February 27, 2009

Vol. LXXXVIII No. 26 Omaha, NE

Celebrating 88 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa

Part 1: The making of Islamic terrorists

Identity Crisis: Muslims in Europe by DINAH A. SPRITZER Islam,” he said. BRADFORD, England Even if only an estimat(JTA) -- Ishtiaq Ahmed, ed 3 percent to 4 percent who works as a of Muslim youth become spokesman for the extremists, Ahmed said, Bradford Council for “that is still far, far too Mosques, lives with three many.” generations of his family The London bombings, in a luxurious British like the Madrid train home built by his father, a bombings in March 2004 successful Pakistani-born and foiled terrorist plots businessman. elsewhere in Europe After the July 7, 2005 since, have forced Europe public transit bombings to focus on homegrown in London, which killed Islamic radicalism. 52 people, Ahmed woke Beyond implementing up, looked around his security measures needed neighborhood and was to prevent terrorist troubled by what he saw. attacks, Europe is trying Three of the four to understand the sense bombers were from nearof fury and alienation by Leeds and, like him, many Muslims feel and they had Pakistani backthat, in a few rare cases, grounds. might lead them to try to “There is a growing murder their neighbors. section of Muslim young “The number of individpeople 16 to 25 who are uals in Europe who have increasingly becoming French police barricade a Paris street where anti-Israel demon- joined violent jihadi movealienated, disillusioned strators set fire to vehicles during a protest on Jan. 3, 2009. ments has increased,” said Credit: Deborah Lauter Alexander Ritzmann, an and angry about a host of issues, such as unemployment, racism and British foreign expert on Islamic terrorism from the Brussels-based policy,” Ahmed said. European Foundation for Democracy and a former memMany of these young people, he said, feel that the ber of Germany’s parliament. Based on terrorist incidents British government is against them. and intelligence dossiers, he said, “there has been an “They see the government is willing to spend millions increase of planned attacks over the last five years.” of dollars fighting Muslims in Iraq, but not help them To be sure, the number of European Muslims engaged with their problems at home,” Ahmed said. in terrorism is minuscule compared with their overall That can make them ripe for recruitment by Islamic numbers. Of the roughly 17 million Muslims living in extremists. the 27-country European Union, a total of 242 were “People with a pan-Islamic agenda tell these young charged with terrorism-related crimes from 2001 to people: All your problems are because you are Muslim” 2006, according to a study by the Netherlands Institute -- living in a non-Muslim country -- “so we should all for International Relations. unite and assert ourselves and restore the glory of Continued on page 2

3 Adar, 5769

February 27, 2009

Israel a safe haven now for immigrants from Yemen by EDGAR ASHER In a special operation organized by the Jewish Agency and the Yemenite Jewish Federation of America, 10 new immigrants arrived from Yemen last week. Nine of the group are members of the Said Ben Yisrael family, one of the heads of the Raida community. Several weeks ago, extremists threw a grenade into his courtyard. Following this incident he and family went to live in the Yemen capital, Sana’a. On Dec. 10, 2008, Moshe Yaish Nahari, a father of nine, was murdered by Moslem extremists. These antiSemitic incidents became worse after the IDF operation in Gaza. There are approximately 280 Jews left today in Yemen, 230 of whom live in Raida in the Omran province, and another 50 Jews living in the capital city of Sana’a. Most of Yemen’s Jews were airlifted in the famed 1956 operation, Operation Magic Carpet. Funding for this latest operation has been provided foremost by the United Jewish Communities, the Yemenite Federation of North America, Keren Hayesod United Israel Appeal, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and various independent donors in Israel and around the world.

Members of the Said Ben Yisrael family, one of the heads of the Raida community in Yemen, arrived at Ben Gurion airport last week in an emergency airlift to Israel. Credit: ISRANET

Visit by Israeli teens fuels excitement for Artza 2009 by TAMAR HALEVY JCC Shlicha Nearly 30 Jewish teens from Omaha will be exploring Israel this summer with Artza 2009. They have even more to look forward to after spending time recently with Israeli teens they will meet again this summer. Thirteen Israelis visited from the Matte Asher Regional Council, in Omaha’s Partnership with Israel region of the Western Galilee. Six Omaha families hosted the Israeli teens, and many of them will reciprocate when they host Omaha teens for one weekend during the Artza trip. The trip aims to increase knowledge, understanding, and connections to Israel while developing leadership skills and a strong sense of community. The Omaha teens immediately connected with the Israelis. They achieved what organizers hope for: people-to-people connections. Shortly after the teens arrived, Corey Kirshenbaum, director for the Artza

Inside

2009 trip, facilitated a series of icebreakers as part of the kickoff that had everyone laughing and learning. That evening, 40 teens shared a Tu B’Shevat seder at the Jewish Community Center, led by Rabbi Jonathan Gross of Beth Israel Synagogue. This gave Omaha and Israeli teens a chance to have a Jewish experience with peers and to socialize in a casual environment. Next on the itinerary, Israeli teens met with Alan Potash, director of the AntiDefamation League, and Beth Dotan, director of the Institute for Holocaust Education, to learn about issues facing American Jews. The Israeli teens responded to hearing about antiSemitism in America with questions like, “Isn’t America the land of freedom?” and “Does anti-Semitism conflict with the American Dream?” The group had some of the most meaningful moments of the trip while visiting Friedel Jewish Academy. They could not believe that elementary school students in Omaha, sing “HaTikvah” every day,

praying for the State of Israel and its soldiers. They were impressed by the education about Israel and Hebrew that children learn at Friedel and received a warm welcome from the children and staff, led by principal Ron Giller, and teachers Eadie Tsabari and Naama Artzi. Two Israeli girls even said they would return to Omaha again just for the Friedel kids! That evening, community teens were invited to an event with Neil Lazarus, a British-born Israeli who is an entertaining motivational speaker. More than 70 teens attended and learned about current events in the Middle East and the recent Israeli elections. The 13 visiting At Friedel Jewish Academy, Israeli teen Yasmin Raviv talks teens were outspoken in Continued on page 8 with student Leora McNamara.

This Week: Monthly Calendar for March: Pages 10-11

See Front Page Stories & More at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’ Opinion Page see page 12

Does ‘When Bibi met Barack’ have a happy ending? Page 4

Coming Next Month: Home & Garden on March 13 Purim services, celebrations around the Heartland: Pages 6-7

Life insurance gift to benefit the CDC: Page 16

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

February 27, 2009

Part 1: The making of Islamic terrorists

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Continued from page 1 But support for terrorist attacks appears to be far more widespread. Roughly one in seven Muslims in France, Spain and Britain believe suicide bombings against civilian targets can be justified at times to defend Islam against its enemies, a 2006 Pew Research Center survey showed. And with the Iraq war, the Afghanistan campaign and Israel’s recent war in Gaza, experts say al-Qaida’s notion that Islam is under attack by the West is gaining currency among Muslims in Europe. Terrorist groups like al-Qaida and militant Islamists have tried to tap into Muslim fury in Europe, with some success. Foreign policy often is cited as a key motivating factor by terrorists. One of the 2005 London suicide bombers, Mohammad Sidique Khan, left behind a video in which he justified his attack, saying, “Your democratically elected governments continually perpetrate atrocities against my people all over the world. Your support makes you directly responsible.”

one of Europe’s leading counter-radicalism organizations, the Quilliam Foundation, talked to the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs last July about how as a young man he felt torn, like so many second-generation Pakistani immigrants, between British culture and that of his parents. “Despite my liberal British upbringing, I was subject to an appalling level of racist violence by a minority of thugs,” he said. “Many of my white friends were stabbed before my eyes simply for associating with me.” “Whilst such a crisis of identity initially concerned only racial and ethnic dimensions, the tragic slaughter of white Muslims that was to eventually play out in BosniaHerzegovina brought to the fore of my mind Europe's Muslim question,” he told the committee. “Through this rude awakening, and for the first time in my life, I became critically aware of a Muslim identity.” Beware the caliphate The path to violent extremism can be found in political Islam, which views Islam not just as a religion but as

Left: Public meeting called by Hizb ut-Tahrir at All Saints Parish Church in Bedford discussing the "radicalization" of Muslims. Credit: Fotdmike/Creative Commons

Muslims demonstrated in large numbers, like this rally in London on Jan. 3, to protest against Israel during its incurCredit: Claudia Vieira/Creative Commons sion into Gaza.

The 29 bombers who carried out the 2004 Madrid attacks, which left 191 dead and 1,755 wounded, were inspired by al-Qaida’s 2003 call for action against countries supportive of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, court documents show. But the picture of Muslim fury is complicated, and it is easy to confuse the anger of European Muslims over their treatment as a disenfranchised minority in Europe -- such as the riots that rocked Paris' heavily Muslim immigrant suburbs in the autumn of 2005 -- with sympathy for antiWestern terrorism. In the 1960s and ’70s, European governments recruited manual laborers from poor, rural, mostly Muslim countries such as Pakistan, Turkey, Morocco and Algeria without paying much attention to how they might fit into European societies. Governments assumed these workers eventually would return to their countries of origin. Instead they remained, struggling against problems such as discrimination and poverty. Many lived in substandard housing, frequently were denied jobs and homes due to their ethnic background, and scored considerably lower than native Europeans on school tests. After the terrorist attacks this decade, European governments finally woke up and began promoting integration and equal opportunities. But the measures are so recent, it will be years before their impact can be gauged and, in some cases, felt. Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to attribute support for Islamic terrorism to Europe’s failure to integrate Muslim immigrants. Nearly half the convicted terrorists in the study by the Netherlands Institute hailed from middle-class families that appeared to be successful models of integration. So were the men who committed the London bombings in 2005. Peter Neumann, director of the International Center for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence at King’s College in London, says an identity crisis is at the crux of sympathy for and involvement in Islamic terrorism. “European Muslims feel torn between the culture of their parents they do not identify with and Western culture that does not really accept them,” he said. “This is true for all immigrants, but the key difference is that there is no ideology for Hindus, for instance, saying that the West is at war with your religion and that there are Zionists and crusaders who want to kill you.” What emerges from interviews with former Islamic extremists is that years of alienation can give rise to radicalism, even among the middle class. Maajid Nawaz, a former British Islamist who now runs

a political system under which all Muslims one day will be united, Nawaz says. Al-Qaida and its offshoots preach violence as a means to this goal, while more moderate groups believe political Islam should be achieved through nonviolent means. Britain’s most successful Islamist organization, Hizb ut-Tahrir, known by the acronym HT and whose name means Party of Liberation, is banned in the Middle East and in Germany. HT holds that Muslims, if convinced by ideology, will rise up and engage in peaceful coup d'etats in Muslim countries to restore the Islamic caliphate the group claims was destroyed when Turkey became secular a century ago. HT’s biennial meetings in Britain draw an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people. Officially, HT condemns terrorism and maintains it opposes violence of any kind in the name of Islam. “In the West, Hizb ut-Tahrir works to cultivate a Muslim community that lives by Islam in thought and deed, whereby adhering to the rules of Islam and preserving a strong Islamic identity,” says the movement’s website. “The party does not work in the West to change the system of government, but works to project a positive image of Islam to Western society and engages in dialogue with Western thinkers, policymakers and academics.” HT officials did not return JTA’s calls for comment. Ishtiaq Hussain, a former member of HT who now works with the Quilliam Foundation, says the key to successful recruitment of radicals is exploiting whatever grievances extremists can find among young Muslims. “Recruiters will say that the war in Iraq shows that Americans want to kill Muslims and we have to unite against this,” Hussain said. “They will basically take any problem you have and turn it into a Muslims vs. the West issue.” HT recruits primarily at universities, where its leaders run prayer services and other events but do not necessarily identify themselves as HT members. Recruiters keep their eyes out for those who seem most receptive to their message, befriending and encouraging them to attend more and more events. A former recruiter himself, Hussain recalls luring students away from more moderate Muslim groups by discrediting them as government stooges and enforcing the idea that only HT represents true Islam. “All the books you read, the people you talk to,” are HT, Hussain said. They “tell you not to listen to your friends or family.” Like any other cult -- or, perhaps, college fraternity Continued on page 3

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February 27, 2009

Part 1: The making of Islamic terrorists

gence in religiosity among Muslims since Continued from page 2 -- HT gives members a sense of empow- the launch of the so-called war on terror. erment through belonging to a tight- Many have turned to faith in the face of knit, elite group. But unlike a fraternity, anti-Muslim sentiment, and devout HT also sometimes encourages recruits Muslims insist Islam is a force for good, not ill. to turn against those closest to them. Activists like Ishtiaq Ahmed say Muslim “There was that feeling of being on the cusp of a new world order which would leaders must make a greater effort to conrevive the glory days of Islam,” wrote vey to young people that being a politicalanother former HT member and co- ly involved British citizen is compatible founder of the Quilliam Foundation, Ed Hussein, in Britain’s Independent newspaper last April. “For a 17year-old who felt out of place in the U.K., it was very attractive. Everywhere we went, we were the brothers to be respected. It was intoxicating.” Moderate Muslims say groups such as HT distort true Islam in recruiting young people to the cause of extremism. While HT does not promote terrorism, A rally in Frankfurt on Jan. 11, which drew an estimated Hussain describes it as a concrowd of 2,000, was one of three pro-Israel demonstrations veyor belt to violence. in major German cities that day. Credit: Honestly Concerned “They never tell you to go blow yourself up, but they do not con- with being a religious Muslim. demn it either; they leave it up to the indi“Islamic faith institutions have a duty to vidual,” he said. “And we believe their protect the young Muslim population kind of thinking can lead some people to from dangerous and violent propaganda,” violent acts.” he said. “We can’t bury our heads in the An engineer and doctor who tried to sand and pretend this is not a problem.” blow up the Scottish airport in Glasgow in 2007 attended HT meetings. So did To read the rest of the six-part JTA series Omar Sharif, a Briton who tried but failed -- Identiy Crisis: Muslims in Europe -- go to the Jewish Fedration of Omaha website, to blow himself up in Tel Aviv in 2003. To be sure, there is no sure recipe for located at: www.jewishomaha.org and transforming an alienated Muslim into a click on Jewish Press. The remaining five parts, including photos, will be terrorist. Across Europe, there has been a resur- posted this week.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

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Temple hosts open their homes to Tri-Faith partners by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Conveying a message of hope and peace, 52 men and women of three faiths shared dinner together at the homes of four Temple Israel members. Tri-Faith partners -- the American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture, the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska, and Temple -- turned off the media and set aside their personal hesitations to share an evening of conversation and to have a meal together. “I really enjoyed our dinner,” said Sammy Reagan, who spent the evening at the home of Susan Rothholz. “Not only because the food was so good but also because of the conversation. It was a joy to see how different faiths practice their beliefs. It was even better to see all of us try to understand why we do different things as we practice these beliefs. I learned a lot. Many of my assumptions

were completely wrong. In fact, it was an eye opener. This makes it even more imperative we succeed in our plan on our Tri-Faith initiative.” Another of Rothholz’s guests, Abdel Nasser Abdelaal, added, “The dinner was a special opportunity for building mutual understanding, respect, and friendship among the children of Abraham. We do not have such opportunities back home in the Middle East.” Woody Bradford and his wife, Patty, dined at the home of Les and Jan Schneiderman. “It was a great setting with an easy exchange of views,” according to Bradford. “The conflict in Palestine was lightly touched by those who had been to Israel. It was clear that we had much in common and felt we were blessed to be living in Omaha.” Others who hosted dinners were Deb and Doug Finnicum, Suzanne Singer, and Jane and Harlan Rips.

Left: Some of the guests dining together last month at the homes of Temple Israel members were Marwa Abdelaal, left, Abdel Nasser Abdelaal, Farhan Kahn, and Cantor

Wendy Shermet; and right, also enjoying dinner and conversation were Angela Quader, left, Mohammed Quader, and Wendy Goldberg.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

February 27, 2009

Does ‘When Bibi met Barack’ have a happy ending?

by RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -- When Bibi met Barack there was chemistry, the story goes. Benjamin “Bibi� Netanyahu, the once and possible future Israeli prime minister, first met then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama in a private meeting in 2007, during one of Netanyahu’s stateside visits. It was clear, Netanyahu aides later told reporters, that the two men one day would assume roles on the world stage. The pair met a second time last July, in Jerusalem, and both with their country’s top jobs in their sights. Obama had secured the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, while Netanyahu had revived his Likud Party from a rump and was leading in polls to succeed the scandaltainted Ehud Olmert, who would announce his resignation as prime minister days later. Obama won his race in November, and Netanyahu’s campaign took on Obama’s hues, adopting the slogan of “change� for Israel and erecting a campaign website that mimicked Obama’s. Or so the story goes. This version, accurate if not quite complete, is being peddled behind the scenes in Washington by those keen on seeing a smooth relationship between Jerusalem and Washington when Netanyahu becomes Israel’s prime minister, after the right wing’s strong showing in the Feb. 10 election. Netanyahu and Obama may not agree on the details, they say, but like any successful couple they see eye to eye when it comes to the big picture. But tune out the toasts and listen to the gossip, and it becomes clear that this marriage could end with broken dinnerware. Should Netanyahu form a coalition government and become prime minister, this will be his second time around; survivors from his 1996-99 dalliance with the Clinton administration are not only around, they are members of Obama’s new administration. Dennis Ross, President Clinton’s top Middle East peace negotiator, is expected take up a Middle East policy overseer slot at the State Department -- headed, as it happens, by Hillary Clinton, the former first lady. Look up “Netanyahu, Binyamin (Bibi) -- personal qualities� in Ross’ mammoth 2004 account of his struggle for peace, The Missing Peace, and on page 260, Ross describes the Israeli prime minister as “nearly insufferable� in his first meeting with Clinton. “After Netanyahu was gone, President Clinton observed, ‘He thinks he is the superpower and we are here to do what he requires,’� Ross writes. “No one on our side disagreed with that assessment.� It doesn’t stop there: In his dealings with Ross, Netanyahu comes across as needy, manipulative, unreliable and perhaps worst of all, a party pooper. At the end of the exhausting 1998 Wye River negotiations, Ross reflects on Netanyahu’s constant moving of the goal

posts, including a sudden last-minute demand for the release of convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard. “Bibi has already robbed us of the joy of reaching agreement,� Ross tells an associate. Martin Indyk, the U.S. ambassador to Israel at the time Netanyahu was first elected, and now an informal adviser to Hillary Clinton, is no kinder. He describes in Innocent Abroad, his just published account of the Clinton years, how Clinton and his staff eagerly hoped for Netanyahu’s defeat in 1996. Clinton resented Netanyahu in part because as Israeli opposition leader, he had agitated in Congress against Clinton’s support of the Rabin-Peres talks with Syria.

Aides to Benjamin Netanyahu, left, now the soon-to-be prime minister in Israel, say he has “chemistry� with U.S. President Barack Obama, but there still remain reasons for tension between them. Credit: Brain Hendler Indyk calls Netanyahu’s term “the winter of our peace process discontent.� Some of these resentments have been assumed by the Obama team. Obama himself, meeting with Jewish leaders in Cleveland a year ago, described “a strain within the pro-Israel community that says unless you adopt an unwavering pro-Likud approach to Israel, then you’re anti-Israel, and that can’t be the measure of our friendship with Israel.� Centrist pro-Israel insiders say Netanyahu has matured in the interim and has foresworn the clumsy attempts at interference in the U.S. political system that characterized his first term, including openly courting Clinton’s evangelical enemies. Additionally, Obama and Netanyahu genuinely get along, unlike Clinton and Netanyahu, who never clicked. Furthermore, these insiders argue, Netanyahu’s bottom-up approach to Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking parallels that of Gen. James Jones, Obama’s national security adviser. Both have said in recent interviews that they favor building infrastructure before advancing to finalstatus talks. “We must fundamentally improve the lives of our

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Palestinian neighbors so that they have a stake in peace,� Netanyahu told the Chicago Tribune recently. “We need to help Palestinians expand their middle class, strengthen their civil society and provide hope for a better future.� Obama’s envoy to the region, George Mitchell, appears to be adopting that cautious approach. Possible differences loom, however. In the previous Bush administration, Jones was the patron of the rehabilitation of Palestinian armed forces in the West Bank; Netanyahu is adamant about demilitarization. In the past, Mitchell has emphasized a settlement freeze; acceding would infuriate much of Netanyahu’s Likud Party, never mind any right-wing parties he brings with him into his government. Differences are emerging as well on Iran, the very issue that supposedly brought Obama and Netanyahu together. Netanyahu favors aggressive containment, while Obama in his first major presidential news conference on Feb. 16 emphasized dialogue. “My national security team is currently reviewing our existing Iran policy, looking at areas where we can have constructive dialogue, where we can directly engage with them,� Obama said. “And my expectation is, in the coming months, we will be looking for openings that can be created where we can start sitting across the table, face-to-face diplomatic overtures, that will allow us to move our policy in a new direction.� Netanyahu vexes his interlocutors with an agile eagerness to impress that sometimes appears to spill over into dissembling. In 2005, as finance minister, he visited the U.S. Senate to pitch his plan for a canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. He cast the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as principal beneficiaries of the plan through increased trade and employment, and the senators lapped it up. Just minutes earlier, in the same conference room, he had told Israeli reporters in Hebrew that as far as he was concerned the Palestinians could take or leave participation in the project -- they were marginal to its success. The fact that both conversations were on the record didn’t appear to faze him a bit. Such maneuvering could trip up Netanyahu, says Yoram Peri, a Tel Aviv University political scientist who is a visiting professor at American University in Washington. “That’s his personality,� Peri said. “The major problem of Netanyahu is Bibi; in Israel, the question we ask is, ‘Will Netanyahu be able to tame Bibi?’ “ A dovish pro-Israel insider concurred, saying that Democrats in the Obama administration and in the Congress are wary of Netanyahu. “He’s not coming to a Washington that thinks highly of him, on eother side of Pennsylvania Avenue,� the Continued on page 5

www.centurypa.com

February 27, 2009

Happy ending?

Continued from page 4 last year, saying now is not the time to insider said. “Republicans are wowed by give up the Golan heights, Netanyahu him -- but they’re not in power any- came close to making such a deal when he more.” was prime minister. Others said personality issues might be “If he wants to contain a clash with subsumed by the kind of government Washington” over its aggressive pursuit Netanyahu cobbles together. If he of peace, Peri said, “it’ll be easier for him includes Kadima and Labor in a centrist to support discussions with Syria.” coalition, he might be able to break with Ori Nir, the spokesman for Americans some of the doctrines of the past. The for Peace Now, said interactions between same would not be true of a coalition with hawkish parties. “Netanyahu allowed himself to be boxed in in the 1990s” by the right wing, said David Makovksy, a senior analyst with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Now that he has a shot at forming Israel’s next government, Makovsky said, Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu, left, accepts from Netanyahu should focus on President Shimon Peres the mandate to try and form a coaliwhere he wants to take the tion government. Although Netanyahu has until March 20 to country when assembling his form a viable coalition, it is expected that he will complete Credit: ISRANET the task earlier than the deadline. coalition. “The coalition should reflect the mis- Netanyahu and Obama may be beside the sion, not the other way around,” point. The determining factor in the Makovsky said. Middle East, he said, is not the personalPeri said Netanyahu would be unlikely ity of the occupant of the White House to stray too far from Likud doctrine when but the realities of the region. it comes to the Palestinians, considering “What every Israeli government finds the rise of hard-liners within the party. when it takes the reins is the same reality: Instead, he suggested, a Netanyahu the same West Bank, the same Iran, the administration might make headway with same Gaza, the same Arab world,” Nir Syria. Though Netanyahu has expressed said. “Campaign slogans aside, it has to opposition to the Israel-Syria talks revived deal with that reality.”

Are you Jewish, 25-40 years old, and living in Omaha?

by JANIE MUROW Community Development Director This is your “once in a lifetime opportunity” to travel to Israel for $1500 (from Newark, NJ) June 10-19. The Jewish Federation of Omaha has approached many donors from the community to help subsidize this trip to

highlights, visitors will see Masada and the Dead Sea, explore the Golan Heights, experience the new Yad Vashem, and walk the narrow alleyways in the Old City of Jerusalem. “Jamie and I both visited Israel as teens. Now we are going with our husbands and others from Omaha. Together we will be able to see the country, meet Israelis, learn more about Jewish community, then come back to Omaha energized and ready to share these experiences with friends and family,” said Dana Kaufman. Hear more about this Jamie and Ted Friedland Dana and Mike Kaufman fantastic trip on enable young people to experience the Tuesday, March 3, 7 p.m., in the Kripke rich culture, history, food, sights, and Library at the Jewish Community Center. The longtime Israeli tour guide for the night life of this wonderful country. Mike and Dana Kaufman and Ted and Omaha Jewish community, Alex Fleisher Jamie Friedland will lead the adventure will be in town to answer questions. For through Israel, where participants will more information or to RSVP, contact me jmurow@jewishomaha.org or visit Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the Western at Galilee on the shores of the 334.6566 for more details. Space is limitMediterranean. Among the trip’s many ed.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

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Temple Women to be honored

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) will lead the Shabbat worship service with the clergy on Friday, March 6, 7:30 p.m., at Temple Israel. Using verse from The Torah, A Women’s Commentary as well as excerpts from Shabbat services used in other cities, WRJ will create its own service for “The Many Faces of Sisterhood.” “We decided to hold a WRJ Shabbat to honor and pay tribute to the women of Temple Israel who have made an invaluable contribution to our congregation,” said Susie Norton, currently WRJ vice president of membership and presidentelect. “We hope that all the women of Temple Israel, regardless of membership

in WRJ, will choose to participate in this warm and heartfelt tribute.” A showcase of teachings of Jewish women, The Torah, A Women’s Commentary, is the first comprehensive commentary on the Torah written entirely by women. Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Rabbi Andrea L. Weiss, Ph.D., the editors, focused most sharply on texts relevant to women’s lives. The book’s three guiding words are contemporary, Jewish, and women. Women will read passages in English and Hebrew, recite personal prayers about their connection to WRJ and the community, and of course, bake for the Oneg. Norton welcomed the entire community to attend.

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February 27, 2009

Beth El’s Shushan shenanigans promise Purim fun

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

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Purim fun at Beth El is infectious and irresistible; year after year, the synagogue’s holiday festivities deliver a rollicking good time filled with food, fun, costumes and prizes ... not to mention the whole Megillah! Promising fun for all ages, the synagogue’s Shushan shenanigans will commence with the boisterous Family Megillah reading, planned for Monday, March 9, fol-

your party. At 7:30 p.m., the full Megillah will be read in the chapel. BILU USY Purim Carnival Fun is also on tap for all attending the annual BILU USY Purim Carnival, to be held on Sunday, March 8, 11:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature age-appropriate game booths, a silent auction and raffle, plus lunch, served once again by the synagogue’s dedicated Men’s Club members.

Games, groggers and goodies marked last year's Purim celebration at Beth El; attendees enjoyed the annual costume parade during the Family Megillah Reading, and game lowing the 5:45 p.m. Ma’ariv service. Attendees are sure to be dazzled by colorful, creative costumes, an entertaining Purim Shpiel performed by USY teens, and of course, the Megillah reading, complete with cheers and boos (the latter for Haman, of course!). At the end of the service, revelers will have a chance to strut their stuff during a costume parade and costume contest; prizes will be awarded for “Most Creative,” “Most Well-Known Person,” “Funniest,” and “Most Purim-like.” No attire will be too wacky; the crazier the better! After the Family Megillah Reading, everyone is invited to stay for a free Mexican buffet dinner at 6:30 p.m., which will also feature the Sisterhood baking brigade’s delectable hamantaschen. For planning purposes, attendees are asked to RSVP by March 4 to Margie Gutnik at 492.8550 or at programming@bethel-omaha.org; be sure to include the number of adults and children in

booths and cotton candy were a huge draw for youngsters at the USY Purim Carnival.

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The Purim carnival serves as USY’s biggest fund-raiser of the year; proceeds are used for convention travel expenses and scholarships, and a portion is donated to two charities selected by USY members. The entire community is invited to support Beth El’s teens and have a great time in the process. According to organizers, game tickets are five for $1, four for $1 the day of the carnival. Raffle tickets are $1 each -- buy 10 and get one free. Individual meal tickets are $7, and patrons may also take advantage of the combo packages being offered: a combo pack (one meal, 10 game tickets and one raffle ticket) is $8 in advance, $9.50 the day of the carnival; or the Family Pack (including four meals, 50 game tickets and 11 raffle tickets) is $40. New this year: a ping pong tournament for all ages, complete with a prize for the winner. Sign up to play for only $5 by contacting Robert Mosenkis at the synagogue, 492.8550, or at youthdir@bethel-omaha.org.

Get creative for Purim at Beth Israel by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue It’s that time of year! It’s time to get creative and choose your costume. And, it’s time to make plans to attend Megillah readings and enjoy festive meals with family and friends. Beth Israel will offer a variety of events during Purim and the community is invited to attend. In preparation for Purim, come to Beth Israel on Sunday, March 8, 11 a.m., to help make Mishloach Manot baskets for residents of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. This is a great opportunity to get into the spirit of Purim and fulfill one of the mitzvot of the holiday. Everyone is also invited to help deliver the baskets on Tuesday, March 10, 3:45 p.m. Purim observances will start on the evening of Monday, March 9, 7:15 p.m., beginning with Ma’ariv and a costume parade at 7:30 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for best adult, child, baby (under age two) and family costumes. There will be a Megillah reading at 8 p.m. followed by dinner with sundaes for dessert. There is no

charge for this fun-filled evening if reservations are made by March 2. After that date, the dinner will cost $5 per person. On Tuesday, March 10, there will be Megillah readings at 6:45 a.m. and 9 a.m. Another Megillah reading will be offered at Remington Heights at 2:45 p.m. There will be one more Megillah reading at Beth Israel at 5:30 p.m. After the last Megillah reading, there will be a Seuda (meal). Back by popular demand, the Amazing Arthur will return to provide the entertainment, along with Poppin’ Penelope. Cost is $12 for adults, $6 for children ages four to 12 and free for children ages three and younger. “We always have such a great time during our Purim celebrations, with the costumes and the entertainment and the Megillah readings,” noted executive director, Beth Cohen. “You won’t want to miss out on the enjoyment and sense of community that we share as we observe this festive holiday.” To RSVP for the dinners, call the office at 556.6288.

Get your costumes ready for Purim festivities at Temple Israel by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator There’s no such thing as the right or the wrong costume for Purim. The important thing is just to wear one! So get creative and be prepared for the Purim Spiel on Sunday, March 8, 11:15 a.m., at the Prayer Assembly at Temple Israel. Rabbi Eric Linder will give you a reason to twirl your groggers as the Scroll of Esther is read and King Ahasuerus, Mordecai, and the beautiful Jewish queen once again foil the evil Haman’s plot against the Jews. “Passover-Easter Dilemma: Surveying Some of the Current Joys and Challenges in Jewish-Christian Relations,” the Four B’s workshop, will be led by Beth Katz, director of Project Interfaith, who will begin the morning at 10 a.m. followed by the Purim Spiel.

Right after the spiel, children and their families will try their luck at the Purim Carnival featuring an assortment of entertaining games. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children and their parents get a sneak preview at 11:30 a.m. Everyone else is welcome from noon to 2 p.m. Lunch will be for sale at the carnival. On Erev Purim, Monday, March 9, 6 p.m., services will commemorate the victory of the Jews over Haman's wicked plan to slay them. After the Megillah reading by the clergy, there will be a no-host dinner at Pasta Amore, 11027 Prairie Brook Road in Rockbrook Shopping Center. Be sure to wear a costume! Please make a reservation for dinner by March 5, at mkube@templeisraelomaha.com or call the office at 556.6536.

DEADLINE NOTICE Please send all articles, photos and ads to the Press by Thursdays, 9 a.m., for all regular issues. Early deadlines will be announced in advance. Questions? Call 334.6448.

February 27, 2009

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 7

Purim Shpiels: Ancient and New PEOPLE OF THE

BYTE

by MARK MIETKIEWICZ

by MARK MIETKIEWICZ If you crave the roar of greasepaint and the smell of the crowd but don’t expect to be appearing on Broadway or the West End anytime soon, boy do I have a Jewish custom for you: The Purim Shpiel. This annual event is a chance for budding Jewish thespians of all ages to don costumes, act out an ancient story with modern twists and turns – and thoroughly enjoy themselves. Shpiel is a Yiddish word meaning “play” or “skit.” “As Rabbi Daniel Kohn explains, “a Purim shpiel is actually a dramatic presentation of the events outlined in the book of Esther … providing an opportunity for crowds to cheer the heroes (Mordecai and Esther) and boo the villains (Haman).” The plays often take on lives of their own in which people write skits to gently mock community leaders. [tinyurl.com/shpiel04] Rabbi Kohn quotes Dr. Jeffrey Rubenstein, a professor of religion at New York University who writes that Purim is a holiday characterized by “liminality,” a day “in which traditional social boundaries and rules of etiquette are deliberately blurred. Purim is a day to ‘blow off steam’ for a community by celebrating this ancient escape from destruction.” [tinyurl.com/shpiel06] Some of that steam blowing is apparent in the early 17th century “Achashverosh Shpiel”. You can read some pretty vivid quotes at the Hebrew-language Wikipedia entry on Purim shpiels. [tinyurl.com/shpiel07]

Virtual Jerusalem traces the tradition to Talmudic times. It quotes this description. “The boys make a figure of Haman and hang it from the roof four or five days before Purim. On Purim itself, they make a bonfire and throw the figure into the fire. They throw a lot of salt on it [obviously saltpeter - something explosive] so that it will make noise and the boys stand around and sing joyous songs.” [tinyurl.com/shpiel09] By the 1500’s, “it became customary for Purim shpiels to take place during the festive Purim meal in private homes. Yeshiva students were often recruited as actors, and they would wear masks and costumes.” Later on, amateur and professional entertainers were recruited including groups of touring players known as “Shpielers.” Nowadays, these plays are performed in countless synagogues and schools. [tinyurl.com/ shpiel03] The best Purim shpiel is, of course, the one you write yourself. But if you do need some assistance, there are numerous budding playwrights who have shared their oeuvres online. There’s a “participatory, intergenerational” version [tinyurl.com/shpiel11], a Doctor Seuss Purim Shpiel [tinyurl.com/shpiel12], a rhyming edition from Torah Tots, [tinyurl.com/shpiel13] a Rocky Horror Purim Shpiel, [tinyurl.com/shpiel14] and some others at MyJewishLearning.com including “West Side Tsorys”. [tinyurl.com/shpiel15] Please note that you may not share the same sense of humour as the people who penned these plays. I did stumble across two other fascinating examples of how Purim Shpiels change with the times. The first is

titled “Esther, Queen of Persia: a scriptural play in 5 acts by Janie Jacobson”. Published in 1921, it has been professionally scanned and can be downloaded in its entirety. [tinyurl.com/shpiel15] For something completely different, you can follow along Leah Witmond’s virtual Purim Shpiel, based on characters from the “Sims,” the life-simulation computer game. [tinyurl.com/shpiel05] And if you’d like to take in a performance or 300, it seems there is no shortage of people who have taped their shpiels and uploaded them to YouTube so that the whole world can benefit from their work. [tinyurl. com/shpiel05] The words “poignant” and “Purim shpiel” don’t usually appear in the same sentence but that is the only way to describe one special play that took place over six decades ago. In March 1945, Solly Ganor was a prisoner in Dauchau when an inmate known as “Chaim the Rabbi” stood in the snow, donned a paper crown made out of a cement sack and shouted, “Haman to the gallows! Haman to the gallows! And when I say ‘Haman to the gallows,’ we all know which Haman we are talking about!” [tinyurl.com/shpiel05] Ganor continues his story, “We were sure that he has lost his wits, as so many did in these impossible times. By now there was about 50 of us standing gaping at the ‘rabbi,’ when he said: ‘Yidden wos iz mit ajch! Fellow Jews, what is the matter with you?! Today is Purim! Let us make a Purim Shpiel!’” Mark Mietkiewicz is a Toronto-based Web site producer who writes, lectures and teaches about the Jewish Internet. He can be contacted at highway@rogers.com.

Camp Ramah promotes summer fun in a Conservative Jewish environment

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Applications are currently being accepted at Camp Ramah, the camping branch of the Conservative Jewish movement. Located 15 miles north of Eagle River, Wisconsin, Ramah offers a four-week session for children entering fifth grade from June 16 to July 13; a fourweek session for children entering sixth grade, from July 15 to Aug. 10; and an eight-week session, from June 16 to Aug.10, for seventh through 11th graders. Camp Ramah offers a full range of activities which integrate Jewish values and observances into the daily camp experience. Activities include swimming, hiking, sailing, radio, drama, dance, photography, arts and sports. Campers also participate in Hebrew language and Jewish studies, plus sessions focusing on synagogue skills. Following the tradition of the Conservative Jewish movement, all meals are kosher and Shabbat is observed.

Ramah also offers a Tikvah Program, specially geared to children with learning difficulties, social problems and communication disorders including Asperger’s Syndrome. This year’s Tikvah Program offers two sessions: the full eight-week session from June 14 to Aug. 6, and the month-long “A Taste of Tikvah” (session dates not announced). Tikvah provides an overnight summer camp experience that integrates Judaism with traditional camp activities. According to the Ramah web site, this specialized program emphasizes social development and Jewish learning through individualized experiences and inclusion in general camp programs as much as possible. The camp’s longtime director, Rabbi David Soloff, recently announced the establishment of RISHON, a new incentive program for first-time campers. RISHON will provide a $1,200 grant to any eligible camper enrolling at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, regardless of financial need. Next year, the rabbi noted, the program

will offer $750 incentive grants for 2009 RISHON recipients returning for a second summer. To be eligible, this must be the child’s first Jewish overnight camping experience (greater than three weeks) and the camper must come from a community served by Ramah Wisconsin that does not offer first-year incentive grants in collaboration with the Foundation for Jewish Camp. Locally, Beth El Synagogue offers its own scholarships to Ramah, covering a significant percentage of the tuition costs, according to Rabbi Mordechai Levin. To learn more about the scholarship, contact Education Director Judy Rubin at 498.0904. For information on enrolling at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin and the RISHON grant, contact Jordan Newmark, Registrar, at registrar@ramahwisconsin. com or at 312.606.9316 ext. 221, or visit the camp website at www.ramahwisconsin.com.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

February 27, 2009

Visit by Israeli teens fuels excitement

Continued from page 1 their opinions reflecting the diverse perspectives of Israeli society. Beth Dotan and the ADL office coordinated visits to four local high schools, including: Skutt, Westside, Central and Millard North, where they discussed their lives as Israeli teens. Besides the excitement of having lunch in an American high school, like in some Hollywood film, the teens were met with warmth, sympathy and curiosity. The American students were mainly interested in whether the Israelis are afraid to go to the army.

can’t I host some of the Israelis?” “Can they come to my school, too?” and “When are they coming again?” Many Omaha teens made additional efforts to be with these Israeli guests: Adeev and Ezra Potash, Andrea

The Israeli students had a great impact on everyone they met. Skutt High School in particular showed great respect and interest in their visit – everyone in the school was informed and excited about their arrival. All the schools were grateful for the opportunity to interact and find out that teenagers really have so much in common, no matter where they are from in the world. Beth Seldin Dotan Director, Institute for Holocaust Education I really loved having these students come to our school. I especially appreciated it because I’m going to Israel this summer for four weeks. Having these students come here and talk about it made me even more excited to visit there. Hopefully the students will be able to come back and visit sometime in the future. Haley Gordman, 10th grade, Skutt Catholic High School

Yotam Portnoy, right, meets Brenna Robinson at Westside High School. The questions asked most often included: “How did they feel when rockets hit their houses?” “Do you have cars in Israel?” “And what is your favorite food?” One of the most moving moments occurred at Millard North, when Tav Poran, age 16, told the audience how one wall in her family’s house collapsed on her when a missile hit her home during the second Lebanon war in 2006. Suddenly, for these American high schoolers, the Middle East conflict had a name and a face. For me, one of the most compelling things was seeing the excitement of our Omaha teens. Many asked, “Why

Holmberg, Rachel Meyer, Ryan Kirshenbaum, Brenna Robinson, Talia Tene, Yonatan Dotan, and others. And some of them are already communicating via a special Facebook page setup for Artza; they are anxious to reunite this summer.

Thank you for the outstanding hospitality. Our youth delegation came home with great memories. I heard from their parents that this experience has been very powerful. It was educational and opened their minds about Judaism abroad. We are very happy to have the opportunity to have you all here with us in July! Some of our teens are already wondering if they can meet you twice during your summer visit. They would like to meet you somewhere here in Israel and then, as planned, host you in the Western Galilee the first weekend in July. It’s just great that they can’t wait to see you all again! Heidi Benish Partnership Missions Director

Israeli teens Tav Poran, left, and Inbar Glaymer, interact with Omahans Haley Gordman and Talia Simon. Artza teens will experience one of the most meaningful highlights in our Partnership area. They will love Masada, the Tel Aviv beaches and the Dead Sea, but now that they have made friends with their peers from the Western Galilee, they will certainly cherish growing these friendships. They have already begun making plans to stay with the families of their new friends when they visit this summer. One of my goals as the Community Shlicha was to bring Israeli teens to Omaha to put a face on the name Israel. I found enthusiastic partners with Stacey Rockman, as well as professional staff on this campus. As an Israeli, as much as I love our amazing scenery -the deserts, the mountains and the seas -- and as much as our history gives meaning to my life, what really makes me feel home, and makes my connection to Israel so strong is the people. The people-to-people connection matters most. Get ready for a great Artza summer!

Beth El mini-course to explore ‘Death of a Salesman’ by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prizewinning play, will be the subject of an upcoming Beth El adult-education mini course at the synagogue. Scheduled for Wednesdays, March 4, 11, 18, 25, 7-8 p.m.; the class will be facilitated by Bob Goldberg.. “I think this play is an interesting study at this time,” said Goldberg, who holds a master’s degree in English literature. “The play was originally done in 1949, at a time of great change, growth, and hope. Today’s economic climate will challenge that and make reading the play of the ‘Everyman’ something new. “The play certainly questions the ‘American Dream’ and how we

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make sense of what our dreams lead us to versus what society conditions us to believe,” he continued. “The play also challenges us to define ‘success.’ Since we are a country of immigrants and each successive generation wants to build on the one that came before, we are always pushing to be better...but what does that mean? Do we define that materialistically or idealistically? Can we find balance between those two things?” Goldberg will also use class time to examine the play and its playwright through a Jewish lens; he noted that discussions will focus on questions such as: “Do we think it is a Jewish play? If so, what makes it such? If not, why? Is Arthur Miller a Jewish playwright because he himself was Jewish or because there is Jewish content in

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his writing?” At the end of the course, the instructor hopes his students will have gained personal enrichment from the conversations about and analysis of ‘Salesman,’ which has been read, performed and analyzed since its debut in 1949. “As in any study of literature, my hope would be that the play makes people think deeply and that each student discovers something new about themselves and be able to apply it directly to their lives,” he said. All adults in the Jewish community are welcome to attend; cost is $18. To register, contact Program Director Margie Gutnik at 492.8550, or at programming@bethel-omaha.org.

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Yachad art exhibit garners big payoff by OZZIE NOGG Even the snowy weather didn’t stop people from coming to the JCC to support Yachad’s Meet the Artists Exhibit and Sale last month. Every piece created by Yachad members was sold -- eleven paintings, seven glass

artists and patrons. We’re already planning another art show for next year.” A department of Jewish Family Service, Yachad provides social, cultural and religious activities plus advocacy, referral services and general support for Omaha Jews

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 9

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Photos from top left: Carole Greenberg, left, helped Yachad artists find inspiration for their projects, with Jillian Salomon and her work; Art patron Dee Goodman, left, with Yachad member Marilyn Zevitz; Mark Kazor, left, listens as Yachad artist Alan Friedman discusses his work; Claudia Sherman, left, with Jeff Steinberg as he describes his painting style. plates and 13 glass pendants -- for a total of $870. “All proceeds from the sale will go directly back into the Yachad program to help fund their monthly activities,” said Karen Gustafson, Jewish Family Service Director. “This was our first experience sponsoring a show like this, and the afternoon was a great success for both the

with developmental disabilities and their families. The exhibit was made possible by a grant to JFS and Yachad from the Special Donor-Advised Fund of the Omaha Jewish Federation Foundation. A dessert reception cosponsored by Hadassah and National Council of Jewish Women was part of the event.

ORGANIZATIONS

YOUNG ENERGETIC SENIOR Join us Monday for a special program by harpist Kim Brokke and the Celtic Wind. Lunch will begin at noon and the program will begin at 12:30 p.m. Cost is $7 per person. Come play bingo at 10 a.m. in the auditorium. Call Theresa for transportation at 330.4272. For information, call Maggie Conti at 334.6521.

LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Yiddish brings us closer to our roots! Come join us every Thursday, 1-3 p.m., at the JCC. For information, call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638. VISIONS Reminder: Visions Board meeting is Friday, March 6, 9:30 a.m. at the JCC. Join us for the pick of the season at the Omaha Community Playhouse to see Bat Boy The Musical for a matinee in the Howard Drew Theater on Sunday, March 22, 2 p.m. Meet in the lobby by 1:30 p.m.

Dinner (on your own and optional) following the show at Jason’s Deli. Send reservations to Rose Pitlor, 827 Dillon Dr., Omaha, NE 68132 by March 4. For information call her at 558.5144. Make check payable to Visions. JEWISH SOCIAL SERVICES The Nebraska Choral Arts Society presents “Many Voices, One Vision” on Sunday, March 8, 2 p.m. in the JCC auditorium. For more information, call Adrienne Kitagawa, Activities Director at 334.6520. NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN NCJW-Omaha Section is currently accepting nominations for its 2009-10 Board of Directors. If you are a thinker and doer, who wants to play an active part in championing the needs of women, children and families at a local, national, and even global level, know someone who fits this dynamic description, please contact Nominating Chairwoman, Deb Marburg at peng1deb@ cox.net or 398.1601.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Disney music is in the spotlight at family-friendly symphony celebration, Feb. 27-March 1 at the Holland Performing Arts Center. The Omaha Symphony presents “The Magical Music of Walt Disney,” Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27 and 28, 8 p.m., and Sunday, March 1, 2 p.m. Tickets, priced from $15-$80, can be purchased by calling 402.345.0606, 402.342.3560 or online at: www. omahasymphony.org. Special kid-friendly pre-concert activities will be held on the orchestra level before the Sunday matinee performance. On March 1, 12:45 p.m., there will be a “meet and greet” with Jodi Benson, the original voice of the Little Mermaid, followed by Disney-themed fun and games from 1-1:40 p.m.

Opera Omaha announced the addition of tenor Adam Diegel in the role of Rodolfo to the April production of La Bohème. Sponsored by Omaha Steaks, La Bohème performances at the Orpheum Theater will run April 15, 17, and 19. Tickets start at $19 and are available by calling 402.346.7372, online at operaomaha.org, at the box office at 17th and Farnam, or through Ticket

Omaha at 402.345.0606 or ticketomaha.org. Puccini’s most expressive opera draws from a collection of true-life sketches describing life among the original bohemians, the poor artists of Paris’s Latin Quarter. In celebration of Puccini’s 150th birthday and in preparation for La Bohème, Opera Omaha is offering a series of classes entitled Puccini 101. Four classes cover different aspects of the composer’s life, inspirations and work. The remaining class is scheduled for Monday, March 30. Full details and pricing are available at operaomaha.org or by calling 346.7372. Opera Omaha continues its popular Lunchtime Preview series on Wednesday, April 8, noon, at the Orpheum Theater. Attendees can get a free sneak peek of the set and take a backstage tour. Bag lunches are available by making a reservation at tcowherd@ operaomaha.org for only $7. Attendees are also welcome to bring their own lunch.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

February 27, 2009

IN THE NEWS

Employers will participate in the HEALTH WORKS! Job Fair to be held on Wednesday, March 11, 1-6 p.m., at the Holiday Inn on 72nd and Grover. These local employers will be “now hiring” for full and part time jobs in the health care industry with administrative, general and skilled jobs available as well. Positions range from entry level to top management opportunities. Local health care colleges will also be participating promoting programs geared to the health care industry. Free resume critiquing, job search strategies and health screenings will also be available. For an updated employer list go to: www.omaha. employmentguide.com and www.healthcareerweb. com. If your child is entering third through ninth grade next year and has never been to a Jewish overnight summer camp, you may be eligible to save up to $1,250 and give them the experience of a lifetime. At Camp Young Judaea Midwest, children make friends, have fun, and develop their self-confidence, while cultivating a life-enriching appreciation of their Jewish heritage, community and our relationship to Israel. The Campership Program awards up to $1,250 in financial incentives to campers depending on the length of their session. More than one child per family can apply. Space is limited, so “Get your camp on” today and give your child a Jewish Camp adventure this summer! To apply or for more information, call 847.328.4942 or visit www.cyjmid.org. Sam and Frances Fried have announced a gift project for educational institutions. The Frieds are founders of the Heartland Holocaust Educational Fund and major supporters of the Holocaust Memorial located at Wyuka State Cemetery in Lincoln. Fried said, “A recently released book about the Holocaust, Doorway to Freedom: The Story of David Kaufmann-Merchant-Benefactor-Rescuer, would be presented to public and Catholic high schools in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area.” Mosaic Press published the book along with co-publishers, Ted and Sarah Seldin Family Fund and the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society. Co-authors of the book are William E. Ramsey and Betty Dineen Shrier of Omaha. A survivor of Auschwitz, Fried has dedicated his life to preserving the memory off the victims, survivors and the evil of the Holocaust that claimed more than 11 million innocent men, women and children, including 6 million Jews. Co-authors Ramsey-Shrier said that this gift expands their hope to further Holocaust education as students read about the courageous actions of people like David Kaufmann. A portion of the sale of this book is designated for this purpose. An additional gift will be a DVD of an inspirational Holocaust address given by Fried at the Rotary Club of Omaha describing his time at Auschwitz. He expressed hope that in several months, the schools could add this to their Holocaust educational materials.

Two new scholarships are being made available through donors’ gifts to the Harris Center for Judaic Studies, $100 Book Scholarship named “The Bernice Harris Book Scholarship” to students who enroll in a Judaic Studies course, (excluding JS 339/HS 339) and the $500 Tuition Assistance Award to Judaic Studies minors. Students may request that a professor or instructor write a letter of recommendation on their behalf to the Judaic Studies director for this award or email Dr. Jean Cahan at jcahan1@unl.edu. The Leona and Joe Gotsdiner Scholarship Fund Award is given to full-time undergraduate students in Judaic Studies, College of Arts & Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Candidates may be enrolled in one or more Judaic Studies courses and/or demonstrate interest in the area of Judaic Studies following graduation from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and must be nominated by faculty member or instructor. Request a professor or instructor to write a letter of recommendation to the Judaic Studies director for this award or email Dr. Jean Cahan at jcahan1@unl.edu. Past recipients are Bradley A. Wolf, Ruth Marie Standeven, Kellie Ramirez, Stefanie Dawn Mitchell, Galina Moldavsky, Nate Shapiro, and Kyle Newfeld. The Henry and Dorothy Riekes Scholarship Fund Award is given annually to one or more full or parttime students in College of Arts & Sciences enrolled in one Judaic Studies course to apply toward a JS Minor

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during the academic year in which the award is given. The scholarship recipient must have sophomore class standing or above. One letter of recommendation should come from a faculty member affiliated with the Norman and Bernice Harris Center for Judaic Studies. The Riekes Scholarship is distributed through the Dean’s Office of the College of Arts and Sciences. Past recipients include Lucas L. Schulte, Ms. Terri A. Brame, Daniel Schneider, Zachary H. Bryant, Britni Joelle Bethune, Clifford M. Smolinsky, Christopher Ryan Macrander, Sarah Elizabeth Fech, and Scott William McClure. The Jewish Women’s Archive announced the launch of the online version of “Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia,” originally produced by Alice and Moshe Shalvi of Shalvi Publishing Ltd. This new resource will be available for free at http://jwa.org/encyclopedia beginning March 1. Among the woman are late Omahans Mary Fellman and Tillie Olsen. Previously available only on CD-ROM, the Encyclopedia is the first comprehensive source on Jewish women. It features more than 1,700 biographies, 300 thematic essays, and 1,400 photographs and illustrations. Nebraska State Treasurer Shane Osborn, along with the Omaha Royals Baseball Club, announced the kickoff of the seventh annual, “Why I Want to Go to College” essay contest. The essay contest is open to all seventh and eighth grade students residing in and outside of Nebraska. Essays must be post-marked by Friday, April 17. The essay should be no more than 750 words and should articulate the student’s goals and dreams for the future. Each essay, along with the required cover sheet, should be mailed to: The Omaha Royals, Attn: Lesley Crutcher, 1202 Bert Murphy Ave., Omaha, NE 68107. Winners will be selected from each of Nebraska’s three congressional districts. Each district winner will receive the following: 1st Place: $1,000 towards one of Nebraska’s College Savings Plans; 2nd Place: $500; 3rd Place: $300. In addition, each winner will receive four tickets to the Nebraska vs. Creighton baseball game on Tuesday, May 12, at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium and four Henry Doorly Zoo passes. First place winners will also be treated to a one-night stay at a premier Omaha hotel. For more information, contact Rachel Rezabek at 402.471.1088 or visit www.treasurer.org.

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Crowne Plaza® Omaha Old Mill Four distinguished economic educators from South Africa will visit the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Omaha Public Schools magnet schools March 11-14 for a first-hand look at economic education in Nebraska. They will use their findings to improve and expand economic education for elementary through high school students in their own country. Prof. Donald N. Baum, Chair of the UNO Department of Economics, will take part in welcoming the visiting educators to the campus, where they will tour the Center for Economic Education and observe classes in economics, social studies methods, and human relations. Pam Cohn, principal of the Marrs Magnet School in South Omaha, will meet with the educators when they visit there to observe social studies/economics instruction by teachers who have received training in economic education at UNO. JTS cantorial student Annelisse Ocanto is currently an intern with Sarah Aoeste, a singer/songwriter who performs internationally Sefardi/Ladino Fusion rock and brings awareness of the Sefardi traditions to the Jewish community. Of her many accomplishments, she has started a project called the Cuba Jewish Library Project, along with Cuban-Jewish singer/songwriter, Roberto Rodriguez. They are in the process of creating Jewish music libraries in six different Cuban cities, to bring to Jews and non-Jews the wonderful world of Jewish music at their fingertips. The musicians are looking for donations of CDs, musical devices and accessories. The next shipment will be leaving for Cuba at the end of April. Financial contributions are welcome; all donations are tax-deductible. For more information, contact Ocanto at: amosjac@hotmail.com. Please send donations of music items or checks to: Aroeste Music LLC, Attn: Cuba-Jewish Music Project, 255 W. 108 St., #5B, New York, NY 10025

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March FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27 Beth El Shabbat comes to the RBJH, 2:30 p.m. BESTT Grades 4 and 5 Class Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El SUNDAY, MARCH 1 Reading the Rambam, 9:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Education, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El Teen Class with Rabbi Gross, 10 a.m. at Beth Israel Mishpacha Morning, 10:15 a.m. at Chabad The Choreography of Shabbat, noon Hazak Lunch Cinema Series, noon at Beth El OTYG/JYG Spaghetti Dinner, 5 p.m. at Temple Israel MONDAY, MARCH 2 Art of Purim, 9:30 a.m. Hadassah Board Meeting, 10 a.m. YES Luncheon, 10 a.m. Kabbalistic Insights for Women, noon at Chabad Hebrew 101, 6:30 p.m. Jewish Learning Institute, 7 p.m. at Chabad Derech Torah: Judaism 101, 8 p.m. TUESDAY, MARCH 3 Parsha, Prayer and Prophets, 9 a.m. at Chabad ADL Brundibar Meeting, 2:30 p.m. Mishnah Club, 3:45 p.m. ADL Essay Contest Judging, 5:30 p.m. Bedtime Storytime for Kids, 6 p.m. at Chabad BBYO Chapter Installations, 6 p.m. Rabbi Mizrahi’s Class, 7:45 p.m. at Beth Israel WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4 Torah Studies Class, 7 p.m. at Chabad THURSDAY, MARCH 5 Adult Study with the Clergy, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Jewish Ideals and Ethics, noon at Beth El Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. Parsha Club for Kids, 3:40 p.m. at Chabad ADL Essay Contest, 5:30 p.m. Friedel Community Open House, 7 p.m. FRIDAY, MARCH 6 Visions Board Meeting, 9 a.m. Prophets, Prophecy, and Politics, 11:55 a.m. at Temple Israel Tot Shabbat and Dinner, 6 p.m. at Beth El SATURDAY, MARCH 7 Weizmann AZA Sweetheart Dance, 7:30 p.m. SUNDAY, MARCH 8 Reading the Rambam, 9:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Education, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El Talmud Torah Pre-Kindergarten, 10 a.m. at Beth El Teen Class with Rabbi Gross, 10 a.m. at Beth Israel Mishpacha Morning, 10:15 a.m. at Chabad Four B’s, 10:30 a.m. at Temple Israel Purim Carnival, 11 a.m. at Temple Israel USY Purim Carnival, 11 a.m. at Beth El The Choreography of Shabbat, noon at Beth El RBJH Community Concert, 2 p.m. OTYG Meeting, 2 p.m. at Temple Israel CJE Dinner & A Movie, 6 p.m. MONDAY, MARCH 9 Ta’anit Esther - Fast of Esther Kabbalistic Insights for Women, noon at Chabad OTYG/JYG Purim Dinner, 5 p.m. at Temple Israel Megillah Reading & Buffet, 5:30 p.m. at Beth El Purim Service, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel Megillah Reading & Parade, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Derech Torah: Judaism 101, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY, MARCH 10 Purim Holiday Purim Celebrations, 6:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Parsha, Prayer and Prophets, 9 a.m. at Chabad House ADL/CRC Executive Committee Meeting, noon Mishnah Club, 3:45 p.m. BBYO Night, 6 p.m. Purim Party, 6 p.m. at Chabad House Rabbi Mizrahi’s Class, 7:45 p.m. at Beth Israel WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11 Omaha Youth Strings Symphony Performance, 9:30 a.m. Rabbis & President’s Meeting, noon Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Beth Israel Torah Studies Class, 7 p.m. at Chabad THURSDAY, MARCH 12 Adult Study with the Clergy, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Jewish Ideals and Ethics, noon at Beth El Center for Jewish Education Board Meeting, noon Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. Women’s Book Group, 1:15 p.m. at Beth El JSS Community Concert, 1:30 p.m. Parsha Club for Kids, 3:40 p.m. at Chabad Executive Board, 5:30 p.m. and Board, 7p.m. at Friedel NCJW Board Meeting, 7 p.m. FRIDAY, MARCH 13 Prophets, Prophecy, and Politics, 11:55 a.m. at Temple SUNDAY, MARCH 15 Reading the Rambam, 9:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Education, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El Talmud Torah Pre-Kindergarten, 10 a.m. at Beth El Teen Class with Rabbi Gross, 10 a.m. at Beth Israel Mishpacha Morning, 10:15 a.m. at Chabad Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing, 1 p.m. “Hanna’s Suitcase” Rehearsal, 3 p.m. MONDAY, MARCH 16 YES Luncheon, 10 a.m. Jewish Book Club Meeting, 10:30 a.m. Kabbalistic Insights for Women, noon at Chabad Hebrew 101, 6:30 p.m. Jewish Learning Institute, 7 p.m. at Chabad Derech Torah: Judaism 101, 8 p.m. Jewish Press Board Meeting, 7 p.m. TUESDAY, MARCH 17 Parsha, Prayer and Prophets, 9 a.m. at Chabad House Mishnah Club, 3:45 p.m. BBYO Advisor Appreciation Dinner, 6 p.m. CJE Committee Mtg, 6:30 p.m. Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel ADL Youth Leadership Mission Meeting, 7:30 p.m. Rabbi Mizrahi’s Class, 7:45 p.m. at Beth Israel WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18 Friedel Kindergarten Round-up, 10:30 a.m. Nebraska Jewish Historical Society Board, 4:30 p.m. THURSDAY, MARCH 19 NCSY Mid-Winter Conclave thru March 22 Adult Study with the Clergy, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Jewish Ideals and Ethics, noon at Beth El School Directors’ Meeting, noon Dorothy Kaplan Book Group, 1 p.m. at Kripke Library Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. Parsha Club for Kids, 3:40 p.m. at Chabad Project Harmony Parent Workshop, 5:30 p.m. Temple Israel Theology Cafe, 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble

FRIDAY, MARCH 20 Artza 09 Overnight Temple Israel Shabbat Comes to You at Remington Heights, 4 p.m. Tot Shabbat and Dinner, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel Sephardic Shabbat & Dinner, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Scholar-in-Residence, 7:30 p.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, MARCH 22 Talmud Torah 6th/7th grade Minyan, 9 a.m. Beth El Reading the Rambam, 9:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Education, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El Men’s Club Breakfast, 10 a.m. at Beth El Scholar-in-Residence, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Teen Class with Rabbi Gross, 10 a.m. at Beth Israel Mishpacha Morning, 10:15 a.m. at Chabad “Rites of Spring” Reception, 1 p.m. Visions at the Playhouse & Dinner, 2 p.m. MONDAY, MARCH 23 Kabbalistic Insights for Women, noon at Chabad JFO Executive Committee Meeting, 6 p.m. Jewish Learning Institute, 7 p.m. at Chabad JFO Board of Director’s Meeting, 7:30 p.m. Derech Torah: Judaism 101, 8 p.m. TUESDAY, MARCH 24 Parsha, Prayer and Prophets, 9 a.m. at Chabad House JSS/RBJH Board Meeting, 11:30 a.m. Mishnah Club, 3:45 p.m. Parent/Teacher Conferences, 5p.m. at Friedel BBYO Chapter Installations, 6 p.m. Rabbi Brooks Lecture, 7 p.m. at W. H. Thompson Alumni Center Live from the 92nd Street Y, 7 p.m. Beth Israel Sisterhood’s Spirits & Spirituality, 7:45 p.m. Rabbi Mizrahi’s Class, 7:45 p.m. at Beth Israel WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25 Club 56 Hebrew Olympics, 5 p.m. at Temple Israel Tough Jews, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 11

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THURSDAY, MARCH 26 BBYO Spring Regional in Omaha thru March 29 Adult Study with the Clergy, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Jewish Ideals and Ethics, noon at Beth El Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. Parsha Club for Kids, 3:40 p.m. at Chabad Parent/Teacher Conferences, 5p.m. at Friedel Temple Israel Theology Cafe, 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble LOVE Board Meeting, 7 p.m. Beth El Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group, 7 p.m. FRIDAY, MARCH 27 Prophets, Prophecy, and Politics, 11:55 a.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, MARCH 29 Reading the Rambam, 9:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Education, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El WRJ Book Sorting Day, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Talmud Torah Pre-Kindergarten, 10 a.m. at Beth El Teen Class with Rabbi Gross, 10 a.m. at Beth Israel Mishpacha Morning, 10:15 a.m. at Chabad Talmud Torah 3 year old program, 10:30 a.m. at Beth El Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing, 1 p.m. NJHS Oral History Program & Reception, 1 p.m. Deli Night, 5 p.m. at Temple Israel MONDAY, MARCH 30 Kabbalistic Insights for Women, noon at Chabad

All events held at the Jewish Community Center unless otherwise noted. This calendar does not include all community events. For a complete listing, visit the Federation’s website: www.jewishomaha.org (click on calendar). To keep calendar accurate, call Marlene Hert at 334-6437. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of the below events.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

February 27, 2009

iTunes? What about iNews? If you’re not familiar with iTunes, you: • are not a fan of Apple, so you’ve boycotted downloading any music, film or tv show, even to a PC compatible device; • don’t own an iPod (or a computer for that matter) and you don’t care; • you’ve been out of town (really far out of town!). For the rest of us, iTunes have become a lifeline to music, as well as a link to our favorite tv shows, cable specials and comedy routines. We store family photos on our iPods and also recall fond memories of our teen years, listening to “Louie, Louie”, “Twist and Shout” and “Ball and Chain.” So if the creative geniuses working for Steve Jobs can imagine and then develop this musicworld-altering device (when was the last time you bought a CD?), then why can’t some techie invent one for newspapers? That’s the gist of a recent article by Howard Kurtz, writing in the Feb. 19 issue of the Washington Post: “Thriving newspaper websites may be popular -- USA Today and The Washington Post also drew more than 10 million monthly visitors last year -- but they are slowly strangling print circulation. Online ad revenue remains far too modest to support the sizable reporting staffs that make newspapers worth reading and enable them to do real digging.” Kurtz included a quote from Walter Isaacson, Time magazine’s former managing editor, who said, “We have to find some method to allow people to pay for content and make it easy, just one click. The main problem isn’t that people won’t pay 15 or 25 cents for today’s Washington Post. It’s the rigmarole of putting in credit card numbers and e-mail addresses. We need to allow impulse purchases of content.” So someone (Jewish) should create it. We’ll call it “iNews” and here’s how it would work:

Readers would click on their favorite news site (preferably the Jewish Press, currently located at www.jewishomaha.org). After perusing the headlines -- “Visit by Israeli teens fuels excitement for Artza 2009” -- they would click on an iNews logo (developed by yet another Israeli -- or maybe a Jewish graphic design student at SVA in New York or RISD in Providence) -- and for 25¢ or 99¢, download the full version of the story, including multiple photos and pull-quotes to their computer -- or their iPod. Just like iTunes, the reader would set up an account directly with iNews (developed by yet a third Jewish technowhiz, maybe at MIT) so that each time he or she wants to download a story, there’s no need to type in all the credit card numbers and personal information. There would be several benefits: newspapers -- including this one -- would be reassured knowing that revenue would not only be generated by advertising (most of which seems to be drying up these days), but also by readers downloading content. Whether a reader wants to permanently retain photos from a community event in which a relative is pictured -- or a recipe, handed down from one generation to the next -the newspaper, in this case, the Jewish Press, would now have a new source of income -and the reader can keep meaningful stories and photos in a convenient format -- forever. Think of it -- the Jewish Press could have podcasts online from classes taught by rabbis and Jewish educators, as well as professionals from the ADL and others. Viewers can visit our website and download it, for a small fee, and listen when they’re exercising (at the JCC of course) or flying to Israel on a Federation mission! And why do we keep stating that the developers of iNews, its logo, and payment method should be Jewish and/or Israeli?

Simple -- the irony is just too delicious! If this becomes a standard for media on the web, then even terrorists and jihadists would have to use it. Just like the Intel processors in their computers (built in Kiryat Gat, by the way, within range of Gaza’s Qassam rockets) - or the ICQ technology used in instant messaging and chat rooms -- or hundreds of other medical and technological inventions, it must be very annoying to the terrorists who want to wipe Israel off the map to be “forced” to use technology invented by Jews. Gotcha! So Jewish inventors, Israeli tech wizards: listen up: Go invent iNews. Now.

BEHIND THE H EADLINES by MENACHEM Z. ROSENSAFT NEW YORK (JTA) -- Richard Williamson, one of the four excommunicated bishops whom Pope Benedict XVI wants to bring back into the Roman Catholic fold, is not the only Holocaust denier in the Society of St. Pius X, an ultra-right-wing splinter group of the Roman Catholic Church. The Italian branch of the society announced that it has expelled the Rev. Floriano Abrahamowicz for telling the northern Italian newspaper La Tribuna di Treviso that “I know that gas chambers existed at least for disinfection, but I don’t know if they were used to kill people or not.” Abrahamowicz, who called Jews “the people of deicide,” also has described the reforms instituted by the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly referred to as Vatican II, which absolved contemporary Jews of responsibility for the death of Jesus Christ, as “worse than heresy.” Abrahamowicz’s expulsion came in the wake of the firestorm over Williamson’s declaration on Swedish television that “I believe that the historical evidence is largely against, is hugely against 6 million Jews having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler.” Later he said, “I believe there were no gas chambers” and that between 200,000 and 300,000 Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps, “but none of them by gas chambers.” Williamson is also openly anti-Semitic. He has endorsed the authenticity of the

... statements condemning Holocaust denial and reaffirming ecumenical sentiments toward the Jewish people are not enough. Pope Benedict should affirmatively declare Holocaust denial to be heresy ... “If I find proof I would rectify [earlier statements],” Williamson told the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel, adding later, “But all that will take time.” It is outrageous that Pope Benedict XVI did not immediately respond to Williamson’s stalling tactics by reinstating the renegade bishop’s excommunication. When members of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations leaders meet with the pope, they must demand that he categorically and permanently revoke Williamson’s rehabilitation. Pope Benedict hopes that the memory of

Jewish Press Board Michael Sigmond, Vice President; Stan Mitchell, Secretary; Michael Siegel, Treasurer; Howard K. Marcus, Immediate Past-chairman; Marc Brodkey; Andie Gordman; Michael Kaufman; Bette Kozlen; Susan Lehr; Jamie Meyerson; Andy Ruback; Jim Simon; Nancy Skid; and Dorothy Spizman. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Education, Jewish Family Service/Jewish Senior Services, and the Jewish Press . Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org.

Vatican’s response to denial must be Holocaust education “Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” the notorious Russian czarist forgery that purports to depict a Jewish conspiracy to rule the world, and has written publicly of “the false messianic vocation of Jewish world-dominion to prepare the Anti-Christ’s throne in Jerusalem.” Faced with open revolt by leading Roman Catholic cardinals and bishops, especially in Germany and Austria, the Vatican last week conditioned Williamson’s rehabilitation on his “absolutely, unequivocally and publicly” recanting his position on the Holocaust. Williamson has refused, at least for the time being. First he wants to review the historical evidence.

(Founded in 1920) Bobbi Leibowitz President Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Managing Editor Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Managing Editor Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper

the Holocaust “will prompt humanity to reflect on the unpredictable power of evil when it conquers the hearts of men.” But statements condemning Holocaust denial and reaffirming ecumenical sentiments toward the Jewish people are not enough. Pope Benedict should affirmatively declare Holocaust denial to be heresy, and the Vatican should undertake a comprehensive program of Holocaust education. Students at Roman Catholic schools, universities and seminaries throughout the world must be taught not only that the Holocaust occurred, but that centuries of Christian antiSemitism helped make it possible. They must be taught that while Bishop Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, later Pope John XXIII, helped rescue Jews from the Nazis during World War II, and that Archbishop Jules-Geraud Saliege of Toulouse, France, spoke out publicly on their behalf, Pope Pius XII remained silent, as did most Catholic cardinals, bishops and priests. They must be taught that thousands upon thousands of baptized Christians actively participated in the mass murder of European Jewry, and that hundreds of thousands looked on or looked away. They must be taught that many of the French policemen of the collaborationist Vichy regime who rounded up French Jews and helped send them to their deaths at Auschwitz regularly attended Mass on Sundays. They must be taught that the Vatican never excommunicated Adolf Hitler or other baptized Nazi leaders, and that after World War II, Bishop Alois Hudal was instrumental in spiriting Nazi war criminals to safety in Latin America. Continued on page 13

Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1-402-334-5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org.. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be singlespaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions, but should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For more information, contact Carol Katzman, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $35 per calendar year U.S.; $72 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or e-mail to: jpress@jewishomaha. org.

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February 27, 2009

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erences, complaining that banning denial was a restriction on freedom of expression. Yet these countries and their allies have been staunch defenders of the insertion of blasphemy legislation in by GREGG J. RICKMAN numerous other U.N. forums, a policy that violates freedom of expression through the suppression of any critiWASHINGTON (JTA) -- The 2001 World cism of Islam or its leaders. Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, The Human Rights Council, the successor to the Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, otherwise known Human Rights Commission, also has been active in the as the Durban Conference, was a parley hijacked by rad- planning of the conference at the request of the U.N. icals betraying the real purpose of the event -- the con- General Assembly. Yet the council, like its predecessor, frontation of racial discrimination worldwide. has become irrevocably tarred with anti-Semitism and The April 2009 Durban II conference promises to top bias against Israel. that fiasco, despite the Obama administration’s decision As the State Department’s March 2008 Report on to attempt to influence the process. Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism explained about In the end it will be a Holocaust-denying, anti-Israel these two organizations, “For many years before its abohate-fest. The United States, the Europeans and all other lition, the Commission on Human Rights had a separate democratic nations should boycott this cynical effort to agenda item focusing solely on alleged violations of incite racist hatred and religious bigotry. If the United Israel -- namely, Item 8, ‘Question of the violation of States chooses to attend this fraudulent conference, we human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including will legitimize and sanction the bigotry and racism prac- Palestine.’ This allowed multiple resolutions against ticed by the world’s most intolerant, anti-democratic Israel, while no other country could have more than one nations. resolution run against it each The timing of the Durban II conference is Indeed, it is these year.” nations and their long and equally disturbing, as it will take place in Adding, “No other counhostile records that cause try besides Israel had an Geneva, Switzerland, from April 20 -24, the most concern. Let’s agenda item exclusively scruoverlapping Israel’s annual observance look at a few of them. tinizing it. This tradition has If you had to choose a of Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Memorial Day, been continued by the new responsible chair for the on April 21. U.N. Human Rights beginning Conference Council.” Preparatory Committee, a safe bet would be to pass over The report said later that “Several important countries, Libya. Yet as the upside-down logic of Durban II goes, including established democracies, follow a policy of votthe Libyan representative was elected by his peers along ing ‘on principle’ against all resolutions that criticize a with vice chairmen from human rights-abusing nations specific country regardless of the merits -- unless that such as Iran and Cuba. country is Israel, in which case they consistently vote in Libya’s twisted worldview, if there were any doubts, favor of critical resolutions.” was on exhibit last April when its deputy ambassador to The timing of the Durban II conference is equally disthe United Nations, Ibrahim Dabbashi, appeared before turbing, as it will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, from the Security Council and brazenly compared Israeli April 20 to 24, overlapping Israel’s annual observance of actions in Gaza at the time to the Nazis’ systematic Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Memorial Day, on April 21. killing during the Holocaust. How ironic it will be that a conference organized by This is what happens when terrorist countries are ele- the United Nations, which gave birth to Israel in 1948 vated to the stature of democratic states. What stunts out of the ashes of the Holocaust, promises to repeat its will they try to pull at Durban II? shameful performance of 2001 by again allowing the Last year, Iran added its peculiar brand of democratic unbridled eliminationist hatred, condemnation and slanpractices to the Durban II process when it protested the der of Israel. credentials registration of the Canadian Council on In encouraging this conference to reconvene and Israel and Jewish Advocacy, in a preparatory meeting on worse, leaving it in the hands of the likes of Iran, Libya the conference. As Hershell Ezrin, the council’s chief and other terrorist states, the United Nations again disexecutive officer, told the Canadian Jewish News last honors itself by allowing these tyrants a platform to May, “The whole process had become so discriminatory impose their racial and religious bigotry on the world. to us, we felt that no matter how many times we How can the United States possibly be a part of this answered their questions and responded to shorter and insanity? If we join this charade, we extend this dishonshorter deadlines, we were asked the same questions or through our presence, sullying ourselves in the over and over again.” process. With Iran proudly serving as the center of Holocaust We must do the only honorable deed and boycott denial today, we can only imagine what it has up its Durban II, denying the world’s terrorists and bigots the sleeve for this conference. privilege of our legitimizing presence among them. Syria objected recently to language in conference program documents citing the number of Jewish deaths Gregg J. Rickman served as the first U.S. special envoy during the Holocaust, saying it didn’t want to engage in to monitor and combat anti-Semitism from 2006 to a statistical debate. Iran also objected to Holocaust ref- 2009.

FOCUS ON ISSUES

Vatican’s response to denial

Continued from page 12 They must be taught that the Franciscan priest Miroslav Filipovic, known as “Fra Sotona” (“Brother Satan”), was a brutal commander of the Jasenovac concentration camp in Croatia run by the collaborationist Ustasha regime, and that the Archbishop of Sarajevo, Ivan Saric, enthusiastically supported and advocated the persecution and murder of Jews. While the Vatican’s relations with the Society of St. Pius X is an internal matter, its attitude and Pope Benedict XVI’s attitude toward Holocaust denial and Holocaust deniers affects us all. My five-and-a-half-yearold brother, my mother’s son, was murdered in a gas

Parenting isn’t easy. Don’t give up. Call toll-free 2-1-1* or go to www.ne211.org. Reach out. Get Answers.

*If your phone does not allow this 3-digit number, call 402-444-6666. AA/ADA/EOE | 8-27 (v. 12-31)

chamber at Auschwitz. For the sake of continued JewishCatholic relations, all Catholics, indeed all Christians, must be taught that my brother’s brutal death, and the deaths of more than one million Jewish children who perished in the Holocaust, is at least as real as the death of a Jew named Jesus in Jerusalem nearly 2,000 years ago. Menachem Z. Rosensaft, a lawyer in New York City, is the founding chairman of the International Network of Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and vice president of the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants.

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BEHIND THE HEADLINES by AMOS KAMIL

NEW YORK (JTA) -- A recent online search of the phrase “Zionism is racism” yielded 1.3 million Web pages. “Israel + apartheid” turned up a cool 231,000 hits. Type the word “Israel” into Facebook or YouTube and more than likely you will be confronted with user-generated content created by people who do not hold pro-Israel views. Things are not much better over at the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Palestinians and their sympathizers have added “al Nakba,” an Arabic term meaning “the catastrophe,” to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War entry. On Google Earth, sophisticated Palestinian 2.0 advocates have tagged many Israeli towns and cities with their Arabic names. Both Google and Wikipedia -- two Internet behemoths -- take cover behind editorial neutrality and free speech, remaining unmoved by Jewish community concerns. In short, our adversaries have gone 2.0 in their battle to delegitimize Israel, and the recent military operation in Gaza is yet another indication of how Palestinian activists are using the Web to manipulate the public affairs aspects of the debate. A Jan. 18 Jerusalem Post article reported that on Facebook, 648,828 users signed up for the STOP Israel’s War Crimes in Gaza application. Only 342,892 users installed QassamCount, a proIsrael application that updates the user’s status with current data showing the number of Kassam rockets that have been fired into Israel from Gaza. Letter-writing campaigns, used with discretion, may actually help to change a particular media outlet’s take on a certain issue. But these tactics alone are not sufficient for capturing the hearts and minds of people all over the world who are increasingly going online for news, analysis and discussion. As more Jews and non-Jews seek out information online, use social networking tools and watch short form videos, we must train Israel advocates to effectively engage these forums. We must garner our communal resources to train and unleash the next generation of storytellers, bloggers and social media gurus to tell Israel’s full story in compelling ways. If the rise of the Internet and the decentralization of media have shown us anything, it is that information will not reach people unless it is presented in unique ways that succinctly communicate its point. We need to find innovative ways to tell, share and distribute those stories in a variety of formats, including e-mail, blogs, vlogs, music videos and whatever other platforms emerge in this fast-paced media environment. It is also clear that we are well outnumbered, which is why a much more concerted effort is needed. Those of us who care about Israel’s agenda and how the future narrative will be portrayed need to mobilize our community to man the battle stations from our laptops. Each day we hear about newspapers and magazines that are either shutting down or laying off record numbers of staff. As far as we are concerned, the writing is on the wall. A few months ago, the Israel Advocacy Initiative, a joint project of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the United Jewish Communities, launched a Facebook group to create discussion about online Israel advocacy. For years we’ve been using new media to disseminate “Israel beyond the conflict” stories that aim to educate and inspire the Jewish as well as the broader community. Recently we created a Twitter account (twitter.com/ IsraelAdvocacy), where we plan to “tweet” about the latest online advocacy methods, Israeli news and other topics related to pro-Israel activism. We’ve adopted these methods in an effort to digitize our advocacy and frame the discussion online now and in the future. This is the new frontier in public affairs. It’s time to hop aboard. Amos Kamil is director of the Israel Advocacy Initiative.

Page 14

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

February 27, 2009

Candlelighting Friday, February 27, 5:55 p.m

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

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

Beth Israel Synagogue Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific St. Omaha, NE. 68154 556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

Chabad House An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 S. 120th St. Omaha, NE 68144-1646 330.1800 www.OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com

Congregation B’nai Jeshurun South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 S. 20th St. Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 435.8004 southstreettemple.org

Offutt Air Force Base SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway Offutt AFB, NE 68113 294.6244

Rose Blumkin Jewish Home 323 S. 132 St. Omaha, NE 68154

Temple Israel Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556.6536 templeisrael-ne.org

The Neighborhood Minyan 1317 No. 57 St. Omaha, NE 68132 551.6609

Tifereth Israel Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org

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

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Services conducted by Rabbi Mordechai Levin and Cantor Beth Schlossberg. FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m.; Fourth and fifth graders will help lead the service. Following the service (7 p.m.), stay for a light nosh during “A Taste of Israel,” featuring traditional Israeli dishes and some lively Israeli dancing. SATURDAY: Morning services, 9:30 a.m.; Sixth Grade Project Etgar Shabbat during Junior Congregation (3-7), 10 a.m.; Minha/Ma’ariv, 6 p.m. SHABBAT TUNES & TALES: Saturday, 11:15 a.m.-11:45 a.m. Monthly Shabbat sing-along led by Patty Nogg is open to all Jewish children (up to age five), their parents and grandparents. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. SUNDAY: BESTT third-grade Family Siddur Program, 10 a.m. to noon; Bible Study Discussion Group; I am a Jew led by Andy Greenberg; and Navigating our Services with Joy led by Susi Frydman-Levin, 10 a.m.; The Mitzvah Club led by FrydmanLevin; and Synagogue skills class led by Cantor Schlossberg, 11 a.m.; The Choreography of Shabbat Services, led by Cantor Schlossberg, noon. THURSDAY: Rabbi Levin’s Jewish Ideals and Ethics for Everyday Living, noon. HAZAK SACK LUNCH & CINEMA SERIES: Sunday, March 1, noon. TOT SHABBAT: Friday March 6, 6 p.m. services and 6:30 p.m. dinner. For reservations made by Wednesday, March 4, cost is $5 per person; after March 4, cost is $10 per person. No charge for children six and younger. Open to all families in the Jewish community. RSVP to programming@bethel-omaha. org or call the office.

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Office Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fri., 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross and Rabbi Yitzchak Mizrahi. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 5:55 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. free babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes, 9:45 a.m. with

Torah Parade; Kiddush sponsored by Jack and Bette Kozlen in honor of their anniversary; “Guard Your Tongue” and “The Great Midrash” and “Advanced Parshah Study for Kids (ages 10 & up)” one hour prior to Mincha, 5:30 p.m., followed by Seudah Shlishit; Havdalah, 6:56 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Reading the Rambam, 9:45 a.m.; Rabbi Gross’s Teen Class, 10 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m. TUESDAY: Mishnah Club for fourth, fifth, and sixth graders, 3:45 p.m. at the Blumkin Home; Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7:45 p.m. THURSDAY: Women of the Torah class, 9:30 a.m.; Rabbi Gross’s weekly class, 7:30 p.m.

10:30 a.m. all led by Rabbi Emanuel. SUNDAY: LJCS Grades 3-7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Gan-Grade 2, 9:45 a.m.12:15 p.m. at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 10 a.m.noon at Tifereth Israel; Winter Lecture Series, 7 p.m. at Unitarian Church: Ricardo Zuniga, Deputy Director of the Cuban Affairs Office in the State Dept., will discuss U.S.-Cuban relationships in past and present administrations. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. THURSDAY: Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m.

CHABAD HOUSE

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME

Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Services, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Maamar class, 9 a.m.; Service, 9:30 a.m.; Youth Minyan, 10:30 a.m. MiniMensch title will be awarded; Kiddush lunch follows; join Rabbi Katzman from 12-1 p.m. SUNDAY: Service, 8:30 a.m.; Mishpacha Mornings, 10:15 a.m. For more information or to register for a month email Estie@ ochabad.com. WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Kabbalistic Insights for Women, 12:15 p.m.; You be the Judge II-exploring Jewish Civil Law, 7 p.m. More information call 330.1800 or email JLI@ chabad.com. TUESDAY: W.O.W. Prayer, Prophets, and Prayer, 9:15 a.m.; Bedtime Storytime, 6 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Achieving Integrity, Torah Studies for the Workplace, 7 p.m. For information call 330.1800 or e-mail TorahStudies@ochabad.com. THURSDAY: Jewish Thought, 12:45 p.m.; The Parsha Club for Level I beginners, ages 5-6; and Level II for ages 7-9, 3:45 p.m. Please contact shevi@ochabad. com for a pass. All events and programs are open to the entire community.

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN Services conducted by Rabbi Ilan Emanuel. FRIDAY: Peaceful Shabbat Service, 7:45 p.m. led by Rabbi Emanuel, with oneg following. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study,

BAT MITZVAH E m i l y Trenton, daughter of Debbie and Steve Trenton, will become a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, March 7, at Congregation Beth Torah in

Overland Park, KS. Emily is a seventh-grade honor roll student at Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City. Her interests include volleyball, art club, and basketball. She has a brother, Andrew. Grandparents are Jan and Les Schneiderman, and Carol and Cliff Trenton of Kansas City, MO.

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

FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. led by Beth El members. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg and assisted by Zack Bram.

TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 7:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Eric Linder and Cantor Wendy Shermet. SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Service, 10:30 a.m.; JYG Girls' Night In!, 6:30–10:30 p.m. All seventh and eighth grade girls are invitedat Leora Azriel’s (1202 No. 110 Plz., #2208). Questions? Call her at: 960.5796. SUNDAY: Teacher Meeting, 9:30 a.m.; Grades PreK-6, 10 a.m.; Hamentaschen Baking, 10 a.m. No experience needed, but please bring rolling pins. Contact Mimi Silverman at 932.6626 or email mimitaffet@cox.net to RSVP; “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” Annual Youth Group Spaghetti Dinner and Auction, 5 p.m. Please contact Youth Group advisor Amy Katz, 556.6536 or akatz@templeisraelomaha.com, or OTYG special projects coordinator Mendy Halsted, omahaeyes@aol.com. Cost is $10 for adults, $4 for for kids three to 12 years old, and no charge for kids two and under.

WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 46 p.m.; All School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Family School, 6 p.m.; Grades 712, 6 p.m.; Religious Worldviews: Primal Religions, Christianity and Islam, 6:30 p.m. UNO Professor Mary Ann Krzemien will take a broad overview of two major religions that took root in the Middle East/West. Open only to Family School parents. THURSDAY: “Adult Study with the Clergy” with Cantor Shermet, 10 a.m. WRJ Shabbat Service, Friday, March 6, 7:30 p.m. Join with other members of WRJ/Sisterhood for this year’s Sisterhood led Shabbat service. Select a recipe from our NEW WRJ recipe web page, http://www.templeisraeln e . o rg / c o m m u n i t y / s i s t e r hood/recipes/ and bake for the oneg. To sign up , please contact Danielle Gordman, dsgordman@cox.net or 343.1435, or Susie Norton, Susie.norton@ cox.net or 391.7333. Four B’s: “Passover-Easter Dilemma: Surveying Some of the Current Joys and Challenges in Jewish-Christian Relations,” Sunday, March 8, 10 a.m.

NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN FRIDAY: Minyan, 5:55 p.m. SATURDAY: Srvices, 9 a.m.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Services conducted by Nancy Coren, Lay Leader. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. MONDAY and THURSDAY: Minyan, 9 a.m. FRIDAY: Services, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m., and D’var Torah by Miriam Wallick and Talmud study. Kiddush Luncheon sponsored in memory of Emanuel Rosen. SUNDAY: LJCS Grades 3-7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Gan-Grade 2, 9:45 a.m.12:15 p.m. at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 10 a.m.noon at Tifereth Israel WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Contact Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066; Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

To Submit Announcements to the Jewish Press: Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewishomaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154 (with photos we will scan and return). Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, or by e-mailing: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org. Readers can also submit other announcements -- births engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements. Deadlines are normally eight days prior to publication, on Thursdays, 9 a.m. Check the Jewish Press, however, for notices of early deadlines prior to secular and Jewish holidays.

Free Haggadah from The Jewish Heritage for the Blind This year, the Passover Seders will be celebrated on April 9 and 10. If you are expecting guests who are seniors or visually impaired, you many obtain a Braille or large print Haggadah free of charge by contacting the Jewish Heritage for the Blind at 800.995.1888; or fax 718.388.0653; or e-mail to jhb.ny@verizon.net.

February 27, 2009

Raise it up

SPARKS FROM THE WORD by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Terumah The Torah leaves us mightily impressed with the preparations for the sanctuary of the Wilderness. A collection was made from everyone whose heart urged him on for the finest available materials. What was collected? Gold, silver, brass, fine fabrics of all kinds, including animal skins dyed red, and timbers of the best woods available. One question we are not permitted to ask: Where in the Wilderness did the Israelites get all these materials? If you do ask, it is suggested that all of this was collected in the rich country of Egypt and then schlepped for 40 years in the desert. If that bothers your sense of possibility, never mind. Take it for granted. The House of Israel has never forgotten this experience. It has become part of Jewish character. Many of us as children remember how our mothers and fathers, with hard earned coins, put them into a whole group of pushkes (charity boxes) for yeshivot, orphanages, schools and the like. Some of them were in lands or cities that neither we nor our parents could identity or place geographically. That made no difference. Even, as one woman con-

DEATHS RAE COREN Former Omahan Rae Coren died Jan. 2 in Spring Valley, NY. She was 78. Services were held at the Monsey Cemetery in Monsey, NY. She was preceded in death by her husband, Sheldon, who died in May, 2008. She is survived by her son, David Coren; daughter, Ruth Reichenberg; and grandchildren, Rivka, Joshua, Eliyahu, and Akiva. SARA WISNIA Holocaust survivor Sara Wisnia died Feb. 22 at the age of 83. A graveside service was held Feb. 24 at Beth Israel Cemetery. She was preceded by her husband, Berek Wisnia. She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Abram and Shelley Wisnia, Harry and Linda Wisnia of Waco, TX; daughter and son-in-law, Marcia and Michael Silverman of Overland Park, KS; grandchildren, Lisa Wisnia, Adam and Dana Wisnia; and seven greatgrandchildren. Memorials to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home or charity of choice.

stantly reminds me, when there was not enough money to buy food for the table, there was always money for these opportunities for tzedakah. If this is a characteristic of Jews not inborn but learned, it’s a good one. John Doe and Richard Roe (I mean, of course, their Jewish equivalents) learned very early that your money was not for you alone, but for tzedakah. Many of us remember receiving 18 precious pennies for Hanukkah -- with a provision that we would get to keep nine and have nine to give away to various agencies that did good things locally, nationally and internationally, with emphasis, naturally, on Israel and its institutions. This led to the idea that Jews had big wallets. It wasn’t true; what they had was big hearts. Thus, despite the fact that American Jews then were only two to three percent of the American populace (today it’s only about 1.7%), the “United Jewish Appeal” (today the United Jewish communities) very often equaled the total collections of Community Chests (now known as United Way). What a great teaching comes from our Sidra! If you have been blessed with substantial funds, you must remember that they belong to you and to the House of Israel and to mankind. It is not for nothing that the Hebrew word for the contributions that the House of Israel was to make to building the sanctuary derives from a Hebrew root that implies this is an activity of the highest, highest nature. Terumah: raise it up, raise it up, raise it up!

Pope meets Jewish leaders, confirms Israel visit by JTA Staff ROME (JTA) -- Confirming that he would soon visit Israel, Pope Benedict XVI reiterated that denial of the Holocaust was “altogether unacceptable.” Benedict met Feb. 12 at the Vatican with a delegation from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Noting that the group was on its way to its annual leadership mission to Israel, the pope told them “I, too, am preparing to visit Israel, a land which is holy for Christians as well as Jews.” Sources have said the pope will visit Israel this spring, but there has been no formal announcement of a trip. The pope’s meeting with Jewish leaders took place in the wake of the controversy over his rehabilitation of Holocaust-denying bishop Richard Williamson. “It is beyond question that any denial or minimization of this terrible crime is intolerable and altogether unacceptable,” the pope told the leaders. “The Church is profoundly and irrevocably committed to reject all anti-Semitism, and to continue to build good and lasting relations between our two communities.”

EDWARD E. CHAIT Former Omahan Edward Ellis Chait died Jan. 28 in Laguna Woods, CA, at the age of 89. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he earned a graduate degree at Wayne State University in Detroit. In addition to practicing as a pharmacist, He was also a partner in a manufacturing company, C&M Pharmaceuticals. He continued his pharmacy practice in Los Angeles, when he and his wife Selma Zveitel moved there in 1954. After retirement, the couple helped foreign students and research scholars at UCLA and Santa Monica College gain proficiency in English. In addition to his wife of 67 years, he is survived by daughters and sons-in-law, Diane and Kenneth Gillen of Albuquerque, NM, and Linda and David Dullman of Mission Viejo, CA; four grand-daughters and their husbands; and five great-grandchildren. DEE FOX Delores ‘Dee’ Cohn Fox died Feb. 18 at home at the age of 80. A memorial service was held Feb. 20 at Temple Israel. She was preceded in death by her husband, Philip. She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Sally Fox and Michael Sirotkin of Vermont and Marsha Fox and Michael Green of Florida; son and daughter-in-law, Rick and Shelly Fox; son, Michael Fox; grandchildren, Jacob and Jesse Sirotkin, Naomi Fox, and Jackson Fox; sister, Betty Sanford; and sisters-in-law, Doris Cohn and Shirley Weinstein. Memorials to Temple Israel or the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

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Rabbi Arthur Schneier of Park East Synagogue in New York presents a delegation of U.S. Jewish leaders at a recent visit at the Vatican with Pope Benedict XVI. Credit: The Appeal of Conscience Foundation

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CORRECTIONS Beth Katz, executive director of Project Interfaith, will discuss the “Passover-Easter Dilemma: Surveying Some of the Current Joys and Challenges in Jewish-Christian Relations”on Sunday, March 8, 10:30 a.m., at Temple Israel. The date was incorrect in the Feb. 20 issue of the Press.

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Page 16

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

February 27, 2009

Blumkin Home Phase Three complete Life insurance gift to benefit the CDC Unit includes new therapy suite

by OZZIE NOGG With the recent completion of Phase 3, the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home New Beginning building project moves even closer to its goal of transforming the entire facility into a more comfortable, homelike environment that provides improved quality of life for RBJH residents. “The new spaces we’ve created in the Northeast wing were greeted enthusiastically during our Feb. 25 move-in day,� said Mike Silverman, Blumkin Home Executive Director. “As was the case with Phases One and Two, we’re very proud of what we’ve done during this Phase, and we invite the community to visit, look around, and share our sense of accomplishment.�

Workmen are finishing the final details of the northeast wing of the Blumkin Home, including the new physical therapy suite, above, housed in the former synagogue, and the kitchen/dining room for rehab residents, right.

The northeast wing, designated as a short-term care unit, holds 22 beds in 13 new resident rooms, all with ceramic tiled bathrooms featuring ample counter space and cabinetry for personal items. The unit includes two dining rooms, a sunroom and TV lounge, and the new therapy suite and private treatment rooms in space once occupied by the Blumkin synagogue. “The stained glass window, a beloved focal point of the synagogue, now graces the therapy suite,� said Josh Gurock, RBJH administrative intern. “Yes, what we’re creating is new and innovative, but to the best of our ability we try to make sure that traditional parts of the original building are retained. The Home, after all, embodies the concept of L’Dor V’Dor -- from generation to generation.� According to Silverman, “The wellbeing of the Blumkin Home residents has been the top priority of the New Beginning building project since its inception. The physical changes and additions made during these three phases make the Home more livable for our elders and more welcoming to our visitors. This project is as much about building community as it is about building a topnotch facility, and that philosophy will continue as we move into Phase Four.�

by MARY BORT for the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation Bob Nelson has gifted a $100,000 policy on his life that will eventually provide scholarships for children attending the Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center (CDC). Nelson, who is not Jewish, said he has long admired the commitment of the Jewish community to its causes and to each other. He has worked with hundreds of Jewish families and business leaders for over 25 years. His gift is one of appreciation to his clients after all these years. Nelson wanted to do something to say “thank you� for their trust and acceptance within the Jewish community.

Nelson is Vice President of the Financial and Estate Planning Division of Grace/Mayer Insurance Agency in Omaha. According to Nelson, “I wanted to leave something that was more than a passing token ... a life insurance gift was one way to do that.� “I have had the opportunity to work with Bob Nelson for many years,� said Steven Bloch, President of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. “His friendship and commitment to so many of the members of our community has been notable. It is very generous, but not at all surprising, that Bob has made this gift to

children who may wish to attend the CDC.â€? Nelson chose to designate the CDC as the beneficiary of his policy for personal reasons. “Betsy, my wife, has been a Montessori pre-school teacher for over 25 years,â€? he said. “By choosing the CDC, we’re supporting what we’re both passionate about. All of the Jewish Federation programs are worthwhile, but this one has the strongest personal connection.â€? According to Corey Kirshenbaum, Director of the CDC, “This scholarship money will go a long way in helping the many families we deal with at the Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center. I know that in the future the need for additional funds in this area will be critical in our mission here at the CDC, to make sure that all families have the ability to attend our school.â€? Marty Ricks, the Foundation’s Executive Director, explained how Nelson and his gift are important to the community. “Upon arriving in Omaha 10 years ago, I was given a list of people considered extremely important to the Foundation ‌ Bob Nelson was on that list.â€? said Ricks. “Now, he himself has stepped up to insure the future of an important element of our community. Teaching children at the youngest age about Judaism, in the nurturing environment that the CDC provides, should positively impact their lives in the future,â€? Ricks added. “It is with thanks and gratitude that we accept this generous gift from Bob.â€? It is easy to make arrangements for a life-insurance gift or a bequest to the Federation Foundation. For more information, please contact Marty Ricks at 334.6440 or mricks@jewishomaha.org.

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