Ohio Jewish Chronicle, 1989-05-25

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Serving Columbus and Central Ohio Jewish Community lor Over 60 Years
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VOL.67   NO. 21
MAY 25, 1989-IYAR 20
Devoted to Amorican
and Jewish Ideals.
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Lebanese Hijacker To Appeal
Conviction And Life Sentence
BONN (JTA) -^ Lawyers for Mohammed Hamadei said
last week they would appeal the life sentence a Frankfurt
court imposed on the Lebanese hijacker. The penalty is the
most severe possible under German law, which does not permit capital punishment. But Hamadei seemed unmoved and
smiled when it was pronounced. He was convicted of the June
1985 hijacking of a TWA airliner bound from Athens to Rome
and the murder of a passenger, U.S. Navy diver Robert
Stethem. — ■  " .'■   .   -        .    . ..■;
Visiting Estonian Officials Sign
Exchange Agreement With Israel
TEL AVIV (JTA) — The Soviet Baltic republic of Estonia
has signed an agreement with Israel for an exchange of
experts, beginning next year. The pact, believed to be the
first of its kind with a Soviet republic, was announced by the
Estonian first deputy minister of agriculture, Velio Lind, as a
12-member Estonian delegation wound up an official visit ot
Israel, the first ever from a Soviet republic.
Israel's 41st Celebrated In Moscow
NEWYORK (JTA)—For the first time in 22 years, Israel's
Independence Day was officially celebrated in Moscow, May
17, with a diplomatic reception. The guests included
representatives of the Soviet Foreign Ministry. The reception
was hosted by the Israeli consular delegation, headed by
Aryeh Levin, which has been in the Soviet capital since last
summer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency was informed by
Rabbi Arthur Schneier of the Park East Synagogue/here.
Cantors Assembly Again Turns Down
Proposal To Admit Qualified Women
KIAMESHA LAKE, N.Y.
(JTA) —For the second year
in a row, the Cantors Assembly has rejected a proposal
to offer membership to
women who receive cantorial degrees from the Jewish
Theological Seminary of
America.
The vote on a motion to
amend the assembly's bylaws to admit women members was 108-82, 19 votes
short of the two-thirds
majority required for passage.
The balloting took place
here during the 42nd annual
convention of the assembly,
which is affiliated with the
Conservative movement and
is the world's largest body of
hazzanim. Cantor Robert
Kieval of Rockville, Md.,
was elected president of the
assembly, succeeding Cantor Solomon Mendelson of
Long Beach, N.Y.
Since 1987, JTS has
granted the diploma of hazzan to women who have successfully  completed   the
required course of study at
its Cantors Institute. But the
Cantors Assembly, a professional organization of Conservative cantors, has not
yet recognized women graduates of the institute.
Last May, a 97-95 majority
of the assembly voted
against a motion to admit
qualified women cantors.
This year, the forces supporting the admission of
women picked up 13 votes,
but that was not enough to
change the rules.
In a statement issued by
the assembly after the vote, •
outgoing President Mendelson said, "The issue of admitting women cantors to
membership is a sensitive
and emotional one that poses
complex questions of tradition, religious authority, the
status of women in the synagogue and many other
factors."
He added, "The Cantors
Assembly calls on all its
members and the American
Jewish   community,   what-
Community Solidarity For Soviet Jewry
Scheduled For May 31 At Temple Israel
tions are suggested.
Rabbi Feidman will share
his unique perspective on the
trauma Soviet Jewish emigrants experience, as part of
the "Passage To Freedom"
Campaign, an effort to raise
$1 million in funds locally
and recruit volunteer assistance and donations to aid in
' theresettlement of Soviet
Jews.
; "This is an opportunity for
us to gather together as a
community and be sensitized
to the current and future
needs of the emigres," explained Holly Kastan, co-
chairwoman of Jewish Family Services' Resettlement
Committee. "Rabbi Feld-
man's background as a Jew
__ growing up" in a repressive
At The Federation »   Marxist society will help us
understand  what  Soviet
Columbus Jewish community members are invited to
demonstrate solidarity on
behalf of Soviet Jewry by
attending a special community gathering oh Wednesday, May 31, at 7:30 p.m. to
meet and hear the personal
odyssey of Rabbi Leonid
Feidman, the ^first former
Soviet Jewish ref usenik to be™
ordained a conservative
rabbi at Temple Israel, 5419
E. Broad St.
The event, organized by
Jewish Family Services and
the Columbus Jewish Federation, is free and open to the
entire community. Seating is
still available and reserva-
f n The Chronicle
the "Passage to Freedom"
Campaign. "It will take our
united efforts to raise funds,
recruit volunteers and coordinate the services needed
to successfully absorb these
refugees."
Contact the Federation, at
237-7686, to make reservations.
Anti-Defamation
M.D. Portman At
The Anti-Defamation
League of B'nai B'rith has
selected the Honorable M.D.
Portman to be the first recipient of its Jack Resler
Award. The presentation
will be made at a tribute luncheon on Sunday, June 4, at
12:30 . p.m. at the Hyatt
Regency uvCoIumbus. It will
be a highlight of the annual
meeting of the ADL's Ohio-
Kentucky-Indiana Regional
Advisory Board, to be held
that weekend.
"This annual award will
be presented by the ADL to
individuals in our tri-state
region who have distinguished themselves by
demonstrating the highest
values of civic and communal leadership," said
Daniel J. Kayne, chairman
of the Regional Advisory
Board.
Allan A. Ryan, Jr;, general
League To Honor
Annual Meeting
counsel at Harvard University and former director of
the U.S. Justice Depart}
ment's Office of Special
Investigations, will be the"
keynote speaker. In his position at O.S.I. Ryan was in
Ruth Ann Blank To Be Installed
As President Of Jewish Center
Ruth Ann Blank wil be installed as president of the
Classified   8
Community Calendar 2
Editorial Features   Z
Fifty Years Ago   a
Marketplace  "0
Obituaries... ,.. ft
Social News 6
Synagogue Services......  ft
S
far
Jews endure merely because
they are Jews. That understanding will enable us to
welcome and integrate them
into our community more
successfully."
"We are mobilizing the entire Jewish community to
meet the needs of this historic challenge," said Miriam
Yenkin, vice-chairwoman of
Ruth Ann Blank
Leo Yassenoff Jewish Center
at the Center's Annual Meet
ing, to be held on Wednesday, June 7, in the Center's
Roth/Resler Theatre, at 7:30
p.m. The meeting is open to
all Center members and
friends.
"All those who are interested in the Jewish Center
and its members' many
contributions to our community are welcome to
attend the evening, which
promises to be more than
just a standard business
meeting," invite Sandy Mei-
sel and Helissa Meizlish,
Annual Meeting chairpersons. "As is tradition, more
than 300 people are expected
to attend."
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 7)
M.D. Portman
charge of the investigation
and prosecution of Nazi war
criminals in America,
including the case of John
Demjanjuk. In 1988, he presented the case against Kurt
Waldheim before the International Commission of Inquiry, which was televised
worldwide from London.
Ryan is the author of Quiet
Neighbors, an account of his
prosecution of Nazi war
criminals.
In announcing the award,
Kayne noted that Councilman Portman has contributed 30 years of his life to
public service for the people
of Columbus. Following service as executive assistant to
the mayor and as the city's
director of finance, he ran
successfully for City Council
in 1969. Portman has gone on
to be reelected to city council
more than any other council-
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 6)
ever their personal feelings,
to accept this decision with
understanding."
Mendelson also pointed out
that for years the Cantors
Assembly has been providing scholarship assistance to both male and
female students at the
Cantors Institute.
"We shall, of course, continue this procedure in the
future," he said.
A statement issued by
women cantors and cantorial •
students at JTS said: ,!'We
are saddened and disappointed that qualified women
cantors have once again been
denied membership in the
Cantors Assembly.
"But the future is very
clear. A majority of our colleagues already demand
that women be admitted to
this professional association.
We know that all members of
the Cantors Assembly will
soon realize the invaluable
contributions that women
cantors are making to
Jewish life.
"Together with those colleagues who lobbied passionately on our behalf, we
will continue to insist that
qualified women be granted
admission to our movement's professional organization." . ■   .
JWV To Conduct
Memorial Service
Post Commander, Larry
Felsenthal, announced that
members of Capitol Post 122,
Jewish War Veterans, will
meet at 5 p.m. Friday, May
26, at the Old Agudas Achim
Cemetery on Alum Creek.
Drive and proceed to the
other Jewish cemeteries to
place flags at the graves of
all departed veterans.
A memorial service will be
conducted Sunday, May 28,
at 11 a.m. at the New Agudas
Achim Cemetery on Refugee
Road. Rabbi Howard Apothaker will conduct the service, which the entire community is invited to attend.
The names of all departed
veterans will be read at the
service. Anyone who has a
name to be added to this list
should call Ed Schecter at
239-8530.
. The Jewish War Veterans
is the.nation's oldest active
veteran's organization and
acts as the patriotic voice of
American Jewry.
Solidarity Gathering For Soviet Jewry