February 28, 2014

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

Anxious? Who, me?

February 28, 2014 28 Adar I 5774 Vol. 94 | No. 24

This Week

Beth El welcomes back Cantor Gastón Page 4

Friedel Science Fair is about more than science Page 8

by OZZIE NOGG 18% of U.S. populaAccording to New York tion. “Anxiety is the Times book reviewer Ben most common of psyGreenman, the long list of chological com“panic buttons” that, over the plaints,” Smith says, years, have made author “not only the clinical Daniel Smith nervous includes condition that applies sex, death, work, water, food, to the most people but, air travel, disease, amateur it’s often said, a univertheater, people he’s related to sal and insoluble feaand people he’s not related to. ture of modern life. By Smith’s own admission, Everyone has it; everythere was a time when anxiety one must deal with it.” would force him to hide beJewish Family Service hind rocks so no one would Executive Director see him walking to his therapy Karen Gustafson, appointments. “I went through M.S., N.C.C., years of that,” Smith said in a L.I.M.H.P., added, July, 2012 NPR interview. “During the past year “Years of embarrassment and alone, the therapists in shame.” Publishing a book on our agency clocked althe subject, he said, “helped most 1500 sessions, wipe away those feelings.” and helping clients Smith will discuss his book -with anxiety issues Monkey Mind: A Memoir of made up the bulk of Anxiety -- during an appearthose services. Daniel ance on Wednesday, April 2 at Smith pulls no Daniel Smith, author of Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety, Temple Israel. The presentapunches when he destrikes an appropriate pose. Smith will discuss his work at a tion, which runs from 7 p.m. scribes his battle with book signing on Wednesday evening, April 2 at Temple Israel. to 8 p.m. will be followed by a anxiety, and he inbook signing. The event is free and ciation of America states that anxiety spires others who suffer from this podisorders affect 40 million adults in tentially debilitating condition to open to the community. The Anxiety and Depression Asso- the United States age 18 and older -- keep going towards their dreams and

goals. Our community is lucky to have Daniel visit and share his personal story and insights with us.” Daniel Smith describes himself as anxiety personified. Anxiety lurked in his genes from birth. Both his mother and father suffered from severe anxiety and his brother from hypochondria. As a child, Smith writes he was, “hypersensitive and neurotic. There are many flavors of anxiety. My childhood was a taster’s menu.” By his mid-20s, Smith had suffered multiple serious anxiety attacks, and though on the surface Smith’s life seemed happy -- he graduated from college with honors, had a great job, loyal friends, a nice place to live and a wonderful girlfriend -he writes that, “Every day was torture. I slept fitfully, with recurring nightmares -- tsunamis, feral animals, the violent deaths of loved ones. I have intestinal cramps and nausea and headaches. A sense of impending catastrophe colored every waking moment.” In her review of Monkey Mind, critic Sara Nelson says, “Anxiety once paralyzed Daniel Smith over a roast beef sandwich, convincing him that a choice between ketchup and barbeque sauce Continued on page 2

Uniting Jewish souls Leaving your Legacy

Anti-Semitism in America today Page 16

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

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

13 14 15

Intimate poolside group study at the resort. by CHANI KATZMAN guide and mentor girls of all stripes for Chabad Center and colors during the most formative Imagine putting 100 dynamic col- time of their lives? Would we speak lege girls from around the country in the same language? a South Florida resort for a week. When I arrived, I realized how unfounded my concerns were. The How would it unfold? Would they be cliqeuish? Would most poignant memory of that first they be receptive? How about some day is that I don’t remember having good ole’ attitude? As a staff member a single ‘first impression’ of anyone. I was apprehensive. Was I equipped There was no “meet someone for the to answer their questions? With first time - size them up - make the stacks of handouts, books and files in ‘appropriate’ judgments”. As soon as tow I wondered. Could I teach, we met – our souls met. And there are no first impressions or judgements with souls. What you see is what you get. And it’s awesome. Bais Chana Snorkel and Study unites 100 fantastic Jewish souls at a week-long Farbrengen (intimate gathering of friends) to explore Judaism. The essence, the practice, the meaning. The past, present and future. I am grateful to those in my life who encouraged me to take on the Continued on page 3

Howard Epstein, left, Laurie Peatrowsky, Janet Henthorn and Mary Bort by MARY BORT of Omaha Foundation and the JewJewish Federation of Omaha Foundation ish Federation of Omaha, since our Tucked away in a garden-level of- names are similar.” While the Foundation and the fice area under the northwest wing of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home is Jewish Federation of Omaha, Inc. an organization that has worked in (Federation) are both located on support of Omaha’s Jewish commu- the same campus, and both operate nity for over thirty years. Its mission to support Omaha’s Jewish commuis to help assure the stability and nity, they are not one-and-the same continuity of Jewish life and to sup- organization. The Foundation and port Jewish communal services in the Federation are two distinct and the Omaha area by establishing and separate non-profit corporations. accumulating enduring assets for The Federation has been serving permanent funding resources. The Omaha’s Jewish community for 108 organization? The Jewish Federation years. It is the “umbrella” organizaof Omaha Foundation Foundation. tion responsible for overseeing the “We’re used to giving directions following agencies on the Jewish to people so that they can find our Community Center (JCC) Omaha location on campus,” said Founda- campus: JCC; Jewish Social Servtion Executive Director Howard ices (which encompasses three diEpstein, with a smile. “We’re also visions: Rose Blumkin Jewish used to encountering some confu- Home, Jewish Family Service, and sion between the Jewish Federation Continued on page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | February 28, 2014

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Daniel Smith Continued from page 1 was as dire as that between life and death.” Praise for Monkey Mind is legion. Kirkus Review describes the work as, “an intimate, compelling memoir exploring the boundaries of the author’s severe anxiety.” Eric Weiner, author of The Geography of Bliss and Man Seeks God, said, “As a fellow sufferer, I balked at reading Monkey Mind, fearful that a book about anxiety might send me over the edge. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Daniel Smith maps the jagged contours of anxiety with such insight, humor, and compassion that the result is, oddly, calming. Read this book. You have nothing to lose but your heart palpitations, and your Xanax habit.” Heller McAlpin of NPR says, “Here’s one less thing for Daniel Smith to worry about. He sure can write. In Monkey Mind he defangs the experience with a winning combination of humor and understanding.” Readers of the New York Times Opinionator columns are familiar with Daniel Smith’s essays. In Do the Jews Own Anxiety? Smith begins lightheartedly. “Let’s say that, on a whim, you decide to form a baseball franchise made up of history’s greatest anxiety sufferers --a sort of neurotic allstar team (too) debilitated to make it out of the dugout. What would you call the team? Last Rosh Hashana, I asked a group of friends this question, and the answers I got suggested that the team would be exclusively... Jewish. Responses included but were not limited to the following: the Los Angeles Kvetches, the Brooklyn Nazi Dodgers, the Kansas City Mohels, the Chicago Schlubs, the Miami Meshugeners, the Westchester Rhinoplasties, the Hollywood Indigestives and -- my favorite, a late entry from my brother Scott -- the Upper West Side Ativans.” In the essay, Smith suggests that though Jews seem to think they’re the anxiety Gold Medalists, other American minorities -Korean-Americans, Greek-Americans, Italian-American, Arab-Americans -- invariably point to their own tribes as the nuttiest, most nervous, most irreparably self-conflicted people in the world. In short, the Jews don’t own anxiety and never have. So why do so many people think otherwise? “The answer to this question, I think, is that we, the Jews, have encouraged the world to think of us as anxious. We’ve done this by propagating the figure of the Neurotic Jew --

our hysterical clown.” On the clown list, Smith includes Tevye, with his almost pathologic Talmudic indecision (“On the one hand, on the other hand”); Philip Roth’s Alexander Portnoy; the Coen brothers’ nebbish idealist Barton Fink; and above all, Woody Allen, who plays the consummate neurotic in most of the 40-plus movies in which he’s appeared. “The relationship between the Jews and nervousness is by now so widely accepted that it barely registers,” Smith says. “The Chosen People, at least in the American consciousness, are the very image of anxiety. And I am here to tell you: this is a really dangerous position to accept.” Daniel Smith’s website, The Monkey Mind Chronicles, is a treasure. His hectic work and travel schedule keep him from updating the site -- often for months -- but hit the link, Ask Dan’s Mom, and you find a picture of his mother (cutline reads: the lovely woman) along with this post from the son. “Shown here is my mother, Marilyn Smith. Marilyn/Mom is a psychotherapist who specializes in anxiety disorders. Which means that she was first a human being who suffered from anxiety. That, after all, is usually why people become therapists: because first they were patients. You like the smell of paint, you become a painter. You’re scared that the fumes from an open can of paint are going to give you leukemia, you become a shrink. Most Fridays, when I’m not too overwhelmed by work and life, I publish an exchange with my mother -- psychotherapist, anxiety expert, and genetic wellspring of my neuroses -- about anxiety and anxiety disorders. She’s a great resource. And it has occurred to me, as I’ve completed Monkey Mind, that it isn’t quite fair to keep my mother to myself. Her knowledge and wisdom should be shared with the world.” Ah, words to make any Jewish mother kvell. On the Monkey Mind Chronicles home page, Smith says, “Greetings to all, anxious and calm.” He then announces the paperback publication date of the book and writes, “It’s a lovely looking thing, in my opinion, and even soothing (paperbacks, soft and non-lethal as they are, can be very soothing). I’m going on tour to promote the paperback’s release and would love to see you. I’ll do a little reading, answer some questions, maybe do a spot of hyperventilating if I’m asked nicely. I hope you can make it out. As always, bring Xanax. I tend to run out.” Smith’s book tour is officially over, but Omaha welcomes him to our community, with or without pharmaceuticals. The program is sponsored by Jewish Family Service in partnership with Temple Israel, Beth El Synagogue, Beth Israel Synagogue and National Council of Jewish Women Omaha Section, and is underwritten by a grant from The Lazier L. Singer Memorial Fund for Youth, a component fund of, and administered by, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.

Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation Service Learning Academy, UNMC For more information Ruti Margalit MD Service Learning Academy Director rmargalit@unmc.edu

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Continued from page 1 Jewish Senior Outreach); Jewish Press; Center for Jewish Life; and Community Relations Committee. Over the years, several generous donors endowed programs and buildings operated by the Federation and its agencies. Approximately 40 years ago, several forwardthinking Federation board members determined that Omaha’s Jewish community could best be served by separating the endowment funds from the Federation’s day-today operating funds. And, the Foundation was born. In 1983, the Foundation became a separate legal entity; a non-profit corporation, classified by the Internal Revenue Service as a supporting foundation of the Federation. This means the Foundation was established primarily to support the Federation. The Federation raises funds for annual operations. The Foundation operates differently through ongoing discussions with prospective donors. The Foundation provides various ways for donors to establish legacy funds that will be permanent, or at least long-lasting. These permanent funds are generally called “endowment” funds where the principal is retained permanently with the annual income being spent for a pre-defined purpose. The donors, in consultation with the Foundation staff and board members, define the purposes. Endowment funds have been established at the Foundation to help fund the Federation’s annual campaign (PACE and LOJE funds); provide camp and college scholarships to Jewish students; provide scholarships to the Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center and Friedel Jewish Academy; provide funding for counseling, outreach and financial support to needy Omaha area Jews through Jewish Family Service and Jewish Senior Outreach; help fund day-to-day operating needs of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home; and help maintain the building and grounds of the JCC. These are just some of the many needs of

Omaha’s Jewish community that are funded by the over 260 endowment funds at the Foundation. “If you attend a musical at the JCC, listen to musicians performing at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, attend the annual community Yom Ha’Atzmaut event, or enjoy watching an Israeli film at the JCC theater, then you have generous donors at the Foundation to thank,” noted Epstein. “A least one Foundation endowment fund helped pay for each of these community entertainment events.” In addition to endowment funds, over 100 generous donors have established donor-advised funds with the Foundation. A donor-advised fund is a personal charitable tool that helps a donor organize his or her charitable giving in one account. The Foundation invests donor-advised fund assets; income is reinvested and grows tax-free. While the Foundation owns the assets in these funds, the donors retain the right to recommend contributions from their funds to IRS recognized 501(c)(3) charities. Charities may be Jewish or secular, local or national. The Foundation also manages three supporting foundations. According to Epstein, “A supporting foundation is a separate legal entity with a separate board of directors. The Foundation manages and invests the funds, administers operations and makes disbursements so that the supporting foundation board can focus on allocation decisions.” Today the Foundation manages over $72 million in assets. The Foundation also coordinates the new LIFE & LEGACY Program in partnership with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF). This effort will benefit all participating local Jewish organizations and synagogues by working to obtain legacy gift commitments. “Please feel free to stop by or call to learn more about what the Foundation can do to help you leave a lasting legacy through a charitable endowment or donor-advised fund,” said Epstein. “Call or email me at 402.334.6466 or hepstein@jewishomaha.org.”

February 28, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 3

Uniting Jewish souls Continued from page 1 and always wore her Star of David Bat challenge, as the experience was more than I Mitzvah gift around her neck. On one fine could have ever imagined. high school day she decided she was done I met girls from all over the country who with religion and belief in G-d. She undid represent every style of college, community, the necklace and dropped it somewhere deep family, social circle, political party, level of in her jewelry box. Abbey’s friends, most of observance. You name it. Talk about two them not Jewish, found it hard to accept the Jews, three opinions. One family. new Abbey. They demanded she be proud The famous “Tell me the entire Torah on one foot” of the want-to-be proselyte invokes Hillel’s response: “Don’t do unto others what you wouldn’t like done to you. This is the entire Torah. The rest is just explanation.” Chassidic masters explain the significance of these words. By every means of connecting with a fellow Jew – by cultivating a meaningful relationship, by being kind, thoughtful and generous – Challah baking workshop on Friday afternoon: the practice and we are essentially connect- its meaning. ing to G-d’s essence, which is what Judaism and happy to be Jewish. But Abbey would is all about. It’s about our relationship with not accept it. She couldn’t. Not yet. And then, G-d, which starts with our fellow.That which one morning, her soul woke up from its sleep we all have in common, that which is greater and she decided to don her Star of David than the individual me or you – our soul, is once again. The first day, Abbey’s friend our essence. This veritable piece of G-d, our noticed the necklace. “I am so happy to see Jewish identity is what brings us together. you wearing your necklace again, Abbey! Each girl came with her own struggle, her You looked naked without it,” she exclaimed. inhibitions, her strengths, her dreams, her That statement struck a very strong and deep life story. Each of us could transcend our chord in Abbey, and all of us with whom she selfhood by collaborating with the group. shared her story. Let me tell you Abbey’s story. Abbey is a On occasion, during strife or personal Jewish kid from Atlanta who, like many challenge - or the doldrums of uneventful Jewish kids in this country, got a public life - we may feel disconnected, frustrated, school education supplemented by Hebrew even angry about our Jewishness and our School. Abbey took pride in her Jewishness relationship with G-d. The soul falls into a

Did you know? slumber unable to feel, experience or identify Jewishly. And then we get that bolt of lightning. The inspiration in the depth of our souls to action. To do more in service of our Creator, a small step. Bais Chana was just that - a bolt of lightening. I was blown away by the girls’ passion for the “real Jewish experience.” The questions did not stop and conversations went well into the wee hours of the morning. It was a raw, unadulterated experience. I felt exposed to so many beautiful shining souls, like open books ready to connected to their fellow Jewish souls - and more importantly - to our Father in heaven. Coming in - I was prepared to share a thing or two on Judaism. Little did I know - I gained more than I could ever give - everything I’ve ever learned about G-d, G-dliness, the Jewish soul and Judaism was alive. Like a bolt of lighting on a dark cold night. Whatever I thought I knew about how special a Jewish soul is, I realized I’d barely scratched the surface. I’d like to thank my dear ‘Snorkel” friends and staff for profoundly exposing and connecting me to their souls, my soul and for showing me ever more powerfully that G-dliness is real, not something on a syllabus I am grateful to my parents, Rabbi and Mrs. Katzman, for giving me such a strong Jewish foundation and passion for education. It has provided for me a springboard for my subsequent studies in New York, Israel, Florida and beyond. Everything I know and am today is to their credit. Bais Chana Women International is a Jewish Women’s educational institute, founded by Rabbi Manis Friedman and operating out of Twin Cities, MN, prides itself in “Extraordinary Jewish Learning” for women of all ages.

• Young Jewish Omaha’s mission is to offer young Jewish singles, couples and families, in their 20’s and 30’s, a broad range of social, educational, volunteer, philanthropic and leadership development opportunities. • Young Jewish Omaha has a monthly speaker series titled “Cocktails and Conversations,” where we bring speakers to discuss issues such as social justice, diversity, inclusion, Judaism, and everything else imaginable. • Young Jewish Omaha was founded in 1997 and has been the premier young professionals group for Omaha’s Jewish young adult population. • Young Jewish Omaha has produced multiple marriages in our community. The most recent one is that of David and Shiri Phillips.

Campaign update Thanks to the incredible generosity of Jewish Omaha, the Federation’s Annual Campaign surpassed the $3 million mark this week. Join the hundreds of community members who have already made their gift and we will meet our Campaign goal of $3,150,000. We are almost there! Make a pledge in the next sixteen days and your name will be added to the annual recognition in the Jewish Press. You are a valued partner in the Federation’s lifesaving work and your gift makes a difference at home, in Israel and around the world. Thank you for making Omaha a great Jewish community!

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4 | The Jewish Press | February 28, 2014

Beth El welcomes back Cantor Gastón Bogomolni by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity The vibe in Beth El’s sanctuary will be energetic, exciting and electric on Sunday, March 23, 7 p.m., as the synagogue welcomes back Cantor Gastón Bogomolni as the special guest performer during ‘Ta’am Latino LIVE!’ this year’s Cantor’s Youth Scholarship Fund Concert. Accompanied by his lively, seven-piece Latin band, Cantor Gastón, along with Beth El’s Hazzan Michael Krausman and the Beth El choir, will take a musical journey through the best of Jewish-Latin American rhythms and tunes from Mexico to Argentina, Israeli songs with Latin influence, popular songs arranged in a Latin style, plus traditional synagogue music. This will be the first time back at Beth El for the charismatic cantor, who helped lead the congregation from 2002 to 2008. He moved to the Boston area in 2008 to take over cantorial duties for his current congregation, Temple Aliyah in Needham, Mass. In addition he is the Tefillah Music Specialist at the Solomon Schechter Jewish Day School of Greater Boston, a member of the music staff at Camp Ramah in New England, and the Cantors Assembly’s representative for the National Ramah Commission. Cantor Gastón has recorded a variety of CDs, including Jewish Art Music Live, Passover Songs, Pesach with an Accent, Shabbat Memories of Omaha, and Ta’am Latino: The Latin American Shabbat, His songs have been singled out for inclusion on The Spirit Series CD collection, produced by the Cantors Assembly and the United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism. The cantor can also be credited as co-creator of “WebParasha,” a web application that allows congregants to sign up for, learn and keep track of their Torah portions. A native of Argentina, Cantor Gastón has spent years sharing his passion for Jewish music around the world: At age 18, he served as the only Jewish spiritual leader in the Dominican Republic, first in Sosua and then in Santa Domingo; he also served as a cantor and youth director in Barcelona, Spain, prior to his move to the U.S. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with my friend and colleague, Cantor Gastón Bogomolni,” said Hazzan Krausman. “Not only have I admired his artistry and unique style, but our congregants constantly share warm memories and fond recollections of his time as our hazzan. Cantor Bogomolni has been very kind in helping me learn about the rich musical tradition of Beth El Synagogue.” Each year, proceeds from the Cantor’s Concert support Beth El’s Youth Scholarship Fund, which offers financial support to the synagogue’s children and teens who wish to attend Jewish summer camps, youth group conventions, or a variety of Israel experiences. The scholarship fund is close to the hearts of both Hazzan Krausman and Sally Zipursky, who is chairing the upcoming concert. “Although we can sing lively melodies, have outdoor serv-

Top: Cantor Gastón Bogomolni; bottom: Michael Krausman, left, and Sally Zipursky. ices and hold Jewish experiential programs – all of which are extremely valuable -- we cannot replicate that 24/7 love and strength of Jewish identity that comes naturally in a Jewish camp environment,” Hazzan Krausman said. “It is therefore vital that we as a synagogue community make every effort to encourage our youth to attend summer camps. Moreover, it is incumbent on us as part of our commitment to ensure the future of our Jewish community by providing resources so that every child in our synagogue family will be able to attend the Jewish camping program of his or her choice without worrying about the financial burden that may ensue. The synagogue takes a unique approach to the camp scholarships, the Hazzan added, explaining that through its service grant program, all students, regardless of need, can receive a camp scholarship, in return for a pledge to volunteer at the synagogue when they return. Their service opportunities include reading Torah and leading prayers, helping out with the religious school and assuming leadership roles in Beth El’s youth groups.

“Not only does this instill a sense of pride in our students, but it gives them a venue to foster the skills and values they acquired during their camping experience,” he said. Zipursky added, “It is so vital to give as many of our kids as we can a Jewish camping or Israel experience. Attending Herzl camp and going on USY pilgrimages were life-changing experiences for my kids and I want all our Beth El kids to have the same opportunity. Our service grants are also important, as the kids give back to the synagogue. It helps them really feel a part of our community.” Saying she is thrilled to be organizing this year’s fundraiser, Zipursky expressed excitement about seeing Cantor Gastón perform again at Beth El. “What a year for Hazzan to ask me to help him!” she said. “This will be a special homecoming evening, and it will be so much fun to have Cantor Gastón back with us. It will be fun to see how he has grown since he’s been gone from Beth El. “Cantor Gastón was a great champion for our kids when he was here. He knows how important the Youth Scholarship Fund is and is thrilled to be part of our fundraising efforts again.” The entire community is invited to the March 23 concert. Individual tickets are $18 for adults and $8 for children ages 12 and younger (no charge for Beth El members’ children). Donation categories include Counselor-in-Training, $50-$99 (includes two admission tickets); Counselor, $100-$349 (four tickets); Song Leader, $350 - $499 (six tickets); Waterfront Director, $500 - $900 (eight tickets); Unit Head, $1,000 $2,499 (10 tickets); Assistant Camp Director, $2,500 - $4,999 (10 tickets); and Camp Director, $5,000+ (10 tickets). Tickets may be purchased online at www.bethel-omaha.org. For more information about the concert, contact Hazzan Krausman in the synagogue office, 402.492.8550, or hazzankrausman@bethel-omaha.org.

Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Alan Parsow, Omaha money fund manager. His return last year before fees was 32%. He will speak about “Explaining the Economy.” Parsow is the General (Managing) partner of Elkhorn Partners. Hear him Wednesday, March 5, noon, at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $11; beverage service only is $3. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnai brith@jewishomaha.org. LOMIR REDN YIDDISH The Lomir Redn Yiddush group will be on hiatus from Dec. 20 through April 2. For information, please call Anne Skolkin at 402.343.1638.

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February 28, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 5

Elaine Jabenis: Long-time actress, first-time novelist

NCJW Omaha Section offers many ways to become involved by HOLLY WEILL President, NCJW-Omaha Section The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW strives for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children, and families and by safeguarding individual rights and freedoms. How does the Omaha Section of NCJW accomplish this mission? Throughout the year we participate in a variety of events and activities. Our members can be found serving food at the Open Door Mission, teaching basic banking skills to young mothers at the Child Saving Institute, passing out school supplies to children at our adopt-a-school, and marching outside of the state capitol. We also work diligently during the year to raise

funds for others in our community. Our fundraisers like the Great Omaha Chocolate Festival bring in hundreds of volunteers and thousands of dollars. In the past we have purchased four vans for the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home and helped provide tools and supplies for organizations like Radio Talking Books and HETRA (Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy). We also provide many educational and social opportunities to connect with other women in the Jewish community. The Omaha Section has many ways to become involved. You can choose to participate in an ongoing project, or show up to events we call a “one and done” event. Either way, all women in the community are sure to find something that fits their needs. For more information, visit our website at www.ncjwomaha. org. You may also contact Lori Kooper-Schwarz at lkoops @cox.net or Dana Kaufman at danak1975@gmail.com.

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by OZZIE NOGG trends, and recommended certain lines and styles for Elaine Jabenis, whose first novel, Georgia’s Secret, recently Brandeis to purchase.” Elaine introduced theatrical elements hit the bookstores, has her own personal, in-house critic into fashion shows when she started adding singers and named Sammy -- an adorable white Lhasa Apso. Apparently, dancers to the runway. “I drew on my theatrical acumen in the canine possesses a keen ear for dialogue. “When I’m at staging events.” In the 1970s, Jabenis realized that no one had the computer writing,” Elaine explained, “Sammy likes to written a college textbook on fashion merchandising. “So I curl up by my feet. One day I was readput together a chapter proposal, sent it ing a scene from Georgia’s Secret out to John Wiley & Sons, and they signed loud, to get the feel of how it would me to write the book, just on my crecome across to the reader, and I said, dentials.” The 1972 version was titled: ‘So, Sammy, waddaya think?’” He The Fashion Director: What She Does looked at me, got up, and walked out of and How to be One. To Elaine’s delight, the room. Smart dog. The scene did the book was translated into Japanese. need work, so I rewrote it.” A book “Eventually, so many men entered the signing for Georgia’s Secret (complete field, we renamed the book, The with home-baked goodies) is scheduled Fashion Directors: What They Do and for Sunday, March 9, at 2 p.m. at The How to Be One. That edition was pubBookworm in Countryside Village. lished by Macmillan in 1983. “Usually, the author reads from his “I’ve worked hard and loved every or her work at these events,” Jabenis facet of my life. The theater, fashion said, “but because my vision is poor, merchandising, the non-fiction books. I’ve invited three of my theater friends But in my heart I always wanted to to take on the main roles and bring the write novels. As a kid, I had a pencil characters in Georgia’s Secret to life.” and pad under my pillow and I was The cast includes Susan Baer Collins always writing poems and stories. Local actress and fashion icon Elaine (actress and Associate Artistic Director During my years in New York, my Jabenis has published her first novel, at the Omaha Playhouse); Kristin mentor -- the New York Times educaGeorgia’s Secret. You’ll get the inside Kluver (whose portrayal of Adelaide in tion editor, Pulitzer Prize winner scoop during Elaine’s book signing on the Omaha Playhouse 2011 production Benjamin Fine -- advised me to, ‘Go Sunday, March 9, at the Bookworm in of Guys and Dolls won her several Best home and write a million words and Countryside Village. Actress in a Musical awards); and then tell me you’re a writer. The only Chris Shonka (actor/director with an M.F.A. in acting and a way to be a writer is to write all the time.’” When I finished Ph.D. in theatre history.) “The afternoon at The Bookworm The Fashion Director galleys, I sent them to Mr. Fine. When will be like be a mini-readers’ theater,” Jabenis said. “Guess I he contacted me and said he wanted to write the forward to can’t escape my drama background.” the book, I was almost in tears to think he -- a Pulitzer Prize Brooks Atkinson, the legendary New York Times theater winner -- would do that for a beginner like me.” Jabenis kept critic, exposed Jabenis to Broadway during her three-year churning out the words, and the result? Georgia’s Secret. stint at the Times during the mid-1940s. “Atkinson was the “Although the plot is set in Omaha during the 1970s and most feared theater critic of all time. I mean, if Brooks deals with the fashion world, it is not -- I repeat, NOT -Atkinson put his thumb down on a show, it could close about my work at J.L. Brandeis,” Jabenis stressed. “And tomorrow.” Using her press pass from the Times, Jabenis believe me, I am not Georgia. The story is a romance susattended dozens of Broadway opening nights. “I saw acting pense, laced with humor, and the characters are 100% ficof such high caliber and soaked it up, not even aware I was tion. In the book, Georgia uses her talents and work ethic to doing it. I observed the way characters interacted, how they climb the ladder to success, and along the way she faces moved. Subliminally, I started to analyze story lines, to teenage abuse, revenge, love, rejection, racial intolerance, understand the importance of tension and the way success- gender prejudice, blackmail and loss. I do use names of real ful writers reveal only what needs to be revealed. It became celebrities, because I actually met them, but the book is peopart of my psyche. And, eventually, of my own acting and pled with heros and villains of my own invention. Listen, I’m writing technique.” not a literary person. I’m a storyteller. The only element in Today, Jabenis is an Omaha theater legend. In her six- the story that reflects my fashion background, is that the decade run on local stages, she’s played award-winning lead upscale department store in the book is owned by a sweetand character roles to rave reviews. She is also the only local heart of a Jewish man. Bottom line, Georgia’s Secret is an actress to garner three Lifetime Achievement Awards: the entertaining piece of fiction. Period. Come to the book signDick Boyd Award for Lifetime Achievement from the ing on Sunday, March 9, and hear for yourself.” Omaha Playhouse (2005); the TAG (Theatre Arts Guild) In the ten years between the start and finish of the book, Lifetime Achievement Award (2007); and the Omaha Jabenis underwent four eye surgeries and lengthy recovery Entertainment and Arts Life Achievement Award (2008). times. “I was often discouraged, but wasn’t going to give up,” Jabenis was also named to the Central High School Hall of the feisty 93-year old said. “Finding a publisher wasn’t easy, Fame in 2007. And the honors keep coming. This April 3, at either. I sent proposals all over, and thought it would never their annual benefit luncheon, the Douglas County happen. Then Collage Books picked it up, God bless them. Historical Society will name Elaine Jabenis their Woman of Regardless of the ups and downs of reaching a goal, you the Year. “I’m overwhelmed that they’re still thinking about should never give up the dream you have in your heart. It’s me after all these years,” she said. never too late.” Because of Elaine’s long association with J.L. Brandeis Jabenis often says she’s led a charmed life, blessed with Department Stores -- as fashion coordinator and, later, fash- serendipity. So asking her who she’d cast as twenty-two year ion merchandising director -- many also consider her old Georgia in a possible movie seemed like a fair question. Omaha’s answer to Diana Vreeland and Anna Wintour. “My “Ten years ago I fantasized about either Nicole Kidman or job at Brandeis took me to New York, Los Angeles and Julia Roberts. But they’re too old now. It’s not their fault. It’s Europe for Fashion Weeks. I learned to identify the hottest my fault that I was so slow getting this out.”

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Annual Elinor A. and Norman Whitman Book Appreciation Contest by MARK KIRCHHOFF Center for Jewish Life The Center for Jewish Life is pleased to announce the annual Elinor A. and Norman Whitman Book Appreciation Contest. The contest, which is now underway, is made possible by the Elinor A. and Norman Whitman Book Appreciation Fund created by the Whitman family. Mrs. Whitman devoted a lifetime of service to the youth of the Omaha community. For many years she was a member of the Kripke Library Board and on the faculty of the religious schools at both Beth El Synagogue and Temple Israel. This contest furthers Mrs. Whitman’s goal of promoting Jewish literature for children. Mrs. Whitman fully understood the importance of reading and writing in everyone’s life. She believed that when young people received encouragement to participate in these activities they would develop a love for books, reading and writing that could last a lifetime. The book appreciation contest provides such encouragement with the added incentive of competition to win a prize, all within the context of developing an appreciation for Jewish life. All of the books the children select for the contest must have Jewish content in order to qualify. Students in kindergarten through 2nd grade will use their imaginations to design and create an original book jacket that could be used with a book they have selected. This provides the opportunity for them to think about the content of the book and express that content in a creative manner. Students are encouraged to use their best creative talents. Crayons, markers and paint are just a few of the options available. Children in grades 3 through 6 will submit a book report giving a brief review of the book, talking about an interest-

ing incident, important fact or favorite character plus telling about the author’s style and giving an opinion of the book. Participants will also select from among three additional activities – making a crossword or word search related to the book, making a poster for the book or creating a one-paper newspaper about their selection. All entries will be judged and the top three winners in each category will receive books as prizes. Prizes will be gift cards to The Bookworm with 1st place receiving a $20 card, 2nd place a $15 card and 3rd place a $10 card. The names of all contest winners, in addition to the name of each student submitting an entry, will be listed in the Jewish Press and each child will receive a certificate of participation. An awards program will be held at the individual schools. Applications with instructions are available on the library’s webpage at www.jewishomaha.org or through Friedel or the synagogue religious schools. A suggested reading list is also found on the website. The contest deadline is March 31. This is a great opportunity for parents to reinforce reading with their children by participating with them. Visit the Kripke Jewish Federation Library to select a book! Library hours are 9 am-6 pm, Monday through Thursday and 9 am-4 pm on Fridays. For questions about the contest, contact Mary Sue Grossman at .402.334-6445 or mgrossman@ jewishomaha.org. The Elinor A. and Norman Whitman Book Appreciation Contest is presented by the Center for Jewish Life and promoted by Beth El Synagogue, Beth Israel Synagogue, Temple Israel and Friedel Jewish Academy. The mission of the Center for Jewish Life is to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences.

Success at Temple Israel Spaghetti dinner by DAVID GOLBITZ Temple Israel Staff Writer The 2014 OTYG Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser, the first held in the new Temple Israel, raised about $20,000 for the Omaha Temple Youth Group, which will use the proceeds to pay for expenses throughout the year, such as transportation to and from chavurahs. A portion of the funds will also be donated to Camp Rainbow, a free summer camp in Missouri for children with cancer and blood-related illnesses. About 225 people attended the February 9 event, which, in addition to a sit-down meal served by youth group members, included a silent auction for gift baskets put together by the youth group and a live auction presided over by Steve Danon. “The event was a great success,” said Director of Youth Engagement Nikki Flatowicz. “We received many compliments from attendees stating ‘the food was the best ever at a Spaghetti Dinner,’ ‘the kids were really great with service and were so polite,’ ‘the kids were so eager to help our table.’ The kids really stepped up over the weekend for last minute tasks such as decorating and setting tables. They’re eager to present the donation check for Camp Rainbow at Spring Chavurah in April in St. Louis.” The fundraiser exceeded the expectations of OTYG President Hannah Budwig. “It went really smoothly,” she said. “We raised a really significant amount of money. And it’s really important for Camp Rainbow. I know a lot of campers will be able to go thanks to the money we raised at the Spaghetti Dinner.” Budwig also praised the memberships of both OTYG and the middle school-led JYG for turning out in the numbers they did. “We had so many JYGers, they wouldn’t all fit in the coat room,” Budwig said, referring to the usual coat check duties of JYG’s 7th and 8th graders. “We enlisted some of them to help serve during dinner and they really did a great job.” Items that were up for bid during the auction included gift certificates to area restaurants, season tickets to various Creighton sports, Swarovski bracelets, High Holiday parking spaces in the Temple Israel parking lot and much more. Stephanie and Barry Grossman, who won a year-long membership to Film Streams, are longtime supporters of OTYG and Camp Rainbow. Stephanie once worked as the

youth advisor at Temple Israel. “Camp Rainbow is a very good cause,” Barry said. “And we wanted to support Nikki, who was one of Stephanie’s first kids when she was the Temple youth advisor.” Temple Israel Board member and President Elect Mike Halsted has been volunteering to prepare the food for the Spaghetti Dinner for years, since his own kids were in OTYG. “I like to cook, so it’s an excuse to get in the kitchen with some other people who like to cook,” Halsted said. “I started out wanting to support the kids, back when my own kids were involved, and I found that I enjoyed it so much I’ve continued to help out. It’s a labor of love; it really is.” Halsted believes the importance of the Spaghetti Dinner is more than simply raising money for OTYG or Camp Rainbow. He sees it as an opportunity to engage with the Temple Israel youth and to foster their connection to the synagogue and the greater Temple community. “We want our kids to know that we’re here for them, that we support them, while at the same time giving them a sense of independence to find their own way, to forge their own identities,” Halsted said. “The Spaghetti Dinner and the auction is just one way of showing that support.”

Births Esther and Philip Katz announce the Feb. 14 birth of their daughter, Elianna Robin. She is named for her mother’s student, Anna Lundberg, her mother’s cousin, Anna Greenberg and her father’s mother, Robin Katz. She has a brother, Jonah(6) and a sister, Talia(3). Grandparents are Gail and Holman Massey of Philadelphia, PA., and Jeremy Katz of Wauwatosa, WI. Amanda and Adam Waldbaum of Phoenix, AZ announce the Jan. 22 birth of their son, Ari Alexander. Grandparents are Sonya and Steve Davis of Milliken, CO, and Natha and John Waldbaum. Great-grandparents are the late Dr. Milton and Mimi Waldbaum.

February 28, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 7

Harold Grinspoon Foundation supports Jewish Communities by MARY BORT Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation Earlier this month, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation (JFO Foundation) announced a new initiative in partnership with the Massachusetts-based Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) designed to promote legacy gifting throughout Omaha’s Jewish community. Omaha was selected by the HGF to participate in its LIFE & LEGACY™ Program. According to Arlene D. Schiff, LIFE & LEGACY National Director, “The Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s LIFE & LEGACY is a two-year partnership program that assists Jewish communities to secure legacy gifts to benefit Jewish agencies, organizations, synagogues, day schools and other Jewish entities. Through training, support and monetary incentives, LIFE & LEGACY motivates a Jewish community to secure legacy gifts, steward donors and further integrate legacy giving into the philanthropic culture of the Jewish community.” “We’re grateful to the HGF for their leadership in bringing LIFE & LEGACY to Omaha,” noted Janie Murow, JFO Foundation’s LIFE & LEGACY Coordinator. “We’re formalizing local partnerships in order to integrate legacy giving in our community.” The HGF was established in 1993 by real estate entrepreneur Harold Grinspoon. Why does this organization devote time and resources to bring LIFE & LEGACY to Jewish communities across North America? It stems from the deep commitment of Grinspoon and his wife, Diane Troderman, to charitable giving, primarily in the Jewish world. Grinspoon wrote in the HGF’s financial report, “As you may know, I was not born into wealth. I was fortunate to build many partnerships throughout my career. The same holds true for our philanthropic efforts... We collectively share a vision: to build a stronger Jewish community. Regularly, we ask ourselves, “If not us, who?” Grinspoon and Troderman both serve as Trustees of the HGF and are active in developing philanthropic partnerships. The HGF invests millions of dollars annually in powerful Jewish programs, and is committed to enhancing the Jewish community in Western Massachusetts, North

America, Israel and beyond. LIFE & LEGACY is just one of the programs supported by the HGF. For example, in 2009, the Foundation partnered with the HGF to bring the B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy Program to Omaha. The program provides young Jewish teens with the tools to give Tzedakah and the opportunity to learn more about making informed decisions as Jewish philan-

Harold Grinspoon and Diane Troderman thropists. The HGF provided a grant for initial administrative costs and guidance in implementing Omaha’s program. Omaha’s B’nai Tzedek program is provided through the Foundation and Jewish Community Center (JCC). The Foundation administers teen charitable funds and the JCC offers optional programming for the teens to learn more about what it means to be a philanthropist. “A B’nai Mitzvah student participates by contributing $125. The Foundation contributes an additional $375 to create a donor-advised fund in the student’s name,” explained Howard Epstein, JFO Foundation Executive Director. “Each year, the teen has the opportunity to allocate a portion of the fund to non-profit organizations. A teen may donate the entire amount to one Jewish charity or distribute the donation among two charities, with at least one of the non-prof-

Passover A $52 Greetings This year you can send your greetings through these very special ads that will run in our annual Passover issue. Each ad can be personalized with your name, the names of your children or your grandchildren. Just fill out the form below and send or bring it to the Jewish Press office. But hurry; these ads will only be accepted through March 7, 2014.

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its being a Jewish organization. It’s a wonderful program that exemplifies the spirit of Tzedakah.” The HGF also partners with Omaha and other communities to offer an innovative literacy program. PJ Library provides families with the gift of free children’s books, music and other resources that foster Jewish learning and create a gateway for deeper engagement in Jewish life. The HGF recently delivered its five millionth PJ Library book. “PJ Library is an amazing resource for Jewish families,” explained Beth Cohen, Executive Director of the Center for Jewish Life (CJL), the agency that administers PJ Library in Omaha. “We are grateful to the Grinspoon Foundation for their vision, innovation and support in engaging young families. PJ Library is available to Jewish children in the Omaha metro area. To sign up, visit the CJL webpage at www.jewishomaha.org.” An Israel version of PJ Library is the Sifriyat Pijama operated by the HGF’s Israeli-based foundation, Keren Grinspoon Israel. The program focuses on education in Jewish values and encouraging literacy by gifting Hebrew language books to preschoolers throughout Israel. Another HGF program is JCamp 180, which stimulates Jewish philanthropy through free consultation services and grant-matching to nonprofit Jewish overnight summer camps. HGF provides participating camps with training, technology, matching grants and more. The HGF also offers Voices & Visions, which aims to inspire conversation and spark creativity by drawing from the power of art to communicate Jewish ideas. The program has been offered to Omaha’s Jewish community. “The Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s initiatives promote philanthropy, education and a vision toward the future,” stated Epstein. “The JFO Foundation is proud to partner with them in order to make an important difference in Omaha’s Jewish community.” For more information about LIFE & LEGACY, please contact Janie Murow at 402.334.6432 or jmurow@jewishoma ha.org. Contact Howard Epstein at 402.334.6466 to learn more about the B’nai Tzedek program and Foundation charitable funds.

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8 | The Jewish Press | February 28, 2014

Friedel Science Fair is about more than science by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Friedel gifted/talented facilitator, Dr. Houtz noted. for Friedel Jewish Academy “We recognize that students have varying levels of confiStudent science projects were on display earlier in dence, experience, and assistance in developing projects,” February at the Jewish Community Center. The subject mat- continued Dr. Houtz. “Feedback is meant to be constructive ter focused on electro-magnetic force, effects of music on and affirming.” Participation in the Science Fair is voluntary. plant growth, comparisons All projects were completof heart rates in different ed after school hours in sized animals and in about one month’s time. humans, how a solar oven “We believe that if the works, crystal growth, students take the time to transpiration, anti-gravity, do a science project, they icky sticky slime, seasons, should be recognized,” how different solutions commented Cohn. “At the affect gummy bears, and elementary level, it’s not mapping taste buds. about the competition but Ranging from sixth about the experience graders to kindergarters, itself.” She also considers it the “scientists” were all important for the students students from Friedel to have the judges’ written Jewish Academy particifeedback on their projects. pating in the school’s All students who particiannual Science Fair. This pated received a certificate year, the students were and a medal at the recoginstructed to conduct an nition ceremony to which experiment that tied into their families were invited. the Nebraska Science With a goal of giving Standards for each grade “future teachers experilevel. The older students ences that develop their were permitted to use own competence and conIpads or laptops for their fidence to go above and presentations if they so beyond in offering science chose. So in addition to experiences to children,” learning about different Dr. Houtz’s students also science phenomena, they benefit from the Science were able to combine techFair. “Creighton’s educanology with their learning tion programs prepare experiences. “They also teachers to strive for excellearned how to put a preslence, care for the individentation together and how ual and serve in leadership Top, left to right: siblings Max, Leah and Jacob Gurock; Bottom: to present the information roles,” said Dr. Houtz, a Jake Lucoff, Brad Berman and Ari Finkelstein show off their orally,” said Friedel former science teacher and medals. Principal Pam Cohn. Omaha Public School Judging the science projects were five Creighton Science supervisor. “My Science Methods students have University students from Dr. Lynne Houtz’s Elementary and opportunities to experience science fairs that have varying Middle Level Science Methods class who are training to types of organization and approaches to competition.” become teachers. Dr. Houtz’s students have been judging the She added that “Every year, my students and I are blown Science Fair for about the past ten years. away by the (Friedel) science projects! We are so impressed My student judges “are encouraged to help students share with how confidently and enthusiastically the children are their projects by encouraging shy and reserved students to able to articulate their projects -- even the children who may explain their projects,” pointed out Dr. Houtz. Her students start off shyly. The projects show curiosity, planning, and “ask probing questions about the project design and lessons family cooperation. The judges are amazed at how even the learned, about their inspiration, favorite aspects, what they youngest students are fully engaged, and I enjoy seeing how would do differently” and so on. “Judges are provided with individual students evolve in their application of the sciena rubric for evaluating the projects by Joey Zbylut-Burkey,” tific process from year to year.”

OneWorld Community Health Centers by PAM MONSKY Community Relations Associate, OneWorld Community Health Centers, Inc. OneWorld Community Health Centers is committed to serving the most vulnerable and needy in our community since 1970. OneWorld is linguistically and culturally competent and has designed an array of health care services to meet the needs of low-income and uninsured people living in Omaha. Half of our patients are children and 89% live at or below 200% of poverty ($47,700 for a family of four in 2014). OneWorld’s vision is to be an innovative leader empowering individuals in healthier communities. The mission of OneWorld is: “In partnership with the community, provide culturally respectful quality health care with special attention to the underserved.” OneWorld has grown exponentially over the past decade, moving from a strip mall in 2005 into the Livestock Exchange Building. In 2013 OneWorld was transformed from a clinic into a primary care and affordable housing campus with three buildings in order to expand access to care and affordable senior housing for a vulnerable population. Also in 2013, OneWorld opened its fourth school based health center, a full service clinic in West Omaha and within Community Alliance. In March 2014 OneWorld will open a clinic in Northwest Omaha. Over the past five years the number of patients cared for has grown from 16,000 to 30,000. OneWorld is now the largest provider of primary health care services in South Omaha and is the only primary care clinic that has a majority bilingual and bicultural staff and a sliding fee scale for patients without insurance. Long-range plans include OneWorld Village, extending OneWorld’s reach from primary care into a network of services and locations to empower families, including additional affordable housing projects, an adolescent clinic, establishing a “Baby College” and home visiting program, expanded literacy programs, behavioral health and oral health services. To find out more about OneWorld, please visit oneworld omaha.org. PAID ADVERTISEMENT

To Submit Announcements Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewishomaha.org or online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on Jewish Press and go to Submit Announcements; 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: avandekamp@jewish omaha.org.

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February 28, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 9

Improbable Survivor headlines Week of Holocaust Education by SHERRIE SAAG Belsen and then to Terezin. Of the 15,000 The Institute for Holocaust Education children imprisoned in Terezín, Verveer is presents its fourth annual Week of among the one percent who survived. Understanding, March 3-7. The week of proAfter her 1945 liberation, she was reunitgramming emphasizes ed with some of her family Holocaust education members and eventually through survivor testimony immigrated to Israel and will reach well over before settling in the 5,000 Nebraska students United States 35 years ago. and adults. This year’s An eloquent and staunch schedule of events will advocate in support of surinclude more than 40 vivor testimony, Verveer schools and eight survivors. has spoken to hundreds of “The scope and reach of groups across the country. Week of Understanding “I did not speak about the ensures that as many comHolocaust for the longest munity members and stutime,” she has said. “But dents as possible will hear when there were too many personal testimony directpeople denying that it ever ly from survivors themhappened, I decided to selves. With the number of speak up. And I have been Chaja Verveer survivors declining each speaking up about what year, it is more important than ever that we happened to me ever since.” hear their stories first-hand. It is an incrediHer hope is for continuous new ways to bly powerful interaction and memorable for keep lessons from the Holocaust fresh and all those in attendance,” said Liz Feldstern, relevant. “Our highest priority is to preserve Executive Director of the Institute for and maintain testimonies. When it was over, Holocaust Education. we said ‘never again’. But genocide still hapThe free public event, titled, Improbable pens. I hope it clicks with people how uniSurvivor: A young child in the Holocaust versal the danger is. It is our responsibility takes place Thursday, March 6, 7 p.m. at to act.” Countryside Community Church (8787 Verveer serves on the board of Holocaust Pacific Street) and features Chaja Verveer, a Museum Houston, is a member of the child survivor of the Bergen Belsen and Executive Committee of the Texas Terezin concentration camps. Holocaust and Genocide Commission and Born in Maarsbergen, Holland in 1941, is president of Child Survivors of the she was the youngest child of Emanuel and Holocaust, Houston. Henrietta Verveer. She was just a year old Week of Understanding is made possible when her family went into hiding. Forced to with generous support from the Omaha separate, Verveer was sent to live with a Public Schools Foundation, Adah and Leon Dutch family active in the Resistance. Her Millard Foundation and the Shirley and protectors presented her as their own child, Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation naming her “Carla van den Berg”. As a tod- of the Jewish Federation of Omaha dler, she was “arrested” and sent to an Foundation. orphanage in Westerbork, a transit camp in For more information on Week of northeastern Holland. In September 1944, Understanding or any IHE event, email the children were transported to Bergen info@ihene.org.

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Meet David Nesenoff by RON AZOULAY Yeshiva University, Hebrew University and On Tuesday, April 1 from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m., The Jewish Theological Seminary where he Dr. Nesenoff will be at the Chabad Center, received his Masters, Ordination and 1866 S 120th St., as part of a Midwest speak- Doctorate. He was an anti-bias consultant ing tour. He will share his for the U. S. Justice experiences with the Department’s Civil Rights Omaha community durMonitors Office. For seving a reception followed by eral years, the rabbi ran a talk. educational programs In 2010, Dr. Nesenoff, throughout Long Island, his son and a friend, Adam including court-mandated and Daniel, were taking sessions for teen-agers part in the Annual Jewish convicted of bias offenses. Heritage celebration, hostIn the late 90’s, Dr. ed by the President at the Nesenoff obtained partial White House. The high financing for a film project school boys were docufrom the New York State menting the events for Division of Youth, which their Jewish teen Web site stipulated that the film Dr. David Nesenoff and Dr. Nesenoff was would be available for use interviewing people about Israel for a fea- in New York schools. Rabbi Nesenoff and ture on his web site, RabbiLIVE.com. his wife, Nancy, wrote the script for Moving What followed was a national and inter- Day, a 16-minute, black-and-white short national media storm surrounding the that has been screened by numerous venues Washington press corps’ Helen Thomas, including the Sundance Film Festival. Dr. who for most of the past 60 years has cov- Nesenoff stated that, ‘’through film, I can ered every president since Eisenhower. reach many more people. Creativity and Nesenoff said the experience has made him entertainment are the keys to education and more aware of an anti-Semitic voice in the resolution.’’ United States. “I don’t know if it’s mainToday, Dr. Nesenoff travels the globe stream, but I know there’s a stream,” he said. delivering a highly sought after message The interview and its aftermath also caused about Israel, anti-Semitism and life lessons. a striking effect on Israel, international This event is free and open to the commumedia, anti-Semitism and personally trans- nity. We look forward to seeing you! formed the life of Dr. Nesenoff. For further information, please contact Dr. David Nesenoff is a rabbi, publisher, Chani Katzman - Chabad Center at journalist, author, musician and filmmaker. 402.330.1800 or Ron Azoulay - Khamsa He received his formal education from Group, LLC at 646.701.3076.

March 1 — April 6

Osborne Family Gallery in the UNO Criss Library 6001 Dodge, Omaha, NE

Artists’ Reception Tuesday, March 18

•

The title of the exhibition refers to a poem by Judah Halevi, expressing the 12th-Century Jewish Spanish philosopher’s longing for Zion, both as a geographical and a spiritual place. Reflecting on this notion the exhibition presents works by contemporary local artists exploring their own Jewish heritage. Judaism has always created a strong sense of identity. Over the centuries, through the diaspora, the Shoah and migration Jewish existence has been challenged and undergone constant redefinition.

FEATURED ARTISTS

What is Jewish identity in a 21st Century Mid-Western culture? How can art help formulate a Jewish identity? These questions are transformed into very diverse and individual artistic solutions. The artists represented in this exhibition express their quest for a Jewish identity in a wholly contemporary format. Yet it represents a search that is as old as Judaism itself. —Anat Gilboa, Curator

Naava Naslavsky

The Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies at UNO acknowledges with gratitude the contribution of The following: The Schusterman Foundation and the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE); The Larry E. and Silvia Roffman Family Fund and the Arthur and Deborah Greene Family Philanthropic Fund, both donor advised funds at the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation

6pm – 8:30pm

Annette Sherman Fettman Beth Brown Gershovich Bette Kozlen Eliska Morsel Greenspoon Evelyn Render-Katz Lila Ferber Dr. Jenni Schlosman Ophir Palmon Stephanie Grossman

10 | The Jewish Press | February 28, 2014

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Community Calendar FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28 Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Shabbat Service with Scholar in Residence Rabbi Douglas Kohn, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel SATURDAY, MARCH 1 Scholar in Residence Rabbi Douglas Kohn, 9 a.m. at Temple Israel Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Have a Cup of Coffee with God, 9:30 a.m. at Beth El Junior Congregation, 10 a.m. at Beth El Mini-Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m. at Beth El Young Adult Committee Mexican and Margaritas Night, 6:30 p.m. at Beth El SUNDAY, MARCH 2 Sisterhood Hamantashen Bake-a-Palooza, 9 a.m. at Beth El Talmud Torah Classes, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Hamantashen Baking, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Non Jewish Parents Raising Jewish Children, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Scholar in Residence Rabbi Douglas Kohn, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Hazzan Krausman’s Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m. at Beth El Sunday Scholars Series, 11 a.m. at Beth El Adult Hebrew, 11 a.m. at Temple Israel Musical Theater Rehearsals, 3 p.m. MONDAY, MARCH 3 Daf Yomi: Week in Review, 7:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Institute for Holocaust Education, A Week of Understanding begins, 8 a.m. Beth El Rosh Hodesh Meeting, 7 p.m. at Patty Nogg’s home Jewish Press Board Meeting, 7 p.m. Klutznick Learning Series What is it About the Ten Commandments, 7 p.m. TUESDAY, MARCH 4 Mah Jongg Lessons and Practice, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel BBYO Night, 6 p.m. Hebrew 101, 6 p.m. Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class: Bible Study with Rabbi Azriel, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Mah Jongg Lessons and Practice, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5 Rabbis and Presidents Meeting, noon BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El BEST Hebrew High Dinner, 6 p.m. at Beth El The Symbiotic Relationship of Science and Religion with Rabbi Brown, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel BESTT Hebrew High, 6:45 p.m. at Beth El Rabbi Weiss’ Weekly Class, 7:45 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, MARCH 6 Sacred Grounds, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel The Heart of Judaism with Debbie Massarano, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Planning and Community Engagement Committee Meeting, noon UNO Class History of Jewish Philosophy, 6 p.m. Holocaust Survivor Testimony from Chaja Verveer, 7 p.m. at Countryside Community Church FRIDAY, MARCH 7 Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi Hayim Herring, 6 p.m. at Beth El First Friday Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel Shabbat Dinner with Scholar-in-Residence, Rabbi Hayim Herring, 7 p.m. at Beth El SATURDAY, MARCH 8 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi Hayim Herring, 9:30 a.m. at Beth El Shabbat’s Cool, 10 a.m. at Beth El Teens 4 Israel Shabbaton, 10 a.m. at Beth Israel Mini-Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m. at Beth El BBG Rush, 7 p.m.

SUNDAY, MARCH 9 Talmud Torah Classes, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Non Jewish Parents Raising Jewish Children, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Torah Tots, 10:45 a.m. at Beth El Hazzan Krausman’s Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m. at Beth El Adult Hebrew, 11 a.m. at Temple Israel Purim Carnival, 11:30 a.m. at Temple Israel BESTT Kibbutz Chaverim, 12:15 p.m. Musical Theater Rehearsals, 3 p.m. MONDAY, MARCH 10 Daf Yomi: Week in Review, 7:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Federation Board Meeting, 11:30 a.m. IHE Essay Contest Judging, 5:30 p.m. Friedel Exec Board Meeting, 6:00 p.m. Friedel Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m. Klutznick Learning Series, 7 p.m. TUESDAY, MARCH 11 Mah Jongg Lessons and Practice, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Eye on Israel with Eliad, noon Jewish Medical Ethics, noon at the Med Center BBYO Night, 6 p.m. Hebrew 101, 6 p.m. Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Mah Jongg Lessons and Practice, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12 BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Beth Israel Rabbi Geoff Mitelman, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel BESTT Hebrew High, 6:45 p.m. at Beth El Rabbi Weiss’ Weekly Class, 7:45 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, MARCH 13 Sacred Grounds, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Center for Jewish Life Board Meeting, noon Speech Contest, 1:20 p.m. at Friedel UNO Class History of Jewish Philosophy, 6 p.m. FRIDAY, MARCH 14 Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Friedel Purim Talent Show, 1:15 p.m. SATURDAY, MARCH 15 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Junior Congregation, 10 a.m. at Beth El Annual Pi Shabbaton, 10 a.m. at Beth Israel Mini-Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m. at Beth El Purim Services and Megillah Reading, 6:45 p.m. at Beth El Purium Masquerade Wine Tasting Celebration, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel Megillah Reading and Hamantaschen, 8:15 p.m. at Chabad SUNDAY, MARCH 16 Talmud Torah Classes, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El Adult Ed Class, The Secrets of the Jews, 10 a.m. at Beth El Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Torah Tots, 10:45 a.m. at Beth El Hazzan Krausman’s Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m. at Beth El Sunday Scholars Series, 11 a.m. at Beth El USY/Kadima Purim Carnival, 11:30 a.m. at Beth El Nebraska Jewish Historical Society Genealogy Club, 1:30 p.m. Musical Theater Rehearsals, 3 p.m. Purim Breakfast for Dinner, 4:30 p.m. at Chabad MONDAY, MARCH 17 Daf Yomi: Week in Review, 7:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Friedel School Board Meeting, 7 p.m. Klutznick Learning Series, 7 p.m. TUESDAY, MARCH 18 Friedel PTO Meeting, 8:30 a.m. Mah Jongg Lessons and Practice, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel The Ethics of Our Fathers, 2 p.m. at Remington Heights BBYO Night, 6 p.m. Hebrew 102, 6 p.m. BESTT Board Meeting, 7 p.m. Beth El Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel Mah Jongg Lessons and Practice, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19 Friedel Dancing Showcase, 2 p.m. BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El BESTT Hebrew High, 6:45 p.m. at Beth El Rabbi Weiss’ Weekly Class, 7:45 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, MARCH 20 Sacred Grounds, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Music in Transition with Cantor Shermet, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Hebrew 102, 6 p.m. UNO Class History of Jewish Philosophy, 6 p.m. Scotch Tasting with the Clergy, 7 p.m. at Beth El FRIDAY, MARCH 21 Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH SATURDAY, MARCH 22 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Junior Congregation, 10 a.m. at Beth El Omaha Ervu Shabbaton, 10 a.m. at Beth Israel Mini-Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m. at Beth El Beth El USY/Kadima Havdalah and Bonfire, 8 p.m. at Zev Krausman’s House SUNDAY, MARCH 23 Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Non Jewish Parents Raising Jewish Children, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Hazzan Krausman’s Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m. at Beth El Sunday Scholars Series, 11 a.m. at Beth El Adult Hebrew, 11 a.m. at Temple Israel Musical Theater Rehearsals, 3 p.m. Cantor’s Concert, 7 p.m. at Beth El MONDAY, MARCH 24 Daf Yomi: Week in Review, 7:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Klutznick Learning Series, 7 p.m. TUESDAY, MARCH 25 Rabbi Abraham’s Weekly Class, 10 a.m. at Beth El Mah Jongg Lessons and Practice, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Jewish Senior Services Board Meeting, 11:30 a.m. RBJH Board Meeting, 11:30 a.m. BBYO Night, 6 p.m. Hebrew 102, 6 p.m. Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class with Na’ama, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Board of Director’s Meeting, 7 p.m. at Beth El JCC Board Meeting, 7 p.m. Mah Jongg Lessons and Practice, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26 Beth El On the Road with Rabbi Abraham (A Lunch and Learn at Noddle Companies), noon BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El The Symbiotic Relationship of Science and Religion with Rabbi Brown, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel BESTT Hebrew High, 6:45 p.m. at Beth El Rabbi Weiss’ Weekly Class, 7:45 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, MARCH 27 Sacred Grounds, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Music in Transition with Cantor Shermet, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Hebrew 102, 6 p.m. UNO Class History of Jewish Philosophy, 6 p.m. FRIDAY, MARCH 28 Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Family Shabbat Services and Dinner, 6 p.m. at Beth El SATURDAY, MARCH 29 Tot Shabbat, 9 a.m. at Temple Israel Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Men’s Club Shabbat, 9:30 a.m. at Beth El Junior Congregation, 10 a.m. at Beth El Mini-Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m. at Beth El SUNDAY, MARCH 30 Talmud Torah Classes, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Hazzan Krausman’s Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m. at Beth El Sunday Scholars Series, 11 a.m. at Beth El Musical Theater Rehearsals, 3 p.m. Beth El Social Action Committee Cooks and Serves Dinner, 5:30 p.m. at the Stephen Center MONDAY, MARCH 31 Daf Yomi: Week in Review, 7:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Klutznick Learning Series, 7 p.m.

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 Pat Anson at 402.334.8200. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of the above events.

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Join us for Sunday Brunch! Please join us for Omaha’s newest Sunday Brunch. Our menu includes Chef Archie’s famous fluffy omelette, eggs benedict, and chicken and waffles, which is a huge hit on the east and west coasts. We open at 10 a.m. and serve brunch until 2 p.m. We want to thank the Jewish community for their support, and we look forward to serving all of you in the future. We hope to see you at brunch on Sunday.

R E S TA U R A N T

February 28, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 11

Mainstreeters March events by OZZIE NOGG It’s time to grab a pencil, march over to your calendar and circle the dates for these March Mainstreeters events. Both are boffo. Erin Grace: The Omaha World-Herald Metro Columnist. Monday, March 17, 12:30 p.m. lunch in the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Auditorium. In 1998, Erin joined The OWH as the Jane-of-all-trades, covering a little bit of everything on the swing shift. One of the paper’s three metro columnists, Erin is a graduate of Marian High School and Marquette University. But the best education she got has been real life, both in the soul-sucking telemarketing jobs she worked to pay school tuition and in the soultransforming teaching gig she landed after college in Louisiana’s bayou country. Erin Grace covered Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath from New Orleans in 2005. In 2007, she served on the award-winning team that uncovered Omaha’s deep income Erin Grace, Omaha Worlddivide and high rate of Herald Metro Columnist, is black poverty. In 2009 Erin guest speaker at the won the Greater Mainstreeters luncheon on Federation of Women’s Monday, March 17. Come Clubs annual Croly award hear Erin describe her “typifor a piece that explored cal” work week as a columnist, why Omaha women held all while juggling kids and a so few high-ranking corperpetually dusty house. porate positions compared to their male counterparts. A mother of three, she has blogged for the newspaper’s website for parents, momaha.com. She cannot sew but she can check her tire pressure. Join us as Erin describes a “typical” work week as a columnist, all while juggling kids and jobs and a perpetually dusty house. You won’t want to miss this program. Entree includes a bowl of hearty chicken noodle soup and your choice of 1/2 corned beef or tuna salad sandwich, plus cole slaw, pickles, cookies and beverage. Cost is $10 per

plate. Reservations must be received by Monday, March 10. Make check payable to Jewish Social Services and send full payment to Mainstreeters, c/o Maggie Conti, 323 South 132nd Street, Omaha, NE 68154. For transportation, call Maggie at 402.334.6521. Join Us at the Movies: Enough Said, Friday, March 28, 1 p.m. in the JCC Theater. No charge for the film or for unlimited bags of warm, delicious popcorn. No reservations necessary. Invite a friend. In this sharp, insightful comedy, a divorced and single parent, Eva (Julia Louis Dreyfus) spends her days enjoying work as a masseuse but dreading her daughter’s impending departure for college. She meets Albert (James Gandolfini), a sweet, funny and likeminded man also facing an empty nest. As their romance quickly blossoms, Eva befriends a new massage client, Marianne (Catherine Keener), who constantly rags on her exspouse. Suddenly, Eva finds herself doubting her new relationship when she learns that Albert is Marianne’s former husband. Enough Said -which the New York Times called “one of the best-written American film comedies in recent memory” -- humorously explores the mess that often comes with getting involved again. If you want to have lunch at the Star Deli before the show, call Maggie Conti at 402.334.6521 to reserve a table. Lunch is on your own. The Star Deli opens for business at 11:30 a.m. Mainstreeters welcomes all Jewish residents of the Omaha area age 60 plus. The group offers a mixed-bag of social events and learning opportunities that give participants the chance to meet new people, exercise their brains, take part in new activities and continue enjoying life to the fullest. Mainstreeters programs are supported in part by grants from the United Way of the Midlands and the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

UNMC’s Service Learning Academy

655 North 114th Street • Omaha, NE

402/496-2090 Mon. - Thurs. 11 am - close • Fri. 11 am - 9 pm Sat. 4 pm - 9 pm • Sun. 11:30 am - 9 pm

Class of 2014 High School Seniors High School Seniors and Parents We will be publishing our annual High School Graduation Class pages on May 23, 2014. To be included, we need your graduation photo and the information below. You can also email the items to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.

High School Senior Information Name ________________________________________________ Parent(s)’ Name(s) ________________________________________________ Current High School ________________________________________________ College you plan to attend ________________________________________________ Send by May 1 to: The Jewish Press | 333 So. 132 St. | Omaha, NE 68154

The Service Learning Academy, UNMC, strives to improve the health of underserved populations while providing health profession students strong foundation to better serve individuals when they complete their trainings. Students engage in experiences that are not otherwise available in their standard curriculum - over 50 events in the community were developed in the past year. While providing essential services, students are able to enhance cultural awareness and other skills important to healthcare providers (i.e. leadership, provider-patient communication, teamwork, and professionalism). They gain experience working with an interprofessional team, building an understanding of the vital role each profession plays within the full spectrum of care for patients and communities. • Finding A Voice (FAV) – At the Homeless shelter, we address the critical need of health education and services to individuals with no resources, while fostering respect, dignity and self-worth. • Bridge-To-Care (BTC) –addressing critical needs and challenges brought about individuals who are displaced and resettled (15,000 refugees!) in Omaha (learning to navigate the American health care system, learning new

approaches to health, prevention, and wellbeing). The Refugee Health Collaborative, a 12 organization initiative, was developed to better the health of refugees in Omaha. • EMPOWER – working with the WCA – Women Center for Advancement, caring for women affected by domestic violence (DV), to develop programs that address the health related needs of the women served at the Center. We also work on campus and around the city, to raise awareness on DV issues. • Do JuSTIce – working the Douglas County Department of Corrections we partner to address the STIs epidemic in Omaha through education, screening, and treatment of inmates at the jail. • Decreasing the Donor Deficit (DDD) – In efforts to reduce health disparities this project addresses the deficit in minority bone marrow donors necessary for minorities afflicted with cancer. The projects sets to raise awareness in the community, enhance understanding of the process of donor recruitment, and enroll hundreds of new bone marrow donors every year through events in the community and on campus. Visit us at https://www.unmc.edu/publichealth/Serv_ Learn.htm.

Welcome to the Lied Lodge by AMY STOUFFER Marketing Director, Arbor Day Farm and Lied Lodge & Conference Center Lied Lodge & Conference Center in Nebraska City, Nebraska, is a naturally-inspiring backdrop for your wedding day, Bar/Bat Mitzvah party, graduation party or other special celebration. Just 40 minutes south of Omaha, Lied Lodge is nestled on 260-acre Arbor Day Farm and showcases floor-to-ceiling timbers, soaring stone fireplaces and scenic vistas of orchards. Lied Lodge’s two separate, full-service kitchens ensure kosher preparation of celebrational meals, and on-site event coordinators work carefully to carry out every detail to perfection – allowing you to relax and make memories that last a lifetime. • Indoor and outdoor wedding ceremony and reception sites

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12 | The Jewish Press | February 28, 2014

The defeat of Henry Ford by GALIA SPRUNG that there was no way they What possessed a smallcould support The Dearborn town Jewish immigrant family Independent’s stand and in 1921 to defy the demands of regretting that Ford considthe anti-Semitic corporate ered the publication a Ford owner of their car dealership product.” By placing that ad in franchise? And not just any the local newspaper on Sept. corporate owner, but Henry 30, 1921, they went beyond the Ford Sr. This defiance came moral duty to disassociate only nine months after Ford themselves from Ford and his had openly credited these hate. They made sure everyone immigrants with saving the knew exactly why there would Ford Motor Company. So no longer be a Ford dealership what reversed this relationship at Fifth and Pearl. The name with Ford and led the family to Barish would remain in brick publicly tell this motor magon the corner of the building, nate “None of your honey; but Ford would not. none of your sting”? Only five I love the letter and its spirit, years earlier, my grandfather, but one part stands out. I wonMax Barish, along with his der how the Ford Motor Co. brothers and father, opened a felt when it was served an ultiFord dealership in Sioux City, matum by Jews: “Unless we Iowa. The business provided hear from you...” Whoever gave them with a good living and Henry Ford Sr. an ultimatum? reputation. But how far were The brothers stayed in the they willing to go to continue car business by operating the their success? service garage and selling Max Mendel Barish was automobile accessories. The fourteen when the Graf family moved to Omaha in Waldersee docked in New 1929, before the Wall Street York on Aug. 15, 1901. crash, where Max opened a Having escaped Czarist Dodge-Plymouth business. It Russia, Max, his eldest sister was there in the late thirties Molly, and their father Ben that a Zionist organization Left: Max and Etta in Sioux City, top right: Etta and Max in LA., and bottom right: four generations. made their way to the approached Grandpa Max American Midwest. The three immigrants joined the home- important as letters were then, they were also easily ignored about buying land in Palestine. Logically – but unfortunatesteaders of North Dakota, where they herded sheep on and forgotten. What counted was action. Unfortunately for ly for us, the heirs – Max chose Afula, the capital of the horseback, slept on hammocks for fear of deadly snakes, and the Ford Motor Co., it never occurred to the chairman of the Jezreel Valley with its abundance of collective and cooperaboard that the Barish Bros. – “the boys who do things” – were tive farms, and not what became Herzliya Pituach, exclusive suffered through the frozen winters. After farming the 660 acres for the eighteen months not about to do something just because Henry Ford demand- seafront property along the Mediterranean and home to the required by the government, they sold the homestead and ed it. In the beginning, dealerships served as passive distribu- wealthy and many foreign embassies. used the $3,000 profit to get the rest of the family out of tion centers for Ford’s magazine. Surely many dealers happily During World War II, Grandpa Max and the family moved Russia. Everyone settled in Sioux City, where the Barish encouraged their customers to take a copy home. Others may to Los Angeles where he opened a Chrysler-Plymouth agency Brothers, Max, Enchul and Hyman, opened their Ford fran- have just put them in a dark corner, hoping no one would on La Brea in 1949. His son Howard (Bud) and his son-in-law chise on the corner of Fifth and Pearl in a brick building that bother with the anti-Semitic rag. After all, how could they – my father – worked together until we moved to Palm is still standing today. Five years later, the Ford Motor alone prevent Ford from spreading his hate? Springs. Father and son continued to run the agency until But Ford wasn’t happy with the passive dissemination of Max retired and then Bud ran the business until his retireCompany might have ceased to exist, if it hadn’t been for Max! According to the Jan. 1921 story in the Sioux City Jewish his magazine through his dealerships. To enforce mass dis- ment in 1991. No relatives were able to take over the business, newspaper, A Lion’s Roar, Mr. Ford was running out of raw tribution, he declared that The Dearborn Independent was as so the family’s 75-year affair with cars came to an end. materials to produce his cars. “When the Babson, Bradstreet much a Ford product as his cars and that his dealers were Although I had been in Israel for twenty years by then, I and Dun reference guide to main Gentile connections, a ref- obligated to distribute it to customers. Now Grandpa Max felt strangely depressed, as though a precious family heirerence that Ford always turned to when he needed a contact, slammed on his brakes and refused to comply with the loom had been lost. The agency had been there since I was failed to come up with a helpful name,” the article explained, decree. His self-respect as a Jew and a Zionist came before born and held so many memories. It had been a constant in “he took a bound volume of The International Jew and dis- his business and his livelihood, even though he was married my life. While my brother and I and our cousins grew up covered the name Barish Bros., Ford distributors, “the boys with two children, my mother and aunt. and moved to different cities and a different country, the Standing up to the most powerful man in the automobile building and the business remained part of the family. Now who do things.” The Barish brothers contacted a local Jewish junk dealer industry was not enough for them. They weren’t about to it wasn’t “ours” any more. who was able to transport enough raw materials to Michigan quietly sell back the dealership to Ford to avoid distributing There was, however, another “constant” in our lives, to prevent a plant shutdown. Ford may have been an anti- The Dearborn Independent. No. The brothers threw their although not a place most of the family had ever visited: that lucrative franchise in Ford’s face. They placed a full-page ad land in Afula. The two acres have belonged to the family for Semite, but business was business. So far. The newspaper ran a front page headline proclaiming: in the Sioux City Daily Tribune so everyone would know 75 years. Each time I pass through Afula I look at it with Henry Ford Praises Sioux City Jews. The subheading read: Max exactly who the Barish brothers were: Jews who were not silent pride for my Zionist grandfather or point it out to Barish Responsible for Continuance of the Ford Plant. Quite an afraid to take a public stand against anti-Semitism. friends and say, “I’m a land owner!” This agricultural land Albert Lee’s 1980 book, Henry Ford and the Jews docu- will eventually be re-zoned and become more valuable. It’s achievement for a refugee from the Czar, a former homesteader, and a five-year owner of a Ford dealership. Ironically, it was ments this heroic act. On page forty, Lee wrote: “The Barish right next to a main intersection and a Magen David Adom Jews who had saved Mr. Henry Ford, the anti-Semite. Why Brothers of Sioux City, Iowa, dropped out dramatically by pay- station (Israeli Red Cross). Nice place for a car agency. But not? This proud Jewish family could ignore one more anti- ing for a full-page advertisement in the local paper, explaining definitely not Ford’s. Semite. They had a good business and Ford could think what he wanted. Besides, Ford was quoted in the article as saying: “Mr. Max Barish and his firm deserve honorable mention for their valuable assistance and you may look for me to provide by OZZIE NOGG them with more publicity in the columns of my magazine.” The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home brought Sochi to The “magazine” Ford referred to was The Dearborn Omaha during the recent Olympic Games. The kitchen Independent, his own publication, which he started in 1919 crew at the Home created miniature Olympic torches made and used as a vehicle for his anti-Semitic opinions. Articles of ice cream cones, cake and yellow frosting, and Residents collected from these publications were later bound in book and staff came together for fun competition planned by the form to become the four-volume The International Jew RBJH Activities Department. The event was a gold medal(available on the Web and still used by hate groups). That’s winning program for everyone. the same book Ford used to find my grandfather’s name when he was looking for a source for scrap metal so he could build his cars. I can’t imagine why my grandfather and his brothers were even mentioned in The International Jew. If they knew about the listing, it probably didn’t matter at the time; providing a decent living for their families did. So thanks to the Barish brothers, the assembly lines kept running and new Model T’s rolled off to dealers across the country. But The Dearborn Independent continued blaming Above: RBJH Resident Joie Simon wins the gold medal for Jews for “nearly all the troubles in American society...” accordthe Southwest Unit; left picture: Blumkin Home Resident ing to a 1999 report issued by the Anti-Defamation League. Annette Fettman, right, shares a moment off the slopes The ADL report stated that Ford received thousands of comwith an Olympic alpine skier. plaints from both Jews and non-Jews about his opinions. As

Fun and Olympic Games at the Blumkin Home

February 28, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 13

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

Lessons in Tzedakah

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press My husband and I have been teaching our children about Tzedakah ever since they were old enough to not put the coins in their mouth. Any parent knows that teaching children to give things up is not always easy (“Mine!”), and those of you without children can probably imagine. As soon as they figure out you can buy things with money, they start negotiating. We live in a consumer society, and the stores are full of extremely cool things we have to have now. Did you know Lego just released a whole new series of Hero Factory building sets? Tell me about it. There are roadblocks. We’re teaching them to give long before they have the capacity to actually earn money, and we have to be careful we’re not just teaching them to be generous with our dollars. But, if we wait until they are old enough to hold down a job (allowance doesn’t count, that also comes from us, no matter how many chores they do) it will be much too late. And so, even though we start with putting a shiny coin into the pushke, the real focus needs to be on internalizing generosity. You don’t have to have any money to understand the need for justice, or the need for food, medicine and shelter, and the fact that too many people go without. Children will get it, as long as there’s someone to point it out to them. What comes next is making the transition from knowing there’s a need, to doing something about it. Stepping up, and taking an active role: it’s a very valuable tool for parents. There are few things more powerful than teaching your children they have the power to change the world, one small Mitzvah at the time. In Parenting for the Perplexed, Rachel Biale wrote: “Newer research has identified ‘spontaneous altruism’ in toddlers, chimpanzees, and even rats.” (JWeekly.com) Well, if chimpanzees can do it, so can our kids.

In our family, we made the decision to help our kids become JFO Annual Campaign donors. They see themselves in the Jewish Press name ad, and by the time they become adults they will know what’s expected. The amounts they give are tiny; I don’t want them feeling unnecessary pressure by the time they graduate college. At this point in their lives,

it’s not about the amount; it’s about the act itself. We can’t take credit for the idea; we borrowed it from Toba CohenDunning and Eric Dunning, who set a fabulous example for us. Campaign dollars go to many different places, both within, and outside of our community. While it takes a lot of growing up to really understand the massive needs elsewhere, they do know what’s right in front of them, right now. Over the years, my children have benefited from many places here at home. They have enjoyed the Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center, Friedel Jewish Academy, the

JCC Theater and dance classes. They’ve gone to Yom Ha’atzmaut parties, attended summer camps, eaten at Star Deli, borrowed books from the Center for Jewish Life’s Kripke Library, learned to swim in the JCC pool, taken classes from Israeli Partnership teachers and received scholarships. It is only natural they take an active interest in where all those programs come from. By being a part of Campaign, they take more ownership than if they were simply consumers. It works the same way at home: they may not pay the mortgage, but we still expect them to clean their rooms. I am going to be honest: we cannot only model the behavior of giving to our community and hope that our kids take over when they are old enough. The time to get them involved is now. They don’t have to give much for it to make an impact on them. Imagine a community where everybody, young and old, is involved in giving. We can all look around us at what we have built and say we had a part in it, whether we are five or 80 years old. In Pittsburgh, the day school kids did a telethon (together with their parents) for their Federation’s Annual Campaign. The Jewish Federation of Lehigh Valley, PA actively solicits B’nai Mitzvah kids to make a donation. Beyond that, I can’t find any Jewish federations around the country who address the issue of kids taking an active role in the Annual Campaign. And that is probably due to the fact that it can be an uncomfortable topic. While I am not necessarily suggesting we put our kids on the phones (I think it shows chutzpah, but I’m not sure it’s something I’d feel good about) I do think we can do more to get our kids involved. Let’s all think about this. And in the meantime, those of you who’ve considered it but not taken the next step: get your kids involved in the Annual Campaign and make that pledge together. You will empower your kids to take an active role in helping our community and beyond.

The NY Times column on anti-Zionism: A reminder of its own publisher’s past

Focus on issues RAFAEL MEDOFF (JNS.org) The New York Times raised some eyebrows in the Jewish community last week with a lengthy feature about four self-described religious Jews who oppose Israel. In an apparent attempt to legitimize Jewish anti-Zionism, the article stressed that Zionism “was not always the norm among American Jews” and that it was only “the persecution of European Jews [which] turned many American Jews into Zionists.” Interestingly, one of the most famous “religious Jews” who opposed Zionism did not change his mind even after the Holocaust. That was the Times’s own publisher from 1935 to 1961, Arthur Hays Sulzberger. Sulzberger was a devout adherent of classical Reform Judaism. In his view, Jewish identity should consist only of religious beliefs, not any sense of peoplehood, nationalism, or ethnic affiliation. He even rejected the existence of Jewish war veterans organizations on the grounds that they were examples of “Ghetto living.” As Prof. Laurel Leff explains in her critically acclaimed book, Buried by The Times: The Holocaust and America’s Most Important Newspaper, Sulzberger instructed Times editors to bury news of the Nazi genocide on the back pages, and to tone down or eliminate references to the fact that the victims were Jews. Sulzberger worried that if the Times reported what was happening to the Jews in Europe, some-

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one might accuse it of being a “Jewish newspaper.” As news of the Nazi atrocities moved many formerly antiZionist Reform rabbis and leaders to recognize the need for a Jewish state, Sulzberger pushed back. He was one of the earliest and most enthusiastic supporters of the American Council for Judaism, a group created by a handful of Reform rabbis in 1942 to oppose Zionism. The Times gave frequent and generous coverage to the activities of the tiny Council. Even a visit to former Nazi concentration camps in 1945 did not alter Sulzberger’s anti-Zionist convictions. In a speech the following year, Sulzberger said that while he felt sorry for the Jewish survivors living in Displaced Persons camps in Europe, they were “but a minor percentage of the total of displaced persons” and therefore should not be receiving so much attention. The Times publisher even went so far as to claim that Zionism was to blame for some of the Jewish deaths in the Holocaust. He alleged, in that 1946 speech, that the refugee crisis during the war had been “a manageable, social and economic problem” until “the clamor for statehood introduced an insoluable political element” into the issue. “It is my judgment that thousands dead might now be alive” if “the Zionists” had put “less emphasis on statehood,” Sulzberger asserted. One of the Jewish anti-Zionists profiled in last week’s New York Times article described himself as a fan of the late Judah Magnes, who advocated a binational Arab-Jewish Palestine instead of a Jewish state. Sulzberger, too, thought highly of Magnes. In June 1946, Sulzberger tried to organize a dinner

at Manhattan’s Hotel Pierre to raise funds for Magnes’s work. The Times publisher invited 23 of his associates. Only three accepted. The dinner was canceled. The increasingly isolated Sulzberger grew more and more frustrated. A pro-Zionist statement by the formerly antiZionist president of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in early 1947 prompted Sulzberger to write to a friend, “Apparently if you are a Jew you have to contribute Jewishly, eat Jewishly, think Jewishly, part your hair Jewishly… Gosh I’m sick!” On another occasion, Sulzberger was horrified to see the AJC and other Jewish groups listed as affiliates of the United Jewish Appeal in an advertisement in the Times. “The only thing I miss is the Jewish Chiropractors’ Society,” he complained. “In other words, JEW is to be the common denominator for everything we do. God help us!” In his final years, Sulzberger’s anti-Zionism never eased. He resigned from one of the Reform synagogues to which he belonged after it introduced the singing of Hatikvah along with the Star-Spangled Banner. He apparently considered visiting Israel on one occasion, but changed his mind after Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion made a speech that he disliked. Ironically, however, after Sulzberger passed away in 1961, his widow established a scholarship in his name at Hebrew University. It seems unlikely he would have approved. Dr. Rafael Medoff is director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, in Washington, D.C., and author of 15 books about Jewish history and the Holocaust. The latest is “FDR and the Holocaust: A Breach of Faith.”

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professional staff supervised. For information, contact Annette van de KampWright, 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 $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 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 email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.

14 | The Jewish Press | February 28, 2014

Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 402.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com For information on our historic synagogue – dates and times for Friday night services, please call 712.323.8885. FRIDAY, March 14: Services, 7:30 p.m. followed by an oneg with guest speaker, Mary Sue Grossman, Program Coordinator for Center for Jewish Life on What’s New from the Center for Jewish Life. The community is invited. Miles Remer will officiate at all of the Speaker Series Services.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. FRIDAY: Cook/Serve Lunch at Nebraska AIDS Project, 11:45 a.m. To volunteer, contact Joan Marcus at hmarcom @juno.com; Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Have a cup of coffee with God, 9:30 a.m. a special Shabbat service led by Rabbi Abraham and Hazzan Krausman; Junior Congregation, 10 a.m.; Mincha-Ma’ariv, 5:30 p.m.; Mexican and Margaritas Night, 6:30-9:15 p.m., sponsored by Beth El’s Young Adult Committee. Cost, $10 per person. Babysitting available, $5 per child; reservations are required. For more information, contact co-hosts Melissa Shapiro at Melissalynneshapiro@gmail.com, or Laurie Epstein at laurieepstein@hotmail.com. SUNDAY: Hamantaschen Bake-A-Palooza, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., in Beth El’s kitchen. To help, contact Linda Fischer at ljlaz@aol.com, or 402.996.0383; BESTT Classes, 9:45 a.m.; Torah Study Group, 10 a.m.; Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m. with Hazzan Krausman; Sunday Scholar Series, 11 a.m., with Eliad Eliyahu Ben Sushan on Zahal: The Israeli Army – Inscription of Ultra-Religious to the Army. Free and open to the community. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. MONDAY: Tai Chi, Better Balance for everyone, last class of the session at 6–6:45 p.m., led by certified Tai Chi instructor, Beth Staenberg; Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group Book Swap, 7 p.m., at the home of Patty Nogg. To RSVP contact Nogg at noggster2@aol.com, or co-host Wendy Berenson at munch765@aol.com. TUESDAY: Wrestling with the Rabbis of the Talmud led by Rabbi Abraham. No class on March 4, 11 and 18. WEDNESDAY: BESTT Classes (grades 2-7), 4:15 p.m. BESTT Hebrew High Classes, 6:45 p.m.; Choir Rehearsal, 7:30 p.m. Mishloach Manot Bags to help deliver Purim treat bags, contact Diane Shandell at diane9357@gmail.com, or 402.333.7226. Scholar-in-Residence: Rabbi Hayim Herring, Friday, March 7-Sunday, March 9. Beth El welcomes Rabbi Hayim Herring. On Friday, he will speak during 6 p.m. Shabbat services and at a congregational dinner afterward. Dinner reservations required; register at www.bethel-omaha.org. On Saturday, he will speak during Kiddush lunch following services. On Sunday, he will lead a Board of Trustees workshop (not open to the public) at 10 a.m. Shabbat’s Cool, Saturday, March 8, 10 a.m. Torah Tots, Sunday, March 9, 10:45 a.m. Kibbutz Chaverim, Sunday, March 9, 12:15 p.m. – 3 p.m., we will have lunch at Beth El and then head to Defying Gravity in Papillion. Transportation will be provided. Reservations needed by March 2; cost to attend, $10. Signed waivers are required for students to participate. Purim Celebration, Saturday, March 15, 6:45 p.m. Purim Carnival, Sunday, March 16, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. BESTT classes dismiss at 11:30 a.m. All classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha-Ma’ariv, 5:56 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit (Barchu), 9 a.m.; Mincha, 5:45 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:57 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Daf Yomi: Week in Review with Rabbi Gross, 7:45 a.m.

THURSDAY: Sacred Grounds, 9:30 a.m.

CHABAD HOUSE An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street | Omaha, NE 68144-1646 | 402.330.1800 www.OChabad.com | email: chabad@aol.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush lunch. SUNDAY: Minyan, 8:30 a.m.; Breakfast Bonanza, 9:30 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m. TUESDAY: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. RSVP by calling the office. WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 10 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; The Development of the Oral Tradition, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office. In memory of Forrest Krutter -- Efrayim Menachem Ben Avraham Yitzchak. THURSDAY: Women’s Study at UNMC with Shani Katzman, noon. RSVP by emailing Marlene Cohen at mzcohen@unmc.edu. All programs are open to the entire community.

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN South Street Temple | Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street | Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 | 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org Services conducted by Rabbi Craig Lewis. FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following hosted by Ellen and David Feingold. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Pekude; Jewish Movie Night/ Havdalah Service/Potluck Dessert, 7 p.m. we will be showing To Be or Not to Be. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High Lite, 9:45 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Purim Spiel Rehearsal, 1 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. ADULT EDUCATION TUESDAY, 6:30 p.m. Intro to Judaism led by Rabbi Lewis. WEDNESDAY: Tefilah Sing-along, Part 2 of 2, 6-7 p.m. tuaght by Rabbi Lewis and Elaine Monnier. Please RSVP to the Temple office at 402.435.8004. THURSDAYS, Beginning Hebrew, 6 p.m. Creative Megillah Reading - Starring You, Saturday, March 15, 7:30 p.m. We are looking for volunteers to help read. Please contact the Temple office if you want to participate. Purim Carnival, Sunday, March 16, 3-5 p.m. Purim Spiel - The Megillah according to the Beatles, Sunday, March 16, 5:15 p.m.

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

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. led by Chabad. SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9 a.m. led by Miles Remer. Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 http://templeisraelomaha.com FRIDAY: Shabbat Service with Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi Douglas Kohn: Life, Faith and Cancer: Facing Illness with Grace and Purpose and Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia: The Next Frontier for the Jewish Community, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Azriel and Cantor Shermet. SATURDAY: Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi Douglas Kohn: Real Issues of Jewish Biomedical Ethics, 9 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. SUNDAY: Grades K-6, 10 a.m.; Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi Douglas Kohn: More Than Calling Bubbie: Memory as Our Central Mitzvah, 10 a.m.; Hamantaschen Baking, 10 a.m.; Adult Hebrew with Elyce Azriel, 11 a.m.; Rosh Chodesh Potluck, 6 p.m. at the home of Sharon Comisar-Langdon

Candlelighting Friday, February 28, 5:56 p.m.

and Randy Langdon, 4316 South 174 Avenue. Last Names starting with A-D: please bring an appetizer; Last Names starting with E-L: Please bring a main dish; Last Names starting with M-R: Please bring a side dish or salad; Last Names starting with S-Z: Please bring a dessert. Please RSVP to rsvp@templeisraelomaha.com. TUESDAY: Mah Jongg Lessons and Practice, 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Cost $45 per person and includes 2014 Mah Jongg card. Contact the Temple office to RSVP and contact Program Director Wendy Goldberg with questions or to volunteer; Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class: Bible Study, 6:30 p.m. with Rabbi Azriel. WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Family School, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6 p.m.; Grade 8 Trip Parents Meeting, 6:30 p.m.; The Symbiotic Relationship of Science and Religion, 6:30 p.m. with Rabbi Brown. THURSDAY: The way to the heart of Judaism is through the stomach, 10 a.m. with Debbie Massarano. First Friday Shabbat Service with Grade 2 and Lincoln’s Congregation B’nai Jeshurun Band Kochavim, Shabbat Dinner and Shabbat Lounge, Friday, March 7, 6 p.m. Please RSVP to RSVP@templeisraelomaha.com or 402.556.6536 by Wednesday, March 5. Temple Israel First Fridays are sponsored by Bob and Elly Gordman, Andie Gordman and Dan Fitzgerald, and Lindsey Thomas, in memory of Brandon Thomas. Purim Carnival, Sunday, March 9, 11 a.m. Cost $10 per family for unlimited game play. Volunteers are needed to work the game stations. Contact Director of Lifelong Learning Debbie Massarano, dmassarano@templeisrael omaha.com, if interested. Rabbi Geoff Mitelman: Seeking to Bridge the Religious and Scientific Worlds on Wednesday, March 12, 6:30 p.m. and Thursday, March 13, 10 a.m. Purim Masquerade Wine Tasting Celebration, Saturday, March 15, 7 p.m. Costumes are optional for this adults-only masquerade party. There will be wine, appetizers, live music courtesy of George Walker, wine raffle and wine will be available for purchase. General admission is $36, with additional donor levels of $54 (sponsor), $72 (donor) and $118 (patron). Proceeds will go to WRJ and Temple Israel. Volunteers are needed. If you are interested in helping out, contact Dana Gonzales, 402.505.7714 or degmass@gmail.com.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard | Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 | 402.423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. FRIDAY: Services have been cancelled for this week. SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a special Kiddush luncheon in honor of Marcia Kushner’s 85th birthday, as well as Vera Tepperman’s yahrzeit sponsored by Cathy, Julie, Mike and Benjie. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High Lite, 9:45 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Learn more about our new and improved defibrillator, noon-12:30 p.m. led by Jaine and Andy Merliss; Purim Spiel Rehearsal, 1 p.m.; LJCS Board Meeting, 1 p.m. at Tifereth Israel; LJCS Family Education Program “A Taste of Jewish Tradition”, 3:30-5 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Purim Extravaganza, Saturday, March 15, 7 p.m. at the Coren home, 3417 Hanson Ct. Come hear the megillah reading, nosh on hamantaschen, and enjoy the entertainment. Adults and children alike can wear costumes! This event is for all ages. RSVP to Nava in the office by Mar. 10. Purim Seudah lunch, Sunday, March. 16, noon. This gathering is geared for young and old! Please let us know you're coming so we can prepare the right amount of tasty food! RSVP to Nava in the office by Mar. 10. Purim Carnival, Sunday, March 16, 3-5 p.m. Purim Spiel - The Megillah according to the Beatles, Sunday, March 16, 5:15 p.m.

Did you know: Every Tuesday, the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home’s Star Catering provides kosher fried chicken to anyone interested. 8 PIECES - $14.00 + tax | 12 PIECES - $20.00 + tax To place your order, contact Mike Aparo at 402.334.6522, or e-mail him at maparo@rbjh.com.

Pulverent e

February 28, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 15

The burdens of freedom

In memoriam MOLLY KOUFER SANDLER

Sparks from the word RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parsha Pekuda Our Sidrah closes the Book of Exodus. The Children of Israel have built themselves a sanctuary to serve them in the wilderness where they now find themselves. They have escaped Egypt; they have received the Commandments and the law at Sinai; they have a priesthood and a sanctuary, and now what? Where do we go from here? The burdens of freedom fall on them without mercy. There is actually a rabbinic interpretation that suggests that the 40 years of wilderness wandering was a period of getting their bearings, of learning to accept freedom, and preparing to enter the Land a free people. This helps us to get a perspective on the problems of Jewish life in America. Quite aside from the problems of attacks on Jews as such, there are internal problems which we have not mastered. There is first of all an intellectual burden. We are all familiar with the phenomenon of the educated Jew, who may have two or three or five college degrees, perhaps attained eminence in a profession, and who has only a child’s approach to Judaism. How can he cope with the age of science, versus the small child’s naive ideas about religious insights? And there is the burden of affluence. We are learning about great pockets of Jewish poverty, but for the most part, Jews are part of the great middle class, even upper middle class, of American society. In these circumstances there are simply too many diversions that lure Jews away from Jewish religious practices and Jewish learning. And for a minority group, self-knowledge is the very foundation of group survival. There is the burden of giving financial and psychological support to Jews elsewhere in the world, in lands of oppression and never-ending danger. All this would be good, but for the fact that it substitutes philanthropy for religious depth. Our Sidrah gives a kind of “accounting” for all the gifts to the Sanctuary of the Wilderness. It is not too far afield for us to consider that we ought to be requiring a constant accounting of ourselves: How are we meeting our responsibilities? For responsibilities are the first mark of freedom.

B’nai Israel Speaker Series Richard Fellman, Retired Lawyer and Adjunct Professor at UNO discussed Jews in Cuba at B’nai Israel Synagogue durimg the Feb. 14 speaker series service. His information came from observations he made on a recent trip to Cuba. The contrasts between Cuba and the United States are huge when comparing health practices, financial conditions and freedom of speech and movement. He compiled written information and pictures in a short book of Cuba. The next speaker series service will be on March 14. Mary Sue Grossman, Program Coordinator for Center for Jewish Life will discuss the topic, What’s New from the Center for Jewish Life? Services will be conducted by Miles Remer beginning at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by an Oneg.

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Molly Koufer Sandler passed away on Jan. 16 at age 95. She died at home of natural causes. Services were held at Tifereth Israel Synagogue in Des Moines, IA, following a private burial at Jewish Glendale Cemetery. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert and her brother, Mike Koufer. She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-laws, Joanie and Richard Jacobson, and Julie and Cary Sacks of Pacific Palisades, and her daughter, Janie Zemel of Tulsa; grandchildren: Carrie, Maggie, Abby, Becca, Elliott and Julian; great-grandchildren: Ella and Emmet; and grandsons-inlaw: Eric, Donnie and Jed. A lifelong resident of Des Moines, Molly was born Oct. 30, 1918, to Russian immigrants William and Fannie Koufer. She worked at RKO Pictures and later married Robert Sandler in 1941. Memorials may be made to her favorite organization, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or an oraganization of your choice.

Week two of Klutznick Learning Series focuses on stealing and adultery by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Program Coordinator Week two of the Center for Jewish Life’s new Klutznick Learning Series, “What is it About the Ten Commandments?” will feature a discussions by Cantor Wendy Shermet and Larry Gendler examining “thou shalt not steal” followed by Cantor Shermet and Shayna Ray talking about “thou shalt not murder.” Gendler is a separate juvenile court judge for Sarpy County and will discuss how random acts of theft have a significant impact on victims and how the system response can lead to healthy case closures. Ray, a captain with the Omaha Police Department, will share her insights on murder investigations and the long reaching effect on families and the community. Klutznick Learning Series sessions meet Monday evenings from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Social Hall at the JCC. The series continues through March 31 featuring the following. Mon, Mar 10 – Rabbi Aryeh Azriel and Shelly Fox will look at “Honor thy father and mother” followed by Rabbi Mendel Katzman and Andy Greenberg reviewing “I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Mon, Mar 17 – Rabbi Jonathan Gross and Elyce Azriel will discuss “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” Rabbi Josh Brown and Ari Riekes will then review “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” Mon, Mar 24 – “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy” will be examined by Rabbi Jonathan Gross and Dr. Michael Cohen followed by Rabbi Mendel Katzman and C. David Kotok discussing “Thou shalt not covet anything that belongs to thy neighbor.” Mon, Mar 31 – Rabbi Steven Abraham and Ellie Greenspoon look at “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me” followed by concluding remarks on the series by Marty Shukert. The series is open to the community, free of charge and is sponsored by the fund of the Klutznick Chair of Jewish Civilization at Creighton University. For more information, call 402.334.6463 or email mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org. The KLutznick Learning Series is presented by the Center for Jewish Life whose mission it is to maximize involvement of Omaha's Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences.

REMINDER: Scholarship applications are due Monday, March 3. Information can be found at www.jewishomaha.com

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16 | The Jewish Press | February 28, 2014

Anti-Semitism in America today: Down, but not out by URIEL HEILMAN NEW YORK (JTA) -- When Abraham Foxman steps down next summer from his longtime post as national director of the Anti-Defamation League, he’ll be leaving his successor with a much brighter picture on anti-Semitism in America than when Foxman joined the organization in 1965. In an age when anti-Semitic incidents appear to be on the upswing in many parts of the world, America tops the list of countries where Jews suffer least from anti-Semitism, Foxman says. Jews can live, study and work anywhere they want in America. Yes, there’s Mel Gibson, Louis Farrakhan and the occasional swastika scrawled on a synagogue wall, but Jews in America for the most part live free of discrimination or the threat of violence. “Statistically, yes, the picture is pretty good,” Foxman told JTA in an interview this week. “We’ve made an awful lot of progress in this country in terms of social anti-Semitism. “Socially, Jews in America have ‘made it.’ But it hasn’t eliminated some of the vestiges of anti-Semitism,” he said. “America is not immune to anti-Semitism. We’re not immune to racism and bigotry and prejudice.” In Europe, the wellsprings of anti-Semitism are relatively well-known: the far right, which is the traditional bastion of neo-Nazism; the far left, where Israel-bashing sometimes translates into anti-Semitism; and Muslim extremists. But where is the anti-Semitism in America? Partly what makes it so difficult to find is that it’s hard to agree on what constitutes anti-Semitism. The easiest to define is classic anti-Semitism: Jew-baiting, swastika scrawling, physical violence. A recent example cropped up last fall in the Pine Bush school district in upstate New York, when The New York Times ran a front-page story describing how Jewish students there were being bullied, beaten, taunted and harassed while authorities looked the other way. Then there’s Israel-related anti-Semitism, where there is wide disagreement even among Jews over what constitutes anti-Semitism. When does anti-Zionism become antiJewish? Is the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement anti-Semitic? Finally, there is attitudinal anti-Semitism. Approximately 12 percent of Americans hold deeply entrenched anti-

A member of the National Socialist Movement stands behind police tape line during a rally near Los Angeles City Hall on April 17, 2010. Credit: David McNew/Getty Images Semitic views, according to ADL polling, which uses an 11question index to measure anti-Semitic opinions. Respondents are asked if they agree with such statements as Jews have too much power in America, Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the United States, and Jews have a lot of irritating faults. The proportion of Americans who hold these viewpoints has held relatively steady in recent years, at 12 to 14 percent. In 1964, by contrast, roughly 30 percent of Americans held such views. There are two ways to look at these numbers. On the one hand, as ADL officials often note, some 35 million Americans hold anti-Semitic views. On the other, what are the practical consequences of these attitudes? “In America, the nature or extent of anti-Semitism has nothing to do with the security of Jews in the United States,” said Jerome Chanes, a fellow at the Center for Jewish Studies at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. “There are still crazies out there -- 2 percent of people who virulently hate Jews -- but who cares? It has nothing to do with the ability of Jews to live normal lives in America or participate in the political process,” Chanes said. “I’m sure there’s anti-Semitism out there, but to tell you the truth, I don’t know where it is. It’s on the Internet, it’s on Farrakhan, but it has no impact on the ability of Jews to participate in society.”

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Of the 5,790 bias incidents in 2012 recorded by the FBI, 19 percent were motivated by religious bias, compared to 48 percent by racial bias and 20 percent by sexual-orientation bias, according to the bureau. Of the 1,166 religious bias incidents, 60 percent were anti-Jewish, while the next highest number was anti-Muslim incidents at 13 percent. The approximately 700 incidents of bias against Jews ranged from vandalism to physical assault. “It’s distressing that Jews are still the No. 1 religious target of bigotry,” Foxman said. “Pine Bush is a wake-up call to say to me that you know what, you have to be careful that these statistics don’t lull you.” That’s partly why, Foxman says, he’s so quick to speak out when a celebrity says something he considers anti-Semitic. “You use celebrities to set a certain standard or message. Therefore, when they engage in what I consider anti-Semitic expressions, it’s not like the average Joe or Sam or Chaim. Because they have this status that our society has given them, and therefore it does reverberate,” Foxman said. “The gas chambers in Auschwitz did not begin with bricks; they began with words, with ugly words. Because there was no one who stood up and said, ‘Don’t say that!’ I will not be silent.” By the same token, the ADL takes seriously the spread of anti-Semitism on the Internet, though the organization has not quite figured out how to solve the myriad problems it faces there. Foxman describes the Internet as a “tsunami” of hate speech. To its critics, the ADL is in the business of selling antiSemitism, ratcheting up Jewish anxiety for the purposes of fundraising. The organization’s annual budget in 2011 was $54 million, and it has 30 regional offices across the country along with one in Israel. But at the ADL, its educational and training programs, anti-Semitism monitoring and legislative and legal efforts are seen as key to “keeping lid on the sewers” of prejudice, as Foxman puts it. “There’s a lot of extremism in this country,” Foxman said. “We still have prejudice -- against Hispanics, AfricanAmericans, gays and lesbians, Mormons, Asians. The battle for a civil, respectful, tolerant society continues. We haven’t won that battle. We have not found an antidote, a vaccine. Until we find that vaccine, it’s going to be with us.”

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