JEWISH PRESS Vol. LXXXl
No. 10
Omaha, NE
1 Kisfev, 5762
November 16,2
SERVING NEBRASKA AND WESTERN IOWA FOR 80 YEARS
Israeli Consul of Tourism Attends Exodus Premier by CAROL KATZMAN, Editor Michael Chen, Israel's Consul of Tourism Affairs, flew in from Chicago yesterday to attend the premier of the digitally-enhanced film, Exodus. In addition to chatting with the hundreds of Omahans who came to see the epic film (not seen on the big screen since 1961), Chen also came to promote trips to Israel. Especially after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America, Chen wants to reassure visitors that "security is a prime concern in Israel. "We take care of our tourists," he said in a phone interview prior to his Omaha visit. "Daily life and routines continue in Israel, but our security preparedness is still very high." Despite continuing violence by the Palestinians and Israel's military responses, tourism "hasn't stopped," Chen insisted. Though the numbers have fallen by more than 50%, only TWA (which announced financial woes more than a year a^ ^ stopped its daily
flights to and from Israel. According to Chen, all other carriers have continued to fly. In fact, the only flight allowed to take off on Sept. 11 from the United States was an El Al flight to Israel, Chen said, noting El Al's worldwide reputation for safety and security. "The U.S. and Israel have a very high level of cooperation," he added, "and Fm sure that the government and private airlines are very interested in ElAl's security management and methods." Potential visitors who may be concerned about the situation in Israel can call the Consul's information center, 1-888-774-7723, or visit the Ministry of Tourism's website: Tsrww.goisrael.com. Chen said he looked forward to seeing Exodus again and to meeting with tour operators in Omaha who continue to plan trips to Israel. "This was the best occasion to remind people of the history of the birth of the State of Israel," he said. "It didn't come about by nature—we had to fight for it."
For Some Fourth Graders, Dictionaries Are First Book They Own
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Volunteers from the National books. Dictionary Day Chairman Council of Jewish Women, Omaha Sandy Epstein and volunteer Tuffy Section, brightened the lives of Epstein were on hand to supervise nearly 1400 fourth graders in the pick-ups. This is the fourth Omaha Public Schools on Monday year in which NCJW has raised as dictionaries were distributed in funds and distributed dictionaries 23 elementary academies. Above, in OPS. "For many students, this is Stacie Brodkey, left, helps Harriet the first book they have Epstein load her car with boxes of owned," said Sandy Epstein. ever
Israel Researchers Move Forward with Stem Cell Research by WENDY ELLIMAN
1 human body's 220 different JERUSALEM-President Bush, so decisive in his war cell-types, a first stage, they on terror, deliberated for 4 believe, in developing cures months over the complexities for disorders that include of providing federal funds for heart disease, stroke, diastem-cell research. His Aug. betes, certain cancers, multi9 ruling was a compromise: ple sclerosis, muscular dysresearch on the 64 existing trophy, osteo-arthiitis, Parkstem-cell lines will be inson's and Lou Gehrig's disfinanced by the taxpayer but ease. no new lines may be created Impassioned opposition to with government monies. His stem-cell research comes decision, he explained, had S§ from pro-lifers, who believe been made "with great •'** that embryos possess souls. care...because embryonic Because removing stem-cells stem-cell research holds kills the embryo, stem-cell great promise, but also the harvesting is thus human potential of great evil." experimentation and murIn Israel, where two der. research centers—Hadassah In Jewish belief, this is a Medical Organization and non-issue, says Israel Prize Prof. Benjamin Reubinoff, the Technion-Israel Institute laureate Prof. Michel Revel, of Technology—are among the Hadassah Medical Center a molecular geneticist at the 10 worldwide to hold existing embryonic stem-cell Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot and lines, the US ruling has major impact on future chairman of the Bioethics Advisory Committee of research. Israel's National Academy of Sciences & What, then, is Israel's take on the ethical uncer- Humanities. Judaism teaches that the soul enters tainties that so deeply trouble the U.S. President? the embryo at 40 days of age, he says. Embryos The debate centers on the right-to-life of the just a few days old, comprising some 150 cells and human embryo: when its stem-cells are removed, no bigger than a pinhead, "are not, therefore, conthe embryo dies. It was in 1998 that stem-cells- sidered human beings." Gad Potashnik, Professor of Obstetrics & building blocks for all human tissue—were firstsuccessfully extracted from human embryos and main- Gynecology at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, is very tained in the laboratory. Since then, 64 stem-cell lines, able to reproduce involved in ethical considerations of stem cell themselves infinitely in the laboratory, have been research and represented Israel at a bioethics symextracted. With laboratory material to work on, sci- posium in Europe organized by the European entists worldwide have used different combinations Community. He notes that Judaism defines an of chemical growth-factors to urge these embryonic embryo as such only after It has existed for 14 days—not from the moment of fertilization. stem-cells to specialize. (Continued on page 8) They've developed them into about half the
Genetic Research into Usher Syndrome May Help Ashkenazi Jews by CAROL KATZMAH, Editor• At the age of five, Wendy Samuelson was diagnosed with a hearing loss. But, at the age of eight, when she "fell out'of the car one night" while getting out, her family knew it was something more serious. The combined hearing loss and the beginnings of what doctors learned was retinitis pigm&ntosa (a gradual loss of vision) led to a diagnoses of Usher Syndrome, This syndrome is a genetic condition, caused by recessive genes in both parents. In Wendy's case, her Type HI Usher Syndrome will, if untreated, lead to increasing loss of hearing and vision and balance problems. {Type I Usher Syndrome includes infants born deaf, with retinitis pigmentosa [RPj and balance problems; Type II includes those born with moderate hearing loss, RP and no balance problems.) Though Usher Syndrome has been identified in fewer than 40,000 people in the United States, it seems to have a higher percentage among Ashkenazi Jews (and the Finnish population) and doctors at the Boys Town National Research Hospital (BTNRH) in Omaha would like to know why. Samuelson, an attorney in New York and a member of the Usher Syndrome Advisory Committee at BTNRH, was in Omaha last month to promote the expansion of the facilities and research program that could lead to new discoveries in genetic testing, gene therapy and treatment of Usher Syndrome. (Continued on page 8)
INSIDE: JPWS,
Christians and Muslims
in Dialogue.......,..................^^.
-page 7
Docente Needed for NJHS &rftibit....page 10 „page t l