Vol. LXXXII
No. 49
Omaha, NE
10 Av, 5763
August 8, 2003
SERVING NEBRASKA AND WESTERN IOWA FOR 82 YEARS
Israel’s New Settlement Policy: Move Jews to Arab Areas of Galilee by GIL SEDAN JERUSALEM (JTA)--Israel is launching a drive to settle Jews in a region awash with Arabs--but its plans are not for the West Bank or Gaza Strip. For the first time in the history of the World Zionist Organization, the group’s settlement department is planning settlements inside the Green Line, the boundary that divides Israel proper from the West Bank. The goal is to build 30 new settlements in the Negev and Galilee. Both regions have large numbers of Arabs. The agency aims to bolster the Jewish population in the Galilee and Negev by 10 percent within the next five years, part of the ongoing struggle to fortify Israel’s Jewish majority. “For the first time, the WZO returns to the Green Line. This is a significant political statement,” Shai Hermesh, Treasurer for the Jewish Agency for Israel, told JTA. “If we do not change the entire settlement scene within five to 10 years, we will lose the battle.” As the WZO’s partner organization, the Jewish Agency is the driving force behind the plan, which is designed to relieve a sense of isolation among Jewish residents in parts of the
Galilee. Adopted last October by the Jewish Agency’s board of trustees, the program is called “The New Challenge: A Zionist Majority in the Negev and Galilee.” A special task force, headed by the incoming chairman of the board of the United Jewish Communities, Robert Goldberg, is charged with working out details of the new settlement drive. With the exclusion of Haifa and other cities along Israel’s northern coast, Arabs comprise 75 percent of northern Israel’s population. Hermesh said the settlement drive is the only way to ensure that Israel remains a Jewish state. In the past, the WZO has served as a kind of subcontractor for the government, building settlements over the Green Line--but with money from the government, not the Jewish Agency. The new operation will be the largest settlement effort since the establishment of a chain of Jewish outposts throughout the Galilee 25 years ago. At the time, the Galilee was almost exclusively Arab. (Continued on page 6)
An Instant Mitzvah
Women’s Campaign Leadership Looks to Future by PAM MONSKY Federation Communications Director Ruth Erman and Bobbi Leibowitz will lead the 2004 Women’s Campaign for the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Both women-veteran volunteers in the Omaha Jewish community--have clear ideas about what they hope to accomplish during this Campaign year. “One of our main goals is to create a sense of urgency about the future Ruth of our Jewish community,” said Leibowitz. “Our donors have always been incredibly generous, but the reality is that there aren’t enough young people to take their places.” Erman agreed, adding, “We want to focus on reaching out and involving more young women in the community fundraising process. We are going to work very hard to facilitate that commitment--we want to stir them up and get them excited!” Members of the Women’s Campaign Cabinet will meet to plan and kick off the Campaign on Tuesday, Aug.19 at
Erman and Bobbi Liebowitz Ruth Erman’s home. Members of the 2004 Cabinet are: Women’s Event Chairpersons, Jill Belmont and Barbara Kushner; Lion of Judah, Anne Shackman and Susie Cohn; Pomegranate, Marcia Pitlor, Barb Platt and Anne Cohen; Leadership, Patricia Newman and Janey Dann; Life Savers, Pam Friedlander, Ilse Kahn, Dorothy Spizman and Terri Zacharia; Heritage, Kate Kirshenbaum, Dottie Rosenblum and Susan Silver; Ben Gurion, Louri (Continued on page 3)
by JOAN K. MARCUS David Meyers spent most of his life heading Nebraska Warehouse Company, a real estate and storage business. Although he did various volunteer jobs before his retirement 10 years ago, he never had time to “pay his debt to society” as he calls it. While a volunteer at a hospice and occasionally at SCORE, (Service Corps of Retired Executives), Meyers never really felt satisfied by his volunteer jobs. “None really made me feel like I was touching people,” he admitted. Other volunteer work included serving on the boards of directors for Jewish Senior Services and the Jewish Federation. He remembers these positions as being rewarding, but not quite making him feel like he was making a difference. A few years ago, the 73-year-old retired executive began doing tax returns for the elderly. “What really happened was that some of the people I was helping asked me if I could help them fill out a Homestead Exemption Form--which I knew nothing about,” he explained. Upon investigation, he discovered that the Homestead Exemption Program targets people over 65 or people with disabilities who have lower incomes. Applicants receive relief on their real estate taxes if they qualify. The state of Nebraska reimburses the counties and other governmental subdivisions for the taxes lost due to homestead exemptions. Qualified applicants may receive exemptions up to approximately $1900 from their taxes. Guidelines for people who qualify are $25,000 and below annual income for single people and $30,000 and below for married couples. Expenses such as medical, dental, prescription drugs and medical insurance may come off the top of the yearly income. Meyers says that he, Al Bloch, Bernie Meyers and Pete Jeffrey began the program. Douglas County Assessor Roger Morrissey snapped up the opportunity to begin helping with the applications. “Just word of mouth helped to bring on other volunteers,” Meyers added. “When people began to see how many we helped, it mushroomed! One idea has
Volunteers for the Homestead Exemption Project were honored by the Douglas County Board last month: Denise Meyers, back row left, Pete Jeffrey, Joan Kaiman, Bernie Shapiro, Mike Feldman, Mort Glass; front row: Jerry Rosinsky, Bernie Meyers, Sue Meyers, David Meyers, Larry Roffman, Al Bloch and Gerri Shapiro. Not pictured: Sandy Brophy, Jay Chasen, Don Dandy, Jerry Dann, Jerry Krupinsky, Fefe Passer, Marian Spiegal and Judy Zweiback. led to another and people see how we have helped to bring people out of the woodwork.” Volunteers suggested that a notice be put on tax bills that people may be eligible for some tax exemption. This generated more than 3,000 phone calls to the Homestead Exemption hotline--another suggestion of the volunteers. “We probably found 2,000 people who didn't know that they qualified,” Meyers noted. “This year, we got 1,500 calls between April 1st and July 30th. The program has grown and we’re looking to perpetuate it.” He added that filling out the applications isn’t complicated. However, a cumbersome form frightens some of the people. “We even went to some of the state senators and asked them to try to simplify the form,” he said with a smile. Next year, Joanie Kaiman and Judy Zweiback with be co-chairs of the program. The two women are very pleased because the program is so informal. “If our volunteers want to work one hour a week, that’s what they do,” Zweiback insisted. “Most of them want to work more because it’s so much fun!
Training is informal and simple. We did have an agency that wanted to take it over but they wanted to have people come to training sessions, fill out forms and fill out reports. “We don’t want to formalize the program.” Volunteers get a list of the sites and can mark the places where they want to work. They are expected to keep their appointments, but everything is informal.“We are only busy for two months: May and June, and that’s what I like--one on one with people,” Zweiback noted. Zweiback is also the administrator of another program, Kavod, a tzedakah collective program found(Continued to page 8)
INSIDE: E.K. Newman Fund Makes Grants ...... page 7 Scholarship Winners Named ................ page 9 Inside Scoop on Omaha ....................... page 12