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Jewish Press will conduct publicity seminar, Oct. 19 Among the items to be discussed by a The Jewish Press will conduct a publicity panel of staff and community volunteers are seminar, Oct. 19 at the following: 7 p.m., in the JewHow the Jewish Press functions; What is ish Community news, publicity and advertising; Practical Center to aid local advice on writing press releases and feature organizations and articles; How to conduct a publicity caminstitutions in tellpaign; How to take and submit photos for ing their stories. publication, According to Mrs. Siff said that the kind and amount Judy Siff, publicity of news that the community reads about an seminar chairman, organization determines to a great extent the event marks the the image that the organization conveys to first time that the Judy Siff Jewish Press has set up a formal event to the community. The pubUcity seminar, she said, offers an help improve communications within the opportunity for those having the responsicommunity. Mrs. Siff, who also serves as a director of bility to publicize their groups to do a more the Jewish Press, said the seminar will be effective job. She suggested that those planning to atused to demonstrate how simple guidelines and easily followed directions can be used tend the seminar call the Jewish Press ofto improve one's ability in handling both fice by Oct. 12 for reservations. There are no limits on the numbers that may attend news items and advertisements. There is no charge for those attending the &-om any organization or institution, and inseminar and each participant will receive a dividuals not representing a group also are welcome, she added. publicity booklet, Mrs. Siff added.
The tender touch
2 Tlahri, 5747 Friday, Sapt. 25, 1987
Steven J. Riekes to receive Bonds 'City of Peace' award Steven J. Riekes will be presented the State of Israd Bonds "City of Peace" award for his "support and contribution to Omaha, his country and the State of Israel." The awards will be presented at a dinner to be held at the Marriott Hotel on Oct. 18. In making the announcement Sylvia Wagner, Omaha State of Israel Bonds chairman, added, "Steve Riekes is one of the most deserving people in Omaha. He has given his time and energy to us and now we can repay him by attending the dinner. This can be our way of saying 'Thank you. Steve, for all your, hard and dedicated work,' and I know this is what Steve Riekes would want." Mrs. Wagner noted that invitations will be mailed to the entire community in the near future. Further information may be obtained by calling the Israel Bond office, 341-1177. Mr. Riekes is a partner in the law firm of Richards, Riekes, Brown and Zabin. A graduate of Brandeis University and Harvard Law School, Mr. Riekes is a member of the Omaha, Nebraska and American Bar Associations. He has served on the mayor's housing committee to establish fair housing in Omaha and Nebraska, and is currently president of the Missouri Valley Chapter of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Mr. Riekes has also been an active member of the Jewish community. He has served <Âť the B'nai-B'rith District 6 Board of Governors and is presently on the boards of B'nai B'rith International Commission
Steven J. Riekes on Continuing Jewish Education, Jewish Educational Service of North America, the national Civil Rights Commission of the Anti-Defamation League, and he is a trustee of Comhusker Lodge of B'nai B'rith. In addition, Mr. Riekes serves on the Budget and Allocations Committee of the Jewish Federation of Omaha and is chairman of the Pr'i'sssional Advisory Committee for the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, He is the founder and first chairman of the Jewish Cultural Arts Council and a past board member of Beth El Synagogue, where he, his wife, Margo, and children, An and Suzanne, are members. '
AJCongress urges Jews to participate in debate
Dr. Eric Ray, a scribe, tenderly touches a To^ah KToU with a spedal qniU and ink during the closing ceremony of Congregation Tifereth Israel's Siyum haTorah celebration in Lincoln recently. More photos on page 12.
By William Saphire NEW YORK (JTA) - The American Jewish Congress released a pohcy statement late Monday endorsing an international conference for Middle East peace to serve as the framework for direct IsraeliArab negotiations. The matter has split Israel's unity coalition government along party lines: Labor favors the conference scenario, Likud is adamantly opposed. The AJCongress statement clearly favors the position of Foreign Minister Shimon
Peres, the Labor Party leader. It acknowledged in its statement that by so doing the organization "broke tradition under which American Jewish organizations have refrained from speaking out on issues affecting the peace process." The statement, released in the name of AJCongress president Theodore Mann, maintained that because "the government of Israel itself is divided and deadlocked over how to approach the peace process" it was "necessary and appropriate"for American Jews to "participate in the current historic debate."
State Department closes PLO office in Washington By Edwin Black/International Features EDITOR'S NOTE: Edwin Black broke the orighial investigation of the PLO offices in a series of articles in late 1985. Congressional materials on the PLO have consistently referred to his articles. WASHINGTON - The State Department has struck a compromise with those seeking closure of Palestine Liberation Organization offices in New York and Washington. The PLO's UN Mission in New York will remain, but its quasi-diplomatic Palestine Information Office (PIO) m Washington will close. The PIO will be shut down within ' the coming three weeks, perhaps as soon as the next few d^ys, according to key Administration sources. V^s part of the compromise. Congress will abort its Constitutional showdown with the Administration over the iaaue. House and Senate leaders will not proceed with the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1987, which not only closes both offices, but proscribes PLO funding or transactions in America. Jewish communal leaders have indicated they will support such a compromise. As such, the Administration not only aborts a battle with Cohgreas, Congressmen avoided a "litmus test" on Israel as voting neared on a Constitutionally troublesome bill that many were happy to cosponsor but somewhat reluctant to adopt. Ironically, key sources both in government and out expect the PLO to continue operating in the nation's capitol during the long court challenge.
THE FINAL DECISION After months of false alarms and prematiu^ media leaks on the decision to close the offices, the final judgment was actually made by Deputy Secretary of State John Whitehead around Labor Day, accord^g to Administration sources. Whitehead acted following a 90-minute Sept. 3 meetmg with a Presidents' Conference delegation led by Conference chairman Morris Abram. Convened in a seventh floor State Department conference room, the meeting covered a wide range of topics, from Soviet Jewry to arms sales to Arab nations. Attending from the State Department were Whitehead, Assistant Secretary of State Richard Murphy and several specialists in Israeli affairs. The six-pian Jewish delegation included Abram, Conference executive director Malcolm Hoenlein, Phil Baum of the American Jewish Congress, plus prominent Detroit Republican fund-raiser Max Fisher. Conversation about the PLO lasted some 15 minutes, led by Baum, a leader in the campaign against the PLO offices. Baum told Whitehead that while the Jewish community was gratified by Secretary of State George Schultz' July 31 letter to Congress indicating that the Washington office might close "at an appropriate time," recent reports suggested that the Administration intended "to never implement the decision" because of bureaucratic haggling. Whitehead responded that the haggling was over because there was now "a clear polity" to close the office that '-'all
bureaus supported." He then turned to Richard Murphy, director of the Near East and Asia bureau, responsible for Israel policy and added, "don't we, Dick?" Murphy answered that the tactical decisions on closing the PIO were still awaiting a reply from Congressional sponsors of legislation State was hoping to avoid. Under that legislation, the United States would also close the" PLO's New York mission. An anti-terror coalition, spearheaded by the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, pushed for passage but State Department legal experts feared this would trigger a successful UN petition in the World Court against America, and create a PLO propaganda windfall. The Administration was less concerned about the Washington office, and willing to close it in exchange for dropping the legislation. But State was reluctant to proceed without a clear signal from Capitol Hill. Baum declared that such tactics were a "mistake, because a head of steam" was building on the legislation, which now had 49 co-sponsors in the Senate. He suggested State "take the initiative, reconsider the tactics" and close the Washington office now. This wdulcjl "take the steam out of the legislation," he continued. Prominent Republican fund-raiser Max Fisher added, "You're making a mistake letting Congress take credit for this thing. Tl Administration should do it (close the office)." (Continued on Page 11)
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