Vol. LXXXVI No. 22 Omaha, NE
Original mitzvah hero, Danny Siegel, coming to Temple Israel by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Danny Siegel wants to put the “mitzvah” back into Bar and Bat Mitzvah, so to speak. The simcha of celebrating becoming a son or daughter of the commandments should be a joyful occasion, but the mitzvah shouldn’t be an afterthought. Siegel is bringing his mitzvah message to Temple Israel on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 6:30 p.m. He’ll share his personal stories and practical suggestions on how to make the world a better place through acts of loving kindness at a workshop with middle and high school students and their parents. The community is welcome to attend Siegel’s presentation which is sponsored by the Lazier L. Singer Memorial Fund for Youth. Since founding the Ziv Tzedakah Fund in 1981, Siegel has raised more than $6 million for a vast array of what he calls “mitzvah projects.” The non-profit organization is dedicated to the collection and distribution of funds to various little known tzedakah projects. Providing money and support for individuals and programs that offer direct, significant, and immediate services with a minimum of overhead and bureaucracy, the Ziv Fund brings the educational message of tzedakah to communities and Jewish schools throughout the United States, Canada, and Israel and empowers ordinary people to become mitzvah heroes. According to an article in the San Diego Jewish Journal, Ziv Tzedakah Fund’s nearly 150 projects are mostly small grassroots endeavors. One of the largest grants, for $52,950, was given to the Israel National Therapeutic Riding Association which provides horseback riding lessons to disabled children. More typical is the $95.63 given to a class of kids in Tennessee who were collecting six million paper clips to commemorate the number of dead from the Holocaust. Another typical project is “A Package from Danny Siegel Home” which delivers boxes to Israeli soldiers filled with items that don’t come in normal rations. In 2005, the Ziv Tzedakah Fund began supporting AMUTA, created for the emotional support of fiancées of fallen soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces. “With his thick East Coast accent and his casual fashion sense…,” wrote Alexandra Fisch in the San Diego newspaper, Siegel “…is obsessively focused on mitzvot.” Growing up in Virginia, Siegel was immersed in community service. He was international president of United Synagogue Youth. His mother was a member of Hadassah, and Danny’s father wanted his son to follow his career path of becoming a doctor. “But Danny had other ideas. ‘Once you hang out with the mitzvah heroes, you get hooked,’” he explained. A free-lance author, poet, and lecturer who now lives in Rockville, Maryland, he is the author (and in some cases, co-author) of nine books, three books of poetry, and another on humor. In his latest book, The Bar and Bat Mitzvah Mitzvah Book, A Practical Guide for Changing the World Through Your Simcha, he guides the entire family in making preparations for the simcha and offers numerous suggestions about how to integrate mitzvot more meaningfully into the events. It can be ordered on his website, www.ziv.org. Contiued on page 2
Inside Opinion Page see page 24
Celebrating 86 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
21 Shevat, 5767 February 9, 2007
Rebuilding of Old City bridge threatens new intifada, say Arabs
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) initiated a salvage excavation near to the Western Wall plaza where the new Mugrabi bridge will be built, connecting the Dung Gate to the Mugrabi gate which will serve as the primary entrance to the Temple Mount. After excavation, supporting pillars will be put into place to support the bridge that will replace the temporary wooden bridge erected following the collapse of the old ramp in February 2004, after an earthquake in Jerualem. In a predictable response, leaders of the Islamic Waqf threatened dire consequences if Israel rebuilds the bridge, as the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosques are located in the compound beyond the Mugrabi Gate. Hamas leader Khaled Meshal held a news conference in the Syrian capital noting, “the enemy (Israel) was playing with fire.” As predictable as the opposition from the Waqf was the opposition from some of Israel’s Arab Knesset members. MK Talab El-Sana from the United Arab List, said, “The excavations are likely to ignite a third intifada that will include protests and conflict throughout the Arab and Muslim world.” Despite assurances from the IAA and the knowledge that the old ramp has to be replaced for safety reasons (as it could collapse into the women’s section below), four Arabs were arrested Tuesday for throwing stones at IAA workers. Israeli Credit: ISRANET officials said the threats are a ploy to help quell the present fighting between Hamas and Fatah.
Press freelancer named Woman of Wisdom by UNO group by TIM KALDAHL University Affairs Longtime freelance writer for the Jewish Press, Joan K. Marcus, is one of three winners of the annual Women of Wisdom Awards, sponsored by the Program for Women and Successful Aging (PWSA), an outreach program based at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). Recipients will be honored at the third annual “Celebrate: Women of Wisdom Because Aging is a Lifetime Event” luncheon and community-wide program on Wednesday, April 18, 11:30 a.m., at the Holiday Inn Central. The keynote speaker will be Lorna Landvik, bestselling author of Oh My Stars and Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. As the mother of a daughter with disabilities, Marcus is a fervent leader in advocating the rights of disabled citizens. Her devotion to the disabled has moved her to serve as president of the Greater Omaha Association for Retarded Citizens and of the Arc of Nebraska, and as chair of ENCOR. She has been an active member and secretary of the Nebraska Developmental Disabilities Planning Council and co-founded Yachad, a social and educational group that serves people with developmental disabilities, now programming under the supervision of Jewish Family Service. In addition, Marcus is a member of the Board of Directors at Temple Israel and currently serves as chair-
This Week: Simchas & Celebrations Starts on Page 15 See Front Page Stories & More at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’
Home chooses interior designer for “New Beginning”: Page 3
man of its Social Action comittee. She can often be found organizing and cooking meals at the Stephen Center or advocating for the Save Darfur project. “We are very pleased to be able to honor women in the Omaha community who exemplify successful aging,” said Patricia Adams, executive director of PWSA. “PWSA is looking forward Joan Marcus to its third annual ‘Celebrate: Women of Wisdom’ luncheon after the wonderful response we have had on each of our former events, and we are once again fortunate to have an accomplished writer and humorist, such as Ms. Landvik, take part in our celebration.” The other 2007 award winners include: Betty G. Foster, Ph.D., assistant professor of geriatrics and gerontology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and a faculty member in the UNO Departments of Sociology and Gerontology, and Servalia Levels-Johnson Foster has shared her professional expertise as a board Continued on page 2
Coming Next Month: Home & Garden Issue on March 9 A mosaic of Israel’s traditions: unity through diversity: Page 12
Where Are They Now? features Hilarie Sterenberg Manion: Page 14
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
February 9, 2007
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9 Congregational Conversations, noon at Temple Israel Tot Shabbat & Dinner, 6 p.m. at Beth El SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel NCJW Fundraising Event, 7:30 p.m. Temple JYG Bowling Night, 8:30 p.m. at Mockingbird Lanes
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11 The Living Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Chabad House Class with Rabbi Nadel, 9:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Education, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El (BESTT) 5th Grade Family History Program, 10 a.m. at Beth El Men’s Club Speaker with Alan Potash, 10:30 a.m. at Temple Israel Nashir Community Jewish Choir, 11 a.m. at Beth El Temple Israel OTYG Camp Fun Fair, 12:15 p.m. at Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center, Gretna, NE BESTT Chaverim, 12:30 p.m. at Beth El Visions Playhouse & Dinner, 2 p.m. Deli Night with comedian Joel Chasnoff!, 5 p.m. at Temple Israel Musical Theater and Specialty Camp Trip to “The Lion King,” 5:30 p.m. at JCC Teen Lounge MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12 Women’s Book Group, 1 p.m. at Beth El NCJW Book Club, 7 p.m. JFS Board Meeting, 7 p.m. Derech Torah: Judaism 101, 7:30 p.m. at JCC
C L I P & S A V E
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13 ADL/CRC Board Meeting, noon at JCC BBYO Night, 6 p.m. “Intro to Jewish Ethics,” 6 p.m. at JCC Israeli Dance Class, 6:30 p.m. at JCC Parshah Roundup, 7 p.m. at Chabad House WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14 ADL Echoes and Reflections Workshop, 8 a.m. at JCC Danny Siegel, the Original Mitzvah Hero, 4 p.m. at Temple Israel “Notions of the Afterlife” class, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel Learn to Write Hebrew Cursive, 7 p.m. at Beth El Kabbalah Circle, 7 p.m. at Chabad House
C L I P & S A V E
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15 USY Winter Shabbaton at Perlstein Resort & Conference Center, Lake Delton, WI through Feb. 18 Women of the Torah class, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Study with the Clergy, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Getting More Out of Prayer, noon at Beth El Jewish Thought, 12:45 p.m. at Chabad House Jewish Women International Sweetheart Day, 1 p.m. at RBJH Yiddush Group, 1 p.m. Book Discussion Group, 1 p.m. at Kripke Library NCJW Board Meeting, 7 p.m. ADL Youth Leadership Mission to Washington meeting, 7 p.m. at JCC Lessons on the Holocaust, 7 p.m. at Kripke Library Coffee and Conversation with Cantor Shermet, 7 p.m. at Barnes and Noble ADL Interfaith Affairs Community Presentation, 7 p.m. at Countryside Community Church Advanced Parshah Study, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel
All events held at the JCC unless otherwise indicated. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of events. To keep calendar accurate or for questions, call Marlene Hert at 334-6437. FOR A COMPLETE LISTING, VISIT THE FEDERATION’S WEBSITE: www.JewishOmaha.org (click on calendar)
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Ed Koch to appear live via satellite from NY’s 92nd Street Y by RACHEL BLUM JCC Jewish Program Director The funny, irreverent and always original former mayor of New York City will discuss New York news and his own identity as a Jewish New Yorker and politician in the next satellite broadcast from the 92nd St. Y. On Monday, Feb. 19, 7:15 p.m., in the Theater at the Jewish Community Center, Koch will be the featured speaker in the “Live from the 92nd Street Y” series. Edward Irving Koch was born in the Bronx on Dec. 12, 1924. He attended City College of New York from 1941-43, but in his last Former NYC Mayor year of college, he was Ed Koch drafted into the Army. In 1981, CCNY awarded Koch a B.A. degree. He served with the 104th Infantry Division. He received two battle stars, Combat Infantry badge, and was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant in 1946. He attended the New York University School of Law and earned an L.L.B. degree in 1948. He served as the 105th Mayor of New York City for three terms from 1978-89. Prior to being Mayor, Koch served for nine years as a Congressman and two years as a member of the New York City Council. Koch is credited with many major achievements as Mayor. He restored fiscal stability to the City of New York, and was responsible for placing the City on a
Women of Wisdom Continued from page 1 member and volunteer for numerous leading community agencies and organizations, and has published over 50 abstracts, articles, books, chapters and training manuals aimed at improving the quality of life of the elderly. She is also an expert on Alzheimer’s disease and on the process of aging. Levels-Johnson has a passion for the arts. She received a Master of Arts degree from Ohio University and completed 120 graduate hours in psychology from Yeshiva University in Tel Aviv, Israel. She is dedicated to the causes of peace, justice and equity, and is an advocate for the sick and the poor. She has served on major committee boards, such as the NAACP, the Omaha Coalition Against Apartheid, United Way of the Midlands and the Volunteer Resource Center Advisory Committee. She has been equally active in church committees and in theatrical productions as a singer and professional pianist In addition to the Women of Wisdom presentation, PWSA also will award the Shirley Waskel Award for the Advancement of Women, which honors a prominent senior woman, to Patricia (Pat) Callone for her commitment to education and dedication to older women. Callone has worked at Creighton University for 27 years and currently serves as vice-president for Institutional Relations. In addition to her career, she has been a tireless advocate for the elderly, serving on two community-wide initiatives: The Coalition to Protect Aging Adults, Metro-Omaha area, and the Older Adult Vision Council, United Way. She is also dedicated to enhancing the dignity of persons with Alzheimer’s disease. Her experience as caregiver of parents with Alzheimer’s disease led her to find ways for making caregiving a positive experience. She has co-authored two caregiving books for persons with Alzheimer’s as well as for all those involved in their care. The American Journal of Nursing recently honored a book she co-authored, Alzheimer’s Disease -- The Dignity Within: A Handbook for Caregivers, Family, and Friends, with a “Book of the Year” award in its consumer health category. Individual luncheon tickets are $40 for the general public and $35 for those ages 60 years and above. Corporate tables are also available and begin at $500. For more information, contact Yolanda Burgos at 402.554.4897 or at yburgos@mail.unomaha.edu. More information on PWSA can be found at http://pwsa.unomaha.edu. Carol Katzman also contributed to this article.
GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Practices) balanced budget basis. He created a housing program which, over a 10-year period, provided 150,000 units of affordable housing financed by city funds in the amount of $5.1 billion. Koch is currently a partner in the law firm of Bryan Cave LLP and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Heart Association in New York City. He hosts a Saturday radio program on Bloomberg AM 1130 (WBBR) where he is also a commentator. Koch is a weekly guest on NY1 television, and each week he writes a political column and publishes movie reviews. He is a co-columnist with former Senator Al D’Amato for New York Magazine, and he lectures around the country and overseas. Koch will be interviewed by New York Times reporter Joseph Berger, who, in the series ‘Breaking News in the Jewish World and Beyond,’ engages leading newsmakers and intellectuals in a free-flowing, provocative discussion about the events of the day. The Live from NY’s 92nd Street Y Series is funded in part by the Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Supporting Foundation. Tickets are $5, and may be purchased in advance by contacting Cindy Reed, JCC Registration Associate, at 334.6419. Upcoming broadcasts include Sunday afternoon, Feb 25, 4 p.m., with the two United States Senators from New York State: Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Monday evening, Feb 26, 7:30 p.m., with former Israeli Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres. For more information about the broadcast, please contact me at 334.6404 or rblum@ jccomaha.org.
Visions installs new board
by MAGGIE CONTI Michael Silverman, Executive Director of Jewish Senior Services, installed the 2007 Board Members recently at the Venice Inn. Sol Schwartz, left, Ethel Goldston, Doris Alloy, Jim Wax, Betty Sanford, Rose Pitlor, Tootie Simon, Betty Kolnick, Sally Masnek and Bev Gilinsky. Silverman also discussed the renovation project of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.
Original Mitzvah hero coming to Temple Continued from page 1 “Danny’s a magical person,” said Elyce Azriel, director of education at Temple. “His mitzvot are intriguing. He doesn’t just give money. He takes people under his wing and delivers a very positive message. There’s a lot of give-and-take when he talks to groups -- it’s not a lecture.” In addition to getting ideas for Bar and Bat Mitzvah tzedakah projects, “the kids do things on their own” after talking to Danny, noted Elyce. “We’re planting the seed of social justice in their hearts which is so central to Reform Judaism.” Danny Siegel provides the motivation to cultivate the seed as he tells the youngsters how they can change the world, one mitzvah at a time.
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February 9, 2007
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
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Interior design professional chosen for Blumkin Home ‘New Beginning’ by OZZIE NOGG for JSS/RBJH Kimberly Overton, Associate, and Director of Interiors for Leo A. Day Company, has been selected to oversee interior design for the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home New Beginning. Knowledgeable in all technical requirements for healthcare facilities -- including space planning, layout and specifications, materials, finishes, furnishings and equipment - Overton has served as a project leader and liaison between interior design, architecture, and engineering for hospitals and Life Care Communities around the country. Locally, she provided interior design services for the remodel and expansion at the Nebraska Medical Center, Clarkson Kimberly Overton Hospital and Clarkson West Medical Clinic, where her tasks included patient floor renovation and Physical Therapy suites. “Kimberly brings more than twenty years of experience to our New Beginning,� said Mike Silverman, Executive Director of the RBJH. “We recently had our first project construction meeting and reviewed the feedback on the prototype resident rooms -- what works and what could work even better. Kimberly understands how important it is for the Home to be transformed into a non-institutional environment. Her attention to the Special Care Unit for dementia residents will be a top priority, and her experience insures that the interiors of the SCU, and our entire building, will be appropriate from start to finish. We’re fortunate to have Kimberly on our team.� Overton views the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home as a place to gather, converse, meditate, rejuvenate and explore relationships. “The color palette is still evolving,� she says, “but I envision a classic design that embraces both contemporary and traditional styles. The Blumkin Home is an expression of the love this community gives to its residents. Together, we hope to cre-
ate a building that’s stately yet friendly and inviting, with spaces that are calm and serene.� Overton will work closely with Silverman as well as with the New Beginning architect, contractors, and the RBJH Interior Design Committee, chaired by Nancy Noddle. “I was delighted to be asked to chair this group,� she said. “I love the Home. How could you not want to be part of this exciting project? It is a true privilege to work with the professional staff to make the Blumkin Home the best of its kind -- a cheerful, warm, inviting place -- a real home -- for residents, visitors, for all of us. I’m pleased to welcome Kimberly Overton to our ‘family’.� Other members of the Interior Design Committee are Ducky Milder, Sivi Roffman and Kim Noddle, each of whom praised Overton’s innovative designs. “She brings extensive knowledge to our project and is very much on top of the current healthcare codes,� Kim Noddle said. “The other designers we looked at were very good and came with excellent credentials, but Kimberly had that and more. To me, she is a complete package.� Each committee member has her own personal connection to the Blumkin Home. Milder, who participated in past decorating projects at the RBJH said, “We’re determined to bring a more familiar, homelike atmosphere to our residents. People of all ages come through the doors to visit family and friends. My little granddaughter, Abbey Michael Milder, is one of these visitors. She and her classmates from the Child Development Center are brought into the Home regularly. When I see her face, so happy, I feel such joy. Some of the best medicine for our residents is to see young children, and to see them in comfortable, homey surroundings.� Sivi Roffman added, “Working on the interior design of this building is a joy to my heart. “I’ve had parents, relatives and friends live at the Blumkin Home for both short stay rehabilitation and long term care. Many of them had hearing, visual, motion and cognitive disabilities, and for years, I've been talking about ways to alleviate such issues. Research tells us that aging eyes see colors, patterns and light differently, and that certain colors and personalized decor help people recuperate more quickly. We understand that the size, shape, even
the color of dishes can affect residents’ appetites. We know that residents benefit when bathing and personal care takes place in privacy, with dignity, and in lovely surroundings -- that life for residents in wheelchairs is easier when door handles, closet rods and light switches are positioned lower.� The Interior Design Committee recognizes that these unique issues impact the lives of all the residents, especially those who will live in the new Special Care Unit. “Of course there’s no one-detail-fits-all approach to these challenges,� Roffman said. “Our goal is to create an environment with cutting-edge amenities for our loved ones. An environment that’s easy to navigate and makes people feel good when they walk in. I’m delighted to work with friends and professionals who share this passion.� Of Kimberly Overton, Roffman said, “She listened to our committee's opinions about what we want for our residents, and then showed how she would answer our special needs. Kimberly is open and warm, exactly the kind of person we will like working with.� “This Omaha Jewish community always shines,� Nancy Noddle added. “With the Blumkin Home’s New Beginning, it will shine even brighter.�
B’nai Israel series continues At last month’s speaker series, Staff Sergeant Jay Benton, spoke on the topic, “A Jewish Soldier in Iraq� and showed recent pictures to the congregation. B’nai Israel’s 2006-07 Speaker Series continues tonight with Cheryl Lerner, who will present “Music and Movement in Jewish Dance.� The Omaha Jewish community is welcome to attend. Services begin at 7:30 p.m. and are followed by an Oneg Shabbat.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
February 9, 2007
As 2008 race gets under way, Clinton touts Israel credentials by JACOB BERKMAN NEW YORK, (JTA) -- In her first address to a Jewish group since announcing her candidacy for president, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton tried to convince doubters that she’ll stand by Israel in time of peril. Speaking Feb. 1 at a dinner for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s Northeast region, the New York Democrat - the early front-runner for her party’s presidential nomination -- sought to answer several of the questions Jewish voters will be asking of presidential candidates over the next year and a half. Clinton, 59, was tough on Hamas and Hezbollah, said Iran must not be allowed to become a nuclear power and declared her unequivocal support for the Jewish state. “I have been, I am now and I always will be proud to stand with all of you as a strong supporter of Israel,” the former first lady said. “We believe that Israelis have the right to live in their country without the constant threat of terrorism, war and rocket fire.” Though it’s too early to predict who will take the Jewish vote in the 2008 vote, candidates are expected to woo Jewish voters because of their traditionally strong support for Democrats and their deep pockets as political contributors. Observers say Clinton has made strides as a vocal supporter of Israel during her six years as a New York senator, even though she still may be a tough sell to those who have not forgiven her embrace and kiss with Suha Arafat at a November 1999 event in Gaza -just after Arafat had accused Israel of poisoning Palestinian babies. Clinton claimed Arafat’s comments hadn’t been translated correctly and she became aware of the allegations only after the event. Still, her supporters say that those who bring up that incident now -- after Clinton
has consistently supported legislation in support of Israel -- are grasping at straws. Speaking before a crowd of 1,700 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City, Clinton described the “unbreakable bond between Israel and the United States based on shared interests and rooted in strength.” Israel, she said, is a beacon of democracy in a tyrannical neighborhood, and the threats it faces from Hezbollah and Iran are threats not just to Israel but to the entire Middle East, the United States and the rest of the world. Clinton berated Iran and the Holocaust
Sen. Hillary Clinton takes a strongly proIsrael stance during her Feb. 1, speech at an Credit: AIPAC AIPAC event in New York. denial conference in December hosted by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran, though she didn’t mention Ahmadinejad’s name. The conference “was beyond the pale of international discourse and acceptable behavior,” Clinton said, calling it an insult to survivors and Allied solders who bore witness to Nazi atrocities. “To deny the Holocaust places Iran’s leadership in the company of the most despicable bigots and historical revisionists.” She said the conference only added urgency to the need to deal with Iran.
“U.S. policy must be clear and unequivocal: We cannot, we should not, we must not permit Iran to build or acquire nuclear weapons,” Clinton said. “As I have said for a long time, no option should be taken off the table” in dealing with this threat. But the United States should first try to engage Iran in dialogue, she said. “I’m not sure anything positive would come out of it,” Clinton said, but at least such a dialogue would give the United States more information about its adversary, possibly provide some leverage and -- if military force ultimately is necessary -- show the world that other options had been exhausted first. In a speech in which she sentimentally recalled several trips to Israel, Clinton also said Hamas and Hezbollah must give up terrorism and accept Israel as a reality. She called on both groups to return three captured Israeli soldiers without condition. Clinton, who lobbied for the International Red Cross to accept Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency response organization, said she had sent a letter to IRC President Jacob Kellenberger asking the Red Cross to make sure the captured soldiers are safe and are released. Two are being held in Lebanon and one in Gaza. Clinton also said she would do “an event” this week in the Senate to highlight the antiSemitic and anti-Israeli rhetoric that remains part of the Palestinian educational curriculum. Though AIPAC does not support political candidates, some of the group’s supporters said before the speech that they were curious to hear what Clinton had to say. “I think she is going to answer a lot of the questions,” Gail Levine, a Clinton supporter from Greenwich, Conn., told JTA as she walked into the banquet hall.
Some, like Jules Spotts, a clinical psychologist from New Canaan, Conn., were not yet sold on Clinton. He said he was skeptical because Clinton had been a supporter of the arch-conservative Republican Barry Goldwater in the 1960s. “That is a long time to go back, but it is a large shift from where she was then to where she is now,” Spotts said before the speech. After Clinton’s address -- many said went on a little too long and lacked her husband’s rhetorical flair -- the debate was still open for some. But it’s much too early to predict how Clinton will fare with Jewish voters in November 2008, said Morris Amitay, a former AIPAC head and co-founder of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. “There hasn’t even been any debate,” he said. “It’s the earliest we have ever had a presidential campaign start. The only thing you can say about the Jewish vote now is that it’s heavily Democratic.” Still, debate already has begun among political pundits, said Betsy Sheerr, past president of JACPAC, a political action committee that supports congressional candidates who are both pro-Israel and pro-choice. While Clinton may be leading in polls now, early frontrunners often fade and dark horses can gain momentum later in the race. Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign offers a perfect example of a candidate who seemingly came out of nowhere to win the presidency, Sheerr said. “At this stage of the game, there are a lot of wait-and-see attitudes and there’s going to be no clear preference in the Jewish community for any of the candidates -- except, obviously, their pro-Israel credentials will have to be very solid,” Sheerr said. “I think people are looking to see that they can back a winner.”
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Beth El program encourages preschoolers’ creative sides to shine by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Using creative hands-on activities, a group of Jewish pre-schoolers and their parents answered the question, “ W h a t ’ s Jewish About Art?” during a special Beth El program held last week at the synagogue. Led by Helen Epstein and her volunteers Dottie Rosenblum, David and Judi Finkle, Seth Rich, D a n i e l Christensen and Gabe and Emily Meyer, the children Sharon and Bo Bargas help their children helped to Hannah and Ethan, make hamsas decorat- bake ‘stained ed with colored rice glass’ cookies, decorated bookmarks and Kiddush cups, finger painted
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
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Marcie Spivack helps to add ornamentation to her daughter Chaeli’s bookmark. and sponge-painted, and enjoyed music by Tuffy Epstein and Emily Meyer. “It was great!” Helen Epstein said. “We discovered that everything is Jewish about art. You only have to walk into the synagogue to realize that -- from Torah covers and the ark to every Judaic object, there are beautiful artistic touches everywhere.” On March 11, Beth El will offer “What’s Jewish About Music?” to all Jewish families in the community; for more information, contact Program Director Margie Gutnik at 492.8550, or programming@bethelomaha.org.
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The hidden gifts of the Bar and Bat Mitzvah
JEWISH P ARENTING by SHARON DUKE ESTROFF When we think of bar and bat mitzvah gifts many things come to mind: Fountain pens, cuff links, picture frames, checks. But the true gifts of this religious rite of passage extend far beyond the envelopes and boxes piled up at the party door. Here are a few of the intangible yet invaluable presents the bar or bat mitzvah ritual bestows upon our families. What the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Ceremony Gives to our Child Confidence. If we look into the eyes of the bar mitzvah boy during the first moments of his service we will see one thing and one thing only - pure, unadulterated panic. But as the service progresses, he stands up straighter and walks taller, until he’s officially playing the crowd by Adon Olam. At the Kiddush - as the mazel tovs pile on like lox on bagels – we look again at the bar mitzvah boy, and we see that he is beaming in pure, unadulterated confidence. (The kind of confidence that grows into genuine, deserved, self esteem which will help him to make strong, independent decisions at a time in his life when peer pressure is at its pinnacle.) Resilience. Researchers have tapped resilience – the fundamental ability to roll with the punches of life – to be among the most powerful predictors of children’s future success and happiness. The bar/bat mitzvah experience is an exercise in resilience. For not only must our children study their Torah portions for months on end – they stumble over them for months on end (as anyone who has ever tried to read trope can attest!). Not only do they write and rewrite their D’var Torah, they must conquer their nerves and deliver it to hundreds of congregants. The bar/bat mitzvah process is a series of hurdles and jumps. A long, hard race with a flag of steadfast resilience waving fervently at the finish line. L’dor v’dor. A beautiful and increasingly popular tradition is to opening the ark and pass the Torah from grandparents to parents to the bar/bat mitzvah child. This passing of the holy scroll is the embodiment of l’dor v’dor – from generation to generation. Adolescence is by definition a time of transition. A steady stream of physical, emotional and social changes. Yet when our child receives the Torah – passed hand to hand to him - on the morning of his bar mitzvah, he
feels the stability, consistency and safety that comes in being embedded in generations of tradition. What Our Child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah Ceremony Gives Us as Parents An Opportunity to Express our Love for our Child. Caught up in the rocket pace of 21st century life, we scarcely have a moment to tell our children how we feel about them. Sure we kiss them goodnight and tell them we love them (if they are nice enough to still let us do so); but rarely - if ever - do we express it in the emotional, heartfelt way we do on the day they become a bar or bat mitzvah. Reaffirmation of our Purpose. All modesty aside here, bringing our son or daughter to the bar or bat mitzvah bimah is a mega-accomplishment! It means we’ve put valuable time and resources into ensuring our child receives a Jewish education and is armed with a Jewish identity; and have fulfilled our obligation to God, to ourselves, to our children and to our people. A Rite of Passage of our Very Own. The bar or bat mitzvah is a rite of passage for our children – a marker of their transition from one stage of life to another. But it is also a rite of passage for us. For as our children transform into teenagers, we must transform as parents. In our child’s bar or bat mitzvah we have a stepping stone to help us find our way to the next stage in our parental journey. A Wonderful, Happy Family Memory. Do you remember in the birthday party chapter when we talked about flashbulb memories – memories that stick around in our minds for the long-haul? Well our child’s bar or bat mitzvah is a surefire flashbulb memory - A festive, jubilant, meaningful family memory that will nourish our family’s soul for years to come. Life in Perspective. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the everyday hassles of parenting (i.e. carpools, homework, schlepping to extracurriculars). But every now then something comes along and puts it all in perspective; enabling us to savor the moment and stop – at least temporarily- and smell the roses. Our child’s bar or bat mitzvah is one of those rare and glorious times in our lives when the universe all lines up. When we feel God’s divine presence, know exactly what matters and what does not, and understand exactly why we’re here. Sharon Duke Estroff is an internationally-syndicated Jewish parenting columnist, award-winning Jewish educator and mother of four. Her first book, Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah? The Essential 411 on Raising Modern Jewish Kids will be published by Broadway Books, a division of Random House, in 2007.
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Page 6
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
February 9, 2007
Nominations sought for Sokolof teacher’s award
W
ith great joy we invite the entire community to join as our son Levi Yitzchok is called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah on February 17, 2007 at the Chabad House. 10:00 Torah reading followed by a Kiddush luncheon. Rabbi Mendel and Shani Katzman ),71(66 )25 <285 0,1' $1' %2'<
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by JANET HENTHORN Foundation Endowment Associate When Phil Sokolof died in April 2004, he left a legacy of generosity to the Jewish community of Omaha. As part of his bequest of $3 million, Sokolof designated a $10,000 annual award to a Jewish teacher in the Omaha metropolitan area, preferably one who teaches kindergarten through 12th grade. The Phil and Ruth Sokolof Outstanding Teacher award is in recognition of a person’s contributions as a teacher and mentor Jan Fischer to the education and overall achievements of his or her students. Shari Hess chairs the selection committee for the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, which administers the Sokolof Funds. Hess, a retired teacher, was a winner of the Alice Buffett Outstanding Teacher Award for a teacher in the Omaha Public School District. According to Hess, the nominee must be a Jewish teacher who has taught for at least five years and is cur-
Mishpacha Mornings Take II: food and food for thought by TIPPI DENENBERG for Chabad House Back by popular demand is Chabad’s “Mishpacha (Family) Mornings.� This is a whole-family oriented program in which you are guaranteed to learn something for yourself and your kids in an atmosphere that is completely relaxed and fun.
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rently teaching. Anyone (including former students, parents or other teachers) who is knowledgeable of a teacher’s qualifications can nominate a teacher. “You cannot nominate yourself, and there is no stipulation on how the award can be spent,â€? Hess said. “There are no forms to fill out. We ask only that you send us a letter describing the teacher’s attributes and actions that make him or her special. Specific examples should be included.â€? Janis Fischer, the award’s inaugural recipient who teaches English at Millard North High School, is described in one letter of nomination as a person who â€œâ€Śexemplifies all the qualities one hopes for in a teacher: genuine concern, creativity, warmth, empathy, humor, strength, discipline and fairness.â€? Nominations are due March 1 to: Sokolof Teacher’s Award Committee, c/o Janet Henthorn, Jewish Federation Foundation, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. “What a wonderful way to recognize one of the most important professions in our community -- the educators of our children,â€? said Suzanne Richards Singer, Chairman of the Sokolof Funds. “We hope anyone in our community who knows of an outstanding teacher will honor that person by submitting a nomination.â€?
Rabbi Katzman fills candleholders with olive oil. The format of the program is as follows: breakfast is ready the second you arrive, everyone chats and noshes, then the children and adults attend separate but equally stimulating short sessions, and lastly everyone regroups to tie it all together or to finish an art project. The main goal of this short-term event is to infuse
your family with Jewish identity and Jewish learning; Shani, Estie and Rabbi Mendel Katzman give you the tools and the knowledge to do just that, using the seasonal study of Purim and Passover as a framework. The classes meet Sunday mornings on Feb. 18, March 11, 18, and 25, 10:15-11:45 a.m. The class is geared towards families with children around six and under. Your whole family, including grandparents, is invited, and everyone is encouraged to attend. If you Ellen Platt and her daughters are regular like to learn, if attendees at Mishpacha mornings. you like to eat, if you like to see your kids glow with Jewish pride, what are you waiting for? Call 391.7640 or e-mail me at TippiM@aol.com. Cost to cover food and material for your entire family group is $95. More information can be found at www.ochabad.com.
Nominations due for JCC athlete awards by BOB FRANZESE JCC Athletic Director and ED HELLER, JCC Fitness Center Director The JCC Athletic Wall of Fame and Jewish High School Athlete of the Year awards recognize the achievement of Omaha’s Jewish athletes. Wall of Famers include those who participated in JCC sports programs in their youth and went on to make significant contributions to the Jewish community, the general community and/or the Jewish Community Center. The Athlete of the Year awards recognize the achievements of Omaha’s elite Jewish Athletes in high school. All participants who meet the following criteria will be honored with a presentation of a plaque at the final JCC Board Meeting on June 5. Wall of Famers must be Jewish; have participated in at least one JCC sponsored sports program; lettered and excelled in a varsity sport for a high school or university, and/or won a city or state championship in a particular sport; and devoted at least three-to-five years of service towards the betterment of the community. This service
is to be contributed to the JCC and/or the Jewish community by being active on committees, a volunteer leader through a program, acting as chairman on committees, or promotion of programs. Last year’s Wall of Fame Inductees included: Jill Belmont and Tom Kirshenbaum. High school athletes must: be Jewish, be a senior in high school, have lettered in a sport at the varsity level. (Note: The recipient is not required to be a current member of the JCC.) Last year’s recipients included: Alexander Cemaj, Jacob Godwin, Benjamin Goldstrom, Jon Lerner, Zach Muskin, Jacob Phillips, Ben Salzinger, Alex Wolf. Applications for this award will be approved and judged by the JCC Health and Fitness Committee. Nomination forms can be found online at www.jccomaha.org, or may be picked up at Member Services. Deadline is April 2. For more information on the “Wall of Fame� contact Ed Heller at 334.6580; for information on “Jewish High School Athlete of the Year�, contact Bob Franzese at 334.6424.
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Music, services, dinner and a scavenger hunt were all a part of Beth Israel’s first “Friday Night Live!� last month. This new program for families included songs led by guitar-playing Rabbi Seth Nadel. According to Nadel, “It was meaningful to spend Friday night together as a large ‘family.’ Singing, sharing ideas and enjoying each other’s company was important. We started out with some Shabbat songs with the kids. We had a Kabbalat Shabbat service, followed by dinner. During dinner, we sang traditional zemirot.
The kids were very enthusiastic about the scavenger hunt after dinner. They were racing around the building, finding answers to clues pertaining to Israel. Clues included elements of synagogue decor and objects. Josh and Max Polack won the scavenger hunt.� The next “Friday Night Live!� is Friday, March 16, 5 p.m. This funfilled celebration will include pre-Shabbat music and a traditional dinner. Cost is $12 for adults and free for children ages 12 and under. For more information, call 556.6288.
February 9, 2007
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 7
We’re going to the Fair! by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT for Friedel Jewish Academy This Thursday, Friedel Jewish Academy will host its annual Science Fair. Having a student attend Friedel is a constant adventure. It never ceases to amaze us as parents how much they learn, how fast they learn it, and how much fun they
a topic. The whole family started looking for something fun to research, although my two-year-old son was very little help. I don’t think there are any scientific experiments involving Elmo. He was disappointed, but we moved on. We spoke with our daughter about
All the Friedel students who participated in last year's Science Fair display their medals. have in the process. growing beans and, at first, she was Recently, my own kindergartener came enthusiastic about the idea. We would home with a sign-up slip for this Science plant the beans, water the beans, and Fair. Considering that she still has trouble watch the beans grow. This particular tying her own shoes, this seemed a tall topic is also known as “Mommy Does All order. However, the teachers at Friedel the Work”. After one week, it became have been extremely helpful with all my obvious she had absolutely no interest in daughter’s academic endeavors so far. We these beans, and the project was signed the slip, and that was that. scratched. Besides, we wanted to find Kindergarten teacher Diana Zeman some kind of Jewish connection, and told us she would do great, and that it couldn’t find any Jewish beans to plant. would be a wonderful learning experience We then spoke with Josephine Zbylutfor the whole family. While this sounded Birky, who was on stand-by to assist with assuring, we were now faced with finding any problems. She told us that it was
Principal Cookie Katskee who introduced the Science Fair to Friedel several years ago, and that on average 25 students participate. Mrs. Zbylut-Birky is a retired OPS teacher who continues to work as a consultant. She has taught both elementary and high school students for many years. In other words, she has a lot of experience in helping students with all kinds of projects. According to Zbylut-Birky, “The nice thing about the Science Fair is that it benefits both students and their families. The students get a chance to experiment with topics they are interested in, so it is important that they choose their own field of research. When they research what they really like, they enjoy the whole experience much more. Another nice thing about the fair is the emphasis on effort. All students who participate Mika Caplan stands in front of her project with receive a medal from the judges. That her certificates. way, the element of competition takes a backseat to learning.” She added that “parents get a chance to be actively involved with their child’s work. They often enjoy learning more about what interests their child. Oftentimes, students come up with topics their parents did not know were interesting to them.” In our household, that means “no beans”. My daughter wanted to research the weather instead. She is documenting what it looks like outside, and doing little experiments with snow and ice. Her hypothesis: At 70º F, it will take one cup of ice 40 years to melt. After all, 40 years is an important time span in Jewish history, so there, finally, is our Rebecca Novak shows off her medal, as OPS Jewish connection. And she came up consultant Joey Zbylut-Birky and FJA Principal with that all by herself. Cookie Katskee look on with approval
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Page 8
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
February 9, 2007
Teen Trips to Israel don’t have to break the bank A tiskit, a tasket: make Purim baskets with Julie Phillips
their final year in college or age 23. by CHERYL LERNER Administrative Assistant Students whose families are residents of the Omaha metropolitan community, are members in good standing Center for Jewish Education Why am I smiling as I write this article? My 15-year of an area synagogue, are enrolled in a program of old son will be spending six weeks in Israel this summer. Jewish studies approved by the family’s synagogue, and by GARY KATZ And the best part is it won’t break my bank account! are members in good standing with the Jewish Library Adminstrator How did our family do it? No, we didn’t rob a bank or Federation, are eligible to participate in the Passport to Purim is Judaism’s most dramatic, fun-filled holiday, win the lottery. All it took was a little foresight on our Israel program. If you decide not to use the funds for and the mitzvah of sending Mishloach Manot to friends part and a lot of generosity from the Jewish Federation whatever reason, the money you have deposited is fully on Purim is one of the four designated mitzvot for this of Omaha and our synagogue. returnable. holiday, the others being reading/hearing the Megillah, To promote travel to Israel for teens and young adults, My husband and I put approximately $200 per year eating a festive meal, and giving money to the poor. the Jewish Federation of Omaha offers two programs to into the Passport to Israel account, starting when my Spend the morning creating Shalach Manot packages metro Omaha Jewish community families. The pro- son Alec was in third grade. Between the Israel with local artist Julie Philips on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 9:30 grams have been in existence for a number of years and Experience Grant and the Passport to Israel program, a.m., in the Kripke Library. Adults will be able to design recent changes to the programs by the Federation have his whole trip to Israel this year is almost fully paid. and create their own whimsical Shalach Manot packages made them even better! In addition to the above programs, the Financial Aid for free. Israel Experience Grants provide a one-time grant for Committee of the Center for Jewish Education has sevPhilips described last year’s event, noting that “the an approved Israel eral funds avail- adults had so much fun. You don’t have to be ‘crafty’ to experience. The able from which create something whimsical and unique for your friends grant may be used it awards finan- and family. Just be ready to wield a glue gun and let from the time the cial-need based your imagination run!” student is in grade scholarships. The tradition of sending Mishloach Manot baskets of nine through age Over the past food to friends and relatives began with Queen Esther 25. Recipients three years, more and Mordechai. These gifts customarily have at least two must agree to perthan $100,000 different foods or drinks that do not have to be cooked form service to has been awarded or prepared by the person receiving the basket. the Jewish comto families for Adults are encouraged to bring their children to watch munity after children’s sum- a Purim video and listen to stories in the library’s chilreturning from mer camp and dren’s section. All supplies and contents of the Shalach Israel, attend any Israel experi- Manot packages will be provided. required preparaences. The genThis program is free, but please call Cheryl Lerner to tory classes, and erosity of many make a reservation at 334.6462 or e-mail her at clernthe student’s famdonors and the er@jewishomaha.com. ily must be a curOmaha Jewish Service Nebraska Press Advertising rent donor, in community good standing, to makes this fundthe Annual ing possible. 4 Page with____ three Campaign of the ARTZA brought 21 Omaha Jewish teens to Israel last summer, along The applicaplanned2x2 forNetwork 2007, other tion Region: Southeast Western Statewide Jewish Federation. adult chaperones. While there is no community trip deadline forCentral ✔ Northeast options are available to Nebraska’s Jewish teens: NFTY, NCSY, and USY all offer The Passport to both Israel Special Order Tippi and Steve Denenberg announce the Jan. 5 Israel program is summer programs, as does BBYO, Young Judaea, B’nei Akiva and Young Israel. E x p e r i e n c e for infor- Grants and finan- birth of their daughter, Sasha Belle. an easy and afford- Call Mary Sue Grossman at the Center for Jewish Education, 334.6445, ONE TIME, These ads are to run She is named for Marion Belle Fantle Schimmel, Ruth able way for fami- mation on these and other Israel experiences. cial-need based beginning the Week of Feb. 5, 2007 lies to save for their child’s future Israel experience. scholarships is March 30. Applications are available on Belzer, and Bernice Magid. Just call Danny this newspaper to place your classic She has two brothers, andtoday Michael Families may make annual deposits into this fund any the Jewish Federation website at Your newspaper has agreed to car, truck or motorcycle for sale ad and photo on the Grandparents are Bernard and web Carolyn time from the child’s kindergarten year through the www.jewishomaha.org. Select the Center for Jewish midwestclassiccars.com site for onlyMagid $25. Or go toand participate in the Nebraska Display Denenberg. child’s sophomore year in high school. Education page and then select the Scholarships and Eunice and Norman the site to find your dream car. It·s your connection to Ad Network program by running classic vehicles for sale throughout the Midwest. Families must deposit a minimum of $125 per year Grants page. Applications are also available by calling these ads in the main news section Laurie Josh$25 Cooper of runs Aurora, announce via newspaper e-mail to mgrossman@jewishomaand up to $250 per year, to a maximum total of $2,000, 334.6445oforyour Yes,and for only your ad untilCO SOLD!!! (NOT Nebraska PresstheAdvertising Service the Jan. 7 birth of their son, Camden Nathaniel Martin will be equally matched by the Jewish Federation. The ha.org. classified section of your newspaper). My son is going toadvertisers have the may experience family’s affiliated synagogue will also provide some level At times, request of a lifetime, Cooper. Your connection to classic car buyers throughout the Midwest. Grandparents are Linda and Larry Rhoten of his Jewish identity, making of matching funds. The funds must be used for an strengthening a specific section, however, the new friends, 4 Page ____ Coldspring, TX, Ronda Suvalsky Thompson of his connection to Israel, made possible approved program in Israel and can be used anytime and deepening decision is ultimately up to each You’ll Love Our Cooper. Scottsdale, AZ and Susie and JeffPrices! ✔ fortuitous generosity of the Jewish Federation. after a student has reached 10th grade but no later than by the Northeast Southeast Western newspaper. Region: Central Statewide 2x2 Network Advertise in this amount of space for only $825. Reach All ads designed and distributed Special Order over 375,000 Nebraska households! Contact your local by the NPAS are in SAU50 sizes. newspaper for more information or call 1-800-369-2850. [1 column = 1 13/16 inches] ONE TIME,
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February 9, 2007
(JTA) -- Two activists were honored for their work in the Soviet Jewry movement. Glenn Richter of New York City and Simon Frumkin of Studio City, Calif., were named co-recipients of the 2006 Cohon Award, the Rabbi Samuel S. and A. Irma Cohon Memorial Foundation announced. Richter, married to a cousin of Omahan Shirley Goldstein, herself a well known activist in the Free Soviet Jewry movement, created and led the Student Struggle for Soviet Jews. Frumkin, born in the Soviet Union, organized and led the Southern California Council on Soviet Jewry. Both organizations campaigned for the release of Soviet refuseniks. The Better Business Bureau, Inc., serving Nebraska, southwest Iowa and South Dakota, announced that its Foundation is launching an annual Scott Mecham BBB Student of Integrity Awards scholarship worth $2,000. Three scholarships will be awarded to students who reside in the geographic area served by the BBB. and were established to honor the memory of Mecham who served as the BBB president from 1991-2006, when he died unexpectedly. Independent panels of judges from the academic and business communities in Omaha, Lincoln, and Sioux Falls will select the recipients. Applicants must be nominated by their high school principals or guidance counselors. The application, including an essay and letters of recommendation, must be sent to a BBB office by March 16. The scholarship recipients will be announced in May and recognized at the Business Integrity Award luncheon in September. For information, visit www.bbbnebraska. org, www.bbbswiowa.org or www.southdakota.org. The Food Network’s Dave Lieberman is the host for the Food Bank’s Annual Fundraiser on March 8. Lieberman is the host of Good Deal with Dave Lieberman airing on Saturday and Sunday mornings. He got his start cooking as a kid with his stay-at-home dad and while in college, he started Campus Cuisine, a public access show. He is also a cookbook author (Young and Hungry and Dave’s Dinners) and a private chef to individual and corporate clients. He takes fresh, simple ingredients and turns them into eye-popping, affordable dishes.
Breakfast with Dave is the morning of March 8, 8 a.m. at The Market Basket in Countryside Village at 87th and Pacific. Only 25 tickets are available. Dave will visit each person and sign his latest cookbook. Tickets are $125 and include a complimentary copy of Dave’s Dinners. The Celebrity Chef Gala is March 8, 5:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Convention Center at 72nd and Grover. Tickets are $125. The event begins with hors d’oeuvres and drinks, a Book Signing and Silent Auction; around 6:45 p.m., Dave demonstrates making two of his favorite recipes which are then auctioned off to the crowd. Following the cooking demonstration, dinner is served. For information, contact Jewel Knapp, 402.331.1213 or jewelk@omahafoodbank.org. The Board of Directors of Downtown Omaha, Inc. honored the 2007 recipients of the Outstanding Achievement Awards last week. “Celebrate Downtown Omaha” is a bi-annual event that began in 1997. It is designed to commemorate the past and celebrate the future of downtown Omaha. The event is sponsored by DOI, a non-profit, privately funded corporation dedicated to helping the downtown community continue to be a viable, healthy, growing segment of Omaha. The 2007 honorees included: Architectural Planning & Preservation: Mike Moylan/Shamrock Development and Lund-Ross for the Paxton Condominium Project; Cultural Arts & Entertainment: The Holland Family; Economic Development: George Eisenberg for economic development of the Old Market; Spirit of Community: Joni Baillon, City of Omaha; Visionary/Pioneer: The Prouty Family, Wessco Graphics; and Special Events: ConAgra. The Nebraska Shakespeare Festival is accepting submissions for its 10th Annual Anne Dittrick Sonnet Writing Contest. This year marks the second year of an adult/postsecondary division, which will run alongside the festival’s existing high school division. Each adult entry needs a cover page with name, phone, e-mail address and sonnet title. The second page should be sonnet only (no personal identification). If multiple sonnets are submitted, each should include a separate cover page. Each high school entry requires a cover page with name, grade, school, teacher and teacher’s phone. The second page should be sonnet only (no personal identification). While there is no limit to the number of sonnets submitted by one student, or one school, teachers are encouraged to pre-screen entries. Multiple entries from a school may be submitted in one packet. Entries in both divisions must be postmarked, faxed or e-mailed no later than Monday, March 12. The firstplace adult division winner will receive $100. In the high school division, the first-place winner will receive a scholarship to Camp Shakespeare 2007, and his or her teacher will receive reserved seating at the 2007 festival. The winning entries in both divisions will be published in the souvenir program for Shakespeare on the Green 2007. Entries should be sent to: Sonnet Writing Contest, Adult or High School Division, Nebraska Shakespeare, Department of Theatre, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 60th and Dodge, Omaha, NE 68182-0154 For more information, contact Kasey Brandt, NSF director for Production/Education, at 402.554.3072, fax 402.554.3436, or e-mail kbrandt@nebraskashakespeare.com. Information is also available at www. nebraskashakespeare.com.
Beth El Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group will learn how to ‘clear the clutter’ at next meeting by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator For those afraid to open their closets for fear of the avalanche that might bury them, or those unable to part with ancient receipts, magazines and clothing, the Beth El Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group is offering help during its upcoming meeting. “Clear the Clutter: You May Just Find Yourself!” is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m., at the home of Joye Wees, 12605 Lafayette Cir.; Nancy Skid is serving as co-host. Guest speaker during the meeting will be organizational consultant and owner of Life in Order, Meg Davies, who notes that “life distracts us in so many ways from our true intentions. Those distractions, whether tangible or not, are clutter.” Davies said that during the evening, she will focus on
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IN THE NEWS Fraser Stryker has announced the formation of the Fraser Stryker Diversity Scholarship Program and will begin awarding college-level scholarships in 2007. The purpose of the Program is to provide college tuition assistance and paid internships at the firm for students of African-American, Asian, Latino and Native-American origins from low-income families in the Omaha metro area. Scholarships are for students who are interested in a career in law. The initial deadline is March 9, 2007. Applications are available in the counselor’s office at all Omaha metro high schools and on the firm’s website, www.fraser stryker. com. The scholarships are to be used for tuition, fees, books, supplies and the equipment incurred by the scholars to further their education. The firm plans to award two scholarships in 2007. Each scholarship will be in the amount of $2,500 per academic year. Formed in 1898, Fraser Stryker has grown to become a nationally recognized law firm of 50 lawyers who represent local, national and multinational clients in complex business transactions and litigation matters. Fraser Stryker attorneys participate actively in a wide array of community organizations. For more information or an application, please visit www.fraserstryker.com.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
ways to simplify, organize and help to transform our everyday lives “from chaos into calm.” “I'll offer a presentation about organization and why it’s so important, especially for women,” Davies said. “Because we take on so much and take care of so many, we need to simplify and be organized to achieve balance and serenity, as opposed to driving ourselves crazy -essentially work smarter, not harder.” “So many of us are overwhelmed by clutter and the disorder in our lives, but don’t know what to do about it,” Wees said. “Nancy and I are looking forward to our evening with Meg, and know that with her engaging style and terrific tips, we’ll all leave with a better idea of how to ‘clean up our act!’” To make reservations for the meeting, contact Wees at sjwees@gmail.com, or Skid at srskider@aol.com.
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Yachad’s attention focused on Omaha Symphony by DUANE J. PIEPER this particular event. With a diverse array of classical The Omaha Symphony’s concert, “May I Have Your pieces woven together by the conductor, within the Attention Please!”, had exquisite confines of the Yachad’s full attention Holland Performing Arts from the very first notes Center, it was an enchanting of John Williams’ experience. The patrons of the “Liberty Fanfare” event were transported by the music to places that only our through Tchaikovsky’s imaginations have access to. “Symphony No. 4 in F Everyone left the Center more Minor, Op. 36”. Thomas alive with lasting memories to Wilkins, Omaha cherish. Extra thanks goes to Symphony’s charismatic Toby Fellman, who provided conductor, created a flurthe tickets for the Yachad ry of excitement and members. anticipation that was Yachad’s next two events will much more captivating be in a different venue but will than the white flurry of reflect the same sort of team snow flakes falling from the sky last Sunday after- Avi Wolfson and Eric Friedberg appreciated the music and preparation and effort in a disnoon. No one regretted engaging style of Omaha Symphony conductor, Thomas play of artistry in its own right. The members attended a braving the elements to Wilkens. attend this Omaha Symphony-sponsored Family Creighton University basketball game, followed by a UNO hockey game at the Qwest Center. Concert. Please call Jewish Family Service at 334.6491 for Sometimes when all the right elements come together you can feel a special magic in the air. That was true at information on upcoming programs.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT There is no other Valentine’s Day experience in Omaha like that found at Lauritzen Gardens. Immerse yourself in the romantic beauty of candlelight and the lush indoor floral display, accented this year by stunning hand-blown and stained-glass works of art. If you are planning to make reservations for our special Valentine’s Day dinner on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. reservations only. For pricing and menu options, please visit www.lauritzengardens.org, or call Merri at 402.346.4002, ext. 201, to make your reservation. The Omaha Community Playhouse seeks 18 individuals from the community to fill the various roles in its upcoming production of You Can’t Take It With You. Auditions will be held Monday, Feb. 12, 7 p.m, and Tuesday, Feb. 13, 7 p.m., and are open to the public. You Can’t Take It With You will be performed on the Playhouse’s 601-seat Mainstage and directed by Susie Baer Collins, Playhouse Associate Director. Those auditioning should enter through the west “Stage Door” entrance and proceed to the check-in table. Auditions will be held in the Hitchcock Rehearsal Hall. A limited number of scripts are available for check-out (three day limit, please). To check out a script or for more information, please call 553.4890, ext. 110. Art & Soup, sponsored by the Visiting Nurse Association, will fund nursing services at Omaha shelters, according to Betty Cernech, vice-president of community health services at the VNA. The 10th annual fundraiser will take place at the Holiday Inn Central, 72nd and Grover, on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2-6 p.m. It will
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This year’s winter play at Millard North High School is Up the Down Staircase and features Omaha teens Arielle Levine, Steve Meyer, Anna Munzesheimer and Amy Schweid. The director is MNHS teacher Jan Fischer. This “oldie, but goodie” is still relevant as audiences watch a new, young, idealistic English teacher cope in a lower class Brooklyn neighborhood, where getting an education is not a priority for most of the students. Tickets for the play, which opens tonight, Feb. 9, 7 p.m., are $6 at the door. The play will also be performed Feb. 10, 7 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 11, 2 p.m. The Yellowjackets, an innovative, eclectic jazz group, will perform on Saturday, March 3, 8 p.m., at the Peter Kiewit Concert Hall at the Holland Center. Since they began making waves in jazz radio 25 years ago, the Yellowjackets have spent their time, and more than a dozen albums, pushing the boundaries of this musical genre to include elements of bebop, funk, R&B, world music and rock. Tickets to the Omaha Performing Arts event are priced from $19-$40, and are available by calling Ticket Omaha: 402.345.0606 or online at www.ticketomaha.org
ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Deb Suttle will speak at Breadbreakers on Wednesday, Feb. 14, noon, at Regency Lodge, according to Sylvia Wagner, Chairman. Suttle, a former state senator, will discuss “One hump or two.” What will become of the idea to turn the only one-house legislature (the Unicameral) in the country into a bicameral legislature” All men and women in the community are invited to attend. Cost is $12 for lunch and $3 for beverage service only. WALK-IN, DROP-IN For those members going on the day trip to the Ameristar Casino, please meet at the JCC by 8:45 a.m.
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feature original art from more than 75 area artists and soup from 20 of Omaha’s best restaurants. Culinary judges will select the winners in the “Battle of the Soups” competition. Tickets are $40 in advance, $45 at the door, and can be purchased online at www.vnaomaha.org or by calling 402.930.4021.
LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Come to the Yiddish meeting at the JCC on Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. at the JCC. The Yiddish Group is a zamler (collector) for the National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA. If you have any Yiddish books to donate, please call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638. VISIONS Reminder: For those members going to the Omaha Community Playhouse to see Urinetown -- the Musical on Sunday, Feb. 11, lease meet in the lobby at 1:30 p.m. to pick up tickets from Ethel Goldston.
Visions invites you to explore the new exhibits at the Durham Western Heritage Museum on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 10:15 a.m. A docent-led tour of Museum’s Traveling Exhibits include “Fashion in Film”, “Pressing Matters”, and “Omaha: A City with Style.” Lunch follows the tour at the Bohemian Café. Cost of $14 per person includes lunch, tax, tip and museum admittance. Send reservations and full payment to Doris Alloy, 11317 Harney Plz. Cir., Omaha, NE 68154 by Feb. 16. For questions, call Rosalie Meiches at 556.5507. Visions luncheon meeting is Friday, March 16, 12:30 p.m., at the Venice Inn. Join us for musical entertainment by Derek Ventura. Cost is $10. Send reservations to Tootie Simon, 8725 Izard St., Omaha, NE 68114. For questions, call Jim Wax at 393.4442 by March 9. Come see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at Union Station in Kansas City on Monday, April 30. The cost of $74 includes coach transportation, shopping at the Country Club Plaza (with lunch on your own), admission to the exhibit and a dinner at the Union Station Café. Depart from the JCC at 8:30 a.m. (be at the JCC by 8:15 a.m.). Then arrive home at about 9:30 p.m. Send reservations to Betty Sanford, 9205 Western Ave., #127, Omaha, NE 68114 by Feb. 26. For information, call her at 399.2001. Make all checks payable to Visions.
February 9, 2007
Reading of award-winning books brings noted author to Lincoln
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Page 11
Jews mostly come up empty as Oscar nominees are named
by TOM TUGEND LOS ANGELES (JTA) -- If a Jewish cabal supposedly by GERALD SHAPIRO Fiction writer Steve Stern, a two-time winner of the runs Hollywood, it sure did a lousy job promoting its National Jewish Book Award in Fiction, will give a pub- own for Academy Award nominations. Where in past lic reading at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, on years one could at least count on a Steven Spielberg film Thursday, April 12, 7 p.m., at the Great Plains Art or a Holocaust documentary to provide Jewish flavor, this year the pickings were slim when the Oscar hopefuls Gallery, 12th and Q Street, in Lincoln. were announced Jan. 23. Stern was was born and However, there were three consolation prizes: Alan raised in Memphis, TN, (middle name Wolf) Arkin received an Oscar nomination where much of his fiction is in the Supporting Actor category for his role as set. His books include Isaac Grandpa, the heroin-snorting, womanizing family patriand the Undertaker's arch in Little Miss Sunshine. Daughter, winner of the The 72-year-old actor, director, author and musician Pushcart Writer's Choice holds the distinction of having been nominated for an Award, Lazar Malkin Enters Oscar in his very first screen appearance in 1966 in The Heaven, winner of the Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming. Two Edward Lewis Wallant years later he was nominated again for his role in The Award for Jewish Fiction, Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. The Wedding Jester, The In a past interview, Arkin observed, “Well, I’ve always Angel of Forgetfulness, and Steve Stern been a character actor, I’ve never been a leading man. It many other works. He has won an O.Henry gave me an opportunity not to have to take my clothes Prize and this year received a off all the time.” Despite a flood of shrewd publicity, Borat: Cultural prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship. He teaches at Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Skidmore College in upstate Kazakhstan won only one nomination for the faux jourNew York. Critical praise for nalist’s creator, Sacha Baron Cohen. The British comediStern’s work has been an was named in the Adapted Screenplay category -- who steadily building for a num- knew there even was a screenplay? -- along with co-writber of years. The ers Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham and Dan Mazer. Philadelphia Inquirer has called Steve Stern “. . .an Nebraska Press Advertising astonishing writer. . .who Service has secured himself a seat in the distinguished history of Jewish-American letters.” The New 3 Yorker has described Page ____ his prose as “the whimsical whine of a klezmer band.” Western Region: Central ✔ Northeast Southeast Statewide 2x2 Network And The New York Times Book Review has called him “a Special Orderwriter. . .who arrives unheralded prodigiously talented 3318 23rd St. like one of the apparitions in his own stories.” Cynthia TIME, Theseone ads are to run ONEmost Ozick, herself of America’s renowned authors, Columbus, NE 5, 2007 beginning the Week of Feb. has offered this praise: “Steve Stern’s prose has the idioRandy (402) 563-1884 syncratic bounce and high antic fever of a Jewish Huck Sacha Baron Cohen, center, received only one Oscar nomiYour newspaper has agreed to Finn.” This event, co-sponsored by the Display Norman and Bernice nation for Borat, in the Adapted Screenplay category. participate in the Nebraska Credit: 20th Century Fox Ad Network programStudies by running Harris Center for Judaic and the Creative these ads at in the the University main news section And finally there’s the real dark-horse nomination of Writing Program of Nebraska-Lincoln, Service of and youropen newspaper (NOT the West Bank Story in the Short Film-Live Action category. will be free to the public. classified section ofcall yourthe newspaper). For more information, Norman and Bernice Director Ari Sandel tags his work as “A little singing, a At for times, advertisers may402.472.9561 request Harris Center Judaic Studies, or the little dancing, a lot of hummus.” specificProgram, section, 402.472.1871, however, the or via e-mail A review in the Jewish Journal of Greater Creative aWriting 45-hrs/wk, Salary, Min. Los AgeAngeles 18, decision is ultimately up to each CKRUID2@unl.edu or gshapiro@unlnotes.unl.edu. ntral Northeast Southeast Western
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two years ago lauded “the very funny film featuring an all-singing, all-dancing cast. In it, the Israeli boy and the Palestinian girl join hands and hearts to settle a bitter rivalry between their families’ competing West Bank falafel stands.” In the documentary feature category, Israel’s Storm of Emotions, chronicling the evacuation of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, had been among the top 15 choices but did not make the final cut of five. In the same category, however, American Jewish filmmakers made a good showing, among them David Guggenheim for An Inconvenient Actor Tomer Steinhof, plays young kib- Truth, Al Gore’s buznik Dvir, in a scene from the Israeli global warming film Sweet Mud, submitted for the warning that was Foreign Film category, but not nominat- produced by ed. It did, however, win a prize at the activist Laurie recent Sundance FIlm Festival. David -- wife of Credit: Yoni Hamenachem TV personality and writer Larry David. Other nominated documentary filmmakers are Amy Berg for Deliver Us From Evil, about pedophilia charges against Catholic priests, and Jesus Camp by Rachel Grady. Two Israeli films took prizes at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Sweet Mud or Adama Meshugaat in Hebrew, received the World Cinema Jury Prize for Drama. Sweet Mud, a top-grossing film in Israel this year, is the country’s foreign entry in the Academy Awards. It tells the story of a young Israeli boy coming of age on a kibbutz while trying to provide emotional support for his depressive mother. The World Cinema Documentary Competition Jury presented a Special Jury Prize to Hot House, directed by Shimon Dotan, which looks at how Israeli prisons have become a breeding ground for the next generation of Palestinian leaders as well as the birthplace of future terrorist threats.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
February 9, 2007
A mosaic of Israel’s traditions: unity through diversity by SHARON KANON Jerusalem (IPS) -- Jews all over the world celebrate the Sabbath, holidays and festivals, fasts and feasts with unique customs that are rooted in an incredible variety of ethnic cultures. Many ritual practices have been enhanced with sometimes exotic but always meaningful customs, many drawn from local folklore. A fascinating new book, A Mosaic of Israel’s Tradition: Unity Through Diversity, by Iranian-born ethnologist Esther Shkalim, is an enjoyable ride through the rich cultural diversity of the Jewish people. Shkalim moved to Israel with her family in 1958. An acclaimed poet in Israel, she earned a Master’s Degree in Jewish Studies from Washington University in St. Louis and is a doctoral candidate at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The book was the idea of Diana Schiowitz, who edited the book along with Frieda Horwitz. “After moving to Israel in 1985 and settling in a mixed community, I was shocked to discover how little I knew about the practices of so many of my fellow Jews,” said Schiowitz. During the five years that Schiowitz served as Chairman of the Israel Executive of the AMIT educational network in Israel (2000-05), it was clear that the 16,000 students “represented probably all the ethnic groups in the country, and in their homes and those of their grandparents a vast array of Jewish traditions were being practiced. It seemed natural to put together a book highlighting many of them.” The students’ anecdotes are the core of the book and reveal the impact of the local environment on the Jews: “Grandma said that in many places in Afghanistan it was customary to light Shabbat candles with opium oil produced from the poppy plant because this oil was commonly available and inexpensive,” related one student. “My great grandfather says that in Afghanistan they did not use a Hanukkah menorah at all,” said another. “They didn’t even know what it was! Instead, they took eight small plates made of silver or brass or clay, and arranged them in a row… The Jews of Afghanistan were mostly anusim, (forced converts to Islam, beginning in 1939)… [if] a non-Jew suddenly entered their home without warning… they could say they were needed for light.” “In Persian homes, it is the custom for women to light two Shabbat candles on one tray, and candles in memory of family members who have passed away on another,” relates Shkalim. Between kiddush (the blessing recited over a cup of wine) and the blessing over the bread, the Persians add a blessing over a fragrant fruit (like an etrog) or herb (basil or mint) and other fruits or vegetables. Sometimes they even say kiddush over etrog liquor, which they make themselves. Among the other communities represented in the book are Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern and Western
Europe; Sephardi Jews, whose origins can be traced to Spain and Portugal; the Jews of Asia and North Africa, whose culture was shaped by extended contact with Islam; the Jews who wandered from Persia to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kirghizstan, Turkmenistan, Bukhara and Afghanistan, as well as the mountain Jews of Kavkaz, who lived in Dagestan and Azerbaijan. In Tunisia and Morocco, it is customary for leftover afikoman (matza which is hidden at the start of the Passover Seder) to be used as an amulet against the Evil Eye, or for a good livelihood. It is alleged to be especially good against dangers, particularly for calming a stormy sea. In Israel, a grandmother may well give it to her grandson when he commences his army service. “The Jews of Yemen are distinct,” said Shkalim, “because although they speak Judeo-Arabic, they were relatively less affected by external influences. They thus succeeded in maintaining many customs whose sources are very ancient.” Another rich source of material comes from the Ethiopian community in Israel. “The At Purim, Jews of Moroccan origin Jews of Ethiopia insert hard-boiled eggs into their festive were generally iso- loaves, representing the eyes of the evil lated from other Haman. When the eggs are removed communities,” con- from the bread, Haman’s eyes are symtinued Shkalim. “In bolically being pulled out. Ethiopia, candles IPS photo courtesy of the Isaac Kaplan were not lit for Old Yishuv Court Museum, Jerusalem Shabbat because they took the prohibition against lighting fires on Shabbat as a general law.” “In Ethiopia, we didn’t celebrate Hanukkah,” one AMIT student related when asked about the holiday. Although their arrival in Ethiopia can be traced from the exile of the ten tribes, long before the Maccabean victory, “Ethiopian Jews did not even know there was such a holiday, until emissaries from Israel came to Ethiopia and taught us.” Purim was limited to the Fast of Esther, the day before the Purim holiday. Sharing the Shabbat and holiday experience was typical in the close-knit Ethiopian communities. Meals were often eaten with neighbors “to make them more festive.” A communal bread ceremony was held after prayers every Shabbat morning, with the kes (rabbi or holy man) making a blessing over the bread that the women had made and then distributing it. The bread was called misvaot (similar to mitzvot – blessings). “My father says that he could always identify the pieces of
bread baked by my grandmother because her bread was the tastiest,” said Shoshanna. A whole chapter is devoted to the Sigd holiday, which is unique to the Ethiopian community and commemorates both the giving of the Torah and the communal gatherings held in Jerusalem in the days of the First Temple. Falling exactly fifty days after Yom Kippur, it was a day which involved trudging up to the top of a mountain -- often carrying rocks as a sign of submission – and praying for forgiveness (Sigd means “bowing down in prayer”). At the end of the day, “everyone would descend while singing and dancing, and go to the synagogue where they would partake in a festive meal…” With the mass migration of the Ethiopian Jewish community to the Holy Land in the 1990s, celebration of the Sigd festival shifted to Jerusalem. Today, Ethiopian Jews from the Amhara region of Ethiopia hold their ceremonies at the Western Wall, while Jews from the Gondar region gather at the Sherover Promenade in Talpiot, which overlooks the Old City. Shkalim also included traditional customs of the Isra Chag in her book, which is celebrated by various communities the day after Passover. “We try to hold onto the happy experience that has just ended,” said Shkalim. The Moroccan community calls this day Mimouna, the Kurdish community calls it Saharana and the Iranian community Ruz-e-Bagh. Enhancing the rich anecdotal content of the book are over 200 outstanding illustrations, including paintings, photos of prized illustrated texts (such as the 13th century Worms Machzor -- among the oldest known Ashkenazi prayer book), photographs and woodcuts. A photograph taken in Morocco in 1943 gives credence to the fact that Shavuot has for many years been called “Water Day” by secular Jews, with children going up to rooftops to pour buckets filled with water onto passersby. The analogy is that the Torah is as vital to the Jewish people as water is to mankind. An interesting picture of a key-shaped challah, called the shlissel challah, illustrates the custom of religious Hungarian Jews to bake a challah in the shape of a key after the Passover holiday. The key represents the opening of the gate of heaven to admit prayers, which traditionally remains open for a month after the festival. A Mosaic of Israel’s Traditions is a treasure-trove of Jewish customs, “bringing a broad and colorful cultural tapestry from a multitude of Jewish communities,” writes Israel Prize Winner Professor Rabbi Daniel Sperber in the foreword to the book. It has “enriched the individual heritage of each and every one of us… and enhanced our communal heritage… Hopefully, it will encourage all of us to search into our past, to question our parents, grandparent, uncles, and aunts and to discover their family practices and folkways.”
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February 9, 2007
Film looking at Purim story adds to the faith-based trend
Taco dinner and game night comes to Beth Israel by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue Looking for something fun to do on a wintry Saturday night? For an entertaining evening with family and friends, make plans to attend Beth Israel’s Game Night and Make-Your-Own-Tacos Dinner on Saturday, Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m. The event is “BYOBG” -- bring your board games and come ready to play. “We had a game night on New Year’s Eve that was well-attended and enjoyed by everyone,” said Executive Director Beth Cohen. “People had different games going on at different tables, such as a large game of
Trivial Pursuit. For the kids, there were games and toys, and we showed a movie. Everyone had a great time. Since then, we've had people ask ‘When is our next game night?,’ so we scheduled the event for the 17th.” The dinner will be a dairy meal with soy meat, and is also a “back by popular demand” event. According to Cohen, “Last November, there was a similar meal during a kids’ event, and the adults who were there enjoyed it as much as the kids.” Cost is $5 per adult and free for children ages 12 and under. The community is invited to attend. Reservations should be made by calling the office at 556.6288.
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said he was consulted by the filmmakers on whether certain depictions in “One Night” might upset Jewish sensitivities. by TOM TUGEND Among other rabbis and Jewish spokesmen, who had LOS ANGELES (JTA) -- “‘Christian money makes seen previews of all or part of the movie, opinions varied Jewish film’ -- that’s the headline I’d like to see above on the film’s artistic merit. The general consensus was that your article,” Matthew Crouch, producer of One Night while the storyline departs in some details from the bibliwith the King, suggested in an interview. cal original, the film provides a positive portrayal of Jews. The film, based on the Book of Esther from the Purim Most enthusiastic was Rabbi Harvey Fields, a veteran holiday, “brims with adventure, intrigue, romance and leader in Los Angeles interfaith relations, wh praised the wonder,” said Crouch, the son of mega-televangelists movie as “beautifully done and artistically end emotionPaul and Jan Crouch. “Its vision is to inspire a genera- ally very satisfying.” tion to embrace the destiny God has for them.” He lauded the filmmakers for omitting the final por“A pumped-up Purim story,” observed a rather less tions of Megillat Esther, in which the newly empowered enthusiastic Rabbi Richard Levy, Los Angeles director of Jews take bloody revenge on their enemies. the School of Rabbinic Studies at Hebrew Union College. Abraham Foxman, national director of the AntiA Night with the King -- which, despite its somewhat Defamation League, said he liked the film and “felt titillating title, contains nary a hint of sexual abandon or comfortable with it.” even cleavage, opened in October at nearly 1,000 theFoxman, one of the sharpest critics of The Passion of the aters across the United States. As a warmup to the pre- Christ, said “One Night” “is not the gospel and it’s not a miere, Crouch and his co-producer and wife Laurie documentary, but I found nothing offensive or troubling.” barnstormed 21 cities in 16 days, pitching the film and Most critical was Hebrew Union College’s Levy, who its message to clergy of all faiths. described “One Night” as “a dull movie that ha little to The movie has do with the Book of Esther.” He strongly objected to a aroused considpromotional flier attached to preview DVDs, which erable advance described Esther as “an orphan minority,” but never interest in Hollymentioned her Jewishness. wood and elseThe American Bible Society, a Christian group that where, particuencourages biblical literacy and that rarely endorses a larly as a major movie, has put its weight behind “One Night.” entry in the bur“The film is consistent with the Bible and an inspirageoning genre of tional story with a relevant message that will appeal to Christian-pr oChristian and Jewish viewers alike,” said Robert duced films Hodgson, dean of ABS’ Nida Institute for Biblical aimed at “faith A scene from the film, One Night with the Studies. “Films like this, with meaningful biblical mesfamilies,” includ- King. sages, will soon become more mainstream as Hollywood Credit: Gener8Xion Entertainment recognizes thei values.” ing some 75 million evangelists in the United States. Crouch, 44, who founded Gener8Xion Entertainment Crouch himself is one of the pioneers in the field, who company in 1993, promotes his picture and message mortgaged his house to make the 1999 Omega Code. with biblical fervor, but still keeps a sense of humor. Launched without the usual mass-marketing campaign, At one point in a lengthy interview he pithily summathe film found an astonishingly large audience among rized his movie as “Cinderella Meets The Lord of the churchgoers. But what really rang Hollywood’s bell was Rings.” Later on, he told of his futile attempts to perthe phenomenal box office in 2004 success of Mel suade Hollywood moguls to make more pictures reflectGibson’s The Passion of the Christ. ing “family values.” “It took Hollywood a few years to catch up,” said Kris “I stood before them like Moses before Pharaoh and Fuhr, vice president of Provident Films, but “Passion’s” said, '’Let my people go to the movies,’” he quipped. $612 million worldwide gross did wonders to speed up Crouch denied that the film was a subtle means of the process. proselytizing Jews. Fuhr’s own company released Facing the Giants in the “The Esther story predates Christ by 500 years, so fall, billed as an inspirational film about a small town there is no connection,” he said. “This is a life-affirming high school football team whose six-year losing streak is movie with a message of dignity and love. reversed by faith in God. “I coined the expression '’faith family,’ but that does“Giants” was made for $100,000 by an all-amateur n’t mean I make movies to bring people to the Christian company of writers, cast and crew from a Baptist church faith,” he said. “It means that I make movies that do not in Georgia, but expects to find an audience by mobiliz- violate anyone’s faith.” ing a national network of pastors. “One Night” was shot at an old majestic palace in The first major studio to finally get the message is Rajasthan, India, and made on a $20 million budget. 20th Century Fox, which has created FoxFaith, a new That’s not a great deal by Hollywood blockbuster standivision that plans to produce about a dozen Christian- dards, but is the most expensive of Crouch’s productions, themed movies this year. with an added $6 million for marketing and advertising. Significantly, major studios and distributors are joining The movie’s publicity makes much of “stars” Peter up with the independent producers of faith movies, with O’Toole and Omar Sharif, who get their names above Samuel Goldwyn Films partnering with “Giants” and the title -- and may lead some to expect a reprisal of their Rupert Murdoch’s Fox studio handling DVD sales for masterful collaboration in Lawrence of Arabia -- but it’s “One Night.” a bit misleading. Sharif has a substantial through not Jewish organizations by and large haven't weighed in leading role as an adviser to the king, but O’Toole gets on the rapid growth of the Christian film phenomenon. only about 15 seconds of exposure in a time-wrenching An exception is Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak of the Los prologue as the Prophet Samuel. Angeles-based www.JewsonFirst.com, who sees the The cast includes Luke Goss as Persian King Xerxes faith films as an encroachment by the Christian right on (better known as Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther) and schools and popular culture. John Rhys-Davies as Mordechai. Jewish actor James On the other hand, Rabbi Daniel Lapin, president of Callis makes a satisfyingly evil Haman, Tommy Lister is Toward Tradition, thinks “One Night” will have a “pos- a notable royal eunuch and Israeli actor Jonah Lotan itive impact” and urges potential Jewish critics to “stop portrays Jesse, a childhood friend of Hadassah, the name being so prickly.” of the heroine before she became Esther. Lapin, a Seattle-based ally of Christian conservatives, The film is now available on DVD.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
February 9, 2007
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If you ever saw the old movie called The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, you’ll recall that the character assumed the persona of many different occupations, such as a doctor, a lawyer, etc. In a way, it sounds like my daughter, Hilarie Sterenberg Manion, but with this huge difference. While Mitty’s characterizations were a subterfuge, Manion’s are genuine. She has successfully been engaged in five “for real” occupations which she has pursued simultaneously, over the past several years. She is a top-notch hair stylist, an antique shop proprietor, an antique appraiser, a real estate agent, and an auctioneer, owner of the first all-female auction company in the state of Arkansas, she calls “Auction Annies”. Her former classmates from Central High School back in the ’70s, will remember her as Barbara Sterenberg, whose father was the late Arnold Sterenberg, Her grandparents were the late Morris and Libby Sterenberg, and the late Harry and Mary Shukert. She now uses her middle name, Hilarie, after changing the original spelling of “Hillary”, as she feels it more aptly portrays her creativity, and retained her former married name of Manion, for business purposes. Her peers will also recall she was a cheerleader, an excellent student, and very popular. From an early age, Manion was independent, already showing signs of an artistic talent. Sketches of people, animals and still-life, could be found under her bed, which were surprisingly good for a youngster. Among neighborhood children, she was always the leader, never the follower. As she grew older, she expressed interest in being a fashion designer, a portrait painter or an interior decorator, and decided to study art, the catalyst for these different professions. As a teenager during the “hippie era”, Manion once drew a self-portrait, depicting herself wearing boots, a striped shirt and a miniskirt. But this wasn’t her usual mode of dress. She was a fashionista in her own right. In high school she eschewed the latest styles in favor of vintage clothing. She would comb antique stores and consignment shops in search of feather boas, cloche hats, granny boots and similar attire that made her look like a page from a 1930s magazine. She graduated from Central with high academic achievement and won several scholarships, choosing Washington University in St. Louis. Although she was active in Jewish clubs and dated Jewish boys at Central, marriage and “settling down” were low on her priority list. She had wanderlust, wanted to travel and see what was available in other cities. Omaha wasn’t the cultural mecca she craved, nor did it suit her eclectic tastes. So it didn’t surprise me at all when she hitchhiked to San Francisco after completing her studies at Washington U. “Everyone hitchhiked back then,” she says. “It was a popular way to travel and it was much safer than it would be now.” Manion recalls, “After a bad experience in Omaha when my midtown apartment caught fire, I had to start over. I decided I may as well do it somewhere else. I was a portrait artist in San Francisco, and made friends with a lady who made and sold puka shell necklaces.” Returning from San Francisco after two
years, Manion came back to Omaha, but after a few months, was getting restless again. She eventually moved to New Orleans on the advice of her San Francisco friend, who told her portrait painting was a thriving business there. “I stayed in New Orleans for a couple years. Then I was in New York for about six months, and all along the east coast. I then went to Kansas City and drew portraits of political figures,” she reported. Her peregrinations led her once again, back here. Manion painted portraits in Omaha’s Old Market section. Intermittently, she took part-time jobs as a food server, and did some bartending. One day she was sketching a portrait of a hairstylist who worked in the Old Market. This woman commented that
Hilarie Sterenberg Manion displays her antique permanent-wave machine, complete with heated clips suspended from wires that attach to heavy clamps on a patron’s hair. since Manion was so artistic, she should try hairstyling herself. That led to a course at Capitol Beauty School. When she took her state board exam in Lincoln, I was her model. Manion says, “My next move was to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. I worked for two years at a hair salon, designed ads and wrote articles for a paper. From there, I went to Boston and developed my photographic skills so I could do fashion design. The people weren’t very friendly, so I left.” A move to Chicago was next. In the Windy City she was a photo stylist, and took pictures for catalogs. Manion says, “I worked at Marshall Field for a time, selling makeup at the Lancome counter. I did photo styling for the movie, ‘Uncle Buck’, and created the huge pancake that the actor, John Candy, was supposed to have eaten. I also designed the menu for Denny’s Restaurants, and did a photo shoot for the Chicago Bears football team. I got to meet the coach, Mike Ditka, and two of the players. They were involved in some kind of fund-raising effort, and wanted the publicity,” Manion recalled. “I even had my own hair salon for a while.” She lived in Chicago for about five or six years. On a chance visit to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Manion fell in love with the little tourist town. This, she decided, was the place where she could live happily ever after. The town was idyllic and picturesque, with its rolling hills and charming Old World architecture. Plus, there were thousands of tourists, patronizing the shops and sidewalk cafes. The ambience was similar to Omaha’s Old Market, but on a much larger scale. “I opened a combination hair salon and bridal shop and bought a huge inventory Continued on page 16
February 9, 2007
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
February 9, 2007
New spin on “multi-tasking” Continued from page 14 of bridal gowns and accessories, thinking I could sell the brides their ensemble, do the hair and makeup and then take their pictures,” Manion reported. However, she needed an appropriate name for the business. She finally came up with “Cut Me Loose and Tie Me Down”. Everyone thought it clever, as “Cut Me Loose” indicated the hair styling, and “Tie Me Down” was for the benefit of the brides-to-be. The business was off to a rather slow start, however, because most of the tourists were honeymooners, already married and no longer interested in bridal gowns. “My shop -- being under the street level -- was not very visible,” she said. “I just wasn’t getting enough customers.” In the nearby town of Rogers where Manion Hilarie Sterenberg Manion lives now, she purchased a house that sits on a historical site. She did the refurbishing and decorating herself, including re-installation of electrical wiring and plumbing. She rented a separate building in a nearby town for her hair salon. That one featured a jungle motif; she called it “Head Hunters”. She had put the bridal dresses on hold, anticipating selling them at a later date. “That was an ill-fated venture from the beginning. The gowns just weren’t a good profit maker, so I sold the entire stock and decided to do something different with my living quarters.” She ended up creating a much larger space by building add-ons to the existing property, and putting in a paved parking lot. She moved her hair salon to one side of the newly-renovated and expanded building, and re-designed it to look like an old-fashioned barber and beauty shop, complete with an authentic barber pole, barber chairs, and posters advertising such vintage products as Brilliantine, Fitch Shampoo and Wildroot Cream Oil Hair Tonic. Perhaps the most popular conversation piece was a permanent-wave machine, the kind with a stand, that had heated clips suspended from wires above, that attached to heavy clamps on a patron’s hair. Her kitchen with its pot-bellied stove was dubbed, “Bubbie’s Bake Shop”, after her paternal grandmother; “Grandma Mary’s Dining Room”, with a table lavishly set with fine antique china and lace tablecloth, was in memory of my mother; “Goldie’s Parlor”, with bookshelves containing antique books and dolls, in honor of me. The bathroom which featured a claw-foot tub, was called “Arnie’s Bathhouse”, named for her father.
She came up with, “Hairlooms” for this new business -- blending the barber and beauty services with the antiques. All furnishings in the model rooms were for sale, but not until her grand opening to announce the business and provide tours of the property. Manion hired a barbershop quartet to provide entertainment for the crowd, and a massage therapist and manicurist to render free services during the preview showing. “Hairlooms” also won regional acclaim in the September/October 2000 Country Discoveries magazine, which highlighted “must see” tourist attractions in the area. The magazine had this to say: “On Cherry Street, you should visit Hairlooms, a hair salon with a twist -- it’s filled with antique beauty shop items. Check out the old-style hair curler! And while you’re there, say hello to owner Hilarie Manion.” The article also featured photographs of Manion standing beside a barber chair, and another, showing the curling machine and an old-fashioned towel sterilizer. The magazine described the curling machine as, “Positively Hair-Raising!” The business was thriving, and as soon as an item in the shop sold, Manion was off to various auctions to replenish her inventory. She became so enamoured of that profession, she yearned to be an auctioneer herself. “I realized there was a lot more to it than meets the eye,” Manion said, “but I didn’t think it would be hard to learn.” But no one in Rogers had ever heard of a female auctioneer. “That was all the more reason I wanted to be one,” the maverick Manion declared, “so I signed up for auctioneer training. I was the only woman in the class and instead of cheers, I was getting jeers. This was a maledominated profession and some of my friends predicted I would fail. I didn’t listen to them. When I finally got my credentials, I had to find another name for the auctioning part of my business. I hired a few ladies to help me launch my first auction. We called ourselves, ‘Auction Annies’ and we set up our first auction, a 1950s theme -- all items from the ’50s, including Melmac dinnerware, pictures of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley, felt skirts with crinolines and saddle oxfords.” All Manion’s auctions are theme-based, most from the Victorian or 1950s eras. However, Manion soon found it difficult setting up and tearing down auction displays, and moving and hauling furniture around. She purchased an abandoned warehouse in Centerton, Arkansas, totally redesigned it herself, and had it refurbished. She moved her entire business, including the hair salon and antique shop, to the Centerton location. While her businesses did well, she nevertheless found it to be a financial strain. So after a lot of soul searching, Manion decided to get rid of the property. She had
many chances to put houses on auction, but in order to do so, she needed a real estate license. That’s when she decided to become an agent, herself. So she took the course and passed the difficult exam on the first try. As a bonafide agent, she sold a lot of homes during the first few months, and made the million-dollars-in-sales recognition, but still wasn’t getting bids on her own building. Meanwhile, she was doing hairstyling, selling and appraising antiques, and holding auctions, in addition to this latest venture. However, this hectic schedule was taking a toll on her health, and she ended up in the hospital. Prior to a break-in last summer, she had moved her salon back to the Rogers location, but on a lesser scale. This freed up more time for auctions and real estate, but after the robbery, she gradually became disillusioned, and felt there was nothing more to offer her in Rogers. Meanwhile, someone connected with the Arkansas Historical Society was interested in buying the Roger’s property since it is a registered landmark. However, they said Manion could live in her present home for at least a year, rent-free, as they’re only interested in the land and not the house. It’s just a matter of time before she moves again, lock, stock and inventory! “As soon as I sell the building in Centerton, “ Manion confirms, “I’m thinking of moving away and making a whole new start.” While most people would be winding down already, and finding such a move daunting, especially having to give up an established multiple-business, Manion merely sees it as a new opportunity. Despite a career that has had more ups and downs than a rollercoaster, she somehow manages to emerge unscathed -- a survivor and eternal optimist! Manion’s life hasn’t been just about schlepping businesses around and giving them unusual names, however. A seasoned traveler, she not only has journeyed throughout the United States, but has been to Mexico, Canada, Cuba, Venezuela, and has made several trips to Europe, including Paris, and would like to someday visit Israel. She was interviewed on the Oprah Winfrey show in the 1980s, and expounded her triumphs and tribulations to a national TV audience. She hasn’t yet found the perfect soul mate who can keep up with her workaholic pace or meet her exacting standards. However, she hasn’t ruled marriage out completely, proclaiming, “Now that I’m single again, there’s always chances!” By the way, her idea of the perfect setting for a marriage ceremony would be floating aloft in a hot-air balloon. Oy! Her peripatetic lifestyle is not what I would have chosen for her, but she has to do her thing, unconventional as that might be, because it defines who she is-- a free spirit governed by resourcefulness and unlimited imagination.
February 9, 2007
Beth El’s Judaica shop offers one-stop shopping for every simcha by JILL BELMONT dow display in the old Beth El at 49th Beth El Publicity Coordinator and Farnam Streets. After being loaned Walk into Beth El’s Judaica Shop, and $5,000 from Sisterhood to establish an you’ll quickly see that all that glitters is actual store in the then-new synagogue at not only gold - it’s also silver, metal, 14506 California St., business blossomed pewter, glass and brass. Every type of and the loan was quickly repaid, said Judaica imaginable can be found at the Blumenthal, who managed the shop for shop: gift items for weddings, baby nam- six years and prior to that, worked there ings, B’nai Mitzvah and every other kind for 15 years. of simcha; holiday pieces, unique artwork for the home and sparkling jewelry; they’re all there -- offering the luxury of onestop shopping. The shop is a riot of vibrant color, with shelves filled with beautiful Seder plates, matzoh covers, H a n u k k a h menorot, necklaces, earrings, intricately crafted Caryn Rifkin, left, and Debbie Roitstein display several Passover items, mezuzot, Kiddush as they prepare the Judaica Shop for the upcoming holiday. cups and candlesticks. Among the Jewish “I ran it as if it were my own,” she said, artists whose work are featured are adding that “I enjoyed a very nice relaTamara Baskin, Gary Rosenthal, Margo tionship with many of the customers. Rotem, and Melanie and Harry They’d call me before they’d go to cataDankowicz, who create unique paper-cut logs or to the Internet –-- that was very calligraphy. special to me. I learned to buy what peoFor kids of all ages, an entire wall is ple wanted, not just what I liked.” dedicated to children’s gifts, from Congregant Debbie Roitstein said she Jewish-themed baby books and Aleph takes great pleasure in volunteering at the Bet foam shapes, to dolls and games such shop. “I like being able to help people as “Torah Slides and Ladders” (a take-off select just the right gift -- I enjoy making on Chutes and Ladders) and Kosherland people happy, and this is a happy place to (Candyland). be.” Congregant Caryn Rifkin has run the Over the years, proceeds from the shop Judaica Shop (a volunteer position) for have benefited the synagogue in numeralmost two years, and expressed pride in ous ways, Blumenthal noted with pride, the wares sold there. Pointing to the dis- including the purchase of office furniture, play of colorful tallitot hanging in the a computer, kitchen equipment, landmiddle of the shop, she remarked, “Our scaping and support for innumerable protallitot come in all shapes and sizes: silk, grams and projects for Beth El’s religious handpainted, lace . . . if we don’t have the school. tallit that you want here, we’ll find it in Not only Jewish community members our catalog or elsewhere, and order it.” take advantage of the synagogue’s shop, Rifkin is assisted in the shop by volun- as Rifkin and Blumenthal will attest: they teer workers Debbie Roitstein, M’Lee noted that non-Jewish community memHasslinger, Rita Novak, Hanna DeBruin, bers frequently like to purchase mezuzot Andrea Grossman and her daughter, (“people liked what they represent,” Anna, and Brianna Sadofsky; synagogue Blumenthal said); and Rifkin noted that staffers Judy Tully and Blanche Wise are public school teachers stop in, looking for also instrumental in keeping the shop dreidels, Hanukkah gelt and other items running smoothly, and synagogue book- to show their classes during the holiday keeper Lisa Reeves volunteers her time season. ordering inventory, paying the bills and For every holiday need (and don't forkeeping the books. get, Pesach is right around the corner!), Thanks to the loving guidance of vol- the Beth El Judaica Shop is sure to have unteers such as the late Ruthie Nogg, Lili what you’re looking for -- stop by during Berkovits (who now lives in Swampscott, store hours, Wednesdays, 3:30 p.m. to MA, where her husband Emil is the can- 4:30 p.m., Thursdays from 11 a.m. to tor of Congregation Shirat HaYam) and 2 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to Enid Blumenthal, the Judaica Shop has 12:30 p.m. (when religious school is in come a long way since it was a mere win- session).
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
February 9, 2007
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READ IT AND E AT Reviewed by LOIS FRIEDMAN Remember the parties and dinners at the old Blackstone Hotel? And Governor? And the O r l e a n s Room? The O m a h a Athletic Club? Colony Club? Lunch at Brandeis, Northrup Jones, Hilltop House? Baked goodies from Kaufmann’s? Dinners at the Ground Cow, Sam Nisi’s Spare Time, Ross’, and Bishops? Galas at Peony Park and at the Fontenelle Hotel? Celebrate Omaha’s culinary heritage courtesy of the Junior League of Omaha (founded in 1919, it has developed community-based organizations and is involved in the support of many Omaha social service programs, the arts and education projects). Toast to Omaha is a cookbook celebrating the vast array of past and present restaurants here. Scattered throughout the sections: Appetizers & Beverages, Soups & Salads, Vegetables & Side Dishes, Brunch, Entrees, Breads & Rolls, Desserts, and Cookies & Candy are archival photographs of restaurant memories and memorabilia: Bernard Schimmel, the Blackstone and the prize winning Reuben sandwich recipe, the Caniglia family and their restaurant dynasty, menus old and new, Harket and favorite spots from all over town. Sidebars feature “Original JL Ingredients,” covering their community commitment through funding of over a million dollars and volunteering over a million volunteer hours, and tidbits about cooking. From home cooks and chefs from past and present
restaurants are 350 recipes (800 were submitted). Recipes are mostly two to a page and have brief, doable instructions. The original Omaha recipes are marked with a red “O!” icon and are listed in the index. Venice Inn’s Bruschetta Chicken, Hector’s Enchiladas Guadalajara, French Cafe’s Nebraska Sweet Corn Puree, Johnny’s Cafe Short Rib Seasoning. Twenty-four restaurants around the city...French Cafe, Jams, M’s Pub and others have recipes. From All-Star Spaghetti with Meat Sauce to Zesty Cobb Salad, enjoy a stroll down memory land one bite at a time, and savor Omaha’s past and present eating pleasures through recipes ... like Thunderbird Salad Dressing, Husker Harvest, Game Day Gumbo and this B & G’s original. LOOSE-MEAT SANDWICHES 5 pounds finely ground beef 1/2 cup ketchup 3 heaping teaspoons horseradish 3 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce 5 heaping teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon monosodium glutamate (Accent is one brand name) dash freshly ground black pepper 1 cup ground or chopped onion 1 cup water Place meat in a large saucepan. Add ketchup, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, salt, MSG, pepper, onion, and water. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Meat will be in very fine pieces. Let simmer about 11/2 hours. Add water if mixture becomes dry. Notes: Regular ground beef may be used. Lois Friedman can be reached at: ReadItAndEat @yahoo.com.
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by ADRIENNE PERRY Marketing Specialist Borsheims Fine Jewelry and Gifts Remembering the exact details of your first date can be hard. Preparing a delicious “engagement chicken” dinner tends to be difficult. Selecting the perfect engagement ring should be easy. That’s the Borsheims philosophy – and the reason one of the Regency Court jeweler has remodeled its store. The engagement and wedding rings can now be found immediately inside the main entrance to Borsheims. It’s much easier for those shy guys – they can just walk in through the new twostory glass atrium and they’re right in front of case after case of engagement and wedding rings. Prominent designers such as Jeff Cooper, Tacori, A. Jaffe, and Chistopher Designs have rings in all price ranges available. Private showing areas allow purchases to be made in comfort, sitting down, looking through a microscope at the diamond, and talking with a friendly, educated sales associate. For those who love to research a purchase first, Borsheims presents “Design Your Ring” at borsheims.com. Brides and grooms can learn about the four c’s of diamonds, and then work with the computer to design the ring of their dreams. The dream ring can be purchased online, or printed out and brought into the store for additional help from sales associates. Once the ring selection is done, Borsheims continues to make wedding planning easy, with their highly-trained Wedding Specialists. Located in the newly remodeled gift gallery, the spe-
cialists can help couples register for gifts, find appropriate ways to thank the members of their wedding party, and select jewelry to wear on the big day. The new layout of the gift gallery showcases Borsheims exclusive china patterns such as Kate Spade and Missoni, as well as elegant stemware and unique tabletop accessories. Borsheims $5 million remodel has brought new life into the store. It’s also made it a little easier to help couples start their new lives together. Visit Borsheims in Regency Court in Omaha or online at www.borsheims.com.
Celebrate life’s special occcasions by NANCI KAVICH for RSVP If you are looking for invitations and paper styles which your guests have not yet seen, search no further. We have the experience to assist and guide you in all of your happy occasions. We provide treasured invitations to satisfy your needs for all celebrations: weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, births, anniversaries, bridal showers, holiday affairs and birthday parties. We also offer stationery, napkins, benchers and other accessories for your simchas in Hebrew or English. Our goal is 100% satisfaction. Call me at 991.1881.
Let Indian Creek host your next celebration by NANCY MAIERS The Club at Indian Creek, boasting 27 of the area’s finest golf holes and situated on the highest points in western Douglas County, offers scenic vistas and fine golfing in Elkhorn. The outstanding fairways and the meticulously kept greens attest to the extra special attention the course receives. The same care and attention extend to the Indian Creek Club, a stunning facility that may be the place to host your next business meeting or social event. The large banquet facility is available for events from casual to highly formal. The architecture and the décor in rich wood and neutral tones compliment the beauty of the clubs peaceful natural surroundings. The banquet
facility can accommodate 400 people and overlooks the championship golf course, and can be portioned to handle smaller groups and meetings. The exclusive cater for Indian Creek is Abraham Catering. They work directly with event planners to ensure the menus are designed to fit the budget and unique details of the event. The facility is also fully equipped with audiovisual components to assist in media presentations. Indian Creek hosts a variety of events, including weddings, black tie formals, fundraisers, faith celebrations and corporate meetings. Call us at 289.0900 to explore the possibilities for your next special occasion.
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Page 19
Simcha is such a sweet word
BERT’S EYE VIEW by BERT LEWIS I don’t like to think it’s just another term for various life cycle events we all experience. If you think about it, you know that’s a fairly correct statement. A Bar Mitzvah certainly falls in the category of a simcha...just ask the kid’s grandparents! A wedding or a graduation, as well as perhaps a special anniversary or birthday are events belonging under the heading of simcha. Or, if you will, life cycle events. But on the tongue of the parent or grandparent, the word simcha takes on special meaning when referring to an up-coming very happy occasion. Even though it’s been many years since my dear mom baked countless pieces of strudel and rugalach, cakes, cinnamon rolls, mohn cakes and who-knows-what-else, how well I remember the joy it was for her to prepare for this special simcha. What simcha? The bar mitzvah of the first grandchild in the family. And three years later, she did the same thing for his brother -- again with joy and gratitude to be present for this simcha. I know people who have decided no matter how difficult it has become for them to travel, if there’s a special event going on someplace in the family, they manage to be there. They have come to realize they’d rather inconvenience themselves a little, than miss the chance of being there to see the little kid on the bimah or the lovely bride under the chupah. Those moments are too precious to miss....those simchas. There are times of course, when it can’t be helped. Those are the times we’re grateful to the fella who invented the phone, and these days, the genius who figured out how to make pictures with the phone also gets special thanks. It’s not the same as being there, but it’s as close as we can sometimes get -- that’s the “electronic simcha”. Simcha is one of those Yiddish words I’m always happy to hear somebody use, or for that matter, to use myself. It’s another reason I’m glad to have a little knowledge of Yiddish, because as we all know, there are some words
which simply don’t have the same flavor when translated. And I’m glad to remember wonderful events my roommate and I have shared through the years, events better known as simchas. That’s one of the perks of having celebrated many birthdays -- you get to think back and recall those special occasions when one of your kids made you especially proud, or maybe when a tiny new member of the family arrived. Maybe those simchas are the rewards of plodding along, day by day, trying to be a decent human being. It’s a lovely word, simcha. Lovely enough for some people to use it as a name, both in times long past and in the present. Why not? I suppose it could cause some problems for those unfamiliar with the proper pronunciation, but no matter. For those who know what it means, it’s worth a little trouble Another nice thing about the word simcha. I think a person might take a little poetic license with it. For example, the kid who studied his/her brains out working toward a law degree, should be entitled to celebrate upon learning he passed the Bar exam. And wouldn’t it be okay to term the cause for celebration a simcha? Ok, now I’m taking wild liberties, but still, it seems logical to me. A happy occasion is a happy occasion, no matter what we call it, no? I don’t know if it’s written anywhere that humans are entitled to a certain number of simchas in our lives, or if maybe we’re supposed to live in such a way that we deserve them. I guess the latter makes more sense. In any event, I hope many come your way and that you enjoy each and every one of them. If I have a last word on the subject, it’s the memory of my dad, after sundown on Yom Kippur, “vinching” his loved ones all the things he hoped the new year would bring. He always included the hope for a few special simchas in his wishes...you know, a wedding here, a baby there, a job offer. I guess he figured as long as he was wishing, he might as well go as far as he could. And you know what? More than once some of those simchas came to pass. Simchas are like that. Often we can predict when one is on the way, but sometimes one will show up as a big surprise. I wish you lots of both kinds! Bert Lewis can be reached at BertLewis39@aol.com.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
February 9, 2007
Finding Jewish wedding music on the Internet PEOPLE OF THE
BYTE
by MARK MIETKIEWICZ A beautiful floral arrangement is certainly important. And, of course, delicious food is a must. But what would a Jewish wedding be without music? From hora to klezmer, Chassidic to Israeli, music adds extra joy and life to an already festive occasion. If you are lucky enough to be planning a wedding right now (or are nostalgic about your own) you can find some wonderful ideas and tunes on the web. Today, I’ll tell you where to look. The tour starts in London at the website of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The BBC has put together a lovely website titled World on Your Street which looks at the importance music plays at Jewish weddings. Click the link at the very top of the page for a lively rendition of the venerable wedding standard, Havah Nagilah, by the Budapester Klezmer Band. Once you’re done, go to the bottom of the page and click on the link for a feature on Danny Shine, leader of one of the UK’s busiest Jewish wedding bands. Listen to a documentary about Jewish wedding music and then watch Danny at work. [http:// tinyurl.com/82e3g] One of the highlights of a Jewish wedding ceremony is the singing of the Sheva Brachot, the blessings during which the chatan and kallah are wished “gila, rina, ditza v’chedva, ahava v’achva, v’shalom v’reut,” rejoicing, jubilation, pleasure and delight, love and brotherhood, peace and friendship. If you are going to being honored with reciting one of the blessings under the chuppah, here is a site where you can listen to two sets of instrumental melodies, and read the brachot in Hebrew, in English, and in English transliteration. [http://tinyurl. com/dcumu] If you’d like to hear the brachot being sung, then take a listen to a performance by Josh Sharfman, aka the Virtual Cantor. [www.virtualcantor.com/ weddings.htm] The Chazzanut.com website has provided sheet music for the Sheva Brachot as sung by Chazzan Hans
Bloemendal. According to the site, the fifth blessing, Samei’ach Tesamach, is set to a tune from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte! [www.chazzanut.com/wedding/] For more sheet music, you can download a .zip file of the works of Reverend Marcus Hast (1840-1911) from The Great Synagogue, London, 1910. [http://tinyurl. com/8x28p] The best sampling of wedding music that I’ve come across can be found on a site called WedAlert. These are not full renditions but the first minute or so of classics like Erev shel Shoshanim, Dodi Li, Siman Tov, Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen and a large helping of Fiddler on the Roof (To Life, If I Were a Rich Man, Sunrise Sunset.) Sure they can be a bit schmaltzy and you’ve probably heard them all a million times but if you hadn’t, they wouldn’t be classics. [www.wedalert.com/songs/ethnic/jewish.asp] If you’re looking for something less familiar, visit the Wedding section of the Zemerl website. You can listen to renditions of about a dozen Yiddish, Hebrew, Bucharan songs and read the lyrics and translations of about twenty others. [http://tinyurl.com/7wfab] The lovely Ladino folksong, Scalerica D’oro, tells this tale: A ladder of gold and ivory So our little bride can go up to take Her marriage vows We’ve come to see, we’ve come to see May they have joy and prosper And always be happy The bride has no money May they have good fortune The bride has no riches May they have good luck. A couple of commercial sites offer short excerpts from commercial CDs including The Travelling Jewish Wedding [http://tinyurl.com/9scqw] and several at JewishMusic.com. [http://tinyurl.com/am5nf] The name of the next site doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue: the “Israeli Jewish Yiddish Hebrew Folk Cultural Music Midi Free Library.” Luckily, the site’s address is much shorter. [www.jewz.net/] The Library has simple instrumental arrangements of about 150 classics, some of which may be perfect for your wedding (Bashana Haba’ah, Hava Nagila, Yerushalayim Shel Zahav); others, perhaps not (Go Down Moses, Hatikvah, Theme from Seinfeld.) Whatever music you choose to enliven your simcha, mazal tov! Mark Mietkiewicz is a Toronto-based Internet producer who writes, lectures and teaches about the Jewish Internet. He can be reached at highway@rogers.com.
Celebrate with a cruise by RALPH WILLIAMS Cornerstone Global Cruising Have a simcha coming this year? Let Cruise Planners help you make that once in a lifetime celebration really special by planning a spectacular celebration cruise. Whether your celebration is a wedding, honeymoon, anniversary, significant birthday, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, or any other happy occasion, a cruise is an excellent, cost effective way to celebrate. A cruise can take you anywhere in the world at any time of year, whether its to the Caribbean Islands in winter, Alaska in summer, Hawaii anytime of year, the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Scandinavia, South America, the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand or even around the world. Not only do you get to travel to great locations on a beautiful cruise ship - it is so convenient. You pack and unpack once as your floating hotel takes you to exotic destinations. And is it very cost effective: Meals are included -- the dining is Five Star! Entertainment is included and always involves great Broadway/Las Vegas style reviews and musicals, comedians, music venues, dancing, casinos or just relaxing on deck by the pool with a good book. Get a fantastic spa treatment; work out in a state of the art gym and in some cases ice skate, surf or rock climb all while on board the ship. There’s much, much more. Cruise Planners will work with you to plan the exact trip that helps you celebrate that special event exactly the way you want it and within your budget! Call us today to start the planning process at 402.334.4120 or toll free at 866.334.4190 or visit our website at www.cornerstoneglobalcruising.com.
Take some “poetic license” for your special event by BETH PERRY What could be more unique than a personalized poem for your special event? When your name, your friends and family names, reminisces, and distinctive locations are used, the recipient will always know that you took the time to create an exceptional gift for the occasion. Poetic License specializes in one of a kind poems for any life cycle events. Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, or just because you care, Poetic License can help. We also have a strong focus on poems for candlelghting events at your Bar or Bat Mitzvah. We can write it for you or help you edit your own efforts. Poems can be transmitted via email or physically on a decorative scroll or medium of your choice. Please call or email for further information. A special occasion or one just for fun? If you think it, we can write it, even under the gun! Call me for poems for all occasions at: 402-932-8289, or email me at: poetic.license@cox.net.
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The swashbuckling Bar Mitzvah: ‘Zorro’ film unmasks rite’s meaning The greatest contrast to the cleavage and booty shaking at the Georgian party ARTS & is the bar mitzvah of Moishe, whose famENTERTAINMENT ily is from a Chasidic branch of Judaism. Watching Moishe pray and recite Torah at such a high level surely makes this the by DINAH A. SPRITZER VIENNA, (JTA) -- In the new Austrian most distilled passage into Jewish adultfilm Zorro’s Bar Mitzvah, Jewish party hood in Zorro. Among the film’s most compelling documenter Andre describes the addicscenes is the presentation of a prayer book tive nature of his video extravaganzas. “There are people in Israel with rela- to Moishe by young boys in traditional tives who collect my films, not just of black-and-white Chasidic dress with side their family, any family,” he explains from curls. They sing “Yam mama mama” with his audio-visual studio, which looks suffi- the passion of a professional choir. The other bar/bat mitzvahs are full of ciently equipped for a Disney production. “I know two or three women, it tends family drama. We meet the mother of young Sophie to be women, they play these films all day at home when they’re ironing, just have praying behind the curtain that separates them playing in the background,” says women from men at an Orthodox service. She peeps out her head as Austria’s chief Andre, a middle-aged Viennese Jew. He philosophizes that perhaps it is his rabbi, Paul Chaim Eisenberg, says a prayer destiny to endlessly attend bar and bat on her behalf: The mother, Nana, has surmitzvah parties because he never got to vived the Asian tsunami while on vacation and clearly is still shaken have one. Hard to imagby the experience. Going ine collecting bar mitzvah ahead with Sophie’s bat videos? mitzvah after such a trauAfter seeing Zorro, you ma is clearly not easy. might be tempted to play The energetic and loving it again and again like Sophie, meanwhile, who Andre’s Israeli fans, just to catch the nuance of mostly speaks English durwhat the four families ing the film with a strong portrayed in the film have American accent -- her to say about Jewishness, father is an American -- is filmmaker Ruth a typical 12-year-old girl adulthood, identity, gen- Austrian der, schmaltz and, yes, Beckermann stands in front of a focused on her dress and Zorro the masked hero. poster for her film Zorro’s Bar the seating arrangement at This masterful cinemat- Mitzvah, in her Vienna home. her party. Credit: Dinah A. Spritzer/JTA What might puzzle some ic documentary of three recent Viennese bar mitzvahs and one bat American viewers is that Sophie’s bat mitzmitzvah is the work of Austrian Jewish vah service does not include the Torah or filmmaker Ruth Beckermann, whose doc- Haftarah readings that girls often perform in umentaries about World War II and Conservative or Reform ceremonies. Jewish memory have earned her critical Instead, she descends temporarily from the acclaim. women's gallery at Vienna's Great Zorro opened at an Austrian film festival Synagogue, offers a short speech of thanks at Lincoln Center in New York in early from the bimah, or dais, and then recites the December and at art film houses in Shema. In Europe, most synagogues function Vienna. The 90-minute film, in German with English subtitles, is making the according to Orthodox principles, even round of festivals. The U.S. distributor is when their members are largely secular. As a Hungarian Jew who came of age in First Run/Icarus Films, in Brooklyn. The film’s title is inspired by the video the spring of 1945, Sophie’s grandfather, clip Andre is shooting for a Georgian- Hans, never had the chance for a bar mitzViennese family. The clip will be the cen- vah because “conditions were such that it terpiece of their extravagant bar mitzvah was impossible to hold one,” he recalls. The same is true for the Iraq-born party. Sharon, the handsome bar mitzvah who looks more like 19 than 12, is to grandfather of Tom, whose Iraqi-Israeliplay Zorro, and Andre sets up a shoot Viennese mother organizes Tom’s bar replete with horses, stunt men, makeup mitzvah at Israel’s Western Wall. At his farm in Israel, Tom’s grandfather artists, costumes and sword fighting in relates that his family had no money when front at a Baroque Austrian estate. Never far from the scene is Sharon’s he turned 13 and bar mitzvahs were sexy mother, whose perfect French mani- uncommon at the kibbutz where he was cured nails, showy outfits and willingness sent to live. He went to the Western Wall to spend vast sums on a party that resem- for the first time after fighting in the Sixbles the Academy Awards seem to fasci- Day War and “that was my bar mitzvah.” One of the more ardent bar mitzvah nate Beckermann. The lavishness, however, is undercut by supporters in the film is Tom’s Christian the sincerity of mother and son. Sharon’s father, named Christian. “What it means to me is that he is mother is only doing what her extended family expects -- they want a party appro- becoming a man,” he says of Tom. “And priate for the son that her own father cir- for me personally it is very important cumcised. Far from being spoiled, Sharon because I was raised as a Christian, and is dutiful, respectful and performs his confirmed, and I can’t remember it at all.” We see Christian later at the Kotel full Torah portion with finesse. Then in the film’s most hilarious moment, of pride as Tom performs his Torah porafter a downcast Sharon tells Andre he only tion. Tom’s down-to-earth celebration wanted to play the man in black because of outdoors in Israel serves as another a scene from The Legend of Zorro that “my reminder of Jewish diversity. If there is anything missing from Zorro, it mother won’t allow” -- Antonio Banderas as Zorro startles and then embraces a half is the translation of the Hebrew religious naked Catherine Zeta-Jones -- the audience passages spoken in the film. It would be nice for Jews and non-Jews to get the meaning of is treated to that scene. When Sharon finally speaks on camera what these new adults are saying. Other than that omission, the film is a about the meaning of his bar mitzvah, it’s clear that dancers imported from Israel delightful snapshot of Jewish life within and a stage encircled by torches are not one European city where Jewish tradian inappropriate tribute for what he feels tions thrive despite their near destruction during the Holocaust. is the most important day of his life.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 21
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An Endowment Fund Can Make Your Simcha Last Forever Through an Endowment Fund... Jack’s family got off welfare. Seniors at the Blumkin Home celebrated Grandparents Day and attended theatrical and musical programs. Sylvia can read again because of large print books at the Kripke Federation Library. Seventeen special needs children in our synagogue religious schools are working towards their B’nai Mitzvah. Fifty-two scholarships were awarded to deserving high school graduates to go to college. Fifty-four individuals and families enjoyed holiday meals on major Jewish holidays.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
February 9, 2007
Add meaning to your simcha: link to a child who perished in the Holocaust by JODI BODNER Poland, Russia and other European countries during the for the Jewish National Fund years of 1901 to 1941. Families looking to add meaning to their Bar and Bat Thousands were from families honoring their Bar Mitzvah celebrations can now become part of a perma- Mitzvah boys during that period. There weren’t many nent memorial to the 1.5 million children who perished Bat Mitzvahs in those days, but there were recordings of in the Holocaust. girls who were honored on special occasions as well. The B’nai Mitzvah Remembrance Wall, launched by Most of the children on the pages of the books had been Jewish National Fund and the Levin family of St. Louis killed in the Holocaust and Max realized that for many, in honor of Max Levin’s Bar Mitzvah, allows Diaspora the only evidence of their lives was in those books. teens to forge a direct link between their lives and the “I was looking for a project to dedicate for my Bar lives of young people who died in the Holocaust. Mitzvah,” said Max, “and there they were. Thousands Located in Jerusalem’s American Independence Park, upon thousands of names. Some of them could even the stone wall, designed to look like a Torah scroll, is have been my long lost great cousins who died in the embedded with glass tiles, Holocaust. Just try to imageach available for an $1,800 ine! Out of the six million donation, bearing the name Jews who were murdered, of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah one-and-a-half-million of child, his/her hometown them were children! That and date of Bar/Bat means that at least 150,000 Mitzvah and the name and were at the Bar Mitzvah home country of a child who age.” perished at the hand of the There are very few records Nazis. Certificates are sent and very few stories left to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah about these children. Almost child as well. all of their families had been Proceeds will go towards killed and almost no trace of developing, maintaining and them ever has been found. advancing JNF-KKL’s five The B’nai Mitzvah Remembrance Wall, launched by Jewish Researchers at Yad Vashem Israel campsites, to be used National Fund and the Levin family of St. Louis in honor of identified most of them as by children for camping Max Levin’s Bar Mitzvah, allows Diaspora teens to forge a victims of the Holocaust and direct link between their lives and the lives of young people the only way we can prove experiences. Just like Max who is now who died in the Holocaust. that they once lived is from forever linked to Gyorgy Pal, of blessed memory, who the JNF Books of Honor that are kept in the Jerusalem was bar mitzvahed in Hungary in 1936, this offers par- offices. ticipants linkage to the past and the opportunity to con“I knew that I wanted my Bar Mitzvah project to deal tinue the circle of life. with the destruction of the Holocaust and rebirth of the It was Max’s trip to Israel last summer with his par- Jewish people in the Jewish homeland. When I saw ents, Bud and Judy, which got the ball rolling. While at those Books of Honor, I knew at that very moment that the Jewish National Fund-Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael I wanted to dedicate my Bar Mitzvah to the kids in those offices in Jerusalem, Max perused several old Children’s books -- the ‘Lost Children of the Holocaust.’ This is a Books of Honor used to record gifts from Germany, Continued on page 23
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Suite of Dreams Bridal Show to benefit UNMC’s Eppley Cancer Center by CARRIE DAYTON On Sunday, March 11, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Embassy Suites Omaha Downtown/Old Market will be hosting a bridal boutique and fashion show to benefit the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center. Brides will have the opportunity to sip champagne and dine on brunch appetizers while visiting with the finest bridal vendors in the Omaha/Council Bluffs Area and take in a fashion show provided by Sposa and Mr. Tuxedo. The $25 per person, ticket fee will go directly to the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center. The purpose of the Cancer Center, dedicated in 1963, is to provide a research center that will perform and encourage fundamental studies leading to: • A better understanding of the causes of cancer; • The improvement of methods for diagnosis of cancer; • The improvement of methods for the treatment and prevention of cancer and similar disorders. Dr. Ken Cowan, Director of the Eppley Cancer Center, is very pleased the Embassy Suites has chosen his organization to be the recipient of this philanthropic venture. The Bridal Show team chose the Eppley Cancer Center because it is such an important part of Omaha and greater Nebraska. For tickets and additional information about the 2007 Suite of Dreams Bridal Boutique please contact me at the Embassy Suites Omaha Downtown/Old Market at 541-1487.
Celebrate at the Bemis Center by JULIE WRIGHT Communications Officer On any given day, I might be on the phone with an anxious bride-to-be, a proud father or a human resources director, all in need of the perfect yet distinctive venue for a special event. Or I might be coordinating menus with chefs and caterers and arranging for the delivery of decorations and table linens. While most people might think of the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts as a place to see what’s going on in today’s art world, they should also know that the Center’s art galleries provide a unique and thoroughly sophisticated place to enjoy special celebrations and events. And because galleries are meant to be “blank slates,” each event always has its own distinct character. Fred Clark, president of Clark Creative Group, has held a number of his business get-togethers here, and he enthusiastically describes his experiences: “Our company has hosted holiday parties and attended other events at the Bemis over the years, and it is always our first choice when looking at venues. Spending an evening surrounded by art gives any event an air of originality and inspiration. We highly recommend booking the Bemis Center.” In addition to artful inspiration, clients can also expect their events -- ranging from wedding receptions and corporate dinners to birthdays -- to have an intimate feel unmatched by standard rental halls and spaces. For information regarding the Bemis Center’s rental facilities, contact me at 402.341.7130 x 14 or via e-mail at julie@bemiscenter.org.
Music for all occasions by MARY BIRCHER “Music expresses that which can not be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” French romantic poet Victor Hugo wrote those eloquent words almost 200 years ago. For a couple planning to include music in their wedding ceremony, Hugo’s words are timeless and relevant as they capture the essence of the expressive power of music. Music is a powerful and beautiful language, and carefully chosen wedding music will enhance your ceremony and become a deeply personal expression of your unique love for one another. If you desire a grand and elegant ceremony, I would recommend choosing a classic wedding march such as the “Trumpet Voluntary” by the English composer Henry Purcell. This music is beautifully played by trumpet and harp or organ, enhanced by a glorious trumpet fanfare to announce the bride’s entrance. Flowing light classical music played by a harpist would be perfect for a casual, romantic couple, and for the more adventurous, our jazz trio will add a distinctive hip and upbeat flavor to your ceremony or reception. For those who cherish their family history, a touching remembrance is to have musicians perform a piece of music played at the wedding ceremony of your parents or grandparents. For a reception, anniversary or Bat/Bar Mitzvah, music will set the mood, helping you and your guests to feel relaxed and festive. At Bircher Weddings, we specialize in helping you plan music for all events. Your music should be as individual as you are. By working with professional musicians and listening to your heart, your musical selections will provide the crowning touch to a perfect event. Contact us at: mcbircher@cox.net or 346.4042. PAID ADVERTISEMENTS
February 9, 2007
Add meaning to your simcha Continued from page 22 way to show the world that Jews have a place to come home to. But I want to do more than just remember those names. I hope that those names will inspire kids in America to remember our history. I also want to raise money for JNF projects to help kids in Israel; remembering our history and helping children living in Israel now -- what a perfect fit.” “We just feel great about it,” said Bud Levin, who is JNF’s national vice president for Campaign. “In planning Max’s Bar Mitzvah, we knew we wanted to dedicate it to something. This idea was presented to us and we knew this was what we wanted to do.” Max became a Bar Mitzvah on March 25, 2006, at Congregation B’nai Amoona in St. Louis. The Bar Mitzvah invitations included a description of the project and a note that he would not accept any personal gifts; all gifts would go to building the Remembrance Wall. To date, $10,000 has been raised. The Levins, who matched the funds, unveiled and dedicated the wall on June 22. “This special place symbolizes what JNF stands for and what the Jewish People stand for all over the world,” said Ronald Lauder, president of JNF of America at the dedication. “To honor those children who never experienced a full life is a wonderful tribute to them. Thank you Max and Judy and Bud for believing in a place like this.” Said Cynthia Wroclawski, marketing manager at Yad Vashem: “This is a wonderful example of the connection between the past and the future.” Information about hundreds of thousands of JNF donors has been preserved in seven Honor Books dating back to 1901, when JNF was created in Basel, Switzerland. These books -- the Golden Book, the Children’s Book, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Book, the Marriage Book, the Book of Plantings, the Book of Special Gifts and the Aliyah Book -- together constitute an expression of the tie between the Jewish Diaspora and the land of Israel. These volumes reinforce the bond of the Jewish people with the country and make the donors into partners in JNF’s work; through them and what Kabob | Fish | Biryani | Gyro | Indian | Falafel
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they represent, the homeland is a place to call home. The books are beautifully bound and preserved in a special climate-controlled room. In ancient Israel, it was customary to plant a cedar tree when a boy was born and a pine when a girl was born. When the child married, the tree was cut down and the boughs used to construct the wedding canopy. When Jews were exiled to the Diaspora, the tradition fell by the wayside, but was reborn when JNF began planting trees in Israel. The Children’s Book records those tree plantings which commemorate births, birthdays, graduations and accomplishments, as well as a photo of the child. Eighty percent of the 91,000 names inscribed in the Children’s Book by 1933 perished in the Holocaust. The Bar Mitzvah Books were initiated in 1936 and hold more than 100,000 names and photos commemorating their Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. In the Children’s Book and the Bar/Bat Mitvah Books there is also a place for a photo. For pre-Holocaust Bar/Bat mitzvahs, these may be the only surviving photos available of the individual who perished in the Holocaust. “We wanted to create a way to memorialize those children who never had anyone say Kaddish for them,” said Bud. “This wall will honor the past and look ahead to the future. It will continue the circle of life.” “Max, you are bringing the ashes of our people home to our homeland,” said Russell F. Robinson, JNF’s chief executive officer as he spoke at Max’s Bar Mitzvah. “These kids had no such opportunities. The very reason they became ashes was their link to the Jewish people. You have forever forged that link and made a passionate idea into a reality. There is no better way to become a man.” “Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if some day, someone would find a name on that wall that they had known 70 years ago?” asked Max. “Or better yet, that someone would find their own name and realize that it came from one of the Books of Honor. What a celebration that would be for everybody! A lost child would have been found!” For information, go to www.jnf.org or call 800.542.TREE.
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Additional ways to celebrate your simcha: with a mitzvah through JNF by JODI BODNER JNF Tree and Water Certificates as invitations, favors, acknowledgements, table signs. Choose from a wide variety of certificates with coordinating envelopes that can be purchased blank or personalized for each guest. Each certificate represents a tree planted in Israel or a donation towards water resource development in honor of your guests. We also supply response cards, directional cards, party cards, and thank-you notes with matching envelopes. For more information call 800.700.1312, e-mail simcha@jnf.org or visit www.jnf.org/simcha.
Max Levin became a Bar Mitzvah last March at B’nai Amoona in St. Louis and dedicated the occasion to the children who perished in the Holocaust through JNF’s B’nai Mitzvah Remembrance Wall.
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February 9, 2007
Enhancing simcha with mitzvot Or should it be enhancing mitzvot with simcha? Either way, the message is the same ... as our sages urge, “Run to do a mitzvah,” and “Perform mitzvot with joy.” It’s easy to get caught up in the planning of a special occasion and forget the meaning behind it. After all, there are clothes to purchase, airline tickets to book, a band to play, a photographer and videographer to record the event, invitaitons to word ... the list sometimes feels like it never ends. And it can be overwhelming (especially with advice from well meaning friends and relatives!). So relax. It can all be accomplished, especially if you remember a few simple details: 1. If you forget something (like imprinting your child’s name and the date of the Bat Mitzvah on the paper napkins for the kiddish luncheon), don’t worry ... no one else will remember or care (well, maybe your child will remind you every once in a while, but she’ll do it with a smile!). 2. If the B’nai Mitzvah mispronounces the Hebrew or the bride says to her groom, “Be thou consecrated to be as my wife,” don’t worry about that either. The rabbi will correct the teen’s pronunciation -- and years later, the husband can remind his wife about her mistranslation (though having an extra “wife” would be handy sometimes!). 3. If the photographer (or videogrpaher) goes out of business, there’s always that guest who takes more pictures than you need. And your sister, daughter, cousin in the production department of an ad agency, tv station or p.r. firm, can edit the raw footage of the video. What’s important here is the reason your family and friends got together in the first
place: the wedding, the B’nai Mitzvah, the special birthday or anniversary, the bris or baby naming, the graduation, the bon voyage or retirement party. You are the reason for celebrating. So how do you want to do it? Do you want to be stressed about the details, or remember the day with fond memories? Naturally, we’ve got some suggestions: 1. Take a portion of your monetary gifts, add something from your savings and make a gift to a charitable organization you love. Whether it’s to pay for a project at your synagogue, plant trees in Israel or purchase much needed supplies for your child’s school, it will be remembered long after the flowers on the bimah have faded. (And you demonstrate that a portion of your income -- or your child’s -should be set aside for tzedakah.) 2. Consider designing centerpieces that can be donated to Jewish Family Service, such as canned food and on-perishable items for the Jewish holidays, or to the Food Bank. Set aside a portion of the meal costs to Mazon: the Jewish Response to Hunger. Or stack books or other items that can be given to your child’s school or the JCC’s
Child Development Center. 3. You also can design your own invitations. Work with a local printer or stationary purveyor to overprint the invitation’s “cover” with blank inside pages, then package the extras in colored cellophane and tie it with coordinating ribbon. Let your guests know that “tribute” cards to your favorite charity are available for 6/$10 or 18 for $25. You’ll be surprised at how much extra tzedakah can be raised. This is a simcha you’re celebrating, so put the emphasis on the mitzvot surrounding it and realize how grateful everyone should be that you have reached this happy occasion. In the end, that’s what you’ll remember most: the smiling faces, the happy tears, and the knowledge that your simcha had meaning. Just ask Danny Siegel. (See page 1.)
FOCUS ON ISSUES by ADAM PECHTER A major philosophical line was drawn in London last week regarding the “War on Terror,” and very few in the American press took notice. It occurred at a debate I attended between the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, and Daniel Pipes, one of America’s leading neoconservative thinkers and a visiting professor at Pepperdine University. This was a huge event for the United Kingdom. Though the debate was held early on a Saturday morning, all 2000 seats at the central conference center for the city were quickly taken, and 3000 people filled overflow rooms. London cab drivers knew about the debate and were quick to offer their opinions; while the American press was virtually nonexistent, the room was dotted with reporters from the English and Arab press. Livingstone’s office, which organized the proceedings, seemingly attempted to paint the clash as one between good and evil. The title of the debate was “A World Civilization or a Clash of Civilizations?” The program for the event featured a picture with yellow child-like figures holding hands against a purple background; as one’s eyes moved down the page these children morphed into purple bombs set against a yellow background. The audience, judging by the questions of the panelists, leaned heavily to the Left. Livingstone, known as “Red Ken” in the early 80s because of his strong left-wing views, is one of Britain’s most popular and powerful politicians. Many credit him with being the force behind bringing the Olympics to London in 2012. Some Londoners that I spoke with at the debate compared him to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, insofar as they both have built up such powerful political
Having watched firebrand British politicians like Livingstone and George Galloway on C-Span, I was convinced that the British Left had allied itself with the Islamist community based on their shared antipathy toward United States’, British and Israeli policy. Judging by the audience reaction at the debate, I was wrong. in London was the best way to get them into the political process and work with them to build a just society. Pipes presented the opposite view. He stated that a totalitarian threat similar in danger to fascism and communism was emerging right under the West’s nose in places like London, and that political leaders like Livingstone were aiding and abetting it. He singled out Great Britain in general and the mayor in particular as allowing radical Muslims to flourish under democratic protections, thereby putting his citizenry and the West at risk. He pointed to the UK-based attacks on fifteen countries from Afghanistan
Jewish Press Committee Bobbi Leibowitz, Vice-Chairman; Stan Mitchell, Secretary; Scott Meyerson, Treasurer; Michael Siegel, Finance Chairman; Joanie Jacobson, Immediate Past-chairman; David Herzog; Susan Lehr; Jamie Meyerson; George Quittner; Melissa Schop; Michael Sigmond; Jim Simon; Nancy Skid; and Dorothy Spizman. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Centers of Excellence of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Education, Jewish Family Service, and Jewish Senior Services. The Jewish Press is a constitutional committee of the Jewish Federation. Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Committee, the Jewish Federation of Omaha or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.
Debate on war on terror draws line in the sand in London machines that they virtually could serve as “mayors for life.” He opened by stating that he called the debate because he was worried that the United States would make the same mistake that it made right after World War II, where for 50 years it sought to impose American domination of Soviet Russia, “leading to the deaths of 22 million,” as opposed to reaching out and working with the Soviets to advance humanity. He went on to state that the AmericanBritish world which was organized to their “own convenience” was passing, and that these powers had to inevitably realize this and embrace the concept of a world civilization. Thus, reaching out to Islamists as he had done
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to Saudi Arabia to the United States. He quoted the Koran in rejecting the notion that he was advocating a “clash of civilizations” or a “war on Islam,” choosing instead to describe it as a “battle between civilization and barbarism.” Having watched firebrand British politicians like Livingstone and George Galloway on CSpan, I was convinced that the British Left had allied itself with the Islamist community based on their shared antipathy toward United States’, British and Israeli policy. Judging by the audience reaction at the debate, I was wrong. When the debating partner of Mayor Livingston, a young Muslim woman politician named Salma Yaqoob, labeled the July 7 suicide bombings as “reprisal events,” the audience gasped in horror. Sir Martin Gilbert, the famous biographer of Winston Churchill, followed up by saying that his son had been targeted in those attacks, and asking who Yaqoob and Livingstone thought were behind these “reprisals.” To the chagrin of the audience, neither the mayor nor his second answered. When Livingstone was asked how he could reconcile his embrace of Islamists with their views on gay rights and women, and he responded that these views were similar to those held by the Church of England 50 years ago and that Islam will evolve as the church had through the democratic process, most in the hall seemed overtly unconvinced. In short, while the majority of the British Left still is unhappy with the policies of their country, America and Israel toward the Middle East, it seemingly has drawn the line at allying with Islamists who are committed to murdering Jews and homosexuals, abusing women and imposing Sharia law on British. That to me is newsworthy. Adam Pechter is the deputy publisher of the Middle East Quarterly. He can be reached at: publishers@meforum.org.
Editorial The Jewish Press is a Constitutional Committee of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1-402-334-5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org.. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be singlespaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions, but should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For more information, contact Carol Katzman, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly on Friday for $33 per calendar year U.S.; $40 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or e-mail to: jpress@jewishomaha. org.
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With P.A. in flames, Jewish leaders tell Rice it’s time for new peace push
FOCUS ON ISSUES byRON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Condoleezza Rice may not have the pro-Israel lobbyists on her side in her latest plunge into Palestinian-Israeli peacemaking -- but she has the supplicants. Religious leaders of three Jewish denominations have gone out of their way in recent weeks to express their support for Rice’s renewed engagement in the region. Most recently, a top Reconstructionist and a top Reform rabbi joined a multidenominational delegation of religious leaders led by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, who met with Rice on Jan. 29 to encourage her to press Israel and the Palestinians into making peace. It’s a posture at odds with much of the pro-Israel community, which prefers that the United States hang back until the sides themselves appear more ready for peace. That isn’t now, pro-Israel lobbyists say, with a terrorist group running the Palestinian Authority and the leading Palestinian factions engaged in what looks like civil war. “In a perfect world, everyone wants peace,” one lobbyist said. “The real stumbling block is that Hamas won’t renounce violence and recognize Israel’s existence.” Abraham Foxman, national director of the AntiDefamation League, said the representations from th religious denominations were counterproductive. “Unless the parties themselves are ready to put in sweat equity, a third party will not be productive,” Foxman said. “This only means putting pressure on Israel at a time when Israel does not have the partner it needs.” Pressure might be inevitable, said Rabbi Jerome Epstein, executive vice president of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. “Somebody’s got to help break the stalemate,” said Epstein, who signed a December letter to Rice from the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East that led to Monday's meeting. “I would encourage both sides to do it between themselves, but that isn’t necessarily working, as we have seen on regular basis.” Epstein, who said he signed the letter in a personal capacity, did not attend the Jan. 29 meeting. Rabbi Amy Small, a former president of the Reconstructionist movement who was at the meeting, said rabbis were natural interlocutors for peaceful intervention. “The Jewish community prays for peace,” she said outside the State Department after the delegation met
with Rice. “If we can achieve that, it will be celebrated.” Rabbi Paul Menitoff, an executive vice president emeritus of the Reform movement’s Central Conference of American Rabbis, said the U.S. role was critical to nudging the sides forward. “The leadership of the United States is going to be not only to get the parties to the table, but to get concessions from both sides,” he said. Notably the Orthodox are absent from such appeals. The Orthodox Union alluded to its opposition to pressuring Israel in a statement condemning the recent suicide bombing in Eilat that killed three Israelis. “This terrible attack of unjustified and unprovoked homicidal violence against innocent and unsuspecting civilians should serve as a sad and sobering reminder to any who presume the responsibility for and the obstacles to peace rest on Israel,” the statement said.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meets with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Jan. 13, in Jerusalem. Rice embarked on a fresh effort to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks but said she would not present any concrete new initiative. Credit: Matty Stern/BPH Images/JTA In this case, at least, Rice appears to have caught up with the religious leaders who signed the letter. She is now actively engaged in the region, having toured it this month and organizing a leadership summit for next. Accordingly, the religious leaders shifted their tone from mild reprobation in their December letter to applause after last week’s meeting. McCarrick said the delegation emerged from the meeting hopeful. The cardinal said the religious leaders
“committed to continue to say tough things to our communities and in the Middle East to build up support” for Rice’s initiatives. That will help if the pro-Israel giants rally for tough congressional oversight of the $85 million Rice has pledged to Mahmoud Abbas, the relatively moderate Palestinian Authority president whom Rice and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hope to bolster in his faceoff with the Hamas government. Some lobbyists say they plan to use the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act, passed in the last session of Congress and signed by President Bush, to exercise that oversight. The legislation bans assistance to the Palestinian Authority as long as it is governed by Hamas. The act has exemptions for Abbas, and Rice’s spokesman says she remains as committed as ever to isolating Hamas. Sean McCormack addressed Russian plans to call for a lifting of Hamas’ international isolation this Friday when the Quartet -- the grouping of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations that guides the Israeli-Palestinian peace process -- meets in Washington. Last year the Quartet committed to isolating Hamas until it recognizes Israel, renounces terrorism and pledges to respect the P.A.’s past peace agreements. “It is the one-year anniversary of the Quartet statement with regard to the behavior of Hamas,” McCormack said last week. “That statement has actually held up quite well and been very important in rallying the international community to laying out a clear standard of behavior for the Palestinian government. Adherence to that statement actually has grown over time in terms of not only the members of the Quartet, but those in the region that have come out and not only supported it rhetorically and diplomatically, but in terms of their actions.” The religious leaders who met with Rice have some allies in the pro-Israel community. Notably the Israel Policy Forum has commended her for pushing forward, and Americans for Peace Now and Brit Tzedek v’Shalom also are sympathetic. “We’re hoping that declared intentions will be followed up by real action,” said Ori Nir, APN’s spokesman. “But any kind of increased involvement is positive.” Stephen P. Cohen, IPF’s national scholar, said the perception among Israel’s Arab neighbors was of an incremental change for the better in U.S. policy. “There’s a sense of somewhat more uncertainty that the United States is going to do nothing,” he said.
Strategic-planning model spreads as federations seek to grow campaigns
NEWS ANALYSIS by JACOB BERKMAN NEW YORK (JTA) -- As a new, resultsfocused method of giving spreads through the United Jewish Communities system, the days may soon be gone when Jewish federations simply raised money and doled it out to their subsidiary agencies. A trend toward greater transparency in the federation system, and a desire by donors to know exactly how their dollars are being spent, has started to push the Jewish philanthropic world away from the traditional model in which federations allocated money primarily to service agencies with which they had official relationships. Those agencies, such as Jewish family service groups and local boards of Jewish education, set their own budgets and spent the money as they saw fit. Many say that model caused federation campaigns to stagnate. A growing number of federations are moving to a strategic-planning method that involves a combination of outcomes- and priorities-based planning. Outcomes-based planning, which has been used in the private sector for some three decades, requires recipient organizations to show they are spending grants wisely. After the money is spent, the recipient must show the effect it had. In priorities-based funding, a federation starts by identifying community needs before allocating any money. The federation then reaches out to organizations -either inside or outside the federation sys-
tem -- to make grant proposals to solve those needs. When the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Countie employed the method two years ago, it started with a strategic-planning process that named five areas of priority. One was welcoming interfaith families, according to planning director Karen Bluestone. A recent demographic study showed that about 75 percent of Jews in Marin and Sonoma counties, wher nearly 50,000 of the San Francisco area’s 250,000 Jews live, were intermarried. Within that group, however, many families sent their children to Jewish nursery schools. So the federation worked with the Union for Reform Judaism, which is not typically a recipient of San Francisco federation money, to create a sensitivity training program for employees of synagogues, JCCs and early childhood education centers to make them more accessible to non-Jewish parents. The federation also started working with a progressive organization called Milestones to help Jews who do not identify with synagogues or other Jewish institutions bring Jewish rituals, such as the brit milah and bar/bat mitzvah, into their lives on terms they found palatable. Before it switched to the outcomesbased planning method, the federation gave only $11,300 a year to individual synagogues, but since 2004-2005 the number has increased to $131,645. Likewise, the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, which started using the
new model over the past year, has been able to engage some 35 rabbis in the discussion about how to serve the area’s rapidly growing Jewish population. In years past, only one or two rabbis had been involved in federation planning, and no Atlanta synagogue received federation money, according to Shira Ledman, the federation’s chief planning officer. Organizations that receive grants must demonstrate each year that they are getting positive results or the grants will end. That has forced traditional recipients of federation money to reinvent themselves and come up with more innovative ideas, says Ira Schwartz, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, which switched to the model a few years ago. The Philadelphia federation is the first in the country to hire a research staff to define and measure the outcomes of each program funded. “A lot of agency directors are not happy because this means their ongoing source of support, to use as they wanted, is not there anymore,” Schwartz said. Aside from cutting fat and reducing some overlap, since organizations aren't duplicating programming, the new model has allowed funders to see exactly how their money is spent, as the federation can now market ideas an programs to donors rather than service organizations. “The trend has changed to where our donors want to understand the impact their dollars are having,” Shari Stimetz, assistant executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City -- which
in 1999 became one of the first federations in the country to use an outcomes-based model -- told JTA. “When you allocate money to an agency, donors see this as money going into a black hole because they don’t see where the dollars go.” The Kansas City federation has seen a dramatic increase in its general campaign, which was “stuck” in the $4 million range before 1998 but now has grown to $5.1 million. The federation has seen an even greater increase in restricted dollars that donors give for specific projects above the general campaign. Restricted donations have risen from $500,000 per year in 1998 to $2 million per year in 2006, according to Stimetz. Most federations using the new model have seen their revenue stream rise. For example, the San Francisco federation saw its general campaign increase from $22.9 million in 2004-05 to $24.6 million the next year. Its campaign goal for 2006-07 is $26.5 million, according to Bluestone. The Philadelphia federation thinks it can increase its unrestricted allocations from about $23 million this year to $40 million or $50 million in five years, Schwartz said. The change in the 155-federation UJC system really has begun in earnest in the past four years, UJC officials said. There are now pilot strategic-planning models that incorporate some form of outcomesand priorities-based planning in as many as 19 cities, according to Becky SoblemanStern, vice president of UJC Consulting. “The old way of business just doesn’t work anymore,” Schwartz said.
Page 26
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
February 9, 2007
Candlelighting Friday, February 9, 5:33 p.m.
Synagogue Listings
B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
618 Mynster St. Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com
FRIDAY: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker, Cheryl Lerner presenting Music and Movement Jewish Dance. The community is invited.
Beth El Synagogue
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE
Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Omaha, NE 68154-1980 492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org
FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m.; Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m. followed by dinner. Cost, $5 for adults, free for children ages six and younger. For more information, contact Margie Gutnik. SATURDAY: Morning services, 9:30 a.m. this service will be a special Boy Scouts Shabbat, with local Jewish scouts participating; Junior Congregation (3-7), 10 a.m.; K’tantan (K-2), 10:45 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored by Beth El Sisterhood; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 5:40 p.m. W E E K D AY S E R V I C E S : Sundays, 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; weekdays 6:55 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. SUNDAY: Bible Discussion Group; Living Hebrew with Susi Frydman-Levin; “The Weekly Parasha: It’s All About Me?!,” all at 10 a.m., led by Andy Greenberg; “Jewish Pot Pourri,” 11 a.m., led by Frydman-Levin. BESTT: Fifth Grade Family History Program, Feb. 11, 10 a.m. to noon. BESTT CHAVERIM: Feb. 11, Cooking & Game Day at Beth El, for all fourth through sixth graders in the Jewish community. For more information, contact Robert Mosenkis at youthdir@ bethel-omaha.org. WOMEN’S BOOK GROUP: Monday, Feb. 12, 1 p.m., at the synagogue; All women in the Jewish community are welcome. MOTHERS CIRCLE: Group for non-Jewish mothers raising continues Jewish children, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 7 p.m. and is open to the community, free of charge. For information, contact Judy Rubin at eddir@bethelomaha.org. THURSDAYS, noon: Rabbi Levin leads Getting More Out of Prayer: Insights into the Siddur. SISTERHOOD HAMANTASHEN SALE: Available for just $5 per dozen. Order deadline, Thursday, Feb. 8. Forms are available in the office or send a check -made payable to Beth El Sisterhood -- to: 14506 California St., Omaha NE 68154. Orders will be ready for pick-up in the social hall on
B’nai Israel Synagogue
Beth Israel Synagogue Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific St. Omaha, NE. 68154 556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org
Beyt Shalom An Affiliate of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation 3012 S. 119 St. P.O. Box 390352 Omaha, NE 68139 660.2395 www.beytshalomomaha.org
Chabad House An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 S. 120th St. Omaha, NE 68144-1646 330.1800 nebraskajudaism.com email: chabad@aol.com
Congregation B’nai Jeshurun South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 S. 20th St. Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 435.8004 southstreettemple.org
Offutt Air Force Base SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway Offutt AFB, NE 68113 294.6244
Rose Blumkin Jewish Home 333 S. 132 St. Omaha, NE 68154
Temple Israel Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556.6536 templeisrael-ne.org
The Neighborhood Minyan 1317 No. 57 St. Omaha, NE 68132 551.6609
Tifereth Israel Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org
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Allan Handleman, 334.6451, or Terri Greenwood, 334.6559.
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BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 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. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 5:33 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. Free babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes, 9:45 a.m. with Torah Parade; Kiddush sponsored by David and Sandy Gross, Amy Gross, Nina Gross, and Laura, Avi, Joe, Atara, Ike, Jake and Judah Greenbaum in honor of the birthday and Bar Mitzvah anniversary of Rabbi Jonathan Gross; Mincha, 5 p.m. followed by Suedat Shlishit with Gemara class; Havdalah, 6:35 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; “Reading the Rambam,” 9:45 a.m.; Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m. MONDAY: Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Gross, noon “Got Milk & Honey? The Foods of Israel.” $5 soup and sandwich lunch available by reservation; Hebrew Reading Crash Course, 7:30 p.m. TUESDAY: Bircat Hamazon class, 7:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m. THURSDAY: Women of the Torah class, 9:30 a.m.; NCSY Latte & Learning with Dani Eisenstock, 7 p.m. “My Life in the Israeli Defense Force,” at Scooter’s 120th & Blondo; Advanced Parsha Study, 7:30 p.m.
BEYT SHALOM FRIDAY: Shabbat in the Home.
CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Service, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Maamar class, 9 a.m.; Service, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush luncheon follows the service. SUNDAY: Service, 8:30 a.m.; Living Torah, 9:30 a.m., 20minute video broadcast. WEEKDAYS: Minyan, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Maamar Kabbalistic Insights for Women, 12:15 p.m.; Halacha, 7 p.m. TUESDAY: No W.O.W. Prayer Circle Tehillim this week; it resumes Feb. 20; Parshah Roundup: Weekly Torah Portion
Class, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Kabbalah Circle, 7 p.m. THURSDAY: Jewish Thought, 12:45 p.m. Events and programs are open to the community. For information or to register, call 330.1800 or visit www. Ochabad.com.
CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN Services conducted by Rabbi Ilan Emanuel. FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. led by Rabbi Emanuel with oneg following provided by Johna Walker. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. all led by Rabbi Emanuel. SUNDAY: LJCS K-1, 9:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. at B’nai Jeshurun; Grades 2-7, 9:30 a.m.noon and Hallah High, 10 a.m.noon at Tifereth Israel; Winter Lecture Series, 7-9 p.m. at Unitarian Church, 6300 ‘A’ St. The topic is “The ANDRILL Project: Determining 20 million years of climate conditions” with Prof. Richard Levy, a faculty member of Geosciences at UN-L, and a staff scientist. ADULT EDUCATION “Judging Judges -- New Approaches to Reading the Bible,” on Sundays, Feb. 11, and 25, and March 18 and 25, from 7-9 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew class (grades 2-7), 4-6 p.m. at TI. THURSDAY: “The Light Is Green: Moving Toward a New Energy Culture,” 7 p.m. at Southminster United Methodist Church, 16th and Otoe Streets. For more information, call 402.423.8586.
Field will lead the service. SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15-10:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.; JYG Meshugana Bowling for Grades 7 & 8, 8:30-11 p.m. Drop off and pick up is at Mockingbird Lanes (4870 So. 96 St.). Cost is $5 for Temple youth; $10 for non-members. RSVPs are a must to JYG Advisor Leora Azriel, 960.5796 or the office. SUNDAY: Teacher Learning Coffee, 9:30 a.m.; Prayer Assembly, 10 a.m.; Grades K-6, 10 a.m.-noon; Men’s Club Speaker, 10:30 a.m. Alan Potash will discuss the “ADL Issues Today and their Impact on Omaha.” Join us for bagels and juice; Deli Night, 5 p.m. with comedian Joel Chasnoff. Adult B’nai TUESDAY: Mitzvah, 6:30–8 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 46 p.m.; All School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Family School, 6-8 p.m.; Grades 712, 6-8 p.m.; Danny Siegel will share his personal stories and practical suggestions at a workshop with middle and high school students and their parents. Jewish Notions of the Afterlife, 7 p.m. Contact Program Director Rosie Zweiback, 556.6536 or rzwei back@templeisraelomaha.com, to register for this class. Fee is $18. THURSDAY: “Adult Study with the Clergy” with Rabbi Eric Linder, 10-11:30 a.m.; Theology Café, 7 p.m. at Barnes and Noble (144 & West Center).
NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN FRIDAY: Minyan, 5:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.
TIFERETH ISRAEL
FRIDAY: Congregational Conversation, noon to discuss the Temple Israel Building Project and the Tri-Faith Initiative; Shabbat Shira Service, 6 p.m. Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, and Tami
Services conducted by Rabbi Royi Shaffin. Minyan, MONDAY and THURSDAY, 9 a.m. FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. followed by a light oneg. SATURDAY: Weekly Parashah class, 8:30 a.m.; Morning service, 9:30 a.m. followed by Shabbat lunch and Talmud class. SUNDAY: LJCS K-1, 9:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. at B’nai Jeshurun; Grades 2-7, 9:30 a.m.noon and Hallah High, 10 a.m.noon at Tifereth Israel. WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group meets at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Call Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066; Hebrew class (grades 27), 4-6 p.m. at TI.
School for Shluchim. His interests include basketball, reading, computers, and performing mitzvot. For their mitzvah project, Levi and Miriam are sponsoring a Mitzvah Auction, encouraging people of
all ages and faiths to commit to observing mitzvot by furnishing prizes to be auctioned off. The two have siblings: Estie, Shevi, Mushka, Chani, Rochi, Devorah, Yossi, Zelig, Feigie, and Zalman. Grandparents are Rabbi and Mrs. Eli Lipsker, and Sarah Katzman, all of Crown Heights, NY, and the late Rabbi Zelig Katzman. More on page 27
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m., led by Marti Nerenstone and Beyt Shalom.
TEMPLE ISRAEL
B’NAI MITZVAH Miriam Katzman, daughter of Rabbi Mendel and Shani Katzman, will become Bat Mitzvah on Friday, Feb. 16, at C h a b a d House. Miriam is a seventhgrade student at Virtual Yeshiva -- Online
School for Shluchim. Her writing was published in an international childrens’ newsletter. Her interests include piano, reading, snow sports and writing. Levi Yitzchok Katzman, son of Rabbi Mendel and Shani Katzman, will become Bar Mitzvah on Sunday, Feb. 18, at Chabad House. Levi is a seventh-grade student at Virtual Yeshiva -- Online
February 9, 2007
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 27
Lessons from a pagan priest
SPARKS FROM THE WORD by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Yitro The innocent, and somewhat infantile, reader of the Public Pulse who says that the Ten Commandments are for everyone and for all time ought to note that there are no commandments, or at least no positive commandments in the so-called Ten Commandments. There are only, shall I say, “iterations.” And they are not for everybody. Certainly Christians need not observe the Jewish Sabbath, although they are not specifically by name excluded. Nor are the hapless denizens of Iran, and their president, the loathsome Mahmoud Ahmadinijad, explicitly warned against international battling, even though they seem to have an innate love and cherishing for it. No. The so-called Ten Commandments are for Israel and they come from Israel’s God. What might well refer to all the rest of mankind is the
group in the second half, with the “You shall not” phrase beginning each one. This is particularly difficult for the Iranians with their specific desire to murder Israelis, whom they love for this purpose. Nor is there any need for the various bellicose tribes that preceded the settlement of ancient Israelites to lay down their arms and welcome the Israelites to “their” land. The Bible carefully figures out justified reasons to displace them and kick them out in favor of Israel. If it seems that I have trivialized the events recorded in our Sidra, it is probably true. We must constantly remember that although we generally bow to the opinion that these chapters, verses and accounts were Divinely revealed, we know full well that these are all human compositions. If humans are subject to trivalities and some nonsense and some reading of history backwards, so be it. And if Yitro, this pagan priest, deserves to have the Ten Commandments in his Sidra, let that be so also. The Bible is not immune to opinions and attributions that do not necessarily make sense, make for clarity. Now we know why this Sidra carries the name of a pagan priest...pagan, even though he was father-in-law of Moses.
FRANCES GRONER Rebbetzin Frances Groner died in Jerusalem Jan. 25 at the age of 91. Burial took place at Eretz Hachayim Cemetery in Beit Shemesh, Israel. She was preceded in death by her husband, the late Rabbi Benjamin Groner, who served as rabbi of Beth Israel Synagogue from 1954-64 and later as rabbi of Bnai Jacob Adas Yeshuron from 1964-66; and her daughter, Diane Groner Levine. Together with Rabbi Groner, she helped start the Friedel Jewish Academy -- then called the Omaha Jewish Academy -- get off the ground in the early 1960s. She and Rabbi Groner left Omaha in 1966 for a new pulpit in New Orleans, where they served until Rabbi Groner’s death in 1993. In January 1995, Rebbetzin Groner moved to Israel and lived there for 12 years until her death. She was honored by AMIT Women in Israel in 2000 in the largest fundraiser held up until then. She is survived by Rabbi Raphael and Debbie Groner of Jerusalem, Gladys Groner of Jerusalem, Dr. Lazar and Linda Groner Shicker of Chicago, IL, Gerry and Sandra Groner Glassman of Brooklyn, Arlene Groner of Jerusalem, and Lewis Groner of Los Angeles; 17 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Memorials to Amit at 817 Broadway, New York City, NY, 10003, or Yeshivat Hesder Birkat Moshe (a yeshiva encompassing military service) at 76-16 171 St., Flushing, NY, 11366.
in the arts. He is survived by his son, Gary Samuel Riekes, with whom he founded the Riekes Center for Human Development in Menlo Park, CA, to mentor students in the creative arts, athletic fitness and nature awareness. He is also survived by his daughter, Linda Riekes, with whom he founded the Central Reform Congrega-tion in St. Louis; and grandsons, Ian Riekes Trivers and Benjamin Riekes Trivers. Memorials to the Riekes Center for Human Enhancement, 3455 Edison Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025.
Large print living will available Jewish Heritage for the Blind announced the availability of the large print “Jewish Halachic Living Will”, produced by the Agudath Israel and the Orthodox Union. Forward your request on your formal stationery to fax #: 718.338.0653 or send an e-mail to jewishheritage@gmail.com. Requests must include a phone number to confirm delivery. The supply is limited. To Submit an Obituary Notice: Send to the Jewish Press via email: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; fax: 402.334.5422; or mail, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; or log on to www.jewishomaha.org and click on ‘Jewish Press’, and then Submit announcements. Call the Press office at 402.334.6448 for more information.
MAX RIEKES The last surviving child of Dora and Samuel Riekes, Max Riekes, died in Woodside, CA, on Jan. 30 at the age of 98. Services were held Feb. 6 at Beth El Synagogue. the first branch of S. Riekes and Sons in skaFounder PressofAdvertising Service Des Moines, IA, he began work in his parents’ glass factory and became president at the age of 25, the same Steven Michael Vinci, son of Jody and Gino Vinci, will year he married Dorothy Lustgarten. Over the next 40 become Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Feb. 17, at Temple Israel. 4 ____ years, he traveled throughout the Midwest and West, Steven is a seventh-grade honor✔ Northeast Southeast Westernat Westside Middle Region: Centraloffices. rklaunching 22 additional branch In the 1940s, he roll student began working with Vitro School. Glass Company in Mexico His interests include football, tenand in the early 1950s, crenis, basketball, and baseball. NE TIME, ated5, 2007 Riekes-Crisa Glass For his mitzvah project, Steven volFeb. Company. unteers at the Juvenile Diabetes Just call this newspaper today Foundation, to place your classichelping to He was Research s agreed to preceded in death car, truck or motorcycle for sale ad and photo on the by a son, John Michael; and raise money toonly find cure, midwestclassiccars.com web site for $25.aOr go to and workska Display his wife, for whom he estabconnection tochildren. the site to find your dream car. It·s yourdiagnosed ing with newly by running classic vehicles for He sale throughout the Midwest. lished Dorothy has a sister, Mia. ews section the Lustgarten Riekes Memorial Grandparents are Ginny and Marshall Becker. Yes, for only $25 your ad runs until SOLD!!! (NOT the Fund at the Foundation of Great-grandparents are the late Morris and Bess Becker newspaper). the Jewish Federation of Omaha, to assist young people and Hazel and Max Turchen. Your connection to classic car buyers throughout the Midwest. may request
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ALL STEEL! Rigid frame or pole building. Winter discounts available now. Free quote and erection estimates! Sentinel Building Systems. 800-327-0790 ext. 26. www.sentinelbuildings.com. 4 BEDROOM. Bank Foreclosure $19,900! Buy for only $141/mo! More Homes Available! 4% down, 30 years @ 8%. For listings call 800-618-0668 xS888. Fee. $500! POLICE Impounds! Hondas, Chevy’s, Jeeps and more! Cars/Trucks/SUVs from $500! Call for Listings 800-616-8258 xN215. Fee. SPECIALS! 3 door glass coolers, hoodless fryers, soft serve machines. New/used complete line of restaurant/bar equipment. Public welcome! Restaurant Equipment Outlet, 2121 Floyd Boulevard, Sioux City, Iowa 51104, 800-526-7105. CONTRACT SALESPERSONS to sell aerial photography of farms on commission basis. $5000-$8000 per month, with proven product in earnings. Call toll free 1-877882-3566. NOW ACCEPTING resumes for Maintenance Manager. Prefer experience in management, maintenance, ethanol, electrical accreditation. Competitive benefit package. Send resume to: Husker Ag L.L.C., 54048 Hwy 20, Plainview, NE 68769. THERAPIST NEEDED: PT, OT, PTA, expand your career with private practice in Wyoming. Sign on bonus and relocation assistance. Call Lisa Mangus at 888-358-9464. WANTED: SELF-motivated individuals to work in central Nebraska water well business. Valid CDL. Welding and mechanical skills. Pre-employment drug testing. Average 50hour week year round. Competitive wages and benefits. Serious inquiries to Downey Well. Co., Inc., PO Box 37, Merna, NE 68856 or call 308-643-2463. U.S. MEAT Animal Research Center, near Clay Center, NE, has opening for calving, livestock, labor positions. Six-month positions open mid-February or early March. $11/hour, overtime after 50 hours. Call 402-762-4151 or send resume to: Terry Madson, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, PO Box 166, Clay Center, NE 68933. UNL is committed to EEO/AA and ADA/504. Call if accommodation is required. PART-TIME, HOME-BASED Internet business. Earn $500-$1,000/month or more. Flexible hours. Training provided. No investment required. Free details. www.K348.com. CHIEF FINANCIAL Officer: Hiring CFO for start-up ethanol plant. Requires strengths in commodity hedging, risk management, SEC compliance, and analyzing costs, budgets and financial reports. CPA preferred. CFO will oversee accounting department and systems. Application instructions available at www.eenergyadams.com. EOE HEAVY EQUIPMENT Operator Training. Nationally certified, 4 week 200 hour program, job placement assistance, 1-308-874-9989. DRIVERS: CDL Class A with OTR experience. Company & O/Os, for Van & Flatbed. New! Owner Operator pay increase with $1,000.00 license bonus. Medical benefits after 1st month. Premium flatbed pay! Call F.C.C. 1-800-228-9842 ext. 137. www.fccinc.com. DRIVERS: WE are looking for you! Excellent compensation package. Terminals in Grand Island, NE and Rensselaer, IN. Class A CDL/1 year OTR experience required. Grand Island Contract Carriers, 877-367-4422, www.gicc.chiefind.com. EXPERIENCED OVER the road car haulers wanted. United Road has openings in Omaha, NE. Competitive wages, outstanding benefits, excellent home time. Experienced drivers call John, 800-221-5127, Ext. 186. A COOL travel job!! Now hiring 18-24 guys/gals to work and travel entire USA. Paid training. Transportation and lodging furnished. Call today, start today. 1-877-646-5050. FARMERS COOP Elevator, Beresford, South Dakota, is seeking a qualified General Manager, a diversified grain and farm supply cooperative with sales exceeding $30 million. Position requires knowledge in grain marketing, financial management, human resource management. Competitive salary and benefits. Send or fax (701-223-9078) resume to: Larry Fuller, Regional Manager, 1820 East Capital Avenue #221, Bismarck, North Dakota 58502, Email: lfuller@mbrservices.com LINEMAN OR an apprentice lineman. Minimum qualifications-associate degree from accredited line school, four years distribution line experience, or any combination. Excellent benefits, competitive wages, excellent working environment. Call for application: City of Gothenburg Public Works office, 308-537-3668. Position open until filled. EOE.
MONUMENT CO.
CONSTRUCTION HELP needed asap: Millwrights, Pipe Welders, Pipe Fitters, Structural Welders, Ironworkers. Competitive Wages plus per diem. 401K, Holidays, Vacation, Medical-Dental-Vision. Drug Screen and Physicals required. E.O.E. Call Steve 1-800-844-8436.
60 Years Experience With Jewish Lettering and Memorials
MURPHY TRACTOR is looking for a full-time Field Service Technician to perform repairs/maintenance on all makes of construction equipment including Nissan forklifts and Bobcat skid steers. Hydraulics and electrical systems experience preferred. Mast and carriage rebuilding and power train repair experience helpful. We offer a competitive salary and company service vehicle for qualified technician. Submit resume via mail or email: Murphy Tractor, Attn: Branch Mgr, PO Box 1013, North Platte, NE 69101-or-email: mbrown@murphytractor.com
Frank L. Ciciulla Jr.
1439 So. 13th
341-2452
ACT NOW! 21 CDL-A drivers needed. 36-43cpm/$1.20pm, $0 Lease new trucks, CDLA plus 3 months OTR, 800-635-8669.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
February 9, 2007