SERVING NEBRASKA AND WESTERN IOWA FOR MORE THAN 75 YEARS Vol. LXXVI
No. 44 Omaha, NE
WE HIST SOCIETY 1500 k Si LINCOLN WE 68508-1651 1OAV,575»
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Barak meets with Clinton, Jewish leaders Jan Schneiderman represents NCJWat White House by Matthew Dorf, Lisa Hostein and Carol Katzman
WASHINGTON (JTA) - Now that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has formed his government, set his peace policies and developed a warm relationship with President Clinton, he is working to line up the support of the American Jewish community. "I told them, 'I need your support,"* Barak said in a brief interview during Sunday night's formal White House dinner. With President Clinton standing at his side, Barak said American Jews should stop creating partisan fights on Capitol Hill on issues such as those involving Palestinian compliance with the peace accords. ' : ' •; V : American Jews should put "all of their retrpac^f tive differences aside" and work to restore bipartisan congressional support for the peace process, Barak told the three Jewish groups with whom he met - the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, the Israel Policy Forum and AIPAC. Omahan Jan Schneiderman, National President of the National Council of Jewish Women, was invited to both the Conference of Presidents meeting and to the state dinner at the White House. In an air-conditioned tent on the South Lawn of the White House, Schneiderman was seated at a
table next to Gen. Colin Powell. Secretary of Deiense William Cohen, Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Zalman Shoval, Mrs. Elie Wiesel and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) were seated with her. "Prime Minister Barak and President Clinton both spoke briefly to express their friendship, AmericanIsraeli unity and moving the peace process forward," Schneiderman told the Jewish Press in a phone interview. Barak also injected a certain poignancy as he con- J a n Schneiderman yeyed his mission. In his speech Sunday night, Barak said that as a military man, "I can tell you that there have never been words or images that truly convey the horrors of the battlefield. "As prime minister and minister of defense," he
Hate group linked to shootings is one of fastest growing in U.S. by Daniel Kurtzman
WASHINGTON (JTA) - The white supremacist who went on a shooting spree against minorities recently belonged to an overtly racist and antiSemitic group that advocates a racial holy war. It is also a group whose leader found some unlikely Jewish supporters earlier this year in his battle to gain a license to practice law. ; Matthew Hale, an unabashed anti-Semite who heads the World Church of the Creator, has twice been denied a license by an Illinois state panel that evaluates the "character and fitness" of prospective attorneys because he espouses racial hatred. But Alan Dershowitz, a prominent Jewish attorney, came to Hole's defense after the initial denial, arguing he had a right to free speech and a right to practice law, no matter how objectionable his views. The Anti-Defamation League, while calling Hale's views "abhorrent," said that denying him a law license "sets a dangerous precedent." "At another time, in another place," the ADL said in a statement last February, "we could envision a circumstance in which another Committee on Character and Fitness could follow this lead to reject a candidate because t h a t candidate has expressed support for abortion, opposition to school prayer or other moral views contrary to the majority of his or her community." The controversy gained Hale nationwide attention and launched him onto the talk show circuit. Dershowitz offered to represent Hale, but Hale later declined, saying that Dershowitz's association with his cause had already given him the publicity he sought and aided his widespread recruiting drive. The World Church of the Creator, founded in 1973 in Florida, has experienced a resurgence in recent years under Hale's leadership and is now what law enforcement and other officials call one of the fastest-growing hate groups in the country. The group teaches that Jews and non-whites are subhuman "mud people" who threaten the survival of the "white race."'It sees a "racial holy war" as inevitable in its quest to build "a whiter and brighter world."
said, "I pray that the time will never come when I have to give the order to go ; to war." ; He said his "hardest moments" came "at the door of a fallen.soldier's family, on the day he was lost. It is the memory of those moments which: I carry with me here this evening." V v••'..-.-. '., Toasting Clinton, the premier said, "We know that we can count on you and the American people as we cross a great historic divide and extend a hand of friendship to our neighbors.'" . Ehud Barak In a bid to reassure those who worry about Israel's security, he has altered the theme that characterized the reign of his mentor, the late Yitzhak Rabin. Instead of talking about ensuring Israel's security, he seems to take pains to stress that he is determined to strengthen Israel by ending the conflict with its Arab neighbors. He says repeatedly that he will not sign any agreement that he doesn't believe will make Israel stronger. . "What struck me most was Barak's spirited energy," she added, noting he strode into the meeting with the Conference of Presidents with "tremendous energy, shoulders held high, a smile on his face." Barak stressed the common goals and shared destiny between Israel and American Jewry. He spoke of his commitment to make peace with the Palestinians, Lebanon and Syria. : "Making peace is like climbing a mountain," Barak told the 55 leaders gathered for the Conference of Presidents meeting, "We either make it to the top or we fall back. You can't stop or you'll fall off the cliff." Barak thanked American Jewry for bringing the Ethiopian Jews "home" and asked the leaders to "face the challenge of Jewish continuity, solidarity and keeping young people Jewish." , : ••;: Schneiderman said Barak was warmly received at both events and she looks forward to future meetings with the Israeli leader and members of
The group's Web site, which Hale runs, proclaims, among other things, that Hitler had the ; right idea, but should have promoted the supremacy of all whites, rather than just Germans; V Although the group claims not to condone, violence, the July 2 shooting spree carried out by Benjamin Nathaniel Smith, a 21-year-old follower of Hale's, was only the latest in a string of violent attacks associated with the group. ': Smith's rampage, which left two men dead and at least seven others - including six Jews - injured, ended late Sunday night when the alleged gunman took his own life. ' : Federal agents are still investigating the World Church of the Creator in connection with last month's bombing attacks on three Sacramento, synagogues. World Church fliers were left at one of. his government; ; '•:••; ; : • , i the three torched sites prior to the attacks, Record-: ';. "Find a way to unite yourselves to send a clear : ingtotheADL. • ^ : • • '/... and unequivocal message into the American politiThe group's predecessor, the Church.of the cal system" to support Israel's peace policies, Barak Creator, was also linked to the 1991 murder of a urged American Jews, according to participants black sailor in Florida returning from the Persian who attended a closed-door briefing for the Israel Gulf War and to foiled plots to assassinate black Policy Forum, a group that actively supports the and Jewish leaders and to bomb black and Jewish peace process. ; • agencies, synagogues and churches. •••.•: .'/'.''.'Making Middle East peace is like "moving down:a In the last year, three members of the group corridor with surprises coming at you from both have been accused of pistol-whipping and robbing sides," Barak said during his six-day U.S. visit.''• a Jewish video store owner in Florida, purportedly While he expects surprises from Israel's negotiatto raise money for "the revolution." ing partners, and at times even from the United Smith, meanwhile, had already come to the atten- States, they should not come from American Jews tion of students and administrators at both the placing obstacles in his path as he tries to reach University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which he agreements with Israel's Arab neighbors, he said. attended from 1997 to 1998, and Indiana University His remarks came after announcing an ambitious at Bloomington, where he was currently enrolled. 15-month deadline for setting a comprehensive At both schools, police say, he distributed hate framework for peace for Syria, Lebanon and the literature, and at Indiana he formed a group he Palestinians while pushing the United States back called the White Nationalist Party of Indiana info the role of facilitator rather than mediator. University. It was while he was a student there In seeking American Jewish support, Barak has that he joined Hale's World Church of the Creator, his work cut out for him. He is about to move into according to the Center for New Community, an final-status talks with the Palestinians to tackle organization that works to counter hate group the hardest issues in the Palestinian-Israeli peace activity. process - Jerusalem, borders, settlements, state(Continued on page 11) hood and refugees.
Page 2 Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Barbara Jrankel enterprises
July 23,1999
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS FRIDAY, JULY 23 C Russian Club, 10 a.m. L
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SATURDAY, JULY 24 p Beth El Humash Class, 8:15 p.m., at Beth El & S SUNDAY, JULY 25 A Visions Brownville Trip, 1 p.m. E
MONDAY, JULY 26 YES Program, 9:30 a.m.
c L I P S A V E
TUESDAY, JULY 27 Jewish Press Committee Meeting, 5 p.m. ,BBYONight,6p.m. Temple Israel Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m., at Temple Israel WEDNESDAY JULY 28 Beth El Adult B'nai Mitzyah Class, 7:30 p.m., a t B e t h El' THURSDAY, JULY 29 Walk-in Drop-in, 9:30 a.m.
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All «vents held at the JCC unless otherwise Indicated. The V Jewith Pitts Is not responsible lor the accuracy of the events, p To keep calendar accurate or (or questions, call Marians Herl at 3344437.
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SOL MANN Services for Sol Mann were held July 15 at The first Tisha B'Av and the centuries after Golden Hill Cemetery. He died July 13 at the age The Haftarah of this week, which gives the name of84. "Shabbat Nahamu" to this Sabbath, is (as Ifindmyself so Survivors include his wife, Ida; daughter and frequently saying!) one of the most touching passages of son-in-law, Marilyn and Robin Oakley, brother and the prophetic literature. With Tislia B'Av past, liturgical sister-in-law, Paul and Lois Mann; sister, Reva attention is given not to warning, denunciation and Ruderman; and three grandchildren. indictment, but to comfort, tenderness and promise. Memorials to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home or Something of the same sort, that is a change of charity of choice. emphasis and direction, took place in the first century, after the very Tisha B'Av that saw the destruction. "You Belong Here" We are all familiar with the famous legend about Rabbi Johanan b. Zakkai, that he had himself deviis theme for A Day in the Life ously carried out (on the pretense that he was dead) of the dying city of Jerusalem, through the Roman lines of the JCC photography and into the presence of the (soon-to-be) Roman and essay competition Emperor Vespasian. There he asked for the right to establish a school at Jamnia (Yavneh). Vespasian New York--JCC Association of North America granted the privilege; and the Torah center was estab- wants you to take your best shot. . .photo, that is. lished, by gathering surviving scholars together. JCC Association is sponsoring a continent-wide The significance of the event was lost on Vespasian, photography competition to showcase the theme whose attention had to be given to the military mat- "You Belong Here—A Day in the Life of the JCC." This competition, open to multiple-age cateters at hand, and even more to his dream of becoming Emperor, which Johanan had assured him would hap- gories, and professional as well as amateur photogpen, and very soon. From Vespasian's point of view, raphers, invites participants to submit phowhat could be important about a school? tographs that capture the essence of how Jewish But Johanan had surveyed the situation and Community Centers and their members are coming together to build Jewish community today. understood it exactly. If you're not a shutterbug, then tell us in, words Romans could not understand the Jews at all. All the Romans wanted was peace, proper adminis- about the ways the JCC is building Jewish comtration of subject territories, as many concessions munity. An essay competition for young and old is as necessary to the people of those territories to being held concurrently with the photography coninduce them to accept mild Roman rule peacefully. test. Tell us why you belong to a JCC; tell us why From the Roman point of view, Vespasian was "You Belong Here." In the photography competition, there will be a righteous, noble, and temperate~a worthy man to wear the vestments of the Emperor. grand prize winner in the professional category, as From the point of view of the Jews, he was an well as in all three of the amateur age divisions, interloper who had no right in their land, which The amateur category will also include first- arid was to have no ruler other than God. He and his second-place prizes for all three age divisions. In son, Titus, (who actually carried out the destruc- addition to cash prizes of up to $500, winning photion of Jerusalem and the Temple) were looked at tographs will be featured prominently at JCC by centuries of Jewish writers as cruel and pagan, Association's Biennial 2000 convention, in the JCC forever cursed. Their names are to be blotted out. Circle magazine, and on the JCCs of North And when the destruction came, many Jews America Web site wwwjcca.org. thought that Messianic times were only around the In the essay competition, one grand-prize winner corner. Surely a new world was about to be. will be flown to the Biennial 2000 convention in Those Messianists among the Jews were only a Boston to read his/her essay, as well as receiving a generation or so later than Christian Messianists. cash prize, and publication of the essay in JCC Johanan B. Zakkai judged them as wrong as he Association's Circle magazine and on the JCCs of judged the Christians. Apocalypticism, Messian- North America Web site. There will also be one ism and eschatological speculation were common cash prize awarded in each of the age categories features of Jewish literature of the time. for the essay competition. Entries for the photography and essay competiBut the Pharisees rejected all these ideas as dead-end alleys. They put their emphasis on tion must be postmarked no later than Monday, Torah, on study, on interpretation of Scripture. Nov. 15. The winners will be announced March 1, These would preserve the Jewish spirit. 2000—in time for the JCC Association Biennial The Synagogue, already a sturdy institution, 2000 convention in Boston, May 7 to 10,2000. simply replaced the Temple. If sacrifices in the Complete rules and prizes can be obtained from Temple were no more, then prayer took their place, JCC Association at the address listed below, or at: prayer and study and righteousness. www.jcca.org/photoessay/ or, contact: JCC It is no exaggeration to say that Yavneh, with its Association Photo/Essay Contest, 15 East 26th emphasis on study and interpretation, saved Street, New York, NY 10010; (212) 532-4949, Ext. Judaism from destruction. Rabbi Johanan turned 260; fax (212) 481-4174, e-mail: the emphasis away from Temple to Synagogue. photo.essay@jcca.org. The "portable" House of Study enabled Judaism to survive, and to adjust to every land and every age.
by Beth Cohen, JCC Yc.ilh Services Director _J
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by Rabbi Myer S. Kripke
JCC day camps receive perfect score
SATURDAY, JULY 31
Humash Class, 8:10 p.m., at Beth El
ParashatVaethanan
J"'C d i / casips re»ent.y received a pe'-Vct . sci 100% compliance, durinf, the Amei ic>n I Camping Association (ACA) accreditation site visit. JCC day camps are evaluated on more than 300 standards, ranging from administration and -jor{ sonnel to facility, safety and prognimming. A ^am ! of visitors fr.«m the ACA spent a day obj»: / ng camp and r . /iewing camp policies, practices ar.r1 procedure . "In 15 years as a lead visitor, this is only the second camp I have seen that is 100% compliant," said Jchn Walledom. "The JCC should be very proud of its camp program." A'1 JCC day camps for kindergarten through eighth grade campers are accredited by the ACA ' (the association does not offer accreditation for camps serving children under age four). The JCC camps were first accredited in l r 9 6 and this visit continues the accreditation thx iugn the summer of 2002.
July 23,1999
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
CANDLELIGHTING: 8:32 p.m. "'--
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SETHISRAil. SYNAGOGUE •'-, ' ' ' ' • 1502 Nt>. 52nd St, Omaha, NE 68104-6013 . 556-6288 ••
Office hours: Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. FRDDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:30 p.m. Rabbi Debbie Stiel and Dr. Michael Walts will offi- to 4:30 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Howard Kutner. ciate. Rabbi Stiel will lead a discussion of the FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat service, 7 p.m. Torah portion for the week. SATURDAY: Services, 8:45 a.m.; Little People SATURDAY: Bagels and Bible: An opportunity to learn Torah with the rabbis, 9:30-10:15 a.m.; service, 10:15 aan..; Jr. Congregation, 10:30 a.m.; Kiddush sponsored by Dave Wine in honor of his Shabbat service, 1030 aan. birthday; Rabbi's class, 7:55 p.m.; Mincha, 8:25 SITTER SERVICE Sitter Service is available Friday evening, pan., followed by Ma'ariv and Havdalah, 9:37 p.m. Saturday mornings for Bagels and Bible and the . SUNDAY: Services, 9 a.m.; Beis Hamedrash, worship service. Cost is $2 per family. Please make 9:45 a.m.; Mincha, 8:30 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m.; Mincha, a reservation through the Temple office so we may 8:30 p.m. plan accordingly. WEDNESDAY: Rabbi Kutner teaches a Talmud ADULT EDUCATION TUESDAY, J u l y 27: Beginning Beyond Class, 7:30 p.m. at the synagogue. Saturday, J u l y 31: Seudah Hoda'ah, 7:30 Midrash, 6:50-7:40 p.m.; Beyond Midrash, 7:50pan. sponsored by Josh, Ben and Zack Gonsher in 8:46 pan., led by Don Schwartz. honor of the completion of chemo/radiation treatment of their father, Allan Gonsher. RSVP: 3304014 or 558-2767. BEYT SHALOM SEED IS HERE An Affiliate of the Jewthh Kcoonatrur tloniRt Federation Join the SEED faculty for a Shabbos Dinner and P,O.B«x 241180, Omaha, NE 08124-6130 Luncheon on J u l y 30 and 31. Cost is $12 for adults and $7 for children for dinner; $7 for adults http://come.to/hcytshalom/ and $4 for children for lunch. SEED Lunch and Learn is Tuesday, July 27, FRIDAY: Tot Shabbat, 7 pan. Religious School is over for the semester. and Aug. 3, at the Rose Blumkin Home However, pre-registrations are being accepted at Conference Room at noon. Lunch is $5.50 per person. 758-9233. FRIDAY, July 30: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m. Call the office, 556-6288, for reservations by Monday, July 26.
CONGREGATION B'NAl JESHURAN
" !'^r^^l3lHSTiBEETtEMFlJ3 "r'it''!:'
•• lincoln/NE 68502-2797 -'' -
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Services officiated by Cantor Michael Weisser. FRIDAY: Sabbath Eve service, 7:45 p.m. SATURDAY: Sabbath service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah study, 10:30 a.m.
CHABAD HOUSE ,, Omaha, ME 68144-1646 Phone: 330-1800
Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. FRDDAY: Services, 9:30 a.m. SATURDAY: Services, 9:30 a.m., followed by Kiddush; Mincha/Ma'ariv, 6:30 p.m., followed by Havdalah. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma'ariv, 7:30 pan.
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OFFDTAIR FORCE BASE
H&ih and Capehart, Omaha, NE08U3-5OOO 294-43061 Services conducted by Rabbi Ira Flax. Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m.; Friday, 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
TIFERETH ISRAEL . !! •
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Member 0I the United Synagogue
^ h l C b i t t J a i
yd;, p n c o l n , NE 68502^5236
Services conducted by Rabbi Stanley M. Rosenbaum. Minyan on Monday and Thursday at 7:15 a.m. ' . FRIDAY: Services, 8 p.m. SATURDAY: Services, 9:30 a.m. Saturday, July 31: Kiddush luncheon, hosted by the children of Norman and Helene Krivosha in honor their parents'65th birthdays.
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: • Member of the Union of . Orthodox Jewish Congregations of Araoirica
Omaha, ME 68182-2651
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Chofetz Chaim Foundation presents program on 'judgment' In.honor of the Jewish holiday of Tisha b'Av, the Chofetz Chaim Foundation will present a video program' entitled, "A Positive Light: How judging favorably reshapes our world," on Sunday, July 25 a t 11 a.m. in the auditorium of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Tisha b'Av commemorates the destruction of the Second Temple," which the Jewish tradition says occurred due to sinat hinam, the hateful behavior of the Jewish people toward one another. The mission of the Chofetz Chaim Foundation is to educate Jews about lashon hara, commonly known as gossip, and its consequences. The video presentation features Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser, a renowned speaker in the Torah world, according to Rabbi Howard Kutner, spiritual leader of Beth Israel Synagogue and sponsor of the program. HaRav Shmuel Kamenetsky begins the video with a special message. Rabbi Goldwasser will discuss six questions as a guide to help people judge one another favorably: 1) Are your sure it happened at all? 2) Are you sure the details are correct? 3) Do you know if the other person intended harm? 4) Do you know the assumptions under which the other person was operating? 5) Could the other person's act been the result of human error? and 6) Do you know what events preceded the negative action? Rabbi Kutner noted that the Chofetz Chaim Foundation has been running these programs worldwide for a number of years in such places as Seattle, WA; Boca Raton, FL; Minneapolis, MN; Toronto, London, Gibralter, Rio, and, once again, in Omaha. There is no charge for the program, which is open to the entire community. For more information, call the Beth Israel office, 556-6288.
DEDICATION A memorial for Abner Rubin will be dedicated on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 9 a.m., at Golden Hill Cemetery, 5025 N. 42nd Street.
Member of United Synagogues of Conservative .Tudnism 14506 California . * ' OmabANE 68154-1080 492-8550 ;'.WEB--www.bethel-Onaaha.org' Office Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Services are conducted by Rabbi Paul Drazen and Cantor Emil Berkovits. FRIDAY: Services, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Services, 9:30 a.m.; Dvar Torah given by Mike Abramson; Kiddush following; Sitter service, 10 a.m.; Shabbat Story Time (pre-kindergarten and under) 11 aanj Ktantan (kindergarten through 3rd grade) 10:45 aan.; Minha-Ma'ariv and Havdalah services, 8:45 pan. SUNDAY: Services, 9 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Services, 6:55 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. >M:-' 'iS , CounctiBhif^IpwaW503%?# E-MAIL: docjeb(SaoLe6m
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FRIDAY: Marty Ricks will speak during services, 7:30 pan. Oneg Shabbat, prepared by Peggy Deland and Sandra Kurland, will follow.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m., led by Andrew Greenberg. All services are followed by Kiddush. A memorial, in memory of residents who have died during the month, is held on the last sabbath of each month. •
House passes religion bill WASHINGTON - Jewish groups applauded last week's 306-118 vote in the U.S. House of Representatives approving legislation that would extend new protections for religious liberty. The Religious Liberty Protection Act will "protect minority faiths and their adherents in a variety of situations," said the Orthodox Union. The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism said the bill, which still needs Senate approval, "will make a real difference to Americans who take their religious beliefs seriously." Jewish organizations, together with a coalition of religious groups, are pushing for .the bill to fill the void created when the Supreme Court struck down the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as unconstitutional in 1997.
Nazi gold fund stalled LONDON (JTA) - Only $26 million of the $60 million that has been pledged to a gold fund to help needy Holocaust survivors has been handed over. The figure was revealed last Friday, when a total of 18 donor and potential donor states met at the British Foreign Office to review progress of the fund, which was established by Britain at a December, 1997, Nazi gold conference in London.
Large print or braille machzor available for visually impaired The Jewish Heritage for the blind is once again offering free copies of the High Holiday Machzor (prayerbook) in Hebrew/English in either large print or braille editions to the visually impaired; Limit: one per household. Mail or fax your request, accompanied by a note from your medical doctor or eye care specialist confirming your vision problem to: The Jewish Heritage for the Blind 1655 East 24 St. Brooklyn, NY 11229 Fax:1-718-338-0653
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
July 23,1999
Wishing Barak success Barak's visit to the United States appears to be a resounding success. Met with warmth by President Bill Clinton, received enthusiastically by Jewish leaders and members of congress, Barak will face his stiffest challenges back in Israel. He has already been criticized for including Shas, the parly of the fervently-Orthodox. Some with more secular leanings, like Tommy Lapid's new Shinui party (which ran on an anti-Orthodox platform) wanted "anyone but Shas" in the government. However, Barak was right to include them for several reasons: 1. Shas, unlike both Labor and Likud, picked up seats in the May election and represents a large constituency; . • 2. While on the right, religiously, Shas is dovish and has spoken in favor of "land for peace"; 3. In order to get cabinet and Knesset approval for any new peace
Political Insight
proposals, Barak must include those perceived as the "opposition" in order for all Israelis to accept moving the process forward. It's easy to make peace with your friends, it's been said, but harder with your enemies. Not only does Israel still have enemies within the Arab world, but for the last decade it has faced angry opposition within the Jewish world, both within Israel and in the Diaspora. Barak has to undo much of the damage of his predecessor, while keeping his country's priorities at the forefront. His s t a r t this past week in Washington and New York was a good one. We, in the Jewish community, should wish him well in his lofty goals. May we live to see a real peace in Israel in our lifetime and all the benefits that would bring to all Israeli citizens.. .and the world!
When Barak comes to Washington, will Assad be far behind by Dr. Kenneth Stein
Ehud Barak came to Washington this month. He came with many policy items in his briefcase. The most important of which may be the outlines of a negotiated agreement with Syria and, therefore, Lebanon. Exactly three years ago, Bibi Netanyahu made his maiden pilgrimage to Washington, taking a heavily weighted Republican Congress by storm. Netanyahu promised to reduce Israel's economic assistance from Washington, winning him great approval. After that visit, Israeli-U.S. relations grew frosty, as little progress was made in implementing Palestinian-Israeli agreements. Barak's first visit to Washington is likely to include more substance than fanfare. If Netanyahu was a telegenic publicity-seeking style-master, Barak is the antithesis - circumspect and copiously interested in substance. . ' Several areas of significant policy substance will be on Barak's Washington agenda. Among them will be an end to the absence of personal trust that characterized Clinton's relationship with the previous Israeli prime minister. Clinton appreciates that Barak was Rabin's protege: no foreign leader was closer to Clinton than was Rabin before his November, 1995, assassination. Barak may not be able to replicate such a close rapport, but he certainly embodies Clinton's embrace for a warrior turned statesman. Barak will want to listen and inform what he may expect from the American Jewish community. Included in his dialogue with American Jewish organizations will be a sweetening of sour feelings which Barak had in previous years for AIPAC. According to an Israeli Foreign Ministry official who worked closely with Barak when he was foreign minister, Barak was perturbed that in recent years AIPAC had become a mouth-piece for the Likud government and had "worked counter to Israeli security interests." Unlike any previous Israeli leader who made his inaugural pilgrimage to Washington, Barak arrives with Israeli and American Jewish public opinion uniformly prepared for additional understandings between Israel and its Arab neighbors, and significantly, with the support of an American president who is considered one of the friendliest ever to Israeli security interests.
Clinton has already participated respectively at the signing ceremonies of the 1993 and 1994 Israeli-Palestinian and Jordanian-Israeli agreements. He diligently worked in shaping the October 1998 Palestinian-Israeli Wye Memorandum. Now with just 18 months left in office, and the Lewinsky and Kosovo issues gaining distance behind him, Clinton will find that focusing his attention on the Middle East again will give his administration's foreign policy legacy one more success. Moving forward on the Palestinian-Israeli track is expected; shepherding a Syrian-Israeli agreement will be more innovative. Given Syria's historic enmity toward Israel, American support for a Syrian-Israeli accord can be for Clinton what the Egyptian-Israeli Agreements were to Jimmy Carter. Both Barak and Syrian President Assad are ready to make a deal. Within the last two weeks each has engaged in unprecedented public diplomacy, praising the other. But Assad was not ready three years ago, and the Israeli public was not prepared to consider withdrawing from the Golan Heights. Yesterday's rejected ideas have become today's accepted framework. The same thing happened in earlier Egyptian-Israeli discussions. In the early 1970s, Egyptian President Sadat offered.Israeli Prime Minister Meir a phased Israeli withdrawal from Sinai in return for non-belligerency. Meir was not prepared to negotiate with Sadat; she felt her relationship with Washington was more important than entering into negotiations with Egypt, especially when Israel would be offered less than a full peace treaty from Cairo. Meir was not of a mind to trust Sadat. After Menachem Begin came to office in 1977, he did not have much more faith than Meir did in trusting Sadat. But Begin did see that Sadat had already indicated through direct and secret contact with American and Israeli officials that the Egyptian president was ready to sign a peace treaty with Israel. What atmosphere and substance was not ripe in the early 1970s ripened later in the decade. Egypt wanted to protect its national interest first; the policy of breaking Arab ranks and of Egypt negotiating separately with Israel greatly angered Syria's Assad at the time. A readiness not present earlier is now evident in
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Damascus and Jerusalem. What Syria and Israel could not agree upon in the early 1990s, they are both prepared to consider today. In principle, Syria is ready to sign a peace treaty with Israel; Israel is ready to withdraw from the Golan Heights. Both are ready to create demilitarized zones, buffer zones, and limited force zones; both are willing to accept the monitoring of international or American observers; both want American-led foreign aid to compensate their countries for increased Israeli security needs and considerable Syrian economic assistance. Assad wants a deal now; he knows he missed an opportunity to reach an agreement with Peres in early 1996, just prior to Netanyahu's May 1996 election. Assad is 68, with periodic health problems and a desire to set a negotiating process in motion so that he can, with less difficulty, turn the country's leadership over to his son, Bashshar. Barak wants to negotiate with Assad rather than an unknown successor, sensing that Assad can make a deal stick with the Syrian people, much like Arafat did with the Palestinians. Barak has already told the Israeli people that he wants to remove Israeli troops from Lebanon within a year. A key to that accomplishment will be Syrian readiness to reign in a variety of anti-Israel groups in southern Lebanon who otherwise have received economic assistance, logistical support, and often a green light from Damascus. Assad, who always preached a unified Arab stance against Israel, now seriously considers negotiating directly with Israel without concern for Palestinian or other Arab interests. Perhaps we are not too far away from Syrian President Assad and Israeli Prime Minister Barak signing an agreement on the White House lawn. I would not bet against it. It will be Assad's firstever official visit to Washington, having as much historic meaning as Sadat's 1977 visit to Jerusalem, ';•'.•
At Emory University, Dr. Kenneth W. Stein is the William E. Schatten Professor of Contemporary Middle Eastern History and Israeli Studies. His new book, Heroic Diplomacy: Sadat, Kissinger, Carter, Begin and the Quest for Arab-Israeli Peace, was just published; see www.routledge-ny.com JEWISH PRESS COMMITTEE Fred Tichauer, Vice-Chairman; Joahie Jacobson, Secretary; Howard Silber, Treasurer; Elyce Azriel; Jill Belmont; Steve Danon; Jean Duitch; Penny Endelman; Kip Gordman; Gary Kudym; Steve Levinger; Linda Saltzman; George Schapiro; Steve Simon. Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Committee, the Jewish Federation of Omaha or the Omaha Jewish Community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit letters and articles for space and content The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashruth of any product or establishment.
July 23,1999
Bulletin editor's name found way onto supremacists' list
Prominent Moscow Jew stabbed; attacker threatens to 'kill all of you' by Lev Krichevsky
by Marc S. Klein, Editor and Publisher Jewish Bulletin of Northern California
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 5
To the Editor: I would like to publicly congratulate Rabbi Aryeh Azriel for performing a commitment ceremony for a gay couple last month. I support him for displaying exemplary human and Jewish values. Whether for reasons of biology or psychology or a combination of the two factors, approximately 10% of the human population is estimated to be homosexual. These individuals should be able to enjoy the same pleasures heterosexuals do. Homosexuals are engaged in a constant struggle to be themselves in today's society. The human toll of societal condemnation is not insignificant. It is no wonder that most teenage suicides are committed by homosexual teens. Individuals who opposed Rabbi Azriel's action should realize that they are contributing to the already difficult circumstances homosexuals already confront. In my view, as a Reform Jew, including homosexuals is also a Jewish ethic. Why? Because the Torah stresses the concepts of inclusion, social jus- • tice and compassion. Yes, the Torah does include a literal statement that homosexuality is a sin. However, it also states that anyone who does not observe the Sabbath should be "stoned" and that women should not be included in most Jewish rituals. To oppose homosexuality on the ground of religion means that one should also oppose the multitude of other liberal values that Reform Judaism accepts. One has to decide whether the story of Joseph and the hateful exclusion he experienced from his brothers is a more powerful lesson than a couple of lines in the Torah that state a "man should not lie with a man." In fact, the political arm of the Reform Jewish movement, the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism (RAC), actively supports the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force in Washington, D.C. I worked at the Task Force as a representative of the RAC several years ago and saw firsthand the Reform movement is completely supportive of gay rights. Rabbi Azriel's action was entirely consistent with the Reform movement in performing the ceremony. If the debate was occurring in the Orthodox Jewish community I could better understand the discomfort level. However, in a Jewish congregation that has consciously chosen to critically interpret the Torah and dramatically alter traditional Jewish practices, such as allowing women to participate in Jewish rituals, I find the criticism hypocritical at best. If excluding a group of people from enjoying what most people in the community take for granted is defined by Temple Israel as a "Jewish value," I will choose to exclude myself from that community as well. Allison Kohll
MOSCOW (JTA) - The business manager of Moscow's Jewish Arts Center was hospitalized in SAN FRANCISCO -- It's not every day you come serious condition after he was attacked by a young into your office and find a voice mail from an FBI man wielding a knife. agent. Even journalists don't get calls from the FBI Leopold Kaimovsky, 52, was wounded in the face, stomach and leg last week after a religious service unlesB they are working on a crime story. So, on Monday morning when I heard the voice in the Choral Synagogue, which houses the art mail, I figured the call must be related to the arson center's offices. attack against three Sacramento-area synagogues Security officials at the synagogue subdued the attacker until police arrested him. As he was taken last month. I wasn't too far off. But the agent hadn't called away, the assailant shouted, "There are 50,000 of with a news tip. This was a much more personal call. us. We will kill all of you anyway," according to "We just wanted to let you know that your name Pavel Feldblum, the Executive Vice-president of appears on the list of the two suspects under the Moscow Jewish Community, whose office is also located in the synagogue. arrest," the agent told me. The man, identified by police by his last name, Everyone knows about "the list.", It became public laBt Friday afternoon when the FBI alerted some of Krivchun, is a 20-year-old student at a Moscow the people on the list, many, of them congregants university who has confessed to a plan to set the from the three synagogues attacked by arsonists in synagogue on fire, according to police investigators. June. A longtime Jewish activist, Kaimovsky is a wellIn all, there were 32 names on the list. I was lucky enough to be the only name from the Bay known member of the Jewish community here. Immediately after the attack, police could not Area. The list was found when the police searched the confirm whether the assailant was a member of homes of two brothers, Benjamin Matthew any neo-Nazi group, but the 50,000 number that Williams, 31, and JameB Tyler Williams, 29, who the assailant mentioned is the most frequently were arrested in connection with the murder of a cited estimate of members of Russian National Unity, Russia's largest and best-organized neohomosexual couple. Police reportedly found evidence that may tie the Nazi group. The attack is sending shock waves throughout brothers to the arson. The brothers might also be involved with the white supremacist group World Moscow's Jewish community. In the afternoon, Jews from across the Russian Church of the Creator, according to authorities. With such connections, it's no wonder that the capital flocked to the synagogue, which is located FBI suggested to people on the list not to divulge in the center of the city just a few blocks away their names to the media-even if the list is hand- from the Kremlin. "I came to find out if any help is needed," said a written and the writers are behind bars. The agent who talked to me even said, "These young man who gave his name as Boris. "I could never think this can happen in Moscow," he added, guys Will never see the light of day again." Still there is something disconcerting about being as he looked at the main staircase spilled with on a list put together by two men already suspected blood. Russia's chief rabbi accused authorities for what of murder. Based on the amount of armaments found at their home, it appears they wanted to many here see as a failure to crack down on prominent hard-liners who have made inflammatory make good and eliminate everyone they targeted. I thanked the FBI agent for letting me know. He statements in the. past year. . ; "This is a result of the absolute impunity of the reassured me that I "probably" have nothing to worry about. And he told me that while the FBI people who are making anti-Semitic statements," recommend my not going public, the decision was said Rabbi Adolf Shayevich, referring to Communist lawmaker Albert Makashov and mine. I struggled with my decision. Mostly, I wrestled Russian National Unity leader Alexander with the implications my going public could have Barkashov. Russian and Moscow authorities have not yet on my family if other white supremacists decide to target me. I talked to my wife and my daughters. commented on the incident. They left the decision up to me. Maybe because we are 100 miles away from Sacramento, there seemed less to fear. Maybe because our synagogue was not torched, we don't feel the threat that our Sacramento friends feel. And maybe because I am a journalist and have been for 30 years, I find it almost impossible to deal in anonymity. Every day, journalists deal with sources who want to be anonymous. Our job is to convince such sources to let us use their names. A mo. + tax story with real names has credibility; a story with anonymous sources is always suspect. 36 Mos. Most journalists would never try to convince someone to allow their name to be used if it might I7845W. 36-mo. lease, 30,000 miles, $2500 cash down or trade equivathreaten their lives. No story is as important as lent, 1st mo. payment and $450 refundable security deposit due at Inception. Taxes and license not Included. WAC. someone's life. But frankly, I don't feel like I'm in any real danger. While I am uncomfortable with the fact that my name is on the list, I am not that surprised. It go^s with the territory of being a Jewish editor. Wouldn't you assume that someone who hates mo. + tax Jews, would target the editor of the Jewish paper, 36 Mos. along with other prominent Jews in the community? Yet; as a Jewish editor I have real responsibilities The 1999 BMW 5 Series comes with standard Schedto the community. If I hid the fact that I've been uled Maintenance and standard Safety Features like All targeted by two hate-mongers, I believe I would be Season Traction, Corning Brake Control. And our Head Protection System. All Included. Of course, the affordshirking those responsibilities. . able lease price only adds to its allure. The only way that we as Jews can deal with the #7802W & 7796W. 36-mo. lease, 10,000 miles/year, $2500 cash down or growing white supremacist movement is to face trade equivalent, 1st mo. payment and $500 refundable security deposit this menace head on. ••-'.' due at Inception. Taxes and license not Included. WAC. It's important the general public recognize that the people targeted by white supremacists are not just names on a hit list. They are people in oui community with spouses, kids in school, pets and /at neighbors. The 32 people on the list are people like...me. And the white supremacists would like nothing, more than to see us dead.
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July 23,1999
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The Israel Ministry of Tourism has a new director in the Midwest, Michael Chen, who was born in France in 1960, and immigrated to Israel in 1970. In his career with the Israel Ministry of Tourism, he has acted as Manager of the Control Division for Tourist Services in Eilat, and as Director of the Israel Government Tourist Office in Eilat, on the Red Sea, a position he held for four years. In 1993, Chen was appointed Tourist Attache and Tourism Director for Scandinavia at the Israel Embassy in Sweden. In 1997, he returned to Israel to become General Manager of the Eilat Hotel Assoc. Michael Chen's duties in Chicago give him responsibility to promote tourism to Israel in the new Millennium in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The United States is the largest source of tourism to Israel, as many as a million Americans are expected to visit Israel in 2000. Chen is tri-lingual, fluent in English, Hebrew and French. He is married with two children. For further information, call the Israel Ministry of Tourism InfoCenter at 1-888-77-ISRAEL, or visit their website: www.goisrael.com.
Former Omahan Elaine Savage, (known to moat Omahans as Layni j Raskin, Central High School Class of 1959) will sign copies of her new book, Don't Take it I Personally, The Art of | Dealing with Rejection, at the Bookworm in | Countryside Village on I Saturday, Aug. 7, from j 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Dr. Savage is a prac-1 ticing psychologist with 25 years of clinical | experience. A seminar leader and lecturer, she holds a PhD in family psychology and lives and works in Berkeley, CA. Scout volunteer a n d Jewish Committee Chairman J o e Ginsberg is compiling a list of all Jewish Eagle Scouts. Send the following information: name, address, troop number, year Eagle was achieved, to him at: Jewish Eagle Scouts, MidAmerica Council, 12401W. Maple Rd., Omaha, NE, 68164. Frankie L. Kasin recently celebrated her oneyear anniversary as Director of Sales for Country Inn and Suites by Carlson, located in Omaha at 118th and Miami Street.
James Polack has become associated with the law firm of Bradford, Coenen and Welsh. Polack is a graduate of the University of San Francisco and a cum laude graduate of Creighton University Law Baker's Supermarkets will host float sales dur- School. His practice is concentrated in real estate ing summer weekends to benefit the Muscular and civil litigation. Dystrophy Association (MDA). They will sell A&W Root Beer and 7-Up ice-cream floats for 50 cents Bob Wolfson, Executive Director of the Antieach. For information on dates and locations, call Defamation League, Plains States Region, has been 397-4321 or 572-3160. appointed to the Educational Accountability Baker's is also teaming up with Proctor and Department for the Omaha Public Schools: The 37Gamble to benefit Give Kids the World, which pro- member department will oversee the district's vides week-long vacations for terminally ill chilrecently adopted student assignment plan. dren and their families. Baker's w'll match $1 and P&G will match an additional $2 for every $1 bookmark, for a total contribution of $4 for each bookmark purchased. The American Marketing Association honored Omaha companies with Pinnacle awards and merit commendations for marketing achievements in 1999. Envoy won a Pinnacle for "Science of OZ" at At our last meeting, during our guest speaker's the Omaha Children's Museum and a merit for profoundly wrenching story of the Holocaust, as "Awaken the Spirit for Indian Creek," "Bank by recorded in his book, Shoah: Journey from the Mouse" for Great Western Bank, and "The Big Ashes, one could have heard a pin drop. Picture" for Good Samaritan Health Systems. An absolute quiet prevailed as Beth Israel Envoy also won Marketer of the Year. Synagogue's Cantor Emeritus Leo Fettman related Panera Bread has opened its second location in the disastrous evil the Nazis perpetrated on Jews Omaha at 3219 Oakview Drive, opposite the Oak and others. In graphic detail, he told of his own View Mall. Its first bakery and restaurant opened miraculous survival until liberated. In this writer's 25 years as a member of our last month at 7825 Dodge. Since its founding in St. Louis in 1987, Panera has donated day-end bakery senior group, from my perspective, no other products to many non-profit organizations. In address had as profound an effect on an audience Omaha, day-end donations will go to the American as did Cantor Fettman's. In so-called retirement, Cantor Fettman is active Red Cross, Sienna Francis House, Together, Inc., as a beacon of truth about the Holocaust. He and Vincent House, among others. speaks at schools, clubs and various organizations educating the non-Jewish population about the Nazi reprehensible evil. By sheer coincidence, one of the topics at the Early Bird discussion related to the unearthing of FRIEDLAND/STEINER the original text of Adolf Hitler's infamous David and Nancy Friedland announce the Nuremberg Laws. The text is now displayed at the engagement of their daughter, Melissa, to Gary Los Angeles Skirball Cultural Center Museum. Steiner. The decree was signed by Hitler in September, The bride-to-be earned a B.A. in Art History from 1935, in a prelude to the death camps. the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is a The appeal of our senior group extends in many self-employed Jewelry Appraiser in Omaha. directions. We have two new members, former She is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Omahans Rosalie and Milt Saylan from Palm Mrs. Paul Blotcky and the late Mr. and Mrs; Springs, CA Maurice Friedland. And we squeezed more than 60 attendees for Her fiancee is the son of Vern and the late lunch in our tight temporary quarters in the Phyllis Steiner of Omaha. He h a s a B.A. i n Friedel Jewish Academy Commons Room, while Journalism from the University of Nebraska- construction continues at the 'J*. It's been estimatLincoln and is the Regional Development Manager ed that we will return to our regular site in midfor the American Red Cross. August. Hei is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Frank We paused in reverent respect for Use Kuttner, Steiner and the late Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Opitz. Pauline Abrahams and Mike Novak. A Sept. 18 wedding is planned at the Friedland's Shalom. homo.
July 23,1999
SeferSafari.com lists Jewish best-sellers
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 7
Just my luck by BobWolfson
Luck is a part of our language. Good luck. Lucky Yeltsin concerning anti-Semitism and the decision Larry Mark, Editor of SeferSafari.com online, by Chuck Hagel to not sign the letter but to announced its Jewish Best Sellers List for June, dog! Just my luck. Mazal tov traditionally has been translated as respond by writing Clinton. The tragic fire bombing 1999. Surprisingly, only two of. the top five books, and "good luck." But the Jewish tradition doesn't blind- of the synagogues in Sacramento. The shooting spree by a member of the World Church of the three of the top 10 best selling Jewish books were ly accept the notions of luck or fate. Creator that included Jews as targets. The stabIf you consult al new releases. The top selling book was published in bing of a Jewish official in Moscow by a racist. 1997. This compares to the national best selling Hebrew/English dictioWe see a series of reminders that much is going lists, in which the top 10 list consists of recently nary, Mazal is also the word for constellation on while we simultaneously celebrate our real published books! accomplishments and advancements. The top 10 sellers for J u n e , 1999, on of stars. So mazal tov becomes "may your And then Gerhardt Lauck is released from a SeferSafari.com were: German prison and returns to make Nebraska his 1. Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a stars be good." Juda: home once again. Young Man, and the Last Great Lesson by. ism made a sharp turn away from these noLauck is responsible for the largest organization Mitch Albom( 1997); tions of a set future distributing neo-nazi literature in the world. His 2. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink, translated that could be effected network of haters is vibrant and spans several conby Carol Brown Janeway (1999); by some form of magic tinents. Because of his family ties and because' 3. Turn of the Century by Kurt Andersen (May or fate. So how do we Nebraska offers a relative anonymity from which 1999); deal with luck—so he can work, his activity here continues spurred by 4. For the Relief of Unbearable Urges by •much a p a r t of our his self-proclaimed increase in fanaticism. Nathan Englander (May 1999); language? And now he has applied for a gun permit. He 5. Biblical Literacy: The Most Important Jewish tradition has wants to force the government into calling him: a People, Events, and Ideas of the Hebrew Bible - often taken words in convicted felon, even though his conviction in by Joseph Telushkin; ways different from other cultures. We use the Germany is for a crime that is. not illegal in this' 6. The New Jewish Wedding by Anita common language but give it a Jewish meaning. country. Then he can claim he is a victim of a violaDiamant; tion of the First Amendment. He calls himself a The proposed legislation that has passed the 7. A God In Ruins, Leon Uris (June 1999); "political activist for First Amendment rights" in - • 8. Jewish Cooking in America by Joan House of Representatives allowing the posting of his most recent newspaper. ; '": the Ten Commandments in public buildings and Nathan (1998); schools, offers a good example. The Jewish world is , V'..A quiet summer! Just my luck! . 9. Kaddish by Leon Wieseltier (1998); very concerned at the break down in the wall of 10. To Begin Again: A Journey Toward separation of religion and state. We see the lanComfort, Strength, and Faith in Difficult guage issue clearly. ' : , ;: Times by Rabbi Naomi Levy. Which version of the Ten Commandments? And SeferSafari.com is the largest online Jewish language matters. Our tradition reads "Thou shall bookstore and source of book reviews in North CO. not murder" while others have changed it to "Thou America. All these books are either on order or curFrank L Clciulla, Jr. shall not kill." Are murder and kill the same thing? rently available at the Jewish Federation Library. Words do matter. Make sure your 60 Years Experience So are we stuck with "luck?" One creative solucomputer doesn't go With Jewish tion was to take the words and deconstruct them by crashing into the Lettering and Memorials attributing meaning to "hidden" messages. next millennium. 1439 So. 13th Take mazal and attribute new words to each letBring your computer ter. Since Hebrew assumes vowels-use the conso341-2452 to Computer Renaisnants, M, Z, L. Use "Macom" for M; "Z'man" for Z; sance during our spe"Limood" for L. And we transform Luck into a deepcial "Y2K Month" and er message--Afacom means Place; Z'man means we'll test it for you at Time; Limood means Education. no charge. We'll test It is not "Good Luck" or "Good Stars" but being in ypur computer for Year 2000 compliance. the right place, at the right time, with the right And just in case we education. discover that your old Now that is a transformation from an ancient computer can't handle notion of fate to a more complex system of empowthe next millennium, erment. Strong ideas see us as involved with an we have upgrade evolving history. A revolution in meaning that does options for you along effect our worldview! with more brands of And with this view of luck comes a real deep connew and used computnection to our evolving world. Just my luck! ers to choose from than you'll find anySummer is usually a time for planning and setwhere else. ting up the rest of the year. People go on vacation, meetings are cancelled and I can get an hour here and there without the phone demanding attention. And because of the normal distractions that sum723 N. 114th St. •• Bonnie Manor, 14-year-old niece of Sorin mer brings to most of us, the haters are usually MIRACLE HILLS SQUARE and Sara Juster, assisted in Camp Shalom, occupied in a similar manner. So summer is usual(402)445-2200 ly a time of relative quiet. the pre-school camp for 2-5 year olds. M-F 10-7 • SAT 10-5 • SUN 12-5 Not this summer! Just my luck! we buy, sell, trade Colombine High School tragedy. Thirteen Jews used and new computer equipment arrested in Iran. A letter from the Senate to Boris
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Page 8 Jewish Press, Omaha, NE July 23,1999
Eden Alternative predicts change for nursing care of elderly by Morris Maline, Special to the Jewish Press
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He pointed out that human beings are the only species that takes care of its elderly and that humans have always lived close to nature. In caring for the elderly, he suggested, "Let's go back and make the elderly environment a lot like a garden with greenery surrounded by love and generosity." During his almost two hour presentation, Dr. Thomas stressed the need and right of the elderly to live with respect, dignity, love and forgiveness. And this same attention should be directed to the staff who take care of the elderly because they, too, must have the same entitlements. He referred again and again to the sacredness of human beings and warned that a society which throws away its elderly is the same society that throws away its ecology. In response to a question, he pointed out that his tour of the Blumkin Home showed a well-run facility with excellent medical qualities and that it would only take about $30,000 to incorporate additional Eden Alternative options. "Courage, perseverance and commitment are more important than money," he added. Barbara Gottlieb, Executive Director of Jewish Senior Services, told the Jewish Press that plans are well under way to incorporate many of the Eden Alternative recommendations. "The staff is aware of our desire to move the organization forward and their cooperative is assured because there already is much love between them and the residents; we are being encouraged by the Board of Directors, and budgeting as well as analyzing needs are in the works," she said. In-an interview, Judy Thomas said that digital photos taken at the Omaha meeting, along with comments on their experience at the Jewish Community Center, will be available on the Internet at www.kallimos.com.
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Sylvia Stein swings at the ball with a little assistance from nurse Debbie Graham. JSS sponsored a Softball game p r i o r to Dr. Thomas' lecture. The nursing home of the future will be quite different than the institutions that exist across the country today the leader of the Eden Alternative predicted during a recent lecture at the Jewish Community Center. Dr. William H. Thomas, president of the Eden Alternative, told an estimated 200 attendees that today's nursing homes which use an incredibly powerful medical system to solve problems that have nothing to do with medicine will cease to exist Instead, there will be many choices available to the elderly, including: group homes in neighborhoods, individualized rooms and high tech resources such as refrigerators that signal non-use, and stoves that shut themselves off when a pot boils over. These homes, plus care centers sucn as the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home will provide residents with private rooms, plenty of light, greenery and access to pets and children. Dr. Thomas, A Harvard-trained physician, said he started his career as a "hot shot emergency room doctor," but an abundance of knifing victims from a nearby prison prompted him to try a nursing home opportunity. "I fell in love with older people," he said, adding that this experience encouraged him to become a specialist in caring for the elderly. In formulating his Eden Alternative concept, Dr. Thomas said he decided change was necessary because medicine and doctors do not have all the answers needed for care of the elderly. The medical model is failing us." <•*•'>*,*.--<*** * U. . '."Sun He traced his concept from the Garden of Eden, where all the comforts of life existed except a com- Volunteer Ed Joseph grills hot dogs for residents and staff after the ballgame. panion to erase loneliness;
Y.E.S. Members will meet Monday at the JCC in the Gordman Center - Priedel Jewish Academy. Come exercise with Michelle Streif, a Certified Personal Trainer at 10:15 aan. in the school. All are welcome! Or try your luck at Bingo with Eileen Remer at 10-^0 in room 4. Bring articles to share for the "YES Talk" discussion group, which is led by Art Grossman, at 11 a.m. in the Henry and Dorothy Riekes Museum. Lunch will be served in the commons area of the school. Following lunch at noon, Sandra Gaube from Volunteers Intervening for Equity will speak. For transportation call 330-4272. Deadlines: Mystery Tour on August 5 iB July 29; Harveys Casino on August 19 is August 12; Middle Eastern Party on August 30 is August 23 WALK-IN, DROP-IN Members will meet at the Friedel Academy and the JCC on Thursday. Exercise will start at 10:15 a.m. in the adult lounge and bingo at 1030 a.m. in room 4. Bring a dairy sack lunch to eat at 11:30 in room 4. At noon, come enjoy the movie "Parent Trap" in the Blumkin Home auditorium. Popcorn will be served. For transportation, call 330-4272. VISIONS Ride the trolley to Mahoney State Park on Sunday, August 22. Cost is $18.50. Package includes trolley transportation, buffet lunch and theater ticket to see "T-Minus Treachery." Depart from the JCC at 1 p.m. and return at approximately 6 p.m. For reservations, send form by August 10 to Rosalie and Maurie Meiches, 5036 Parker St., Omaha, NE 68104. Journey to the Amazon showing at the IMAX at the Henry Doorly Zoo on Wednesday, Sept. 1 at 2 p.m. Cost is $4.50. Join us after the show at the Big Dipper Ice Cream Parlor at 1702 South 10th St. (ice cream is on your own). For reservations, send form to Jean Elkon, 1005 N. 63rd St., Omaha, NE 68132 by August 25. Make checks payable to' Jewish Senior Services. Reminder: For those members going to the Brownville Concert on Sunday, July 25, please meet at the JCC by 12:45 pan.
BREADBREAKERS Rabbi Allan Gonsher will speak on "The Fallout From Columbine High in Littleton, Colorado," Wednesday, noon, at Pastimes Restaurant, 129th and West Maple. The program is open to the community. Cost is $8.50.
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July 23,1999
Bert's Eye View
by Bert Lewis
My dictionary tells me the word "worry" means to feel or express great care or anxiety, something most of us already understand, with or without the dictionary. We worry-everybody worries. Kids worry about grades, friends, clear skin, cars and other really important things in their lives. Worry isn't only for children, of course. We adults worry about everything from what the Assessor says our property is worth to the Zeitgeist (look it up), truly A to Z. I know the economy makes many folks fret, as does health care in this country, and the political climate in -Washington. Let's face it. We worry, j , . In addition to all those really important causes to agonize, we worry about age and whether or not we look like we've really had that many birthdays. Some of us don't mind being whatever age we are, we just don't want to look it. I can relate to that. Conversely, I've found that while I don't want to be thought of as old, I rather enjoy some of the perks that are allotted to mature citizens. I am human enough to be flattered when someone younger defers to my judgement or opinion, although I bristle when I feel a "helping hand" on my elbow while crossing a street or climbing stairs. Of course that's somewhat unreasonable, and admitting it doesn't make it better. It's just what I call human nature. Never mind all that. The subject we began with was worry. At this particular time, the next presidential election is already the focus of most of our journalists, both print and electronic. Or should I more accurately say, the next presidential candidates? Now here's where we can get into the topic of worrying! In recent years, the examination of every prospective office holder, from President to City Council of Podunk, Georgia, has become standard procedure, as well it should. That is often very deep digging into every deed or act ever thought of by the hopeful, and invariably includes the most personal information. And, the more personal, the better, according to,the "digger." I find most of that unconscionable, but unfortunately, nobody asks my permission to print dirt. So what's my point? Well for heaven's sake, we were talking about worrying, weren't we? Some ordinary person who only wanted to serve his community and be a good citizen might fret himself into an ulcer after an industrious reporter turned up the news-that this guy was in trouble . constantly while a high school student. Or maybe was caught with beer in the car while a teen. Worse yet, if something really embarrassing or immoral turned up in his past, well, more than one wannabe might back out and choose to forget running for public office. «i Therefore, I should think it would be a sure bet to say somebody who declares candidacy for some political post would also be opening the door to some major worrying. Not like the kind of worry felt at a football game when his team was. losing.. .uh uh. I mean the kind that makes the worrier truly understand the term "experiencing anxiety." Well, the bare facts are simple enough. Unless a person becomes afflicted with some God forbid terrible brain problem, its very likely that person will, from time to time, worry about something going on in life. I suppose there are times when it helps to worry but for the most part, I find it's usually a waste of energy. What will be, will be, with or without agonizing over what might be. I guess that's really what's meant by that old Yiddish word ba'shert. Many times I was admonished by my wise mother to "forget about it. If it's ba'shert, it will be." She was a great one to take the sensible attitude about worrying, knowing it did little good. In fact, her philosophy was based on the theory that a person should cope with whatever the problem was, not dwell on it, and. hope it didn't get worse. I often recall one of her favorite expressions, which exemplified her ability to manage any current crisis. She would say aft bee nisht airger. A rough translation? "As long as it doesn't get any worse". '• . If lever get a family crest, thafs the motto 111 choose. .. • , -
Book Review
For the Love of Books by Ronald B. Shwartz, $24.95
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 9
Marriage
by Oliver B. Pollak
Have you ever wanted to ask your favorite author what they read as a child, what was their favorite book, and what was the last book they read? I have, and the answers are illusive. Ronald Shwartz, a Boston trial lawyer, asked questions like this of a number of writers, and his subtitle, "115 Celebrated Writers on Books they Love Most," describes the result About one quarter of the respondents were women. Among the over 20 Jewish authors were Robert Alter, Art Buchwald, Sir Martin Gilbert, Nadine Gordimer, Alfred Kazin, Amos Ox, Cynthia Ozick, Grace Paley, Mordechai Richler, Wendy Wasserstein and Herman Wouk. The individual author responses are between one and four pages in length. The 115 authors refer to about 525 favorite books by 370 authors, including Willa Cather and Tillie Olsen. So if you want to know what books moved Mordechai Richler, author of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, you will find All Quiet on the Western Front. Or, if you want to know what inspired Wendy Wasserstein, author of The Heidi Chronicles, you will find her affection for the Russian novelists Tolstoy and Chekhov. The most frequently referred to book was The Bible, with nine of the 115 authors mentioning it. Only one, Marge Piercy, cited the Torah. Runner ups with eight mentions each were Pyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov; James Joyce, Ulysses; Herman Melville, Moby Dick; and Marcel PTOuatyRemembrance of Things Past. I recommend this valuable and impressive book to readers and writers for the valuable insight it provides into the development of the literary mind.
KELCH/PERELMAN Amie Lynn Kelch and Jason Perelman were married Sunday, May 30, at 3 the Brandeis Bardinj Institute in Simi Valley, I CA. Rabbi Mordechai Finley and Rabbi Edward | Harwitz ofBdated. The bride, daughter of I Jim and Gail Kelch and ^ H ^ n K i ~-> ',• \ Ron and Linda Kauf- ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ H f i A. :4 man, is a graduate of the | California Polytechnical ^^^^^^^^M8®M&'4 College in San Luis [ Obispo, CA, and obtained her master's in social science from the California State University at Long Beach. Her grandparents are Ann Dach and the late Stephen Dach and the late Thelma and Orville , Kelch. The groom, son of Jan Perelman and Sheldon Perelman, graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in philosophy and is currently a rabbinic student at the University of Judaism. His grandparents are Rose and Harold Perelman and Florence and Jack Brody, all of Omaha, and the late Ruth "Babe" Perelman. The wedding party included: Jenny Kelch, maid of honor, and bridesmaids Christine Fitzgerald, Sara Shostak, Lara Bettger and Becky Perelman. Best men were Mark Erman and Zachary Perelman; groomsmen included Corey Zirlin, Mark Ankhorn and Brian Strauss. The couple, who will now be known as Ariela and Baruch HaLevi, will live and study in Jerusalem.
Dr. Margaret Marshall of Pocono Pines, PA, has announced the J u n e 17 birth of a son, Benjamin Jacob. He has an older sister, Sophia Rebecca, 3. Grandparents are Dr. Vincent and Jean Marshall of Omaha.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
July 23,1999
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The presentation of $2500 to Don and Carmen Leahy Scholarship Fund from Henry Monsky Lodge was in honor of Leahy's lifetime community achievements in Omaha. Back row, Adam Jacobs, Lodge President; Don Leahy, former UNO Athletic Director and Monsky Lodge Honoree; Bob Danenhauer, UNO Athletic Director; Bay Millimet, Lodge member and Chairman of the UNO FacultyAthletic Committee. Front row: Dave Kemp, UNO Hockey Coach; Jim Farber, Banquet Chairman.
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"Coming attractions" at Temple Israel by Iris Ricks
Temple Israel has scheduled three scholar-in-residence weekends as part of a yearlong schedule of events which also include concerts, adult education, healing services and outreach. Three exceptional scholars and teachers will engage the community in a study of critical topics. They include: Dr. Ruth Langer, Dec. 10-12; Dr. David Ellenson, March 3-5, 2000; and Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, April 28-30,2000. Dr. Langer, Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies in the Theology Department of Boston College, will speak on "How to Worship God Properly." She received her PhD in Jewish liturgy and her rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Cincinnati. At Boston College, Dr. Langer is involved in the development of a Jewish Studies Program and is the author oiHow to Worship God Properly: Tensions Between Liturgical Customs and Halakhah in Judaism. Temple's March speaker, Dr. Ellenson, is the I.H. and Anna Grancell Professor of Jewish Religious Thought at HUC-JIR. He will discuss "Jewish History: The Crucial Moments that Have Shaped our People." Ordained a rabbi at HUC-JIR, Ellenson also holds a PhD from Columbia University as well as master's degrees from Columbia, HUC-JIR and the University of Virginia. Noted author and speaker Joseph Telushkin will be in residence at Temple for the last weekend in April, 2000. Rabbi Telushkin co-wrote (with Dennis Prager) two of the most influential books of the decade: Why the Jews: the Reason for AntiSemitism and The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism. He also wrote Jewish Literacy. Rabbi Telushkin received smicha (rabbinic ordination) at Yeshiva University and pursued graduate studies at Columbia University. He lectures throughout the United States and also serves as an associate of CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. His visit is being underwritten by a grant from the Samuel and Ida Kaiman Memorial Fund. In addition io the three scholars-in-residence, Temple Israel will also offer Renewal/Healing Services on Nov. 9, 1999, Jan. 11, March 7 and May 9, 2000. The services are for anyone who has faced the challenges of illness or loss.
The Music Committee and Cantor Jennifer Blum have added four musical Shabbatot to the annual schedule in addition to a Mother's Day Concert and the Three Cantors' Concert. On Aug. 27 this year and again on April 21, 2000, Sermons-in-Song will be presented. An Instrumental Shabbat is planned for Oct. 22; Jazz Shabbat on March 24, 2000, and a Klezmer Shabbat on June 9, 2000, are also in the works. Dr. Richard Freund will make five return visits to Omaha on Oct. 8 and 10, Nov. 14, 1999, and Feb. 6 and April 9, 2000. Freund is the former Isaacson Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He and his family recently moved to Hartford, CT, where he has assumed the position of Director of the Maurice Greenberg Center for Jewish Studies. Every Thursday morning, Temple Israel offers adult education. Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, Rabbi Debbie Sb'el and Cantor Jennifer Blum will alternate teaching. Scattered Among the Nations -Documents Affecting Jewish History will be Rabbi Azriel's topic; he will discuss the writings which have influenced the Jews for 2000 years. Rabbi Stiel will delve into the writings of Rashi, Maimonides and Nachmonides, three of the most important biblical commentators. And Cantor Blum will review the music of the siddur, the prayer book, to show how music correlates with prayer. Lastly, the Outreach Committee will provide opportunities for people exploring their relationship with Judaism and seeking guidance and support in resolving questions of religion and identity. The annual schedule includes: Life Cycle Events --Focus on Birth and Death on Oct. 17, and December Dilemma on Nov. 21.
In 2000, a program featuring Righteous Gentiles and local survivors speaking about their experiences during the Holocaust is Jan. 23; Jewish identity in film is Feb. 5; and a Shabbat dinner with Dr. Ellenson is scheduled for March 3. The closing Outreach event is April 2, 2000, with Rabbi Norman Cohen who will speak on the Misconceptions Regarding Judaism and Christianity^ All events are open to the community. For more information, call 556-6536.
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July 23,1999 Jewish Press, Omaha, NE Page 11
Hate groups linked to shootings (Continued from page 1) The organization says that Smith became a "rising star" in the church and in January, 1999, was named "Creator of the Year," its highest honor. The June, 1999, issue of The Struggle, the church's newsletter, announced that Smith had relocated to central Illinois "to assist" Hale at "world headquarters," according to.the Center for New Community. Though now the group's leader, the 27-year-old Hale was not its founder. It was the invention of Ben Klassen, a one-time Florida state legislator who formed the organization in 1973, according to the ADL. Hale discovered the racist organization while he was attending Bradley University in Peoria, IL, where he had already organized a campus group called the American White. Supremacist Party. Klassen committed suicide in 1993, leaving a leadership vacuum. The group foundered until 1995, when Hale, who had been active in various white supremacist and neo-Nazi organizations for close to a decade, took over and launched a new recruitment effort. He now claims that the group has 7,000 members, although the ADL estimates the figure at closer to 2,000. The Center for New Community says that Hale has taken the group "from the brink of extinction to prominence within the racist movement," increasing the number of chapters nationwide from eight in 1995 to 31 today. - Smith's two-state rampage was carried out on the fourth anniversary of the group's first meeting, under Hale's leadership, according to the Center for New Cdmmunity. It also occurred one day after Hale was denied a law license for the second time. Hale said this week that Smith's rampage might have come in response to that action and "to what he saw as an incredible injustice." Hale, who works out of an office in his parents' home in Bast Peoria, IL, where an Israeli flag serves as a doormat and swastikas adorn the walls, insisted in an interview with the Associated Press this week that members of his church follow the law; "I've always encouraged our members to be legal. I've certainly never encouraged violence," he said. "People have their own free will. They do what they Blaming Smith's shootings on the church, Hale added, is "the same as people accusing the Pope of being behind all those abortion clinic bombings." Harlan Loeb, Midwest Civil Rights Counsel for the Anti-Defamation League, said Hale's assertion that he bears no responsibility for the attacks defies common sense, "as if holding a match next to a gasoline tank has no connection to the ensuing fire." "He has set in motion a process to which he's inextricably wedded," Loeb said, adding that his connection deserves legal scrutiny. On Monday, the ADL called on the Justice Department to launch an immediate full-scale investigation into the World Church of the Creator. Asked if the ADL regretted issuing a statement earlier this year on the denial of Hale's law license, Loeb said, "As an agency that is a strong supporter of the First Amendment, we stand by our commitment that viewpoint discrimination is murky territory." But now that "we've made our statement on the free speech and free expression issue," he said, his group "will devote all of our erergy to exposing Matt Hale for what he is." (Pauline Dubkin Yearwood of the Chicago Jewish News contributed to this report.)
Chicago's Jewish community shaken after shooting rampage by Sid Singer, JUFNews
CHICAGO (JTA) - A weekend shooting spree that left two men dead and six Jews wounded is sending shock waves through the Jewish community here. The shootings, which police said were carried out by Benjamin Nathaniel Smith, a 21-year-old man who belonged to a white supremacist group, ended late on July 4 with the alleged gunman's suicide. The initial attacks took place July 2 within an eight-block radius in West Rogers. Park, home to the Chicago area's largest population of Orthodox Jews. Many Jewish residents were walking the streets at the time, on their way to and from their synagogues. The injured Jews were Hillel Goldstein, 34; Eric Yates, 31; Dean Bell, 31; Gidon Sapir, 34, an Israeli; Ian Hupert, 31; and Ephraim Wolfe, 15. That none of the six was killed is "nothing short of miraculous," said Rabbi Zev Cohen of Congregation Adas Yeshurun, where several of the wounded were members. The shooting spree began at approximately 8:20 p.m., when the gunman shot Goldstein in the stomach. Two minutes later he shot Yates in the upper leg, landed four bullets in Bell, and hit Sapir in the lower back, all within one block of each other. "It's a bit ironic," Sapir was quoted as saying in the Chicago Sun-Times. "I'm a captain in the Israeli infantry and after spending time in Lebanon and the West Bank, I get shot in Chicago." Wolfe, the youngest victim, has a message: "I want to tell people, don't be scared. I want to encourage people to go out, go to shul, go to the park, walk down the streets. I don't want people to hide." Smith was a member of the World Church of the Creator, a white supremacist group based in Peoria, IL. He had been arrested several times, most recently in north suburban Chicago in April, for distributing anti-Semitic and anti-minority literature produced by that organization. •While Orthodox Jews don't listen to the radio or watch TV on Shabbat, word had spread throughout the community by Saturday morning. A buzz could be heard at West Rogers Park synagogues, as congregants who hadn't seen the story in the morning papers shared developments with each other. Cohen said he told his congregants that anyone who could give police information should do so, even on Shabbat. The local media had implied that the investigation had been slowed because Orthodox Jews would not talk to police on Shabbat. But Cohen and Chicago Police Commander David Boggs said the police had received "the best cooperation" from the Jewish community. Cohen said the Orthodox community is being supported by the entire Chicago-area Jewish community, along with all the citizens of Chicago and Illinois. "We're all together. We're all grieving, we're all mourning, we're all shaken, and no matter how we differ in the incidentals of our daily lives, if we
come together when tragedy strikes, we're a family," Cohen said at a news conference, where he was joined by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), state Sen. Ira Silverstein, who is a member of Cohen's synagogue; state Sen. Art Bermari; and Kotzin and Boggs. Following the Rogers Park attack, the gunman headed to Skokie, a suburb just north of Chicago, where he shot and killed an African-American man who was taking a stroll with two of his three children. The victim, Ricky Byrdsong, 43, was a former Northwestern University basketball coach and well-known in the area. According to police, the shooter then drove north to Northbrook, about 10 miles north of Skokie, where he shot at an Asian-American couple in their car. They were not wounded. Two more shootings took place Saturday night in downstate Illinois, in Springfield and Urbana, injuring one. Before Smith took his own life Sunday morning in Bloomington, IN, he killed a male Korean American who was leaving Sunday church services.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
July 23,1999
First JCC in Bombay, India, opens with a flurry of activity Judge Ellen Heller of Baltimore led 13 other Americans on a mission with the American Jewish Russian aliyah heads toward Distribution Commithighest since '92, agency says Joint tee (JDC) that recently traveled to India to witness the by Lev Krichevsky dawn of a new era for that MOSCOW (JTA) - The immigration of Russian country's ancient Jewish Jews to Israel is reaching its highest levels since community --. the opening of the mass exodus of the late 1980s and early 1990s, a Jewish communal gatheraccording to the Jewish Agency for Israel. ing place — India's first JCC. "If the trend continues, the number of Russian While Jews have been livJews [making aliyah] might reach 30,000" this year, which would be the highest total since 1992, ing in India for thousands of years, recently they have Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor said. become very scattered Immigration from Russia is being fueled by the throughout the vast city of country's economic crisis and fears of rising antiBombay with no recognizSemitism, agency officials said. able Jewish neighborhoods Jewish children perform the Havdalah service at the opening of During the first six months of 1999, 12,188 or communal facilities. Over the JDC-supported Jewish Community Center in Bombay, India, Russian Jews came to Israel, a 128 percent the past 12 years, JDC has increase over the same period last year. been sending Jewish Service Corps volunteers to backgrounds can come together to enjoy taking '-:;.' Russian Jewish emigres represented nearly half India to help initiate and support activities within part in a vibrant Jewish community. of the 25,516 Jews who made aliyah from across the Jewish community. "What amazes me about this community and the former Soviet Union during this time. their new JCC is that you can feel their excitePrograms such as youth groups, the women's In previous years, Jewish emigres from Russia ment. Jewish continuity isn't an idea; it's an accounted for only some 30 percent of the total Rosh Hodesh group, summer camps, and a Jewish action. And now, Jewish continuity has an newspaper Kol India ("The voice of India") were number of Olim from the former Soviet Union. address in Bombay." A total of 60,000 emigres from the former Soviet successfully initiated, but community groups had The dedication ceremony of the new Bombay JCC states are expected to make aliyah during 1999. no central place to meet. exemplified the spirit and diversity of the Indian "We reached a point where we had the activities Last year, the total was 46,000. Jewish community. No sooner had the mezuzah Some 800,000 Jews from the former Soviet Union of a JCC without a building," explained Linda Levi, been affixed to the JCC's doorway, then the festiviJDC's Assistant Executive Vice-President; "Witlr have made aliyah since 1989, when Soviet leader ties began. Mikhail Gorbachev approved more liberal emigra- astronomical real-estate prices in Bombay it The swirl of activity included a Havdalah service seemed like such an unattainable goal." tion policies. With the support of the American Jewish commu- conducted by the JCC's youth club, a reenactment nity through JDC and the Weinberg Foundation, of a biblical story by the women's Rosh Hodesh Giving to religious institutions is the goal was finally attained. "In such an enormous study group and a fashion show featuring costumes society like India, it is so great to finally have a lit- from the different regions of India, presented by oft-ignored area of Jewish charity tle corner where Jews can come together with other the Bombay JCC teen club. by Julia Goldman . Jews," said Levi. At the conclusion of the celebratory.ceremony While this two-room JCC in bustling Bombay members of the Indian Jewish community, Judge NEW YORK (JTA) - A recent report on American philanthropy shines a light on an area of may not fit the American image of a suburban JCC Heller and the other JDC mission participants giving that has long stood in the shadows in the with a pool and a gym, said Judge Heller, it has joined their hosts for Israeli dancing and for tradiquickly become a place where Jews of all ages and tional Indian sweets. American Jewish community. According to "Giving USA," contributions to religious causes accounted for the largest share of American philanthropy in 1998. The report was released last month by the American Association Muscular Dystrophy of Fund-Raising Counsel Trust for Philanthropy, a Association New York-based non-profit organization promoting Help make the world safe from * OHH K7O 1 7 1 7 40 neuromuscular diseases. 1 "OUU"O I fc"l tut public understanding of philanthropy. Donations to religious congregations and denominations brought in some $76 billion from 1997 to 1998, representing 43.6 percent of a record $175 billion in allocated giving last year. This accounting includes all tax-deductible gifts to religious institutions, including offerings, donations and membership dues, but not tuition to religious schools. When the Jewish community looks at its philanthropic pie chart, however, this kind of religious giving is not usually part of the picture. "The pieces that get the most attention are the pieces that go to the federation world," said Jack Wertheimer, an authority on Jewish communal philanthropy, referring to the fund-raising efforts of Jewish community federations and the United Jewish Appeal (now known as United Jewish Communities). . . The Jewish community tends to focus on the success of charities such as the community federations of New. York and Chicago, American "friends o r Israeli; universities and organizations such as Hadassah - the Women's Zionist Organization of America, which rank annually among the top 400 philanthropies in the country. In his article on "Current Trends in American Jewish Philanthropy" in the American Jewish Committee's 1997 American Jewish Yearbook, Wertheimer estimated that "the combined annual budgets of synagogues, Jewish denominational institutions ttnd Jewish day schools easily exceed $2 billion annually - and perhaps closer to $2.5 billion. The significant amount of money flowing into the religious sector "says a great deal about the Jewish family budget and the Jewish communal budget, •** how money is being spent and what the priorities Dine in only. Not valid with any other offer or on whole desserts. are," Wertheimer, provost of the Conservative movement's Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
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