ilewish Pres Serving Nebraska and Iowa Since 1920
Vol.LXXI No. 11 Omaha
18 Kidav, S7I^, DecamlMr 3,1M3
Hasslingers to chair Super Sunday By Barbara Chandler, Federation Public Relations Dircjctor
Award-winning writer to speak By Diane Axler Baum Book Fair publicity
Award-winning historian and biographer Ron M'Lee and Larry Hasslinger will chair the 1994 Chernow will discuss his new book, The UJA/Federation Campaign Super Sunday phone-a- Warburgs: The 20th Century Odyssey of a thon on February 6. The Super Sunday Division is Remarkable Jewish Family, at a community lecthe Campaign's largest unit, composed of 1,700 cur- ture and reception sponrent and potential donors. The Hasslingers noted sored by the Jewish that this is not just another Super Sunday. Federation Library on "With all the changes around the globe and the Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m. promise of peace in the Middle East, we in the Mr. Chernow's latest Jewish community have an opportunity for a new work follows his highlystart. It's time to begin building for our future one acclaimed The House of pledge at a time, one dollar at a time," said Mr. Morgan, which won the Hasslinger. National Book Award for Mrs. Hasslinger added, "We wanted to chair this the best non-fiction book Super. Sunday together because it is important to of 1990 and the continue to teach our children about tzedakah. Ambassador Award for There's a feeling that comes with giving and noth- the year's most notable Ron Chernow ing can replace that^" volume about American culture. It was a featured The Hasslinger's have two daughters, Sarah, 12 selection of the Book of the Month Club and the and Jessica, 9. History Book Club and was listed among the top This year's campaign community event, featur- business books of 1990 by "USA Today" and ing guest speaker Elie Wiesel, will take place on "Business Week." Jan. 20, prior to Super Sunday. Letters have been The Warburgs has been received with equal sent to all Super Sunday donors so that those who acclaim. One example is the review in the Nov. 8 wish to make their pledges by Dec. 31 and receive a issue of "Business Week," which described the book ticket to hear Elie Wiesel speak may .do so. as "an extensively researched, lovingly told saga of For those who do not wish to make their pledges an extraordinarily talented and appealing Germanearly, volunteers will be making calls, as in past Jewish banking family that had a surprisingly big years, on Super Sunday. impact on the U.S." Anyone interested in working as a Super Sunday The book traces the Warburgs from a 16th volunteer should call the Federation office at 334- Century money changer and pawnbroker to a fami8200, ext. 210. ly of German patriots who achieved tremendous
wealth and influence, but who never reconciled the struggle between their German and their Jewish identities. The author follows prominent Warburgs through end of the 19th Century, when two marriages to daughters of partners in New York's top Jewish banking house provided a new lifeline to the family, and beyond, into the 20th Century, marked by the Warburgs' tragic struggle with the Nazis. The book goes on to tell of the Warburg cousin who moved to London in 1934 to build S.G. Warburg & Co. into Britain's top investment bank and of the second Max Warburg—grandson of the original Max—who presides today over the reclaimed M.M. Warburg Bank in Hamburg, Germany. Mr. Chernow, 44, is a celebrated author, lecturer, book reviewer, and magazine writer. He lives in New York with his wife Valerie, a sociologist. His career as a free-lance magazine writer began in 1973 with a cbver story on corruption in Chinatown, and over the next nine years he published 60 articles in 20 national and regional publications. In 1980 he earned the Jack London Award for his coverage of the labor movement. Editor's note: At press time, due to a medical emergency, it was uncertain if Mr. Chernow will be appearing. Call the Federation Library at 334-8200, ext. 213. A sale of new books of interest to Jewish children and adults will be held through the end of the Book Fair, Dec. 12.
Court to consider school district ruling
*m Ruth Purtilo, Ph.D.
Eugene Zweiback. M.D.
Panel includes member of Clinton's Healtli team Ruth B. Purtilo will be one of the panel members for a discussion on Health Care Reform, sponsored by the Maimonides Society of the Jewish Federation of Omaha and the Omaha Section of the National Council of Jewish Women, Thursday, Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m., at the Jewish Community Center. Dr. Purtilo served as n member of the Ethical •Foundations Working Group of the Clinton Health Care Task Force. Currently, she and her husband, Vard Johnson, are co-directors of a non-profit organization called "Fighting Chance for Children." They are also co-hosts of the television interview program 'Point of View." Dr. Purtilo will be joined by panel members Dr. Maryann Bower of Mutual of Omaha and Dr. Louis Burgher of Clark son Hospital, Dr. Eugene Zweiback, Omaha surgeon and Maimonidos Steering Committee member, will serve as panel moderator. The program is open to all members of the Mairnonides Society and NCJW and their spouses. An optional desseK reception will preceed the program at 6:45 p.m. Fur reservations, call the Federation Office at 334-8200, ext. 210.
By Steven Weiss WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Supreme Court has agreed to decide the fate of a New York school district set up for disabled Chasidic children that has been called unconstitutional. The high court said Monday that it would review a July decision by the New York Court of Appeals. The appeals court had ruled that' the state legislature's formation of the district was unconstitutional because it violates the separation between church and state. "Now there is the chance that the Supreme Court will restore for the handicapped children the services that they are entitled to," said David Zwiebel, general counsel of the fervently Orthodox Agudath Israel. But the case may have broader significance than aid to a New York school district. It may provide an opportunity for the court to reexamine the legal standard it has used for over two decades to decide how far the government may go in accommodating religious needs without breeching the constitutional divide betwi.nn rlinri'li und state. Formed by the New York Stair i,(i;isijinirc in 1989, the school district provides services to emotionally and physically disabled children in the Orange County village of Kiryas Joel, where most of the residents arc Satmar Chasidim. Nearly oil of the 220 students attending the school, which opened in 1990, are Chasidic. The legislature acted in response to Chasidic parents who believed they could not send their disabled children to religious schools in the area becauM of inadequate facilities, or to public schools because of religious and cultural difTerences. The appeals court ruled in July, in Grumel vs. Board of Education of the Kiryas Joel School District, that the formation of the school district
The school district argued that no such message was sent because the subject matter taught at the school is entirely secular. New York state joined the school district in ^ appealing the case to the Supreme Court. f Gov. Mario Cuomo said Monday in New York that "when I signed the legislation in 1989 creating this special school district, I did so because I believed it was a good-faith effort to solve a unique problem of providing secular education for special needs children." "I'm pleased that the Supreme Court has taken the case," said Nathan Lewin, attorney for the school district. "State laws should not be invalidated because they in some indirect way assist in religious prac- ^ tice," he said. -fl Lewin .said the Supreme Court signaled in July it was interested in the matter when it allowed the * tj district to continue operating during the appeal proce.ss. Severn! mainstream Jewish organizations disagreed with the Orthodox community and had applauded the lower court's decision as strengthening the separation of church and state. ^ The American Jewish Confess and the Anti- r| Defamation League each had released statements after the decision, calling for the government ta remain neutral with respect to religion in all circumstances.
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