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Jewish Press Serving Nebraska and Iowa Since 1920
Vol. LXX No. 41'OmBha
Secret immigration
By David Landau JERUSALEM (JTA) — About 200 Yemenite Jews have secretly immigrated to Israel during the ,past year, the government, publicly disclosed for the .first time this week. The Yemenites, most of whom have close family relatives already living in Israel, are presently housed in absorption centers in Rehovot and Ashkelon. The government had until now kept the operation secret out of fear that disclosure would jeopardize the welfare of Jews remaining in Yemen, as well as the chances of bringing more of them here. The chairman of the Jewish Agency's Immigration and Absorption Department, Uri Gordon, visited the newcomers in Rehovot on Wednesday and said at a news conference there that some 900 Jews remain in Yemen, most of them in the capital of Sa'ana. He said they are not in any danger. Other reports put the number of Jews remaining in Yemen at close to 1,500. The newcomers have retained their traditional garb and appearance: the men with long curled sidelocks, beards and big colorful yarmulkes, and the women in long dresses. In deference to their traditions, they are being taught Hebrew in segregated ulpan classes. The absorption of the Yemenite Jews has been the subject of bitter controversy between fervently Orthodox parties inside and outside the government. Degel HaTorah, a faction of the opposition' United Torah Judaism Front, claims the immigrants are being deliberately stripped of their Orthodoxy by exposure to the secular side of Israeli Ufe. Degel HaTorah blames the Sephardic Orthodox Shas party, a member of the governing coalition, for these supposed problems. ' But a Shas party official directly involved in the Yemenites' absorption. Deputy Housing Minister Aryeh Gamliel, hotly denied these accusations — as do government and Jewish Agency officials.
Slovenia to open embassy By MarU S. Halpert VIENNA{JTA) — The young republic of Slovenia, formerly part of Yugoslavia, will open an embassy in Israel by the end of the year. Agreement on the matter was reached during an informal meeting between Prime Minister Lojze Peterle and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres in Slovenia. Peter Aran, Israel's ambassador to Austria, was accredited to Slovenia in April, and the Israeli Embassy in Vienna is to represent Israel in Ljubljana, thtf Slovenian capital. Slovenia also plans to organize missions to Israel.
12 Av, 67S3, July 30, 1993
"Omaha remains BEST of Jewish Communities*' High level of community services maintained By Barbara Chandler, Federation public relations director Jerry Slusky, president of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, announced that the Budget and Allocations Committee of the Federation has completed its work for this year. The available funds come from two revenue sources — the 1993 UJA/Federation Campaign and interest income from the past year. Funds are allocated to the seven agencies of the Federation in order to run their programs and services. "Our donors have proven, once again, that Omaha is the best of Jewish communities," said Mr. Slusky. "Their generous response during the UJA/Federation Campaign resulted in a modest increase over last year's campaign.
, "However, due to interest rates being down in the market place, our interest income was down, so the total funds available for community needs were actually $18,587 less than last year," he explained. "This was a very difficult process and I want to compliment the B&A committee and the agencies for working diligently to use the available resources fairly, efficiently and wisely. "As a result, in spite of hard times, we are able to maintain a very high level of service to the community and support for Israel." The tables on page 12 indicate the sources of available revenue as well as the budget requests and allocations for the agencies.
Cuban Jews face hardships By Victoria Verlichak BUENOS AIRES (JTA) — Cuba's small Jewish community of about 1,000 has no permanent rabbi, but does boast a Sunday school in Havana attended by 20 children who are picked up at their houses. These are among the tidbits of information reported by a group of three young Argentine teachers who worked in Havana and described their experiences in Buenos Aires' Jewish newspaper, Nueva Sion. Supported by Joint The teachers worked with Cuban Jews as part of a program supported by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. "The material difficulties that Cubans face are unbelievable," one of the emissaries said, explaining how gasoline is rationed in Cuba and buses are scarce. At first, some in the Jewish community came to programs held by the teachers just for the refreshments, but eventually they became more interested in the material presented.
New phone service NEW YORK (JTA) — Locating services for the elderly has just become a little easier thanks to a new toll-free telephone service sponsored by B'nai B'rith. The non-sectarian program, dubbed the CaringNetwork, is the first to offer subscribers the names of preacreened advisers and service providers to the elderly — from social workers to nursing homes — anywhere in the country. "Although many communities have information and referral services for elderly needs, most don't do more than supply telephone numbers," said Stephen Plumer, director of CaringNetwork.
The vast majority of Jews intermarry, the teachers said, noting that only 250 or 300 Jews maintain some form of regular contact with Jewish institutions in a country whose population numbers 10.7 million 14,0OQ Jews before the revolution Thirty years ago — in the days before the revolution — the Jewish community comprised some 14,000 people. Although some Cuban Jews said they were not particularly persecuted by the Communist government, religious activities of all kinds have diminished considerably since Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. Cuban Jews have not had a rabbi in residence for the past 10 years. There are two rabbis and a doctor who travel there frequently to provide different services, especially among the young, who are starting to build a relationship with the community or children of mixed marriages who are converting to Judaism.
Hula Lake re-created By Gil Sedan JERUSALEM (JTA) — Forty years after the Jewish National Fund drained the swamps of the Galilee's Hula Valley to create more farmland, the agency has started work on a somewhat opposite project — to re-create the Hula Lake. The inauguration ceremony of the New Hula Project took place recently as 50 heavy tractori began work. By November, promi.sed Moshe Rivlin, chairman of the JNF, more than a million cubic yards of earth will be removed to form new canals in the area.
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