wfj Vol. LXV No. 12 Omaha, Nabr.
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13 Klalav, 5748 Friday, Oac. 4,, 1987
Omaha joins Campaign to Summit Shirley Goldstein to meet President Shirley Goldstein, co-chairman, Omaha's Soviet Jewry Committee, has been invited to meet with President Ronald Reagan today. She is one of several national Soviet Jewry activists who have been invited to meet with the President on the eve of the Reagan/Gorbacfaev simunit in Washington. Nearly 60 adults and students representing the Omaha Jewish community will leave Sunday morning to participate in the m9bilization demonstration in Washington. Jews and non-Jews from across the nation are planning to attend and demonstrate in behalf of human rights. Estimates of attendees range from 100,000 to 200,000. The Campaign to the Summit will include a variety of activities involving not only the demonstration march, but a host of speakers, entertainers, and governmental meetings. Students scheduled to represent the Jewish commimity of Omaha are as follows: Debbie Barack, AUison Kutler, Rachael Goldberg, Jamie Zacharia, Jennifer Rubin, Rachael Skolnick, Renee Mitchell, Joshua Parilman, Noah Pollak. Stndents and adults planning to attend the hnman rights demonstration in Washington on Sunday met at the Jewish Also, Elana Rod, Adam Rod, Rebecca Goldstein, Deb Community Center earlier this week for a tmefing. Most are seen in this group of photos. Goldstein, Scott Muskin, Danny Fellman, John Fellman, Rikki Epstein, Jonathan Heinberg, Vadim Krasovitsky, Stacey Riekes, Susan Gurwitch, David Schwalb, Reggie Rennard and Michael Levine. Adults planning to attend are: Barbara Frohman, LaVonne Ciutis, Morris Maline, Kimberly A. Carrico, Carol Kaplan, Warner Frohman, Leonard Goldstein, Donald Goldstein, Anne Goldstein, Howard Wenger, Helen Wenger. Also, Jeff Newman, Patricia Newman, Steven Rod, Fran Rod, Robert Eisenberg, Oliver Pollak, Gary Parilman, Rabbi Stephan Barack, Renee Barack, Emmy Krasovitsky. Also, Ally Milder, Jodi Epstein, Robert Birt, Betsy Newman, Stanley Mitchell, Ruth Potash, Janet Gurwitch, Sol Parsow, Gloria Kaslow, Cantor Leo Fettman, Annette Fettman. Speakers include: Natan Scharansky, Ida Nudel, Vladimir Slepak, losif Mendelevich, Elie Wiesel, Vice President George. Bush, Senator Robert Dole, and Mrs. Helen Jackson. Entertainers mclude: Pearl Bailey, Paul Simon and Mary Travers. • • According to the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council, representatives from Canada, Israel, Mexico, Great Britain, Holland, France, and other countries will join with Americans in the demonstration for human rights.
"Iam housing coordinator for 'The Mobilization' " Editor's Note: Gail Handleman, a former Jewish Press intern, is now in Waahing^n and, in this column, she reports on her participation hi "The Mobilization." By Gail Handleman One day I'm stuffing envelopes, wearing Levis and becoming the Xerox queen of the Religious Action Center (RAC) while looking for a full-time job. (My housemate is the fundraising director for the RAC, an organization that pursues religious liberty for the American Jewish community.) The next day I have a desk, a phone, a computer and a title—I am Housing Coordinator for "The Mobilization." It is indeed the mobilization of modem-day Jewish history. Tens of thousands of Jews from across the country are gathering in Washington to show their support for Soviet Jewry the day before the Reagan-Gorbachev Summit. The message of "Freedom Sunday" is to let Gorbachev know that although the American people welcome the fact that Jewish Prisoners of Conscience have been released recently, that emigration has to grow and permission to live freely as Jews in Israel or countries of their choice must be granted. . The caliber of the speaking list is incredible. Elie Weisel, Natan Sharansky, Ida Nudel, Vice President George Bush and Senator Bob Dole (R-Kans.) just to name a few. The phone rings with requests from congressional offices who want their representatives to participate. Lest we not forget either, it's an election year and the Jewish vote is an important one. Although, none of the presidential candiE" Bs has been asked to participate in the program, (Dole scause he's a Senator) the phones havebeen ringing with
speaking requests and candidates will be seated in a spe- in my life. With less than four weeks to plan the logistics of the march, there is no time for lingering decisions. One cial section. Jews and politicians certainly aren't the only people par- extra day for a decision could mean no media phone lines ticipating. I took a call today from a Chinese organization until after the march. Am 1 loving this? It's been a long time since I've felt this which is marching and wanted to know where they should meet on the Ellipse. Also, many interfaith groups are kind of adrenalin about a cause that I really believe in. Politmarching and Bishop William Keeler, the representative ical campaigns that I have been involved in have never been from the National Conference of Catholic Bishops is also this exhilarating. Natan Sharansky was in the office the other day. The speaking. excitement of meeting him was highlighted by an eerie set How did I become involved? I often ask myself the same question when five phone of circumstances. The phones really do ring non-stop, and lines are ringing off the hook emd my title of housing coor- for the 10 minutes he was in the Summit office, there was dinator has been expanded to include such responsibilities a tremendous lull. I think it put the march more into peras receptionist, lunch coordinator, heUom researcher (the spective for the volunteers and staff people who are pourCanadian ddegatioo needed helium for their balloons), com- ing their hearts into making this mobilization the ultimate puter specialist (which I surelv am not), congressional statement to Gorbachev. Sharansky said we had thought of everything but wanted volunteer liaison and, if anyone from Omaha wants to find me the day of the mobilization, I will be coordinating infor- to know if anyone had arranged the weather for the day. mation volunteers on the Ellipse. Housing coordinator? He said that we should know who to be talking to about That has turned out to be only a small part of what I do the weather. So, if our Summit office is as well organized as Sharansky at the special Mobilization office that has been established. Just for the record, as housing coordinator, I am respon- says, and federations across the country are mobilizing as sible for arranging home hospitality and synagogue floor- effectively as they seem to be, and if 900 buses can be space for out-of-town visitors as well as keeping tabs on parked, and if all the other details, and, oh yes, if the weather holds out, success is more than evident. The Jewmore than 2,000 reservesd hotel rooms in the city. If I sound like a jack-of-all-trades, you haven't met my ish people will be making their statement. If anyone needs information, call the Summit Hotline boss, Barbara, who is responsible for the overall coordination of the march. She has more energy in her 6'2" frame 202-483-5200 any time and ask for the housing coordinathan Manut Bol has when he's shooting for the BuUets. tor. The office will be manned during the rally weekend for I have never worked in such a chaotic and exciting place out-of-town visitors needing information.