Vol. LXXXV No. 9 Omaha, NE
Simons Gracious in Accepting Humanitarian Award at Book Fair Event by Ozzie Nogg The Simon family, described by Federation President, Zoë Riekes, as examples of this year’s Campaign slogan--Live Generously--received the 2005 Humanitarian of the Year Award at a ceremony in the JCC Theater on Nov. 2. The award recognizes individuals or groups who promote human welfare, advance social reform, and commit their time and energy beyond expectations.
Accepting the Humantarian Award are: Steve and Kathy Simon, left, Stacy Simon, Alan Simon, Bruce Simon, Eve and Fred Simon; (not pictured: Anne Simon, Todd Simon) Continued on page 8.
Celebrating 84 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
9 Cheshvan, 5766 November 11, 2005
Philanthropist Frances Batt Dies by JOAN K. MARCUS Funeral services were held Nov. 4 at Beth El Synagogue for Frances Blumkin Batt, who died Nov. 1 at the age of 87. A well known member of the Omaha Jewish community, she was active in many Jewish organizations. She was most recently honored by the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society when she donated memorabilia from her mother, the late Rose Blumkin, founder of Nebraska Furniture Mart. She was the widow of Norman Batt, Omaha philanthropist and company treasurer of the Mart. Frances and Norman met in 1927 when they were both 10 years old. They were in a play, The Toy Shop at the ‘J’ on 20th and Dodge. According to Frances, we “were smitten with each other--even at that very young age.” They were married in 1945 after Norman returned from serving in World War II. Frances Batt Frances was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, in 1918. Her father, Isadore Blumkin, came to America in 1914. Since the family only had money for one ticket, her mother, Rose Gorelick Blumkin had remained in Russia. When Rose arrived in 1917, the family moved to Fort Dodge. In 1919, Rose Blumkin moved her family to Omaha because she wanted to live where people spoke English. Frances always remembered going to a victory parade in downtown Omaha when World War I ended. When Frances began school, she promised her moth-
er that, as she and her sisters and brother learned English, they would teach her. Frances always loved school and had a desire to learn. She was especially fond of journalism and got a job working for the Omaha Bee News. After graduating from Central High School in 1936, she attended Omaha University but, since she worked every day after school, she quit after one year. She worked as a secretary for Aleph Zadik Aleph. She moved to Washington, D.C. with the office but returned to Omaha to work for the Corp of Engineers during World War II. During her youth, all of the Blumkin children worked at Blumkin’s Used Clothing Store at 1222 Douglas in the old Millard Hotel. Frances said, “If there was a live customer, we would stay until midnight.” Rose Blumkin sold the Nebraska Furniture Mart, the business that she had created and run with her family, in 1983. ‘Mrs. B.’ said she sold the business to Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., a diversified Omahabased company headed by investor Warren Buffet, so that her kids wouldn’t fight when she died. Frances sold her stock at that time, but Norman remained active with the company. Frances was nominated for her first term on the Federation board in 1980. Previous to that, she was a board member of Beth E1 and its sisterhood. She was past president of junior Hadassah, a member of Hadassah and a past board member of NCJW. A supporter of the Jewish Press, Frances Batt often called to ask, “What do you need?” and would then send a check to finance such projects as “Teen Age” or to purchase items from new computers to sending staff to conferences. “I love the Press,” she told Editor Carol Katzman in 2004, “and I love this community.” Continued on page 15
What Textbooks Have to Say about Israel, America and Islam JTA Staff Report NEW YORK (JTA)--The state of California is on the brink of a major election that involves neither Arnold Schwarzenegger nor Clint Eastwood. The candidates are textbooks and other teaching materials that will influence what schoolchildren across the state--and across the United States--will learn for more than a decade. With a debate under way over evolution and intelligent design in science textbooks, a less-publicized battle is being waged over the content of social studies and history materials--some of which are pro-Islamic, anti-American, anti-Israel and even anti-Semitic. California is in the final stages of the “adoption process” for history and social studies materials in kindergarten through eighth grade. The process, which takes place every seven years, determines which books make the mark, enabling local school districts to use state funds to purchase them. With the political, educational and financial stakes so high, publishers, special interest groups and educators take the process as seriously as any political campaign. Among the contenders is History Alive! The Medieval World and Beyond, a seventh-grade textbook, with other course materials, published by the Teachers’ Curriculum Institute.
Inside Opinion Page see page 12
The course was piloted in Scottsdale, AZ, earlier this year. But after a series of protests from parents--who objected to what they saw as distortions of Christianity and Judaism, with an overarching positive spin on Islam--the publisher decided to stop the trial. “There was a lot of objection to the amount of coverage of Islam,” said Liz Russell, the development director of the Teachers’ Curriculum Institute, based in Rancho Cordova, CA. The book was developed to meet California standards, which require “a lot more on religion in general” than most other states, she said. California has mandated the study of since 1987. Judaism, religion Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism are studied in sixth grade, and Islam is covered in seventh grade. Meanwhile, the institute has pulled “The Modern Middle East,” a package of supplemental materials deemed so objec-
tionable that a report by the San Francisco Jewish Community Relations Council said it creates a hostile environment for Jewish students. The material is still for sale, however, and copies already in circulation likely will sit on classroom shelves for years to come, according to educational experts. Both “The Modern Middle East” and History Alive! have hit the market since the early 1990s, a period that began what one reviewer has termed “ t h e Islamization of the textbooks.” Analysts say today’s history and social studies textbooks, and supplementary materials, sow positive propaganda about Islam, the Palestinians and the Arab world, while denigrating--in subtle and not so subtle ways--America, Israel, Judaism and democracy. Distributed in public elementary, middle and high schools, the materials are paid for by U.S. taxpayers. At least one Jewish parent, Dr. Murray
This Week: Special Section Commemorating Kristallnacht: Pages 6-9 Local Doctor Attends Emergency Medical Session in Israel: Page 3
Mission Reports on Memorial Service at Babi Yar: Page 9
Zucker, found “The Modern Middle East” so troubling that he withdrew his son from the public high school in Santa Rosa, CA, and sent him to Jewish day school. His son, David, was 14 when he was subjected to the materials and a teacher who endorsed every word of them, Zucker said. Among other things, “The Modern Middle East” includes an exercise that has teachers divide the class into “Jeds” and Jews and “Pads” representing Palestinians. The Pads are grouped inside a central area, meant to represent Palestine, while the Jeds are dispersed around the room. Students then debate whether the Jeds should immigrate to the “Land of Pad.” Teachers are directed to show favoritism toward the Jeds, guiding the class to see the Jews as both victims and aggressors who succeed in taking over land that belongs to others. The four Jewish students in a ninthgrade class of 30 pupils felt “powerless and marginalized and unrepresented,” said Zucker, whose son is now a freshman at Brandeis University. Parents’ complaints in northern California led to a published analysis of the material by a team headed by Jackie Berman, an educational consultant at the San Francisco JCRC. Continued on page 10
Coming Nov. 18: Travel & Entertainment
Crossword Puzzle “Recalling Arthur Miller”: Page 11
Bill Gates Touts Israel’s High Tech Promise: Page 16