Vol. LXXXII
No. 31
Omaha, NE
2 Nisan, 5763
April 4, 2003
SPECIAL PRE-PASSOVER FOOD ISSUE--ANNUAL PASSOVER ISSUE NEXT WEEK
Community Yom HaShoah Memorial Remembers the Hidden Children of the Holocaust
Humanitarian Yale Richards Dies at 80
by PAM MONSKY Federation Communications Director
“Mensch”, “a sweetheart” and “quiet, behindthe-scenes humanitarian” were the adjectives used to describe Yale Richards, who died March 27 at the age of 80. Services were held March 30 at Beth El Synagogue with burial at BHH (Fisher Farm) Cemetery. “We, his family, always knew how incredibly special Dad was,” said his son, Bruce Richards of Atlanta. “But only now do we fully appreciate the breadth and depth of his contribution to the community--and just how many people he helped during his lifetime.” That “help” sums up a life of giving and nurturing, according to the board members of the Milton and Corinne Livingston Foundation, for which attorney Yale Richards served as Executive Director for 28 years. “Yale was absolutely wonderful and helpful, within our deliberations as Livingston Trustees. His calming influence, sage advice and broad communal perspective...not to mention his superb knowledge of the law were tremendous support to the Trustees,” said Murray Newman, a member of the Livingston Foundation board.” With his retirement last year as Executive Director of the Foundation, Richards’ status was elevated to ‘Honorary Trustee’. On his 75th birthday and to celebrate 25 years as counsel, the Livingston board created a new endowment, the Yale Richards Professional Education Endowment
As one of the so-called “hidden children” of the Holocaust, Walter Reed learned quickly that he had to keep quiet to stay alive. Today, Reed is speaking out and he will address the community as the keynote speaker for the Omaha Jewish community’s annual Holocaust memorial service, Yom HaShoah, Wednesday, April 30, 7 p.m. at Beth El. Reed’s incredible story and the readings and prayers by Omaha’s rabbis and cantors will reflect on the idea of moral courage, the theme of this year’s Yom HaShoah memorial service. In addition, local Holocaust survivors, including “Hidden Children,” will lead the symbolic candle lighting commemorating the victims of the Walter Reed Holocaust. Six local high school students will receive awards for their outstanding essays written on the topic of moral courage for a contest sponsored by the AntiDefamation League. (Read three of the winning essays on page 21, TeenAge.) Walter Reed was born as Werner Rindsberg in 1924 and raised in Mainstockheim, a village near Wuerzburg, Bavaria. His father was a second-generation winemaker and wine merchant. Until 1933, the community of 900 provided a peaceful and pleasant life for the 25-30 Jewish families who lived there. But all this changed quickly after the Nazis came to power. In 1938, before and after Krystallnacht, (The Night of Broken Glass, when Nazis rampaged through the streets, killing Jews, breaking windows on Jewish-owned businesses and burning synagogues), most doors were closed to Jews wishing to leave Germany and Austria. (Continued on page 11)
by CAROL KATZMAN, Editor Fund. This fund enables the Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Omaha to present seminars dealing with estate and tax planning strategies for charitable giving. “I worked with Yale from almost day one in Omaha and found him to be one of the most capable and competent lawyers I’ve ever worked with,” said Marty Ricks, Executive Director of the Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, “and one of the nicest men you’d ever want to meet. “People who have served on boards with him have said that he has a canny way of summing up all the bits and pieces discussed at meetings,” Ricks added. “It’s like he can read your mind and address the most complicated legal issues in a few concise sentences.” A senior partner in the law firm of Marks, Clare and Richards, his education was interrupted by World War II. He spent 1943-45 on active duty in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Achieving the rank of Technical Sergeant, Richards served in the 775th Bomb Squad of the 463rd Bomb Group, in Foggia, Italy, from March, 1944 through September, 1945. When he returned to Omaha, Richards married Ida Epstein and enrolled in Creighton Law School, from which he graduated in 1947. He practiced law for 55 years. A few of his hundreds of clients over the years (Continued on page 12)
Note to AIPAC: ‘Road map’ is Alive
Bush Administration to Jews: ‘Road map’ Must Move Ahead by MATTHEW E. BERGER WASHINGTON (JTA)--The Bush administration is calling out the heavy hitters to convince the American Jewish community that it won’t ignore Israel’s concerns as it mounts a renewed push for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Five Bush administration officials addressed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual policy conference this week, including Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. Some Israeli officials and U.S. Jewish leaders have worried that the Bush administration will pressure Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians in order to shore up international support for its war against Iraq or to “pay back” Arab states that have supported, or at least tolerated, the war. At issue is whether both Israel and the Palestinians are expected to move forward simultaneously--or whether Israel will be pressed to make concessions only after the Palestinians have shown that they are serious about ending terrorism and moving toward peace. While there were no visible protesters, the main page of AIPAC’s website was hacked Monday with a statement that included expletives and said “try lobbying for some peace.” The site also greeted “all Muslims and all people across the world who are opposed to this “ZIONIST-AMERICAN oil war.” A link directed people to an Al-Jazeera television web page. The site remained hacked Tuesday morning.
In a landmark policy speech last June 24, President Bush expressed support for a future Palestinian state--but only after an end to violence against Israel, a change in Palestinian leadership and significant reforms in Palestinian governance. In contrast, America’s partners in the diplomatic Quartet that authored the “road map” toward peace--the United Nations, European Union and Russia--expect both sides to make simultaneous concessions. Current drafts of the plan envision a simultaneous process. Speakers repeatedly invoked the June 24 speech. “The road map is not an edict, it is not a treaty,” Powell told the conference Sunday, which drew 5,000 activists from around the country (including Harlan Noddle, Murray Newman and his son, Michael--representing Topeka, KS, Mort Glass, Tom Fellman, Jerry Kohll, Gary Javitch and Larry Roffman). (Continued on page 23)
INSIDE: Where Are They Now? ............................ page 9 Passover, Matzah & the Internet ....... page 10 Palestinians demonstrated in support of Saddam during a protest in Bethlehem Sunday. They also renamed a street in Jenin for the suicide bomber who killed four U.S. servicemen last weekend. Photo by BP Images/JTA.
Teen Age .................................................. page 21 Hadassah Cookbook Mixes Recipes, History, Helpful Tips ........................................... page 22