Vol. LXXXIII No. 9 Omaha, NE
Celebrating 82 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
5 Cheshvan, 5764 October 31, 2003
Israeli Author Amos Oz to Speak at Temple Israel Next Month
Amb. Ross: “Go to Israel!”
by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Communications Director Essayist and author Amos Oz, recognized as one of Israel’s preeminent living writers, will read from his work and share some stories when he makes a visit to Omaha on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m., at Temple Israel. In the New York Times Book Review, Amos Oz was described as having “clearly established himself as one of Israel’s most gifted and original writers.” According to another Times Book Review, “Oz’s power as a writer is remarkable. One has the sense of a generous imagination at work. His language, for all its sensuous imagery, has a careful and wise simplicity.” “This year, as we focus our adult education studies at Temple on Israel’s politics, history, culture, and ethics, we are excited to bring someone of Amos Oz’s caliber and influence to Omaha,” said Rosie Zweiback, Program Director at Temple Israel.
“You want to help Israelis?” Ambassador Dennis Ross asked at Beth El Synagogue last week. “Then, go to Israel!” The Jewish Federation of Omaha sponsored Ross’ speech in Omaha, and more than 300 members of the Jewish community came to hear his opinions on foreign policy, the Middle East, the war in Iraq and more. Ambassador Ross, envoy to the Middle East under President Bill Clinton, spoke at length about his “seven options” for resolving the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. According to Zoë Riekes, President-elect of the Jewish Federation, Ross stated that
“the best option would be if Ahmed Karia could get a deal with Sharon and Arafat.” Sharon wants to end terror; Arafat wants to have a round-trip passage in and out of Ramallah. In the end, there are really no options if there are no partners, said Ross. There’s no diplomacy, no security--and the fence is our only option. The problem with the fence, according to Ross, is that it is “built on tactics--not strategy. It needs to be built to protect Israel.” Irv Veitzer, left, discusses a point with General Campaign Co-chairman Jerry Kohll, center, and Ambassador Ross. More photos on page 5.
Europeans Hail Tehran’s Promise on Nukes, but Israel Says: Beware by GIL SEDAN JERUSALEM (JTA)--Israel is warning that Iran’s acquiescence to a European ultimatum to freeze development of nuclear power should not be trusted. Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told the Cabinet this week that Iran does not really intend to suspend its nuclear project, and is “only trying to buy time.” “Iran’s agreement to put its nuclear project under supervision should be regarded as temporary and limited,” Mofaz said. Key members of the opposition Labor Party, such as the former defense minister, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, and the former deputy defense minister, Ephraim Sneh, share Mofaz’s view. “I have no doubt that the Iranians cheated the Europeans,” Ben-Eliezer told JTA on Monday. “The Europeans see mostly their economic interest, and they are shortsighted.” “The Iranians are pulling the legs of everyone,” Sneh said. “Their problem is to buy time. They have pushed back the immediate pressure and will now negotiate over implementing the agreement.” “The problem is that the Europeans want to be cheated,” he said, suggesting that the positive reaction in Europe to Tehran’s announcement of compliance is indication of how fervently Europe wants to avoid a serious rift with Iran over the issue. A special team from the International Atomic Energy Agency went to Iran at the beginning of this month and is still there. The U.N.-backed group has set an Oct. 31 deadline for Iran to come clean.
Inside
The foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany last week claimed they had persuaded Iran’s ruling ayatollahs to suspend the country's suspected uranium enrichment program and allow international inspection of nuclear sites. The E.U. foreign ministers said that once Iran signed the protocol of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the International Atomic Energy Agency approves the country’s revised nuclear program, Europe would provide Iran with technical know-how. No one in Israel denies that, whatever its ultimate goals, Iran is trying hard to be nice toward the West. This week, it claimed to have deported 225 Al-Qaida members to their home countries. The United States has said that none of the men appeared to be top members of the terrorist group, but the fact that Iran boasted about the deportations shows that Iran wants to move from confrontation to dialogue, observers said. “The Iranians have been facing a difficult situation,” Ephraim Kam, deputy head of Tel Aviv University’s Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, said. “They could have resisted the European ultimatum and proceeded with the uranium enrichment program. However, this would have meant facing a difficult battle in the Security Council and--worse yet--possible military action by the U.S.” By doing so, Kam said, Iran runs the risk that it will be forced to expose more to the West than it would like. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hamid-Reza Asefi, Continued on page 16
This Week: Monthly Calendar, Pages 8-9 Foundation Seminar Planned for November Page 3
Funding Hate Part II Pages 6-7
Amos Oz Born in Jerusalem in 1939, Oz comes from a family of scholars and teachers. Some were militant right-wing Zionists who emigrated to Israel in the early 1930’s from Russia and Poland. But in 1954, at the age of 15, Oz rebelled against his father’s world and left Jerusalem to live and work at Kibbutz Hulda. After completing his secondary education and his Army service in 1961, Oz returned to the kibbutz to work in the cotton fields. As a reservist in a tank unit, he was later called up to fight on the Sinai front during the 1967 Six Day War and on the Golan Heights in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Still in his early twenties, Oz’s first short stories were published in the leading literary quarterly Keshet. Recognizing his talent, the kibbutz assembly sent him back to Jerusalem to study philosophy and literature at Hebrew University. After earning his degree, he returned to Kibbutz Hulda for the next 25 years dividing his time between writing, farming, and teaching in the high school there. Continued on page 2
Coming Next Week: Salute to Education and Camping Minnesota Jews Prepare for UAHC Biennial Page 13
Sam Anderson “Makes a Difference” Page 16