ewish
PK: HIST SOCIETY 1500 R ST ' LINCOLN WE 68508-1651
SERVING NEBRASKA AND WESTERN IOWA FORNEARLY 80 YEARS VoL LXXVK
No. 24
Omaha, NE
Gershwin: Remembrance and Discovery by Corey Kirshenbaum JCC Assistant Executive Director
12 Adar, 5760
February 18,2000
A privilege, not an obligation' by Carol Katzman
Saturday, March 4, at 7:30 pan., the Jewish Imagine walking up crumbling steps, down an and overseas needs. Composed of Federation volunCultural Arts Council presents Gershwin: unlighted hallway and entering a small unheated teers and staff, a-national committee of the UJC, Remembrance and Discovery, a program celebrat-.apartment of less than 400 square feet. called ONAD, Overseas Needs And Distribution, ing the life Imagine living on less than $20 a month, a sum makes the allocation now. Instead of bringing in and works of which must cover food,' medicine and rent. Gas is volunteers or staff from out of town, Omaha's George Ger- free because your late spouse was a veteran, so all Federation asked Joe Kirshenbaum and Bob Kully shwin, per- three burners of your tiny stove are turned up to to make the Israel/Overseas presentation to the formed by pi- "high'-your only source of heat in the dead of winter. Budget and Allocations Committee, after taking a anist Richard This is not a fictitious scenario; this is a descrip- similar trip to Minsk last year. This spring, Speedy Glazier. tion of how 87-year-old Berta Chernikova lives in Zweiback will make the presentation. Glazier is a Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, a former republic of "In the history of the Jewish people, there has S t e i n w a y the Soviet Union. She is one of some 275,000 elder- never been a more prosperous era than in the one artist and ac- ly Jews still residing in the former Soviet Union. we American Jews live in the year 2000," Zweiback complished Many of them are Holocaust survivors; many are observed. "Among those, the Jews of Omaha, soloist. He childless. Others have children who are, them- . Nebraska, are so blessed, so lucky, so socially has earned selves, sick or mentally challenged, unable to care accepted and so generous. many top for themselves, let alone their elderly parents. "Given those facts, how dare we not reach out to honors, inBaku is home to three million residents and, in these Jews in need? cluding the 1990, was home to 33,000 Jews. Today, most of the "The phrases, 'Rescue and Resettlement' have Pro Music's Jews have immigrated—for Israel and the West. real meaning when you visit someone like Mrs. International Award, NatRichard Glazier i o n a 1 Federation of Music Clubs. Young Artist Competition,, and the Deutscher Akademischer Austaushdienst grant, the highest academic honor awarded by the German Government. He also received a grant for the Indiana Arts Commission in recognition of his artistic achievements. In February of-199S,-Glazier released a recording ,pf Gershwin music on Centaur Records entitled, Gershwin: Discovery and Remembrance. It includes several rare transcriptions of Gershwin that Glazier discovered at the Cleveland Institute of Music. As a young boy of 12, Glazier met lyricist Ira Gershwin at the composer's Beverly Hills home and was able to play George Gershwin's personal Former refusenik Natan Sharansky, now piano. In addition to the works of Gershwin, Glazier has also explored the works of Scott Joplin. Speedy Zweiback embraced Berta Chernakova, leader of one of Israel's formidable immigrant political parties, spoke to the group about the Glazier is currently on the rosters of Community an 87-year-old Jew living in Baku. Concerts LLC and Siegel Artists Management. He Those left behind include elderly Jews like Mrs. challenges of immigration and absorption. is a former student of Leonard Hokanson at the Chernikova. Located on the Caspian Sea, north of a Chernikova," Zweiback explained. "For young Jews Indiana University School of Music. He obtained hostile Iran, Baku is a dirty seaport recently visit- who are able and willing to immigrate, our funds his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano perfor- ed by Dr. Eugene "Speedy" Zweiback and will help prepare them for that step and pay the mance from the Cleveland Institute of Music under Federation Foundation Director Marty Ricks. of resettling them in Israel. To use the word "whirlwind" is an understate- costs the direction of Elizabeth Pastor. "For elderly Jews like Mrs. Chernikova, we have Tickets for the performance, held in the JCC ment. The two men flew to Tel Aviv for two days, the privilege of helping her live out her years in Theatre, are available through'Member Sendees. , visiting absorption centers, youth aliyah villages dignity." Cost is $10 for adults; $8 for seniors and students. and community centers and listening to political The 'young Jews' to which Zweiback referred and human' services experts. Then, at 3 a.m., the For more information, contact me at 334-6418.: group took off for Baku for two more days before include a group of .teens the group met in Israel. Part of the "SELA" program, teens and young back to the States. , Library supporter, attorney coining "You don't have to understand what you're going adults; who have undergone a rigorous educational to see," Zweiback said, "but you do have to be pre- program provided by JDC staff in their home comand philanthropist: munities, like Baku, are brought over. Those who Milt Abrahams dead at 94 pared," Surrounded "and protected" by staff from the can pass the tests come to Israel for a two-year Services were held at Temple Israel on Sunday, Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and the Joint period, living in supervised conditions and Feb. 13, for Milton R. Distribution Committee (JDC), as well as by enrolling in high school or university. The Israeli Abrahams, who died Azerbaijani police, Zweiback said the "logistics government hopes many will stay and that their Feb. 10 at the age of 94. were unbelievably difficult," yet the agencies "did it families will immigrate as well. Zweiback and Ricks not only met such teens but very well." ; Perhaps known best, accompanied one back for a visit to Baku. for his devotion to the} The trip of donors and Federation staff from "He hadn't seen his family in two years," Ricks public library system in around the United States was organized by United Omaha, . Abrahams' Jewish Communities (UJC is the combined former noted, adding that the boy's older brother hoped to served for 21 years on> UJA, United Jewish Appeal, and CJF, Council of participate in the SELA program, too. While in Israel, the group also visited an absorpthe Omaha Public Li-1 Jewish Federations). The purpose of the six-day tion center for Ethiopian Jews. Two major airlifts, brary Board, 12 of them! trip was to show how funds allocated by Jewish as president. The newest I Federations for Israel and overseas needs was Operation Moses and Operation Solomon, brought most of the Ethiopian Jews to Israel prior to 1991. branch library at 90th [ actually being spent. and Fort Street was named in his honor; he also "We used to take dollars and just send them," But many were stranded in mountainous locations, donated $50,000 towards the building of the Dale Zweiback said about the allocation which once rep- unreachable even by four-wheel-drive transport. Today, some 100 to 125 Ethiopians arrive in W. Clark Library downtown and was one of only resented 50% of the annual Omaha Federation five people nationwide to be honored with the Campaign. "Though I think we spent,the funds Israel each month, many of whom literally walked American Libraries Trustee Award. • wisely, we have changed from being just donors to ' out of their distant villages to places where JDC staff could quietly get them out of the country. Abrahams did not limit his volunteerism to 'owners.™ expanding library services in Omaha. A graduate Though the figure dropped down as low as 37.5%, Another 5000 Jews in Quara await arrangements of Creighton University Law School, the university the Federation Board of Directors passed a resolu- for immigration to Israel. (Continued on page 8) (Continued on page 11) : tion last year which set a "floor" of 39% for Israel