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