May 27, 2005

Vol. LXXXIV No. 38 Omaha, NE

Celebrating 84 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa

18 Iyyar, 5765 May 27, 2005

Catholic Schools Partner with ADL for Conference about Anti-Semitism

by BETH SELDIN DOTAN Director, Institute for Holocaust Education The Plains States Region office of AntiDefamation League and the Institute for Holocaust Education have partnered with the Archdiocese of Omaha and its Catholic Schools Office to host the nationally acclaimed Holocaust education program “Bearing Witness: AntiThe Holocaust and Semitism, Contemporary Issues” WednesdayFriday, June 1-3.

Bearing Witness was developed by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in partnership with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., with the support of the National Catholic Educational Association and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It focuses on the history of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust.

The program addresses issues of diversity, prejudice and bigotry in contemporary society and how to teach these topics in a Catholic school setting. Since its inception in 1997, Bearing Witness has

More than 70 Catholic educators--graduates of the ADL’s Bearing Witness program--participated in the recent March of the Living in Poland. Above: prior to the Yom Hashoah ceremony at Auschwitz-Birkenau, nuns, priests and others lead a service recalling the six million Jews and five million other victims of Nazi terror.

The Scary Guy...

Not So Scary in His Message and some alumni now in college, had a number of questions for him, starting with how many tattoos, who designed them, who tattooed him and does he have an art degree.

“The tattoos start on top,” Scary Guy replied,” and continue to a lady bug on my big toe. I call it a ‘ta-toe’. I designed them all, but didn’t tattoo them myself.”

Scary Guy admitted to “not reading very well” as a teen, and therefore, “overcompensating by observing others.” After an incident in Tucson when he owned a tattoo parlor, Scary Guy realized he was making the same kind of judgments about others that people were making about him.

“Maybe, just maybe,” he noted, “you don’t fight hate with hate.”

He credits Debbie Zweiback, Assistant and Bob Director, Wolfson, Executive Director of the Great Plains Region of the ADL with giving him a start.

His visit here in 1998 lead to a number of surprising turns in his life. In fact, on this trip, Scary Guy was accompanied by a German film crew, who followed him from his home outside Kansas City and will join him this week in Scarborough, England. He’s under contract with that city for a series of presentations The Scary Guy was in Omaha last week for a series of work- on what is billed as: “A shops on Anger, Hate, Violence...and love.

Continued on page 2

by CAROL KATZMAN Editor of the Jewish Press When the Scary Guy (yes, that’s his legal name) visited Omaha for the first time, there was an audible gasp from an audience of 350 teens when he walked out on stage in the JCC theater. Seven years later, either kids are more accepting or Scary Guy has toned down his message.

Appearing before Omaha’s Anti-Defamation League’s Youth Leadership group last week, Scary Guy’s all-over tattoos and body piercings elicited curiosity and a few giggles. Despite the change in attitude, Scary Guy’s message is still the same: “World peace begins with each of us.”

The current Youth Leadership group,

Inside Opinion Page see page 12

This Week: Monthly Calendar, Pages 8-9 Yossi Klein Halevi to speak at AIPAC Event: Page 2

directly touched the lives of more than 400 educators around the country and was cited by the Vatican as one of the most important programs in improving relations between Catholics and Jews.

Twenty-one Omaha area Catholic educators and one from Denver will participate in the conference and learn techniques that bring Catholics and Jews together for open and honest dialogue about the teachings of the Catholic Church. In addition to providing tools for dialogue, the Bearing Witness curriculum teaches about anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. Bearing Witness is more than a teacher training program; it is a vital link between the Catholic and Jewish communities for the future. The lessons of Bearing Witness become a life-changing experience for most teachers.

“The goals of the conference are multifaceted,” said Gloria Kaslow, who recently returned from a trip to Poland with ADL for the 18th annual March of the Living. “We want to equip Catholic school educators with the training and resources necessary to teach their stu-

dents about anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. Participants will explore the history of anti-Semitism from Biblical times to modern day, including the role of the church during the Holocaust, recent changes in Catholic teachings on Jews and Judaism, issues of prejudice in contemporary society and strategies for teaching students about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism.”

Sister Michelle Faltus, superintendent of the Catholic Schools, said she appreciates the opportunity to co-host the Bearing Witness Conference. “The goals of this conference are very important, particularly to the teachers of middle and high school students,” she added. “The experiences they will encounter during these three days of the conference will provide them with a better understanding of the Holocaust.

“This will, in turn, greatly enhance their instruction to their students.”

There will be numerous team teachers among the participants. Experts from the National Bishops Conference and the Continued on page 10

Beth El 75th Anniversary Quilt Project to Be Unveiled at “Best of...” Event

by JILL BELMONT about them. They will create a lasting Beth El Publicity Coordinator memory of Beth El.” Ask anyone who’s been involved with The quilters, all artists in their own Beth El Synagogue’s 75th Anniversary right, came to the project with their own quilt project, and they’ll tell you that it visions of the final product. For Barbara has truly been a labor of love. And final- Rennard, a veteran quilter of 18 years, ly, after a year of molding and shaping capturing the essence of “Jacob’s their creative vision, “Living an Ageless Ladder” challenged her with a new type Story” will be revealed to the entire com- of quilting, and ended up being the first munity on Thursday, June 9, following “The Best of Beth El” musical revue. The four magnificent quilts, created by a group of dedicated, innovative congregants, will be unveiled in the synagogue’s social hall, where they will hang in perpetuity.

The quilts are as timeless as the stories they represent.

They include “Jacob’s Ladder” by Barbara Rennard, “Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors” by Karin Levine, “Miriam and the Women” by Ozzie Nogg Variously-themed cloth dolls dressed with lace, fabric, riband Susi Frydman-Levin, bons and baubles donated by the women of Beth El, adorn and “Jerusalem of Gold” by the colorful quilt, “Miriam and the Women,” created by Julie Phillips and a group of Ozzie Nogg and Susi Frydman-Levin.

Beth El children and teenagers. full-sized art quilt she has ever created.

Bordered by several hundred names of “I felt really good when it was fincongregants past and present, “the quilts ished,” Rennard said. “As a quilter, I like are all so unique and amazing--each one to do something different, whether it’s has its own story, and they just bring tears with color or a pattern. This gave me the to my eyes--they take my breath away,” opportunity to explore art quilting-said quilt project chairman Ellene using curved lines rather than traditional Edelstein. “They’re so full of love and quilting, which has a pattern of blocks filled with the beautiful work of each of and borders that you follow--it’s almost a their creators. I hope others will experi- formula. ence the same feelings that those of us “For ‘Jacob’s Ladder,’ I had a vision in who helped to create the quilts have Continued on page 16

Coming Next Month: Father’s Day/Graduation Issue on June 10

Part II of the Battle for Europe’s Jews: Pages 3-4

JFS Highlights Service to Needy Families: Page 6

More Stories and Photos from March of the Living: Pages 10-11

Page 2

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

May 27, 2005

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Yossi Klein Halevi Addresses Nebraska Pro-Israel Community at AIPAC Annual Event

by CLAIRE SCHWARTZ AIPAC Leadership Management Director for Colorado and Nebraska American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has announced that author and columnist Yossi Klein Halevi will speak at Nebraska’s Annual AIPAC Cocktail Reception on Sunday, June 5, 5:30 p.m., at the home of Todd Simon, 9709 Ascot Dr. His discussion will address “Disengagement and Yossi Klein Halevi Beyond: Ideological and Political Challenges for the Israeli Palestinian Peace Process.”

Members of the Nebraska Congressional Delegation also will be present to share their thoughts on the relationship between the United States and Israel.

Halevi, an international syndicated columnist and author, has been a regular contributor on Israeli affairs to the Los Angeles Times, and a contributor to the New York Times and the Washington Post. Halevi’s books

include At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden: A Jew’s Search for God with Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land and Memoirs of a Jewish Extremist, the story of his teenage attraction to Rabbi Meir Kahane and his subsequent break with Jewish militancy.

Host committee Tom Fellman, David Friedland, David Gilinsky, Gary Javitch, Michael Miller, Murray Newman, Nancy and Harlan Noddle, Larry and Silvia Roffman and Jan Schneiderman expect 100 members of the Nebraska pro-Israel community to attend this special event. At a time when Israel attempts to begin implementing the Disengagement Plan, looks for a real partner for peace in the new Palestinian leadership, and continues to face the threat of a nuclear Iran, AIPAC hopes members of the Jewish community and friends join the Nebraska community to show support for the U.S.Israel relationship.

AIPAC members and guests are invited to attend. For more information on this event, or to RSVP, please contact AIPAC’s Colorado-Nebraska Area Director, Melanie Pearlman, at 303.864-9464 or by e-mail at yborukhova@aipac.org. Reservations are required by May 31.

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Exciting New Beth El Course to Train Prospective Teachers

by JUDY RUBIN Education Director, Beth El Synagogue Talmud Torah Have you ever thought about being a teacher in the religious school? Have you said to yourself, “I have the Jewish knowledge but don’t know how to teach?” or, “I know how to teach, but feel inadequate about my Judaic background?” Perhaps you are at a stage in life where you would be interested in finding out more about teaching by becoming a substitute teacher at Beth El Synagogue Talmud Torah (BESTT), or perhaps you Karin Levine have looked for ways in which you could contribute to the synagogue but were not sure how. If you have pondered any of these questions, please read on.

Very often, the substitute-teacher base serves as the best source for recruiting future teachers in the religious school, and for that reason, we’re pleased to announce that B.E.S.T.T. is the recipient of a grant from the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation to offer a new course this fall entitled “The Art of Jewish Teaching,” for the purpose of training congregants (and interested parties in the community) to be substitute teachers at B.E.S.T.T. The class will run Wednesdays, Aug. 31-Dec. 14, 7:15-8:40 p.m.

“The Art of Jewish Teaching” will be open to all prospective teachers, as well as current teachers who would like to refresh their skills. Topics will include

planning lessons, classroom management, communication with parents, child development, Hebrew prayer roots, Jewish holidays and Bible and “seeing the big picture.” One lesson will be devoted to what is actually taught at B.E.S.T.T. at various grade levels.

Beth El congregant and Creighton University Professor Karin Levine will lead this class.

She holds degrees from Washington University, the Jewish Theological Seminary and Harvard. She began teaching at B’nai Amoona Congregation in St. Louis, and Judy Rubin accompanied two groups of students in the eighth and ninth grades on trips to Israel.

She has taught in Hebrew schools and day schools in Philadelphia, Boston, Cleveland, St. Paul and Minneapolis, and was named “Minnesota Teacher of the Year” in 1989.

Currently at Creighton University, Levine teaches Introduction to Education on the graduate level, Child and Adolescent Development, Social Studies Methods for Teachers and World Geography. In addition, she serves as a supervisor for student teachers.

Learning the art of teaching can be most rewarding and fulfilling, and we encourage everyone interested in taking this educational journey to join us this fall at Beth El. If you are interested in enrolling in this course, please contact Judy Rubin, BESTT Education Director at 498.0904 or at eddir@bethel-omaha.org.

The Scary Guy Continued from page 1 asking “Are you tired of new effort for the eliminadealing with scary guys with tion of anger, hate, violence war paint facial tattoos?”, and death.”

Scary began examining his So how does he do it? He own life. “What did I do to says his appearance helps make him angry?” he asked. people understand how to That incident changed the “direct negative energy course of his life. He and his away” by responding in an wife, Julie Kaufmann, a unexpected way to the name harpist and his scheduler, caller. “If someone calls you now spend all their time bringing their message of a name,” he asks the teens, fighting hate with love to “what does that say about groups as diverse as human you and about him?” resource directors (a proThe teens got it immediately. The person who makes Scary Guy responds to questions from the ADL Youth gram that occurred last week the insulting remarks is Leadership Group last week in Omaha. in Omaha) to 200 police defining himself, not the person to whom the rude officials in Wales. “I looked like their worst nightmare,” names are directed. “The words aren’t mine,” Scary told Scary laughed. “But you should have seen them lining the group. “Therefore, I can decide whether or not I up to give me a hug when it was over!”

The police are not alone in their response. Reading want to be around you. I can walk through your anger over the letters from Phoenix Academy, where Scary and not become angry.

“Most adults know the theory,” he grinned, “but they gave a talk as well, tears well up in his eyes.

“He’s really just a big teddy bear,” said Wolfson, who don’t live it.”

Scary Guy, who legally changed his name in the 1990s described him as a “portal...someone who opens a space in Arizona, grew up in Minnesota. Abandoned by his so people can look at a page or walk through a door.”

With his gentle manner contrasting the “scary” look father, he was raised by a single mother. Though he was a vocal performance major in college, he eventually of his tattoos, Scary Guy insists he’s “an 11-year-old in opened a tattoo parlor in Tucson and was, as he a 51-year-old body.” Little kids agree. “They think I’m describes himself, happy to throw expletives and insults a walking ad for Crayola!” he laughed. And so did the at others. But when a competitor took out a full page ad, crowd...which is exactly the point he’s trying to make.

May 27, 2005

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 3

Chabad’s Growing Presence Inspires Pride for Some, Tensions with Others

(Editor’s note: this is a second in a series of articles about Chabad in Europe.)

by TOBY AXELROD BERLIN (JTA)--One evening last December, as pedestrians strolled along the famous Unter den Linden Avenue in former East Berlin, the decorum was broken by the incongruous sound of Jewish pop music with a distinct Hasidic “oy-oy.”

Facing the former dividing line between east and west was a towering menorah, standing just in front of the ultimate of German symbols, the Brandenburg Gate, its chunky columns illuminated by spotlights. A crowd had gathered for the city’s first-ever public Hanukkah celebration, sponsored by Chabad-Lubavitch and the Jewish Community of Berlin.

A group of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants could barely contain their joy. Never before had they seen such a public Hanukkah display, and they’d been here 22 years.

“It’s a miracle,” said one.

“At first, I thought it was too much,” said Berliner Hannah Schubert, 22. “And then, I fel-yes--pride. My forefathers left Berlin in 1939” to escape the Nazis. “I had to press tears from my eyes.”

The scene--repeated 1,843 times last year in 559 different cities in 65 countries around the world--is laden with a symbolism that is particularly poignant in places where recent Jewish history has been filled with such tragedy. And the publicity surrounding these lightings only boosts Chabad’s fast-rising star.

Across Europe an extraordinary success story is unfolding: The growth and expansion of the 200-year-old Chabad-Lubavitch movement, occurring alongsid--and in some cases in competition with--the revival of the remnants of local, prewar Jewish communities.

While Chabad, a hasidic movement whose focus on outreach to non-observant Jews has led them to create a multibillion dollar, worldwide network of emissaries, is still on the margins of the Jewish establishment in the

United States, the group has become a big player in all see, in some cases, duplication of services instead of the major countries of Europe. In some places, Chabad complementary activity.

“European Jewry cannot afford to have established comis well-integrated into the Jewish mainstream: Chabad rabbis fill virtually all the pulpit positions in Holland, for munities and Chabad pitted against one another,” says example, and nearly half in England. In France, they run Serge Cwajgenbaum, secretary-general of the European Jewish Congress, a representative body of European Jewish many Jewish schools.

In other countries, Chabad and the traditional Jewish leaders that is affiliated with the World Jewish Congress.

“It took us a long time, about 60 years communities are at logafter the Shoah, to rebuild Jewish comgerheads, fighting over munities and Jewish life in Europe, and major donors, holiday to endanger the status quo, or to change programming -- and the status quo could affect Jewish life at who is the chief rabbi. large,” he says.

How this relationship While the growth of Chabad’s Jewish develops may determine schools and outreach centers in Europe the face of European poses a challenge to other Jewish instituJewry in the 21st centutions, its impact on individual Jews is just ry. Will Chabad edge as tangible. For some, it can mean new out the established ceneducational options for their children. trist Orthodox organiFor others, it’s an uncomfortable alterzations that have dominated the European Chabad has charted a steady growth in Europe, par- native that tries to draw Jews--as well as Jewish landscape in ticularly since the end of communism and the death financial support--from their own synarecent decades? of the late Lubavitcher rebbe.

Credit: JTA gogues or institutions.

One modern Orthodox father in Berlin The positions of Chabad and the established communities will also deter- said that even though Chabad isn’t his way of life, he mine critical issues such as which groups get both gov- found that when he was searching for a Jewish education ernment and private funding, which institutions survive for his young child, the Chabad school was the “only and thrive to attract and serve Jewish souls, who repre- place” where he could be assured of getting kosher food.

For others, the presence of Chabad causes them to sents Jewish interests to the political establishment and, in some countries, which groups receive property and reassess their Jewish affiliation, something they may not have done when there was only one Jewish community. funds as part of Holocaust restitution.

Sylivie Kajdi Frajman liked the Chabad Passover seder Chabad leaders say it’s not about competition for Jews or influence. In Europe and around the world, Chabad she and her family attended in Berlin last year, and was reaches out to assimilated Jews looking to reconnect considering sending her twins to the Chabad preschool with their Jewish roots. Assertive emissaries attract both program. In the end, she opted for the official community’s day-care center, because she felt she’d have to affiltourists and local Jews seeking a spiritual home.

“The real reason for Lubavitch success is the love, self- iate with the Chabad congregation, and it “made me a lessness and extraordinary spiritual energy its philosophy little anxious,” she confesses.

As Chabad grows, European Jews and non-Jews alike holds for every single Jew,” says Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, the movement’s chief spokesman and one of its admin- increasingly associate one kind of Jew with Judaism: not the acculturated, often non-observant Jew that makes up istrative leaders in New York.

But for many in the established Jewish communities, the bulk of Western and Central Europe’s nearly one and a the perceived competition poses a major problem. They Continued on page 4

Page 4

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

May 27, 2005

Chabad’s Growing Presence Continued from page 3 a half million Jews, but the Hasidic Jew, which in today’s Europe generally means Chabad.

“What appeals to many people is that the blacker the hat, the more ‘pure’ they are,” says Diana Pinto, a Parisbased historian and former consultant to the Council of Europe who has written widely about contemporary Jewish identity in Europe. “Some think Chabad must really be the truth from which everyone else has deviated--which is ahistorical and not true.”

But, she says, the movement’s “kindness and open and embracing nature is what attracts people. Chabad manages to find a bed and warm place for every Jew.” The landscape of European Jewry today is very different from the devastation that existed at the end of World War II, when some six million out of an estimated 10 million were killed. Few Jews who had escaped the Nazis returned to Europe after 1945. Only in a few countries, notably France, England and Italy, were there sizable Jewish communities remaining on which to rebuild; neutral Switzerland’s small community remained intact.

Romania had some 400,000 Jews after the war, most of whom emigrated to Israel. Everywhere else in Western and Central Europe, virtually nothing was left.

Today, 15 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the scene has changed again. Particularly in Germany, the Jewish population has quadrupled with the mass immigration of former Soviet Jews.

Recognizing the opportunity, Chabad has grown by leaps and bounds on the European continent, including all the lands of the former Soviet Union, spreading its brand of Orthodox Judaism. Its success is due, observers say, to the movement’s aggressive style of outreach and determination, for which established Jewish communities are no match.

“The distinction between Chabad and the classical communities could not be more marked,” Pinto says.

The latter, she says, “are caught in an identity struggle” whereas Chabad presents an “idealized version of the Judaism of ‘before.’ ” MARCH INTO EUROPE Chabad, which emerged in the late 18th century in Belarus, began its return in earnest to Europe soon after the late Lubavitcher rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who had fled Nazi-occupied France for New York in 1941, assumed the leadership of the worldwide Chabad movement in 1951. He sent emissaries first to Italy, France, the Netherlands and England.

Austria and Switzerland followed in the early 1980s.

In the late 1980s and ’90s, Germany, Scandinavia and the countries of the former Soviet bloc were added. In all of Europe today, Portugal and Luxembourg are among the very few countries that do not have permanent Chabad centers--yet.

In the four years after the rebbe’s death in 1994, Chabad’s outreach empire expanded at an annual rate of 27%. Today, there are 112 Chabad-Lubavitch centers in Europe, not counting those in the former Soviet Union, where Chabad’s presence is largest of all. There, 104 Chabad centers exist, many of which house multiple institutions. Scores of separate Chabad schools operate in Europe.

Chabad’s expansion in Europe is not conducted according to any grand design, Chabad leaders say.

Decisions about where to send new emissaries are made on a case-by-case basis. Germany today is the fastest growing area for Chabad, they say, because the tremendous influx of post-Soviet Jews convinced Chabad lead-

ers that the existing Jewish community in Germany Coming from the United States back to Europe in the late 1940s and early ’50s, it was psychologically girded to could not handle the strain.

Chabad leaders say their emissaries are “building nourish a European Jewish identity based on the joy of Jewish communities.” They say when they move into a Judaism rather than the suffering of the Holocaust--somenew town, their intention is to work in harmony with thing that has proved attractive to disaffected, unaffiliated existing Jewish institutions. They point out that Jews across the continent. Chabad also had an army of Schneerson always emphasized the importance of not young couples ready to move anywhere--something that mainstream Jewish communities did not have. duplicating existing Jewish services.

Other Jewish leaders, however, say Chabad tactics COMMUNITIES REACT have changed. Today, instead of only bringing Judaism Young Jewish, in particular, men find a sense of to places with little or no organized Jewish life, Chabad belonging in Chabad’s embrace, as they are invited to emissaries are deliberately moving into territory with join in a minyan perhaps for the first time. And this, for established communities and, in some places, edging out existing Jewish institutions.

There is a consensus among many mainstream European Jewish leaders that each time Chabad expands its sphere of influence they, as one rabbi put it, “step on another set of toes.”

As an example, critics point to the growing trend of Chabad emissaries seeking the title of chief rabbi, even in places where chief Left: Chabad celebrates Hanukkah in Paris with a public menorah display in front of the Eiffel rabbis already exist. The Tower in 2004. Right: Jewish students from public schools in Munich, Germany, learn about group has succeeded in Sukkot at a Chabad sukkah in 2004.

Credit: Chabad.org doing this in several former Soviet lands, most notably Russia and Ukraine. a European Jewish community still emerging from the Beyond competing for Jews, there is money and politics trauma of the Holocaust, has great emotional power. at stake. In many European countries, the organized Jewish A prime example of cooperation is in the United community has an official relationship with the state and Kingdom, where Chabad has long been integrated into can be eligible for government funding, the level of which the Jewish establishment. Thirty-five Chabad rabbis is determined by the number of registered Jews. serve in non-Chabad pulpits of the United Synagogue, The opening of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Britain’s official network of Orthodox congregations.

Union 15 years ago led to the institution of religious When those rabbis need guidance, they turn to the head freedom and also opened doors to Western-based reli- of the United Synagogue, Britain’s Orthodox Chief gious institutions. Chabad had maintained an under- Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks--not to Chabad headquarters in ground network within the Soviet Union since the Brooklyn.

1920s, but with the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 the “We don’t have the conflicts that are in other commumovement began its big, public push into the Eastern nities,” confirms Henry Grunwald, head of the Board of bloc, eager to win Jews back to Judaism and rebuild yid- Deputies of British Jewry. dishkeit in the lands that gave birth to Hasidism more Some observers call the worries about a Chabad than two centuries ago. takeover of Europe’s Jewish communities overblown.

In order to achieve this, Chabad rabbis had to forge Nathan Kalmanowicz, head of religious affairs for the political connections.

Central Council of Jews in Germany, doesn’t see anyIn Russia, close ties between Chabad and Russian thing sinister in Chabad’s success. “In Dresden, the libPresident Vladimir Putin give Chabad influence and eral rabbi has services once a month with a few dozen help in building its network of federated communities. people. Then comes a Chabadnik, builds his own For his part, Putin gets a Jewish stamp of approval that Chabad house, holds services every Friday night with plays well with western political leaders. The Russian 200-300 people, coming out of a community of 600. I Jewish businessmen who support Chabad feel they’re would like to be conquered in this way,” he says. “They doing a mitzvah and playing on the winning side of the do not do just a good job...but a very good job.” political game as well.

Even some of Chabad’s harshest critics suggest that In contrast to Chabad leaders and emissaries, who are the movement’s success should inspire mainstream driven by the desire to spread their brand of Judaism Orthodox leaders and communities to do a better job. across the globe, established Jewish communities in “Chabad will eventually force the whole Orthodox rabEurope were mostly concerned with rebuilding on a binical and communal establishment to reorganize,” says local scale. First came the infrastructure: congregations, Moscow Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, a frequent kashrut, schools, political connections. Then, as post- critic of Chabad. “I believe that the position of the comHolocaust generations came of age, Jewish art, music munal rabbi as an employee will have to be re-evaluated in and literature began to take off; and non-Orthodox light of its shortcomings compared to a freelance franJudaism worked its way back into the mainstream. chiser of Chabad. I think that we stand before significant But Chabad had a head start and an advantage. historical changes in our communities.’’

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May 27, 2005

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 5

IN THE NEWS The Marilyn White Gendler Memorial Scholarship Foundation recently announced their 2005 scholarship winners. Awarded a $2500 scholarship was Adrenne Wilson of Central High School and $500 partial scholarships were awarded to Ariel Wert of Burke High School and Morrell Wax of Northwest High School.

The scholarship fund was started by Larry Gendler in memory of his late wife, Marilyn, who taught at Lothrop School. Board members include her parents; Joyce and Wyman White, and her long time friends, Shari Hess and Linda Heibel. Since its inception in 1988 the foundation has awarded more than $60,000 to collegebound students who attended Lothrop School. Those wishing to contribute may do so by contacting Lothrop School at 457.5704.

Anne Muskin, Board Member at Hillel at Loyola University, won the university’s Outstanding Student Organization Member Award at its first Diversity Awards Recognition Ceremony. She graduated this month with a major in Creative Writing.

Anne, the daughter of Bruce and Mary Beth Muskin, has been involved in Hillel at Loyola since she came to the University. She has been a Judaica Chairperson and a Comunications Chairperson and has had an active role in every major Hillel program for the past four years.

Anne was also co-chair and co-creator of the campus “Unstoppable Poetry Committee” that organized one of the university’s largest programs last year: “From Hip-Hop to Heart.”

The “Unstoppable Poetry Committee” grew out of Loyola Anne’s participation in a Award-winner University Hillel Director Martin Luther King Day Patti Ray congratulates interfaith service. This year, Anne Muskin on her award. working with Hillel, Anne was the co-chair of the Black History Month artistic program, “One Beat, Many Voices.” The last time Israel Independence Day was during the academic year, Anne designed Hillel’s Yom Ha’atzmaut Israel Fair, “Zion Rhythm,” that took place in the student union lobby.

In addition to her involvement with Hillel, Anne is a member and student organizer of Loyolacappella and has also been a member of the university’s Diversity Council.

Hillel was the only organization to be the recipient of two awards at the first Diversity Recognition Ceremony.

Patti Ray, Director of Hillel at Loyola, was presented with the university’s Outstanding Professional Staff Member Award.

Two former Omahans, Judy Nogg and Laurie Brock, will return to their hometown the last week in July to produce personal video histories for their clients.

Nogg and Brock are sisters and business partners.

Their company, Digital Memoirs, produces highly valued personal video histories on DVD or VHS. Although most of their business is located in the metro Denver area, the partners have traveled to other cities to capture their clients’ stories.

Partners Nogg and Brock believe that every person has a story. “We have never conducted an interview that wasn’t fascinating,” claims Nogg. “We always knew that we’d love capturing personal histories and preserving valuable legacies. And we knew that our clients would love our product, but what we didn’t anticipate was that the clients would enjoy the process so much as well.”

Brock has a BS in Marketing and a Masters in Library Science. She has been involved in the information and publishing industries for 30 years, including developing a series of reference books about seniors.

Nogg has a Masters in Education. With over 20 years in the film industry and 10 years in social services, she has an interest in both the story and the subject.

Many clients want a memoir of a parent or grandparent. However, there are other reasons for a Digital Memoir. One of the most interesting videos that Digital Memoirs has produced is a training video for future caregivers of a young lady who has profound disabilities; her parents wanted future caregivers to have an understanding of the loving atmosphere they wanted for her.

To learn more about Digital Memoirs or to schedule a Digital Memoir, please visit their website at www.digitalmemoirs.biz or call them at 303.830.8307 or 303.830.8309.

Sarah Abrahamson will begin an internship with congressman Lee Terry on June 27. She most recently

served as a page for the 2004 Republican National convention in New York City.

Joanna Yaffa Kay graduated with Distinctive Scholarship Achievement from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She majored in Anthropology and received a certificate in Classics. Joanna is featured in the Women’s Philanthropy Council Newsletter, 2005 issue, a publication of the U of W Foundation.

Joanna will leave for Israel in mid-June to participate in the Bethsaida Excavation Project, sponsored by the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She will also stay on to participate in the five month Livnot U’Lehibanot (To Build and To Be built) program.

Joanna is the daughter of Les and Helen Kay and granddaughter of Lily Kay. At the Rotary Club of Omaha Honor Roll Luncheon held on May 4, Susan Freeman was inducted into Rotary’s Eighth Grade Honor Roll. Susan attends Lewis and Clark Middle School and is the daughter of Robyn and Bob Freeman; she follows her sisters, Allyson and Lauren, in receiving this honor.

Be the First to see Omaha’s Newest Entertainment Complex and Fight HIV/AIDS. Nebraska AIDS Project and Camp Kindle host the first Day of Giving on Thursday, June 2 at inPlay, Omaha’s newest entertainment complex. A $20 ticket can be traded in for an entire day and night worth of fun. Visit www.nap.org for a complete schedule of events or to purchase tickets.

Founded in 1998, the purpose of Camp Kindle is to enhance the overall well-being of children and youth infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS. The camps provide HIV infected/affected children and youth residing throughout the Central United States and California with a safe and accepting refuge from the challenges of living with HIV. Nebraska AIDS Project provides free and anonymous HIV Testing and Counseling, HIV prevention and education programs and support services to persons living with HIV and AIDS. Local businesses will be competing in Omaha’s second annual sand sculpture contest. On the weekend of June 10-12, Hy-Vee presents “Sand in the City” benefiting Nebraska Children’s Home Society (NCHS) Foundation at Miller’s Landing on the Riverfront in Downtown Omaha. More than 350 tons of sand will be dumped on the Omaha Riverfront. Corporate teams from throughout the city will be a part of the sculpting competition on Friday, noon-5 p.m., followed by awards and the Sandblast Patron Party on Friday evening on the River City Star and Docking area.

Saturday’s Family Fun Day will be open to the public from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and will include opportunities to view the sculptures along with a variety of family activities including discounted River City Star boat rides. A free public viewing of the corporate sand sculptures is open on Sunday, noon-5pm.

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Karli Newman and her daughter Bailey, 11, are performing in the Omaha Community Playhouse production of Annie. Karli is in the ensemble while Bailey plays the part of Tessie, one of the orphans. She is also the understudy for the part of Annie. Jeff Taxman is also in the show and portrays Drake, Daddy Warbucks’ butler.

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Page 6

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

May 27, 2005

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The Magic of Mitzvah: Food Packages Helped Keep the Holiday and BBYO played a vital role in the success this year by

by SHARON BARGAS JFS Program Coordinator hosting food drives.

Dozens of volunteers ensured the food was packaged Jewish traditions and holidays bind Jews together year after year. Sitting around a Seder table singing songs, and delivered to each family. “Our volunteers made this reading the Hagaddah and enjoying traditional food are Project Tzedakah Project possible,” says Tanya Seina, a memory now, but families that were the recipients of Jewish Family Service therapist and Tzedakah Project the community’s generosity still holds them dear, thanks Coordinator.

“I met a lovely family when I volunto the contributions of food teered for another Tzedakah Project, and money for this year’s so I jumped at the chance to help out Passover Tzedakah Project. again, when I had the chance to delivTheir memories are filled er a kosher food package to the same with the joy of the Seder family,” says David Goldberg, volunmeals that were made possiteer. ble thanks to many members “I feel fortunate to get to know these in our own Jewish commufamilies. There is no more genuine nity. mitzvah than to reach out to those in Jewish Family Service pasneed, establish a relationship with our sionately strives to make a difference by servicing all Working on the JFS Tzedakah Project are: Tanya Jewish community and nurture it,” those in our Jewish commu- Seina, left, Jennifer Meyerson, and David Goldberg. says Goldberg.

Tzedakah Project occurs three times per year: nity. The annual Jewish Family Service Passover Tzedakah Project was the most successful year to date. Passover, Rosh Hashannah and Hanukkah. The next In all, seven large tables were piled high with food dona- Tzedakah project is scheduled for this fall and will enable many individuals and family members to enjoy tions.

A total of 52 families received gift packages filled with Rosh Hashanah gift packages. Look for further informatraditional kosher for Passover food. Recipients also tion on how community members can carry on the included the elderly and emigres from the former Soviet “magic of mitzvot” by contributing and volunteering Union. The Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center this Rosh Hashannah.

ORGANIZATIONS

Hit It!

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator

LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Come to the Lomir Redn Yiddish meeting at the JCC on Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. Call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638.

VISIONS Reminder: Visions board meeting is Friday, June 3, 9:30 a.m. in the Blumkin Home auditorium.

Cooking Demonstration at That’s Amoré in Bellevue is June 7, 1 p.m. The cost is $10. Send check with reservation form to Sandy and Fred Bromley, 13419 Marinda St., Omaha, NE 68144, by June 1. Make check payable to Visions.

JEWISH SENIOR SERVICES JSS presents two free concerts. Vocalist Billie James will perform on Thursday, June 16, 1 p.m. in the JCC auditorium. During her 40-year career in Australia, she worked with a large number of jazz groups and was honored as the “Night Club/Cabaret Entertainer of the Year” in 1978.

The Iowa Western Community Band will present a Summer Welcome Concert with Swing Time Favorites on Tuesday, June 21, 7 p.m. in the JCC auditorium.

The band has performed in the Omaha and Council Bluffs area for 25 years. Iowa Western Community College and the City of Council Bluffs sponsor this concert. Call Maggie Conti at 334.6521 for reservations.

JEWISH WOMEN INTERNATIONAL JWI will host its annual Donor Luncheon on Thursday, June 2, noon, at the Jewish Community Center. John Keenan is the feature speaker. A reviewer of restaurants, movies and theater, Keenen will speak about “Being a Critic.” Lunch is $7.50 per person and reservations may be made with Rosalie Greenspan, 391.1954; Frieda Krizelman, 391.0661; or Esther Wax, 393.4442.

TORAH LEARNING CENTER Classes end this week with Rabbi Tuvia Hoffman.

Please call him at 981.0569 for more information.

Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m.: “Growth Through Torah” at a private residence.

Thursdays, 1 p.m.: “Meaning of Life & Other Business” based on The Way of G-d by Rabbi Chaim Luzatto, in the Omaha Room of the JCC. BREADBREAKERS Lowell Nelson will be the guest speaker at B’nai B’rith Breadbreakers on Wednesday, June 1, noon, at Park Inn Regency, according to Gary Javitch, chairman.

Nelson is President of Immanuel-Alegent Health and his topic will be “Addressing the Aging of America and Our Next 25 Years: So the Rest of Our Lives Are the Best of Our Lives.” Cost is $11 for a full lunch and $2 for beverage service only.

Rousing rehearsals are underway for “The Best of Beth El,” a musical salute to Beth El Synagogue’s 75th anniversary, on Thursday, June 9, 7 p.m. Written and directed by Joanie Jacobson, the show is free and open to all families in the community. More than 70 singers and dancers, accompanied by the Diamond Anniversary Band, promise to raise your spirit, soothe your soul and show you a great time. Foot-stompers include: front row, Mark Sanford, Stanley Mitchell, Pam Friedlander, Nancy Rips, Phyllis Wasserman, Margie Gutnik and Carole Greenberg; middle row, M’Lee Hasslinger, Sindie Katskee, Marcia Pitlor, Michael Parsow, Diane Malashock and Sherry Shapiro; back row, Jerry Wasserman, Michael Gerson, Larry Malashock, Jerry Venger, Jerry Katskee and Donald Nogg.

Beth Israel’s Board Elected at Annual Meeting

by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue During Beth Israel Synagogue’s annual meeting on May 15, President Bonnie Bloch presented a “state of the synagogue”, summarizing what the synagogue and board accomplished during the past year. The slate of 2005-06 Board Members elected by acclamation are: Jake Besser, Bonnie Bloch, Toba Cohen, Mary Sue Grossman, Josh Gurock, Shami Jacobs, Ann Moskovits, Bruce Potash, Sheila Priluck, Lynne Saltzman, Dani Shrago, Susie Shyken, Dik Weiner, and Norm Zevitz.

Following the election, the new Board of Commissioners met to elect their officers. Bonnie Bloch was re-elected President for a second term. Other officers are: Toba Cohen, Administrative Vice-President; Shami Jacobs, Financial Vice-President; Susie Shyken, Membership Vice-President; Jake Besser, Treasurer; Josh Gurock, Secretary.

The next meeting of the Board of Commissioners is Wednesday, June 8, 7:30 p.m. Board meetings are open to all synagogue members.

CORRECTION Bennett Greenspoon is not a doctor as mistakenly captioned under his photo in last week’s issue and Rosalie Greenspan’s maiden name is spelled Garrop. The Press regrests the errors.

May 27, 2005

ENGAGEMENTS JACKSON/COOPER Valerie Lynn Jackson and Dr. Alex David Cooper announce their engagement.

The bride-to-be graduated magna cum laude from Beth El College, in St. Paul, MN, with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She was a member of the Beta Beta Beta Biology Honors Society. She also earned a Masters in physician assistant studies from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

She works as a Physician Assistant for the Department of Urology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She is the daughter of former Omahans Dr. Alan and Judi Jackson and the granddaughter of Dr. Lowell Patterson of Whitehall, WI, the late Clara Mae Patterson, and Sarah and James Jackson of Mt. Pulaski, IL. Her fiancé graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, where he was a member of Tau Beta Pi, Honors Engineering Society, Pi Tau Sigma, and Mechanical Engineering Honors Society. He earned a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha and Medical Honors Society.

He is currently a neurology resident at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He is the son of Dr. Ronald and Cheryl Cooper and the grandson of Frances and Jerome Milder, and Faye Cooper and the late Ben Cooper.

A Sept. 3 wedding in Omaha is planned.

WESTERFIELD/ROBINSON Julie Westerfield and Arnold Robinson announce their engagement.

The bride-to-be, daughter of Karen and Steve Westerfield, graduated from the University of NebraskaLincoln with a Bachelor of Journalism. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta.

She works as a Resource Development Manager at Modis IT Consulting.

She is the granddaughter of Melba Westerfield and the late Jim Westerfield, and Julia O’Brien and the late Richard “Bud” O’Brien.

Her fiancé, son of Betti and Richard Robinson of Norfolk, NE, graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of Arts in

Communications. He works as Fullfillment Project Manager at Omaha Steaks International.

He is the grandson of Letha and Robert Pitlor of Lincoln and the late Margaret and Arnold Robinson.

A Sept. 24 wedding is planned in Scottsdale, AZ. RICHMAN/SNYDER Cynthia Richman, daughter of Jerome and Charlotte Richman of Crofton, MD, and Jason Snyder, son of Drs. Melvin and Janice Snyder of Rolling Hills, CA, announce their engagement.

The bride-to-be graduated magna cum laude from St. Mary’s College of Maryland with a B.A. in Psychology; she earned her J.D. magna cum laude from Georgetown Law School.

She is currently an attorney at Gibson, Dunn & LLP in Crutcher Washington, D.C. Her grandparents are the late Christine and David Frederick Wallace and the late Murray and Etta Richman.

Her fiancé graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Public Policy, where he was President of the Student Body. He earned his M.Ed. from U.C.L.A. and his J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.

Jason was a public school teacher for four years and is now an attorney at Hogan & Hartson LLP in Washington, D.C. His grandparents are Esther and William Siref and the late Sarah and Sol Snyder.

The couple met when they were clerking on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. An Oct. 22 wedding is planned at the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion in Baltimore, MD. LARSEN/SIMONS Heather L. Larsen, daughter of Bernice Scarbrough and Mr. and Mrs. David L. Larsen of Louisville, NE, and Jon B. Simons, son of Dr. and Mrs. Gerald B. Simons, have announced their engagement.

The bride attended the University of NebraskaOmaha and currently after market manager of Performance Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge of Omaha.

She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Duane Larsen.

Her fiance graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in business administration and communication. He is sales manager for Baxter Chrysler-Jeep.

He is the grandson of Dr. and Mrs. Milton Simons and Mr. and Mrs. James W. Earp and the late Virginia L. Earp.

A Sept. 24 wedding is planned for Joslyn Art Museum.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Frontline presents A Jew Among the Gentiles on Tuesday, May 31, 9 p.m. (check local listings).

Filmmaker Marian Marzynski travels to Berlin to chronicle the process of selecting a design for Germany’s first national monument to the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust. It’s a difficult journey for Marzynski, who survived the Holocaust as a young boy in Poland, but lost his father and many other relatives.

as well as regional and local storytellers. The three-day event presents workshops in storytelling practice. Single event tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, students and children. Teachers and librarians receive a discount on the full weekend registration. More information and registration forms can be found at: www.nebraskastoryarts.org/fest_info.html, by e-mailing: gteten@tconl. com or by calling 498.9129.

Want to hear a great story? Come to the Nebraska Storytelling Festival at Westside High School from June 9-12. The festival, sponsored by Nebraska StoryArts and District 66, features renowned storytellers

A radio interview with Beth Seldin Dotan and Carol Katzman about their recent trip to Poland with ADL for the March of the Living will be aired on Nebraska Public Radio, tomorrow, 8:30 a.m., and Sunday, 9:30 a.m.

Shavuot Celebration at Beth El Offers Evening of Study and Song

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Following the age-old tradition of studying Torah and other Jewish sources on the first night of Shavuot, Beth El will celebrate the holiday with an evening of study on Sunday, June 12, 5:30 p.m., led by guest lecturers Prof. Leonard Greenspoon of Creighton University, and Guy Matalon, Judaic Studies instructor at UNO and Director of Jewish Educational and Library Services at the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Prof. Leonard Greenspoon

Guy Matalon

The entire Jewish community is invited to Beth El to help mark the beginning of Shavuot, the festival commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.

The evening will begin with services led by Rabbi Mordechai Levin and Cantor Gastón Bogomolni, followed by dinner at 6 p.m. and the special study sessions.

(Dinner is optional; those wishing to only attend the study sessions are welcome to do so.)

The 6:35 p.m. session, “Engendering the Text: Do Jews Need an Egalitarian Bible for the 21st Century?” will be led by Prof. Greenspoon, who holds the Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization at Creighton, and also serves as Professor of Classical & Near Eastern Studies and of Theology. Among topics to be discussed will be the use of gender-neutral language in contemporary translations of the Hebrew Bible and whether these changes are simply a reaction to current trends, or whether they have roots in Jewish tradition.

At 7:30 p.m., Matalon will explore “Talmudic Sage and Kabbalistic Master: Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.” The story is one of the most perplexing episodes in the Talmud, Matalon said, summarizing the story: “Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai was forced to hide in a cave for 12 years since the Roman authorities wanted to kill him. In the cave, he and his son studied Torah and prayed to God. Elijah the Prophet tells the two to come out. Once out of the cave, they begin destroying the world--wherever they gaze, fire burns. God becomes angry with them and sends them back to the cave for another year.

“Our class will review the story and discuss some of the lessons we can learn from this intriguing tale.”

During a 20-minute break between the two study sessions, Cantor Bogomolni will lead participants in joyful songs related to the holiday, and at the conclusion of the sessions, adults students who attended Beth El’s adult education classes will be recognized and receive participation certificates.

Cost of the dinner is $9.50 for adults, $6 for children ages 4-12. Reservations are needed by Tuesday, June 7, and may be made by calling Beth El Program Director Harriet Einziger at 492.8550.

JEWISH PRESS NOTICE The office will be closed Monday for Memorial Day and Monday and Tuesday, June 12-13, for Shavuot. The deadline for the June 17 issue is Wednesday, June 8, noon.

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

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SUNDAY, MAY 29 Jewish Potpouri, 10 a.m. at Beth El Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, Bible Study Class, and Living Hebrew Class, 11 a.m. at Beth El Yachad, 1:30 p.m. at Fontenelle Forest

• Discount prices, both charged and delivered • Medicines, Herbals and Natural Vitamins • Accepting HMO & Insurance Cards

MONDAY, MAY 30 JCC & FED OFFICES CLOSED/H & PE OPEN 9-5 MEMORIAL DAY, 7 a.m.

NCJW Book Club, 7 p.m.

BRUCE GOLDBERG, Pharmacist

TUESDAY, MAY 31 “The Guy and Bob Show”, noon BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

TLC “Growth Through Torah”, 7:30 p.m. at private residence

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1 ADL Bearing Witness Catholic Educators Conference, 7:30 a.m.

HAZAK, 9:30 a.m. at Beth El THURSDAY, JUNE 2 Walk-in Drop-in, 10 a.m.

Adult Education, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Jewish Women International Donor Luncheon, noon Yiddish Group, 1 p.m.

ADL Bearing Witness Catholic Educators Conference NCCJ Humanitarian Dinner, 7 p.m. at Holiday Inn Central

SATURDAY, JUNE 04 Scholar in Residence Weekend with Rabbi Jack Riemer, 9 a.m. at Beth El Israeli Military Overnight for Teens (Camp Out), 5 p.m.

SUNDAY, JUNE 5 Scholar in Residence Weekend with Rabbi Jack Riemer, 9 a.m. at Beth El Community Jewish Singles with Glenn Fineman, 3:30 p.m. at Beth El MONDAY, JUNE 6 JSS Senior Luncheon, 10 a.m.

TUESDAY, JUNE 7 Visions Cooking Class, 1 p.m.

BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

B’nai B’rith Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

Board of Directors Meeting, 7 p.m. at Friedel Jewish Academy JELS Conversational Hebrew Class Level 1, 7 p.m. and Level 2, 8 p.m.

JCC Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m.

TLC “Growth Through Torah”, 7:30 p.m. at private residence WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8 Beth Israel Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, JUNE 9 Walk-in Drop-in, 10 a.m.

Adult Education, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Yiddish Group, 1 p.m.

JELS Conversational Hebrew Class Level 1, 7 p.m. and Level 2, 8 p.m.

Best of Beth El Musical Review Community Event, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY, JUNE 3 Scholar in Residence Weekend with Rabbi Jack Riemer, 6 p.m. at Beth El

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334-6451

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SUNDAY, JUNE 12 JCC CLOSED AT 7P.M. FOR SHAVUOT Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 9 a.m. at Beth El NCJW Budget Meeting, 10 a.m.

Jewish Senior Services Volunteer Recognition, 2:30 p.m.

Shavuot Night of Study, 5:30 p.m. at Beth El “Midnight Madness” all-night study session in honor of Shavot, 11 p.m. at Chabad House Yachad, 2 p.m. at the Rose Theatre for Beauty & The Beast MONDAY, JUNE 13 JCC CLOSED FOR SHAVUOT Annual Shavuot Ice Cream Party, 11:30 a.m. at Chabad House TUESDAY, JUNE 14 JCC OPEN/FED OFFICES CLOSED FOR SHAVUOT Musical Theatre Camp, 9 a.m.

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15 Musical Theatre Camp, 9 a.m.

Jewish Press Executive Committee Meeting, 7:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, JUNE 16 Musical Theatre Camp, 9 a.m.

Walk-in Drop-in, 10 a.m.

Adult Education, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Yiddish Group, 1 p.m.

Kripke Library Book Discussion Group, 1 p.m.

JSS Concert featuring Billie James, 1 p.m.

Rick Recht Community Concert and Picnic, 5 p.m.

JELS Conversational Hebrew Class Level 1, 7 p.m. and Level 2, 8 p.m.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 17 Musical Theatre Camp, 9 a.m.

SATURDAY, JUNE 18 NCJW Spring Gala, 7 p.m. at the Livestock Exchange SUNDAY, JUNE 19 Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 9 a.m. at Beth El MONDAY, JUNE 20 Musical Theatre Camp, 9 a.m.

JSS Senior Luncheon, 10 a.m.

Hadassah Board Meeting, 1 p.m.

BEAM Meeting, 7 p.m. at Beth El Young Adult Financial Planning with Alan Parsow, 7:30 p.m. at Beth El Youth Commission Meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Beth El TUESDAY, JUNE 21 Musical Theatre Camp, 9 a.m.

BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

JELS Conversational Hebrew Class Level 1, 7 p.m. and Level 2, 8 p.m.

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334-6451

Page 10

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

May 27, 2005

Poles Learn About What Was Lost at 18th March of the Living Jolanta Ambrosewicz-Jacobs, a profes- and others the Nazis considered subhuman.

The Polish students, most of them in their late teens or early 20s, have been sor at the Center for European Studies at Kuncewicz recently made it his mission taught about the people who died in the the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, to remove any anti-Semitic graffiti he saw, Nazi concentration camps and about the studies the Holocaust, history and toler- talking to anyone in charge of a building ance. She said Holocaust education in that has a slur scrawled on it. He also carlives they led before the Holocaust.

Still, some say the extent of their edu- Poland began as early as the 1970s, ries a can of spray paint in his car, to use though at first it was mostly an academic when he sees graffiti on bus stops and in cation is minimal.

“Talking about World War II during discipline. “The Holocaust is a case study public spaces. history class, the teacher mentioned a few of hate,” she said, noting that many peo“What is lacking is enough sensitivity sentences about the Holocaust, how it ple who learn about it can’t help but react among decent people,” Kuncewicz said. was the largest extermination of the Jews, emotionally, something they don’t do “These slogans are unacceptable, and how it happened in Poland,” said Diana when studying other periods or events. more people should want to take action.”

Oryszczak, who studies English at Opole University.

Maciek Zabierowski, who studies history in Krakow, recalled a class trip to Auschwitz, but said that he and his classmates weren’t prepared.

“I don’t remember much,” he said.

When Oryszczak’s teacher mentioned Jews in high school, she said, she had a vague image of men with sidelocks, but she couldn’t really connect that image with the death camps.

A young Polish boy scout marches through Auschwitz hold“My sister is in high ing a Polish flag May 5. Several groups of non-Jewish Polish school now, and she has the students joined the March of the Living. original door frame containing the trace An same teacher, the same Credit: Chanan Tigay/JTA Poland, April 29. of a mezuzah in Krakow, words,” she said.

Below: Nourit Braun of Los Angeles recites kaddish at a Credit: Carolyn Slutsky/JTA Jews and the The memorial in Majdanek on May 6. The Jewish prisoners there Holocaust are surprisingly popular topics The Ronald S. Lauder convinced the German command to allow a monument to be of study in Poland today. Interest is fueled Foundation has been instruconstructed by the Jews “for the German nation.” The Jews by the annual Jewish Culture Festival in mental in bringing Jewish then surreptitiously buried ashes of their friends and relatives Krakow, which draws thousands of people, education to re-emerging at the foot of the memorial so that there would be a gravemost of them non-Jewish Poles. Jewish communities stone for the dead.

Credit: Carol Katzman Participants can learn about all aspects of throughout Eastern Europe.

Jewish religious and cultural life.

In 1994, Lauder Morasha, a Both in the classroom and on the primary school, opened in streets, Judaism and Jews are being rein- Warsaw with 18 students. troduced to the Polish public.

Today it teaches 250 children from Jewish and nonJewish families. Lauder Morasha recently made its Continued from page 1 on modern-day anti-Semitism and preju- first trip to Auschwitz, stopUnited States Holocaust Memorial dice and how to bring this information to ping both at the camp and at Museum will also be in Omaha to facili- students in the classroom. the Auschwitz Jewish Center tate the conference. Bearing Witness parBearing Witness conference sessions Foundation. The foundation ticipants will visit Beth El Synagogue to take place in several sites across Omaha. opened in 2000 in enhance their knowledge of Jewish life in For more information about times and Oswiecim--the Polish name their own community and hear from specific sessions, please call the Institute for the nearby city--and child Holocaust survivor, Bea Karp who for Holocaust Education in the ADL seeks to be a bridge between will give her testimony.

Omaha office at 333.1303. the Jewish victims of Other areas of interest include a session Auschwitz and residents of Oswiecim today.

The center’s program, “Jewish History It’s not only a question of decency, he Curriculum Workshops in Omaha Schools with more than 200 teachers; and Tradition At Hand”, teaches teenagers said, but “part of the development of Development of “Tribute to the Rescuers” Essay Contest in Elk Horn, Iowa, in five schools; and adults about the history of the town, Poland as an open democratic society.”

Assistance with Lincoln Middle Schools eighth grade six-week Holocaust Curriculum; which once was 60% Jewish, and hosts At the same time, Kuncewicz has seen “Teaching the Holocaust” workshops with Warren Marcus of the United States Holocaust weekly lectures, workshops, films and other changes in Polish attitudes that hearten Memorial Museum in Omaha, Neligh, Kearney and Scottsbluff giving ESUs to 250 teachers; events. “Our center provides teachers and him. He recently participated in a Holocaust Teacher Workshops at the Jewish Community Center and Lincoln Public Schools students with a broader perspective on the Holocaust workshop with other Polish eduwith 100 teachers; Holocaust: Who were these people who cators. One day, he said, as he was walking Closed-Circuit viewing of Tak for Alt: Survival of the Human Spirit on NETV; were destroyed?” foundation director in the Jewish district of Kazimierz, he Tour with Holocaust Survivor Judith Meisel of Santa Barbara, CA, for 1500 students in Omaha Tomasz Kuncewicz said. noticed a newly renovated hotel. and Iowa; Sometimes it’s not only non-Jews in The facade had been replaced, but the Tour with Holocaust Survivor Ruth Merdinger of New Yor, for 850 community members in Poland who have to learn about Jewish owner had retained one piece of the origCentral Nebraska; history and the Holocaust. inal wood. On it, he could see the imprint Tribute to the Rescuers comprised of 250 essays and 25 community volunteer jurors, culmiHelena Datner, who heads the of a mezuza that once had marked the nating in a ceremony with Mayor Mike Fahey; American Jewish Joint Distribution building as a Jewish dwelling.

Secured details for Holocaust Course for teachers to be held at UNO in the Fall 2005, which Moved by the sight, Kuncewicz entered Committee Pedagogical Center in included a day-trip to United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Warsaw, said that given “the almost total the hotel and found that its owner had parClasses at Beth El Synagogue and Temple Israel; break in transmitting Jewish tradition ticipated in his workshop. “It’s so striking Consulted with JELS for Yom Hashoah programming; through families,” the pedagogical cen- that she made the effort to preserve the Hosted National ADL curriculum focus group of 30 Omaha educators with leaders from frame,” he said. “Now forever everyone will ter’s role is enormous.

National ADL, Yad Vashem, and The Shoah Foundation; Of course, the Auschwitz camp has know this was a Jewish home.”

At the March of the Living, a new long been a center for international eduLead group of 14 Omaha community members to Poland on the March of the Living; cation. The Polish Parliament established batch of Polish students walked together Hosting “Bearing Witness: Anti-Semitism, the Holocaust and Contemporary Issues” the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in with representatives of world Jewry to Conference for Catholic Educators with the Archdiocese of Omaha, June 1-3; July 1947. Since then, curators have commemorate the memory of the six milAssisted three teachers to participate in workshops at the United States Holocaust Memorial worked to preserve the site, publish lion Jews who died during the Holocaust, Museum, Washington, D.C.; books and other materials on the camp’s and to continue the ongoing dialogue Assisting with Joint Veterans program with Omaha synagogues and the Nebraska Jewish that has come to define this country. history and offer teacher training.

Historical Society, scheduled for Sept. 11; Museum officials, along with Polish gov- They proved that in Poland, the memory Hosted exhibitions in the Pennie Z. Davis Gallery for Holocaust Education; ernment representatives and the general of the Holocaust is long and lasting.

ADL Leadership Mission to Washington Student projects, including: Anti-Semitism Past and As Ambrosewicz-Jacobs put it, “I don’t public, have begun to accept the fact that Present--Shouldering the Responsibility; The Story of Josef Motschmann Henri Sorensen’s about 90% of Auschwitz inmates and vic- think there will ever be a time when the original oil paintings from The Yellow Star; The Legend of King Christian X by Carmen Deedy; tims were Jews. The others were Polish world will say, ‘That’s enough. There are Anyone interested in contributing to the continued efforts of the Institute for Holocaust political prisoners, Gypsies, homosexuals other topics.’”

Education, may contact the office at 334.6575.

by CAROLYN SLUTSKY KRAKOW, Poland, (JTA)--About 20,000 people from around the world, Jews and non-Jews alike, were in Poland for the 18th March of the Living the first week in May. The annual trip, which began in 1988, takes Jewish high school students--and, increasingly, adults and non-Jews--to Poland, where they spend a week visiting Holocaust sites. Many groups then continue to Israel to see the homeland of the Jewish people.

This year’s group of marchers was the biggest ever, partly because it marked the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps.

The marchers prepare for the experience in their home communities, learning about the places they’ll see and bonding with each other in anticipation of an emotionally intense two weeks.

An anticipated 3,000 Poles, the most ever, took part in this year’s march. They joined other participants on the walk from the Auschwitz concentration camp to Birkenau, about two miles away.

They continued for four days of travel around Poland, seeing such sites as the Warsaw Ghetto memorial, the Majdanek and Treblinka concentration camps and the former yeshiva in Lublin.

During much of the Communist period, Poles weren’t taught about Jews and the Holocaust, and education about religion was suppressed.

Since 1989, when the Communist era ended, Jews have re-emerged and begun to rebuild their communities. Other Poles have begun to confront their history and the memory of the Holocaust, and wonder how to transmit memories of the 3.5 million Jews who once lived in Poland to future generations.

Conference about Anti-Semitism

Institute for Holocaust Education: A Year in Review

May 27, 2005

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 11

Participants Speak: Vignettes from the March of the Living Complied by CAROL KATZMAN Editor of the Jewish Press (Editor’s note: Several members of the Omaha contingent of March of the Living contributed their impressions of the recent trip to Poland. We sometimes felt we were in an episode of the Twilight Zone--starting with our arrival in Krakow on an El Al flight to seeing American television programs like CSI dubbed in Polish on cable in our hotel rooms. It was, frankly, disturbing, to observe a small child playing in her backyard which backed up to the barbed wire fence surrounding Majdanek. Yet it was also uplifting to meet the Amrican-born Rabbi Michael Shudrich who leads the revived congregation at the Nozyk Synagogue in Warsaw. Jews are everywhere-even in Poland 60 years after the end of World War II and the Holocaust.)

How could any of us hear the Shema again without also hearing the booming voice of the survivor who lost her mother and brothers right there in Majdanek, but still could affirm her faith with the words of the Shema, standing in that very place with her grandson by her side.

A few images: The memorial candles placed inside the ovens; the ring of people surrounding the mountain of ashes, holding hands and saying the kaddish, silhouletted against a gray, silent background; the orphanage of Janucz Korchak who is one of the strongest symbols of moral courage and whose children in his care remind us of the one and a half million other children who perished.

Howard and Gloria Kaslow The trip to Poland, for the March of the Living was very emotional for me.

The experience lingers in my mind for many reasons and in many ways. I often thought of my daughter, Sarah, who is almost eight. At nine-years-old, my mother, Bea Karp, was seperated from her mother, never to see her again.

It is so hard for me to imagine the exact feelings and emotions that my Grandmother Rosa and my mother must have felt when they parted. Yet I know the love my daughter and I share and how hard it would be for me to leave her not knowing who her future caretakers would be or if she would even survive.

Photos from left: Patty Nogg and Judy Brantz stand outside the pharmacy in Krakow during the March of the Living trip earlier this month. The non-Jewish owners of the pharmacy refused to move out of the ghetto, instead staying to serve

The camp which was most disturbing and haunting was Majdanek. I keep thinking of the huge piles of shoes, gas chambers with the blue stains from the zyklon B pellets; damp, dark barracks, an enormous mound of ashes and much more, all left an indelible impression. I am left with these images which will always be a reminder of the senseless inhumanity that Germany and Hitler perpetrated. Growing up as a Second Generation child of a Holocaust survior, it meant a great deal to me to go with my family and particpate on the March of the Living.

Nancy Kutler Among the many images and moments of those four days that really were a world away, are the times we heard the stories and read the names and gathered to say kaddish. I remember the emotional jolt when our guide told us of the last will and testament of David Berger: “My name is David Berger. Tell the world that David Berger lived.”

What a desperate, horrible feeling--that we could die and have no one remember that we even lived. So we remembered

the medical and health needs of the Jews. It was an impressive sight to many to see an El Al jumbo jet on the tarmac at Warsaw airport; the Omaha group flew El Al from New York to Krakow. A survivor speaks to a group of Hasidic Jews in

and we said kaddish. We said kaddish at the Plazchow memorial where I couldn’t get the mud of the camp out of my pants and at the train station on the edge of the Warsaw Ghetto where Jewish women and men and children and babies waited for the trains that took them in boxcars to the Treblinka death camp.

We surrounded Bea and her daughters and grandson and said kaddish at the black wall of Auschwitz between Mengele’s cell block 10 and the torture prison of cell block 11.

We said kaddish in the crematoria of Majdanek where memorial candles burned in ovens built to burn human bodies and we each read a name, and lit a candle, and, through our tears, said kaddish next to the mound of ashes that came out of those ovens.

We said kaddish for all those who, on their way into the gas chambers, said kaddish for themselves--so afraid that there would be no one to say kaddish for them.

We said kaddish.

We remembered. I’ll never forget.

Marti Rosen Atherton

the Warsaw airport; the Alexander and Gerer Hasids had come to Poland, not for the March of the Living, but to visit the graves of their late rebbes. The survivor, who met the Gerer rebbe in 1938 in Lublin, spoke to the Hasids in yiddish.

Page 12

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

May 27, 2005

We’re Looking for People Who Are Passionate About Judaism Twice a year, the creative members of the Jewish Press Committee brainstorm to come up with themes for the Passover and New Year’s issues. Though we’ve received accolades from our readers and advertisers (and even a few awards) on these large issues, we’re always trying to find new categories in which to feature Jewish men, women (and sometimes teens) in Nebraska and Western Iowa.

So, on Sept. 30, 2005, we will publish our New Year’s issue, this year with the theme: “The Path to Judaism.”

We’re looking for people who are passionate about Judaism. They can be men and women who are new to Judaism or Ba’alei teshuva-returnees. They can be people who assist with services, help make up a minyan on a regular basis or continually attend or lead classes.

They can be people who have taken on mitzvot like chevra kadishe or bikor cholim, people who help prepare bodies for burial or visit the sick or deliver meals to the homebound. It can be quiet, behind-the-scenes Jews who host Shabbat and holiday dinners on a regular basis and always find room for one more at their tables. Or they can be Jews who have found expression in their writing, art, music or dance.

But they must be passionate about Judaism-and Jewish life!

(Attendance at meetings is not a criteria here--while it’s commendable and necessary in order for our institutions to operate, we’d like to feature Jews who are involved in Jewish activities that are not solely bureaucratic.)

As always, the Press looks to interview people whose stories haven’t been told in the newspaper. So they can be new to Omaha--or oldtimers who have not been interviewed at length. We hope their stories will be an inspiration to others who are looking for more meaning and more Jewish involvement in their lives.

Please send us your list of suggested names-and phone numbers--by June 10, so we can spend the summer contacting them and interviewing them in time for our deadline of Aug. 26. E-mail them to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org or call 334.6450.

People who are passionate about Judaism and Jewish life will help us ensure there is a Jewish community here for our grandchildren and future generations.

Speaking of what we need from you, our readers: loyal we’re still looking for photos and information about our high school graduates. So far, we have 38 graduating seniors, but we think there

are more out there and we’d like to include everyone.

If you know a graduating senior in the Council Bluffs, Omaha or Lincoln schools, please call us immediately at 334.6448. We’ll tell you if we already have a photo and the information we need to publish our “Salute to Seniors” on June 10: name, parent(s)’ name(s), name of high school and name of the college the senior will be attending (or other plans). (If you’ve already sent us your photo and information, you can ignore this message-but ask your friends and relatives if they’ve sent theirs to the Press!)

Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Committee, the Jewish Federation of Omaha 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.

Pro-Israel College Activists Quietly Successful on Campus

BEHIND THE HEADLINES

by BARRY SILVERMAN AND RANDALL KAPLAN WASHINGTON (JTA)--Parents are frightened, defense organizations are sounding the alarm, and community-based activists are in a state of near apoplexy over the alleged dominance of anti-Israel forces on American college campuses.

In the past few years, however, there has been a quiet revolution in pro-Israel campus advocacy--supported by such mainstream organizations as AIPAC, Hillel, and the Israel on Campus Coalition -and savvy pro-Israel students have made stunning inroads at colleges and universities across the country, including those frequently pointed to as the most hostile to Israel.

Some have come to believe that today’s proIsrael students are silent, apathetic, even fearful. From our experience, nothing could be further from the truth. This generation constitutes the most confident and competent community of pro-Israel student leaders America has ever seen. What accounts for this staggering discrepancy in perception? The problem may be an outmoded system of metrics ill equipped to gauge inroads made by sophisticated advocates in a radically transformed campus environment.

Today’s college students grew up in an era defined not by ‘60s-style street theatrics but by the entrepreneurial ethos of the start-up phenomenon. They spent their teenage years watching small innovative firms undermine giant industry monopolies through a mastery of new technology, strategic use of resources and a devout commitment to quality and efficiency. College students are the leading purveyors of these new approaches. They have found faster, more economical ways of getting a job done. Consequently, college students’ approach to problem-solving and goal attain-

ment tends to be more streamlined, agile and imaginative than that of their parents and grandparents.

Pro-Israel student activists are smart, focused and intensely results-oriented. They realize that “standing up” to Israel’s detractors through zero-sum confrontations on the quad is more likely to alienate potential allies than engage them, more effective at securing shortterm publicity than long-term impact, and subsequently constitutes a poor use of time and talent. The sharpest pro-Israel activists prefer to identify key sources of power and influence that will determine the strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship for years to come, and then invest the bulk of their advocacy in influencing those strategic targets.

It is also worth remembering that today’s pro-Israel students reached political awareness in an era of transformational change: the second intifada, Sept. 11 and the war in Iraq came at them fast and furious. Acutely aware of the accelerating pace of history, they bring to their activism the start-up principles of ingenuity and effective impact. Savvy proIsrael students approach their advocacy by remembering that there are but 24 hours in a day and then asking themselves, “How can I employ my limited personal resources to achieve maximum political influence?”

While Israel’s detractors at the University of California at Berkeley make fellow students late for class by erecting mock Israeli checkpoints on the main campus drag, pro-Israel activists recruit student government officials and other mainstream campus leaders to sign petitions expressing support for the U.S.-Israel relationship. When Israel’s detractors disaffect the politically moderate majority of students by accusing the U.S. and Israeli governments of “neo-colonialism” and “imperialist aggression,” pro-Israel activists at Rutgers University engage the College Democrats and College Republicans, volunteer on political campaigns, organize student lobbying missions and build enduring relationships with members of Congress.

(Founded in 1920) Joanie Jacobson Chairman Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Managing Editor Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper Jewish Press Committee Howard K. Marcus, Vice-Chairman; Bobbi Leibowitz, Secretary; Scott Meyerson, Finance Chairman; Steve Simon, Treasurer; Fred Tichauer, Immediate Past-chairman; Jean Duitch; Penny Endelman; Kip Gordman; Stanley Mitchell; George Quittner; Linda Saltzman; Joey Shyken; Michael Siegal; Nancy Skid; and Melany Weinstine.

The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Centers of Excellence of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Educational and Library Services, Jewish Family Service, and Jewish Senior Services. The Jewish Press is a constitutional committees of the Jewish Federation.

While Israel’s detractors at the University of Florida sponsor propagandistic “Palestinian Awareness Weeks,’’ pro-Israel activists work with campus political leaders to compel the university to remove barriers to studying abroad in Israel. When Israel’s detractors indulge in simplistic and distorted sloganeering about the security barrier, pro-Israel activists at the University of Colorado set up coffee dates with the editors of the campus newspaper for extended conversations about how the barrier saves lives and facilitates peace.

Pro-Israel students spend months-- even years--cultivating personal relationships with influential people, both on campus and beyond. They bring Jewish and non-Jewish campus leaders into the pro-Israel movement by inviting them to participate in such national and international gatherings as the AIPAC Policy Conference--which this year will host more than 800 students from 250 campuses in all 50 states, including over 100 student government presidents--as well as the HillelAIPAC Advanced Advocacy Mission to Israel and the birthright israel program. As a result of these relationships, pro-Israel students are spectacularly positioned for success if largescale mobilization is determined to be a strategic objective.

When an anti-Israel divestment resolution was presented to the University of Michigan’s student assembly, pro-Israel students rallied hundreds of supporters from all walks of campus life to express their opposition publicly. They organized conservatives and progressives, blacks and whites, Jews and Christians to stand with Israel, and relied on their friend and ally, the student assembly president, whose systematic deconstruction of the case for divestment ultimately torpedoed the resolution.

Pro-Israel students at Washington University in St. Louis recently turned out 600 people for an Israeli hip-hop concert by securing the co-sponsorship of 50 distinct student organizations with which they had established ties, including the African American, Continued on page 13

Editorial The Jewish Press is a Constitutional Committee of the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, noon, eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org.

Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1-402-334-5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org..

Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be singlespaced typed, not hand-written.

Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.”

The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions, but should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing.

All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request.

No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf.

Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For more information, contact Carol Katzman, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450.

Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly on Friday for $31 per calendar year U.S.; $35 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. 132nd St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or e-mail to: jpress@jewishomaha. org.

Nebraska Press Association

National Newspaper Association

May 27, 2005

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 13

Why the President and I Think the Religious Right is Wrong

BEHIND THE H EADLINES

by RABBI DAVID SAPERSTEIN President Bush recently asserted that opposition to ten of his judicial nominees was based on their “judicial philosophy” not their religious beliefs. It was a ringing repudiation of a central claim made by some of his supporters in Congress as well as religious right leaders who participated in last month’s televised “Justice Sunday” gathering. What was the claim rejected by the President? That substantive opposition to judicial nominees constitutes religious discrimination or a “filibuster against people of faith” when those positions are derived from the nominee’s faith beliefs.

That oft-made assertion is intellectually vacuous, factually wrong, and politically damaging-and yet it continues to propel the Senate’s consideration this week of an effort to eliminate the application of the filibuster to judicial nominees.

In making this claim, proponents of dismantling the filibuster are, in effect, arguing that if a nominee holds extreme views based on secular rather than religious beliefs, it is fair game to criticize them or oppose their appointment to the federal bench, but if the identical views are derived from religious beliefs, opposition constitutes “discrimination against people of faith.”

But making a religious claim for a position does not make that position right. In the name of the Bible, in the name of religion, this nation has witnessed claims that slavery, Jim Crow’s separation of races, opposition to women’s suffrage, and anti-

Semitism were based in sincere faith beliefs. The assertion that judicial nominees who claim religious grounding for their views should be immune from criticism should outrage sensible Americans.

Nor does the claim of religious discrimination hold up factually. President Bush has submitted 215 nominees to the Senate. 205 of them (95%!) have been voted on, most of whom, one supposes, are also people of faith, many who presumably oppose abortion or gay marriage on moral or religious grounds. Yet, they were approved by overwhelming bipartisan majorities. Clearly, as President Bush concluded, the faith beliefs of nominees are not the issue; it’s their judicial philosophy. For the 10 nominees blocked were those who Senate Democrats view as the most extreme and the most likely to depart from precedent and the rule of law. It is this assertion, not the nominee’s religious beliefs, on which the Senate debate ought to focus.

The President, however, joins those who argue that all nominees must come before the Senate for an “up or down vote.” They profess disbelief that senators would use legitimate, traditional, parliamentary means to block these nominees.

When Republicans blocked 60 of President Clinton’s nominees, they used the legal means available to them as a majority, blocking nominees in committee, rejecting the notion that those nominees had a right to “an up or down Senate floor vote.” Now Democrats are using legal means available to Senate minorities to take a stand against positions or presidential nominees whom

they oppose on fundamental principle the 200 year old filibuster.

The filibuster was created to avoid extremist positions of any one party from being rammed through Congress. We are on the cusp of one party control of all branches of government, with the entire system of checks and balances undermined if extreme appointments undermine our federal courts as an independent check to the excesses of either party.

The filibuster forces the two parties to avoid the margins of political life, finding nominees who are part of the broad mainstream of American judicial thought.

Let President Bush appoint others moderates or conservatives who are not so extreme and they will receive the same treatment as the other 205 nominees who had their vote.

In the end, those who condemn the federal judiciary as a nest of “liberal activists” suggests how far right their agenda is,

since 60% of those judges were appointed

by Republicans. And it reflects a deeply troubling hypocritical politicized manipulation of religion, since these leaders have never muted their voices out of concern that their condemnation of sitting judges with whom they disagree (most of whom presumably root their own moral beliefs in their religious values), might constitute religious discrimination.

This current campaign is nothing more than an effort to hide their political extremism behind the guise of religion-even if the cost is exacerbating America’s culture war and intensifying religious divisions in the nation. They should be ashamed--and they should listen to the President and stop.

Rabbi David Saperstein is Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the Washington/Social Action Office.

Pro-Israel College Activists Continued from page 12 Latino-American, and Christian students’ associations. Activists at the University of Iowa engaged campus political leaders beyond their traditional base by organizing a pro-Israel conference featuring two members of Congress, and which was attended by college Democrats and Republicans and student government officials from more than a dozen Iowa universities with little or no Jewish infrastructure.

These examples are not exceptional but reflect a national trend of more sophisticated pro-Israel campus activism. If members of our community have missed this phenomenon, it is

because much of today’s most significant and effective advocacy takes place under the media’s radar at countless student government meetings, campus political forums and quiet conversations at Starbucks. If pro-Israel students aren’t marching anymore, it’s because they’ve found a more effective way of getting the job done.

Barry Silverman is chairman of AIPAC’s leadership development committee and a member of Hillel’s scholars council, and Randall Kaplan is chairman of the board of directors of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, and a member of AIPAC’s board of directors.

Father’s Day Graduation The Gift Guide The Information Publishing Date: June 10, 2005 Space Reservation: May 31, 2005 Camera Ready Deadline: June 2, 2005

From: 333 South 132 Stree t|

Omaha, N E | 6815 4-2198 | Fax 402/ 334-5422

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Page 14

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

May 27, 2005

Candlelighting Friday, May 27, 8:29 p.m.

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

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

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

Beyt Shalom An Affiliate of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation 3012 S. 119 St. P.O. Box 390352 Omaha, NE 68139 660.2395 www.beytshalomomaha.org

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

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

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

Rose Blumkin Jewish Home 333 S. 132 St. Omaha, NE 68154

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

The Neighborhood Minyan Torah Learning Center 1313 No. 58 St. Omaha, NE 68132 553.5397

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

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to reserve space, call Allan Handleman, 334.6451.

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

TEMPLE ISRAEL

FRIDAY: There will be no services on May 27 or June 3.

Hours: Office Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross.

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:15 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Free Babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 10:30 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored by Amanda and Josh Gurock in honor of Leah’s first birthday and

by Janet and David Kohll in honor of the first anniversary of Anna’s Bat Mitzvah; Mincha, 8:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:38 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Contact the synagogue office for Mincha/ Ma’ariv service time.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Contact the synagogue office for Mincha/Ma’ariv service time.

MONDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; The synagogue office will be closed for Memorial Day.

FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 6 p.m. Rabbi Craig Marantz and Cantor Wendy Shermet will officiate.

SATURDAY: Bagels and Sacred Books, 9:30-10:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.

SITTER SERVICE: Available at each Friday evening service, Saturday mornings when there is a bar or bat mitzvah, as well as Sunday mornings when there is Religious School. Please make a reservation through the Temple office. Cost is $2 per family. Sorry, there are no facilities for infants.

ADULT EDUCATION THURSDAY, June 2: “Adult Study with the Clergy” with Rabbi Azriel, 10-11:30 a.m.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored

by Marc and Kim Kahn in honor of their son, Nathaniel, becoming a Bar Mitzvah; Evening Service, 8:40 p.m.

Sitter Service is available during Friday night and Saturday morning services, on a drop-in basis, at no charge.

SUNDAY: Jewish Pot Pourri Class, 10 a.m. Bible Study Class, 11 a.m.; Adult B’nai Mitzvah class with Cantor Bogomolni, 11 a.m.; “Living Hebrew,” a new, intermediate-level Hebrew course, 11:10 a.m.

SERVICES: WEEKDAY Sunday, 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Weekdays, 6:55 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

SCHOLAR-INRESIDENCE JUNE 3-5: The community is invited to hear renowned author and lecturer, Rabbi Jack Riemer, who will speak during Shabbat services on Friday, June 3 and June 4, and during a 10 a.m. breakfast on June 5. He will also offer a presentation during a special Shabbat dinner on June 3; for reservations or more information, call the synagogue office.

COMMUNITY JEWISH SINGLES Recently established for single adults (ages 45-65) throughout the community, this group will meet at Beth El on Sunday, June 5, 3-5 p.m., for a presentation by Glen Fineman, “Preparing for a New Relation-ship: Leave Your Baggage at the Door.” For more information, call Harriet Einziger at 492.8550.

“BEST OF BETH EL”: As part of the synagogue’s 75th anniversary celebration, the entire community is invited to attend this giant musical salute to Beth El on Thursday, June 9, 7 p.m.

This event is free of charge.

CONGREGATION Monday- B’NAI JESHURUN

BEYT SHALOM FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat and Lag B’Omer Pot Luck, 6 p.m. at the synagogue.

CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman.

FRIDAY: Services, 7 a.m.

SATURDAY: Maamar class, 9 a.m.; Services, 9:30 a.m. followed by a Kiddush luncheon.

SUNDAY: Services, 8:30 a.m.

Mishneh class, 9:30 a.m.; Aleph Champion and Little Scholars Programs, 10 a.m.-noon.

WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Halacha, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY: Torah for Teens, 4:15 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Kabbalah: Passover: A New Freedom Within, 7 p.m.

Programs are open to the community. For information or to register, call the office or visit: www.nebraskajudaism.com.

Rabbi Debbie Stiel will be in Lincoln two weekends a month.

Please call her at 402.416.2321 or e-mail: dstiel@everestkc.net to set up appointments.

This weekend Congregants are invited to worship at Tifereth Israel, 3219 Sheridan Blvd. to celebrate the Bat Mitzvah of Kitra Liora Monnier, daughter of Elaine Monnier and Charles Geffen. No separate services or Torah Study will be held at South Street Temple.

FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service at Tifereth, 8 p.m., with oneg following.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. at Tifereth with Kiddush Luncheon following.

SUNDAY: Festivities continue on from 1-5 p.m. at Tifereth for music, food, and dancing. RSVP to Elaine Monnier at 327.9212.

GARAGE SALE The Temple Garage Sale is scheduled for Sunday, June 12, 9 a.m.-noon to coincide with the neighborhood garage sales. Bring your items to the Temple on the Thursday, or Wednesday, Friday, between 1-5 p.m., before the sale.

May 27-June 3: The Temple office will be closed.

SAVE THE DATE Wednesday, Nov. 9: Rabbi David Forman, past director of the Union for Reform Judaism’s Israel Office in Jerusalem, will speak in Lincoln. Author of four books and a columnist for both the Hebrew and English press in Israel, Rabbi Forman won the Knesset Peace Prize on behalf of Rabbis for Human Rights.

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

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9 a.m. led by Stan Widman.

Protesting Darfur Close to 1,000 students from schools on the East Coast attend a rally in New York organized by Yeshiva University to raise awareness about the killings in Darfur in the Sudan. “Sixty years after the Holocaust the world has not learned its lesson,” Rebecca Stone, director of programming for ‘Not Now Not Ever’, a Y.U. group focusing on the situation in Sudan, said at the rally. “We live in an age that has seen much evil perpetrated by man. Bystanders continue to shut their eyes, and allow history to repeat itself again and again and again.” Government-sponsored Arab militias have killed tens of thousands of Africans and the international community is pressing Sudanese officials to comply with demands that Khartoum end its support of the militias, which has led to a refugee crisis.

Credit: Yeshiva University

PERSONAL Thank all of my friends for their cards, concerns, and kind wishes during my recent illness.

Ira Trachtenbarg

THE NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN AT TLC FRIDAY: Kabbalas Shabbos, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharis, 9 a.m., followed by a kiddush luncheon; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:15 p.m.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Services conducted by Rabbi Stanley M. Rosenbaum. Minyan, MONDAY & THURSDAY, 9 a.m.

FRIDAY: Services, 8 p.m. Bat Mitzvah of Kitra Liora Monnier with an Oneg Shabbat following.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m. Bat Mitzvah of Kitra Liora Monnier with a Kiddush Luncheon following hosted by Charles Geffen, Gaynell Gavin, and Elaine Monnier.

WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Contact Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066.

NJHS NEEDS MEMORABILIA The Nebraska Jewish Historical Society is gathering synagogue memorabilia from Lincoln and out-state.

Contact Renee Corcoran at 402.334.6442 or njhs@jewishomaha.org.

JEWISH PRESS NOTICE College students: let us know when you’ll be home for the summer, so we can stop delivery of the Press to your dorm. Just e-mail us at: jpress@jewishomaha.org.

BAR MITZVAH Nikolas Schrager son of Laura and Rick Schrager, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on Friday and Saturday, June 3 and 4, at Temple Israel.

Nikolas is a sixthgrade student at Oakdale Elementary School and is school President. He won first place in the District-wide Speech Contest.

His interests include skiing,

running, baseball, music, and baking.

Nikolas has two brothers, Justin and Phillip.

His grandparents are Dr. and Mrs. Pat Peartree, Phil and Terri Schrager, and the late Lois Schrager.

His great-grandparents are Jack and Lilian Schrager and the late Sonia Schrager.

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Ending Leviticus

SPARKS FROM THE WORD

by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Behukotai Our Sidra, appropriately, brings the Book of Leviticus to an end attempting to assure regard to the laws of the book by the ancient Israelites. It assumes (correctly!) that the Israelites fresh out of Egypt were immature intellectually and spiritually. It therefore offers, as one will do to the immature, reward when it is appropriate and punishment when it is not. The rewards and punishments, however, are of no small weight: there will be rain so that your fields will produce your food, and reluctant heavens if you do not deserve the blessing of the Lord.

The promise of reward is put elegantly: “The threshing will overtake the vintage, and the vintage will reach to seed-time.” Moreover there will be no danger of jealous enemies, and the presence of God will be constant.

There follows, however the Tokhehah, the Warning.

The Warning is so severe and includes such dreadful consequences that in the synagogue it is read, traditionally, in a very low voice and a very hurried manner by the Reader.

The Warning includes phrases like iron skies, unwilling to give moisture, and metal or copper earth which can produce no crops. There will be no fruit and no produce. The land will be a desolation and your cities, O Israel, will be ruinous devastations. So fearful will all the world be for you that you will flee at the sound of a leaf scraping the ground when blown by the wind. And yet, nonetheless, I the Lord will remember my promise to your forefathers, my covenant with them.

This highly emotional chapter ends with the assertion that all of the address to Israel was at Sinai, following the detail of law which in turn followed the Ten Utterances.

There follows now the methods of funding the sanctuary. Strange to our world of discourse is an ancient practice of offering oneself or one’s house or one’s land to the sanctuary. If one really does not want to go through with such an offer, he may redeem himself or his house or his land or his cattle or whatever by adding 20 percent to the value of it and getting it back. The priests become the assessors and treasurers in transac-

tions of this kind.

The chapter--and thus the Book of Leviticus--ends with the proper conclusion: it reminds the reader that all of this was given at Sinai. If that means not literally at Sinai, it means in the spirit of Sinai, that is, the Lord Himself directly charging the House of Israel. We are not yet at the end of “Sinai,” but we are at the end of the Book of Leviticus. “Sinai” continues into the next Book of Torah.

DEATH SUE GREENBERG Sue Greenberg died May 22. Services were held May 25 at Beth El cemetery.

She was preceded in death by her husband, David Greenberg.

She is survived by her sister, Ruth Skolnik: daughters and sons-in-law, Judy and Eugene Kohn of Waban, MA, and Lois and Joel Finkel; sister-in-law, Pauline Hoberman; grandchildren, Michael and Stacy Schreiber of Westport, CT, Richard and Janet Rebman of Hanover, NH; Andrew Kohn of New York, Kevin and Cristi Finkel of Philadelphia, PA; and Marti Finkel; and five great-grandchildren.

Memorials to the American Heart Association.

To Submit an Obituary Notice: Send full name, age, date of death, location of service and burial site to the Jewish Press via e-mail: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; fax, 402.4.5422; or mail, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68114.

Survivors shall be listed, including names of surviving spouse, sisters, brothers, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, sons, daughters, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren and their places of residence; the numbers (but not names) of great-grandchildren, as well as the name of the spouse or children who preceded the deceased in death. The cause of death may be included, if authorized by the immediate family.

In cases where confusion might arise due to people of the same name either being the deceased or a survivor, maiden names or middle initials shall be added, if known. Nieces and nephews shall be listed when there are no surviving children or grandchildren. Friends of the deceased (companions or life partners) shall be listed. Other pertinent biographical information (including honors or the serving as an officer in a Jewish organization) may be included at the Editor’s discretion. Memorial suggestions are acceptable to any bona fide, charitable organization; addresses will be included to out-of-state non-profit organizations, if provided.

Obituaries--as well as engagements, marriages and commitment ceremonies-, can be submitted at the Jewish federation’s website. Just go to: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press and click on “Sumbit Announcements.”

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by URI LEVIN JCC Shaliach Shalom to all Jewish ninth-12th graders. Get ready for a Boot Camp Overnight….Israel style. On Saturday, June 4, 5 p.m., we will meet at the Jewish Community Center and head out to Carol Joy Holling Retreat Center in Ashland for an overnight outdoors adventure with an Israeli army flavor. Every Israeli soldier starts his/her military service with basic training. For some, it is a few weeks and for others, it could go for almost a year, depending on the unit.

Now, teens can experience just a small portion of it in Omaha. Throughout the night, we will build tents,

experience special drills, play night games, eat next to the fire. We will also participate in team-building and trust programs through the Co-Op Adventure Program.

Learn through experience, process the experience and then attempt to apply new insights to real-life situations.

Team-building is the core. Success is not measured by achievement, but in willingness to support your team and learning from the experience. The Co-Op Adventure is a lesson in determination, cooperation and planning. It is a process you cannot fail.

For more information about the Israeli Army experience please contact me at 334-6403 or e-mail ulevin@jccomaha.org.

Women of Reform Judaism Install New Board

Former Omahans Sponsor Oneg at B’nai Israel

Women of Reform Judaism installed its new officers May 18 at a dinner at Julio’s. past Immediate President Nancy Nogg, standing left, new President Cindy Goldberg, and past Presidents (seated) Joanie Lehr and Stacey Rockman were among those who attended. Other new officers are Linda Saltzman and Nancy Nogg, vice presidents of membership; Marta Fox, vice president of development; Susan Rothholz and Becki Brenner, vice presidents of religious action; Danielle Gordman, Rosie Zweiback, and Bonnie Pfrenger, vice presidents of programming; Susan Lehr, vice president of finance; Karli Newman and Deb Marburg, vice presidents of public relations; Jennifer Cohen, Wendy Reiss, and Ellen Long, vice presidents of religious living; Jill Baron, recording secretary; Danielle Gordman, president elect.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

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What a deal--36 words for just $18 (30¢ for each additional word). Call the Press, 402.334.6448 for more info.

Here’s my ad for jBay: Name ________________________________________ Address _______________________________________ City, State and Zip _______________________________ The Jewish community in Council Bluffs was treated to a special Oneg Shabbat recently, sponsored by former Omahans Steve and Toni Goodman of Ft. Meyers, FL. At B’nai Israel for services and the Oneg were, front row: Toni Goodman, left, Barbara Goodman, Bonnie Leiserowitz and Shayna Kurland; back row: Harold and Ruth Edelman, Jim and Karen Turpen, Steve Goodman, Bob Goodman, Allen Kurland, Martin Leiserowitz and Harold Siporin.

Phone _______________ Check enclosed for $ _________ Mail to jBay, The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154 The Jewish Press jBay classifieds are only for use by individuals–businesses should contact the Advertising Department– Allan Handleman, 334.6451 for display ads.

Page 16

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

May 27, 2005

Beth El Quilt Project to Be Unveiled Continued from page 1 in my head of a quilt block pattern, but the more I thought about it, I started to explore the concept of using wavy lines rather than straight lines,” she explained.

“In my quilt, the end result is a soft approach leading to heaven--with wavy lines reaching from earth to heaven. The lines reach from the lower left corner of the quilt--which represents earth, using earth tones--up through rainbow colors, to the upper right corner--in yellows-representing heaven.”

Another long-time quilter, Karin Levine has come by her passion for the craft quite honestly, following in the footsteps of generations of quilters in her family. Levine began quilting 15 years ago, and gave most of her creations to friends and loved ones as baby gifts or graduation presents. She’s known by her friends’ children in Minneapolis as “The Quilt Lady,” and said she takes great pleasure in knowing that 18-year-olds still have the quilts she made for them when they were babies.

Working on the “Living an Ageless Story” has been an honor for Levine, who joked that “I had an art teacher in high school who really discouraged me [as an artist], so this is my revenge. I can’t paint, but I love color, so this is my way of getting back at her. I really was an artist--she just didn’t see it!”

On a more serious note, she remarked that “just being part of this group of people who put so much energy into this project is really amazing, as well as knowing the quilts will be on display at Beth El forever. I’ll be a part of the future of Beth El, even though I wasn’t a part of the history of the synagogue.” (Levine and her family have resided in Omaha for the past seven years.)

Levine’s quilt, “Joseph’s Coat of Many

Colors,” was painstakingly created with over 100 different fabrics, including 66 strips of different colors. Then, she noted, “I did gematria with the strips: there are two strips that are the same width of the tablets of the law; three for the Avot, four for the Imahot, five for the five books of the Torah...some fifth-grade boy is going to have a great time figuring out the tricks behind this quilt!”

Young people figured prominently in “Jerusalem, City of Gold,” the quilt conceived by artist Julie Phillips. When asked to participate in “Living an Ageless Story”, Phillips agreed, knowing from the get-go that she wanted children of all ages to have a hand in transferring an image of the old city of Jerusalem onto an assemblage of 35 canvases, making a fivefoot by seven-foot mural.

“All last summer I got together with young artists and we collectively created a beautiful mixed media mural of the Old City,” Phillips said. “The method was fun; after the basic outline of the cityscape was drawn onto the 35 canvases, each artist randomly selected one or more canvases to paint and collage. I encouraged them to used their creativity and do what they were so inspired to do, using a wide variety of fabulous materials like fabric paint, photo images, jewels glitter, etc. The only guideline was that the basic design had to be visible, so that when all the canvases were reassembled, the mural would tell its story.

The result is fabulous --I want to keep it!”

Phillips described the quilt as “the kind of piece that is visually exciting at first look and becomes meaningful and even more interesting the longer you study it.

I think people will see something new each time they see it.

“The young artists will be so proud when they see it hanging in the synagogue,” she

added. “Some of them are off to college now so this will be a little piece of them that will always be there.”

The team of Susi Frydman-Levin and Ozzie Nogg were drawn to the theme of “Miriam and the Women” and after embarking on the creation of the fabric collage, changed course several times before deciding Among the artists who helped to create “Jerusalem, City of Gold” were, seated, Arielle Levine, left, and Elina Yurikov; upon the final design.

“We knew from the start standing: Sarah Edelstein, Eva, Julie and Lilly Phillips, Ellene that we wanted to use lit- and Julia Edelstein, Noam Margalit, Alana Kinarsky, Michael tle cloth dolls on the Popkov and Becky Kahn. quilt,” Nogg said. “We put out a call to inspiration of the women who helped to Beth El women, asking for materials - create and dress the dolls. When I look at handkerchiefs, lingerie, bits of fabric, what we’ve made, I feel we represented beads--and one morning a group of us the different aspects of women’s nature.”

Nogg noted that “in the end, Susi and got together and dressed the little cloth heard what the women on the quilt I dolls, using the donated stuff. The quilt wanted to say--how they chose to move went through a ‘gazillion’ incarnations; and what they preferred to wear and who each time Susi and I met to work on it, they wanted to stand next to. In the end, the design changed. It had a mind of its ‘doll women’ on the quilt helped Susi the own. But we did incorporate many of the and me learn more about ourselves and little dolls and personal items so that Beth about one another and get even closer-El women could find ‘pieces’ of themso I owe them a thank you.” selves in the quilt and feel a part of it.”

Her friend and artistic partner respondThe repeated incarnations and revamped by saying that working with Nogg was ing were at times frustrating to the artists. “the best thing I could have dreamed of.

“It was like working with our souls, not It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience I’ll just the fabric. The creative process brings always treasure.” out all the artists’ wishes, anxieties, disapof the women responsible for All pointments and dreams, and I felt Ozzie “Living an Ageless Story” expressed gratand I were able to work through it all itude for the privilege of being a part of together,” said Frydman-Levin, who had this historic project for Beth El’s milenever quilted before. (“In Argentina, and Nogg seemed to stone anniversary, people knit, weave and sew, but they feelings when she said sum up everyone’s don’t quilt!” she joked.) about her quilt: “It will feel good to finalShe also tipped her hand to those who ly see it hanging on the wall.

I hope it will volunteered to create the dolls, saying, make people smile a bit.”

“We benefited from all the energy and

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#I5743. 10k miles, Leather, Panoramic Sunroof, Dual Climate. Save Big Over New!

#P4461. 42k miles, Cold Weather Package, Xenon Headlights. Rare Manual Transmission!

2003 BMW 325I

2003 BMW 330I

33,900

#P4501. 13k miles, Sport Package, Power Top, Auto. Summer Special!

$

29,990

#P4738. 14k miles, Leather, Sunroof, Cold Weather Package. Very Nice Car!

$

6833 Telluride Drive Lincoln, Ne 27th Street & I-80 Intersect.

800-204-0846 PER MONTH

*

#I5825A. 31k miles, Cold Weather Package, Xenon Headlights. Very Sharp!

2002 BMW 530I $ 639

PER MONTH

ner ry a o L E FRE p & Deilve s k-U And Picervice Vehicleastern of S where in E ny A ka m o r F Nebras

31,900

#I6559A. 27k miles, Cold Weather Package, Xenon Headlights, Premium Sound System.

BMWof Lincoln 2002 BMW 525I $ 549

G.S. “Jerry” Chesen 402-479-7600 1-888-427-4234

Why BMW Certified Pre-Owned? ✓ Are Certified by BMW-Trained Technicians ✓ Have available lease financing. ✓ Are backed by a Protection Plan. Up to

BMW of Lincoln

*

#L4424. 33k miles, Premium Package, Park Distance Control. Extremely Nice!

*36 Month Lease, 10k Miles Per Year, $2,500 Down (Cash or Trade) Plus 1st Payment and Security Deposit W.A.C. 3.9% On Select Vehicles. All Vehicles Locally Owned.

6701 Telluride Dr. Lincoln, NE 68521

ONLY 22 M The Gretnianutes From , NE Exit!