In Memorium To Edith Berk Germans Release Kurt Franz Who Passed Away July 30, 1993 TO MY BAUBI ONLY MY BAUBI BEFORE HOLD ING A BABY WOULD WASH HERSELF GOOD AND THEN HOLD UP HER HANDS TO SHOW NO GERMS. ONLY MY BAUBI SANG "YIDDLE DIDDLE DEE" THAT WOULD MAKE ALL BABIES DANCE OR GOT ANY CHILD TO EAT BY URGING "EAT MUMELAH EAT." ONLY MY BAUBI MADE GEFILTE FISH AND KUCHEN THAT NO ONE COULD MATCH A "STATUS SYMBOL" FOR T HOSE WHO RECEIVED THEM THE TRUEST ENVY OF ALL. ONLY MY BAUBI HAD HANDS THAT MEASURED ALL RECIPES WITH EASE OR WITH A KISS ON THE KEPEE COULD FEEL WHO WAS SICK. ONLY MY BAUBI COULD SIT WITH MY DATE AND I AT THE KITCHEN TABLE AND GIGGLE AND TALK FOR HOURS LIKE ONE OF THE GROUP. ONLY MY BAUBI KNEW EVERYONE WHEN THEY WERE THIS HIGH WHICH ONE WAS THE TRUMBANICK OR WHICH ONE WAS SHY. ONLY MY BAUBI WON THE HIGHEST DISTINCTION OF BEING TOTALLY COOL BY ALL OF MY FRIENDS. ONLY MY BAUBI (MANY TIMES) WOULD WAIT THROUGH OUR BUSY SCHEDULES O LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING US EVERY SATURDAY FOR A COUPLE HOURS. ONLY MY BAUBI WOULD WORRY IF YOUR COAT WASN'T WARM ENOUGH BOOTS WEREN'T HIGH ENOUGH THE HEAT WAS ON OR IF YOU HAD FOOD FOR THE KIDS FOR DINNER THAT DAY. ONLY MY BAUBI WOULD EAT HOT DOGS OR MCDONALDS OR KIT KATS OR ICE CREAM WITH ME AND MY KIDS. ONLY MY BAUBI COULD MAKE ME B FEEL THINGS OULD REALLY BE ALRIGHT WHEN A MOTHER I FIRST EC OR KEPT MY SPIRITS UP WHEN THINGS SEEMED SO BLEAK. ONLY MY BAUBI HAD ADVICE THAT WAS RIGHT AND I KNEW IT WAS RIGHT BECAUSE ONLY MY BAUBI HAD THAT "WISDOM THAT KNEW." ONLY MY BAUBI HAD A HOME SO CLEAN A REFRIGERATOR SO FULL AND A HAPPINESS SO DEEPLY FELT WHEN WE CAME TO VISIT. WELL I ONLY HOPE MY BAUBI KNEW HOW JEN LOVED TO CALL HER HOW DAVID LOVED THE ANSWER TO THE RIDDLE "DO YOU KNOW WHAT?" HOW MUCH HER ADVICE HELPED HOW THIS YEAR I WILL BUY BOOTS HOW I TOO ALWAYS WASH MY HANDS BEFORE I PICK UP MY FRIENDS BABIES AND HOW MUCH AT 9:00 EVERY MORNING I WILL MISS HER PHONE CALLS. LAURIE 148 THE BRAVER FAMILY New York (JTA) — Jewish groups were astounded last week to learn from news reports that Germany had released Kurt Franz, deputy commandant of the Treblinka death camp, who had been serving a life sentence for his wartime crimes. The information about the release, which was learned only from a wire service report, rubbed fresh wounds opened by the acquittal last week by the Israeli Supreme Court of John Demjanjuk, who had faced charges that he was "Ivan the Terrible," the notorious Treblinka guard. Mr. Franz, 79, was freed sometime in May, German officials told reporters after the release was made known. Mr. Franz was sentenced to life in prison in 1965 by a war crimes tribunal in Dusseldorf for his part in the murder of at least 300,000 people, including 193 by his own hand in Treblinka. Mr. Franz was freed, despite objections from German prosecutors, under a proviso of German law permitting release any time after a minimum 15 years of a life sentence is served. "I can tell you that it's not at all linked to Demjanjuk," said an assistant to the German ambassador in Washington. and most terrifying of the SS officers there." "It is incomprehensible how someone who caused so much harm to so many could ever receive a lightening of his sentence," said Weizman of the Wiesenthal Center. Elan Steinberg, executive director of the World Jewish Congress, called Franz's release "obscene. It is a crime against memory." Amcha-The Coalition for Jewish Concerns sent tele- grams protesting his release to German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and to the German ambassador to Washington, Immo Stabreit. Representatives of Jewish organizations were shocked and angered by the release. "I didn't know about it. I think we were all taken by surprise here," said Mark Weizman, director of educa- tional outreach at the Simon Wiesenthal Center's New York office. "I think that his release makes a mockery of the sentence, in that Kurt Franz was not just a cog in the machinery. He was not drafted," Mr. Weizman said. He pointed out that Mr. Franz had a full Nazi resume, beginning with his participation in the eutha- nasia program at the Buchenwald concentration camp, and on through a stint as deputy to the comman- dant at Belzec and then on to Treblinka. According to the En- cyclopedia of the Holocaust, "At Treblinka, Franz dominated daily life at the camp. He was the cruelest ❑ Knesset Adopts Health Bills Jerusalem (JTA) — Israel moved this week a step closer to having a unified national health insurance system, as the Knesset adopted seven different — and at times conflicting — bills in its first of three readings under the parliamentary system. In the present situation, health insurance is offered by a number of sick funds. each with a certain political affiliation. The largest sick fund, the Histadrut's Kupat Holim, is suffering from a deep finan- cial crisis. Health Minister Haim Ramon presented a bill which was also supported by members of the opposition, granting citizens health ser- vices in return for 4.8 per- cent of their income. The bill is revolutionary in that it removes the insurea from the politically affiliated sick fund. The government would be responsible for a co-called "health basket," which would allow each citizen to choose a sick fund. The fees would be collected by the Institute of National Insurance, in contrast with the present situation. Some Labor Knessef members, concerned that the new bill would empty ti , c Histadrut trade union fed- eration of its powers, pre sented a separate bill that would leave money collec- tion in the hands of the Histadrut while providinL2 better-quality health ser vices. ❑