January 14, 2011

Sponsored by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Endowment Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA

Traveling off the beaten path

January 14, 2011 9 Shevat 5771 Vol. 90 | No. 19

This Week

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press Eunie Denenberg wanted to go to Vietnam last year. When that didn’t work out, her friends, Susan Rothholz and Suzanne Singer, convinced her to travel to South America instead. Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, to be precise. “Traveling is a great way to learn about your surroundings,” Eunie said, “but it also teaches you so much about yourself. When you break out of the mold, get off the beaten path, you find real everyday life. Not the touristy “safe” stuff, but the reality of what happens in other places.”

The three women, accompanied by another friend, Sharon Rowe, left for two weeks in early December.

They took part in a group tour that provided them abundant time on their own to wander around and soak up the atmosphere.

“Rio was settled by Italians, and you can tell,” Eunie said. “There is a warm, beach-like personality that characterizes the city; it’s very playful and Mediterranean. Buenos Aires on the other hand is all about high fashion and sophistication.”

“Everybody always talks about

Shabbat in Liverpool: CD adapts Beatles’ tunes for services Page 4

Beth El Tu B’Shevat celebration at Lauritzen Gardens Page 7

Inside This Week Special focus on travel See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

America.”

Santiago, the capital of Chile, has an impressive five-and-a-half million residents. It is located in Chile’s

Eunie Denenberg, left, Suzanne Singer, Susan Rothholz, and Sharon Rowe. able, modern and clean city. You literally see no trash anywhere.”

Eunie agreed: “Santiago is almost haimish. It is extremely easy to get around. It’s isolated by the Andes, which immediately sets it apart from other cities. Its economy is more stable than people might think, and it is the financial center of South

Central Valley, approximately 1,700 ft. above sea level. Founded in 1541

by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia, it has a heavy Catholic presence. Nonetheless, it does have a small Jewish community: 12,500 of Chile’s 15,000 Jews live in Santiago.

In addition, a small group of Indigenous people in the South of

Chile, the Iglesia Israelita, observe many Jewish customs and consider themselves Jewish as well.

“In Rio, I wanted to see more than beaches and bikinis,” said Susan.

“The city has such an enormous population. Millions of people live there, and I was very interested to see how the poorer side lived. To be honest, I have seen worse poverty in Calcutta or Cape Town, but I was never able to get such a close-up look as in the poor sections of Rio.” With over six million residents, Rio is Brazil’s second largest city.

Famous for the great division between rich and poor, Rio is home to approximately 600 highly visible shantytowns, or Favelas, ruled by drug lords. One in five residents of Rio lives in the Favelas; in the country overall, that number is as high as 26%. To tourists, these poor neighborhoods are accessible via specially organized tours. “The Favelas were my main reason for coming to Rio,” Susan said. “Of course the beaches are gorgeous, but to see these people, and to be able to interact with some of them was such an experience.

One man showed us his living space, which was nothing more than Continued on page 2

Giffords known for her Tu B’Shevat in a new way openness and Judaism

Capetown, South Africa offers a perfect view Page 12

Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

how they love Buenos Aires more than Santiago,” Susan said, “but I disagree. Public transportation is privatized, and it is a very comfort-

8 10 11

by RON KAMPEAS as he walked away from a prayer WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The service Saturday night at Temple event was typical Gabrielle Giffords: Emanuel in Tucson, one of the southno barriers, all comers -- Democrats, eastern Arizona cities that Giffords Republicans and inderepresents in pendents welcome to talk Congress. about what was on their “Everyone calls minds and in their hearts. her Gabby, and While she was deep in a she will give a hug and rememconversation with an older ber your name.” couple about health care -Giffords was the issue for which she was the president of willing to risk her career -the tire company a gunman strode up to the founded by her Arizona congresswoman grandfather and shot her point blank in the head. when she was The critical wounding propelled into Gabrielle Giffords Jan. 8 of Giffords and the state politics in slaughter of six people Credit: giffordsforcongress.com part because of standing near her -- including a fed- her concerns about the availability of eral judge, her chief of community health care. She switched her regisoutreach and a 9-year-old girl inter- tration from Republican to ested in politics -- brought to a Democrat and in 2001, at 30, she was screeching halt the easy, open ambi- elected to the Arizona Legislature.

She gained prominence quickly in ence that typified Giffords’ politics, friends and associates said. that body and in 2006, at 36, she “She’s a warm person,” Stuart became the first Jewish woman Mellan, the president of the Jewish elected to Congress from her state.

Federation of Southern Arizona, said At the same time, her Judaism was becoming more central to her identity. The turning point came in 2001 following a tour of Israel with the American Jewish Committee, she told The Arizona Star in 2007.

“It just cemented the fact that I wanted to spend more time with my own personal, spiritual growth. I felt very committed to Judaism,” she said. “Religion means different things to different people. It Continued on page 2

by SHERRIE SAAG Development Associate, Jewish Federation of Omaha On Sunday, Jan. 23, from 1-3 p.m., the Omaha Jewish community will celebrate the Tu B’Shevat

Jewry’s current fundraising efforts to help in the reforestation, it seemed appropriate this year to recognize Tu B’Shevat in a new way, said Julee Katzman, Assistant Executive Director, Jewish

Local artist Calli Cohn has many talents, including creating desserts. holiday in a new way, with a special family art event on the JCC campus. Designed for kids 3rd grade and older with help from a parent or grandparent, those in attendance will be crafting mosaic tile flowerpots. With the help of local artist Calli Cohn, each piece will be unique, one of a kind and ready for planting in honor of the Tu B’Shevat holiday.

Pre-registration is required. The event costs $10 per child and includes all art materials and a special Tu B’Shevat-themed snack.

“With the recent, devastating fire in Israel’s Carmel Forest still fresh in our minds and American

Federation of Omaha.

To further our community’s commitment and fundraising efforts in the wake of the terrible fire and its aftermath, the Federation will be donating a portion of the afternoon’s proceeds to fire relief efforts in our Partnership region.

“We are so fortunate to have professional artist and ceramicist Calli Cohn with us for the afternoon. It will be a real art experience for all who join us,” Katzman added.

Calli just recently returned to Omaha, having grown up here the daughter of Susie and Marvin Cohn and granddaughter of Continued on page 3

2 | The Jewish Press | January 14, 2011

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Remarkably, Mr. Kripke accomplished all this without any advanced degrees. Again, according to The New York Times, Saul never received a graduate degree because: “Who could teach him anything he didn’t already know?

Instead, [Mr. Kripke] began teaching and publishing. His 1980 book Naming and Necessity, based on work he began in high school, is among the most influential philosophy books of the last 50 years.”

At the same time, Saul’s father, Rabbi Myer S. Kripke, has been a leading light in Omaha’s Jewish community for over 60 years.

By Sunday, Jan. 23, the rabbi will have just turned 97 years of age. “This milestone and all the significant contributions the Rabbi has made to our community is cause to celebrate,” said Gary Javitch, President of B’nai B’rith.

Rabbi Kripke was the spiritual leader of Beth El Synagogue for many years. He has been a major philanthropist, too, providing, for example, major funding to the Omaha Jewish Federation’s outstanding library, which is named for him and his late wife Dorothy, the Jewish Theological Seminary (in New York City) and to Creighton University.

“In addition, the Lodge wanted to recognize Saul Kripke Continued on page 3

Giffords known for her openness and Judaism

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by GARY JAVITCH for B’nai B’rith The Henry Monsky Lodge of B’nai B’rith will celebrate the Kripke family, father and son, on the afternoon of Sunday, Jan. 23 at 3:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Jewish Community Center.

The New York Times wrote the following about Rabbi Kripke’s son Saul: “Mr. Kripke, who in 2001 was awarded the Schock Prize, philosophy’s equivalent of the Nobel, is thought to be the world’s greatest living philosopher.”

For many years, Mr. Kripke was a Professor at Saul Kripke Princeton University and is now a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at CUNY (City University of New York). Indeed, CUNY has a special center devoted to Saul Kripke.

He attended Harvard University where, as an undergraduate, he started teaching post-graduates at the nearby

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Continued from page 1 provides me with grounding, a better understanding of who I came from.”

Her wedding to Cmdr. Mark Kelly, an astronaut, was written up in The New York Times. The item noted that a mariachi band played Jewish music and there were two canopies - a chupah and one of swords held up by Kelly’s Navy buddies.

“That’s Gabby,” Jonathan Rothschild, a longtime friend who served on her campaign’s executive committee, recalled to JTA. “The real irony of this thing is her Judaism is central to her, but she is the kind of person who reaches out to everybody.”

Giffords’ father is Jewish and her mother is a Christian Scientist; she was raised in both faiths. Her grandfather, Akiba Hornstein, changed his name to Giffords after moving from New York to Arizona, in part because he did not want his Jewishness to be an issue in unfamiliar territory.

The women on her father’s side of the family seemed to guide her toward identifying with Judaism.

“In my family, if you want to get something done you take it to the Jewish women relatives,” she told JTA in 2006.

“Jewish women, by and large, know how to get things done.”

Giffords, who last week took the oath of office for her third term in Congress, has pushed Jewish and pro-Israel issues to the forefront at the state and federal levels. She initiated an Arizona law facilitating Holocaust-era insurance claims for survivors, and in Congress she led an effort to keep Iran from obtaining parts for combat aircraft.

She didn’t stint in seeking Jewish and pro-Israel funding.

Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), the premier pro-Israel lawmaker in Congress, fundraised for her, as did Steve Rabinowitz, the Washington public relations maven whose shop represents a slate of Jewish groups.

“She was so heimishe, so down to earth,” Rabinowitz, himself from Tucson, recalled of his fundraiser last spring.

Almost as soon as she was elected to the state Legislature, Giffords was enmeshed in Arizona’s signature issue -- rights for undocumented immigrants -- according to Josh Protas, who directed the Tucson-area Jewish Community Relations Council for years before moving to Washington in 2009 to

direct the D.C. office of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.

Protas recalled meeting with Giffords as part of the area faith coalition promoting immigrant rights.

“We met with her around immigration issues and she was sensitive to the faith community’s concerns,” he said.

Her approach to the issue was typical for the moderate Democrat, Protas said: She attempted to synthesize what she regarded as the valid viewpoints of both sides on the divisive issue.

“Understanding the complexities of the immigration situation was something important to her,” he said. It came from “a sense of the Jewish value around how we treat the stranger, a history of the Jewish community -- but she had recognition of the strong need for security.”

It was a posture that led Giffords to hit both the state and federal governments last year: She blasted the Obama administration for not doing enough to secure the border, but also slammed as repressive a new Arizona law that allowed police to arrest undocumented immigrants during routine stops.

“She was very moderate in her views and willing to meet with folks on all sides,” Protas said. “She took a lot of heat particularly the last couple of years from both the far right and the far left.”

In the end, her greatest vulnerability might have been her openness.

The day Jim Kolbe said he was not seeking re-election to Congress, Giffords told Rothschild that she would run for the seat. Rothschild had one bit of advice for her: Come back every weekend to meet constituents. Not hanging out with the locals had led to the defeat of Kolbe’s Democratic predecessor.

He didn’t need to convince her; she was back virtually every weekend. And her open, engaging approach appeared to pay off.

Despite representing a swing district, she survived the Republican wave in November. And just three days before the shooting she was back in Washington -- with one hand up and one hand on the Jewish Bible, grinning at her swearing-in at the Capitol.

On Saturday January 8, she was back in Tucson, at a parking lot, smiling at all comers.

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Nonetheless, there was plenty to see, smell, Continued from page 1 taste, and experience for all of them. From a tiny room; he was incredibly proud to have the Brazilian volleyball players on the beach that much to call his own.” to the world’s widest waterfall, the women There are approximately 96,000 Jews in feasted their eyes on some of the most fasciBrazil today; 25 to 30,000 of them live in Rio. nating land and cityscapes in the world. “We Argentina, by comparison, has 250,000 have a tendency to lump all of South Jews, the largest Jewish population in South America together,” Eunie said, “and seeing America. As with many Jewish travelers, the all the differences up close has been very women attempted to find evidence of Jewish life abroad. “Eunie went up to a Lubavitcher enlightening.”

Rabbi on Buenos Aires’ main shopping “Whenever I’ve been to other places, peostreet, Avenue Florida,” Susan recalled. “She ple usually asked me about America, and what it is like to live here,” Susan added. asked him whether there were any places of “This time, nobody asked about our way of interest, and he told her no. Nothing Jewish life, or our politics. It makes you realize to see, according to him, so that was a bit of there is a whole other world out there, and a dead end. In addition, Buenos Aires has an enormous Catholic church, which is sup- A view of one of the Favelas in we’re not that important. Traveling raises your awareness, and makes you discover posed to have a Holocaust memorial. We Rio de Janeiro, Brazil went all over that church, and we never found it: another things you never thought you’d find. It’s a wonderful education.” dead end.”

January 14, 2011 | The Jewish Press | 3

Tu B’Shevat in a new way Continued from page 1 mosaic piece of art. I think this event will be Roz and Ike Friedman and Lillian and Dave so much fun for people who want to spend Cohn. their Sunday afternoon in a creative and ful“I returned to Omaha this past summer for filling way,� said Lisa Epstein, Partnership a short visit. While here, I watched a DVD with Israel chairperson. my grandmother, Roz, made for the Omaha Jewish Historical Society. The DVD was filled with my family’s history in Omaha and my grandmother talked of her love for this city.

She said very proudly how she wouldn’t live anywhere else. That really helped me decide Calli Cohn that it was time to return to Omaha per“Calli has always been a cremanently,� re-called ative and artistic person. As a Calli. “I purchased a young girl, I watched her turn home and moved in this play dough into something fall, that’s about as perthat belonged in an art musemanent as it gets,� she Another one of Cohn’s inspired um. Hers is the “bring smiles added. to your face kind of art� that is creations.

Art runs in Calli’s so enjoyable to look at,� blood. Ever since she can remember, she remarked Epstein. explored all types of art and didn’t limit herThe 15th of Shevat on the Jewish calendar self. She recalled her Bat Mitzvah (appropri- celebrates Tu B’Shevat and marks the beginately celebrated at the Joslyn) as being filled ning of a “New Year for Trees.� This is the with art, and not just the kind hanging on the time in which the earliest-blooming trees in walls. She made all the invitations herself Israel emerge from their winter hibernation using a linoleum print of her own design. The and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle. table centerpieces were all pieces she had creIn the U.S., it has become common to ated. Calli also fondly remembered a “show- mark the day of Tu B'Shevat by eating fruit, ing� of her paintings and drawings in the JCC planting trees or flowers and teaching chilArt Gallery while still in high school. dren about the spring harvest and earth’s “I have known Calli since she was a little renewal. Recently, religious schools have girl, and I am thrilled to have her head this taken this “green� holiday as an opportunity Tu B’Shevat art project. Her talent with to discuss the environment, planet Earth mosaics was evident when she once turned and our role as its caretakers. an old school desk chair into a beautiful After graduating from Burke, Calli moved

to Chicago to attend the School of the Art Institute where she majored in ceramics. She chose to stay in Chicago and joined an art collective where she honed her craft. She returned briefly to Omaha in 2007 and opened a studio in the Hot Shops Gallery. “Ceramics was proving to be too closed off, too limiting for me. I decided to go in a different direction and try to marry my love of music with some business skills. I returned to Chicago and earned a post-baccalaureate degree in Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management from Columbia College,� said Calli.

She then started a new career in band management and show production. Calli found herself managing indie rock bands and promoting a couple of popular Chicago music venues. “The experience was great, but the expectations were high and the hours were brutal.� “Along the way, I always had a passion for food and I absolutely love dessert. So, for me, it was natural to try mixing art and food,

of course! My first venture was decorating cookies for the national chain, Cookies By Design. I dove a little deeper and tried decorating cakes for a Chicago grocery chain,�

Calli said.

Thus began Calli’s latest renaissance. Last year, she became a student again when she enrolled in Chicago’s French Pastry School.

An intensive program taught her how to make chocolate statues and sugar sculptures.

These days, Calli wants to express her art through cake, rather than clay or paper. “I’m working towards my goal of opening a bakery sometime in the near future,� she said.

Lisa Epstein may be her first local customer. Enthusiastically she said, “Calli’s cakes will be magnificent edible pieces of art. I hope everyone joins us on Sunday, Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. to have Calli guide you in making your own one of a kind masterpiece!

To register, contact Nancy Martin at 334.6430 or nmartin@jewishomaha.org by Jan. 20.

B’nai B’rith to honor Saul Kripke Continued from page 2 for the enormous contributions he has made to the world of philosophy,� Javitch added. “Mr. Kripke grew up in Omaha and, while a student at Dundee Elementary School, he discovered for himself the binomial theory of algebra. “Central High School has also recognized him as among the most distinguished of its very distinguished alumni.�

As part of the Sunday program, Dr. Paul Audi and Dr. William Melanson, two professors from the Department of Philosophy at UNO, will explain the signif-

icance of Saul Kripke’s achievements in the world of philosophy.

Mr. Kripke’s life-long time friend, Steve Riekes, also a trustee of the Lodge, will introduce them.

As another program highlight, Mr. Riekes noted that those in attendance would be able to ask questions of the professors and of Saul, himself, at the end of the program, time permitting.

The celebratory afternoon event will conclude with a dessert reception. This is open to the public. For more information, please call the B’nai B’rith office, 334.6443.

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4 | The Jewish Press | January 14, 2011

Shabbat in Liverpool: New CD adapts Beatles’ tunes for services

by MICHAEL FELDSTEIN the songs in a real service. The reaction at the Young Israel of STAMFORD, Conn. (JTA) -- When is it kosher to listen to Hollywood seemed to be mostly positive. the Beatles on the Sabbath? “I enjoyed it and sang along with Lenny,� said congregant When your chazan adapts the Kabbalat Shabbat Friday Avi Frier. “I think it will take awhile, though, for something night service to the melodies of John Lennon and Paul like this to really catch on and became mainstream, like the McCartney.

Carlebach minyanim.�

Lenny Solomon, the founder of the song-parody group It was hardly the first time Jewish services have been set to Shlock Rock, employed “nusach Liverpool� for a service in late secular music. Some of the most popular Shabbat tunes origiDecember at the Young Israel of Hollywood, an Orthodox syn- nally were secular songs, such as Erev Shel Shoshanim (Evening agogue in South Florida. of Lilies), a Hebrew love song written “I’ve never had more pride in in 1957 by Yaffa Yarkoni. anything else that I have ever per“Every song that comes into this formed,� said Solomon, who has world has a holy spark,� Solomon been in the Jewish music business said. “It is the obligation of the for 25 years. “I had created someJewish musician to take the best thing new that could be sung in melodies of the secular world and the shul. This is something that I bring them from the side of darkness had never done, and I was beamto the side of light. This will cause ing by the time the services ended.� the Jewish people to get closer to The service was the culminaGod and hasten the redemption.� tion of a years-long project for Krasna, whose request spawned Solomon that has included the the creation of the CD, agrees. release of a CD with 21 Beatles “I’m in favor of anything that is songs set to various parts of done in the service that elevates one’s Shabbat services and liturgy. spirituality,� said Krasna, a lifelong On the CD, Shalom Aleichem is Beatles fan. “Certainly, Conservative sung to the tune of With a Little and Reform synagogues may Help from My Friends; the The cover of Shlock Rock’s Shabbat in Liverpool, embrace this kind of thing more easV’Shamru portion of kiddush is replicating the Fab Four’s famed Abbey Road ily, since they always look for ideas set to The Long and Winding album, was released in Dec. 2010. to make their services more relevant Credit: Shlock Rock to the times. But I believe there is a Road; Ein Keloheinu sounds like Let it Be; and the Havdalah service is set to Imagine. place for these tunes even at Orthodox synagogues.�

The story of the CD began in 2004 when a friend and Solomon sees the Beatles service as a work in progress. neighbor asked Solomon, who lives in Israel, for the 40th “My first effort at leading the service was not perfect,� he birthday gift of a CD of the songs of Kabbalat Shabbat set to said. “I do hope I’ll have the opportunity to do this again, so Beatles music. Solomon was skeptical but the neighbor, Allen that other congregants can learn the service and appreciate Krasna, sent him an Excel spreadsheet with the Beatles’ songs the rich Shabbat liturgy in a brand-new way. in one column and the prayers and songs of the Shabbat serv“I’m also convinced that there are many people who ordiice on the left. narily do not attend a synagogue but who can be introduced Solomon went to work. to the holy words of our Shabbat prayers through this music.

Working on and off, he needed nine months to take the 35 tunes and incorporate the melodies to the words of the Shabbat prayers.

Solomon recorded the CD, A Shabbat in Liverpool, in 2005, but it took another five years to obtain the proper licensing to The Orpheum Theater presents Mary Poppins, beginning release the project. The collection finally was released pub- with two preview performances on Jan. 27, and running licly last Nov. as a 21-song CD, which is available for sale at from Jan. 28 until Feb. 13. Tickets start at $23 and can be Amazon and other retailers. (Samples of the collection are purchased at the Ticket Omaha Box Office in the Holland available at shlockrock.com.) Solomon was in the United Performing Arts Center, by calling 402.345.0606, or by visStates promoting the CD. iting www.TicketOmaha.com. For more information, visit Dec. 24 marked the first time that Solomon actually used www.omahaperformingarts.org.

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by GARY KATZ Library Administrator The Kripke Jewish Federation Library’s literary review troop - the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group - is now in its 31st year, reading and reviewing a wide array of Jewish literature, spanning the excellent to the not-so-good selections. Guest and member facilitators have led the group, and everything from poetry and mysteries to science fiction, biographies and original works has been included in the discussion. Films are also included in the group’s offerings.

On Jan. 20 at 1 p.m. the group will review the first section of Howard Jacobson’s award winning book The Finkler Question. Julian Treslove, a former BBC producer who works as a celebrity double, feels out of sync with his longtime friend and sometimes rival Sam Finkler. Finkler is a popular author of philosophy-themed self-help books and a rabidly anti-Zionist Jewish scholar. The two have reconnected with their elderly professor, Libor Sevcik, following the deaths of Finkler and Libor’s wives, leaving Treslove the bachelor Gentile - even more out of the loop.

On Feb. 17, the group will be discussing the novel Children of Pithiviers by Sheila Kohler. The specter of Nazism hangs over a small French village where Jewish children were detained before being sent to the gas chambers.

Now, 25 years later, Dierdre, an 18-year-old girl with a troubled past is spending the summer with an aristocratic couple who were somehow involved in those awful wartime goings-on. Copies of books for both January and February are available in the library for $5 each.

Anyone in the community is welcome to join the group which meets in the Kripke Library the third Thursday of each month. Please call the library at 334.6462 for more information or contact at gkatz@jewishomaha.org.

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January 14, 2011 | The Jewish Press | 5

IHE to provide future programming at the Nebraska Holocaust Memorial

by MARY BORT Heartland Holocaust Educational Fund The Heartland Holocaust Educational Fund (HHEF) is pleased to announce that the Institute for Holocaust Education (IHE) will be the provider of educational and community programming at the Nebraska Holocaust Memorial, located at Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln.

Established through the support of thoughtful donors and the HHEF, the Nebraska Holocaust Memorial was dedicated in 2007. The memorial serves as place of education, remembrance and reflection. It is designed to preserve the memory of those who were murdered during the Holocaust and to honor the liberators and survivors of the Nazi concentration camps. School groups, civic organizations, religious groups and the general public visit the memorial every year.

The HHEF has overseen the donations, donor bricks and plaques and programming associated with the Nebraska Holocaust Memorial. This effort has been in addition to the HHEF’s primary mission of providing Holocaust and genocide education courses to students at colleges and universities in the Heartland. The HHEF was founded by Sam and Frances Fried.

“The IHE offers quality programming to teachers, students and the community,” stated Sam Fried, a survivor of the Holocaust.

“Beth Seldin Dotan, the IHE Executive Director, and her staff have the experience and processes in place to fully utilize what the Nebraska Holocaust Memorial has to offer. I’m pleased that the IHE is going to take care of future programming at the memorial. It’s in good hands.”

Founded in 2000, the IHE’s objective is to teach students, educators and all members of the community the lessons of the Holocaust, and help them apply those les-

sons to their lives and to the society of today.

The philosophy of the IHE is that Holocaust education must not only incorporate statistics and descriptive information, but also the stories of specific people to reveal the human dimension of such pervasive inhumanity. IHE programs equip teachers with age-appropriate materials and educational methodologies to teach the lessons of the Holocaust, using the lens of the Holocaust through which to view humanity’s past behavior while examining choices for human behavior today and in the future.

The IHE is presently housed at the Plains States Office of the Anti-Defamation League and Community Relations Committee of the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Dotan noted that the IHE appreciates the opportunity to promote the Nebraska Holocaust Memorial through the IHE’s growing network of educators. “We plan to promote the memorial and educate the public through appropriate programming,” she said. “The IHE will work with our Nebraska Holocaust Education Consortium teachers to enhance the knowledge of the memorial and the history of the Holocaust. We look forward to developing future events at the site.”

The Nebraska Holocaust Memorial is free and open to the public. Wyuka Cemetery is located at 3600 “O” Street in Lincoln, Nebraska 68510. If you wish to arrange for a tour guide, contact the memorial’s Managing Director, Gary Hill, at 402.420.0602 or Garyhill@cega.com.

For more information about the Institute for Holocaust Education and its various programs, please visit www.ihene.org, email info@ihene.org or call 402.334.6576. To learn more about the Heartland Holocaust Educational Fund, visit www.holocaust educationfund.org, email mbort@holocau steducationfund.org or call 402.334.6459.

Beth El Sunday Scholars explore Mel Brooks film

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator On Jan. 16, the guest speakers during Beth El’s Sunday Morning Scholars Series will turn their attention to Jewish themes in film, and in particular, an in-depth look at the Mel Brooks film, To Be or Not To Be. Leading the discussion will be Joan Latchaw, associate professor of Language Studies at UNO, and D a v i d David Peterson Peterson, assistant professor of American Literature at UNO. The film has received little scholarly attention, according to Peterson, and has been misunderstood to be just a remake of the Ernst Lubitsch 1942 classic of the same name. However, he said, “Brooks’ film does more than simply rehash Lubitsch -- it substantially revises and redirects the original in terms of character, plot, form, style, themes, and, ultimately, purpose. Many of these revisions make salient what Lubitsch’s version did not—the Jewishness of the story.

While Brooks’ version similarly focuses on a broadly construed, post-invasion Poland, Brooks knows that in remaking the film the Holocaust will be present in his audience’s

mind.

“More significantly,” he continued, “Brooks’ film depicts how the Shoah’s penumbra encompassed numerous ethnic, political, and sexual minorities, arguing that the Holocaust literally and metaphorically affected all ‘Poles,’ a national identity that includes the audience. The film’s engagement with the Holocaust could be construed as a form of Joanie Latchaw zikaron, remembrance, the basis for many Jewish festivals, fast days, holy days, and communal events. Appropriately, Brooks harnesses one traditional form of Jewish remembrance, Purim, in order to produce his own zikaron.

Brooks adapts Purim’s themes and theatricality, drawing from both the Megillah and Purimspieln, to remember the events of the war.”

The entire community is invited to Beth El for the 11 a.m. program, at no charge; a light nosh will be served. For planning purposes, RSVPs are requested and may be made by contacting the synagogue office at 492.8550, or programming@bethel-oma ha.org.

B H Please join us in celebrating

Rabbi Mendel Katzman’s

50th Birthday Tuesday, January 18 at 7:00 PM Dessert Buffet Chabad Center | 1866 South 120th Street Hosted by Shani, the Kids and Friends RSVP to katzmans@gmail.com or call/text to 402-214-6490 A Torah has been commissioned to be written to mark this special occasion.

The first words of the Torah will be inscribed at the event.

To learn more or to participate in this Mitzvah, contact Shani at 402-330-7400

Women

Publishing Date 01.28.11 Space Reservation 01.17.11 Camera Ready Deadline 01.19.11 Contact your advertising representative to advertise in this very special edition.

Allan Handleman 402/334-6451 ahandleman@jewishomaha.org

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Volcanoes, cherry blossoms, and sand baths

by MASADA SIEGEL the famous blossoms.

A huge boom shook the sky, white smoke billowing The gardens were originally created by Shimazu upwards while sparks of orange fire danced into the clear Mitsuhisa, the 19th Lord of the Shimadzu family, as his villa blue sky. I stared into the distance without fear. It wasn’t a in 1658. I wandered through the pristine property, greeted man-made disaster: Sakurajima was speaking, loud and by a blue-green pond surrounded by delicate plants bursting clear. with colorful flowers, and little bridges. An elegant orange I don’t speak a word of Japanese, but every erupting vol- gate stood in the distance. Walking up one of the paths in cano says the same thing, “Watch me, honor me, and stay far the garden, I noticed a bamboo grove which strangely had a away from me; the images vibe of belonging in a Chinese I create will be of beauty.” garden.

Kagoshima is over 900 Later I learned that while Iso kilometers south of Tokyo Teien is a Japanese garden, its and is Japan’s southernroots are Chinese. Kagoshima most city. It’s known for was seen as the southern gateway Sakurajima, which stands of Japan and the Chinese influat 1117 meters and is an ence extended even into gardenextremely active volcano. ing.

In 2010 it erupted over In 1851, Shimadzu Nariakira, 5000 times; I witnessed the feudal lord of the area, seven eruptions in one day. launched a modernization projDormant for over a cenect. He believed when people led tury, the volcano erupted full lives they would become in 1914, and it was the unified and this harmony would most powerful one in strengthen Japan. Nariakira twentieth-century Japan. installed industries such as shipSakurajima quieted down building, cannon manufacturfor decades; but in 1955 it ing, glasswork shop and printing started speaking up again. facilities on the property. While Sakurajima is on an it is no longer an industrial comisland in the Kagoshima plex, shops on the grounds conBay, also known as Kinko tinue to sell glass, pottery and Bay. Four kilometers away Japanese sake. from the city center there Iso Teien overlooks the clear are regular evacuation waters of Kinko Bay, where once drills, and shelters where again Sakurajima treated me to people can take refuge. more shows of grandeur. Besides However, it is one of the The Sengan-en Gardens, also known as Iso Teien. fear and beauty, volcanic activity rare instances of co-existence between a metropolitan area also brings with it geysers and a unique way for the ultimate and a volcano. in relaxation. In nearby Ibusuki, a short bus ride from Not content with viewing it from a safe distance, I board- Kagoshima, the traditional Japanese sand-bath was develed a ferry from Kagoshima City to Sakurajima. The oped. sparkling water glimmered while we coasted towards the The sand-bath, created over 350 years ago is an intense island. The bus dropped me off at the Arimura Lava experience. The geothermal geysers heat the sand to about Observation Spot. The area was covered with black volcanic 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The day spas use natures’ resources ash and greenery. I walked off the concrete path and my and offer “sand baths” where people strip down, slip into a shoes started to sink in the dark soft earth. The quiet and kimono and lie down, after which they are covered up with calm mesmerized me. Suddenly, the volcano burst open in sand. fury, smoke pouring into the air. Startled, I jumped as the Being a swimmer and surfer, I was more inspired to be in earth trembled beneath my feet. the ocean than in the sand. However, fellow traveler Shawn The ash spewed into the atmosphere, raining down on my Pelofsky, a comedian, explained her experience. head. Strangely, the air smelled fresh, without sulfuric vol“Sand bath has the word bath in it, so it just sounded right. canic odors. It was breathtaking to watch nature simultane- I had never experienced being buried like this, relaxing is ously create and destroy. I headed back to Kagoshima, still not usually my forte, but there is a first time for everything.” wanting to experience nature in action, but in a calmer setShe started laughing, “The sand was nice and warm at ting. first, but after 15 minutes, I felt like I was the volcano ready Before boarding the ferry, I stopped for a snack at a con- to erupt! It was like being on fire. Ten minutes is definitely venience store. The volcano kept making noise, yet, the enough time to stimulate blood circulation and detox.” locals didn’t notice. They continued to fill up the cars with Sakurajima did speak to me, rather, enchanted me, with gasoline, and chat with their friends, without even looking fireworks lighting up the sky and warming the sand. The in the direction of all the excitement that sent all of us black earth pushes out gorgeous greenery and cherry blostourists into a twitter. som trees burst open with light pink and white flowers. I While Sakura means “Cherry Blossom” and Jima trans- watched the sunlight dance on the waves and sparkle. As the lates to “Island” in Japanese, the island is actually known for sun set, my only regret was how quickly time slipped away growing the world’s largest radish and the Sakurajima man- in a puff (a loud one) of smoke! darin, the world’s smallest orange. I ventured over to the Masada Siegel can be reached at fungirlcorresponSenganen Gardens, also known as Iso Teien hoping to find dent@gmail.com.

2011 Federation Mission named in memory of tour guide

by SHERRIE SAAG Development Associate, Jewish Federation of Omaha The Jewish Federation of Omaha announces its 2011 Kadima Mission to Israel, departing Monday, Sept. 12 and returning Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011. The eight night Kadima Mission will include an optional extension to Budapest, Hungary, Sept. 21-Sept. 25.

“There is great meaning behind naming this mission Kadima, “to go forward” in Hebrew. The word is special to those in our community fortunate enough to have traveled to Israel on a Federation Mission because it honors Omaha’s longtime tour guide who recently passed away,” explained Jan Goldstein, Executive Director, Jewish Federation of Omaha.

“Alex Fleischer led 29 missions and countless private family trips for Omahans since 1973. Those of us who knew him recall with great fondness Alex’s commanding voice shouting “Kadima” throughout our tours, always pushing us forward to more connections to Israel as American Jews.”

“Alex will be greatly missed, but Omaha’s newest Mission guide, Raz Zabar, will continue the longstanding Omaha tradition of experiencing all the sites, sounds, people and aspects of the land and history that we are so blessed to

share,” Goldstein added.

Participants will travel together and experience the most important sites in Jerusalem including, the Kotel, the Old City, and Yad Vashem and visit historical museums like the Palmach, Haganah and Independence Hall.

You will travel through northern Israel touring the Golan Heights and Tiberias and get to know our Partnership Region, which includes the ancient city of Akko, the Rosh Hanikra Water Caves, and the Western Galilee Hospital. At the southern end of the country you’ll experience a completely different terrain at Masada and Ein Gedi and experience the thrill of floating in the Dead Sea. The Kadima Mission to Israel price is $2,200 per participant (double occupancy) and includes hotel accommodations and land packages. The price does not include airfare. The Budapest extension is priced at $1800 double occupancy.

There is a minimum gift commitment of $350 and/or an increase to the 2012 Annual Campaign. All gifts must remain at or above this level for the 2013 Annual Campaign.

Registration is on a first come, first served basis. To reserve your space on this amazing trip, contact Kathy McGauvran at 334.6427 or kmcgauvran@jewishomaha.org.

January 14, 2011 | The Jewish Press | 7

Beth El Tu B’Shevat at Lauritzen Gardens

by JILL BELMONT The 1:30-3 p.m. event will feature seed-planting, story Beth El Publicity Coordinator time, cookie-decorating and craft activities in the visitor This time of year, warm weather may just be a distant center’s classrooms; attendees will also enjoy tours of the memory, but spring will be in the air at Lauritzen Gardens indoor garden, and noshes of fruits and nuts of the seasons. on Sunday, Jan. 23, as Beth El As an additional treat, a speSynagogue and the botanical cial performance of the musical-theatrical program, How center team up for the fifth Does Your Garden Grow, will year to sponsor a special be presented by local youths community-wide Tu B’Shevat during the afternoon. celebration. This unique, “This event is such a wonfamily-friendly event, which has drawn several hundred derful way to celebrate the people each year from holiday which reminds us of throughout the metro area, our connection to earth,” says will be held at the Gardens’ Rabbi Mordechai Levin. “In flower-filled visitor and eduthis era of global environcation center, located at 100 mental threats, Tu B’Shevat reminds us how fragile and Bancroft Street. complex our ecosystem really Tu B’Shevat marks the is. Judaism sees nature as a beginning of spring in Israel, and is also known as the New Nancy Rips and Nancy Skid, right, led the cookie-decorating product of the Divine. We are the custodians of the earth, Year for Trees. This holiday during last year’s Tu B’Shevat celebration celebrates nature’s gifts, and is the perfect opportunity to and we are commanded to respect and care for our world.”

The festivities are open to the entire community; because become more aware of the role each person plays in prethis event has been generously underwritten, admission is free. serving the environment.

Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Tom Gouttierre, The Dean of the UNO Afghan Studies program, will have just returned from Afghanistan and will answer the question “Will the Surge Work?” on Wednesday, Jan. 19, noon at the Blumkin Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $10; beverage service is $3. For more information or to be placed on the e-mail list call 334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.

LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Yiddish words have made their way into every phase of modern life, show biz, law, classrooms, etc. Come join us at our new meeting room (across from the beauty salon) at the

Blumkin Home, every Thursday, 1-3 pm. For information, call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638.

MAINSTREETERS Mainstreeters Luncheon is Monday, Jan. 17 at 12:30 p.m. at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home auditorium. Michael Lyon has wowed audiences of all ages and will perform a medley of traditional standards and musical show tunes.

Make check payable for $10 to Jewish Social Services and send to Maggie Conti, C/O Jewish Social Services, 323 S. 132nd Street, Omaha, NE 68154. For information call Maggie Conti at 334.6521.

An invitation from Beth Shalom, Iowa

by RABBI GREENE Congregation Beth Shalom of Sioux City, Iowa, is planning a summer trip to Vienna, Prague, Budapest and St. Petersburg. Travel will take place from Aug. 8-16, and participants from Iowa and Nebraska are invited to join.

Rabbi Greene says: “In order to understand the history of our grandparents, and learn the historical lessons of the Holocaust, it is important to walk in the steps of our Jewish ancestors.”

The group will travel back through time and see the Jewish historical sites of these cities. Travelers will visit the Jewish Quarter in Prague, which includes that city’s Jewish Museum and Old Town square; also on the itinerary are Prague Castle and Terezin.

In Budapest, travelers will visit the Great Synagogue.

The schedule has extra room for theater and folk dance performances, allowing everyone to enjoy the modern side of Europe. There is, for instance, the Puszta Horse Show accompanied by Gypsy dancing in Budapest, as well as a dinner cruise on the river Vltava in Prague. Congregation Beth Shalom hopes to maximize participants’ exposure to modern and ancient cultures, and to the people of the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, and Russia.

For more information, please contact Rabbi Greene at 712.255.1990.

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There is no better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than with Celtic fiddler and Riverdance star Eileen Ivers.

Hailed by The New York Times as the “Jimi Hendrix of the violin,” Ivers will blow you away with her virtuosic playing. Don’t miss her high-energy performance, sure to give you a true taste of Ireland.

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8 | The Jewish Press | January 14, 2011

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

Blame

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press When Jared Lee Loughner started shooting on Jan. 8, hitting Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others, he sent a message to the entire country. The problem is, none of us are sure what exactly that message is. And so we watch the news, we cry, we despair, we discuss, and ultimately we try to understand what went so terribly wrong.

With tragedies such as these, we go through various stages.

We first have to know what happened, where, to whom, and why; we then try to figure out “if we could have seen it coming”, and where to assign blame. It is that last stage where we often get derailed.

“I am horrified by the violent attack on Representative Gabrielle Giffords and many other innocent people by a wicked person who has no sense of justice or compassion,” Senator John McCain stated on Saturday. He continued: “Whoever did this; whatever their reason, they are a disgrace to Arizona, this country and the human race, and they deserve and will receive the contempt of all decent people and the strongest punishment of the law.” (FOX11AZ.com) Loughner does not deserve anybody’s sympathy, he committed a horrible crime, and he must be held accountable.

Slowly but surely, the news about who Loughner really is has started to trickle in. Right now we know this: he is a mentally disturbed individual. He has had repeated run-ins with the law, and was kicked out of Community College; the US army denied him because he failed a drug test. His YouTube videos and Internet postings give ample evidence of psychological problems. His statements are confusing, rambling, and show delusional thinking and extreme paranoia, particularly towards the Federal government. By the time Loughner goes to court, his name will be as sickeningly familiar as that of Timothy McVeigh.

However, blaming one individual isn’t going to bring closure. Focusing on the one bad guy perpetuates the myth of the lone gunman, the cowboy-on-his-horse who rides off into the sunset, friendless, homeless, and anti-social. The people that are so far removed from the rest of us, and have so few social contacts, they may as well live on a deserted

island. This idea, that some people exist in a total vacuum, is a fairy tale. Loughner, like every other human being, was influenced by how others treated him, and by what he wrongly interpreted as a license to act violently. Combine that with his mental troubles (about which we’ll no doubt be hearing plenty) and you have an unstoppable time bomb.

Loughner pulled the trigger, but the gun was loaded long before he came on the scene. It was loaded when “Police in 2009 removed a man carrying a gun from Giffords' meetthe-voters event in 2009, and her opponent, Jesse Kelly, hosted a campaign event inviting supporters to shoot with him titled “Get on Target for Victory in November.” (JTA.com) It was loaded when Giffords’ office was attacked in March 2010, and when Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva was forced to close his Tucson office after a staffer opened a letter covered with swastikas and white powder. It was loaded during the healthcare town hall meeting in late 2009 and early 2010, when the political discussion turned sour and Nazi imagery became commonplace.

In other words, Loughner – though he seemingly acted alone- did not appear out of nowhere. And that means we have a choice: we can act like innocent bystanders, lay all the blame on Loughner (because he’s mentally unstable, after all!), or we can decide to ask a few tough questions. That means self-examination, not merely pointing the

finger at pundits, or politicians, but looking inward and asking ourselves: how do we break the cycle of hate speech, and create a civilized political discourse? How do we find our way back to an America where everybody is on the same side? The side where we agree to disagree, and where nobody gets shot over a difference of opinion?

We have to realize that words are incredibly powerful.

They can destroy, they can break spirits and hearts, and they can bring us all to ruin. At the same time, when carefully weighed, they can heal us. And if the events of this past weekend prove anything, it is that a fair amount of healing is in order; first for Rep. Giffords and the other wounded, and subsequently for the rest of the nation. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it as long as I have a voice on this page: until we, as a nation, learn to disagree appropriately, we won’t understand the true meaning of freedom.

Lawmakers have no place in religious lives -- even those of agunot

Focus on issues

by BRAD HIRSCHFIELD NEW YORK (JTA) -- When it comes to politicians meddling in people’s religious lives, the answer should be clear: Don’t do it!

Neither members of Congress nor congressional staffers should be pressuring any individuals to adhere to any particular religious code.

As obvious as that seems, sometimes it gets more complicated, as the case of Aharon Friedman reminds us. Friedman is a staff member in the office of U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, a Michigan Democrat. Friedman also is an Orthodox Jew in the midst of a messy divorce.

Actually, from a civil standpoint, the divorce is over.

According to the state, Friedman’s marriage to Tamar Epstein was terminated last April. Jewish law, however, says the couple is still married as Friedman refuses to give his wife a get, or a Jewish bill of divorce.

The New York Times reported that the couple is locked in a bitter controversy over custody and visitation issues regarding their 3-year-old daughter. It also seems likely that their ongoing struggle is rooted in the fact that it was Epstein who originally left Friedman, and he remains hurt and angry. So like many of us, Friedman is punishing his wife for having hurt him. That is not a good excuse and it doesn’t even matter in this case.

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The real issue here is not two people who fail to see that they have a religious obligation to end their marriage with as much holiness as they entered it. The real issue here is that Jewish groups are asking Friedman’s employers, both Camp and staffers of the House Ways and Means Committee, to pressure Friedman or even to fire him, if he will not grant his wife a Jewish divorce.

Is it really appropriate for Jewish activists and rabbis to advocate for that kind of religious pressure? I don’t know if it is legal for an employer to do so, but I'm sure it is unwise to ask them -- especially when the employer is the federal government.

What’s next, demanding the termination of those who fail to contribute the appropriate amount to charity or fail to pay their synagogue dues?

I do not mean to trivialize the tragedy of the situation. In fact, outwardly at least, Friedman appears to be a scoundrel who should be pressed to the wall within his religious community to grant his wife her divorce. But asking the government to do the work of a private religious community -- to enforce its religious rules -- simply is not proper, especially in this case.

Those who want Camp to fire Friedman or Hill staffers to shun him are avoiding the real challenge within the Orthodox community, i.e., that we still embrace a one-sided system in which only men have the power to divorce. Rather than address either that inequity or mobilize the Jewish community to create real pressure that affords no cover to

men who exploit that inequity, people ask others to behave more morally than the community from which the problems emerged. Bad solution.

Remedies exist to this situation, both proactive ones to prevent further occurrences and others that address those who are languishing as wives tied to mean-spirited and vindictive husbands. The only question is why people lack the will to use them. In that sense, the entire community is to blame for Epstein’s suffering.

We could change the law, though that is not likely to happen in the Orthodox community. We could prevent future occurrences by insisting that no Orthodox weddings will be performed without the use of a Jewishly binding prenuptial agreement that assures the wife’s ability to obtain a divorce should the couple ever separate. We did the same for ketubah, so why not for the prenup?

Finally, we could get serious about punishing husbands who manage to abuse their wives even after they no longer live together.

In other words, it’s time to do our own dirty work. In fact, doing this work isn’t dirty at all -- it’s holy work and it’s ours to do. And as the old saying goes, there’s no time like the present.

Rabbi Brad Hirschfield is the president of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership and the author of You Don’t Have to Be Wrong for Me to Be Right.

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January 14, 2011 | The Jewish Press | 9

The real danger of delegitimizing Israel on campus

Focus on issues DAVID BERNSTEIN WASHINGTON (JTA) -- There is a serious threat facing Israel’s long-term standing in this country resulting from a prolonged campaign to delegitimize the Jewish state on campus. But it’s probably not what you think.

What commonly incurs Jewish indignation are the more blatant anti-Israel spectacles. They range from “apartheid walls” -- barriers erected by anti-Israel students to signify the Israeli security fence -- to mock security checkpoints, from boycotts and divestment initiatives aimed at impeding university investments in Israel to hostile anti-Israel protests such as last year’s disruption orchestrated by students at the University of California, Irvine, of Israeli U.S. Ambassador Michael Oren’s speech.

While these hostile activities unquestionably are meant to portray Israel as an oppressive and illegitimate state, such inflammatory acts do not resonate with the vast majority on campus. In recent focus groups conducted by The Israel Project, a diverse set of students was nearly unified in its opposition to boycotts and other such tactics, regardless of the students’ feelings about the Jewish state.

The use of these tactics is certainly growing, but support for them is not.

In the fall semester of 2010, a watered-down resolution calling on Princeton University to sell non-Israeli hummus alongside the Sabra brand was defeated overwhelmingly

because it smacked of a boycott. At Columbia, a mock checkpoint, where volunteers were blindfolded and forced to kneel at “gunpoint” in front of students dressed as barking Israeli soldiers, failed to resonate with more than the radical fringe of the student body.

The real danger is that the present campus environment in the United States may adversely affect the future of U.S. support for Israel. Americans may never become Israel haters, as we see in parts of Europe -- hostility has been mainstreamed there, potentially affecting diplomatic and economic ties with Israel, and London has been dubbed the “Mecca of de-legitimization” by the Israeli think tank Re’ut - but they may cease to be Israel lovers.

Last fall, the student Democrats at a prominent university wrote to the pro-Israel student leadership of the university that they had adopted “a policy of non-endorsement on Israel-Palestine issues.” The student Democrats explained that there was too much division in their own ranks to continue to co-sponsor pro-Israel student activities.

Such a letter may not make your blood boil like an apartheid wall, but it is far more ominous.

For decades the pro-Israel community has enjoyed bipartisan support for Israel in the United States. Congress members from both parties typically vote overwhelmingly in Israel’s favor. This support influences the actions of the White House, which in turn acts to protect Israel from the scourge of hostility it faces elsewhere in the international community. The U.S. provides billions of dollars each year to Israel in security assistance, which gives Israel a qualitative

Jewish community stresses feelings at its peril

Behind the headlines JOEL ALPERSON OMAHA, NE. (JTA) -- We shouldn’t be the least bit surprised that American Jewry is in trouble. We have been overemphasizing what feels good at the expense of what does good for the Jewish people for quite some time.

Allow me to explain.

Many Jewish organizations have taken to pursuing political agendas that at best are distantly, and usually not at all, connected to Jewish concerns. For example, B’nai B’rith International has taken positions on immigration reform and Latin American free trade. The National Council of Jewish Women has spoken out on the earned income tax credit and the line item veto. The ADL has taken stances on same-sex marriage, immigration and reproductive rights.

And the Reform movement’s URJ biennial advocated for “righteous, healthy eating,” health care reform and statehood for Washington, D.C. While I certainly understand the desire to repair the world, spending time and energy on these issues doesn’t help us to create more committed Jews. If a group of law school students devoted years to charitable endeavors, their efforts, while highly laudable, would in no way advance their study of jurisprudence. To be effective attorneys, they must still concentrate on law. To be effective Jews and effective Jewish organizations, we have to concentrate on specifically Jewish matters.

Some might argue that we can both advocate for political positions and inspire Jews to be more committed. That’s just not happening. A multitude of studies demonstrates how non-Orthodox Jews are becoming less and less involved in Jewish life. Very simply, too many Jews are becoming citizens of the world at the expense of being committed citizens of their Jewish community.

We also hurt ourselves in the pursuit of equality in the Jewish community. How could equality be a bad thing?

When it gets in the way of placing the brightest, most talented individuals on our boards and in our organizations. It

should not matter whether an organization or a board is populated by a majority of female, male, Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, gay or straight Jews. Our organizations deserve to be filled with the very best individuals we can find. The Jewish world shorts itself every time it places equality ahead of quality.

Most of us don’t make business decisions in this way, so why do we think such an approach makes sense in our Jewish work? It might feel good to seek balance, but the greater Jewish good suffers as a result.

It is painful to note that an increasing number of American Jews favor Palestinian causes over support of the Jewish state. Here is yet another example of feelings winning out over common sense. Many of us understandably but sometimes wrongly tend to sympathize with the weaker of two opposing parties. After all, why would the stronger group appear to need our support? Presumably it is able to easily protect itself.

Yet strength and weakness have no relationship to right and wrong. How we instinctively feel about two parties tells us nothing about their moral quality. A weaker group that intentionally targets civilians is morally inferior to a far more powerful nation that institutionally attempts to target terrorists.

Of course there are faults to be found with Israel’s conduct.

But Israel’s enemies are nowhere near Israel morally with regard to freedom of speech and religious practice, treatment of women and of gays, or waging war with moral constraints.

As it relates to the programs we create, our support for the State of Israel, those we choose to guide our organizations and myriad other matters, our Jewish communities must start acting more on the basis of what does good rather than what feels good. We must get more into the Jew-building business and not spend as much time in the feel-good business.

The irony is that as we do, at least as it relates to the vitality of our Jewish communities, we ultimately will have more to feel good about.

Joel Alperson is a past national campaign chair for United Jewish Communities -- now known as the Jewish Federations of North America. He lives in Omaha, NE. His views do not necessarily represent those of the organization.

security advantage over its enemies.

If, however, the student Democrats at this particular school reflect a larger trend, it is quite possible that Democratic support in the next generation is facing serious erosion. Worrisome signs already are afoot.

While young people and particularly mainstream Democrats exposed to hostility on campus may not now or ever join the movement to boycott Israel, over time they may feel less sympathetic toward the Jewish state and more ambivalent about the special relationship between the U.S. and Israel. When these young leaders become the next generation of Democratic Party representatives, it may become much tougher to garner those large bipartisan majorities.

Israel depends on support from both parties, especially considering the rapid political cycling giving each party short-lived turns at power. Israel can ill afford to become a one-party cause.

The struggle on campus, then, is to assure that the next generation of American political leadership is as supportive of Israel as the last one. In a world turning ever more unfriendly to Israel, it is more important than ever that we do all that we can now to ensure that American support, at least, remains strong into the future.

While it is important to oppose walls and boycotts, it is far more critical that we create the kind of environment on campus that will sustain two-party support into the future.

We have our work cut out for us.

David Bernstein is executive director of The David Project.

Rethink probe of groups, AJC urges Knesset

by JTA NEW STAFF (JTA) -- The American Jewish Committee called on Israel’s Knesset to reconsider its decision to form a parliamentary committee to investigate Israeli groups critical of the country’s military.

“The Knesset’s action today contravenes the democratic principles that are Israel’s greatest strength,” AJC Executive Director David Harris said in a statement released Wednesday. “Israel’s vibrant democracy not only can survive criticism, but it also thrives and is improved by it.”

The initiative, proposed by the Yisrael Beiteinu Party, passed Wednesday by a vote of 47 to 16.

The committee will be charged with determining if the groups are funded by foreign countries or by other groups with links to terrorism.

State Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein ruled in the summer that organizations cannot be investigated for criticizing the Israel Defense Forces activities.

Israeli human rights groups have criticized the initiative.

AJC called on the Knesset to seek other means to address concerns about the role of funding in political and civic activity.

“The selective targeting of groups critical of the IDF runs counter to Israel’s legal and political tradition, and does no service to the one state that is a beacon of democracy in the Middle East,” Harris said.

He recommended a debate on whether to require groups across the political spectrum to make full disclosure of the sources of their revenue.

Meanwhile, Im Tirtzu, an Israeli group that has depicted the New Israel Fund and its affiliates as anti-Israel for its criticism of the country’s policies, issued a statement praising the Knesset for passing the bill.

“Israeli citizens have the right to know the causes and real interests that aim at delegitimizing Israel,” the organization said in a statement.

10 | The Jewish Press | January 14, 2011

Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 402.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com FRIDAY: Potluck Dinner, 7:30 p.m., with discussion led

by Phil Wolf. Call Nancy Wolf, 330.6736 to let her know what you would like to bring. The community is invited.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org Services conducted by Rabbi Mordechai Levin and Cantor Beth Schlossberg.

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.; USY Shabbat Dinner at Aaron and Naomi Zipursky’s house. For more information, contact Youth Director Shiri Tene in the office, or at youthdir@ bethel-omaha.org.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m.; Members of Sisterhood will help lead services; Junior Congregation (3-7), 10 a.m.; Kiddush sponsored by Sisterhood; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:05 p.m.

WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.

SUNDAY: Torah Study Discussion Group, 10 a.m.; Jewish Images on the Big Screen, 10:30 a.m. with Susi FrydmanLevin.

BESTTT: No Classes on Sunday and Monday for MLK weekend.

SCHOLARS SERIES: On Sunday, 11 a.m., guest speakers Prof. Joanie Latchaw and Prof. David Peterson of UNO. (see full story on page 5.)

THURSDAY: Rabbi Levin’s Life Lessons from the Hebrew Bible, noon. Cost is $36 for members and $45 for non-members. Open to all adults in the Jewish community. To register, contact the office.

BESTT CHAVERIM: On Monday, Jan. 17, 1-3 p.m., our fourth-sixth grade youth group will enjoy an afternoon at Bounce U, 13211 Chandler Rd. in LaVista. Drop-off and pick-up are at the venue; cost to attend is $3. For more information, contact Shiri in the office, or at youthdir@bethelomaha.org.

LEARNER’S SERVICE: Our Learner’s Services are offered to make Shabbat services more accessible and understandable to those who would like to participate. We will dissect and learn how to understand and participate in specific parts of the morning service. Led by Cantor Schlossberg, the upcoming program is planned for Saturday, Jan. 22, 10:15 a.m., and will focus on explaining opening prayers and P'sukei.

All Beth El classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org Office Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fri., 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross and Rabbi Yitzchak Mizrahi.

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 5:02 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Free babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes begin with Torah Parade, 9:45 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored in honor of those celebrating January Birthdays and Anniversaries; The Laws of Shabbat, 2:45 p.m.; Advanced Parshah Study for Kids (ages 10 and up), 3:45 p.m.; Mincha, 4:45 p.m. followed by Seuda Shlishit sponsored by Linda and Bruce Potash in commemoration of the yahrzeit of Leonard Potash; Musical Havdalah, 6:06 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Weekly Teleconference Mishnah Class, 10:30 a.m. Contact the office to get the dial-in number and access code; Senior NCSY Latte & Learning, 7:30 p.m., Starbucks at 114th & Dodge.

TUESDAY: Scholars Club for fourth-sixth graders, 3:45 p.m. at the Blumkin Home; Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m.; Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Advanced Halchic Kollel, 9 p.m.; Follow the Kollel at www.omahakollel.blogspot.com.

THURSDAY: Women of the Torah class with Rabbi Gross, 9:30 a.m.

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. led by NCJW Members.

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by David Herzog and Jim Polack.

Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend Services.

TEMPLE ISRAEL CHABAD HOUSE An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street | Omaha, NE 68144-1646 | 402.330.1800 www.OChabad.com | email: chabad@aol.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Service, 7 a.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Minyan, 10 a.m.; Youth Minyan, 10:30 a.m.; Mini Mensch title will be awarded. Kiddush luncheon follows. Join Rabbi Katzman, noon-1 p.m.; W.O.W. Parsha, Prophets and Prayer, 12:45 p.m.

SUNDAY: Service, 8:30 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: After school teen program, 2:40-4 p.m.

TUESDAY: Rabbi Mendel Katzman 50th Birthday Celebration, 7 p.m. Dessert Buffet hosted by Shani, the kids and friends. A Torah has been commissioned to be written to mark this special occasion. The first words of the Torah will be inscribed at the event. RSVP to katzmans@ gmail.com or call/text to 402.214.6490.

THURSDAY: The Parsha Club for Level I beginners, ages 5-6; and Level II intermediates and experts, ages 7-9, 3:50 p.m. Please contact Shevi@ochabad.com with any questions or to recive a guest pass.

All programs are open to the entire community.

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN South Street Temple | Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street | Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 | 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org Services conducted by Rabbi Ilan Emanuel.

FRIDAY: MLK Freedom Breakfast, 7 a.m. at Cornhusker Marriott, 13th & M Streets; Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. led by Rabbi Emanuel, with oneg following hosted by Marc Shkolnick.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. all led by Rabbi Emanuel; Game Night/ Potluck, 6 p.m. All ages welcome. If you have questions, call Deborah Swearingen.

SUNDAY: No LJCS Classes; Board of Trustees, 1 p.m.; Shabbat Shira Musical Celebration, featuring the Knect family on Sunday, Jan. 16, 3-5 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Wine, cheese and non-alcoholic beverages will be served. RSVP to the Temple office at 402.435.8004 or stemple@neeb.rr.com.

TUESDAY: Women’s Lunch Group, noon at Olive Garden.

If you have questions, call Stephanie Dohner.

WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

Temple Annual Meeting on Sunday, Jan. 23, 4 p.m.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway | Offutt AFB, NE 68113 | 402.294.6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.

NEIGHBORHOOD PRAYER GROUP 1317 North 57 Street | Omaha, NE 68132 | 402.551.6609 FRIDAY: Minyan, 5:02 p.m.

Annual Sisterhood Shabbat for Beth El women

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator A morning of prayer, music and fellowship is planned for Saturday, Jan. 15, as Beth El holds its annual Sisterhood Shabbat. Members of Sisterhood will help to lead the 9:30 a.m. services, and afterward, the group will sponsor a special Kiddush. The entire community is invited to attend this special Shabbat celebration.

The mother and daughter team of Sheryl Friedman and Holly Weill are serving as coordinators of the Shabbat service.

“Beth El Sisterhood has a long history of active and involved membership, and many of those members will be participating in Sisterhood Shabbat,” Friedman said. “They

Candlelighting Friday, January 14, 5:02 p.m.

will be leading the service, from P’Sukei to Kiddush, reading Torah and chanting Haftarah. This will be a time for Beth El women and their families and friends to celebrate Shabbat with prayer and poetry, in silence and in song. Holly and I hope that you are able to share this special Shabbat service with the talented and dedicated women of our congregation.”

Added Sisterhood President Marcie Spivack, “I am so grateful for all of the ladies’ participation this year in our annual Sisterhood Shabbat. I hope that everyone will join us for service and for the tasty food afterward. We strive to make our service different from all other services and always welcome new ideas to make it even more special for everyone to enjoy.”

Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street | Omaha, NE 68132-2651 | 402.556.6536 www.templeisrael-ne.org FRIDAY: Shabbat Shira Service, 6 p.m. followed by Just Ask the Clergy: Rabbi Azriel, Rabbi Linder, and Cantor Shermet Unplugged; Kol Rina, Temple Israel’s choir, will be featured at the service.

SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.; Haftarah Reader: Miles Remer.

SUNDAY: No Religious School.

TUESDAY: Executive Meeting, 6 p.m.; Adult B’nai Mitzvah, 6:30 p.m.; Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Family School, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-8, 6 p.m.; Family School Tu B’Shevat Seder, 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: Adult Study with the Clergy, 10-11:30 a.m.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard | Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 | 402.423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

FRIDAY: MLK Freedom Breakfast, 7 a.m. at Cornhusker Marriott, 13th & M Streets; Shabbat service, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Learners Minyan, 9:30 a.m.; Morning Service, 10 a.m. followed by a Lunch and Learn with Bob Hutkins and Kiddush luncheon.

SUNDAY: No LJCS Classes; Shabbat Shira Musical Celebration, featuring the Knect family at 3-5 p.m. Wine, cheese and non-alcoholic beverages will be served.

WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

Video calls for murder of Israeli official

by JTA STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- A video distributed on the Internet calls for the murder of Israel’s deputy attorney general after he asked police to investigate an anti-Arab Facebook page.

The video, which came out Sunday night, was distributed using the e-mail address of Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman.

It charges that Shai Nitzan is looking only into antiArab incitement and is not investigating anti-Jewish provocations. The video accuses Nitzan of “persecuting and hassling Jews, defending Arabs and cooperating with them.”

Nitzan recently requested an investigation into a Facebook group called “Death to all Arabs.”

The Justice Ministry denied any link to the video and condemned its content.

“Instead of defending the people of Israel from the Arabs, he covers up for them and cooperates with them against the Jews,” a slide on the video reads. It concludes with the slogan “Kahane was right,” referring to the slain ex-Knesset member and Kach Party founder Meir Kahane, who advocated for the transfer of Arabs out of Israel.

Right-wing groups also condemned the message in the video.

The video cropped up less than a week after Israel’s Knesset voted to form a parliamentary committee to investigate left-wing Israeli organizations that criticize the Israeli military’s actions.

Coming Soon Simchas Issue on Feb. 11 Questions or Submissions: Call 334.6448.

January 14, 2011 | The Jewish Press | 11

Becoming a PEOPLE

In memoriam PEARL OSOFF GROSS

Sparks from the word RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Beshalach I have the impression that Pharaoh did not let the people go; he had had a bellyful of pleas and demands. But, he had not consented to let this group of slaves leave his service.

After seeing, however, disaster after disaster falling upon Egypt, not only did he let the Israelite slaves leave, but he actually kicked them out.

Where were they to go? The KBH (Kadosh Baruch Hu) could not lead the Israelites by the short route, called “the way of the Philistines,” even though it was the shortest path to Canaan. Instead, the KBH led the people to the East, into a forbidding wilderness. Note, of course, that this was not a desert where any step would fill a man’s leg with sand up to his knee; it was an area without roads, without paths.

Indeed, as one wag put it, “it was a land where the hand of man had never set foot.” This begins the well-known “forty years of wandering in the wilderness.”

Actually, they were not wandering. The KBH knew that it was one thing to get the Israelites out of slavery, but it was quite another to get the mind-set of slavery out of the Israelites. It took more than a generation of moving from place to place in the wilderness before the Israelites were able to erase the mind-set of slavery and emerge a new and free People. Here we have it: the Children of Israel have now become ISRAEL. Now, Israel was ready to make its way to Canaan, overcoming enemies and various obstructions on the way, and to enter Canaan from the East.

Shalom, Mickey

by JTA STAFF Make room, Bahai Temple, Mickey, Donald, Goofy and the gang are heading to Haifa.

The port city is poised to be the next home to a Disney theme park. A 20-acre, $168 million entertainment complex including an amusement park, four theaters for live performances and a 25-screen multiplex is set to be built in Haifa, with an estimated opening date in 2013.

The Walt Disney Company's investment arm Shamrock Holdings and the Israeli New Lineo cinema chain announced the plans last week.

Spying is for the birds

by JTA STAFF First sharks, now vultures -- apparently Israel’s secret service will hire anything to do its dirty work.

A vulture tagged by Tel Aviv University scientists as part of a long-term research project into migration patterns was arrested in Saudi Arabia last week on suspicion of being a Mossad spy. The incident comes just weeks after Sinai regional governor Mohamed Abdel Fadil Shousha reportedly said that a shark that attacked tourists in the waters off the coastal resort town of Sharm el Sheik was sent by the Mossad to damage Egypt’s tourist industry.

The vulture, wearing a transmitter and a leg bracelet with the university’s name on it, was nabbed in a rural area of the country. The Israeli newspaper Maariv first broke the story after monitoring Arabic media.

Arabic websites called the alleged bird-spy a “Zionist plot” and charged that many more birds were being trained to spy on Arab countries.

Saudi Arabia announced Monday that it would soon release the bird.

Pearl Osoff Gross passed away on Jan. 4 at the age of 92.

Services were held on Jan. 7 in the Epstein Chapel at Beth El Cemetery.

She is survived by her husband of 72 years, Gerald Gross; her daughter and son-in-law, Andrea and Irv Green, and her son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Marjorie Gross; grandchildren: Douglas Green, Peter and Erin Green, Michael and Allison Green, Lindy Green, Julie and Peter Jazayeri, Andrew and Tamara Gross, Allison Gross, Caroline Gross; six great-grandchildren; sister, Roselle Pizer; many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, 333 S. 132nd St, Omaha, NE 68154.

Debbie Friedman, Jewish songwriter and performer, dies

by JTA STAFF (JTA) -- Debbie Friedman, a popular singer and songwriter who is widely credited with reinvigorating synagogue music, has died.

Friedman died Sunday after being hospitalized in Southern California for several days with pneumonia. She was in her late 50s.

“Debbie influenced and enriched contemporary Jewish music in a profound way,” read a statement published Sunday on the website of the Union for Reform Judaism.

“Her music crossed generational and denominational lines and carved a powerful legacy of authentic Jewish spirituality into our daily lives.”

Friedman brought a more folksy, sing-along style to American congregations. In 2007 she was appointed to the faculty of the Reform movement’s cantorial school in a sign that her style had gained mainstream acceptance.

She is best known for her composition “Mi Shebeirach,” a prayer for healing that is sung in many North American congregations.

Friedman released more than 20 albums and performed in sold-out concerts around the world at synagogues, churches, schools and prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall. She received dozens of awards and was lauded by critics worldwide.

“Debbie Friedman was an extraordinary treasure of our movement and an individual of great influence,” said Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism.

“Twenty-five years ago, North American Jews had forgotten how to sing. Debbie reminded us how to sing, she taught us how to sing. She gave us the vehicles that enabled us to sing. Then she impacted our youth and our camps and, ultimately, from there she impacted our synagogues.

“What happens in the synagogues of Reform Judaism today -- the voices of song -- are in large measure due to the insight, brilliance and influence of Debbie Friedman.”

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Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle, left, Sylvia Wagner, and Gary Javitch.

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12 | The Jewish Press | January 14, 2011

Cape Town, South Africa offers a perfect view

by MASADA SIEGEL mini-Israel. On Shabbat, lots of families were walking back Cape Town is the second largest city in South Africa, and and forth from Shul. There are a few kosher restaurants to to sum it up in the words of the locals, it is simply “stun- try, and even more synagogues. ning.” The tight knit Jewish community in South Africa dates back to the 15th century with the early explorers and directors from the Dutch East India Company. However, the first congregation in South Africa was founded in Cape Town in Nov. 1841.

The scenic backdrop of Cape Town is Table Mountain; it has a perfect view of all the different areas of the city. If you face north from the top of the mountain, you will find the city center where the docks are filled with ships. On the west side there is a magnificent mountain range known as the “Twelve Apostles.”

It borders a beautiful beach called Camps Bay, which is like a mini-South Beach, filled with bustling bars and restaurants.

On the south side, the mountains are filled with historic vineyards and the gorgeous must see Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Beyond the gardens and the Constantia suburbs is False Bay, which curves towards Cape Point. As you tour the mountain, over on the East side, you can see Cape Town’s International airport.

Cape Town is a city filled with a variety of outdoor From penguins to people: it’s all part of the magic of South Africa activities. There are adventures waiting to be had, such as While staying in Cape Town, besides enjoying the city, windsurfing around Table’s bay or jumping off Lion’s head there are a few day trips that are breathtaking. These can and paragliding close to Clifton. There are a myriad of paths either be taken with a tour, or you can drive yourself if you for mountain biking and hiking all over the city, whether it be feel confident driving on the other side of the road. The first one of the most magnificent botanical gardens in the world, is South Africa's world-famous Cape Wine Lands around “Kirstenbosch,” or anywhere on the huge stretches of beaches. Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek. The enormous mounThe Jewish community is extremely welcoming, and the tains are filled with valleys full of vines. There are dozens of people I met had a wonderful sense of humor. Late one wineries where you can go wine tasting, have lunch or simFriday afternoon, at Camps Bay, I knocked on the door of a ply enjoy the beautiful scenery. store that was closing, because I wanted to buy the beach One winery, called “Spier” is lovely, but extremely touristy. towel hanging in the window.

It has a beautiful outdoor garden filled with couches where The shop owner smiled, unlocked the door and let me in. one can relax and have lunch. Women come around and if While I was paying, he noticed my name, told me he had you want they will paint your face with traditional African been to Masada, and with a wicked grin asked me shouldn’t symbols. I had a fallen star painted on me, symbolic of the I be going to shul? I smiled, and agreed with him. As we got word, “Lady.” Spier also has a gift shop filled with interesting to talking, I found out he was close friends with my father’s African items, as well as a cheetah sanctuary where for a first cousin, who had passed away over 10 years ago; talk nominal fee you can pet them. about Jewish Geography.

There are many wineries to see, while I would recommend I stayed in the Sea Point area of the city, and it felt like a checking Spier out, definitely continue, as the landscape

changes and becomes more beautiful as you drive along towards all three cities.

Another day trip is to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic. The winding roads are filled with glorious views of the green mountains with steep drops into the blue ocean.

This is where sailors rounded Africa en route to India.

It’s not the southernmost point, which is at Cape Agulhas, but it is certainly worth a visit, because of the stunning scenery. On the way you will pass Muizenberg, a beach town that has long white sandy beaches and is where Agatha Christie went surfing 80 years ago. On this side of the peninsula, known as False Bay, the sea is warmer and some of the best whale-watching spots can be found.

This drive is dotted with little markets on the sides of the roads filled with beautiful carvings. The vendors sell a variety of African goods such as soap stone statues from Zimbabwe, which are gorgeous, as well as jewelry and wood items.

One of my favorite stops on this day trip was Boulders Beach, it is past Fish Hoek and is south of Simon’s Town, historically an important naval base for the British and is now the principal South African navy base. The well-preserved 18th century streets are filled with shops and are architecturally pretty to look at, but you can’t beat the penguin colony just south of town at Boulders Beach.

Boulders Beach has a nature preserve set aside for the penguins, which for a small fee allows you in, where you can get a wonderful view of them marching out of the ocean and hanging out. Nearby is a small beach, where the penguins were resting on the rocks, and swimming alongside people in the water. I sat with the penguins for a bit, and was so close to them I could touch them, truly a remarkable and fun experience. (From what I hear, they are often there.)

Cape Town is a must see city, and to help you with your journey here are a few helpful links to places and to my travel agent -- http://www.uos.co.za/, http://www.jewishweb. co.za/, http://www.paarlonline.com/, http://www.simons town.com/and http://www.southafrica.net/.

Masada Siegel can be reached at fungirlcorrespondent@gmail.com.