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iag@ii&isgKMM£>>atS g^ Vol. LXIV No. 33 Omaha, Nabr.
SERVING NEBRASKA AND IOWA SINCE 1920
16 tyar, 5747 Friday, May IS, 1987
Omahans attend leadership retreat
Help for students Eld'Rosen, past president of the Dr. Abe Greenberg Foundation of the Henry Monsky Lodge of B'nai B'rith, presents a check for $12,000 from the Lodge to Murray Newman, chairman of the Board of the Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. The Greenberg Fund is now administered by the Foundation and provides interestfree college loans to Omaha men and women. "We're happy to perpetuate this memorial to Dr. Greenberg," said Mr. Rosen. "The present cost of education is extremely high and more and more youngsters need these additional funds." Mr. Newman agreed that there is an "urgent and pressing need forscholarship funds. When one looks at the Foundation and sees the present asset base, the presumption is that all programs are adequately funded. This is not so, particularly in the case of educational scholarships. We are grateful to Henry Monsky Lodge for its continued generosity and confidence in the Foundation, and we urge others to follow this fine example."
Bones from Auschwitz buried in NJ. (EdIUr'i aoU: Gall Mllgiui BtiUnu la idibir of Ika irmiA ChroakJ* of Ciimharlaad Countjr ud txaentlva dJrMt«lr of th« Jewlflh PailantloB In that coaunuBlty.)
By Gail Milgram Bdtman VINELAND, NJ (JTA) - "We saw our parents, our children—their only funeral was the momenta we saw their ashea and smoke rise over the crematoria. Today, finally, we bring them to rest in this holy Jewish ground." With these words, Rabbi Murray Kohn, survivor of Auschwitz, raised a spade to bury the human bone fragments and ash ' found beside the site of the ovens at Auschwitz. The day of the burial was Yom Haahoahi the place was the historic Alliance Cemetery in Norma. New Jersey. The bases had been found by participants of a Jewish community mission to Poland and TsraeL "Parhi^M because we had with us a survivor of Auschwitz, Magda Hafter, we wane particularly attuned to where we ware," explained (^^Baltus, mission participant and past president of the Jewish FedmUncm of Cumberland County (Nt). "We thought, like so many tourists, to bring home a piece of that place for our community's Holocaust Archive. We reached into a pile of debris beside the crematorium -and were shocked to find a mound filled with fragments of bone and aah." Baltus said, "It was evident from the placement of the mound that this was material that had been shoveled out of the building. Behind the building was a 'recessed area that the local guide referred to as a pit for incompletely burned body fragments. Had we looked longer, I'm sure we would have found more. In fact, there ' are shots in the film Shoah of the precise building and mound ^here we found the fragments." "Die arrival of the bones in the community proved very traumatic. "In Cumberland County webave one of the largest per cap-. :ita groups of survivoVa in the country. Many of their children and grandchildren conthiue to i^eside here," said Ron Macon,~ preaidant of the Jewish Federation. "The ^presence of tfaaae bones became a troubling iswe-iijwiibc resolution for iA,<if u«.'' Then Murray Hafter, Mi^rs h'kisband,
By Joanie Jacobson Federation Public Relations Director Fourteen men and women, participants in the Challenge for Leadership program of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, will represent the city at the Midwest Young Leadership Retreat at Lake Okoboji, May 1517. The Retreat is sponsored by the Jewish Federations of Omaha, Des Moines and Kansas City in cooperation with United Jewish Appeal and the Council of Jewish Federations. Funding for the Omaha delegation has been provided, in part, by the Harry and Sadie Kulakofsky Fund, administered by the Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, and established to perpetuate quality Jewish leadership in this community. "This is a first," announced Jody and Buzz Malashock, co-chairmen of the Challenge for Leadership jtfogram. "There's never been a retreat away from Omaha for this group and we're excited about meeting and talking with young leaders in the region." Other cities represented include Des Moines, Kansas City, Sioux City, Sioux Falls, Cincinnati, Minnespolis, St. Paul and Rochester, Minn. "No one ever knows everything," remarked Mrs. Malashock. "We can always learn from other people, especially those with similar interests, goals and problems." "We want to keep young adults interested," added Dr. Malashock, "and we want them to keep coming back to lead the Omaha Jewish community. Getting away from familiar surroundings and the everyday routine encourages clear and creative thinking, for problem-solving and the agenda looks both informative and challenging." Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, scholar of Jewish history and nationally noted author, will be the weekend retreat's scholar-inresidence. Rabbi Telushkin's "The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism," coauthored with Dennis Prager, was made available to all participants prior to the May 15 weekend. The book was written for the educated, skeptical, searching Jew and for the non-Jew who wants to understand the meaning of Judaism. "Why Be Jewish: Making the Case for Leading a Jewish Life" is the theme for the conference. Program highlights include workshops on Jewish Family Life, Anti-
had the idea of a formal bural in the Jewish cemetery. "Murray went to get permission from Rabbi Kohn, who was quite shocked about the bone fragments, as was everyone. But this time we could see that this event had unearthed terrible pain for many of the survivors," explained Baltus. During discussions at the cemetery, it became quite apparent that bringing the fragments back was quite a controversial issue. There were those who felt strongly it had been wrong to bring the fragments back,, and those who wished in retrospect it had not been done, due to the strong reaction. There were also some who doubted the \ialachic propriety of the burial. Kohn's response was that regardless of these reactions, the remains were present in the community and had to be dealt with: "Here they are before us, we must handle David Fredkin has been elected Western of the | the matter with dignity and love." Murray president Hafter expressed the consensus of the com- MoVFTY (Missouri Valmunity: "We now know these bones will fi- ley) region of the North nally rest in peace in a Jewish cemetery. We American Federation of ] did what we did in love. We fael we have the Temple Youth (NFTY). The Action took place in holiest of the holy among ua."' , A tiny hand-fashioned casket Iras made St. Louis at the annual in accordance with tradition by Larry Ben- Spring Conclave which son, a member of the community. Hafter was attended by over consulted with the local rabbis on details of 200 high achod students cloth for the lining. "When it came to a from the midwest. The David Fredkin covering, this became a very important Western region includes Omaha, Denver, symbolic matter. We covered it with a gray Kansas City, Topeka, Wichita, St. Joseph, and white striped cloth, reminiscent of the Linc(^ and Ames. A junior at Burke High School, he has an concentration camp yniforms emblazoned interest in acting and has been involved in with the yellow Star of David." . Kohn focused his ceremony on first con- a variety of productions. This past year he secrating the ground in front of the commu- has been active in OTYG {Omaha Temple nity's Holocaust Memorial Monument, Youth Group) which is affiliated with Temwhich is in the shape of a truncated tree ple Israel. Before moving to Omaha, David with its branches hewn off. This area within had been an active member of his TYG in the Jewish Alliance Cemetery had not previ- Las Vegas, which is part of the SCFTY reously been sanctified as burial ground, but gion (So. California). As Western MoVFTY president, David now it became a.separate sanctified area. Kohn incoiporated Ez^del's Vision of the will travel to Warwick, N.Y., on June 23 for Dry Bones into the powerful, emotion-laden a regional officer training program. He and talk he gave after the traditional ceremony. the other MoVFTY officers will also travel He declared those present to be the appear- to St. Louis to plan the annual MoVFTYance of the flesh on the bones in the vision Tute program held August 17-24 at Camp and ciuused them to "live thelives of which Sabra Jn Lake of the Oiarks. David is the,aon of Jaiie Fredlcin and the thosaidMiMrtAMliwwarobbed... lives of ttedakah, love, creativity and Yiddishkeit" drandsonof Hy sdd' Miriam Shrier.
David Fredkin elected regional president
Buzz and Jody Malashock, co-chairmen of the Challenge for Leadership program of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Semitism, Leadership Skills, Tzedakah and Missions to Israel. Former Governor William Janklow of South Dakota, and noted expert on terrorism, Dr. Carlos Rizowy of Chicago, 111., will be guest speakers. A lake cruise party is planned for Saturday evening. Also attending will be Federation Board member Jan Schneiderman, and associate director of the Federation, Sondra Topper. Mrs. Schneiderman, chairman of the Human Resources Connection, responsible for leadership development, will conduct the Leadership Skills workshop. Ms. Topper, along with Alan Eytan of Des Moines, was one of the originators of the Leadership Retreat aiid will coordinate the weekend events. The Sadie and Harry Kulakofsky Fund was established by their four children— Ethelyn Smith, Beth Smith, Ruth Belzer and Michael Kulakofsky. "This is the first major program to meet the Fund's qualifications," explained Saranne Gitnick, granddaughter of the Kuiakofskys. "The fund will subvent 50 percent of the cost of the weekend plus transportation for all participants. Thanks to the Foundation, there are additional ddlars available to meet the immediate and Icng-range needs of the Omaha Jewish community." Omahans attending the Midwest Young Leadership Retreat at Lake Okoboji are Joel Alperson, Spencer Brookstein, Nancy and Pete Godwin, Diane and Larry Malashock, Jody and Buzz Malashock, Marcie and Gary Ostrow, Noelle and David Rips, Bunny and Steve Rothenberg.
Cantor Leo Fettman chairs New Life dinner Murray Newman, Nebraska state chairman for State of Israel Bonds, announced that Cantor Leo Fettman has accepted the chairmanship for this year's New Life dinner, June 14, at Beth Israel | Synagogue. Cantor Fettman said, 1 "I am honored to have I been asked to chair this | year's dinner, and I feel; that this year should be j a record breaking 1 year... the program will { be different from last' year and this should atFettman tract even more people than before." Cantor Fettman, a Holocaust survivor, was in various concentration camps including Auschwitz where most of his family perished. From 1945 untU.1948, he was in Bergen-Belsen D.P. camp until he immigrated to Canada. Before moving to Omaha in 1974, Cantor Fettman lived in other parts of the United States. Cantor Fettman added, "I hope everyone will plan to attend this year's event, and if you do not receive an invitation I urge you to caU the Israel Bond office at 341-1177 for your reservation.