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Vol. LXXI No. 18 Omaha
'Silent architect' to speal( at Kajlah Weekend By Seth Bonutein, KaJDah chalrmaii Dr. Yair Hirschfeld, who has been called one of the silent architects of the 1993 Israeli-PLO negotiations, will speak at Omaha area synagogues during Kallah Weekend, Feb. 18 - 20. The historic signing on the White House lawn last year was the culmination of many years of informal and secret negotiations by Dr. Hirschfeld. A lecturer at the University of Haifa, Dr. Hirschfeld spent nearly a decade becoming acquainted with leading Palestinian figures, including Hanan Ashrawi. He refrained from meeting outright FLO officials until Arafat signaled his recognition of Israel's right to exist at the end of 1988. From that point on, he set up secret meetings between Israeli leaders and Palestinians. He developed key position papers which recommended where and where not to compromise. Dr. Hirschfeld's presence at Kallah Weekend will afford the Omaha community the opportunity to learn more about the inner workings of one of the most important events of the late twentieth centu17Kallah Weekend is sponsored by the Jewish Cultural Arts Council in cooperation with Omaha area synagogues and is supported by the Morton A. Richards Endowment Fund and the Philip dnd Ethel Klutznick Fund in Jewish Civilization. For information, call Beth Seldin Dotan at the Jewish Cultural Arts Council office at 334-8200.
Beth El hosts Ari Goldman
Super Sunday includes ciiiidren's tzedakaii views
Beth El Synagogue will host a SclA|rfl|Residence weekend with author and joui^^st Ari L. Goldman from Feb. By Barbara Chandler, 11-13. His talks will Federation public relations director draw on his reporting experiences, personal Students from Temple Israel Religious School, anecdotes and educationFriedel Jewish Academy and United Talmud Torah al background. The proof Omaha participated in a Super Sunday project for the 1994 UJA/Federation Campaign, drawing gram is being made possible by the family of the posters to illustrate their views of tzedakah. late Dr. Leon Fellman. These children have already given something to Mr. Goldman will Super Sunday. Their unique contributions will crespeak after dinner folate a focus we hope will inspire callers and donors lowing Friday night on February 6," commented M'Lee Hasslinger. Shabbat services on Feb. Larry and M'Lee Hasslinger are 1994 Super Ari Goldman Sunday chairmen. 11, and will present the D'var Torah during Saturday morning Sabbath serIn order to view the 156 posters that students vices Feb. 12. The final study session will be a lec- turned in to the Federation, the Hasslinger's ture and brunch Sunday morning, Feb. 13 spread them on tables in the J.C.C. auditorium. Mr. Goldman spent 20 years as a reporter for "It was quite a moving experience to see so many The New York Times before joining the faculty of ideas and feelings, drawn by our children, filling the Columbia University Graduate School of the room," remarked Mrs. Hasslinger. " The posters Journalism in 1993. For most of his career at The portrayed the donation of much more than money Times, he wrote about religion with a special — they depicted caring for each other, sharing emphasis on Judaism and how it relates to other work, and donations of houses, clothing, toys, gifls, faiths. Among the stories he covered were the 1991 and even hair bows! Their ideas reflect not only Black-Jewish riots in Crown Heights, the visit of their own families, but in a sense, the entire comPope John Paul II to the United States, and the munity in which we live. It is their insight that we scandals of the television evangelists. He continues hope will help lead us to our Super Sunday goal." to write a religion column for the newspaper that All of the posters will be displayed on Super Sunday at Richman Gordman's Corporate Offices appears every other Sunday. Mr. Goldman is also the author of the best-sell- where volunteers will be making calls. ing book The Search For God At Harvard," an The Hasslingers noted that more volunteer account of a year he spent at Harvard Divinity callers are needed for Super Sunday. Anyone interested in helping should call the federation office. School while on leave of absence from The Times.
Jewlsli institutions iiit By Tom Tugend LOS ANGELES -(JTA) — The University of Judaism, several prominent synagogues and Jewish communal facilities suffered severe damage as the Jewish community, along with the rest of Los Angeles, tried to reorder its life after the devastating earthquake that struck early Monday morning. The epicenter of the quake was in the San Fernando Valley, abutting Los Angeles in the northwest. Although the quake affected homes, buildings and freeways throughout the metropolitan area, the severest damage was in the Valley, home to 240,000 Jews. "At this point it is still rather chaotic," Steven Windmueller, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Committee said Tuesday. "It's rather unclear as to the total scope of damage, and to the depth of how our community and the larger society has been affected,' he aaid, While engineers were still assessing the structural damage of the region's buildings, severe damage was reported by the University of Judaism and the adjacent Stephen S. Wise Temple, which closed for the week. Also hit were the BrandeisBardin Institute in the Simi Valley, which apparently lost its main and adjoining buildings, and Valley Beth Shalom, whose rabbi, Harold Schulweis, planned to give a sermon this Friday on "An Act of God?" The 6-yaar old Bernard Milken Community Campus, housing the main Jewish agencies for the western San Fernando Valley, which was already being closed down temporarily to correct m^jor construction deficiencies, suffered m^jor water damage. Water from burst pipes also damaged the Freda Mohr Center of the Jewish Family Service, while the agency's western ofHce was badly damaged, Possible structural damage to the Jewish Community Building in West-Contral Lot Angeloi was still being assessed.
NE 69598-1651
As in homes and offices throughout the area, floors were littered with papers, crockery, photographs and computers. Windmueller of the Jewish Community Relations Committee reported that several offices were blocked by filing cabinets that had fallen against office doors. Most Jewish schools reportedly escaped with minor damage, and some were to reopen Wednesday. The Jewish Federation Council and its agencies reactivated the emergency program put in place during the devastating Los Angeles firestorms of early November, including an emergency hot line and provisions for providing food and shelter for the homeless. Marlene Adler Marks of the Jewish Journal, who had barely escaped the fire and was shaken by the quake, recalled the biblical plagues and asked rhetorically, "What's next? Locusts?" In New York, the Council of Jewish Federations announced that it was setting up an earthquake emergency fund and would consult with Jewish officials here on needed assistance.
Lincoln plans showing of Schindler's List The Jewish Federation of Lincoln will kick off its 1994 Campaign with a private showing of Schindler's List, underwritten by the Federation. According to Herbert Friedman, president, the showing will be followed by a lunch at the Elleven Restaurant. Cost, including lunch, will be $2.50 per person and the double event is open to all members of the Lincoln Jewish Federation. The motion picture will be shown at the Stuart Theater on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Leo Hill is chairman of the Men's Campaign and Helen Misle is chairing the Women's Campaign.
Con^tributioni can be sent to the CJF Earthquake Emergency Fund at the Jewish Federation of Omaha, 333 South 132nd St. Omaha, NE 68154. Federation will consider contribution Howard Bloom, executive director of the Omohn Federation, said that a recommendation would be made to the Federation Board at its Jan. 26 meet ing for a contribution to the Emergency Fund. B'nai B'rith Intemationol also announced that contributions could be s«nt to the B'nai B'rith Disaster Relief Fund at 1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W., Washington, DC. •HW.Ui. The Union of American Hebrew Congregations has also established a disaster rollefflind. (Conlributing to this report was JTA staff writer Larry Yudalson in New York.)
Sarah Farber celebmtcd hor lOOth birthday last week with a party at the Koso Blumkin Jewish Uomo.