German
Activities
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In
Germany, it provides annual awards to five non-Jewish Germans
who have made extraordinary contributions to preserving
Jewish history, culture, cemeteries and synagogues in their
own local communities. The awards are co-sponsored by the
Berlin Parliament and given in its elegant plenary chamber.
They have received extensive international publicity. More
complete information is available at http://www.obermayer.us/award.
Another
German activity has been the initiation and support of the
Creglingen Jewish
Museum, which is housed in a small German community
at the location to which Arthur Obermayer's ancestors first
moved at the beginning of the 30 Years War in 1618. This
has been a joint project, with major funding also coming
from the city of Creglingen, the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg,
a German foundation, and individual Germans and Jews. It
represents a way in which this community can take pride
in the contributions of its former Jewish residents.
A third
German activity has been the set-up and maintenance of the
very extensive German-Jewish genealogy website at http://www.jewishgen.org/gersig.
In September
2007 Arthur Obermayer received the Bundesverdienstkreuz
award from the German Federal Republic.
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U.S.
Government Policy
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More
than 25 years ago, the Obermayers played a major role in
designing and promoting the legislation that led to the
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Since
then, they have continued to support programs that will
lead to more open and responsive government on a local,
national and international level. The most recent effort
has grown out of an op-ed to
expand and enhance the role of the Peace Corps so that it
can represent a significant component of U.S. foreign policy
by reaching the hearts and minds of people throughout the
world.
The
most recent effort relates to a new foundation for war
and peace leading to an op-ed.
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U.S.
Social Justice
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| Its U.S.
work is largely concerned with social justice and expanding
economic opportunity for all. Areas of focus include enabling
economic self-sufficiency for Boston's disadvantaged population,
creating expanded economic opportunities for minority and
women-owned businesses, and promoting community economic development
investing. Other American support has been related to Jewish
history and genealogy, interfaith families, and access to
alternative news media. |
Israel
Equal Rights
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| Much
of the Obermayer Foundation's Israel-related activities deal
with equality of rights for all Israelis, whether they be
non-Orthodox Jews, women, and Arabs. Additionally, it has
supported efforts related to the peace process between Israelis
and Palestinians. One project has been the publication of
the American Editorial
Review to help promote understanding of American values
and perspectives by Israelis. |
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