Vol. LXXXV No. 40 Omaha, NE
Celebrating 85 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
20 Sivan, 5766 June 16, 2006
Omahans Pledge to “Finish the Job” with Operation Promise by CAROL KATZMAN Editor of the Jewish Press They were two and 12-years-old when they left behind countries that didn’t want them and made life so difficult for Jews that their parents almost died. Their message--as representatives of United Jewish Communities latest fundraising campaign, Operation Promise--is that “the job isn’t finished.” According to Riki Mullu, one of two speakers at last week’s Operation Promise event, “Our job has just begun. And it won’t be finished until our own children go to the best schools and are leaders.” More than 150 people attended the event, which raised $86,583 (another $6,373 came in afterwards), which more than doubles the $88,046 already raised, bringing the total to $181,002, or almost one-third of Omaha’s $600,000 share of the $160 million UJC goal. So far more than $60 million has been raised nationally for the campaign which will bring more than 20,000 more Ethiopians to Israel, as well as fund critical services in the former Soviet Union, home to many elderly Jewish Holocaust survivors. Mullu, who was only 12-years-old, left her parents and siblings behind in Ethiopia when she was sent to Israel along with hundreds of other young Ethiopians. Living alone at boarding school, she eventually graduated and wound up working for the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), the group that literally saved her life, helping other young Ethiopians when they arrived with Operation Moses in 1984. “Every year we recited ‘Next year in Jerusalem’ at the end of our Passover seder,” Mullu told the crowd. “And every year I waited for them in Israel, but they didn’t come.” At first the border was
closed; then Mullu was told it was too dangerous. Finally, “I made a big noise,” Mullu said. After sending in the Mossad (Israeli secret service agents) in 1987, Mullu went back to Ethiopia to take her elderly parents back to Israel, but not her 14-year-old brother, nor her two nephews, ages 12 and 10. Eight months later, she went back to get them. “And so, in 1990, 12 years after I went alone to Israel, our whole family was finally together,” Mullu said. A year later, Mullu explained, it’s a Shabbat like no other in Israel. On May 25, 1991, even the rabbis gave permission for the Israel Defense Force to take over El Al planes and fly more than 25,000 Jews out of Ethiopia in the largest one-day rescue in history. “We made history,” Mullu said. “Let’s do it again.” Anne Shackman, who co-chaired this year’s annual campaign with her husband Bruce, wiped tears away as Mullu spoke, recalling the 1991 Omaha mission when the group not only met newly arrived Ethiopians in Israel, but greeted a planeload of Russians at the airport. Alina Gerlovin Spaulding, on the other hand, came from a comfortable background in the FSU. Her 21-year-old father was a skier, an Olympic hopeful and the family was treated like royalty. It changed dramatically, however, when he broke his leg in a skiing accident. “Before he was brought down the mountain, Spaulding said, “my mother and I were being evicted from our apartment.” Young--and now destitute--the couple and their two-year-old daughter wound up living with their parents in a one-room apartment not much bigger than the stage from which Spaulding spoke. “My father, whose broken leg was not treated, was told he had less than five
Shirley Goldstein, left, the doyenne of the Soviet Jewry movement in Omaha, introduces herself to Operation Promise speakers Riki Mullu, who is originally from Ethiopia, and Alina Gerlovin Spaulding, who was two-years-old when her parents left the former Soviet Union. years to live,” she added. outfitted the two-bedroom apartment By 1978, her mother was finally con- with furniture, linens and toys, and nected to the Joint Distribution stocked the pantry and refrigerator. That Committee, a recipient of UJC funds, made for some humorous moments, and the process of leaving the FSU Spaulding said, “When my mother couldbegan. With stops in Vienna, Austria, and n’t figure out what the ‘green thing’ was then Ladispoli, Italy, where more than in the fridge--it turned out to be broc40,000 Jews from the FSU passed coli--which didn’t help, since she didn’t through on their way to Israel and know what that was either!” America, the Gerlovin family wound up Many of the former Russians attending in Passaic, NJ. the event laughed, remembering their “We were met by Kitty and Charlie own encounters with the aisles of plastic Breslow,” Spaulding related, “who wrapped bread at local grocery stores. opened the door to an apartment that And others, like Galina Kogan, cried. was beyond anything the newly arrived “It was a terrible time,” she said. “We family could imagine. Like Omaha’s left people we loved behind.” Resettlement Committee, Passaic’s had Continued on page 2
Temple Israel to Help Habitat for Humanity Build Home for Sudanese Family by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Joseph Dau and his wife, Niajok Mayoun, and their family of eight children will have their first home by the end of the summer. After fleeing war, disease, and starvation in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, in 1999, they lived in Egypt. They applied for refugee status through the United Nations, were accepted in 2000, and soon afterwards moved to Omaha. Mayoun has worked at Tyson Foods for three years. Dau recently had a change in employment and now works at Ameristar Casino. They welcome the opportunity for their children to live in security, attend good schools, and have a safe place to grow up. Thanks to Habitat for Humanity, they’ll soon have their own home at 4221 Himebaugh Ave. Habitat for Humanity will build 16 homes for low-income families this year. The Sudanese family will put several hundred hours of “sweat equity” into their new home. Eight coalitions are helping to build the houses. Temple Israel is part of a 16-member multi-faith coalition that includes Christian, Hindu, Muslim, and Jewish groups. Patrick Jensen, coordinator of the Temple Israel team, has asked for volunteers, both skilled and non-skilled in
Inside Opinion Page see page 8
This Sudanese family will soon be proud new homeowners of a house at 42nd and Himebaugh Ave., being built by a Habitat for Humanity multi-faith coalition which includes volunteers from Temple Israel. home building, to help on Sundays, June 25, Aug. 6 and 20, 12:30-4 p.m. Jensen said volunteers can help
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Temple Chooses Architect for New Buildoing: Page 2
on other days, too. Sign-up sheets are available at Temple or volunteers can call Jensen at 680.1104 or send him an e-mail at pjensen@aoicorp. com. It’s recommended that volunteers wear tennis shoes and gloves, bring snacks and water, and be on time to their shifts to receive a safety orientation. Workers must be at least 16 years old. A carpenter who built custom homes in Chicago for 15 years, Jensen said he can teach those willing to help at the site as well as watch out for their safety. In addition to providing volunteers to build the house, Temple will be raising funds for the project. The cost to build one square foot is $55, Jensen said. “Our goal as a congregation is to fund as many square feet as we can. I invite you to make a contribution of one square foot or more.” He also suggested checking with employers about matching monetary contributions. “We are looking for in-kind donations like windows, drywall, roofing, and siding.” Any amount will be “greatly appreciated” and should be dropped off or sent to Temple Israel. “We need to stand together with our coalition partners to make this a successful project,” he confirmed. Volunteers can also provide snacks or drinks for the workers. Temple’s Social Justice Committee has donated $2,000 toward the new house.
Coming Next Month: Health & Wellness Issue: July 14 YU President Richard Joel Speaks on Raising Jewish Children: Page 3
Beth El Honors Its Volunteers: Page 12