February 20, 2015

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

Alan Potash is new CEO

February 20, 2015 1 Adar 5775 Vol. 95 | No. 23

This Week

The RBJH Souper Bowl Page 6

Havdalah at the CDC Page 7

by SHERRIE SAAG Communications, Jewish Federation of Omaha Jewish Federation of Omaha President Jay Noddle, on behalf of the JFO Board of Directors, announced the appointment of Alan E. Potash as the Federation’s Chief Executive Officer.

He received unanimous support from the Federation Board. “We could not be more pleased to welcome Alan Potash as our CEO,” said Noddle. “Omaha is his hometown. He has deep roots in our community and will lead the Federation with integrity and great care. This is an exciting time for us as we embark on new leadership for the Jewish Federation.”

Potash has served as Interim Chief Executive Officer since September, 2014. He was the Executive Director of the Community Relations Council and Plains States Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), based in Omaha, since 2006.

“I am honored to take on this role in the community where I was born and raised,” said Potash. “The Federation can and should lead efforts to mentor a new generation of leaders, advocate on behalf of Israel, meet our social service obligations, support our youth, honor the care of our senior population, educate our members and ensure we all have a meaningful way to express our religious beliefs and cultural identity.”

“I look forward to working closely

by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Publicity Chair, Beth Israel Synagogue With compelling experiences of personal tragedy and inspiration, Judge Daniel Butler will share his stories next weekend when he visits Omaha as Beth Israel Synagogue’s Scholar-in-Residence. Judge Butler will give several presentations Feb. 27-March 1 and the entire community is invited to attend.

Judge Daniel Butler Alan Potash with lay leaders, professionals and our generous donors and partners on the important work that lies ahead.”

“He has demonstrated his ability to build community, inspire and moti-

vate leaders, grow philanthropic dollars and steward Jewish values. I have every confidence we have found a consummate professional to lead our Continued on page 2

UNO hosts Goldstein Lecture A Reuben worshipper builds his temple in Salt Lake Page 12

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

Next Week Non Profits See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

8 10 11

by DR. CURTIS HUTT Religious Studies Department, University of Nebraska at Omaha Every year, the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Department of Religious Studies organizes and presents the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Lecture on Human Rights.

On March 16 at 7 p.m., in conjunction with the University of Nebraska Foundation, the Goldstein Lecture will be hosted at the new UNO Community Engagement Center. This year, the 16th annual lecture will break new ground at the same time as returning to its roots. Dr. Angelina Snodgrass Godoy, founding Director of the Center for Human Rights at the University of Washington will give a talk titled “Rights and Resources: Understanding Contemporary Challenges to Human Rights in Central America.” This will be the first Goldstein Lecture on the topic of Human Rights in Latin America.

Professor Godoy also serves as the

Life lessons from Judge Daniel Butler

Dr. Angelina Snodgrass Godoy Helen H. Jackson Chair in Human Rights, a position endowed by the Henry M. Jackson Foundation. The late Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson and his wife championed the human rights of Soviet Jewry in the 1970’s.

This was a cause that Shirley Goldstein, in particular, was actively engaged in, and she worked personally with Senator Jackson on this. As recently as 2007, this topic was addressed at the annual Goldstein Lecture by the Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Natan Sharansky. Professor Godoy will be joined at UNO by the son of the late Senator, Peter Jackson, who will be attending the Goldstein Lecture in person and introducing its speaker. In the words of Don Goldstein: “This year’s lecture is particularly meaningful, as it re-

The late Senator Henry Jackson and Shirley Goldstein connects the Goldstein and Jackson families in their work to bring attention to human rights issues around the world. We look forward to hearing from Dr. Godoy about her scholarship and research on contemporary human rights challenges in Central America”.

Professor Godoy is a sociologist by training. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to receiving her doctorate, she worked at Amnesty International. She credits her experiences working among human rights activists as the principal inspiration behind her work on Latin America. In addition to running the Center for Human Rights at the University of Continued on page 3

Judge Butler has a fascinating background - syndicated weekly columnist, a securities salesman, college professor, retail store manager and regional director for the National Conference of Synagogue Youth. He has been a judicial law clerk, a prosecutor, a family court hearing officer and a family court mediator. He also served as a judge for the Municipal Court of Pittsburgh, as well as on the Domestic Violence Court.

Judge Butler has spoken about legal issues and on Jewish ethics at hundreds of Jewish events around the country.

While drawing on aspects of all parts of his background, his presentations are strongly influenced by his personal stories of being a father. With a story which is both tragic and inspiring, he has touched thousands with his words.

Judge Butler’s son, Mikey, was born with a rare genetic disorder.

His medical condition found him in and out of hospitals throughout his much too short life. Mikey lived a lifetime in his 24 years, participating in as much as was possible thanks to the strong support of his family and friends.

Bruce and Linda Potash are generously sponsoring Judge Butler’s visit. “Judge Butler is a powerful speaker,” commented Bruce. “The way his family was able to embrace the challenges is nothing short of inspiring. When he speaks, he talks about the importance of embracing the support of their community, the love the community gave to their family and what they learned from the experience.” Bruce added “Everyone who hears Judge Butler will feel a connection, and Linda and I Continued on page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | February 20, 2015

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by OZZIE NOGG Last November, following an inspection by the State of Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home earned the best combined Health and Life Safety survey since 2008. And the kudos keep rolling in. “Right now we’re listed on medicare.gov as a five-star facility,” said Michael Silverman, LNHA, Executive Director Jewish Social Services. “This is the highest possible rating a nursing home can get, and we’re extremely proud.”

Medicare.gov is the official U.S. government site for medicare. The data on their site includes comparison profiles of nursing homes around the country. “Before medicare.gov issues its ratings,” Silverman explained, “they look at the assessments of state inspections in many areas, such as RN staffing, general staffing, medication management, proper skin care, assessment of resident needs, nursing home administration, environment, kitchen and food services, and resident rights and quality of life. The Blumkin Home earned a five-star overall rating -- a result considered much above the Nebraska and National average.”

Choosing a nursing home or long term facility for a loved one is often an emotional process. “Moving from one’s home to a nursing home is a big life change,” Silverman said. “The medicare.gov rating system allows residents and their families to easily compare the quality of the nursing homes they’re considering, so they can see the distinctions between high and low performing facilities. The Blumkin Home’s five-star

rating from medicare.gov, as well as our very high combined Health and Life Safety grade, attest to the quality of the skilled care we provide. But, of course, more important than survey results are personal visits to the facilities so prospective residents and family members can get a feel for the environment and see, first hand, how residents are being cared for.”

Alan Potash Continued from page 1 organization,” added Noddle.

The search committee conducted a thorough process; vetting candidates on behalf of the Federation Board of Directors. Committee member Bruce Friedlander noted, “Alan is a native Omahan with established relationships in our community.

He has devoted many years of his professional career to Jewish communal work in Texas, Illinois and Indiana and lived in Jerusalem for three years.

He brings to our community a deep understanding of the important role Federation plays in enriching Jewish life.”

In 2004 Potash opened the ADL’s office in Austin, Texas, where he also served as Community Relations Council Director for the Jewish Community Association. He more than tripled its operating budget; raising over a quarter of a million dollars to fund mission driven activities.

As Plains States Regional Director, Potash was charged with safeguarding civil rights and combating anti-Semitism, prejudice, discrimination and bigotry of all kinds. In a unique joint relationship, he also headed the Community Relations Committee, serving as a resource and partner with state and local legislators and law enforcement when necessary. Potash also worked closely with the Institute for

Holocaust Education and its current Director, Liz Feldstern.

“Alan has been a phenomenal mentor to me for the past two years, and I am so excited for all of the Federation’s agencies to benefit from his positive leadership and vision to strengthen and move our community forward.” said Feldstern.

Search committee member Bob Belgrade says Potash will lead in a “measured, thoughtful and consistent manner. He is a good listener who seeks out consensus and cooperation and he will strengthen the community bonds. He is very principled with strong Jewish values, and I respect him a great deal. We are very excited that Alan has agreed to lead our community.”

In the larger Omaha community, Alan is a member of the Mayor’s Faith Advisory Council and the U.S. Attorney’s Hate Crimes Task Force.

Potash is married to Amy Nachman and has twin sons, Ezra and Adeev. A graduate of Central High School, Southern Illinois University and the University of NebraskaLincoln, Potash is the son of Ruth and Merle Potash.

The Jewish Federation of Omaha is a mission-driven organization whose purpose is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish community and support Jews in Israel and around the world.

“Potash will lead in a “measured, thoughtful and consistent manner.

He is a good listener who seeks out consensus and cooperation and he will strengthen community bonds.”

– Bob Belgrade

Life lessons from Judge Daniel Butler Continued from page 1 urge you to take advantage of this opportunity.”

Rabbi Yaakov Weiss echoes Bruce’s comments. “I was fortunate to know Mikey in the yeshiva. His enthusiasm for learning and for life was amazing, and we all benefited from knowing him. Judge Butler is truly an inspirational speaker, and we are honored to have him spend time in Omaha.”

The weekend schedule will begin Friday evening with an elegant Shabbat dinner including soup, grand rib steak, roasted potatoes, vegetables and dessert. Dinner cost is $18 per person. Following dinner, Judge Butler will give a keynote address, “Your Son Has a Half Hour to Live and They’re Towing Your Car: Making the Most of a Bad Day.” On Shabbat morning, the title of Judge Butler’s sermon will be “Finding Sparks of Holiness in a Wi-fi World.” Judge Butler will speak on Sunday morning, March 1 at 11 a.m. at the Jewish Community Center. His presentation, “The Ten

Commandments of Happy Relationships: The Jewish View from Family Court” is co-sponsored by Jewish Family Service.

The Scholar-in-Residence weekend, which was planned by committee members Bruce Potash, Sherry Taxman, Bonnie Bloch, Ben Shapiro and Helene Shrago, is open to the community. The mission of Beth Israel Synagogue is to perpetuate the legacy of Torah Judaism in the modern world and provide a home for those who wish to learn about and observe halacha, Jewish law. Beth Israel Synagogue welcomes all persons of the Jewish faith to join and accepts the diversity of practice and thought among its members. Beth Israel offers a variety of religious, cultural and social programs throughout the year. For more information, please contact Beth Israel Synagogue’s office at 402.556.6288, or email BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org.

February 20, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 3

The Anglo MK: Rabbi Dov Lipman

by TEDDY WEINBERGER Israel is gearing up for Knesset elections on Tuesday March 17. This seemed like the right time to interview Member of Knesset Rabbi Dov Lipman. MK Lipman, 43, moved to Israel from Maryland in July 2004 with his wife and four children. He was elected to the current Knesset with the Yesh Atid party chaired by former Finance Minister Yair Lapid, and he heads the Knesset taskforce to help the ultra-Orthodox enter the workforce.

I asked MK Lipman about his freshman term in the Knesset and if he found out things about the workings of the Knesset that he hadn’t known before. He replied: “You come into office and you feel like you are going to change the world.

You think: ‘Now I’m in a position to effect real change, to do something about improving Israeli society.’ You slowly realize, however, that it’s not all up to you, that there are certain rules governing coalition politics; and so you say to yourself that you will be willing to realize just 75% of your goals.

After a while in office, you are willing to settle for 60% of your goals. And then, when you truly realize how things get done, you realize that you will only be able to accomplish 30% of what you thought you would accomplish. The initial feeling when you realize this is frustrating, but then you sort of turn a corner: You focus on what you can do. The moment you turn that corner, it’s an exhilarating feeling. And after a while you can look back and see what impact you have had. I am grateful and thankful for the opportunity.”

MK Lipman is known as the “Anglo” MK.

He is the first American-born member of Knesset in 30 years, and he is the only Member of Knesset to have what he calls “Congressman hours.” Every Sunday morning in the Knesset, dozens of Israelis from all

Rabbi Dov Lipman over the country descend upon MK Lipman’s offices for the opportunity to sit with him privately for 10 minutes. He says: “it’s a very straightforward meeting, it’s only 10 minutes, and we have to get right to the point. I am usually able to help the person in question, though I won’t be able to help in certain cases—but even then, when I say that I cannot help, that’s an answer as well.”

I told MK Lipman that this doesn’t seem to make good political sense on his part-after all he has no indication whether or not the person he is trying to help voted for his party last elections or will vote for his party in the coming elections (typically Members of Knesset are beholden to a small group of

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explain our position. I very much don’t allow people to hijack Zionism or true Judaism. I very much say that no one is going to tell me that I don’t love Israel. I also love Israel and I also believe that God gave us all of Israel, but we have to face reality.

Who says Zionism or love of Israel means that you possibly destroy Israel -- and this will happen if we think that the status quo can go on forever. I am not thrilled to compromise but that’s what we have to do.”

Yesh Atid and MK Lipman have their work cut out for them: Polls indicate that the party’s representation in the Knesset will plunge from its current 19 to 11 -- and MK Lipman is slated #17. Good luck to the Anglo MK!

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party activists and not to the public at large).

MK Lipman replied: “It’s my responsibility to help, especially the English-speaking public. From day one I told my staff that we are going to be an office that people can turn to for help. I take my responsibility very seriously. Every email sent to my office is answered. No doubt that you hope that people will see that you tried to help them and remember you in the voting booth, but I really felt that as the first person in 30 years in the role of MK from America, I need to serve that community.”

I wondered how MK Lipman as a religious person from a centrist party deals with the overwhelmingly right-wing religious public.

He said: “We have a lot of work to do to

Continued from page 1 Washington, she teaches courses on human rights in the Law, Societies, and Justice program and in the Jackson School of International Studies. Professor Godoy has published two books with Stanford University Press. The first, Popular Injustice: Violence, Community, and Law in Latin America (2006), addresses the topic of vigilante justice in the wake of contemporary crime waves, especially in Guatemala.

More recently, she authored Of Medicines and Markets: Intellectual Property and Human Rights in the Free Trade Era (2013), a comparative study of the politics around health and trade in Central America.

The University of Washington Center for Human Rights was established by an initiative of the Washington State legislature in 2009, following a decade of work on each of

the university’s campuses. Everything that the Center does is conducted through partnership with organizations on the front lines of global human rights struggles. The Center places “the resources of the university at the service of real-world social change.”

The areas of central concern to the Center right now are human rights and the environment; documenting human rights violations such as genocide, torture, and mass rape; and providing educational opportunities abroad and in the state of Washington.

For more information about the Goldstein Lecture or other events sponsored by the Religious Studies department at UNO, please call 402.554.2628. If you would like to donate to the Goldstein Lecture Fund contact Mary Bernier, Senior Development Director at the University of Nebraska Foundation at 402.502.4108.

4 | The Jewish Press | February 20, 2015

Mainstreeters offers March Madness

by OZZIE NOGG Mainstreeters -- like the NCAA -- will also have a ball in March. Here’s the fun and games line-up.

Karen & Friends present An Afternoon of Music, Sunday, March 1, 1:30 p.m. in the JCC Auditorium. This song-filled event celebrates the Blumkin Home Residents. Starring Daniel Denenberg, Pegi Georgeson, Karen Sokolof Javitch, Krissy Kirby, Gene Klosner, Joyce Torchia and Mia Vinci, with Chuck Penington on the keyboard. Come join the toe-tappin’ fun. The show is free and open to the community.

BreadBreakers Lunch and the Omaha Chamber Music Society Performance, March 11. You’re invited to attend this BreadBreakers weekly lunch meeting beginning at 11:45 a.m. in the JCC Auditorium.

Our guest speaker is Stacie Haneline, Omaha Chamber Music Society Executive e, Hanelin Director. After lunch, enjoy a Stacie Chamber ha free concert by the OCMS play- Oma ociety S ing the remarkable music of Judd Music e Director iv t u Greenstein, a Brooklyn-based Exec composer whose work has been heard around the world -- from Carnegie Hall and Tanglewood, to venues in Amsterdam, Rome, Florence, Tel Aviv and London. The concert is free and open to the community through the sponsorship of the Sokolof Javitch Music Fund. Buffet lunch is $11 a plate. Beverage Service, $3. Please make lunch reservations by March 8 by calling Gary Javitch at 402.334.6443 or email him at gjavitch@cox.net.

Fourth Annual Free Concert by the Omaha Chamber Music Society, Sunday, March 15, 7 p.m. in the Jewish Community Center Auditorium. Featuring works by Mozart, Prokofiev and Judd Greenstein, this performance is underwritten by the Sokolof Javitch Music Fund. For more

information, call Maggie Conti, Director of Activities and Outreach Programs at 402.334.6521.

Monday, March 16 at 12:30 p.m. Luncheon with The Links: Mary Link & Diana Sapp. Mary and Diana started performing together in 1975. Accomplished vocalists, this duo also knows their way around the guitar and keyboard, and will wow you with their comedy routines. The Links have performed at the MGM Grand, Harrah’s Casino, and in other prestigious showr o o m s around the c o u n t r y.

Audiences love their unique and special blend of vocals and harmonizing talents. You will, too.

Lunch entree choices are Chili (not spicy) or Baked Cod over Rice Pilaf served with a side salad, cornbread and beverage of your choice. Cost is $10.00 a plate. Please make checks payable to Jewish Social Services and send reservation with full payment to Mainstreeters c/o Maggie Conti, 323 So. 132 Street, Omaha, NE. 68154. Reservations are appreciated by Monday, March 9. For transportation call Maggie at 402.334.6521.

Living Well with Hearing Loss, Monday, March 23, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Boardroom. No charge. In this informational class, Boys Town audiologist Nathan Williams, Au.D., CCC-A will help you understand the causes and symptoms of hearing loss and what steps to take to improve your hearing. He will also

explain the different types of hearing loss, treatments for hearing loss, and communication strategies, and share information about hearing aids and listening devices. You’re encourage to bring family and friends to this presentation.

Call Maggie Conti at 402.334.6521 or e-mail mconti@ rbjh.com for reservations. Refreshments will be served. This program is presented by Mainstreeters and Boys Town National Research Hospital.

Join Us at the Movies: The Judge, Friday, March 27, 1 p.m. in the JCC Theater. No charge for the film or for unlimited bags of warm, delicious popcorn. No reservations necessary. In The Judge, Robert Downey Jr. stars as big city lawyer, Hank Palmer, who returns to his childhood home where his estranged father, the town’s judge (Robert Duvall), is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth and along the way reconnects with the family he walked away from years before. The movie also stars Billy Bob Thornton as a steely silver fox of a prosecutor who battles Hank. The Judge is an unabashedly adult drama and a steadfastly old-fashioned one. If you want to have lunch at the Star Deli before the show, call Maggie Conti at 402.334.6521 to reserve a table. Lunch is on your own. The Star Deli opens for business at 11:30 a.m.

Mainstreeters welcomes all Jewish residents of the Omaha area age 60 plus. “Tell your friends and join us for all our programs,” said Maggie Conti, Director of Activities and Outreach Programs at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

“Monthly luncheons with great entertainment, informational classes and first-run movies are just a few of our diverse activities. Come be part of the action.”

Mainstreeters programs are supported in part by grants from the United Way of the Midlands and the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Arts Organizations

B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Speaker to be announced for Wednesday, Feb. 25, noon.

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

The

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February 20, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 5

Warsaw’s Jewish cemetery defender

by PENNY SCHWARTZ to spending approximately $800,000 to (JTA) -- When a Warsaw Jewish cemetery restore Brodno, but is hoping some of that was vandalized recently, Anna Chipczynska, funding will come from a Ministry of Culture president of the Jewish Community of grant for which the group applied recently.

Warsaw, spoke out, noting that it had “Receiving this government grant would be occurred less than a week after the 70th a significant recognition of the historic value anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and of this project,” Chipczynska emphasized. that “it is an invitation to violence and threats The group wants to open the cemetery to to which we should all be vigilant.”

Dynamic, straight talking and a sharp dresser, Chipcyznksa knows about vigilance when it comes to Polish Jewish cemeteries. Two weeks earlier, the 36-year-old community leader -- whose organization fulfills a broad array of religious responsibilities and sponsors many social, educational and cultural programs -- gave me a tour of another Warsaw Jewish cemetery.

I first met Chipczynska last fall, when I was in town for the opening Warsaw’s Brodno cemetery was destroyed during the of the Polin Museum of the History German occupation of Poland. of Polish Jews. At the time, she conCredit: Jewish Community of Warsaw trasted the celebration of the museum’s opening with the less glamorous, enor- the public, to engage in educational and commous responsibility her organization faces in munal programs about the shared Jewishpreserving and maintaining the many Jewish Polish history of the area, Chipczynska said. cemeteries in cities and villages across Poland.

Like others of her generation, Chipczynka, The cemetery we visited, the 225-year-old who was born and raised in Poland, did not Brodno cemetery, is the city’s oldest Jewish learn about her Jewish ancestry until she was burial ground. The 13-acre Brodno, which a teen. Prior to becoming the Jewish comwas estimated to have tens of thousands of munity’s president last year, she worked in gravestones before the war, was destroyed the fields of humanitarian aid and human during the Nazi occupation of Poland. After rights. But Chipczynka prefers not to talk the war, under Communist-era rule, the much about herself, instead focusing concemetery was subjected to further desecra- versations about the work of building the tion, with broken headstones salvaged for Jewish community. postwar construction. By the late 1980s, a Over the years, she’s become deeply foundation began some initial preservation, engaged with the renewal of Jewish life in and in 2012, following several years of nego- Warsaw, including helping to found Ec tiations, legal ownership of the cemetery was Chaim, a progressive congregation in transferred from the city government to the Warsaw. Cemeteries are just one component Jewish Community of Warsaw, which is now of Chipczynska’s job. On Friday evening, she responsible for more than 12 cemeteries. welcomed several dozen regular congreDuring our late-afternoon visit in January, gants and visitors for Shabbat services at Ec there was a biting chill in the air, and Chaim, followed by a lively communal dinChipczynska, bundled in a parka and hat, ner, buoyed by a few shots of vodka. unlocked the large entry gate, which is curHours before our cemetery tour, rently being renovated. From there the Chipczynska participated in a “day of cracked pavement path leads through the Judaism” program initiated by the Catholic middle of a large dilapidated expanse, over- Church, that included welcoming Catholics grown with trees, the most recent of which to Warsaw’s synagogues to learn about conwere planted during the postwar temporary Jewish life.

Communist-era Polish government.

While recent terrorist attacks in Paris Further back, through the trees and along leave Warsaw’s Jewish community feeling the path, thousands of weathered, moss- vulnerable, as Jews do across Europe, she covered headstones are stacked against each said, Chipczynska is nonetheless upbeat other, evidence of an abandoned postwar about the future. government plan to construct a park.

“We have a rich Jewish program in “It looks like a kind of park. But of course, Warsaw,” she said. “People want to be it’s not a park, it’s a cemetery,” Chipczynska engaged in the Jewish community. This is a said. good sign,” she said.

Over the years, the cemetery, like other Penny Schwartz is a JTA contributing Polish Jewish cemeteries, has been vandalized, writer based in Boston. Her travels to often by individuals who have been drinking. Poland were sponsored in part by the Polish Chipczynska’s organization is committed Cultural Institute New York.

TED Talks at Temple Israel

by SCOTT LITTKY Program Director, Temple Israel If you have never checked out the website – TED.com, you are missing a real treat. According to their website, “TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics -- from science to business to global issues -- in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.” Put very simply, the mission of TED is to spread ideas.

Each month, usually on the 4th Sunday of the month at Temple Israel, a TED Talk is presented by a different person who will also then conduct a discussion on the

“talk.” Over the course of the last year there have been a loyal group of between 15 to 20 people who attend on a regular bases.

This month’s talk will be on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 11 a.m. at Temple Israel. The talk will be – Zak Ebrahim, The Terrorist’s Son How he learned to choose peace and will be presented by Justin Cooper.

Of further interest to the community, on Saturday, Feb. 28 is the first ever TEDxUNO event, an independently organized event in the TED style. The tickets are $25 for the event which runs from noon to 6 pm. The event will be held at UNO and more information can be found at http://www.unomaha.edu/tedxuno/.

For more information on future TED Talks, please contact Scott Littky, Program Director at 402.556.6536.

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6 | The Jewish Press | February 20, 2015

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by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Program Coordinator, The Center for Jewish Life The 2015 Klutznick Learning Series kicks off on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. This year’s series, sponsored by the fund of the Klutznick Chair of Jewish Civilization at Creighton University, is Beyond the Big Ten – And We’re Not Talking Football. The remaining sessions will be held March 3, 10, 17 and 24. Each session will feature a discussion from a religious standpoint and from a real life perspective of two commandments. Each evening will feature 15-minute presentations, Q&A time plus a short break with refreshments provided. The sessions are unique and while everyone is encouraged to attend each week, people are welcome to attend fewer sessions as well.

The Feb. 24 session will begin with Rabbi Yaakov Weiss covering the religious side of not bearing tales, as found in Lev 19:16 - “Do not go about as a talebearer among your countrymen. Do not stand upon the blood of your fellow: I am the Lord.” Kenneth Freed, who has 50 years of experience as a foreign affairs correspondent, will share his experiences in the field of journalism in seeking the truth in reporting.

In the second half of the evening, Dr. Leonard Greenspoon will explore the prohibition against planting a vineyard with different types of seeds, from the verse found in Deut 22:9 - “You shall not sow your vineyard with a second kind of seed, else the crop—from the seed you have sown—and the yield of the vineyard may not be used.” His talk will be followed by a discussion led by Betsy Goodman, the market manager for Main Street Farmers Market in Council Bluffs and Production Assistant at Bloomsorganic Farm. Betsy, who also serves as the youth advisor for Beth El Synagogue, holds a bachelor of science degree in Environmental Studies emphasizing Sustainability, Community and Biocultural Diversity from Northern Arizona University. She is the founder, volunteer coordina-

The RBJH Souper Bowl

by OZZIE NOGG The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots wrapped up the 2015 Super Bowl, but the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home is still in the game. They plan to hold their First Annual Souper Bowl on Tuesday, March 3, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the RBJH Auditorium.

“We want this dinner to be quirky, wacky and fun,” said Colin Heskin, Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Operations Intern. “We’ll set up buffet tables on Main Street with servers dishing out the soups. And there will be plenty of options.

Beef Barley, Matzoh Ball, Kreplach, Egg Drop and Country Vegetable, plus several surprise soups. The Souper Bowl buffet will also offer salads and chicken. You can sample each soup, go running back for more, and then vote for your favorite. Once everyone has gotten their fill and all the votes are in, we’ll announce the First Annual Souper Bowl Champion.”

The Souper Bowl is meant for RBJH residents and their families. “ESPN won’t be carrying the event,” Heskins said.

“So don’t fumble this opportunity or sit on the sidelines.”

tor and teacher for the Common Seed Library through the Omaha Public Library and secretary of the Metro Omaha Food Policy Council.

The following week, on March 3, Rabbi Ari Dembitzer begins the evening talking about the prohibition of mixing linen and wool - Deut 22:11 – “You shall not wear cloth combining wool and linen.” Shelly Lerner, with Bel Air Fashions, will then talk about how designers and manufacturers make fabric decisions. Later, the commandment not to sacrifice children to Molech - Lev 18:21 -“Do not allow any of your offspring to be offered up to Molech, and do not profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.” - will be discussed by Cantor Wendy Shermet. Following Cantor Shermet’s talk, Teresa Drelicharz from Jewish Family Service highlights the dangers that are sadly faced by many children and the services and efforts that are at work every day in Omaha to help them.

The remaining three weeks – March 10, 17 and 24 - will include presentations by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer, Alan Potash, Rabbi Mendel Katzman, Ari Riekes, Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan, Ari Cohen, Hazzan Michael Krausman, Patty Nogg, Zoë Riekes, Rabbi Steven Abraham and Margo Riekes. Watch for future Press articles, email blasts and the Center for Jewish Life webpage for full details.

The series is available free of charge due to the generous financial support of the fund of the Klutznick Chair of Jewish Civilization at Creighton University. The Klutznick Governance Council includes Bonnie Bloch, Steve Riekes, Marty Shukert and Dr. Leonard Greenspoon, the Klutznick Chair.

While there is no cost, registrations are appreciated for planning purposes. Make reservations by calling 402.334.6463 or mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org. The series is presented by the Center for Jewish Life, whose mission it is to maximize involvement of Omaha's Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences.

February 20, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 7

Three Israeli pals take shakshuka to Manhattan’s streets

by SHANNON SARNA Whose recipes are you using?

Israelis like us are really seizing this opportunity to open NEW YORK (JTA) -- Just over a year ago, Israeli friends Israel: They are all my own. The red shakshuka is just tra- new businesses.

Josh Sharon, Solomon Taraboulsi and Gabriel Israel moved ditional. But I had to do something different as well. My Are there any food trucks in Israel? to New York to pursue professional dreams: Sharon and family is originally French-Algerian, and so I wanted to pull Israel: There are a few kinds of trucks/trailers for parties, Taraboulsi to prove themselves in real estate, and Gabriel to a little inspiration from my roots. The green shakshuka is but there is no food truck scene the way there is here. But attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. actually a mousse made with spinach, asparagus, pickled what happens in New York and America often influences Instead, the twenonion, zucchini and goat cheese trends in Israel, so at some point, yes, I think there will be. tysomethings may have with honey. The white shakshu- What do you guys do in your free time? found something even ka also has French inspiration Sharon: Solomon and I like working out, walking around better: serving up shakwith charred eggplant, onion New York City to see new things and going out at night. shuka, the Middle and blue cheese, but it has a bit of Gabriel spends a lot of time with his girlfriend (sorry, ladies), Eastern egg-and-tomaMiddle Eastern flair with cumin, loves to draw and work on new dishes for the truck, of course.

What’s next for The Shuka Truck? toes dish, on the streets za’atar and fresh oregano.

Has there been anything that of Manhattan. The Israel: It’s too soon to say for sure. We would like to see has surprised you since your three childhood friends Shuka as a bigger brand, perhaps expanded in other parts of launch? from suburban Tel Aviv the country or even Israel. When we started, we had this launched The Shuka Sharon: We never expected thought and kept it in mind when we decided on the name, Truck in December, such overwhelming support the logo, design, menu, everything. But for now we are planand it is already generfrom the Jewish community for ning our summer menu, which will be nice and fresh with ating an array of media what we are doing. Most of our some updated salads and maybe some fun drinks, too. coverage. clientele has been Jewish or I couldn’t get any recipes out of the Shuka guys, but Israel I first tasted their Israeli, but they are also bringing did share some tips for making great shakshuka at home: Josh Sharon, left, Solomon Taraboulsi and Gabriel Israel with The original creations, their friends from their offices to • Char your peppers and then peel the skin before you put Shuka Truck in midtown Manhattan. Credit: The Shuka Truck which are kosher try shakshuka for the first time. them into the sauce. (supervised by Rabbi Shaltiel Lebovic of Go Kosher), severIsrael: Being here in New York has made us feel even more • Toast all your spices in a pan on medium heat before al weeks ago. The shakshuka was perfectly cooked, well sea- Jewish because of this support. We’ve also been surprised by putting them into the sauce. soned and emerged from the truck piping hot accompanied the support from others in the food business. We expected • Use lots of good quality olive oil. by an impressively diced Israeli chopped salad. I had to people to be competitive, but everyone really helps one • Flavor your sauce with honey instead of sugar to cut the know more, so I sat down with Israel and Sharon, both 23, another. acidity of the tomatoes, but also add fresh lemon juice. to hear their story; Taraboulsi, 24, was unable to join us. The Why do you think there are so many Israelis now The Shuka Truck stops at various sites throughout involved in the New York food scene, like Einat Admony interview that follows has been condensed and edited.

Manhattan Sunday through Friday. Updates and schedule JTA: Where did the idea for a shakshuka truck originate? of Balabusta and Uri Scheft of Breads Bakery? are posted on Facebook.

Israel: When I got to America, I started at the Culinary Sharon: It seems there is growing popularity for Shannon Sarna writes The Nosher for MyJewish Institute of America but left very quickly and then was Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food in New York, so Learning. working at Boulud Sud [an upscale Mediterranean restaurant in Manhattan]. Well, I was making the shakshuka for brunch service on Saturdays and Sundays, the other cooks even started calling me Shuka, and then the idea came to me one day. The only kind of Israeli street food widely sold in New York is falafel. So I thought, let’s do shakshuka.

Sharon: I remember when he called me with the idea for this. We immediately understood the opportunity -- Gabriel is really the visionary, and Solomon and I are the implementers. But then it took six months to put together all the logistics. The most challenging part was finding food suppliers with the right ingredients for us.

Where do you get your ingredients?

Israel: We want to buy the best products we can find within our budget and want to support local farms as much as possible. Our eggs are organic, free range from Pete and Gerry’s. We also get specialty ingredients from abroad because the quality in the U.S. is just not the same -- we get The Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center had a full house for its Family Havdallah on Monday, Feb. 9, 2015! The the tahini from Lebanon and the za’atar and olive oil from event was led by Morah Carrie Fingold, and was attended by the children of the CDC, staff, and families.

Israel. In fact, we get most of our spices from Israel.

Havdalah at the CDC

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8 | The Jewish Press | February 20, 2015

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

Preparing for Yom Hashoah

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor There are many things we, as a community, disagree about. That’s okay; I imagine most communities are like that. There are some times, however, when we need to stand as one.

Yom Hashoah is such an occasion. This year, it will be held on Wednesday April 15 at Beth El Synagogue.

This is the first in a series of articles about Yom HaShoah; I chose to begin with an op-ed, because it gives me a little more flexibility in how I use my voice. There are some important things I want to talk to you, the reader, about, and much of it has to do with my personal reasons to join the Yom HaShoah committee when Institute for Holocaust Education Liz Feldstern asked me last November.

The Yom HaShoah Committee represents a cross section of our community, and is chaired by Janie Murow. Between now and April 15, decisions are made about what is read and by whom, who sits where, the needs of our survivors and their family members, how the candles are lit, what music to include and how to make sure everyone knows what time we start. A lot of housekeeping details and a lot of work behind the scenes, with one major focus: to remember. Over the next months you will read more about all those details; many people will be devoting their time to make sure it all comes together, and we want you to know what we are doing.

It’s not really about the hard work, though: it’s about why we do it. As a community, we remember together, we honor our survivors together, we hurt and we heal together. We go to a different synagogue each year, because on Yom HaShoah we are not Reform, or Conservative, or Orthodox or non-denominational: we are Jews. This is our story, and

we will commemorate as one people.

I was born in 1971, long after the Shoah itself ended. I don’t know what it was like, because I wasn’t alive yet. I am eyewitness only to the wounds left behind. My uncle Sal once told me: “Don’t try to understand, because you never will. I don’t even understand, and I was there.”

You know how sometimes people tell you something, and their words replay in your head like a recording, and they stick with you the rest of your life? Yeah, like that. What’s more, I knew it the minute he said it.

I was about 16 at the time, and I wanted so desperately to understand; the idea that that was impossible was hard to swallow. I loved and adored Sal, I wanted to be on his side, a force for good, a counterbalance to all the pain that weighed him down. As I said, I was 16, and incredibly naïve.

I learned, over time, this was not my story, and I couldn’t share it. I also couldn’t be a band-aid and make it better. This experience and all the hurt that came with it were his and his alone.

But time marches on, and soon we will have no more actual eyewitnesses to teach us. It is up to us, and somewhere we have to find the courage to carry on those stories. We must remember what we heard, and pass it on to our children. Sal’s story may not

be mine to tell, but I have to nonetheless claim it.

In 1992, when I was at University, Sal committed suicide.

He was 69 years old. This man, who survived by hiding in a potato cellar, locked himself in a basement storage unit and ended his life. In a strangely disturbing way, life came full circle. I have long since stopped being angry and I miss him daily. I wish he could have known my husband and my children, I wish I could have told him my son’s middle name is Salomon, after him, and that we’re still saying Kaddish for him. And I wish I could tell him that along the way, while we were busy paying attention to other things, his story changed and merged with mine. I suspect he’s somewhere looking at me, convinced I’m telling it wrong.

If he is, he’s probably cursing like a sailor. If I could, I would tell him: it’s my story, too. And I will tell it as long as I live, and I will make sure my children will after me.

My story is our story. When we are together on May 15, we will fill the synagogue with stories just like mine. While some who are reading this have first-hand knowledge of the Shoah, the vast majority of us do not. Together, we must claim the act of remembrance as our responsibility. We weren’t there, but we have that responsibility just the same.

Are voluntary dues enough to get people to join synagogues?

by NINA BADZIN MINNEAPOLIS (JTA) -- Michael Paulson reported in The New York Times on the “Pay What You Want” model that some synagogues are implementing to reduce the financial barrier to membership. Paulson estimated that about 30 synagogues across the United States are trying voluntary dues.

These changes, Paulson wrote Monday, have come from “an acknowledgement that many Jewish communal organizations are suffering the effects of growing secularization, declining affection for institutions, a dispersal of Jewish philanthropy and an end to the era in which membership in a congregation was seen as a social obligation.”

With those realities, a massive change in the dues structure is necessary, but is it sufficient? Changing the financial requirement for membership without addressing the widespread lack of interest in attending synagogue or engaging in a Jewish life is going to yield more of the same long term: low participation and apathy.

Full disclosure: My husband and I are members of three synagogues. We’re members of my husband’s childhood Conservative synagogue in St. Louis Park, Minn., where our kids went to preschool, and we’re active at a newly revived Orthodox synagogue. We also consistently go to Chabad (where voluntary dues has been in place for decades). I was raised Reform, and we are not Orthodox. Are we an anomaly? Perhaps. Do we have to be? No. We stay at all three synagogues because of the relationships we have with the rabbis, their families and with the other congregants. We have also studied with Reform and Conservative rabbis, Aish Hatorah teachers and with our local kollel leaders. Like many modern Jews, we’re not tied to one denomination.

“I’m hyper-affiliated,” I say whenever someone wants to know where I stand. Though I prefer, “I’m Jewish.”

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After reading Paulson’s article, I asked friends on Facebook what keeps them from wanting to be more Jewishly involved in and out of synagogues. I admit that I already suspected money had little to do with their hesitation. The discussion went on for 12 hours, yielding more than 100 comments from Jews across the country. One friend summed up the issue succinctly: “Many [Jewish leaders] are asking, ‘How can we get people more involved in our synagogue?’ as opposed to asking ‘How can we get people more involved with Jewish life?’” Only a small fraction of the answers focused on the expense. I received numerous versions of “Services are at bad times for little kids,” “It’s too cliquey,” “Everything is geared to young families” and “I feel out of place as a single person.” The grievances mostly focused on Shabbat services.

Adina Frydman, the executive director of UJA-Federation of New York’s Synergy program, which recently published a study on congregations with voluntary dues, said, “Changes to the synagogue dues system are just part of a much bigger picture; namely, the ways synagogues can continue to evolve to be places that create a deeper, more authentic sense of community.”

My experience with a wide variety of synagogues and Jewish organizations tells me that the pressing challenge now for non-Orthodox synagogues is creating communities where congregants care about Judaism and therefore see their synagogues as valuable. That is not to deny a real need for dollars, but the financial insecurity is a symptom of a Jewish population that does not see how the Judaism offered by the synagogue has anything to do with their lives. If the perception of the product or the way it’s delivered (low rabbi-to-congregant ratio) does not change, how will a lower cost or even a free membership make people want to spend time, their other highly protected currency, at synagogues or in any aspect of Jewish life?

Provide value and people will pay. Show members the joy of Judaism and empower them to bring that joy home.

Engage members with discussions on how to be a better person, a better parent, sibling, spouse, friend, and a more ethical businessperson, and they will come back for more. If congregants do not see how Judaism can be relevant in their homes and everyday lives, then they will go somewhere else in search of meaning and take their dollars with them.

I’m not implying that synagogues have it all wrong.

Organizations don’t die because they provide no value; they die because they fail to provide enough value to enough people. As Rabbi Avi Olitzky, co-author with his father, Rabbi Kerry Olitzky, of the forthcoming book New Membership & Financial Alternatives for the American Synagogue (Jewish Lights Publishing), told me, “There has to be harmony between the synagogue’s mission and its agenda. A synagogue cannot just be in the business of being in business.”

When I told him that so many of us want community but don’t always know how to define it, he described community as a circle to which you feel you belong that will miss your presence.

The reality for synagogues is that members – and those not even considering joining – can find community in any number of places from yoga studios to the racquetball court to their careers, or their kids’ schools and sports teams. If we can’t give people a reason to infuse that circle with Judaism (not just with Jews, but with Judaism), then sadly I don’t see a future for synagogues whether they cost money to belong or not.

A different version of this article originally appeared on our partner site Kveller.

Nina Badzin is a freelance writer living in Minneapolis with her husband and four children. She blogs regularly at ninabadzin.com and tweets @NinaBadzin.

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February 20, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 9

Reflections on a Jewish Federations’ Solidarity Mission to Paris

by MARK GURVIS (JNS) My early days as a Jewish Federation professional were at a time when our system was evolving away from reliance on messages of combating anti-Semitism and statements of “never again,” to one of strengthening our communities through education and meaningful engagement.

Yet reflecting on the turbulent and troubling start to 2015, I cannot help but be struck by the rapid change back in our global agenda. Last year, we were working with the Israeli government in exploring how to strengthen Jewish life and connection globally. Now, we are increasingly focused on protecting Jewish lives and securing Jewish institutions worldwide. Last month we opened the France Emergency Fund, the fourth time within a year we turned to our communities in response to an overseas crisis -- two rounds in Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza and now in France.

This week I joined an intensive two-day trip to Paris with Jewish communal and civic leaders, experiencing remarkably emotional moments. We attended a memorial service at the Hyper Cacher supermarket, placed flowers at the Charlie Hebdo offices in honor of the victims who were brutally murdered there, and heard the harrowing story of one of those held hostage in the kosher market.

But the two days were packed with much more. We met with the leadership of the key organizations of the French Jewish community, spent time with both the U.S. and Israeli ambassadors to France, and spoke with the main French government officials responsible for addressing the complex and intertwined challenges of anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia, and violence.

The French Jewish community is the third largest Jewish

community in the world, with a long and proud history and significant resources. They have been shaken by the evolving reality of violent anti-Semitism. Their current reality consists of army and police guards at their institutions, even guards sleeping overnight in their schools. While they are grateful for the protection, their communal institutions were never meant to become armed fortresses.

To see an aliyah fair overwhelmed by thousands of young French Jews exploring opportunities to study, work, volunteer, or live in Israel is to recognize that the community’s next generation is openly questioning their future in France. At the same time, we must recognize that this community -- with a strong population of more than 500,000 and with a vibrant network of synagogues, schools, community centers, student organizations, cultural institutions and service organizations -- is not going to disappear.

We must address the real security issues the Jewish community faces, in France, throughout Europe and also here in North America. We, and Jewish communities worldwide, face a long road ahead of increasing our preparedness and protection. The creation of the Jewish Federations’ Secure Community Network represents our system’s serious shift of attention and resources to this priority. The French Jewish community is now awakening to this reality and working quickly to address it. Our assistance through the France Emergency Fund will help French Jews take their next steps; their community will ultimately bear the long-term responsibility.

There is a deep anxiety today among French Jews -- not just about their physical security, but also about whether France will continue to hold onto its unique social fabric.

President François Hollande has been quoted widely for his statement that “France without Jews will no longer be France.” Those of us coming off this two-day immersion only scratched the surface, beginning to understand the depth of this reality. Hollande’s was a sincere statement, but it was also evident during this trip that there is no clear path to addressing the complex challenges that France faces.

Mirroring our own reality, the challenges for French Jews also extend to assimilation and engaging with the next generation. The community estimates that only 50% of its members are connected with the vibrant network of community institutions.

The external threats from rising Islamic fundamentalist terror, and the internal challenges of meaningfully engaging the next generation, offer all Jews around the world opportunities to connect, to learn from one another, to strengthen one another, and to inspire one another.

There came a time when the old UJA slogan, “We Are One,” went out of fashion. It was presumed to be focused on political uniformity and gave way to concerns about diversity of expression. But today, we can and should understand “We Are One” in a different way -- that we, as Jewish communities and Jewish individuals, face a common set of renewed challenges and threats, both internal and external.

They may be shaded differently based on local context but, underlying the surface differences is a common core, and hopefully a common destiny. Our fates are interconnected and intertwined.

Are We One? We had better be.

Mark Gurvis is the Executive Vice President of The Jewish Federations of North America.

Holocaust consciousness must not blind us

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oration efforts have been more than simply exercises in tribalism. They often emerged from an urge to acknowledge and alleviate human suffering writ large.

Raphael Lemkin, the Polish-Jewish legal scholar and

Visitors gather in the Hall of Names at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Credit: Uriel Sinai/Getty Images Holocaust survivor who coined the term “genocide” and fought to have the concept recognized by the United Nations, exemplified this impulse. So did the mobilization of the Holocaust second generation. As I argue in my book Reluctant Witnesses, we descendants of survivors, empowered by the progressive movements of the 1960s and ‘70s, coaxed our parents to share their stories. The Holocaust consciousness we helped build was part of a larger search for self-expression and human rights.

Today, many Holocaust commemoration activities reflect this universal spirit as well, including the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s efforts to promote awareness of genocide in Sudan and elsewhere. Jewish-American donors provided the bulk of the funds for a memorial to the more than 2 million Cambodians murdered during the brutal reign of the Khmer Rouge, an acknowledgement of a shared tragic history.

These and other efforts to remember the suffering of others should be applauded, but they must be more than window dressing. They should also spur our own collective soul-searching. Committing funds for projects in places where Jews have few political or emotional investments, such as Cambodia or Sudan, is relatively easy. Subjecting our

purplewave.com

by ARLENE STEIN NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (JTA) -- While nascent talk of the Holocaust was in the air when I was growing up in New York City, we did not learn about it in school, even in lessons about World War II or the waves of immigration to America’s shores. There were no public memorials or museums to the murdered millions, and the genocide of European Jewry was subsumed under talk of “the war.”

My father was a somber man who arrived here from Poland after the war and, like many survivors, kept to himself, trying his best to block out the past. Growing up, my connection to my father’s lost world consisted of names mentioned in hushed tones and photographs retrieved from hidden boxes.

But as I grew older, I watched with great interest, more than a little curiosity, and a good deal of relief as it became more acceptable to talk about “our” tragedy. By the 1980s, lessons about the genocide of European Jewry became de rigueur in high schools through the nation. In the following decade, people could flock to a hulking museum in our nation’s capital that told the story for all who cared to listen.

The Holocaust became a universal moral touchstone that called upon us to defend our common humanity against the capacity for evil. But just after International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the lesson we Jews seem to draw from our history is that those outside the tribe cannot be trusted.

In the wake of the recent terrorist attack on a kosher food store in Paris, and as anti-Semitism rises in France and elsewhere, these fears seem understandable. I know these kinds of fears well. Even in the relative comfort of his postwar existence, my father had a recurring nightmare that he was being chased by German shepherds.

But when such fears lead to catastrophic thinking, they harden our hearts to the suffering of others and contribute, paradoxically, to a sense of Holocaust fatigue among many Jewish Americans -- particularly younger ones.

“I’m sick of the Holocaust as a shorthand for ‘we suffered more than you, so we should get the piece of cake with the rosette on it,’ “ a 20-something columnist wrote in the Forward.

Peter Beinart in The Crisis of Zionism argues that the growing emphasis on the Holocaust in American life beginning in the 1960s and ‘70s marked the end of Jewish universalism.

“Liberalism was out,” Beinart wrote. “Tribalism was in.”

Beinart and others are partly right: Holocaust trauma is too readily exploited. But historically, Holocaust commem-

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own deeply felt loyalties to Israel to scrutiny is a much more difficult, but no less important, task.

The truth is that at times our privileges may in fact be implicated in the suffering of others in the Palestinian territories, where life is brutal and frequently too short. A sense of hopelessness prevails among both Israelis and Palestinians, fueling acts of desperation and violence in the Middle East and beyond.

A chorus of leaders on both sides is promoting a politics of fear, declaring I cannot be my brother’s keeper when my brother is out to murder me. But on this Holocaust Remembrance Day, let us honor the memory of the parents and grandparents, uncles and aunts, and all of the unknown others we have lost by resisting such talk and redoubling our efforts to seek peace.

Arlene Stein, a professor of sociology at Rutgers University, is the author of the new book Reluctant Witnesses: Survivors, Their Children, and the Rise of Holocaust Consciousness (Oxford).

Letters TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, Thank you so much for the article on Magda Fried, a most extraordinary woman. I invited her many times to address my classes at Iowa Western Community College. When she spoke of her life experiences and the holocaust, you could hear a pin drop in the classroom. The students would come up to her after class with tears in their eyes and admiration on their faces. She was an excellent teacher as well as a loving human being. My life was enriched by having had the privilege of knowing her.

Martin P. Wolf, Ph.D. Dear Editor, It appears that the comments in last week’s Letter to the Editor show a lack of understanding of the full objectives of Planned Parenthood. Prevention First is their mantra.

This organization provides birth control information to prevent unwanted pregnancies for both men and women. Health care needs for women are provided and in many cases is the only health care provided. Abortion is not forced on any woman, but is an option that should be safe and legal.

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10 | The Jewish Press | February 20, 2015

Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 |712.322.4705 email: BnaiIsraelCouncilBluffs@gmail.com Join us for our monthly Shabbat Speakers Series on Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker, Ben Justman, Executive Director of the Sarpy County Museum on A History of Sarpy County. Larry Blass will lead the service. Oneg to follow service. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

For information on our historic synagogue, please contact any of our board members: Mark Eveloff, Rick Katelman, Carole Lainof, Marty Ricks, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf and Phil Wolf.

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 Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

FRIDAY: Chef ’s Demo, 1:30 p.m. at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.; Our Shabbat Tables, in congregant’s homes.

SATURDAY: Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Guided Meditation, 9:30 a.m.; Shabbat Speaker, Samuel Chu, Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger; Shabbat’s Cool (Grades 3-7), 10 a.m. followed by lunch; Mini Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:45 p.m.; Beth co-sponsored community visit to the “Fabric of Survival” exhibit, 7:30 p.m. at KANEKO, 1111 Jones St. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.

SUNDAY: BESTT Classes, 9:45 a.m.; Torah Study Group, 10 a.m.; Torah Tots, 10:15 a.m.; Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m.; Sunday Scholar Series, 11 a.m., featuring Liz Feldstern, Executive Director of Institute for Holocaust Education on Return to Life: Displaced Person Camps in Germany 1945-1950; USY/Kadima Purim Prep Party, 12:30 p.m.

TUESDAY: Wrestling with Rabbis of the Talmud, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham.

WEDNESDAY: BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m.; Hebrew High School, 6:45 p.m.

THURSDAY: Shanghai Class, 1 p.m.; USY Purim Lounge Night, 5 p.m.; Women’s Rosh Hodesh Passover Kosher Wine Tasting, 7 p.m.

YAC Game Night, Saturday, Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday Scholar Series, Sunday, March 1, 11 a.m., featuring Rabbi Ari Dembitzer, Interim Rabbi, Beth Israel Synagogue on Why Does One Drink on Purim?

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.orthodoxomaha.org Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 5:46 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 5:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:48 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bagels and Beit Midrash: Understanding our Prayers, 9:45 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Scholar’s Club for Boys, 3:30 p.m.

TUESDAY: Wrestling with Rashi Class, 8 p.m. with Rabbi Weiss.

Bat Mitzvah Meredith Matz, daughter of Stacie Spies-Matz and Jay Matz, will become a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Feb. 28, at Temple Israel.

Meredith is a seventh-grade Honor Roll student at Westside Middle School.

Her interests include tennis, volleyball, reading, cooking, listening to music and spending time with friends and family.

For her mitzvah project, Meredith volunteered with tennis buddies for the Special Olympics.

She has two sisters, Samantha and Elizabeth.

Grandparents are Simone and Allan Spies, and Donna and Monte Matz.

THURSDAY: Women’s Class: Deepening our connection with God, 9:30 a.m.; Med Center Chaburah, 1 p.m.; Scholar’s Club for girls, 3:30 p.m.; Avot U-Banim, 7 p.m.

Please join on us Feb. 27 for Shabbat Dinner followed by keynote speaker: Judge Daniel Butler, Scholar in Residence, “Your Son has a Half Hour to Live and They’re Towing Your Car: Making the Most of a Bad Day.” Dinner Menu is Soup, Grand Rib Steak, Roasted Potatoes and Vegetables, and Apple Turnovers with Carmel Sauce, cost $18 per person.

Please call 402.556.6288 or email bethisrael@orthodoxomaha.org to RSVP.

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: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 8:30 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

TUESDAY: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. RSVP by calling the office.

WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; The Development of the Oral Tradition, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office. In memory of Forrest Krutter -- Efrayim Menachem Ben Avraham Yitzchak.

THURSDAY: Women’s Study at UNMC with Shani Katzman, noon. RSVP by emailing Marlene Cohen at mzcohen@unmc.edu.

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: FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE! Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following hosted by Leslie Delserone and Peter Mullin.

SATURDAY: Boker Bash - Family Breakfast and Service, 9:30 a.m. hosted by the Kelen-Bloom Family; Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Terumah; Game Night/Potluck, 6 p.m. Questions?

Contact Deborah Swearingen; LJCS Havdalah at Home, 7 p.m. at Kelen-Bloom Home.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High Lite, 9:45 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Confirmation Class, 10:15 a.m. at Bagels & Joe; Purim Spiel Rehearsal, 1-3 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS grades 3-7, 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel; Purim Spiel Rehearsal, 6:30-8 p.m.

ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAY: Travel Series Swiss Family Kelen-Bloom, 3 p.m. with Sarah Kelen and Ken Bloom (Eva and Moses too) who will talk about their experiences in Switzerland during their Sabbatical year abroad.

THURSDAY: Beginning Hebrew, 6 p.m.; Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 7 p.m.

Havdalah Service, Potluck Dessert and Jewish Movie Night, Saturday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m. Bring a dessert and join us for a showing of Enemies: A Love Story.

Candlelighting Friday, February 20, 5:46 p.m.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road | Offutt AFB, NE 68123 | 402.294.6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 FRIDAY: Chef ’s Demo, 1:30 p.m. with Beth El. SATURDAY: Services, 9:15 a.m.

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

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 http://templeisraelomaha.com FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Brown and Cantor Shermet.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Teacher Meeting, 9 a.m.; Grades PreK-6, 10 a.m.; Beginning Prayer Study, 10 a.m. with Elyce Azriel; Torah Chanting, 10 a.m. with Cantor Shermet; New Temple Israel Toddler and Parent Program, 10:30 a.m. children ages 2-4 with Dani Howell. For more information please contact Debbie Massarano at dmassarano@templeisraelomaha. com. You can just drop in or you can let Debbie know you are coming; Non-Jews Raising Jewish Children, 11 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel; Temple TED Talk, 11 a.m.; Stay for Lunch, noon. Join us for a complimentary lunch after religious school.

WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; Family Night, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Cutting Edge Medical Ethical Dilemmas: What is your response?, 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: Dilemmas of Faith: God and Spirituality in the Modern World, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel; OTYG Board Meeting, 6 p.m.

Tot Shabbat, Saturday, Feb. 28, 9 a.m. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet other families with young children, connect with our clergy, and add that wonderful Shabbat spice to the life of your family. Please contact the Temple Israel office, 402.556.6536, to let us know you are coming.

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, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

FRIDAY: Services, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a Kiddush luncheon.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High Lite, 9:45 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Haftorah Reading class, 11-11:50 a.m.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS grades 3-7, 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAY: Community Travel Series, 3 p.m. with Sarah Kelen and Ken Bloom (Eva and Moses too) who will talk about their experiences in Switzerland during their Sabbatical year abroad at the Kelen-Bloom home.

Join TI at the Coren home on Wednesday, March 4 at 5:30 p.m. for our Purim Extravaganza. All ages welcome. There will be a light dinner, Megillah reading, and entertainment.

Controversial Jewish Defense League being revived in Montreal

by JTA NEWS STAFF MONTREAL (JTA) -- The long-dormant Jewish Defense League said it was setting up shop outside Montreal despite opposition by local Jewish and Muslim groups.

JDL leader Meir Weinstein of Toronto said he was establishing the country’s second branch of the self-defense group on Feb. 16 to stem the rise of “radical Islam” in Quebec and to help the proIsrael Conservative Party govMeir Weinstein ernment return to power in a credit: dstruttphoto national election slated for the graphy.com fall.

Weinstein, 56, said he planned to have local JDL members aggressively monitor and “infiltrate” radical Islamic groups.

In the United States, the FBI in 2001 labeled the JDL, founded by the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, a violent “rightwing terrorist group.” The group has been inactive in the U.S. for years.

In August, Weinstein, in the wake of some incidents of anti-Semitic vandalism in Montreal, organized a local meeting to gauge interest in reviving the JDL after decades of inactivity. About 50 people reportedly attended the meeting.

Rabbi Reuben Poupko of the Jewish community’s main advocacy group, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, or CIJA, said there was no need for a Jewish self-defense group in Montreal.

Poupko said that anti-Semitic incidents have been successfully dealt with by local authorities and has called JDL “marginal” and “superfluous.”

Pulverente MONUMENT CO.

February 20, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 11

In memoriam GERALDINE (GERI) EPSTEIN Geraldine (Geri) Epstein passed away. Services were held Feb. 8 at Golden Hill Cemetery, 5025 N. 42 St. Shiva was held at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

She was preceded in death by son, Dr. Barry E. Epstein and sister, Gloria Beedle.

She is survived by husband, Irving B. Epstein; daughter, Leslie A. Epstein and daughter and son-in-law, Cynthia E. Epstein and David A. Wiesman; grandsons: Harison S. Wiesman and Mathew F. Wiesman.

She was the owner of Geri’s Art and Sculpture for over 30 years.

Memorials to Dr. Barry Epstein Health Care Scholarship Fund c/o Jewish Foundation of Omaha.

MAYLEE W. KATELMAN Maylee W. Katelman passed away on Feb. 9 at age 102.

Services were held Feb. 11 at Oakhill Jewish Cemetery, 17510 Sunnydale Rd, Council Bluffs, IA.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Maurice.

She is survived by son and daughter-in-law, Rick and Sue, and son, Jeffery, and daughter and son-in-law, Andrea and Sol Carter; three grandchildren; two great-grandchildren and many special nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

RABBI YA’AKOV (JACOB) SHECHET Rabbi Ya’akov (Jacob) Shechet passed away on Feb 1 in Los Angeles. He was interred Feb. 3.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Rabbi Mendel Szechet, and Rebbetzin Malka (Shechet) Spiegel.

He is survived by his brother, Rabbi Maximo Shechet; sister, Golda Mandel; children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces.

Memorials may be made to the organization of your choice.

Denmark synagogue attack seen as ‘wake-up call’

by CNAAN LIPHSHIZ the representative for combating anti-Semitism of the (JTA) -- From the window of the Jewish Community of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Copenhagen’s crisis center, Finn Schwarz can see his counNoticing the absence of the sort of security arrangements try changing before his eyes. familiar in Paris and Brussels, Baker asked Danish officials Hours after the slaying of a guard outside the Danish cap- whether they were worried about an attack on Jewish instiital’s main synagogue early Sunday morning, two police offi- tutions. cers toting machine guns were on patrol outside the center “The officials I met recognized the risks but said that -- a common sight in France, Belgium and other trouble Denmark had a ‘relaxed approach to security,’ as one interspots for Jews, but which resistant authorities in Denmark locutor put it, and that having armed police in front of had previously considered both excessive and unpalatable. buildings would be too disturbing to the population at “I think this attack was a wake-up call,” said Schwarz, a for- large,” said Baker, who also serves as director of internationmer community chairman who has lobbied the authorities al Jewish affairs for the American Jewish Committee. for years, often in vain, “I was taken aback for greater security. because I never encoun“What we have long tered in other countries feared happened and we this argument of rejectwill now see a changed ing security measures Denmark. We have never while fully acknowledgseen this much security ing the threat,” Baker and guns before.” told JTA. “I left knowing The deployment of it was only a matter of armed officers at Jewish time before I got the institutions came within call.” hours of a shooting at a Schwarz said authoriCopenhagen cafe where ties had improved secua caricaturist who had rity around Jewish instilampooned Islam was tutions after the slaying speaking. One person last month of four Jews Copenhagen’s main synagogue, where a guard was shot and killed was killed at the cafe in at a kosher market near early Feb. 15, 2015.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons Paris. But he said there what Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt called a terrorist attack. remains a gap of tens of thousands of dollars between the Later that night, Dan Uzan, a 37-year old volunteer secu- security funding sought by the community and what the rity guard, was with two police officers at the Great government is offering.

Synagogue when a gunman opened fire with an automatic “I think the heavy security is good, but I’m also sad to see weapon, killing Uzan and wounding the officers. The trio it because a Denmark where armed officers stand outside were standing guard over approximately 80 people who had [the] synagogue doesn’t seem like the peaceful country I gathered for a bat mitzvah celebration in a building behind know and love,” Schwarz said. “But it’s necessary.” the synagogue. Guests reportedly took shelter in the baseDenmark has approximately 8,000 Jews, according to the ment after the shooting and later were escorted out under European Jewish Congress. heavy guard.

EJC officials stressed that the problem of Jewish security is On Sunday morning, Danish police killed a 22-year-old not Denmark’s alone and called for continent-wide counterman in a shootout who they said was a Muslim extremist measures, including legislation that provides national govresponsible for both shootings. The shooter was later iden- ernments with improved tools to counter the threat. tified as Omar El-Hussein.

“We are dealing with a pan-European problem which is Throughout the day Sunday, heavily armed police officers being dealt with individually instead of on a pan-European remained deployed across the capital and beyond as author- basis,” said Arie Zuckerman, a senior EJC official who overities hunted for accomplices. sees the group’s Security and Crisis Centre. “This is part of The attack comes amid an escalation in anti-Semitic inci- the reason our enemies are the ones that have the initiative.” dents in Denmark, including one this summer in which sevEJC President Moshe Kantor called on the European eral individuals broke into a Jewish school just weeks after Union to establish an agency devoted to fighting antithe conclusion of Israel’s seven-week conflict with Hamas in Semitism.

Gaza. No one was hurt in the incident, but some weeks ear“European governments and leaders who in the name of lier Jewish educators had instructed students not to wear upholding liberties refrain from acting effectively against yarmulkes or other identifying garments to school. terrorists are endangering those very freedoms because they “This reality and the attack hurt the Jewish community are exposing them to the terrorists’ attacks,” Kantor said. both by encouraging emigration and by forcing people to Back in Copenhagen, Dr. Ilan Raymond, a Jewish physidistance their children, for security reasons, from the Jewish cian and father of two, spoke of an uncertain road ahead. community, its schools and institutions,” Schwarz said.

“What happened Sunday is a shock that will stay with us Yet Danish authorities often resisted requests for greater for a long time,” said Raymond, who learned of the attack security measures, an issue that Rabbi Andrew Baker raised while on vacation abroad when his 16-year-old son sent him last September during a visit to Denmark in his capacity as a text message that read “I am alright.”

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.

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In Salt Lake, a Reuben worshipper builds his temple

by ANTHONY WEISS cious food out of very simple things. We did SALT LAKE CITY (JTA) -- Going back to the same thing with very basic foods and try his very first bite of a Reuben more than 50 to make them savory by using some spices.” years ago, Randy Harmsen has always loved However, Harmsen says, Mormon food -deli food. So when he decided to open his famously heavy on casseroles and Jell-O own restaurant, the Salt Lake City native fol- molds, along with starches and boiled meats lowed in the footsteps of his heroes, who -- wasn’t always as much to his liking. founded establishments like Katz’s in New York, Langer’s in Los Angeles and Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, Mich.

But although Harmsen’s 9th South Deli is stocked with deli classics like succulent pastrami and crunchy pickles, it differs from the predecessors who inspired it in at least one key regard: Unlike the Jewish founders of Katz’s, Langer’s or Zingerman’s, Randy Harmsen is Mormon and a former bishop in the Mormon church.

9th South Deli Reuben, right, Randy Harmsen Harmsen first sampled deli food as a teenager in 1963 at the delicatessen Like many Mormons, of Lu Dornbush, a Dutch-born Holocaust Harmsen also sees deeper connections survivor who maintained a shop in down- between the Mormon experience and that of town Salt Lake City, and was immediately the Jews. Harmsen’s great-great-grandfather, taken with the cuisine. As he subsequently William Clayton, was part of the original traveled for work -- he ran an engineering Mormon settlement of Navuoo, Ill. Clayton firm -- Harmsen always made a point to accompanied Brigham Young in the wagon seek out delis in whatever city he happened train of Mormon pioneers who fled persecuto be in and try their offerings. tion and ultimately founded Salt Lake City.

Part of the appeal, of course, was the taste. That migration is known as the Mormon In addition, as Harmsen learned more Exodus. about the history of Jewish immigrants and Harmsen has eaten his way through delis their foods, he came to see a parallel across the country, and he rates the original between deli food and the fare of the early kosher Second Avenue Deli, which was on Mormon pioneers.

New York’s Lower East Side, as the best he’s “It was a low-priced soul food for the tried. But the most important deli he visited Jewish population,” Harmsen told JTA. on his journey to restauranteur was “When it first came they were quite a poor Zingerman’s. He was introduced to its fare by population, so they learned to make deli- his son, who attended the nearby University

of Michigan. Harmsen tried the Reuben and was floored. He became a devotee, and when he decided to sell his engineering business a few years later and thought about opening his own Jewish-inspired deli, he returned to Zingerman’s for advice.

“They said, ‘You want to make a million dollars in a delicatessen?’ and I said, ‘Well, that would be nice.’ They said, ‘Start with two million,’” Harmsen recalled.

But they agreed to help Harmsen launch his dream. He studied the deli business at Zingerman’s for about 30 days over the course of a year, then hired a general manager and sent her to train there for two weeks.

Harmsen also took research trips to New York and Los Angeles to find the best source of pastrami, and ultimately found his favorite at Langer’s Deli, which directed him to its supplier, RC Provision Inc. He then leased a space in a renovated Victorian house in the eclectic shopping district of this city’s hip 9th and 9th neighborhood, across the street from a yoga studio, and decorated with assistance from his wife.

The 9th South Deli opened in Feb. 2011 and promptly earned positive reviews from local publications (albeit with complaints about the “New York prices”).

Sustaining a deli in Salt Lake City is no simple task, especially given that the Jewish population in all of Utah is under 6,000.

Dornbush retired in 1978, shutting down his place. The city had trouble maintaining a deli afterward.

The market became more crowded when

Passover A Greetings B

$52

This year you can send your greetings through these very special ads that will run in our annual Passover issue. Each ad can be personalized with your name, the names of your children or your grandchildren. Just fill out the form below and send or bring it to the Jewish Press office. But hurry; these ads will only be accepted through February 28, 2015.

Passover Greetings Ads

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Use the lines below to list your family members names you would like on your Passover ad.

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____________________________________________________________________________________________ Please send a check for the amount listed along side the different sized ads with this form to the Jewish Press office in the JCC or mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 South 132 Street, Omaha, NE 68154

Feldman’s Deli opened in late 2012. (A third Jewish deli, Kosher on the Go, largely caters to observant Jewish customers.) Feldman’s owner, Mike Feldman, who is Jewish and grew up in Newark, N.J., said that a visit to 9th South left him convinced that there was still an opening in the city for a truly traditional deli.

“The difference is that we grew up with deli, so we do all the traditional things the old-fashioned way,” Feldman said. “There’s a couple times when I’ve been in his deli, and I could tell he didn’t grow up with it.”

Feldman cited the rye bread and the mustard, in particular, as not meeting his standard for authenticity. (9th South offers a choice of dijon, yellow or whole grain mustard, while Feldman’s uses a spicy brown deli-style mustard.)

Harmsen acknowledges that the opening of Feldman’s has likely cut into his business.

“I think Salt Lake is a little small to have two Jewish delis, but our doors are still open,” he said.

Harmsen also argues that some of his choices, such as offering pumpernickel as the standard bread for a pastrami sandwich rather than rye is rooted in his own sense of authenticity.

“In our research, pumpernickel was the original pastrami bread,” Harmsen said.

“Pastrami is out of Romania, which is a pumpernickel area.”

In addition to pastrami and corned beef, 9th South does also have a few less Jewishly traditional sandwiches on its menu, including ham and cheese, turkey and bacon, and pastrami with cream cheese and scallions.

But certainly some of Harmsen’s customers are satisfied.

“I loved it -- ate every bit of it,” said Roger Hancock of his just-consumed pastrami sandwich. “And I’m from New York originally, so I know Jewish delis.”

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