June 27, 2014

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

Hello, Summer!

June 27, 2014 29 Sivan 5774 Vol. 94 | No. 41

This Week

YJO visits Typecast/Recast Page 3

Audio books at Kripke Library Page 5

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Editor, Jewish Press If you’ve visited the Jewish Community Center recently, you’ve noticed the increased activity in the JCC Youth Department. Summer Camp 2014 is off to a great start, thanks to the skilled staff and some very enthusiastic kids.

Camps are offered for a variety of age groups, ranging from two to 18 years old. There’s something for everyone, and if you haven’t signed up yet, it’s not too late!

In addition to Day Camp (Pre-K 7th grade) there are a variety of Specialty Camps in the areas of sports, arts, dance, and musical theater.

Upcoming Specialty Sports Camps include JCC Cheer Camp (K-6th grades) taking place July 7- 11. From July 14-17, kids in 3rd – 8th grade can have a full day of basketball with the Eric Behrens Basketball Camp in the morning from 9 a.m. – noon and then with Coach Nick’s Basketball Fundamentals Clinic offered from 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Anyone age 6-14 can sign up for the JCC Kids Tri-Camp, which runs Continued on page 2

JCC Camp counselor Yaniv Azriel brings on the fun

A remarkable career A science and an art Israel Diary Page 6

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

8 10 11

No Press The Jewish Press will not publish on July 4, 2014 See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Editor, Jewish Press When Barbara Kirkpatrick began working at the Jewish Federation of Omaha, she was a mere 17 years old, her hair was long, and she never drove herself “because my sister Mary had the car.” It was 1967, the conflict in Vietnam was in full swing, Elvis was still thin and nobody had landed on the moon yet. Together with Mary and friend Kathy Watkins, Barbara –who is known by all as BK attended business school and worked the receptionist’s desk (back then they called it the basket room) at the Jewish Community Center from 5 pm until 10 pm. Her pay was $1.25 per hour. It was the beginning of a 47-year-long career, starting at 20th and Dodge, and soon ending on 132nd Street with her retirement.

“It was Federation DirectorPaul Veret who hired me,” says BK, “and I distinctly remember the first time I answered the phone. The caller wanted to talk to Harry Kulakofsky, and I had absolutely no idea

how to spell that. Besides, even back then my handwriting was horrible.

Paul even asked me: “If I sent you to handwriting school, would you go?”

Rocky Lipp (now Rocky Lewis)

Barbara Kirkpatrick was in charge of the Jewish Federation’s Annual Campaign master files, BK remembers. “The names are on 5x7 cards, handwritten, and I’ve told Julee Katzman she’s not allowed to ever get rid of them. They hold a wealth of information, and they are part of the community’s history.”

In 1968, Rocky left to get married, and BK started working full time.

Her job title was “Master File Secretary,” and her responsibilities included typing 2,500 campaign pledge cards (no computers!), calling newcomers, and recording deaths, births, and other life events. But BK also Continued on page 2

by OZZIE NOGG and marked with sensitivity, warmth DAVID GOLBITZ and love. “Our family will honor The dictionary definition: “Nurse Dar at kiddush following services,” -- to tend the sick, injured or in- Sherman Golbitz said. “She did her firm; to comfort and treat, especially in order to prevent pain; to contribute to an individual’s physical and emotional well-being. Nursing -a science and an art; a profession that promotes quality of life.”

The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home definition: Nurse, nursing -- Darlene Golbitz, who provided all the above to the elderly in our community for more than 30 years.

All good things, however, come to an end, and on Sunday, July 6, Darlene will walk out of the Blumkin Home and into a well-deserved retirement, not that she wants to make a big deal out of it.

“She doesn't like the spot- After more than 30 years at the Rose light,” her son David said. Blumkin Jewish Home, Registered Nurse “She doesn't like being the Darlene Golbitz is retiring. center of attention, but I don't think job with such dedication and comshe realizes how big a part of the passion, and we want to acknowlOmaha Jewish community she's edge the way she cared for the been, and how many lives she's im- health and dignity of those in her pacted. If it were up to her, she’d like charge. We invite the community to to finish her work and retire with- join us in wishing Darlene well as out anyone making a fuss -- to just she begins her retirement.” slink away -- but she's earned Darlene’s connection to the recognition for her contributions, Blumkin Home goes back to the and she deserves it, whether she day she helped residents move from thinks she does or not.” the Dr. Philip Sher Home to the And so, on Saturday morning, RBJH current location. “In PittsJuly 12, Darlene will be called to burgh, where I grew up,” Darlene the Torah at Beth El Synagogue in said, “taking care of the elderly was recognition of her long career Continued on page 3

2 | The Jewish Press | June 27, 2014

Let’s play

by OZZIE NOGG L.O.V.E. (League Offering Volunteers for the Elderly) has scheduled a Game Day on Sunday, July 13, in the Jewish Community Center Auditorium. The event proceeds benefit the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Checkin starts at 11:30 a.m. and play begins at noon. “We invite individuals and groups to either put together your own game or come and join a game,” said Jim Wax, L.O.V.E President, who is coordinating Game Day together with his wife Esther. “All games are welcome -- Mah Jongg, Pan, Bridge, Shanghai, Scrabble, poker, so pick your pleasure and be part of the fun. Snacks and beverages will be served, and we have some terrific door prizes, too.” Registration fee is $18 per person. To register before the July 9 deadline, send your check - payable to LOVE -- to Jim Wax, 1103 No. 93rd Street Omaha, NE 68114, along with names of your table-mates. All proceeds from Game Day are part of the annual monies L.O.V.E. donates to the RBJH. “We’ve very proud to provide a gift to the Blumkin Home every year,” Wax said. “Programs like Game Day allow us to purchase needed items that benefit the Residents and

Blumkin Home staff.” In past years, L.O.V.E. has provided funds for the purchase of a crash cart and defibrillator, new patio furniture for the RBJH courtyard, induction cooking systems for the Home’s kitchen, transportation vehicles, resident cable service, hospice carts, television sets with DVD players for room-bound residents, and prayer books. L.O.V.E. also underwrites new resident welcome gifts, supplies for resident manicures, monthly birthday gifts and prize money for Bingo and other game days. “Basically, we’re here to provide RBJH Residents with elements that increase their quality of life and enhance their surroundings,” Wax said. “It is our honor to take care of those who have taken care of us.”

L.O.V.E. was formed in 1971 and continues to play a vital role at the Blumkin Home. “Current L.O.V.E. volunteers assist with many of our programs,” said Linda A Cogen, Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Volunteer Coordinator, “and there is always a need for additional volunteers. If you have an interest in giving the precious gift of your time, please call to schedule an appointment and visit with me to find your niche.” Linda can be reached at 402.334.6519.

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Continued from page 1 stepped away from her desk from time to time.

“It’s not easy to think of what my favorite memories are,” BK says. “It’s been so many years. What’s really vivid in my mind is the time Kathy Watkins and I spent going to Esther K. Newman Camp in the spring, getting everything set up for the kids. The Camp Director back then was Sherman Poska, of blessed memory, and we had a wonderful time.”

She spent hours, again with Kathy, sewing pillows for the teens in BBYO. Lunch was at a nearby bowling alley, also known as the greasy spoon; since the old J was closer to downtown, “you could walk to 19th Street and walk through the tunnels downtown. We’d go to Brandeis or JC Penney’s after work, and had a great time.”

BK is known for her sense of humor, up for anything, and not averse to dressing up in funny costumes. However, she also has a serious side.

“Learning about Judaism throughout the years has been an eye opener, especially when, in the early days, we’d have campaign meetings and watch films about the Shoah. It was so heartbreaking,” she says. “When I came to work here, I knew absolutely nothing about Judaism, but that changed rather quickly. I started in September and had so many days off for the High Holidays, my father asked if I actually had a job.”

The Jewish Press staff has relied on BK for many years in keeping its budget organized. She’s helpful in other areas as well: when anyone needs a sympathetic ear or some advice, BK is there. She’s much more than a colleague: she’s a very good friend. During the past few months, BK has been extra busy preparing Thierry Ndjike to take over, and it’s not uncommon to see them together in BK’s office, discussing the responsibilities that come with BK’s job.

“BK has done a super job at the Federation,” Ndjike says.

“She just knows how to bring out the best in others. I’m grateful to her for being such a great mentor, and I know we will all miss a great colleague when she retires. I hope she will visit from time to time so we won’t have to go without her smiling face too long. May she get the best of everything in life!”

In recent years, BK has worked most closely with the accounting department of the Jewish Federation, in close contact with CFO Jordana Glazer and Federation Controller Richard Goedeken.

“It’s been a tremendous pleasure, working with BK,” says Glazer. “We’ve all been in situations where long time employees are reluctant to change, but not BK. She always goes with the flow and always has a smile on her face. And with her background in record keeping, she knows this community so well. She may not type those cards by hand anymore, but she still knows what is going on, who just had a baby, who is getting married. She reads the Jewish Press cover to cover, usually knows things before I do, and truly cares about community members. We will miss her enormously.”

Goedeken seconds that sentiment: “The Federation office will just not be the same without BK,” he says. “She is such a pleasure to work with, always puts forth the greatest effort. I congratulate her on her retirement, and I hope she makes the best of it!”

“The campus will not be the same when BK retires,” says CEO Mike Silverman. “She is a continuous source of positive energy and good spirit and just fun to be around.

Hopefully she will come visit us often.”

Julee Katzman, JFO Associate Director, says: “BK embodies who we are as a community. All of us need to stay focused on our mission, and BK personifies that mission. She has that personal touch, and whenever people interact with her, they feel that. Just imagine, she’s been a part of this community for 47 years! She’s interacted with countless people during that time. We are all incredibly grateful that we’ve had someone like Barbara Kirkpatrick for so many years, and we will miss her expertise, her friendship, and her smile.”

A goodbye party for Barbara is scheduled in the Federation auditorium for June 30, at 1:30 p.m. The entire community is welcome to attend. But although BK is retiring, this will certainly be only a partial goodbye. As much as we will all miss her, she’ll miss us too, and has promised to stop by often. We’re going to hold her to that.

“The most meaningful thing about my time here has been the people,” BK says. “The staff I’ve worked with, the camaraderie, and the many community members I’ve built relationships with over the years. At the end of the day, it’s always about the people.”

Hello, summer Continued from page 1 from July 28-31. Participants will join a certified USA Triathlon Coach and learn the proper forms of swimming, cycling and running, while also gaining an understanding of how a triathlon works. Campers will be ready to participate in the Race Omaha Kids Triathlon held Aug. 3rd.

If cultural arts is more your style, Art Camp offers levels of programming for campers ages 3–5 and grades K6th. Art Camp has a new theme/project every week.

Musical Theater Camp (ages 8-18) will run July 7-11, and Dance Camp (ages 5-8) will run July 28-August 1.

For more information, please visit http://www.jewishomaha.org/jcc/camp/ or stop by the building and pick up a camp brochure. If you have questions, feel free to call Director of Youth Programming Stephanie Larm at 402.334.6409 or email slarm@jccomaha.org.

Follow the JCC Youth and Camp Facebook page to stay up to date on the latest photos and announcements: https://www.facebook.com/JCCOmahaYouth?ref=hl.

June 27, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 3

Darlene Golbitz Continued from page 1 a way of life for my family. My grandmother was in a nursing home for 25 years, and we visited her every weekend from the time I was six. I saw my family honor her, even though she often had no idea who they were. I think that’s part of why I chose to stay so long at the Blumkin Home. Call it payback time.”

When Darlene was interviewed in 2007 for a story about the RBJH New Beginning project, she delivered her backstory in one delightful take. “My mother was the deciding factor in my career choice and she was insistent that I become a nurse. Her boss’s daughter had started nursing school, and my mother’s boss was her guiding force, so it seemed like an OK choice, especially since my aunts wanted me to become a teacher like them. But I couldn’t see myself as a teacher, and so, now mind you, I was only 14 at the time, I made the decision to become a nurse.”

Darlene attended nursing school at Montefiore Hospital in Pittsburgh on a full scholarship, became a Registered Nurse, received further training through the University of Pittsburgh, and subsequently graduated from UNO in 1995 with a BGS degree, concentrating on gerontology and public administration. In addition, Darlene holds a Certificate in Gerontology. For the past seven years, Golbitz served as Charge Nurse in the Blumkin Home’s Southwest Neighborhood, where she handled admissions and discharge criteria, plus the development of specialized ways to improve the quality of life for residents as well as for its staff.

It has now been 50 years since Darlene first attended nursing school, and she knows it won’t be easy to step away from the work she’s done for all of her adult life. “I have mixed feelings,” she said. “[Fifty years is] a long time to be a nurse. It’s part of my identity and I know I’m going to miss it. I’m going to miss being with the Residents and their families. I’d like to think I made a positive impact and made their days a little better, made the nursing home more homelike for them.”

Darlene continued: “I’ve always thought it was important to serve as a link for the families, both in and out of town, and it’s been an honor to be part of the Residents’ celebrations and milestones and those of their families.

When my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she moved here from Pittsburgh so I could take care of her. For the last two months of her life, I entrusted the Blumkin staff with her care and they were fantastic. My colleagues are very special people.”

Speaking for those colleagues, Josh Gurock, Director of Operations at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, said, “Darlene’s combination of knowledge and patience will be hard to replace. I want to thank Darlene for

her dedication and years of service to the Blumkin Home, and wish her much success in her future plans.” Shelley Cash, the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Director of Nursing, added, “Darlene is one of the most caring, giving, generous and selfless people I have ever met. She has patience like no other, and always gave 110% to the Residents and their families. In a way, Dar is like a detective, because she went to all lengths to figure out a problem and find a solution. All of us -- the Residents, their family members and staff -will miss her very much. Darlene Golbitz will never be replaced. She is a gem that will shine forever at the Blumkin Home.”

“I hope I’ve served as a role model for my children and grandchildren.”

Darlene Golbitz About the staff she leaves behind, a staff she helped train, Darlene is positive that the Blumkin Home residents will be in good hands. “It’s important to have this kind of nursing home, one with a staff as committed and caring as the staff at the Blumkin Home,” she said. “They go above and beyond. They see the whole person and their needs.

They’re very dedicated and very caring.”

Darlene Golbitz personifies the concept of l’dor v’dor -- from generation to generation.

“This work completes me,” she said back in 2007. “It fulfills my emotional and spiritual needs. I love reminiscing and learning everyone’s history and the stories that are meaningful to them and to their families.

Sometimes it’s just saying Shabbat Shalom or Good Shabbos on Saturday morning to the Jewish residents and seeing the recognition and remembrance in their eyes.”

When Darlene acknowledged that some current Blumkin Home Residents are children of people she cared for twenty-five years ago, she was uncharacteristically hard pressed for words. “I’m privileged to care for them, just as I cared for their parents,” she said. “With a Resident or family member there are special feelings that come with end-of-life times. It’s difficult to express.”

According to Sherman Golbitz, “Dar loved this job, but it has worn on her. She’s 68 now, and in the last few years she’s been caring for Residents who are her own age, and that’s hard.” With a smile, Darlene added, “It’s time to retire and get a little distance before I come back to the Blumkin Home as a Resident myself.”

Once retired, Darlene plans to keep busy.

She has grandchildren to spend time with and classes she wants to take. And she hopes to poke her head in at the Blumkin Home from time to time as a volunteer. “I look forward to not getting up at 5 a.m. anymore,” Darlene said. “But I will definitely not sit at home. I think when I’m done, I’ll just take a deep breath and keep on going.”

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YJO visits Typecast/Recast

by JUSTIN ZACHARY SPOONER Development Associate, Jewish Federation of Omaha On Monday June 30 at 7 p.m., join Young Jewish Omaha at the public art exhibit TypecastRecast.

We will start at the Old Mattress Factory in Downtown Omaha and then walk across the street to get an up-close and personal tour of the TypecastRecast exhibit from our ADL Regional Director Alan Potash.

TypecastRecast is an

annual public art exhibit conceived of and produced for Omaha by the ADL. The ADL and Typecast Recast seek to improve the culture of understanding in our community so that all people--no matter who they are--can strive to live in a respectful and hate-free world.

After the exhibit, we will go back to the Old Mattres Factory for drinks and dinner. The Old Mattress Factory is located at 501 N 13th St.

Beth Cohen & Harry Berman Randi Friedel Jablin Julee Katzman

Abigail & Adam Kutler Memorial Howard Silber Suzanne Singer Esther & Jim Wax

RE P O RT E R Marcia Arch Janey Dann Sharon & Howard Epstein Liz & Yonatan Feldstern Judith Feigin Lois N. Friedman Jordana & Jim Glazer Alan Goodman Jerry Gordman Myrna Grumer Margie & Bruce Gutnik

Sara & Ari Kohen David Lercher Judy & Van Marcus Elinore Penner Susan Rothholz Lynne & Errol Saltzman Caryn Scheer Memorial Howard Silber Susan Silverman Jan & Phil Wayne

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FRIDAY, JUNE 27 Beth El Social Action Committee cooks and serves lunch, 11:30 a.m. at the NE AIDS Coalition Summer Shabbat Evening Services: A Pause for Reflection, 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16 NJHS Board Meeting, 4 p.m.

SATURDAY, JUNE 28 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel

FRIDAY, JULY 18 Star Deli-Dairy Deli Day, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH

SUNDAY, JUNE 29 Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Beth El Social Action Committee Serves Dinner, 5:30 p.m. at The Stephen Center

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TUESDAY, JULY 1 BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

FRIDAY, JULY 4 Independence Day Holiday JCC Holiday Hours, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Fourth of July Pool Party, noon – 4 p.m.

SATURDAY, JULY 5 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, JULY 6 Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El TUESDAY, JULY 8 Jewish Medical Ethics, noon at Med Center BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9 Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, JULY 10 Center for Jewish Life Board Meeting, noon Mainstreeters Baseball Game, 7 p.m. at Werner Park

THURSDAY, JULY 17 Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group, 1 p.m.

SATURDAY, JULY 19 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, JULY 20 Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El MONDAY, JULY 21 Nebraska Jewish Historical Society Genealogy Club, 1:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, JULY 22 Eye on Israel, 1 p.m.

BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23 RBJH Entertainer, 1:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, JULY 25 Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH SATURDAY, JULY 26 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, JULY 27 Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El MONDAY, JULY 28 USY on Wheels visits Beth El, 5:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, JULY 29 USY on Wheels visits Beth El, 8 a.m.

BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

FRIDAY, JULY 11 Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH SATURDAY, JULY 12 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel

Publishing Date | 07.11.14 Space Reservation | 07.01.14 Camera Ready Deadline | 07.03.14 Promote your business in this special issue with an ad and short article. Contact our advertising representative to advertise in this very special edition.

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SUNDAY, JULY 13 Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El TUESDAY, JULY 15 The Ethics of Our Fathers, 2 p.m. at Remington Heights BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

All events held at the Jewish Community Center unless otherwise noted. This calendar does not include all community events. For a complete listing, visit the Federation’s website: www.jewishomaha.org (click on calendar). To keep calendar accurate, call Pat Anson at 402.334.8200. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of the above events.

June 27, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 5

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Beth El recognizes teen leaders during annual meeting

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Four Beth El teens were honored for their dedication and outstanding service to the congregation, during the synagogue’s annual meeting held earlier this month.

ment with the congregation met the award’s criteria, which include regular attendance at BESTT Hebrew High School, Torah reading and/or Haftorah chanting, leading service portions in the sanctuary, attendance at services and participation in the synagogue’s USY youth group, as well as other

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Alyssa Cohen

Julia Edelstein

Zach Stein is this year’s recipient of the Joe Ginsberg Leadership Award. Among his involvement, Zach has served on the USY board for two years, has assisted with various Shabbatonim, and has served as an assistant in the Sunday morning kindergarten-first grade classroom.

Alyssa Cohen was honored with the Sisterhood Volunteer Award, given to a student for his/her exceptional service to the synagogue. Over the years, Alyssa has helped out with Junior Congregation, overnights and Kadima Kinnus; she was also an active member of USY, serving a term as the youth group’s president.

The A.B. and Freeda Gendler Award, given to a high school senior who has shown exemplary dedication to the synagogue, was presented to Julia Edelstein. Julia’s involve-

Jake Spivack

Zach Stein

service to the synagogue.

Jake Spivack received the Jack Molad Spirit Award, for his “never-ending enthusiasm for everything Beth El,” said Eadie Tsabari, Director of Congregational Learning. For the past several years, Jake has been a tireless volunteer, helping out with BESTT classes, school retreats, synagogue programs and events, and USY activities.

Eadie Tsabari, Director of Congregational Learning, applauded the winners, saying, “We have a group of teens who are so devoted to Beth El and are constantly here working with our youth. They are all busy kids with special talents who have found time to commit to their synagogue.

They are so deserving of these awards, and we are thrilled to honor them.”

Audio Books at the Kripke Jewish Federation Library

by MARY SUE GROSSMAN The Center for Jewish Life Have plans to hit the open road this summer? Take advantage of your travel time and enjoy audio books from the Kripke Jewish Federation Library as the miles roll along.

These audio CDs are the perfect way to let someone else do the reading while you are enjoying the scenery. The following are a few of the titles available.

Old Jews Telling Jokes – So what’s the difference between a Jewish mother and a Rottweiler? Eventually a Rottweiler will let go! For thousands of years, God’s chosen people have cornered the market on knee-slappers, zingers and knock-knock jokes. Now Old Jews Telling Jokes mines mothers, fathers, bubbies and zaydes for comic gelt. Some are naughty, some are downright bawdy, but either way you’ll laugh till you plotz.

Still Foolin’ Em – Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going and Where the Hell are My Keys? – Read by author Billy Crystal, Still Foolin’ Em looks back at the most memorable moments of Crystal’s storied life and provides a road map to the absurdities and challenges that come with aging. He reflects on everything from Saturday Night Live to the making of City Slickers and When Harry Met Sally to his long run as host of the Academy Awards. It is wise, poignant and laugh-out-loud funny.

Just Say Nu – Yiddish for Every Occasion (When English Just Won’t Do) – Author Michael Wex reads his practical book designed to help you make Yiddish a part of your daily life. Why, you might wonder do you need to pepper your conversation with words, phrases, entire sentences, in a language that almost no one really knows anymore? Wex says “Why not? Yiddish has the unique ability to diminish human misery without providing any concomitant increase in happiness – and if you think that’s easy, here’s your chance to try it out.”

(Wex’s book Born to Kvetch also available as an audio book.)

The Big Jewish Book for Jews – This hilarious collection of instruction, lore and even handicrafts will help you rediscover the traditional wisdom, skills and recipes, going all the way back to Moses and the original exodus from Egypt, when God was the only GPS device around, was written by

Ellis Weiner and Barbara Davilman, the authors of several humor books. Weiner blogs for the Huffington Post and Davilman is a writer-producer for reality television.

Tapestry – The writings of prolific author Belva Plain have been described as storytelling magic at its best. Tapestry continues the saga of the Werner family which Plain began in Evergreen and The Golden Cup. The story revolves around wealthy Paul Werner and interweaves with a myriad of other characters as he quests for ultimate happiness and contentment.

Blessings - Another Belva Plain offering, Blessings weaves the story of Jennie Rakowsky and how her dreams are coming true. About to marry a wonderful man and her law career skyrocketing, a secret she has hidden for 19 years threatens to shatter it all. From growing up as a child of impoverished Holocaust survivors to discovering the world of America’s Jewish aristocracy, Jennie learned how important family and heritage can be. She now has to discover the values that went even deeper.

Sacred and Profane – Author Faye Kellerman continues to develop the story of Detective Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus.

Decker has grown very close to Rina’s young sons, and he looks forward to spending a day of vacation camping with the boys. It is a nice reprieve from the grueling work of a homicide detective until one of the boys stumbles upon a gruesome site. Two human skeletons, charred beyond recognition, are identified as teenage girls. As the father of a 16 year-old daughter, Decker’s vacation time is over and he throws himself – professionally and personally – into the case. (Other Kellerman audio books are Milk and Honey and Straight Into Darkness.)

Other audio book offerings include authors Michael Chabon, Daniel Silva, Dara Horn, Geraldine Brooks, Brad Metzler, Nathan Englander and more.

Library hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday. The Kripke Jewish Federation Library is a program of the Center for Jewish Life as a part of the agency’s mission to maximize involvement of Omaha's Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences. For additional information, please call 402.334.6462.

6 | The Jewish Press | June 27, 2014

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Israel diary Jews stay connected to Israel.

• The government is funding a $100M annual expense for three years to support connecting Jews to Israel and their religious identity.

From there we met with Andrea Arbel, Director of the Partnership Unit. She is extremely sharp, and we talked for about an hour after which we all had lunch together. I MIKE SILVERMAN, CEO, Jewish Federation of Omaha learned: Day one • There are loan funds set up within JAFI to help start-up We left Omaha on Monday afternoon and landed in Tel businesses in Israel. There is a 6-to-1 dollar matching proAviv. According to the clock, it was 24 hours later. We gram with the banks and JAFI because JAFI is essentially enjoyed an easy, uneventful flight. From the airport, we helping to collateralize the loans. Very interesting and great made the one-hour drive way to incentivize Israelis to Jerusalem with a short to take a risk and start a detour to see Mt. Scopus business to help Israel and stopped to say a grow. Our Partnership is Shehecheyanuh at the the administrator of one overlook from Mt. Olive of the loan funds. cemetery, seeing all of the In April 2016, Old City of Jerusalem.

Partnership2Gether will In spite of the long flight be 20 years old, and there and subsequent drive to is a huge push to bring Jerusalem, we still had the about 1000 individuals energy to go to dinner and from each of the partnerwalk around Ben Yehuda ship supporting commuStreet (of course we had to nities to Israel for a week of get ice cream). meetings and celebrations.

After dinner, we went to This will be an amazing our hotel for some much way to see the collective needed sleep. good that each partnership Day Two does, not just the individWorkout in the morning ual partnerships. and then to breakfast.

Andrea informed us What an amazing breakthat although CORE fast spread: fresh fruits, (Federation’s Israel & omelets to order, pasta salOverseas Funding) fundads, fresh baked bread and ing is declining for a variPatty Nogg, left, Beth Cohen, Mike Silverman and Zoë Riekes rugalach, tuna fish and ety of reasons, partnership whitefish. Great way to start the day. Pretty different from funding is actually increasing and has for several years. my normal, American breakfast.

Considering the economic times and the challenges conFrom there, Zoe Riekes, Beth Cohen and I went to the nected to fundraising, this program has clearly allowed Jews Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) offices to meet with Dr. all over America to realize how their dollars are having an Meryl Weissmann, Director of Resource Development for impact on specific people and programs.

Programs. We learned the following and much more: From there we went with Judy Yuda, our Partnership • A history of the State of Israel, the origin of JAFI, and the Director, from Jerusalem to the Western Galilee. About a history of the JAFI building, the Sachnut, which is the same two-hour drive through many towns and cities, and Judy building where David Ben Gurion had the initial meetings was a fabulous tour guide. Tonight, we have dinner with to create Israel. The work that takes place in the building to other partnership communities in our consortium and then this day helps Israel and Jews worldwide. we’re off to meetings tomorrow.

• An overview of the Shaliach program, MASA (5-10 Day Three month Israel experiences for post-high school students), Early start this morning as Beth and I headed first thing to and Onward (5 week Israel experience for post-high school the Hemed School way up north near the Lebanon border. students).

There is a World ORT school there that Omaha helped • There is a tremendous focus on making sure that young Continued on page 7

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June 27, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 7

Israel diary

Kidnap victims

Continued from page 6 Hospital many times, and support by sponsoring a in viewing this space, I smart classroom. This have to say that I was very means that there is an proud to represent interactive white board Omaha. Our financial that connects to the intersupport and partnership net and also has the ability with the Hospital, and so for touch controls, and all much of the Western the kids have access to lapGalilee area, is truly maktops. The kids love it and ing a difference. I am really enjoy learning on it. happy to be able to see this I have to say it is very first hand. impressive, and all of Getting ready for dinner Omaha’s Jewish communitonight with partnership ty should be very proud group and a local program The view from Mount Olive that we supported this for physically disabled important learning tool. The way the teachers are teaching is young adults called Kivunim. A local chef who is highly also impressive – they teach the kids how to learn and regarded is donating his services to support the cause, so it process information, not just facts. The children have to rea- promises to be spectacular. son through situations and create solutions that make sense.

Stay tuned for another update soon!

From there, Beth and I went to the Command Center for Matte Asher and met the director. The Command Center provides monitoring of dozens of kibbutzim and moshavim and includes Israeli and Arab villages. This is a completely safe building and a shelter when necessary, and unfortunateB’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS ly they needed to use the space as one during the second Speakers to be announced for Wednesday, July 2, noon Lebanon war. There is direct communication with individu- and Wednesday, July 9, noon, at the Rose Blumkin Jewish als in the field when necessary, and they have acquired a Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $11; beverage service radio system that allows for continuous communication even only is $3. For more information or to be placed on the email when the internet and electricity go down. Very impressive. list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.

Next stop lunch, and then Beth Zuriel, our partnership LOMIR REDN YIDDISH special projects staff person in Israel, took me to the Our meetings are on Thursdays from 1-3 p.m., at the Western Galilee Hospital where we met Amir Yarchi, CEO of the Friends of the Western Galilee Hospital and Sara Rose Blumkin Jewish Home’s boardroom. We welcome all Paperin, International Affairs for the Ministry of Health. who would like to attend. For information call Anne Both spent time in Omaha not too long ago, so it was nice to Skolkin at 402.343.1638. see familiar faces.

We toured through the hospital and paid particular attenJEWISH PRESS NOTICES tion to the underground shelter area that handled each and The Jewish Press office is closed Friday, July 4, for every patient during the second Lebanon war. That’s over Independence Day; the deadline for the July 11 issue is 700 people with full medical services staff, kitchen, laundry, Tuesday, July 1, 4 p.m. There will be no Jewish Press and their families! Extremely impressive facility and much on July 4, 2014. Questions? Call 402.334.6448. to be proud of. Omaha has supported the Western Galilee

Organizations

From the desk of the President JAY NODDLE, President, Jewish Federation of Omaha Dear Omaha Jewish Community, It has been over a week since we learned of the kidnapping of three teenagers in Israel.

The Jewish Federation of Omaha is paying close attention to the developments around the kidnapping of Eyal Yifrach, Naftali Fraenkel and Gilad Shaer. Thursday June 12th, these three teenage yeshiva students were kidnapped as they left the village of Kfar Etzion south of Jerusalem.

Both Naftali, who holds American citizenship and GIlad are 16 and study at Mekor Chaim yeshiva; Eyal studies at Shavei Hebron yeshiva and is 19. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of these young men, as the Israeli authorities continue their efforts to ensure their safe return.

The Jewish Federation of North America has created a support and information page called Bring Back our Boys.

Feel free to contact Alan Potash at APotash@adl.org if you have any questions.

Arts+Entertainment Master Singers present the All That Jazz concert on Sunday, June 29, 6 p.m. at the First Central Congregational Church, 421 South 36th and Harney. The program features songs from jazz greats such as Duke Ellington, Fats Waller and Ella Fitzgerald. Tickets are $15 for adults; children 12 and under are free. For more information, please check out our website: www.mastersingersomaha.com.

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Publishing Date | 07.25.13 Space Reservation | 07.16.13 Camera Ready Deadline | 07.18.13 Contact your advertising representative to advertise in this very special edition.

Jessie Wees | 402.334.6559 | jwees@jewishomaha.org

8 | The Jewish Press | June 27, 2014

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

Balancing the budget ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor There are certain times during the calendar year when it seems natural to make up the balance. Rosh Hashanah, Dec. 31, graduations and anniversaries all qualify. For us at the Jewish Press, the end of the old and the beginning of the new budget year is one of those moments. And we don’t publish the first week of July, so we have a little extra time to contemplate where we are going and where we have been.

Like every other Jewish paper in the country, we continue to struggle financially. The good part is: we are still here. At least we have a paper to worry about, which is more than many other communities can say.

Over the past few years, I’ve spent considerable time with my fellow editors around the country discussing the challenges ahead of us. While we anticipated advertising would continue to shrink, I don’t think any of us were truly ready for the massive impact it would have on the world of Jewish news. We watched one Jewish paper after another disappear, and the question of survival is very real. Yet, it is when we are confronted with roadblocks that we can show what we are truly made of. And so, the question right now is not “Will we still exist five, ten years down the road?”

Instead, we are asking ourselves what we are doing to ensure our continued existence. We don’t lie down and consider defeat; we fight. Hard. After all, we are not only doing this for our current communities. We are doing it in honor of all those who came before us, and for those who will come after us. We have a responsibility to the next generation, and we are aware of that responsibility every day.

In addition to working hard at improving our advertising, we have to look for additional income streams. To the

majority of my colleagues that has meant more grant writing, increased subscription prices, and the possibility of minimizing staff. In some communities, papers appear less often, but although going from a weekly to a monthly publishing schedule may cut operating costs now, it would hurt us in the long run.

One thing has become fairly obvious over the past years: papers that are backed by their communities’ Jewish Federations are stronger and have more community support. It is easier to communicate, there is more cooperation between various departments, and the newspaper staff doesn’t have to face challenges alone. Questions are often asked about oversight and a lack of journalistic independence, but the truth is: it’s not about that. It’s about support and assis-

tance, about the ability to share resources, knowledge and expertise.

And the great thing is, we, as Jewish Federation of Omaha professionals, do not have a monopoly on those concepts.

There is an entire community that can help, and many of you have done so in a variety of ways. That means, from time to time, we will ask you for something specific the Jewish Press needs. Right now, there are two things I would like to ask from the community.

Thing one: We are so grateful for those who have donated directly to us through our Jewish Press Club, and we hope many more of you join. The money from the Press Club goes directly into our day-to-day operating budget where it is desperately needed. It’s one of the many tools that help us send the Jewish Press to every Jew in Omaha every week. It’s a great way to show your support of your local community paper.

Thing two: We need help with some of our content.

First of all, if you at any point in time lived in the Bagel neighborhood, consider sharing a memory or a photograph with us before July 28. If you only have print copies of your pictures, we can scan them for you.

Second, we are playing with the idea of reprinting some historical stories. If you have or had a family member you are curious about, email me their full name (or as much of it as you know) and we will try to find them in the archives. We have 90+ years of community history, and while we are impatiently waiting for the day the entire Press archive is online, it would be nice to reprint some nostalgic highlights. I can be reached at avande kamp@jewishomaha.org.

This is a wonderful community. Let’s continue to celebrate it—together.

Jewish Influences in Modern Music

From our intern SARA COHEN

From Arnold Schoenberg to Barbara Streisand, Jewish performers have long held significant presence in the American music industry, and, consequentially, have long been the subjects of public scrutiny. In the realm of modernday music, this publicity produces both positive and negative effects. On one hand, the media attention has been tremendous in helping the general public to build a positive connotation surrounding Judaism and its adherents.

Conversely, a sizable portion of the exposure of Jews in the media may be helping to perpetuate damaging stereotypes.

Widely known for his advocacy for gay rights and other progressive topics, revered hip-hop rapper Macklemore shocked fans on Friday, May 16 when he appeared at a Seattle concert to perform his hit single, Thrift Shop, donned in a costume of a black beard and wig complete with a prosthetic nose. The combination of the peculiar outfit and the parsimoniously themed song immediately prompted critics to recognize anti-Semitic overtones. Though he released a brief apology via Twitter the following week stating, “(The costume was) not my idea of a stereotype of anybody,” many deemed it insincere and fallacious in nature.

Perhaps Macklemore obtained the notion that this type of bigoted behavior was socially acceptable from fellow pop singer Katy Perry, who released a music video for her song Birthday on April 24 that, among other off-putting carica-

(Founded in 1920) Andrew Ruback President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Jessie Wees Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper

Jewish Press Board Eric Dunning, Caryn Scheer, Bobbi Leibowitz, Past President; Scott Farkas; Sandy Friedman; Noah Priluck; Paul Rabinovitz; Mark Senal; Nancy Wolf; David Kotok, Sarah Grossman-Lopez.

The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world.

Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations Committee, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish LIfe, Jewish Social Services, and the Jewish Press.

Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www jewishoma

tures, depicted her as a Bar Mitzvah Entertainer spewing out racy jokes under the alias of Yosef Shulum. Unlike Macklemore, however, the female icon neglected to issue any sort of explanation for her stereotypical behavior featured in the video.

Despite these disheartening incidents, other developments in the music industry have created positive publicity for Jews and their diverse culture. Adulated singers and pop idols Madonna and Rihanna, along with other celebrities, have been spotted wearing jewelry embellished with Hamsa pendants, an image many Jews associate with Israel, their spiritual homeland.

Meanwhile, numerous figureheads of the music industry have been noticed flashing Hebrew tattoos. Though often flawed in meaning and inherently erroneous in their violation of the Leviticusderived law prohibiting such body altering, it remains difficult not to find this dilettantish attempt at cultural veneration slightly flattering.

Possibly the most exciting occurrence in the modern music industry, however, presents itself in the resurgence of Klezmer music and other compositions of Jewish origins hidden in top-grossing pop songs. Jason Derulo’s Talk Dirty, which dominated pop charts throughout April and May, featured

an instrumental theme from the New York-based Israeli band “Balkan Beat Box.” Shortly after the song soared to popularity, an ensemble directed by Scott Bradlee filmed and uploaded to YouTube their own rendition of the song, translating the rap verses into Yiddish. The video since has received nearly 1 million views and has prompted additional covers of similar variety.

New York band “Golem” has also made headlines this summer, entertaining vast audiences with their self-described Punk Klezmer style of music. Potentially, their band could become the impetus of a revolutionary new genre of music, simultaneously directing public recognition towards an important facet of Jewish culture.

As evidenced by the above events, the portrayal of Jews in pop music and its accompanying culture spans a vast array of sentiments. Nevertheless, Jewish music buffs can most certainly maintain an attitude of optimism and excitement in regards to the future of the industry. And to address the controversy concerning Katy Perry, Macklemore, and any other artists who attempt to defend themselves for obvious displays of anti-Semitism, one may consider the age-old Yiddish proverb: Words show the wit of a man, but actions his meaning.

ha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’

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

and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf.

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Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial

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

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Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.

June 27, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 9

Praying for three boys whose plight hits close to home

Behind the headlines MARCY OSTER KARNEI SHOMRON, West Bank (JTA) -- Four days into the search for three kidnapped Israeli teens, I attended a group prayer session dedicated to their safe return.

Dozens of women gathered together to read responsively psalms seeking God’s mercy and intervention before the start of our morning Jewish studies classes. Our voices broke as we prayed for the boys’ safe return, though most of us do not know the families personally.

I returned home to find my teenage daughter, who is about the same age as two of the boys and should be studying for finals, preparing to perform special mitzvot to help bring them home. My teenage son returned home from school and immediately ran off to participate with the community’s youth in special prayers on behalf of the captives.

It is amazing how quickly the rhythm of our lives and our daily schedules has begun to revolve around the three teens, including one dual Israeli-American citizen, who were kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists while trying to get rides home from a junction in Gush Etzion, a bloc of settlements located south of Jerusalem.

Since the abduction of Gilad Shaar, Eyal Yifrach and Naftali Frenkel, we are all checking news sources from the Web earlier and more often on our computers at work or on our phones. Even my younger children have been coming

home from school and turning on the television news instead of their usual Nickelodeon. Not that some SpongeBob wouldn’t do us all some good.

I have not slept well since the boys were discovered kidnapped, and it is clear to me that none of my neighbors and friends here in Israel have either, if the times stamped on their Facebook posts are any indication. We ask each other for updates at the supermarket, at exercise class, at school pickup.

We talk about our fears for the boys around the Shabbat table and at the “makolet,” or corner store. We curse their kidnappers as we pick up the kids from the pool and at the library.

We are living and breathing their captivity while also going about our daily lives. We simply must.

One of the day-to-day aspects of living here that has continued is that the residents of my community, located in the northern West Bank halfway between Qalqilya and Nablus, continue to “tremp,” or hitchhike, to get around.

Some in the Israeli media have been portraying tremping as a settler phenomenon in which those who hitchhike can show their ownership over all places in Israel and their brotherhood with all Israelis. But, in fact, for most of our kids, tremping is simply a means of getting from place to place without waiting hours and hours for buses that run infrequently and do not always arrive. And it occurs not only in the West Bank but in many areas of Israel’s periphery.

After a Shabbat of anxiety over the fate of the three boys, my oldest daughter left to return to her apartment in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, where she is performing

her second year of national service. She tremped to the train station near Rosh Haayin in central Israel. My husband and I do not allow my other children to tremp. However, my oldest daughter is nearly 20, an adult who has to make her own decisions. She was not alone in deciding to continue to tremp.

For me the place where the boys were kidnapped also holds a significant resonance. That same daughter performed her first year of national service in several communities in Gush Etzion. Every Thursday night for a year she stood at the same junction where the three boys were abducted as she waited for a ride to get her home. It could have been her.

But right now, the kidnapped teens are the sons of all of us.

We wait, we pray, we cry. We figuratively embrace their brave mothers who each have spoken to us through the media, their faces alight with hope and faith that their sons will be returned to them.

And we pray that our own children will be safe. I was on the phone Sunday night with my daughter in Ashkelon when she heard the Iron Dome anti-missile system intercept two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.

I had called her because the Code Red alert app on my smartphone had sounded and I wanted to make sure that she had made it to the stairwell of her apartment building, which is not equipped with a bomb shelter. I put the app on my phone, which alarms in real time, out of an obsessive desire to know whether or not she is safe at all times. But it is clear that we can never be assured of that.

In addition to his innovative campaigns to reach out both to communities and to individuals (such as through the tefillin campaign and the Shabbat candle-lighting campaign), perhaps the foremost idea the Rebbe preached was the love of every Jew. This idea may sound neither innovative nor revolutionary. After all, “Love your neighbor as yourself ” -- the basis of the Golden Rule -- is the Torah’s most famous verse (Leviticus 19:18), and two of Judaism’s best-known rabbis, Hillel and Akiva, regarded it as Judaism’s most fundamental law.

With such emphasis on the centrality of love of neighbor, it would seem that interpersonal love was always a uniformly treasured and practiced part of Judaism. Only it wasn’t. The Talmud attributes the first-century Roman destruction of Judea and the Temple in Jerusalem, perhaps the greatest catastrophe in Jewish life prior to the Holocaust, to “sinat chinam,” causeless hatred, inside the Jewish community -- a hatred that made it impossible for the Jews to unify and fight as one force against their Roman oppressors. Internal conflicts, often serious, have long characterized Jewish communal life.

The Rebbe intuited that while all Jews are familiar with the commandment “Love your neighbor as yourself,” it seems that virtually everyone, even some otherwise very great figures, have reasons and rationales to justify why it doesn’t apply to those with whom they disagree.

The Rebbe therefore modeled a new pattern, one of nonjudgmental love for all Jews. Some critics of Chabad suspected that this well-known predilection of the Rebbe was a tactic intended to augment financial support for the movement or to stimulate goodwill for Chabad. But they were wrong. This love represented what the Rebbe really felt.

Israel’s former chief rabbi, Israel Meir Lau, has recalled a meeting he had as a young man with the Rebbe. Lau proudly explained his involvement in “kiruv rechokim,” bringing back to Judaism lost Jews who had strayed far away. The Rebbe immediately corrected this inherently judgmental language: “We cannot label anyone as being ‘far.’ Who are we to deter-

mine who is far and who is near? They are all close to God.” The belief in the brotherhood of all Jews, not just those who live like you, led to another remarkable innovation: the Rebbe’s willingness to send his followers out into the world.

For the first time in Jewish history, a campaign was launched to reach every Jewish community and every Jew in the world.

The Lubavitch movement now has Chabad houses in 48 American states (only Mississippi and South Dakota are without permanent Chabad representation) and in some 80 countries, run by over 4,000 Chabad couples. The “shluchim” (emissaries), as these couples are known, go to countries as Jewishly remote as the Congo and Cambodia and to cities with small Jewish communities like Jackson Hole, Wyo. And, of course, there are the Chabad Passover seders, the most famous of which, in Kathmandu, drew 1,100 participants in 2012, the large majority of them young Israeli backpackers trekking through Nepal.

It is for reasons such as this, I presume, that Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the immediate past president of the Union for Reform Judaism, referring, among other things, to Chabad’s outreach, once declared: “It is hard for me to say this but I will say it nonetheless: We must follow the example of Chabad.” It is the Rebbe’s legacy that today there are few leaders of any Jewish denomination who would disagree with this advice.

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin is the author of the new book Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History.

The Rebbe’s big idea

Focus on issues JOSEPH TELUSHKIN NEW YORK (JTA) -- Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, was inarguably the most well-known rabbi since Moses Maimonides.

Hundreds of prominent rabbinic figures have lived in the intervening 800 years since Maimonides died. But how many can be named before an audience of Jews from the United States, Israel, France or the former Soviet Union -- the four largest Jewish communities in the world today -- and be so widely recognized, without the speaker needing to add several sentences explaining who the person was?

The Rebbe died 20 years ago this month, but he remains to this day well-known among Rabbi Joseph Telushkin Jews of all denominations.

Credit: S. Friedgood And beyond. Visitors to Morocco have long reported seeing two pictures hanging in Moroccan Jewish homes, one of the Moroccan king and one of the Rebbe. Just a few days ago, I saw a picture of the Rebbe in my local barbershop; the owner is from Uzbekistan.

But, of course, the Rebbe’s significance goes well beyond his name being widely known and his face being widely recognized. What matters far more is the influence he continues to exert.

Several factors in particular account for the Rebbe’s extraordinary impact: first, his innovative ideas on how to reach Jews (later non-Jews as well), along with the army of emissaries he nurtured to carry out his ideas and his vision, eventually in well over a thousand cities.

Buenos Aires mayor speaks from experience when he condemns kidnapping

by RON KAMPEAS Our inboxes have been jammed with statements from politicos condemning the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers.

These are both welcome and par for the course. Who doesn’t want to know the world is watching out for missing children; on the other hand, who doesn’t expect it?

Mauricio Macri, One expression of solidarMayor of Buenos Aires ity that stood out, however, was in a story filed by our Argentina correspondent, Diego

Melamed. Mauricio Macri, the mayor of Buenos Aires, joined 19 other mayors attending a conference in Jerusalem in condemning the abduction.

But he has a special stake in speaking out. Macri himself is a former kidnap victim.

From Diego: “Israeli suffering has to be understood,” the mayor of Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri, told a reporter at the conference.

“From afar, it is easy to give advice, but you have to be in Israel to really understand the situation.”

Macri, who himself spent 14 days in captivity during a kidnapping for ransom in 1991, added that abduction “is the most perverse situation you can find yourself in. I do not know if it is worse for the victim or the family.”

Letter TO THE EDITOR Dear Mike Silverman, I just read this week’s Jewish Press and I offer you the OMAHA JEWISH MEDAL OF HONOR for what you have been able to accomplish with your personal determination and leadership. You have brought the organization back to what I left in 1986, when everybody on the campus was part of a single operation trying to be as frugal as possible while at the same time providing the best services and programs to the Omaha Jewish Community.

May our brilliant perceiving Lord give to you the strength and knowledge to continue the same for many more years.

I am leaving Omaha on July 16th with very opposing feelings. Jewish Omaha has given me and my family a wonderful forty-two years and made me a successful businessman in a community that is fun and a pleasure that few people achieve. I leave solely to obtain the support that my children can provide when I am in their back yard daily. I already have deep feelings about the Omaha Jewish community that provided the Goodman Family with the best years of our lives.

I have watched you since you became a member of the Omaha Community and will admire your accomplishment for whatever time the Lord allows to me.

Shalom, keep up your great work, Alan Goodman

10 | The Jewish Press | June 27, 2014

Candlelighting

Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 402.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com For information on our historic synagogue – dates and times for Friday night services, please call 712.323.8885.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

FRIDAY: Lunch at Nebraska AIDS Project, 11:30 a.m.; Shabbat al Fresco, 6 p.m. Enjoy the cool summer breeze and the warmth of the community as our Erev Shabbat service is held outside in the synagogue’s front courtyard. Come and experience the joy of our Friday evening service in this relaxing and inspirational setting.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9:30 a.m. with guest speaker, Dr. Waitman Beorn, Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, UNO; Mini-minyannaires, 10:30 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:45 p.m.

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

SUNDAY: Torah Study, 10 a.m.; Cooking/serve dinner, 5:30 p.m. at the Stephen Center.

MONDAY: Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group, 7 p.m., at the home of Helen Epstein, and co-hosted by Alice Kosowsky.

FRIDAY, July 4: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY, July 5: Shabbat Services, 9:30 a.m. with guest speaker, Andy Greenberg will address Why Do Animals Talk in TV Advertisement?; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:45 p.m.

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

SUNDAY: Torah Study, 10 a.m.

Kabbalat Shabbat, Friday, July 11, 6 p.m.

Daddy & Me Group, Sunday, July 13, 10 a.m. goes to Stone Ridge Park sprinkler park, located on Butler Avenue between north 162nd Ave and north 163rd St. Bring swimsuits and towels.

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

WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 10 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; The Development of the Oral Tradition, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office. In memory of Forrest Krutter -- Efrayim Menachem Ben Avraham Yitzchak.

THURSDAY: Women’s Study at UNMC with Shani Katzman, noon. RSVP by emailing Marlene Cohen at mzcohen@unmc.edu.

All programs are open to the entire community.

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN South Street Temple | Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street | Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 | 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org Services conducted by Rabbi Craig Lewis.

FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following hosted by Zoya Zeman.

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

SUNDAY: Cantillation Class, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY: Star City Kochavim Rehearsal, 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, July 4: Temple office closed for Independence Day; Pre-service oneg, 5:30 p.m. hosted by Katy Williss; Shabbat Evening Service, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY, July 5: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Balak.

SUNDAY: Cantillation Class, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY: Star City Kochavim Rehearsal, 6:30 p.m.

As part of the Temple’s 130th anniversary celebration, we want to reach as many former members and clergy as possible. Are you in touch with someone who used to attend?

With kids who grew up and moved away? With friends or family with Temple connections? If so, please give their contact information to Barb Straus at barbstraus@gmail.com.

LJCS Camp Israel, July 14-25 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Cost is $75 per week (includes lunch and snack). If you are enrolling two or more children, the cost is $50 per child per week.

Please let us know if you are interested by emailing Tracy at tgordongjc@yahoo.com or Andrea at ahalpern1386@ gmail.com. We require all campers to be registered through the LJCS; therefore, we cannot accept drop in guests. If you would like assistance covering the cost of the camp fee, please do not hesitate to ask us about discretionary funds.

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha-Ma’ariv, 7:15 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit (Barchu), 9 a.m.; Mincha, 8:25 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:53 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

FRIDAY, July 4: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha-Ma’ariv, 7:15 p.m.

SATURDAY, July 5: Shacharit (Barchu), 9 a.m.; Mincha, 8:25 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:52 p.m.

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

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. led by Chabad.

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg.

SATURDAY, July 5: Services, 9 a.m. led by Steve Riekes.

Friday, June 27, 8:43 p.m.

Friday, July 4, 8:42 p.m.

Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 http://templeisraelomaha.com FRIDAY: Summer Shabbat Evening Services: A Pause for Reflection with Brent Bloom, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Torah Reader and Haftarah Reader: Miles Remer.

FRIDAY, July 4: Summer Shabbat Evening Services: A Pause for Reflection, 5 p.m. (please note the time change) SATURDAY, July 5: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Torah Reader and Haftarah Reader: Miles Remer.

THURSDAY: Summer Thursday Morning Study Group, 10 a.m. Session will be led by the group.

Summer Shabbat Evening Services: A Pause for Reflection with Judy Vann, Friday, July 11, 6 p.m.

Temple Israel Annual Golf Outing, Monday, Aug. 18, noon at Shadow Ridge Country Club. Contact the Temple Israel office for more information.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard | Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 | 402.423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

FRIDAY: Services, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a Kiddush luncheon.

FRIDAY, July 4: Services, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, July 5: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a Kiddush luncheon.

THURSDAY: Janet Almog, sister of Bunny Krout talks about Entebbe at 35 at 6:30 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Janet and her husband were hostages on the Air France flight 139 that was diverted to Uganda for seven days. Refreshments and a babysitter with be available. For more information about Entebbe at 35 please visit the link below https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Terrorism/entebbe.html.

LJCS Camp Israel, July 14-25 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Cost is $75 per week (includes lunch and snack). If you are enrolling two or more children, the cost is $50 per child per week.

Please let us know if you are interested by emailing Tracy at tgordongjc@yahoo.com or Andrea at ahalpern1386@ gmail.com. We require all campers to be registered through the LJCS; therefore, we cannot accept drop in guests. If you would like assistance covering the cost of the camp fee, please do not hesitate to ask us about discretionary funds.

CHABAD HOUSE

Netanyahu speaks to Jewish Media Summit

An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street | Omaha, NE 68144-1646 | 402.330.1800 www.OChabad.com | email: chabad@aol.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m.

SATURDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 9:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Minyan, 8:30 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m.

TUESDAY: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. RSVP by calling the office.

WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 10 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; The Development of the Oral Tradition, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office. In memory of Forrest Krutter -- Efrayim Menachem Ben Avraham Yitzchak.

THURSDAY: Women’s Study at UNMC with Shani Katzman, noon. RSVP by emailing Marlene Cohen at mzcohen@unmc.edu.

FRIDAY, July 4: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m.

SATURDAY, July 5: Minyan and Meditation, 9:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Minyan, 8:30 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m.

TUESDAY: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. RSVP by calling the office.

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) vote to divest from three companies that do business with Israeli West Bank security forces.

Netanyahu, speaking Sunday to Jewish journalists from around the world at the inaugural Jewish Media Summit in Jerusalem, said the vote late Friday to divest from Caterpillar, Motorola Solutions and Hewlett-Packard was misguided because Israel protects civil rights in a region with rising tides of Islamist extremism.

“The only place where you have freedom, tolerance, protection of minorities, protection of gays, of Christians and all other faiths is Israel,” he said.

Netanyahu suggested that American Presbyterian leaders “take a plane, come here and let’s arrange a bus tour in the region. Let them go to Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq.”

The prime minister told the more than 100 Jewish journalists gathered for the five-day summit that he sees three threats facing the Jewish people worldwide -- heightened anti-Semitism in Europe, weakened Jewish identity in the United States and the rise of radical Islamist forces in the Middle East.

He lamented the June 12 kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank, as well as the death of a 13year-old Israeli killed by an explosive Sunday in the Golan Heights.

“We as a people, our heart is broken about the kidnapping of every youth and the murder of every youth,” he said.

Netanyahu also repeated his call for the world to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons capability. He connected Iran’s Islamic government to conflicts between Sunni and Shiite groups in Iraq and Syria.

“It is the height of folly to allow one of the Islamist camps to have nuclear weapons,” he said. “It will change history.”

Netanyahu reiterated many of the same points during a Sunday morning interview from Jerusalem on NBC’s Meet the Press.

Speaking before Netanyahu at the summit, outgoing President Shimon Peres praised Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ condemnation of the teens’ kidnapping and said Abbas is a good peace partner for Israel.

Peres encouraged Israel to restart peace talks, which Israel suspended in April after Abbas signed a reconciliation pact with Hamas, the terrorist group that governs Gaza.

“I think he is the best partner Israel ever had, and has now,” Peres said of Abbas. “I know him for 20 years. I think he’s a man of his word. I think he’s a man of courage.”

Netanyahu said earlier Sunday that Israel has clear evidence that Hamas participated in the kidnapping.

Pulverente MONUMENT CO.

June 27, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 11

CHARLOTTE “SIS� ADLER Charlotte “Sis� Adler of Omaha passed away on June 20 in Atlanta. Services were held on June 22 at Beth El Synagogue.

The family held a private burial in Omaha.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, Arthur Adler; sisters, Florence Hurwitz and Dolores Robinson, and her parents, Helen and Abraham Sklar.

She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-laws, Bobbie and Bob Epstein of Omaha; Kathy and Keith Liberman of Beverly Hills, CA, and Carole and Andy Shovers of Atlanta; nine grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren.

Sis attended the University of Nebraska, was a member of the Sigma Delta Tau sorority, worked in her husband’s bakery business and in the real estate industry.

Memorials may be made to The William Breman Jewish Home, 3150 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30327/ 404.351.8410, or Beth El Synagogue, 14506 California St., Omaha, NE 68154.

Celebration tops the agenda during Beth El’s Annual Meeting

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Around 200 congregants gathered on the back lawn at Beth El on June 13 for the synagogue's annual meeting, a picnic dinner, and special outdoor Shabbat service. During

Congregants hold a tallit over the heads of parents and their new babies, as the clergy offer a special blessing.

It's easy with the...

Rumor has it US soccer player Kyle Beckerman (the one with the dreadlocks) is Jewish. Or maybe he isn’t. Nobody seems to know for sure. But: Austin Ejide, one of the Nigerian goalkeepers, currently plays for the Hapoel Beer Sheva soccer team in Israel. Juwon Oshaniwa, another member of the Nigerian national team, also plays in Israel. And Jose Pekerman, the coach of Colombia’s team, is an Argentine Jew.

by SHANI KATZMAN Chabad Center We all know the routine. Weird weather. An alert that it may get worse. A watch. And then a warning. We spend a few hours in our designated, sometimes cramped safe area with a radio and wait for the ‘all clear’. Often there is the inconvenience of hail damage or a power outage. Some yard clean up. And then we move on.

For the community of Pilger, Nebraska, the familiar routine ended in devastation. As twin tornadoes ripped through the town, homes, farms, schools and lives were destroyed.

Against the backdrop of mangled silos, indistinguishable from cars and farm houses, we walk in the fields in conversation with the folks whose lives are now changed.

With gratitude for their very lives and a new appreciation for what is important, the discussions unravel.

A few days ago they were busy growing soybeans. Now they are growing faith. Their confidence and hope is

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Rabbi Mendel Katzman takes in the damage reseeded as they tend the seedlings in the earth. They gather debris as they gather strength. They ask and talk about G-d and their relationship with Him. They begin to see the silver lining in the twin twisters. The outpouring of kindness from all peoples is reassuring for them.

Some begged for us to come back. We said we’d bring rugelach next time.

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the evening, congregational awards were presented, new officers and board members were elected, and Rabbi Steven Abraham, along with Hazzan Michael Krausman, offered special blessings for children heading to summer camp, and for the new babies in the congregation.

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Typically, we love the building season of summer— as that is what we do! This year Nebraska has seen the worst of mother nature. It is heartbreaking to see a hometown destroyed. It is gutwrenching when lives are taken and UNSPEAKABLE TO LOSE A LITTLE ONE, a precious soul. Please know our hearts are with you and we are working hard to help Nebraska rebuild.

We send up our prayers.

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LILA BRAND Lila Brand passed away on June 20 at age 83. Services were held graveside on June 23, at Golden Hill Cemetery.

She was preceded in death by her parents Rozalia and Herman Tiefenbrunner.

She is survived by her loving husband of 57 years, Leon Brand; sister, Malwina Moses of Columbia, MD, nieces and newphews, Betty Moses Ellis Golub and Andrew Golub of Kennebunk, ME; Sara Moses Baum and Michael Baum of Columbia, MD; great-niece Sonia Baum Tipp and Alan Tipp of Omaha; great-nephews, Aaron and Tracy Baum of Alexandria, VA, and Corey Baum of Baltimore, MD; greatgreat nieces Adria Tipp and Magnolia Baum, great-great nephew, Asher Tipp, and extended family.

Lila was born in Wadowice, Poland and was a Holocaust survivor, spending the war years in a labor camp in Siberia with her parents and sister. She immigrated to Israel in 1949 and then to Omaha in 1956. She worked as a dental lab technician for over 35 years at Billings and then Kiess Kraft Labs.

She found joy in cooking, baking, sewing, gardening, and her devotion to her family as well as her many special dogs.

Memorials may be made in her memory to the American Heart Association or Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

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12 | The Jewish Press | June 27, 2014

At World Cup, Argentina couple kicking Jewishness into high gear

by HILLEL KUTTLER Jewish Connect at the World Cup Football 2014 – along with counts for printing promotional flyers and embroidering the (JTA) – When Argentina plays its opening-round match- maintaining communication with Brazilian Jewish organi- 400 kippahs that Schlez brought along to give away at the es in the World Cup, Mariano Schlez of Buenos Aires will be zations helping to organize the events in the seven cities: Shabbat events. screaming his support from the stands.

Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio At the Havdalah services, soccer-themed note paper will But taking in his home country’s matches in Brazil isn’t all de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. be distributed for participants to write messages heralding that will be occupying Schlez for the first the coming week. The messages will be fortnight of the monthlong soccer speccollected and displayed, Salem said. tacle.

The gatherings promise to be a multiAlso filling his calendar are 14 “Jewish” cultural cholent that thrills Salem. events that he and his wife have organ“Connecting Jewish people from all over ized in seven of the host cities. They the world is what I love,” Salem said. “It’s include Shabbat evening prayers, beach like a dream.” soccer games leading into Saturday night The dream began taking shape at a famHavdalah services, pickup games and ily dinner when Schlez, a longtime fan of Jewish heritage tours. the Boca Juniors team – Diego For Schlez, 38, and his wife, Paola Maradonna, who led Argentina to the Salem, 37, the World Cup being played in 1986 World Cup title, was his favorite the region prompted them last winter to player – expressed a desire to attend the mull opportunities to fashion Jewish expeBrazil tournament. The couple mulled riences for fellow soccer fans. They figprogramming ideas before approaching ured on organizing two or three activities. the Schusterman foundation.

Now, though, “the project is bigger Returning from a camping trip in than we’d thought at first,” Salem said.

January, they learned that their grant Their goal was to bring together interrequest was approved. That’s when the national Jewish visitors already united by planning gears really started churning. a passion for soccer – known throughout The World Cup programming dovetails the world, but not in America, as footwith the aim of Turismo Judaico, a comball. pany Salem launched to provide Jewish Mariano Schlez, left, and Paola Salem, with Damian Beker and Maxi Klein, organized efforts to bring “It’s great to connect Jewish football travelers with information such as together Jewish soccer fans at the World Cup's seven sites in Brazil.

Credit: Paola Salem fans,” Schlez said Thursday after arriving Shabbat candle-lighting times, kosher in Rio de Janeiro. “I love football, I’ve played it all my life and Fans from approximately 20 countries have exchanged dining options, and sites of cultural and religious interest.

I’m a teacher of lots of kids in this lovely sport, so it was an information on the Facebook pages about the events and The foundation, which encourages Jewishly focused iniopportunity to make a connection between my love for foot- such key matters as procuring World Cup tickets and places tiatives for young people under the theme “Make It ball and my Jewish life.” to stay, she said.

Happen,” deemed the World Cup programming a creative His friends Maxi Klein and Damian Beker joined him on Those wishing to attend any of the Jewish events – all are way to build community, said Seth Cohen, Schusterman’s the 1,800-mile, three-day drive from Argentina. They’re free – must register, with Salem passing along the informa- director of network initiatives. helping out in the Jewish programming, too. All three work tion to security officials at the venues. Volunteers are offer“We think that young adults are the levers of change in the for the Maccabi youth sports organization in Buenos Aires. ing their services through Facebook.

Jewish world and in the world Jewishly,” Cohen said, and the While remaining at home with the couple’s two children, Salem said she budgeted for $9,000, with $5,000 covered Brazil events bring “a Jewish lens to an experience the entire Salem is serving as a one-woman command center, respond- by a grant from the Tulsa, Okla.-based Charles and Lynn world is watching.” ing to inquiries posted on the project’s two Facebook pages Schusterman Family Foundation. Large and small business“The eyes of the world are on Brazil. Let’s shine a light on – Jewish Soccer Fanatics Traveling to Brazil in 2014 and es donated funds and products, while others provided dis- the Jewish community there as well.”

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