February 16, 2007

Vol. LXXXVI No. 23 Omaha, NE

Celebrating 86 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa

28 Shevat, 5767 February 16, 2007

UJC to help Gaza evacuees, but some ask if it’s too little, too late

by JACOB BERKMAN NEW YORK (JTA) -- In November 2005, a few months after some 10,000 Israelis were removed from their homes in Gaza and the West Bank as part of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan, Lee Wunsch went t see the evacuees' living conditions firsthand.

Nearly 80 percent of the families were living in hotels rather than homes.

“Not one of them were hotels any of our federation missions would stay at,” said Wunsch, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston. “And they were filled with families and kids. Instead of two or three people in a room, there were parents with three, four or five kids.”

Eighteen months after the evacuation, the situation isn’t much better.

“Unfortunately, while most American Jews supported the disengagement, they’re not aware beyond the political issues of the gravity of the needs that existed for evacuees right after the disengagement and now,” Wunsch told JTA. “It captured the imaginations of American Jews for a week when it was on CNN 24 hours a day, but now there is no news and people are not into it.”

A displaced family from the former Gaza settlement of Elei Sinai sleeps in a tent near the Yad Mordechai junction in southern Israel in September 2005.

Credit: Brian Hendler/JTA Some groups such as Americans for a Safe Israel have heaped heavy criticism on the United Jewish Communities and the federation system for not stepping in to

help Jews in need.

The UJC is hoping a resolution passed at its annual governance meetings in late January is a step in the right direction.

National ESPN radio host Colin Cowherd to headline B’nai B’rith sports banquet

Despite cold, JCC heats up with three satellite broadcasts next week in 92nd Street Y series

by RACHEL BLUM JCC Program Director On Monday, Feb. 19, 7:15 p.m. in the JCC Theater, Ed Koch will be the featured speaker in the popular satellite broadcast series from NY’s 92nd Street Y. The funny, irreverent and always original Ed Koch discusses New York news and his own identity as a Jewish New Yorker and politician.

Ed Koch 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.

Then on Sunday, Feb. 25, 4 p.m., New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Hilary Rodham Clinton will hold a conversation Sen. Hilary Clinton about issues facing America today. In 2004, New Yorkers re-elected U.S. Senator Charles E. “Chuck” Schumer to represent the State of New York in the U.S. Senate for a second six-year term. Shumer started off his second term by being appointed to the Democratic Leadership team.

He also earned a seat on the Senate Finance Committee which oversees the nation’s tax, trade, social security and health care legislation.

Inside Opinion Page see page 12

Sen. Schumer also sits on the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; the Judiciary Committee; and the Rules Committee.

He is the ranking member of the Administrative Oversight and the Courts Subcommittee and the Economic Policy Subcommittee.

Hillary Rodham Clinton was elected to the United Shimon Peres States Senate by the people of New York on Nov. 7, 2000. She is the first First Lady of the United States elected to public office and the first woman elected independently statewide in New York State. A strong advocate for New York, Senator Clinton works with communities throughout the state to strengthen the economy and expand opportunity. Sen. Clinton just Sen. Charles Schumer recently announced her candidacy for President.

Finally, Former Israeli Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres will be featured on Monday, Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m. Twice Israel’s prime minister, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, bold leader in a war-torn region, Peres is one of the great statesmen of the modern world.

Continued on page 4

This Week: Jewish Values in Islam? Page 2 See Front Page Stories & More at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’

U.S. Jews mark Heschel’s 100th anniversary: Page 3

Even though the evacuation was handled with “extraordinary grace,” the twopage resolution says, 90 percent of the evacuated settlers still haven’t been resettled in permanent housing.

Jan Goldstein sits on the IEC Work Group for UJC, which is involved in reviewing and approving funds for the Gaza evacuees. “This is the right thing to do as a system to continue fulfilling our mission of takin care of each other as part of Kol Yisrael,” said Omaha’s Federation Executive Director. “Even more important than the dollars allocated so far for the evacuees, is this UJC Board resolution which recognizes our combined responsibility to keep this on our Jewish agenda.”

The resolution calls on the federation system, the Jewish Agency for Israel, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Israeli government to examine the situation further.

It calls for the Jewish Agency and the JDC to “monitor the situation, develop expertise in the needs so that the system is appropriately informed, and to help ensure that a concerted effort is maintained to enable this population to successfully Continued on page 2

by HOWARD BORDEN Sports Illustrated proclaimed him “Radio Sports Personality of the Year” in 2005 and he will entertain Nebraskans with his eclectic views on sports, pop culture, politics and observations of everyday life. “That’s why we chose National ESPN Radio Host, Colin Cowherd, as the featured sports celebrity at the 53rd Annual B’nai B’rith Charity Sports Banquet,” according to Banquet Chair Gil Cohen.

Earlier in his career, Cowherd was also named “The Sportscaster of the Year” five times in Nevada.

Frequently controversial and always exciting, ESPN says that Cowherd is known for a “rapidly paced and unique style.”

Known as “The Herd,” Colin’s program features commentary on the day’s important sports stoColin Cowherd ries, perspective, interviews and daily segments, “Rants of the Day” and “Spanning the Globe.”

The Grayland, WA, native will also help the Lodge honor the Metro area’s most outstanding high school senior male and female student-athlete. Along with their selection, the honorees will receive the Lodge’s Bert Render and Earl Siegel Memorial Awards. In addition, each athlete will garner a $1500 scholarship provided by NRG Media (1620/The Zone), the banquet’s radio sponsor.

Continued on page 4

Coming Next Month: Home & Garden Issue on March 9 Tu B’Shevat celebrated at Friedel, synagogues & Lauritzen: Pages 8-9

Former Omahan sponsors three IDF battalions: Page 16

Page 2

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

February 16, 2007

Jewish values in Islam?

Muslim speaker at Temple Israel to explain

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by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Iftekhar A. Hai, who has been invited to speak at Temple Israel at Shabbat services on Friday, Feb. 23, was born in a village in southern India during the days of British rule. One of ten children in his family, Hai lived in close proximity to the “untouchables” areas of Bombay. He attended a Catholic school from age six to 17 learning about Christian values and ethics.

As a college student, Hai attended a center of Hindu revivalism, Podar College, Matunga, where he was exposed to Hindu values and ethics. As a Muslim faced with religious discrimination, Hai decided to move to Pakistan where he Iftekhar Hai hoped to find better job opportunities. But Pakistan, divided along ethnic and racial lines, had its own drawbacks.

Hai looked to the United States to fulfill his dreams and landed in San Francisco to pursue his master’s degree. He lived with an elderly Jewish landlady, a daughter of a rabbi, who gave him a room and food in exchange for doing household chores. Hai’s landlady introduced him to Judaic values and ethics as well as the strong emotional attachment of Jews to the State of Israel.

Exposure to the Abrahamic faiths coupled with the non-violence messages of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., served to strengthen Hai’s determination to resolve religious differences and conflicts.

After earning his master’s in business administration and agreeing to an arranged marriage to Atiya, Hai spent the next 25 years as a financial officer accomplishing his American dream, according to the United Muslims of America Interfaith Alliance, the first nonpartisan Muslim public affairs organization in America.

But the joys of achieving his goals, a successful marriage, and fatherhood were dimmed by the hatred, bigotry, and racism Hai observed toward Muslims in America.

He changed his profession from finance to interfaith education.

He became a founding director of United Muslims of America (UMA) in 1982 and has been the organization’s fulltime honorary director of interfaith relations since 1990.

In 2004, Hai founded UMA’s Interfaith Alliance and became its president. The alliance’s mission is to promote cooperation and understanding among world religions through interfaith dialogue, creating racial and religious harmony, and encouraging American Muslims to get involved locally, nationally, and globally for the common good of all people.

In his first trip to Nebraska, Hai will speak about “Jewish Values in Islam” at Temple Israel next Friday, Feb. 23, 6 p.m. Sponsored by the American Institute for Islamic Studies and Culture, part of a tri-faith partnership which also includes Temple Israel and the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska, Hai will address the Muslim community of Omaha when he is here. On Saturday, Feb. 24, he will deliver a lecture at All Saints Episcopal Church, 9302 Blondo St., at 7 p.m.

Since 9-11, Hai has found himself explaining Islam and its practices to pastoral students at the Archdiocese Leadership Schools in San Francisco, Peninsula Academy, of Jewish Studies, Temple Beth El in San Mateo, and at Holy Name College in Oakland, California.

A former volunteer-teacher in public schools and in Jewish and Christian private schools, Hai is an honorary lecturer at universities, churches, charitable and interfaith organizations. He has represented Islam at conflict resolution conferences and at interfaith seminars in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Africa, Afghanistan, Brazil, and Korea.

Eager to see peace between India and Pakistan and also between Israel and its Arab neighbors, reports the UMA Interfaith Alliance, Hai has written articles published in San Francisco Bay area newspapers. He differentiates between moderate and extremist interpretations of Islam and compares global and inter-religious messages of Islam to other religions and spiritual traditions.

He has also written about grievances of the Muslim world due to U.S. foreign policies and challenges facing American Muslims in the 21st century in the face of terrorism, globalization, and interconnectedness. Hai focuses on living as one family, appreciating its diversity, on one piece of real estate -- the earth.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17 Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18 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 Nashir Community Jewish Choir, 11 a.m. at Beth El C Yachad at Maplewood Lanes, noon L Basketball Awards Ceremony, 4 p.m.

I NCJW Grandparents/Grandchildren Reading Group, 4 p.m. at Kripke Library

P

UJC to help Gaza evacuees C L I P

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19

& JSS Senior Luncheon, 10 a.m.

S A V E

Story Time, 11 a.m. at Kripke Library Women’s Book Group, 1 p.m. at Beth El Hadassah Board Meeting, 1 p.m.

Jewish Film Series, 7 p.m. at Beth El JFS Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

92 ST Y features Ed Koch, 7:15 p.m.

Derech Torah: Judaism 101, 7:30 p.m.

& S A V E

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20 BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

“Intro to Jewish Ethics,” 6 p.m.

Israeli Dance Class, 6:30 p.m.

BESTT Board Meeting, 7 p.m. at Beth El Parshah Roundup, 7 p.m. at Chabad House Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Temple Israel WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21 Abba, Eema and ME, 9:30 a.m. at Beth El Visions tour of Western Heritage Museum, 10:30 a.m.

C “The Short Stories of Isaac Beshevis Singer,” 11 a.m. at Kripke Library L Nebraska Jewish Historical Society Meeting, 4:30 p.m.

I “Notions of the Afterlife” class, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel P Learn to Write Hebrew Cursive, 7 p.m. at Beth El Kabbalah Circle, 7 p.m. at Chabad House

& S A V E

C L I P &

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22 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 Yiddush Group, 1 p.m.

Lessons on the Holocaust, 7 p.m. at Kripke Library 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)

This Space For Rent Call Terri Greenwood 334-6559

S A V E

Continued from page 1 restore their lives in Israeli society as quickly as possible.”

It also calls for UJC to support the government in caring for the needs of evacuees.

“The resolution itself is an indication that UJC and the federation system take seriously the fact that the former residents of Gaza and northern Samaria have been underserved,” Doron Krakow, UJC’s vice president for Israel and overseas, told JTA, using the Hebrew term for the West Bank.

The UJC and individual federations have provided about $2 million for the evacuees. Some $400,000 of that came from the UJC’s $250 million annual overseas budget to pay for trauma counseling. The rest of the money came from Jewish federations in New York, Chicago, Toronto, New Jersey, Houston, Portland, Ore., and other cities to fund specific projects.

Some federations, including some that gave of their own funds, have been pushing the UJC to aid evacuees.

But Krakow said the resolution was not passed due to outside pressure. The UJC most likely will give more as evacuees’ requests for help continue to grow.

“It’s fair to say that we anticipate additional funding at least on the same magnitude” as the $2 million the federation system already has given, Krakow said.

The resolution comes after internal publication of a three-month UJC study into the evacuees’ plight. That study says SELA, the Israeli government’s relocation agency, claims 75% of the evacuees have re-entered the work force and 85% should rejoin by the middle of this year. But the Gush Katif Committee, made up of ex- settlers, says only 55% of evacuees have found work.

It could be several years before the evacuees fully integrate into their new communities, according to Talia Levanon, director of the Israel Trauma Coalition, an umbrella group of approximately 50 nongovernmental agencies that provides counseling and other services after disasters around the world.

The coalition received the $400,000 in UJC money to

help residents removed from their homes and $100,000 from the Chicago federation before the evacuation to help Gazans move burial sites.

According to Levanon, many evacuees say the trauma of eviction is causing their families to disintegrate.

Teenagers are having difficulty fitting into their new environments, and evacuees who haven’t found permanent living quarters report a pervasive sense that everything is temporary. Many are spending their energy fighting the government instead of rebuilding their lives.

Krakow said additional UJC funds most likely would go for more trauma counseling, small business loans and to help evacuees while they wait for the government to come through with compensation. But Krakow said the UJC does not have the capacity to provide the millions of dollars it will take to get the settlers situated in new homes.

Some consider the UJC resolution too little, too late.

Buddy Macy, a health supplies wholesaler in Little Falls, N.J., was on the executive board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Clifton-Passaic until February 2006, when he quit to protest what he calls UJC’s inattention to the evacuees’ plight.

Macy, 50, started a campaign that has raised $12,500 that was sent to American Friends of Gush Katif, a group that advocates for the evacuees.

“If this had happened in any other country, let’s say if Poland had uprooted 1,000 Jewish families, the UJC would have sent millions of dollars to help,” Macy said.

“But this is 18 months after the fact and they still do not have anything concrete set up to raise money for the settlers.”

UJC rejected the charge that it has remained aloof.

“UJC and the federations are committed to assisting the former residents of Gaza and northern Samaria deal with needs that are current and urgent, and supporting them as they move forward with their lives,” spokesman Glenn Rosenkrantz said. “We are confident that our resources will make a difference.”

February 16, 2007

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 3

In search of Heschel’s legacy: U.S. Jews mark 100th anniversary

by BEN HARRIS NEW YORK (JTA) -- They are forever joined in an iconic image of the rabbi and the preacher marching arm in arm for civil rights, but Abraham Joshua Heschel and Martin Luther King Jr. are this year linked in commemoration as well.

As Americans marked King’s memory Jan. 15, the Jewish community is gearing up to honor the legacy of one of the 20th century’s great Jewish thinkers on the 100th anniversary of his birth.

In March, Brandeis University will host a two-day symposium on Heschel, who was born Jan. 11, 1907, and over the next 65 years became one of America’s most prominent rabbis, renowned for his political activism and his innovative writings on theology and the Jewish prophets. Other events are scheduled at the Manhattan school that bears Heschel’s name, at a spiritual retreat center in Connecticut and in cities as far afield as London, Berlin, Milan and Krakow.

King’s birthday has become a national holiday and an occasion to reflect on America’s interracial relations, but at the Jewish Theological Seminary, the institution where Heschel taught for the last 27 years of his life, no public memorials are planned. Heschel’s relationship with JTS is said to have been fraught with tension. But the seminary’s incoming chancellor, Arnold Eisen, says a two-hour meeting he had with Heschel in his bookladen office around 1970 was personally transformative.

“It overwhelmed me,” said Eisen, adding that he considers Heschel the most important Jewish thinker of the 20th century.

Eisen’s predecessors, however, didn’t always hold Heschel in such high esteem, seeing him as something of an outsider -- a mystic and a political activist in an institution renowned for neither. In a 1997 institutional history of JTS that runs more than 1,700 pages, the only extended section on Heschel details his “mistreatment” by the administration. Elsewhere, he is described as a “fish out of water” and as oppressed by the school.

“The seminary was not a place that was receptive to his spiritual message or to any form of spirituality at the time,” Rabbi Michael Lerner, founder of the progressive journal Tikkun and one of a small group of students who gathered around Heschel at the seminary in the 1960s, told JTA. “Heschel felt very isolated there, and that isolation increased when he began to take the ethical dimension of Judaism seriously and apply it to contemporary life,” added Lerner, who was not ordained at JTS. Such claims prompt counterclaims that Heschel’s legacy is being appropriated to advance a political agenda, or

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that the seminary’s critics are “misreading the data.” read 20th-century Jewish thinker at Christian seminaries Some point to Heschel’s outspoken opposition to the and bible colleges. “More than any other single Jewish Vietnam War, which ran afoul of conservative figures at author, his works have been absolutely life-changing,” the seminary. And of course there was his activism -- a said Marvin Wilson, a professor of bible and theology common avocation in the ferment of the 1960s, per- who teaches a seminar on Heschel at Gordon College, a haps, but hardly typical of the bookish rabbis and aca- Christian college in Wenham, Mass. demics who were his colleagues.

Wilson says that next to the Bible, Heschel’s God in Nevertheless, Heschel’s legacy has aged well. He is the Search of Man is the most influential work he has ever most frequently cited rabbinic source on issues of social read. “For Heschel, the God of scripture is alive, he’s dynamic, and he has justice and perhaps is pathos toward humanimost widely remembered ty,” Wilson said. “That for the arresting photo of for Christians is a very him marching beside attractive concept, that leaders of the civil rights God is the reality to come movement in Selma, Ala., to grips with.” in 1965.

While some argue His influence is felt over what was Heschel’s everywhere from the greatest achievement, it National Mall in was his legacy of political Washington, where thouactivism, and in particular sands of Jews of all his friendship with King, denominations gathered that made him an icon in last summer to protest the the Jewish community atrocities unfolding in and beyond.

Darfur, Sudan, to the “They were kindred slums of the Third World, where American Jews Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, second from right front row, spirits,” said Heschel’s now volunteer through marches with Martin Luther King, Jr., center, in Selma, Ala., in daughter, Susannah, a groups like the American March 1965.

Credit: Courtesy of Susannah Heschel professor of Jewish studies at Dartmouth Jewish World Service, an organization whose leader was influenced by her child- College. After Heschel’s death in 1972, the family was visited every Friday afternoon for years by the rabbi of a hood encounters with Heschel.

“He was very much a person who enjoyed his Judaism small Chasidic synagogue in Manhattan where Heschel and his scholarship and made a huge effort to apply it to occasionally had prayed.

Susannah Heschel says her father felt at home there, as the times in which he lived,” AJWS President Ruth Messinger said. “And that had a real impact on young it reminded him of his childhood in Poland. It was that and not-so-young Jews at that time. And that’s some- kind of compassion, she says, that inspired him to leave the comforts of the academy to pursue his social-justice thing that we at AJWS continue to do.”

While it was unusual in Heschel’s era to see bearded work.

“That moment, when Rabbi Cywiak came to the door, rabbis marching with black leaders, Jewish leaders are now routinely active on the most pressing issues of the was a reminder of who my father really was,”she said. day, a change many lay squarely at the feet of the soft- “And in a sense, that was the moment of his inner spoken professor with thick black glasses and an unruly, being, of his heart and his soul. And it was out of that that he went to march in Selma.”

Einstein-esque shock of white hair.

Heschel was ahead of his time in other ways, too. He was among the first rabbis to energetically reach out to EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE leaders of other faiths, meeting with Pope Paul VI at the The Passover issue publishes March 30; synagogue schedVatican in 1964 and becoming, in 1965, the first rabbi ules for Passover are due by Monday, March 5. Send to: appointed to the faculty of New York’s Union jpress@jewishomaha.org.

Theological Seminary, a liberal Christian institution.

Questions? Call 402.334.6558.

Along with Martin Buber, Heschel is the most widely

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

February 16, 2007

Cowherd headlines sports banquet Continued from page 1 Cohen announced another highlight: The popular Omaha media personality, Otis XII, will reprise his insightful and humorous role as Master of Ceremonies.

In addition, the Lodge will raffle off a $1000 cash prize.

In 1985, Cowherd began his broadcast career as the play-by-play voice of the Pacific Coast League’s Las Vegas Stars. A rapidly rising star in his radio career, the Eastern Washington University grad left Nevada for Portland to take an afternoon time slot on all-sports radio KFXX. When the station strategically switched him to the morning drive time, audience ratings tripled within a year of his taking over the early slot.

His successes attracted ESPN, who in 2004 approached Cowherd to be a national radio host. He then became the surprise pick to replace Tony Kornheiser for the

late morning time slot on ESPN Radio.

The Herd’s show is broadcast now on more than 300 affiliates across the country as well as on satellite radio. Locally, Cowherd is heard on ESPN 1620.

Cowherd blends humor and strong opinions into a fast-paced look into topical issues in the sports world and beyond.

He considers himself a college football and NFL Draft expert, and when ESPN Game Day host Mel Kiper Jr. joins Cowherd, the two of them often engage in spirited commentary. He has his own “Big Board” of the top 20 prospects in leading up to the NFL Draft on his ESPN Radio show page every year.

A self-proclaimed college football junkie, The Herd has a daily segment called “The Daily Football Fix,” a segment devoted to talking about NCAA college football or the NFL, usually with a coach or ex-player. His regular segment,

“Spanning The Globe,” takes a closer look at the people making sports headlines from the reporters covering sports in a particular region or town. He also has a weekly segment called “Monday Morning Riff,” which Cowherd created in early 2005, in which he airs his sometimes offthe-wall thoughts concisely and sharply.

Sports columnist Richard Deitch also lauded Cowherd for providing an engaging mix of entertainment, information, and reportage. Cowherd has distinguished himself by refusing to rely on sensational sports commentary that is sometimes heard on sports radio.

Cowherd and his wife Kim are the parents of two children and live in Bristol, Connecticut.

“Henry Monsky Lodge of B’nai B’rith will hold the banquet at the Holiday Inn Convention Center on May 9,” Cohen said. The cocktail hour begins at 5:45

p.m. with the dinner following an hour later. Regular ticket price is $110 or $1000 for a full table of 10. Special VIP reception/dinner tickets are $150 each.

Tickets and information can be obtained by calling the 334.6443.

Previous banquet speakers have included Howard Cosell, Lou Holtz, John Madden, Joe Paterno, Barry Switzer, David Stern, Mike Ditka, Bob Devaney, Keith Jackson, Joe Theismann, Terry Bradshaw, Dr. Tom Osborne, Roy Firestone, Dick Schaap, Steve Spurrier, Greg Gumbel, Dan Patrick, Trev Alberts, Ron Jaworski and last year, Barry Alvarez.

Henry Monsky Lodge is part of B’nai B’rith, an international Jewish service organization that promotes brotherhood, fights discrimination and works for community improvement. The Lodge distributes a portion of the proceeds to local charities and their youth programs.

Peace Prize, only to see the hope of peace shattered in a resurgence of violence. In a half-century of leadership, Peres has worked beside --or fought against -- such giants as Moshe Dayan, Golda Meir, Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon, and, tragically, Rabin, who was slain at the rally that marked his reconciliation with Peres.

Peres will address his audience for 20 minutes and then participate in an interview by his biographer, Michael Bar-Zohar.

He is the award-winning author of 30 fiction and nonfiction books. Ben-Gurion, his definitive portrait of Israel’s founder, has been translated into 14 languages.

Bar-Zohar himself has been very active in Israel’s political life, and has known

Peres since 1961. In addition, Bar-Zohar was the Labor Party Campaign chairman at the Knesset elections in 1981, and, with Peres, a member of the Knesset. He also served as Dayan’s media advisor.

Prof. Bar-Zohar taught political science and history at Haifa University and at Emory University. He lives in Tel-Aviv.

The 92nd Street Y Series is funded in part by the Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Supporting Foundation.

Tickets for each broadcast are $5 and may be purchased in advance by contacting Cindy Reed, JCC Registration Associate, at 334.6419. For more information, contact me at 334.6404 or rblum@jccomaha.org.

NY’s 92nd Street Y Series Continued from page 1 Peres is also a fascinating, complex man, an intellectual who is entirely at home in the corridors of power; an individual revered by the world and yet highly controversial in his own country; at once a hero and a figure of tragedy.

Born in Poland in 1923, Peres emigrated to the Holy Land at the age of 12, already an idealistic Zionist. He joined a kibbutz and, while still in his teens, became the leader of a major youth movement. When the struggle for Israeli independence broke out, the future Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion tapped him to join his inner circle.

As director general of the Defense

Ministry under Ben-Gurion, Peres spearheaded a campaign to turn Israel into a major military power. He jump-started Israel’s aircraft industry, forged a secret alliance with France, and successfully pursued his dream of making Israel a nuclear power. Peres’ real triumph came not as a man of war but as a peacemaker.

Elected prime minister in 1984, Peres brought new hope by pulling Israeli troops out of Lebanon, defusing tensions with Jordan, and, at the risk of his own political future, making serious overtures to the Palestinians. Peres and his longtime rival Yitzhak Rabin together secured the top-secret Oslo Accords of 1993, which won them and Yasser Arafat the Nobel

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February 16, 2007

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple members Bonni and Martin Leiserowitz Temple Israel Communications Coordinator responded to information they read in the “Temple They were driven from their homes by atrocities, Tidings� and Rabbi Azriel’s encouragement from the armed conflict, human rights violations, and fear of per- pulpit “to become involved in some way with issues secution. They endured desert heat, defied the dangers regarding Darfur,� Bonni Leiserowitz explained. They of crossing borders, suffered in the squalor of refugee sent email messages to politicians and kept abreast of the camps, and walked thousands of miles -- all for the issues, “but both of us felt we could do something more. chance to live in safety, freedom, and peace.

I contacted Mimi, and she invited us to attend a Task Thirty to 40 of these refugees have made it to Omaha. Force meeting,� she added.

They are from Darfur, Sudan. Last April, several memAt Temple’s Hanukkah dinner in December, the bers of the Omaha Darfur community came to Temple Leiserowitzes were seated with Ali Ahmed and his fiveIsrael to talk about their plight. From there, the gather- year-old son, Mohamed Adam. Hallima, Ali’s wife and ing walked to the University of Nebraska at Omaha to Mohamed’s mother, was working that evening and join others to rally against genocide in Darfur. couldn’t attend.

Following the rally, Temple’s Rabbi Aryeh Azriel “From that point at that dinner, we exchanged names asked Mimi Silverman to be and phone numbers,� Bonni the liaison between local Leiserowitz said. “We have Darfuris and Temple Israel. had dinner together at our “It has been a fabulous house, met at their home for experience ever since,� she tea, and had many conversasaid. tions over the phone. The “We have established a relationship is a growing relationship with Heartland friendship. We have learned Refugee Resettlement which how they live and are startassists refugees from around ing to understand what has the world when they come happened to them.� to America and wind up in Leiserowitz added that “we Omaha.� Silverman contactare more similar than differed Jewish Family Service Among the guests at Temple Israel’s Hanukkah dinner were ent. We plan to share many (JFS) to facilitate a relation- Marty Leiserowtiz, center, with his friend Tom Barnhart, left, hours and visits. Our next ship between the agency and and new friend, Bakheit Shata, a refugee from Darfur. plan is to take Mohamed Heartland Refugee Resettlement. “When Jewish families swimming at the “Y� here in Council Bluffs.� call JFS to donate furniture and it isn’t needed in the Martin Leiserowitz has been trying to find more work Jewish community, it’s donated to Heartland. This way, for Ali. He would like to work more so his wife can work new Americans obtain your gently used furniture and fewer hours and have time to make “a nice home and goods,� Silverman explained. take care of her family,� mentioned Bonni Leiserowitz. “I was cleaning out my Silverman has established kids’ rooms,� said Sandy “a wonderful relationship Epstein. She had read about with Bakheit Shata and Mimi and the Darfur Abdelhamid Mohamed, refugees and felt the bedboth of whom are hoping to room furniture, clothing, welcome other Darfuris gifts that had never been when they can come to used, and odds and ends America. At this time, the “were a small way to help. I United States is not resetwas so surprised to learn that tling Darfuris directly from the refugees end up here! refugee camps, because Epstein is grateful to they’re not a safe environSilverman “for all she is ment,� Silverman said.

Paul Fine visited with Ahmed Ali and his son, Mohammed “Those who are here travdoing.�

Jeff Vandenberg, program Adam, six, also from Darfur, at the dinner. eled through other countries manager at Heartland Refugee Resettlement, an arm of before arriving here.�

Lutheran Family Services, said Heartland helps welcome In addition to sharing the congregational Hanukkah refugees, places them in homes and jobs, provides basic dinner with several families from Darfur, Temple has living necessities and medical needs, offers English lan- sponsored a letter and postcard campaign to congressguage classes, and connects newcomers to the Health men and collected money through a letter of appeal.

Department and social services.

In addition, “our task force is really growing. We are The events of 9-11 “slowed things down,� around 25 or so,� Silverman estimated. “We are about Vanderberg acknowledged. National and international to embark on several new projects� including partnertensions have diminished the number of refugees to ships (like the Leiserowitz’s) to assist the refugees to America. However, “refugees are processed very thor- adjust to “our culture, shopping, speaking English, just oughly overseas and by Homeland Security.� The flow is the basics. The task force would like to get a letter writ“starting to pick up again.� ing campaign going to see if companies will donate Heartland Refugee Resettlement, located at 42nd and goods to Heartland Refugee Resettlement for all Center Street, is supported by federal and private grants. refugees to Omaha.�

Each refugee gets a one-time grant of $425. An equal Silverman mentioned that the task force is interested amount is given to the refugee program. “Temple has in starting a SaveDarfur chapter in Omaha to work with been very generous,� according to Vandenberg. the national organization. She is also planning a panel Furniture, kitchen items, and backpacks of school sup- discussion to help educate Temple’s congregants about plies for children have been among the contributions. what’s happening in Darfur and “what we can do here The partnership with the Darfur Task Force at Temple in Omaha to help.�

Israel “has been wonderful. More of the same -- gently Silverman welcomes calls at 740.2201 or e-mails at used kitchen tables, beds, couches, pots and pans are mimitaffet@cox.net from anyone interesting in assisting with these new projects. needed,� he said.

Beth El speaker to offer tips on healthy living

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Looking for some helpful tips to improve your eating habits and rejuvenate your energy level? Want to jumpstart your way to a healthier lifestyle? If so, plan to attend a special presentation on Sunday, Feb. 25 at Beth El, sponsored by the synagogue’s Hazak organization (for people 55 and up).

The 2 p.m. event will feature guest speaker Irwin Goldenberg, a certified nutritionist, who will share his expertise in improving nutrition, revitalizing exercise habits and increasing energy levels.

Prior to his move to Omaha over a year ago, Goldenberg worked as an accountant in Lincoln; in

addition, he owned and operated a health-foods store there for 17 years, and earned a Certified Nutritionist degree from the American Health Institute. A member of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce Speakers Bureau, Goldenberg has also been active with Toastmasters International organization for 40 years.

Following his presentation and a question/answer session, a reception will be held, offering healthy snacks and beverages.

The entire community is invited to attend this program; cost is $3.50. To make reservations, contact Natalie Rubin at 334.5893. For more information, contact Gloria Goodman at 333-3351.

Page 5

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Temple Israel continues to assist Omaha Darfur refugees

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Page 6

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

February 16, 2007

Bullying is not cool

On January 26, an ad was placed in the Jewish Press from the Jewish Federation of Omaha, thanking donors for their 2007 campaign contributions. The following names were inadvertently left out or placed in the wrong category: Lola Reinglas – Women’s Campaign Bob Epstein - Pacesetters Jason Epstein – Men’s Campaign Phyllis Glazer – Double Chai

We sincerely apologize for these errors.

It’s not too late to make a difference in the lives of fellow Jews in Omaha, Israel and across the globe. To make your donation, contact the Jewish Federation of Omaha at 334-6485 or donate online at www.jewishomaha.org.

* Pacesetters, Lions of Judah and donors who have increased their gift are listed in bold print.

by ANDREA BARTMAN Tzedakah was the subject in November, and the for Jewish Family Service importance of helping others was stressed. Says The lessons we learn as children are with us for life; Drelicharz; “The story that we learned that day was of especially the simplest ones, such as how to share and the Rainbow Fish, who gives away his shiny scales. He include others, how to express our feelings and how best was much happier without his scales and having made to treat one another. Kids enrolled in the Children’s friends. The CDC already does a great job of impressing Development Center get a chance once a month to the importance of tzedakah on the kids. This is an extra experience these “guidance lessons” and more with an way to cement that idea.” expert. Teresa Drelicharz is a Licensed Mental Health This ongoing program focuses on empowering kids’ in Practitioner and Certified Play Therapist with Jewish their social consciousness and their interactions with Family Service. others. Kids sometimes come home with information “Bullying is not cool” is the phrase the kids often they can share and activities they can do as a family. shout out when Drelicharz sees this group of energetic These “take home” materials reinforce the earlier lesson four year olds. It demonand provide a way for parents strates that the topics they to facilitate further discusdiscuss with her are making sion with their children. “I an impression on them. think it’s also a good way for Each month’s session has a families to become connected to another resource, outtheme and includes a story or discussion followed by a side of school. They can call group activity. In her bullyJewish Family Service confiing lesson in October kids dentially for any help they may need,” says Drelicharz. were led by “Pip” the chipShe continues, “As far as munk as his encounters with cooperation between agena bully taught him how to cies, I think it’s really imporhandle and overcome this tant when two agencies in type of interaction.

“They always love when I Children from the CDC listen closely as Jewish Family the Federation are able to bring puppets. I try to incor- Service staff member Teresa Drelicharz, LMHP, reads them help each other and reap mutual benefit from it. This porate a character into every a story from the viewpoint of Alexander the puppet. session. Typically kids can relate to a character because program also gives teachers another resource (JFS) in it’s fun and it takes out the element of directly focusing doing everything they can for kids.” Salkin adds by sayon them as individuals. It’s a non-threatening element,” ing, “I think Teresa does a wonderful job. The children says Drelicharz. “They really remember these types of can be very high energy. She’s very patient and very lovcatch phrases and repetitions, and they connect those ing with all of the children and I think they adore it when she comes here.” with the characters.”

The JFS mission statement reads: “Jewish Family The CDC teachers appreciate the help from a mental health professional in leading important discussions out- Service is a human service agency whose purpose is to side their normal curriculum. “In the classroom we work strengthen and preserve life in the Jewish community very strongly on treating others with respect and the val- and the community at large through every state of the ues that we feel are important for children to learn both life cycle.” at home and at school,” says Cindy Salkin, Assistant These guidance lessons and programs like parenting Teacher. “However, probably ninety percent of the time classes are among the ways JFS can assist all families in these discussions, for us, are on a situational basis when the community. When kids are well-equipped to handle something comes up in class. Teresa can focus on these negative interactions, when they’re able to verbalize types of topics in a more intensive way and bring anoth- their emotions and openly discuss issues, everyone bener viewpoint to it. She may have different examples for efits. For information on other programs sponsored by the children and choose other methods of presentation JFS, call 330.2024. that help it sink in.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Strategic Air & Space Museum is acquiring an Air Force RF-4C aircraft! The newest addition to our world-class collection of planes will be reassembled with the wings and other parts over the next week. Then the aircraft will undergo the restoration process which is expected to go through the end of 2007. Visitors can view the overall restoration progress of the RF-4C from the Gilbert M. & Martha H. Hitchcock Observation Gallery overlooking the Durham Restoration Gallery.

Join us at the Museum Saturday, March 3, 11 a.m. , for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when Dr. (Guy) Guion Bluford, the first African American in space, visits the Museum. Dr. Bluford will share with visitors what it was like “Flying Aboard the International Space Station,” during his talk. For more information, go to www.strategicairandspace.com and click the events page.

BIRTHS Jennifer Feldman and James Bostick announce the Feb. 4 birth of their son, Turner James.

Grandparents are Pete and Becca Thomas of Hamburg IA, and Mark and Angela Bostick.

Great-grandparents are Marilyn and the late Edward Treller.

Great-great-grandparents are Charlotte and the late Samuel Kaplan, and Marion and the late Harry Abramson.

Meredith (Lainof) and Avraham Nacher of Neve Yaakov, Israel, announce the Jan. 5 birth of their son, Ephraim Yehudah, born at Hadassah’s Mt. Scopus Hospital.

He has two sisters, Shira, 4, and Sarah Rivka, 3.

Grandparents are Carole and Wayne Lainof of Bellevue and Susan and Stuart Nacher of Livingston, NJ.

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by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue Beth Israel Synagogue will hold a Lunch & Learn with Na’ama Nadel on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at noon. The topic for discussion will be “Adam & Eve: A Paradigm for Human Behavior.” A soup and sandwich lunch will be served, at a cost of $5 per person. The community is invited to attend.

Nadel’s background includes extensive Judaic knowledge, as well as studies in psychology. She went to a Jewish day school, Jewish high school, studied in Israel and attended Yeshiva University’s Stern College. Nadel is currently finishing a Master’s degree in Art Therapy, that includes studies in human psychology and behavior.

Nadel looks forward to the upcoming Lunch & Learn.

“I wanted to start teaching again,” she explained. “I led the women’s class at our previous shul, teaching classes

and arranging for other speakers.”

The topic for Nadel’s upcoming Lunch & Learn is based on the work by academician Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. “He did a lot for American Jewry,” explained Nadel. “He knows all the philosophers, both Jewish and non-Jewish. He talks about the Torah, how we can learn from it, and what Adam and Eve tell us about the relationship and roles between men and women.” Nadel’s background will add psychological insight to the discussion of the Adam and Eve story.

“We’re so pleased that Na’ama is willing to share her expertise,” said Beth Cohen, Executive Director. “It’s terrific that the Nadels -- both Na’ama and her husband, Rabbi Seth Nadel - are becoming so involved in the community.”

To make reservations, contact the office at 556.6288.

February 16, 2007

Help needed for exhibit about early childhood reunion

by HELEN EPSTEIN NJHS exhibit chairman The Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, in conjunction with its 25th anniversary, is planning an Early Childhood Reunion Exhibit. This exhibit will be held March 29 through April 26 at the Jewish Community Center.

The JCC’s Early Childhood program has grown from a preschool to a full-time day care facility, featuring many enrichment activities for young children. It is never too early to begin education about one’s Jewish heritage. This program reaches children and parents providing quality Jewish education at the earliest level and is very important to the Jewish community. There are even children presently attending today’s Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center whose parents also attended the JCC preschool.

The Early Childhood Development Center Reunion Exhibit Committee is planning an exhibit for the month of April, ‘07: clockwise from left, Helen Epstein (chairperson), Carole Greenberg, Kini Polsky, Debbi Josephson, and Marlen Frost.

Members of the committee not pictured are: Carol Parsow, Patty Nogg, Vicki Perlmeter and Phyllis Wasserman.

The committee also consists of Marlen Frost, Kini Polsky, Carol Parsow, Carole Greenberg, Patti Nogg, Phyllis Wasserman, Diane Malashock, Debbie Josephson and Vicki Perlmeter. All have either worked, are working now, or have had children at the CDC. The Historical Society received grants from the Special Donor-advised Fund of the Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Omaha and the Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Supporting Foundation to set up an exhibit focusing on the Early Childhood Program at the JCC from its inception in 1974 to the present time.

If you are a grandparent, a parent whose child attended the CDC, or have a child attending the CDC now, the committee needs your help. Look through your albums; if you have pictures from any of the years 1974 to the present time, please bring them to the NJHS office, or call any of the members of the committee or me at 391.9187. We will arrange to pick up the pictures, but please make copies, as the originals cannot be returned.

The Face of Friedel

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 7

IN THE NEWS A prominent Omahan who would rather be having tea with Jane Austen will instead be on the barroom floor.

Rivkah Sass, named “Librarian of the Year” in 2006 by Library Journal, is the next Omaha Press Club “Face on the Barroom Floor.” The honor for newsmakers that have made an impact on the community has been bestowed since 1971. Sass will be the 110th “Face” to hang on the walls of the club’s restaurant.

Non-members may attend Saturday night, Feb 24, 5:30 p.m., which starts with a cash bar; the roast-toast starts at 6:30 p.m., followed by an unveiling of the caricature drawing. Those who opt to stay for dinner should call 345.8008 for reservations. Dinners are $40 for members and $50 for non-members.

Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey will be a roaster for Sass, who is executive director of the Omaha Public Library.

Other roasters are nationally celebrated Omaha novelist Timothy Schaffert, raconteur-author Rick Dooling and Lyn Wallin Ziegenbein, executive director of the Peter Kiewit Foundation.

When Sass was named the national “Librarian of the Year,” Library Journal wrote, “She’s a risk taker, a change agent, and a library true believer. Sass has labored with passion, joy and a heavy dose of courage to begin to push the Omaha Public Library toward greatness.”

In Omaha, she has launched the “Omaha Reads” program and partnered with Downtown Omaha Lit Fest.

Other partnerships have been with the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art and Metro Community College. Sass worked for four library systems before a headhunter lured her to Omaha in 2003; she had never been a library director. By the way, Omaha’s head librarian’s license plate reads “JAusten.”

During World War II, 15,000 Tuskegee men and women, of whom nearly 1,000 were aviators, made history with their heroic and extraordinary accomplishments. They achieved outstanding records as combat fighter pilots, never allowing a single bomber to be lost to enemy fire. No other fighter squadrons, past or present, have achieved this level of excellence.

Congress has approved for the Tuskegee Airmen to receive the Congressional Gold Medal in Washington, D.C. in March 2007. As a prelude to this national recognition, the GBT Academy of the Arts extends an invitation to join us in giving an Omaha send off to our local Tuskegee Airmen in an encore presentation of “I Believe I Can Fly,” on Sunday, Feb. 25, 1-4 p.m. in the UNO Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom at 60th and Dodge Streets. For more information, visit www.gbtacademyofthearts.org, e-mail info@gbtacademyofthearts.org or call 402.933.5949.

Celebrate Hope features keynote speaker Denise Brown (sister of Nicole Brown Simpson) at its annual awards ceremony, an evening of inspiration and tribute on Monday, March 5. The reception begins with hors d’oeuvres at 5 p.m. and the ceremony starts at 6 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Ballroom at 555 So. 10 St. Every year, the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council of Greater Omaha (DVCC) hosts an awards ceremony at its annual meeting, recognizing outstanding individuals, programs and organizations that had a significant impact on our community in the area of domestic violence. Brown has dedicated her life to eradicating domestic violence. Over the past 12 years, she has traveled the nation raising funds for DV programs, assisted in developing a victim notification system, and was instrumental in the passage of a variety of legislative measures, including The Violence Against Women Act. Individual tickets are $50, of which $30 is a taxdeductible donation. To purchase tickets, contact us at 884.9722 or visit our website at www.dvccomaha.org.

The Omaha Film Festival 2007, which runs from Feb. 27 through March 4, will present the movie A Lobster Tale, directed by Adam Massey, produced by Lincoln Stalmaster, with casting by his father, Lynn Stalmaster. It is the magical tale of a Maine lobster fisherman who finds moss with healing powers. In deciding what to do with the moss, the relationships between the father, mother, and son are explored in a very moving manner.

Lynn Stalmaster has Omaha roots. He was born in Omaha to Judge Irving and Estelle Lapidus Stalmaster.

The family moved to California where Lynn, an actor, became known as one of the most successful casting directors in the motion picture and television industries.

He has cast more than 400 productions during more than 40 years in the business.

The Stalmasters will be in Omaha for the showings of The Lobster Tale at the Westwood 8 Theaters, 124th and West Center Road.

Steve Chasen has accepted a teaching position with Safe Haven North. He will be teaching English as a Second Language to African refugees. The graduate of the University of Nebraska-Omaha previously was a Hebrew tutor at Temple Israel.

Carole A. Lainof was elected president of the Nebraska Nurses Association, the first Jewish president in the organization’s 100-year history. A community health nurse for 38 years, Lainof is employed by Interim Health Care.

JAKE J. SCHREIBMAN FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP Scholarship Award The Schreibman scholarship is for a student’s freshman year only, and can be used at the college of choice. The amount of the award varies according to each student’s needs in regard to tuition, fees, housing, and books.

Nuturing Positive Jewish Identity Friedel children: • Come from every denomination in our community • Develop a deep, personal connection to their Jewish roots • Are part of an interesting, multicultural student body • including children whose first language is Hebrew, Spanish • or Russian • Take pride in Israel • Learn to respect all forms of Judaism • Learn Hebrew with fluency

Come see for yourself! Entire community invited.

Open House Wednesday, March 7, 7 p.m.

Excellence in Education – Building the Next Generation

www.friedeljewishacademy.com | 402.334.0517

Eligibility All Jewish seniors attending any high school in the Greater Omaha Metropolitan Community.

Application and Criteria A letter regarding the application process along with a checklist of criteria and contact information regarding questions can be personally picked up at any of the following: Beth El, Temple Israel, and Beth Israel. Inquire at the receptionist desk or request to speak to the educational coordinator.

Deadline The application packet must be completed and delivered to Beth El, Temple Israel, or Beth Israel no later than March 7, 2007. Applications received after this date will not be accepted. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Page 8

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

February 16, 2007

More than 200 join Beth El in community-wide Tu B’Shevat celebration

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator It may have been single digits outside, but spring was in the air inside Lauritzen Gardens during Beth El’s festive Tu B’Shevat celebration. Several hundred attendees of all ages from throughout the metro area spent the afternoon learning about the “Jewish Arbor Day,� and enjoyed such activities as seed planting, cookie decorating, arts and crafts and storytelling.

In addition, the background and significance of Tu B’Shevat was shared during guided tours of the indoor garden, led by volunteers Roni Reiter-Palmon, her husband Ophir, and Andy Greenberg. The event was highlighted by a beautiful Sephardic music concert in the Gardens’ social hall, presented by Cantor Gastón Bogomolni and Annelise Ocanto, accompanied by guitarist Andrew Thein and Daniel Ocanto.

Photos from top left: Reiter-Palmon led garden tours, complete with holiday snacks; Beth El congregant Les Kay helped his grandson, David, decorate leaf cookies; Elissa Wiener, Samantha Wiener and Eva Phillips concentrated on planting

their flower seeds; Cantor Bogomolni, forefront, right, and Annelise Ocanto, forefront, left, captivated the 220-member audience with a selections of quietly poignant, as well as lively, Sephardic tunes.

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Kids’ crafts and Bracha Bee highlight Tu B’Shevat at Beth Israel

by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue A seder, spaghetti dinner, children’s craft projects and a Bracha Bee were all a part of Beth Israel’s Tu B’Shevat celebration. Following dinner, children made family tree placemats. Then they painted pots and planted parsley to grow for Pesach. The evening ended with a Bracha Bee, when Rabbi Jonathan Gross quizzed the children on the appropriate prayers to say over particular foods. “Everyone had a great time!� said Gross. “And I was impressed with how well our young people knew their brachas.�

For information about future events at Beth Israel, contact the synagogue office at 556.6288.

Photos from top: Children display their artistic skills while painting pots during Beth Israel’s Tu B’Shevat celebration.

Rabbi Gross asks the kids about food blessings during the Bracha Bee.

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February 16, 2007

Future writers bloom at Friedel

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT for Friedel Jewish Academy Which famous author can say that he or she wrote a book and self-published it in one night? Pulitzer Prize Committee, beware. Friedel students got to flex their literary muscles when some 30+ budding writers and their parents as well as grandparents participated in the Scholastic ‘Build a Book’ event, organized by Barb Sather at Friedel Jewish Academy’s TuB’Shevat activity.

Students were given materials to write and illustrate their own stories. Take sixth grader Cleo “Ozick” Rogers, for example. She wrote a short novel about a Fox and a Hamburger. According to Cleo, it should

oceanic novella. When asked whether she had an agent yet, she asked, “What’s an agent?” Isabella overcame great obstacles in order to become a famous writer, since her little brother kept stealing her scissors and clearly needed a nap.

Principal Cookie Katskee expected the evening would yield at least three-and-a-half bestsellers and possibly one Pulitzer Prize. “The jury is still out on the Caldecott and Golden Sower Awards,” Katskee said. “You never know with literary criticism. Sometimes the critics just don’t recognize great writing when they see it. I for one think we have the future of Jewish-American Literature right here at Friedel.”

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

When you patronize these fine establishments, tell them you saw their ad in the Jewish Press.

Page 9

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Mika Caplan displays her “Build a Book,” created at Friedel Jewish Academy.

Kim Novak and her daughter Rebecca build their book together.

become a bestseller in “approximately five seconds.”

Cleo is still looking for a publisher, but she is confident that, very soon, her work will be available everywhere.

Another literary masterpiece, created by Tal “Potok” Margalit and her mother Ruti will probably generate as much interest. They not only produced a masterpiece, they had some mother-and-daughter time as an added bonus. Tal attends sixth grade at Friedel, and although this was her first “build-a-book” experience, she will be back for more.

Kindergartner Isabella “Roth” Wright wrote her first

At the end of the evening, authors read from their own work. Here’s a teaser from Lilly A. “Ginsberg” Phillips’ newest collection. Lilly is a Friedel alumna and performs magical things with language. This young Beat Poet’s deep, profound poetry is extremely promising:

Fractions

by LILLY A. PHILLIPS My dog ate my homework My math book and my shoe There were decimals and shoelaces Inside his stinky poo!

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by DUANE J. PIEPER attempt to lead the group It isn’t often that you in a team cheer during a go to a hockey game and break in the action found find respite from the cold. the spotlight on herself. I But on this frigid evening think she was somewhat it was the place to be as surprised to see herself Zohar Winer and a BBYO on the big screen. She is group joined the Yachad always a real cheerleader members to support the at our events and her UNO Mavericks hockey energy is appreciated by team. Their style of play the Yachad members. and upbeat tempo heated A photo opportunity up the Qwest Center with the towering, quickly and kept everyhorned Durango and his one’s eyes riveted on the side-kick, the team masice. Snuggled together, as part of a record crowd, Yachad and BBYO members come together to support the UNO cots, was a pleasant surthe group cheered the hockey team. prise for the group. There team from the opening face-off through a sudden-death is nothing like a shared venture with friends to take the overtime. UNO came away with a 3-3 tie and was the chill out of winter. The glow of heartfelt friendship can first club in a month to take a point from No. 6 warm the coldest night.

Michigan State.

Join us at Maplewood Lanes for Yachad’s next event It was a thoroughly enjoyable time with a nice mix of on March 18. Contact Jewish Family Service at sport, entertainment and camaraderie. Kathie Pieper, a 334.6491 for details.

It’s not your bubbe’s Maxwell House Hagaddah anymore

by GARY KATZ Library Administrator The illustrations are unremarkable in the Maxwell House Passover Haggadah. There’s no real commentary. Yes, it’s probably the same one your family has been using since before your were born, but times have changed!

Explore the development of the Haggadah and the ancient wisdom of the earliest architects of the Seder who carefully balanced ritual with creativity, and learn how to restore that long-lost balance to your own Seders.

The Center for Jewish Education will give you a taste of what a new Hagaddah can do to enrich your Passover seder at a program on Tuesday, March 6, 7 p.m., in the Kripke Library.

Join Rabbi Jonathan Gross of Beth Israel, Rabbi Mordechai Levin of Beth El, and Rabbi Azriel of Temple Israel, as they share which Haggadot they use and discuss Passover experiences through a panel discussion.

Also, Nancy Rips, the Kripke Library resident “book maven,” will read selections from her forthcoming book on Passover experiences, relating favorite Passover memories she has gathered from famous Jews (local and elsewhere).

A special feature of the program will be the display of various Hagaddot available, with the opportunity to place orders on those you would like to own. If you have a favorite or unique Haggadah, please bring it to share with others. For more information, contact me at 334.6462 or gkatz@jewishomaha.org.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

February 16, 2007

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Hamantaschen fit for a queen: This Purim, try poppy seeds again

by LINDA MOREL NEW YORK (JTA) -- While people can’t live without poppy seed bagels, they shun the perky seeds in hamantaschen. A dwindling number of Jews recall the irresistible poppy seed pastries once so prevalent in the Ashkenazi world, especially at Purim. Sadly you have to be a certain age to have tasted poppy seed strudels, coffeecakes, babkas, cookies and candy. The younger one is, the less likely a poppy seed sweet tooth has developed.

Why would children crave poppy seeds when they can get hamantaschen oozing with melted chocolate and preserves in any flavor?

“I’m not going to make my children eat hamantaschen with those ugly seeds.” I heard a woman say. “My kids love chocolate chip fillings -- and that’s what they should Chocolate mohn torte. have.”

Credit: Linda Morel/JTA I was taken aback and didn’t have the nerve to tell her, when I was a girl in the middle of the last century, hamantaschen only came filled with poppy seeds or prunes. I waited all year for Purim, so I could dress up as Queen Esther and eat the hamantaschen my father brought home from the Jewish bakeries he’d pass. Carrying the scent of Oriental tea, poppy seed fillings were popular, probably because of their historical link to Purim.

Poppy seeds were baked into Purim confections because Queen Esther is known to have subsisted for three days on poppy seeds and chickpeas while she found the courage to tell her husband, the king of Persia, that his vizier Haman was plotting to annihilate the Jews.

The word hamantaschen is tied at the root to these tiny seeds. Mohn means poppy in Yiddish and German.

Tasche is the German word for pocket or purse. Together the two words form mohntaschen, the pastry’s original name in the Middle Ages. Becoming associated with Purim, mohntaschen evolved into hamantaschen and referred to the coat pockets in which Haman carried the lots, or purim, designating potential days for the Jews to be hung on gallows.

When my daughter was a child, she disliked the gritty texture of poppy seeds in sweets. During the 1980s we baked together, spooning apricot, blackberry and strawberry preserves into hamantaschen. Although we bypassed poppy seeds, I didn’t realize they once were the heart of Purim. I have an affinity for nostalgic causes, so I recently sought to reconnect with our poppy seed past.

My first step was to locate the seeds themselves.

In a gourmet shop in my heavily Jewish neighborhood, the manager explained: “We dropped poppy seeds from the inventory because they just don’t sell.” Things were worse than I’d suspected. But after two more stops, I found them on a supermarket spice rack. I then discovered you can order high-quality poppy seeds online through Penzeys Spices at www.penzeys.com.

At far cheaper than supermarket prices, they sell Holland Blue Poppy Seeds, which turn black in the oven and are recommended for baking.

After thorough grinding, they shed their savory quality, tasting a bit like dates. Yet in their natural state,

poppy seeds shine in crispy sweets. “In our Poppy Seed Cookie recipe, we don’t crush the poppy seeds,” says Rise Routenberg, who with her business partner, Barbara Wasser, is a co-author of Divine Kosher Cuisine: Catering to Family and Friends, published in 2006 by Congregation Agudat Achim in Schenectady, N.Y. They are also co-owners of As You Like It Kosher Catering.

“There’s a lovely crunch in these cookies,” Routenberg says. “I don’t perceive it as grit.” She describes a simple slice-and-bake cookie flavored by cinnamon and ginger, noting that “I’ve had the recipe in my collection for ages.” Routenberg has tweaked the directions, which came from her mother, a pastry caterer, who at age 83 is still baking.

Working wonders with poppy seed breads and rolls, Routenberg’s grandmother also baked. “She filled a pie shell with lightly sweetened dough, sprinkling it with poppy seeds. It became a crust that we children enjoyed breaking into jagged pieces and eating.” Searching for this heirloom recipe, which Routenberg could still taste in her memory, she located it and updated proportions for modern tastes. For Purim, Routenberg and Wasser bake hundreds of hamantaschen. While apricot, cherry, prune and raspberry are popular fillings, they sell many poppy seed hamantaschen as well -- to traditionalists, I presume.

“We mix the poppy seeds with various wet ingredients to soften them,” Routenberg says. She recommends storing poppy seeds in the refrigerator, so they don’t become rancid. They spoil more quickly during the summer.

In my quest for traditional Purim pastries, I discovered recipes for many enticing confections. First there were Lemon Poppy Seed Cakes, perhaps the precursor to the mini muffins of the same flavor that burst on the scene during the 1990s. Mohn Candy is definitely worth trying. Not to mention Poppy Seed Sweet Bread, a popular confection renowned from Russia to Slovenia.

The crowning glory, Mohn torte, is a poppy seed cake, a specialty of Silesia in southwestern Poland and the northern Czech Republic. Original recipes called for four layers of short pastry blanketing ground poppy seeds, sugar, chocolate, raisins, candied citrus peels and almonds.

I’m intrigued by the days when poppy seed desserts played a starring role at Purim, nearly upstaging Queen Esther. As fine as black pearls but as durable as diamonds, poppy seeds are a precious legacy. Between now and Purim there are so many pastries to try, I wish I had time to bake them all.

CHOCOLATE MOHN TORTE (Parve)

by Linda Morel (Torte improves when made a day in advance.)

Filling: 1/2 cup poppy seeds, two 1.25 ounce jars 1/2 cup apple juice 3/4 cup blanched slivered almonds 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 egg, beaten 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar 2 tablespoons honey 1/4 teaspoon salt Continued on page 11

ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Matt Siegel will speak at Breadbreakers on Wednesday, Feb. 21, noon, at Regency Lodge, according to Marty Ricks, Chairman. Siegel is a young, Jewish sports reporter for KMTV Channel 3. He’ll give some insight into what’s going on in the world of sports. All men and women in the community are invited to attend.

Cost is $12 for lunch and $3 for beverage service only.

YOUNG ENERGETIC SENIORS Members will meet Monday at the JCC. Join us for Lincoln’s Trade Wind Dancers as they demonstrate Polynesian and Hula dancing. Lunch will be served at noon at $6 per person. The dancers will perform at 12:30 p.m. Try your luck with bingo at 10 a.m. with Miles and Eileen Remer. For transportation, call Dee Dee at 330.4272 LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Come to the Yiddish meeting at the JCC on Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. The Yiddish Group is now officially a zamler (collector) for the National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA. For more information, please call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638.

VISIONS Reminder: For those members going to the new exhibits at the Durham Western Heritage Museum on Wednesday, Feb. 21 please meet at the museum by 10:10 a.m. A docent-led tour of Museum’s Traveling Exhibits include Fashion in Film (Period Costumes for the Screen), Pressing Matters (500 Years of Wine in Art), Omaha: A City with Style. Lunch follows the tour at the Bohemian Café.

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 per person.

Send reservations to Tootie Simon, 8725 Izard Street, Omaha, NE 68114 by March 9. For questions, call Jim Wax at 393.4442.

Join us for a tour of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Union Station in Kansas City on Monday, April 30. Cost is $74. Depart from the JCC at 8:30 a.m. (be at the JCC by 8:15 a.m.). Then arrive home at approximately 9:30 p.m. Send reservations to Betty Sanford, 9205 Western Ave., #127, Omaha, NE 68114 by Feb. 26. For information call Betty at 399.2001.

Make all checks payable to Visions.

February 16, 2007

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 11

This Purim, try poppy seeds again Continued from page 10 In an electric coffee grinder, or better still, a Cuisinart Mini-Prep Processor, grind poppy seeds for 3 minutes, or until they have the consistency of pepper and are slightly sticky. Place poppy seeds and juice in small saucepan and cover it. Boil on a low flame for 5 minutes.

Remove from flame. Reserve in covered pan for an hour. (Poppy seeds will swell and may absorb the juice.)

Place almonds in a standard-sized food processor. Using metal blade, grind for 2 to 3 minutes, until nuts reach a coarse sand consistency. Move to a large mixing bowl.

Place chocolate chips in food processor.

Using metal blade, grind for 1 to 2 minutes, until chips break into smaller pieces.

Add to mixing bowl. Add poppy seeds and remaining filling ingredients to mixing bowl. Beat for 2 minutes, or until mixture reaches a pasty consistency.

Dough: No-stick vegetable spray 8 1/2- or 9-inch springform pan 2 cups flour 2 tablespoons sugar 10 tablespoons well-chilled margarine 1 egg, beaten 2-3 tablespoons ice water Confectioner’s sugar for dusting Coat springform pan with no-stick spray.

Reserve.

Place flour and sugar in food processor bowl and mix well. Break margarine into chunks and add, along with egg.

Cover bowl and start processor, slowly adding water until dough forms a large ball. (You may not need all of the water.)

Divide dough into 2 unequal balls: 1/3 and 2/3. Cover each ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

When ready to roll dough, preheat oven to 350ºs. Generously sprinkle flour onto

counter, rolling pin and larger dough ball, which should be firm but malleable. (Leave smaller ball in the refrigerator.)

Roll ball into a circle slightly larger than the springform pan.

Place a piece of aluminum foil over half of the circle. Fold second half over the foil.

Move dough to springform. If dough tears, simply repair it. Push dough evenly into place with fingers, making a 1/4-inch rim up the side of the pan.

Spoon filling on top of dough. With an offset spatula, spread filling evenly over dough, stopping 1/8 inch from the pan’s edge.

Roll out second dough ball, repeating the procedure. Place over poppy seed mixture and gently press dough around the pan’s edge to meet bottom crust.

Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, until golden brown. Cool completely and sprinkle with sifted confectioner’s sugar. Yield: 10 slices

Hamantaschen with creamy poppy seed filling.

Credit: Linda Morel/JTA HAMANTASCHEN WITH CREAMY POPPY SEED FILLING (Dairy)

by Linda Morel Creamy Poppy Seed Filling: 1/4 cup poppy seeds, 1 1.25 ounce jar 1/3 cup heavy cream 1/8 cup water 1/8 cup Amaretto 1/2 cup raisins

cup sugar cup walnuts Place poppy seeds in coffee grinder, or better still, Cuisinart Mini-Prep Processor.

Grind for 3 minutes, or until seeds have the consistency of fine black pepper and become slightly sticky.

In a double boiler, place cream, water and Amaretto; cover. On a low flame, bring to a boil. Let bubbling water bring cream-Amaretto mixture to a slow boil for 5 minutes. Remove top of double boiler from heat and keep covered for an hour.

Don’t proceed for an hour to give seeds time to puff up and absorb some liquid.

In a standard-size food processor, use the metal blade to mix raisins and sugar for 1 minute, or until crumbly. Add to creamAmaretto mixture, blending well.

In a food processor, use metal blade to grind walnuts into bits. Add to creamAmaretto mixture, blending well.

You can cover mixture and refrigerate for a day before proceeding.

CREAM CHEESE DOUGH 1 egg 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup cream cheese (not reduced fat) 1/4 teaspoon vanilla 2 tablespoons milk 1 1/2 cups flour, plus more for dusting counter 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder Parchment paper In a large mixing bowl, mix egg, butter, cream cheese, vanilla and milk until well blended. Mixture will appear lumpy.

Sift dry ingredients. Add to egg mixture and mix well, until dough sticks together and appears smooth.

Form dough into 2 balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat oven to 350º. Place parchment 1/4 3/4

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paper on 2 cookie sheets.

Remove one dough ball from refrigerator.

(It should be firm but malleable.) Dust counter, rolling pin and dough ball with flour, adding more flour as needed. Roll dough into a circle 1/8-inch thick. With a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut as many circles as possible. Move circles to lined cookie sheets. Pick up remaining dough scraps.

Form a ball and refrigerate.

Fill circles with 1/2 teaspoon of Creamy Poppy Seed Filling. Pinch edges of filled circles in 3 places, equal distances apart to form triangles. Using dough scraps, follow steps until there’s no dough remaining.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges brown. Using second dough ball, repeat steps. Yield: 30 hamantaschen POPPY SEED COOKIES (Dairy)

by Rise Routenberg and Barbara Wasser From Divine Kosher Cuisine: Catering to Family and Friends, published in 2006

by Congregation Agudat Achim, Schenectady, N.Y. 1 cup butter 9 Tablespoons sugar 1 large egg 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/3 cup chopped pecans 1/4 cup poppy seeds Preheat oven to 350º. Grease cookie sheets.

With an electric mixer, cream butter with sugar at medium speed. Beat in egg, salt, and extracts. Mix in flour, spices, nuts, and seeds. Roll dough into 6 logs, 11/2 inches in diameter. Chill 30 minutes. Cut into 1/4-inch thick diagonal slices. Place on cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Yield: 4 dozen cookies.

Page 12

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

February 16, 2007

It’s always our fault Some years ago, a comic portrayed a beleaguered husband pulling an imaginary puppet string at the back of his head, exclaiming to his wife, “It’s my fault; it’s my fault!”

Sometimes it seems like Israel is that same put-upon husband.

From the fights between Hamas and Fatah to the Iraq War to the genocide in Somalia, radical forces in the world and their naive followers are wont to blame Israel for all of humankind’s woes. Crazies once insisted that the Jews were responsible for slavery in America, and we’ve all heard Yasser Arafat’s hysteria about Israelis poisoning chewing gum with the AIDS virus. Like the Yaakov Kirschen cartoon on this page, will the Jews soon be blamed for global warming?

It’s a bogus argument, of course...blaming Jews for the problems of the Palestinians is an old game. Last week, the “40-day” anniversary of Saddam Hussein’s death was celebrated in Gaza. Why? Other than the $10,000 to $25,000 paid to the families of suicide bombers, what did Saddam ever do for the Palestinian people?

Frankly, what has any Arab leader ever done for the Palestinians? And now, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the nutty (but dangerous) president of Iran has gotten into the act, all of sudden professing his love and loyalty to the Palestinians by...you guessed it...blaming the Middle East’s problems on the IsraeliPalestinian conflict.

It’s unfortunate that the ordinary Palestinian allows himself to be abused, but as Ann Landers once said, “You can only be taken advantage of if you allow it.” This backwards sensibility diverts attention from their real problems, from issues of governance to educational and economic reforms, all of which were promised by Mahmoud Abbas, as well as his

opposition in Hamas.

Once again, the Palestinian people are getting the short end of the stick, but they could change that by voting Hamas out of office and demanding accountability from elected officials, instead of allowing themselves to be used in the latest trumped-up charge leveled at Israel--that reconstruction of a new, safe bridge to the Mugrabi Gate--from the Kotel Plaza to the Temple Mount--will undermine the Arab holy place.

Arab archaeologists know that’s not the case.

In fact, the Israel Antiquities Authority takes care to examine all the dirt carted away to ensure it doesn’t contain human remains, evidence of ancient burial grounds.

The IAA is certainly more respectful of Muslim holy places than was the country of Jordan, which allowed, even encouraged, the desecration of all the synagogues in the Old City when it was under the control of that country from 1948-67.

And during the second intifada in 2001, Palestinian mobs stormed Joseph’s Tomb, killing several Israeli soldiers, burning sacred Jewish texts and dancing for joy.

Contrast that to the free and unfettered access people of all faiths have to worship in Jerusalem’s mosques, churches and synagogues.

Where is the rest of the Arab world? Where are the moderate Muslims decrying the shortsightedness of this behavior? Where are the real leaders, the Martin Luther King, Jr.’s of the Arab world?

It’s time for the charade to stop, but it can only happen when the

Palestinian people (as well as the Iranians and the Arab citizens of other countries) stop playing the role of the hen-pecked wimp. Say “No!” to Hamas politician Mushir Al-Masri, who insisted in last week’s Mecca conference between Fatah and Hamas that it “will not recognize Israel, will not abandon the resistance [i.e. terror] and will not discard its principles.”

Fifty years hence, when the Arab countries run out of oil, (for which Israel will be blamed of course), will these “principles” still be held so highly by the Palestinian people?

BEHIND THE HEADLINES

by BARRY RUBIN Many in Washington have embraced the Baker-Hamilton report’s view that Syria is a potential friend that can be won over by diplomacy. Fuelling this perspective was an interview this morning on “Good Morning America,” where Syrian President Bashar alAssad and his British-raised wife charmed Diane Sawyer and the viewing audience with their moderate tone.

The American public should not be fooled.

Self-consciously, Syria is an enemy of the United States and must be seen as such. Any diplomacy that does not recognize this fact will only convince both regional extremists and moderates that the radicals are winning.

“It is my pleasure to meet with you in the new Middle East,” said Bashar in an August speech. But this new Bashar version Middle East is really just a reversion, often in remarkable detail, to the Middle East of the 1950s through the 1980s, an era that was an unmitigated disaster for the Arabs themselves.

While the Islamist and Arab nationalist movements are often at odds over power, their basic perceptions and goals are quite parallel.

The political line is the traditional one of extolling violent struggle in pursuit of total victory rather than viewing moderation as pragmatic, compromise as beneficial, or social progress and economic construction as the highest priority.

Only on two points does the new era of resistance represent a sharp break with the past: unprecedented levels of Iranian involvement in Arab politics and the creation of an

...why do Bashar, his allies, colleagues, and clients have an interest in revitalizing a worldview and program that failed so miserably and disastrously, leading the Arab world into years of defeat, wasted resources, dictatorship, and a steady falling behind the rest of the world in most socio-economic categories?

All of this makes it no less strange to see the revival of policies so spectacularly unsuccessful the first time around, whose disastrous repercussions are still being felt by Arab societies, the Middle East, and the entire globe. True, this worldview’s elements have all been tested by time, but they failed the exam by a wide margin.

Consequently, this leaves an intriguing question: why do Bashar, his allies, colleagues, and clients have an interest in revitalizing a worldview and program that failed so miserably and disastrously, leading the Arab world into years of defeat, wasted resources, dictatorship, and a steady falling behind the rest of the world in most socio-economic categories?

A large part of the answer is that this new state of affairs serves the two groups that matter most in Arab politics: the Arab nationalist

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.

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Don’t be fooled about “the new Middle East” Arab nationalist-Islamist synthesis for which Bashar has been the main promoter and advocate.

When one takes into account the fact that Bashar is not really a Muslim, though he plays one on television, the accomplishment is stupendous in its audacity.

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dictators and the revolutionary Islamist challengers seeking to displace them. The Arab regimes rejected reforms because change threatened to unseat them. Using demagoguery enabled them to continue as both dictatorships and failed leaderships while still enjoying popular support.

On the other side, radical Islamist forces, far more able to compete for mass support than the small though courageous bands of liberals, sought a new strategy to expand their influence and gain power.

The new “resistance” axis promises to solve all problems quickly and simply, albeit through large-scale bloodshed. Why compromise if you believe you can achieve total victory, revolution, and wipe Israel off the map with armed struggle and the intimidation of the West?

Why engage in the long, hard work of economic development when merely showing courage in battle and killing a few enemies fulfills one’s dreams. Victory, said Bashar in his Aug. 15, 2006 speech quoted above, requires recklessness.

Certainly, a strategy that functions mainly by making one feel good about supposedly making one’s enemies feel bad should not be the basis for a serious or successful political program. It is no substitute for social progress or economic development.

Yet if nobody remembers where this kind of mistaken thinking led before, they are all the more ready to embrace it anew. And if American leaders don’t even understand that they are dealing with determined enemies, and not just tough bargainers, how can U.S. policy possibly respond to this challenge?

Barry Rubin is author of the forthcoming book, The Truth About Syria. This op-ed was based on an article in the winter edition of the Middle East Quarterly.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 13

The betrayal of Jonathan Pollard

FOCUS ON ISSUES

by FERN SIDMAN The Jewish Advocate, Boston, MA The scourge of terrorism crouches outside our doorways as does the dramatic escalation of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiment. A madman in Iran threatens Israel and the free world with his expanding nuclear arsenal, while ex-presidents write books excoriating Israel for attempting to defend herself. There is no question that it is open season on Jews, and that little strip of land in the Middle East called Israel. While the world remains silent in the face of blatant and overt Jew hatred, we can only draw a frightening parallel to Europe of 1938.

While we are concerned for our survival as Jews and for the future of Israel, we now turn our attentions to one person. One Jew, who was victimized by betrayal and deceit. As Jews, we are commanded to fulfill the holy precept of redeeming the imprisoned. While the world may at times exert efforts for the collective good, while dismissing the individual, it is the obligation and duty of the Jew, even in dangerous times to save just one life. For each life is an entire world and it stands as a solitary reminder of our future as a people and a nation.

Today, the plight of Jewish prisoner, Jonathan Pollard compels us to take action and to review the facts of his case. It began in 1983 when he was employed as a civilian American Naval intelligence analyst based in Washington, D.C. Pollard discovered that information vital to Israel’s security was being deliberately withheld by certain elements within the U.S. national security establishment.

Israel was legally entitled to this vital security information according to a 1983 Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries. The information included Syrian, Iraqi, Libyan and Iranian nuclear, chemical and biological warfare capabilities -being developed for use against Israel. It also included information on ballistic missile development by these countries and information on planned terrorist attacks against Israeli civilian targets.

When Pollard questioned his superiors as to why this information was not being disclosed as had been promised, he was told to mind his business. Subsequently, he learned that the objective of suppressing this information to Israel was to severely curtail Israel’s ability to act independently in defense of her own enemies. Pollard did everything in his power to have the legal flow of information to Israel restored. When his efforts met no success, he began to give the information to Israel directly.

Pollard was an ideologue, not a mercenary. The FBI

concluded after nine months of polygraphing that Pollard acted for ideological reasons only, not for profit.

This fact was recognized by the sentencing judge who declined to fine Pollard.

In 1985, he was arrested by the FBI. Pollard never had a trial. At the request of both the U.S. and Israeli governments, he entered into a plea agreement, which spared both governments a long, difficult, expensive and potentially embarrassing trial.

No one else in the history of this country has ever received a life sentence for passing classified information to an ally -only Pollard. Even agents who have committed far more serious offenses on behalf of hostile nations have not received such a harsh sentence.

And this is where the betrayal began. Pollard fulfilled his end of the plea agreement, cooperating fully with the prosecution. Nevertheless, he received a life sentence and a recommendation that he never be paroled -- in complete violation of the plea agreement he had reached with the government. Pollard was never indicted for harming the U.S., nor was he indicted for compromising codes, agents or war plans and he was never charged with treason. He was indicted on only one charge -- one count of passing classified information to an ally without intent to harm the U.S. No one else in the history of this country has ever received a life sentence for passing classified information to an ally -- only Pollard. The median sentence for this offense is two to four years. Even agents who have committed far more serious offenses on behalf of hostile nations have not received such a harsh sentence.

Since 1995, within the context of the peace process, the U.S. has repeatedly exploited the plight of Jonathan Pollard to extract heavy concessions from Israel. Despite express promises to Israel, Pollard remains in jail.

Although President Clinton promised late Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin that he would release Pollard as part of a Middle East peace settlement, Clinton refused to honor his promise after Rabin was assassinated. Both before and again during the Wye summit negotiations in the fall of 1998, Clinton promised to release Pollard. At the last minute, as the Wye Accords signing ceremony was about to take place in Washington, Clinton reneged on his release, creating a storm of negative publicity for Israel.

The facts speak for themselves. Pollard is a man betrayed by his country, who has languished in the federal prison system for 22 years and is in failing health. It

is incumbent upon each and every one of us, to raise high the banner of freedom for Pollard. It is time to express our outrage and indignation at this travesty of justice. It is time to come together, to unite to save one life, one person, one Jew who has been scapegoated by the world.

The first and most important step that we can take is to beseech the Almighty G-d of Israel on behalf of Pollard.

We can storm the gates of Heaven with our heartfelt prayers for our brother. We can organize Tehillim groups in the name of Yohanatan ben Malka. Above all, we must remain cognizant of the fact that it only through the hand of Hashem will we see true justice.

Additionally, we can also devote our time to participating in a wide variety of activities that will bring the spotlight on Pollard’s case. According to an Arutz Sheva news service report of Feb. 6, “American Jewish organizations have organized a massive nationwide campaign to call the White House every afternoon for the next two months and request/demand freedom for Pollard. The campaign is to last until after Passover, the holiday of freedom. Spearheaded by the National Council of Young Israel, it is predicated the White House tally of incoming calls, “and so every single phone call makes a difference.�

A statement issued by Young Israel Executive Vice President Rabbi Pesach Lerner asks citizens concerned

by Pollard’s plight to “call 202.456.1414 daily between the hours of 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Central Time, and encourage their family members and friends to do the same.

Callers are reminded to expect the lines to be busy and to keep calling until they get through.�

Agudath Israel states that Pollard’s plight “demands our urgent attention. [His] life sentence - a penalty far more severe than that imposed upon others who committed similar or even more serious crimes - is difficult to comprehend... At this time, it appears that all legal avenues through the judicial system have been shut off.�

Before it is too late, get involved now. Contact your local synagogue and ask the rabbi to speak of Pollard’s plight. Work towards educating young people about Pollard and assist in galvanizing them to participate in demonstrations. Make phone calls, write letters to your elected officials, but above all, do not be silent.

We are taught that there are sins of commission and sins of omission in this world. Let us not be guilty of doing nothing, when we had every opportunity to do something significant and potent on behalf of a brother, on behalf of our brother.

In the merit of our actions and prayers, may the Almighty G-d of Israel have mercy on Jonathan Pollard and upon His people, Israel.

Learn more at the Justice for Pollard website: www.JonathanPollard.org. Op-Ed Courtesy of www.jewishadvocate.com.

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Page 14

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

February 16, 2007

Candlelighting Friday, February 16, 5:42 p.m.

Synagogue Listings B’nai Israel Synagogue 618 Mynster St. Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com

Beth El Synagogue Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Omaha, NE 68154-1980 492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org

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

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning services, 9:30 a.m. the D’var Torah will be given by Rabbi Daniel Fellman; Kiddush is sponsored by Beth El; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 5:50 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; 10 a.m.; “Jewish Pot Pourri,” 11 a.m., led by Frydman-Levin; no Weekly Parasha Class until Feb. 25.

THURSDAYS, noon: Rabbi Levin leads Getting More Out of Prayer: Insights into the Siddur.

WOMEN’S BOOK GROUP: Monday, Feb. 19, 1 p.m., at the synagogue; All women in the Jewish community are welcome.

JEWISH FILM SERIES: Feb. 19, 7 p.m. Cost is $36 for the series or $6 per session. For information, call Margie Gutnik.

WOMEN’S ROSH HODESH GROUP: Tuesday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m., at Joye Wees’s home, 12605 Lafayette Cir. Topic: “Clear the Clutter: You May Just Find Yourself!” with guest speaker Meg Davies. To RSVP, contact Wees, at sjwees@gmail.com, or Nancy Skid, at srskider@aol.com.

ABBA, EEMA & ME: For children from birth to three, and their parents on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 9:30 a.m-11 a.m.

SISTERHOOD HAMANTASHEN SALE: Orders will be ready for pick-up in the social hall on Sunday, Feb. 25, 11 a.m.noon, or March 4, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

SATURDAY TOT SHABBAT & LUNCH: Saturday, Feb. 24, 11:15 a.m.-noon, led

by Esther Katz. Lunch will follow: $5 for adults; free for children six and younger. RSVP for lunch by contacting the office.

HAZAK PROGRAM: Sunday, Feb. 25, 2 p.m. (See article on page 5.)

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

PERSONAL Thank you to all my family and friends, and to Rabbi Mordechai Levin, for their concern during my recent illness.

- Alan Kulakofsky

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, 5:42 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. Free babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes, 9:45 a.m. with Torah Parade; Kiddush in honor of Amanda Gurock’s birthday and in honor of the visit of Noah and Peggy Gurock, sponsored by Josh and Leah Gurock; Mincha, 5:30 p.m. followed by Suedat Shlishit with Gemara class; Havdalah, 6:42 p.m.; Game Night, 7:30 p.m. with MakeYour-Own-Taco buffet; $5 for adults, free for kids. BYOBG (bring your own board games).

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: Hebrew Reading Crash Course, 7:30 p.m.

TUESDAY: Lunch & Learn, noon with Na’ama Nadel, “Adam & Eve: A Paradigm for Human Behavior.” A soup and sandwich lunch is available for $5 by reservation; Camp Nageela Open House, 7:30 p.m. at the home of Bruce and Linda Potash. Camp Nageela is a three week camp run

by Rabbi Michael Rovinsky and the Midwest Region of NCSY for kids in grade 4-8.

THURSDAY: Women of the Torah class, 9:30 a.m.; 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: W.O.W. Prayer Circle Tehillim & More, 9 a.m.; 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 Barbara Barron.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. all led by Rabbi Emanuel; Game Night/Potluck, 6 p.m. All ages are welcome to join.

Contact Deb Swearingen if you have questions or if you need a ride.

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 “Public Policy and the Impediments to Concern and Action” with Prof. Charles Harper, Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology at Creighton Univ.

ADULT EDUCATION “Judging Judges -- New Approaches to Reading the Bible,” on Sundays, Feb. 25, and March 18 and 25, from 7-9 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Hebrew class (grades 2-7), 4-6 p.m. at TI.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m., led by Steven Riekes.

TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. Rabbi Eric Linder, and Tami Field will lead the service.

SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15-10:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.; Steven Vinci, son of Jody and Gino Vinci, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah.

SUNDAY: No Religious School.

TUESDAY: Adult B’nai Mitzvah, 6:30–8 p.m.; Executive Committee Meeting, 6 p.m.; Board of Trustees Meeting, 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 46 p.m.; Scrapbook Club, 5 p.m.; All School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Family School, 6-8 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6-8 p.m. Grade 7-8 will be bused to Quality Living. Grades 9-10 will be bused to Youth Emergency Service Facility. Grades 11-12 will be joined by Yachad for a service project; Jewish Notions of the Afterlife, 7 p.m. Contact Program Rosie Zweiback, Director 556.6536 or rzweiback@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.; Religious School Steering Committee Meeting, noon.

FRIDAY, Feb. 23, 6 p.m.: Iftekhar Hai, the Director of Interfaith Relations of the United Muslims of America, will speak about “Jewish Values in Islam.”

(See full article on page 2) SUNDAY, Feb. 25: Congregational Conversation, 10 a.m. to discuss the Temple Israel Building Project and the Tri-Faith initiative.

NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN FRIDAY: Minyan, 5:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.

TIFERETH ISRAEL 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.

B’NAI MITZVAH Benjamin Wilson Hale, son of Debbie and Patrick Hale, will become Bar Mitzvah on S a t u r d a y, Feb. 24, at T e m p l e Israel.

Benjamin is a seventhgrade student at Kiewit Middle School.

His interests include basketball, baseball, football and hanging out with friends.

For his mitzvah project, Benjamin volunteered at Brooke Valley School by working one on

one with an autistic boy.

He has a younger brother, Noah.

Grandparents are Joan Kaiman and the late Ben Kaiman, and Kaye and Stan Hale.

Rena Eliana Greene, daughter of Julie and Joey Greene, will become Bat Mitzvah on Sunday, Feb. 25, at Congregation Bikur Cholim-Machzikay Hadath in Seattle, WA. She has been learning about Megillat Esther (since her English and Hebrew Birthday fall just before Purim).

Rena is a sixth-grade student at Seattle Hebrew Academy. She was

a member of the ’06 SHA winning Girls’ Vo l l e y b a l l Team and won the “Most Improved Player” trophy at the Volleyball Awards Banquet. She currently plays on the’ 07 SHA Girls’ Basketball Team. She was a participant in SHA’s ’06 Middle School Science Fair, earning her a top score for her experiment.

Rena works every other Shabbat as a BCMH Torah Tots assistant and is a favorite mother’s helper

for many families in the Seward Park community. Her interests include sports, horseback riding, playing with her dogs, venturing out to the mall with her friends, and attending Jr. NCSY/Middle School events.

She has a brother, Benjamin and a sister, Sara.

Her grandparents are A. Richard (Dik) and Ina Weiner, and Bernard Greene of Seattle, WA, and the late Irene Greene.

Her great-grandparents are the late Dr. J. Milton and Ann Margolin, and the late Edward and Tillie Weiner.

February 16, 2007

Three levels of meaning

SPARKS FROM THE WORD

by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Mishpatim Shabbat Shekalim We pile meaning upon meaning during the Torah reading this Shabbat.

In the first place, there are the Mishpatim, the laws or ordinances, which give detail and direct meaning to the wide coverage of the Ten Commandments. Detail and meaning -- but no sanctions. When we insist on the rule of law, we must recognize that it has no bite if there are no penalties. The codes of law for the United States, and for each state, and for each city, specify the penalties.

A basic code of law for the House of Israel is in the Torah. It is elaborated in the Talmud, and then codified (arranged logically and systematically) over the centuries, and interpreted by qualified scholars and decisors.

Our second level of meaning for this Shabbat is Rosh Hodesh, the beginning of a new month. The Sunday night after this Shabbat happens to be the first of the month of Adar. In ancient Israel, the first day of each month, Rosh Hodesh, was a kind of brief holiday. It could be mentioned in the same breath as the three Pilgrimage Festivals.

In our day, in synagogue services and private prayer, special prayers are added to the service, whether daily or Shabbat services.

The third level of meaning has to do with Shabbat Shekalim, the first public notice that Pesah is in the offing, albeit some six weeks away. Many of us are taken aback each year: “You mean Pesah is near? We just finish Hanukkah!”

Shekalim reminds us that in earlier centuries, both when the Temple stood and for some time after it was gone, Jews throughout the world submitted to a tax (shekalim, of course, means shekels) for the support of the Temple, or, later, of the Jewish community of Jerusalem. This Shabbat is the first of four special Shabbatot that herald the approach of Pesah.

All of this underlining of Pesah is a powerful periodic emphasis on the theme that activates the Jewish mind and seat of emotion: the theme of freedom.

In America, Independence Day, July Fourth, is largely reduced to a holiday with a small “h”, a time for picnics. But Pesah, even with the frivolity that sometimes accompanies the Sedarim, remains a significant reminder that holiness should be our modus vivendi, our way of life, and freedom for all -- our goal.

(Editor’s note: This column was originally printed in the Jewish Press on Feb. 23, 2001.)

ABE KRASNE Abe Krasne died Feb. 8. Services were held Feb. 12 at Temple Israel.

Prior to launching Krasne Home Furnishings in 1968 in Fremont, NE, he worked for his brother-in-law at the Kavich Furniture Company. His son, Howard joined the business in 1978 and runs the business today.

Krasne served on the board of directors for a number of charitable and service organizations in Fremont, including the city’s Salvation Army, Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Improvement District and Community Foundation. He was named a Paul Harris Fellow in January of this year by Rotary International, “in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world.”

In addition to his son and daughter-in-law, Howard and Sharon Krasne, he is survived by his wife of 56 years, Bev Krasne; son and partner, Mark Krasne and Stephen Reiman; daughter, Terri Krasne, daughter and son-in-law, Chris and Barry Marin-Schweer; grandsons, Seth and Adam Krasne; and sister, Edythe Kavich.

Memorials to the Fremont Area Community Foundation, 605 No. Broad St., Fremont, NE 68025 or charity of choice.

Mugrabi Bridge construction halted

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Although the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) bridge construction is no threat to Islamic holy places on the Temple Mount, the Mayor of Jerusalem decided that because of the importance of the Old City to Jews, Christians and Muslims the construction of the new bridge will be postponed to defuse the situation and allow public discussion on the plans. Last Friday, only Muslims over the age of 45 were allowed on the Temple Mount for prayers. Several thousand other Arabs assembled outside the Old City wall to hold impromptu prayer services watched over by a large force of police. There were some minor altercations between the Arabs and the police, including some stone Copyright: ISRANET throwing.

Beth Israel Sisterhood offers “plagued” packages for Pesach

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Send full name, age, date of death, location of service and burial site, as well as other pertinent information to the Jewish Press via e-mail: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; fax, 402.334.5422; or mail, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68114. Obituaries-as well as engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies, and births--also can be submitted at the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s website. Just go to: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press and click on “Submit Announcements.”

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Page 15

DEATH

To Submit an Obituary Notice:

by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue Don’t be “plagued” by a boring Seder! Liven up your Pesach seder with Beth Israel Sisterhood’s “Plagued” Packages. Each package includes a bag of plague toys, face masks, and “the four questions” finger puppets.

According to Bette Kozlen, Sisterhood Gift Shop Chairman, “You might think of these items for use by just kids, but it’s fun for adults, too. Whether or not you have children at your seder, using a ‘Plagued’ Package will help make it a fun experience and encourage every-

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

one to participate.”

“It’s important for everyone to be involved during a Pesach seder,” said Rabbi Jonathan Gross. “We want to engage people of all ages during the seder. The toys and masks are a great way to help do that.”

For orders placed by March 1, the cost is only $20 per package. After March 1, the price is $25. If you place your order before March 15, you can ship packages to friends and family in the U.S., at an additional cost of $5 per package. For more details, contact the office at 556.6288 or BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org.

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Page 16

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

February 16, 2007

Bloomberg gift to expand MDA station in Jerusalem New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, his 98 year-old mother Charlotte Bloomberg, daughter Emma, and NYC officials broke ground for the rebuilding of the Magen David Adom (MDA) Emergency Medical Station in Jerusalem earlier this month, to be named in memory of his father, William H. Bloomberg.

Speaking at the ceremony attended by over 200 guests including Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, Bloomberg said, “In Israel, and in New York, supporting the work of our First Responders is one of the most important things we can do. And I feel sure that my father, if he were here today, would agree. My father taught me the importance of giving back, and I’ve tried to follow his example. The MDA -- which serves all citizens regardless of religion, creed, or nationality -- is definitely one such organization, and I think my father would be very proud to be a part of its work.” Former Nebraskan Daniel R. Allen, FMDA executive vice president, thanked Bloomberg, “for taking the lead in helping us to rebuild Israel’s busiest and most important MDA Station and naming it in memory of his beloved father.”

Jewish youth groups unite for high school ski trip

by RACHEL BLUM JCC Program Director If you ask any of the local youth group directors, they will tell you they don’t care which youth group teens join, as long as they become affiliated with at least one group during their high school years.

Statistics have shown that those teens who are connected to their Jewish community in their high school years tend to stay involved throughout adulthood.

On Sunday, Feb. 25, 12:30-6:30 p.m., all Jewish teens in high school are invited to join BBYO, NCSY, OTYG, and USY for a trip to Mt. Crescent Ski Resort in Crescent, Iowa. Participants will meet

in the JCC Teen Lounge and take a chaperoned bus to Mt. Crescent, where they will have the opportunity to take ski lessons, ski the slopes, or snowboard.

The purpose of the ski trip is to bring our Jewish high school teens together for an afternoon of fun and to talk with them about the importance of staying connecting to the Omaha Jewish community through youth group affiliation. Drop off and pick up is in the JCC Teen Lounge.

Cost for the ski trip is $50 (snowboarding is an extra $6). To sign up for the trip, please contact any of the youth directors or Cindy Reed, JCC Registration Associate at 334.6419.

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The Jewish Press is looking for photos of residents in the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home from 1982-2007,for use in the March 30 Passover issue: “The Blumkin Home at 25: a New Beginning.”

We also want to publish Passover recipes from your Bubbes and Zaydes,especially those who lived in the Home -- or live there now.

Please send photos -- and recipes (single-spaced, typed) to:Passover issue,The Jewish Press 333 So.132 St.,Omaha,NE 68154 Or e-mail photos as attached .jpg files And recipes as attached word.doc files to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org Deadline is March 1.

Questions? Call 402.334.6450

Former Omahan’s gift to sponsor an IDF battalion for three years

by CAROL KATZMAN just to the Jewish State, but to all of us guaranteeing that the saying, ‘Never Editor of the Jewish Press Jeff Silverman has been a strong sup- Again’ is not just an empty slogan.”

Said Silverman, “The generals were porter to the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) for many years. very appreciative of our efforts to devise a Last May, he traveled to Israel on a FIDF mission to visit several bases to see how the soldiers were living and what they were experiencing. He was so impressed with the soldiers he met that he created the “Adopt-ABattalion” program and pledged $225,000 over a three-year period to sponsor three IDF battalions.

“It is very important to convey to the troops on the front line several important messages,” he wrote to Former Omahan Jeff Silverman, left, met IDF Brigadier Courtney Jakul, who works General Shely Gotman, head of Hatzerim Air Force Base, on for FIDF in Silverman’s a Friends of the IDF mission last May. hometown of Chicago. “The soldiers program to ‘adopt a battalion’ based on need to know that we Jews in the United our experiences in visiting the troops. We States care about them, want to know care about them and both their immediabout their situation, and are working to ate present and their long range future.” be helpful in alleviating some of the stress A annual gift of $25,000 will provide and deprivation.” such items as mobile gyms and sports He added, “They go into combat train- equipment, internet cafes, and mobile ing and active duty for roughly three years libraries. Other funding opportunities are directly after graduating high school. available as well, by contacting FIDF, 29 Compared to American kids, their lives East Madison St., Suite 802, Chicago, IL are all put on hold while they fulfill their 60602; 312.372.8500 or online at: military obligation. Their service is not www.israelsoldiers.org.