January 27, 2012

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

NCJW’s “Protecting Our Kids” This to feature diverse panel Week January 27, 2012 3 Shevat 5772 Vol. 92 | No. 19

by JOANIE JACOBSON Event co-chairman On Thursday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m., the National Council of Jewish Women - Omaha Section will present “Protecting Our Kids ... from illness, the internet, the media and themselves!” The event is free and open to the public at the JCC. “As parents, we’re overwhelmed with making daily decisions about how to keep our kids safe and well,” said Wendy Raffel, co-chairman of the event along with Patty Nogg.

“Here’s the perfect opportunity to get first-hand information about today’s hot topics for parents, ask the important questions, and get informed answers from professionals whose job it is to protect our children.”

“What could be better than having access to experts in their fields regarding crucial areas of concern for today’s parents and grandparents?” added Nogg. “Grandparents need to be just as responsible for protecting their grandkids against unwanted messages, images, and behavior.”

“Protecting Our Kids” will feature the following four panelists: Dr. Susan Fellman graduated from

Forty-eight hours in Florence Page 8

Jewish Community does battle... for a good cause Page 9

Dr. Susan Fellman

Karen Gustafson

Officer David Pecha

Adam Tyma

Israel again going to the Oscars gate with a Joseph Cedar entry A tribute to Jan Goldstein Page 16

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

by TOM TUGEND memory that no domestic or foreign LOS ANGELES (JTA) -- Joseph film dealing with the Holocaust or Cedar is on a pretty good run: The the Nazi era was entered in any Israeli director has made four movies in his 11-year career, and the first three have represented his country at the Academy Awards for best foreign-language film.

One made the cut of five finalists, but a Cedar film has yet to capture a golden statuette. In fact, no Israeli film has ever won an Oscar.

Cedar and many of his countrymen are hoping that his fourth entry, Footnote, will prove to be the charm when nominations for the 84th Academy Awards are announced on Jan. 24.

Sixty-three countries, from Albania to Vietnam, are vying in the foreign-language film category, and there are no The Israeli film Footnote centers on the guarantees about which will rivalry between two Talmudic scholars, who make the cut. are also father and son.

Last year was the first in Credit: Sony Pictures Classics Oscars category. On that basis, I predicted that the Schindler’s List and Inglourious Basterds era had passed and that the historical genre would deal with more recent conflicts and genocides.

It took only a year to prove the prophecy wrong with Poland’s entry this year, In Darkness. The movie’s settings and emotions are as Continued on page 3

the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2001, completed a UNMC/Creighton University Combined Residency in Pediatrics in 2005, and is currently a Staff Physician in the Pediatric Urgent Care unit at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha.

Fellman’s research and presentation topics include asthma and allergies, adolescent nutrition, and rheumatic fever. She has also participated in student outreach, speaking to 5th graders in the Omaha Public Schools about smoking and tobacco use prevention.

“Overall wellness is the goal, both physical and emotional health,” said Dr. Fellman. “I’ll speak briefly on a number of areas in which parents can help their kids stay safe and healthy, including vaccinations (the hot issues are the non-vaccination movement for families of young children, and the HPV/Meningitis vaccinations for older kids); cosleeping with newborns; allergies; body image (obesity/anorexia); playground safety; helmet use; and safe driving habits for new teen drivers.”

Continued on page 2

An Eye on Israel: Return of the Shaliach

by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Education As we turn the calendar page to the month of February, we welcome once again the Tuesday series, “An Eye on Israel” with Dr. Guy Matalon, Scholar-in-Residence. This month begins in an exciting way. On Feb. 7, from noon – 1 p.m. in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library; Guy will be joined by Uri Levin, Omaha’s first shaliach. Uri will bring first-hand reports and stories directly from Israel, told in his unique manner and with his characteristic enthusiasm.

Those who know Uri recall that he was the type of emissary that the Jewish Agency for Israel was proud to train and pair up with a community in the United States.

He brought the heart of Israel to our community, fulfilling the goals of the program in an up-lifting, energetic manner. Uri’s friends relate that it was especially gratifying to observe the manner in which he interacted with young children. The children simply loved him as he taught the Hebrew alef-bet, the names for colors, numbers, and their Hebrew names. During his time here, Uri seemed to know everyone – and everyone knew Uri. His dedication to serving as a chaperone and guide for the 2006 Artza trip was a major contribution to its success.

Uri is arriving in Omaha on Thursday, Feb. 2 and will stay until Wednesday, Feb. 8. He shared that, “I’m going to visit some high schools in Omaha to meet with their college advisers in regards to

Uri Levin the program I’m part of these days.” In addition to participating in “Eye on Israel” on the 7th, Uri is also hoping to do Israel Advocacy talks, visit the B’nai B’rith Breadbreakers, and do whatever is needed. “I just want to meet as many people from the community as I can. I miss you guys so much!”

Other “Eye on Israel” sessions will meet Feb. 14, 21, and 28.

These have proven to be a popular way to view events in the Middle Continued on page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | January 27, 2012

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JCC Camps awarded “Best of Omaha” prize

by SHERRIE SAAG Communications Specialist, Jewish Federation of Omaha Everyone recognizes the familiar yellow and black “Best of Omaha” logo seen all around town. It’s appearance in window displays and corporate advertising signifies a designation by Omaha Magazine as best in the city.

The voting for the 2012 Best of Omaha Survey by Omaha magazine is complete and for the first time, the JCC summer camps were awarded “Best of Omaha” 2012 – Winner’s Circle (that means the JCC was one of the three top vote-getters).

The JCC summer camps have earned the right to display and promote this highly regarded and much soughtafter award throughout 2012.

Gary and Monica Katz were pleased to hear about the award from Omaha Magazine.

Last year, their two oldest children, Joseph and Charlotte, attended camp.

This year, their youngest, Paige, is excited to join her older siblings.

“My kids had a great time at camp last summer. They enjoyed the field trips, swimming every day, and my wife and I appreciated the great care provided by all the counselors,” said Katz.

“Even the rainy days were great days for them. Their favorite was the Color Wars week. Joseph said the competition was the best,” he added. Last year’s camp included several new enhancements like the inflatable water slide, gaga pit, tether ball and sand volleyball court.

The magazine noted that the popular “Best of Omaha” logo is seen on advertising, employee communications, billboards, electronic signage, stationery, menus, etc. It’s truly become a local seal of approval.

“This is a tremendous recognition by the community of our wonderful camp program. Helping children explore new adventures, make new friends and expand their physical and creative talents is at the core of our mission,” said JCC Executive Director Aaron Rosenfeld.

He continued, “Every camp feature, be it sports, art, swimming, dance, overnights and special events, operates within a warm and caring environment based on Jewish culture and values.”

This is the 20th year of the Best of Omaha awards. It began in the early 80’s by employee choice, but a decade later the public was asked to vote, and it became a popularity contest in the best sense of the word. The most votes wins, pure and simple. This year, more than 10,000 votes were cast.

The JCC intends to start earning next year’s Omaha magazine award this week, when the 2012 camp brochures are mailed to the community. This year’s “Tour Around the World” theme includes visits to the following countries: Italy, Canada, Australia, Japan, France, Israel and the good ‘ol USA! In addition, there are two exciting one-week tween travel camps planned: one to the east coast and another to Colorado Springs, CO. When not traveling around the globe, campers will be swimming, playing sports, participating in art and nature activities, going on field trips and having a blast on Friday Fun Days.

2012 JCC Summer camp dates are June 11- August 10.

Camp brochures will be mailed this week. To register or for more information about summer camps, contact Laura Wine at 402.334.6409 or lwine@jccomaha.org.

NCJW’s “Protecting Our Kids”

“Tyler loves to visit his Grandpa Sam at Remington Heights!”

– Laurie E. Granddaughter of Sam E., a happy resident of Remington Heights

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Continued from page 1 Detective David Pecha, a graduate of Creighton University, has served 14 years with the Omaha Police Department and worked computer crimes for the last four. Six years in uniform patrol, two years in general investigations, and the last six years with the Special Victims Unit, Detective Pecha was also assigned to the FBI Cyber Crimes Task Force.

“After being involved with the OPD SVU, I realized how vulnerable children can be to various forms of exploitation. In just the last few years, I’ve seen how the attempts to victimize children have evolved, especially in the world of technology.

“From using computers and gaming systems to the rapid increase in the use of mobile platforms, children are constantly connected and, therefore, constantly in danger of being contacted by those with bad intentions. It’s up to us to recognize the threats and take the appropriate action to protect our kids.”

Ask Dr. Adam Tyma what he thinks about the media, and you’ll get his automatic response, “The Media is. Period.”

Currently an assistant professor of Communication at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Dr. Tyma believes “media is not evil nor is it good -- it is simply a tool or utility. What the media can be used for by those who choose to work with it -- well, that’s a different story.”

Having earned a PhD from North Dakota State University, Dr. Tyma has conducted research in such areas as online life, media literacy, and popular culture.

“My goal is that we become critical consumers of The Media,” Tyma said, “ -- that we are aware of what we are taking in (television, movies, music, books, newspapers, and the places we surf online), and what we are putting out there (Facebook, Twitter, videos, e-mails, text messages, phone conversations, etc.). Once we develop that literacy -- that skill set -- we can better prepare ourselves and those who depend on us to negotiate and traverse this increasingly complex concept we call ‘The Media.’”

Karen Gustafson, MS,NCC,LIMHP, is currently Director of the Federation’s Jewish Family Service and has been a therapist there since 2000. She graduated from the University of Nebraska, majored in Counseling, and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Southwest Missouri University. Since 1994, Gustafson has had extensive experience as a therapist/counselor at Boys

Town, Midlands Community Hospital, Child Saving Institute, and the Richard Young Center.

“When it comes to dealing with other children, our kids are often ill-equipped,” she noted. “By mistake, they are being taught to look for the ‘right’ decision versus the ‘best’ decision given the circumstance. Older children no longer need ‘protection’ in the same sense of the word, but, rather, guidance in learning how to make good decisions and handle bad ones.

“We are, by default, hurting our children by trying to help them too much,” she concluded. “Kids feel more and more pressure to be perfect, have the perfect friends, be in the perfect activities, have the perfect grades, etc. If we want to protect our kids, we need to teach them how to think for themselves and protect themselves. They are their own best protection... unless, of course, they are infants in our care.”

For more information on “Protecting Our Kids,” contact Wendy Raffel, 402.504.3366 or wsraffel@cox.net.

An Eye on Israel Continued from page 1 East and understand their impact around the world.

Jewish and non-Jewish Americans alike understand the importance of Israel’s presence as a democratic influence in the Middle East and a friend and ally to the United States. The ties through the years have been strong and mutually beneficial. Discussing, understanding, and appreciating daily events can help ensure that these ties are not loosened. What may seem to be small events are important, for a chain of small events often culminates in a major event.

Take the time to do a small thing that can make a big difference. Mark your calendars for each Tuesday in February from noon–1 p.m. to attend the “Eye on Israel” series with Dr. Guy Matalon in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library. Continue to broaden your knowledge and understanding. Participate in the discussion of events that touch the lives of many. Bring a friend.

For additional information, please call Mark Kirchhoff at 402.334.6463.

January 27, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 3

Israel again going to the Oscars gate Continued from page 1 lightless as the underground sewers of Lvov, where a dozen Jewish men, women and children hid for 14 months during the German occupation of Poland. Their unlikely protector was a rough-hewn Polish sewage worker and part-time thief who knew all the hiding places in the underground system -- it’s where he worked and stashed his loot.

At the helm of In Darkness is the superb Polish director Agnieszka Holland (Europa, Europa), whose forte is to delineate the shades of the human character. As in her other works, the strengths and weakness of the victims, heroes, villains and bystanders vary with time and circumstance.

“I have always been intrigued by the contradictions and extremes in human nature,” she said in a phone interview. “I wonder at how fragile and how strong we are, how evil and irrational under some conditions, and how brave and compassionate at other times.”

With Footnote, Cedar centers on the rivalry between two Talmudic scholars who also are father and son. It’s a sharp contrast from the New York native’s previous film, Beaufort, a war film with an anti-war message.

“What could be more boring?” I can hear a younger audience moan about Footnote.

But in the hands of Cedar, 43, the film has more tension per frame than a gun-toting action picture or apocalyptic sci-fi epic.

Both Eliezer and Uriel Shkolnik, father and son, are shining lights in the Department of Talmudic Studies of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where rivalries are fierce. To the two Shkolnik philologists, the stakes in their lifelong studies of the authenticity and meaning of each word in different Talmudic versions and editions are far higher than the struggles of warring countries or the rise and fall of

national economies.

The director, himself the son of renowned Hebrew University biochemist Howard Cedar, firmly rejects the assumption that the protagonists resemble his family or their relationships.

“The film’s Talmudists in no way represent my father and myself,” said the younger Cedar, who as an Orthodox Jew is a rarity among Tel Aviv filmmakers. “Actually, their relationship is my nightmare, not my reality.”

Yet Footnote explores the balance between uncompromising honesty and family relationships.

“What if my son becomes a more successful director than I am, but makes movies that I hate?” asks Cedar, who explored the gulf between observant and secular Israelis in his first two films, In Time of Favor and Campfire. “Will I tell him how I really feel or

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dent more than 20 years her junior. Under the German occupation they hide several Jews in their home. Similar to Anne Frank’s fate, the couple is betrayed and arrested, and they die in captivity.

One trend among foreign film producers is the growing emphasis on such themes as internal conflicts, problems of immigrants and life under the former Soviet occupation of Eastern European countries.

Examples are films from Bosnia and Ireland (ethnic cleansing), Colombia (guerrillas vs. the military), the Czech Republic (expulsion of ethnic Germans after World War II), Estonia (Soviet army deserter returns), Kazakhstan (Soviets invade Afghanistan), The movie In Darkness, coming to American theaters in Italy and Romania (illegal February, tells the story of a dozen Jewish men, women and immigrants) and Lebanon children who hid in the underground sewers of Lvov.

(Christian-Muslim conflict).

Credit: Sony Pictures Classics While many colonials this taken hostage by people who claim to know side of the Atlantic consider the King’s the absolute truth,” he said.

English as a foreign language, this year the Although Footnote has not yet been United Kingdom actually submitted an released in American theaters, it has entry in the foreign-language category. The received favorable reviews. At the Cannes film Patagonia is set in a Welsh settlement in Film Festival, Footnote was awarded the top southern Argentina, and the characters prize for best screenplay, and in the United speak Welsh and Spanish.

States the National Board of Reviews of In both the United States and Europe, the Motion Pictures placed the film among the critical favorite is the Iranian entry, A five top foreign-language features.

Separation, which has won a string of But the Oscar competition in the foreign- awards at international film festivals. language category is rough and the Academy The film by Asghar Farhadi masterfully Awards selection committee is widely con- combines an easily recognizable situation -sidered unpredictable, if not erratic. an impending divorce in an upper-middleThe Netherlands’ entry, Sonny Boy, tells class family -- with the strange atmosphere, the actual story of two unlikely rescuers, a pieties and judicial proceedings of an unfamiddle-aged Dutch housewife who runs off miliar society. with and marries a black Surinamese stuThe Oscars will be presented Feb. 26.

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preserve family harmony?”

On a national scale, the insistence on one’s absolute truth contributes to civic violence in Israel, Cedar believes. “We now have a generation that considers ‘compromise’ a bad word, and social harmony has been

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 1, 2012 6:30 PM Chabad Center, 1866 South 120th Street Omaha, NE 68144 Desserts will be served Rabbi Shais Taub is a teacher and author known for his work with recovering addicts.

He is a frequent contributer to the Huffington Post and author of bestseller “The G-d of Our Understanding” on addiction, Jewish mysticism and the 12 Steps.

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He resides in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife and children where he acts as a spiritual leader of Conscious Contact, a prayer and meditation center with an emphasis on serving the spiritual needs of addicts.

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4 | The Jewish Press | January 27, 2012

The inclusive community

A Guy’s view GUY MATALON, Jewish Federation of Omaha Scholar in Residence In the past few weeks, Judaism took it on the chin. The portrayal of followers of Judaism behaving in a despicable manner reinforced several teachings that I have held dear.

The first teaching is the Biblical commandment to love every Jew as myself. I have written about this before and it is worth repeating - it is very hard to do, especially when it involves those we disagree with on important topics.

I cannot find any justification for the manner in which the fanatics treated the 8-year-old girl and her friends. Spitting and yelling at other Jews, even if they live differently than I, can never be acceptable.

The Jewish people as a whole have always been divided.

Divisions are not necessarily bad. They could be a great source of creativity, innovation and out-of-the-box thinking. Yet at times, the divisions have brought Jewish existence to the brink of disaster. These divisions sometimes were just geographic, sometimes ideological, and sometimes nothing but nasty. Outside of demographics, the danger of Jewish divisiveness is our greatest threat. Moreover, the divisions are so entrenched that they turn off many young Jews. The mess in Beit Shemesh is a great example of how far divisions

can push people.

The second principle that has to be put front and center is the notion that no one has a monopoly over Judaism. There are those who know more than others, there are those who are more observant than others, there are those who are more moral than others but none have a monopoly on Judaism. What is required for a strong concept of peoplehood and community is some humility to accept that I may not always be right; that my interpretation or view could be wrong.

A community must be inclusive to allow for different perspectives and views, and even when decisions are made, the minority positions are not excluded, so that all could participate in the community. And the community must instill a sense of respect and love in every Jew, especially those we disagree with. It is easy to love those we agree with and those who share our values, but who said the purpose of Jewish living is to have an easy life? What makes our Jewish community so strong is the ability of all organizations to work together on serious matters and to have fun as a group. Our divisions should never be allowed to keep us apart from one another or bring us to treat each other in a way that would shame God. Guy Matalon is the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Scholar-in-residence, and as such aims to educate and inform the community about matters pertaining to Judaism and Israeli politics. A Guy’s view can also be found online at www.jewishomah.org.

Beth Israel of Omaha committed to helping JNF re-green the Carmel

by MICHAEL ANDERSON Senior Campaign Executive for JNF When the devastating Carmel fires broke out in December 2010, Jewish National Fund (JNF) reached out to synagogues, schools, and communities across the United States. Beth Israel Synagogue of Omaha answered the call, raising almost $2,000 in 2011 to help rehabilitate the burnt Carmel forest.

Last year, the congregation held a seder for Tu BiShvat, the Jewish New Year for Trees, and after the fire Rabbi Gross and the community chose to use the event to raise money for JNF’s campaign to rehabilitate the forest. With just under 200 families, the small congregation set out to buy a tree for every family in the congregation.

This year, Beth Israel will once again raise money for OCR in honor of Tu BiShvat.

“Beth Israel is proud to work with JNF, which has demonstrated over its 110-year history an unwavering dedication to creating a homeland for the Jewish people,” said Rabbi

Gross. “Buying a tree in Israel is such a long-standing Jewish gesture to help the State of Israel. Everybody should make it their habit to buy a tree for themselves and for their children every year. I know that I will.” Information for purchasing trees through JNF will be available at all Beth Israel events and classes during the week of Feb. 5-12.

With the support of congregations like Beth Israel, JNF’s Operation Carmel Renewal (OCR) campaign has raised more than $7.5 million to rehabilitate the burnt landscape of the Carmel, purchase new firefighting equipment and trucks, and re-green affected communities. Though a year has passed since the fires, there is still much to be done to restore the Carmel.

“Rabbi Gross is a remarkable community leader,” said Senior Campaign Executive Michael Anderson. “A true Zionist at heart, he has rallied his community around the need to re-green the Carmel forest in the spirit of Israel’s festival of trees, Tu BiShvat.”

Engagements CHRISTENSEN-HERRICK Cathy and William Christensen announce the engagement of their daugther, Dr. Jesica Allyn Christensen to Gregory Adam Herrick, son of Sandra Herrick and the late Milton Herrick of Lake Forest, IL. The bride-to-be graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She is an Infectious Disease Physician at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C. She is the granddaughter of the late Dr. Earl and Lee Wigodsky, and Juanita and the late Wayne Christensen of Dallas, TX. Her fiancé graduated from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, with a degree in Computer Engineering. He is a software engineer for Kraft Foods in Northfield, IL. He is the grandson of the late Donald and Alice Herrick of Mount Prospect, IL, and Carlton and Mina Olson of Wautoma, WI. A wedding is planned for May 27, 2012, in Chicago.

EVANS-EPSTEIN Sandy and Paul Epstein are excited to announce the engagement of their son, Cory, to Carrie Evans, daughter of Linda and Murray Evans of Suffern, NY. The bride-to-be is a graduate of Union College, with a Dual Masters Degree in Special Education/ General Education from Hunter College, Graduate School of Education.

She is currently teaching at PS 130 in Brooklyn, NY. She is the granddaughter of the late Helen and Horace Kramer of Woodmere, NY and the late Laura Evans Hecht and Jack Hecht of Fort Lee, NJ. Her fiancé is a graduate of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and received his Masters in Business Administration from the NYU Stern School of Business. He is currently working for Barclays Capital in New York City.

He is the grandson of Etta and Harold Epstein, and the late Helen and Morris Lipp.

A Nov. 17 wedding is being planned in New York City.

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Send a check for $40, made out to the Jewish Press, to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154.

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New Beth El music fund honors late congregant’s passion

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Milton Marcus’s love of music was obvious to all who knew him and those who were familiar with his prowess as a trumpet player.

Following his death in June of 2010, his family began looking for an appropr i ate way to honor his memory; their search culminated in the creation of The Milton M a r c u s Milton Marcus Instrumental Music Endowment Fund, recently established at Beth El Synagogue.

According to his son, Howard Marcus, the fund will be used to underwrite instrumental music performances at the synagogue.

“My father participated actively in a variety of synagogue activities, from worship to education,” Howard said. “He really liked being at Beth El and had a habit of just dropping by for informal chats with clergy members. The synagogue was very important to him, and my mother tells me that he would have been very happy about the establishment of the fund.

“The performers will benefit directly,” he added, “but everyone within earshot will be indirect beneficiaries.”

During his lifetime, Milton Marcus built

an impressive musical resume. He began studying trumpet at age 16, in his hometown of Flushing, N.Y., with Giuseppi Rescigno, a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Following high school, his musical education continued at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia; during this time, he also performed with numerous musical ensembles in New York City, including a performance in 1948 at Carnegie Hall.

During the early 1950s, he performed throughout the country with the San Carlo Opera Company, and then spent six years in the Air Force, where he toured more than 15 countries with Air Force bands. In 1956, he moved to Omaha as a member of the Strategic Air Command Band. Over the years, his musical involvement in the metro area included playing with the Iowa Western Community College Band, and the Santa Lucia Festival Band, among others; he also played with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, including a stint as principal trumpet.

The establishment of the Beth El music fund is a meaningful and lasting way to pay tribute to his father, and Howard noted that “His life was about music, as is his legacy. I want to share that legacy – along with his enthusiasm about Judaism – with others, to the extent possible.”

Contributions to the Milton Marcus Instrumental Music Endowment Fund, as well as other existing synagogue funds, are welcome by phone at 402.492.8550, at reception@bethel-omaha.org, or through the Beth El website, www.bethel-omaha.org.

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Celebrating each family legacy

In the news Travis Lewis recently received his Ph.D. in cell biology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He presented the public defense of his dissertation, Development of an Adenoviral Vector Platform for Selective Gene Delivery to Neurons, on Dec. 16, 2011, in Birmingham, AL. He has been working at UAB’s Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Parkinson Disease Research Center.

Travis is enrolled in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at UAB, and will be conferred with an M.D./Ph.D. degree in the spring of 2013, after completing the medical school portion of the program.

Travis is the son of Dennis and Lisa Lewis.

The Old Avoca Schoolhouse in Avoca, Nebraska will be hosting a special Schoolhouse Irish Fiddling Camp, for fid-

Wanted: Jewish adult singles. It’s time for our group to come back into being. I am looking for people both willing to help organize and participate in this group. We would have get-togethers of all kinds, and find friends to socialize with. If you are interested, please contact Deborah Platt at plattdeborah@gmail.com.

Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS John Cavanaugh of Brite Futures will speak on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 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.

Losing someone close to you is never easy. That’s why we at John A. Gentleman Mortuaries do all we can to celebrate each family legacy. One of the ways we do that is by planting a living memorial at Lauritzen Gardens.

dlers, violists, guitarists, and ukulele players.

The sessions will be led by championship fiddler and author, Deborah Greenblatt.

The camp will be on Monday, March 12 Friday, March 16, from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. You can sign up for 1 day, or 2 days, or 3 days, or 4 days, or all 5 days.

Enrollment for the Schoolhouse Irish Fiddling Camp is limited, so e-mail Deborah (debby@greenblattanseay.com) if you are interested in participating, or if you have any questions.

Come join us and enjoy meeting your soul mates. For information call Anne Skolkin at 402.343.1638.

39FOREVER 39FOREVER is alive and well. Check out and join this lively adult social group.

Membership dues are $5 per person with monthly mailings announcing programs, events, and updates.

Sunday, Feb. 5, members will meet at 3:30 p.m. at the Durham Museum for a tour of Costumes and the Cinema followed by dinner at Wheatfields in the Market/1206 Howard. Contact Dr. Jim Wax 402.393.4442 or Judy Katskee 402.493.8875 for additional information or reservations.

To Submit Announcements to the Jewish Press: Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewishomaha.org or online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on Jewish Press and go to Submit Announcements; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154 (with photos we will scan and return).

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6 | The Jewish Press | January 27, 2012

Math/Stats Tutor Temple Israel to celebrate Shabbat Shira with song and story Marshall Berg (402) 512-0001 | marshallberg@creighton.edu 21st Annual

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by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator “For me, music is how I connect with God and specifically the Jewish community,” said Healy Slakman, who will join Rabbi Aryeh Azriel and teens from Temple Israel in the guitar-led Shabbat Shira worship service on Friday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. at the synagogue.

Slakman has performed, taught, composed, and recorded music at her congregation, Temple Israel in St. Louis, at Kutz Camp in New York, at NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth) Missouri Valley regional events, at Rick Recht song leader boot-camps, and at the JCC Maccabi ArtsFest. She has led song sessions, worship services, and other events.

Leading almost 1,000 teens at a recent NFTY Convention “gave me a harmonious feeling of community and belonging as well as truly illustrated the oneness of our sacred community,” Slakman said. At a NFTY Song Competition, she performed her original song, Hakol Ehad, which means everything is one. “Sharing my own composition with

Turkish Jews celebrate country’s Eurovision pick

by RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Turkey’s Jews are pleased that for the first time, a Jew will be representing their country at the Eurovision song contest.

But the singer, Can Bonomo, isn’t exactly trumpeting his accomplishment -- at least not the Jewish part.

“Mr. Can Bonomo is bound to refuse answering all the questions about his religious beliefs, anti-Semitism and

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NFTY was an extremely gratifying experience,” she remarked.

Shabbat Shira, the Sabbath of Song, is one of the few throughout the year given a special name, Parshat Beshalach, which commemorates the glorious and aweinspiring events when, after the miraculous deliverance from the Egyptians at the Red Sea, the children of Israel simultaneously burst forth into a song of praise to God. Rita Paskowitz will combine her storytelling, acting, and improvisational talents to write and present a midrash on the Torah portion that evening.

Claire Flatowicz, who attended last year’s Shabbat Shira service at Temple Israel, said, “I loved the music -- especially the “camp songs” I remembered from my youth.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed the Shabbat Shira service,” remarked Nancy Hornstein. “Cantor Shermet and the choir were so inspiring and the choice of music so very inspirational.”

Eileen Remer agreed. “Miles (Eileen’s husband) and I thought Shabbat Shira was fabulous!”

Can Bonomo, shown performing at an Istanbul club in March 2011, is the first Turkish Jew to represent his country in the Eurovision song contest. Credit: Can Bonomo official website political subjects,” Bonomo’s spokesman, Ece Kahraman, wrote in a statement to JTA. Bonomo has taken pains to tell fans that he will be participating in Eurovision as a Turk, not as a Jew. “My family came from Spain 540 years ago,” Bonomo said in an interview on the Aksam news show in a video posted Jan. 11 that has gone viral. “I am Turkish and I am representing Turkey, I will go out there with the Turkish flag and represent Turkey. I am an artist, a musician. That’s all that everybody needs to know.”

Prior to his appearance on “Aksam,” radical right-wing papers had accused Bonomo of being a tool of Zionists and Freemasons. The way in which the anchor framed her question in the interview probably didn’t put him at ease:“People might say you were chosen because Turkey wants to ingratiate itself with Israeli lobby groups,” she said.

The intimation that the state-run Turkish Radio and Television Corp., which makes the Eurovision selection, would kowtow to pro-Israel groups seems bizarre with Turkey’s moderate Islamist government doing its best to distance itself from Israel.

It is true that Bonomo’s selection for the contest, which is being held in May in Baku, Azerbaijan, has sparked a glint of hope among Turkey’s 20,000 Jews, who have watched anxiously as their country’s historically strong relations with Israel have deteriorated.

“It is the first time in history that a Turkish Jewish singer will represent Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest,” Derya Agis, a scholar of Turkish Jewish culture and history at Brandeis University, wrote. “Turkey will show the importance of diversity in Europe where anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia have been problems for centuries.”

Or, put a little less academically by Denise Saporta, a spokeswoman for Turkey’s Jewish community: “A Jewish boy is going to represent Turkey!” she told JTA. “We’re all very proud.”

Saporta downplayed the attacks on Bonomo, saying they

were typical of political factions that deride minorities in general and are not representative of Turks.

“This always happens with ‘firsts,’’’ she said. “If he were anything other than a Sunni Muslim male -- a woman, even -- these media would attack.”

Bonomo has a solid following among Turks of all stripes.

The video of the Aksam interview drew hundreds of comments in support. One fan, Osman Kural, denounced the “radical, right wing agitprop” and said it “in no way represents all of the country.”

Bonomo, 24, oozes hip, from his retro caps and his blazer over T-shirt look. His Twitter biography describes him as “musician/illustrator/writer/drunk/bast’E’rd. (Chill dude).”

(His facility with English is another factor riling Turkish ultranationalists.)

EuroVisionary, a Eurovision fan site, describes the singersongwriter’s style as “Istanbulian music that works with tunes from Alaturca to international indie style.” His vocals incorporate the rising and falling quartertones typical of his country’s music, and are set against throbbing drums and guitar and oud riffs.

Should Bonomo, who was born in the coastal city of Izmir, decide one day to shuck off his hesitancy about his Jewish roots, he might discover how they informed his music.

Jewish cafe singers drew crowds in the 1920s and 1930s with their modernized versions of their parents’ aching and ancient Ladino love ballads. A number of their modern Israeli interpreters, including Hadass Pal-Yarden and Yasmin Levy, have taken their acts to Turkey and won acclaim.

Marriages SHUKERT-WIENIR Ariel Jane Shukert and Jeffrey Adam Wienir were married on Oct. 16, 2011, at Beth El Synagogue in a ceremony performed by Rabbi Mordechai Levin and Rabbi Paul Drazen and Cantor Beth Schlossberg, assisted by the groom’s sister, Rabbi Cantor Alison Wissot, and the bride’s father. A dinner dance at Joslyn Art Museum followed.

The bride is the daughter of Aveva and Marty Shukert and the granddaughter of the late Doris and Nate Shukert and the late Pearl and Dave Hahn. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, she is an art director at RPA, an advertising agency in Santa Monica, CA. Rachel Shukert of New York City, the bride’s sister, attended her as matron of honor.

The groom, who also graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, is the son of Adrienne and Michael Wienir of Encino, CA. He is the grandson of the late Adele and Edward Paier and the late Joan Wienir. He is a Development Executive and the Campus Director of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, and has recently launched a business as a Nutritional Education Trainer. David Wienir of Los Angeles, the groom’s brother, attended him as best man.

The couple honeymooned in Italy and make their home in Los Angeles.

January 27, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 7

Agencies and the Annual Campaign, Tribute to the Rescuers Essay contest Part Four

by SHERRIE SAAG Communications Specialist, Jewish Federation of Omaha Today we introduce the newest board president in the Federation community, Andy Ruback. A native Nebraskan, Andy is serving his first term as president of the Jewish Press Board. He is, without doubt, ideally suited to the job, having spent his entire professional life to date in the media business.

Omaha. Our goal is to maximize these connections and make them deeper, richer and more meaningful for everyone.

What is happening at the Jewish Press?

Because of the One Campus, One Community Initiative, we now have more campus resources at our disposal than ever before. For example, it provided us with the ability to make use of information and professional resources across agency lines. This has been a tremendous bonus to us.

We are working on the future digital communications for the entire campus with the goal being integrated agency websites and easier customer access to electronic news and information.

How does the Annual Campaign support the Jewish Press?

We produce the paper each week – 50 times a year – free of charge to the end user.

Local Federation Annual Campaign dollars Andy Ruback and his son Max at a radio stamake this possible. It is amazing, in this age tion. of electronic communications, that our As general manager of NRG Media- community prints a weekly paper that is relOmaha, Andy is responsible for seven radio evant, interesting, and informative without stations, huskermax.com, and as if that’s not charging a fee for it. And, it is all because of enough work for one person, he also serves our Annual Campaign.

I Give to the Annual Campaign... as director of digital media for the parent For me, it is personal and local. I give so company, NRG Media.

He is the husband of Teresa Ruback and my son has a terrific pre-school experience at the CDC. I give so that the recreational father to Max, 2 ½.

Describe the value your agency brings to and social opportunities to be Jewish exist for my children as they grow up in Omaha. the community.

I view the role of the Jewish Press as a I care that local needs are met through “connector” of the community. The paper recreational facilities at the JCC, social outconnects the Federation and its agencies to ings in BBYO, and rehabilitation services at its audience, the Jewish population of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

by HILLARY FLETCHER Marketing Assistant, Institute for Holocaust Education The Institute for Holocaust Education (IHE) is excited to announce the 10th Anniversary Tribute to the Rescuers Essay Contest for high school students. The Essay Contest asks students to use the lens of the Holocaust to analyze moral behavior and educates them about contemporary issues.

Each student chooses an individual or group who took a stand against social injustice and exhibited moral courage. The student then explores the historical events surrounding their chosen topic, and writes an essay exploring their topic and how it relates to the Holocaust. Most importantly, each student delves into the true meaning of moral courage and discovers how the topic impacts him/her on a very personal level.

The Essay Contest is an excellent way for educators to integrate a multi-disciplinary assignment into their curriculum, and also provides students an opportunity to participate in a nationwide contest, with the chance to win a cash prize and be honored for their talents.

The contest is offered to students in two

categories – 9th & 10th grades and 11th & 12th grades with cash prizes ranging from $75 to $750 in each category. Educators are eligible to win prizes as well.

Since 1966, the Tribute to the Danes and other Rescuers Organization in New York had been educating the public about the noble actions of Danish rescuers in the face of mortal danger during World War II. In 1999, that organization merged with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to capitalize on the synergies of both organizations.

Now in its tenth year, the contest is managed by the Institute for Holocaust Education. Since 2000, the Institute for Holocaust Education has provided educational resources, workshops, survivor testimony, and integrated arts programming to thousands of students, educators and the public throughout Nebraska and surrounding areas. The IHE also provides support to local Holocaust survivors and their families.

We consider Holocaust education an integral component in inspiring our community to create a more just and equitable society.

For more information please visit www.ihene.org or call 402.334.6576.

Nun who saved Jews on way to sainthood

by JTA NEWS STAFF ROME (JTA) – A British nun who saved dozens of Jews in Rome during the Holocaust has been advanced on the road to sainthood.

Britain’s Catholic Herald newspaper said the file on Mother Riccarda Beauchamp Hamrough, who died in 1966, was sent recently to the Vatican for investigation by the Congregation for Saints’ Causes.

Mother Riccarda was the director of the

Bridgettine Sisters order and spent most of her life as a nun in Rome at the order’s mother house. In 1943, after the Nazi occupation of Rome, she saved about 60 Roman Jews by hiding them in the convent.

The cause for her sainthood was opened in July 2010. According to the report, several Jews gave evidence on behalf of Mother Riccarda, saying that while hiding in the convent they had nicknamed her “mama.”

Celebrate the beginning of a “New Year for Trees.”

Experience storytelling, hands-on activities for children, singing, and an informative visit to stations representing the four seasons of growth in Israel.

Admission for this event has been generously underwritten.

Activities and crafts are underwritten by Beth El Synagogue.

100 BANCROFT STREET | www.lauritzengardens.org | 402.346.4002

8 | The Jewish Press | January 27, 2012

Forty-eight hours in Florence

by MASADA SIEGEL are actually replicas. The real ones were moved for conser- monument with the names of 248 Jewish deportees during What would you see if you had 48 hours in Florence, and vation’s sake to the Museum of the Opera del Duomo, which World War Two engraved on the face. no guide book? Relying on the kindness of locals and is right by the Duomo and where one can also see “The Also, in terms of sites to see, make sure not to leave strangers, it took me less then an hour to figure out a few key Pietà” by Michelangelo.

Florence without spending some time with David, sights in Florence.

A short walk away from the Duomo is the stunning Great Michelangelo’s sculpture David. The real sculpture is in the Where to stay Synagogue of Florence, designed in a Moorish style; it is a Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze museum. Truly a masterMy unplanned adventure had only one thing set, a hotel site to behold inside and out. It was built between 1874 and piece, many tourists find themselves standing in awe for a reservation. In Florence, reservations are a must, especialgood half hour, just mesmerized. The Museum also has a ly in high season. If you are looking for a true Italian experoom filled with sculptures that is worth a visit while you rience in taste and style, try the Lungarno Hotels. The are in the vicinity. A museum curator will most likely be hotels are elegant and the attention to detail from the bedyelling, “No Photos”, but no one seems to pay attention. rooms right down to the luxurious lounging areas is eviHowever, if you play by the rules and want a photo of dent. This, however, comes as no surprise once you find David, there is a huge selection of postcards and books in out the hotel chain is owned by Italian designer Salvatore the shop.

Ferragamo.

Where to eat What to see Right next to the synagogue is a vegetarian kosher restauFlorence is a walking city, and once you have a tourist rant, “Ruths”. If you walk in, chances are the aroma of delimap in hand, everything is clearly marked and easy to find. cious food will bring you to your knees, so grab a table and Take a stroll over the Ponte Vecchio Bridge, and check out check it out. all the high end jewelry stores which are one lined up to However, if you are looking for a place where the locals the next. A perfect time to go is early morning. haunt, check out Il Cibreo Cafe which is a mere few blocks At the end of the bridge, if you are walking towards the away. There is a café and restaurant. The café is more casucenter of Florence, turn right and visit the Uffitzi Museum. al, has limited choices as opposed to the restaurant, which The most efficient way to buy tickets to the Uffitzi is to is expensive and a more elegant affair. The food they serve ask your hotel to make a reservation, as there are always is not your typical Italian fare, nor is the clientele. Needless what appears to be hundreds of people in line. Booking to say, I had an extremely interesting and unplanned lunch online is also an option, although both ways you will have with Domenico Giorgi, Italy’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, to pay a small fee. Don’t get discouraged, the museum is and his family!

The Great Synagogue of Florence Credit: Masada Siegel worth the wait and the line moves quickly.

What to buy and where The Uffitzi is filled with phenomenal art, and buying a 1882. There were three architects; Mariano Falcini, No trip to Florence is complete without checking out the museum guidebook before you enter is wise, as they are easy Professor Vincente Micheli, and Marco Treves, who was San Lorenzo market. The market is about a five to ten to follow and are filled with an enormous amount of infor- Jewish. The design is a mix of traditions of the Islamic and minute walk away from the Duomo and is filled with a wide mation. Perhaps one of the most magnificent parts of the Italian worlds. It’s truly a masterpiece, as every inch of the array of leather goods, belts, bags, scarves, jewelry and building is the ceiling. Although, it’s hard to know where to synagogue is decorated with mosaics, marble, and all the murano glass sculptures. Definitely bargain with the sellers, look first as the museum is filled with world renowned internal walls are painted with intricate designs from floor and also know often you can get better prices at the little artists such as Botticelli, Correggio, Michelangelo, Raffaello, to ceiling. stands that are not part of the market, but dotted along the Ruben and Rembrant.

It successfully survived World War Two. The Germans streets. Whatever you buy, chances are the only regret you When you leave the museum, walk towards the center of tried to blow it up, but the main building withstood their will have, is that you did not buy more.

Florence where you will find the Duomo Cathedral. The efforts. The Nazi’s then decided to use it as a warehouse and If brand name shops are more your speed, Florence boasts huge boulevards are filled with stunning shops that are sure stable, bayonet marks are still visible on the doors of the myriad options such as Gucci, Pucci, Ferragamo, Valentino, to tempt your pocketbook. There are also a myriad of choic- Holy Ark. Also, before the fascists fled Florence they mined Prada, Armani and Ermenegildo. Some of the streets with es of restaurants that serve tasty treats ranging from gelato the synagogue with explosives. Fortunately, the partisans highbrow and elegant shops to wander are Via Tornabuoni, served on freshly baked waffles to pizza and pasta. were able to defuse most of the bombs. However, one gallery the Via del Parione, and the Via Maggio. There are also The Duomo is huge, about 12,000 feet and is one of the fell, but was replaced. many winding streets, which are fun to explore, filled with largest cathedrals in the world. Adjoining it are Giotto’s A wonderful way to experience the synagogue is to attend smaller shops that sell beautiful glass sculptures, clothing, Campanile, or bell tower, and the Baptistery. The baptistery services, and times are easy to find online. The Chabad leather goods, wine and books. predates the Duomo itself, as the earliest version was built in house is mere steps away, and don’t be surprised if you run Florence itself is a work of art. At every turn there is more the 4th century. The design, architecture and attention to into the rabbi’s son or locals who will happily help you with to see, whether it be sculptures, buildings, boardwalks, detail are spectacular. The three buildings are part of the directions and times. squares and shops. Forty eight hours in Florence wasn’t UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the Historic Centre While you are there, take a few minutes to go to the sec- enough to see it all, but 48 minutes was certainly enough of Florence. ond floor of the synagogue, as you will find the Jewish time to fall in love, with the city, and the people, no guideAcross the way from the entrance to the Duomo, is the Museum of Florence filled with torah scrolls, ketubbahs and book needed.

Baptistery, where people are always lining up taking photos a variety of silver Judaica items.

Masada Siegel lives in Scottsdale. She can be reached at in front of Ghiberti’s two gilded bronze doors. These doors Be sure to also take time to notice on your way out, a stone Fungirlcorrespondent@gmail.com.

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January 27, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 9

Jewish Community does battle... for a good cause

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by JCC STAFF Congregants and staff from Temple Israel, Beth El, and Beth Israel spent the past two weeks embroiled in a battle royale. This battle was not of the theological nature. Instead they spent two weeks competing in the JCC synagogue decathlon.

For thirteen days, the competition was fierce and the games were intense, and while Beth Israel took home the champion’s trophy, the biggest winner was the JFS food pantry which received over one thousand pounds of pantry items.

“The Decathlon was a great way to bring our community together in a fun and spirited way. This is another great example of what makes our Omaha Jewish community so special,” said Aaron Rosenfeld, JCC Executive Director.

“The diversity and good nature of the participants was really energizing. In the end, the totals that really count are the friendships made and renewed and the communal acts of tzeddkah. The JCC is proud to have played a small role in the event’s success.”

A special thanks to Ed Heller and Brian Henson of the JCC for coordinating the competition and also to the event co-chairs Beth Cohen, Wendy Goldberg and Margie Gutnik who inspired tremendous participation from each of their respective synagogues.

Sports contests included Dodgeball, Ping Pong, Volleyball, and Basketball. For those preferring more cerebral competition, there was Trivia Night, Game Night (Poker, Scrabble and Mah Jong) and Synagogue Feud, a spin-off of the popular game show, Family Feud.

Who will best the defending champion, Beth Israel Synagogue, at the next Community Decathlon?

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The Beth Israel team, top, celebrates its victory; community members from all three synagogues took part in a variety of contests, which included sports events as well as brainy challenges. Over a thousand pounds of donations, meanwhile, made it to Jewish Family Services. Ed Heller, bottom left, weighs a small part of the contributions.

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SNOWBIRDS Please let the Jewish Press know in advance when you are leaving and when you are returning.

Sometimes several papers are sent to your “old” address before we are notified by the Post Office.

Every time they return a paper to us, you miss the Jewish Press and we are charged 70 cents!

Please call us at 402.334.6448 or email us at jpress@jewishomaha.org.

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10 | The Jewish Press | January 27, 2012

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Family Service, 10 a.m. at Beth El Monthly Shabbat Morning Class with Rabbi Mizrahi, 10 a.m. at Beth Israel Shabbat’s Cool grades PreK-7, 10 a.m. at Beth El Shabbat is for Study, 12:15 p.m. at Beth El Mini Shabbaton for grades 2-5, 12:30-3:30 p.m. at Beth El ADL Appreciation & Engagement Cocktail Hour, 6:30 p.m.

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 Breadbreakers Lunch & Speaker: John Cavanaugh of Brite Futures, 11:45 a.m.

Scholars Club for 4th, 5th & 6th Graders, 4 p.m.

BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El Survey of World Religions, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Omaha Jewish Chai School, 6:30 p.m.

BESTT 8th Grade Class, 6:45 p.m. at RBJH Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2 Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Jewish Responsa w/Rabbi Azriel, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Adult Education Class with Rabbi Levin, noon at Beth El FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3 Beth El BILU USY Winter Shabbaton in KC, 11 a.m.

Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH OTYG Program, 7:00 p.m. at Temple Israel Our Shabbat Tables Kickoff Dinner, 7 p.m. at Beth El SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Sisterhood Shabbat, 9:30 a.m. at Beth El Temple Israel WRJ Retreat, 10 a.m. at Sheraton Omaha, 655 N. 108th Ave. Junior Congregation (Grades 2-7), 10 a.m. at Beth El Veshinantam, 5 p.m. at Beth Israel SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5 Men’s Club World Wide Wrap, 8:45 a.m. at Beth El BESTT Classes PreK-7, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Adult Education Class with Susi Levin, 10 a.m. at Beth El Open Arms Challah Baking class, 10 a.m. at Beth El Children’s Tu B’Shevat Activity, 10:15 a.m. at Beth Israel BBYO Summer Program Meeting, 1 p.m.

MTA Group Rehearsals, 3 p.m.

39 Forever at the Durham/Dinner to follow, 3:30 p.m. at Wheatfields Sunday Night Dinner, 6 p.m. at Beth Israel MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6 Rabbi Abrahan’s Wrestling w/Rabbi’s of the Talmud, 10 a.m. at Beth El Monday Moadon, Grades 2-7, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El “Live from the 92nd Street Y”: Mandy Patinkin, 7 p.m.

CJE Introduction to Judaism, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7 BBYO Parents Meeting, 6 p.m.

Hebrew 101, 6:30 p.m.

Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel NCJW Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

JCC Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

The Guide of the Perplexed, 8 p.m. at Beth Israel WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 Breadbreakers Lunch & Speaker: Mayor Jim Suttle, 11:45 a.m.

Rabbis & Presidents Committee Meeting, noon Scholars Club for 4th, 5th & 6th Graders, 4 p.m.

BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El Survey of World Religions, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Omaha Jewish Chai School, 6:30 p.m.

Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Beth Israel BESTT 8th Grade Class, 6:45 p.m. at RBJH Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9 Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Jewish Responsa w/Rabbi Azriel, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Center for Jewish Education Board Meeting, noon Women’s Book Group, 1p.m. at Beth El NCJW Protecting the Young Ones You Love, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10 Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Let’s Do Lunch with Beth El’s Rabbi Levin, noon at RBJH Star Deli Temple Israel Shabbat Comes To You at Remington, 4:30 p.m.

Tot Shabbat and Say Shalom to Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Scout Shabbat, 9:30 a.m. at Beth El Junior Congregation (Grades 2-7), 10 a.m. at Beth El Beth El’s YAC goes to the Lancer’s Game, 7:05 p.m.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12 BESTT Classes K-7, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El WRJ Book Sorting, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel WRJ/MRJ Hamentaschen Baking, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Men’s Club “Clean Machine” Service Project, 10 a.m. at Beth El Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Sunday Scholar’s Series, 11 a.m. at Beth El JYG Event, noon at Temple Israel Pizza & Parasha with Cantor Beth, 12:30 p.m. at Bagel Bin BESTT Chaverim, 12:45 p.m. at Beth El MTA Group Rehearsals, 3 p.m.

Tu B’Shvat Community Celebration, 3:30 p.m.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13 Monday Moadon, Grades 2-7, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El Lets Wine About It! with Cantor Beth, 6:30 p.m. at Fox & Hound, 120th & Dodge CJE Introduction to Judaism, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14 ADL/CRC Board Meeting, noon BBYO AZA Council Rush (Boys only), 6 p.m.

Hebrew 101, 6:30 p.m.

Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel The Guide of the Perplexed, 8 p.m. at Beth Israel WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 Scholars Club for 4th, 5th & 6th Graders, 4 p.m.

BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El Jewish Law Concerning Building A Synagogue, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Omaha Jewish Chai School, 6:30 p.m.

BESTT 8th Grade Class, 6:45 p.m. at RBJH Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16 Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Jewish Responsa w/Rabbi Azriel, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group, 1 p.m.

Friedel Science Fair, 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17 Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH USY Shabbat Dinner, 6 p.m. at Beth El

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18 Scholar-in-Residence with Rabbi Sjimon den Hollander at Beth Israel Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel BBYO Mother Chapter AZA #1 & MZ Yoshanah BBG #2053 Chapter Rush Events, 7 p.m.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19 Adult Education Classes, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El Jewish Omaha Youth Foundation Meeting, 1 p.m.

JCC Nutrition Program: Making Healthy Snacks, 2 p.m.

MTA Group Rehearsals, 3 p.m.

B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy Program, 3 p.m.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20 CJE Introduction to Judaism, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21 B’nai B’rith Board Meeting, 11:45 a.m.

Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m. at Friedel BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

Hebrew 101, 6:30 p.m.

Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel BESTT School Committee Meeting, 7 p.m. at Beth El The Guide of the Perplexed, 8 p.m. at Beth Israel WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22 MRJ Speaker, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Scholars Club for 4th, 5th & 6th Graders, 4 p.m.

BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El The Same or Different? The Ethics of Edith Stein & Emmanuel Levinaas, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Omaha Jewish Chai School, 6:30 p.m.

BESTT 8th Grade Class, 6:45 p.m. at RBJH Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Jewish Responsa w/Rabbi Azriel, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Community Open House, 6:30 p.m. at Friedel Women’s Rosh Hodesh Meeting, 7 p.m. at Beth El IHE Holocaust Film Series, 7 p.m.

LOVE Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Youth Group Lock In Overnight, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Family Service & Jr Congregation, 11 a.m. at Beth El BBYO Chaim Weizmann #1510 & Ediar BBG #710 Chapter Rush, 7 p.m.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26 Hamatashen Bake-a-Palooza, 9 a.m. at Beth El BESTT Classes PreK-7, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El MRJ/SJ Speaker: State Senator Heath Mello, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel WRJ Meeting, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Adult Education Classes, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El Religious School Steering Committee Meeting, 12:15 p.m. at Temple Israel MTA Group Rehearsals, 3 p.m.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27 Monday Moadon, Grades 2-7, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El Israeli Cooking Classes, 7p.m. at Beth El led by Na’ama Keren Jewish Press Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

Teens 4 Israel Latte & Learning, 7:30 p.m. at Starbucks, 114th & Dodge CJE Introduction to Judaism, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28 BBG Council Rush (Girls only), 6 p.m.

JFO Executive Committee Meeting, 6 p.m.

Hebrew 101, 6:30 p.m.

Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Casino Night, 7 p.m. sponsored by YJO Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel JFO Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m.

The Guide of the Perplexed, 8 p.m. at Beth Israel WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29 Scholars Club for 4th, 5th & 6th Graders, 4 p.m.

BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El The Same or Different?, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Omaha Jewish Chai School, 6:30 p.m.

BESTT 8th Grade Class, 6:45 p.m. at RBJH Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel

All events held at the Jewish Community Center unless otherwise noted. This calendar does not include all community events. For a complete listing, visit the Federation’s website: www.jewishomaha.org (click on calendar). To keep calendar accurate, call Marlene Hert at 334-6437. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of the above events.

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January 27, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 11

Delay of U.S.-Israel anti-missile exercise fuels speculation

by RON KAMPEAS objected, fearing that it would send Iran a signal that Israel WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The decision by Israel and the and the United States were wavering.

United States to delay a massive joint anti-missile exercise “Panetta’s initial reaction was, ‘I don’t want to take this off set off a frenzy of speculation as to what the move says about the calendar,’” Goldberg quoted the official as saying. relations between the two allies amid mounting tensions Panetta, the official said, was unwilling to cancel the exercise with Iran. but agreed to a postponement.

U.S. and Israeli officials confirmed to JTA over the weekStill, speculation regarding the exercise’s postponement end that they had delayed until the second half of 2012 what reflects worries over whether the United States and Israel are was to have been the largest ever joint anti-missile exercise, on the same page when it comes to Iran.

Austere Challenge 12.

There have been reports that Speaking off the record, officials Obama is pressing Netanyahu not in the United States and Israel conto strike Iran -- or at least to notify firmed published reports that Iran the United States in advance of factored into the decision. But just such a strike. More recently, the how Iran factored in they would U.S. condemned last week’s assassinot say, and they insisted that the nation of an Iranian nuclear scienoverriding factor had to do with tist, a killing that many commentapreparedness for the exercise and tors suggest was carried out by the Israeli budgetary concerns.

Israeli Mossad intelligence agency.

A Pentagon spokesman, Capt.

One theory circulating in the John Kirby, said in an e-mail that wake of the cancellation of the the exercise was canceled for roupostponement of the anti-missile tine reasons of wanting “optimum exercises is that Israel may be participation” by both sides. retreating from close defense coop“It is not at all uncommon for eration, in part because of the U.S. routine exercises to be postponed,” pressure to coordinate on Iran.

Kirby said. “There were a variety of Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman factors at play in this case, but in of the U.S. joint military chiefs of general, leaders from both sides staff, is due to arrive in Israel on believe that optimum participation Thursday and is expected to again by all units is best achieved later in press Israel not to strike Iran. the year. We remain dedicated to The joint U.S.-Israel Arrow Weapon System sucEitan Barak, an assistant profesthis exercise and naturally want it cessfully intercepted a ballistic target missile, sor of international relations at the to be as robust and as productive as Feb. 22, 2011.

Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Credit: U.S. Missile Defense Agency suggested that Israel’s refusal to it can be.”

On background, Israeli and U.S. officials said that “opti- commit to notifying the U.S. in advance of any military mum conditions” had to do with defense spending, now the plans “could be an exercise to employ pressure on the United subject of a fierce debate in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister States to urge it to act against Iran.”

Benjamin Netanyahu is under pressure, after a summer of He said that Israel has in the past ratcheted up its defenprotests, to increase social safety net spending. sive posture as a means of pressuring the United States and In October, Netanyahu said he would cut defense spend- the West to confront a regional threat. He noted that during ing to fund social spending, but last week he reversed the first Gulf War, in 1991, Israel pulled its missiles out of course, hiking defense allocations by $700 million. their silos after suffering a barrage of Iraqi Scud missiles.

The fluctuating positions have created uncertainty in Israel was signaling impatience with the failure of allied Israel’s defense establishment, and U.S. officials confirmed forces to take out Scud missile launchers in western Iraq. an account originally reported by Laura Rozen of Yahoo “Once the U.S. satellites detected the missiles, the United News that it was Defense Minister Ehud Barak who request- States took Israel seriously” and started hitting western Iraqi ed the delay in December. targets, the Hebrew University’s Barak said. “It was a clear Critics of the Obama administration were not buying it, signal, if you don’t do something, we will.” insisting that the delay revealed a fissure between President Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian-born analyst who lives in Obama and Netanyahu over how to handle Iran. Some sug- Israel, said the announcement of the decision to delay the gested that the Obama administration feared the joint exer- anti-missile exercise could as easily be spun as a tale of closcise would further ratchet up tensions with Iran. er Israel-U.S. cooperation.

Danielle Pletka, vice president of the conservative “The preference here is for a negotiated settlement,” American Enterprise Institute, said the announcement fit Javedanfar said. “Nobody in Israel wants Iran to have a into a pattern of what she depicted as the Obama adminis- nuclear bomb -- this is one of the few nonpartisan issues -tration’s overly cautious approach to Iran’s aggression, but we are also aware that the war with Iran could have farincluding its threats to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, reaching consequences, including our relationship with the which would cut off much of the West’s oil supply.

United States.”

“Now they cancel these exercises with the Israelis and The decision to postpone a robust U.S.-Israel show of make the Israelis say they asked for it,” she said. “For the strength could be tied to signals that Iran is softening its Iranians there is only one message here. That is: ‘Our tactics position on negotiations over increasing the transparency of are working!’” its nuclear program, he suggested. Western nations believe One Israeli report, on the country’s Channel 2, quoted the program is aimed at building a bomb, while Iran insists unnamed Israeli officials as saying that it was the U.S. that it is peaceful. requested the postponement, although U.S. officials and Iran has invited inspectors from the International Atomic other Israelis have pushed back, insisting that it was Israel Energy Agency to visit its facilities later this month, a key that made the request.

U.S. demand, and the Obama administration reportedly is Pentagon officials reached out to journalists Tuesday to considering a Turkish offer to broker new talks on making reinforce their claim that it was Israel, not the United States, transparent Iran’s nuclear weapons program. that requested the delay. According to an unnamed senior “The Israeli way of making Khameini sit with Obama is to U.S. defense official cited by The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, make it clear all options are on the table,” Javedanfar said, Barak requested to cancel the exercise because he feared the referring to the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Israeli military lacked the resources to carry it out effectively. Ali Khameini. “The idea is to get Khameini to return to the The official said that U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta table with a serious offer.”

Giffords announces resignation from Congress

by JTA NEWS STAFF NEW YORK (JTA) -- U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot by a gunman last January, announced that she will resign from Congress.

In a two-minute video released Sunday, Giffords (DAriz.) said she will step down as she continues her recovery.

“I have more work to do on my recovery, so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week,” she said. “I’m getting better. Every day my spirit is high. I will return, and

we will work together for Arizona and this great country.”

Speaking slowly but clearly, Giffords thanked viewers for their prayers and said that she will always remember the trust her constitutents placed in her.

The National Jewish Democratic Council wished Giffords, the first Jewish woman to be elected to Congress from Arizona, “continued quick healing on her path to recovery” and looked forward to “the occasion when we can welcome her back to public life.”

12 | The Jewish Press | January 27, 2012

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

Reality show

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press New Jersey, what happened to you? You used to be so much fun. You gave us Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

You have a pretty nickname and a rotund governor who makes both Republicans and Democrats laugh with his fabulous one-liners (“get the hell off the beach!”). You provided the stage for The Sopranos, and we couldn’t look away. You gave us the light bulb, the first electric guitar, the turnpike and salt-water taffy. For goodness’ sakes, you gave us Snooki!

How could anything bad happen with Snooki around?

Besides boardwalks and whiplash-inducing reality shows, Jersey also has a sizable Jewish population. The first Jews came during the late 1800s, and their descendents are mostly concentrated in northern Jersey’s Bergen County. Bergen is home to Teaneck, Tenafly, and Hackensack: names that are familiar to most Jewish communities elsewhere in the US. It’s a thriving Jewish community; it’s the 19th largest in the US, and has become increasingly observant. Nearly 30% of its 35,000+ households keep kosher, and 39% of children between the ages of 6 and 17 are enrolled in one of 13 Jewish day schools. There is a strong connection with Israel, and for over 60 years, Jewish residents of Bergen County have been active in regional and national politics. There are over 185 known Jewish organizations and 70 synagogues. The umbrella organization for the community is the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey; it is the 18th largest Federation out of 186.

Bergen County’s Jewish Family Service oversees counseling services, kosher meals-on-wheels, a job search network, and a computer training center. There are Jewish Community Centers and Jewish homes for the elderly; the Jewish Association of Developmental Disabilities oversees

nine kosher group homes. That’s not all; to name every way where is it written that these blips are acceptable, that “mostin which Jews in Bergen County give meaning to a Jewish ly good enough” is all we should hope for? Are we settling for life would take more space than is available here. less than we deserve? Isn’t it time that the very idea of antiIn short, Bergen County could be the poster child for the Semitism is stamped out once and for all? Or should we be American Dream. That dream for which Jews from eastern realistic, admit it’s never going to go away, and deal with that Europe traveled so far, the dream they held onto while they as well as we can? struggled to get out of Russia, Lithuania, Germany, and so I am not sure I know the answer to that question. What I forth. do know is that a November 2011 survey by the Anti It could be, but it isn’t. Don’t get me wrong: it’s close. After Defamation League showed that 15% (!) of Americans hold all, in order to build a community that offers so much, and deeply anti-Semitic views. That’s 46.2 million anti-Semites. provides this level of care, religious services, and education, Not many of them go so far as to throw that Molotov cockthere has to be a much broader kind of freedom than would tail, true, but the chance that they’ll be silent when someone ever have been possible in the shtetls of eastern Europe. does is considerable. And that should keep all of us awake at But something smells in the Garden State. night, whether we live in Jersey or not.

In Early January, five Molotov cocktails were thrown through the windows of Beth El Synagogue in Rutherford, including Rabbi Nosson Schuman’s residence above the shul. It was the fourth incident within a month. On Jan. 4, a synagogue in Paramus was hit by arson, and in December, two other synagogues, in Maywood and Hackensack, were defaced with nazi symbols. A swastika was discovered in a public park in Fair Lawn. It’s not just Bergen county either: the previous month, unknown people smashed windows at five stores owned by Jewish merchants in Middlesex County.

Whenever this sort of thing happens, we tend to be temporarily horrified, we show the appropriate reaction, and then we move on. The sad reality of living in a world where anti-Semitism never really disappears is something we don’t like to think about. “Most of it is okay,” we say. “These are inciCredit: Wikimedia Commons dents, blips on the radar.” That may be true, but Snooki at Seaside Heights, NJ

Rise of Islamist movements casts shadow over Egypt

Focus on issues ROBERT WISTRICH JERUSALEM (JTA) -- The Muslim Brotherhood did not initiate the current upheavals in the Middle East, but the Islamist parties in Egypt, as in Tunisia and Libya, have been the chief beneficiaries of the collapse of longstanding authoritarian repressive regimes across North Africa.

In Egypt itself, the two largest Islamist groups -- the Brotherhood and the Salafists -- won about three quarters of the ballots in the second round of legislative elections held in December, while the secular and the liberal forces took a battering.

The Brotherhood (which garnered over 40 percent of the votes) is an organization founded by an Egyptian schoolteacher, Hassan el Banna, back in 1928. It has never deviated from its founder’s central axiom: “Allah is our objective; the Prophet is our leader; the Koran is our law; jihad is our way; dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.”

It is this radical vision which animates all those in the region who seek a fully Islamic society and way of life. The Muslim Brotherhood has always been deeply anti-Western, viscerally hostile to Israel and openly antisemitic -- points usually downplayed in Western commentary on the socalled Arab Spring. Indeed, the anti-Jewish conspiracy theories promoted by the Brotherhood and its affiliated preachers are in a class of their own.

This is especially true of Egyptian-born Yusuf alQaradawi, undoubtedly the most celebrated Muslim Brotherhood cleric in the world. The still vigorous 84-yearold, often misleadingly depicted in the West as a “moderate,” flew in from Qatar to Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Feb. 18, 2011, to lead a million-strong crowd in Friday prayers, thereby

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ending 50 years of exile from his native land. He called for pluralistic democracy in Egypt while at the same time offering the hope “that Almighty Allah will also please me with the conquest of the al-Aqsa Mosque [in Jerusalem].”

Two years earlier, in a notorious commentary on AlJazeera TV (Jan. 28, 2009), the “moderate” Qaradawi had provided religious justification for both past and future Holocausts: “Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the Jews people who would punish them for their corruption... The last punishment was carried out by Hitler. By means of all the things he did to them -- even though they exaggerated this issue -- he managed to put them in their place. This was divine punishment for them ... Allah willing, the next time will be at the hands of the believers.”

In other words, the loathing of Jews, the Holocaust and the destruction of Israel by Muslims were linked by Qaradawi as things mandated by God himself.

Regarding Israel and the Jews, fundamentalist Muslim attitudes have not deviated since the 1940s. Islamist ideologues, despite their virulent anti-Westernism, have had no problem drawing on Western sources for their radical antiSemitism -- whether these libels come from Protocols of the Elders of Zion forgery, Henry Ford’s The International Jew, Hitler’s Mein Kampf, fantasies about Judeo-Masonic plots, Christian anti-Talmudism, medieval blood-libels or the slanders of contemporary or Holocaust deniers in America and Europe.

The current swelling of Islamist ranks within Egypt and across the Arab world has hardly improved matters. At a vocal Muslim Brotherhood rally in Cairo’s most prominent mosque on Nov. 25, 2011, Islamic activists ominously chanted “Tel Aviv, judgment day has come,” vowing to “one day kill all Jews.” The rally, which sought to promote the “battle against Jerusalem’s judaization,” was peppered with hate-

filled speeches about the “treacherous Jews.” There were explicit calls for jihad and liberating all of Palestine as well as references to a well-known hadith concerning the future Muslim annihilation of the Jews. Dr. Ahmed al-Tayeb, the head of Egypt’s Al-Azhar University (the most senior clerical authority in Sunni Islam) even claimed that Jews throughout the world were seeking to prevent Egyptian and Islamic unity, as well as trying to “Judaize al-Quds [Jerusalem].”

This kind of incitement and the pressure from the Egyptian street does not mean that the fragile peace treaty with Israel will be cancelled overnight. But calls for such a step have been repeatedly heard in recent months even from the “liberal” and “progressive” sectors of the political spectrum as well as from the Islamist parties.

Dr. Rashad Bayoumi, the deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, bluntly told the Arabic daily al-Hayat on the first day of 2012 that his organization will never “recognize Israel at all,” whatever the circumstances. Israel, he emphasized, was a “criminal enemy” with whom Egypt should never have signed a peace treaty in the first place.

If this treaty is not to be abrogated, much will depend on the United States making clear to Egypt how dire the economic and political consequences would be.

It is particularly chilling to note that the Islamic wave already dominates not only in Iran, which is on the verge of nuclear weapons, but also in Turkey, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, the Gaza strip under Hamas and the Lebanese state, currently in the iron grip of Hezbollah. Apart from seeking to impose sharia law, and to further downgrade the status of women -- while repressing Copts and other nonMuslim minorities -- the neo-Islamist movements and regimes remain as determined as ever to wipe out Israel and to radically reduce American influence in the region.

Continued on page 13

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January 27, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 13

Why Jews should care about the rights of Israeli Arabs

Focus on issues RABBI SID SCHWARZ WASHINGTON (JTA) -- About a year and half ago, I participated in a fact-finding mission to Israel sponsored by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arabs (IATF).

Established in 2006 as a consortium of some of the major organizations in American Jewish life -- including the Joint Distribution Committee, the Conference of Presidents, Jewish Federations of North America, the ADL and the American Jewish Committee -- the IATF is committed to raising awareness of the circumstances of the 20 percent of Israel’s citizens who are Arab.

The issue was not new to me. A large part of my rabbinate has been devoted to advancing human and civil rights at home and abroad. Because I love Israel deeply, I was long concerned that issues of human and civil rights were raised only by progressive organizations, both in Israel and abroad.

It was long overdue for the Jewish communal establishment to understand why the rights of Israeli Arabs should be a priority for anyone concerned with Israel’s future.

Upon my return from the mission we established the first local affiliate of the IATF in the country in Washington, D.C. The Greater Washington Forum on Israeli Arab Issues (GWFIA) was dedicated to educating the local Jewish community about Jewish-Arab relations in Israel, including the economic, educational and social challenges faced by Israel’s Arab citizens.

The test of any democracy is how it treats it minorities. It is all the more challenging in Israel because it was founded as a Jewish state. However, there have always been nonJewish citizens living in Israel and the country’s Declaration

of Independence guarantees them full equality.

Arabs today make up 20 percent of Israel’s population, yet they represent only 1 percent of the gross domestic product.

There are vast inequalities between Jews and Arabs in Israel in terms of the schools they attend, the municipal services they receive and the employment opportunities available to them. Israel’s own government admits that they have a long way to go to create true parity for Israeli Arabs.

It is worth noting that in the forming the GWFIA, we were committed to having the representation of the full range of our Jewish community. Our steering committee now includes the Israeli Embassy, the Washington Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Relations Council. At our first Community Education Day last January, 300 people showed up for a four-hour program on a Sunday afternoon.

We succeeded in drawing many younger Jews who are thirsty for a conversation about Israel that is rigorous and honest but who, for the most part, have absented themselves from the Israel conversation sponsored by Jewish communal groups. Even more importantly, we were able to attract to our event both those who would identify with the political right as well as with the political left. Nonetheless, the conversation at our event last year was both civil and respectful.

I am well aware that there are those in the community who would deem this effort to be misguided. They will offer a list of reasons why Israel is still a country at risk. They are not wrong about that sad reality, but their disdain for efforts that might help Israeli Arabs enjoy full equality is shortsighted.

There are dangerous trends in Israel today that threaten the country’s democratic character. Racist attitudes are on the rise and the Knesset is now considering several pieces of legislation that are overtly discriminatory. It is clear that

Israel is not immune from the religious extremism that has poisoned Islam in recent years.

Jews who care about Israel should pay as much heed to the Jewish state’s democratic character as they do about its security. This position was eloquently framed at last year’s program by Noam Katz, the Israeli Embassy’s minister for public diplomacy.

He said: “The Israeli-Arab and the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts are full of bitterness, bad blood and mistrust. The self identity of Arabs in Israel is strongly linked and connected to the Arab nation and the Palestinian people. It makes the effort more difficult. However, it doesn’t exempt us, as a nation, as a society and as a government, from trying to make it work... These relations are a test of our national vision and morals, and a vital issue to the survival of Israel as a Jewish state and democratic society.”

Democracy is not a right/left issue. At the core of democracy is a respect for the infinite value of every human being, a central premise of the Jewish teaching that every person is made b’tzelem elohim, “in the image of God.” In its brief history, Israel can boast many great achievements. If Israel could successfully meet the aspirations of its Declaration of Independence and accord its Arab minority the same opportunities and rights enjoyed by its Jewish citizens, it will have accomplished something that few other countries in the world have done -- and under the most challenging of circumstances.

This is a cause worth rallying around.

Rabbi Sid Schwarz is the founder of the PANIM Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values and the co-chair of the Greater Washington Forum on Israeli Arab Issues. He is the author of Judaism and Justice: The Jewish Passion to Repair the World.

Exploiting the memory of child Holocaust victims is obscene

Behind the headlines MENACHEM Z. ROSENSAFT NEW YORK (JTA) -- It is virtually impossible to imagine anything more reprehensible than the recent spectacle of haredi Orthodox Jewish boys wearing yellow stars of David and simulated striped black-and-white concentration camp uniforms at a demonstration in Jerusalem. Offended by the Israeli authorities’ efforts to curtail the verbal and physical abuse of women and girls in haredi neighborhoods, the demonstrators knowingly and intentionally desecrated the memory of the more than 1.5 million Jewish children whose collective suffering and death will be remembered on Jan. 27 at the United Nations’ annual Holocaust commemoration.

“This protest,” said one of the rally’s organizers, “reflects the Zionists’ persecution of the haredi public, which we see as worse than what the Nazis did.”

The image of one particular boy at the demonstration raising his hands in mock surrender to re-enact the famous photograph of a terrified Jewish child being rounded up by the Germans in the Warsaw Ghetto struck a very personal chord within me. Sixty-nine years ago, another little Jewish boy named Benjamin was living with his parents in the city of Sosnowiec in southern Poland. The previous month he had celebrated his fifth birthday. He was a smart, good-hearted, totally innocent child who had never done any harm to anyone. Only he had already been sentenced to death.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the other Allied leaders knew full well that Benjamin and virtually every other Jewish child in Nazi-occupied Europe were about to be brutally and systematically murdered. On Dec. 17, 1942, the United States, Great Britain and the USSR had condemned the German government’s “bestial policy of cold-blooded extermination” of Jews in Nazi-occupied or -controlled Europe. Yet Benjamin’s fate and that of other Jewish children like him was not a priority for any government official anywhere.

“Suffer the little children to come unto me,” said Jesus according to the Gospel of Mark. “Forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” This fundamental Christian imperative was ignored by the U.S. State Department bureaucrats who deliberately frustrated any attempt to come to the rescue of European Jewry. Even in the midst of World War II, if the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia

and other Western democracies had announced a willingness to give refuge to Jewish children, Benjamin might still have had a chance.

Instead, as Gregory Wallance chronicles in his forthcoming book, America’s Soul in the Balance, The Holocaust, FDR’s State Department and the Moral Disgrace of an American Aristocracy (Greenleaf Book Group Press), after Gerhard Riegner, the director of the Geneva office of the World Jewish Congress, had sent a telegram through U.S. diplomatic channels in Switzerland in January 1943 reporting that 6,000 Jews “are killed daily” at one location in Poland, and Romanian Jews are similarly being murdered under dire circumstances, Secretary of State Cordell Hull instructed the American legation in Bern not to accept similar “private messages” in the future.

On the night of Aug. 3-4, 1943, Benjamin arrived at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp with his parents and grandparents. In her posthumously published memoirs, his mother, our mother, recalled her final moments with my brother: “We were guarded by SS men and women. One SS man was standing in front of the people and he started the selection. With a single movement of his finger, he was sending some people to the right and some to the left. ...

Men were separated from women. People with children were sent to one side, and young people were separated from older looking ones. No one was allowed to go from one group to the other. Our 5 1/2-year-old son went with his father. Something that will haunt me to the end of my days occurred during those first moments. As we were separated, our son turned to me and asked, ‘Mommy, are we going to live or die?’ I didn’t answer this question.”

Benjamin, his father and my grandparents were murdered that night in one of the Auschwitz gas chambers. Since my mother’s death in 1997, he has existed inside of me. I see his face in my mind, try to imagine his voice, his fear as the gas chamber doors slammed shut, his final tears. If I were to forget him, he would disappear.

Tragically, the hundreds of thousands of children who were killed in the subsequent 20th century genocides in Rwanda, Darfur, the former Yugoslavia and elsewhere fared no better. The 1948 Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was supposed to protect them. So was the 1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Rwanda, Serbia and the Sudan are all parties, which affirmed that “every child has the inherent right

Shadow over Egypt Continued from page 12 Needless to say, like the Brotherhood itself, Islamists consider themselves to be the sole authentic interpreters of Divine will.

In the face of this mounting fundamentalist danger, Israel has no choice but to consolidate its deterrent capacity, close ranks and treat with the upmost skepticism any siren voices calling on it to take unreasonable “risks for peace.” At the same time, it

will have to develop a new regional strategy that takes into account the seismic changes currently shaking the Middle East.

Prof. Robert Wistrich is the director of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism (SICSA) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and author of A Lethal Obsession: Antisemitism from Antiquity to the Global Jihad (Random House, 2010).

to life.” The mutilated corpses of children and infants hacked by machetes in Rwanda or buried in mass graves in Bosnia epitomize the international community’s failure to live up to this most fundamental of all aspirations.

My brother and every other child murdered in any genocide deserve to be remembered as fragile flames extinguished in tsunamis of hatred, intolerance and bigotry. Exploiting their memory to score cheap political points is obscene.

Menachem Z. Rosensaft, the son of two survivors of the Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz and BergenBelsen, is general counsel of the World Jewish Congress and vice president of the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants. He teaches about the law of genocide at Cornell Law School, Columbia Law School and Syracuse University College of Law.

In defense of Rick Perry

by DANIEL TREIMAN Now-former presidential candidate Rick Perry took some flak for suggesting that video of American Marines urinating on the bodies of dead insurgents in Afghanistan should be considered in the context of Daniel Pearl’s beheading.

Referring to the uproar over the Marines’ actions, Perry had said: “Let me tell you what’s despicable, cutting Danny Pearl’s head off.”

Perry’s remark set off outrage, including from some of Pearl’s former colleagues, with one calling the candidate’s reference “irrelevant and gross.”

But another of Pearl’s former colleagues, Asra Nomani, who was a close friend of the murdered journalist, thinks that Perry has a valid point.

She writes in The Daily Beast: While it is unequivocably wrong for U.S. Marines to urinate on dead bodies, we’re going to condemn the act as if it’s the worst that has happened in war?

As a society, we shouldn’t seek moral equivalency, because we are then doomed to live according to the lowest standards of humanity. But we also don’t live in a moral vacuum. We don’t live in a utopia. We’re in a war.

What was done to Danny is an indicator of the kind of war we’re in. That is why I was particularly disturbed, as an American Muslim, to see national American-Muslim organizations such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and the Islamic Society of North America fire off press releases of condemnation for the Marines’ video. There are so many outrages inside our Muslim community -- from honor killings to honor assaults, including the cutting off of the noses and ears of girls and women in Pakistan and Afghanistan -- on which these organizations aren’t so rabid.

To suggest we violated cultural norms in a way that the people of the region don’t do is to give the people of the region a pass....

14 | The Jewish Press | January 27, 2012

Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 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.

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.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE

CHABAD HOUSE

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.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m.; Shabbat’s Cool #3, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Family Shabbat Service, 11 a.m.noon; Shabbat is for study, 12:15 p.m.; BESTT Mini Shabbaton, 12:30–3:30 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; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:20 p.m.

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

SUNDAY: No BESTT Classes; Torah Study Discussion Group, 10 a.m.; Community-wide Tu B’Shevat celebration, 1:30–3 p.m. at Lauritzen Gardens. No charge to attend. Visit www.bethel-omaha.org for more information.

MONDAY: Israeli Cooking Class, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY: Rabbi Levin’s What Do Jews Believe, noon.

OUR SHABBAT TABLES: Beth El’s new initiative, which brings families and individuals together to celebrate Shabbat at congregants’ homes, will hold its kick-off dinner on Friday, Feb. 3, 7 p.m., following services. Registration deadline: Jan. 31. RSVP by calling the office or emailing reception@bethel-omaha.org.

SISTERHOOD SHABBAT: Saturday, Feb. 4, 9:30 a.m.

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

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.

MONDAY: JLI class, Money Matters Class, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Rabbi Shais Taub lecture on Emotional Sobriety, 6:30 p.m. The event is open to the public at no charge. RSVP to rsvp@ochabad.com or by calling 402.330.1800. Refreshments will be served.

WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m.

All programs are open to the entire 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, 5:17 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Free babysitting service begins at 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes begin with Torah Parade, 9:45 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored in honor of our new members at Beth Israel; 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; Havdalah, 6:20 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; Teens 4 Israel Latte & Learning, 7:30 p.m., at Starbuck’s, 114th & Dodge.

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

Bar Mitzvah Eliyahu Reichenberg, son of Ruth and the late David (Moshe Yosef) Reichenberg, will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Jan. 28, at Yeshiuos Ohr Samaych in Monsey, NY. Eliyahu is an honor student at Yeshiva Ohr V’daas.

His interests include learning Torah, chess, soccer, and the outdoors. He has been training in the martial arts for the past five years. He works with special needs children, teaching them communication skills.

He has a sister, Rivka Hadassah, and two brothers, Yehoshua Ahron and Akiva.

Grandparents are the late Sheldon and Rae Coren, and Evelyn and Harry Reichenberg of Seattle, WA.

Personal It was so wonderful to see so many friends and relatives at my special 100th Birthday Celebration. All the beautiful cards, flowers, gifts and kind wishes were greatly appreciated, even from those who could not attend. I want to thank everyone again, for your thoughfulness.

A special thank you to the Rose Blumkin Home for letting us use their beautiful facilities.

Ethel Grossman

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: Friday Night Live! Shabbat Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following hosted by Nancy and Mark Intermill.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Bo. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 10 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple; Purim Spiel Rehearsal, 1-3 p.m. at South Street Temple; Annual Community Wine and Cheese Concert titled What is Jewish Music with special guest Marina Fabrikant, 35 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

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

ADULT EDUCATION TUESDAY, 6:30 p.m. Intro to Judaism, Session #6 led by Rabbi Lewis.

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.

NEIGHBORHOOD PRAYER GROUP

Candlelighting Friday, January 27, 5:17 p.m.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. led by Beth El Members; Shabbat Singing, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg.

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

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 Linder, Jill Idelman and Maxine Noodell.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Grade 5 Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Parent-Teacher Conferences, 10 a.m.; Teacher Appreciation Lunch, noon.

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.

Shabbat Shira Service, Friday, Feb. 3, 6 p.m. Midrash Keit: Master Storyteller Rita Paskowitz. (see full story on page 6.)

Temple Israel WRJ Retreat on Saturday, Feb. 4, 10 a.m.–Sunday, Feb. 5, noon at the Sheraton Omaha. Online Registration is requested at www.templeisrael-ne.org/ wrjretreat or if you have questions, contact Program Director Wendy Goldberg, wgoldberg@templeisraelomaha.com or 402.556.6536.

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: Shabbat Services, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. with an interactive learning session followed by Kiddush lunch.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 10 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple; Purim Spiel Rehearsal, 1-3 p.m. at South Street Temple; Annual Community Wine and Cheese Concert titled What is Jewish Music with special guest Marina Fabrikant, 3 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

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

Book Club, Sunday, Feb. 12, 11 a.m. at Sarah Friedman’s home, 1990 Ryons (402.477.6050) and will discuss The Ghost of Hannah Mendes by Naomi Ragan.

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.

1317 North 57 Street | Omaha, NE 68132 | 402.551.6609 FRIDAY: Minyan, 5:17 p.m.

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.

Chief rabbi of Amsterdam suspended over curing homosexuality document

by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) -- The chief rabbi of Amsterdam was suspended from his position for signing a statement on curing homosexuality.

Rabbi Aryeh Ralbag of New York, who travels to the Netherlands a couple times a year to rule on matters of Jewish law, signed the “Declaration On The Torah Approach To Homosexuality,” which states that “We emphatically reject the notion that a homosexually inclined person Rabbi Aryeh Ralbag cannot overcome his or her Credit: dusisniez.com inclination and desire.

Behaviors are changeable. The Torah does not forbid something which is impossible to avoid,” and that “therapy and teshuvah” can overcome homosexuality.

Ralbag signed the declaration listing all of his positions, including his job as rabbi of Congregation Ahavath Israel, the Young Israel of Avenue K in Brooklyn, and Av Beth Din Agudas Harabbonim of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis, as well as chief rabbi of Amsterdam. The Amsterdam post part of the signature has since been removed. Ralbag will remain suspended until he and community leaders discuss the issue in person, the Dutch Telegraaf reported.

“Rabbi Ralbag’s signature may give the impression the Orthodox Jewish community of Amsterdam shares his view,” said a news release issued Tuesday by the Executive Committee of the Jewish Community of Amsterdam. “This is absolutely untrue. Homosexuals are welcome and recognized as full members of the Amsterdam Jewish community.”

Some 180 rabbis, community leaders and mental health professionals have signed the statement initiated, according to a page on the website, by Jews who say they have overcome their homosexuality.

Pulverente MONUMENT CO.

January 27, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 15

The Power of the LORD

In memoriam STANLEY GROSS

Sparks from the word RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parsha Bo The single word by which our Parsha is called reminds us of the very fortunate fluke by which Moses was brought up and educated within the royal palace of Egypt.

It was his own mother, however, who brought him up and taught him.

Thus he did not have to “go” to Pharaoh from some other place, but only to “come” or “approach” Pharaoh, and demand that the Israelites who had been enslaved for 400 years were released.

Pharaoh is indignant at this demand (!) that the Israelites be released. Had he known the word “chutzpah,” he would have used it. Who dares to make a demand of Pharaoh, rather than offer a plea of mercy!

“And who is this Adonai that you tell me is making this demand? I know a lot of gods, but this one I never heard of.

He can’t be important. Just tell him not to bother me.”

That conversation, demand and indignant reply, results in the Ten Plagues, plagues that descend powerfully on the land of Pharaoh.

Three of them are described in our Parsha: all water turns miraculously to blood! Second, the land is buried under a huge army of frogs.

The frogs entered every place in Egypt, the places where people dined, where they slept, in their beds and in their clothing.

At Pharaohs plea, Moses has the plague of frogs lifted.

Freed, Pharaoh breaks his promise to let the people go, and still holds them in slavery.

The third plague now descends on Egypt, the plague of lice. Every building, every home, every room and everyone’s clothing was infested with lice. Everyone’s body, including head and hair, was infested.

Unable to bear this dreadful discomfort, Pharaoh begs Moses to release this plague, promising again to let the Israelites depart.

As soon as Moses lifts the plague and everyone else is restored to comfort, Pharaoh breaks his pledge once again, and announces he will not let the Israelites go.

Thus our Parsha comes to a conclusion.

EU adopts Iran oil embargo

by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) -- The European Union adopted an oil embargo against Iran as part of its sanctions against the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

Under the embargo, which was approved Monday by the EU’s 27 foreign ministers at a meeting in Brussels, the countries will impose an immediate embargo on new contracts with Iran for crude oil and petroleum products. Also, existing contracts must end by July 1.

“The pressure of sanctions is designed to try and make sure that Iran takes seriously our request to come to the table,” EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said.

The sanctions also include a freeze on the assets of Iran’s central bank.

In response, Iranian lawmakers again threatened to close off the Strait of Hormuz, which would cut off much of the West’s oil supply.

“In case of threat, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is one of Iran’s rights,” senior Iranian lawmaker Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh said. “So far, Iran has not used this privilege.”

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes; Western nations are concerned that Iran is preparing to build nuclear weapons.

The EU sanctions come on the heels of new financial sanctions on Iran by the United States targeting third parties that deal with Iran’s financial and energy sectors. For years the United States has banned dealings by its own citizens with those sectors.

HIRING NOW – GOOD JOBS Reinke Mfg. Co., Inc. – Deshler, NE Manufacturing, Shipping & Maintenance Jobs Also a New Galvanizing Plant Being Built Contact Human Resources – 402-365-7251 or Apply Monday thru Friday An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F

Stanley Gross passed away on Jan. 16 at age 80. Services were held on Jan 18 at BHH/Fisher Farms Cemetery.

He was preceded in death by parents, Belle and Leon Gross.

He is survived by cousins, Bruce Richards of Atlanta, GA, and Skip Richards of Westboro, MA. Born and raised in Omaha, Stanley served in the Army, stationed in Japan, in the early 1950’s. He received his Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Chemistry from Creighton University and taught at Creighton for his entire career as an Assistant Professor of Analytical Chemistry.

Memorials may be made to Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

Thousands protest discrimination against Ethiopian Israelis

by EDGAR ASHER JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Thousands of protesters demonstrated in Jerusalem against racism and discrimination against Ethiopians in Israel.

Some 5,000 protesters marched in front of the Knesset Wednesday evening before proceeding to Zion Square for a rally. They carried signs reading “Blacks and Whites – We’re all Equal, “Social Justice” and “ Stop racism.”

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TRACTOR TRAILER TECHNICIANS WANTED Immediateopenings openingsfor forFull-time Full-time Immediate tractor-trailer -trailertechnicians. technicians.Candidate Candidate tractor will perform PM’s on ß ßeet eet vehicles, troubleshoot troubleshoot,, diagnose and repair equipment problems. Positions available day and evening shifts. Related ß ßeet eet experience and/or training preferred. Must have own set of tools.

Competitive pay, excellent beneÞ beneÞts ts and a great work environment! Apply in person at Fremont Contract Carriers: S. Bud Blvd, Fremont NE M-F am- pm x Or call Susan at:

Nebraska STATEWIDE CLASSIFIEDS PREGNANT? CONSIDERING Adoption? Living expenses, housing, medical, continued support afterwards. Choose adoptive family of your choice. Call 24/7. Adopt Connect, 1-866-743-9212. (Void in Illinois, Indiana).

BANKRUPTCY: FREE initial consultation. Fast relief from creditors. Low rates.

Statewide filing. No office appointment necessary. Call Steffens Law Office, 308-8728327. steffensbankruptcylaw.com. We are a debt relief agency, which helps people file bankruptcy under the bankruptcy code.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING in over 170 newspapers. Reach thousands of readers for $210/25 word ad. Contact the Jewish Press at 402-334-6449 or call 1-800-369-2850.

LOOKING FOR the classic car, truck or motorcycle of your dreams? Midwest Classic Cars website is your Midwest connection to classic vehicles for sale. Need to sell a classic vehicle? For only $25, your ad with photos will run until sold! Call this newspaper today for more information or call 1-800-369-2850.

AFFORDABLE PRESS Release service. Send your message to 175 newspapers across Nebraska for one low price! Call 1-800-369-2850 or www.nebpress.com for more details.

Several thousand people marched today from the Knesset to Independence Park to protest what they claim is government inaction and growing discrimination and racism against members of the Ethiopian community. Various placards reading, ‘Today it’s me, tomorrow it’s you’, were carried by the protestors. Various leaders of recent social protest movements were on hand to add their support, as were the leaders of the Labor and Kadima parties, Shelly Credit: ISRANET Yachimovitch and Tzipi Livni.

One protest organizer, college student Mulet Araro, 26, began walking Monday from his southern Israel home in Kiryat Malachi to meet the protesters in Jerusalem.

The protest comes a week after hundreds of Israelis of Ethiopian descent and their supporters demonstrated in Kiryat Malachi against housing discrimination. A residential committee of a block in Kiryat Malachi reportedly signed residents to a contract committing that they would not rent or sell to Ethiopian Israelis.

Join our growing team Accepting applications for sales associates and brokers-both Iowa and Nebraska agents needed Reply in confidence to: Box B c/o Enterprise Publishing P.O. Box 328 Blair, NE 68008 Cornerstone Properties

BULL SALE? Run this size ad in over 170 Newspapers for just $5.20/newspaper!

Place your 2x2 display ad in over 170 Nebraska newspapers & get your message to over 760,000 readers. Statewide coverage for just $5.20 per publication. Regional ads also available in Central, Northeast, Southeast or Western Nebraska.

Other sizes available upon request.

$2,000 BETTER Business Bureau Foundation Student of Integrity Award Scholarships. Application deadline 3-9-12. http://nebraska.bbb.org/studentaward or 402-898-8526/800-649-6814 #8526.

LINCOLN WOMEN’S Expo is coming up Jan. 28 & 29. Don’t miss Nebraska’s largest “women-only” event! Vendor applications available at www.LincolnWomensExpo.com or call 402-416-6432.

VENDORS WANTED: 8th Annual Flea Market & Antique Show. One of the Midwest’s largest. Feb. 25 & 26, Lancaster Event Center, Lincoln. Booth info 402-525-6234.

RED GREEN Live. Experience this hilarious one-man show. Tues., May 15, 7 p.m., Lied Center, Lincoln. For tickets call 1-800-432-3231 or purchase online at www.liedcenter.org, www.redgreen.com.

FOREMEN TO lead utility field crews. Outdoor physical work, many positions, paid training, $17/hr. plus weekly performance bonuses after promotion, living allowance when traveling, company truck and benefits. Must have strong leadership skills, good driving history, and able to travel in Nebraska and nearby states. E-mail resume to Recruiter6@osmose.com or apply online at www.OsmoseUtilities.com, EOE, M/F/D/V. CONTRACT SALESPERSONS to sell aerial photography of farms on commission basis, $6,000-$10,000/ month. Proven product and earnings. Travel required; sales experience necessary. 1-877-882-3566.

EXTRA INCOME & travel opportunities! Work with foreign exchange students and US hosts. Must love teens & embrace diversity. Flex hours, work at home, P/T, will train.

Nonprofit. Volunteer host families needed too! 1-866-775-5414, GreatPlainsKids@yahoo.com, www.iseUSA.com.

AIRLINES ARE hiring. Train for hands on Aviation Career. FAA approved program.

Financial aid if qualified. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance, 888-896-8006.

TOP COMP for hard work! We train the right people! Overnight travel required, Mon.Thurs. Call today! 1-866-326-4310, csabin@PLTNM.com.

CUSTOM MODULAR home builder is looking for independent professionals to see and build in your area using our system. Call Lonnie at 800-759-2782.

DIESEL TECHNICIAN, FT, Holdrege, NE. Must have basic set of tools. Work on Diesel Pickups & smaller diesel engines. May also include injector repair and Diesel Pump rebuilding. Ideal candidate would be detail oriented, clean, self-motivated and organized.

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.

EXPERIENCED, RELIABLE earthmoving foreman/operator needed for farm and commercial work. CDL preferred, good pay, benefits, home nights, pickup provided. If qualified, call 402-395-2301.

HITECH, INC. in Gibbon, NE, is accepting applications for an experienced hydraulic crane operator. Call 308-468-5580.

HVAC TECHNICIAN experienced in servicing residential and commercial. 90-year contractor. Green Furnace and Plumbing, 4200 N. 48th, Lincoln, NE 68504. EOE. 402467-4444 or mdsmith@callgreens.com.

J.D. TECHNICIANS, come join our team. Contact Steve at 402-759-1449 or 402-7593139. Experience preferred but will train the right individual.

Call this newspaper or 1-800-369-2850 for more information.

WANTED: OLD scrap iron, vehicles & machinery. Paying top dollar. Will pick up. Call 402-640-6335.

Nebraska 2x2/2x4 Display Ad Network

YOU GOT the drive, we have the direction. OTR Drivers, APU equipped pre-pass EZpass, pets/passenger policy. Newer equipment. 100% No Touch. 1-800-528-7825.

16 | The Jewish Press | January 27, 2012

A tribute to Jan Goldstein

Clockwise from top left: Jan Goldstein flanked by the presenters of the tribute: Paul Epstein, left, Patty Nogg, Zoe Riekes, Jody Malashock, and Mike Silverman; Jan with her family: Phyllis Angrisani, left, Michael Goldstein, husband Howard, and mom Florence Brody; Jan with Rabbi Kripke; Jan with Terri Schrager; the goodbye messages written by friends and colleagues; Jan with Sharon Kooper, left, Florence, Howard Kooper, and Howard Goldstein; Nancy Noddle and Murray Newman were among the many guests; Jan with Zoe Riekes.