^^^
PJewish Floridian
Off Tampa
Volume 9 Number 21
Tampa, Florida Friday, October 16, 1987
 AMI
Price 36 Cnta
Second Annual Leadership Institute Scheduled For Nov. 8
One People, One Destiny.
This phrase describes where
the Jewish people have been
and where they are going. Too
often, the Tampa Jewish com-
munity forgets that it is an en-
tity striving for excellence and
unity. People set priorities and
join organizations and/or con-
gregations based on personal
ideological commitments.
Nevertheless, the Tampa
Rodeph Sholom First
Annual Celebrity Roast!
"Sammy was eight or nine,
and one day I got a phone call
from the school principal who
said that Sammy had thrown
another boy into a garbage
can," said Mama Bobo about
her youngest son. "When I
talked to Sammy, I found that
the other boy had insulted
Sammy's being Jewish. In
Macon, Georgia, in those days,
that was reason enough for a
fight, so the principal didn't
punish Sammy and neither did
House
Approves
A 'Hate
Crimes'Bill
WASHINGTON (JTA) -
A "hate crimes" bill that
would impose federal criminal
penalties for damage to
religious property and injury
to persons in the free exercise
of their religious beliefs was
approved by the house on a
voice vote Monday.
The bill, introduced by Rep.
Dan Glickman (D., Kan.), pro-
vides for fines up to $250,000
and/or imprisonment for
anyone who causes $10,000 or
more damage to a church,
synagogue, religious cemetery
or other religious real property
or causes serious bodily injury
to a person trying to exercise
his religious beliefs.
The House passed a similar
bill introduced by Glickman
Continued on Pag* 3
I," Mama continued.
Sammy Bobo has continued
his devotion to Judaism and
will be honored by Congrega-
tion Rodeph Sholom at a din-
ner dance to be held on Satur-
day, Oct. 24, at the Tampa Air-
port Marriott Hotel at 7:30
p.m.
One of seven children, Sam-
my was born in Macon, and
was a Bar Mitzvah at Knesset
Israel, the little wooden shul
on Central Avenue, soon after
the family moved to Tampa.
Rabbi Wernick was the Rabbi
and had a son Sammy's age, so
Rabbi Wernick had a great in-
fluence in Sammy's life when
Sammy's father died the year
after the Bar Mitzvah. He met
his wife, Rieva, current
Sisterhood" president, at a
Jewish Singles party in
Jacksonville and they were
engaged three months later.
Sam's dedication to Judaism
and Rodeph Sholom has been
almost a legend. His election
as president of Rodeph Sholom
in 1978 was no surprise. He's
been a president of the Men's
Club, a very active member of
Morning Conductors' Group,
the Ritual Committee, and the
Board of Directors.
The entire Bobo family's
generosity to the Shul is well
known. Perhaps most famous,
is Mama's baklava and other
delicacies. Maybe this has
something to do with Sammy's
fame. Mama's ideas of family
loyalty and devotion to
Judaism certainly have in-
fluenced Sammy and been an
inspiration to all.
Jewish community is a people
with a shared culture, who has
one destiny, survival. Sunday,
Nov. 8, Rabbi Reuven
Kimelman, Yale Scholar will
meet with the leadership of the
Federation, the Jewish Com-
munity Center, Jewish Family
Services, the Hillel Day School
and area synagogues to
discuss how it can truly strive
towards becoming one
cohesive entity. The program
will be held at the Guest
Quarters Hotel, beginning at 9
a.m.
"The theme of this year's In-
stitute is Commitment and
Community Building," accor-
ding to co-chairman, Sandy
Mahr. "Rabbi Kimelman cer-
tainly has the charisma, per-
sonality and intelligence to
challenge Tampa's leadership
to reach for the best it can be,"
Mahr added. "He really has
the ability to stimulate one's
desire to explore Ids or her
personal values and
commitment."
Rabbi Kimelman, scholar-in-
residence for the Second An-
nual Leadership Institute was
recently recognized by Mo-
ment Magazine as one of the
Jews to watch in the 1980's. In
addition to being the author of
numerous publications, in-
cluding, "Tzedakkah and Us,"
Kimelman teaches Talmud at
Brandeis University.
"This year's institute, spon-
sored by the Tampa Jewish
Federation, is designed to give
its leadership the tools to
achieve excellence," com-
mented Joyce Swarzman, co-
chairman of the program.
"Last year, we held our first
seminar and we strove to
achieve greater agency
cooperation and communica-
tion. We made positive in-
roads," added Swarzman,
"this year, we look forward to
also communicating with the
synagogue leadership, for we
recognize that Jewish com-
munal life reflects both
religious and secular values."
For further information
about the program, contact
Lisa Bush at the Tampa
Jewish Federation, 875-1618.
JERUSALEM Palestinian Arabs leave the
Temple mount in haste, carrying one who was
overcome by teargas fired by Israeli border
police who broke up a confrontation between
Jews and Moslems. Arab worshippers tried to
AP/Wide World Photo
stop efforts by Orthodox Jews, members of the
right-wing Temple Mount Faithful, to pray at
the site which is sacred to both Judaism and
Islam. Israeli police rapidly dispersed both
sides after firing warning shots.
Right-Wing Extremists Convicted Of IRS Threats
By SUSAN BIRNBAUM
NEW YORK (JTA) -
Five members of a rightwing
tax-protest group with links to
a violently anti-Semitic
organization were convicted in
Las Vegas of threatening the
lives of agents of the Internal
Revenue Service and a Nevada
state judge.
The five are members of the
Committee of the States, a
group affiliated with the Chris-
tian Identity movement, which
espouses the belief that the
Jews are the children of Satan
and which calls the United
States government "ZOG" -
"Zionist-Occupied Govern-
ment." The Committee was
formed in 1984 in Mariposa,
California.
Convictions in Federal
District Court in Las Vegas
were meted out to Rev.
William Potter Gale, who
heads the Ministry of Christ
Church in Mariposa and is
founder of the Identity move-
ment; Fortunate Parrino, an
assistant at the church;
Richard Van Hazel of Arizona;
and Patrick McCray and his
brother George McCray, of
Nevada. A sixth defendant,
Gary Dolfin of Nevada, plead-
ed guilty to lesser charges
after the trial began.
In addition, two others nam-
ed in the indictment, Angelo
Stefanelli and Susan Kieffer of
Nevada, pleaded guilty to
reduced charges and agreed to
cooperate with the
government.
Those convicted face possi-
ble maximum sentences of 34
years' imprisonment and fines
of $250,000, according to assis-
tant U.S. prosecuting attorney
Richard Pocker.
The trial was monitored by
the Anti-Defamation League
of B'nai B'rith in Los Angeles,
which has furnished informa-
tion on the case to law enforce-
ment agencies throughout the
country. Betsy Rosen thai,
ADL Western states civil
rights director, called the ver-
dict a "warning to extremists
that the American people will
not tolerate their threats of
physical harm to our officials
and government institutions."
The ADL had obtained
documents from the Commit-
tee's first meeting, among
which was a statement warn-
ing that any attempt to in-
terfere with the group by any
person or government agency
would "result in the death
penalty being imposed upon
conviction by said
Committee."
For many years, the ADL
has been monitoring Gale, who
has a solidly racist, anti-
Semitic resume. According to
Rosenthal, it was Gale who
first introduced Rev. Richard
Continued on Page 3