Sponsored by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Endowment Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA
Humanitarian of the Year
May 18, 2012 26 Iyar 5772 Vol. 92 | No. 35
This Week
Longtime Beth El teacher Margo Riekes retires Page 6
B’nai B’rith honors top athletes at Annual Charity Banquet Page 7
Dressing like my Jewish mother Page 12
Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam
Next Week Senior Living See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press
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by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press Joel Alperson likes to spend Sunday afternoons with his wife, Daphna. His favorite food is pizza and his late mother’s macaroni and cheese. As a teenager, he attended Burke High School, and was active in AZA #1. According to lifelong friend Mike Abramson, who is Joel’s constant companion at Nebraska Husker games, Joel has always been “the responsible one. Even as a 17year-old, he kept us on the straight and narrow.” Mike has known Joel for 40 years and says Joel has always been very consistent in his views. “Other than his extremely high-end stereo equipment, Jewish life is his passion,” he says. “The flame never goes out; that passion is always there. Even if you don’t agree with him, you want to hear his side of the story because he cares so deeply, and if an issue is important, he won’t let it go dormant. I am very lucky to have him as a friend.” Much has happened in Joel’s life since he hung out with Mike Abramson at AZA. On June 4, at 7 p.m., at the annual meeting, the
Jewish Federation of Omaha will award him the Humanitarian of the Year award. The Jewish F e d e r a t i o n’s Humanit ar i an Award is bestowed annually on a person who has, to put it simply, made a difference in the lives of other Jews. It’s not just about philanthropy (although there is nothing “just” about that), it’s also about passion. Passion for the Jewish cause, locally, nationally, and internationally; an understanding that as Jews we are connected, have to care for, and learn from each other. More importantly, the understanding that to lead a Jewish life is something that has to have real meaning. To hear Joel Alperson tell it, his passion for Judaism did not really take root until he met with talk show
Joel Alperson host, author, and speaker Dennis Prager: “It was a series of things he said. While listening to him, I had a Karate Kid-kind of moment,” according to Joel. “You remember the scene where Daniel LaRusso paints the fence, sands the floor and waxes the car? Just like that, I realized I had been going through the motions of
Judaism without appreciating their relevance. Then Prager helped me find the meaning behind my actions. Up until then, I performed most Jewish rituals by rote.” He read Nine Questions People Ask about Judaism, which Prager cowrote with Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, and that book further clarified what Joel was learning. Joel insists he is hardly the poster child for how to live a perfect Jewish life (he explains he is not orthodox). “However,” he says, “I feel there are many Jews just like me, with the same experiences I’ve had; they may not always realize how much purpose and relevance they can find in Judaism. Judaism should be understandable, compelling, and meaningful for every Jew. In the United States, we have the wealth and the freedom to make our communities anything we want them to be. My hope is that we will choose to invest in Jews at least as much as we invest in the facilities which are built to serve them.” Joel is the president of Omaha Fixture International, a member of World Presidents Organization, and is a graduate of the Wexner program. He currently serves on the Continued on page 2
Young Leadership Award winners well chosen by SHERRIE SAAG Communications Specialist, Jewish Federation of Omaha The Bruce Fellman Memorial Young Leadership Award and the Lois Jeanne Schrager Memorial Young Leadership Award serve to recognize the next generation of leaders in our community. This year’s awards will be presented to Susan Fellman Witkowski and Andy Ruback in recognition of their commitment, involvement and leadership on behalf of the Omaha Jewish community. Susan quotes Benjamin Franklin on her Facebook page, “well done is better than well said.” How appropriSusan Fellman Witkowski ate for a volunteer for whom doing trumps talking every time. In other tor at multiple venues for the 2010 words, Susan is “in the trenches”, Maccabi Games, has been the on call volunteer pediatrician for the doing for our community every day. Susan is a pediatrician, working as Pennie Z. Davis Child Development an urgent care physician, having Center and currently is a volunteer graduated from the University of “Well done is better than well said” Nebraska Medical Benjamin Franklin Center in 2001. She is a Burke High School graduate physician during the summer for and holds a degree in English and Herzl Camp in Webster, Wisconsin. With her own two children stuAmerican Literature from Brandeis University. She was a volunteer doc- dents at Friedel Academy, Susan is an active volunteer. She has been on the school’s Board since 2005; holding multiple positions on the executive board including two years as president, two years as nominating chair, and three years as administrative chair. Susan’s tenure as president included the search process for Friedel’s principal, Ron Giller. She planned the annual fundraising tribute dinner three years in a row, co-plans the annual plant/flower
Andy Ruback sale (“We schlep to Crescent, IA, to retrieve the plants and then stand outside for two days during the sale.”) and helped create the new before-school walking program. She serves on the school’s wellness committee and in her words, “We are trying to introduce better nutrition, with an emphasis on locally grown vegetables and fruits as an increased portion of the students’ daily diets. I hope the new community garden will help us achieve this goal.” “I feel I make a difference when forging compromise in the midst of a great debate. When you have a community-based school with widely divergent religious practice, observance and interpretation of tradition among its members, it takes the ability to see the whole forest, not just the individual trees, to bring about agreement and consensus,” Susan said. Susan’s passion extends to Beth El
synagogue. A self-professed foodie and “accomplished home cook”, in 2010 Susan initiated a holiday challah sale; hoping to bake a few dozen for four holidays. Then, the fire happened at Bagel Bin, community demand increased, and Susan, along with volunteers, baked over 400 challahs - by hand – raising money for Beth El’s Sisterhood. (Author’s note: Susan’s multi-colored Sukkot challahs are something to see, and eat! Personally, I miss them.) When asked what she found most meaningful, Susan answered in her typically thoughtful way, “I don’t know if there is just one, but sometimes the most meaningful moments come at the less “important” events, like baking challah. I find it to be a very moving and meaningful experience and I am always willing to bake challah whenever asked.” She added, “I think it’s because I feel the presence of my grandmother, Dina Bloom, when I bake. She learned how to bake challah as a child, when she spent time in her father’s bakery on North 24th Street, Himelbloom Bakery. She baked challah for us when I was growing up, and after she died I took over the tradition. I have taught my own daughter, Gabby, how to make challah and though she is only 11, she can make a gorgeous simple braided challah.” “I hope to never stop doing work for the projects I believe in. There is so much work to be done! I will always volunteer with Beth El, since it is my second home. I also love Continued on page 2