Ohio Jewish Chronicle, 1985-08-01

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Serving Columbus and Central Ohio Jewish Community for Over 60 Years
VOL.63   NO.31
AUGUST 1,1985-AV 14
Devoted to American
and Jewish Ideals.
Holocaust Survivor Wins $50,000
Reward Offered By Revisionists
Maceabiah '85 Held Last Week At Center Day Camp
Maceabiah '85 was held last week at the Leo Yassenoff Jewish Day Camp. Seen here
is Tom Tobin (left), Bexley police chief, reading a proclamation from Mayor David
Madison announcing the start of the games. David Mizrachi, son of Moshe and Judith
Mizrachi, makes it under the pole in one of many different events (photo at right).
Although"everyone was a winner in the two-day competition, the red team took first
prize in the first through fourth grade competition.
Local Couple Travels To Soviet Union
As Part Of People-To-People Program
On June 24, Dr. Leroy and
Caryn Bloomberg traveled
to Russia as members of the
goodwill People-to-People
travel program for a 15 day
visit to three major cities
and spent time visiting eye
hospitals, polyclinics and research centers. J
Dr. Bloomberg was one of
15 ophthalmologists in the
United States selected to
participate in this People-to-
People goodwill group. He is
a Newark ophthalmologist
and director of the Bloomberg Eye Center. Mrs.
Bloomberg is a certified ophthalmic technician.
The highlight of the
Bloomberg's trip was an ex
tensive visit with Dr. Svyato-
slav' Fyodorov, director of
the Moscow Research Institute of Eye Microsurgery.
Dr. Fyodorov is responsible
for developing the surgical
procedure of radial kerato-
tpmy, the eye surgery to correct nearsightedness:   '
Dr. Bloomberg was particularly interested in peeing
the "assembly line" surgery
for radial keratotomy surgery. A conveyor, belt moves
seven patients down a line of
surgeons, who each performs one part of the surgical procedure. Dr. Bloom-,
berg felt strongly that this
would never work in this
country, but explained that it
Dr. Leroy Bloomberg of Newark, Ohio, (left) and Dr.
Svyatoslav Fyodorov, director of the Moscow Research Institute of Eye Microsurgery, met during Dr.
Bloomberg's recent trip to Russia as a member of the
goodwill People-to-People travel program. Dr. Fyo-
rdorov's Assembly Line Radial Keratotomy at the Moscow Research Institute of Eye Microsurgery is pictured in the bottom photo. '
enables this Russian eye hospital to use very average
surgeons, training them to
do one specific part of the
surgery over and over until
they become experts. They
are able to do more cases per
surgeon and get better results by using the assembly
line concept, he said.
Another important part of
the visit to the U.S.S.R. was
a visit with Dr. Nikolai Ser-
gienko, director and chief
surgeon of the Kiev Eye
Polyclinic as well as deputy
minister of ophthalmology of
the Ukranian Health Ministry. Dr. Bloomberg and Dr.
Sergienko were able to exchange research and statistics on cataract and lens implant surgery.
Overall, Dr. Bloomberg
felt that the quality of medical care and the general conditions of the hospitals and
operating rooms that he
visited in the Soviet Union
could not compare to the
usual standards currently
accepted - in the United
States. He commented that
the conditions of the operating rooms and hospitals are
currently similar to those of
20 to 30 years ago in the
United-States. He also stated
that physicians and surgeons
in the U.S.S.R. are at a disadvantage because of unavailability of supplies,
equipment and educational
material being used throughout the western world/ His
impression was that there
were a few prominent physicians who have learned to
negotiate the system and
have thus become pioneers
in theiield of refractive surgery and intraocular lens
implants.
Before leaving the Soviet
Union, the Bloombergs
promised to send some re-
- cently published U.S. medical journals and ophthalmology texts that the physicians
» • might find useful.
LOS ANGELES (JTA) —
The Superior Court of Los
Angeles has ruled that the
Institute for Historical
Review must pay to a Holocaust survivor the $50,000
reward the" Institute offered
for "proof" that the Nazis
gassed Jews in concentration camps, the survivor's
attorney reported last week.
Superior Court Judge
Robert Wenke approved a
court settlement ordering
the Institute to pay the
survivor,' Mel Mermelstein,
the $50,000 reward. The Institute, which is based in Torrance, Calif., has consistently publicized its contention
that the Holocaust never
happened, a stand taken by
many "revisionist" historians.
The Institute, under terms
of the settlement reached
last Monday, must also pay
Mermelstein $100,000 for the
suffering he underwent
because of the widely publicized reward. The attorney, Gloria AUred, said that
paynlent may be reduced to
$40,000 if the Institute paid
the reward speedily. -.'
Mermelstein, 58, now of
Long Beach, Calif., sued the
Institute in February 1981
after the Institute sent him a
letter promising to pay him
$50,000 for "proof of the
gassing of Jews at AuschV
witz.
The Institute rejected his
proofs, and continued to
assert .the Holocaust had
never happened. Mermel-
, stein sued the Institute in
1981 for refusing to pay the
reward. Last week, two
weeks before -the trial of
Mermelstein's suit was to
start, the Institute agreed to
a settlement.
Ohev Israel Temple Installs
Its First Woman President
Ohev Israel Temple in
Newark held a dinner on Saturday, July 13, celebrating
the installation of new officers for 1985-86. Breaking
with a tradition dating back
to 1907, a woman president of
the congregation was installed. Caryn Bloomberg will
serve the congregation as its
president for the next year. ,
The installing officer was"
Scott Lange, outgoing president of the board. Other officers installed include Leonard Carlson, vice-president;
Terry Lange, secretary, and
Marget)avidoff, treasurer.
Ohev Israel Congregation
has served the Jewish families of Licking County since
its formation in 1907, but the
history of the Newark Jewish community dates back to
1898. Some of the first Jewish
families arriving in the area
- at this time are names that
are still recognized in this
community. There were the
Lichtensteins, Plaines,
Ragens, Rothsteins, Schon-
bergs and Schiffs: Most of
these early Jewish families
opened retail stores in the
downtown area.
In the early years, religious services were held on
the second floors of these
Jewish-owned retail stores.
The congregation was officially formed in 1907 when
Mike Schonberg was elected
, president of the temple. It
was not until 1950 that the
congregation built its own
building at the corner of
Woods and Selby Sts., where
its is still located today.
During the winter months
- of 1984; the building was
closed after it was discovered that it had been constructed with an asbestos
ceiling. Again, the congregation took up temporary quarters. Religious services were
held at the Bloomberg Eye
Center and.religious school
for the children was held
both at the fBloomberg Eye
(CONTINUED ONlPAGE 5)
The Institute, as part of
the settlement, also agreed
to apologize in writing to
Mermelstein and other
Auschwitz survivors for saying the Holocaust was a
myth. The statement has
been signed and is part of the
court records. The Institute
also must declare publicly
"the fact that Jews were
gassed at Auschwitz is indisputable."
Soviet Union
May Be Warming
Toward Israel
GENEVA (JTA)—It was a
small sign but possibly a
significant one that the Soviet Union is warming toward Israel after 18 years of
bitter hostility and broken
diplomatic ties with the Jewish State, dating from the
. Six-Day War.
Sari Rauber, Swiss correspondent at the Israeli
daily, Maariv, received an
invitation.'■ teft" days ago to
dine at the home of Evgenie
Korjev- the local Tass
bureau chief. It was the first
time since 1967 that an Israeli journalist was invited
to the home of a Russian colleague. Tass is the official
Soviet news agency. The correspondent of the Swiss Telegraphic Agency was also invited.
1
-A
. Planning the program for the Columbus Jewish-
Foundation Aug. 8 Institute are (I. to r.) Dr. Irving
Fried, Allan Finkelstein, Dr. Earl Yaillen, .Steve
Rosenthal and Alan Gill.
Program Set For Jewish Foundation
Institute And Annual Dinner, Aug, %
At the Columbus Jewish
Foundation's Annual
Meeting, Aug. 8 at Winding
Hollow Country Club, some
of the community's most
knowledgeable Jewish communal professionals and lay
leaders will participate in"
workshops, addressing key
"quality of life" concerns for
the Jewish community.
Leading the discussion on
the Jewish Family will be
facilitator Dr. Earl Yaillen,
executive director of Jewish
Family Service (JFS), and
resource consultant Steve
Rosenthal, JFS director of
Vocational Services. The
summarize!* will be Don
Garlikov.
Facilitating the workshop
on Jewish Education will be
Allan Finkelstein, executive
director of the Leo Yassenoff
Jewish Center. Serving as
resource consultant will be
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