Vol. LXXXVI No. 19 Omaha, NE
Midwest participants find birthright israel an eye-opening experience by CHANAN TIGAY JERUSALEM --- There’s an old joke about a Jewish mother standing poolside, watching as her son flails in the water, unable to swim. “Help!” she shouts. “My son, the doctor, is drowning!” The joke plays on the well-known stereotype that Jewish mothers pray for their children to become professionals. But touring western Jerusalem, an expansive view of Israel’s Knesset building unfolding behind him, Jordan Krechmer -- who was in the Jewish state last week as one of one of 13,000 young Jews who will visit this winter as participants in the Taglit-birthright israel program -is no longer buying that premise. “It’s so cool to be somewhere where everything is Jewish -- not just Jewish doctors and lawyers, but taxi drivers and bus drivers, too,” says Krechmer, a senior at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME. Krechmer is not the only one to have his eyes opened by birthright israel, which by the end of March will have brought close to 125,000 18- to 26-year-old Diaspora Jews to Israel on free 10-day educational peer trips. Lauren Davis, for example, says that although she went to a Christian elementary school and has never been observant of Jewish laws, her experience in Israel has inspired her to begin observing Shabbat when she returns home to Toronto. “I’ve never really been in the vicinity of so many Jews,” the 22-year-old graduate student says. “It’s incredible. There are so many things that we’ve seen here and I feel such a connection.”
Celebrating 86 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
29 Tevet, 5767 January 19, 2007
Omaha loses champion for causes Nebraska Accountability and by JOAN K. MARCUS Disclosure Commission and Miriam (Mimi) Waldbaum, 85, who devothelped establish procedures ed her life to helping people in the commuand mechanisms to monitor nity, died Monday, Jan. 15. Services were political campaign contribuheld Jan. 17 at Temple Israel. tions. Some of her other volIn 1946, she and her husband, Dr. Milton unteer activities included Waldbaum (who died in 1992), moved to service on the Nebraska Grand Island where the family operated a powAdvisory Committee to the dered egg business. The Waldbaums, both United States Civil Rights from New York, met while Mimi was a medical Commission, the Antistudent at Cornell University in Ithaca. They Defamation League, and the were married in 1942 when Milton received a Jewish Federation of commission in the United States Navy. Omaha, which honored her After World War II, they went back to live as its Humanitarian of the in New York but in 1950, moved to Year in 1993. Wakefield, NE, where they started their own In 1994, the YWCA selectbusiness. Mimi used to jokingly say they were Mimi Waldbaum ed her to be one of its the only Jewish people in the whole county. Ironically, it was Milt who in 1950 decided he wanted to Women of Distinction. The nominating process for this become a doctor. So, the family moved to Omaha when award takes five months. She was one of eight women he was accepted to Creighton University Medical chosen from the Greater Omaha area. Mimi Waldbaum espoused that Democrats truly help School. Mimi abandoned her aspirations for a medical people and in 1997, she received the Franklin Delano career to become a wife, mother and political activist. When they came to Omaha, the Waldbaum family Roosevelt Award from the Nebraska Democratic Party. joined Temple Israel and Mimi began a long career of As a young girl, she had worked for President Roosevelt service to the Democratic Party of Nebraska. As a mem- when he ran for his last term in 1944. For many years, she worked in the office of former ber of the League of Women Voters, she directed her efforts toward learning the needs of people in the com- Senator Robert Kerrey. Although she did not get paid, munity and trying to effect change through government she worked alongside professional staff. She handled the and community organizations. She eventually became paperwork for applications to service academies and reviewed grant proposals from organizations. chapter and state president of the League. Sen. Kerrey said, “Mimi was a champion of the people She developed dialog organizations and groups across Nebraska. As a founding board member of the Nebraska of Nebraska. Her efforts and successes were a shining Humanities Council, she was the only public member example of public service. We were proud and lucky to working with five representatives of post secondary insti- have her on our team!” She was involved with Girls Inc. and its board and was tutions in Nebraska. She was appointed as the first chairman of the Continued on page 3
Temple students learn about God from other perspectives
Birthright israel participants dance and wave Israeli flags Jan. 7, 2007, in Jerusalem. Credit: Pool/BPH Images/JTA Davis’s experience bears out research showing that birthright israel participants have a stronger connection to Israel, the Jewish people and their own Jewish identities than young Jews who have not gone on one of the trips. The research, carried out by Brandeis University’s Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, also found that birthright israel participants are more likely to want to marry a Jew and raise their children Jewishly, and are more directly involved in Jewish activities on their college campuses. “This is the first time I’ve cried in seven years,” says David Copeland, 25, after joining some 3,000 other young Jews in Jerusalem’s convention center for an evening of song and dance. “This is home. In Des Moines, there are 200-300 Jewish families. And here there are 3,000 Jews,” added the student at University of Iowa. “Politics went out the window the second we walked through that door.” Continued on page 2
Inside Opinion Page see page 8
by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Do Christians believe that God rewards the good or punishes the evil? What would an agnostic think? Does a Muslim trust that God controls everything or that God sits back and watches what we do? How does a Buddhist explain science in relation to God? In Lee Needelman’s “God Concept” class during the fall mini-mester at Temple Israel’s new Middle/High School, “T.A.G. You’re It!,” an array of guests all espousing different faiths came to speak about God from their personal perspectives. The speakers were asked if they had ever felt as though they had talked directly to God, how their respective communities affected their beliefs, in what form would God appear Among the speakers in Lee Needelman’s “God Concepts” class were Rev. today, does God give people choices, and Nancy Phillips, left, a Protestant minister, and Maisha Liwaru, a Muslim. who are God’s chosen ones. Needelman also asked the guests to Besides fielding questions, the speakers asked the class, address such questions as what is God’s gender, why which attracted some adults along with the seventh, does God permit disasters, does God act as one’s con- eighth, and ninth graders, some questions, too. science, and belief in miracles. They included inquiring how has the students’ underEach week, people of various religious beliefs standing of God evolved, how do they use God and jusanswered a number of these questions and presented tify that use, are their conversations with God real to their own to the class. In addition to a Christian minis- them, are prayers always answered, do the students ter, a Catholic priest, an agnostic, a Muslim, and a image or describe God, why did God create us and does Buddhist, presenters also included a Chabad rabbi and God really care what we do, is one’s soul connected to two other Jews, an atheist, and a Bahai. God, is life affected by God’s plan or fate, is it possible “There was a really wide range of speakers,” said to integrate more than one concept of God, and what is William Clark, a 14-year-old high school freshman, who the purpose of religion and of life. enrolled in the class. “I thought it was really great. I’ve “It was very interesting,” remarked Aviva Oberst, 14. “It always been interested in religion and philosophical con- was a good way to look at all the diversities of religion.” cepts. The class was really a good experience.” Continued on page 6
Coming Next Week: Special Issue on Camping See Front Page Stories & More at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’
Congressional appointments favor Jewish issues: Page 3
Coming Next Month: Simchas & Celebrations on Feb. 9 When the story hits home...hard: Page 6
More than a witness to history: Page 11