January 28, 2011

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

Simple acts of kindness

January 28, 2011 23 Shevat 5771 Vol. 90 | No. 21

This Week

Ehud Barak quits Labor: Political betrayal or precursor?

Page 3

Beth El celebrates Tu B’Shevat at Lauritzen Gardens Page 8

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press Jewish women and philanthropy: they go together like bagels and lox.

Or so it seems when one takes a close look at the women who have graced our newspaper’s front page in the past. Philanthropy is more often than not what women in our community choose as their personal mission. “Regardless of where you come from, what your job is, or what career expectations you have,” says Jan Goldstein, Omaha Jewish Federation Executive Director, “in many cases, it’s what you do for others that defines who you are.”

This certainly is the case for Dorothy Riekes, who (often together with her late husband, Henry Riekes) has been a philanthropic force in our community for many years. Together, Henry and Dorothy established an endowment fund with the Jewish Federation of Omaha in 1975. In addition, Dorothy has been active in many organizations, including Beth El Synagogue, Friedel Jewish Academy (which shares the Riekes Shul), Hadassah, the National Council of Jewish Women, the

Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, and many more. In 1990, Henry and Dorothy received the Federation’s

Dorothy Riekes Humanitarian of the Year Award.

Most recently, Lion of Judah honored her with the 2010 KipnisWilson/Friedland Award for her many volunteer efforts over the years.

When Toba Friedland and Norma

Tunisian Jews safe, but concern is growing

by LARRY LUXNER WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The violence roiling Tunisia hasn’t put the country’s 1,500 or so Jews in serious jeopardy, but Jewish organizations

protesters, according to Roger Bismuth, a Jewish businessman and member of Tunisia’s Chamber of Deputies.

President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali,

Helping an orphan of history recover its past Page 16

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

12 14 15

This Week The Women’s Issue See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

Crowds of Jews celebrating the annual hillulah at La Ghriba synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia, May 2007.

Credit: Larry Luxner are increasingly concerned about their fate as massive anti-government protests continue.

No Jews have been targeted by the

who had ruled Tunisia with an iron fist for 23 years, fled to Saudi Arabia over the weekend following violent protests by mostly unemployed young men venting their anger at Ben Ali and his wealthy cronies.

On Tuesday, the North African country’s interim prime minister and president, Mohamed Ghannouchi and Fouad Mebazaa, both resigned from what had been the country’s ruling party.

“The community is fine,” Bismuth told JTA by phone from Tunis. “Up until now we’ve had no problems.

Continued on page 2

Kipnis-Wilson founded the Lion of Judah program in 1972, they “dreamed of unleashing the power of women to effect positive change in the world through their giving and efforts on behalf of others,” Norma Kipnis-Wilson writes in the introduction for the 2010 honorees. She continues: “Each of the women highlighted [this year] is a woman of valor, which means they are unafraid and undeterred in their efforts to ensure a better world for us all and the generations to come.”

“Getting the Lion of Judah Award is important to me”, Dorothy says, “because it draws attention to the fact that there are women who are philanthropic. I hope it inspires other women to be philanthropic as well. There is an old saying: ‘It is more important to give than to receive.’ I believe in those words, and I have found that there is a certain sense of pleasure in helping others. I also hope that the spirit of giving is passed on to my children, grandchildren, and

great-grandchildren.”

That last wish seems to be coming true, with interest: many of Dorothy’s family members have watched her over the years and followed in her impressive footsteps.

Daughter-in-law Margo Riekes, wife of Steve, says: “I grew up in a family where women counted and were counted on. Therefore, I never really thought about the relationship between Jewish women and philanthropy. I always knew that women could make a difference. I just didn’t know how much, until I became a part of the Riekes family and witnessed all the good that has come from one woman’s generosity.”

Zoë Riekes, who is married to Henry and Dorothy’s son Carl, agrees: “Dorothy is a woman who has always led by example and has shown us the importance of living a complete Jewish life. To be complete, one must be willing to give back to their community and to those in need. She has done that endlessly.”

Zoë, herself a former recipient of the Lion of Judah Award, knows how very special this honor is. “I was thrilled to know that Dorothy Continued on page 2

Federation appoints interim CEO

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press The Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors recently adopted several changes, which were outlined in the Jan. 21 issue of the Jewish Press. A search for a Chief Executive Officer as well as a Chief Financial Officer will be undertaken; David Bailis has been appointed interim CEO, for the duration of the search.

Bailis, who has been instrumental in bringing about a new conversation about the future of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, received his Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, in 1977. He graduated from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis in 1981 and received his LL.M in taxation from New York University in 1985.

“One of David’s greatest strengths is bringing people together and getting the best out of everybody,” Jody Malashock, JFO President, says. “He has the kind of experience that will help bring the Jewish Federation to the next level and will help us meet our mission in the most effective way.”

Because change can be daunting, and because many people in our community have questions, we decided it was time for a conversation with David Bailis.

How did you become involved with JFO?

Judy and Keith Josephson brought me in to meet with the planning committee. That committee felt I had something to contribute, based on my business experience.

David Bailis What does JFO mean to you personally?

In October 1991, my family and I moved to Omaha; the Federation was extremely helpful and welcoming to all of us. My personal opinion is that the Federation does enormous good; it impacts literally hundreds of lives every day.

What can you tell us about this process of change that is happening right now?

The Federation is examining itself in order to determine how to best move forward. We have been very successful, and we want to Continued on page 4

2 | The Jewish Press | January 28, 2011

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by SHARON KIRSHENBAUM Campaign Director, Jewish Federation of Omaha Super Sunday brings Jewish Omaha together for a singular purpose - to help our Jewish community locally, in Israel and around the world. Once a year—just for a day—we join together to build community and repair the world simply by making calls. It's Super Sunday, the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s community-wide phone-a-thon, and the impact is enormous.

With a phone and a Jewish conversation, we reach out to each member of our community with an important message.

The Annual Campaign is the most important vehicle for essential support and services reaching Jewish people in need locally, in Israel and worldwide.

Locally, the campaign supports the Federation’s local constituent agencies—the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Social Services, the ADL/CRC, the Center for Jewish Education and the Jewish Press — as well as national and international Jewish emergency needs.

We feed the hungry, house the elderly, educate our chil-

dren, increase community involvement, insure the welfare of Jews around the world, serve as a living bridge to our fellow Jews in Israel and plan for future generations. We do all that and so much more.

That is why we have the privilege and obligation to ask every member of the community to support our work, engage as a volunteer and become a community leader yourself.

So when you are called by a Super Sunday volunteer, start a Jewish conversation, not by asking “how?” but by asking “how much?” Take action this year and answer the phone on Jan 30. Have a Jewish conversation and make a gift. A gift you get back.

Donate online today at www.jewishomaha.org or answer the call on Super Sunday, Jan. 30, and pledge your support.

The Jewish Federation of Omaha works…because we work together as a community.

Tunisian Jews safe, but concern is growing Continued from page 1 This is not really a matter of religion; it’s a popular revolution. The Jewish community is very well taken care of.”

Asked about Ben Ali, often described by the local Jewish community as a protector of Tunisia’s Jews, Bismuth sounded a new tone.

“He was behaving like a crook,” Bismuth said. “He and his family stole property from people and the state, and they destroyed everything they could put their hands on.”

Natan Sharansky, the chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, described the Tunisian government of Ben Ali as a “corrupt and kleptocratic dictatorship."

About 1,000 Jews, the majority of Tunisia’s Jewish community, live on the island of Djerba, where Jews have maintained a historical presence for more than 2,000 years.

Another 400 Jews live in Tunis, the capital, with much smaller communities in Zarzis, Sfax and Sousse.

The country’s population of 9.5 million is nearly all Muslims. Islam is the state religion of Tunisia, which sits on the Mediterranean coast between Algeria and Libya just south of Italy.

In 2002, a terrorist attack on the El-Ghriba synagogue in Djerba involving a truck bomb killed 21 tourists, mostly Germans. Al-Qaida took responsibility for the bombing.

Judy Amit, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s regional director for Africa and Asia, said her organization has been in daily contact with Tunisian Jewish leaders throughout the crisis.

“Ever since the rioting erupted there, we’ve been in close contact with members of the community,” said Amit, speaking in an interview from Israel. “It’s an economic protest with local grievances related to high unemployment and high food prices. There’s been no violence against the Jewish community, and no Jews or Jewish institutions have been targeted.”

Jason Isaacson, director of government and international affairs at the American Jewish Committee, noted that “Jews have been part of the fabric of Tunisian life for more than 2,000 years, since well before the Arab conquest.”

Yet Isaacson, who visited Tunisia last month, warned that things could quickly change for the worse.

“My concern is that if the situation is not stabilized, there could be further instability and create a breeding ground for extremism,” he said. “That’s not been a part of the equation, but it could happen if the enormous damage done first by Ben Ali and second by the riots is not compensated by a very serious international infusion of outside assistance.”

As of Tuesday, some 78 people have been killed, with economic losses estimated at $2.2 billion -- equivalent to about 4 percent of Tunisia’s GDP. Schools and universities have been shut down as a precaution against violence and vandalism by protesters, including the Chabad school in downtown Tunis.

Yechiel Bar-Chaim, JDC’s country director for Tunisia,

said his main concern is for the 100 Jews of Zarzis, who live in a two-square-block area just off the town center. Four non-Jewish civilians were killed during protests there late last week, and a Jewish shop was among the many looted.

Bar-Chaim said that until a few days ago, this self-imposed “ghetto without walls” was carefully guarded by police. But the police have “simply disappeared from the streets of Zarzis and the army presence there is basically a passive one,” he reported.

“The police have reportedly disappeared in many places throughout Tunisia,” though a heavy police presence continues to guard the Grand Synagogue of Tunis and the central building of the Jewish community, he said.

Isaacson, who has been speaking by phone daily to Bismuth and other Tunisian Jewish leaders since the crisis began, said that “It’s generally a secular uprising directed at the regime’s corruption and economic stagnation and a general desire for freedom, especially in the last few days as unrest has continued.”

Sharansky warned of an “ever-present possibility of antiJewish sentiment leading to violence” in the cities where Jews live and work.

“Before the revolt, Ben Ali had a tolerant attitude towards the Jewish community,” he wrote. “Until the revolt there was no blatant anti-Semitism. However, an uncomfortable relationship between the Jewish community and the Arab population exists.”

Simple acts of kindness Continued from page 1 would be honored in such a special way. Philanthropy gives women such a voice; it impacts our lives by giving us the opportunity to help others. It makes me feel good to know that a simple act of kindness can spread so far, not merely in one’s own community, but in the world at large.”

“So many people, programs and institutions, too numerous to count, have profited from Dorothy’s philanthropic spirit,” Margo says. “Some know about what she has contributed, but most do not. Dorothy does not give for the recognition, but because it’s the right thing to do.

That is real altruism, and I am proud to be her daughterin-law. She has set a very high standard for my children, my grandchildren, and me.”

“The importance of continuing this mitzvah of giving to others,” Zoë adds, “to Jews as well as non-Jews, is what we all have to internalize and pass on to future generations.

However, as Jews, we need to readily support the Jewish world. If we don’t take care of each other, then who will?”

With people like Dorothy to set an example, our community is in good shape. May we all live to see many others just like her.

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by JTA NEWS STAFF The Illinois Supreme Court ordered Rahm Emanuel’s name back on the ballot for Chicago mayor.

A day after a state appellate court panel ordered that Emanuel’s name be removed from the ballot because he had not lived in the city for a year before the election, as stipulated by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, the state’s high court agreed to examine his appeal, based on already filed briefs, on an expedited basis.

The court ordered that any ballots printed in the interim include his name, according to reports.

Emanuel, a former congressman who also had worked in the Clinton White House, argued that he was exempt under a “national service” exception. He noted also that he maintained ownership of his Chicago home.

Two lower bodies, the Board of Election Commissioners and a Cook County court, had ruled in his favor.

Emanuel, who has an Israeli father, is leading in the polls.

January 28, 2011 | The Jewish Press | 3

Ehud Barak quits Labor: is it a political betrayal, or a precursor to something bigger?

by LESLIE SUSSER JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Was it an act of political self-preservation, a feat of political destruction or a bid to stabilize Israel’s government ahead of some dramatic move?

And for Israel’s Labor Party, was it another sign of the once-leading party’s demise, or a precursor to a revival and the ideals for which it stands?

What’s certain is that Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s decision this week to quit Labor, which he had headed until Monday, has sent shock waves throughout the Israeli political establishment.

Ironically, the split of Labor -- until this week a part of the Israeli government but now in the opposition -- may yet strengthen the coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Barak’s decision to quit Labor and found a new political party along with four other Labor defectors leaves Netanyahu with eight fewer members in his coalition, but the 66 who remain are considered far more stable than the 74 he had pre-defection.

Before Barak’s dramatic announcement, Labor was threatening to withdraw all 13 of its Knesset members unless Netanyahu could show real progress in peacemaking with the Palestinians. That would have left the prime minister with only 61 coalition members, the vast majority rightwingers and the minimum necessary to stay prime minister in the 120-seat Knesset. Such a narrow coalition would have opened up Netanyahu to harsh domestic and international criticism for leading a perceived hard-line government.

Now, in what appears to have been a coordinated move, Netanyahu and Barak have pulled the rug out from under the feet of their opponents. With a more stable coalition, Netanyahu almost certainly has secured a full term in office, until 2013. Barak pre-empted attempts to oust him as Labor leader and force him to leave the Defense Ministry by cutting a deal in which he can stay on as defense minister after leaving Labor.

Many Israelis on the left and right viewed Barak’s move with deep skepticism. The new party he heads, called Atzmaut, which means Independence, has a hazy future other than the assurance of four ministerial berths in Netanyahu’s government and the chairmanship of a Knesset committee.

The leader of Israel’s opposition, Kadima Party leader Tzipi Livni, called it the “dirtiest and ugliest maneuver” in Israel’s political history. Her own party was a breakaway from Likud in November 2005, when then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon led an exodus of moderates, including Livni, from the Likud.

The regional implications of the upgraded NetanyahuBarak partnership could be far reaching.

It would appear that the peace process with the

Palestinians is over, as the more dovish members of Netanyahu’s coalition have exited. Even if Netanyahu wanted to cut a deal with the Palestinians, his remaining coalition partners likely would block it.

Barak and Netanyahu, however, put a much different gloss on things. Until now, the Palestinians had been hoping for the Israeli government to fall and be replaced by one more amenable to their demands, representatives of the two men argue, and this has kept the Palestinians away from serious peace talks.

Now, with a more stable government, the Palestinians will see this is who they have to deal with for the foreseeable future and may beDefense Minister Ehud Barak announces his come more intention to quit the Labor Party he heads to serious about form a new faction, called Independence. returning to Credit: Abir Sultan/Flash90 the negotiating table.

Furthermore, Netanyahu and Barak confidants have been dropping broad hints that a new Israeli peace initiative is in the offing, suggesting that this is the part of a the Netanyahu-Barak understanding.

There is another theory for Barak’s move: that Netanyahu is seriously contemplating a pre-emptive strike against Iran’s nuclear installations and believes he needs Barak at his side.

According to this line of thinking, with the Labor Party threatening to force Barak to leave the government, Netanyahu could have found himself with a new defense minister who was less inclined to attack Iran. The front-runner would have been the Likud’s Moshe (Boogie) Yaalon, a super-hawk on the Palestinian issue but very cautious about striking Iran.

It would be understandable, commentators said, if Barak’s decision was part of a bid to revive peace talks with the Palestinians or take action against Iran’s drive toward nuclear weapons. But if not, the move is nothing more than a cynical act of political self-preservation.

In the media, Barak’s move was excoriated as a betrayal of those who voted for him and the party that had given him

his chance in politics.

Barak’s leadership of Labor had been under severe threat.

Would-be successors had called for an early party convention, expected to take place in late February or early March, with two issues on the agenda: deciding whether or not to stay in the government and setting a date for new leadership primaries. Within the space of a few months, Barak could have found himself out of the Defense Ministry and supplanted as party leader.

Barak says his new party will run in the next elections. But many Israelis are wondering if Barak really intends to make an electoral pact with Netanyahu and run on the Likud ticket.

Where does all this leave the Labor Party?

Many had accused Barak of ruining the party with his high-handed leadership style, lack of people skills and loss of ideological direction -- and now delivering the coup de grace by splitting the party in two. Many Israelis believe that the party, whose leaders founded and built the state, holding uninterrupted power for Israel’s first three decades, has run its course and that a new left-center constellation will rise from the ashes.

But the eight former ministers and Knesset members who have remained in the party insist that it could still be at the heart of a center-left revival.

One of the contenders for the party leadership, Yitzhak Herzog, said Barak’s departure has freed Labor of its biggest obstacle in the way of rehabilitation, and now the party can rebuild and recapture some of its former glory.

“Labor got rid of the hump on its back,” he declared.

Party activists, especially the young guard, say that with Barak gone, people will rejoin in droves.

Labor overcame its first serious hurdle on the way to rehabilitation when four Knesset members led by former party boss Amir Peretz -- who had been considering a second split off from Labor -- decided to stay. But the four have made it clear that unless there is a modicum of cooperation with them, they will leave at a later date, precipitating another major crisis.

Much will depend on who takes over as Labor’s leader.

Early polls showed that Herzog enjoys 20 percent public support, with former party leader Amram Mitzna and Knesset member Shelly Yacimovich each with 18 percent.

But these polls are largely irrelevant. It is not clear who the final contenders for the Labor leadership will be, what new parties will emerge before the next elections and what the center-left political map will look like.

More important, the results of the next election likely will be decided by how the new Netanyahu-Barak partnership fares. That has only just begun.

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4 | The Jewish Press | January 28, 2011

Beth El Women present “Year of the Mitzvah”

by JILL BELMONT open to Beth El members only, now welcomes participants Beth El Publicity Coordinator from throughout the Jewish community.

For years, the women of Beth El have gathered to celebrate “Julianne and I identify with a heartfelt duty to give back Rosh Hodesh, the beginning of each month. These gather- and promote unity among the Jewish women in our comings have featured different rituals, purposes and focuses munity, celebrating our diversity and learning from each including service projects and discussions about a variety of other,” she said. “We welcome anyone who is willing to come Jewish-related topics. And the beauty of this group is its and share with us opportunities to grow, learn and enjoy open nature, welcoming every woman in the Jewish com- ourselves while expanding our sense of identity.” munity of all ages.

The group will welcome the This year, the synagogue’s month of Adar I on Friday, Feb. 4, Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group is with a fun-filled lunch at the Rose celebrating “The Year of the Blumkin Jewish Home’s Star Deli.

Mitzvah,” with programming Luncheon-goers will meet on Main focusing on different aspects of Street at noon, and will share a well-being, as well as service to delicious meal, as well as favorite others. Julianne Dunn-Herzog and deli memories. Sherry Taxman is Lourdes Secola are organizing the serving as host of the event; to group’s get-togethers, and both attend, RSVP to her at 397.5816, or have expressed excitement with the taxman@cox.net. group and the programs on tap.

Future Rosh Hodesh Group “Our Rosh Hodesh Group promeetings include: Monday, March vides a positive learning experi7, Bake for Nebraska AIDS Project, ence about Jewish customs, learnhosted by Joan Marcus and Janie ing and rituals,” Dunn-Herzog Kulakofsky; Thursday, April 7, said. “I volunteered to facilitate the Women’s Bridges and Career Closet, program this year because my hushosted by Margo Parsow; band and his family have been Thursday, May 5, Tuesdays with long-time members of the synaMorrie, at the Omaha Community gogue and it makes him happy to Playhouse; Thursday, June 2, The see me taking an active role in Middle-Aged Brain: Commonfacilitating this group. I am delightSense Eating and Healthy Activities ed with this opportunity to meet for a Better Life, hosted by Carol and work with the women of this Parsow and Aveva Shukert; Julianne Dunn-Herzog, left, and Lourdes Secola, synagogue. They are fun, reliable Wednesday, July 6, Diamonds and pictured here during last month's Women's Rosh and devoted to the synagogue and Pearls: Finances for Women, hosted Hodesh Group Hanukkah celebration, are serving to each other.”

by Margo Riekes; Monday, Aug. 1, as the group's 2011 coordinators.

She credited the Rosh Hodesh Internet Safety; Sept., Rosh Hodesh group with putting her on the fast track to meet fellow con- group members will call congregants to wish them a sweet new gregants and make a connection with the synagogue. year; Thursday, Oct. 27, Debbie [Friedman] God and Me, “As a newcomer to the synagogue, I did not know many hosted by Joanie Jacobson; Monday, Nov. 28, Project Linus people,” she said. “The Rosh Hodesh group has greatly blanket-making, hosted by Caryn Rifkin; and Tuesday, Dec. expanded my acquaintance and friendship with women at 27, A Woman’s Hanukkah, hosted by Julianne DunnBeth El. I hope that including new members of the group Herzog. for hostess, presentation and project opportunities will give “This is the Year of the Mitzvah,” Dunn-Herzog said. the women of Beth El the greater sense of community which “Every program is planned so that the mitzvah is either involvement with the Rosh Hodesh group has given to me.” direct and immediate or indirect and long-lasting.

Having participated in several Rosh Hodesh groups over “What I would like women of the community to take away the years - and hosting three programs for Beth El’s group - from Rosh Hodesh meetings is not only increased knowlSecola appreciates the value of this special women-only con- edge and a sense of accomplishment, but also a sense of nection, and of “walking with a sense of camaraderie and comfort and ease not only with this group but with their belonging.” She is especially pleased that the group, once larger synagogue community.”

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Federation appoints interim CEO Continued from page 1 continue that success for the future.

You are going to act as the “Interim CEO.” What does that mean?

It means I am here to facilitate the transition to the new model, until I am no longer needed.

Can you say anything about long term versus short term?

We are only focused on the long term. This is by no means a short-term drill, because we are not responding to a crisis.

The Federation, overall, is doing an excellent job, and we’re not trying to quick-fix what isn’t broken. We are, instead, talking about how the Federation can continue to evolve, and stay strong.

What are you personally bringing to the table?

Three things: experience, perspective, and determination.

How do you intend to approach this interim position?

My tenure needs to be limited, and any decisions I make will be focused on the long term. I don’t plan to put anything on hold just because we are still searching for somebody to permanently fill this position. If it is good for the Federation we shouldn’t take forever to make decisions. The long-term health of our community is what matters here.

Both lay leadership and professionals at the Federation can now get ready for the future, and this is a good thing.

Why do we need to change at all?

Change is often something that happens when an organization is under duress; when it has become obvious that nothing is working. When an organization is not in crisis, change can be much harder to implement, because not everybody sees the need. It takes great will and character to start such a process, but it is necessary to ensure the Jewish Federation of Omaha remains as robust as ever. Everybody should be very proud of the planning committee and the Federation’s Board of Directors for undertaking this process.

One last question. How do you feel about being on the cover of the women’s issue?

It feels great.

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Women in Leadership

From the desk of the President JODY MALASHOCK, President of the Jewish Federation of Omaha A few weeks ago, I met with Eleanor Dunning, age 9, daughter of Eric Dunning and Toba Cohen-Dunning, on her fifth annual trip to the Jewish Federation offices to donate her tzedakah to the Annual Campaign. This was actually the second time I had met Eleanor. The first time being when she brought in her tzedakah a few years ago when I was the Women’s Campaign Chair.

I asked Eleanor, “Why do you do this?”

She answered, “There are other children that don’t have what I have and this could help them.”

While there is so much keeping me busy at the Federation, seeing this is the best! This is what it is all about.

Leadership consultant Shifra Bronznick says, “Leadership is a verb, not a job title.” The truth is that women need to see other women as leaders so they can envision themselves as leaders.

The Dunnings bring Eleanor so she can see her gift in action. Eleanor sees the photos on the wall representing the history of our Jewish community. She sees photos and maps of Israel and already understands where her dollars go and why.

It is great to see a young girl learning from her parents, becoming a supporter, not merely a follower. Toba in fact commented how Eleanor saw the women leaders on the campus as strong role models.

Women from all walks of Jewish life

by DEBBIE FRIEDMAN NCJW (National Council of Jewish Women) is a Jewish women’s organization. Why is that such a big deal? That’s what I thought 30+ years ago when I was given a gift of a Life Membership by my mother-in-law Lois Friedman (Mrs. Council). NCJW, Omaha Section is a unique presence in Omaha.

Where else can you meet so many interesting people?

There are women from all walks of Jewish life in the organization. It’s not an organization exclusively for young women, old women, devout women, rich women, politically-savvy women - its an organization for ALL of us, and we are the better for it.

NCJW makes a difference in the lives of women, children and families - that is our mission. Yes, we do help Jewish people - but so much of what we do is for women, children and families - regardless of their religion. We practice tikkun-olam -making the world a better place. Starting here, starting now, in Omaha.

Did you know that the Omaha Section has provided beautifully illustrated dictionaries to 3rd graders in public schools in Omaha? For most of the recipients, it is the only book that is truly their own. What a great way to create an atmosphere for life-long learners. And we’ve been doing it since 1998. We’ve been providing mini-grants to local teachers for extra classroom projects not funded by evertightening budgets - since 1987! Okay - we support children - what about the other end of the spectrum? We have supported the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home with special projects since the decision was made to build it (We even have a special tribute card to raise funds for these projects). Some of the gifts we have given over the years include buses and vans, large screen TVs, patient lifts, a portable phone system for nurses, and a defibrillator.

Oh yes, and before that, we supported the Dr. Philip Sher Home - how many of you remember that? Oy, am I old.

We’ve assisted in the resettlement of Soviet Jewish families in Omaha. We’ve had projects for those in our community with special needs. Did you know we were among the first to provide funds for Pipal Park - the handicap-accessible park on 78th and Center Street? We’ve even started projects that are now part of the greater Omaha community. Did you know that Meals on Wheels and 7 Can Help both started with the Omaha Section of NCJW? There is so much that NCJW does, and I’ve given you only a taste today. We were the first Jewish women’s organization in Omaha to open our membership ranks to men. The list goes on. I challenge you to learn more for yourself. Just ask any of our members what they like about NCJW - I’m sure they will each have their own unique answer. Better yet why not join and find out first-hand? Call Jaime Nogg at 991.6753 or Melissa Shapiro at 614.6571 or Lois Friedman at 398.1119 for a Life Membership (such a deal!) today.

I am just the fourth female to lead our Federation as President. Mary Fellman (1978-80), Saranne Gitnik (87-90) and Zoe Riekes (2004-06) are the three women to serve before me, but they are only three of the many women who have served as the backbone for our community for years.

Women’s organizations such as NCJW, Hadassah, synagogue sisterhoods and the Federation’s Women’s Campaign have all played pivotal roles in our history. We need more women to recognize their strengths, take ownership of leadership roles and take credit for their work.

Dr. Erica Brown, a leading Jewish scholar says, “Leadership is a choice that begins with words and actions, that requires the sculpting of language and ideas and the combating of indifference.”

The women that I admire excel at mentoring and nurturing development in others; they are great managers of their time and have clear visions and messages. And they have an ability to manage conflict in a respectable and productive way.

Being with Eleanor when she is donating her tzedakah was moving. It was more so because she understands her actions benefit others who receive services from the agencies and beneficiaries of the Federation’s Annual Campaign. It was made more special when she ran up to me and gave me a hug.

I thanked Eleanor for letting me be a small part of her life.

Ultimately, is there a better example of what we are doing, teaching our children the Jewish values that guide us each and every day?

Organizations

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B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Speaker yet to be announced for Wednesday, Feb. 2, noon at the Blumkin Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $10; beverage service is $3. For more information or to be placed on the e-mail list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@ jewishomaha.org.

LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Yiddish words have made their way into every phase of modern life, show biz, law, classrooms, etc. Come join us at our new meeting room (across from the beauty salon) at the Blumkin Home, every Thursday, 1-3 pm. For information, call Anne Skolkin at 402.343.1638.

Moving?

Please give us the following information: Name ______________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________ City, State, Zip ________________________________________ (Or attach your mailing label) Name ______________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________

MAINSTREETERS Mainstreeters Luncheon Meeting is Monday, Feb. 21 at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home auditorium at 12:30 p.m.

The cost is $10 per plate. The Omaha Dancing Grannies will perform. For the past 20 years, this enthusiastic group of grannies performs several times each year for various events. For information call Maggie Conti at 334.6521. Send reservation form to Mainstreeters, c/o Maggie Conti at 323 South 132 Street, Omaha, NE 68154. Make check payable to Jewish Social Services.

JEWISH SOCIAL SERVICES Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra presents “Song and Dance” on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 1:45 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center auditorium. There is no admission fee.

The concert is titled “Song & Dance” because each of the works is from a great 19th century dramatic stage work. The Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra is comprised of 70 students from UNO and community players. This performance is sponsored by Jewish Social Services. All are welcome and bring a friend. For information call Mary Heiman, Activities Director at 334.6520.

New date for Mosaic Art Event

by SHERRIE SAAG Development Associate, Jewish Federation of Omaha Jewish Federation of Omaha’s community-wide Mosaic Art Event with ceramist Calli Cohn, originally scheduled for last Sunday has been changed. The event will now take place on Sunday, Feb. 20 from 1-3 p.m. in the JCC Social Hall.

“We’ve had such a great response to this event, yet it conflicts with many other Tu B’Shevat celebrations this weekend. So many people wanted to participate in this program, it seemed imperative to change the date,” said Sonia Tipp, event co-chairperson.

“So please, mark your calendar for our new date, Feb. 20.

We look forward to creating one-of–a-kind mosaics with Calli,” she added.

Join artist Calli Cohn on Sunday, Feb. 20 to create your own mosaic flower pots. Cost is $10 per person and all materials will be supplied. You will go home that afternoon with a finished product. Space is limited. To make a reservation, contact Nancy Martin at 334.6430 or nmartin@ jewishomaha.org.

City, State, Zip _________________________________________ New Phone ___________________________________________ Effective Date _________________________________________ If moving out of town, please check one: ❍ Discontinue Press ❍ Bill Me ❍ Full-time College Student ❍ Snowbird date of return _____________________ Mail this coupon to 3 weeks in advance to:

The Jewish Press 333 South 132nd Street, Omaha, NE 68154 or see bottom of page 12 for email address and Fax number

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6 | The Jewish Press | January 28, 2011

Doing it all

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Simchas

I’m not in danger of running out of personal observations for this women’s issue. After all, this is a gender I’m more than familiar with, having been a female for a long time.

Does that make me an expert on the topic? Maybe not, but being a Jewish woman surely allows me to feel like a maven.

That’s my conclusion, so let’s just take it from there.

Women, are astronauts, famous chefs, jockeys, soldiers, scientists, communications experts, car racers, aviators, doctors and heaven only knows what else. Not to mention politicians.

Although we haven’t yet elected a woman president, other countries certainly have. Truth be told, I don’t know how I’d feel about exposing a woman to all the slings and arrows the highest office in the land suffers! Not that I think a female couldn’t take it - oh no. I guess I can’t understand why anyone would want the job. But that’s another story.

Having touched on that handful of professions both genders now enjoy, I have to add that in a very large percentage of them, women also are in charge of running a household and keeping a family on the straight and narrow.

We’re caretakers. Like it or not, it’s in our genes. How old do you have to be before that becomes clear? We do what’s expected of us, but like an unspoken rule of behavior, when family and/or friends need back up of some kind, we’re there.

We’re sisters to many, whether or not we actually have siblings. And we know how to be a good friend, even when it

Marriage

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Engagement

KREMER/FELLMAN Aviva Kremer and Ari Fellman were married in Jerusalem on Nov. 26, 2010.

The bride, daughter of Jonathan and Ellen (Helfman) Kremer of Ardmore, PA., graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh and is finishing her Master’s Degree in Talmud and Halakha in Jerusalem. She will be a fifth year rabbinic student at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City and complete the requirements for ordination as a Conservative rabbi in 2012.

She is the granddaughter of Joel and Francine (Julia) Helfman of Niskayuna, NY, who lived in Omaha from 1954 to 1967, and belonged to Beth El Synagogue.

The groom, son of Daniel and Ester Fellman of Hod Hasharon, Israel, is an engineering graduate of The Technion University and a Captain in the Israeli Defense Forces. He is completing the final two months of his IDF service.

Shortly after they met, they realized that they each had a parent who had lived in Omaha: Ari’s father Dan and Aviva’s mother Ellen both spent their childhoods there.

The couple currently resides in Jerusalem and will be moving to New York City, at the end of the current academic year.

ABRAHAMSON-SEIGEL A L’ chaim for the engagement of Sarah Abrahamson to Yosef Seigel was held in Brooklyn, New York, Jan. 2.

The bride-to-be is an Early Childhood Educator employed with Chabad of the upper westside in Manhattan and was the 2010 recipient of the Educator of Excellence Award.

She is the daughter of Dinah Abrahamson.

Her fiancé is a sociologist employed with the Bronx, New York Family Court and the author of Judicial Study Guides for Court Clerks.

He is the son of Dovid and Aleza Seigel of Crown Heights, NY. The couple are planning a Spring wedding.

To order a gift subscription to the Press...

Send a check for $37.50, made out to the Jewish Press, to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154.

For more information on how to connect your out-of-town relatives and friends, call 334.6448.

Dr. Harris Frankel of Nebraska Health Information Initiative Inc. is the recipient of eHI’s 2011 eHealth Initiative Award. EHI celebrates individuals and organizations that demonstrate how health IT can be practical, sustainable, and address patient and provider needs. Dr. Frankel has brought together a coalition of diverse healthcare stakeholders to fund and support the development of NeHII.

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

doesn’t always appear to be appreciated. In my grandmother’s time, a woman’s expertise in turning out the best piece of strudel in town, in addition to five or six clean and obedient children, was to be admired. In my mother’s time, the flapper found out she could vote as well as raise kids, cook a fine tsimmis and stand behind the counter with her husband.

And all while there was a parent or in-law to be checked on and looked after.

Then came my time. The transition our own mothers made demonstrated that maybe we could add a few worthwhile things to our list. We became more involved in doing things we learned to call volunteer projects. And as our daughters were growing up, they introduced some new ideas to us also. My own were appalled at the idea of marriage at 19 - which was what my generation did. A 29 year old unmarried female was often given a wary look, in addition to something like this: Let me fix you up with so-and-so.

He’s just your type.

Have we found out whether it’s true that women can “have it all?” Many can, and unfortunately, some find it too taxing on many levels. But we still have representatives in every walk of life, no matter what our marital status is. And we still have a certain percentage of women who have tasted the glamour of a career, enjoyed it and knew when to say dayenu. As in “now I want to stay home and raise my kids.”

And what would we do without this bunch?

I think as a woman, no matter your age or which generation you represent, you are entitled to say yes, we can do it all.

We just do.....it’s part of being a woman. And if we’re really lucky, we find a life partner to share it all, both the good and the not so good. Somebody to kvell with, to cry with; somebody with whom to celebrate all those events we call life.

Bert Lewis can be reached at BertLewis39@aol.com.

In the news Zoë Watch is an eighth grader at Westridge Middle School in Grand Island, Nebraska, and lives with parents, Jamie and Jerry Watch, in Wood River. She is the recipient of the “Grand Island Public Schools Standard of Excellence Award” to be received on Feb. 4, 2011, for scoring at the highest academic performance level.

January 28, 2011 | The Jewish Press | 7

JOLT spotlights Young Leadership

by SHERRIE SAAG Development Associate, Jewish Federation of Omaha This is another profile in a series introducing members of JOLT, the Jewish Omaha Leadership Training program. As an initiative of the Omaha Jewish Federation, JOLT offers its members an opportunity to learn, connect and build strong leadership skills for the future. Today we meet Scott Susman.

If you could change one thing about our Omaha Jewish community, what would it be and how would you effect this change?

I would love for Omaha’s young Jews to take it upon ourselves to become more active in the Jewish community. There is so much opportunity for us to shape it the way we’d like, but the earlier we start the better it will be.

What inspires you?

An extremely odd combination of Gene Kranz and Scott Susman Douglas Adams. Kranz was known for his refusal to accept failure while Adams was always able to find a light side to all of life’s quirks. I try to have as much of both as possible in my life.

What is the proudest moment in your career?

The first time I saw an issue with my team’s plans, and was able to lead us to a successful solution before encountering problems.

Please complete the following two sentences: No one knows that I….

If I say what nobody knows, people would know it. What some people know is that over the past few years I have gained greater pleasure from studying and discussing Judaism.

For me, Jewish community means…

Lighting the Menorah with friends or explaining the items on a Seder plate to non-Jewish friends make me evaluate my personal value in these traditions and results in a strengthened belief.

How would you like to be remembered?

As always striving for more in and from life, for myself and others around me.

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Searching for Torah in Ayn Rand

by BETH COHEN Executive Director, Beth Israel Synagogue Searching for Torah in Ayn Rand is the title of the upcoming Monday night lecture series led by Rabbi Jonathan Gross. Ayn Rand is the latest installment of Gross' ongoing learning series on Jewish authors and thinkers. The lecture series will take place on three consecutive Monday nights, Feb. 7, 14, and 21.

Lectures take place at Beth Israel Synagogue at 7:30 p.m.

In 1991, the Library of Congress conducted a survey asking which book was the Ayn Rand most influential in your life.

Credit: Fanpix.net Not surprising, the Torah came in at number one. Atlas Shrugged came in a distant second.

The author, Ayn Rand, was born to a Jewish family. She outwardly rejected her Jewish heritage, but how much of her own objectivist philosophy was inspired by her Jewish roots?

Which parts of her philosophy run counter to Judaism? Find out at Rabbi Gross' next lecture series where we will com-

pare Jewish ideas with Ayn Rand's major literary works.

"The reactions to my decision to learn Ayn Rand have been mixed,” explains Rabbi Gross. “Some have expressed that they are thrilled to get a Jewish insight on a woman whose works have profoundly influenced their lives, while others expressed shock that I would introduce into the synagogue the works of a woman whose ideas they consider to be evil. In truth, even those who disagree with Rand cannot ignore the great influence that her books have had. The controversial nature of her works makes it all the more necessary to discuss it in a synagogue context. Are her ideas good or evil? Do they reflect the values of the Torah or should her ideas be rejected by those who want to live a Torah lifestyle?

In the classic Yeshiva style, we will explore the controversy and come to our own conclusions based on persuasive, educated arguments. I look forward to learning together and hearing everyone’s opinions."

On Feb. 7, Rabbi Gross will discuss The Virtues of Selfishness. Following that, on Feb. 14, he will speak on The Fountainhead. Finally, in the last of the three lectures, Rabbi Gross will talk about Atlas Shrugged.

Don’t worry if you haven’t read the books, or if it has been awhile since you’ve read them. Reading materials relating to each week’s discussion points will be provided in class.

The how and why of being holy

by ANDREW MALASHOCK Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Education Holy. What exactly does this mean? Here’s a hint: It’s not just a preface to a common expletive, nor is it describing anything that’s “full of holes.”

Webster’s defines it as being “exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.” This open-ended interpretation of what is holy or how to act holy differs from religion to religion, even from synagogue to synagogue. These differences can at times even be quite drastic. Dr. Guy Matalon, Executive Director of the Center for Jewish Education, will tackle the confusing issues of holiness during a class entitled Everyday Holiness. The class will explore how one can become holy, and even more importantly, why one should strive to become holy.

“The concept of holiness is quite difficult to understand.

We read passages in scripture that speak about the call for us to become holy yet it eludes many of us,” commented

Matalon. “The purpose of this class is to provide an opportunity to delve into what the concept entails and how do we become holy.”

As a reference, the class will be using Rabbi Joseph Telushkin’s book, The Jewish Book of Values. Telushkin is known for writing many books on Jewish concepts, and is currently the rabbi at the Los Angeles Synagogue for Performing Arts. This book will be an excellent springboard into holiness as it pertains to being Jewish. It’s not all book work though, Matalon says there will definitely be some hands-on participation.

Everyday Holiness is divided into two, four week sections.

Each section is designed to be independent of each other, allowing students to register for a single section, if that is preferred.

The first section, co-sponsored by Temple Israel, will be Fridays, Feb. 4, 11, 18, 26 from noon-1p.m. in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library.

The second section co-sponsored by Beth El Synagogue, meets Thursday evenings, March 10, 17, 24, and 31 from 78 p.m. at Beth El. Tuition for each four-week section is $35, discounted to $27 for donors to the Annual Campaign of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Pre-registration is required by calling 402.3346445 or via email to mgrossman@jewishomaha.org.

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Beth El’s Tu B’Shevat celebration at Lauritzen Gardens lends warmth to frigid winter day

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Neither eight inches of snow nor single-digit temperatures kept Beth El Synagogue and Lauritzen Gardens from holding their annual Tu B’Shevat celebration last Sunday at the botanical center. The festivities drew community members of all ages, who were treated to casual tutorials by Beth El volunteers

about Tu B’Shevat and Israel; seed-planting, cookie-decorating, art activities and story-time for youngsters, plus a musical performance by Cantor Beth Schlossberg and friends. Above left, Andy Greenberg shares information about spring in Israel with visitors to the gardens’ lushly-planted floral display hall; above right, Liora Shapiro, left, and two other garden visitors enjoy watching the inhabitants of the koi pond in the display hall.

Shabbat Shirah in Lincoln

by LORI FELDMAN The Lincoln Jewish Community, which includes B’nai Jeshurun (South Street Temple) and Tifereth Israel, celebrated Shabbat Shirah together on Sunday Jan. 16 at Tifereth Israel. Entertainment was provided by the Knecht Family which includes Kurt, Zach, and Avi, and Marina Kushner. Community members enjoyed a vari-

Marina Kushner, left, and Zach Knecht. ety of musical selections ranging from classical to jazz.

The event was organized by a committee including Nava Halpern, Joyce Davidson, Gail Wishnow, and Lori Feldman.

From Omaha? Then your spot is guaranteed on a Birthright trip in 2011

by BOB GOLDBERG on a Birthright trip” states Mary Sue Grossman, Director of Operations & Programming with the Center for Jewish JFO Communications Specialist and YJO Director The Taglit-Birthright Israel program provides a once-in-a- Education. “The Taglit program is such an extraordinary lifetime opportunity for young adults, ages 18-26, to experience a free ten-day trip to Israel. Unfortunately, in recent years the program has become so popular, applicants often find themselves on waiting lists and frequently are unable to go.

For the summer of 2011, young adults from Omaha don’t need to worry. They have a guaranteed spot on a Birthright trip, compliments of the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s participation in the Partnership with Israel program.

If applicants are from one of the 15 U.S. Central Consortium cities and meet the Taglit-Birthright eligibility requirements, they can travel on this special Partnership trip being run by IsraelExperts and coordinated by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas. (The Central Consortium cities include Akron, Canton, Toledo, Youngstown, and Dayton, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; Explore Machne Yehuda in Jerusalem Indianapolis, Northwest Indiana and South Bend, Indiana; opportunity and to pair that with a guaranteed space is Des Moines, Iowa; Omaha, Nebraska; Austin, Dallas, Fort amazing. We are thrilled to add this as another offering of our Partnership program and are so appreciative of the Worth, San Antonio, Texas.)

“This is an incredible chance for Omaha participants to go Dallas community in coordinating this venture.”

Save the Date!

The trip will let participants learn about, question, and explore the best of Israel. Highlights will include visits to Tel Aviv, where participants will explore its beaches, culture, and history. Time in Jerusalem will include visits of the Old City, Ben Yehuda St., and everything in between.

There will be an overnight experience in a Bedouin-like tent, explore the beauty of the Golan Heights, and learn first hand about the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with both Jewish and Arab Israelis. Birthright trips include a non-denominational and egalitarian approach to Shabbat programming.

Partnership with Israel is a program of the Jewish Agency and the Jewish Federations of North America. It promotes people-to-people relationships between 15 American Jewish communities and Israel’s Western Galilee, through cultural, social, medical, educational and economic programs.

Registration, done at www.birthrightisrael.com, opens Feb. 14 for those previously wait-listed and Feb. 15 for all others. Please note: This trip will have a special code. To obtain the code or more information, email mgrossman@jewishomaha.org or call Mary Sue Grossman at 402.334.6445. For more information on IsraelExperts, visit www.taglit.israelexperts.com.

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Celebrating 100 years of Jewish Family Service

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Temple Religious School families help stock JFS pantry

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Jewish Family Service’s (JFS) pantry supplements the diets and stretches the grocery dollars of members of the Jewish community who find themselves in need of some

to eight weeks before shopping to ask what is needed.

Temple Israel’s Religious School students and families have recently started a partnership with JFS to supply paper items such as toilet paper, facial tissue, napkins, and paper towels. “We ask for paper products routinely,” said Nogg.

“Clients can come to the pantry weekly. Most pantries throughout the area have a one-to two visit per month limit or even as little as once every three months,” she pointed out. JFS supplies each client with a green shopping bag which can be filled with pantry items. “Since we serve only the Jewish community, our pantry is smaller than most in the Omaha area,” Nogg said. “However, to those we serve, it is an important addition to their daily lives.”

Temple Israel fourth grader Peyton Blake, left, and her sisCollections at Temple Israel, ter McKenna, a second grader, donate boxes of tissue to the that started in January, will be Jewish Family Service pantry. made on the second Sunday extra help during these trying economic and Wednesday of every month to JFS. Toby times. “Since joining JFS three years ago, Fellman’s second grade class has already explained Sandy Nogg, JFS assistance coor- delivered paper products to JFS. Students’ dinator, “I have been amazed at how quickly tzedakah money for the week will also be the pantry turns over. It’s a sign of the times donated to JFS. that more people in the community are in “Our hope is that the community will also need of and using the pantry. Food recognize the need to fill the shelves so JFS stamps...will only buy food, not paper prod- staff members don’t have to go shopping for ucts, laundry or dishwashing detergent.” these particular items,” according to Lori Thanks to the Jewish Federation Bennett, Temple Israel Religious School Foundation’s teen philanthropy group, B’nai coordinator. The money saved can then be Tzedak, Nogg said there’s plenty of detergent used for other JFS programs. “We’d like to right now. Personal hygiene items such as encourage people to donate other items that toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, etc. have the pantry can use,” added Bennett. been donated by “a few generous Jewish To contact JFS regarding pantry donadentists,” she added. Women’s organizations tions, call 402.330.2024 or Nogg at have donated detergent and canned goods. 402.334.6493.

Some individuals routinely call JFS every six

Esther and Vashti: The Taming of the Two

by ANDREW MALASHOCK Greenspoon. “We will have the opportunity Administrative Assistant, to look at classical Jewish sources, at Jewish Center for Jewish Education additions to the book of Esther as found in One of the most popular figures in Jewish the Apocrypha, at feminist perspectives, and text, Queen Esther, is normally portrayed as even at Esther as portrayed on the screen.” pious and observant, as well as her predeDr. Greenspoon holds a Ph.D. from cessor Queen Vashti. When taking a closer Harvard University in Near Eastern look at the biblical texts howLanguages and Civilizations ever, it seems that many raband has taught a number of binical interpretations of different classes at Creighton these two queens may have University involving Judaism painted a more pious and and theology. observant picture than was “Leonard is a great teacher deserved. and he has a strong following Due to such great interest in the community” reports in Esther’s stories from many Patrick Jensen, Adult Jewish scholars, her image in Education Chairman for the particular has been shaped Center for Jewish Education. and re-shaped by many, lead“He is also a member of the ing to Esther’s extreme popuAdult Education Committee larity. Ready to delve into varand provides wonderful ideas ious texts surrounding both and direction for our group.

Leonard Greenspoon women, Dr. Leonard This should be a terrific class Greenspoon, Professor of Jewish to get everyone ‘in the spirit’ of Purim.”

Civilizations at Creighton University, will be The four week session will meet Tuesday holding a pre-Purim class entitled The evenings, Feb. 8, 15, 22, and March 1 from Taming of The Two: Queen Esther and Queen 7-8:15 p.m. in the Kripke Jewish Federation Vashti in the Midrash.

Library at the JCC. Tuition is $35, discount“We will begin at the beginning—that is, ed to $27 for donors to the Annual the biblical Book of Esther—and then sam- Campaign of the Jewish Federation of ple the many midrashim and other elements Omaha. Pre-registration is needed by callof interpretation that have been added ing 334.6445 or emailing mgrossman@ through the centuries,” commented Dr. jewishomaha.org.

DEADLINE NOTICE Please send all articles, photos and ads to the Press by Thursdays, 9 a.m., for all regular issues (early deadlines will be announced in advance). Questions? Call 334.6448.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 28 USY Winter Shabbaton in St. Louis through Jan. 30 Kuzari - In Defense of Judaism class, noon Family Junior Congregation Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El Birthday Blessings, 6 p.m. at Beth El SATURDAY, JANUARY 29 Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Junior Congregation, 10 a.m. at Beth El SUNDAY, JANUARY 30 Temple Israel Breakfast, 7:30 a.m. at Stephen Center Adult Education, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El MONDAY, JANUARY 31 Teleconferencing Mishnah Class, 10:30 a.m.

Federation Partnership/Israel Flutes of the Galilee, 5 p.m.

Hebrew 101, 6 p.m.

Jewish Press Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 Scholar’s Club, 3:45 p.m. at the Blumkin Home BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

Adult B’nai Mitzvah, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel JCC Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2 Rebecca Goldstein Book Club with Rabbi Linder, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel YJO Food Bank Event, 6:30 p.m.

Community High School, 6:30 p.m.

Adult Hebrew with Mor Shenbein, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Advanced Halacha Kollel, 9 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3 Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Pop Theology with Rabbi Linder, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Rabbi Levin’s Weekly Class, noon at Beth El Lomir Redn Yiddish, 1 p.m.

Community Lecture with Dr. Jean Cahan, 6 p.m.

JCC Musical Theatre Community Acting Group, 6:30 p.m.

USY Lounge Night, 7 p.m. at Beth El FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4 Everyday Holiness with Dr. Guy Matalon, noon Beth El Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group, noon at Blumkin Home Say ‘Shalom!’ to Shabbat! & Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7 Teleconferencing Mishnah Class, 10:30 a.m.

ADL/IHE Resistance during the Holocaust Workshop Part II, 4 p.m.

Hebrew 101, 6 p.m.

Toward a Meaningful Life class, 7 p.m. at Chabad Lecture Series with Rabbi Gross, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel Judaism 101, 7:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 ADL/CRC Board Meeting, noon Scholar’s Club, 3:45 p.m. at the Blumkin Home BBYO Parent Meeting, 6 p.m.

Pizza & Parasha with Cantor Beth, 6:15 p.m. at Beth El Adult B’nai Mitzvah, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Community High School Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9 Rabbis & Presidents Meeting, noon Women’s Book Group, 3:30 p.m. at Beth El Rebecca Goldstein Book Club with Rabbi Linder, 6:30 p.m.

Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Beth Israel Community High School, 6:30 p.m.

Adult Hebrew, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Advanced Halacha Kollel, 9 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10 Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Pop Theology with Rabbi Linder, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Rabbi Levin’s Weekly Class, noon at Beth El Center for Jewish Education Budget Meeting, noon Lomir Redn Yiddish, 1 p.m.

ADL Nebraska State Patrol Program, 1:30 p.m.

YJO Cocktails & Conversations, 6 p.m.

JCC Musical Theatre Community Acting Group, 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11 Everyday Holiness with Dr. Guy Matalon, noon USY Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El USY Shabbat Dinner, 7 p.m. at Beth El SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12 Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Junior Congregation, 10 a.m. at Beth El Learner’s Service with Cantor Schlossberg, 10:15 a.m. at Beth El WRJ Retreat, 2 p.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13 BESTT Family Assembly & Open Cafe, 10 a.m. at Beth El Adult Education, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El WRJ Meeting, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Breakfast Scholar’s Series, 10 a.m. at Beth El OTYG Board Meeting, noon at Temple Israel JYG Baking Project and Bake Sale, noon at Temple Israel Temple Israel WRJ Retreat, 2 p.m.

BESTT Chaverim Going to Bounce U, 12:30 p.m.

Kadima Program, 3 p.m. at Beth El OTYG/JYG Spaghetti Dinner, 5 p.m. at Temple Israel MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14 Teleconferencing Mishnah Class, 10:30 a.m.

Hebrew 101, 6 p.m.

Lets Wine About It! with Cantor Schlossberg, 6:30 p.m. at Brix Toward a Meaningful Life class, 7 p.m. at Chabad Lecture Series with Rabbi Gross, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel Judaism 101, 7:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 Scholar’s Club, 3:45 p.m. at the Blumkin Home Friedel Executive Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m.

BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

Adult B’nai Mitzvah, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Friedel Board of Directors Meeting, 7 p.m.

Board of Trustees, 7 p.m. Temple Israel Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16 Rebecca Goldstein: 36 Arguments for the Existence of God, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Community High School, 6:30 p.m.

Advanced Halacha Kollel, 9 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17 Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Pop Theology with Rabbi Linder, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel School Directors Committee Meeting, 10 a.m.

Rabbi Levin’s Weekly Class, noon at Beth El Lomir Redn Yiddish, 1 p.m.

JCC Musical Theatre Community Acting Group, 6:30 p.m.

Friedel Science Fair, 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18 Yachad Shabbaton Friedel No School Teacher In Service Everyday Holiness with Dr. Guy Matalon, noon Friday Night Dinner, 6 p.m. at Beth Israel Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19 Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20 No Classes for President’s Weekend at Beth El Adult Education, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El 39 Forever Tour of Joslyn Art Museum, noon MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21 Friedel Jewish Academy No School President’s Day Teleconferencing Mishnah Class, 10:30 a.m.

Mainstreeters Luncheon Program, 12:30 p.m.

No Classes for President’s Weekend at Beth El Hebrew 101, 6 p.m.

Toward a Meaningful Life class, 7 p.m. at Chabad Lecture Series with Rabbi Gross, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel Judaism 101, 7:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22 Scholar’s Club, 3:45 p.m. at the Blumkin Home BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

Adult B’nai Mitzvah, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 Community High School, 6:30 p.m.

Advanced Halacha Kollel, 9 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24 Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Pop Theology with Rabbi Linder, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Rabbi Levin’s Weekly Class, noon at Beth El Lomir Redn Yiddish, 1 p.m.

JCC Musical Theatre Community Acting Group, 6:30 p.m.

A Lecture with Dr. Curtis Hutt, 7 p.m.

Friedel Community Open House, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25 Everyday Holiness with Dr. Guy Matalon, noon USY Shabbat Dinner, 6 p.m. at Shiri Tene’s Home Birthday Blessings, 6 p.m. at Beth El SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26 Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Junior Congregation, 10 a.m. at Beth El BBYO Rush #3, 8 p.m.

SUNDAY, FEBUARY 27 Pancake Man, 9 a.m. at Temple Israel 5th Grade Family History Museum & Program, 10 a.m. at Beth El Adult Education, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El WRJ Hamentaschen Baking, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel RBJH Community Concert Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra, 1:45 p.m.

USY Program, 3 p.m. at Beth El MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 Teleconferencing Mishnah Class, 10:30 a.m.

Hebrew 101, 6 p.m.

Toward a Meaningful Life class, 7 p.m. at Chabad Senior NCSY Latte & Learning, 7:30 p.m. at Starbucks, 114th & Dodge Judaism 101, 7:30 p.m.

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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Psychology of Antisemitism with UNL’s Dr. Jean Cahan

by ANDREW MALASHOCK Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Education Where is the root of antisemitism? What goes on in the brain of an antisemite? On Thursday evening, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m., Dr. Jean Cahan will be addressing these issues, among others related to the philosophical psychology of antisemitism and its long lasting causes and effects.

“I have been teaching about the Holocaust and antisemitism for many years, and gradually I came to the conclusion that a philosopher might have something to add Dr. Jean Cahan to the work of historians and political scientists on the topic of antisemitism,” says Cahan.

“My work has been written for an academic audience.

However, I hope to be able to make it plausible to a broader

audience and to gain insights through a broad public discussion.”

Dr. Cahan is the Senior Lecturer of Philosophy, as well as the Director of the Norman and Bernice Harris Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which she helped found in 1992. She received her Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in philosophy. Her research interests are philosophy of history, philosophy of religion, and political philosophy. She has published on Spinoza, modern Jewish philosophy and Marx.

“Some time ago in an Omaha World Herald article, Dr. Cahan said Judaism and monotheism are the force behind antisemitism,” said Steve Riekes. “This idea really caught my attention and I think this will be an interesting topic for Jean to share with the Omaha Jewish community.”

The lecture is presented by the Center for Jewish Education and sponsored by the fund of the Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization at Creighton University. It is open to the community, free of charge. For additional information, please call 334.6445.

Mainstreeters go ‘Snapfish-ing’

by OZZIE NOGG Do you have photos of your new grandchild that you want to share with friends? Or shots from your recent vacation that you’d like to make into a calendar? A new computer class, offered by Mainstreeters, will teach you how to upload your photos to Snapfish and preserve them as easy-to-enjoy memories. Josh Gurock, JSS Facilities Coordinator, will instruct the two 1-hour classes, scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 10 and 17. Sessions run from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Pennie Z. Davis Learning Center on Main Street at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

“In the first class, students will learn how to transfer pictures from their camera or computer and up-load them to Snapfish,” Gurock said. “Snapfish is an online photo service that stores your pictures and then allows you to organize and share them as prints, albums or slideshows. It’s literally a snap, and lots of fun. Students will have an assignment to practice at home, and the Feb. 17 session will be a totally hands-on, with time for individual questions and answers, plus more tips and advice.”

Participants must have a personal email account, web access, and know the password that allows them to pick up email away from home. “Please bring your camera and memory stick or USB cable with you,” Gurock said. “The cost for

Patient Advocacy Service Debuts in Omaha

by PAULA HOWARD My Concierge Nurses, a consultation and patient advocacy service in Omaha, recently opened its doors. Dedicated to helping clients minimize gaps in their healthcare service, MCN offers clients access to a Registered Nurse 24/7.

MCN is the brainchild of Paula Howard, a registered nurse with a Master’s degree in Health Promotion and Human Resource Management. Paula says the idea for MCN grew from the gaps she noticed in healthcare services while caring for patients.

“There is a great deal of uncertainty and concern about today’s healthcare. We all know the landscape is changing, but we’re not sure how it will turn out,” comments Ms. Howard.

“Because of the current climate of healthcare there is increased pressure on providers. Add in the difficulty of navigating through an already complex system, and it can be quite challenging for the public to determine what care options are best for them.”

Thanks to their medical backgrounds, MCN staff can assist clients across the broad spectrum of healthcare offerings, including obtaining physician appointments and specialist referrals, explaining test results, monitoring medication, providing nutrition counseling, and securing eldercare placement.

“Whether it’s a matter of managing a chronic disease or helping clients live independently as long as possible, we equip our clients with the tools they need to maintain the best quality of life possible,” Ms. Howard notes.

MCN services launched on Jan. 17, 2011, from offices at 11415 Iowa Circle, Suite 100, Omaha, NE 68142. Additional information regarding MCN can be found online at www.myconciergenurses.com or by phone at 402.449.1800.

HIPPA-compliant, licensed, and insured, MCN is also authorized to participate, at the client’s request, in the Nebraska Health Information Initiative (NeHII), the statewide electronic medical records (EMR) exchange.

both sessions is $10, and enrollment is limited to six students.

Classes will fill up quickly, so I encourage you to sign up now.”

To reserve your place, send a check for $10 to MAINSTREETERS, c/o Maggie Conti, 323 South 132 Street, Omaha, NE 68154. For further information call Rocky Stern at 393.4952 or Suzanne Singer at 333.3737.

Bombing at Moscow airport seen as terrorism

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- A bombing at the busiest airport in Moscow that killed at least 35 and injured 130 is being called a terrorist attack by Russian officials.

“From the preliminary information we have, it was a terror attack,” Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said of Monday’s attack on the Domodedovo Airport in a televised briefing.

All Moscow transportation services went on high alert following the attack. Israel canceled all flights to Moscow.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it was not sure whether any of the victims were Israeli.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered his condolences to the Russian people and the families of those killed in the terror attack.

“Terror is international, and so the response to it must be international,” he said. “If we unite we will suppress the terrorists and thwart their plans.”

In March 2010, two female Chechen suicide bombers blew themselves up in the metro system, killing 40. In 2004, two suicide bombers boarded separate planes at the same airport and blew themselves up in midair, killing all 90 people aboard the two flights.

Are You Financially Organized for 2011?

by BETH BROWN Since most of us never learned how to handle our money at any school level, it has left many people unaware of how to properly handle their finances. Unfortunately, we end up finding out the hard way regarding how unprepared we are at tax time.

Here are some helpful and easy hints on how to get organized.

1. Keep good records by creating a file system where all you need to do is file documents in their proper folders. File them the day they come in. This way they are filed away safe and sound and don’t need to be revisited till tax time.

2. Keep a file for your finances on your computer as well as hard copies. There are computer programs that can make this process easier.

3. Keep all stock and bond purchase confirmation forms; the IRS requires information on the initial purchase price.

4. Keep all tax records for five years.

5. When purchasing stocks or bonds, decide what type of investment risks you are willing to take.

6. Getting yourself a sound and honest investment professional is also an excellent way to get financially organized.

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12 | The Jewish Press | January 28, 2011

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Terrible mothers

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press Women who write about parenting usually receive two reactions. There are readers who recognize what’s on the page, and empathize with the author. They will often express gratitude at ‘not being the only one’. Other readers show disdain, and reprimand the author for ‘being a terrible mother’.

This, quite often, comes from the same place: the most vicious responses happen when readers recognize a part of themselves, and are uncomfortable with that recognition.

It comes as no surprise then, that when Amy Chua published Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, she was criticized. At the same time, an actual discussion is starting to occur in America, and it’s hard to miss for anybody who’s read a newspaper recently. We’ve heard of ‘helicopter parenting’, and we read our Gesell Institute books, and we may even consult a professional from time to time. However, at the end of the day, when we (not just Chinese Americans, but all of us) want to become more self aware as parents, we will have to be brutally honest about how we’re doing. It is that honesty that forms the basis for Chua’s book. It is also that honesty that has caused many to be very, very upset.

Amy Chua, husband Jed Rubenfeld, and daughters Sophia and Louisa are the protagonists of Chua’s writings. Both Chua and her husband are professors at Yale Law, and quite accomplished and successful. Chua raises their children in the Chinese tradition, although Bat Mitzvahs are included.

“Extreme parenting, Chinese-style,” Ruth Marcus calls it.

(Washingtonpost.com) “What Chinese parents understand” Chua writes, “is that nothing is fun until you’re good at it. To get good at anything, you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up.” (Ah, that’s why my daughter doesn’t clean her room. I don’t have enough fortitude. We’ll have to do some-

thing about that).

When reading Chua’s book, it’s easy to lose one’s self in the shocking details. Threatening to burn stuffed animals as punishment for not practicing the piano hard enough?

Finding any grade other than a perfect ‘A’ unacceptable?

Calling your children names, having a throw-down in the middle of a crowded café, or rejecting handmade birthday cards because you find them lacking? It’s tough to find a reviewer that doesn’t pull out these examples in order to illustrate Chua’s cruelty and obsessive nature.

However, stopping there would be doing this author a disservice. It is important to remember that Chua wrote a memoir, not a parenting manual. She is not advocating we all adopt her ways, and has even re-evaluated some of them and decided they weren’t working. We’ve all been there: we start out 100 % convinced we’re doing the right thing, only to have real life get in the way.

Some of Chua’s writing confirms stereotyping; that too is something that strikes a familiar note. The difference between Chinese and Jewish stereotypes, however, is that the Jewish mother has long been fodder for stand up comedians, whereas the stereotypical Chinese mother has only recently entered popular culture. Chua is therefore experiencing growing pains; rather than falling into a familiar and timehonored tradition, she is a pioneer. But: at the end of the day, all overbearing mothers are more or less equal, no matter what language they speak.

Ayelet Waldman, in the Washington Journal, agrees: The difference between Ms. Chua and me, I suppose—between proud Chinese mothers and ambivalent Western ones—is that I felt guilty about having berated my daughter for failing to deliver the report card I expected. I was

ashamed at my reaction. But here is another difference, one I'll admit despite being ashamed of it, too: I did not then go out and get hundreds of practice tests and work through them with my daughter far into the night, doing whatever it took to get her the A. Now that sounds overly familiar, and I’ll admit it: I want my children to be every bit as accomplished as Ms. Chua’s, but I just can’t deal with the guilt. I joke about being a mean mom, but my heart isn’t really in it. And so, on a regular basis, I let my children get away with stuff, and it’s possible I do them a great disservice. What’s worse: I can name ten other mothers off the top of my head who are exactly like me. Maybe that is why this book has caused such an upheaval among parents everywhere: Amy Chua, crude as some of her methods may be, reminds us all that there is this small chance that we’re not really good at raising our kids.

She’s tapping into the “what-ifs” that live in the backs of our heads. And we all know that the “what-ifs” are very, very uncomfortable to think about.

Is Gabby Giffords Jewish enough?

Focus on issues JASON MILLER WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (JTA) -- As a Conservative rabbi and a member of the movement’s Rabbinical Assembly, I cannot officially consider Jewish descent to be determined patrilineally. In fact, in its Code of Professional Conduct, the section detailing the responsibilities for membership in the Rabbinical Assembly currently lists four standards of religious practice. The first: “Matrilineality determines Jewish status.”

Yet like many Jews who regard Jewish status to require a Jewish mother or proper conversion, I admit to feeling pride when a Jewish athlete or celebrity is successful, even if their “Jewishness” isn’t technically defined by halachic standards.

After all, when Major League Baseball player Ryan Braun won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 2007, should the Jewish community have refused to claim the “Hebrew Hammer” as one of our own since only his father is a member of the Tribe? Braun considers himself to be Jewish, and his Israeli-born father lost most of his family in the Holocaust.

The 1983 decision by the Reform movement to recognize Jewish status by either the mother or father continues to raise questions for the other streams of Judaism. The debate is back in the headlines following the shooting in Tucson, AZ., that critically injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. For Giffords, the daughter of a Christian Scientist mother and a Jewish father who is the grandson of a rabbi, there is no

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question of her Jewishness. She is a proud Jew who is an active member of her Reform congregation. She was married under a chuppah by a rabbi, albeit to a non-Jewish man.

As Giffords lay in a hospital recovering from being shot in an assassination attempt by a domestic terrorist, her Hebrew name has circulated the world to be used in the traditional Mi Shebeirach prayer for healing.

Giffords co-chaired the Jewish Outreach Institute’s 2007 conference and is active in her congregation. President Obama called Rabbi Stephanie Aaron, Giffords’ rabbi at Congregation Chaverim, to offer his prayers for a speedy recovery for the congresswoman.

Since the shooting, we have learned quite a bit about Gabrielle Giffords and her Jewish pride. On her campaign website, Giffords wrote, “Growing up, my family’s Jewish roots and tradition played an important role in shaping my values. The women in my family served as strong role models for me as a girl. In my family, if you want to get something done, you take it to the women relatives! Like my grandmother, I am a lifetime member of Hadassah and now a member of Congregation Chaverim. When I served in the State Senate in Arizona, I had the opportunity to visit Jerusalem. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I will always be a strong supporter of Israel. As a woman and as a Jew, I will always work to ensure that the United States stands with Israel to jointly ensure our mutual safety, security, and prosperity.”

The Jerusalem Post was the first publication to state emphatically that Giffords’ Jewishness should not be questioned. In fact, in its editorial “Learning Judaism From

Giffords,” the Post wrote, “With all our desire for a universally accepted definition of ‘Who is a Jew?’ that would unify the Jewish people, we cannot ignore the complicated reality that many ‘non-Jews’ are much more Jewish than their ‘Jewish’ fellows. Congresswoman Giffords is one of them.”

In her In the Mix blog at The New York Jewish Week, Julie Wiener wrote of how Giffords’ Jewishness is shining a spotlight on the “Who is a Jew?” debate. In an article titled “Plight of the Patrilineals,” Weiner cited blogger Kung Fu Jew, who posted his angry rant on the JewSchool blog about how Giffords is “Jewish enough for the Jewish community to own a side-show of the media circus. Jewish enough to be our martyr, it seems, but not Jewish enough to be treated equally in life.”

Kung Fu Jew has a point here. I’m sure many synagogues will offer prayers of healing for Giffords on Shabbat and recognize her as a Jewish member of Congress, yet they would be violating their own religious policy if they ever called her to the Torah for an aliyah honor.

I really wish we had a consensus on what determines Jewish status through lineage, even if only in the nonOrthodox Jewish community. Certainly we cannot continue to make an exception for athletes, celebrities and politicians of Jewish patrilineal descent. I’m in agreement with The Jerusalem Post on this matter. If Rep. Gabrielle Giffords considers herself Jewish because her father is Jewish and she lives a Jewish life, then she’s Jewish.

May Rep. Gabrielle Giffords -- Gavriela bat Gloria v’Spencer -- be granted a speedy and complete recovery.

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January 28, 2011 | The Jewish Press | 13

Jewish traits gone bad

Focus on issues RABBI AVI SHAFRAN I have long suspected that the Jewish stereotypes invoked by comedians, impolite pundits, and anti-Semites contain some grain of truth. After all, even a powerfully positive middah, or personal trait, can, if mangled or misapplied, devolve into a parody of its essence. And when that happens, a negative stereotype results.

Take, for instance, the obsession with money and possessions about which Jews are regularly impugned or mocked. (Some may recall—it was before my time—the Jewish radio jokester Jack Benny who, accosted in a skit by a mugger demanding “Your money or your life!” pauses a few seconds and then, when the stick-up man repeats his warning, responds: “I’m thinking! I’m thinking!”)

But concern with currency is only mockery-worthy when it has degenerated into stinginess (as in the case of the fictional muggee) or thievery. In its pure form, it is called frugality, and is lauded by the Torah.

“The possessions of the righteous,” the Talmud teaches, “are as dear to them as their

bodies.”

That comment is not meant to counsel miserliness; it conveys a deep and quintessentially Jewish thought: Every honestly earned penny has true worth, for it can be turned into something meaningful. We might think of someone who, say, rinses out and re-uses a Styrofoam cup as some sort of miser; and maybe he is. But he might also be a truly righteous man, appreciative of, and reluctant to waste, something still usable. If he’s generous to the needy, we know which one he is.

And so while stinginess may be ugly, frugality is not; indeed, it is a Jewish trait, and should be proudly embraced as one.

Similarly, the stereotype of Jews as cliquish is rooted in our very real and proper sense of peoplehood. When, however, we unwittingly give the impression that we look down upon others similarly created in the image of G-d, we offer mockers (and haters) ammunition. It is important to not let our special bond with the “family” that is Klal Yisrael, the Jewish People, send a negative message to others. But internalizing that special bond, in the end, is essential to being a Jew. Of late, I’ve been thinking about another Jewish stereotype: the worrier. The fellow

who frets about whether he turned the oven off or locked the door before he left home, about what might happen if he boards that plane, or what that stomach pain might mean. Of course, all sorts of people worry about small or far-fetched things. But there does seem to be a particular stereotype of Jewish overanxiousness. What middah might it, in a twisted way, reflect?

What occurs is that worrying about unlikely things that might go wrong might be the flipside to something very Jewish indeed: Appreciating the myriad things that regularly go right.

We say “Modeh Ani” (the daily acknowledgement of gratitude to G-d each morning) to acknowledge the all-too-easily-ignored miracle of our waking up. We say “Asher Yatzar” (the blessing recited after using the bathroom) to remind ourselves not to take the functions of our bodies for granted. We say “Modim” (“We acknowledge,” one of the silent prayer’s blessings) during each of our prayer services to thank G-d for His continuous gift of our lives and sustenance.

That all reflects a fundamental Jewish middah, “hakarat hatov”—in the phrase’s most literal, most fundamental, sense: the “recognition of the good” that G-d bestows

on us daily, indeed every hour, every minute, every second.

To be exquisitely sensitive to all the blessings from which we constantly benefit requires us, on some level, to realize all that could go wrong. There are people, after all, who don’t wake up from their night’s sleep, whose bodies do not function normally, whose lives or livelihoods are imperiled.

Only a keen recognition of such possibilities can lead us to fully appreciate what so many people mindlessly take for granted.

Could that quintessential Jewish characteristic be what sometimes decays into “Jewish worry?” Might anxiety be a warped expression of what, ideally, should be a feeling of joyful gratitude to the Creator for (in Modim’s words) “nisecha sheb’chol yom imonu”—the “miracles that are with us each and every day?”

Perhaps, in other words, the Jewish worrywart, by obsessing over the myriad things that can go wrong, is mangling the Jewish trait of gratitude to the Creator for when things go right.

Rabbi Shafran is an editor at large and columnist for Ami.

Among the most touching efforts took place in the former Soviet Union, where struggling students reached deep into their pockets to start a fund for four siblings who had lost their father in the blaze. For me, this effort was less about the dollars raised and more about the willingness shown by these young Russian Jews to give of themselves for their Jewish brothers and sisters, and their Jewish homeland.

This is why I am so committed to the effort to build a Jewish community fully engaged in service, tzedakah and tikkun olam. This is why I hope to see a term of service become a rite of passage in which young Jews live out their deepest values.

And this is why I hope to see a commitment across our global community to inspire, empower and celebrate those who serve.

Because, in serving, we not only positively impact communities and individuals in need, we also unite our tradition as Jews with our universal values and realize the full extent of our humanity.

So this year, I challenge you to step up and to announce proudly, “I am here and I am ready to serve.” I challenge you to inspire your family, friends and colleagues to join you by asking them, “Will you serve with me?”

And I challenge you to back up your commitment with action and, to paraphrase another great leader and advocate of service, President John F. Kennedy, to think less

about what the world can do for you and more about what you can do for the world.

Only then will we all be able to say that we have truly answered both Rabbi Tarfon’s imperative and Dr. King’s call to greatness.

Lynn Schusterman is chair of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.

Answering the call to greatness • It provides a level playing field. Service is not cost prohibitive nor location specific; need exists everywhere. It is blind to age, race, religion, creed and sexual orientation. When done with grace and love, service is magnanimous in its celebration of our shared humanity and in its embrace of our humble differences.

• It strengthens local communities.

Service has long been documented for its ability to create strong ties between volunteers and communities served. Despite concerns that short-term immersive service experiences leave the door open to incomplete projects, a recent study by Repair the World shows that the local impact can be immensely beneficial, both for completing concrete tasks, such as renovating classrooms, as well as for expanding capacity to address ongoing needs.

• It fosters global community. Which is among the primary benefits host communities report. There is a rich cultural exchange that takes place between community members and volunteers.

Today, we are citizens of the world.

Whether serving in Israel, the former Soviet Union, Ghana or Ecuador, our sense of community has expanded from one defined solely by geography to one also rooted in shared interests, common experiences and deep-seated passions. In giving of ourselves, we indicate a willingness to listen and to learn -- the foundation for building mutual understanding and respect for all.

These four qualities are vitally important to us as Jews and as human beings. They make service among the most powerful human connectors that exist. Service is a tie that binds us together -- volunteers to volunteers, those served to those serving -- creating bonds among people who might otherwise never have felt part of the same community.

Indeed, clergy and congregants who cannot pray together can step across denominational lines to serve together. Politicians who cannot vote together can step across party lines to give back together. And young Jews committed to service can know what it means to belong to a diverse, pluralistic, global Jewish people that hold as a core value a responsibility to repair the world.

We saw this happen during the tragedy of the Carmel fire -- the worst fire in Israel’s history -- when Jews everywhere joined together to give their time, money and voice to those in Israel who had lost everything.

Behind the headlines LYNN SCHUSTERMAN TULSA, Okla. (JTA) -- On the 25th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, 35 volunteers and 15 Teach For America teachers joined our team in Washington, D.C., to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King through a day of service.

Together they created thousands of study materials for hundreds of students in struggling schools across the District of Columbia.

The volunteers came together as a diverse group, from big cities and small towns, a range of professions and varying degrees of Jewish connection. But for those five hours on Jan. 17 they were a community united in answering Dr. King’s call to greatness.

In fitting testament, each wore a shirt proclaiming that "Everybody can be GREAT because everybody can SERVE." These plain-spoken words, delivered by the inimitable Dr. King in Atlanta in 1968, remind us that we do not have to be wealthy or powerful, intelligent or well read, popular or good looking to serve. We just have to have the desire in our heart to meet the need in our world.

Indeed, in the aftermath of yet another human tragedy -- the Jan. 8 shooting in Arizona -- at a time of divisiveness and partisanship, we are reminded of the urgency of Dr. King’s call to greatness through service, an act upon which we can begin to build mutual understanding and to see that what unites us in our humanity is far greater than what divides us.

Service, after all, is the true equal opportunity employer -- we all have both the privilege to engage in it and the responsibility to do so. I like to believe that Rabbi Tarfon, the great Jewish sage, had "tikkun olam" (repair of the world) in mind when he issued his call to all of humanity and declared that “While no one person is obligated to complete the task, neither is anyone free to desist from it.”

This is what makes service so unique, what gives it four intrinsic qualities not seen in virtually any other human endeavor: • It is something everyone can do. Anyone can spend a few hours serving in a soup kitchen or a spring break rebuilding New Orleans. Anyone can give a year teaching in inner city schools, developing community projects in India or teaching English in Israel’s periphery. No contribution is too big or too small when it is in service of a better tomorrow.

Letter TO THE EDITOR To the Jewish Community of Omaha, Neither written nor spoken words can convey our gratitude for the love, caring, and sorrow expressed by our unique community for the untimely and tragic loss of our beloved and cherished daughter Jill.

Our appreciation will be embedded in our hearts forever.

Our hearts are heavy because we miss Jill beyond comprehension. She was a role model for daughters, wives, mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, friends, and co-workers.

Your cards, phone calls, donations, flowers, gifts and tears: thank you for these gestures of sympathy and love.

Felicia and Stan Schrier Jim, Adam, and Alec Folsom Jeff, Isiah and Ian Schrier Julie, Bennett, Eden and Elias Ginsberg Princeton, Hallie and Toby

The right choice for personalized assisted living in a comfortable, home-like environment Social, recreational and cultural opportunities • Restaurant style dining • Transportation • Wellness center, library and game room •

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14 | The Jewish Press | January 28, 2011

Synagogues

Candlelighting Friday, January 28, 5:18 p.m.

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 402.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com FRIDAY: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m.

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, 5:18 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Free babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes begin with Torah Parade, 9:45 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored by Sisterhood; The Laws of Shabbat, 3 p.m.; Advanced Parshah Study for Kids (ages 10 and up), 4 p.m.; Mincha, 5 p.m. followed by Seuda Shlishit; Havdalah, 6:21 p.m.

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

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Weekly Teleconference Mishnah Class, 10:30 a.m. Contact the office to get the dial-in number and access code.

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

WEDNESDAY: Advanced Halchic Kollel, 9 p.m.

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

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

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

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.; Anyone who has celebrated a birthday during the past month is invited to take part in our special birthday blessing. Following the service, enjoy a light nosh and special preview of art pieces to be auctioned off during Saturday night’s Cantor’s Concert fundraiser; Junior Congregation Shabbat, 6 p.m. led by Eadie Tsabari and Andy Greenberg. Open to all families.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation (3-7), 10 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:25 p.m.

CANTOR’S CONCERT: On Saturday, 7 p.m., gala art auction and musical evening will highlight Creativity & Philanthropy: An Art Extravaganza, a fundraiser to benefit Beth El’s Youth Scholarship Fund. Artwork by local and national artists; musical guests, the Salem Baptist Church Gospel Choir, singing with Cantor Schlossberg. Open to the community; for ticket information, contact the office.

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

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

BESTT ASSEMBLY/CAFÉ: On Sunday, 10-10:30 a.m., BESTT monthly assembly, including a morning service led by Eadie Tsabari. Parents are invited to participate with their children. Afterward, parents are invited to enjoy the new BESTT Café, which features wi-fi, specialty coffees, plus local and outof-town newspapers. Bring your laptops, catch up on work or just schmooze with friends.

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

WOMEN’S ROSH HODESH GROUP: Will meet at the Blumkin Home’s Star Deli at noon on Friday, Feb. 4, for a delicious lunch and some old-fashioned nostalgia as we share deli memories. RSVP to host Sherry Taxman at 397.5816, or taxman@cox.net.

TOT SHABBAT/SAY SHALOM TO SHABBAT: Friday, Feb. 4, 6 p.m.

WORLDWIDE WRAP: On Sunday, Feb. 6, 9 a.m., Congregants join Jews from across the globe to participate in the annual Worldwide Wrap, sponsored by the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs. This event celebrates the ritual of wrapping tefillin: it offers an opportunity to learn how to wrap, and explains the significance of this mitzvah. For those who would like to learn, volunteers will offer assistance at 8:30 a.m. Minyan begins at 9 a.m., followed by breakfast and a discussion about the importance of tallit and tefillin. The entire community is invited to participate.

THE MYSTIQUE OF JUDAISM: Sunday, Feb. 6, 10 a.m., led by Andy Greenberg.

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

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

FRIDAY: Service, 7 a.m.

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

SUNDAY: Service, 8:30 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m.

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

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

All programs are open to the entire community.

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

FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. led by Rabbi Emanuel, with oneg following hosted by Lori Schwartz.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. all led by Rabbi Emanuel.

SUNDAY: LJCS Grades 3-7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Gan Simcha-Grade 2, 9:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 10 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Lincoln Jewish Federation Annual Meeting, 1:30 p.m. at Tifereth Israel; Temple Annual Meeting, 4 p.m.; Town Hall Meeting, 5 p.m. to discuss the Rabbi search process.

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

Temple Israel Family School Celebrates Tu B’Shevat

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN songs.”

Temple Israel Communications Coordinator When she arrived at Temple Israel for Family School, Josie Children, parents, and teachers from Temple Israel’s Platt, 11, didn’t know there was going to be a Tu B’Shevat Family School enjoyed a Tu B’Shevat Seder on Jan. 19. Even Seder that night. “So I was surprised,” she acknowledged. as the snow fell outside that “But it was a good surprise. I night, the participants celethought it was fun, and it was brated the beginning of nice to hang out with people spring in Israel and the new instead of being in a classyear for trees. Platters of room. Josie’s Dad, Jeff, also oranges, almonds, apricots, attended. prunes, dates and apples, all “I thought the seder was from fruit trees, were passed good, because it was Family around the tables.

School and people could “I thought it was fun, interact with their families by because everybody got to parpassing a plate of food over or ticipate and read,” said Isabella Seina, left, Shelby Goodman, Josie Platt, and doing something else helpful,” Samantha Sullivan, 11. There Hannah Goodman enjoy singing and talking about spring said 12-year-old Nate Gendler. were foods that you wouldn’t even if it didn’t feel like it outdoors.

Nate’s mother, Tami Field, normally eat that people enjoyed. It was a small seder versus attended the seder too. This was Nate’s second Tu B’Shevat a ton of people, and it was short, and there were a few fun Seder having attended one at Fontenelle Forest previously.

NEIGHBORHOOD PRAYER GROUP 1317 North 57 Street | Omaha, NE 68132 | 402.551.6609 FRIDAY: Minyan, 5:10 p.m.

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.

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

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

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

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street | Omaha, NE 68132-2651 | 402.556.6536 www.templeisrael-ne.org FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Azriel and Cantor Shermet.

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

SUNDAY: No Religious School; Breakfast at Stephen Center, 7:30 a.m.; Teachers Meeting, 9 a.m.; Parent/Teacher Conferences, 10 a.m.-noon Last names M-Z, 10-11 a.m. and Last names A-L, 11 a.m.-noon. Parents should go directly to their child’s classrooms to meet with the teachers; Teacher Appreciation Lunch, noon.

TUESDAY: Adult B’nai Mitzvah, 6:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Family School, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-8, 6 p.m.; Rebecca Goldstein Book Club, 6:30 p.m. with Rabbi Linder.

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

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

FRIDAY: Shabbat service, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Learners Minyan, 9:30 a.m.; Morning Service, 10 a.m. followed by a Kiddush lunch and Talmud study.

SUNDAY: LJCS Grades 3-7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Gan Simcha-Grade 2, 9:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 10 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Lincoln Jewish Federation Annual Meeting, 1:30 p.m.

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

Join us Sundays in Febuary from 4-5 p.m. for the Oh the Places You’ve Seen travel series.

Two new flotillas to head to Gaza

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Two more flotillas will attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, organizers said.

The new convoys, organized by the Free Gaza movement and the Turkish pro-Palestinian organization IHH, will leave in the spring and have been dubbed Freedom Flotilla 2, according to reports. An official announcement will be made later this week, Haaretz reported Monday.

The groups also organized the May 31 flotilla that was intercepted by Israeli naval commandos, with the ensuing violence leading to the deaths of nine Turkish activists.

An Israeli commission’s report released Sunday found that Israel’s blockade of Gaza is legal according to international law, and that Israeli soldiers acted in self-defense when they fired on activists aboard the Turkish ship the Mavi Marmara.

“We have at least 15 different groups right now at one or two boats each,” Huwaida Arraf, chairperson of the Free Gaza Movement, told the Washington Times about the new flotillas. “Every meeting we have, we get one or two new country-based networks or coalitions that want to join.”

Pulverente MONUMENT CO.

January 28, 2011 | The Jewish Press | 15

Expanded, more detailed law

In memoriam AARON H. KRANTZ

Sparks from the word RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Mishpatim We have just been overwhelmed by what is known the world over as the Ten Commandments.

That leaves us, however, with nowhere to go. It is as though the state declared: no speeding!

That requires some explanation. “No speeding” means one thing on the highway, and another thing within the city.

And even in the city, it means one thing on the main roads, and another in crowded neighborhoods.

That is why the Sacred Text goes on to explain some of the problems still before us when we have the Ten Commandments, and nothing more. This is why the Torah goes on to detail laws and ordinances we are to apply.

One might say that what we have is “case law.” That is to say, if there is such and such a case, then such and such is the law. But if the case is so and so, then the law is so and so.

It is appropriate that a people who have just been freed from 400 years of slavery to the Egyptians should now detail the difference between a slave and a servant. In the first place, even a slave has rights and privileges: he may be enslaved for seven years only, and when he is released, he must leave adequately compensated for the time he has spent in closely confined servitude.

But the servant, distinguished from the slave, is treated as his master’s family. He is clothed as well, fed as well, and treated as well as a member of the family he serves.

Thus, the Torah makes clear that one does not lose his status as a member of humanity because economic circumstances have made him or her a slave or a servant.

The Torah is particularly concerned about the way a female is treated in servitude. Her rights are not diminished: her master may marry her if he wishes (and if she wishes!) and she is treated like the human being she is.

The Sacred Text makes clear that older practices that are indecent must be done away with. Human beings must be considered to have the “rights, privileges, and immunities” that the dignity of humanity demands.

Ethical living, thus, is the desideratum of a just society.

For details, read our Sidrah.

Incidents down but anti-Semitism growing, report shows

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Anti-Semitism around the world appears to be strengthening, despite fewer incidents in 2010, according to a new report.

The Annual Report of the Coordination Forum for Countering Anti-Semitism released Sunday in Jerusalem showed fewer anti-Semitic incidents from a record-setting 2009. Still, the authors of the report -- the Jewish Agency Task Force on Anti-Semitism and the Israeli Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs -- found that organized activity aimed at the delegitimization of Israel as a Jewish state increased in 2010.

The report also said that the blurring of lines between legitimate criticism of Israel and demonizing the nation has turned into the major strategic threat to the State of Israel and to Diaspora Jewish communities.

2010 saw the continued escalation of delegitimization activity led by anti-Semitic, Palestinian and extreme left organizations, according to the report.

Iran also continued to be a center for the propagation of anti-Semitism in 2010. The Islamic Republic guided various groups toward anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activity, mainly in Europe and Latin America, including a marked increase in Iran’s links with organizations of the extreme right, such as neo-Nazis in Hungary, Greece, France and Chile.

2009 had set a record for anti-Semitic activity in part because of Israel’s Operation Cast Lead, a monthlong war with Hamas in Gaza that began in late December 2008.

To Submit obituaries to the Jewish Press: Email to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; fax to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154, or online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on Jewish Press and go to Submit Announcements.

Aaron H. Krantz, formerly of Lincoln, passed away on Jan. 17 at the age of 100 in Sun Ciy, AZ. Services were held on Jan. 23 at Temple Israel.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth Somberg Krantz.

He is survived by his sons and daughters-in-law, Richard and Joanne Krantz, James Krantz and Annie Boland, Steven Krantz and Janet Cohn; grandchildren, Elizabeth, David, Daniel, Sarah and Nora.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Aaron H. and Ruth Somberg Krantz Fund, Jewish Federation of Omaha, 333 S. 132nd Street, Omaha, NE 68154-2198.

He was born in Poland and grew up in Omaha. He spent most of his adult life in Lincoln before retiring to Arizona.

He owned various businesses in Lincoln, and was a member of South Street Temple.

Tullia Zevi, Italian Jewish leader and journalist, dies

by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) -- Tullia Zevi, a longtime Jewish leader and one of the most prominent women in postwar Italy, died in Rome.

Zevi, who would have celebrated her 92nd birthday on Feb. 2, died Jan. 22.

Italian politicians joined Jewish leaders in paying tribute to Zevi, a journalist who served as president of the umbrella Union of Italian Jewish Communities from 1983 to 1998 -- the only woman to serve in that role.

“She was a distinguished intellectual and untiring promoter of the culture of peace, who worked against any form of social discrimination,” said Gianfranco Fini, president of the Chamber of Deputies.

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano praised her “deep civic commitment and exquisite humanity and culture.”

She was, said Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, “a personality of great human and intellectual dimensions.”

Born Tullia Calabi in Milan, Zevi and her family were vacationing in Switzerland when Italy’s Fascist government imposed anti-Semitic racial laws in 1938. She spent World War II in exile in France and the United States.

Zevi worked with anti-fascist groups and studied at Radcliffe University and the Juilliard School of Music, becoming an accomplished harpist.

After the war she returned to Italy and became a journalist, serving as a correspondent for Israel’s Maariv daily newspaper from 1960 to 1993. She also wrote for JTA from 1948 to 1963 and for London’s Jewish Chronicle.

She covered the Nuremberg trials and the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem in 1961, among her assignments.

Her husband, Bruno Zevi, was an anti-fascist activist and noted architect who died in 2000.

During her tenure as president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, Pope John Paul II made his historic first visit to the Rome Synagogue in 1986, and the Italian state signed a landmark accord governing its official relations with the Jewish community.

Zevi, meanwhile, became a national figure of moral authority, speaking out frequently against all forms of prejudice and discrimination. In 1992 she was named Knight of the Grand Cross, Italy’s highest civilian honor.

“She leaves a vacuum that will be difficult to fill,” said Rome Jewish community president Riccardo Pacifici.

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Sonya Peres, Israeli president’s wife, passes

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Sonya Peres, the wife of Israeli President Shimon Peres for 66 years, has died.

She died on Wednesday, Jan. 19 in her Tel Aviv apartment at the age of 87.

Sonya Peres was a private person and was not usually seen at political events frequented by her husband.

In 2007, when her husband moved into the President’s Residence, Sonya Peres chose to remain in the family’s home in Tel Aviv.

Sonya Peres made aliyah from Poland in 1927 at the age of four and met her husband shortly after in the Ben Shemen Youth Village.

She served as a nurse in the British Army, working in an army hospital near Cairo and later as a driver for the army throughout Europe.

The Peres’ married in May 1945, and were founders of Kibbutz Alumot. She had three children.

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16 | The Jewish Press | January 28, 2011

Helping an orphan of history recover its past

by RUTH ELLEN GRUBER third-largest Jewish community in Poland.

LVIV, Ukraine (JTA) -- It’s not every day But the Jewish community was annihilatthat you can help a city recover its history. ed in the Holocaust, with nearly all synaBut that’s what happened recently in Lviv, in western Ukraine, when I served on the jury for an international design competition to mark and memorialize key sites of Jewish heritage.

The competition was aimed at counteracting widespread amnesia about the city’s rich and convoluted past.

This amnesia, Deputy Mayor Vasyl Kosiv reminded us, was the The arched ruins of the Golden Rose synagogue stand behind the product of a century of archeological excavations of one of the completely destroyed synaoften violent upheaval gogues at the synagogue square Jewish heritage site in Lviv, that left Lviv someUkraine.

Credit: Ruth Ellen Gruber thing of an orphan. “Over the past 100 years, the ruling govern- gogues and other traces of Jewish history ment changed at least eight times, often dra- destroyed. And after the Soviet Union took matically and often followed by tragic over in 1944, most of the local Polish popuchanges,� said Kosiv. lation was expelled westward and replaced An elderly person literally could have by Ukrainians and Russians moved in from remained in Lviv all his or her life but have the east. been born in Habsburg, Austria (when the Lviv became a focus of Ukrainian nationcity was known as Lemberg); gone to school al identity, its multi-ethnic history largely in Poland (when it was called Lwow); spent suppressed or forgotten. adulthood in the Soviet Union (when it was The design competition for Jewish sites, known as Lvov), and be retired now in the biggest such competition ever held in Ukraine. postwar Lviv, was conceived as a step toward War and conquest radically altered popu- recovering collective memory. lations as well as borders.

It singled out three key sites of Jewish hisBefore World War II, when the city was tory to be redesigned as memorial areas: part of Poland, more than half the popula• the “Valley of Deathâ€? that was linked to tion was ethnically Polish, about 15 percent the notorious Janivski camp set up by the were Ukrainians and one-third was Jewish. German occupiers in World War II, where The more than 100,000 Jews formed the more than 100,000 Jews were killed; " 2/7 . % , , 4! , " /4 ' 2 ! $ 3 0 2 % 0! 2 % $ & / 2 4 ( % & 5 4 5 2 %

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• the site of two destroyed synagogues in the city’s Jewish quarter; • the so-called “Besojlem,â€? the small piece of open ground that is the only part of the destroyed old Jewish cemetery not built over.

Architects from the United States, Israel and 12 other countries submitted a total of 70 designs for the three sites.

For two days, in a drafty hall where the designs were displayed, we debated each proposal not simply on its appearance but on its feasibility of implementation, sensitivity to place and, importantly, on its sensitivity to Jewish concerns.

I was among three Jewish jury members.

The other two Jewish jurors were the Lvivborn architectural historian Sergey Kravstov, from the Center for Jewish Art in Jerusalem, and Josef Zissels, the longtime head of one of Ukraine’s national umbrella Jewish organizations.

In the end, we were nearly unanimous in our choices for the three designs we awarded first prize in each category.

The team of Ming-Yu Ho, Ceanatha La

Grange and Wei Huang, from Irvine, CA., won first prize for the Janivski concentration camp site with a project that would turn the site into a form of land art -- a raised walkway curving around a slope covered with slabs representing symbolic tombstones.

The Berlin-based team of Franz Reschke, Paul Reschke and Frederik Springer won first prize for the synagogue square site, a design that incorporated the archeological excavations of one destroyed synagogue and traced the form of another.

And Ronit Lombrozo, of Jerusalem, won first prize for Besojlem with a design that was particularly sensitive to the fact that the space was a cemetery where bodies are still buried. It envisaged a raised walkway and also the use of unearthed tombstones as part of a memorial site.

It remains to be seen, of course, when and whether the winning projects will be carried through. Kinks in the designs need to be worked out, and funding must be raised. Still, the entire process bodes well for the future.

Editor’s note: this article was edited for length.

A family friendly musical performance

by SHERRIE SAAG Development Associate Jewish Federation of Omaha Halil Bagalil, the world-renowned musical duo from the Western Galilee region of Israel, return to Omaha for a one night only performance, Monday, Jan. 31 from 5:45 - 7:30 p.m. in the JCC Auditorium.

Their international-themed show, titled Flutes Around the Globe, will follow a kidfriendly pasta and breadsticks dinner beginning at 5:45 pm. Program co-chairs,

Sonia Tipp and Joy Schwarz-Mason, promise a casual family evening with music that will make kids of all ages get up and dance.

In addition to flutes, the show incorporates instruments from Africa, Tibet, and Eastern Europe.

The cost for dinner is $4 per person or $14 per family. Children ages 3 and younger eat free. Reservations are necessary by Thursday, Jan. 27 with payment accepted that evening. Call Nancy Martin at 402.334.6430 for your reservation.