Sponsored by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Endowment Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA January 13, 2012 18 Tevet 5772 Vol. 92 | No. 17
Buddy Goldstein made a difference
This Week
by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press When in 2011 the Jewish Federation of Omaha named Leonard “Buddy” Goldstein Humanitarian of the Year, the accompanying Press article stated he was “more than deserving of the title, and made a difference in the lives of hundreds.” Buddy died Friday, Jan. 6, at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. He is survived by his wife, Shirley Goldstein; son, Donald Goldstein; daughter and son-in-law, Gail and Phil Raznick of Boulder, CO, and daughter Kathy Helm; 6 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren and many close friends. “Five years ago,” said Donald, “I had an opportunity to interview Dad for a StoryCorps oral history project. I asked him the most important lesson that he had learned from his own father. His answer was: “You don’t live for yourself alone. If you have an ability to help others, you have an obligation to do so.” It’s a lesson that he has ingrained in all of us, and a legacy that we hope to continue.” During his 90 years, Buddy was a philanthropist in the Omaha Jewish community and a role model to many. Not in the least to his children and grandchildren: “Most of you called him Buddy,” granddaughter
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Molly said at the memorial service, “but we called him Papa. The Omaha community, and beyond, knew of his commitment to human rights,” she said. “The Jewish com-
After the war, he returned to Omaha and joined his father and brothers in the family business, Capitol Rent-ACar. Whenever Buddy was mentioned, it was often in tandem with his wife Shirley, and often because of their tireless work on behalf of the Free Soviet Jewry movement beginning in the 1970s. When Leonard and Shirley Goldstein returned from a 1972 trip to the USSR, they felt frustrated by the limited access they had to the Soviet Jewish population. Shirley’s involvement deepened with subsequent trips behind the Iron Curtain. She organized Omaha’s Leonard “Buddy” Goldstein Free Soviet Jewry munity knew of his generosity and Committee, and served on the board leadership. But we knew the most of the National Union of Councils important thing to Papa was his for Soviet Jews. She led demonstrafamily.” tions, raised awareness and funds, A child of immigrants, Buddy met and through it all, Buddy was her his future wife, Shirley Gershun, in rock. Always by his wife’s side, he high school. They married in 1942 supported her every step of the way, when Buddy was 2nd Lieutenant in shared her concerns, and underthe United States Army Air Corps. wrote her activism.
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by OZZIE NOGG The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home has an impressive new mezuzah outside it’s front door. The watertight, 5foot tall sculpture -- an over-sized representation of the Home’s logo -is a gift from Sharee and Murray Newman. “When given the opportunity to select a location to recognize our participation in the Rose Blumkin Home building project, Sharee and I chose without hesitation the Front Entryway Garden Mezuzah,” Murray said. “As we have been taught, the mezuzah fulfills the mitzvah to inscribe the words of the Shema ‘on the doorposts of your house’. These sacred words remind us all as we come and go what this amazing Omaha community can and does accomplish year-in and yearout. The Rose Blumkin Home is a testament to that vision and dream.” Rabbi Yaakov Weiss, RBJH Pastoral Services Coordinator, acted as sofer -- scribe -- for the scroll now housed inside the mezuzah
case. “The scroll is seven feet long and made out of special bleed-proof graffiti paper,” Weiss explained. “I set up shop in the Blumkin Home
The mezuzah is located at the front of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. and outlined the Hebrew letters by hand, without tracing or photocopying. Many residents and staff watched and were engaged in the process.” During the three months it took to complete the scroll, Rabbi Weiss attended BBYO meetings and Omaha Jewish Chai School sessions where he taught students about the mitzvah of mezuzah and discussed with them the significance of the passages from Deuteronomy that make up the text. Eventually, each Continued on page 2
But Buddy was also a force to be reckoned with in his own right. From 1976 until 1978, he served as President of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. His philanthropy touched every agency on campus, and has always distinguished itself because it involved more than financial assistance. Buddy was adamant that much of his and Shirley’s support go to those causes that furthered educational opportunities and emphasized the importance of empowering others. That emphasis on education included his own family. Grandson Zak remembers: “All six of us [grandchildren] have experienced the sense of accomplishment (or fear) in getting the silent nod of approval from Papa when talking about our education or careers. He would sit in his chair with a newspaper or book, and ask what you were doing, and what your plans were. And as you talked, you kind of watched him and waited for the nod that said what you were doing was o.k. And if, instead, you got a raise of his eyebrows, you knew you’d better think hard about whether you were doing the right thing.” “Leonard and Shirley established two endowment funds prior to my arrival,” said Marty Ricks, Executive Continued on page 11
Expertise, passion, and determination by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press On Jan. 22, the Jewish Federation of Omaha will host a tribute to retiring Chief Development Officer Jan Goldstein. The entire community is invited to say thank you to one of the Federation’s most treasured professionals. Originally, Jan graduated with a BFA in Art History from UCLA. “I was certain I was on my way to working in the movie industry or would one day be the curator of a wonderful antiquities collection in some metropolitan art museum,” she says. “But that was 1970, and my sudden move to Omaha changed all those aspirations. Without an advanced degree in art history available at the time, my expectations soon changed.” Jan started working at the Barclay Gallery, located at Westroads Mall. The gallery didn’t stay open for long: “Volunteering at a few other galleries and selling commercial art put me on a path to nowhere, until the day I walked into the newly built Jewish Community Center on 132nd Street. I hoped I could per-
haps teach an art class; little did I know what was in store.” Jan met JCC Cultural Arts Director Mark Zalkin that day, and he just happened to be looking for an Assistant Director with an art
Jan Goldstein background. “From Mark, I learned about working with people, understanding the Jewish mission, and the division of responsibilities between lay leaders and professionals.” However, it was the Omaha community that taught Jan the importance of a strong and supportive Jewish community, “not so apparent to someone raised in Southern California’s San Fernando Continued on page 3