March 23, 2012

Page 9

Chloe Ray and Jewish Family Service: A story of Friends

by OZZIE NOGG

Eleven-year old Chloe Ray has a friend that will soon celebrate a 101st birthday. That friend is Jewish Family Service, to which Chloe recently contributed the $75 she raised by putting on a bake sale at Columbian Elementary School where she’s a 6th grader. “The bake sale project was for Envisions, the gifted and talented program at our school,” Chloe explained. “The assignment was to do a project that helped others and raise money for a cause of our choice. I picked Jewish Family Service. The Science Fair at Columbian was coming up, so I asked to do a bake sale during the Fair because there would be lots of people there and no competition.”

The savvy young philanthropist then contacted Karen Gustafson, Jewish Family Service Director. “Chloe called me to get permission to do this project for JFS. She also asked for some agency brochures in case people had questions or wanted information about our work. To have someone so young be so thoughtful and to understand there’s an agency in her community that helps care for the needs of others -- and she want-

A story of survival and liberation

by HILLARY FLETCHER Marketing Assistant, Institute for Holocaust Education

Did Florida’s Legislature endorse a one-state solution? Page 16

Robbie Waisman waited more than 20 years to speak about it. So did Leon Bass. Eventually, each man would bear the heavy burden of sharing their testimonies about inhumanity and human rights.

Tuesday, March 6, at the invitation of the Center for Faith Studies and the Institute for Holocaust Education, over 400 community members from Omaha and Lincoln packed Countryside Community Church to bear witness to the stories of Mr. Waisman, survivor of the Buchenwald concentration camp, and Dr. Bass, American serviceman and liberator of Buchenwald.

Waisman spoke first and began by excitedly telling the audience that every time he is with Bass, whom he describes as a mensch, he feels, “exotic. I just cannot describe it.” Continuing, he described life with

ed to do her part -- it’s fantastic.”

Customers at the bake sale had

plenty to choose from. “I baked about 125 cookies,” Chloe said. “Lots of Paula Deen’s triple chocolate cookies and shortbread cookies with chocolate drops. My friends Carly Christensen, Payton Alber and Mia Sherlock helped bake about six dozen cupcakes.” Chloe’s grandmothers, Jennine Goldberg and Linda Ray, also lent their hands to the baking efforts, as did her mother, Shayna. “My mom was going to be out of town during the bake sale, so she helped me package and freeze about one hundred cookies before she left.” During the sale, buyers received a Jewish Family Service brochure with their purchase. “People asked if I was Jewish and wanted details about my project and wondered if I would keep helping others in the future,” Chloe said. “Lots of people told me what I was doing was really good for the world.” Mrs. Sue Bauerly, who teaches in the gifted and talented program at Columbian, helped Chloe set up tables for the bake sale and took pictures of the event. “Mrs. Bauerly came to school that night Continued on page 2

Omaha Symphony Gala to honor Fred and Eve Simon

by KELLY MILLER

his family, all of whom, but for his sister, he would never see again. The youngest of five children, he was the baby and received “much more” than his share of love.

Waisman described one of his older brothers as his James Bond. Strong and ever-protective, his brother tried his best to care for young Robbie, even during their incarceration. Eventually, weakened by typhoid fever, the Nazi’s put Waisman’s brother on a truck and drove a short distance beyond the

Continued on page 2

Singer and pianist Michael Feinstein will headline this year’s Omaha Symphony gala concert on Friday, March 30, 8 p.m. at the Holland Performing Arts Center. “Hooray for Hollywood” is the theme, with Feinstein and the symphony under the baton of Thomas Wilkins paying tribute to the golden age of Hollywood musicals. The gala is hosted by David and Martha Slosburg, Mutual of Omaha, Mutual of Omaha Bank, and Dick Holland.

The Omaha Symphony will honor Fred and Eve Simon at the gala with the Dick and Mary Holland Leadership Award for their tireless support of the arts in the community. The award was established in 2003 in honor of Omaha’s leading philanthropic couple for the arts.

“Dick and Mary’s spirit of generosity and community commitment, and the grace with which they have accomplished so much, is unparalleled,” said Omaha Symphony

board chair David Slosburg. “The time is right to celebrate another of Omaha’s great supporters of the arts, Fred and Eve Simon.”

“In their contributions to the arts in Omaha, the Simons, both Fred and Eve, have no peers,” said gala host Dick Holland. “I have always thought that if we had ten Fred and Eves how much richer this community would be in all its artistic endeavors.”

“My wife and I have been Omaha Symphony subscribers for more than 30 years,” said Fred Simon. “I was one of the charter

Continued on page 2

Leon Bass and Robbie Waisman

Chloe Ray, left, a new Friend of Jewish Family Service, hands JFS Director Karen Gustafson a check for $75, raised from Chloe’s bake sale.

Fred and Eve Simon

Sponsored

Benjamin and Anna

Wiesman Family Endowment Fund

AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA

A story of survival and liberation

Continued from page 1 concentration camp -- still close enough for the young Waisman to hear the muffled machine gun fire and, to his horror, witness the truck’s return without his beloved brother. “What was his crime? He was Jewish.” Sixty-six years after these events, Waisman still needs to pause, collect himself, and wipe his tears before continuing his story.

Waisman told the audience that he considers April 11 his birthday because that is the day he was “reborn into freedom.” On that day, American servicemen arrived at Buchenwald. Some of these servicemen were black. Waisman had never seen a black person before and knowing that white men were responsible for the horrors he had endured he thought, “Surely these men must be angels,” and tried repeatedly to touch them, to make sure that they were real -- that freedom might be real.

In the mid-1930s, Leon Bass was a young serviceman. Black and from Philadelphia, he enlisted in the army after high school. He was entering a world with which he was unfamiliar and that would change his life.

Arriving at the military induction center with two of his friends, both white, Bass was met by an army sergeant who sent his white friends in one direction and Bass in another. According to Bass, “the military was telling me that I wasn’t good enough to fight with my white friends.” Following induction, Bass was sent to Macon, Georgia. The segregated south was new to him. One day redirected to a “colored” drinking fountain and another standing on a bus for 100 miles because there were no empty seats in the back and, while there were plenty of empty seats in front, he was not allowed to occupy any of them. He was in uniform at the time. He felt the pain of rejection. His country would put him in harm’s way to defend herself, but would not allow him a seat at the front of the bus. He became resentful.

Bass recalled being sent to Europe with the 183rd Engineer combat battalion where he would eventually be attached to General Patton’s unit. Fighting in Western Europe, he was a witness to the toll of war. He questioned what he was fighting for. “I didn’t have the rights back home

Omaha Symphony Gala

Continued from page 1 members of the Omaha Symphony Council in the 1960s and was on the board for several years in the 1970s. We’ve enjoyed watching and listening to the quality of the orchestra develop over the years. Now that the symphony is performing in the Holland Center, that quality is more apparent than ever. It’s amazing both visually and acoustically.”

The black tie event at the Holland Performing Arts Center will begin with cocktails at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the concert 8 p.m. with Michael Feinstein. The concert is open to the public.

Feinstein is a multi-platinum-selling, five-time Grammy-nominated entertainer and is considered one of the premier interpreters of American standards. His 200plus shows a year have included performances at Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House and the Hollywood Bowl as well as the White House and Buckingham Palace. Through his live performances, recordings, film and television appearances, and his songwriting, Feinstein is considered an all-

to enjoy what I was fighting for.” He became angrier.

In 1945, his unit near Weimar, Germany, a lieutenant told Bass and a fellow officer to grab their gear. They were going to a concentration camp. Bass described his arrival, “I wasn’t prepared for that. I could never be prepared for that. The Nazis denied these people everything that would make life livable. I had no idea what they had done to be treated this way.” He learned that they were Jews, homosexuals, trade unionists and many others. That the smell of death was everywhere, as were the bodies. Within three hours he was not the same person. He had entered an angry young man, but now realized that pain and suffering were not his own. He now understood why he was there and for what he was fighting.

The war ended two weeks later. He returned to the United States and entered college on the GI Bill, still experiencing the same discrimination as he had since enlisting in the army. He was allowed to attend classes, but not to share campus housing. His parents told him to stay calm and get his degree. The country and its ideology were still a few years from Dr. Martin Luther King’s honorable civil rights movement, but Bass did as his parents suggested.

When Dr. King did emerge, Leon was prepared. He had experienced a victory of sorts, years earlier, while attending a movie and refusing to sit in the suggested balcony section of the theater. Opting for a seat on the main floor, Bass experienced, for the first time, a personal victory over segregation. So, he was ready for the March on Washington. He was ready to share his voice. He was ready for his human rights to be recognized. He was not ready, however, to speak about what he saw during the Holocaust. That was still a number of years away.

The testimonies of Waisman and Bass left those in attendance on Tuesday evening transfixed. As listeners left the chapel they expressed gratitude and admiration for the speakers. Many waited to greet them directly and many more have sent emails and letters of thanks to the Institute for Holocaust Education and the Center for Faith Studies.

To watch video of the testimonies, please visit www.centerforfaithstudies.org.

star force in American music.

Gala contributions help support the Omaha Symphony, including the orchestra’s award-winning education programs for children. The Omaha Symphony’s mission -- to share the joy of music -- extends far beyond the concert hall to classrooms and civic organizations throughout the region. Its nationally-recognized education programs touch the lives of more than 30,000 schoolchildren in Nebraska and Iowa each year. Whether working with preschoolers, high school students, or senior citizens, the symphony delivers fun, accessible opportunities that emphasize interactive learning.

Each gala reservation includes valet parking, cocktails, dinner, and prime concert seating. The gala traditionally sells out in advance. To make reservations for the gala, contact Amy Jenson at 402.342.3836 x141 or e-mail ajenson@omahasymphony.org. Tickets for the concert only start at $25 and are available by calling 402.345.0606 or by visiting omahasymphony.org.

Continued from page 1 just for me and helped clean up at the end. That was really special.”

Chloe is the daughter of Matt and Shayna Ray, both of whom are active at Temple Israel, the JCC, The Center for Jewish Education and ADL. Chloe’s brothers are Leo, aged 9, and Bennett, aged 12. She and Bennett volunteer at the Blumkin Home, helping the residents play bingo. “Jewish Family Service does so many different things and helps people who need it in all kinds of ways,” Chloe said. “JFS was an easy pick for my project.”

Last May, the JFStival 100th Anniversary Celebration and Friends Campaign presented the agency’s story in an atypically public fashion. “The work of Jewish Family Service is

largely invisible, by design,” Gustafson said. “We pride ourselves on discretion and confidentiality. The publicity surrounding our 100th birthday let the community know more about our extremely qualified staff and the ways in which JFS, every day, serves those in the community who need help. In order to continue our work of tikkun olam, we rely on the ongoing support of thoughtful community members -- our Friends. Chloe Ray offered to help Jewish Family Service in such a mature way. This young girl understands the importance of helping others, even when you don’t know who’s on the receiving end. JFS is very proud to call Chloe our Friend.” Jewish Family Service is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. To learn how you can become a Friend of JFS, call 402.330.2024.

Robbie Waisman speaks with students

Omaha Genetic Testing results published

by JOANIE JACOBSON Co-chairman, “Round #2: Jewish Genetic Testing”

In May of last year, 101 individuals in the greater Omaha Jewish community participated in “Round 2: Jewish Genetic Testing,” sponsored by the Greater Omaha Committee on Jewish Genetic Testing in partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and the Jewish Federation of Omaha. The goal was to provide information, testing, and genetic counseling to 100 individuals (18 years or older) in Omaha, Council Bluffs, Lincoln, Sioux City, and Des Moines, free of charge. The screening was enabled by Yeshiva University’s Program for Jewish Genetic Health. The program works with genetic testing laboratories that provide philanthropic rates, so the cost of testing or degree of insurance coverage does not pose a barrier.

Boys’ Town National Research Hospital and the Jewish Federation of Omaha, successfully conducted “Round #1: Jewish Genetic Testing.” Duitch was also co-chairman for “Round #2.”

Tay-SachsDisease31in301in33

CanavanDisease21in401in50

GaucherDisease101in131in10

FamilialDysautonomia11in301in100

CysticFibrosis21in26-291in50

BloomSyndrome01in1001in100

Niemann-PickDisease01in40<1in100

FanconiAnemia01in89<1in100

Mucolipidosis01in100<1in100

Because of the high detection rate, the chance of being a carrier after a negative result on this screen is low: Bloom Syndrome: 1 in 10,700; Canavan Disease: 1 in 1,367; Familial Dysautonomia: 1 in 3,100; Fanconi Anemia (type C): 1 in 8,900; Gaucher Disease (type 1): 1 in 360; Mucolipidosis (type IV): 1 in 2,540; Niemann-Pick (type A): 1 in 3,000; Tay-Sachs Disease: 1 in 1,550; Cystic Fibrosis: 1 in 400 for Ashkenazi Jewish individuals (with a higher risk for non-Jewish Caucasians).

Participants were tested for nine (9) Jewish genetic diseases common among people of Ashkenazi descent. The Omaha screening identified 18 mutations, with 16 individuals found to be carriers of one Jewish genetic disease, and one individual found to be a carrier of two Jewish genetic diseases. The detection rate for each disease was 95-99%- significantly more reliable than in years past, especially for women who are pregnant or on birth control.

In 2004, Jean Duitch, whose grandson had been diagnosed with Canavan Disease, decided to bring Jewish genetic testing to the forefront of the Omaha community. With a handful of volunteers, she established the Greater Omaha Committee for Jewish Genetic Testing, and, along with

“Knowledge is power,” she noted. “Identifying carriers allows individuals the opportunity to make informed and rational decisions regarding the future of their family -- to be proactive rather than having to be reactive. Testing can save families unnecessary heartache and despair when a child or grandchild is born with a Jewish genetic disease. It can provide the comfort and assuredness every couple deserves when starting their family.”

Heading up the team from UNMC were Dr. Michael Leibowitz, PhD, Hattie B.

Munroe Professor and Director of the Munroe-Meyer Institute; Dr. Warren G. Sanger, Director of the Human Genetics Laboratory and Interim Director of Clinical Genetics at Munroe-Meyer; Elizabeth Conover, MS, PNP, board certified genetic counselor since 1984; and Amber Carter, MS, genetic counselor at Munroe-Meyer. They participated in “An Open Forum on Jewish Genetic Testing” one month prior to the screening, Conover and Carter provided genetic counseling on site, and UNMC medical staff conducted the blood draw. Blood samples were sent to the Human Genetics Laboratory at the Jacobi Medical Center in New York for testing. Individuals identified as carriers were personally contacted by Conover and Carter and received genetic counseling at no charge.

The number of mutations for Gaucher, Tay-Sachs and Canavan diseases were what was expected. The number of mutations for Cystic Fibrosis and Familial Dysautonomia were fewer than expected. No mutations were found for Bloom Syndrome, Fanconi Anemia, Niemann-Pick disease, or Mucolipidosis.

Fortunately, no two partners had mutations for the same disease. For participants who were single or whose partner was not tested, screening was recommended for the

un-tested partner or future partner. This screening included both DNA and enzyme testing for Tay-Sachs. The DNA test can identify carriers who may have an inaccurate enzyme test as the result of being pregnant or on oral contraceptives. The enzyme testing is important because it can identify carriers who have a mutation that could be missed by the DNA test.

The table shows 1) the name of the disease, 2) the carrier frequency in the general Ashkenazi Jewish population, and 3) the carrier frequency in those who participated in the Omaha screening. The results are as follows:

“The screening program was a huge success,” said Dr. Sanger, “because of the dedicated collaboration between the Jewish community and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Also, the donors should be thanked and commended for coming forward and making this program possible.”

“It was a pleasure to be involved,” added Carter. “The many months of hard work and the generous contributions from donors got the job done. I had the opportunity to speak with so many nice couples and individuals who participated, and I felt people walked away with helpful information that they could share with their friends and families.

Conover recalled, “At first, the Jewish Genetic Testing project seemed like most others -- worthwhile, but time-consuming. Who knew it would be such fun? There was Jean... a wonderful combination of dreamer, fundraiser and project coordinator. Amber Carter, a new genetic counselor at the time, surpassed all expectations. Sandy Houser and her nursing assistants were super efficient at getting blood drawn; and Dr. Sanger and Dr. Leibowitz, our uber bosses, were extremely supportive. It was not only a worthy project, but a great team!”

Temple Israel Scholar takes on timely topic

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Communications Coordinator

As the Omaha City Council considered Council member Ben Gray’s Equal Employment Ordinance which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the city’s list of protected classes, it may not be a coincidence that Rabbi Steven Greenberg, a senior teaching fellow at CLAL (the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership), will be the guest of Temple Israel next week. As Temple Israel’s senior rabbi, Aryeh Azriel, occasionally declares, “There is no such thing as a coincidence.”

At the March 6 City Council meeting, many members of the LGBT Community and their straight allies spoke in favor of Gray’s ordinance, telling stories of harassment, hiding, and what they consider to be frivolous termination over their sexual orientation or gender identity. At the City Council meeting on March 13, the ordinance narrowly passed.

“We couldn’t have known how timely Rabbi Greenberg’s visit would be when we were planning this year’s events,” said Jeremy Wright, chairman of Temple Israel’s Adult Education Committee. “Just as Omahans have been having a discussion of legal protection for LGBT citizens, we in the Jewish community have an opportunity to look at this issue in our tradition.”

“I think it’s very important to have Rabbi Greenberg here,” pointed out Susan Rottholz, a member of Temple Israel’s Adult Education Committee, “especially in light of the Omaha City Council voting on civil protections for gay, lesbian, and transgender people. Any time we learn about the experiences of people different from ourselves, we learn more about understanding,

acceptance, and godliness.”

Rabbi Greenberg is an openly gay Orthodox rabbi and a founder of Jerusalem’s Open House, the Holy City’s LGBT community center and home to World Pride 2006. At the invitation of Temple Israel about a year ago, Rabbi Greenberg will initially speak publicly at Shabbat worship services that begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 30, at Temple Israel. His topic, The Wisdom of Welcome, addresses our addiction to familiarity. Differences can make us feel uneasy. A synagogue that models itself after Abraham and Sarah’s tent is not a simple matter. It means learning to tolerate being uncomfortable for the sake of building a community that truly welcomes the stranger. There will be an Oneg Shabbat at the conclusion of the worship service.

On Saturday morning beginning at 9 a.m., Rabbi Greenberg will discuss traditional Jewish texts that suggest that wrestling is a more appropriate verb than trembling when he talks about Wrestling with God and Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition. Mindful that Judaism is both loving and accepting, Jewish tradition emphasizes the essential practice of engaging in tough questions. Shabbat worship services begin at 10:30 a.m.

Open to the community-at-large in partnership with Inclusive Communities; the Anti-Defamation League; First United Methodist Church; and the Men of Reform Judaism Congregational Interfaith MiniGrant program, made possible by funding from the Jewish Chautauqua Society, MRJ’s interfaith education project; Rabbi Greenberg will present The Invention of an Orthodox Gay Rabbi: A Personal Story on Saturday evening, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. at Temple Israel. After he shares his own story

JMR Productions Presents Rachel and Ruthie

Written by Karen Sokolof Javitch

Featuring: Danielle Burr as Rachel

Becca Zaretzsky as Ruthie

Grace Bydalek as Sarah

Sunday, April 15, 2012 | 2:00 pm

Immediately followed by the Sokolof Scholarship Awards Jewish Community Center

arguing for gay and lesbian inclusion in the community, an award-winning Israeli film will be shown. Ahava: And Thou Shalt Love, depicting a young Orthodox Jew who tries to extinguish his homosexual tendencies until his boyfriend returns from the Army, will be followed by a panel discussion and havdalah.

According to Jessica Gall, education project director of the Plains States AntiDefamation League, “Greenberg’s programs hope to bring new and fresh thinking about our current debate over homosexuality as he interweaves theology and history with his own personal journey.”

On Sunday, April 1, at 1 p.m., Rabbi Greenberg and Jacobs will lead an LGBT Inclusion Training for religious educators from throughout the Omaha community. They will draw on the curriculum of the Keshet Hineini Education Program. Keshet is a national grassroots organization, led and supported by LGBT Jews and straight allies, that works for the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Jews in Jewish life. Together, Rabbi Greenberg and Jacobs will train and support religious educators to promote the safety and validation of LBGT youth, families, and staff in all religious, educational, and community settings.

Encouraging religion educators to attend the training on April 1, Sharon Comisar Langdon, Temple Israel Religious School Steering Committee chair, commented that she’s “looking forward to this opportunity for our educators to broaden perspectives and strengthen skills in working with the diverse populations today’s classrooms embrace.”

Members of the entire community are welcome to attend Rabbi Greenberg’s Friday

evening and Saturday morning discussions which are sponsored by Temple Israel’s Hermene Zweiback Center for Lifelong Jewish Learning.

Rabbi Steven Greenberg is a senior teaching fellow at the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, and will share his new and fresh thinking about the current national as well as local debate over homosexuality. Intertwining theology and history with his own personal journey, Rabbi Greenberg and Dr. Andrea Jacobs, director of Education at Keshet, will challenge their listeners to create room for an alternative vision of their religious communities. These sessions will interest not only members of the Jewish faith but all people struggling to reconcile their belief in scriptures with a desire to make their communities more open to and accepting of gay and lesbian members.

“Much of Reform Judaism is based on acceptance, love, and learning,” said Temple Israel’s Rabbi Eric Linder. “All human beings are created in God’s image. Rabbi Greenberg will help us understand different Jewish viewpoints on homosexuality while also (I hope) challenge us to question some of the ethics and customs found in our own tradition.”

“We are excited to welcome Rabbi Greenberg and are sure that he will have a lot to offer everyone in the community,” added Jeremy Wright. “Getting a speaker like this for one night would be great, so we feel especially lucky to have Rabbi Greenberg visit over the whole weekend. When we have weekends like this at Temple, there’s a lot of difference between the events. People who come more than once get a lot out of it.”

Principal Friedel Jewish Academy

Principal sought for Friedel Jewish Academy, a private, growing, fully-accredited elementary school. Candidate must be strong educator, leader, manager and communicator. Hebrew language skills not required. Send resumé to: HR@FriedelJewishAcademy.com

JCC Summer Camp

Assistant Camp Director Needed

Rachel and Ruthie is the poignant story of two 21 year-old college students who discover they have an inexplicable bond. This riveting show will bring tears to your eyes & inspire you to reach out to your loved ones.

Sponsored by the Sokolof/Javitch Funds at the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation

Are you full of energy and can keep it up for 10 weeks straight. If so, you may have what it takes to be the next JCC Assistant Camp Director. If you are looking for a summer position that will start in May and end the first or second week in August, why not apply today!

Contact Corey Kirshenbaum at ckirshenbaum@jccomaha.org or 402-334-6409. www.jccomaha.org

Federation unveils new governance structure

by SHERRIE SAAG Communications Specialist, Jewish Federation of Omaha

The Jewish Federation of Omaha (JFO) Board of Directors has agreed to a new system of organizational governance intended to make the federation more accountable, more efficient, more representative, more responsive and more transparent in all its operations.

It was in January of 2011 when the Planning and Community Engagement Committee was conceived by special resolution of the JFO board. Its intent was to provide strategic planning and review of the Federation’s by-laws and governance structure. The goal was to find ways for the Federation to improve its relevance and responsiveness to the community.

board president of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation and the chairperson of the Budget and Financial Review committee. “Community at-large” positions will fill remaining openings. The immediate past president is a nonvoting, ex-officio member of the board.

The Executive Committee consists of a president, elected at the Federation annual meeting, and a secretary and treasurer elected by the JFO Board of Directors.

“At its essence, the Federation is driven by the Omaha Jewish community. These changes are designed to ensure that community members direct and control the Federation’s activities. The changes strengthen community engagement and provide a solid foundation for future success,” said David Bailis, committee member.

Board of Directors

Executive Committee

President (elected at the Annual Meeting)

Secretary (elected by the JFO Board of Directors)

Treasurer (elected by the JFO Board of Directors)

Jewish Social Services Board President

Jewish Community Center Board President

Center for Jewish Education Board President

CRC Board President

Jewish Press Board President

JFO Foundation Board President

Budget and Financial Review Chairperson

At-large positions

Immediate past president: ex-oficio

•11 member Board

Norm Sheldon, past president of the JFO Board of directors and a member of the Planning and Engagement Committee, explained why these changes were necessary. “After many years of service and leadership in this great community, it became apparent to me and others in leadership roles that our Jewish community was undergoing major changes; changes that other communities across the country were experiencing as well. It was important that we address important issues and the first step was adopting the CEO business model for the management of our campus.”

Impactful Changes

•Members elected at the JFO Annual Meeting

•Members may serve up to three terms

•Each term is three years in length

The Planning and Community Engagement Committee members are Brett Atlas, David Bailis, Bob Belgrade, Toba Cohen-Dunning, Jody Malashock, Jay Noddle, Norm Sheldon, Mike Siegel, and Mike Silverman.

“We reviewed the most current trends in governance and found that significantly downsized Boards with clearly defined responsibilities operated in a very efficient manner,” said Bob Belgrade, chair of the Planning and Community Engagement Committee. “Specifically, we found in the nonprofit sector that lay leaders were charged with oversight, vision and policy direction, and fiduciary controls. The professional staff would oversee day-to-day operations,” he added.

Armed with the most current information on best practices in governance, the important question for the group then became, “How do you down-size a Board while ensuring broad representation and future development of lay leadership?”

Two core principles were identified and adopted by Committee members. First, that agency leadership will be a strong core component of the new Federation governance and second, at-large members of the Board are to be representative of the community.

The new board of directors will have no less than eleven or more than fifteen members. It will be made up of the Federation President, the board presidents of each of the Federation’s five agencies: Jewish Social Services, Jewish Community Center, Community Relations Council (CRC), The Jewish Press and The Center for Jewish Education; the

President of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors Jody Malashock commented, “I think it’s going to be very exciting in this initial period to institute the changes we have set forth.” She praised the task force and its members, “They did a very thorough study of our system and what system would be more effective for the Jewish Federation of Omaha and the community.”

“We wanted to figure out a way to make board service more meaningful and satisfying and increase the fiduciary oversight of the organization,” said Brett Atlas, another committee member.

While downsizing the board, increasing individual board member responsibilities, and boosting overall expectations of individual engagement were seen as means of resolving key issues at the board level, it was understood that this did not address the need in the federation structure for a forum where all sectors of the community could express their unique interests.

“A group of 10, 11 or 15 (board members) -- no matter how skilled, no matter how experienced, no matter how wise, cannot really represent all the views. We knew we needed a way to do that,” said Atlas.

To increase participation and involvement, the Planning and Engagement committee created standing committees as the way to involve donors, community organizations and leaders, and synagogues in the issues and decisions brought before the Federation Board.

Atlas added, “We think this model will be even more representative and inclusive. It will involve people on a level that will encourage their voices and views to be heard.”

As members of the committee and architects of the new structure, Belgrade, Sheldon, Bailis, Atlas and Malashock are optimistic about how it will work.

They believe this will allow for the Board to receive input from broad community representation, allow thoughtful deliberation of all sides of an issue, and respond quickly to opinions and feedback. The goal is to act nimbly and be more responsive in an efficient manner.

“The new structure should significantly enhance the quality of our work on behalf of the community,” Belgrade said.

JCC 4th grade girls basketball team ends season on high note

by BETH CUTSOR

Fourth Grade Girls Basketball Team Coach

For the JCC Select 4th grade girls team, the 2011-2012 season was full of hard fought games, exciting wins, and tough tournaments. The final tournament of the season for this tight-knit team of eight girls proved to be more of the same. The JCC Lions pulled off four wins, two of them within 2 points, to snag first place in the 6th Annual Midwest Shootout in Omaha on March 1011, 2012.

The girls played 23 total games this season from Oct. 2011 through March 2012. They competed in 13 Conqueror Basketball League games and played in three tournaments. Although the season started out a little slow, the girls ended it with a bang. After going 4-3 in the fall session, the girls found their rhythm,

improved on fundamental skills, and added an eighth player to the team. By the time the winter session started, the team was hungry for wins and determined to show better play. The Lions ended up 6-0 in the second half of the CBL, including a nerve-wracking overtime win over Millard West. The Midwest Shootout Championship was an excellent way to wrap up a wonderful season of learning and growing as basketball players. Team members included Hannah Shaffer, Ella Wedergren, Abby Hellman, Sarah Montague, Allie

Guido, Cecan Porter, Eleanor Dodge and Bella Syslo. Girls from the other 4th grade JCC team who played in the Midwest Shootout were Jillian Rokes, Mo Flanery, Maggie Pallesen, and Brooklyn James. Coaches were Beth Cutsor and Chris Shaffer.

Coach Beth Cutsor, left, Jillian Rokes, Cecan Porter, Bella Syslo, Abby Hellman, Hannah Shaffer, Ella Wedergren, Brooklyn James, Coach Chris Shaffer

10144 Maple (Maple Village)

402-572-1212

class of 2012

high school seniors

high school seniors and parents

we will be publishing our annual high school graduation class pages on june 1, 2012. to be included, we need your graduation photo and the information below. you can also email the information and photo to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.

high school senior information

name

parent(s)’ name(s)

current high school college you plan to attend send by may 7 to: the jewish press | 333 So. 132 St. | omaha, ne 68154

Let Us Do the

Passover

Remembering Norman Harris

by

CLAUDIA SHERMAN Norman Y. Harris died Feb. 19 in San Diego. He was buried at Shalom Cemetery at El Camino Memorial beside his wife, Bernice Silverman Harris, who died in February 2007. Originally from Omaha, they were married in 1941 at Tifereth Israel in Lincoln.

In 1991, the Harrises helped found and develop the Norman Y. and Bernice Harris Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) with the aims of educating the people of the Great Plains region about Jewish civilization and the nature and history of anti-Semitism as well as promoting understanding between Jews and non-Jews. Since its inception, the Harris Center for Judaic Studies has become a vibrant center of academic activity and public programming, offering some 20 courses in the fields of history, literature, philosophy and religious studies, psychology, and political science. Public lectures, such as the annual Kripke, Krivosha and Wald lectures, regularly attract large audiences and deal with such topics as the Dead Sea Scrolls, Jewish-Christian dialogue, and problems of social discrimination.

A 1941 graduate of the University of Nebraska, Norman Harris worked on the Daily Nebraskan for four years and eventually was named editor-in-chief. At UNL he was honored as a Phi Beta Kappa and as a member of the Innocents Society, a men’s senior honorary. He was also a founder and vice president of the Senior Council Advisory Board to the University Chancellor.

His business career began with Sears Roebuck & Company in 1941, but he left the same year to enlist in the Army just weeks after Pearl Harbor was attacked. He served in what is now Ghana during World War II and returned to the U.S. to attend Officers Candidate School and Army Finance School at Duke University. Eventually promoted to captain, Harris returned to Sears where he held numerous managerial positions in stores in Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. After managing other retail stores in Illinois and Ohio, the

Harrises moved to San Diego in 1965, and Norman remained in retail managerial positions until 1973.

A developer and manager of real estate partnerships, Norman enjoyed traveling the globe with Bernice, reading, collecting

American Indian art, and reading history. He survived cancer in 1983 and eventually was honored with a national award for visiting, consulting, and encouraging new ostomy patients.

In 1991, the Harrises sponsored Magic in Clay, an exhibit of American Indian contemporary pottery at the University of Nebraska State Museum. They contributed much of their collection to the museum. That year, Norman was awarded an Alumni Achievement Award by the University of Nebraska. In 1993, the University bestowed honorary doctorates in humane letters on both Norman and Bernice.

Norman Harris is survived by his two brothers, Irvin J. Harris, La Mesa, CA; Lee A. Harris and his wife Betty, Scottsdale, AZ; and Kathryn McCray, the Harrises’ longtime dear friend and caretaker. Other survivors include Claudia Sherman and Sindie Katskee; Michael Harris, Atlanta, GA; Steven Harris, Indianapolis, IN; Bill Harris, Scottsdale; Betty Klass, Michael Klass, and David Klass, all of CA.

Rachel and Ruthie: To be in Omaha after New York City Debut

by JANET HENTHORN

Ruth Rosinsky Sokolof died of cancer before her granddaughter, Rachel Javitch was born. Rachel is now 27, and Ruth’s daughter, Karen Sokolof Javitch, wanted to somehow bring the two of them together. So Karen wrote a touching story about the two of them and their chance encounter. The result: a 30 minute short story (with one song) titled, Rachel and Ruthie. This play made its debut in New York City the week of July 19, 2011 in the Midtown International Theatre Festival.

The three-person cast includes Dani Burr from Omaha, daughter of Maralyn Burr and Jay Burr. “Dani is a graduate of Boston Conservatory of Music and is a fantastic singer and actress,” Karen said. “She is also

the first winner of the Sokolof Javitch Music Scholarship and has been in many productions in New York, as well as the lead in the traveling Suessical the Musical show. I am thrilled that Dani and Becca Zaretzky, who played Ruthie, are flying in from New York City to perform Rachel and Ruthie on Sunday, April 15. Becca touchingly and humorously captures the essence of my Mom.” Grace Bydalek from Omaha has a small role in the production.

Rachel and Ruthie will be performed at 2 p.m. at the JCC on April 15. The 2012 Sokolof Scholarships will be presented immediately following. Karen commented, “I know my Mom would have loved Rachel and Ruthie, and this is my way of keeping her wonderful memory alive.”

2012 Nebraska State Holocaust Commemoration

by HILLARY FLETCHER Marketing Assistant,

πInstitute for Holocaust Education

The 2012 Nebraska State Holocaust Commemoration Ceremony will take place on Sunday, April 15 at 3 p.m. at the Nebraska State Capitol Rotunda in Lincoln.

State Senator John Nelson will reflect on the liberties and freedoms of today when he opens this year’s program, themed Legacies of Justice. Newly appointed UNL history professor, Gerald Steinacher will honor the community, as the keynote speaker. Steinacher’s book, Nazis on the Run: How Hitler's Henchmen Fled Justice, published by Oxford University Press, was recently select-

ed as recipient of the 2011 National Jewish Book Award in the Holocaust category. Musical accompaniment by violinist, Rose Hunter and the Lincoln Boys Choir will be included in the spirit of the Commemoration week. In addition, Lincoln Public School Superintendent Steve Joel will address the public and winners of the annual Lincoln Public Schools Middle School Poetry contest will share their selections. A traditional candle lighting ceremony, honoring survivors, rescuers and liberators, is also planned.

This event is open to the community. For more information, please contact Beth Dotan at 402-334-6575.

Norman and Bernice Harris

Beth El’s Rabbi Levin to share tips on enriching your Seder

by JILL BELMONT

Beth El Publicity Coordinator

In preparation for Passover, Beth El’s Rabbi Mordechai Levin will present a special class for adults on Sunday, March 25 , offering tips about How to Enrich Your Seder. Scheduled for 11 a.m., this class is geared to anyone leading or attending a Seder, “whether this is your first or fiftieth Passover celebration,” said Rabbi Levin. “There are many ways to experience this symbolic meal, and by the end of this class, you’ll have new ways to share a memorable and meaningful Seder with family and friends.”

Encouraging attendees to bring questions for discussion, the rabbi said he welcomes all interested adults from throughout the Jewish community, and noted that the class will be “a great way to learn more about Passover, or to refresh your knowledge.”

There is no charge to attend this class; to reserve a spot, contact Beth El Program Director Margie Gutnik at 402.492.8550, or programming@bethel-omaha.org.

Organizations

B’NAI

B’RITH BREADBREAKERS

Speaker to be announced for Wednesday, March 28, noon at the Blumkin Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $11; beverage service only is $3. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@ jewishomaha.org.

LOMIR REDN YIDDISH

How much Yiddish do you know? Probably more than you think. Some English words have made their way into Yiddish. Many Yiddish words are commonly used in English. Every 1st Thursday of the month, we will be playing Yiddish Bingo. This will give you a chance to show off the Yiddish you didn’t even know you knew. Everyone is invited! We meet every Thursday from 1-3 p.m., in the Rose Blumkin Home Board Room. For information call Anne Skolkin at 402.343.1638.

Help for people with

Macular Degeneration

Find out if telescopic glasses, microscope glasses or prismatic glasses can help you see better.

Call for a complimentary phone consultation with the optometrist.

Toll Free: 877-393-0025

Dr. Robert A. Stamm www.LecVisionSource.com

LOCATE IN 48 UPDATE

When cows and bulls over 18 months of age are moved across a state line, each animal will need an o cial individual ID, just as they do now.

A health certi cate listing the individual IDs will continue to be a requirement. e main form of individual o cial ID will be o cial metal tags we have used for decades.

For more information call Nebraska Department of Agriculture Locate In 48 at 1-800-572-2437

301 Centennial Mall S, Lincoln, NE. 68509

Way out west... in Lincoln!

by SARAH KELEN

On Wednesday, March 7, Erev Purim, Lincoln’s Jewish Community joined together for The Grand Ol’ Megillah Goes Country, a musical Purim “mellerdrama” that retold the story of Esther with a western swagger.

the mitzvah of hearing Megillat Esther, with Rabbi Craig Lewis, Rifka Keilson, Lorena Wachendorf, and Tifereth Israel’s lay leader, Nancy Coren, reading the megillah. Although the two congregations have partnered before for Purim family activities, this was the first time they shared

The spiel showcased cast members ranging from under seven to over seventy, including members from both of Lincoln’s Jewish congregations: Tifereth Israel Synagogue and Congregation B’nai Jeshurun (the South Street Temple). The lead roles were played by Zoe Watch (Haman) and Bert Malcom (Esther). The spiel band featured Scott Stanfield (guitar), Miles Bryant (harmonica), and Steve Kaup (piano) under the direction of Nathaniel McHargue. Kaup also arranged all of the music, rescoring over twenty well-known country songs to accompany Purim-themed lyrics by scriptwriter Maria Cadwallader.

Although a Wild West theme might seem odd for a story originally set in Persia, the story’s exaggerated characters, its beautiful and brave heroine, and its threat of violence all relate to themes from the classic westerns. Scriptwriter Maria Cadwallader said she’d “always thought it would be fun to do a country western” Purim spiel, because that setting “seemed to me to offer lots of comic possibilities.”

Cadwallader expressed her appreciation for the hard work put in by the cast and the band over the past two months, “The Watch family drives in all the way from Kearney for the rehearsals... It’s also wonderful that they’re willing to do it again next year.” She added that, after seeing the show, “some folks from the audience expressed interest in participating next year, too.

Following the spiel, members of the Temple and the Synagogue took a quick hamentaschen break, with hundreds of hamentaschen baked by Rifka Keilson and Nanci Hamicksburg. After that, community members shared in

both a spiel and a megillah reading. The community’s combined Purim events were well-received, with over 150 people in attendance for some part of the evening’s festivities. Leaders of both congregations also expressed their enthusiasm for the results of the collaboration. “It was exciting to help facilitate an evening that combined cultural and religious aspects of celebrating Purim, and to have so many congregants of both the South Street Temple and Congregation Tifereth Israel in attendance,” said Tifereth Israel’s Nancy Coren, a sentiment echoed by the Temple’s Rabbi Craig Lewis: “I am just thrilled by the way this worked out, and loved having the Lincoln Jewish community come together for such a great event, from the spiel to the nosh to the megillah reading. It was a special night.”

Birth

Jennifer and Jon Benowitz of St. Louis Park, MN announce the Feb.15 birth of their daughter, Audrey Marian

She has an older brother, Noah, age 2.

Grandparents are Sharon and Howard Epstein, and Jane and Steve Benowitz of Golden Valley, MN.

Great-grandparents are Sam Epstein and the late Rosaline Epstein, the late Ben and Marian Miller, Bea Cowle of Golden Valley, MN, and the late Stanley Cowle, and Irv and Sandy Benowitz of Minneapolis.

Rabbi Mordechai Levin

Deborah Swearingen, left, and Dave Willis (right), members of the Pioneer Quartet, sing along with Haman (Zoe Watch), center, while Ava Draper-Moore and Nina Friedman look on.

Lincoln Purim Spiel cast member Dean Cadwallader (“Who’s Got Queenly Talent?” Beauty Contestant) and Spiel playwright Maria Cadwallader backstage before the performance.

Purim celebrations

As promised, we’re taking the opportunity to add some additional Purim images from around town for a second week. With so many festivities, we thought it appropriate, even if it is a little late. Top row, from left to

right: Hannah Dysico, Julia Brodkey, Leah Dysico; Abbey Milder with Eileen and Brittney Clignett; Dana and son Ben Kaufman; Karen Cohen and daughter Eva; Middle row: Gwen Bender looks like a real

The Rabbi Sidney H. Brooks Lecture

Tuesday, March 27 7:00 p.m. Thompson Alumni Center 6705 Dodge Street

“The Tri-Faith Initiative: Beyond Dialogue to Cooperation”

presented by

Rabbi Aryeh Azriel,Temple Israel; The Right Reverend J. Scott Barker, Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska; and Dr. Syed Mohiuddin, American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture

Public Welcome

Refreshments following the lecture Sponsored by the Religious Studies Program at UNO

princess; Regan Tinglehoff and Josh Gurock; Ari Finkelstein; Ari with mom Rebecca Ruetsch-Finkelstein and brother Asher; CDC teachers Barb Giller, left, Haley Swanson, Lora Rosenbaugh and Carrie Fingold during

J+6A(*&'$!('KL:EE'

Joel Sasson,

!""##$%&#'((#)*+,*&-##.#(/+0/123#4%3%&M+N('.!"%'OFP';!"$16$&*&'$!('3(,1'+0'*3('QRR'J3($*(!:' HHH'9"/*3'SHF01'9*!((*T'8%$3$T'U=: !"##$%&'&!$()

!"#$%&'(

& !"#$%&'()*+#,-). /! 0122)+343

)" $+" , ) 56%76$%&'()8&')9:/! 0122)+343)

Please let the JewishPressknow in advance when you are leaving and when you are returning. Sometimes several papers are sent to your old address before we are notified by the Post Office. Every time they return a paper to us, you miss the JewishPressand we are charged 70¢! Please call us at 402.334.6448 or email us at jpress@jewishomaha.org.

the Purim Spiel; Bottom row: Brandon Raffel, left,

Joe Scioli, Emelia Mathews and Aiden Meyerson; Sarah Schondelmeyer with daughter Chaya; Mike Aparo and his dog, Bennie.

!"#!$%&'$!(')$!*+$,,-'./01(1'2-'*3('4/*3'5!+&63'7'8&6$!'9:';(,<(!'=01">%(0*'5/01'7'*3('?00'' @"&A"..'963/,%$0'B(%"!+$,'5/01:' ,($&('6"0*$6*'=&*3(!'C$*<'$*'DEFGHHDGIDED'."!'%"!('+0.":

)$*$&)&'$&)(

Partnership2Gether shares talent and passion

by MARK KIRCHHOFF

On Sunday, March 11 at the Jewish Community Center Theater, graduate level dancers from the Matte Asher Center for the Performing Arts, under the direction of Einav Levy, presented a performance for the Omaha community. Presented through Omaha’s Partnership 2Gether program, Stacie Brodkey, Partnership co-chair, welcomed the audience. As the house lights dimmed and the stage lights brightened, so did the performance of this group of eight talented dancers. It was easy to be swept away by their well-disciplined, highly expressive performances of five dances -- In Between, Seamen’s Dance, Bow, A Song for Stage, End of Time - representing different music genres with varying styles. And more than their artistic performance was evident.

standing and the skills of their choreography provided the firm foundation upon which they communicated a full spectrum of ideas and emotions through their performance.

Earlier in the day, through the coordinating efforts of Esther Katz, Cultural Arts Director for the JCC, the dancers, Ella Baruch, Regev Cohen, Tamar Livschitz, Din Malca, Efrat Meir, Rotem Saporta, Daniel Shraga, and Yael Weiss, conducted workshops for adults, teens, and pre-teens. As one of the sessions ended, a young participant was heard to say “That was so much fun – my legs are so-o-o tired but it was great!”

The Kibbutz Gaaton Contemporary Dance Company’s performance was made possible through the efforts of Omaha’s Partnership 2Gether Committee whose goals are to

The dance program is located at Kibbutz Gaaton in the Western Galilee, a part of Omaha’s Partnership 2Gether region. Studies include ballet technique, modern dance technique, repertoire, composition, theater and classes on the history of dance and music. The depth of their under-

promote people-to-people understanding between people of America and people of Israel. Partnership 2Gether is presented through the Center for Jewish Education and the Jewish Federation of Omaha. For more information on Partnership, please call 402.334.6445

Let all who are hungry come and eat

by OZZIE NOGG

Why is Tuesday, April 10, different from all other nights? Because it’s Passover Deli Night, that’s why. The event, a Star Catering attraction, runs from 5:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m. in the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Auditorium. “Last year’s Passover Friday deli lunch was such a big success we decided to expand the dining experience to a Passover deli dinner,” said Josh Gurock, RBJH Facilities Coordinator. “Chef Mike Aparo and his crew promise the choices will taste like manna from heaven.”

The April 10 Passover Deli Night features the Special Brisket Dinner, everyone’s favorite Latke Rubin, plus traditional salami and eggs and matzoh brei. The approved-for-Passover menu also includes corned beef, pastrami, turkey, tuna and egg salad sandwiches, all piled high on a matzoh roll and served with potato chips.

Other 4-star Passover Deli Night items include beef or potato knishes, chicken fingers, various salads and French fries, plus drinks and desserts. For obvious reasons, the gargantuan Goldberg Sandwich -- built on a two pound fresh challah- isn’t on the Passover menu, but will return after the holiday. “As an added entertainment element we’ll screen The Ten Commandments during dinner,” Gurock said. “It’s like having Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner right at your table.”

Beef and potato knishes

There will be no regular Star Deli on Friday, April 6 or Friday April 13. “We’re closed for the observance of Passover,” Aparo said, “but we offer pre-ordered Seder meals and Passover dishes to go during the entire eight days of the holiday.” For more information or to order Passover food to-go, call Mike Aparo, 402.334.6522, or Dan Stewart, 402.334.6530.

Star Deli Friday lunches will resume on April 20.

Clockwise from top left: Regev Cohen, dancer, left, with Kim Goldberg, Zoë Riekes, Beth Cohen and Bob Goldberg; Dance workshop participants – “It was really hard work but it was

lots of fun!”; Ready to head out for dinner after a final bow; and Einav Levy, dance director with her host, Susan Rothholz.

April Community Calendar

FRIDAY, MARCH 23

Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH

JSS Mainstreeters Movie after the Deli, 1 p.m.

Temple Israel Shabbat Comes To You at RBJH Home, 2:30 p.m.

Beth El Kadima Kinnus, 3 p.m. thru March 25

SATURDAY, MARCH 24

Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel

Junior Congregation (Grades 2-7), 10 a.m. at Beth El

Shabbat Storytime, Shira Abraham, 11:30 a.m. at Beth El

SUNDAY, MARCH 25

Beth El’s Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Day, 8 a.m.

BESTT Classes PreK-7, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El

Adult Education Classes, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El

Children’s Activity, 10:15 a.m. at Beth Israel

Club 56 Event, noon at Temple Israel

Limmud for Teachers - Wikispaces, 12:30 p.m.

Mainstreeters Program & Dinner at Bellevue Little Theatre, 12:45 p.m.

MTA Group Rehearsals, 3 p.m.

MONDAY, MARCH 26

JFS Project Tzedakah - Passover, 7:30 a.m.

Wrestling w/Rabbis of the Talmud, 10 a.m. at Beth El Monday Moadon, Grades 2-7, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El

JFS Love & Logic, 6:15 p.m.

Israeli Cooking Classes, 7 p.m. at Beth El

Women’s Rosh Hodesh Meeting, 7 p.m. at Beth El Teens 4 Israel, 7:30 p.m. at Starbucks, 114th & Dodge

CJE Introduction to Judaism, 8 p.m.

Jewish Press Board Mtg, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY, MARCH 27

JFS Project Tzedakah - Passover, 8 a.m.

Parent/Toddler Playgroup, 10:30 a.m. Beth El

Federation Executive Committee Meeting, 5:30 p.m.

BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

JFO Executive Committee Meeting, 6 p.m.

Hebrew 102, 6:30 p.m.

Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Temple Israel Brooks Lecture, 7 p.m. at UNO

JFO Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28

Scholars Club for 4th, 5th & 6th Graders, 4 p.m.

BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El

Omaha Jewish Chai School, 6:30 p.m.

Rabbi Steve Greenberg, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel

BESTT 8th Grade Class, 6:45 p.m. at RBJH

Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel

THURSDAY, MARCH 29

BBYO Spring Regional Convention thru April 1

Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel

Adult Study w/Rabbi Linder, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel

Beth El Pesach Program @ Remington Heights, 1:40 p.m.

JFS Love & Logic, 6 p.m.

Hebrew Mamita Performance, 7 p.m.

Scholar Rabbi Steve Greenberg, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel

FRIDAY, MARCH 30

Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH

Scholar Rabbi Steve Greenberg, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel

SATURDAY, MARCH 31

Rabbi Steve Greenberg, 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

SATURDAY, MARCH 31

Men’s Club Shabbat, 9:30 a.m. at Beth El

Rabbi Steve Greenberg, 7:30 p.m. at Temple Israel

SUNDAY, APRIL 1

BBYO Spring Regional Convention (SRC)

Men’s Club Kasher’s the Kitchen for Pesah, 8 a.m. at Beth El

Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El

Scholar Rabbi Steeve Greenberg, 12:30 p.m. at Temple Israel

Jewish Omaha Youth Foundation Meeting, 1 p.m.

MTA Group Rehearsals, 3 p.m.

Beth El Chaverim & USY Goes to Defy Gravity, 3:30 p.m.

Paysie’s Pre-Pesach Pasta Dinner, 6 p.m. at Beth Israel

Javitch Music Fund Concert Omaha Chamber Music Society, 7 p.m.

MONDAY, APRIL 2

Wrestling w/Rabbis of the Talmud, 10 a.m. at Beth El

CJE Passover Workshop for Parents & Kids, 5:30 p.m.

Gordman Jewish Teen Leadership Award Mtg, 6 p.m.

Monday Night Women’s Class, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel

TUESDAY, APRIL 3

Eye on Israel, noon

BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

Hebrew 102, 6:30 p.m.

Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel

NCJW Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

JCC Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4

Scholars Club for 4th, 5th & 6th Graders, 3:30 p.m. Omaha Jewish Chai School, 6:30 p.m.

Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, APRIL 5

Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel

Adult Study w/Rabbi Linder, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Temple Israel Stuff Backpacks, noon at Completely Kids

Adult Ed Class with Rabbi Levin, noon at Beth El

USY and Kadima Chocolate Seder, 6:30 p.m. at Beth El Live from the 92nd Street Y, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY, APRIL 6

RBJH Passover Seder, 5 p.m.

Community Seder, 6:30 p.m. at Beth El

SATURDAY, APRIL 7

Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel

RBJH Passover Seder, 5 p.m.

Second Seder with Rabbi Jonathan & Miriam Gross, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel

MONDAY, APRIL 9

Wrestling w/Rabbis of the Talmud, 10 a.m. at Beth El

UNO Schwalb Center Presents “An Evening with Harel Stanton” Photographer, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY, APRIL 10

Beth El Parent/Toddler Playgroup, 10:30 a.m.

Eye on Israel, noon

ADL/CRC Board Meeting, noon

Passover Deli Dinner, 5:30 p.m. at RBJH

BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11

BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El

Omaha Jewish Chai School, 6:30 p.m.

Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Beth Israel

BESTT 8th Grade Classs, 6:45 p.m. at RBJH

Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, APRIL 12

Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel

Adult Study w/Rabbi Linder, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel

WRJ Donor, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel

JFS Love & Logic Class, 6 p.m.

Schwalb Center - Israel Film Series, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY, APRIL 13

Temple Israel Shabbat Comes to You at Remington Heights, 4 p.m.

SATURDAY, APRIL 14

Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel

Junior Congregation (Grades 2-7), 10 a.m. at Beth El

SUNDAY, APRIL 15

Grade 2 & 3 Family Siddur Program, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El

BESTT Classes PreK-7, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El

WRJ Meeting, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel

Adult Education Classes, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El

Rel. School Steering Committee Mtg, 12:15 p.m. at Temple Israel

Jewish Omaha Youth Foundation Meeting, 1 p.m.

Foundation Sokolof Program & Scholarship Awards, 2 p.m.

Nebraska State Holocaust Commemoration, 3 p.m.

MTA Group Rehearsals, 3 p.m.

B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy Program, 4:30 p.m.

Foundation Sokolof Program Reception, 4 p.m.

39 Forever Dinner & Mastersingers, 5 p.m. at All Saints

MONDAY, APRIL 16

Wrestling w/Rabbis of the Talmud, 10 a.m. at Beth El

Monday Moadon - Grades 2-7, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El Mind In Control Workshop, 6 p.m. at Chabad Center

TUESDAY, APRIL 17

B’nai B’rith Board Meeting, 11:45 a.m.

Eye on Israel, noon

Friedel Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m.

BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

Hebrew 102, 6:30 p.m.

Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel

Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel

BESTT School Committee Meeting, 7 p.m. at Beth El

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18

Scholars Club for 4th, 5th & 6th Graders, 3:30 p.m.

BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El

Omaha Jewish Chai School, 6:30 p.m.

BESTT 8th Grade Classs, 6:45 p.m. at RBJH

Yom Hashoah Commemoration Service, 7 p.m. at Beth El

Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, APRIL 19

Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel

Adult Study w/Rabbi Linder, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel

Women’s Book Group, 1 p.m. at Beth El

Kripke Library Dorothy Kaplan Book Group, 1 p.m.

JFS Love & Logic Class, 6 p.m.

Schwalb Center - Israel Film Series, 7 p.m.

S.S. St. Louis Drama Program, 7 p.m. at Creighton Univ.

Jewish Ethics w/Dr. Matalon, 7 p.m. at Beth El

FRIDAY, APRIL 20

Beth El USY Spring Kallah, 10:45 a.m. in Iowa

Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH

Rabbi Levin’s Lets Do Lunch, noon at RBJH Star Deli

Shabbat Service Honoring Seniors, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel

Tot Shabbat & Say ‘Shalom!’ to Shabbat!, 6 p.m. at Beth El

Dinner & Drash with the Clergy, 7 p.m. at Beth El Clergy Unplugged, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel

SATURDAY, APRIL 21

Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel

Junior Congregation (Grades 2-7), 10 a.m. at Beth El

Simchat Shabbat & Cafe Schmooze, 10:30 a.m. at Beth El Veshinantam, 6:30 p.m. at Beth Israel

Federation Partnership Yom Ha’Atzmaut Concert, 8 p.m.

SUNDAY, APRIL 22

Women’s Rosh Hodesh Meeting, 9 a.m. at Beth El

BESTT Classes PreK-7, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El

Adult Education Classes, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El Youth Activity-Club 56/JYG/OTYG, noon at Temple Israel

MTA Group Rehearsals, 3 p.m.

Beth El Patron Dessert Reception, 7:30 p.m. at Patty & Steve Nogg’s home

MONDAY, APRIL 23

Wrestling w/Rabbis of the Talmud, 10 a.m. at Beth El

Monday Moadon - Grades 2-7, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El

TUESDAY, APRIL 24

Beth El Parent/Toddler Playgroup, 10:30 a.m. at the Zoo

Eye on Israel, noon

BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

Hebrew 102, 6:30 p.m.

Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel

JFO Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25

Scholars Club for 4th, 5th & 6th Graders, 3:30 p.m.

BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El

Omaha Jewish Chai School, 6:30 p.m.

MahJonhh: The Tiles that Bind, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel

BESTT 8th Grade Classs, 6:45 p.m. at RBJH

Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, APRIL 26

Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel

Adult Study w/Rabbi Linder, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel

JCC Community Yom Ha’Atzmaut Celebration, 5 p.m.

Schwalb Center - Israel Film Series, 7 p.m.

Men’s Club Jews and Brews, 7 p.m. at Beth El

Jewish Ethics w/ Dr. Matalon, 7 p.m. at Beth El

B’nai B’rith Jewish Trivia Quiz, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY, APRIL 27

Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH

JSS Mainstreeters Movie, 1 p.m.

Beth El Brings Shabbat to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m.

USY Shabbat Dinner, 6 p.m. at Beth El

SATURDAY, APRIL 28

Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel

Junior Congregation (Grades 2-7), 10 a.m. at Beth El Shabbat Storytime, Shira Abraham, 11:30 a.m. at Beth El

SUNDAY, APRIL 29

Blood Drive, 9 a.m. at Temple Israel

BESTT Classes PreK-7, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El

Adult Education Class w/ Susi Levin, 10 a.m. at Beth El

Jewish Secularism Panel, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel

Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El

Fifth & Sixth Grade Tour of Jewish Omaha, 10 a.m.

Parents Meeting, 10:15 a.m. at Temple Israel

Shiputznick Program, 12:30 p.m.

39 Forever Pops/Gershwin/Dinner to follow, 2 p.m.

MTA Group Rehearsals, 3 p.m.

JCC Dance Cast B Tech Rehearsals, 3 p.m.

MONDAY, APRIL 30

Wrestling w/Rabbis of the Talmud, 10 a.m. at Beth El Monday Moadon - Grades 2-7, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El Israeli Cooking Classes, 7 p.m. at Beth El IHE/ADL Tribute to the Rescuers Essay Contest Awards, 7 p.m.

Teens 4 Israel Latte & Learning, 7:30 p.m. at Starbucks, 114th & Dodge

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.

RESTAURANT

Point of view

Shmuley for Congress

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT

Editor of the Jewish Press

Once upon a time, Shmuley Boteach was Michael Jackson’s spiritual advisor. That was before they got into a spat and stopped speaking. How do I know this? The same way I know that Mitt Romney used to own an Irish Setter, which he had the habit of putting inside a kennel tied to the roof of his station wagon on long trips. Just like I know Bill Clinton never inhaled and George W. Bush, John Kerry and Hugh Hefner are all related; LBJ was a three-pack-a-day smoker and Abraham Lincoln a licensed bartender. And my favorite: President Franklin Pierce was arrested (while in office) after running over an old lady with his horse. True story

We all have some things in our past we’d rather not mention during polite conversation. But when you enter the political arena, those are exactly the things that make the headlines, and they tend to stick. The moment you declare your candidacy, everything private becomes public. And since Boteach, who is famous for being a rabbi, author and Oprah-guest, recently announced his candidacy for a New Jersey congressional seat, one can safely assume any questionable things in his past will be dredged up. With gusto.

“Boteach, who once was affiliated with the Chabad movement,” the Jewish telegraphic Agency reported, “bills himself as ‘America’s Rabbi.’ He hosts a show on TLC called Shalom in the Home and is the author of several books, including Kosher Sex, Kosher Adultery, The Kosher Sutra and, most recently, Kosher Jesus.”

That’s three books about sex, and one about religion. It’s also a bit of a problem that 90% of all headlines about his candidacy either mention Kosher Sex or Michael Jackson. It

may cause people to not take him seriously. After all, whatever he advised MJ on, it must not have worked that well because we all know how that ended.

Stil, the fact that Boteach is a bit of an attention seeker and likes to be on Television, a lot, is not what will hurt him in his bid for office. Neither are stories of extra-marital affairs, fraudulent behavior and/or DUI convictions likely to surface.

lends a glimpse as to the answer, and we saw it the past few weeks especially. It lies with the American religious obsession with gay marriage and abortion to the exclusion of all other values. Yes, America is a religious nation but it is one whose religious convictions have been hijacked by sexual morality issues that have dominated the political landscape for decades.”

That’s delightfully honest, and I predict it won’t go over well with many Republicans currently under the media’s microscope. Sure, there are those within the party who have been watching in horror as the national discourse has focused on moral issues to the detriment of everything else. But at the end of the day, party loyalty, whether Democrat of Republican, cannot be swept aside so easily.

credit: whitmaniswired.pbworks.com

What might hurt his chances, instead, is his take on the current state of the Republican Party. Boteach, who is a Republican himself, stated: “The Republican party has been dominated of late by a discussion of the sexual-trifecta of gay marriage, abortion, and contraception. But are these the only values that matter?” (www.shmuley.com)

And: “Every four years the presidential election cycle

On Iran, Auschwitz is relevant

Focus on issues RAFAEL MEDOFF

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the Holocaust in his March 5 speech at AIPAC for the same reason that President Shimon Peres referred to it in his speech the day before and President Obama alluded to it in his news conference the day after: Because in the debate over Iran’s nuclear weapons program, Auschwitz is relevant.

Peres, in his remarks about the Iran problem, described how the Nazis “forced my grandfather, together with the remaining Jews [in his village], into the wooden synagogue and set it on fire. No one survived. Not one.”

The next day, Netanyahu in his AIPAC speech said that some opponents of Israeli action against Tehran’s nuclear sites claim “that it would provoke an even more vindictive response by Iran.” He recalled that similar claims were advanced by Roosevelt administration officials in 1944, when they rejected requests to bomb Auschwitz.

Netanyahu read from a letter by Assistant Secretary of War John McCloy, who claimed it was impossible for U.S. planes to reach Auschwitz and that attacking the mass-murder camp “might provoke even more vindictive action by the Germans.”

What, the prime minister asked, could possibly have been more “vindictive” than Auschwitz?

Obama evidently had those comments in mind at his news conference when he said, “I am deeply mindful of the historical precedents that weigh on any prime minister of Israel when they think about the potential threats to Israel and the Jewish homeland.”

Some of Netanyahu’s political rivals in Israel challenged his reference to the Holocaust.

(Founded in 1920)

Andrew Ruback President

Annette van de Kamp-Wright

Editor

Richard Busse

Creative Director

Jessie Wees

Advertising Executive

Lori Kooper-Schwarz

Assistant Editor Barbara Kirkpatrick

Bookkeeper

Jewish Press Board Eric Dunning, Vice President; Jason Epstein, Treasurer; Bobbi Leibowitz, Past President; Marc Brodkey; Phyllis Brown; Daniel Christensen; Mel Epstein; Scott Farkas; Michael Kaufman; Paul Rabinowitz; Caryn Scheer; Mark Senal; Nancy Wolf. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Education, Jewish Family Service/Jewish Senior Services, and the Jewish Press Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www jewishoma-

“Not every enemy is Hitler, and not every problem is Auschwitz,” one asserted.

That’s true. But even if two people or situations are not absolutely identical, there may still be some points of comparison. That is why many previous Israeli leaders cited lessons from the Holocaust era in their remarks on policy matters.

Golda Meir when she was foreign minister, explaining to the United Nations in 1956 why Israel felt compelled to strike at Egypt, called Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser a “disciple” of Adolf Hitler. She said the fact that the international community ignored Nasser’s military buildup was comparable to the world’s meek response when Hitler “informed the world in advance of his bloodthirsty plans.”

Meir’s successor, Abba Eban, told the 1972 World Zionist Congress that Arab propaganda against Israel “would have done justice to the loathesome Goebbels and Streicher.”

According to Eban, the Arab media’s depictions of the Jewish state “as a caricature, hook-nosed with tails, horns and monstrous attributes” demonstrated that “Nazism is deeply embedded in the style and content of the Arab war against Israel.”

When Knesset member Shevah Weiss of the Labor Party used the term “Gestapo 1985” to characterize the killers of Leon Klinghoffer, an elderly American tourist in a wheelchair, or when many Israelis made similar comparisons concerning the Arab terrorist who murdered 4-year-old Einat Harav on the Nahariya beach in 1979 by smashing her head against the rocks, they were not saying the terrorists were identical to the Nazis in every respect. They were pointing out, legitimately, that Nazis sometimes used similar methods against Jews.

For Netanyahu and many Israelis, the failure to bomb Auschwitz is particularly relevant because they fear that if they depended on the international community to aid Israel

ha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.

Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial

material and photos to: avandekamp @jewishomaha.org;send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jew ishomaha.org

Letters to the Editor Guidelines

The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jew ishomaha.org

Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events.

News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.”

The Editor may edit letters for content

Of course, once the knife is in nice and deep, Boteach twists it: “In 2008 the American economy nearly collapsed due to avaricious bankers and insatiable consumers whose homes were never big enough and cars never new enough. If ever there was a time where American religious and political leaders could engage in a national conversation about materialism, gluttony, and greed, it was then. But my Evangelical brothers responded not with a conversation about filling one’s inner void with spiritual purpose but with Proposition 8, a national campaign to overturn gay marriage in California.”

I predict those “Evangelical brothers” will not respond to Boteach by hanging their heads in shame and admitting fault. They, instead, will double down. Having your priorities a little out of order is one thing; having America’s Rabbi call you on it is another thing entirely. I, for one, can’t wait to see what happens next.

against Iran, they might find themselves abandoned as the Jews were in 1944.

Recall Eban’s description of the tense days preceding the 1967 war: “As we looked around us, we saw the world divided between those who were seeking our destruction and those who would do nothing to prevent it.” Those words bring to mind Chaim Weizmann’s statement in 1937: “There are in [Europe) 6 million people for whom the world is divided into places where they cannot live and places where they cannot enter.”

Netanyahu, the son of a renowned Jewish historian, has a keen sense of history. So does Barack Obama. He invited 43 members of the Tuskegee Airmen, the all-black units of World War II pilots, to attend his presidential inauguration. The juxtaposition of 1940s segregation and the election of an African-American president in 2008 was striking.

Perhaps Netanyahu should have invited those pilots to his AIPAC speech because on Aug. 20, 1944, just days after that War Department letter claiming U.S. planes could not reach Auschwitz, a group of 127 U.S. bombers approached Auschwitz escorted by 100 Mustang fighter planes piloted by -- Tuskegee Airmen. They dropped more than 1,000 bombs on German oil factories less than five miles from the gas chambers. Those targets were regarded by the Roosevelt administration as worth hitting. The mass-murder machinery was not.

To what extent Israel should risk seeing history repeated is for Israelis to decide. But surely the historical record should be part of that conversation.

Dr. Rafael Medoff is the director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies and co-author, with Sonja Schoepf Wentling, of the forthcoming book ‘Herbert Hoover and the Jews: The Origins of the ‘Jewish Vote’ and Bipartisan Support for Israel.”

and space restrictions, but it should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view.

Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf.

Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a

news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For information, contact Annette van de Kamp-Wright, 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.

Seeing the world through an Auschwitz lens amounts to Jewish and Israeli PTSD

Behind the headlines

MICHAEL LERNER

SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) -- When I learned of the murder of dozens of members of my family in the Holocaust and then met my Israeli relatives whose Auschwitz numbers could hardly be missed on their arms, I decided to dedicate my life to challenging war, the denial of human rights, the hatred of minorities, and social and economic injustice.

I also wanted to challenge the breakdown of human solidarity and the fear that competitive societies generate in their citizens, which destroys the natural instinct of individuals to care for “the other” and lead people to grab on to fascistic pseudo-solutions to their growing misery.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I found that my own Jewish people, which for 2,000 years had fostered a religion of compassion, nonviolence, social justice, pursuing peace and generosity toward others, had responded to Auschwitz and the Holocaust by adopting a fear-based worldview. In this post-Holocaust period, power over others -- rather than love, kindness and generosity (i.e. the teachings of our Torah) -- would be our new way of identifying as Jews.

In so doing we began to give Hitler a victory he did not deserve and abandoned the God who, as was proclaimed in last week’s Torah portion, was revealed as a force in the universe for chesed, loving kindness, compassion and mercy. Instead, we worshiped at the altar of power and military might.

And the Jewish State of Israel became famous as the most powerful army in the Middle East.

I’m glad Israel is strong, and I’ve opposed those who seek to promote the campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel (though I support BDS against the settlements of the West Bank). I’m against those who sought to reduce U.S. military aid to Israel. I was proud to have brought my son to Israel, sent him to high school in Israel, and been there to wash his clothes and feed him every week-

Creating an Equal Omaha

Focus on issues

For the last 8 months, the Plains States Anti-Defamation League – Community Relations Committee (ADL/CRC) has worked as part of Equal Omaha, a local, grassroots coalition made up of civil rights, gay rights and ally organizations, to stand in support of Councilman Ben Gray’s Equal Employment Ordinance. On March 13, 2012, after more than an hour of debate and discussion, the ordinance passed 4-3. Garry Gernandt, Omaha City Councilman and deciding vote, was later quoted by KETV as saying, “The bottom line is, folks, we’re all members of the human race . . . nobody should be discriminated against in the work place.” As Gernandt simply and eloquently stated, the basis of this ordinance change is to give individuals in the workplace safety from being fired or not hired based on their sexual

end during the time he served in one of the Israeli Defense Forces’ scariest combat units, the paratroopers, praying that he would survive those perilous jumps.

But as a researcher at Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University, I discovered that Israelis were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. They were seeing current events primarily through the framework of Auschwitz, the Holocaust and the sufferings of our life in exile.

I already had discovered in my work as a psychotherapist -- before I became a rabbi or editor of Tikkun magazine -that a significant section of American Jews suffered from similar PTSD.

PTSD is the psychological category that does not attribute the distortions in perception to one’s inner life. It acknowledges that there really was a trauma, but that the source of the trauma is no longer there.

American Jews are one of the most politically and economically powerful groups in society, and Israel is one of the strongest military powers on Earth both in conventional and nuclear military power. Yet speak to many American Jews or Israelis and they feel totally insecure. They see Amalek, Haman or Hitler lurking in every enemy.

So the Palestinian people, without an army, has been seen consistently as Nazis. First Yasser Arafat, then Hezbollah and Hamas, and now Iran are seen as the embodiment of the Nazi threat.

As a result, Israel and many American Jews have been unable to respond to reasonable plans for a peace accord that have come from the Israeli peace movement and even from the Saudi peace proposal in 2002 -- re-offered in 2007 -- for peace and reconciliation between Israel and the entire Arab world.

Not everyone has been completely unable to see that an attack on Iran by Israel -- and the likely embroilment of the United States in a war with Iran -- will be a disaster for Israel and the United States. Such an attack also likely would intensify anti-Semitism around the world based not on previous irrational beliefs that the Jews killed Jesus, but on the legiti-

orientation and/or gender identity. Like all employees, people within the protected class can still be fired or not hired based on performance and qualifications.

As director of the Plains States Anti-Defamation League –Community Relations Committee (ADL-CRC) in Omaha, an organization with a mission of combating anti-Semitism and bigotry and promoting equality for all, I knew we were a natural fit to support the ordinance.

Jessica Gall, Education Project Director, and I worked actively with the Equal Omaha Coalition to garner support, speak at public gatherings and meet with council members and leaders to share our position and educate the community on the issue. Barb Angellilo, Executive Director of Inclusive Communities, and I co-authored an Omaha World Herald op-ed, that cited support from both John Mackiel, Superintendent of Omaha Public Schools, and Robert Patterson, Executive Director of Kids Can Community Center; finally, and most importantly, we testified before the city council in support of the ordinance on March 6th, 2012. Omaha now becomes the 36th city out of the top 50 cities in America to offer this protection.  For us at the ADL, it was wonderful to see our efforts pay off and know that we had

mate outrage of people around the world against any country that engages in a “preemptive first strike” against another.

In fact, in the first week of March, a poll showed that a majority of Israelis disagree with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and oppose a unilateral Israeli first strike.

The United States did not take a preemptive strike against North Korea or any of the other Communist states with ideological fanatics at their helm -- including the Soviet Union and China when they developed nuclear war capacities -instead relying on its own nuclear capacity to wipe out any country that would attempt to strike at us. Many Israelis recognize that the strategy of mutually assured destruction, which has kept the world safe even with some countries having nuclear weapons, will keep Israel safe even if Iran has nuclear weapons.

It is only PTSD that makes it difficult for many American Jews and some Israeli hawks to recognize that as ideologically crazy as the Iranian government is today, there is zero reason to believe that it would be willing to have Iran bombed into oblivion by U.S. and Israeli nuclear retaliation from a first strike by Iran. PTSD so obscures our vision that many Jews have sided with U.S. militarists who always like a good excuse to amp up the military-industrial complex.

It’s time to heal from the distorted perceptions of seeing the world through the framework of Auschwitz. There are other paths to take, some of which I outlined in the recent full-page advertisement in The New York Times that we at Tikkun took calling for No First Strike and No War with Iran.

We are now seeking to put that ad in Israeli newspapers; it can be seen at www.tikkun.org/iran. Read our full explanation of our strategy to provide protection for Israel at www.tikkun.org.

Rabbi Michael Lerner is the editor of Tikkun magazine and author most recently of “Embracing Israel/Palestine: A Strategy to Heal and Transform the Middle East.”

sought justice for Omaha’s citizens who wish to work without fear of repercussions on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

A line from Parashat Shoftim, Deuteronomy 16:20, is continually rooted in my daily work and especially applies to this situation, “Justice, justice, you shall pursue.” I reference this not only because our mission is to pursue justice, but also because Omaha is now a city that can legitimately say, “Justice for all.”

JEWISH PRESS NOTICE

On March 30, we will publish our annual Passover issue. We will not offer current news that week; our regular publication schedule resumes with the April 6 issue, for which the deadline for all articles, photos and adsis March 29, 9 a.m.

In addition, the early deadline for all articles, photos and ads to be sent to the Jewish Press for the April 13 issue is Tuesday, April 3, 9 a.m. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.

ALAN POTASH, Regional Director of ADL-Plain States Region

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.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE

Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism

14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org

Services conducted by Rabbi Mordechai Levin, Rabbi Steven Abraham and Cantor Beth Schlossberg.

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9:30 a.m. ; Junior Congregation (2-7), 10 a.m.; Shabbat Story Time, a new Shabbat program for toddlers and parents, 11:30 a.m. led by Shira Abraham; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m.

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

SUNDAY: Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Day, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. For more information or to sign up, visit www.bethel-omaha.org (type ‘Habitat’ in search box), or call the office; Torah Study Discussion Group, and A World Without Jews, with Andy Greenberg, and Diversity in Movies: Embracing the World with open Jewish eyes, 10 a.m. with Susi Frydman-Levin; High School Recruitment Meeting, 10:15 a.m. for BESTT Seventh graders and their parents; How to enrich your seder Passover class led by Rabbi Levin, 11 a.m. (see full story on page 7.)

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

TUESDAY: YAC Playgroup will meet at PE 101, at 10:30 a.m. For more information, contact Caryn Scheer at caryn scheer@yahoo.com; Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group, 7 p.m. at the home of Margie Gutnik. Discussion will focus on I Am Jewish Video. (see full story on page 15.)

Cantorial candidate Elisa Abrams will visit Beth El from Tuesday, March 27 to Thursday, March 29. Cantor Abrams will participate in Minha/Ma’ariv and Shacharit services, and on Wednesday, March 28, she will offer a musical performance for congregants. A dessert reception and meet and greet will follow.

Congregational Seder, Friday, April 6, beginning with 5:45 p.m. Shabbat services, and followed by the 6:30 p.m. Seder. Special early-bird pricing will be offered for reservations made (with payment) by March 27. For prices and more information, visit the synagogue website, www.bethelomaha.org, or contact Margie in the synagogue office or at programming@bethel-omaha.org. To make a reservation, send a check to “Community Seder,” Beth El Synagogue, 14506 California St., Omaha NE 68154. Reservations may also be made online at www.bethel-omaha.org

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

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America

12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

Office Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fri., 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross and Rabbi Yitzchak Mizrahi.

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:22 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Free babysitting service begins at 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes begin with Torah

Bar Mitzvah

Yehoshua Zelig Katzman, son of Rabbi Mendel and Shani Katzman, will become a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, March 24, at Chabad Center.

He is an eighth-grade student.

He is a voracious reader and an art enthusiast. He enjoys writing, exploring with art, is a student of rare Jewish books and manuscripts, and a Jewish history buff.

To mark his Bar Mitzvah, Zelig continues to share his enthusiasm for four favorite Mitzvahs he has selected: Avodat HaTefillah, Tefillin, Limud HaTorah, and Ahavat Yisrael.

To participate in Zelig's project email mashapisha@ gmail.com

William McGauvran, son of Kathy and John McGauvran, will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, March 30, at Temple Israel.

Will is a seventh-grade student at Westside Middle School.

Parade, 9:45 a.m.; Understanding the Prayers, 10 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored in honor of Beth Cohen’s dedicated service to the synagogue over the past 12 years; The Laws of Shabbat, 5 p.m.; Advanced Parshah Study for Kids (ages 10 and up), 6 p.m.; Rabbi Gross’s Twitter Topic Class, 6 p.m.; Veshinantam, 6 p.m.; Mincha, 7 p.m., followed by Seuda Shlishit; Havdalah, 8:23 p.m.

SUNDAY: Gemara class, 8 a.m. , learning tractate Kiddushin; Shacharit, 9 a.m. followed by breakfast; Children’s Activity with Dr. Patricia Newman, 10:15 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Weekly Teleconference Mishnah Class, 10:30 a.m. with Rabbi Gross. Contact the office for information on how to call-in to the conference call; Teens 4 Israel Latte & Learning, 7:30 p.m. at Starbucks, 114th & Dodge

TUESDAY: Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m.

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

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

CHABAD CENTER

An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street | Omaha, NE 68144-1646 | 402.330.1800 www.OChabad.com | email: chabad@aol.com

Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Services, 7 a.m.

SATURDAY: Minyan, 10 a.m.;Special Kiddush luncheon will follow sponsored by Rabbi and Shani Katzman in honor of the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Zelig, noon-1 p.m.

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

WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m.

All programs are open to the entire community.

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN

South Street Temple | Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street | Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 | 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org

Services conducted by Rabbi Craig Lewis.

FRIDAY: Tot Shabbat with Ms. Jennifer, Friday, Mach 23, 6 p.m. at Tifereth; Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following hosted by Tracy and Randy Gordon.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9 a.m.; Teen Torah Study, 10:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Vayikra.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 10 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple.

MONDAY: Celebration of the Life of Sally Gordon, 4:306:30 p.m. at the University of Nebraska Van Brunt Visitors Center, 313 North 13th Street – Jim Gordon and Karen Kilgarin invite you to share memories of Sally and enjoy some light refreshments.

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

THURSDAY: Children of Abraham: A Family Gathering, 6 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2110 Sheridan Boulevard, Lincoln. Please RSVP to the Temple. $5 suggested donation. Represent the Jewish community as we meet and get to know our Christian and Muslim neighbors in the spirit of friendship and understanding. Leaders from each of the three faiths will offer words of welcome. The featured

speaker will be Fr. Thomas Michel of the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University. Father Michel is a world leader in bridging relations between the Catholic Church and other faiths.

ADULT EDUCATION

TUESDAY,7:15 p.m Modern Innovations on Old Issues, Part 3 of 3, led by Rabbi Lewis and Nancy Coren. Annual Community Passover Second Night Seder, Saturday, April 7, 6 p.m. RSVP to the Temple office at 402.435.8004 or stemple@neb.rr.com by Friday, March 30. Guests are welcome. Adults $13, Children 6-12 $7, No charge for children 5 & under and for college students.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

SAC Memorial Chapel

301 Lincoln Highway | Offutt AFB, NE 68113 | 402.294.6244

FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.

NEIGHBORHOOD PRAYER GROUP

1317 North 57 Street | Omaha, NE68132 | 402.551.6609

FRIDAY: Minyan, 6:07 p.m.

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME

323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154

FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m led by Temple Israel Members.

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg. Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.

TEMPLE ISRAEL

Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)

7023 Cass Street | Omaha, NE 68132-2651 | 402.556.6536 www.templeisrael-ne.org

FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to You at the Rose Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Azriel; Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Linder and Cantor Shermet.

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

SUNDAY: Grades K-6, 10 a.m.; Grade 2 Very Important Persons Seder, 11 a.m.; Club 56 Event, noon.

WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Family School, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-8, 6-8 p.m.; Trembling Before God, 6:30 p.m. with Rabbi Steve Greenberg.

THURSDAY: God was in this place and I did not know, 1011:30 a.m. with Rabbi Linder. He will be looking at what our tradition says about the normal moments ... Maybe they’re not so normal?

Scholar-in-Residence, Rabbi Steve Greenberg, Friday, March 30 – Sunday, April 1 (see full story on page 4.) Congregational Seder, Saturday, April 7, 6 p.m. (see full story on page 10.)

TIFERETH ISRAEL

Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard | Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 | 402.423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org

Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

FRIDAY: Tot Shabbat with Ms. Jennifer, 6 p.m. at Tifereth; Shabbat Services, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Study Session on Pirkei Avot, 9:30 a.m.; Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a Kiddush luncheon in honor of Max Neiden’s birthday sponsored by Max Neiden.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 10 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple.

His interests include basketball, computers and a love for the Phoenix Suns.

For his mitzvah project, Will volunteered at Ted E. Bear Hollow - an organization where grieving children and their families can recognize and honor their feelings of loss and grief through support and education. Will helped with the 13th annual walk/run for remembrance as well as doing craft and memory projects with the kids..

He has two brothers, Adam and Ryan.

Grandparents are Harold & Linda Mann, and Ron and the late Sally McGauvran.

Great-grandparents are the late Eli & Sara Zalkin, the late Irving & Ada Mann, the late John and Dorothea McGauvran, and the late Spencer and Charlotte Green.

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

ADULT EDUCATION

TUESDAY,7:15 p.m Modern Innovations on Old Issues, Part 3 of 3, led by Rabbi Lewis and Nancy Coren.

To Submit B’nai Mitzvah Announcements Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewish omaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154.

Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, by e-mailing the editor at: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org or online at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’ scroll down to ‘Submit Announcements, complete form and click on “submit” twice.

The Sacrificial System

Sparks from the word

The reader who comes on these chapters for the first time may be astounded at the system that is revealed here, and continues through most of Leviticus.

However, we may think of these chapters as the greatgreat-great grandfather of our system of Kashrut.

Our ancient ancestors taught us that one does not emptymindedly slaughter living creatures for our appetites. Parts of any animal which is slaughtered for food are burned on the altar in the Tent of Testimony.

It is only when this has been done, that the flesh may be consumed. One misses the point if he thinks this is some “hocus pocus”- system. What is involved is the feeling that we do not allow our appetites to rule our thinking procedures. The underlying feeling is that God has provided food for us, but we are not to allow our appetites to rule us. Instead, we must let our humanity and sense of holiness control everything we do, including our need for food.

To repeat: our system of Kashrut may be considered to derive from this ancient system of sacrifice that is the insistence that we do not eat like animals, though animal we are; we must recognize ourselves as human beings and eat to live, not live to eat.

Karen Javitch produces An Evening of Music

Karen Sokolof Javitch is producing An Evening of Music Saturday, March 31st at 8 p.m. at Westside High School.

The show is a benefit for pancreatic cancer research at the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center. Featured guest is Tim Halperin, son of Carol and Howie Halperin, who was a top 12 male finalist on American Idol last season.

Also, some of Karen’s songs will be featured, sung by Camille Metoyer Moten, Kirstin Kluver, Erin Maynard, Grace Bydalek and Bob Goding, accompanied by the Chuck Penington Band. Andy Greenberg is doing publicity for the event. Tickets can be purchased at the door; for more information, please call JMR Productions at 40.393.3893.

B’nai Israel Speaker Series

Gerry Appel discussed his experiences as Abraham Lincoln High School Journalism Teacher/Adviser. He explained that Adviser is spelled in that manner rather than Advisor, because of a more active role advice-giving can take in Journalism. His topic was Journalism Today: The Benefits and Evolution of Scholastic Journalism. He gave interesting statistics about the relationship of high school scholastic achievement, college graduation, and lifetime success and students who have been active in journalism.

Ethical and legal responsibilities must be taught to students who are becoming journalists. Teachers must also demonstrate these qualities in the methods they use to gather information to report. There are many challenges and opposing influences in teaching the students these expectations. While teaching students in Council Bluffs, issues that comprised those facing city government, in local newspaper, and the school system have been topics to manage through the Echoes, the AL newspaper.

Modernization of media, communications devices, and the quickened pace of getting the news out to the readers have had a huge impact on the methods his students use to produce publications. His duties as a teacher are to stay ahead of developments. Interestingly, with all these developments, he pointed out that ‘the book’ is still regarded as the most reliable over the years. A look back to days of 5 1/4 floppy disks, 3.5 floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, etc. shows how difficult it can become to access something that was created just a few years ago. Books can be opened, and saved in the same manner that they have been for centuries.

The final speaker for this year’s Speaker Series will be April 12 at 7:30 p.m., when Rachel Rosenberg, Holocaust Survivor, will speak to the congreagation. An oneg will follow service. Everyone is invited to attend.

A Musical visit

by DIANE BAUM

Residents at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home received the gift of music during the first of two visits to the JCC campus by musicians from the Omaha Chamber Music Society.

Next week, musicians will visit Friedel Jewish Academy; both visits offer a preview of Legacies: Oustanding Chamber Works by Jewish Composers, which is scheduled for Sunday, April 1, at 7 p.m. in the JCC Theater.

The concert will present four works that are grounded in classical musical tradition, but also draw on the religious and cultural heritage of their Jewish composers: Ernest Bloch’s Baal Shem, Osvaldo Golijov’s Tenebrae, Aaron Copland’s As it Fell Upon a Day, and Srul Irving Glick’s Suite Hebraique.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Sokolof Javitch Music Fund, the concert is free and open to the public; it will conclude with a dessert reception.

For more information, please call 402.960.6943 or visit www.omahachambermusic.org

Calling all artists

The local Jewish community is filled with many talented visual artists whose mediums range from fiber art, photography, painting, glass art, sculpture, and more. We are currently inviting the community’s Jewish artists to showcase their work for the Omaha Jewish Artists’ Gallery Show. The exhibit will be on display throughout the month of September; and will provide the local Jewish artists with an opportunity to showcase their many talents.

If you would like to participate or have any questions, please contact Beth Gershovich at bbgartistry@ gmail.com or 402.660.4084, or Marge Bresel at bresel ms@cox.net. We will then send out more detailed information, an application and Letter of Intent form to participate. Letters of intent are due by March 30, 2012

Beth El Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group to Discuss I Am Jewish Video

by JILL BELMONT

Beth El Publicity Coordinator

The YouTube video essay, I Am Jewish will take center stage during Beth El’s upcoming Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group meeting, planned for Tuesday, March 27, 7 p.m., at the home of Margie Gutnik.

The five-and-a-half-minute video, [http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=GJe0uqVGZ

JA], which has been viewed by over 220,000 people, was written and performed by Andrew Lustig, a student at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. The piece, defined by its creator as “performance poetry,” shows Lustig delivering his own powerful, personal statement about what being Jewish means to him.

“I was very moved when I first saw this on YouTube,” Gutnik said. “The music and images that introduce the clip lead you down one path, and the sentiments expressed do so much more. The words spoken by this articulate young man incite and excite and encourage you to think. What better springboard for discussion on the topic of what it means to each of us to be a Jew?”

All women in the Jewish community are invited to attend. To RSVP or for more information, contact Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group chairman Caryn Rifkin, at crgr6175@ aol.com, Gutnik, at programming@bethel-omaha.org, or the synagogue office, 402.492.8550.

PREGNANT? CONSIDERING Adoption? Call us first. Living expenses, housing, medical, continued support afterwards. Choose adoptive family of your choice. Call 24/7. Adopt Connect, 1-866-743-9212.

BANKRUPTCY: FREE initial consultation. Fast relief from creditors. Low rates. Statewide filing. No office appointment necessary. Call Steffens Law Office, 308872-8327. steffensbankruptcylaw.com. We are a debt relief agency, which helps people file bankruptcy under the bankruptcy code.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING in over 170 newspapers. Reach thousands of readers for $210/25 word ad. Contact the Jewish Press at 402-334-6449 or call 1800-369-2850.

KNOW A child with bone, muscle or joint problems? Free Screening Clinic - Friday, April 13, 1-4 p.m., Nemaha County Hospital, Auburn. Call 888-333-7764 ext. 108 for information/appointment. www.sesostrisshrine.org.

LOOKING FOR the classic car, truck or motorcycle of your dreams? Midwest Classic Cars website is your Midwest connection to classic vehicles for sale. Need to sell a classic vehicle? For only $25, your ad with photos will run until sold! Call this newspaper today for more information or call 1-800-369-2850.

AFFORDABLE PRESS Release service. Send your message to 175 newspapers across Nebraska for one low price! Call 1-800-369-2850 or www.nebpress.com for more details.

NO RESERVE Auction. RSC Equipment Rental to sell semis, pickups, trailers, scissor lifts, and more to highest bidder, March 27. Visit www.purplewave.com.

DO YOU live in rural Nebraska and need a small business loan under $50,000? REAP can help! Call 402-656-3091 or visit www.cfra.org/reap.

FOR SALE: Small town convenience/gas store with beer sales. Located on Hwy. 183, enroute to Calamus. Full-service station possibility. Contact madtimclayton@ hotmail.com.

GRADING SUPERINTENDENT needed for Adams Construction Co., a grading contractor based in southwest Nebraska that performs work in central and western Kansas and Nebraska. Responsibilities would include managing employees and equipment on assigned grading projects, plan a safe work environment, build team spirit by attitude and example, and prepare and meet schedules. Knowledge in Highway Construction, site work, feedlot, Ag work, and subgrade preparation is required. Experience with GPS/Laser is desirable. This is a long-term position with growth opportunity and advancement. Salary and benefits to match qualifications. Travel will be required. Adams Construction Co. is an equal opportunity employer. Contact Adams Construction Co., PO Box 657, Arapahoe, NE 68922, office 308962-7918, fax 308-962-5312, or e-mail adamsc@atcjet.net.

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

AIRLINES ARE hiring. Train for hands on Aviation Career. FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualified. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance, 888-896-8006.

HELP WANTED: Careers available. Grosshans International Inc. of Aurora and Grosshans Inc. of Central City, Nebraska, have full-time positions available for additional shop technicians and sales personnel. Prior experience is preferred. Please send resume to or contact Alan Anderson, Grosshans International, Inc., 1471 West Hwy.

Parsha Vayikra

Andrew Lustig

Did Florida’s Legislature endorse a one-state solution?

by BEN HARRIS

NEW YORK (JTA) -- The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a hotly debated issue, and both houses of the Florida Legislature voted unanimously in February to stake out a bold position on it -- but it’s not entirely clear what, exactly, Florida lawmakers were trying to say.

The resolution supports Israel’s “God-given right of selfgovernance and self-defense upon the entirety of its own lands” and says that the Jewish state is not “an occupier of the lands of others.” It concludes by saying that “peace can be afforded the region only through a whole and united Israel governed under one law for all people.”

The activists behind the measure say their goal was to affirm Israel’s right to determine what happens with the territories it captured in 1967 and the right of Israeli settlers to live anywhere in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem. But critics counter that the plain reading of the resolution ends up endorsing a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- with Palestinians in the West Bank being granted equal citizenship.

Such a prescription not only contradicts the stated policies of both the U.S. government and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it represents what leaders in both countries have described as an existential threat to Israel’s existence as a Jewish democratic state.

Supporters of the measure, however, denied that this was their intent: “One law for all people -- and by ‘all people’ we mean Israeli citizens,” said Joseph Sabag, executive director of the Florida chapter of the Zionism Organization of America, who helped organize lobbying efforts in Tallahassee to get the measure adopted.

Asked about suggestions that the text of Florida’s resolution seems to call for a one-state solution, one lawmaker said the reading did not occur to him.

“I would have to say, I did not focus on that,” said Rep. Jim Waldman, a Jewish Democrat from Coral Gables, who was one of more than 30 co-sponsors of the resolution in the Florida House of Representatives. “If it’s anything other than support for the State of Israel, then I would say shame on us for signing on.”

The Florida resolution is largely based on legislation that was approved unanimously by the South Carolina state House of Representatives last June.

At a January meeting in New Orleans, the Republican National Committee embraced a resolution identical to the one passed by the South Carolina lawmakers when it was proposed by a committee member from the state. An RNC spokesperson later stressed that the resolution does not bind the party since it is not part of its platform.

The RNC’s action, however, raised a few left-wing eyebrows.

“There is no interpretation possible other than that the RNC is also advocating complete Israeli annexation of the West Bank, including granting citizenship to the Palestinians living there,” wrote Mitchell Plitnick, a dovish blogger who first reported on the RNC’s action.

J Street tweeted that the RNC action “confirms that the decades long bipartisan consensus on a two-state solution is shattered.”

But the author of the original South Carolina resolution said he was not calling for a one-state solution.

“We stand with Israel in its own self-determination over

those lands,” said state Rep. Alan Clemmons, a Republican. “I think that really is the bottom line of what the resolution stands for.”

Clemmons, a real estate attorney from Myrtle Beach, says he regards the biblical claim to Israel as the “oldest recorded deed in history” and set out to draft a resolution that reflects this view.

The South Carolina resolution cites Leviticus in asserting a bibilical Jewish ownership of the land and asserts that “God has never rescinded his grant of said lands.”

The reference to “one law,” Clemmons said, was intended to refer narrowly to Jewish building rights, which he believes should be no different whether the Jew in question lives in Tel Aviv or in the West Bank.

Sabag said the ZOA took the South Carolina resolution’s language and “enhanced it” before sending it along to Florida legislators and the leaderships of both the Republican and Democratic national committees.

The ZOA’s changes stripped out the reference to Leviticus and to God not having rescinded his promise and inserted language that explicitly mentions the 650,000 Jews who live in “Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem” and who “reside there legitimately.”

In its statement hailing the Florida Legislature’s passage of the resolution, the ZOA explained, “The mention of ‘one law for all people’ is a specific call for the Jews of Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem to be permitted the same rights of land use and development as Jews living elsewhere in Israel.”

The resolution, however, makes no mention of land use or development issues.

Morton Klein, the ZOA’s national president, acknowledged that given the way some have interpreted the “governed under one law for all people” line as calling for granting citizenship to West Bank Palestinians, it “was a poorly worded phrase.”

“It’s not so clear what it means,” Klein said. “I remember struggling with that phrase. It was not written very clearly.”

According to Klein, there is movement to have similar measures adopted in Pennsylvania and Ohio -- both states that, like Florida, are sure to be crucial battlegrounds in the November presidential election. Sabag said the resolutions “will be addressed and clarified” as they are taken up elsewhere.

South Carolina Rep. Alan Clemmons with a group of Israeli soldiers at Masada during his visit to Israel, November 2011.

Credit: Alan Clemmons via Twitter