared to all ages as a celebration of the arts. -' YOM HA'ATZMAUT, 1987 AGENDA OF DAYS EVENTS The celebration begins with a flag-raising 12:15 p.m. Flag-raising ceremony... ceremony at 12:15 p.m. at the main entrance Jewish War Vets of the JCC. A family picnic will follow at the 12:30 p.m. • Family picnic in pavillion Carl Frohm Pavillion. Participants are to area bring their own picnic lunch. Debbi Green1:00 p.m. Folk music, possible inforblatt and David Seay will be the entermal Israeli dance tainers. At 1:30 p.m., Sara Jaffe and Chuck 1:30 Games and activities for all Arnold have planned games for children. ages The entire community may attend a cake 3:30 Cake cutting and serving cutting ceremony in the GaUery sponsored 4:00 Flag lowering ceremony by B'nai B'rith. 6:00 Avodah Dance Ensemble The celebration concludes with a special At 1:25, beforf the games begin, a siren performance by the Avodah Dance Ensemwill be sounded followed by a minute of ble from New York. Avodah uses modem silence in memory of Israeli War dead. dance as "an extension of worship, a visual
Law Day, Constitutional Bicentennary and the Jews f By Oliver B. PoUak I University of Nebraska at Omaha I Law Day was conceived by the American ! Bar Association in 1957. In 1958, President bwight D. Eisenhower issued a Presiden[ tial proclamation in behalf of Law Day. In, [1961, a Joint i Resolution of t)B9ltfti88 set i. aside the first [ day in May as sLaw Day. This year Law Day takes on even greater significance as \ 1987 marks the 200th anniversary of the ConLStitutionofthe e United States. [The Jewish Oliver B. PoUak i Press in commemoration of this celebration i will be publishing occasional essays by lo'Cal Omaha lawyers on the meaning of the Constitution to American Jewry. The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787. Thomas Jefferson, serving as Ambassador to France did not attend the Constitutional Convention. He characterized the framers as veritable "demi-gods." Philadelphia city officials spread fresh earth on the streets around the building to reduce noise. The windows were boarded up. Guards stood at the front. Proceedings were carried on in secrecy. Although no Jews were directly involved in the Constitutional Convention they made their concerns known to framers. Jonas Phillips (1730-1803) was a Hessian immigrant who landed in Charleston, South
Temple Israel's 47th Institute Dr: David J. Zucker of Springfield, Mo., will speak at the 47th anniversary of the Charles Rosenstock Institute on Judaism for Christian Clergy, May 15 at Temple Israel Dr. Zucker serves as rabbi, United Hebrew Congregations, Springfield, and teaches at the Department of Rdigious Studies, Southwest Miasouri State University. The morning lecture at 10 a. m. will be on Jeans and Jerimiah, and the afternoon lecture at 1:30 p.m. will be on Rabbinic Sermons and Modeni Literature.
Carolina, in 1765. He lived in Albany and New York. After going bankrupt he became the ritual slaughterer, a shohet, for New York's Shearith Israel Congregation. Around 1775, he moved to Philadelphia and became a merchant. He was an avid letter writer and his correspondence to his mother and business associates in Europe were written in Yiddish in part to confound authorities who might intercept his mail. Jonas Phillips also wrote on political questions. The letter printed below dated 24th Ellul 5547 and September 7,1787, was directed to the Federal Convention. It was found in what came to be called "The little red trunk" that had originally been owned by Thomas Jefferson when he was Secretary of State, and had apparently been detx)sited with the Department of State in 1796 by President Washington. "Sires I the subscriber being one of the people called Jews of the City of Philadelphia, a people scattered & dispersed among all nations do behold with Concern that amraig the laws in the Constitution of Pennsylvania, there is a Clause Sect 10 to viz—I do believe in one God the Creatur and governor of the universe and Rewarder of the good & the punisher of the wicked—and I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the old & New testiment to be given by divine inspiration—to swear & believe that the new testiment was given by divine inspiration is absolutely against the Religious principle of a Jew, and is against his Conscience to take any such oath—By the above law a Jew is deprived of holding any public office or place of Government which is a Contridictory to the bill, of Right Sect 2 viz That all men have a natural & unalienable Right to worship almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience and understanding & that no man ought or of Right can be Compelled to attend any Religious Worship or Creed or support any place of worship or Maintain any minister contrary to or against his own free will and Consent, nor can any man who acknowledges the being of a God be JusUy deprived or abridged of any Civil Right as aCitizm on account of his Reli-
gious sentiments or peculiar mode of Religious Worship, and that no authority can or ought to be vested in or assumed by any power whatever that shall in any case interfere or in any manner Controul the Right of Consciepce in the free Exercise of Religious Worship.— It is well known among all the Citizens of the 13 united states that the Jews have been true and faithful whigs, & during the late Contest with England they have been foremost in aiding and assisting the states with their lifes & fortunes, they have supported the cause, have bravely fought and bled for liberty which they can not Enjoy.— Therefore if the honourable Convention shall in their Wisdom think fit and alter the said oath & leave out the words to viz—and I do acknowledge the scripture of the new testiment to be given by divine inspira-
tion, then the Israelites will think themself happy to live under a government where all Religious societys are on an Equal footing—I solicit this favour for myself my children & posterity, & for the benefit of all the Israelites through the 13 united states of America.' Ironically, three weeks before Jonas Phillips wrote this letter, the Convention on August 20, had unanimously adopted Article 6, the clause of the Constitution providing that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust imder the United States." The First Amendment, in the Bill of Rights, providing that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" was presented to both house of the first Congress on September 23,1789, and ratified by the states and became part of the Constitution on December 15,1791..Even then, the Constitution and the Bill or Rights limited only the federal government, not state government. The Maryland Constitu(Continued on Page 3)
Mitchell Warren honored Mitchell J. Warren (left) son of Marty and Marilyn Warren, is congratnlated by Robert Miller, publisher of TIME magaiine, after being named one of the 100 moat outstanding college Juniors in the nation. As one of the finallsta, he w^a awarded $250 in the competition—the second annual TIME College Achievement Awards. In addition, the University bf Wisconsm Alumni Association honored Mr. Warren as one of the 10 outstanding University juniors and seniors with a $600 scholarahip. The Omaha student has a 3.8 average with majors in English and History.'