January 20, 2012

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

Omaha eruv is complete

January 20, 2012 25 Tevet 5772 Vol. 92 | No. 18

This Week

Domingo, U.S. and Israeli scientists awarded Wolf Prize Page 6

Beth El to celebrate Tu B’Shevat at Lauritzen Gardens Page 8

by BETH COHEN Executive Director, Beth Israel Building an eruv has been on Rabbi Jonathan Gross’s agenda since he arrived in Omaha in 2004. The project culminated with a handshake on Wednesday, January 11, 2012, the end of a multi-year process.

Over 1 million Americans observe every Saturday as Shabbat according to the 3000-year-old Jewish tradition. These Sabbath observers do not drive or ride in a car, use electricity, or do anything deemed by Jewish law as “work” for 25 hours beginning Friday at sundown until Saturday night. Activities classified as forbidden acts of “work” include carrying any object in an area classified by Jewish law as a public area.

Jewish law permits the creation of a virtual enclosure which joins together many private and public areas to create one private area in which it is permissible to carry objects. This enclosure is called an eruv. There are community eruvs in over 100 cities in the United States. An eruv has become the symbol of a mature and developed Orthodox community.

But an eruv is an expensive endeavor that not only requires a great deal of rabbinic and volunteer

time, but also a significant critical mass of interested community members to get the project started.

Rabbi Gross meets with Mayor Jim Suttle on January 11 to finalize the process of giving Omaha its very own eruv.

Our community always had a sizeable community of shomer Shabbat families, but when Rabbi Gross first arrived in Omaha as the new rabbi in 2004, there were only a few families with young children. Over the years, the community grew and the demographics changed. Today, Beth Israel has 75 children under the age of 18,

A Magical Experience

by AVIVA ATRI A few months ago I had the privilege to visit Israel. The experience I lived exceeded all expectations.

Historic places filled with emotions, views of sites our ancestors saw, Bedouin tents, bike rides, waterfalls

and there are 19 shomer Shabbat families living in the neighborhood.

The synagogue gets frequent calls

richness of Israeli sounds, colors, tastes, faces and expressions are still alive in me.

I had the opportunity to be in Israel for 31 days. There is no other word to describe my experience but magical.

Some of us already know what Israel

Alabama’s secret Jewish weapon celebrates title Page 11

from people considering jobs in Omaha. They want to see the community. After inquiring about day school opportunities for their kids, many callers want to know if Omaha has an eruv. It soon became obvious: the time had come to build an eruv.

Rabbi Gross explained how the process began, “In rabbinic school,

we learn the laws of eruv, but there is still a great deal that needs to be learned to make this practical. My first step was to find a qualified rabbinic authority who would ultimately give the eruv his approval.”

Rabbi Mendel Senderovic, a regional posek - the term in Jewish Law meaning “decider” - was very excited about the prospect of beingeinvolved in building the first Eruv in Omaha. Based in Milwaukee, Rabbi Senderovic also worked with Omaha when the new mikvah was constructed in the late 1990’s.

The next step was to find a route for the eruv. The modern eruv perimeter employs a continuous path of existing telephone wires or power lines to minimize the amount of building required, thus making the eruv more affordable. It was an arduous process, explained Rabbi Gross, “I took this on as a personal project. I ran around the neighborhood countless times. I ran so much I actually trained for the 2008 Miami marathon while searching for a continuous path of wires. Rabbi Senderovic told me that some eruvs employ the use of steep hills in certain areas to complete the perimeter, Continued on page 3

The Legacy of Elinor Whitman

by MARK KIRCHHOFF Center for Jewish Education Sometimes it takes competition to bring out a superb performance.

How hard would a football player practice if his team never played a

you would not be thinking about encouraging your child to participate in the Elinor Whitman Book Appreciation contest. But someone did encourage you; you did pick up the Jewish Press, and you

game? How important would volleyball preparation be if the girls only scrimmaged against themselves? Competition can provide the motivation to commit to a cause and the drive to perform at one’s best.

It can be that way with reading.

Chances are good that if someone or some event had not inspired and motivated you to read, you might not have picked up this edition of the Jewish Press. You most likely would not be reading this article, and it is nearly certain that

are reading this article. You have recognized how important reading is to success in life. You are now in a position to provide a unique way for your child to better appreciate books and reading. Help your child sign up for this contest.

The Elinor Whitman Book Appreciation Contest has been in existence since 1991. It is made possible by the Elinor A. Whitman Book Appreciation Fund created

by Norman Whitman and the Kripke Jewish Federation Library.

Continued on page 2

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

12 14 15

Next Month Simchas & Celebrations See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

Tamar from Texas, left, Carolyn from Wisconsin, Melissa from Missouri, and Aviva Atri near the Israeli/Lebanese border. and camels. The geographical and historical places, mixed with the

looks like. We know the people, traditions and the way of living.

My experience went deeper than just touring. Every site we visited left a trace on me; both as a person and as a Jewish woman. The activities drew me into a meaningful way of connecting with my Community. As a natural consequence, I feel much more involved and fully committed.

An invaluable experience I want to share with you is when we visited the Kotel for the first time. It was the Continued on page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | January 20, 2012

Clergy push Debbie Friedman song

It’s a Family Affair

Alan, Anne and Marty Cohen Get Connected to Omaha’s Top Producing Team Selling One of a Kind, One at a Time.

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Sons of Louise A., a happy resident of Remington Heights

by DEBRA NUSSBAUM COHEN (Forward) -- About two weeks before she died, Debbie Friedman stood with Rabbi Joy Levitt at the piano in Levitt’s Manhattan apartment, and she shared with her friend a melody that the legendary singer and composer would never have the chance to record.

It was a new version of Shalom Aleichem, the hymn traditionally sung Friday evenings to welcome the Sabbath angels. Friedman told her friend Rabbi Joy Levitt that her version of “Shalom Aleichem” would be her legacy.

Debbie Friedman Friedman, who was in New Credit: latimes.com York en route to the Limmud Festival in England, had sung the very same tune the previous night to Levitt’s cousin, who was dying of breast cancer.

“I think this is going to be my legacy. This is going to be bigger than Mi Sheberach,” Friedman told Levitt, referring to her melody of the prayer for healing, which is widely used as part of the liturgy in liberal synagogues.

A few days later, Levitt wrote Friedman an email saying, “You gave me such a huge gift and I’m going to make it my business that everyone knows this Shalom Aleichem.” Levitt, who is the executive director of the JCC in Manhattan, never received a response.

Sick with the flu that would end her life, Friedman returned from England to her home in Southern California, where she died in a hospital on Jan. 9, 2011. Since then, her Shalom Aleichem has been shared from one person and small group to the next, in an informal effort to weave the melody into the American Jewish canon. It is becoming increasingly popular at Friday night dinners and at Havdalah services, which mark the Sabbath’s end.

Levitt and Cantor Angela Buchdahl, of Manhattan’s Central Synagogue, are planning to reach out to every clergy member in the Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist movements -- urging them to sing Friedman’s version of Shalom Aleichem on Feb. 3 and 4, which is Shabbat Shira, or the Sabbath of Song.

Buchdahl and musician Josh Nelson sang that very melody to a crowd of 700 people, who attended a memorial

service for Friedman at Central Synagogue on Jan. 27, 2011.

It was there that Vivian Lazar heard it for the first time. She brought it to HaZamir: The International Jewish High School Choir, which she directs. Some 300 HaZamir members sang it at their annual festival concert at Lincoln Center in March. Those high school students, from 18 U.S.cities and Israel, then took it back to their communities, Lazar said.

“We are keeping Debbie’s Shalom Aleichem in our repertoire,” Lazar said. “It’s a song the kids love, and it’s our attempt to distribute the song to a wider and newer audience.”

The spring before she died, Friedman herself taught the melody to several hundred people at Hava Nashira, the annual Reform movement song leaders’ gathering. That summer, Friedman sang the song, which she was still tweaking, for a class she was leading at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion’s School of Nonprofit Management in Los Angeles. Richard Siegel, the school’s director, asked Friedman what she was working on. As Friedman sang her Shalom Aleichem, a student recorded it on an iPhone.

Siegel has sung it every week since at his Shabbat table.

“Once you get the hang of it, it’s quite haunting,” he said.

Most recently, Cantor Jennifer Frost sang it before 6,000 people who gathered for the Union for Reform Judaism’s biennial gathering, held in December. Attendees could also request a biennial CD, which included Friedman’s version of Shalom Aleichem, and about 650 people did, said URJ spokeswoman Annette Powers.

Though it is only now reaching a critical mass of synagogues and Shabbat tables, the melody was composed in 2009, according to Merri Lovinger Arian, who taught with her at HUC–JIR’s cantorial school. That school has been renamed the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music.

“She grabbed me and said she wanted me to listen to it, and she said, ‘Doesn't it really sound like we were born with that melody, that it’s been around for a long time?’” Arian recalled. “She was right.”

In addition to the Shabbat Shira effort, Friedman’s Shalom Aleichem will be performed Feb. 1 at a Central Synagogue tribute to the late musician, which follows her first yahrzeit.

“All of us were left with this piece we know she was so excited about, she really wanted to get it out there,” Arian said. “Since it wasn’t recorded there is a feeling that we have a responsibility to get this, of all melodies, out. We all feel a sense of urgency about it."

This story originally appeared in the Forward newspaper. To read more, please go to www.forward.com.

The Legacy of Elinor Whitman Continued from page 1 Mrs. Whitman devoted a lifetime of service to the youth of the Omaha community. For many years she was a member of the Kripke Library Board and on the faculty of the religious schools at both Beth El Synagogue and Temple Israel.

This contest furthers Mrs. Whitman’s goal of promoting Jewish literature for children.

The contest offers two categories of competition.

Kindergarten through 2nd grade students may enter the “Book Jacket Design” category. Students in the 3rd through the 6th grades may enter the “Book Report” category.

Rules for each category are included on the entry forms.

Entry forms and additional information about the contest are available by contacting Shirly Banner, Library Clerk, at the Kripke Jewish Federation Library – sbanner@jewishomaha.org or 402.334.6462. Forms may also be obtained from your child’s religious school teachers.

Obtain a form, review the rules with your child, and have him or her enter today. All entries must be submitted to the religion teachers by Feb. 26, 2012.

In keeping with the goals of the contest, winners will receive books as prizes. The names of all contest winners and all participants will be listed in the Jewish Press. All entrants will receive a certificate of participation. To celebrate the event, an awards program will be held at the individual schools, dates and times to be announced soon.

The Elinor Whitman Book Appreciation Contest is presented by the Center for Jewish Education and promoted

by Beth El Synagogue, Beth Israel Synagogue, Friedel Jewish Academy and Temple Israel.

We encourage you to encourage your child to participate. It is time to jump off the bench or the couch and get in the game. This is a contest that is definitely worth the effort.

A Magical Experience

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Continued from page 1 Tenth of Tevet, a fast day commemorating the siege of Jerusalem. We were hungry and excited. We knew that when the sun went down, the Western Wall was going to be our next stop. The Kotel is the same place where thousands of people have wept before. I could hardly contain myself.

“Blessed are You, HaShem, our G’d, King of the universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season.” This is my favorite bracha. It gives me the opportunity to thank HaShem for being alive and enjoying the present moment. Jews all over the world refer to it when celebrating holy days or doing something new. For me, it symbolizes gratitude. She’hehiyanu is the blessing I planned to say when visiting the Kotel for the first time.

The instant my hand would touch the sacred wall, I would say my favorite blessing. When the moment came, I wanted to pray deep and sincere. Finally, when I was close enough to touch the Kotel, emotions overwhelmed me. I got so excited and nervous, it seemed as if I pressed the delete button on my memory. Everything I had planned was forgotten.

I could not remember who I was with, what had happened before or even how hungry I was. The saddest thing is that I could not remember the blessing, which I had planned just a few minutes before. Tears started rolling down my face. I could not think of anything, so I started praying with my own words; my eyes tightly closed and my lips moving at an amazing speed. I prayed for my family, for my friends, for the world and for me. The instant I freed my hand from the Kotel, everything came back to me like in a magical act. It was a meaningful moment that changed my life forever.

Israel was a great experience. It was a journey throughout my roots and traditions. It connected me with other Jewish teens who became my friends. Israel opened my senses and gave me perspective regarding many controversial subjects.

More importantly, by experiencing Israel I evolved as a Jewish woman. I never get tired of thanking G’d every day that He let me live and be here for this experience.

Israel Experience Grants applications are available now by emailing: grants@jewishomaha.org. The deadline to submit your application is March 1, 2012.

January 20, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 3

Omaha eruv is complete With the route established, the next step was to get the community on board. There have been communities that made it through most of the eruv hurdles only to get embroiled in bitter controversy with nonOrthodox Jews over whether or not there

left, Mayor Suttle, Rabbi Gross, and Josh should be an eruv. Rabbi Gross explains, “I did not anticipate a problem, but I thought it would be wise to stay ahead of any possibilities. Rabbi Azriel and Rabbi Levin offered me 100% support in the project and pledged to stand behind me if any issues arose. In fact, when Rabbi Abraham arrived in Omaha and learned of the eruv project, he inquired as to whether the Beth El neighborhood was included. I had initially looked into the possibility of that, but the wires in that neighborhood are all underground, making it close to impossible to include that area. I also approached Alan Potash, director of our regional office of the AntiDefamation League, who was also incredibly supportive.”

In addition to Dani Shrago and Josh Gurock, the help of Jeff Kirshenbaum, Cliff

Levitan, and Howard Kooper proved instrumental in bringing the process from drawings on a map through the required approval from the Omaha Public Power District.

OPPD was beyond accommodating. They were genuinely interested in the project and went out of their way to help. At the synagogue’s expense through funds raised specifically for the eruv, OPPD did the work required to complete the perimeter.

After OPPD did their job, Beth Israel hired Bruce Kutler Electric to complete the work that OPPD required to be done by a licensed electrician. The Nebraska winter was on our side. “With Bruce Kutler’s diligence and expertise and the beautiful weather of December and January, we were able to complete the necessary work.” says Rabbi Gross.

The last piece of the puzzle was to meet with the Mayor. As the head of the city, the halacha – Jewish law – is that we must get his permission to use the area for carrying on Shabbat. Gary Javitch, a member of Beth Israel, has a personal relationship with Mayor Jim Suttle and was able to set up an appointment as soon as the electrical work was complete. “The Mayor was very accommodating,” explains Rabbi Gross, “and I can’t thank him enough for all of his support.”

Now after 100 years, we have an eruv. This is another milestone of Omaha’s continuing growth into a major Jewish community.

Full of pride and emotion upon returning from his meeting with the Mayor, Rabbi Gross stated, “I can’t give enough thanks to all of those who made this possible. Hashem should continue to bless our wonderful community, and we should have many happy occasions to celebrate together at Beth Israel, where every Shabbat is a Shabbaton!”

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by NANCY NOGG The Omaha Conservatory of Music will be hosting the grand opening of the Annette and Paul Smith Center for the Performing Arts during its 10th annual The Big Gig fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. at its new location, 3504 S. 108th St. The event will include dinner and an evening of performances by current Omaha Conservatory of Music students. The program features guest speaker and author Daniel Coyle. He is a contributing editor at Outside magazine and has written for Sports Illustrated, The New York Times Magazine, and Play.

Proceeds from the event will support collaborations with area arts organizations, faculty development, scholarships for students, various music programming, and the Center for Adult Learning. For more information about corporate sponsorship packages, table packages or individual tickets, please contact the OCM at 402.932.4978 or visit www.omahacm.org.

The Omaha Conservatory of Music is a non-profit organization which builds artistic community through performance and education. With passion, dedication and excellence, the members of the Artist-Faculty at the Omaha Conservatory of Music are sparking the brains of their students. Teaching is based on recent brain research, includes music theory, composition, theory, orchestration, discipline and self-responsibility, making music a lifelong source of joy and inspiration.

For more information, please contact nancynogg@omahacm.org or call 402.932.4978

Join us as we wish Jan Goldstein farewell on Sunday, January 22nd 2:00 pm JCC Gallery / Auditorium

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Continued from page 1 so I constructed a giant wooden protractor and started measuring hills to see if they fit the requirements. I wondered what all the people who drove by and saw the guy in his running clothes with a giant wooden triangle thought I was doing.”

Unfortunately, after countless hours on the quest, the Rabbi and the many volunteers involved were ready to give up. No options for a perimeter looked like they were viable options.

Rabbi Gross says he lost sleep lamenting maybe Nebraska was just not meant to have an eruv. “But,” he says, “there were two congregants in particular who refused to give up. One was Dani Shrago. She and her husband Gary Javitch, are empty nesters but firmly Gurock. believed our community needed an eruv to attract young families.

The other was Josh Gurock. He and his wife Amanda have four young children. One day Josh called me and told me he found the solution. When we met he showed me a continuous wire that was perfect in every regard with one small problem. It cut through the neighborhood one street south of the expected Dodge Street border. With this wire as our northern border, the perimeter of the eruv would include about 90% of the intended area and would include every one of Beth Israel’s young families – except for the Gurocks! This route never would have occurred to me. How could we have an eruv without the Gurocks, especially since Josh played such an instrumental role in advancing the project? Self-sacrificing, Josh insisted we pursue this path.”

The Big Gig

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The Omaha Jewish community has benefited tremendously, both financially and culturally, under Jan’s leadership. She has represented the Jewish Federation of Omaha across the country and in Israel with passion, vision and dedication. Her accomplishments will have a lasting impact on our community.

We wish her success in all her future endeavors.

Jody Malashock, President & Mike Silverman, CEO 402.334.8200 • www.jewishomaha.org

Jay Noddle, President & Marty Ricks, Executive Director 402.334.6440 • www.jfofoundation.org

4 | The Jewish Press | January 20, 2012

Agencies and the Annual Campaign

by SHERRIE SAAG Communication Specialist, Jewish Federation of Omaha The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, Jewish Family Service and Jewish Senior Outreach comprise Jewish Social Services (JSS), the Federation agency whose vital work directs assistance to those most in need and provides care for our senior community. This week, we introduce Jim Farber, Jewish Social Services board president. Farber helps and encourages board members, staff, and volunteers to think “outside the box;” making the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home a destination for the entire community with social activities, meeting space and a kosher deli on Fridays (he recommends the corned beef).

What is happening at Jewish Social Services?

Right now, our full attention is on the search process Jim Farber to find a new executive director for Jewish Social Services. We recently turned to a national search firm to assist with our search. This position is an integral part of the campus and community and we need to take care and identify the best candidates. It may take a few months, but we feel our patience will pay off with the very best person for us.

Financially, JSS saw a decline in our budgeted income due to a cut in Medicare reimbursements. So, we are employing lots of innovation and creativity right now; monitoring expenses very carefully while maintaining the high degree of service our residents require and deserve.

How is the work of Jewish Social Services made possible through the Annual Campaign?

The Annual Campaign provides funding for several necessary services. It provides needed assistance for those most vulnerable in our community, care for our elderly and programming for our seniors that enrich their quality of life.

Project Dreidel, Project Tzedakah and Mainstreeters are just a few of the programs that directly benefit from the Annual Campaign.

I Give to the Annual Campaign because...

The Annual Campaign of the Jewish Federation of Omaha benefits the entire campus, the Jewish community of Omaha and provides overseas support. My family contributes to the Annual Campaign because we benefit from living in a democratic society with the freedom to practice our beliefs. It is a privilege to help others less fortunate. It is the “dues” we pay to belong to this wonderful organization.

Sustainable business practices examined in Omaha

by SHANI KATZMAN for Chabad Center The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) will present the new course Money Matters: Jewish Business Ethics; the sixsession series will commence on Jan 23.

Rabbi Mendel Katzman of Chabad will conduct the six course sessions at 7-8:30 p.m. on six Mondays beginning on Jan 23 at the Chabad Center “The recent failures in the financial industry have drastically changed the way we think about business,” explains Rabbi Katzman, the local JLI instructor. “At JLI, we deeply believe that business should be a force for good, and that’s why we’re presenting students with timeless Talmudic insights into real-world ethical dilemmas.”

Spanning a wide range of intriguing subjects, Money Matters discusses the personal ethics of bankruptcy and freeloading, asking questions such as: After purchasing a ticket for a ball game, can you move to an unoccupied, higher-priced seat? If you ever have the money, are you

morally obliged to repay discharged debt? Questions regarding topics in social ethics such as living wages, insider trading, CEO compensation, and collective bargaining are also addressed.

“Markets need morals, and morals are not made by markets. They are made by schools, the media, custom, tradition, religious leaders, moral role models and the influence of people,” said the British Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks. “Jewish ethics has a long past and a massive resource of wisdom.

That is why courses such as JLI’s Money Matters: Jewish Business Ethics are so important.”

Like all JLI programs, Money Matters is designed to appeal to people at all levels of Jewish knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning. All JLI courses are open to the public.

Interested students may call 402.330.1800 or visit www.myJLI.com for registration and other course-related information. Cost for the classes including materials is $79.

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In the news Andy Ruback was promoted to the role of General Manager for the Omaha Radio Group. Ruback will oversee the seven station cluster of Q98.5, POWER 106.9, 101.9 The Big O, 1620 The Zone, News/Talk KKAR-AM, KOIL-AM, and Hispanic market leader “La Nueva” KMMQ-AM. He will continue as Director of Digital for the company’s rated markets.

Ruback has served as the company’s Market Manager for its four-station Lincoln, NE cluster since 2008. Ruback’s experience as an effective leader and negotiator on the company’s University of Nebraska Cornhusker broadcast rights helped secure the flagship status of multiple Nebraska-based NRG radio stations including KLINAM, KFGE-FM and KGFW-AM. In addition, Ruback led the successful sales platform launch of HuskerMax.com, an online world dedicated to Husker football. Ruback’s digital innovations have helped to launch social media and online streaming platforms on all key market NRG radio stations including properties in Lincoln, Omaha and Grand Island-Kearney.

Phoenix Mavropoulos, 8, who is a Green Belt at the JCC ATA Taekwondo School, competed in a tournament in Sheldon Iowa this past weekend. He placed 2nd in Forms and 2nd in Sparring. He is the son of Karen Klingberg Mavropoulos and Dimitrios Mavropoulos.

Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Beth Seldin Dotan, Executive Director of the Institute for Holocaust Education, will talk about the exhibit Searching for Humanity: Veterans, Victims, and Survivors of World War II. The exhibit is currently being displayed at the Strategic Air and Space Museum. Beth will discuss more about the Museum and the Institute on Wednesday, Jan. 25, noon at the Blumkin Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $11; beverage service only is $3. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@ jewishomaha.org.

LOMIR REDN YIDDISH To know Yiddish is to become an artist with words and a master at describing the foibles, the quirks, and the strengths of human character. Yiddish is the best way to understand the soul of the Jewish people. We meet every Thursday, from 1-3 p.m., at the Rose Blumkin Home Board Room. Come join us and enjoy meeting your soul mates.

For information call Anne Skolkin at 402.343.1638.

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January 20, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 5

Temple Israel celebrates with Reform Movement in Washington, D.C.

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN a better world for their children,” he acknowledged. He was Temple Israel Communications Coordinator able to relate: “Only in America is my story even possible.”

More than 5,000 people attended the 71st Biennial of the He continued by pointing out that “the dream we share is Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) in Washington, D.C. in more than doing for yourself,” mentioning tikkun olam, December. More than 200 NFTY teens as well as 500 atten- fighting bigotry, fighting for the freedom to practice relidees between 18 and 35 years of age represented 541 con- gion. “Our country is a better place,” because of what our gregations and 55 states and provinces in North America at forbearers did. Changes such as equal pay for an equal day’s the attendance record-breaking Biennial. Among them were work “wouldn’t have happened without you,” he said.

11 from Omaha’s Temple Israel.

National and international leaders including Ambassador Nancy Brinker, CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure; Dr. Wendy Mogel, psychologist, parents expert, and author; Natan Sharansky, former Soviet dissident and current chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel; Rabbi David Saperstein; director of the Religious Action Committee (RAC); and Al Vorspan, former director of the Joint Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism, were among the speakers. Highlighting the array of learning sessions, musical events, plenaries, exhibits, and briefings, President Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to speak at a URJ Biennial.

“Attending President Obama’s speech was the high point of the Biennial for me,” said Sally Kaplan, who will be the The Temple Israel delegation at the URJ Biennial. next president of the Temple Israel Board of Trustees.

“Wendy Goldberg, Mimi Silverman, Gary (Kaplan) and I Pertaining to Israel, President Obama said, “I haven’t lined up early, and just being in the line was exciting. wavered from the two-state solution. That is our shared Watching the Secret Service do their job and just the excite- vision... that begins with a safe and secure State of Israel. My ment of being part of all that was great.” commitment to Israel’s security is unshakable.”

Speaking on Friday afternoon, President Obama said he Mimi Silverman, president of Temple Israel Women of knew it was a little early, but he wished everyone “Shabbat Reform Judaism, said the president’s speech “was mind blowShalom” to loud applause. He also congratulated the RAC on ing, fantastic. He made everyone feel that the things we’ve its golden anniversary. Recognizing the RAC’s work on done haven’t gone unnoticed.” Attending her third Biennial, behalf of voting rights, civil rights, and liberating Soviet Silverman added the range of speakers was “representative” Jews, he confided that “I probably wouldn’t be here talking and included Eric Cantor (R-VA), House Majority Leader. to you today without the RAC’s efforts.”

Jordan Jensen, president of Temple’s youth group, was He lightheartedly mentioned that his daughter, Malia, has impressed with President Obama. “Oh my gosh!” the 17been going to a Bar or Bat Mitzvah almost every weekend. year-old exclaimed. “That was awesome. He drew parallels There have been arguments with her about the length of her with Jewish values that have shaped America.” The NFTY skirt and what time to be home. But he also learned from her delegates, all sitting together, stood and enthusiastically that “it never hurts to discuss the Torah portion” of the applauded President Obama who admitted that their pasweek. And he did. sion got him “fired up.”

“Here in America, Jews finally found a place where their Aron Neesman, who grew up at Temple Israel and is now faith was protected. Here in America, they really could build attending Hebrew College in Boston, attended the new

Reform Youth Professional Association. “I really enjoyed President Obama’s address,” said Neesman. “It was more than just brief remarks; he spoke somewhat candidly and shared a personal message. It was an amazing conference, where I was able to meet lots of new people and see old friends.”

Rabbi Eric Yoffie gave the Shabbat sermon which was his last as URJ president as he steps down after 16 years. “Ours is a Judaism of reason and the largest movement in Jewish religious life. Independent and free, proudly liberal in our religious views, we answer to no one but ourselves. And our members are accomplished citizens of this great Republic and its neighbor to the north.” He admitted to being “filled with more than a little trepidation” due to national economies being in upheaval, congregations suffering from economic distress and asking questions about “who we are and how we operate.”

He spoke of his daughter Adina, “who calls herself Reform,” and who belongs to an Orthodox congregation.

“Above all,” he said, “I have learned from my daughter that if we hope to engage our children, we will need to provide answers that are religiously compelling and intellectually engaging as well as authentically Reform.”

Describing his son Adam, 28, who just completed law school, Rabbi Yoffie said, “When it comes to Judaism, it is hard to see what he shares with his sister other than DNA. For Adam, to be Jewish means to be involved in Israel’s fate and implicated in her destiny. He has always believed Judaism is about moral imperatives and about feeling compassion for our fellow citizens.”

As different as his children are, they agree that “they don’t want us trying to make Judaism hip,” said Rabbi Yoffie.

“They want the support of a community. They want an inclusive Judaism” that includes gay Jews, non-Jewish spouses, and Jews with disabilities.”

Then he asked, “So, how are we going to engage my kids and yours? How are we going to keep them part of Jewish life and draw them into our synagogues? We are going to invite our young people in. We are going to empower them.

And we are going to dream with them.

“Looking back,” Rabbi Yoffie said, “leading this Reform Movement has been a joyous journey for me. And now, it is someone else’s turn. And nothing reassures me more than to Continued on page 6

Our 2011 Annual Report is included in this issue of the Jewish Press and covers our 28th year of operation.

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6 | The Jewish Press | January 20, 2012

Temple Israel celebrates at URJ Biennial Continued from page 5 know that that someone is Rabbi Rick Jacobs, who will be a great leader and a great teacher and who will rally this Movement to unheard of achievements.”

Talking about his children illustrated “many of the challenges we face as a Movement,” said Sally Kaplan.

Rabbi Jacobs, speaking the next day, noted that the Reform movement will “figure out the best, most effective, most fair and transparent way for us to finance our Movement’s holy work. Ours is the Judaism of autonomy, inclusiveness, creativity, passion, and relevance. We embrace the best of tradition and of modernity, science and spirituality, ourselves, and our world. We are the Reform Movement for a new era, and it’s time we let the whole world know.”

He said the three most pressing tasks for our URJ to focus on are “becoming a catalyst and convener of best practices by sharing tools, methods, and models so every one of our 900 congregations will flourish.” Echoing Rabbi Yoffie’s sermon, the second task is “engaging the next generation.”

Thirdly, Reform congregations must “extend the circles of our responsibility.” He urged congregations “to meet young Jews where they are -- in coffee shops and bars, in gyms and private apartments -- outside the synagogue walls.” He placed emphasis on relationships, not just programs.

Additionally, he said we are “committed to nourishing the baby boomers in our midst. Sacred community is not a Jewish Stop & Shop that offers what looks appetizing. It is an extension beyond ourselves to those we may not know by name, people who are not ‘just like us,’ those who think, earn, practice, and vote differently than we do.”

Lastly, Rabbi Jacobs emphasized fostering “a deep love for and engagement with Israel among Reform Jews of North America, young and old. We need Israel, and Israel needs us.”

Besides studying, worshipping, laughing, singing, connecting, and reconnecting, Biennial participants could choose from nearly 200 learning sessions on various topics.

Jordan and OTYG Social Action Vice President Hannah Radler, attending their first Biennial, enjoyed the music of several of the musicians. Dan Nichols, Julie Silver, Alan Goodis, and Rabbi Joe Black were among the entertainers.

There was also a tribute to Debbie Friedman.

Jordan talked about seeing Washington, D.C. “They tied in a program seeing all the monuments with Jewish values.

It was really cool.”

Hannah, 16, described the experience as “one of the best NFTY events I’ve ever been to. I’ll go to more when I’m in college.”

This was Gary and Sally Kaplan’s sixth Biennial, “and by far the most exciting one,” remarked Sally. She thought the learning session on meeting the spiritual needs of the baby boomer generation was “excellent, and I have some ideas to pass on to the (Temple Israel) Membership Committee. I think it is important to reach out to empty nesters with programming that meets their needs...there are a lot of us in

that age group.”

“I’m always glad to have gone to a Biennial,” added Sally.

“They are exciting, interesting, and valuable both personally and as a leader at Temple Israel.”

Her husband, Gary, attended “an interesting session about how some congregations are using technology to enhance some worship services. There was a lot of discussion about what different groups have found enriching versus what is distracting.” He also found himself in a room “with two generations of Jewish Freedom Riders: 75-year-olds who rode in Selma, Alabama, to get blacks the right to sit wherever they wanted in public buses in the 1960s and IRAC Director Anat Hoffman who is leading the fight in Jerusalem to allow Jewish women to sit wherever they want in public buses in 2011.”

“For the first time,” Gary pointed out, “I heard more unifying talk about the Reform Jewish Movement and less separate agendas from the URJ, the seminary (HUC), and the congregations.” Gary predicted this will be “an important focus for Rabbi Jacobs.”

Marlen Frost, a WRJ International Board member, attended WRJ sessions which ran simultaneously with URJ sessions. “I met people from all over the world -- South Africa, Israel, Canada -- and all over the country.” She attended sessions on recruiting and retaining volunteers, how to express appreciation and recognition. WRJ passed resolutions on fair employment and consumption of goods and services including environmental issues.

Friday night’s worship service “was wonderful,” according to Frost, “and Rabbi Yoffie’s outgoing speech was very moving.” Overall, the Biennial “is a rejuvenating experience and reinforces my work for WRJ whose work stretches our own Omaha organization’s work.”

“This was my first Biennial,” reported Mike Halsted, a member of Temple Israel’s Board of Trustees. “It was an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world,” describing the experience as “inspiring and educational. He attended sessions on clergy transition and long-term strategic planning which he will discuss with Temple Israel’s long range planning committee.

“Shabbat services on Friday and Saturday were beyond anything I could have imagined. The opportunity to pray and worship in the company of some 5,000 to 6,000 fellow Reform Jews was incredible. The music was awesome!” said Halsted, who was accompanied by his wife Mendy. They both “whole headedly encourage anyone who has the opportunity to attend a Biennial to do so. It was time very well spent.” In 2013, the Biennial will be in San Diego.

Jane Rips, a URJ North American trustee, Temple Israel Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, and Program Director Wendy Goldberg also attended the Biennial.

Silverman summed it up as “by far, this was the best -- all the way around, and there was a very positive, uplifting feeling.”

Tenor Domingo, U.S. and Israeli scientists awarded Wolf Prize

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) – Spanish tenor Placido Domingo has been named a recipient of Israel’s 2012 Wolf Prize.

The $100,000 prizes, which will be presented in May by Israeli President Shimon Peres during a special Knesset session, were announced in Jerusalem by Israeli Minister of Education and Wolf Foundation Council Chair Gideon Sa’ar.

Domingo, 70, will share the Wolf Prize for the Arts with German conductor Sir Simon Rattle of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Domingo’s award is the first time the prize has been awarded to a vocalist.

The prize for medicine was awarded to Ronald M. Evans of the Gene Expression Laboratory at Placido Domingo The Salk Institute in La Jolla, Calif., for his work with nuclear receptors.

Prof. A. Paul Alivisatos of the University of California at Berkeley was awarded the prize for chemistry for his work in nanoscience. He will share the award with Charles M. Lieber of Harvard University, who is being honored for his work in nanowires.

The award for physics went Jacob D. Bekenstein of the Racah Institute of Physics at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem for his work in black holes.

The prize for mathematics was awarded to Prof.

Michael Aschbacher of the California institute of technology for his work on the theory of finite groups. He will share the prize with Luis Caffarelli of the University of Texas at Austin, for his work on partial differential equations.

Since 1978, the Wolf Prize has been awarded 29 times to 272 scientists and artists from 23 countries, including 19 from Israel, for “achievements in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among peoples, irrespective of nationality, race, color, religion, sex, or political view.” Over one-third of all Wolf Prize winners have gone on to win the Nobel Prize in the sciences.

The Israel-based Wolf Foundation was established by the late German-born inventor, diplomat and philanthropist Dr. Ricardo Wolf, who served as the Cuban ambassador to Israel from 1961 to 1973.

January 20, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 7

A guided tour of the Guide of the Perplexed continues

by GUY MATALON Jewish Federation of Omaha Scholar in Residence A classic book is a text that transcends its historical period and is relevant for many generations. One Jewish Classic is Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed.

Maimonides was born in Cordoba, Spain in 1135 and died in Egypt in 1204. He wrote The Guide toward the end of his life. He wrote it, as he explains in the introduction, to help people who study science and philosophy understand the Hebrew Bible. His approach is both interesting and challenging. In the book he touches on every important question and provides an answer – the existence of God, God’s relationship to human beings and the world, afterlife, why do good people suffer, evil and many other important topics.

The Jewish Federation of Omaha is offering a six week guided tour into one of the most fascinating and difficult texts in Judaism. The class will consist of readings from the text with discussion and explanations. It is intended to stimulate thoughtprovoking discussions about fundamental concepts in Judaism. The course is open to learners of all levels and is free to members

of the Jewish community. Although this is a continuation of the class offered in October, anyone can attend the second course.

There are several key Jewish books that we should be familiar with, and this is one of them. It is a complex text that is rich with penetrating insights and thought-provoking ideas.

Rabbi Jonathan Gross, senior Rabbi of Beth Israel Synagogue said, “The works of Maimonides can be very complicated to learn, and a class like this makes scholarly work accessible to the lay person. I am really excited for the class and I encourage everyone to come and learn.” Donald Gerber, a participant in the first session said, “I really enjoyed the first session and look forward to it continuing. It provides the philosophical, the historical, and scientific perspective.”

The class will take place on six consecutive Tuesdays beginning Feb. 7 (Feb. 14, 21, 28, March 6, 13) at 8 p.m. at Beth Israel Synagogue. The course is offered jointly by the Jewish Federation of Omaha and Beth Israel Synagogue. To register for the course, please call either Beth Israel at 402.556.6288 or Dr. Guy Matalon at 402.334.6560.

BBYO news

by JODI LEVINE Teen/BBYO Director Omaha Cornbelt Council BBYO had a very busy year and ended 2011 on a high note. During the month of December, AZA hosted its annual Blood Drive with the American Red Cross and Beth El Synagogue at the JCC. We were fortunate enough to collect approximately 27 good units of blood.

What a Mitzvah! Also in December, BBYO and BBYO Connect, formerly known as Teen Connection, came together for an exceptional Hanukkah party, where they held an exciting gift exchange and had a one of a kind Latke-making challenge. To end the year, Omaha Cornbelt Council sent 26 teens to Winter Regional Convention in St. Louis, where approximately 130 teens from Omaha, Kansas City and St. Louis reunited to participate in exceptional programming, community service activities and much more.

OCC has a lot in store for 2012. On Jan. 17, Jewish Family Service and BBYO are pairing up for an exciting and educational program discussing issues of body image and sex. Teens will hear from Chrissy Hough, a professional from Children’s Hospital, who will discuss in detail about body image and eating disorders, then move into an interactive discussion lead by Karen Gustafson, Jewish Family Service Director, about situations teens deal with everyday regarding sex and peer pressure. BBYO is excited to be joining JFS with this program.

Coming up, all Jewish High School teens in the Omaha Community are invited to attend the first ever, Community Teen

Retreat. Come join BBYO, OJC, NCSY, NFTY and USY for a creative and exciting Shabbat experience building a united Jewish Teen Community through Yoga, Prayer, Hip Hop, Freestyling, Dancing, Graffiti Art, and much more! There will be something for everyone... GUARANTEED! It’s that time of year again. BBYO Rush 2012! BBYO is calling all Jewish 8th-11th graders in Omaha to become a part of the largest Jewish Youth Movement in the world! BBYO’s Rush events begin with an informational parent meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. in the JCC Auditorium.

Following the parent meeting, teens will have four opportunities to see what Omaha Cornbelt council is all about. Mark your calendars for the following dates: • Tuesday, Feb. 14 – AZA Council Rush (Boys Only) JCC Teen Lounge 6-8 p.m.

• Saturday, Feb. 18 – Mother Chapter AZA #1 and MZ Yoshanah BBG #2053 79:30 p.m. JCC • Saturday, Feb. 25 – Chaim Weizmann AZA #1510 and Ediar BBG #710 7-9:30 p.m. JCC • Tuesday, Feb. 28 – BBG Council Rush (Girls Only) JCC Teen Lounge 6-8 p.m.

• Tuesday, March 6 – OCC BBYO Pledge Night 6-8:30 p.m. JCC Auditorium Omaha BBYO is excited for its annual rush season and can’t wait to see all of Omaha’s 8th-11th graders Feb. 7-March 6.

Are you interested in BBYO and want to know even more? Please contact Jodi Levine, Teen/BBYO Director, at 402.334.6404 or jlevine@jccomaha.org.

ADL presents The Secret Life of Girls

by LIZZY GILBERT Corporate and Community Development The Anti Defamation League will present The Secret Life of Girls, in partnership with Common Sense Media from Jan. 25-29 at the JCC Theater. The Secret Life of Girls is an honest dramatization of teenage bullying.

Middle school students from across the Omaha Metro will attend one of six school performances and participate in a talk-back session facilitated by Karen Gustafson, Director of Jewish Family Service.

This project would not be possible without the generous support of the following individuals and organizations: Nebraska Humanities Council, Nebraska Arts Council, the Todd & Betiana Simon

Foundation, Peter Kiewit Foundation, Paul & Annette Smith, and the Schulman Memorial Fund and Rothenberg Memorial Endowment Fund through the Jewish Federation Foundation. Costuming for The Secret Life of Girls is provided in part by Gordmans.

In addition to six school performances, the ADL is offering public performances on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at the Jewish Community Center and are $8 for adults and $5 for students with a valid student ID. You may also contact Linda Pollard at lpollard@adl.org or 402.334.6570 to reserve your seats.

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8 | The Jewish Press | January 20, 2012

Beth El’s fifth annual Tu B’Shevat celebration at Lauritzen Gardens

by JILL BELMONT den’s lovely visitor and education center, located at 1st and Beth El Publicity Coordinator Bancroft St. The afternoon’s festivities will include a funOver the past several years, Beth El’s festive Tu B’Shevat filled scavenger hunt for plants (inside the gardens), and celebration at Lauritzen Gardens has become a much-antic- four informational stations which will be set up in the Great Hall, where visitors can learn ipated family event, and on about Tu B’Shevat and the four Sunday, Jan. 29, the fifth seasons. In addition, children annual afternoon of holiwill be treated to art activities day fun is planned for and cookie decorating in the community members of Great Hall, and musical perall ages, free of charge. formances will entertain guests Tu B’Shevat marks the beginning of spring in throughout the afternoon.

Israel, also known as the “This event is such a wonderful New Year for Trees, and way to celebrate the holiday, the synagogue’s Program which reminds us of our connecDirector Margie Gutnik tion to earth,” says Rabbi asked, “What better way to Mordechai Levin. “In this era of global environmental threats, Tu celebrate the holiday than B’Shevat reminds us how fragile by surrounding yourself and complex our ecosystem realwith nature at Omaha’s ly is. Judaism sees nature as a beautiful botanical center?

“This is the perfect time Marty Shukert served as a “tour guide” during Beth El’s product of the Divine. We are to stop and appreciate the community-wide Tu B’Shevat celebration last year at the custodians of the earth, and gifts of nature,” she added. Lauritzen Gardens; this year’s event is planned for Jan. 29. we are commanded to respect “It’s also a great time to reflect on the importance of preserv- and care for our world.”

Admission fees have been underwritten during this special ing the environment and becoming more green-friendly.”

The 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. event will take place in the gar- event; activities and crafts will be underwritten by Beth El.

Pulpit swap brings Rabbi to Omaha

by BETH COHEN Executive Director, Beth Israel Rabbi Jonathan Gross of Beth Israel Synagogue will be participating in a “pulpit swap” with his colleague and friend, Rabbi Shaanan Gelman of Congregation Chovevei Tzion in Skokie, IL. Rabbi Gelman will be spending Shabbat on Jan. 27 and 28 at Beth Israel. Rabbi Gross will join Rabbi Gelman and his congregation in Skokie over a Shabbat in May. Rabbi Gelman was born in Buffalo, NY, and grew up in the Bronx. He earned a B.S. in Computer Science at Yeshiva College and Semicha from Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanon Theological Seminary. He spent three years studying in Israel, two at Yeshivat Hakotel and later on at the Gruss Institute in Bayit Vegan. He was a Kollel Fellow in the Boca Raton Community Kollel, where he served as spiritual leader of the Explanatory Service as well as held the Gimmelstob Chair in Education at the local Jewish Federation. Rabbi Gelman is a member of the Rabbinical Council of America and serves on the executive board. He is an active member of the Chicago Rabbinical Council as well as serving on the

board of the Associated Talmud Torahs of Chicago. Rabbi Gelman is a fervent Zionist, is active in AIPAC, and has conducted a number of campaigns on behalf of our brethren in Israel, including a solidarity mission to Israel.

Rabbi Gelman is known among his peers for the incredible lectures and classes that he gives. Periodically at Beth Israel, we offer classes using Skype to bring in Rabbis and scholars from around the world. When Rabbi Gelman presented a Skype lecture at Beth Israel, the audience was astounded by the amount of research he had done on the topic. He is also particularly good at incorporating humor, pop culture, and thoughtful timely issues into his classes.

His source packets carefully and artistically combine dozens of textual sources that he found while doing research on the particular topic.

On Shabbat morning, Jan. 28, Rabbi Gelman will deliver the sermon discussion Megillat Esther, It’s My Party and I’ll Kill If I Want To. The weekly class that takes place one hour before Shabbat will also be taught by Rabbi Gelman. At 5 p.m. on Jan. 28, the class topic will be, Hi Tech vs. Hi Touch: The Battle Over Machine-Made Matzah.

Kooper/Fellman scholarships

by JAN ROOS The Robert H. & Dorothy G. Kooper Charitable Foundation Trust has announced the availability of scholarships for the 2012-2013 academic year. It will be based on financial need for Jewish students with ties to the Omaha community who are pursuing their post-secondary education. This is limited to undergraduate studies only and does not include any graduate programs.

Robert Kooper had a long history of service to the Jewish community. He was elected B’nai B’rith president in 1929; headed Beth El Synagogue in 1941; was president of Highland Country Club in 1951; and was President of the Jewish Federation of Omaha 1958-1960.

He died in 1961.

Mrs. Kooper was a strong supporter and worked with the Jewish Federation and Beth El Sisterhood. She passed away in May, 1995.

“Awarding a scholarship to a young Jewish person is a very appropriate way of honoring my parents” Howard Kooper noted. He and his wife, Sharon, fund the Kooper Charitable Foundation Trust. Tom Fellman also serves as trustee for the Foundation.

Applications for the Robert H. & Dorothy G. Kooper scholarship are available by contacting Mr. Kooper’s office in writing at 809 North 96 Street, Omaha, Nebraska, 68114; or email to jroos@broadmoor.cc. The application packet will be mailed out and must be received back in Mr. Kooper’s office no later than March 27, 2012.

The Bruce M. Fellman Charitable Foundation Trust has announced the availability of scholarships for the 2012-2013 academic year. The scholarships will be based on financial needs of students pursuing their post-secondary education. This is limited to undergraduate studies only and does not include any graduate programs.

Bruce, son of Tom and Darlynn Fellman, was a 1982 graduate of Westside High School. He was active in BBYO and served as president, vice president, secretary and treasurer of Chaim Weizmann AZA. He attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and was participating in the University of Pittsburgh’s Semester at Sea at the time of his death in 1984.

Trustees for the Foundation are Darlynn Fellman, Terri Schrager, and Howard Kooper.

Applications may be obtained by contacting Mr. Kooper’s office in writing at 809 North 96 Street, Omaha, Nebraska, 68114; or email to jroos@broadmoor.cc. The application packet will be mailed out and must be received back in Mr. Kooper’s office no later than March 27, 2012.

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NCJW presents “Protecting Our Kids”

by JOANIE JACOBSON MS,NCC,LIMHP, director of Jewish Family Service.

Event co-chairman “It’s one-stop shopping!” explained Nogg. “This is a perfect On Thursday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m., at the Jewish Community opportunity for parents and even us grandparents to get a lot Center, a panel of Omaha professionals will address a num- of information and ask questions to a team of professionals ber of challenging parenting who have the answers. issues and their impact on “As grandparents, we owe it to our kids and grandkids to children in the 21st century. educate ourselves, too,” she The event is sponsored by the added. “Raising children Public Affairs Committee of today is a lot different than Omaha Section, National when we were parents with Council of Jewish Women and is free and open to the public. young children, and there’s a Other event co-chairmen are lot of new material!”

Wendy Raffel and Patty Nogg.

“Protecting our children is “These are the hot topics one of the most important when it comes to parenting,” aspects of parenting when our noted Raffel. “We have two children are young,” said Gustafson. “Too many parsons, 9 and 12, and I want them to be healthy, safe, and feeling Patty Nogg, left, Wendy Raffel and Joanie Jacobson; co- ents don’t know how to then adjust their parental role as secure in a world of unwanted chairmen of NCJW’s “Protecting Our Kids” event. messages, images, and behavior. What’s the best way to keep their children get older.”

Jan Fischer, NCJW president, noted, “One of the goals of them well? ...How can I be sure they’re safe online? ...When it comes to television, movies, advertisements, and music, how NCJW has always been to educate the general public about do I control the message? ...How can I ensure they have regard important issues affecting women and families. 'Protecting Our Kids' is the first of several programs we’ll be offering for others and make good decisions for themselves?

Featured panelists include Dr. Susan Fellman, pediatri- this year, all of which are very exciting, informative and relcian; Detective David Pecha, Computer Crimes Task Force, evant to our modern lives.”

For additional information, contact Wendy Raffel, Omaha Police Department; Dr. Adam Tyma, UNO Assistant Professor, School of Communication; and Karen Gustafson, 402.504.3366 or wsraffel@cox.net.

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Campaign closer to its goal

by SHERRIE SAAG Communications Specialist, Jewish Federation of Omaha Kol Yisrael Aravim Ze La Ze – All Jews are responsible for one another.

As the Jewish Federation of Omaha, we are part of an amazing enterprise that is the Jewish Federations of North America. We live the principle of Kol Yisrael Aravim Ze La Ze each and every day.

Whether here at home, in over 70 countries around the world, or in Israel, our Federation community will always be there to help the needy, respond to crisis, foster Jewish identity and enrich Jewish life. The funds we raise help support hundreds of thousands of Jews across the globe.

Last year, more than 1,600 people from across our community fulfilled the mitzvah of tzedakah by making a taxdeductible gift to the Federation’s Annual Campaign.

Our goal this year is $3,050,000. Join the already 1,000 people in our community who have generously given $2,345,000 to the 2012 Annual Campaign. We are so close and can do so much.

Right now, Jewish communities are navigating a difficult economic environment and during moments of financial challenge, our highest priority is helping people in need and in crisis. We also manage to continue our mission of strengthening Jewish schools, camps, synagogues and community programming. This ensures a vibrant Jewish community, one that will thrive and prosper into the future.

And, most importantly, be there for our children and our

children’s children.

“A successful Campaign provides our lay and professional leaders with the critical resources necessary to continue our forward movement with campus innovations and exciting new programming. Everything hinges on our fantastic donors. The structure, operations, desire and creativity are in place. The future is bright,” said Jan Goldstein, Chief Development Officer, Jewish Federation of Omaha.

What does your gift do? It helps the needy by restoring dignity and hope to those in harm’s way or who suffer from despair. It responds to crisis and provides a platform upon which we advocate for Jews worldwide.

It fosters Jewish identity and feelings of inclusiveness and belonging in a complicated world. It enriches Jewish life by allowing us to offer programs and activities that build community.

Consider your gift to the Jewish Federation of Omaha a gift to yourself, your family and your community.

Be a part of making our Annual Campaign goal a reality.

Call Sharon Kirshenbaum, campaign director at 402.334.6485. Return your pledge card directly to the Jewish Federation of Omaha, 333 S. 132nd St., 68131, or click the link on our webpage, www.jewishomaha.com.

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Time for a Temple Israel Women’s retreat

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by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Temple Israel’s Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) has invited all the women of the congregation to take some time for themselves by attending a retreat from 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 to 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 5. “got time?” the theme of the retreat, will be at the Holiday Inn Crown Plaza in Old Mill.

Mimi Silverman, president of WRJ, said: “The retreat will focus on how women utilize their time and what does and doesn’t become a priority for them, and how to make the best use of that time.” In addition to Shabbat worship services, beautiful music, a craft project, cooking, and yoga, ‘the focus is to have a good time. It’s always fun to have girl bonding time,” Silverman added.

After an icebreaker, Rabbi Eric Linder will lead Shabbat worship services on Saturday morning along with Healy Slakman, North American Federation of Temple Youth Missouri Valley Regional song leader, who has represented the region at a national level. Writing and leading Jewish music, she has been coached by some top contemporary Jewish artists such as Dan Nichols, Rick Recht and Alan Goodis. In St. Louis, Missouri, Healy led services at Temple Israel Congregation and local youth group events as well as helped teach music at Sunday School.

Wendy Goldberg, program director at Temple Israel, said the worship service, with a theme of empowering women, will be “creative and interactive.” A catered lunch will follow.

Susi Amendola, a new member of Temple Israel, will guide a program on Ayurvedic food which is a holistic system of medicine from India that aims to provide guidance regarding food and lifestyle so that healthy people can remain healthy, and folks with health challenges can improve. Amendola will teach how Ayurveda connects the mind and the body, focusing on healing, prevention, and health care. Regardless of physical ability, Amendola will also offer gently guided yoga meditation accessible to everyone.

Women will then be able to choose between designing a tzedakah box with artist Julie Phillips or baking rugelah with Gretchen Radler, a member of Temple Israel. It’s recommended that women who want to participate in the tzedakah box project bring family photographs that will be used on the craft project. These photographs will be permanently adhered to the tzedakah boxes.

Slakman, who recently moved to Atlanta,

will lead havdalah, followed by a dinner buffet catered by Julio’s. Stacie Brodkey, chair of the retreat, said the meal selections “couldn’t be better!”

A performance by Gage Wallace and other local slam-poetry artists and a cocktail hour will highlight the evening entertainment.

Gage Wallace is an original member and former artistic director of Red Theater Lincoln. He’s also a founder of Red Theater Omaha. Described as “a prolific actor, slam poet, and stand-up comedian in the Lincoln and Omaha communities, Wallace is also known for wearing glasses and funny hats.

Slam poetry is a competition at which poets read or recite original work and are then judged by selected members of the audience.

Pamela Hernandez, vice president of operations, Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society, will be the keynote speaker after an 8:30 a.m. breakfast on Sunday.

It’s Your Life, Whatever It Takes is a slide show focusing on trying not to be superwoman but instead being kind to yourself and nurturing yourself. It takes the idea of “balance” and emphasizes that it’s impossible to be “in balance” all the time, and that’s ok, Hernandez pointed out. Instead people should focus on “managing their energy” which means adding things to our lives that nourish us and pruning things from our lives that deplete us. The Sunday morning session will conclude in time for teachers to arrive at Religious School on time.

“I’m planning on asking a lot of women that I know to go to the retreat with me,” expressed Lori Bennett, Religious School director at Temple Israel, “because women, when we meet together for services or something centered around Temple, like when our kids are in school or we’re at services, are focused on families. But at a women’s retreat, we’re giving ourselves permission to focus on ourselves and on each other. And when you have a purposeful, relaxed time, you can focus on being in that place without distractions. You’re there, and you’ve chosen to be there. You’re bringing your friends with you, and that opens you up to really get the experience.”

In addition to Silverman, Goldberg, and Brodkey, others on the Retreat Committee are Joi Brown and Debbi Josephson. It costs $85 to attend the retreat which includes lodging, meals, and the program. To make a reservation to attend, call Temple Israel at 402.556.6536 or register online at www.templeisrael-ne.org. Contact Goldberg at 402556-6536 or wgoldberg@ templeisraelomaha.com if you have any questions.

Book exchange planned for Beth El Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group meeting

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Beth El’s upcoming Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group meeting will be a reader’s paradise, as the evening will be highlighted by a book exchange and favorite-book discussion. The get-together, planned for Thursday, Jan. 26, will be held at the home of Helen Epstein; Donna Olesh will serve as her cohost.

Calling it a white-elephant book exchange, Epstein said attendees may bring as many new or used books as they would like to exchange; however, she asked that only one book be wrapped for the formal exchange. All other books will be put out for anyone to take. She also encouraged

everyone to bring a favorite book to discuss with the group, and noted that they need not be Jewish-themed books.

“We thought that wintertime is a great time to curl up with a good book,” she said.

“Reading is a wonderful pastime, and in this economy, it’s a great way to recycle books and find something new to read.

Who knows? You might find something you never thought you would like to read.”

Social hour begins at 7 p.m.; the formal meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. For planning purposes, RSVPs are requested and may be made by contacting Epstein at aepstein1@cox.net, or 402.391.9187; or Olesh, at deolesh@cox.net or 402.334.1462.

January 20, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 11

Alabama’s secret Jewish weapon celebrates title

by JESSICA LEADER ball champions -- Alabama has won two of the last three NEW YORK (JTA) -- After the University of Alabama national titles. Slive also is a member of Levin’s synagogue in won the Bowl Championship Series football crown by dom- Birmingham and a close friend. inating top-ranked Louisiana State University, much of the “Although he is considered the most powerful man in colattention and credit has gone to Crimson Tide coach Nick legiate athletics, Mike is really just a nice Jewish guy,” Levin Saban. said.

But what about Robert The pervasiveness of Levin?

Alabama football has been Pediatrician by day, deep seated in the state’s Levin has been Alabama’s Jewish community for band announcer -- better generations. known as the “Voice of the “My great-grandparents Million Dollar Band” -- for used to have a picture of 21 seasons. So he’s been Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant next to a around for three national picture of Menachem titles -- that’s one more Mendel Schneerson,” said than Saban, although the Eliot Safier, a teacher in coach has only been at New York with Alabama ‘Bama for five seasons. roots, referring to the legThe doctor told JTA that endary Alabama coach he’s nowhere near jaded and the late leader of the from all the winning.

Lubavitch movement. “My “My wife was sitting mom told me that they with me [Monday] night, were shomer Shabbat and we just kept looking at except when Alabama Dr. Robert Levin and his wife, Faye, are all smiles following each other saying how played on Saturday.”

Alabama’s victory in the BCS championship game, Jan. 9, 2012. much fun we were having,” Levin also grew up as a Credit: Dr. Robert Levin Levin told JTA, referring Crimson Tide aficionado. to the 21-0 victory over LSU. “We just feel so fortunate.”

Alabama “has always been my team,” he said. “As a little Levin said the gig came about through sheer coincidence, boy, [watching games] is what we did on Saturdays. I always when he met the band director at a party. loved them.”

“I did my imitation of a public address announcer for her, Dr. Jeremy Royal, another member of Birmingham’s having no experience, and she thought it was good,” he Jewish community, feels an exceptional pride when it comes recalled. “She asked if I would want to do a game for them, to Alabama’s star players. Since winning a prestigious high which I did, and after that I became the permanent school football trophy in 1995, Royal has the right to attend announcer.” the Heisman Trophy weekend in New York. In December he Levin says the job has become an integral part of his life. attended in support of Crimson Tide running back Trent And the doctor cum announcer has plenty of company Richardson, a Heisman finalist. among Alabama Jews with ties to Crimson Tide football.

“Aside from his incredibly impressive athletic talent, Trent Radio announcer Eli Gold is the official “Voice of the clearly values team more than self,” Royal wrote in a Jewish Crimson Tide.” Jon Solomon covers the team for the Federation newsletter following the trophy weekend. “This Birmingham News. And Mike Slive is the commissioner of characteristic makes him even more likable as a person and the Southeast Conference, home to the last six college foot- makes us cheer even harder for his successes.”

Enjoy a magnificent piano concerto that’s a Mozart-lover’s dream!

Emotional sobriety

by ROCHI KATZMAN for Chabad Center The key to inner peace and happiness is “emotional sobriety,” according Rabbi Shais Taub, and you don’t need a drinking problem in order to achieve it. The renowned author, speaker and Torah scholar contends that the way to live a relatively tranquil life is through a spiritual process based on the ability to let go of the uncontrollable.

Taub will share his inspirational views at the Chabad Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m.

Rabbi Taub is a popular scholar and teacher of Jewish mysticism whose contributions to Jewish recovery include authoring the bestselling book, G-d of Our Understanding: Jewish Spirituality and Recovery from Addiction, which was lauded by Jewish recovery pioneer, Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski.

Rabbi Mendel Katzman, who has been sharing Taub’s book with many, says: “The response has been overwhelming! Rabbi Taub is down-to-earth, funny, and on the mark.

His presentation promises to engage and impact.”

For those not in the recovery community, Taub asserts that there is much to learn from the Twelve Steps to improve our lives and for living meaningfully.

National Public Radio dubbed Rabbi Taub “an expert in Jewish mysticism and the Twelve Steps” for his work with the Jewish recovery community in Milwaukee where he lived for six years. He currently directs Conscious Contact, a program providing meetings for Jewish prayer, meditation and study at the Aleph Institute NE in Pittsburgh where he now lives with his wife and children.

He was recently selected to deliver the keynote address “G-d and Recovery” at the First Annual Conference on the Evolution of Addiction Treatment in Los Angeles.

Rabbi Shais Taub’s talk is open to the entire community free of charge. Refreshments will be served.

Reservations can be made at shalom@ochabad.com.

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12 | The Jewish Press | January 20, 2012

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

Whodunnit

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press If your daily news reads and sounds like the plot to a Hollywood spy movie, here’s why: those movies are inspired by our real-life assumptions about actual conspiracies.

Admit it: you only watched the Jason Bourne trilogy because you thought it was kind of cool to imagine super soldiers with secret identities moving among us. As long as they’re on our side, that is.

The problem is, real life is nothing like the movies: in real life, bullets aren’t hollow, and those exploding cars have real people in them. Also, in those movies, things are pretty black and white, we find out exactly what happened, and the good guy always saves the day right before the end credits roll.

In real life, we’d also like to know who did what and why.

Not just that, we want assurance that certain people don’t just get away with the havoc they wreak. Unless of course those people do things that we secretly approve of; then we just might forget to ask those questions, and we hope they do get away with it.

On Wednesday Jan. 11 Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, deputy director of Natanz, Iran’s main uranium enrichment plant, was killed, and it happened Mission Impossible-style. While Roshan was stuck in traffic, two men on a motorbike rode up and slapped a magnetic device on his car. The device turned out to be a bomb, and one spectacular explosion later, Roshan was no more. It makes for a very exciting opening scene, no stuntmen required.

Roshan was the third Iranian nuclear scientist in two years to be killed in such a fashion; a fourth one survived a similar attempt. Previously, the plant where Roshan worked was hit with a computer worm that reportedly damaged about 10% of the centrifuges used in the enrichment process.

Various countries, as well as the United Nations’ Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, denounced the attack. Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed the attack was

the work of Israel and America. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, followed suit. He said the killing was committed “with the planning or support of the intelligence services of CIA and Mossad.” And: “The global arrogance spearheaded by the U.S. and Zionism has reached a deadlock in confrontation with the determined, devout and progressive nation of Islamic Iran.” Of course, the US government denied everything. What else can you do when a nation like Iran calls itself progressive?

United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta did admit they might have some ideas about who was responsible, which did not make the US look less guilty. After all, if this was a Mossad initiative, certainly the United States were in on it. Not because anyone has any actual evidence, but because it’s public opinion that Israel and America often cooperate when it comes to Iranian threats.

Israel put in its two cents when Brigadier General and IDF spokesman Yoav Mordechai said: “I have no idea who targeted the Iranian scientist, but I certainly don’t shed a tear.” (If this were a movie, Mordechai would be played

by Bruce Willis).

All of this raises the question: when attacks like these happen, do we look at it in a realistic manner, or has our vision been clouded by too much fiction? Do we see it as an exciting story, where America and Israel are the ultimate heroes who (as we know from scene one) will win the battle and demolish the bad guys?

Maybe. The problem is, life is not like the movies, there are no rules to guide the script, and Iran could be full of surprises in the near future. It’s an irrational regime, which doesn’t necessarily emphasize self-preservation.

Because of that irrationality, a nuclear Iran is beyond dangerous, it is scary, and it is unacceptable.

One thing is for sure: in the end, the Academy Award for best acting will go to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Not working on a nuclear weapon? Only doing this for peaceful energy?‚ Give us a break. We can suspend our disbelief only for so long.

When Holocaust analogies run amok

Behind the headlines ABRAHAM H. FOXMAN, National Director of ADL NEW YORK (JTA) -- There was a time when no one living in Israel needed a reminder of what was at stake when the Jewish state was created in 1948 in the aftermath of World War II and the Nazi Holocaust. Israelis and Jews the world over knew that the survival of the Jewish people depended on the ability to have a home to return to after our near-ruinous encounter with European anti-Semitism.

There was also a time when the words “Hitler,” “Nazi” and “Gestapo” were not thrown about recklessly, when images of the emaciated inmates of Nazi concentration camps were a reminder not just to the Jewish people but to all the world of the terrible turn of events that led to the death of 6 million Jews and millions of others in the Holocaust.

The uniqueness of the Holocaust was what made the State of Israel such a powerful answer to those who had attempted to annihilate the Jews. And its memory would ensure that the mass genocide that befell European Jewry would never happen again. Indeed, the message of “Never Again” redefined Jewish experience and peoplehood in the latter half of the 20th century.

But over time we have found the need to remind others -and sometimes ourselves -- of the importance of this experience and of the need to protect its memory from those

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who would distort it. That is why we have felt it necessary to battle efforts to undermine or trivialize the history of the Holocaust. It is why we have worked to expose Holocaust deniers. And it is why we repeatedly speak out when the Holocaust becomes grist for inappropriate comparisons, or when terminology such as “Nazi” or “Hitler” are misused to wage political attacks or are trivialized in popular culture.

Yet never did I think that we would have to speak out about the abject trivialization of the Holocaust by a group of Jews living in Israel. But that is exactly what happened this month, when a group of haredi Orthodox protested following efforts by secular Israelis to roll back gender segregation on some bus lines by dressing up in concentration camp garb and wearing yellow Stars of David inscribed with the word “Jude.”

The scene in Jersualem square was both an aberration and an outrage. This was blatant, in-your-face Holocaust trivialization on a level that until now we have rarely witnessed in Israeli society.

For decades, Israelis and Jews around the world have worked to protect the memory of the Holocaust. We built Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. In the United States, we founded the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. Today there’s even a Holocaust memorial in Berlin, Germany.

We worked hard with like-minded righteous gentiles and governments to protect and preserve the sites in Europe most closely associated with the Shoah, including the concentration camps, the deportation sites, the mass graves and the evidence of once-thriving Jewish communities. And we created and stressed educational efforts, such as Echoes and Reflections -- the multimedia Holocaust curriculum devel-

oped by the Anti-Defamation League in partnership with Yad Vashem and the USC Shoah Foundation Institute -- to ensure that the lessons of the Shoah are passed on to future generations.

We also battled efforts to undermine or trivialize the history and memory of the Holocaust. The most pernicious form was Holocaust denial, a form of anti-Semitism. But while the deniers remain mostly on the fringes of society, we have found ourselves increasingly engaged in a battle against a more subtle form of trivialization borne of ignorance, forgetfulness and carelessness about truth and memory.

For more than a decade, inappropriate and offensive comparisons to the Holocaust have cropped up increasingly in the U.S. If you have a falling out with someone, call them a Nazi. If you don’t like someone’s political positions, accuse them of being like Hitler. Political leaders have accused each other of using propaganda like Goebbels or of “sending in the brownshirts.” Celebrities compare their personal ordeals to those of Anne Frank, or in a traumatic moment in their lives, make trite comparisons to Hitler or the Holocaust.

As Jews, we have found ourselves needing to constantly raise our voices against this kind of trivialization in an effort not only to remind others of the pain and offensiveness of these remarks, but also to protect the memory of the Holocaust, so that we do not wake up one day to a world that no longer remembers the lessons of that period -- or, worse, is indifferent to them.

At a time when the trivialization of the Holocaust is booming around the world, it is now becoming apparent that we also need to do a better job of reminding ourselves Continued on page 13

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January 20, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 13

Santorum’s social conservatism could be a tough sell for Jews

Focus on issues RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Rick Santorum’s near-win in Iowa has made him the GOP’s latest “not Romney” to pick up steam, but he may have his work cut out for him in attracting Jewish support.

Pro-Israel insiders say the Santorum campaign is now aggressively reaching out to Jewish givers who helped him when he was a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania.

Santorum’s stumbling block, they say, is his hard-line take on social issues like abortion, gay rights and church-state separation -- not a huge deal when he was one senator among a hundred but a bigger factor for donors considering presidential contenders.

“The same groups are not going to support you for president as for senator,” a major pro-Israel donor, who contributed to Santorum’s Senate runs, said he told the candidate last summer.

Santorum, long lagging at the bottom of the polls, finished only eight votes behind Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, in the Iowa caucuses.

Santorum, 53, is the latest Republican hopeful to be vaulted toward the head of the field by a conservative base that has never been comfortable with Romney. While others have fallen back to earth, some argue that Santorum could be buoyed by his potential appeal to working-class voters and religious conservatives.

Lonny Kaplan, a New Jersey businessman and a past president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, has donated the maximum to Santorum’s campaign -- $2,500 -and says he’s readying a pitch to fellow pro-Israel givers.

“He can appeal to a lot of independents, he’s got the right economic message,” Kaplan said in an interview.

Santorum has proposed eliminating corporate taxes on domestic manufacturers to lure factories stateside. He has emphasized his roots as the grandson of an Italian immigrant coal miner who left fascist Italy and worked until he was 72.

In his near-victory speech after the Iowa caucuses, Santorum chided his fellow Republicans, urging them to look beyond budget numbers and focus more on jobs.

I believe in cutting taxes. I believe in balancing budgets. .

But I also believe we as Republicans have to look at those in our society who would not benefit from just cutting taxes and balancing budgets,” he said.

Santorum also calls for tripling the personal tax deduction per child; freezing spending on Medicaid, food stamps and other social welfare programs; turning Medicare into a voucher program for beneficiaries to buy their own private insurance; and adjusting Social Security eligibility and benefits.

He also has been a longtime supporter of shifting Social Security to personal retirement accounts, though in this campaign cycle he said that this would be too expensive under current economic circumstances.

Kaplan said that Santorum would now need to emphasize his economic and foreign policy messages if he wanted to win Jewish support.

“In terms of social issues, he has strong views, but he needs to also get out what he does for people,” Kaplan said.

During his two terms in the Senate, from 1995 to 2006, Santorum had a positive working relationship with Jewish communal groups in his state, earmarking federal funding for projects they supported, among them the naturally occurring retirement communities, or NORCs, pioneered by the Jewish federations system.

“His office was great in terms of helping to find money for projects,” said Robin Schatz, director of government affairs at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.

It’s a past that other candidates have now turned against

him, with earmarks -- derided as “pork” -- decidedly unpopular among conservatives. Texas Gov. Rick Perry has run anti-Santorum ads that repeat, on a loop, Santorum’s defense of earmarks.

Both The Washington Post and The New York Times last week ran front-page stories chronicling Santorum’s profitable post-Senate ties with groups that benefited from his earmarks while he was in Congress.

Schatz, however, said that in her experience Santorum went by the book on appropriations. “You really had to jump through hoops” to get funding for a project, she said. “He did due diligence. You had to prove it was a project worthy of federal funding.”

Santorum was attentive to the Jewish community -- and not just in election years. He convened town hall meetings in Jewish community centers on issues such as health care.

“He was very accessible,” Schatz said. “He had a great sense of humor.”

She recalled that even when he encountered angry Jewish critics of his social policies, he responded with grace and did not lose his temper.

Santorum’s rhetoric on such issues, however, also can be polarizing. In a 2003 interview, when asked whether gay people should refrain from having sex, he responded by defending the constitutionality of anti-sodomy laws, arguing that “if the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery.”

While Santorum’s penchant for hard-edged talk on social issues often has defined his public image, supporters point to a softer side.

A devout Roman Catholic -- albeit one who belonged to the historically Jewish fraternity Tau Epsilon Phi when he was an undergraduate at Penn State -- Santorum and his wife, Karen, are the parents of seven children.

On the campaign trail he has moved audiences discussing the loss of an eighth child, Gabriel, who was born premature in 1996 and survived only two hours, and the family’s round-the-clock care for Isabella, his youngest at 3, who was born with Trisomy 18, a disorder that kills most of its victims in their first year of life.

Kaplan said he would work to showcase Santorum’s compassion for the needy. He noted Santorum’s role in shaping President George W. Bush’s massive expansion of funding for AIDS victims in Africa.

“People think Santorum isn’t someone who could be helping those people out, but he was,” he said.

Santorum has stood out from the Republican field with his vigorous opposition to calls from his fellow candidates to slash foreign aid -- calls that have been criticized by some supporters of Israel.

Perry proposed that aid allocations for all countries should “start at zero” every year before any appropriations are considered, and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) has called for a complete end to foreign aid. Romney, for his part, suggested ending all foreign aid for humanitarian purposes -arguing instead that the U.S. should cede that role to China.

During a November debate, Santorum assailed his rivals for “talking about zeroing out foreign aid and humanitarian aid in particular,” warning that such an approach would be self-defeating.

“America is that shining city on the hill. It is the city that comes to the aid of those in trouble in the world,” Santorum said. “We have done more good for America in Africa and in the Third World by the things that we have done, and we have saved money and saved military deployments by wisely spending that money -- not on our enemies but on folks who can and will be our friends.”

Perhaps Santorum’s deepest appeal to Jewish backers is his steadfast pro-Israel posture. As a freshman senator in 1996,

he helped shape an earlier installment of Iran sanctions legislation. He also has taken a tough line toward the Palestinians, explaining while campaigning in Iowa that the West Bank “is legitimately Israeli country” and that “all the people that live in the West Bank are Israelis, they’re not Palestinians.”

More pronouncedly than any other candidate, he has been supportive of possibile military action against Iran, even delving into particulars.

“I would say to every foreign scientist that’s going into Iran to help them with their nuclear program, ‘You will be treated as an enemy combatant,’ “he said recently on NBC’s Meet the Press. Working with Israel, he added, “We will degrade those facilities through airstrikes and make it very public that we are doing that.”

Yet while his Middle East views may play well with some Jewish voters and donors, it remains to be seen whether they will be enough to overcome the hesitance many have regarding his positions on social issues.

“Some of his very militant stands on issues that have to do with choice, with homosexuality -- it made some people in the community uncomfortable,” Schatz said.

The hard-edged way in which he expressed his views on such issues helped fell him in 2006, when he lost his Senate re-election bid by 18 points to Democrat Bob Casey, also an opponent of abortion rights.

But that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to advocate a hard line in the current election. A Santorum attack ad attacked then-rival Herman Cain for describing abortion in the event of rape as a woman’s choice. The ad quoted Steve Deace, an Iowa radio host, saying that Cain’s position “favors baby murder in cases of rape and incest.”

One Jewish Romney supporter said that Santorum’s stances on social issues should rule him out for consideration not just as a presidential candidate but also a Republican running mate.

“Santorum on the ticket would kill us in Florida,” the Romney backer said.

Holocaust analogies Continued from page 12 and our children of the importance of remembrance and of protecting the memory of those who perished and the honor of those who fought to defeat the murderous Nazis.

Israelis should no longer refer to other Israelis as “Nazis.” Jewish settlers should know better than to shout “Nazi” against Israeli soldiers (there primarily for the settler’s protection) in the West Bank. The fact that some Israelis refer to the 1967 border between Israel and the West Bank as “the Auschwitz border” shows how far removed some Israelis and Jews have become from the true horrors of the Shoah.

It is time for those who abuse the memory of the Holocaust, particularly those in Israel, to understand that words have consequences. This was one of the primary lessons of the Holocaust -- that hateful, bigoted words can lead to violent acts.

Now that 70 years have passed, the danger is that an overuse of words -- and inapt comparisons -- will contribute to a lessening of the true impact and meaning of the Holocaust and, likewise, the memory of one of the significant reasons why the Jewish State of Israel was brought into being in the first place.

Abraham H. Foxman is the national director of the Anti-Defamation League and a Holocaust survivor.

Letters TO THE EDITOR

In case you missed it

by JTA NEWS STAFF Brangelina Goes to Washington Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie decided to swing by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to promote the latter’s directorial debut, In The Land of Blood and Honey. They specifically went to tour the From Memory to Action exhibition on genocide, which focuses in part on the massacre in Srebrenica featured in her movie.

In the process, they put some major celebrity muscle into the call to transform Holocaust memory into action against modern-day genocide.

Sheldon Adelson Bets on Newt Billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson is tight with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and now he’s making a major splash in the Republican primary contest, donating $5 million to a SuperPAC supporting the candida-

cy of Newt Gingrich.

Some Republicans and conservatives are livid because the money is being used to paint Mitt Romney as a predatory businessman, but an Adelson source says his boss has no role in how his contribution is being spent.

Anastassia Michaeli Competes in Water Throwing Event Anastassia Michaeli, a Knesset member from Yisrael Beitenu, threw water in the face of Raleb Majadale, an Arab lawmaker from the Labor Party. It happened during a meeting of the Knesset’s Education, Culture and Sports Committee. It brought an unusual end to an argument over the proposed dismissal of a school principal in the Negev who took his students on a human rights march in Tel Aviv.

The action earned her a month’s suspension from the Knesset, a reminder that water throwing isn’t a qualifying event in the Education, Culture and Sports Committee.

Students at Dundee Elementary school have spent a considerable amount of time studying the Holocaust. They have read novels relating to the Holocaust, researched aspects of the Holocaust and visited with local Holocaust survivors.

Learning about the Holocaust has also helped in teaching acceptance of diversity, tolerance and acceptance.

This year, in an attempt to better understand and appreciate how large the number 6 million is we have decided to collect 6 million servings of food and donate it to local food pantries. To date, we have collected over 40,000 servings of food. The prgram is called 6 Million Servings for 6 Million Memories.

We ask for your support in our 6 For 6 Drive; monetary donations, product donations or the promotion of our cause would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to contact us at: Dundee Elementary School, 310 North 51 Street, Omaha NE 68132; Phone: 402.554.8424; email: robert.naujokaitis@ops.org

14 | The Jewish Press | January 20, 2012

Synagogues

Candlelighting Friday, January 20, 5:09 p.m.

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

CHABAD HOUSE

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME

618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 402.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com For information on our historic synagogue – dates and times for Friday night services, please call 712.323.8885.

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: Services, 7 a.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Minyan, 10 a.m.; Youth Minyan, 10:30 a.m.; Mini Mensch title will be awarded. Kiddush luncheon will follow. Join Rabbi Katzman, noon-1 p.m. New feature: Parsha Patrol.

SUNDAY: Service, 8:30 a.m. followed by breakfast at 9:30 a.m. with Maimonides Yartzeit - The Intersection of Heaven and Earth led by Rabbi Katzman.

WEDNESDAY: Fabrengen: Mind Over Matter-The Tanya and its Legacy, 7 p.m.

WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m.

All programs are open to the entire community.

323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 FRIDAY: Chef ’s Demo, 1:30 p.m. led by Chabad.

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Marty Shukert.

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

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, Rabbi Steven Abraham and Cantor Beth Schlossberg.

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6 p.m.; USY Shabbat dinner, 6 p.m., at Shiri Tene’s home.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 10 a.m.-noon for students (and parents) in grades 2-7; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:15 p.m.; Havdalah under the stars at UNO’s Mallory Kountze Planetarium. Havdalah and show for families with young children, 6:30 p.m.; followed by dessert reception for entire congregation and 7:30 p.m. show for individuals and families with older children.

Reservations are required to guarantee seating. Contact Margie in office, or at programming@bethel-omaha.org.

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

SUNDAY: A world without Jews, with Andy Greenberg, and Bible Study Discussion Group, 10 a.m.; Informational meeting about congregational involvement with Habitat for Humanity, 10:30 a.m.. Everyone is invited; brunch will be served.

THURSDAY: Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group book exchange, 7 p.m. at the home of Helen Epstein. To RSVP, contact Epstein at 402.391.9187, or Donna Olesh at 402.334.1462.

BESTT MINI SHABBATON: Saturday, Jan. 28, 12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., for students in grades 2 – 5. No charge to attend; RSVP to Judy Rubin, 402.498-0904, or eddir@ bethel-omaha.org, or Shiri Tene, at 402.492.8550, or youthdir@bethel-omaha.org.

TU B’SHEVAT AT LAURITZEN GARDENS: Community-wide celebration on Sunday, Jan. 29, 1:30 p.m.

– 3 p.m. No charge to attend. Visit www.bethel-omaha.org for more information.

All 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, 5:09 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bar Mitzvah of Joshua Polack, son of Susan and Jim Polack; Free babysitting service begins at 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes begin with Torah Parade, 9:45 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored by Susan and Jim Polack in honor of Josh’s Bar Mitzvah; The Laws of Shabbat, 3 p.m.; Advanced Parshah Study for Kids (ages 10 and up), 4 p.m.; Rabbi Gross’s Twitter Topic Class, 4 p.m.; Mincha, 5 p.m., followed by Seuda Shlishit sponsored by Ann Moskovits in honor of Josh Polack’s Bar Mitzvah; Havdalah, 6:12 p.m.

SUNDAY: Gemara class, 8 a.m., learning tractate Kiddushin; Shacharit, 9 a.m. followed by breakfast.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Weekly Teleconference Mishnah Class, 10:30 a.m. with Rabbi Gross. Contact the office for information on how to call-in to the conference call.

TUESDAY: Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Scholars Club for fourth-sixth graders, 3:30 p.m. with Rabbi Mizrahi; Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m.

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

To Submit B’nai Mitzvah Announcements Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewish omaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154.

Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, by e-mailing the editor at: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org or online at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press.’

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 Craig Lewis.

FRIDAY: Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel; Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following hosted by Elaine Monnier.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Va’era; Game Night/Potluck, 6 p.m. All ages welcome.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Jewish Federation of Lincoln Annual Meeting, 9:30-11 a.m. at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 10 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple; Purim Spiel Rehearsal, 1-3 p.m. at South Street Temple.

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

ADULT EDUCATION TUESDAY, 7:15 p.m. Modern Innovations on Old Issues, Part 1 of 3, led by Rabbi Lewis and Nancy Coren at South Street Temple.

THURSDAYS, Beginning Hebrew, 6 p.m. and Intermediate Hebrew, 7 p.m. The cost is $50 to cover course materials. For more information call the Temple office at 402.435.8004 or email stemple@neb.rr.com.

Note: Please contact Rabbi Lewis if the cost for a class creates a financial hardship.

Joint Purim Celebration on March 7 at 6:30 p.m. Be part of the Musical Mellerdrama, The Megillah Goes Country! We Need Players of All Ages. For more information, contact Maria Cadwallader at 402.784.0321 or MariaCadwalla der@DirecTV.net.

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

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street | Omaha, NE 68132-2651 | 402.556.6536 www.templeisrael-ne.org FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Azriel and Tami Field. We will honor everyone who celebrates a birthday or anniversary in January with a special blessing; OTYG Program, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.; Torah and Haftorah Reader: Miles Remer.

SUNDAY: Grades K-6, 10 a.m.; WRJ Meeting, 10 a.m.; Grade Six B’nai Tzedek Program, 10:15 a.m.; Maimonides: Laws and Ethics, 10:30 a.m.; Club 56 Exploring our differences, 12:15 p.m.; Religious School Steering Committee Meeting, 12:15 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Social Justice Hosting Family Night, 5 p.m. at Bancroft; Family School, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-8, 6-8 p.m.; Survey of World Religions, 6:30 p.m. with UNO professor Gary Groff.

THURSDAY: Jewish Responsa, 10-11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel. He will use ancient Jewish text to provide answers to questions about modern Jewish living.

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: Tot Shabbat with Ms. Jennifer, 6 p.m.; Shabbat Services, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Jewish Federation of Lincoln Annual Meeting, 9:30-11 a.m. at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 10 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple; Purim Spiel Rehearsal, 1-3 p.m. at South Street Temple.

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

ADULT EDUCATION TUESDAY, 7:15 p.m. Modern Innovations on Old Issues, Part 1 of 3, led by Rabbi Lewis and Nancy Coren at South Street Temple.

Annual Community Wine and Cheese Concert titled What is Jewish Music with special guest Marina Fabrikant on Sunday, Jan. 29, 3 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

Joint Purim Celebration on March 7 at 6:30 p.m. Be part of the Musical Mellerdrama, The Megillah Goes Country! We Need Players of All Ages. For more information, contact Maria Cadwallader at 402.784.0321 or MariaCadwalla der@DirecTV.net.

NEIGHBORHOOD PRAYER GROUP 1317 North 57 Street | Omaha, NE 68132 | 402.551.6609 FRIDAY: Minyan, 5:09 p.m.

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.

Israel, U.S. postpone joint anti-missile exercise

by RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The United States and Israel have delayed a major joint anti-missile exercise against a backdrop of heightened tensions with Iran.

Sources in both countries said that the exercise, the largest of its kind, would be delayed from its planned spring date until the summer at the earliest.

Reasons for the postponement principally had to do with budget cuts in Israel, an Israeli official said.

However, the cancellation also comes against a background of increasing tensions with Iran, where some officials in the regime have suggested that Iran could shut down the Strait of Hormuz, choking off much of the West’s oil supply, if western nations press ahead with increased sanctions.

Israel Radio reported that the decision came because of “sensitive timing,” without elaborating. It said that U.S. and Israeli officials had decided to postpone the exercise last month.

There have also been reports of increased tensions between the administrations of President Obama and

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel’s alleged refusal to share with the United States whether or not it plans to strike Iran.

“President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and other top officials have delivered a string of private messages to Israeli leaders warning about the dire consequences of a strike,” the Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend.

Obama and Netanyahu spoke on Jan. 12. According to a White House statement, they discussed, among other issues, “recent Iran-related developments, including the international community’s efforts to hold Iran accountable for its failures to meet its international obligations.”

Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, is due to arrive in Israel Thursday.

His visit originally was touted as part of the planning of the joint anti-missile exercise, but reports now say he will press Israel not to strike Iran.

Western nations believe Iran is advancing a nuclear weapons program. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful civilian purposes.

Pulverent e

January 20, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 15

A Holy Obsession

In memoriam LEONARD WOLPA

Sparks from the word RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parsha Vaeira With the aid of archaelogists and others, historians are beginning to piece together the origins of ancient peoples of Bible times.

Our ancestors became a People by reason of a religiouscultural decision. When they appear as Israel it is approximately the end of the 13th centure B.C.E. At about the same time other peoples began to be identified: Canaanites, Ammonites, Midianites, Moabites, Amalekits, and Philistines. The Philistines came from outside the mainland of southwestern Asia, but most of the others were related to the ancient Hebrews.

Some of these peoples’ practices and social customs are similar to those of our Biblical ancestors. Some of their literature bears similarities to our own. Although the Bible is infinitely superior to their literature, literally, morally, and religiously, it grew up in an ancient cultural milieu.

On one point, however, there is a uniqueness to the Biblical account. That point is the enslavement of the Hebrews in Egypt, and their liberation.

Not one of those ancient people, not one, has any memory of enslavement and liberation. There is no “Semitic common Exodus” narrative. The enslavement-liberation theme does not occur elsewhere. Nor, for that matter, is it found among non-Semitic peoples, like the Greeks, the Persians, or the Romans.

That theme is a Hebrew-Jewish theme. The implication is, of course, that this is actual history, that these events happened. Our ancestors actually were, at least some of them, slaves in Egypt, liberated in a mighty rebellion. In religious terms, it was the mighty hand of God. Now the corollaries of this enslavement-liberation theme led to a whole system of religion and morality. Note that the Ten Commandments begin, characteristcally: “I am the Lord thy God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

Religion begins, for Jews, with a passion for freedom. It will not stomach the idea of supperrace and slave-race. It demands freedom. It is this that led to the passion for social justice, which is the unmatched hallmark of the prophetic tradition, a passion, a yearning, a demand, a holy obsession with justice, truth, and freedom.

This column previously appeared in Rabbi Kripke’s book, Insight and Interpretation.

Former congressman gets year for role in terrorism funding

by JTA NEWS STAFF WASHINGTON (JTA) -- A former Michigan congressman was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison for assisting a charity accused of funding terrorist groups.

Mark Siljander, 59, of Great Falls, Va., was sentenced Wednesday on charges of obstruction of justice and acting as an unregistered foreign agent. He had pleaded guilty to the charges in July 2010.

An Islamic American Relief Agency fund-raiser from Chicago allegedly hired Siljander to lobby for the removal of the agency from a U.S. Senate list of charities suspected of having terrorist ties, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Siljander did not disclose this information and lied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation during its probe.

According to the U.S. Department of Treasury, the Islamic American Relief Agency collected funds in boxes marked “Allah” and “Israel,” showing that the money was going toward attacks in Israel, and collected money in at least one Western European country that went straight to Hamas.

The charity also has been connected to the Al-Aksa Foundation Siljander, a Republican, served in Congress from 1981 to 1987. He had faced up to 15 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $500,000.

Abdel Azim El-Siddig, the fund-raiser from Chicago, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and got two years probation. Mubarak Hamed, a Sudanese American who had been the charity's director, got four years and ten months.

Receiving six months probation each were Ali Mohamed Bagegni, a Libyan American and IARA board member, and Ahmad Mustafa, an Iraqi citizen and IARA fundraiser. Both men were credited with assisting the prosecution.

Former Omahan, Leonard Wolpa of Denver passed away.

Services were held Jan. 15 at Hebrew Educational Alliance; Interment Emanuel Cemetery.

He is survived by his wife, Lenore “Layah” Wolpa; daughter, Mindy Wolpa and son and daugther-in-law, Alan and Sylvia Wolpa; sister, Dorine Wolpa of CA; brothers and sisters-in-law, Jerome and Barbara Wolpa and Warren and Beverly Wolpa; brother, Homer Wolpa of NV; grandchildren: Zachary, Amy, Ryan and Shawna.

Memorials may be made to The Denver Hospice or Shalom Cares.

Hackers disable Tel Aviv Stock Exchange

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Computer hackers disabled the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and El Al websites.

The attacks on Monday morning come after hackers in the last two weeks have released online the credit card details of thousands of Israelis and a day after Hamas called on hackers to attack Israeli sites.

Trading was not affected on the stock exchange; the bourse’s website and trading system are not connected.

The exchange’s website had recovered some operations by mid-morning, and El Al’s site was working by the afternoon.

A group of pro-Palestinian hackers who call themselves Nightmare had threatened Sunday to bring down the two websites, according to Ynet.

“The penetration into Israeli websites opens a new front for electronic resistance and war against the Israeli occupation,” Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri said Sunday.

Also, a Jewish pro-Israel hacker using the moniker Hannibal published Facebook account information allowing access to the accounts of 20,000 Arab Facebook users. He also claims to have information to allow access to 10 million Iranian and Saudi bank accounts.

More anti-Semitic graffiti in N.Y. neighborhood

by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) -- Swastikas and other anti-Semitic graffiti were painted in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn that recently has seen several anti-Semitic incidents.

Swastikas and the words “Die Jews” were painted on a driveway in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn on Saturday night. Swastikas also were painted on a nearby apartment building. On Sunday morning, swastikas were found painted nearby on the Yeshiva of Brooklyn building.

Other recent anti-Semitic incidents in Midwood include a subway sign changed to read “Avenue Jew” and the torching and scrawling of graffiti of several Jewish-owned cars, which is now being investigated as an insurance scam.

State Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) said in a statement that with the anti-Semitic incidents, “people are justifiably very concerned and upset.”

“I am calling on the NYPD to use every resource available to apprehend the person(s) responsible for these heinous acts so that people in the community can once again have peace of mind,” he said.

The attacks come on the heels of the firebombing of a rabbi’s synagogue residence in Rutherford, N.J., and other anti-Semitic attacks in northern New Jersey’s Bergen County.

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The President will be responsible to carry out a variety of activities focused on the retention and expansion of existing businesses, attracting new businesses and creating jobs while preserving the quality of life in Custer County, Nebraska.

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TAKING SEALED bids for Onan 30.0 generator. $5,000 minimum. 402-841-8680.

Bids to Village Clerk, Box 330, Verdigre, NE 68783 by 2/10/12. May reject any bid.

The survivng members of the family of Gloria Goodman wish to express our Deepest Thanks to those members of the Omaha Jewish Community who made donations In memory of our Gloria or brought tributes to our home to honor our wife, mother and grandmother.

Signed, the Alan Goodman Family

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Great benefits including: vacation & holiday pay, retirement plan, factory schooling paid, and employee health insurance paid. All the latest equipment and a clean shop is waiting for you. South Central Diesel, Inc., 115 So. East Ave., Holdrege, NE 68949. Contact Mike at 800-228-8482, scdinc2@qwestoffice.net.

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16 | The Jewish Press | January 20, 2012

Jewish Republicans watch nervously as favorites savage one another

by RON KAMPEAS “What he’s doing is a little vicious and I think it’s sort of Romney -- as opposed to those by Democrats -- had proWASHINGTON (JTA) -- As the Republican primary fight gone beyond the line,” Zeidman said in an interview. “It duced a burst of invitations to appear on national media. moves from New Hampshire to South Carolina, Newt sounds horrible coming out of Newt’s mouth.”

Some Jewish conservatives wondered whether Gingrich’s Gingrich is stepping up his attacks on Mitt Romney and Gingrich’s campaign declined comment. tack amounted to a kind of self-immolation. some prominent Jewish “Any Republican nominee Republicans -- who have a will be painted by Obama as rich, mutually admiring histothese candidates are painting ry with both men -- are wonRomney now,” Seth Mandel dering what happens next. wrote on the Commentary Gingrich and a prowebsite. “The desire to resist Gingrich SuperPAC -- reportbeing hammered by their edly funded to the tune of $5 own words in a general elecmillion by Sheldon Adelson, tion alone should be enough one of the most generous U.S. to convince these candidates Jewish philanthropists -- are to avoid attacking Romney taking aim at what, for the from the left.”

GOP, is an unusual target: Matt Brooks, the director of Romney’s past as a venture the Republican Jewish capitalist.

Coaltion, said such sparring “You have to ask the queswas par for the course -- and tion, is capitalism really about Gingrich’s increasingly vitriolic battles with Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich speaking to supporters at a town hall in helped battle test a candidate. the ability of a handful of rich shown campaigning in Ames, Iowa, on Dec. 29 2011, are Derry, N.H., along with his wife, Callista, Jan. 8, 2012.

“At some point it’s fairly Credit: Gage Skidmore via Creative Commons obvious that the Obama campeople to manipulate the lives worrying Jewish Republicans, who admire both candidates.

Credit: WEBN TV via CreativeCommons Gingrich is known to be furi- paign would have raised this issue anyway, “ Brooks said. of thousands of people and then walk off with the money?” Gingrich said Monday in ous because of what he saw as the personal nature of attacks “I’m not sure they’re happy that it’s been taken away from New Hampshire, the day before its first in the nation primary. by a SuperPAC affiliated with Romney that helped push him them and is not on their terms.”

Gingrich’s salvo was picked up by the other candidates and back to fourth place in Iowa last week, after polls had shown Gingrich’s tack also makes sense ahead of the Jan. 21 campaigns. For example, after tales flooded the news media him leading in the first caucus state. Those ads, by Restore South Carolina primary; as conservative as the state’s repuof Romney’s liquidation of companies during his career as a Our Future, accused Gingrich of attacking the federally tation is, polls show that its GOP voters care more about job venture capitalist, Griffin Perry -- son of Texas Gov. Rick owned housing giant Freddie Mac after he took $1.6 million creation than they do social issues.

Perry -- tweeted on Tuesday: “Mitt Romney knows how to to lobby for it. Gingrich says he was paid as a historian, not To that end, Winning the Future, the SuperPAC that backs lead ... Lead people straight out the door with a pink slip.” a lobbyist.

Gingrich, has purchased an anti-Romney documentary, Jewish Republicans watched the to and fro with a degree SuperPACs are political action committees formed after a King of Bain: When Mitt Romney Came to Town, and plans of discomfiture.

Supreme Court ruling that allowed third parties to spend to release it in the state in the coming days.

“This disproves the idea that Republican Jews move in unlimited funds in a campaign. They are banned from Zeidman said the purchase might ultimately serve lockstep,” Noam Neusner, a former domestic policy adviser directly consulting with a campaign.

Romney’s purpose; now that Gingrich owns the film, he’s to President George W. Bush, told JTA. Democrats barely contained their glee at the chance to unlikely to share it with Obama’s campaign should Romney Romney and Gingrich both have deep ties in the Jewish exploit Gingrich’s line of attack. Randy Johnson, who had win the nomination.

Republican community. Romney’s funders include Mel suffered from a downsizing engineered by Romney in 1992, “Politics is politics and you don’t expect it to come from Sembler, the Florida shopping center magnate, and Fred is the Democrats’ point man in targeting the candidate for our own side, but I would rather face it now,” he said. “You’re Zeidman, a Texas lawyer. Gingrich has a long and abiding his career at Bain Capital. Johnson told the liberal taking an arrow out of their quiver, and I would rather see friendship with Adelson, the Las Vegas casino magnate.

TalkingPointsMemo website that Gingrich’s attacks on Mitt battle tested now.”

Both candidates have made Israel a central plank of their anti-Obama rhetoric. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, says Israel would be the first country he visits as president, in contrast to Obama’s failure to do so during his term. Gingrich has explicitly said he would strike Iran should it acquire a nuclear weapon and has said he would move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem on his first day in office.

While the two candidates might share views on the Middle East, their personal tensions have boiled over in recent weeks. Some observers are expressing amazement at the latest turn in the feud -- not just because it has Gingrich and other GOP candidates taking aim at Romney’s business career, but also because the pro-Gingrich anti-Romney SuperPAC attacks are essentially being funded by Adelson.

But a source close to the casino mogul, a leading funder of Jewish conservative causes, said his $5 million donation last week to the SuperPAC did not necessarily signal agreement with the thrust of its anti-Romney campaign.

“It’s not about the other candidates in the race, it’s about a friend assisting a friend,” said the source.

Zeidman said none of Romney’s Jewish backers held it against Adelson for supporting Gingrich. Yes, Adelson has a longstanding friendship with the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives -- but also, Zeidman said, because Gingrich deserved some degree of Jewish backing.

“I’m glad that Newt’s got support, because he was there when we needed him,” Zeidman said, referring to Gingrich’s role in the 1990s pushing back against the Clinton administration-led Oslo peace process and pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu during his firt term as prime minister. “He was phenomenal on Israel when he needed him the worst.”

But Gingrich’s current line of attack -- and by extension Adelson’s bankrolling of it -- has some wondering if the candidate and his patron will end up helping the person they most want to see defeated in 2012: the president.

The latest Gingrich line of attack on Romney recalled Hillary Rodham Clinton’s famous 3 A.M. call ad during the 2008 Democratic primaries, which questioned whether then-candidate Barack Obama had the necessary experience to handle international crises.

That attack, like Gingrich’s new focus on Romney’s business practices, marked a turn in the campaign: Instead of merely attacking a rival for not being true enough to a party’s colors, a candidate feeds into the opposing party’s narrative. In 2008, Clinton exploited fears that had been Applicants must be from the stoked by the GOP about Obama’s unreadiness; this year, Omaha metropolitan area.

Gingrich and others seized on an image that the Obama Application deadline: campaign has already peddled, of Romney as remote from March 1, 2012 working men and women.