8 | The Jewish Press | March 25, 2022
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Margie Gutnik President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Susan Bernard Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Gabby Blair Sam Kricsfeld Staff Writers Mary Bachteler Accounting Jewish Press Board Margie Gutnik, President; Abigail Kutler, Ex-Officio; Danni Christensen; David Finkelstein; Bracha Goldsweig; Mary Sue Grossman; Les Kay; Natasha Kraft; Chuck Lucoff; Joseph Pinson; Andy Shefsky and Amy Tipp. The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations Committee, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Life, Jewish Social Services, and the Jewish Press. Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www.jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in TIF or PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.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@jewishomaha.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 and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer. 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 KampWright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.
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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.
Does it make you happy?
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor It’s a loaded question in that headline, isn’t it? The other day, I had a conversation with a friend about silver linings, and whether we are able to find them in the middle of what the world throws at us. Not just pandemic-wise, with all that it entailed, but the conflicts we encounter in a variety of ways. There are the immediate conflicts: someone’s not happy with the work we do, the lines at the supermarket are too long, the kids don’t clean up after themselves and gas prices are too high. There’s the bigger stuff: sick family members, relationship trouble, we can’t pay the bills. After that come the issues that touch us without touching us, the things that worry us from a distance: war, natural disasters, climate change. Unless we are confronted with any of those in a more personal way, we tend to categorize these worries as outside ourselves. We think about it, sure, but it doesn’t necessarily change our way of life in a meaningful sense. It should, but it doesn’t. The pandemic taught us that sometimes the big worry can become personal for everybody. We were all affected directly, on a day-to-day basis. Many of us were sent home, businesses closed, people lost jobs and couldn’t visit their loved ones. The level of isolation everyone experienced was real and will have long-term effects. It’s probably high time we begin to unpack some of it. We’ve heard endless stories of people retiring early, choosing a different career, families breaking up and starting over. College students changing
their majors—or taking gap years and putting academics on hold entirely in exchange for a different kind of education.
Credit:Kyrill Poole licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
It is not surprising that when millions of people are forced to stay home, they find more time to contemplate their lives. And one way to respond to a situation like a pandemic is to ask that question: what makes me happy? Is what I’m doing, how I’m living my life, is what it is supposed to be? Could I be doing something else? When we ask the happiness question, really ask it, we may find surprising answers. I found I have way more friends than I always thought I did. I’ve found most of them work really hard to stay in touch and if at times we don’t, that
is okay too. I found I love the work I do and the people I do it with much more than I thought. I found our family is much more resilient than I believed we were, not because we didn’t struggle (we did) but because we’ve been able to pivot and respond to crises in unexpected ways. I’ve found that when we all spend more time at home the house gets unbelievably messy and we all stink at keeping it organized—and that doesn’t make me as unhappy as it once did. I’ve found I’m overly fond of pink and glittery things and because of that my office doesn’t really look like an adult works here—and I’m okay with that. I’ve also found that what makes me happy doesn’t always have to make sense to others. I’ve discovered which things make me happy—and that’s my silver lining. It’s tough to talk about silver linings when the world is at war and we’ve watched almost a million Americans and more than 6 million worldwide die from the virus. But we must; it’s not enough to care about everything that troubles us, we also have to care about what makes us happy. In spite of -or maybe because- the world is so messed up, we have to fight harder than ever for happiness. My feet are firmly planted on the soap box; I’m aware. But try it some time, ask yourself: ‘Does this make me happy?’ It’s not a selfish question. It’s not enough to eat right and exercise, pay the bills and work hard at your job. We also need to put energy into our own happiness. Because we all know that when we take care of ourselves, we are better positioned to take care of others.
Bills attacking LGBTQ rights are an assault on Jewish values and teens IDIT KLEIN AND IS PERLMAN JTA As we approached Purim – a holiday that honors the courage to be our true selves – we were alarmed by the surge of legislative attacks on the rights, safety and dignity of LGBTQ youth across the nation. Among over 100 pending anti-LGBTQ bills are the recently passed “Don’t Say Gay Bill” in Florida and the terrifying equation of trans-affirming health care with child abuse by the governor of Texas. We are a queer Jewish communal professional and a non-binary Jewish college student. In the spirit of Purim, we recognize that now is a time when we must fight for ourselves, and we call on our beloved Jewish community to join us in our fight for the rights of LGBTQ people everywhere One of us, Is Perlman, grew up in Florida and was blessed with parents who supported the start of their medical transition there. Despite that love and affirmation, Is endured years of self-loathing and shame due to the onslaught of anti-trans rhetoric in their local communities and the broader world. Is was one of the 40% of trans and non-binary young people who attempt suicide by age 24. It was only when they met other LGBTQ Jewish teens and adult mentors through a Shabbaton organized by Keshet (a national organization working for LGBTQ equality in the Jewish community) that they came to understand themselves as not just worthy of basic dignity, but as a holy person who is made in the image of the Divine. If Is were still a high school student in Florida today, any reference to their identity or experience as a non-binary person could be banned under the newly-passed “Don’t Say Gay” law. For the many LGBTQ youth who live in Florida, this bill serves to further marginalize a group that already experiences severe stigma and isolation. Legislators in the dozens of states around the country that have introduced anti-LGBTQ legislation are playing politics with the lives of LGBTQ youth and undermining their basic humanity. Do not be fooled by these politicians’ rhetoric. Do speak out to condemn how this law will spark shame and fear among LGBTQ youth and no doubt threaten their safety and even lives.
In Texas, the governor directed the Texas Depart- take meaningful action on LGBTQ rights issues. ment of Family and Protective Services to open As we approach Purim, we invite Jewish commuchild abuse investigations of parents who provide nities nationwide to join us in heeding Mordechai’s gender-affirming care for their trans children. This words urging Esther to act: “Perhaps you have come means that parents who support their trans kids to your … position for just such a time as this?” and help them access the health care they need may The crisis for LGBTQ young people, especially be subject to investigation which could lead to their trans youth, should concern all of us. There are so children being taken away. Imagine the terror that many ways to make a difference: speak out against parents of trans kids and the kids themselves are harmful legislation with your state legislators and now experiencing. Thankfully, an ACLU lawsuit has thus far blocked its implementation, but we don’t know if they will succeed in permanently stopping this destructive policy. Already, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, the largest pediatric hospital in the country, announced that it will no longer prescribe gender-affirming hormone therapies. Hospital officials cited the governor’s directive as the reason for the change. Pharmacies are refusing Students at the Norfolk County Agricultural High School in Walpole, to fill prescriptions and insurance Massachusetts march as part of a nationwide student protest over anti-LGBT education policies in Florida and Texas, March 11, 2022. companies are pulling coverage. Credit: Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images It has been nearly 40 years since legislation was first proposed to outlaw discrimi- urge your senators to pass the Equality Act; mobilize nation based on sexual orientation, with gender people in your local Jewish community or organize identity added more recently. We have been active an educational program; tell a trans kid in your life in a national Jewish community campaign led by that they can count on your support. We need every Keshet to support the passing of the Equality Act Jewish community member to recognize this time that would at long last give LGBTQ people the civil as a time for action. Only then, will all LGBTQ youth rights protections that everyone deserves in their be able to live with safety, dignity and the certainty homes, jobs, public services and more. If the Equal- that they, like every human being, are indeed holy. ity Act were federal law, it would be impossible for We know from Is’ experience, and that of countstates to target LGBTQ young people with this less other trans young people, that trans-affirming spate of senseless, cruel legislation and policies. care is the opposite of abuse; it is health care. Often, Polls consistently tell us that a clear majority of it is life-saving care. As a community whose highest American Jews support LGBTQ civil rights. We value is pikuach nefesh, saving a life, we call on know from our own experience in the “Yes on 3” Jews everywhere to say to trans youth: Your life campaign to preserve transgender rights in Massa- matters and we will fight to save it. chusetts that when called upon, our Jewish comIdit Klein is the president and CEO of Keshet. munities do take action: Over 70% of synagogues Is Perlman is a Jewish non-binary first year and other Jewish organizations played an active student at Columbia University and a Keshet role in the campaign and helped us win. This is just youth leader. one of many examples we could offer of how AmerThe views and opinions expressed in this article are ican Jewish communities have learned about, those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the grown to support, and eventually have moved to views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
