June 4, 1999

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WE IIIGT SOCIETY 1-500 ft ST LINCOLN WE 6S50S-1651

SPECIAL FATHER'S DAY ISSUE VoL LXXVI

No. 37 Omaha, NE

20Sivan, 5759

Gloria Kaslow named Humanitarian of the Year ~~~

••' by Pam Monsky Federation Communications Director

~

Gloria Kaslow has been named the 1999 Humanitarian of the lYear by the Jewish {Federation of Omaha. This prestigious [award recognizes individuals who have performed outstanding service for humanity. The award honors the individual's contributions to promote human welfare and the advance of social reform, and their commitment in time and energy to. the community. The award will be presented at the Gloria Kaslow Federation's Annual Meeting, Monday, J u n e 7, 7:30 p.m., at the Jewish Community Center Theater. Kaslow has spent her adult life volunteering for the Omaha Jewish community. Her interests span the generations and include work with the synagogues, Centers of Excellence and organizations in our community. She has served more than 20 years in the Omaha community as an educator for Beth' El Talmud Torah and UTTO. She was responsible for developing a year long course of study and teaching the Holocaust to eighth grade students, and taught Torah studies to sixth and seventh graders. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Kaslow has chaired the Curriculum Committee and served as a core teacher for the High School of Jewish Studies'. As Curriculum Chair, she wrote the course "Roots," which won a Community Service Award. She currently holds bible study groups, book discussions, and continues to present Holocaust education to both public and parochial schools. Kaslow was also a member of the Beth El Synagogue Board of Directors and served on the Ritual Committee as well as the School Committee She has also served as President of the . Federation Library Board of Directors for several years, and is an avid reader as well as a participant and discussion leader in the Library's Book Discussion Group. She has also been on the Board of Directors of Jewish Educational and Library Services. She is currently serving on two grant committees. • Over the past three years, Kaslow has served as . the President of Jewish Family Service, where she helped rejuvenate the organization through her dedication and leadership. She has been involved in the Resettlement process for the past 16 years and chaired the Education Committee for Resettlement for many years. She had the inspiration for the very successful Women's Symposium that took place this year, and has been a motivating source for the Board and staff of JFS. Kaslow's. convictions and ethics drive her to excel in every undertaking.

Upcoming events... The Pushkin Club of the New American Cultural Society will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Russian poet Alexander Pushkin on Sunday at ,2 p.m. at the JGC: The event is $3 for adults; no charge for children under 10. • Dr. Elliot Dorff will speak on "The Impact of Religion and Religious Values on Modern Medical Ethical Dilemmas" Thursday, June 10, 7:30 p.m., at the JCC. A dinner for medical professionals starts at 6 p.m. For information, call 334-6431.

June 4,1999

Morgan Denny and Melissa Shapiro named Federation Teen Leaders by Rebecca Perelman

Morgan Denny The recipients of the 1998 Jewish Federation Teen Leadership Awards are Morgan Denny and Melissa Shapiro. They will be honored at the -Federation's annual meeting on Monday, June 7, 7:30 p.m., at the Jewish Community Center. Denny was nominated by Temple Israel's Omaha Temple Youth Group, of which she was Social Action Vice-president in 1996 and 1997. She is the daughter of Pat and Bettie Denny. As the Regional Social Action Chair for the Missouri Valley Federation of Temple Youth in 1998, Denny, wak in charge;of helping all the regional youth groups with their social- action programming and planning the regional Social Action Weekend. Noting that she has the ability to develop future leadership among her peers and interest them to get involved, Rabbi Debbie Stiel said, "Morgan earnestly cares about helping the world, and she understands that many people need encouragement to do good works. She uses her upbeat manner and her levity to make theprograms fun for all." Denny has helped to make Social Action an integral part of the youth group and the youth groups of the region. Her commitment to Judaism and to all the programs of the youth group have been integral to the success of OTYG during the years. Denny is an excellent role model for her peers, with her constant involvement and helpful manner. For several years, she has been going every weekend to help play with and take care of the kids at the Hattie B. Monroe facility. ••'-.. A graduate of Central High School, Dennywill attend Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA, in the fall.

Melissa Shapiro. "She sets an example of how a Jew is supposed to be involved in making the world a better place," Rabbi Stiel said. Melissa Shapiro, a senior at Burke High School, was "nominated for the award by B'nai B'rith Youth Organization. She is the daughter of Larry and Sherry Shapiro. Shapiro graduated from Burke High school and will attend the University of Kansas in the fall. During the past four years, she has been an active member and leader of BBYO. She has previously served as Chapter President, Vice-president and Historian, and is' currently President of MidAmerica Omaha Council. Shapiro had developed strong leadership skills, intending to pass on to others. She has held several training seminars for freshmen girls, teaching them valuable leadership and communication skills that will help them remain active in BBYO and pursue leadership positions'in the future. Shapiro has been a key asset to her chapter, Ediar, and the B'nai B'rith Girls. "Melissa entices her peers to participate in programming because she set goals for herself and with the chapter and follows through to ensure quality programming," former BBYO Director Lisa Shkolnick said. •.'-.-. Shapiro has embraced several leadership roles, and has effectively led programs and conventions over the years. Her success has gained her the respect and envy of most her peers. "There is not one person I can think of who chooses the path of her life with more care, more humanity o.r more conviction than Melissa," Shkolnick said.

After heated debate, Reform rabbis approve /centrist' changes in principles by Julie Wiener

PITTSBURGH (JTA) - The Reform movement's much-anticipated "Statement of Principles" may rival the Torah for most carefully scrutinized text in Jewish history. The two-page statement, which seeks to spell out j u s t exactly what'Reform Judaism is about, was discussed for close to two years, underwent six drafts, garnered over 30 amendments and sparked heated debate among Reform rabbis and their congregants. ' The controversial document was.adopted last week by an overwhelming margin of 324-68, with nine abstentions. It was the centerpiece of the •Central Conference of American Rabbis' four-day convention in Pittsburgh last week. Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, senior rabbi at Temple Israel, attended the meeting and commented, "I think this was one of the most energizing events

which took place in the Reform rabbinic community in a long time. "Usually the platforms have been created by rabbis, but it will be presented to the UAHC (Union of American Hebrew Congregations) at its biennial in Orlando in its entirety," he added. "The executive . committee (of which Rabbi Azriel is a'member) met after the conference to discuss its presentation and implementation to congregants." The statement seeks to reverse the movement's 1885 Pittsburgh Platform, which stridently rejected Jewish tradition.and rituals. It aims to redefine Reform Judaism for the coming years: celebrating the movement's growing acceptance of tradition and spirituality, while reaffirming its longtime commitment to inclusion, social action and diversify of thought (Continued on page 2)


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