Massive Program on Aging is L^unciied by Federation OMAHA — A massive and the community," according to intensive program on Jewish Louis B. Solomon, Federatkm aging In Omaha, which Its executive director. A coupon for either of the The community incoordinators believe will involve a goodly segment of the volvement in the program — • Task Fores appears on Page 2 of this week's Jewish community in one way aside from the CCOA itself Jewish Press. Those will come from volunteer 8r another, was announced ) « 00 (COUNCIL BLUFFS, LINCOLN, OMAHA ING DES MOINES, seeking further inzo lis week by the Jewish participation in three Task formation are asked to call Forces organized by the Federation of Omaha. am Omaha, Nab.. Fri., January 9,197B the Federation office, .334The all-encompassing CCOA: the Volunteer, ExI U Mi 8200. I z program, which will serve tension and Transportation > >-" Ul Task Forces. both to coordinate the efforts Phil Schneiderman leads the • -I z Heading up the Task Forces Volunteer Task Force, of the three Omatia agencies now dealing with aging and will be lay members of the working in concert with Peari NEW YORK - For almost educational programs, while Egypt, Morocco and other also to expand community community, who will be Yager, Jewish Family Service three decades the world's the Arabs, on the other hand, countries. involvement in these areas, is working with the directors of Director. attention has beeen focused on have publicly exploited the In the past 27 years, 600,000 the product of the Coior- the three Omaha Federation Solomon and Sam Lauber, the plight of the 700.000 Arabs suffering of the Arab refugees. of tlie Jews who left these dinatlng Committee on Aging departments whose activities the Federation's assistant who fled to Syria, Jordan, they will seek to coordinate: executive director, is wnting Most Arab states have counlrks have ben abioitwd (CCOA). Lebanon and the Gaza strip by Israel. Some B0,000 olBns The membership of the 34- the Dr. Philip Sher Home for as resource person for the refused these people during the Arab-Israel conflict citizenship and full Integration have settled In the United person Committee Includes the Aged, the Jewish Family CCOA. inlMS. States, France, BrazD, Italy, representatives o{ the three Service and the Older Adult Working in addition to the Into their communities. ^ More than one billion dollars Department of the Jewish professional and lay persons large Omaha synagogues. Entfand and Canada. ' — provided in a large part by Far less attention has been Because their resettlentent The Coordinating Com- Community Center. concerned for the elderiy are the United States - has been focused on another group of has not posed a problem for mittee OD Aging, under the Jeanne (Mrs. Stanford) the three synagogue spent by United Nations relief Middle East refugees - the the world community, their rhairmanrtilp of Uaiy (Mn. Lipsey heads the Tran- representatives on the CCOA and r^iabllitatlon agencies Jews in Arab lands. 800,000 hardships have remained Morris C.) Fdlman, wUI sportation Task Force, — Mrs. Lipsey, representing for welfare, health and Jews have fled from Iraq, largely Ignored. strive "to meet the total Deeds working with Sher Home Beth El Synagogue; Arlene Recently, under pressure of the Jewish aging In Omaha, Director Ben Laub; Mrs. Beber, Temple Israel and Dr. from these Jewish refugees, avoid dupUcation of programs Lucille Zelinsky guides Uie Bennett FIshbain, Beth Israel. an International conference of and services, explore new Extension Task Force, The CCOA and its program Jewish refugees from Arab programs tar the aging and working with JCC Director Hy Is the outgrowth of three Tabachnick and Older AdulU lands was held in Paris Nov. delegate responsibility to the years' work, according to 25 and 26. appropriate agencies within Director MoUie Delman; and (CkmtinuedonPage2) The American Jewish Conynittee's European Office has'pver the years, gathered a Ivge body of Information aboiil the legal and administrative procedures that SHnoe the estahiUideprived escaping Jews of nunt oi dslenle betlKn ttislBp worldly goods. These the United Stai« and refugees are demanding that a tfaa Soviet Unioo via the Middle East peace settlement efforts of Dr. Itary include recognition of these Kissinger, there has Injuries as well as other been a deterioration In assaults and deprivations at human rights behind the the hands of Arab governIron Curtain, par ments. tkularly where Soviet It Is hoped that the conJews are Involved Boie ference will mark a turning Hettnan, writer tor ttw OMAHA - VobBiam (Rn Uw Seniar Adult CU> iMiped stuff point for these "Invisible" DM Moines Jewish martlapm lot a conmuBtty-wlde malUiig of a Dr. mip Sber refugees. The plight of Jewish Welfare Federation, Bome brodura. Hdped tqr wrahnnlng ooltote iMnt Marc and Arab refugees will have to offers • report and Detanan, centar, an, Imn Mt, Pw Sedar, Conle Adkr, be a part of any reconciliation i|ipralsa|onRi0e4. Hymao Ailtr and Ametta Bmra. (JP Photo) process, they feel.
Coupon on P. 2
^sible Refugees' Seek Justice
Detent^ Ala Russia
Senior Helpers
Teens at 'Apathy Convention'Show They Care OMAHA - It took a bit of OrweUian "19M"-type doings, but the Cornbelt Region Winter Convention at least flntshed with a theme. It didn't start with one. "The convention had no theme because no one cared to give It one" said Rick Reno, a past president of Omaha AZA Chapter ^o. l (Mother iCbapter) Aid one of three ^eoordinators of the 1V75 B'nal B'rith Youth Organization convention here Dec. 2&-28. ' TtM situation could have been a reflection of the apathy seen today on college camjNises, a situation in marked leontrast to the uproar of the late IMOs and eariy'70s. : Whatever the reason, •Cornbelt Rs«laa's meeting 'was iardOBicalhr—If onofjfldidly-didibed '^Ite Apirtlqr Coovsntkn" by ooordhurtors JM It unveiled that nnmdajr. I But it wouldn't stay that |way by Saturday afternoon, ^tetm and feUow coordinators Uett Glass and Larry Novak, working with adult advisors.
came up with a surprise for the other 90-plus delegates from Omaha, Iowa and South Dakota. First they "planted" Mike Abramson during what was supposed to be "a cultural followed yet by another cultural" that afternoon. Then Abramson, asked why he had come, responded angrily that he'd come to get away from his parents—"I came to be rowdy, to get drunk and have a real good time," Renn related. Renn threatened Abramson with "severe punlshment-1 said I would lock him in his room for the duration because it was my convention and he was going to live by my rules." That would happen to anyone whose answers Ren didn't like, he said. Af that potot, Rem sent Howard MUe of Ltaeoln. regloaal vloo praaldsnt, and Dave RiriMck, u Omaha Youth Servlots staff member, to take Abrameon awagr. A etniggle eaeued alataeaa.
but one that looked 10 raallstk that aone gbk started oytag and some ba«s eMempted to "rescue" ABramiao, Renn told the Jewl^Preis. "They were so mad, they were screamfaig at me," said Renn. One gifi later told him, "I hated you for those few moments. I thought you were the worst example of humanity. It was a horrible, horrible thing—but you guys turned it around and It was a good thing." "No one talks about the problems that go on at the convention," lamented Renn In explaining why the coordinators felt they needed a ruse. "They (the teen) would be there doing things and then have arguments with the staff" when the latter group would step in. "We had the Idea we had to provoke people, to use mob psychology. We had to make them talk, get them to tell us what was critical, what they wanted to see more of-to let them air It out."
Other objectives of the "mob psychology", said Renn, were to "define the role of the staff according to what the kids wanted. Also, to find ou why did the kids come to the convention—what purpose did they see in it?" For the flat Ume, said Rem, "they lalkad about the nilea and what HMy thought," Ite rules were M Mt by the staff, birt by the coordlnatnrs, he sakL "We (oM them we were going to tiy to put them on their won reepooslbllitleB to •ee bow they would handle Uberallaed lulea. We allowed tbeUds to view U they were reeponalblaornot "It took something more than Just sayhig, 'Let's sit down and rap,'," said Renn. "When they reallied^ the struggle and everything else was fake, they were even more willing to talk because they wanted to dlKuss why It took something like that to loosen them up." The convention, he said, was (Continued on Page 4)
Convention Time OMAHA-lluee Omaha youth graupe-B'nal B'rith, United Synagogue and Synagogue Youth—hosted conclaves over winter vacation. In these scenes from the SYO Conclave headquartered at Beth Israel, Maria Conieh, SYO stafftt from New York, teaches Hebrew to Rala Talpalatsky, left, and others In the top photo while Cantor Leo Fettman shows Ira Shapriro how to li^ tefillln. For more on the conclaves, see Page 11. (JP Photos)