February 17, 2012

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

The Secret Life of Girls

February 17, 2012 24 Shevat 5772 Vol. 92 | No. 22

This Week

Rose Blumkin Home Mad Hatters luncheon Page 6

Birth control fights return to campaigns Page 7

by LIZZY GILBERT destroy it.

Corporate and Community Through the support of key Development, donors in our community, the Anti Defamation League ADL was able to transport The Anti-Defamation students from across the League (ADL) has taken an Metro to the Jewish active role in making our Community Center to see the schools no place for hate, and play. But in order to participromoting a safe educational pate, both the schools and environment for all students. their students committed to Bullying and cyberbullying making the prevention of bulpresent serious roadblocks to lying and cyberbullying in that goal. In the name of maktheir schools a priority. First, ing our schools no place for all students who attended the hate, the ADL has recently play received either the ADL’s completed a special theater CyberALLY® training, or project to accompany the ADL’s Digital Citizenship training CyberALLY® programming. through a partner organizaWhile social media has tion in the project, Main character Abby, played by Courtney Stein, celebrates her birthday by inviting friends advanced communication CommonSense Media. over for a slumber party. and interaction across the Additionally, participating globe, it also presents students with school student training program basis that bullying is bad. But do students will now be required to crethe temptation to bully one another that fosters an increased culture of e- they really understand the effects it ate an awareness campaign within from the privacy of their own safety, ally behavior, and respect for can have? That is why the ADL their school communities. The camdecided to take on this project – to paigns homes, long after the school day has differences among youth. will culminate with The Plains States ADL began shine a light on the realities and con- CommonSense Media’s Digital ended. Unfortunately, we often do not realize the harmful effects of offering CyberALLY® to students in sequences of bullying through the- Citizenship Week in April of this year. bullying on our students until they 2009 and since then the program has ater,” said ADL Education Project These participation requirements are have manifested themselves through grown year after year. In 2012, the Director, Jessica Gall. part of a broader ADL strategy to creThe Secret Life of Girls is an honest ate safe schools for all youth. reduced self-confidence, self-seclu- ADL has taken its programming to sion, and sometimes even through a address cyberbullying to the next and unflinching dramatization of More than 1,500 students from 18 student’s decision to harm them- level with the production of the edu- teenage bullying that helps students Omaha-area middle and high selves. This is why the ADL offers cational play, The Secret Life of Girls. realize that becoming an ally builds schools came to the Jewish “Students are told on a regular community while bullying can Continued on page 2 CyberALLY®, a middle and high

Temple Israel names new Associate Rabbi Orthodox musician’s alternatives to Friday concerts abound Page 12

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

Next Month Home Improvement See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

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by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Union College-Jewish Institute of Temple Israel Religion (HUC-JIR) in Los Angeles, Communications Coordinator the Atlanta native also completed a Rabbi Joshua Brown has accepted master’s degree in Jewish education the position of associate rabbi at at the Rhea Hirsch School of Temple Israel effective July 1, Education and a bachelor’s in family studies and social announced John work at Miami Lehr, president of University the Temple Israel (Ohio). He served Board of Trustees. as student rabbi at Currently rabbiTemple Shalom in educator and Y a k i m a , more recently, the Wa s h i n g t o n ; primary rabbi of director of educaTemple Emanuel tion and director in Winston-Salem, of staff and adult North Carolina, education at URJ during the year(Union of Reform long sabbatical of Judaism) Camp the senior rabbi, Newman Swig; Rabbi Brown will and rabbinic and be accompanied education intern by his wife Carrie, a fifth grade Rabbi Josh Brown and his wife at Temple Ahavat in teacher, and their Carrie and their daughter Hannah Shalom Northridge, Calif. daughter Hannah, will soon be moving to Omaha.

Among his responsibilities at who will be two years old in June.

Ordained in May 2008 at Hebrew Temple Emanuel, Rabbi Brown conducted worship services, life cycle ceremonies, taught within his congregation as well as beyond its walls.

He led the congregation in its first year-round educational theme, “A Year of Wellness” and created new worship styles to appeal to young families as well as to more senior congregants. A multigenerational service he launched “not only utilized technology to grasp the Continued on page 2

Beth El Cantor’s Scholarship Concert

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator On Sunday, March 4, the community will converge on Beth El for a rollicking afternoon of singing, dancing, comedy, drama and fun, during “Beth El’s Got Talent,” this year’s Cantor’s Youth Scholarship Concert.

And while those entertaining performances will take center stage that afternoon, the synagogue’s Youth Scholarship Fund will be the true star of the event, benefiting from ticket sales proceeds, as well as contributions from generous donors.

For years, the scholarship fund has provided opportunities for Beth El’s youths to attend Jewish summer camps, visit Israel or attend Jewish youth conventions -and each year, the Cantor’s Concert is instrumental in sustaining the fund’s coffers.

Calling the fund ‘need-blind,’ Cantor Beth Schlossberg explained that grants are available to all of the congregation’s kids, regardless of their families’ financial situation. In return for the

scholarship money, recipients are asked to volunteer service hours at the synagogue.

“Not only are we providing our young people with an invaluable experience to enjoy the Jewish community on a much larger scale, but afterward, we are bringing

them home to use the leadership and social skills they picked up while at camp or their trips, at their very own shul,” the cantor said. “The bonds they make while at camp or on these trips will last them a lifetime, and the experience of giving back and helping their hometown community will hopefully do the same.”

Beth El’s Scholarship Chairman Shane Kotok also sang praises of the synagogue grants, and pointed Continued on page 4

2 | The Jewish Press | February 17, 2012

The Secret Life of Girls

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Continued from page 1 More than 300 parents, educators, students, and communiCommunity Center Theater from Jan. 25-27 to see the play ty members attended two public performances of The Secret and participate in a talk-back session afterwards. “We could Life of Girls on Jan. 28 and 29. “I felt it helped my daughter see not have been more pleased with the interest from the edu- what was happening within her own world without me havcation community,” remarked ADL Regional Director, Alan ing to say it,” remarked parent, Gretchen Radler.

Potash.

While harassment may start online, it can escalate to One teacher remarked that the most powerful aspect of physical violence and very real emotional distress for stuthe play was that throughout the performance “...the victims dents. “It is our hope that The Secret Life of Girls would be switched and in the end, it the perfect complement to was not who you expected the ADL’s CyberALLY® it to be. Anyone and everyprogramming, and I think one can be bullied.” Many that has come true” Potash educators remarked that said. “We have only begun their students could relate to analyze the evaluation to the characters and that data provided to us by stuthe performance gave dents, but so far it appears them a basis for discussion this play hit home with and learning in their classthem.” rooms.

One Nathan Hale midGall commented on the dle schooler said the play timing of the project, inditaught her that her friends cating that as students finmay be hurting more than ish their middle school they appear to be. A St. experience and head into Thomas Moore student high school: “It is the percommented that you never fect time to address bullyknow what someone is ing and cyberbullying in a going through at home. more intensive, impactful Mika Caplan, Gloria Espejel-Rangel, and Kendra Holcomb perform One of the most common a scene about the speed of online sharing. way.” remarks from students was Students today are desperately trying to navigate their way that they learned how to be an ally for themselves and their through this digital world. Sometimes, it is hard for them to friends and to stand up for each other. remember that there are real people on the other end of a The Secret Life of Girls was made possible through generhateful text, Facebook post or blog comment. “Theater pro- ous support from the Nebraska Humanities Council, the vides a mode of expression and involvement that cannot be Nebraska Arts Council, the Todd and Betiana Simon achieved in a workshop,” Gall remarked. “The idea was for Foundation, Paul and Annette Smith, the Peter Kiewit students to see, feel, and experience the emotion of these Foundation, Schulman Memorial Fund and Rothenberg very real characters.”

Memorial Endowment Fund through the Jewish Federation The goal of The Secret Life of Girls project was for Omaha stu- Foundation, and Richard Evnen and Kim Heier. Costuming dents to understand the importance of behaving responsibly for The Secret Life of Girls was provided in part by Gordmans. and respectfully online and to motivate them to challenge Other contributors to the success of the project included cyberbullying in their schools and online communities.

Mark Kurz, who composed and performed the music for the The nine-member cast of The Secret Life of Girls was local- production, and production manager, Angela Dashner. ly sourced and selected by director, Fran Sillau. Mika Caplan, Karen Gustufson, Director of Jewish Family Service facilia 14-year old alumni of Friedel Academy played the role of tated the talk-back sessions following all eight performancSutton, a crafty bully who never seemed to find herself on the es. Delinea Designs provided the technology for showing outside looking in throughout the play. “Playing Sutton gave the cast members’ digital communications which cast memme an opportunity to see both sides of a situation: being the ber Lauren Rennels operated using an iPad backstage. bully and being a victim.” Caplan said. “I felt like we really If you would like more information about this event series needed to get the message out and have everyone know what or the ADL, please call 402.334.6582 or email EGilbert@ it means to be a victim of bullying and how you can help.”

ADL.org.

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Temple Israel names new Associate Rabbi Continued from page 1 attention of our youth, it challenged kids and adults of all ages to learn from each other as a spiritual practice,” he explained.

He has also supervised the director of education, revitalized communication by incorporating new technology, restructured Tot Shabbat and Torah Tots, and represented the Jewish community at numerous interfaith gatherings including speaking at a 9/11 tenth anniversary memorial event, an annual interfaith Thanksgiving service, prayer vigils for anti-bullying campaigns, and school board meetings.

Rabbi Brown has served as chair of the Board and as a volunteer with the Shalom Project, started by a Methodist Church. In seeking to build a strong and healthy community in greater Winston-Salem celebrating diversity and working for justice, he also participated in establishing a free health clinic, an after-school program, a free community dinner, a computer lab, a clothing closet, and a food pantry. He’s been involved in Communities Helping All Neighbors Gain Empowerment (CHANGE), an interfaith, multiracial organization that trains leaders to take action in the public arena.

Recipient of the Rabbi Jason Heubsch Prize for Excellence in Community Service from HUC-JIR in Jerusalem, Rabbi Brown was also the recipient in 2011 of the Irving J. Fain Award from the URJ Commission on Social Action, a national honor for his support of the Temple Emanuel Environmental Movement.

“I entered the rabbinate, because I am inspired when our tradition responds to modern-day life,” Rabbi Brown explained. “My proudest moments as a rabbi are the moments when I knew, without a doubt, that I connected our tradition with the relevant, timely, and most pressing needs of our community.” He added that “the work of relationships is the action I prioritize in my rabbinate. I was first inspired by my rabbi, a mentor I also call a friend. His

guidance inspired me to do more than work for the people I serve but to love them as well. Taking the time to know each other, to be in regular dialogue with their stories is the foundation of my work.”

He described the synagogue as “a place where we feel loved and welcomed and a place where Judaism is a sign of tradition and a guide for the future; a place where social action is more than words, where relationships are the currency of Jewish commitment. The journey toward these goals is long and bumpy at times. But as it continues to be a path where people bring life to Torah and where I can bring Torah to life, it is a path I am excited to travel.”

“It was an honor and a privilege to be asked to lead the search process for the assistant rabbi position,” said Danielle Gordman. “I had the opportunity to work with a highly engaged, passionate committee, the members of which each lent their unique talents and insights to the process. Consequently, we were fortunate enough to land on Rabbi Brown who represented the best choice based on our search criteria of cultural fit, strong educator, pulpit experience, and leadership skills.

Other members of the Search Committee were Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, Marc Brodkey, Sharon Comisar-Langdon, Justin Cooper, Mel Epstein, Tami Field, Dan Gilbert, Andie Gordman, Mike Halsted, Keith Josephson, Sally Kaplan, Natasha Kraft, Jane Rips, Kathy McGauvan, Jon Meyers, Jeff Nogg, Mike Norton, and Hannah Perry.

As Temple Israel prepares to welcome Rabbi Brown, the congregation will also bid farewell to Rabbi Eric Linder.

“We wish him all the best in his on-going role as a rabbi,” emphasized Rabbi Azriel. “The congregation is indebted to Rabbi Linder for the last six years of being engaged and stimulated by his extraordinary teaching, friendship, and wit.” A congregational farewell is being planned in honor of Rabbi Linder at Shabbat worship services on Friday, May 18.

February 17, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 3

Israeli native spans globe pursuing passion: coffee culture

by ANDY ALTMAN-OHR SAN FRANCISCO (j. weekly) -- The words “tall,” “grande” and “venti” almost never crossed the lips of Alon Halevy when he was crisscrossing the globe to write a book about coffee. Starbucks, with nearly 17,000 locations around the world, rarely was his destination.

The Israeli native and Google computer scientist instead was interested in researching coffee at much deeper levels -cultural, sociological, historical and, yes, even emotional.

The result of his three-year odyssey is The Infinite Emotions of Coffee, a 159-page book about coffee, the worldwide coffee industry and cafe culture.

Organized into short chapters and illustrated with more than 180 colorful pictures -- from an Ethiopian roasting ceremony to modern cafes around the world -- the slick production, published in December, could be called a coffeetable book if not for its smallish size (8 by 9 inches).

To write it, the Los Altos, Calif., resident traveled to more than 30 countries, visiting countless cafes, roasteries and farms. Through interviews, research and thousands of espresso drinks -- including his all-time favorite, the macchiato, a mini-cappuccino found mainly in Italy -- he discovered how coffee has shaped cultures and how cultures have shaped coffee.

“I was traveling a lot for my job at Google, and I realized everywhere I was going, I was looking for nice cafes,” Halevy said in a recent interview. “There are books that tell you all kinds of things about coffee, from recipes to roasting, but I didn’t see any resource on the interaction between coffee and culture, and how they both affect each other.”

Halevy, 48, was born and raised in Israel, attended Hebrew University and spent four years in the Israeli army. Though he left 23 years ago for the United States, the soft spot he has in his heart for his homeland comes through in the book.

Among the mostly two- and three-page chapters offering readers a whirlwind tour of coffee cultures around the world, Israel gets a healthy five pages, even though the socalled “third wave” of coffee (e.g., the Bay Area’s Blue Bottle) has yet to take off in the Holy Land.

“It’s a relatively long chapter compared to other countries,” Halevy said. “What’s interesting is that in Israel, you have all the cultures coming together; you can virtually see the history of coffee within a one-hour drive.”

In the Israel chapter, Halevy recaps such a drive: He starts in an Ethiopian neighborhood near his parents’ home in Rehovot, where people buy green coffee beans in the market and roast them at home; goes on to describe a Yemenite area, where locals still practice ancient customs such as drinking a weak brew infused with spices; then moves on to the Old City in Jerusalem, where Arabs sip coffee and smoke hookahs; and to Yafo, where he sees Jews and Arabs bonding over authentic Turkish coffee (“black as hell, strong as death and sweet as love,” he writes).

Finally, in Tel Aviv, he finds baristas and well-crafted Italian espresso drinks at “happening cafes that beckon passers-by to stop in and linger,” he writes.

Of course, Halevy can’t escape an examination of Israeli coffee without the admission -- offered with an equal mix of disdain and nostalgia -- that Israelis are still drawn to instant coffees, such as Elite and “Nes.” “Personally, I don’t drink the stuff anymore unless I really have to,” he said in the interview. His theory on why most Israelis continue to prefer instant? As kids and teens, they fall in love with it, and the relationship is cemented during military service.

“The army coffee was so bad,” Halevy said, “that if you could find Nescafe, you’d be getting something much better.”

After his military service, Halevy came to the United States at age 25, earned a doctorate at Stanford University and went on to become one of the world’s leading experts in data integration, with multiple awards and several patents to his name. His current project at Google is fusion tables,

which he explains as “trying to make databases easy to use” and “making it easy to import data” -- a system, for example, that could import this article and turn it into a searchable, rankable database.

Prior to joining Google in 2005, he worked at AT&T Bell Labs, founded two high-tech companies and was a professor of computer science at the University of Washington.

He lives in Los Altos with his wife, Oriana, who edited and helped design the book, and his two elementary school-age children, whose pictures grace the preface: a smiling Karina holds two bags of award-winning coffee beans while Kasper, in his pajamas and robe, sits on the kitchen counter, tamping down ground coffee into a portafilter for the brewing of an espresso.

The book begins with a succinct, educational look at the world of coffee as it exists today, then goes into a narrative format that is part travelogue, part vignettes. Rather than make simply a guidebook, Halevy delights in finding coffeerelated stories.

One of his favorite spots was Bosnia, where he said he was surprised to find “a society more deeply rooted in coffee than anywhere else. They do everything around coffee ...even a sign of missing someone in Bosnian culture is to say that you can no longer have coffee with them.”

To illustrate that point, Halevy writes about a commemoration of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide in which some 8,000 men and boys were massacred. For a memorial in 2004, a woman collected 939 coffee cups from residents, placed them on a patch of soil shaped like Bosnia and Herzegovina, brewed coffee onsite and slowly poured it into the cups. In some cups she placed only a cube of sugar, in memory of the children who were killed (and were too young to drink coffee).

Halevy has a chapter on the Bay Area coffee scene that delves into Peet’s, Ritual Roasters, Four Barrel and Blue Bottle, among others. Two chapters later he obligatorily devotes two pages to “Starbucks: The Coffee Giant.”

“Coffee lovers’ reactions to Starbucks span the gamut of coffee emotions,” he writes. “To some, Starbucks is synonymous with coffee culture. To others, the mere mention of the world’s largest coffeehouse chain triggers a tirade of mockery.”

Even without reading the chapter, you probably know on which side Halevy stands. Or in his case, sits -- and sips a macchiatone, of course.

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4 | The Jewish Press | February 17, 2012

Temple Israel Poker Tournament a good bet

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Everyone from throughout the Jewish community as well as the community-at-large is welcome to attend Temple Israel’s annual Texas Hold ‘em Poker Tournament on Thursday, March 1. Sponsored by Temple Israel and Men of Reform Judaism (MRJ), “The tournament is a lot of fun and a good tournament to play in even if you don’t play poker much,” pointed out Scott Goodman who is helping to organize this year’s event.

Featuring no limit hold ‘em until the winner prevails, the tournament begins at 6 p.m. with registration and dinner.

Table assignments will be made at 6:30 p.m. and the first hand dealt at 7 p.m. Noshes and beverages will be available

during the competition.

First prize will be a $1000 gift card (based on a minimum of 75 players). The top six players will win prizes in the form of American Express or VISA gift cards. The tournament is a fund raising event for Temple Israel and MRJ. Entry fee is $60; two rebuys will be available for $25 each.

RSVP to Lachisha Sherrod at Temple Israel by calling her at 402.556.6536 or at lsherrod@templeisraelomaha.com.

Players must be at least 18 years old.

“Well run by Alan Widman’s professional gaming company,” said Goodman, the tournament features “good food and drink, and the company, of course, is very nice. It’s nice to see people from other congregations and from all over the community at this event.”

Beth El Cantor’s Scholarship Concert Continued from page 1 out their significance for so many young people.

“At Beth El,” Kotok said, “we feel that Jewish camp is so important to kids, and this fund is not just about a monetary need, it’s also about our primary desire to make an invaluable connection with Judaism for our children at Beth El. For so many kids, summer camp is something that can change their Jewish lives; it gave my children values and ethics and lifelong friends.”

Kotok also shared her own family’s experience with the synagogue’s scholarship funds. When her children were younger, she approached Beth El’s then-executive director, Merle Potash, about scholarship money for summer camp, and recalled feeling a sense of embarrassment about asking for assistance.

“I remember squirming a little, and he said to me, about his own family, ‘You know, we did the same thing, and someday you’ll be in a position to be able to help other kids.’

He probably didn’t even know at the time the impact his words had on a young mother, but he took away any discomfort I had about asking for scholarship money. He said, ‘We did this, and it’s OK.’” After hearing those reassuring words, Shane and her husband, David, promised themselves that someday they would pay it forward, and years later, when she was asked to serve as scholarship chairman, Kotok said, “I thought, ‘You know, this is perfect. This is just the way I’d like to give back and do exactly what Merle said.’”

Several recent Beth El scholarship recipients (who requested anonymity), shared their thoughts about why receiving the synagogue grants was so important to them.

“By giving me the opportunity to attend Camp Ramah in Wisconsin,” one youth said, “I will be able to talk to other kids about how the experience has made me more aware of what it means to be Jewish. I feel that going to Camp Ramah this summer will be a good way to start the year of my Bar

Mitzvah training. Going to Ramah will give me a better idea of how to live my life as a Jew. I will then be able to become a more active member of Beth El’s community. I want to thank you for giving me the chance to go to Camp Ramah.

This means a lot to me.”

Another noted that, “Camp Sabra is my home away from home. It is my favorite place to be. Everyone at camp is so nice, so caring, generous, and much more. They have taught me to be the same. I can use what I have learned to teach unto others (which is a commandment, to teach the Torah unto our children). I love going to Sabra so much and I am so thankful to be so fortunate to attend this year.”

When another teen was asked if she planned to return to Camp Herzl this coming summer, she replied, “If I can, it would be my dream.”

Our Jewish community can make dreams come true by supporting the Youth Scholarship Fund, and by attending the Upcoming Cantor’s Concert. The event’s ticket prices and categories follow: Director, $5,000 and above; Executive Producer, $2,500 – 4,999; Associate Producer, $1,000 $2,400; Investor, $500 - $999; Patron, $350 - $499; Manager, $100 - $349; Agent, $50 - $99; individual ticket, $18; children (12 and younger), $5. Donors who purchase tickets at the Agent level and above – and send in their payment by Feb. 24 -- will be listed in the show’s program.

“Contributing to the Cantor’s Concert is a way we make it fun to give,” Kotok said. “These concerts have always been a great way to support this fund, and in return, we give donors some great entertainment!”

Ticket order forms are available at www.bethelomaha.org, or in the synagogue office; they also may be reserved by calling the synagogue at 402.492.8550, and will be sold at the door.

For more information, contact Cantor Schlossberg in the synagogue office, or at cantor@bethel-omaha.org.

Marriages GINSBURG-BARAZANI Beth and Bill Ginsburg are pleased to announce the marriage of thier daughter, Laynie to Leor Barazani, son of Susan and Moshe Barazani of Philadelphia. They were married on Feb. 4 at the Ballroom at the Ben in Philadelphia in a ceremony officated by Rabbi Aaron Landes.

The bride is the granddaughter of Jean Elkon and the late Wallace Elkon, and the late Ethel and Henry Ginsburg.

The groom is the grandson of Rina Barazani and the late Carmel Barazani, Joseph and Diane Entine and Betty Granitz.

They were attended by their siblings, Abby Ginsburg of Chicago, Jason Ginsburg, and Liat and Yoni Levy of Hallendale, FL. The couple resides in Philadelphia.

Messianic groups condemn Torah ceremony

by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA)--The Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations and the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America said in a statement that “we join our voices with the wider Jewish community in condemning” Ralph Messer, who conducted the ritual in which Bishop Eddie Long of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga., was wrapped in a scroll and lifted up on a chair bar mitzvahstyle while he held the Torah scroll, which was identified as being rescued from Auschwitz.

“Messer is not recognized by any major branch of Messianic Judaism and, under the standards of the UMJC and the MJAA, is not even considered part of our community, let alone a rabbi,” the statement said. “He is operating entirely outside the mainstream Messianic Jewish community. Furthermore, his claim to be acting on behalf of the Jewish people is outrageous and without merit.”

The organizations also condemned what it called “Messer’s flagrant disrespect of the Sefer Torah in this ritual and his misrepresentation of Jewish tradition.”

“We assure the rest of the Jewish community that this ceremony would seem as bizarre and offensive within our congregations as it would within yours,” the statement said. Long apologized for the ceremony in a letter sent over the weekend to Bill Nigut, Southeast Regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.

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February 17, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 5

Goldstein Supporting Foundation awards grants

by MARY BORT Endowment Assistant/Staff Writer, Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation The Jewish Federation of Omaha (JFO) Foundation announced that the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation Board of Directors has awarded fifteen at during their semi-annual meeting. The announcement is bittersweet for the JFO Foundation and Goldstein Board, since this was the last meeting that Leonard “Buddy” Goldstein presided over before he passed away last month.

“As always, it is terrific to see these grants go to so many worthwhile programs,” noted Marty Ricks, JFO Foundation Executive Director. “But Buddy’s presence will be profoundly missed the next time the board meets. The Supporting Foundation was very important to him. Buddy and Shirley’s generous spirit led to their decision to establish the fund about ten years ago. Since the fund’s inception, over $846,000 has been awarded to organizations in our community. Buddy leaves a wonderful legacy.”

In addition to Shirley, members of the Goldstein Supporting Foundation Board of Directors include Donald Goldstein, Gail Raznick, Kathy Goldstein Helm, Cheryl Cooper, Sandy Friedman, Louri Sullivan, Arnold Weitz, and Jerry Kohll.

The Goldstein Supporting Foundation considers requests for funds that support local projects and programs of the JFO and its agencies, synagogues and Jewish service organizations. They also consider applications from local and national Jewish and secular charities in the areas of medicine and medical research (with an emphasis on kidneyrelated diseases), education and current events of Jewish content, and human rights.

Beth El Synagogue was awarded a grant for its Transportation for Seniors program that provides rides to those who no longer can drive. Rides are given for Shabbat and other events, and for occasional appointments.

Volunteers give rides, but with a growing need, taxis are also used. The grant will help with these costs.

B’nai B’rith Youth Organization received a grant to subsidize travel costs for teens to participate in the March of the Living in April. The teens will visit Poland for the annual “March of Death” from Auschwitz to Birkenau during Yom HaShoah. After touring other places in Poland, they will travel to Israel to visit various sites and celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut.

Funding was awarded to the Center for Jewish Education (CJE) for the ARTZA 2012 Teen Trip to Israel. Omaha teens will visit Israel for four weeks this summer, sharing several experiences with Israeli teens and join an Israeli family for Shabbat. The teens will explore their Jewish history and identity, touring sites throughout Israel.

The CJE Financial Aid Committee received a grant for the CornerStones Fund. The fund provides confidential scholarships for needy Jewish children to attend Jewish preschool, day school, summer camps and other youth programs.

A grant was awarded to the CJE’s B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy Program. Teens learn about philanthropy and charities through programs that include guest speakers, activities and community service. They also establish donor-advised funds by donating $125, which is matched with an additional $375 from the JFO Foundation. Each teen annually allocates a percentage of his or her fund to non-profit organizations, with at least one of the organizations being a Jewish charity.

Chabad of Nebraska received a grant for Camp Gan Israel day camp. The winter and summer camps are designed for children ages four through eleven. Educational programs, activities and excursions are offered and campers are instilled with pride in their Jewish heritage.

Chabad also received funding to maintain and expand the Chesed Program. The program serves needy individuals by providing rent and transportation subsidies, food, help for out-of-town families receiving treatment at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and more.

The Heartland Holocaust Educational Fund (HHEF) received a Goldstein Supporting Foundation grant to help

You are the most powerful influence in your child’s daily life.

Kids who learn from their parents or care-givers about the risks of drugs are: • 36% less likely to smoke • marijuana than kids who don’t • 50% less likely to use inhalants • 56% less likely to use cocaine

support college-level Holocaust education programs at five Nebraska colleges and universities during the 2012-2013 academic year. The HHEF’s goal is to teach future leaders about the Holocaust in order to learn from the past, eliminate intolerance and foster mutual respect and compassion.

A grant was awarded to the Institute for Holocaust Education for “A Week of Understanding” in March.

Holocaust survivors and liberators will speak at schools in Omaha and the surrounding area. Survivor Robbie Waisman and the soldier who liberated him, Leon Bass, will come to Omaha to speak to students and the public.

The Jewish Community Center received a grant for the April 26 Yom Ha’Atzmaut Celebration. The communitywide annual event celebrates Israel’s Independence Day and will include multi-media presentations, dancing, music, and entertainment for children.

Jewish Family Service received a grant for its Assistance Program that provides needy families in Omaha’s Jewish community with financial assistance and support.

Qualifying individuals receive access to quality, affordable services and help to regain self-sufficiency. The program also includes counseling services and a food pantry.

The JFO received funding for a Young Jewish Omaha (YJO) and Newcomer’s Shabbat. Local rabbis will help create the program that will include a Shabbat meal, an introduction to the JFO campus and local Jewish institutions, a guest speaker or performer and children’s programming.

YJO also received a grant for ten developing leaders to attend the TribeFest 2012 convention in March. This national event brings young Jewish adults together from across North America for a social and educational experience.

Participants will bring back what they’ve learned to Omaha’s Jewish community.

The Jewish Press was awarded a grant for the editor, Annette van de Kamp-Wright, to attend the American Jewish Press Association’s annual conference. The conference provides editors, journalists and others in the Jewish news community with the opportunity to share experiences and resources, attend workshops, and learn more about reporting on Israeli and Jewish news.

A Goldstein Supporting Foundation grant was awarded to the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society for the Oral History/ Educational Program. The grant is for the supplies needed to continue recording oral histories of people in the Jewish communites in Nebraska and western Iowa in order to preserve Jewish history for present and future generations.

If you are interested in setting up a supporting foundation or want to learn about other types of funds that you can establish, contact Marty Ricks at the JFO Foundation at 402.334.6440 or mricks@jewishomaha.org.

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Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Long-time PR man, Bill Ramsey has a new book out, Picture Essays, My journey through life with camera in hand.

His PowerPoint presentation will show a few of the many Omahans and others featured in his work. He will have copies available for sale ($24.95) and autograph on Wednesday, Feb. 22, noon at the Blumkin Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $11; beverage service only is $3.

For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.

LOMIR REDN YIDDISH To know Yiddish is to become an artist with words and a master at describing the foibles, the quirks, and the strengths of human character. Yiddish is the best way to understand the soul of the Jewish people. We meet every Thursday, from 1-3 p.m., at the Rose Blumkin Home Board Room. Come join us and enjoy meeting your soul mates.

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6 | The Jewish Press | February 17, 2012

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Israel advances bill aimed at halting prostitution

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- A Knesset committee unanimously approved a bill that would levy severe punishment on consumers of sexual services in Israel.

The Ministerial Committee for Legislation advanced the measure to the full Knesset on Sunday; a preliminary vote is scheduled for Wednesday.

Under the bill, first-time offenders are required to attend a class on public health that would include presentations by former prostitutes. Repeat offenders could face six

months in prison.

Based on laws that have been enacted in Sweden, Iceland, Norway and most recently in France, the model works on the principle that in order to combat sex trafficking and prostitution, the demand for sexual services must be confronted.

The Kadima Party’s Orit Zuaretz, the chair of the Knesset’s Subcommittee on Trafficking in Women, introduced the bill.

More than 15,000 individuals are estimated to be working in the prostitution industry in Israel, including 5,000 minors.

Births Megan and Michael Kricsfeld announce the Jan. 18 birth of their daughter, Mia Brynn.

She is named after her great-grandmother, Marjorie (Malcha) Weiss, and great-grandfather, Bernard (Bracha) Weiss.

Grandparents are Cheryl Kricsfeld, Barry Kricsfeld, Karen Miller, and Doug Murphy.

Great-grandmother is Irene Murphy.

Megan Stetson and Tom Segal of Emeryville, CA, announce the Oct. 19 birth of their daughter, Vivienne June.

She is named after her grandmother Segal.

Grandparents are Elena and Phil Stetson of Ann Arbor, MI., Dick Segal of Littleton, CO, and the late June Segal.

Contact your advertising representative to advertise in this very special edition.

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Publishing Date | 03.02.12 402.334.6451 | ahandleman@jewishomaha.org Space Reservation | 02.22.12 Camera Ready Deadline | 02.24.12 Jessie Wees 402.334.6559 | jwees@jewishomaha.org

Amy and Brian Thomas of Chicago announce the Dec. 23 birth of their daughter Talia Raelyn.

She is named for her great-grandmothers, Rochelle and Lucille.

She has a brother, Sammy.

Grandparents are Vicki Perlmeter, Jeff Perlmeter, of Scottsdale, and Diane Thomas and Shelley Thomas of Chicago.

Great-grandfathers are Bernie Meyers and Stan Perlmeter of Miami.

Tiffany and Mordechai Yankovich of Forest Hills, NY, announce the Dec. 12 birth of their daughter, Rifka Joy. She is named for her great-grandmother Rifka Gruber.

Grandparents are Sam Eisenman, Scott Eisenman of Houston, and Hennie and Zvi Yankovich of Livingston, NJ. Great-grandparents are Ruth Eisenman of Kansas City, and Magda Yankovich of Petach Tikva, Israel.

Jamie and Dr. Jeffrey Weisbrot of Cincinnati, OH, announce the Jan. 15 birth of their son, Evan Miles.

Grandparents are Sherry and Dr. Albert Weisbrot and Rhoda and Harlan Priesman of Lincoln, NE. Great-grandparents are Rita and the late Edwin Grusd, and the late Moszek and Mindla Weisbrot, the late Jean Priesman Selo and Ernie Priesman, and the late Elsie and Herbert Levin.

February 17, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 7

Birth control fights return to campaigns, with Jews in key posts

by RON KAMPEAS season defined increasingly by cultural divisions between WASHINGTON (JTA) – Birth control is rapidly gaining left and right, said Sammie Moshenberg, the director of the steam as an election-year wedge issue, with Jewish advocates National Council of Jewish Women’s Washington office. lobbying out front and behind the scenes in what is shaping “There has been a longtime effort to really restrict women’s up as a clash between calls for individual freedom and reli- reproductive help overall,” she said. “But the people fighting gious liberty. this fight to make women’s health care less accessible have been Several Jewish groups and lawmakers played a behind-the- emboldened by things on the political scene, most notably the scenes role in the latest flashpoint: last month’s order by the anti-choice majority in the House of Representatives.”

Obama administration requiring most religious institutions -- other than houses of worship -- to include contraceptives in health care coverage. The order has been strongly criticized by the Republican presidential frontrunners, who portray it as proof that the Obama administration is hostile to religious communities.

Even before the U.S. Health Department issued its ruling, the Republican presidential primary battle had helped put the contraception debate back on the campaign agenda. Taking the fight in the other direction, the GOP candidates argued in effect that states should have the right to ban birth control.

During one debate, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum argued that the U.S. Supreme Court wrongly decided the landmark 1963 Griswold v. Connecticut case that blocked states from criminalizing the use of birth control by a married couple and cemented the constitutional right to privacy. Romney, Santorum and Newt Gingrich all have voiced support for the so-called Personhood Birth control, illustrated by the Zovia brand pills shown here, has Amendment, a measure that defines a fertilized egg as a become a hot topic in the presidential election campaign.

Credit: Nate Grigg via CC human being and, advocates on both sides say, could be interpreted to ban some forms of birth control.

The most recent evidence of the division is related to the While recent events have thrust the issue back into the rule under the Affordable Care Act requiring employer-pronational limelight, Jewish groups on both sides say the issue vided health insurance plans to include contraception and never really went away. related “preventive” services for employees.

It’s not just that the role of government in making birth Catholic Church leaders had urged that an exemption for control available is inextricably wrapped into abortion, its religious institutions be broadened from houses of worship better-publicized sister when it comes to reproductive con- to include a range of religiously affiliated institutions, like troversies. The issue also goes to the core of an American hospitals. Top Catholic officials, including New York argument that has endured for decades over which entity in Archbishop Timothy Dolan, the president of the U.S. a democracy is more entitled to religious freedoms, the indi- Conference of Catholic Bishops, made their case in private vidual or the health care provider. meetings with Obama.

The division over who is pre-eminent under the law, a A number of Jewish groups and lawmakers pushed back community and its institutions or the individual, splits the from the other side. NCJW organized a meeting with senior Jewish community. Orthodox and more liberal groups took administration officials as well as representatives of Jewish opposite sides on last month’s Health Department order Women International and a number of liberal Christian requiring all religious institutions except for houses of wor- umbrella groups. Two eminent Jewish congresswomen, Sen. ship to include contraceptives in health care coverage.

Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), “The larger issue here is the issue of the relationship the latter one of Obama’s earliest backers in his bid for the between religious employers and employees and religious presidency, became involved. providers and patients, and the rights of each,” said Abba On Jan. 20, Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary for Health and Cohen, the Washington director of Agudath Israel of Human Services, said in a statement that the exemption America, an Orthodox umbrella group. would stay as is: confined to houses of worship.

If the issue is playing out more prominently in the public Schakowsky praised the decision, saying it was “inconeye, it is because the actors in the church-state separation ceivable” that contraception was once again controversial. controversy are seizing the political moment of an election “No employer should decide for a woman whether she can

access the health care services that she and her doctor decide are necessary,” she said.

“This decision will help working families by giving them access to free birth control,” Boxer wrote on the Huffington Post. “The cost of birth control can be prohibitive for many women, particularly in these difficult economic times.”

NCJW applauded the decision not to expand the exceptions from the law requiring employers’ health care plans to pay for birth control, but said it wished there were no exceptions at all.

Orthodox groups said the decision was a disappointment.

“To say the government will afford religious liberty only to the most insular of religious institutions but not to those that serve, or employ, people of other faiths is a troubling view of faith and what role it should play in America,” Nathan Diament, the director of the Washington office of the Orthodox Union, wrote in a letter published Feb. 5 in The New York Times.

Cohen of Agudah said the issue was one of keeping government out of religious determinations.

Rabbi David Saperstein, the director of the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center, said the decision is vexing because the language it uses to distinguish between strictly religious institutions, which would be exempt, and those that are less so is vague. To be exempt, according to the order, an institution must “primarily” serve and employ those of its faith. “‘Primarily’ is a terribly vague term that will lead to lawsuits that will not help the cause of contraception or the cause of religious freedom,” Saperstein said in an interview.

The issue quickly took on the colors of a partisan debate.

In their speeches after the Jan. 31 Florida primary, Gingrich and Romney each said they would extend the exemption to the broader category of religious institutions as soon as they assumed office. Gingrich called the decision part of what he said was Obama’s “war against religion.”

Romney said it was a “direct attack on religious liberty.”

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), touted as a possible vice-presidential pick, has introduced a bill that would supersede the policy.

Sources among Capitol Hill Democrats say they are alarmed by the recent intensity of the effort to roll back gains in preserving individual rights in determining birth control decisions. They point to the failed attempt in Mississippi last election to define life as starting from conception and similar bills now pending in Congress.

Emblematic of the politicized tone, Moshenberg said, was last week’s controversy involving the Susan G. Komen foundation’s decision -- later reversed -- to cut off Planned Parenthood from a program offering free breast cancer screenings to low-income women.

“Komen and birth control should be completely different issues -- except for the fact that the people on the other side are exactly the same people,” she said.

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8 | The Jewish Press | February 17, 2012

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

Total nuclear confusion

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press I have been planning to write about Iran. How could I not?

If we have to believe some of the media (not to mention politicians) out there, Israel is about to go medieval on that particular corner of the world. Iran’s nuclear path is the political hot button du jour, and we have to address it. But then I read about 20 different articles from as many different news outlets, my head started spinning, and I had to lie down. You may have to, too.

Does Netanyahu really have his finger on the button? Is hell about to be unleashed, Lord of the Rings-style? Who knows? The answer changes depending on which newspaper you consult.

We’ve all known for quite a while that the Iranian regime is developing trouble of the nuclear kind. And no one is buying President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s assertion that this is for peaceful purposes; not the politicians, not the journalists, not the public.

Sanctions have been put in place: On Feb. 6, President Obama signed off on the targeting of Iran’s Central Bank, essentially making it impossible for third parties to deal with the U.S. and Iranian economies simultaneously. The move threatens to do severe damage to Iran’s finances. On Jan. 23, the European Union had already imposed an oil embargo on Iran (they will phase out oil purchases from Iran by July 1), and, also on Feb. 6, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al Saud, who runs Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding company, told CNBC that the Saudis would not allow the price of oil to top $100 a barrel. (JTA.com) Saudi Arabia has enough oil to make up for banned Iranian oil, and can easily meet global needs.

Additional sanctions from the United Nations are in the works, but are complicated by the fact that neither Russia nor China wants to play ball, so there’s another problem.

Add all the chatter about whether Israel is ready to attack, the Iranian scientists who met unfortunate ends, and the latest squabbles between the religious leadership and Ahmadinejad’s secular government, and you have a very explosive scenario.

What does Iran want? And when we talk about ‘Iran,’ who

and what are we referring to? Who is really in charge?

Iran’s Parliamentary elections are scheduled for March 2; the next presidential vote will take place in 2013. Members of Parliament are getting ready by engaging in a power struggle: they are demanding Ahmadinejad answer questions about the economy, foreign and domestic policy decisions, his administration’s failure to promote the Islamic dress code for women, and the firing of intelligence minister Heidar Moslehi, and foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki.

It’s part of a slew of complaints against Ahmadinejad, by lawmakers, clerics, and the state-run media; Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the ultimate authority in Iran, and President Ahmadinejad needs to remember his place, or so it seems. I wonder, with all that going on, who has time to build a nuclear weapon? Maybe Ahmadinejad will be so distracted, and the Iranian economy will be so affected by the sanctions, the nuclear issue will fade for the time being?

Not so fast. On Feb. 3, a defiant Ayatollah gave a speech in response to those international sanctions. It was an important speech for a variety of reasons, but mostly because of what he said about Israel: he called Israel a “cancerous tumor that should be cut and will be cut.” He continued to say: “From now on, in any place, if any nation or any group confronts the Zionist regime, we will endorse and we will help,” and offered a rare affirmation of the open secret that Iran assisted the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and the Palestinian Hamas. “We have intervened in anti-Israel matters, and it brought victory in the 33day war by Hezbollah against Israel in 2006, and in the 22-day war” between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip, he added.

(Telegraph.uk.com)

Okay; that’s one question answered: whether it’s the president who makes the decisions or the clerical powers, Israel is in the crosshairs either way. And no word from Khamenei about dialing back the nuclear threat; just more of the same empty rhetoric about nuclear development for civilian purposes.

So who drives what happens next? That Israel is about to launch a massive attack on Iran, regardless of the consequences, I do not believe. That there is a benefit to Iran thinking this is a real option, I also believe. It’s that familiar scenario: you don’t want to attack and escalate, but you want your opponent to think you do. At the end of the day, a nuclear Iran is not acceptable. However, a scared and confused Iran may be equally dangerous. When faced with economic turmoil, there’s a proven track record of regimes distracting the nation by focusing on a common enemy, and we all know who that is. The sanctions may make Iran back down, or they may speed up an escalation. Let’s hope, for all our sakes, it’s the first.

Israel must criminalize the purchase of sexual services

Focus on issues GILI VARON RAMAT GAN, Israel (JTA) -- In Israel, an estimated 15,000 individuals are involved in prostitution, including 5,000 under the age of 18, according to reports shared with the Task Force on Human Trafficking by Knesset member Orit Zuaretz of the Kadima Party, as well as other experts and activists. The reports say that the average age of entry is just 14 and that more than 90 percent of those involved in prostitution in Israel are subject to severe physical abuse, often by their clients.

Justifications abound for having prostitution be legal.

Some claim that prostitution is a source of easy money or that its lengthy history points to its inevitable continuity.

There’s even the dubious claim that it is a necessary conduit allowing men to fulfill their biological needs. Such myths clash dramatically with the truth and conceal a sordid underworld of violence, rape and the worst forms of abuse.

Merely utilizing terms such as “employment” and “profession” to describe prostitution lends credence to a system that preys on women who have faced severe physical and emotional oppression. More than 80 percent of women in prostitution have been sexually or physically abused in their youth, often by family members, according to reports shared with the task force. Entry is not a matter of choice but an

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unwitting endpoint in a cycle of abuse and despair.

Even with its recent decline -- attributed to pressure from civil society organizations and the United States -- Israel remains a destination country for human trafficking. The industry thrives on the vulnerable and exploits the troubled past of victims of abuse.

So why, especially if the negatives are even more disturbing than we had imagined, is this practice allowed to continue -- with emphasis on the word “allowed”? For in the most basic sense, not enough has been done to combat an “industry” that thrives on the degradation and abuse of women and is supported by human traffickers. Allowed because though it is illegal to traffic human beings, run a brothel or work as a pimp, becoming a “consumer” of prostitution is still legal in Israel.

Essentially, though it is illegal to sell women, buying them is deemed acceptable. Though the world of prostitution is a hub for physical abuse, the transmission of fatal diseases and the restriction of freedom, it is still legal to fuel this horrid practice. The result should come as no surprise.

With no attempt to reduce demand, there is a constant incentive for criminal bodies to provide the supply.

Targeting pimps and brothel owners is simply not enough, as evidenced by an average of more than 1 million brothel visits every month in Israel and a trade that accounts for more than $500 million each year, according to the reports.

Some argue that regulation and control of prostitution is

needed, not prohibition. It’s a route that could provide for safer environments, less criminal involvement and an end to human trafficking. However, when such laws were enacted in Germany and Holland, conditions for women failed to improve and the laws were proven to be abject failures.

On Feb. 12, Zuaretz will bring a law to the Knesset that places criminal responsibility on those who purchase sexual services. What’s more, the legislation, which was proposed in 2010 to a ministerial hearing and is based on a law that has been enacted in Sweden, Iceland, Norway and, most recently, France, would allow Israel to join the ranks of those nations working tirelessly toward a world free of modern slavery.

The result of this legislative action speaks of far more than simply whether we Israelis will choose to punish individuals who perpetuate these crimes. It will ask us to determine where we as a society stand in a debate centered on how we appropriate human rights. Do we feel that all individuals deserve liberty and justice, or have we set criteria that ultimately strip those less fortunate of the opportunities that freedom entails?

The challenge has been issued, but whether Israel decides to place itself on the right side of history has yet to be determined.

Gili Varon, an attorney, is the director of the Task Force on Human Trafficking, a joint project with ATZUM that aims to engage the Israeli public and government agencies to confront and eradicate modern slavery in Israel.

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February 17, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 9

Who came out ahead at BDS conference?

Behind the headlines BRYAN SCHWARTZMAN (Jewish Exponent) -- Did the National Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Conference at the University of Pennsylvania backfire for organizers and illustrate the strength of the pro-Israel community on campus?

Or did BDS speakers like Electronic Intifada co-founder Ali Abunimah reveal how much pro-Israel students need to learn in order to counter arguments that are steeped in the language of universal justice and human rights?

According to Penn students, Hillel staff and Jewish communal professionals, the end result just might be a little bit of both.

“It can be very difficult in situations like these to pinpoint a winner and a loser,” said Noah Feit, president of Penn Friends of Israel and a fellow with StandWithUs, a national pro-Israel group. “But in this case, the entire Penn community came together and sent a very clear message that we are against BDS and it runs counter to our principles.”

But the BDS organizers claimed victory as well.

Matt Berkman, a Penn graduate student and organizer of the conference, said the many articles written about the conference in the campus newspaper drew attention to the cause.

The BDS movement seeks to impose economic hardship on the Jewish state and pressure it to end the “occupation,” grant full equality to Israeli Arabs and find a just resolution to the Palestinian refugee issue by granting the so-called “right of return.” The movement does not take an explicit stand on whether Israel should exist as a Jewish state.

Penn president Amy Gutmann said on several occasions that the university does not support the BDS movement and that the school values its ties with Israel.

In response to the conference, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia partnered with Hillel to plan an evening with famed attorney Alan Dershowitz that was attended by about 900 community members and students.

Students also staged an open bar party in which they raised $6,000 to invest in an Israeli start-up company, and they held a series of Shabbat dinners in which 800 students took part in informal conversations about Israel.

Pro-Israel students did not turn out to protest at any point during the three-day conference, which organizers said was attended by more than 300 people. Several sources said that many of the attendees were older activists. It’s not clear how many Penn students attended, though Berkman said that about 50 attendees used Penn email addresses.

Dershowitz called Penn the “model campus” when it comes to pro-Israel activism. He also said Penn’s administration was right to allow the conference to go forward on the grounds of free speech.

“You guys have stood strong, you have stood hard. You don’t just let anti-Israel people get away with silence,” he

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said.

Dershowitz said students can win more support for Israel “not by convincing the individuals who support BDS and the extremists who will not be reasoned with, but by talking to people with open minds.”

In a brief interview before the Penn program, Dershowitz rejected the notion that staging large communal events brings more attention to the BDS conference than it might otherwise have gotten. He said the true agenda of the movement must be exposed.

“Their definition of occupation is Haifa and Tel Aviv.

Their motto is Palestine will be free from the river to the sea,” he said in a interview. “The occupation for them is a pretext.”

The day before the conference was set to begin, BDS organizers revoked the press credentials of a Jewish Exponent reporter and accused the paper of engaging in “polemics” and “crafting a political narrative” after a story appeared reporting the anti-Israel records of some of the slated speakers.

“It is ironic that a group that purports to be interested in open dialogue is operating under the cover of free speech and insists it is not anti-Semitic is barring the Jewish Exponent,” said Lisa Hostein, the executive editor of the Exponent.

The group did allow the paper to cover Abunimah’s Saturday night keynote address, which was open to the public. Abunimah has been described even by his opponents as a stirring, emotive speaker. Well-versed in pro-Israel arguments as well as the debates going on inside the Jewish community and the Jewish state, the Palestinian-American journalist and author spoke for an hour comparing Israel to apartheid-era South Africa.

He asked rhetorically whether it was just for Israel to remain a Jewish state.

“If the answer is yes, you have to accept the awful moral consequences of that decision, that you are supporting some of the most vile ways of categorizing and segregating and separating human beings,” he said.

Abunimah also referred to an exchange that took place during the Feb. 2 Dershowitz program at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. During a question-andanswer session there, a female student asked Dershowitz, “If an Arab student comes up to me and says, ‘You took my land,’ and I respond, ‘Yeah, but we support gay rights,’ how does that add up?”

Dershowitz said the answer is that the Jews didn’t steal the land.

“The land on which Israel was established had a Jewish majority,” he said. “In Israel’s case, they bought the land, in this case from distant land owners, who lived in Syria and Lebanon. The Israeli policy of the Yishuv was never to throw indigenous Arabs off the land.

“Israel’s birth certificate is cleaner than the birth certificate

of almost any other modern country in the world,” he added.

“Israel was established by law.”

Abunimah claimed Dershowitz had told the student to lie.

“On an ethical level,” he said, denial of Nakba, the term Arabs use to depict the events surrounding the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, “is the same as Holocaust denial,” he said.

Brett Cohen, national campus program director for StandWithUs, wasn’t admitted to the Abunimah talk but listened to a recording of it.

“At the end of the day, you need to examine his rhetoric,” said Cohen, who said he considered Abunimah a highly effective speaker. “If they are making this a zero-sum argument, then they are not talking about coexistence.”

Josh Cooper, an intern with Penn Hillel’s Israel sector who helped organize the Shabbat dinners, went to hear the speech in order to better understand the other side’s arguments.

“He makes a compelling argument when you are listening,” Cooper said. “That doesn’t mean that after serious reflection and discussion that you will end up agreeing with him.”

Could he convince a fellow student that Zionism does not equal racism, as Abunimah contends?

“If I had sat down and had a conversation with someone for an hour, you could flesh out those ideas,” he said.

For their part, BDS conference attendees said they were motivated by human rights and a desire to see all people live in peace. Austin Branion, a 27-year-old African-American who wore a “Boycott Israel” T-shirt, said he wishes the movement would take a clearer stance against the existence of a Jewish state.

“I think we should all stand up and say that we will not accept a state premised on ethnic-religious superiority, even if its borders were confined to the size of a teacup,” said Branion, who likens the Palestinians’ struggle for equality with that of African-Americans.

Liza Behrendt, who graduated in May from Brandeis University, where she organized a local Jewish Voices for Peace chapter, said it might still be possible for Israel to remain a Jewish state and “end the occupation and do things a lot better, but the more the settlement project continues, the harder that becomes.” Among the pro-Israel students, many spoke about the upside of the activism that the conference generated.

Cohen, of StandWithUs, said it is important not to dismiss the appeal of the BDS movement or the arguments of people like Abunimah, but he thinks that the pro-Israel students won this round.

“Free food is a big attraction, but free food doesn’t draw 800 people,” he said, regarding Hillel’s Israel Shabbat program. He added that the BDS movement “is going to awaken a sleeping giant if they keep pushing this. Penn is one of the few campuses left in the country where it is still cool to be pro-Israel.”

10 | The Jewish Press | February 17, 2012

Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 402.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com For information on our historic synagogue – dates and times for Friday night services, please call 712.323.8885.

Matalon, 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Scholars Club for fourth-sixth graders, 3:30 p.m. with Rabbi Mizrahi; Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m.

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

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

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6 p.m.; USY Shabbat dinner following services. For more information, contact Shiri in the synagogue office, or at youthdir@bethelomaha.org.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation will not be in session today; Kiddush given by Janie and Allan Murow, in honor of the engagement of their daughter, Rebecca to Josh Klein; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:50 p.m.

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

SUNDAY: No BESTT Classes; Torah Study Discussion Group, 10 a.m.; Jewish Values in today’s world, 11 a.m. with Rabbi Levin.

MONDAY: No BESTT Classes THURSDAY: Women’s Rosh Hodesh group, 7 p.m., our Rosh Hodesh Group will meet at the JCC theater to view the film, Swimming in Auschwitz. To RSVP or for more information, contact Caryn Rifkin at crgr6175@aol.com, or 402.334.7216.

Diversity in Movies: Embracing the World with open Jewish eyes class, Sunday, Feb. 26, 10 a.m. with Susi FrydmanLevin.

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

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org Office Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fri., 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross and Rabbi Yitzchak Mizrahi.

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 5:43 p.m.; Beth Israel is pleased to welcome Sjimon den Hollander as our scholar-inresidence this Shabbat.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Free babysitting service begins at 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes begin with Torah Parade, 9:45 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored in honor of those celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and simchas in February; The Laws of Shabbat, 3:30 p.m.; Advanced Parshah Study for Kids (ages 10 and up), 4:30 p.m.; Rabbi Gross’s Twitter Topic Class, 4:30 p.m.; Mincha, 5:30 p.m., followed by Seuda Shlishit; Havdalah, 6:45 p.m.

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

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: The synagogue office is closed for President’s Day; Weekly Teleconference Mishnah Class, 10:30 a.m. with Rabbi Gross. Contact the office for information on how to call-in to the conference call.

TUESDAY: Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m.; A Guided Tour of the Guide of the Perplexed, with Dr. Guy

Bat Mitzvah Cecelia Vann, daughter of Wendy and John Vann, will become a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Temple Israel.

Abby is a seventh-grade Academic Scholar student at Westside Middle School.

Her interests include volleyball, dance and gymnastics.

For her mitzvah project, Cecelia volunteered at CASA of Douglas County. She helped organize the Free Spree Store, which allows foster kids and their families to shop for clothes at no charge.

She has a brother, Jake.

Grandparents are Judy Vann and the late Howard Vann, Rita Hughes and Steve Hughes.

Great-grandparents are the late Frieda and Howard Milder, the late Ruth and Rubin Vann, the late Virginia McNally of New York and the late George Baron of New Jersey.

The Vanns hope you can join them for Cecelia’s Bat Mitzvah.

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

FRIDAY: Services, 7 a.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Minyan, 10 a.m.; Youth Minyan, 10:30 a.m.; Kiddush luncheon will follow. Join Rabbi Katzman, noon-1 p.m. Special Farbrengen to mark festive and important dates in the month of Shvat; New feature: Parsha Patrol.

SUNDAY: Service, 8:30 a.m. followed by breakfast at 9:30 a.m.

MONDAY: JLI class, Money Matters Class, 7-8:30 p.m.

WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m.

All programs are open to the entire community.

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

FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following hosted by Marc Shkolnick.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service with B’nai Mitzvah participation, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Mishpatim; Game Night/Potluck, 6 p.m. All ages welcome; LJCS Family Havdalah Service, 6:45 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 10 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple; Purim Spiel Rehearsal, 1-3 p.m. at Tifereth Israel; LJCS Board, 3 p.m. at South Street Temple.

MONDAY: Temple Office Closed for Presidents Day TUESDAY: Ladies Lunch Group, noon at Red Lobster.

Questions? Contact Stephanie Dohner; Purim Spiel Rehearsal, 7-9 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

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

ADULT EDUCATION TUESDAY, 6:30 p.m. Intro to Judaism, Session #6 led by Rabbi Lewis. The cost is $50 to cover course materials.

Register by calling the Temple office at 402.435.8004 or email stemple@neb.rr.com.

THURSDAYS, Beginning Hebrew, 6 p.m. and Intermediate Hebrew, 7 p.m. The cost is $50 to cover course materials. For more information call the Temple office at 402.435.8004 or email stemple@neb.rr.com.

Note: Please contact Rabbi Lewis if the cost for a class creates a financial hardship.

Tot Shabbat with Ms. Jennifer, Friday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

Joint Purim Celebration on March 7 at 6:30 p.m. Be part

Hackers threaten to wipe Israel from the Internet

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Hackers threatened to remove all traces of Israel from the Internet on the same day that they crashed the CIA’s website.

The hacker group Anonymous released a video last Friday saying that “For too long we have tolerated your crimes against humanity and allowed your sins to go unpunished.” The video accused Israel of fomenting “a nuclear Holocaust” and said that “we will not allow you to attack a sovereign country based on a campaign of lies” -- a reference to the current standoff with Iran over its nuclear capabilities.

In the statement, the group said it has a three-step plan to destroy Israel that will start with “systematically removing Israel from the Internet.”

The group took credit for taking down the public website of the Central Intelligence Agency; it was up and running again the following day. The attack reportedly did not access any sensitive information from the U.S. government agency.

Israel and pro-Palestinian hackers have been attacking each other’s websites for the past month.

Candlelighting Friday, February 17, 5:43 p.m.

of the Musical Mellerdrama, The Megillah Goes Country! We Need Players of All Ages. For more information, contact Maria Cadwallader at 402.784.0321 or MariaCadwallader @DirecTV.net.

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

NEIGHBORHOOD PRAYER GROUP 1317 North 57 Street | Omaha, NE 68132 | 402.551.6609 FRIDAY: Minyan, 5:43 p.m.

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 FRIDAY: Chef ’s Demo, 1:30 p.m. with Chabad.

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Marty Shukert.

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

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

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Grade 6 Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. followed by a Grade 6 family luncheon.

SUNDAY: No Religious School; OTYG Board Meeting and Frame Painting, noon-2 p.m.; Purim Rehearsal, noon.

TUESDAY: Executive Meeting, 6 p.m.; Board of Trustees, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Family School, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-8, 6-8 p.m.; The Same or Different The Ethics of Edith Stein and Emmanuel Levinas, 6:30 p.m. with Curtis Hutt, UNO professor of Religious Studies.

THURSDAY: Jewish Responsa, 10-11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel. He will use ancient Jewish text to provide answers to questions about modern Jewish living.

OTYG Lock In, Friday, Feb. 24, 5 p.m. OTYG will attend services at 6 p.m. and spend the night at Temple Israel, departing the next morning. RSVP is required. In addition you must return the signed contract and $25 prior to the event. If we do not have your health form on file please complete the form found on the NFTYMV website [http:// www.nfty.org/mv/] and return it with the contract. To RSVP or if you have any questions or concerns please contact Amy Katz at 402.321.0515 or amykatz9120@hotmail.com.

Experience Shabbat for Grades 3-6, Saturday, Feb. 25, 9 a.m.–noon. Classes for PreK-2 on Sunday, Feb. 26.

MRJ/Social Justice Speaker: State Senator Heath Mello, Sunday, Feb. 26, 10 a.m.

Poker Night, Thursday, March 1. (see full story on page 4.)

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

FRIDAY: Shabbat Services, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Study Session on Pirkei Avot, 9:30 a.m.; Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush luncheon in honor of Michael Hamicksburg’s birthday sponsored by the Hamicksburg family; LJCS Family Havdalah Service, 6:45 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 10 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple; Purim Spiel Rehearsal, 1-3 p.m. at Tifereth Israel; LJCS Board, 3 p.m. at South Street Temple.

TUESDAY: Ladies Lunch Group, noon at Red Lobster on “O” Street. Please contact Stephanie Dohner with any questions; Purim Spiel Rehearsal, 7-9 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

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

Tot Shabbat with Ms. Jennifer, Friday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

Joint Purim Celebration on March 7 at 6:30 p.m. Be part of the Musical Mellerdrama, The Megillah Goes Country! We Need Players of All Ages. For more information, contact Maria Cadwallader at 402.784.0321 or MariaCadwallader @DirecTV.net.

Pulverent e

February 17, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 11

Justice, Peace and Freedom

In memoriam BEN MAGZAMIN

Sparks from the word RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parsha Mishpatim One might think enough had already been said about the utterances universally known as the Ten Commandments.

You could think nothing had been left out, everything was included.

The first four are moral-ethical. The last five are specific demands to keep life civilized, straight-forward, and peaceful.

The fourth, about the Sabbath, is the most interesting. It is both ethical and practical: One must recognize that the Sabbath is a Holy Day, and a day leading to peace, justice, and freedom.

In our busy, complicated, work-day world, it is difficult for many to observe the Sabbath. I therefore suggest that everyone, no matter how constrained by work, turn at least part of every week toward morality, justice, and peace. Thus one will preserve at least a small part of the Sabbath.

That being said, we must turn to practical means of maintaining peace and justice in our communities.

Rules and ordinances must be placed before the citizens, so they participate in our country and communities, and have the opportunity for moral and mental growth.

In our Sidrah, it is notable that attention is given first of all to freedom. After 400 years of slavery in Egypt, it is no wonder that the Mikra immediately turns away from slavery, and towards service that is freely offered in exchange for proper payment. Thus our Sidrah demands that every community set up laws and statutes, which lead to freedom, justice, and equity.

Netanyahu blames Iran for attacks on diplomats

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran for a terrorist attack and an attempted attack on Israeli embassy employees in India and Georgia.

An Israeli diplomat’s wife in New Delhi was injured by a car bomb, and a second bomb was disabled in a staff member’s car at the Israeli embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday in what appeared to be related incidents.

“Iran is behind these attacks; it is the largest exporter of terrorism in the world,” Netanyahu said in a statement issued following reports of the attacks. “The Government of Israel and the security services will continue to act together with local security forces against such acts of terrorism. We will continue to take strong and systematic, yet patient, action against the international terrorism that originates in Iran.”

Monday’s attacks came the day after the Feb. 12th anniversary of the assassination of the operational chief of Hezbollah, Imad Mughniyeh. Mughniyeh was killed four years ago in Damascus by a car bomb; Hezbollah blames his killing on Israel. Israeli embassies and other missions had been on high alert in advance of the anniversary.

“In recent months we have witnessed several attempts to attack Israeli citizens and Jews in several countries, including Azerbaijan, Thailand and others,” Netanyahu said. “In each instance we succeeded in foiling the attacks in cooperation with local authorities. Iran and its proxy Hezbollah were behind all of these attempted attacks.”

Iran’s ambassador to New Delhi, Mehdi Nabizadeh, rejected Netanyahu’s accusations, calling them “untrue and sheer lies, like previous times,” Reuters reported. Nabizadeh also condemned the attack.

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz called a meeting in the hours after the attack to assess the situation of Israel’s foreign missions.

India’s foreign minister reportedly called his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, and said his country would work to capture the attackers. He also said his country will provide additional security for the embassy.

In the New Delhi attack, Tal Yehoshua Koren, the wife of a diplomat stationed with the Israeli Defense Ministry mission in India, was the injured woman, Ynet reported. Koren was said to be in moderate condition.

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

Ben Magzamin passed away Feb. 5 in Atlanta, GA, at age 96. Services were held Feb. 10 at Golden Hill Cemetery.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Mogolov.

He is survived by daughters and sons-in-law, Linda and Michael Schulman of Trenton, MI, Judy Turkel-Volmary and Bill Volmary of Atlanta, GA, and Francine and Terry McKeon of Arlington, TX; grandchildren: Robert and Leitha Turkel of Atlanta, GA, Lance and Jennifer Turkel of Virginia Beach, VA, Julie Schulman Anthony and Brian Anthony of Fishers, IN, Steven and Pam Schulman of Northville MI, Megan McKeon of Arlington, TX; and three great-grandchildren.

Ben was a highly decorated WWII combat veteran, serving in the South Pacific theater. He was a member of the Jewish War Veterans and his family was among the founding members of Beth Israel Synagogue. His family was the centerpiece of his life.

Memorials may be made to your favorite charity.

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Hadassah probing top officials on allegations of misusing funds

by JTA NEWS STAFF NEW YORK (JTA) -- Two top Hadassah officials are being investigated by the organization for possible misuse of funds.

The probe was launched after board members of Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America were sent a letter on Jan. 12 by the organization’s chief operating officer, Larry Blum, alleging that Hadassah national president Marcie Natan and former national president Nancy Falchuk had used organizational assets for personal use.

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ERICSON REGISTERED Angus Bull Sale. Selling 119 top 2-year-old bulls, Tuesday, Feb. 28, Ericson Livestock Market, Ericson, NE. Sandhills raised, EPDs, calving ease, easy fleshing. Top AI sires: Shear Force, Final Answer, New Frontier, Objective, Bando 1961, Packer, Thunder, 1407. Virgin bulls, volume discounts, fertility tested, guaranteed.

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Marcie Natan, left, and Nancy Falchuk “Never have I ever been ashamed to say ‘I worked for Hadassah’ until now,” Blum wrote in his letter.

“Individuals' interests have been put ahead of mission and politics have replaced Jewish Values.”

Blum has been on administrative leave since last fall following allegations that he had misused his corporate credit card. In his letter, Blum denied the allegations against him. A copy of Blum’s letter was obtained by JTA, and the investigation was first reported by the Forward.

Blum alleged that Natan, who was treasurer until she became Hadassah’s president last summer, approved flight upgrades and extra hotel expenditures in Israel for Hadassah board members who supported her candidacy for president. He also alleged that Falchuk used a corporate credit card for entertainment and personal trips to Florida and moved “furniture and fixtures” valued at $10,000 to $20,000 from Hadassah’s corporate apartment to her own home without the approval of senior leadership.

Through a spokesman Natan declined to comment, and Falchuk, who is also a JTA board member, did not return calls seeking comment.

In a statement, Hadassah said that it had retained an external, independent investigator to look into Blum’s allegations. It also said that the probe of Blum’s use of his corporate credit card continues.

“Those inquiries are ongoing and no conclusions have been reached,” the statement said.

The Forward reported that the outside investigator looking into the charges against Natan and Falchuk is attorney Daniel Kurtz, who heads the nonprofit law practice at the New York-based law firm of Skadden, Arps.

“We welcome this review and we are confident that the committee has in place a sensible and fair process for reaching a conclusion as to the allegations,” Natan and Falchuk wrote in a letter to Hadassah board members.

“We ask for everyone’s patience during this time.”

SELL YOUR classic car, truck or motorcycle online. Call this newspaper or call 1-800369-2850 to place your ad on the national Midwest Classic Cars web site for only $25.00. Your ad with photos runs until your vehicle is sold!

MANY CHILDREN need a safe family. Can you help? Christian Heritage helps you become a successful foster parent. Please don’t wait. Contact Christian Heritage toll-free: 866-381-KIDS (5437) or www.chne.org.

HAMILTON MANOR accepting applications for: RN/LPN, MA and CNAs. For information contact Nicole Hansen, staffing coordinator at 402-694-2128 or application at 1515 5th Street, Aurora.

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

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

QC SUPPLY, a leading distributor of ag products is looking for a Sales Professional at their Schuyler headquarters. Experience or knowledge of the swine and/or poultry industry is a must. Responsible for establishing & maintaining relationships with customers & vendors. Great work ethic, basic computer abilities & excellent communication skills needed. Work for a growing company, e-mail your resume to careers@qcsupply.com or mail to PO Box 581, Schuyler, NE 68661.

DIESEL TECHNICIAN needed. Heavy truck or diesel pickup experience preferred.

Great pay and benefits. Quality Diesel, Inc., Grant, NE, 308-352-4135.

HIRING! CORRECTIONS Officers, $14.21/hr + benefits! Lincoln and Tecumseh. For details and to apply online, visit www.corrections.nebraska.gov or call 402-471-2654.

ADA Accommodations, 402-432-5182. EOE/Vet J.D. TECHNICIANS, come join our team. Contact Steve at 402-759-1449 or 402-7593139. Experience preferred but will train the right individual.

LINEWORKER: COZAD BPW taking applications. Experience preferred. CDL license required. Underground, overhead systems. Associate degree needed. Send resume: Board of Public Works, PO Box 65, Cozad, NE 69130.

TRAILER MECHANIC: Timpte is the industry leader in the manufacture and supply of bulk commodity semi-trailers. Timpte is currently looking for a Trailer Mechanic for its new service center located in Aurora, NE. Responsibilities include the service and repair of trailers. Previous experience with trailers is preferred. Timpte offers a competitive compensation and benefits package. Send resume to: Jessica Boss at 1827 Industrial Drive, David City, NE 68632, e-mail resume to jboss@timpte.com or contact Human Resources at 402-367-3056 for an application.

WANTED: SELF-motivated individual to work in central Nebraska water, well business.

Valid CDL, welding, mechanical skills. Pre-employment drug testing. Average 50 hours week year round. Competitive wages, benefits. Serious inquiries only. Downey Well Co., Inc., PO Box 37, Merna, NE 68856, or call 308-643-2463.

WANT TO Buy: Junk vehicles & salvage iron. We clean up farms & ranches. We meet or beat all prices. 308-530-1563 or 308-530-1088.

NO RESERVE Auction. RSC Equipment Rental to sell heavy trucks, service trucks, pickups, trailers, lifts, and more to highest bidder, Feb. 24. Visit www.purplewave.com.

12 | The Jewish Press | February 17, 2012

For Orthodox musicians, alternatives to the Friday night concert abound

by LISA ALCALAY KLUG LOS ANGELES (JTA) -- With his yarmulke, ritual fringes and lyrics occasionally borrowed from ancient texts, Grammy-nominated reggae star Matisyahu may be the most public Jewish performer in the mainstream music scene. But he’s not the only one.

Growing ranks of Jewishly committed performers are finding success on the national stage. Located on both coasts, these independent artists share more with Matisyahu than keeping the Sabbath. They, too, are attracting audiences with compositions informed by their spiritual lives: building connection, meaning and hope.

“The fuel that keeps us going is the feedback we get all the time that says, ‘Your music inspires me,’” says Yehuda Solomon, who with his band Moshav has opened repeatedly for Matisyahu. “People tell us all the time, ‘I don’t listen to Jewish music, but you guys break all the stereotypes.’”

Solomon is the chazan, or cantor, for the Orthodox Happy Minyan in Los Angeles, dedicated to the lively, liturgical compositions of the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach.

As Moshav’s lead vocalist, Solomon performs original world music, folk and rock in Hebrew and English, as well as “Shlomo tunes.”

For mainstream musicians hoping to make it big, Friday-night gigs help build successful careers. Without that option, licensing material and composing produce vital income.

Some artists moonlight behind the scenes, which led to a Grammy Award for guitarist C Lanzbom of Pomona, N.Y. Jewish artists Pink and Barbra Streisand were among the nominees at this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony, which was held for Feb. 12.

Although Lanzbom loves performing, he won the Grammy last year for mixing -- for Pete Seeger and the Rivertown Kids’ best children’s musical album, Tomorrow’s Children.

Lanzbom, the son of Holocaust survivors, began his foray into music at age 7. Like Solomon, he was heavily influenced

by Carlebach.

Although Carlebach was never as mainstream as Matisyahu, his iconic singing career spanned more than 40 years. Constantly touring, Carlebach performed at Carnegie Hall, the Berkeley Folk Festival and a range of international venues, from coffeehouses to synagogue basements. It was Carlebach who paid for Lanzbom’s first flight to Israel and introduced him to meaningful religious practice.

When Carlebach died in 1994 from a heart attack aboard an airplane, Lanzbom dedicated his first solo album to him, covering his songs. The album, Beyond This World, propelled Lanzbom into the Jewish market.

“It might look like I chose to limit myself,” he says, “but it also gave me an identity.”

Lanzbom works with some household names, recently mixing a Seeger track featuring Bruce Springsteen. But he is best known to Jewish audiences as part of the rock-folk band Soulfarm, which he co-founded with Solomon’s brother,

Noah, a gifted vocalist and mandolin player. Together they record original compositions, Carlebach songs and Breslov Chasidic tunes.

The Solomons grew up in Israel next door to Carlebach on the moshav Mevo Modi’im. The religious, musical village Carlebach founded in 1976 has spawned numerous bands, including Moshav, which performs worldwide on Jewish and mainstream stages. Its next album, Light the Way, debuts this spring.

The Moshav Band Even when the music of these indie artists boasts universal appeal, the spiritual underpinnings often resonate as uniquely Jewish. Perhaps the most extreme example is the Matisyahu hit One Day, which speaks of a messianic era.

NBC aired the song in promos for its Winter Olympics coverage. Highlights from his forthcoming album recently performed in San Francisco suggest more inspirational material ahead.

The same applies to singer and guitarist Dov Rosenblatt, who with Talia Osteen, his non-Orthodox bandmate in The Wellspring folk-pop duo, has opened for headline rockers Pete Yorn and Ben Kweller. Yorn and Kweller do not keep Shabbat, but they delayed Saturday night shows to accommodate Rosenblatt, who grew up Modern Orthodox, attended Yeshiva University and recorded three albums with his previous rock band, Blue Fringe -- an allusion to ritual fringes.

After marrying into a Lubavitch family in Los Angeles, where he has since relocated, Rosenblatt jokes that he is now “Modern Lubavodox.” He has co-written pop songs with Didi Benami (American Idol finalist), Taylor Mathews (America’s Got Talent finalist) and Mikal Blue (producer for Colbie Caillat and Five For Fighting).

But it’s licensing that generates anywhere from one to a few hundred thousand dollars in fees per song. His compositions, co-written with Lanzbom or Osteen, have appeared on MTV’s The Real World, The Kardashians and Cougar Town. When Fox featured The Wellspring’s cover of Big Star’s Ballad of El Goodo on House M.D., a subsequent tweet from celebrity Olivia Wilde triggered massive interest in new licensing deals.

Rosenblatt’s L.A. colleagues, Yael Meyer and Cathy Heller, each have a long list of licensing credits, including “Beautiful People,” which they co-wrote. ABC aired it in network promos. Just as Matisyahu’s gold single King Without a Crown resembles a contemporary psalm, their songs, too, often are spiritual meditations.

When Heller learned that Arab terrorists had murdered five members of the Fogel family in the Itamar massacre in March 2011, she felt helpless and overwhelmed.

“I realized the only thing I have control over is my own happiness, so that’s what I need to get busy working on,” she says.

The result is her ukulele-driven pop song Gonna Be Happy, a call to “Turn your inside out. Let it shine.” The song will air on the CW’s March 28 series finale of One Tree Hill.

Meyer, whose compositions “write themselves,” watched her song Shed Their Fear emerge as a prayer: “Grant me strength to dissipate the dark that haunts and pierces deeply like a spear.” ABC broadcast it in prime time on Private Practice.

For Meyer and Heller, who attend Orthodox synagogues, performing for mixed audiences of men and women once may have raised concerns over kol isha, the religious restriction on hearing a women’s voice.

That’s what happened to Carlebach’s daughter. As a teenager, Neshama Carlebach performed widely on her father’s last tour. He would announce that she was heading on stage to sing one song, B’Shem Hashem [In God’s Name]. “He would say if anyone has a problem with that, go out for five minutes and then come back,” she recalls.

After Carlebach’s death, Neshama continued his tour. At times she has encountered intense condemnation from the same audiences attending her concerts and buying her eight albums. Her father’s mission, to “heal, uplift and transform the world,” has profoundly impacted Neshama, who identifies as Modern Orthodox.

“My response to kol isha was so passionate because I believe I was born to this man to continue the work he began that is so needed in this world,” she says.

Her perspective on kol isha was echoed recently by Orthodox Rabbi Dov Linzer, dean of the Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School in New York.

“As the Talmud plainly puts it,” Linzer wrote in a New York Times opinion piece, “the responsibility is on a man, not a woman.”

These days, Neshama anticipates performing in Soul Doctor, the Broadway-bound, full-length musical she cocreated that celebrates her father’s life. She also is touring solo and performing her father’s compositions together with a charismatic Baptist gospel choir on global stages. Their album, Higher and Higher, was a sixth-time entrant in the 2011 Grammy Awards.

She says the ongoing criticism won’t stop her.

“I put interfaith and kol isha in the same category: ‘defined by fear,’” Neshama says. “I will walk where I walk and people will say what they say. I pray that they find their own healing.”

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