dewish Press
1950s campers: Who are they? Seepage 10.
4 NISSAN, 5753 Friday. March 26,1993
Fundamentalism threatens Middle East peace
Program to reveal plight in Ethiopia
. Ted Myen and hia wifiB, Peggy, a photographer.
.By Barbara Chandler -^ Federation public relatlona director The Jewish Federation of Omahtt is sponsoring a community program on Ethiopian Jewry oh April 22 at 8 p.m. at Highland Country Club. Speakers will be Dr. Ted Myers and his wife, Peggy. Dr. Myers has organized medical programs for Jewish Ethiopian refugees for 10 years. During those years, Ms. Myers photographed the pli^t of the Ethiopian Jews in their villages in north em Ethiopia, in the refugee camps of Sudan, in Addis Ababa and, Anally, in Israel. The event is l>eing co-chaired by Speedy Zweiback, chairman of the Maimonides Society of The Jewish Federation of Omaha and Tom Fellman who was chairman of the 1990 Opt>ration Exodus Campaign. Dr. Zweiback said, "^This will be a presentation of interest to every member of our Jewish community.' Dr. My«n helped write Jewish history by providing medical facilities for Ethiopian refugees struggling to get to Israel. continued on page 2
By Deborah Fellman An upsurge in Islamic fundamentalism in Israel and, throughout the Middle East could cause a rifl in international Israeli-Arab peace talks, said Eytan Gilboa, a professor.from Hebrew University. Mr. Gilboa, who teaches international relations and spent last semester as a visiting professor at the American University in Washington, D.C., spoke last weekend at four Omaha-area synagogues for the Jewish Cultural Arts Council's Kallah. "The fundamentalists wish to subvert the peace process, and if they keep it up and attack Israel every day, they will be successful," he said, referring to Intifada-related violence in the West Bank and throughout Israel. "If the attacks continue, then Israel may refuse to take part in a peace process with them," he said. He said Islamic fundamentalists —known for their fervent anti-Americanism and their willingness to sacrifice lives to further their cause — could also threaten world peace and safety if states such as Iran begin to stockpile nuclear weapons. Morale among Israelis is low, he said, partly because the peace promised by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin has not yet materialized. Other causes of discontent are the Intifada and unemployment, he said. At B'nai Israel Synagogue on Saturday evening, Mr. Gilboa answered questions from the audience. One person asked whether Arab states had incentive to work toward peace rather thap toward the destruction of Israel. One incentive for achieving peace is financial, he said. The cost of continuing conflict and the cost of war can grow prohibitive," he said. "ITiat's what motivated (slain Egyptian leader Anv^ar) Sadat." "Sadat said war was killing Egypt's economy and disintigrating its society, and that he couldn't get U.S. aid," Mr. Gilboa said. Mr. Gilboa, who often speaks to reporters from Cable News Network (CNN) as an expert on Middle Eastern affairs, also spoke about relations between the Clinton administration and the Rabin administration. He said he was pleased that President Bill Clinton retained Bush staffers who specializu in the ArabIsraeli conflict. Since the bombing of the World Trade Center this month, the Clinton administration has changed its attitude on Israel's deportation of 400 fundamentalists, Mr. Gilboa said. "Israel expected Washington to pressure us tgr concessions on the issue of the deportees," he said. "But the bombs changed that. Now the U.S. is threatening^ to blame the Palestiniana and the Arab states."
Cross-country Chabad caravan stops in Omaha By Deborah Fellman A caravan of flve mobile homes emblceoned with measagei about the Mettiah's imminent arrival wheeled through Omaha on Monday, en route back to Brooklyri fhtm the west coast. The mobile homes, called "MiUvah Tanks" by the 17 bearded rabbinic student* who travel inside them, stopped at the JCC, Friedei Jewish Academy, and the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where they handad out literature about theMaaaiab. "It'a a very uplifting message,* said Yosef Harlig, 23, one of the student* aboard. "We're telling people that if w* all do one mitzvah, w* can tip the scale and Moehiach will come.* Each Mitsvah Tank
bears' the nteaaage "Good News, America: Moehiach is About to Change the World for Good." The caravan captured attention on-the road. "Ptople honki or they'd turn and stare,* Mr. Harlig eaid. "When we all pull into a gas station, and 17 bearded tnen step out, people do look at ua.* He eaid he had expected to see 'som* negative reaction,' but said 'on the contrary, people have only been excited about It." While traveling, the men ate koeher food frem New York and slept on fold-out beds, all inside the mobile homee. After leaving Omaha, the caravan vi«lted lowe and lillnoie belbre jutting northward to Canada to nnlsh it* five-week,
ia,0OO-mUe Unt.