Vol. LXXXII
No. 44
Omaha, NE
4 Tamuz, 5763
July 4, 2003
SERVING NEBRASKA AND WESTERN IOWA FOR 82 YEARS
Sisters of the Shoah: Three Survivor Tales, Golden Fates and Iron Wills by LEO ADAM BIGA Three survivor tales. Three golden fates. Three iron wills. This is not just another Holocaust story. It is the chronicle of how three sisters survived, alone and together, a series of Nazi concentration camps during World War II to tell their story of human endurance. That not one or two but all three made it out alive is, as the eldest puts it today, “Impossible. I don’t know how we lived. We survived with nothing...not even our hair.” Only girls at the time, the sisters, all of whom resettled in Omaha, displayed a remarkable resolve that belied their years and that still defines them today. Their individual stories have been told, but never their combined saga. Sisters of the Shoah in name and in blood, the former Bojman girls are old women now but their spirit burns with the rigor of youth. Known by their married names--Mania Friedman, Rachel Rosenberg, Bluma Polonski--they remain defiant witnesses to the Nazi genocide that killed millions, including their parents and brothers, and that would have claimed them, too, but for their three golden fates and three iron wills. “It is sad and it is deep,” is how a teary-eyed Rachel, the middle sister, describes her and her siblings’ odyssey. It’s a legacy that’s had a pro-
Sisters Bluma Polonski, left, Rachel Rosenberg and Mania Friedman not only survived the Holocaust, but started new lives together in Omaha. found effect on their families, too. despite the nightmare his mother and For example, Rachel’s three children maternal aunts experienced “they are witnessed her frequent crying jags truly remarkable people with an and their father Carl’s obsession with incredible appreciation for life.” The the Holocaust. significance of their story, he added, is Rachel said in recent years she in the resilience and resistance their promised herself, “You’re not going to survival represents. be miserable...live as happy as you Not all survivors have fared as well. can...see the light instead of the dark. A cousin of the sisters never got over I’ve tried to help myself to live normal losing her family, including two sons, and to be like everybody else, which to the Holocaust. She committed suiI’m not. But I try.” cide. “My cousin didn’t want to live. I A son, Stuart Rosenberg, said do. I like life,” said Rachel. “In my
eyes, I have everything I want. I’m the richest person in the world.” The women today enjoy the comfortable lifestyle they made for themselves here, but the horrid memories of what brought them to America are never far away. This past Mother’s Day, the oldest sister, Mania, encapsulated the dichotomy of their lives in her heavily accented voice, “Our life is beautiful and miserable, you understand? After the war we had no family. We had nothing. How many times I said, ‘God, take me away not to suffer too much.’ We went through more than hell. But this is our life. We have to take everything. At least I have pleasure from my children. All over I have pictures of my children,” she said, gesturing at the dozens of photos adorning her refrigerator, walls, hutches and tables. “As long as I’m alive I want to see them, not hidden away in a drawer, because we have family again.” The phone rings and it’s Rose, the mother of Mania’s only granddaughter, Jennifer, whom she adores. “Oh, thank you, Rose. Happy Mother’s Day to you, too. You give me joy in my life,” Mania says. “You give me the biggest diamond that can be--Jennifer.” When Mania mentions she’s telling her Holocaust story to a visitor, the conversation abruptly ends. She (Continued on page 8)
With Report, Group Highlights Flight of Jewish Refugees from Arab World by RACHEL POMERANCE NEW YORK (JTA)--Maurice Soussa was a high school student in Baghdad when Iraq’s most prominent Jew was brought down in a ferocious frenzy. Shafiq Adas was charged with spying for the new Jewish state, Soussa said. The Ford dealer, whose five partners were all Muslim, had his property, worth an estimated at $100 million at the time, confiscated. Since no lawyer would defend the Jew, the case was heard in a military court. The next day, Adas was hanged in his own courtyard. Crowds came to Adas’ estate to gawk at the dead Jew, Soussa says. It all happened in the summer of 1948. Fifty-five years later, Soussa relayed the story at a press conference here on Monday to release a document charging Arab countries with systematic persecution of Jews amid the creation of the State of Israel. The document, published by Justice for Jews from Arab Countries--a group formed in September by a coalition of Jewish organizations--lists human rights violations in several Arab countries where Jews lost the right to vote or even their citizenship and suffered pogroms, confiscations and intimidation. Leaders of the Justice for Jews group flew to Israel to hand the report to President Moshe Katsav on Tuesday. The group will meet with Israeli government ministers later in the week. Through quotes from Arab leaders on the partition of Palestine and newspaper articles around 1948, the document builds the case that Arab countries colluded in their persecution of the Jews, hoping to force them to emigrate and steal their property. “From the sheer volume of such state-sanctioned
discriminatory measures, replicated in so many Arab countries and instituted in such a parallel fashion, one is drawn to the conclusion that such evidence suggests a common pattern of repressive measures, if not collusion, against Jews by Arab governments,” the report states. More than 850,000 Jews left Arab countries after the 1948 Arab-led war on Israel. Similar numbers of Arabs fled Israel around the same time. While Israel absorbed the Jewish refugees, Arab countries kept the Palestinians in camps and refused to give them citizenship, using their plight as a weapon in the political Iraqi Jews were airlifted to Israel in 1950 and 1952. In this struggle against the Jewish state. picture, a group of Iraqi Jews have just landed in Israel. Photo courtesy of the Babylonian History Center Today, the number of Palestinian via American Sephardi Federation. refugees and their descendants tops four million, according to the United Nations Relief should use the claims of Jewish refugees as a barand Works Agency, which provides them with serv- gaining chip in future negotiations. (Continued on page 6) ices. Palestinians demand that the refugees and their descendants be granted a “right of return” to the INSIDE: homes they fled inside Israel. Israel, which has indiReligious Streams Differ cated that it would offer the refugees compensation, on High Court Ruling ............................ page 3 sees that as tantamount to a call for the Jewish state’s destruction, since the influx of so many Arabs would Book Review/Read It & Eat .................. page 7 negate Israel’s identity as a Jewish state. Peace negotiations broke down over the right of Mel Gibson film, The Passion ............. page 12 return issue in 2000. Now, some feel that Israel
Page 2
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
July 4, 2003
PEOPLE WHO READ NEWSPAPERS ARE
SPARKS FROM THE WORD
STUDENTS WITH BETTER GRADES
Cruel Punishment
It all starts with Newspapers
ANNOUNCEMENT Miriam Simon will be in town and would like to say hello to all of her Omaha friends, Sunday, July 6, 24:30 p.m. at the Parkwood Terrace Clubhouse, 92nd St. and Western Ave.,393-2367.
G & M Painting Co., Inc. Paint Interior & Exterior Brush • Spray • Roll • Color Mixing Patching • Caulking
20 Years in Business Insured • Free Estimates • References Gregory Kogan 15418 Corby Street • Omaha, NE 68116 402-491-3929 • Mobile: 402/598-0605 • Pager: 633-0087 Fax: 402/491-4080
Call Today for a free estimate!
402/578-9630 Professional Home Cleaning Locally Owned & Operated Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly
Professional Business Cleaning Satisfaction Guaranteed Bonded & Insured
CLIP & SAVE
CALENDAR OF EVENTS C L I P & S A V E
MONDAY, JULY 7 YES Program, 10 a.m. TUESDAY, JULY 8 Visions Minneapolis Getaway Trip, July 8-10 BBYO Night, 6 p.m.
C L I P & S A V E
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9 B’nai B’rith Breadbreakers, noon, at the Park Inn Regency Lodge THURSDAY, JULY 10 Walk-in Drop-in Activity, 10 a.m. Yiddish Group Meeting, 1 p.m.
C L I P & S A V E All events held at the JCC unless otherwise indicated.The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of events.To keep calendar accurate or for questions, call Marlene Hert at 334-6437. FOR A COMPLETE LISTING,VISIT THE FEDERATION’S WEBSITE: www.JewishOmaha.org (click on calendar)
GREAT Food at GREAT Prices Expect More From An Employee Owned Store
Peony Park 7910 Cass St. 384-8668
C L I P & S A V E
by RABBI MAXIMO SHECHET Parashat Korach Our Parashah today leaves no room for imagination when dealing with rebellion and the need for such a harsh and unequivocal punishment meted out to the perpetrator and his cohorts. Korach, a descendant of Levi, along with Datan, Aviram, On, and 250 elders, all scholarly leaders of the Israelite community, had valid, or so it seemed, issues at the moment. They accosted Moses and Aaron with their concerns immediately after having received the Commandment of Tzitzis, which was read in the previous Parashah, Shelach L’cha. These were their concerns: Does a blue purple four-cornered garment still require the affixing of the four essential tassels, each consisting of a blue purple strand intertwined with three white counterparts? Or will the garments entire coloration of blue purple exempt it from the tzitzis affixing requirement? Does a house which is full of Torah Scroll Scriptures still require a mezuzah (Deuteronomy 6:9) affixed to its door post or will the mere presence of Torah Scrolls, on the premises, vacate the mezuzah arrangement commanded? These and numerous other questions posed, appear to be significant at first glance. Korach’s reasoning appears to make sense. The four tassels, each composed with a blue purple strand and three white counterparts, satisfy the tzitzis requirement of the four-cornered garment. Conversely, a garment that is made entirely of the blue purple color should then negate the tzitzis law. And the same reasoning was applied to a mezuzah’s placement upon the entrance of a room and various other mitzvot enumerated in the Torah. Korach and his friends were not interested in expounding the law that was given by G-d, our sages explain. The Torah clearly states that the mezuzah is to be placed upon the door post of the abode regardless of how many Torah scrolls are present. The same presentation is afforded to the mitzvah of tzitzis. The tassels need to be attached to the four corner garment regardless of color. In addition, Korach and his followers accused Moses of conceit. Korach claimed that the whole Israelite nation was holy; G-d’s presence was among them all, and that if so, why did Moses raise himself above the congregation of G-d? Korach’s intention, as our sages explain, was to challenge Moses’ leadership. Without hesitation, he tried to create disunity, havoc, rebellion and strife among the Israelite people in order for him to wrestle the leadership from Moshe Rabeinu (Moses our teacher). We can see this from the opening statement in our parashah. “And Korach took...” What did Korach take? The Torah makes no mention that Korach appropriated anything. The Torah alludes to Korach’s personality as a “taker”, our sages explain. Korach yearned to take, to gain and to retain power for his own benefit by usurping the authority given to Moses, who is portrayed as “giver”. Moses gave G-d’s Torah to the Israelites. Moses taught the Torah’s holy precepts to the multitudes. As a religious personality, Moshe Rabeinu gave and shared G-d’s teachings. Korach’s sin, the scoundrel full of envy, was enormous. Korach and his followers created a great split within the Israelites by undermining the peoples’ faith in Moses, the one whom G-d trusted and spoke mouth to mouth, as we read in Parashah Beha’aloscha. G-d, in His eternal wisdom and upon seeing Moses’ despondency due to the division amongst the people of his nation, created a phenomenon whereby the earth opened its mouth and swallowed Korach and his community and a flame of fire consumed the 250 elders. The difference between Moses and Korach is best defined in the following quotes by John Steinbeck: “It is the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness is expected of him.” And Brooks Atkinson, American drama critic, wrote “The most fatal illusion is the settled point of view. Since life is growth and motion, a fixed point of view kills anybody who has one.” Moshe Rabeinu was the one chosen by G-d to lead the Israelite community, thereby establishing the Divinity of Mosaic leadership. A Gutten Shabbes!
DEATH RICHARD E. BOHBOT Richard Bohbot died June 29 at the age of 43. Services were held July 2 at Temple Israel Cemetery. Born in Morocco, Bohbot was preceded in death by his brother, Dan. He is survived by his wife, Robyn, of Council Bluffs; children, Joshua and Jessie Bohbot; stepchildren, Samuel and Stacie Stanfield; parents Menasse and Fannie Bohbot; sister, Rachel Shapiro; sister-in-law, Cat Bohbot; sister and brother-in-law, Brigitte and Kenny Baines; brothers-inlaw and sisters-in-law, Debeey Domayer, Michael Domayer, Mark Domayer, David Domayer, James and Katie Domayer and Trish Domayer. Memorials to the Lied Transplant Center.
Accessing Israel for the Disabled by BARRY BATTLESTEIN, Yad Sarah Disabled visitors to Israel can make use of a number of services offered by Yad Sarah, a community based organization whose over 6,000 volunteers provide a spectrum of free, or nominal cost homecare health and social welfare support services through 100 centers countrywide. Oxygen cylinders, motorized scooters, electric wheelchairs, sightseeing transport and meals-onwheels can all be obtained from Yad Sarah--subject to availability. For use of a wheelchair, book the special transport service at Ben-Gurion airport a few weeks in advance. There is small charge for the transportation, but the equipment is lent free against a returnable deposit. A visit to the Yad Sarah exhibition and guidance center in Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem or Netanya show the latest devices designed to offer the disabled greater freedom and independence. Many a tourist has found that after an unexpected injury or accident, Yad Sarah helped salvage their vacation.
A disabled visitor to Israel can arrange to be met at Ben Gurion Airport by Yad Sarah. Contact Elaine or Adena at Yad Sarah, Public Relations Department, 124 Herzl Blvd., Jerusalem 96187. The telephone number is 011-9722-6444634or 4633 and the fax is 02-644-4508. You can email: Yad Sarah at info@yadsarah.org.il or visit its web-site: www.yadsarah.org.
Worship Services to Welcome Shabbat in the Park by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Rabbi Craig Marantz, Temple Israel, will lead a summer worship service in the park Friday, July 11, 6 p.m., at the Frohm Pavilion behind the Jewish Community Center. All are welcome to attend the outdoor Shabbat service and are encouraged to bring their own picnic dinners. Outdoor casual clothes are recommended, because after the service, there will be time to engage in some outdoor games. Those who attend are invited to bring their own sports equipment. Sitter service will be provided for young children. On Friday, Aug, 8, Cantor Wendy Shermet will lead a second worship service in the park. On the same nights as both of these Shabbat services in the park, there will also be worship services that begin at 5:30 p.m. at Temple Israel in the Livingston Chapel.
July 4, 2003
SYNAGOGUES
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 3
Candlelighting Friday, July 4 .............................................. 8:42 p.m.
TEMPLE ISRAEL
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE
Member of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations
Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism
7023 Cass Street, Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556-6536 templeisrael-ne.org
Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America
1502 No. 52 St., Omaha, NE. 68104 -5013 556-6288 BethIsrael@novia.net
14506 California Omaha, NE 68154-1980 492-8550 WEB--www.bethel-omaha.org
FRIDAY: Men’s Club, 11:45 a.m. All male members of Temple Israel are invited to a weekly informal get together at Spirit World, 7517 Pacific St. Join us for some relaxation and great conversation; Shabbat Evening Service, 5:30 p.m. Rabbi Craig Marantz will officiate and give the sermon. SATURDAY: Bagels and Sacred Books, 9:30 a.m., in the Milder Center; Morning service, 10:30 a.m. SITTER SERVICE During the months of July and August, available for the 5:30 p.m. Shabbat Services. There will be no sitter service Saturday mornings. Please make a reservation through the Temple office. Cost is $2 per family. Sorry, there are no facilities for infants.
Office hours: Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Howard Kutner. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m. There is no West Minyan this week. SATURDAY: Morning Services, 8:45 a.m. Free babysitting begins at 10 a.m.; Kiddush sponsored by Sisterhood. Mincha, 8:35 p.m., followed by Shalosh Suedot and Ma’ariv; Havdalah, 9:51 p.m. SUNDAY: Services, 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m. and 7 p.m
Office Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. FRIDAY: A musical Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning Services at 9:30 a.m. Liatte Dotan, daughter of Beth and Amnon Dotan, will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah. Following services grandparents Sarah and Ted Seldin will host the Kiddush. Evening services at 8:55 p.m. SUNDAY: Services at 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Services at 6:55 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. A THOUGHT FOR SHABBAT To receive Rabbi Mordechai Levin’s weekly “Thought for Shabbat,” please send your e-mail address to exec@bethel.org. This is free and open to all members of the community regardless of synagogue affiliation. ADULT EDUCATION Sunday, July 6: Sunday Morning Adult Learners, 11 a.m. in the Library.
OUTDOOR SUMMER SERVICE Friday, July 11: Bring-your-own picnic supper, 6 p.m., at the JCC Frohm Pavilion, followed by a worship service led by Rabbi Marantz. Bring any sporting equipment you might like to use. A sitter will be provided for young children. An alternative indoor service will be held at Temple Israel at 5:30 p.m.
CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN SOUTH STREET TEMPLE
Member of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations
2061 S. 20th St., Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 435-8004 jewishnebraska.org FRIDAY, JULY 4: Potluck dinner, 6 p.m., followed by a short and very family oriented service led by Rabbi Debbie Stiel at 6:45 p.m. Casual attire! Bring a salad, side or dessert to share...and we will bring in fried chicken. Call Stephanie in the office to RSVP. SATURDAY: Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. WEDNESDAY: AA Meeting, 7 p.m. in the Library or Social Hall.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway, Offutt AFB, NE 68113 294-6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.
B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster St., Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 Phone: 322-4705 e-mail: doc jeb @aol.com FRIDAY: Evening Service, 7:30 p.m. Oneg will follow.
TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
3219 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 tiferethisraellincoln.org
423-8569
Services conducted by Rabbi Stanley M. Rosenbaum. Minyan, Monday & Thursday, 7:15 a.m. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 8 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. Wednesday: Men’s Group at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. If you would like to attend, call Yale Gotsdiner at 423-7066, or the office.
CHABAD HOUSE An Affiliate of the Worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch Movement
1866 So. 120th St., Omaha, NE 68144-1646 Phone: 330-1800 E-MAIL--chabad@aol.com WEBSITE: www.nebraskajudaism.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Monday-Friday: Services at 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Services at 9:30 a.m. SUNDAY: Services at 8:30 a.m.
BEYT SHALOM
An Affiliate of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
3012 S. 119th St., Omaha, NE 68124-5130
P.O. Box 241130 402-592-4082
FRIDAY and SATURDAY: Shabbat in the Home.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Andrew Greenberg.
Love It or Hate It: Religious Streams Split Over High Court’s Sodomy Ruling by JOE BERKOFSKY NEW YORK (JTA)--For Rabbi Denise Eger, founder of the largely gay Congregation Kol Ami in West Hollywood, CA, it was “a Shehecheyanu kind of day.” Eger cited the Jewish prayer of thanksgiving on June 26, the day the U.S. Supreme Court, in Lawrence v. Texas, threw out state laws criminalizing gay and lesbian sex. The ruling was a victory not only for gay and lesbian rights but for all Jews and Americans, Eger said. “This is the gay version of Brown v. the Board of Education,” added Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum of one of the nation’s largest gay synagogues, Congregation Beth Simchat Torah in New York City, referring to a famous high court ruling against segregated schools. The June 26 landmark ruling barring states from policing private sexual behavior gave many gay and lesbian Jewish leaders an extra reason to celebrate Gay Pride Week in their congregations. But some on the political right did not embrace the decision. “What happened is the harbinger of challenges to laws that are designed to promote a vision of sexual morality,” warned David Zweibel, Executive Vicepresident of Agudath Israel of America, a fervently Orthodox group. “No matter what the court may say about the legality of consensual homosexual conduct, it doesn’t speak to the more important question of morality,” he said. “For those of us who take our guidance from the eternal source of morality, the Bible, we recognize that this type of conduct is sinful and therefore inappropriate.” While those reactions reflected polar extremes in
the Jewish community, many across the political and religious spectrum offered a more complex glimpse into the decision’s impact. Perhaps nowhere is the ruling more relevant than in the Conservative movement, where some questioned the ruling’s effect on the debate raging over ordaining gay and lesbian rabbinical students and performing gay and lesbian commitment ceremonies. Rabbi Joel Meyers, Executive Vice-president of the Rabbinical Assembly, the movement’s rabbinical union, said Conservatives have long backed rights to privacy and welcomed gays and lesbians in congregational life--but that gay and lesbian ordination and unions remain issues for the movement to tackle on a theological basis. “Individuals in their private homes are entitled to freedoms without interference from police,” Meyers said, “though halachically our position is that homosexuality is not normative.” The movement’s religious standards body, the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, is to take up questions on gays and lesbians later this year. Meyers said the panel does not act in response to “public pressure,” but he added, “I don’t believe halachic decisions are taking place in vacuums either. The rabbinate clearly understands where society is, what the pressure points are.” But Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Dean of the University of Judaism’s Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles--who long has called to liberalize the movement’s standards on gays and lesbians--predicted the Supreme Court decision would not influence the law committee directly.
“This is not an issue of moral condemnation, this is an issue of how we understand the Torah,” he said. To the left of that stance lie the more liberal streams, such as the Reform and Reconstructionist movements, which have approved the ordination of gay and lesbian rabbis and commitment ceremonies. The Reform movement’s Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati this year accepted the nation’s first transgendered student, a woman now living as a man. For gay and lesbian rabbis, the court’s 6-3 ruling reversing its own 17-year-old decision upholding Georgia’s anti-sodomy laws signified a historic moment for gays, lesbians and Jews. Kleinbaum, for example, said she was “horrified” that the court had cited Leviticus and its prohibition of homosexuality in the 1986 Georgia case, Bowers v. Hardwick. “The court had used the language of the religious right to discriminate, and as a progressive religious person I had to object,” she said. “All people are created in the image of God--kiddush hashem--and there’s no conditional clause saying, ‘only straight people.’” Kleinbaum also hoped the ruling would usher in full civil marriage rights for gays and lesbians-something Agudath Israel and one dissenting voice on the bench, Justice Antonin Scalia, warned against. “Stripping government of the right to legislate on the basis of community morals and standards could well lead down the road to invalidating other laws that reflect society’s abhorrence of other promiscuous behavior, such as prostitution, adultery, bigamy and incest,” said Agudath Israel’s Zweibel.
Page 4
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
EDITORIAL It is fitting that today’s page one story features three strong women: Mania Friedman, Bluma Polonski and Rachel Rosenberg. Out of the ashes, these sisters created lives for themselves and their families in the Goldene Medinah...America. Like so many other survivors of the Holocaust (may the names of the Nazis and their collaborators be blotted out forever), these women are grateful for the blessing of living in a free country. On the 227th anniversary of the founding of this country, it is incumbent upon us all to recount our blessing as well. We have the right to worship in any way we choose and for us as Jews, that means Reform, Reconstructionist, Chabad, Conservative, Orthodox, or not at all. We have a right to send our children to the schools of our choosing: public or private, secular or religious. We have a right--as long as we don’t slander anyone or any organization--to think, say or print what we want--even if we disagree with the majority or the prevailing view.
July 4, 2003
Living in Freedom We have a right to live where we want and we can move from city to city, state to state--or even to Israel-and still remain American citizens. We have the right to donate to any charitable organization---and take a tax deduction to boot--as long as the group doesn’t abuse its responsibilities in maintaining their non-profit tax status. And we have a right to vote for the candidate(s) of our choosing, regardless of our party affiliation--or theirs. That’s a long list already--and yet we have even more rights as American citizens. More, in fact, than any other country in the world. But, in order to safeguard those rights, we have to fight for them. That means fulfilling our obligations as citizens to be informed, to vote, to debate, to support, and yes, sometimes, to put ourselves in harms way in order to protect the lives of those we love. Mania, Bluma and Rachel already know the true meaning of this holiday. So on this Fourth of July, remember what they went through, and add your own words of thanks. G-d bless.
JOURNAL ENTRY FROM ISRAEL
Disturbances
by by TEDDY WEINBERGER We all know the code words and phrases: disturbances, quieting the forces, calming and stabilizing the situation, restoring order. Yet no matter how the ruling power terms it, it all comes down to the same thing: a lot of protesters getting hurt or killed. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has said publicly that Israel has no interest in ruling over several million Palestinians, and President Bush’s heartening visit to the Middle East was designed in part to guide the Prime Minister down this “road.” But for now, whether in Jenin, Gaza City, or Ramallah, Israel will continue to face Palestinian “unrest.” I think I learned the coded language of “disturbances” from the South African front. But there it was so clear, wasn’t it? Every single disturbance was just, and every single “restoration of order” was unjust--because apartheid was absolutely wrong. Basically, I internalized the vocabulary from the South African conflict and extrapolated it to all conflicts. When there are “disturbances” anywhere in the world, whether in Indonesia, China, or India, I tend to automatically side with the “disturbers,” reasoning that their position must be justified. So it is very uncomfortable for me to be living in a country where there are “disturbances,” and where my government’s forces are sent to “calm” the situation. I know exactly how the Israeli situation reads to all upstanding liberals. Why, it’s an openand-shut case: one more state using its power to coerce and destroy its enemies in order to preserve its own power. What’s changed for me here in Israel is that in the Israeli context I want to look at each individual disturbance. I want to look at each use of force that “quiets” demonstrators; I want to examine the circumstances surrounding every violent confrontation. While it’s clear to me that in some cases Israeli soldiers use excessive force, it’s also clear that in many cases Israeli forces act defensively and with restraint in order to protect themselves and the lives and property of civilians.
Israel is under no obligation to match every Arab casualty with a Jewish casualty in order to demonstrate the justice of its cause. The fact that a given “incident” has yielded many more injured and dead Palestinians than injured and dead Jews does not necessarily mean that in that particular “incident” the Israeli forces acted unreasonably. Simply put: it is unfair to demand of Israeli Jews that they should allow themselves and their property to be destroyed just so that the resulting carnage will yield a more balanced picture. It’s not that I have changed my stripes, it’s just that I think that the Israeli government cannot be fairly equated with the South African apartheid regime. I don’t pretend to be “objective”; I’m just doing the best I can as an American Israeli liberal living on the West Bank. While I’m not prepared to accept the automatic justification of any use of Israeli force, I am also not prepared to accept the automatic condemnation of any use of Israeli force-even if it comes in the process of “restoring order” to a “disturbance.” My job in negotiating this troubling moral landscape has gotten harder, thanks to this intifada, which has brought us “unrest” within our very own 1967 borders. We had been lulled into thinking that with a signing of a peace accord with the Palestinians, Israel would be able to rest peacefully. But here are the Israeli Arabs with their demands and grievances (even as many of them make it clear that they are first and foremost Palestinian), and some fundamental questions about the nature of Israel’s democracy will have to be addressed. And I can tell you that tampering with such a hallowed symbol as the Israeli national anthem (which includes a reference to “the Jewish soul”) will seem a mere trifle when compared to the establishment of a climate of mutual respect, obligation, and privilege between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East. Godspeed your work together, Prime Minister Sharon, Prime Minister Abbas, and President Bush.
(Founded in 1920)
Nebraska Press Association
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, Jewish Senior Services. 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.
National Newspaper Association
The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly on Friday for $28 per calendar year U.S.; $32 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402-334-6448; FAX: 402334-5422; e-mail editorial material, photos and address changes to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132nd St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198.
Joanie Jacobson Chairman Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Ray Pred Account Executive Timothy J. Ketelsen Bookkeeper Jen Gates Production Assistant George Schapiro Volunteer
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the Editor: I would like to alert paid-up members of the Jewish War Veterans Epstein-Morgan Post #260 that meetings have not been held for some time. The extended commitment of our commander being called to active duty may be the cause; he is, of course, to be commended. (Though we have not had meetings), it would be inconsiderate to lose interest. Veterans of past enlistments would be losing true comradeship. Jacque Dolgoff, Life Member JWV, VFW and Disabled Veterans To the Editor: Two articles in the June 20 issue of the Jewish Press brought back memories. Rabbi John Spitzer’s recollections of his childhood in the old and new Temple Israel, and of Rabbis Lou Silberman and Sidney Brooks, parallel that of my wife, Lenore neé Wolfson, his age contemporary. Although Lenore didn’t become a rabbi, her interest in Judaism was sparked enough to attend Stern College, the women’s division of Yeshiva University. The front-page photo of Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi in Jerusalem’s Italian Synagogue brings back a month-old experience. While returning to my hotel from Shabbat morning services at the Western Wall, a Jewish woman from Rome asked my help to find the Italian Synagogue. I told her that I’d visited the synagogue in its weekday museum-piece mode but never during Shabbat prayers, and thus was delighted to take her there. I had the pleasure to witness Italian olim (immigrants) breathe a vibrant second life into a synagogue which began life hundreds of years ago near Rome and is today in the center of the Jewish universe. Glenn Richter New York City
JEWISH PRESS COMMITTEE Howard K. Marcus, Vice-Chairman; Bobbi Leibowitz, Secretary; Scott Meyerson, Finance Chairman; Fred Tichauer, Immediate Past-chairman; Jean Duitch; Penny Endelman; Kip Gordman; Stanley Mitchell; George Quittner; Linda Saltzman; Joey Shyken; Nancy Skid; Steve Simon; Melanie Weinstein; and George Schapiro (Honorary Committee Member). 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.
July 4, 2003
FOCUS ON ISSUES Refugees and the Fourth of July by LEONARD GLICKMAN, President and CEO Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society This July Fourth, Americans will gather with their families in parks, around backyard barbeques and in high school athletic fields to watch fireworks and celebrate 227 years of independence from the British crown. July 4, 1776, marked the first time our Founding Fathers, led by Thomas Jefferson, formulated into words what had become the American way--individual liberty as opposed to excessive governmental control. Few Americans can recite our Declaration of Independence but nearly every American understands what it represents: the self-evident truths of equality, individual rights and liberty. The colonists made an historic decision to begin the process of creating a new country, founded on the principle of government by the people, committed to the principle of tolerance and dedicated to opening the country to the foreigner. The declaration itself lists a series of grievances against the British crown that led us to separate ourselves from Britain. Among them were the king’s actions against our democratic institutions of self-governance and judicial independence and, quite distinctly from these actions, the King’s antiimmigrant policies. Specifically, Jefferson wrote that one of the reasons we were declaring our independence was the King’s prevention of “the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.” Thus, America’s formative document linked among our core values democracy and immigration. Sadly, this Fourth of July won’t be celebrated by some of those who inspire us the most: refugees who escaped the kind of tyranny we rejected in 1776 and reject now. Through our own government’s neglect, many of them won’t be admitted this year to start their new lives. Consider that last year, of the 70,000 refugees President Bush authorized to be admitted, only 27,186 (38%) made it in. This year’s figures are only slightly better--the number of refugees making it in was 5 percent higher. The president asked that about 33% should be from Africa, arguably the most refugee-producing area in the world and one where refugees are in the direst need of protection. Sadly, just 9% of those who did make it here in 2002 were Africans; so far only 23% of 2003 arrivals are African. These figures are shamefully low, given that two years have passed since 9/11. For the world’s greatest and most powerful nation, this is pathetic, a word derived from pathos or, suffering. Millions of human beings are suffering around the world, many of whom are in need of protection through resettlement to another country. The U.S. Committee for Refugees recently estimated that some 15 million people are refugees or asylum seekers. It is entirely understandable that immigrationrelated programs are under close scrutiny after Sept. 11, and the government will argue it is doing the best it can to meet the president’s authorized level of refugee admissions. But while security must be our highest priority, security issues regarding refugees are beginning to sound like excuses. The fact of the matter is that there is no excuse for this lack of performance. Our patience has grown thin as those of us who work with refugees both here and abroad watch helplessly as they suffer. The Fourth of July should remind us to ask ourselves whether this is indeed the best we can do; whether our new policies are in the spirit of our great nation. Our Pilgrim fathers and mothers began our tradition of sanctuary. Our first president wrote to the Jewish community of Rhode Island in 1790 that America “gives bigotry no sanction [and] persecution no assistance,” and that foreigners are welcome here as long as they live as good citizens. The Fourth of July celebrates our independence and dedication to the pursuit of Life, Liberty, and Happiness. No innocent person should be deprived of such a pursuit as a refugee.
BEHIND THE HEADLINES by JACK ENGELHARD, Jewish Times of South Jersey PLEASANTVILLE, N.J.-- As my sister remembers it, we were up in the Pyrenees with the Nazis in pursuit. We were making our way from France into Spain. The escape route was mapped out by underground guides who took us from point to point. Sarah was a Shirley Temple-type beauty of about 10, while I, a baby, was being carried inside my father’s rucksack, into which he’d cut two holes for my legs to dangle free. We were permitted one suitcase, so my mother wore as many clothes as she could, plus her jewelry. We’d been quite wealthy in Toulouse. I had two nannies. But now we were a bedraggled foursome, bloodied and weary from the trek. The snap of every twig could mean Gestapo. My father become so disoriented that he panicked when he thought he’d left me behind. Sarah said, “Papa, he’s still on your back.” On orders of the guides, my mouth had been stuffed with cotton to prevent a childish whimper, but I must have known what was going on. Even I remember our quick stop at a church on the mountain. A nun rushed out to embrace us. She wept when she beheld my mother’s finery covered in dust and mud. “Thank G-d,” said my mother at this welcome. “No,” said the nun, shaking her fist to the heavens. So we traveled on, fighting limbs above and traps beneath, Sarah up front with the guides. The guides were a comfort. They knew the way and they had been paid well, in advance. They’d been paid so well that it finally broke my father’s prosperity, since he had also paid for the escape of many others. At one moment up in the mountains, the guides disappeared. Gone! Atop a hill, my parents turned east, west, north, south all of it Hitler. Mother turned to father, and this is what she said: “Now where do we go?” Later, in Montreal, there was a particular song that kept playing on our record player, and it was called Tell Me Where Can I Go. It was sung by Leon Fuchs, half in Yiddish, half in English. I still remember some of the words--“Tell me where can I go...there’s no place I can see...where to go, where to go...every door is closed for me...to the left, to the right, it’s the same in every land...”
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 5
Now Where Do We Go? Perhaps you can imagine the emotion upon listening to this, especially when it came to the last refrain: “Now I know where to go...where my folks proudly stand.” Yes, Israel! Never again would Jews have to wander. Never again would Jews have to live with their bags packed. For, prior to 1948, Jews always lived with their bags packed. From land to land they’d been evicted, depending on the whim of the tyrant in power. We had our bags packed even back in Toulouse when life was good. Life was so good that my mother regularly hosted a “salon.” Everybody came, most notably a very high ranking member of the Church, who studied Talmud with my father. Yes, life was very good. But we still had our bags packed. This was true not only of our family, but of all Jewish families throughout Toulouse, throughout France, throughout Europe, throughout the generations. That’s the way it was. Even the Rothschilds had their bags packed, and even Freud and even Einstein. You never knew. You never knew when you’d hear that knock on the door. Israel, of course, would change all that; that’s where our folks proudly stand. No Jew in the entire Land of Israel would ever have to live with his or her bags packed. No Jew in Israel would ever fear that knock on the door. (Certainly not from an army of fellow Jews.) No Jew in Israel would ever be at risk of being evicted. No Jew in Israel would ever have to ask, “Now where do we go?” This is true, is it not? Tell me this is true. Please.
You never knew. You never knew when you’d hear that knock on the door. Israel, of course, would change all that; that’s where our folks proudly stand. No Jew in the entire Land of Israel would ever have to live with his or her bags packed.
Jack Engelhard is the author of Indecent Proposal (ComteQ Publishing) and is completing his latest novel, The Uriah Deadline, a fictional thriller involving Mideast news manipulation. A recent completed work is his postHolocaust memoir Escape from Mount Moriah: A Refugee Child’s Triumph (ComteQ Publishing). He can be reached at JackEngelhard@ComteQcom.com.
Page 6
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
July 4, 2003
A Cleaning of Yesteryear Very Thorough and Dependable Excellent References
Linda
614-5986
ASK FOR...
TONI ROSEN MULTIMILLION DOLLAR CAREER SALES
For Experienced Professional Service In The Sale Of Your Home
Res: 334-7257 Bus: 498-8300
Lynne M. Popp Educational Therapy, Inc. M.S. in Learning Disabilities, B.C.E.T. • Educational Assessments • Workshop Presenter • Dyslexia • Teacher Trainer • Educational Therapy
4405 North 156th Ave. Circle Phone: 402/498-8708 FAX: 445-0433 E-mail: slpopp1@cox.net
Care Giver ENOA Certified • Excellent References In or outside of Omaha 20 Years Experience
Connie Romero Please call 208-8444 PO Box 461025 Papillion, NE 68046
Mention this Jewish Press ad and receive a 5% Discount
ELLIOTT MOORE
Sundown Landscape Lighting
ENTERPRISES
330-9595
Beware of Low-Yeilding CDs! Most people do not associate CDs with risk. After all, they offer guaranteed income and are FDIC-insured up to $100,000 per financial institution. But CDs can become risky if you depend too much on them to reach your long-term financial goals. When you’re planning for retirement or saving for your children’s education, you may have to look elsewhere for the growth you need. Before your CDs automatically roll over, call me to find out about alternatives—such as tax-deferred annuities—that may help you make progress toward long-term goals. Annuities have limitations and withdrawl charges.
Joseph M John, CLU, ChFC Pruco Securities Registered Representative 440 Regency Pkwy., Suite 150 Omaha, NE 68114 402/926-2850
Annuities ARE NOT INSURED BY FDIC OR ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY
MAY LOSE VALUE
ARE NOT A DEPOSIT OF OR GUARANTEED BY ANY BANK OR ANY BANK AFFILIATE
Annuities issued by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, 751 Broadstreet, Newark, NJ 07102-3777, and its affiliates. The Prudential Insurance Company of America and its affiliates are Prudential Financial Companies. Each company is solely responsible for its respective financial condition and contractual obligations. Guarantees are based in the claims-paying ability of the issuing company. Prudential Financial is a service mark of The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Newark, NJ and its affiliates. IFS-A078727 Ed. 3/2003
Innovative Art Quilt Exhibit Opens at JCC by RACHEL BLUM, JCC Programming Director An exhibit entitled “Fiber Footage” opened at the Jewish Community Center Art Gallery. The show runs through Aug. 31. An artists’ reception is scheduled for Sunday, July 13, 2-4 p.m. The works for this exhibit are 12” by 12” or 36” by 36”. According to the Studio Art Quilt Associates: “a contemporary art work exploring the whole range of visual arts: painting, printmaking, photography, graphic design, assemblage and sculpture, which retains however, through materials or technique, a clear relationship to the folk “Snowy Balcony” art from which it descends.” Exhibiting artists include: Michele Eakins, Shirley Neary, Karen Osborn, Virginia Spiegel, and Lynn Tolles. Michele Eakins is a long time quilter. Through the years, her love for traditional quilts has developed into a passion for art quilts and the creative freedom that goes into them. Her educational background in interior design stimulated a desire to craft art quilts for public and living spaces. She has made commissioned quilts, fabric wall hangings for community organizations, and religious banners for church settings. Recently, she worked as the Quilt Consultant for a theatre production of the play, The Quilters, at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Omaha artist Shirley Neary takes pleasure in the process and expression of the art quilt medium, combining paint and dye with drawing and stitching. After receiving her degree in Studio Arts in 1992 from UNO, she took a beginning quilting class in 1995, and the focus of her studio work became textiles. A past juried finalist at the International Quilt Festival in Houston (“Camera Study”, 2001), she enjoys creating and showing her one of a kind pieces locally. Most recently, her work has been seen in The J.
Doe Project and at several “IMPACT” exhibits (a group of 16 juried Nebraska artists working in various media) throughout Nebraska. Karen Osborn is a fiber artist in Omaha. She has exhibited her work in art galleries and in national and international shows. Several of her pieces are currently on tour, such as “The Journal Quilt Project: A Page from My Book”, which is a series of monthly art quilts, created in 2002. Virginia Spiegel, Nebraska City, exhibits her mixed media by Shirley Neary work in juried fine art, fiber and art quilt exhibitions throughout the U.S. Her award-winning art has been featured in books and magazines, including Surface Design, Quilting Arts, and American Quilter. She teaches painting on fabric and surface design techniques at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in Nebraska City. Lynn Tolles has developed original techniques in the design of her art quilts, one-of-a-kind garments and framed pieces. She frequently creates textile art that incorporates other craft forms such as weaving, collage, beading, embroidery and painting. Lynn has won many ribbons at various art and quilt competitions including a First and Third place in past National Quilt Association shows and Best of Show at the Omaha Quilt Guild Quilt Show. When she is not displaying or creating her pieces, Lynn teaches classes and workshops. Neary, who originated the idea of the exhibit with Osborn, stated, “We looked for a diversity of styles, so those new to art quilts could see the wide range of work being produced. Those familiar with art quilts will find new techniques and lots of color and texture to appreciate. ‘Fiber Footage’ is full of exciting work!”
Jewish Refugees of Arab World (Continued from page 1) Jewish groups recently have begun highlighting the issue, hoping to seek redress if peace talks resume. Last spring, then-Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit announced that his ministry was preserving and computerizing more than 10,000 claims from previous compensation initiatives that had been abandoned. The ministry had partnered with the American Sephardi Federation, a co-founder of Justice for Jews, to collect claims from Jewish refugees. Now Justice for Jews is hoping the evidence compiled in the 39-page document will advance their cause. It marks the “opening of the second stage” of a campaign --which began last year with the group’s formation-- to highlight the Jewish refugee issue, said Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, which helped found Justice for Jews. The group will be “taking the report to the White House, leaders in Congress, the State Department, as well as to leaders in Britain, Israel and Canada in the next few days,” Hoenlein said. “We have a commitment that there will be hearings in Congress based on the report.” Avi Beker, Secretary-General of the World Jewish Congress, which also co-founded the group, delivered testimony on the subject in Congress last month. The document is “clear evidence that there was really a systematic effort to expel Jews from Arab countries and to take their rights as part of the Arab-Israeli conflict,” Beker said. Irwin Cotler, a member of Canada’s parliament and honorary chairman of the group, accused Arab countries of “a pattern of ethnic cleansing.” Beker, whose group will hold a conference on the issue this weekend in London, added that Justice for Jews got a jolt of prestige from honorary chair Richard Holbrooke, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. “In this particular part of the world, almost all of
the attention has been devoted to one side,” Holbrooke said at the press conference, staged across from the United Nations. “Let’s remember that there were refugees on both sides.” Some left-wing Jewish groups also are attentive to the issue: The Tikkun Community articulated a similar message in a Middle East peace resolution the group submitted to members of Congress. The resolution calls for reparations for both Jewish and Palestinian refugees “to make it fair and to make it clear that the peace process is not only about making things good for Palestinians. It’s also about making things good for Israelis,” said Michael Lerner, Editor of Tikkun magazine and National Chairman of the Tikkun community. But Lerner said it’s important that Jews not use the Jewish refugee card as a way of dismissing Palestinian claims. Jewish assets confiscated by Arab countries are estimated at more than $100 billion, according to Justice for Jews. While the United Nations has devoted 101 resolutions to the plight of Palestinian refugees, none has dealt with Jewish refugees, the group’s report states. “The legal case of displaced Jews to redress is as strong as, if not stronger than, the case of Palestinian refugees,” the document states. “Justice in the Middle East requires acknowledgment of the historical narrative and rights of Jews uprooted from Arab countries,” it says, listing possible remedies such as litigation in countries where Jews were displaced or a compensation fund established under an Arab-Israeli peace agreement. “There is no way to have a peace in the Middle East if the Palestinians and the Arabs are to continue to demand a ‘right of return,’” said Beker, whose group has followed the issue for a decade but intensified its work in the last few years. There was an “exchange of population in the Middle East, and the Arabs are responsible for the two refugee problems,” Beker told JTA, blaming the Arab countries for ejecting their Jews and for keeping the Palestinians as perpetual refugees.
July 4, 2003
• U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said the cease-fire Palestinian terrorist groups have called “won’t be enough.” Calling the agreement a “step in the right direction,” Powell said Monday that a cease-fire leaves intact the capability for future terrorist attacks. Speaking on CBS’ “Early Show,” Powell called the transfer of authority from Israel to the Palestinian Authority in part of the
Page 7
READ IT AND EAT
JTA NEWS BRIEFS • More than a dozen Palestinian and left-wing organizations in Switzerland are calling for a boycott of Israeli consumer goods to protest Israeli policy toward the Palestinians. The boycott is aimed not only at Israeli products, but also at products of Jewish-owned businesses. Organizers concede that the campaign is unlikely to have a significant impact on the Israeli economy, but say it will give Swiss people the chance to make a statement about the situation in the Middle East. Anna Winkelberg of Zurich told JTA, “Even 60 years later, I am reminded by this boycott of the Nazi slogan, ‘Do not buy from the Jews.’” A few pro-Israel Christians protested the boycott in front of some of the country’s stores, asking customers to sign a declaration of sympathy with Israel. Some of Switzerland’s larger department stores, shopping outlets and supermarkets told JTA they would not adhere to the boycott.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Gaza Strip “the important step over the weekend.” He also said he did not envision a role for U.S. armed forces in the region. • A Jewish school is set to open in Beijing. Ganeinu, sponsored by Chabad-Lubavitch, is expected to open its doors in July, according to the Jerusalem Post. The curriculum, which will be taught in English, includes traditional Jewish and secular subjects, along with classes in basic Hebrew. The school is intended to serve the families of Jewish business people and expatriates residing in the Chinese capital. • The Council of Europe passed a resolution urging that Palestinian refugees be resettled outside Israel. The resolution, passed at the group’s Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg, France, stated that the question of refugees “should not be delayed until the political settlement of the Middle East conflict.” The resolution stated that the “international community should step up its voluntary financial contribution to the budget” of the U.N. agency that serves Palestinian refugees, and that several countries should help absorb them. An Arab-led initiative to demand a “right of return” for Palestinian refugees to Israel was rejected, said the SecretaryGeneral of the World Jewish Congress, Avi Beker.
American Grub by Lynn Kuntz & Jan Fleming (Gibbs-Smith, $7.95) Reviewed by LOIS FRIEDMAN Foods plentiful in an area are likely to be what shows up on the dinner table; with all the varieties of ethnic backgrounds plus climates, soils and terrain within our borders of the USA, the regions enjoy their own unique foods. The 50 alphabetical by state recipes “reflect the climate, people, geography and history of each of the 50 states,” including state names and capitals, food facts, nicknames and are eats for kids from all of them. Helpful cooking hints and preparations for kids helped by adults precede the recipes, which cover what is needed: numerical instructions, fun facts and funky illustrations. Cornhusker Burgers (the largest hamburger on record weighed 5,520 pounds and was 21 feet in diameter) are served up in Nebraska; Popcorn Balls, Missouri Show-Me Cream ‘n’ Cone, and for all-American kids of every age here’s the Kansas recipe:
CRUNCHY SUNFLOWER CEREAL 2 cups sunflower-seed kernels 2 cups quick oatmeal 1/2 cup cashew pieces 1/2 cup almonds 1/2 cup shredded coconut 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup molasses Preheat oven to 300º. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Use your hands and mix well. Spread onto a shallow baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully remove from oven with hot pads, stir mixture, and then bake for 10 minutes more. Let cool. Store in tightly sealed container or sealable plastic bag. Sunflowers were growing wild in Kansas long before white people arrived. Because they are native to our country, sunflower seeds are truly an allAmerican food.
The Middle of the Night
BOOK REVIEW
by Daniel Stolar (Picador, 2003)
Reviewed by STUART LEWIS, Kansas City Jewish Chronicle KANSAS CITY, KS--Midwesterners who are frustrated by the fact that American Jewish literary life seems to focus almost exclusively on the two coasts should find Daniel Stolar’s first collection of stories, The Middle of the Night, a pleasant relief, with its focus on the St. Louis Jewish community. More to the point, this volume is a wonderful assortment of poignant, well-crafted works of fiction that should stay with the reader long after he or she has finished reading them. The Midwestern locale in the stories (mostly St. Louis, though one pair of characters is from Kansas City) goes beyond the use of familiar street names. It has more to do with an atmosphere in which Jewishness cannot be taken for granted and has become equated with a liberal outlook
on life for people who “would rather have our children turn out gay than Republican.” St. Louis is not so much a metropolis as an overgrown small town, “a metropolitan area of 2.5 million where people spent their entire lives asking you where you went to high school.” The common theme that ties these stories together is a melancholic sense of loss. The author has dedicated the book to the memory of his mother, Mary Goldstein Stolar, and the loss of mothers and the breakup of families is central to a number of the stories (though strangely the title story, describing the death of the narrator’s mother in the middle of the night, was omitted from this volume and was published elsewhere). This poignancy is most strongly felt
in “Marriage Lessons,” in which the first-person female narrator (a rarity for a male author) has to cope with the death of her mother and a search for a father she never knew before she can commit to her relationship with her future husband. “The Trip Home” is the story of a man who believes he has happily remarried after the death of his first wife, only to find that he can barely hold his life together. The first story in the volume, “Jack Landers is My Friend,” demonstrates another type of loss--a man attending a reunion and learning that he still regrets a romantic relationship that never happened. My favorite story in the collection, however, is “Crossing Over,” which describes the life of a Jewish college student who feels the need to connect
with African-Americans to discover something of his true self. When he pledges an otherwise all-black fraternity, however, he is forced to confront the fact that his liberalism prevents him from truly assimilating into the black community and that a part of himself will always remain unfulfilled. Daniel Stolar is a skillful storyteller, and one never has a feeling that he is trying to drive home a message at the expense of the narrative. Each story proceeds carefully to a climax that puts the events into perspective. He is clearly an author we should keep our eyes on. Stuart Lewis holds a doctoral degree in English from Colorado University and is the Kansas City district manager of the Rail Road Retirement Board.
BERNINA Skilled staff are at your disposal in both Bernina stores. They are ready to discuss and demonstrate all that is new from Bernina
Premier Assisted Living
Built For Our Mom Highly Recommended For Yours
3 Nebraska Locations 11308 Blondo 402.491.0400 • 7337 Hickory 402.391.3000 4451 Old Cheney Road, Lincoln 402.420.6058 Stop in for a Tour Today!
BERNINA 180
for the Creative Sewing Enthusiast Now available with Artlink/CPS Software Computer Hookup at no cost. • LCD Touchscreen • 250 Stitches, 45 CPS Stitches • Maximum stitch width 9/45mm • Maximum stitch length 5mm • 7 alphabets
NO INTEREST NO PAYMENT FOR 6 MONTHS WITH APPROVED CREDIT
BERNINA SEWING CENTERS 3407 S. 84th
(Westgate Plaza) 392-0430 • 10144 Maple (Maple Village) Mon & Thur: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. • Tues, Wed, Fri & Sat: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
572-1212
Page 8
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
July 4, 2003
Sisters of the Shoah (Continued from page 1) explains that her daughter cannot deal with the subject: “She said, ‘Mom, I don’t want to hear it.’” For Bluma, the youngest sister, the specter of the Holocaust is not as immediate as it is for her older siblings but it is still ever present. Three years ago she made a pilgrimage with her children and several of her grandchildren to the Polish death camps. “This was my wish. To make this journey before I go away, because I’m a survivor and when we go away nobody’s going to be left anymore,” she said. “It was a sad wish. My husband didn’t want to go because it broke his heart. I said, ‘If you’re not going to go, I will. I have to.’ I wanted to say goodbye to the ashes.” Bluma and her family visited Treblinka, where her mother and youngest brother were killed, as well as Auschwitz, where she and Mania were imprisoned together and where Rachel and another brother were confined in a separate compound. “In Treblinka I kneeled down, I cried and I talked to my mom and my little brother. I said, ‘I’m here. I’ve just come to see you and say goodbye.’ I said kaddish and after the prayers it started thundering and lightning...like she heard me. It was very emotional.” At Auschwitz, she went inside the very barracks, No. 25, where she and Mania were interned. “I thought I would have a nervous breakdown,” she recalls. Finally, she went to her hometown, which she found stripped bare of its Jewish heritage. “There’s nothing left,” she said. “It’s like we never existed.” Back home, she counts her blessings. “I’m thankful to God for every single day.” Born into the Polish-Jewish family of Rose and Morris Bojman, Mania, Rachel and Bluma grew up alongside their three younger bothers in a stately home in the largely Jewish rural village of Wolanow, Poland. The orthodox family was well off, with their father working as a cattle buyer and running his own butcher shop and their mother earning money as a seamstress. The three sisters were leading typical schoolgirl lives, with Rachel learning the seamstress trade, when Poland was invaded by
German forces in 1939 and the first anti-Jewish decrees were enacted soon thereafter. The mounting menace turned violent when German bombers attacked the village and an explosion destroyed a house across the street from the Bojman residence, killing and maiming several inhabitants. “I remember the bedding was wet with blood. People were cut up in little pieces,” Rachel said. With their movements and actions curtailed, the Jewish populace was restricted to one small section of town where the Bojmans resided. Some of Wolanow’s Jewish residents were thrown out of their own homes and herded with refugees from neighboring hamlets into the small Jewish ghetto, which more and more resembled a prison. The Bojmans’ home was soon overcrowded with dozens of displaced people. Occupying German forces increasingly isolated their captives by driving Jews into concentration camps, dividing families in the process, throughout the countryside. It was at this time the Bojman family was irretrievably split up. The sisters’ mother fled with their youngest brother, Motel, to the nearby village of her brother and his family, where she felt they’d be safe. The rest of the family was taken to Szalkow, a holding site on an area farm where conditions were far better than anything the sisters would know again until after the war ended six years later. Then, in the cold calculations of the Holocaust, Mania, Bluma, a brother, Aaron, their father and a cousin, Carl Rosenberg, were inexplicably sent to Camp Wolanow while Rachel and her brother Jacob stayed at Szalkow. To this day, Rachel cannot fathom why she and her brother were separated from her family at Wolanow. “That’s such a puzzle in my mind,” she said. As to why her mother went off alone with her baby brother, she speculates she acted out of fear and denial. “My mother preached, ‘The Germans will not hurt us--they are a cultured people.’” Before leaving, Rachel’s mother gave her a diamond ring. Rachel bribed a German guard with that ring and found someone to drive her to the vil-
CustomClosets ...beyond organization! Closets • Walk-in closets • Garage storage Home offices • Entertainment centers In-home computer-generated design. Our designers will visit your home, listen to your needs, measure, count your contents and collaborate with you to custom design a closet, office, garage, or entertainment center that’s right for you. You can trust our skilled craftsmen to plumb, square and expertly install your system. Your satisfaction is guaranteed. So call us for a FREE no-obligation, on-site consultation with one of our designers and discover how Beyond Repairs can help you organize your home beyond expectations. Or visit our innovative showroom and state-of-the-art production facility.
EtEion! FtR alla
Ins
Call for FREE estimate!
829.0600 SM
HANDYMAN SERVICES CUSTOM CLOSETS HOME IMPROVEMENTS TM
Showroom hours: M-F 8-6 6520 South 118th Street, Omaha www.beyondrepairs.com
lage where her mother and brother were staying. “I went to get them,” Rachel recalls, but her mother resisted. “‘No, give me two more days,’ she said. She cooked
and shelter to the two brave little girls, who scurried to her place via the tunnel whenever they got hungry. On what proved to be the last run the girls made to their secret sanctuary,
Bluma, left, Rachel and Mania as young girls in Poland. for me my favorite meal and made a package for me to take back to my camp.” By the time Rachel came back, the village had been ethnically cleansed and, as she later learned, her loved ones taken to Treblinka, where they perished. Camp Wolanow. This was the first of the camps Mania and Bluma weathered. As in other camps, males and females were segregated in overcrowded living barracks and on grueling work details. The sisters’ father and their brother Aaron were there, too. Operated by the Germans, the holding camp was manned by many Polish guards and terrorized by roving Ukrainian execution squads. The close quarters, unsanitary conditions, poor food and inadequate shelter became a breeding ground for disease. Typhus swept through the camp that winter, felling the sisters’ father, who grew too weak to work, excuse enough to be killed. Bluma, then only 10, snuck into her father’s barracks to comfort him and to hide him from the guards, but she was spotted and thrown into a crude shack known as “the death house.” There, “cold, barefoot and crying,” she cowered among the other prisoners awaiting almost certain death. When word of her capture reached her cousin Carl, already a young man who’d earned special privileges inside the camp because of his tailoring skills, he came to her rescue. Halfdelirious with typhus himself, Carl pleaded with the guards for her release. As Bluma recalls, “He said, ‘Please, let her live a little more. She’s my cousin.’ And they let me out.” Survival at Wolanow was determined in part by luck, the guards’ whims and inmates’ own wits, wile and will. To survive, Bluma and Mania became hustlers and scavengers. Bluma, the smaller of the two, was adept at sneaking in and out of tight spaces to steal boots or brooms, which they made, or other valuable items the girls came across in camp and traded for scraps of food. “I was the provider,” Bluma said. “I was very aggressive.” In their foraging for supplies, the sisters said they got brazen enough to dig a shallow tunnel--with their bare hands--in the snow and ice. The tunnel, beginning under a section of barbed wire on the camp’s perimeter fence, ran into the surrounding woods and led to a clearing a few yards away. There, Bluma said, she and Mania came above ground and headed straight for a house occupied by a friendly Gentile family. The woman of the house knew the Bojmans from before the roundups and gave food
Bluma said the woman informed them it was getting too dangerous to aid them any longer and she forbid them from returning. That night, Bluma said she and Mania hid in the woods when they heard machine gunfire coming from the camp. Returning to camp at daybreak, she said they came upon a scene of surreal carnage, with hundreds of frozen corpses, riddled by bullets, laying on the ground as mourning relatives weeped over them. Among the bereaved was their father, crying over the death of his son and their brother, Aaron, a victim of the mass execution. As related to the sisters by their father, Aaron was selected for a contingent of prisoners earmarked for another camp but, instead, he hid in a barrel, hoping to elude his captors. When a guard overturned the barrel Aaron was killed with the others on site. The bodies, according to Mania, were buried in a mass grave. From Wolanow, Mania, Bluma, their father and Carl were transported to a Polish transit camp, Starahowice, where they were detained before being shipped, by train, to dreaded Auschwitz. Degradation and violation ruled their lives at Auschwitz. Like many others, Mania and Bluma endured torture. “The women guards went with their bare hands inside us and tore things,” Mania said. “We were screaming. We were bleeding. Oh, God. I don’t know how we got children. This was a miracle.” The sisters’ father was transported from Auschwitz and eventually gassed in Buchenwald. Meanwhile, Rachel, along with Jacob and assorted cousins and aunts, were deported from Szalkow, where they enjoyed relative comfort, to Blizyn, a harsh labor camp where they were “cold, hungry and dirty.” She and other women were forced to carry heavy cement blocks for buildings under construction. Jacob tended animals. Eventually, Rachel was spared the hardship and indignity of being a human pack mule when the guards called a group of inmates together one day and asked who could sew. She raised her hand and was reassigned to a giant sweatshop where she joined hundreds of other prisoners making uniforms. The drudgery of work-filled days and the anxiety of uncertain fates left inmates drained by night, when they “sat around for hours and talked,” Rachel recalls, “about why they are doing this to us, what’s going to be tomorrow, who’s going to live through this, who’s going to tell? We dreamed. We looked outside and saw there’s still a world. We saw people working (Continued on page 9)
July 4, 2003
Sisters of the Shoah (Continued from page 8) in the fields. The sky was blue. The birds still flew. The people are free.’ This was our liberation.” On I thought, God, if I could only be a bird. We were 16- the same day, Rachel and her group were liberated 17 years old. We never dated. We never knew boys. by the Russians. We were afraid but there was nothing we could do. The sisters, mere skeletons by then, were cared The hurt was so deep. The ocean wasn’t as deep as for by a combination of international aid workers our hurt.” and Czech nationals. The pain only got worse at Auschwitz. “Well, I Against all odds, the sisters persevered the worst knew this was going to be our end,” Rachel recalls that, as Bluma puts it, “human done to human,” thinking upon arriving at that foul place. It was by and have gone on to see many tomorrows. While pure chance she their post-war life has became aware of her been heaven-sent in sisters’ presence there. comparison with the One day while walkhell they survived, ing in a line of prisonthere have been many ers at the edge of the struggles. compound that borSoon after their liberdered another encloation, Mania and sure she saw Nathan, Bluma went to the brother of her Wolanow to salvage cousin Carl, working on what they could from a railroad gang. They the family home, where made eye contact and they were rudely “he threw me a chunk rebuffed by the Polish of bread.” Further down family occupying it. the line she spotted her The granddaughter of Bluma and Joe Polonski, The sisters only sisters laboring on the Arielle Viny, left, was one of 12 family members retrieved a photo of tracks the transport who visited what was left of the sisters’ family their father before home in Wolanow, Poland. trains ran on. being driven off with “I went closer to the gate, up to the barbed wire, threats and invectives. and I screamed, ‘Mania...Bluma,’ and they saw me Mania and Bluma were reunited with Rachel, and they waved to me. I threw them pieces of that Carl and other relatives at a pair of displaced perbread.” It was the last time she saw her sisters until sons centers in Germany, namely, the city of months after their liberation. Lanzburg and the former concentration camp Life “was very bad there,” Rachel said. “Every Bergen-Belsen, which the British liberated. At morning we had to stand in line to be counted. We these sites the extended family eked out a meager had to be naked for Mengele (the Nazi war criminal, existence the next few years. Joseph Mengele, who experimented on inmates). “We didn’t have money or anything, but we were We were afraid. He chose...this girl to the left, this still happy. We were together...and we were free,” girl to the right...you go to work, you go to die.” Rachel said. As Bluma puts it, “If you had bones, you were not During their limbo of a refugee existence, Carl, the good. If you still had a little meat, you could still oldest and most resourceful, “was like a father to us,” work. One day he made a selection and I was on the Rachel said. “We were very naive. We didn’t know from wrong side and they took me away. I was scared, but life. He took care of us. He protected us.” Carl, who long I couldn’t cry anymore--our tears were dried up. We fancied Rachel, married his cousin in Germany, where were numb already. We were like cattle led to the their first child, Morris, was born. Mania and Bluma slaughter.” also met their mates in the DP camps. Bluma said she escaped the ovens when, in a roll By 1949 the sisters secured papers to start anew call, she gave the wrong number tattooed on her --with Rachel, Carl, Bluma and Joe going to arm and rejoined Mania in the fit-to-work group. America and Mania and Zalman resettling in At Auschwitz Rachel once again lugged cement Israel. Their cousins scattered to the four winds. blocks. On their way to work Rachel and fellow In 1958, Mania and her family rejoined her sisters inmates passed by a crematorium. “We saw the in America. flames and the black smoke,” she recalls. “We said, Rachel credits then-Jewish Federation of Omaha ‘Well, next time it will be us.’ We knew there was no Executive Director, Paul Veret, with helping her tomorrow for us.” In a building piled high with vic- family get established in the community and Jewish tims’ discarded apparel she salvaged fabric to make social maven Sadie Newman with making them feel clothes for her, her relatives and barracks-mates. welcome here. It was at Auschwitz the sisters’ brother Jacob met All three sisters feel blessed they overcame their his end. Rachel, who’d been his protector during their shared tragedy and trauma to find a foothold in life in detention, took his death especially hard. America, where they started from scratch to build “One day we were standing in the wrong place at the bountiful lives for their families. Along with their wrong time when the SS, who targeted the young, husbands, fellow survivors like them, the women took him away from me,” she said. “I didn’t want to let found business success, reared healthy children and him go. I cried and begged them to let me go with him became doting grandparents. or to take me instead, but they just grabbed him, For years, Rachel assisted her husband, Carl, who threw me down and led him away to a truck. I could- now suffers from dementia, in their own tailoring n’t do anything but put a sweater around him so he’d business. She still does fittings and alterations in be warm. I followed the truck as far as I could.” their basement workshop. Mania and her late husHaving him wrenched away from her to be gassed is, band Zalman owned and operated the popular she said, “my biggest hurt.” It is why, she feels, she’s Friedman’s Bakery in Countryside Village. Bluma’s been an “overprotective” mother. husband Joe, now retired, was the longtime owner Although the sisters had no inkling of it at the of Ak-Sar-Ben TV before selling it in 2000. time, by early 1945 the Nazis were in disarray and The sisters are proud to have come so far from so inmates like themselves still able enough to work, little. albeit malnourished, were in a position to stay alive “We had no language, no money, nothing, and look and be liberated by advancing Allied troops. at what we accomplished,” Rachel said, motioning As if surviving Auschwitz were not enough, the to her big, beautiful house. Toiling long hours beside sisters defied fate once more when commandeered their husbands to earn extra money, the women to work as human slaves in munitions factories on made sure their children had “everything they the Czech-German border--Mania and Bluma in wanted,” Mania said. Working hard also helped Darezenstrat and Rachel and some cousins at ease the women’s heartache. another site, where they toiled in a series of cellars “Being busy is a healing,” Rachel said. Even so, or tunnels variously sorting potatoes and splicing harsh memories linger--the bitter past a constant electric wires. By late spring, the prisoners could reminder of what they witnessed. “I hold it in my see their captors were anxious. Some guards fled. heart. I remember everything,” Mania said. Then, on May 8 1945, Mania, Bluma and the othForgotten and abandoned during the war, the sisers were marched into the woods by the remaining ters carried on when all hope seemed lost and realguards. When a limousine approached, the sisters ized what once seemed impossible--a life free of fear feared the worst. “We thought it was the SS,” and want. “I didn’t have anything but a dream and Bluma said, “but it was the Red Cross. They said to my dream came true,” Bluma said. the Germans, ‘Stay here. You lost the war. It’s over. “Well, God had to give us something, too.”
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 9
Before someone offers you alcohol or other drugs, decide what you are going to say.
Pulverent e
Having the facts can give you confidence
60 Years Experience With Jewish Lettering and Memorials
MONUMENT CO.
Frank L. Ciciulla Jr.
For more information, call
1439 So. 13th
1-800-648-4444
341-2452
Teach your kids it’s easier to never start. It’s up to you to provide the information they need to say no to drugs.
1-800-648-4444
PEOPLE WHO READ NEWSPAPERS ARE
STUDENTS WITH BETTER GRADES It all starts with Newspapers
HOME
APPLIANCE
OMAHA’S MOST TRUSTED NAME
“Serving Omaha Since 1946” 8827 Maple
391-4287
Service • Parts Prompt and Dependable One Company Repairs All Your Major Appliances
EMILY MILDER & TIM DUFFY MORTGAGE PLANNING TEAM JUMBO SPECIALISTS, REFINANCE, PURCHASES WORK WITH SOMEONE YOU KNOW AND TRUST (402)934-9272 emily@homesmartz.com
YOUR MORTGAGE SOLUTION
Universal Construction Co. Roof • Siding • Decks • Vinyl Siding Gutters • General Remodeling 20 Years in Business Insured • Free Estimates • References
Gregory Kogan 15418 Corby Street • Omaha,NE 68116 402-491-3929 • Mobile:402/598-0605 • Pager:633-0087 Fax:402/491-4080
Lynne M. Popp Educational Therapy, Inc. M.S. in Learning Disabilities, B.C.E.T. • Educational Assessments • Workshop Presenter • Dyslexia • Teacher Trainer • Educational Therapy
4405 North 156th Ave. Circle Phone: 402/498-8708 FAX: 445-0433 E-mail: slpopp1@cox.net
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR MIDWEST SYNAGOGUE Exciting opportunity for individual to coordinate non-ritual activities at Congregation Beth Shalom, an 1100 family conservative synagogue serving greater Kansas City. Responsibilities include facilities, finance, personnel and membership. Strong administrative, management, finance and communication skills required. Mail resume to Randy Block, Search Committee Chairman, 12320 Aberdeen, Leawood, KS 66209.
Page 10
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
July 4, 2003
Etz Chayim: Strong Roots, Strong Foundation by ARIELLA HOFFMAN
Shari Blum Rabbi Tuvia Hoffman Beginning Sept. 4, Torah U’Mesorah will be opening a preschool in Omaha that offers preschoolers and their parents the opportunity to experience a traditional Jewish education. Etz Chayim Preschool will open its doors to Jewish children from the age of three to five. In Hebrew, Etz Chayim means “Tree of Life” which alludes to the tree planted in the Garden of Eden that if eaten would give everlasting life. Similarly, the purpose of Etz Chayim Preschool will be to give each child the opportunity to connect to their Jewish heritage, an everlasting heritage more than 3,000 years old. The Administrative Director, Rabbi Tuvia Hoffman recently moved to Omaha after having spent the last decade in Israel studying in some of Israel’s finest institutions of Torah learning. The last two years of Rabbi Hoffman’s stay in Israel were concentrated on completing his Rabbinic ordination. Concurrently, he learned with Ner L’Elef, which is renown for training quality Torah educators who will, in turn, be sent to teach in schools, synagogues, and universities all over the world. While enrolled in Ner L’Elef, Rabbi Hoffman directed and taught in a learning program at the Hebrew University in Israel. Near completion in her Master’s of Education, Shari Blum is a great asset as Lead Teacher at Etz Chayim. In addition to her long and multifaceted history in Education, Blum brings to the school her vibrancy for life and her deep and enthusiastic love of Judaism. Whether teaching the alphabet or singing Hebrew songs, she is able to connect with her young students through her warmth and her humor. Blum’s academic credentials begin at Ithaca College where she received her Bachelor of Arts. In that time, she also worked in both a Hebrew school, a preschool, and was Camp Director in Gan Israel in Philadelphia. Blum taught at one of the finest day schools in the country, Manhattan Yeshiva Day School. She also served as principal of Lincoln Square Hebrew School. Blum’s experience is not limited to the United States however, because during her four years of living in Israel, she served as lead teacher and director of a Hebrew preschool.
Ariella Hoffman Brooke Shrago Blum’s first year here in Omaha was spent starting a Torah Tots program, where both parents and children had the opportunity to spend an hour and a half in the morning learning, and teaching in the Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center at the Jewish Community Center. Already established as a compatible teaching team, Brooke Shrago, will be working as Teaching Assistant with Shari at Etz Chayim. Brooke and Shari spent the last year teaching together at the CDC. While in Chicago, Shrago was enrolled at the Anne Blitzstein Teacher’s Institute of Hebrew Theological College. For seven years, she worked in the school and camp at Keshet, a school for Jewish Disabled Children. She spent the following year and a half working with children with social and emotional behavior issues at The Jewish Children’s Bureau Therapeutic Day School. As the most recent arrival to Omaha, I will be teaching the Torah Tots program at Etz Chayim. Torah Tots will be offered one day a week for an hour and a half. The program will be an introductory lesson in Jewish education for children ages two and three, where they will learn about Jewish holidays, Shabbat, and Hebrew songs and crafts. After receiving a BA, I spent the last five years in Seminary in Israel, where I lived with my husband, Rabbi Tuvia Hoffman, and our two children. In my last year in Israel, I taught in a private Hebrew preschool in Ramat Beit Shemesh. Etz Chayim is located on the corner of Maple and 90th Street. An Open House will be announced soon for those parents interested in meeting the staff and visiting the school. For more information, please contact Rabbi Hoffman at 384-2032.
Didi and Jeffrey Turkel announce the June 20 birth of a daughter, Olivia Grace. Grandparents are Dr. and Mrs. Richard Fitzgerald and Dr. and Mrs. Bernard Turkel, all of Omaha. Great-grandmother is Peg Gallagher of Omaha.
WHY NOT DO IT THE EASY WAY?
NORM’S DOOR SERVICE
Take advantage of today’s low mortgage rates! BOB NELSON, CLU
• We’ll make getting your mortgage “pointless.”
One of Nebraska’s Most Respected & Experienced Insurance Professionals
• Apply for your mortgage and check rates at:
• Life Insurance • Long Term Care Ins • Estate Planning • Business Insuranace • Retirement Planning
www.residentialmortgages.com Omaha Bellevue Council Bluffs Lincoln
333-7900 292-7900 322-7900 423-8885
WALDBAUM/SILBERSTEIN Mark and Phyllis Silberstein announce the engagement of their son, Neil Jacob, to Debbi Ann Waldbaum, daughter of Claude and Keiko Waldbaum, of Los Angeles, CA. The bride-to-be is pursuing a masters in physical therapy from California State University at Northridge and will graduate next May. She is currently an intern at Good Samaritan Hospital. Her fiance received a masters in architecture from the University of California at Los Angeles. He is an architectural designer with the firm of Hodgetts and Fung and completing work towards his state architectural license. A June, 2004, wedding is planned in Los Angeles.
MARRIAGE FRANCO/SILBERSTEIN Julieta Cortez Franco and Seth Jeremy Silberstein were married May 25 in Newport Beach, CA on the yacht, the Icon. Rabbi Steven Jacob officiated and friends Alan Tipp of Baltimore, MD, and Leah Goodman of Los Angeles, CA, signed the ketubah. Bridesmaids were Jayme Tichauer, the groom’s cousin, and best man was the groom’s brother, Neil Silberstein. Groomsmen included Alan Tipp and Danny Laub (all are former Omahans, except for Laub). The groom graduated with honors from California State University at Northridge with a degree in computer science. He is currently a computer consultant. He is the son of Mark and Phyllis Silberstein and the grandson of Lillian Lerman. The bride works for Capital Reprographics and will be attending nursing school this fall. Following a honeymoon in the Philippines, the couple will make their home in Los Angeles.
BIRTHS
Residential Mortgage Services, Inc.
• Consolidate Debts
ENGAGEMENT
bnelson@gracemayer.com
402-397-5050 800-279-2081
GARAGE DOOR SPECIALISTS SALES AND SERVICE
COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL RESIDENTIAL
6200 South 90TH St. at 90th & Washington
Omaha, Nebraska
Lyndi and Eric Munro of Overland Park, KS, announce the June 8 birth of Nathan Albert. Grandparents are Claire and Pierre Flatowicz and Jeff and Sandy Passer, all of Omaha, and Ileta and Roland Munro of Overland Park, KS. Great-grandparents are Fanny Gummers, Overland Park, KS, and Stanley Passer.
LAKESIDE HILLS Apartment Community “Brand New”
1 Bedroom $845 • 2 Bedrooms $1100 Includes garage spaces in your building • Climate Controlled Underground Garage • Elevator Service • Indoor Trash Chutes • Controlled Access Entries • 9 Foot Ceilings/Crown Molding • Gas Log Fireplaces • 7,000-sq.-ft. Clubhouse • 24 Hour Exercise Room • Outdoor Pool • Walking distance to new Baker’s Store, SuperTarget, • restaurants, banks, medical and wellness center and • many more shops. (Only five minutes to Oakview Mall, • Lowes and WalMart) •Lakeside Hospital Coming Soon
Call for our RENTAL SPECIAL 2 blocks north of
934-5253
171st & West Center Rd.
402/331-8920
Professionally managed by Vacanti & Randazzo Companies
July 4, 2003
ORGANIZATIONS OMAHA CENTER FOR TORAH LEARNING Rabbi Aryeh Blum will give his weekly parasha shiur tomorrow afternoon, July 5, 6:30 p.m. Time for Talmud is Monday, July 7, 7:30 p.m. The Beit Midrash meets on Tuesday, July 8, 7:30 p.m. The Wednesday Women’s Class is July 9, 7:30 p.m., all at the OCTL House, 1313 No. 58 St. Join OCTL for the weekly discussion of Torah Topics at Lunch ’n Learn, Wednesday, July 9, noon, at the Kripke Library; the Wednesday Teen Class continues to meet throughout the summer at 7:30 p.m. at the home of Brooke Shrago, 805 So. 120 Ave. For information about OCTL, call Rabbi Aryeh Blum at 320-8055. B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Join us for lunch and a guest speaker on Wednesday, July 9, noon, at the Park Inn Regency. Cost for lunch is $9; beverage service only, $2. Programs are open to the community. Y.E.S. Members will meet Monday at the JCC. Come play bingo at 10 a.m. with Eileen Remer or exercise with Stacey Paskert at 10:30 a.m. Bring articles to share for the “YES Talk” discussion group at 11. Join us for the Annual Independence Day Party and a Summer Potpourri Concert with Maxine Noodell and Esther Wax. For transportation call Dee Dee at 330-4272. Call Maggie Conti for reservations. Mystery Tour is July 17; deadline for reservations is July 10. Bunch to Lunch to The Rose Restaurant in Treynor, Iowa, is July 24; deadline is July 17. Bluffs Run Casino is July 31; deadline for reservations is July 24.
IN THE NEWS Former Omahan Tamara Schneiderman completed her freshman and sophomore years in one year with a 4.0 GPA, majoring in nuclear engineering at the University of Florida. She is on the dean’s list and the presidents honor roll. In addition to a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship, she has also been awarded a Roberto Pagano Scholarship and a University of Florida Alumni Scholarship from the Tallahassee chapter. Tamara is the daughter of Dr. Martin and Sue Schneiderman. Leo Schumacher, President and CEO of Lincoln Federal Savings Bank of Nebraska has been elected to a three-year term on the board of directors of the Heartland Community Bankers Association. Schumacher is a member of the Association’s Federal and State Affairs Committee. Omaha attorney Randy Endelman was named Senior Vice-President and Regional Trust Manager of Great Western Bank. Great Western has several locations in Omaha, as well as banks in Iowa, South Dakota, Missouri and Kansas. For the second year, Matt Kutler was a First Team All-Ivy Selection in Baseball for the 2003 season. He was also named as a First Team All-New England selection. Matt just completed his junior year at Brown University. This summer he is playing for Gateman team in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Recently he was asked by College Sports TV to write a weekly series of articles on his experiences as a player in the Cape Cod League. His articles can be found at www.CSTV.com. Matt is the son of Debi and David Kutler. Brian Siff, 24, son of former Omahans Barry and Judy Siff of Colorado, graduated from the University of Michigan in three years with honors and spent two-and-a-half years with the Peace Corps in Cameroon, Africa. He is now saving the rainforest and teaching English in a small, impoverished community in the Patagonia area of Chile, as part of a private, non-profit foundation, Ayacara. Elliot Siff, 19, will be entering his sophomore year at University of Colorado in Boulder, majoring in Fine Arts, and made Dean’s List his freshman year.
WALK-IN,DROP-IN There will be no meeting Thursday. LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Want a place to brush up on your Yiddish? Join us every Thursday, 1 p.m. at The Yiddish Conversation Group in the Social Hall of the JCC. Call Anne Skolkin for information at 343-1638. VISIONS Reminder: Visions board meeting is Friday, July 11, 9:30 a.m. in the Blumkin Home conference room. For those members going on the Minneapolis trip, meet at the JCC by 7:30 a.m. Please park in the west parking lot close to the Blumkin Home. Join us for the Summer Luncheon on Friday, July 18, 12:30 p.m at Caniglia’s Venice Inn. The cost is $9. You thought you knew everything about chicken soup, but wait ’til you hear Stephen Rennard, M.D. tell us all about what is near and dear to our Jewish hearts! Send reservations to Mickey and Tootie Simon, 8725 Izard, Omaha, NE 68114. For questions, call Harry Alloy at 697-8709. Make check payable to JSS. Deadline is July 11. Join us for song and dance! The Ralston Community Theatre presents the musical Footloose at Bellevue Little Theater on Sunday, July 20, 2 p.m. Dinner (on your own) following at the Greek Island. The cost of $15 per person includes bus transportation and show admission. Depart from the JCC at 12:45 p.m. and return at approximately 7 p.m. Deadline is July 14. Send reservations to: Ethel Goldston, 10530 Pacific St., #104, Omaha, NE 68114. For information, call Jean Elkon at 551-6656. Seats are limited. Make check payable to JSS.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT A love story spanning two continents, Nowhere in Africa, opens at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, Saturday, July 5-July 17. It is the extraordinary true tale of a Jewish family who flees the Nazi regime in 1938 for a remote farm in Kenya. Winner of the 2002 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Nowhere in Africa was written and directed by Caroline Link and based on the best-selling autobiographical novel by Stefanie Zweig. Screenings are daily at 4:30, 7:05, and 9:35 p.m. with the Saturday and Sunday matinee at 1:55 p.m. For ticket information, call 1-402-472-9100. Now on exhibit at the Omaha Children’s Museum, is “Pizza: Any Way You Slice It” featured through through Sept. 7. The exhibit focuses on three main areas: making pizza, delivering pizza, and eating pizza. Along the way visitors will learn about fractions, making change, handling money and geography. The exhibit also covers the science behind rising dough, melting cheese, digestion and the nutritional value of pizza. For museum hours, membership or admission prices, call 342-6164.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
• Northern Indian • Tandoori Cuisine • Regional Specialties • Vegetarian • Favorites • Lunch & Dinner
1010 Howard St. • Old Market • 342-4856 When people mention Jack & Mary’s, they’re talking
Chicken! RESTAURANT
Lunch and Steaks • Seafood Dinner Chicken Old Mill Shopping Center 108th & Dodge 496-2090
Now Open • Think Daily
Open For Lunch
Casual Upscale Dining Featuring Hot Rock Cooking Of Exotic Meats and Fondue Also Serving Steaks, Seafood & Pasta Catering Available 1202 South 119 Street • 402/697-1313
EL ALAMO “Best Mexican Food”
Nachos • Guacamole • Tacos • Fajitas Burritos • Shrimp • Enchiladas Combination Dinners Carnitas • Tostadas Tamales • Arroz Con Pollo • Machaca MEXICAN BEER Corona • XX • Bohemia • Tecate • Carta Blanca Open for Lunch and Dinner 11 a.m.-9 p.m. OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
4917 South 24th St. • 731-8969
The Lincoln Community Playhouse presents the musical Footloose, which opens July 11, 7:30 p.m. and runs through Aug. 3. Based on the highly successful 1984 film, Footloose incorporates many of the hit songs from the movie and, of course, energetic dancing. Non-subscriber tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for students. Call 1-402-489-7529 for ticket availability.
LETTER FROM Y.E.S. by ILENE PACHMAN A special notice to all my relatives. As you realize I’m not calling like I use to! So you’re asking why? Did you miss me? I’m waiting to see you on Monday at the ‘J’ for lunch. It was so freilach last Monday with Rick Weiner and his friend Chris Moluf. The place was jumping. We also had a lively discussion recently with Guy Matalon, JELS Director, on the very timely view on Israel. What did we agree on? The lunch was very good as usual. So my friends, join us next week for the Annual Independence Day party. Good-bye for now.
Page 11
SM
SM
PIZZERIA 13463 W. Center Rd.•330-1444 7924 W. Dodge Rd.•391-1881 1213 Howard St.•344-2222
Page 12
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
July 4, 2003
‘Passions’ Rise Before Gibson Film on Death of Jesus Hits the Screen by JOE BERKOFSKY NEW YORK (JTA)--The ghosts of virulently antiSemitic nuns may haunt Mel Gibson’s new film about Jesus’ final days, some Catholic and Jewish scholars are warning. The growing hype concerns charges that The Passion blames Jews for Jesus’ death. Gibson denies any anti-Semitic intent, and little attention has focused on the sources for his screenplay. Scholars--some of whom have seen an early version of the script--fear it relies partly on the teachings of a 19th-century nun who blamed Jews collectively for the crucifixion of Jesus. These theologians also warn that the movie may splice the New Testament’s multiple gospels about Jesus into a cinematically sharpened, but distorted, anti-Jewish passion play. “Mel Gibson ought to take special care, because the people he is relying on” for the movie’s narrative
Don’t Wait …Update!
by PAM MONSKY Federation Communications Director The Jewish Federation of Omaha is the process of updating the community mailing list. Community members were mailed an “Update form” this week that includes their individual information currently in the system. Every adult in a household will receive their own form. Please take a moment to verify that your information is complete and accurate. Corrections may be made directly on the form, or on the Federation website at: www.jewishomaha.org (click on “Update”). The Federation is asking that all Community Update forms be returned by Thursday, July 10, regardless of whether there are corrections. For more information, please contact Kathy Watkins at 334-6432 or e-mail her at: kwatkins@jewishomaha.org.
Mel Gibson and director M. Night Shyamalan on the set of Signs. Photo courtesy of Touchstone Pictures.
“are people who are very antagonistic toward Jews,” said Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. The Anti-Defamation League last week also endorsed a highly critical report by some of these scholars based on a pirated, early version of the script. Media focus on the film increased after The New York Times published a lengthy article earlier this year about Gibson’s fundamentalist Catholic sect, which rejects the Vatican’s authority and its modern-day reforms. Gibson has issued a single statement saying, “Neither I nor my film are anti-Semitic.” A spokesman last week dismissed the pre-release criticism. “Just getting rabbis and priests and whomever to just guess on the issue--they don’t really know what they’re talking about,” said Gibson’s spokesman, Alan Nierob. At the heart of the controversy lies the question of Gibson’s intent, and the issue of which sources he is using to shape the film’s narrative. Now editing the film, Gibson said two weeks ago that the movie “conforms to the narratives of
Christ’s passion and death found in the four Gospels of the New Testament.” But some reports contradict that. Several experts on Catholic-Jewish issues said one source of inspiration for the film seems to be Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich, a mystic in the late 1700s and early 1800s who saw visions of Jews with “hooked noses,” Hier said. According to a 1976 biography of Emmerich by the Rev. C. E. Schmoeger, Emmerich described one vision of an “old Jewess Meyr” who admitted “that Jews in our country and elsewhere strangled Christian children and used their blood for all sorts of suspicious and diabolical practices.” A March article about the film in The Wall Street Journal, written by Raymond Arroyo, said the movie also is based on a 17th century nun, Mary of Agreda, whom critics say also is anti-Semitic. One of those critics is Philip Cunningham, a Boston College theology professor and executive director of the college’s Center for Christian-Jewish Learning. Cunningham was on a nine-member, adhoc panel that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the ADL organized to review an early version of The Passion screenplay. Their assessment provoked Gibson to threaten a lawsuit. The Conference of Bishops later backtracked, claiming it did not authorize or review the report. Rabbi James Rudin, another expert on CatholicJewish issues, said this material had served as the “toxic” source for centuries of anti-Semitic passion plays. Rudin likened such “extra-biblical” material to Jewish midrash, or post-biblical analysis. “It’s all midrash. If Gibson uses that as kosher, than he is really going against the authorized Catholic teaching of the Vatican,” Rudin said. “To use that is distortion and dangerous.” The scholars also voiced worries that Gibson might weave together the most anti-Semitic portions of the gospels into his film.
Simchas a guide for your special events
weddings • b’nai mitzvah • anniversaries • birthdays We’re also looking for stories and photos about your celebrations! Send them to Carol Katzman, Editor, The Jewish Press, 333 South 132 Street, Omaha, NE 68154 or e-mail: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org
Newfor2003! Publishes August 22 Space Reservations July 25 Camera Ready Ads August 8 To place your ad, Call Advertising Manager, Allan Handleman at 334-6451 or Account Executive, Ray Pred at 334-6559.