July 10, 2015

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

Beth El Annual This Congregational meeting Week July 10, 2015 23 Tammuz 5775 Vol. 95 | No. 43

Reflections

by MARTY RICKS Annual Campaign Consultant “Passing the Torch” in the June 26 edition of the Jewish Press led readers to believe I have retired completely. However, the “pass” is that Steve Levinger assumes my former short term position of Federation Chief Development Officer, which basically means he is the head of our fundraising development, mainly the Annual Campaign. I remain on the staff and will report to Steve, as will Louri Sullivan who joined our staff last April as Director of

Honoring slain journalist Steven Sotloff Page 5

Orthodox Jewish groups brace for consequences of gaymarriage ruling Page 6

Jason Blair

Linda Fischer

Lloyd Roitstein

by BETH EL PUBLICITY Beth El Synagogue conducted its annual meeting on June 12 with a “Shabbat on the Green,” a barbeque dinner followed Kabbalat Shabbat services. Rain may have sent everyone indoors, but it did not deter the congregation from installing its new board members and presenting its annual awards. It was a true celebra-

tion of a congregation whose goal is that of an open, welcoming and inclusive community.

The 2015-16 Board of Trustees include: President, Joel Rich; VicePresidents Jon Jabenis, Ari Riekes and Jim Zipursky; Treasurer, Jay Gordman; Secretary, Caryn Scheer; Past President, Lloyd Roitstein and BESTT Chair, Lisa Lieb.

After opening remarks by President Joel Rich, gratitude was expressed to all those who contributed to the Cemetery Expansion Project, to Patron members for giving above and beyond and to the Synagogue’s Life and Legacy donors who invested in the future of Beth El. President Joel Rich presented the Continued on page 2

May I speak about aliyah?

As Iran deadline approaches, skeptics draw red lines Page 12

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

Next Week

8 10 11

Real Estate

Ethiopian Jews kissing the ground upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport as part of Operation Wings of Dove, which ended the Ethiopian immigration to Israel, Aug. 28, 2013.

Credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90/JTA

See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

by ELIAD ELIYAHU Community Shaliach The main role of the Israeli Shaliach (emissary) is to bring Israel to the

Jewish community in America. Varied ways and platforms are used to achieve this goal. Educational programs about Israel are conducted in schools and synagogues; special community events featuring Israeli music, art, and food are held. The shaliach’s role is also to encourage and plan meaningful visits in Israel and strengthen personal relationships for community members with Israelis through our Partnership 2GETHER program. However, looking back 50 years ago, the shaliach had a different role, which was emphasized mainly in the shailach title,

which was “Shaliach Aliyah”.

Over the years, the Jewish Agency (JAFI) has helped over three million Jews move to Israel. It is an unbelievable number. Each one of these three million people is unique in the world with special talents, a colorful culture, special ideologies, wills and dreams. Since the establishment of the Israeli state there have been periods of time when the number of the “olim” (the Jews who made aliyah) was very high. The aliyah from Ethiopia during 1971-1981 and from the Soviet Union during the 90’s are Continued on page 2

Marty Ricks Community Impact and Special Projects. The three of us will be challenged for the 2016 Annual Campaign, to exceed our 2015 final amount raised of $3,162,000.

Of course, CEO Alan Potash will have some direct involvement with certain donors.

Back to my plan: at age 72 and after 17 years on this campus, I will retire next spring sometime after the end of the 2016 Annual Campaign. My job responsibilities for the next 10 months are: 1. Mentor Steve (having worked with him for eight months, he does not need much mentoring); 2. Introduce Alan, Steve and Louri to donors they may not know well; 3. Transfer my knowledge of community members to our new fundraising software program; 4. Solicit for the 2016 Annual Campaign; and, 5.

Support the Federation and its Agencies in their quest to obtain future commitments under the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation’s Life & Legacy program.

Also, I plan to write some articles for the Press reflecting on my 17 years, 14-1/2 at our Foundation and 2-1/2 at the Federation.

It was a major risk for me to leave a good job in Los Angeles in 1998, at age 56, to move back to where I grew up. With the support of Iris who wanted us to get out of the LA rat race, we took the chance.

Without any doubt, we made the right decision, as I have loved my years working here and living here. I could not have made a better career move. That is the result of getting to know a collection of “over the top” committed people whose quest is to sustain one of the strongest Jewish communities in North America.

2 | The Jewish Press | July 10, 2015

May I speak about aliyah?

Continued from page 1 examples. During those times, the main reasons for making aliyah were the horrible situations such as anti-semisism and poverty in the orginal states.

More recently, the reason for making aliyah is for ideological reasons. The number of people from around the world seeing the Jewish state as the only homeland of the Jewish people is increasing. The many cases of Lone Soldiers, (and Omaha can be proud of our great representatives) are the perfect example of this ideology. So no matter how we look on the aliyah, this is a special cultural phenomenon which continues to make Israel a melting pot of cultures.

Six years ago the Akko Theater and the Ministry Pnina Agenyahu of Culture asked me to create an educational theatrical show for a religious audience. I was able to pick whatever topic I wanted and to work with a group of actors to write the play. I decided to analyze personal stories of aliyah compared to personal stories of people becoming religious. During the process of collecting materials for the show, I found many testimonies of people who came to Israel and felt like they are not only fulfilling their own dream, but also fulfilling the dream of many previous generations. We made a strong statement of this theme in the show. The target audience who saw the establishment of the Israeli state as a powerful miracle and not as something that should be taken for granted, greatly appreciated this theme.

Today, the news that has been coming from Israel over the last three months regarding the Ethiopian protest against the Israeli state raises many questions about the success of the aliyah and the absorption in Israel. A serious protest was sparked by the public release of a video in which a police officer in the Tel Aviv suburb of Holon was recorded beating

Damas Pakada, a uniformed soldier of Ethiopian descent, for no apparent reason. On May 3, thousands of people came to the streets of Tel Aviv to protest police brutality that appeared to be targeting Israelis of Ethiopian descent. The march began peacefully but turned violent after reaching Rabin Square around nightfall. Since then, short segments appear in the news describing how the Ethiopians are discriminated against in the Israeli society.

In the upcoming Eye on Israel session, we will talk about this news and explore the aliyah phenomena. During the session, I will be very happy to welcome via Skype two of my friends who have fascinating stories and insights about aliyah and absorption in Israel.

Pnina Agenyahu was born in Ethiopia and immigrated to Israel when she was three years old. Currently, she is a senior shlicha in the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.

She served as Director of the Hillel Center at Tel Aviv University, has extensive experience in public speaking and teaching. She travels worldwide to promote Israel. In 2014, as Israel marked 66 years of independence with a tribute to women, Pnina was named by Haaretz as one of 66 Israeli influential women. Pnina holds a BA in Jewish history and sociology from Hebrew University and an MA in political and public leadership from Tel Aviv University. She has a unique understanding of and love for the land of Israel. She has a deep love for the people and the State of Israel.

The other friend I will introduce to you is Yaakov Friedman. Yaakov, his wife, and three girls made aliyah to Israel two months ago. Yaakov came from China to Toledo OH, converted to Judaism and decided that the only place in the world he wanted to live and raise his kids was in Israel.

Please join me at the next session of Eye on Israel which will take place on Tuesday, July 14 at noon in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library.

Eye on Israel and the Community Shaliach program are programs of the Center for Jewish Life whose mission it is to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences.

Eye on Israel program is sponsored by the Henry and Dorothy Riekes Donor-Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. For more information, please call 402.334.6463 or email mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org.

Family treasures

by OZZIE NOGG Personal historian Sandra Martin brings her Family Treasures program to the Silverman Auditorium in the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home this Sunday, July 12. The event begins at 1:45 p.m., followed by a Tea Time.

Karen Hook of the RBJH Activities Department said, “This program is like a grown-up version of Show & Tell.

Participants are encouraged to bring photos, letters or other family heirlooms and share their stories. The event will be valuable and illuminating because it allows Blumkin Home residents to express themselves -- a process that validates their experiences. The afternoon will also offer participants a chance to reminisce with others who may have shared similar circumstances. Of course, if you’d

prefer to just come and listen, that’s fine, too.”

According to Sandra Martin, “Everyone has a story to tell, even if they don’t think they do. Our family stories are rich pieces of history, essential to our understanding of our ancestors and, ultimately, of ourselves. How can we truly know who we are without fully understanding who came before us? In fact, telling your life story brings you a kind of immortality. According to an ancient African saying, ‘You live on as long as someone remembers your story’.”

The Family Treasures program is free and open to the entire community. “We encourage everyone to attend,” Hook said. “Sharing your story, or hearing the stories of others, can be a very moving experience.”

Beth El Annual Congregational meeting Continued from page 1 Earl Siegel Memorial Award for Outstanding Board member to Past President, Lloyd Roitstein. Roitstein was recognized for his continuous efforts beyond his term as President of the Board of Trustees to secure legacy gifts for Beth El through the Life and Legacy campaign, demonstrating his love and devotion to Beth El. David Finkelstein presented the Emerging Leader Award to Men’s Club President, Jason Blair. “Jason takes his participation to heart and it is important to him to lead by example,” said Finkelstein.

When asked what motivates him to lead, Blair responded, “Personally, I want my children to know how important Beth El and our Jewish community are to their family. I want to plant a seed in their minds so when my kids are approached in the future to step forward and lead, there will be no hesitation to do so because they will understand the importance of giving back.”

The Selwyn Roffman Memorial Award for Religious Growth was given to the AAA Yad Squad (Ari Finkelstein, Ethan Finkelstein, Spencer Gordman, David Kay and Julian Witkowski). These upper elementary, preB’nai Mitzvah students are a unique group who have chosen to devote extra time and effort to learn to chant Torah. They are role models to younger students and truly represent the values of personal responsibility and leadership.

Linda Fischer was honored with the President’s Award for Outstanding (non-Board) member by Alan Parsow.

Fischer has managed the entire hamantashen baking service project for the past three years including taking time off work to come to Beth El to make dough, contacting volunteers and assisting in all the baking, packaging and clean up. “To get a sense of the scope of this project, this past year alone we baked 165 dozen hamantashen,” said Parsow. He went on to say, “Linda not only manages it, she steps forward and asks to head it up each year!”

“She doesn’t look for recognition but expresses her willingness to give back to Beth El not only because she considers the synagogue her home but also to set an example to her sons,” he concluded.

Teen awards included the Jack Molad Ruach Award to Zev Krausman, the Joe Ginsburg Mensch Award to Tomer Palmon, the Sisterhood Volunteer Award to Sam Lieb and the A.B. and Freeda Gendler Award to Elissa Wiener.

Beth El Synagogue is a welcoming and vibrant conservative Synagogue that empowers, engages and inspires its congregants through God, Torah and Acts of Living Kindness. To find out more check out www.bethelomaha.org.

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July 10, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 3

In Paris, planned Jewish center touted as proof community is there to stay

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by CNAAN LIPHSHIZ the Hyper Cacher” and to “make not only France but all of PARIS (JTA) -- Elsewhere in the world, unveiling plans for Europe a place where Jews continue to feel comfortable to a new Jewish cultural center might merit little more than a live.” cocktail reception. But in this city, where Jews have been the The municipality leased the new center’s land to the target of rising anti-Semitic violence, the event was signifi- Consistoire free of charge and French government offices cantly more elaborate, with French Jewish leaders touting have pledged a quarter of the money required to construct the blueprints as proof of the community’s viability and the it. The European Jewish Congress and its president, Moshe government’s support for its survival.

Kantor, earmarked additional funds.

The $11 million center, which is slated to open in 2017, Kantor, a Russian-Jewish engineer, urged French Jews to use will house a large synagogue, two exhibition halls, a gymna- the center for more than symbolic and communal purposes. sium, offices and a large terrace to accommodate a sukkah.

“Within the next 18 months, the jihadists fighting for the The complex, whose ground-up construction is scheduled ISIS terror group will run out of resources,” he said at the to begin this week, will be situated on about 45,000 square gala. “When they do, the Europeans among them will return feet in the posh and heavily Jewish 17th arrondissement, or to Europe. They will target us. I recommend we use the new district, of Paris. center as the seat of a think tank on security so when they First, however, several million dollars must be raised for do, we will be prepared.” its construction.

To that end, hundreds of guests including French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, the film director Claude Lanzmann and Maurice Levy, CEO of the advertising giant the Publicis Groupe, came out for a gala dinner. The singer-songwriter Enrico Macias, an Algeria-born Jew, performed at the gathering held at the ornate City Hall here, the Hotel de Ville.

A video shown at the gala included images of judo classes, bar mitzvahs, film screenings and study groups taking place at the new facility.

City Councilman Patrick Klugman, who represents the 17th arrondissement, said efforts to construct a modern Jewish community have been nearly a decade in the works. Dozens of offices of Jewish organizations are now crammed into a well-guarded, fortress-like building on Broca Street in the 5th district of Paris.

“This is the Jewish story: We build even if afraid, Consistoire President Joel Mergui, left, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, even if under threat. We build,” Klugman, who is French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve at a gala dinner for the new cultural center in Jewish and attended the gathering, told JTA. Credit: Alain Azria But with France nearing record-level emigration to Paris held at City Hall, June 29, 2015.

Israel amid a rising tide of anti-Semitism -- including January’s attack on a kosher supermarket that killed four -- one of the leaders of the effort to build the cultural center felt compelled to address concerns that the community is contracting.

“Many ask if now, when Jews are leaving, is a good time to build,” said Joel Mergui, president of the Consistoire, which maintains a network of synagogues and other Jewish institutions. “One has the right neither to criticize the departed nor to determine the future for the majority who stay. This new building shows that we and no one else own that future.”

Some 500,000 Jews are living in France, about three-quarters of them in Paris. Last year, 7,086 French Jews left for Israel — more than triple the 2012 figure.

Immigration to Israel has been driven by a variety Guests at the gala dinner and concert by Enrico Macias held at Paris of factors, including a stagnant French economy and City Hall, June 29, 2015. Credit: Alain Azria a spike in anti-Semitic incidents. In 2012, a jihadist killed four Jews at a school in Toulouse. Since then, French Anne Sinclair, an award-winning French-Jewish television Islamists have killed eight more people in two attacks on journalist who is among the donors for the new center, Jewish targets in France and Belgium. imagines a different purpose for the new building.

On Jan. 9 this year, a gunman took shoppers hostage inside “I picture it a place of tolerance, in the style of the French the kosher supermarket Hyper Cacher on the eastern edge of republic, a place where Jews and non-Jews meet, a place of Paris. Dozens have been wounded, and hundreds threatened, openness and meeting point for the diverse Jewish commuin smaller-scale attacks over the past year, which Mergui nity of all of France,” said Sinclair, the former wife of called “the most tragic in French Jewish recent history.”

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the disgraced chief of the Cazeneuve, who attended the Paris gala with Justice International Monetary Fund.

Minister Christiane Taubira, said in his speech that he Emil Courchia, a retired French government employee intends “to prevent this departure because French Jews are who came to the gala from his home in the affluent Paris France’s soul.” The interior minister pledged to keep soldiers suburb of Creteil, said,”the new center will be a life changer posted outside the new center and all other Jewish commu- not because it will give Jews a chance to mingle, but because nity buildings for as long as necessary to provide security it’s giving a rare hope at the end of a horrible year.” from “terrorists who target France through its Jews, policeBut Jean Aroun, who is Jewish and hails from the poorer men, soldiers, journalists and all those who make up the Paris suburb of La Courneuve, the building is “nothing more republic’s vanguard.” than a toy for the rich Jews of the 17th arrondissement,” he In Toulouse, Mohammed Merah killed three French sol- said at the gala, which Aroun attended as a guest’s plus one. diers before striking the school. And the Hyper Cacher gun- “It will not change our daily reality, which is determined by man, Mehdi Nemmouche, shot a police officer and friction with hostile neighbors who can turn on us at any belonged to a cell whose other two members murdered 12 second.” people in an attack on the building housing Charlie Hebdo, Still, news of the new center is already inspiring French a satirical weekly that regularly lampooned Islam and reli- Jews far from Paris, including Toulouse, where the president gion in general. of the local Jewish community recommended young Jews On Monday, during a speech at the Elysee Palace, French immigrate to Israel or other countries “where they can President Francois Hollande said the new cultural center is thrive in open Judaism” without fear. “the best answer to those who think that the future of the “The new center won’t change our lives or allay our fears, Jews of France is elsewhere.” but it’s a symbol that we’re here to stay and we don’t have too Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said that for her, “the center is many of those,” Avraham Weill, the chief rabbi of Toulouse, a way to express our determination, after the bloodbath at told JTA.

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4 | The Jewish Press | July 10, 2015

Coexistence, drug repurposing, and Ariel University with additional uses beyond those for which they have been approved. Not coincidentally, one of the Center’s most promising areas of research is in Prof. Barishak’s specialty of ophthalmology.

The Center has discovered that Dipyridamole (Persantin), a drug that was originally introduced in 1959 as an antianginal medication, can successfully treat two difficult eye conditions: dry eye disease and pterygium. [Commonly known as “surfer’s eye,” pterygium is a growth on the surface of the eye that can be painful and disfiguring; it is associated with excessive exposure to wind, sunlight, or sand. In the United States, Floridians are especially prone to Pterygium; elsewhere in the world, it affects as many as 25% of people living in countries close to the equator.]

Asked why he is placing such great hopes for coexistence on a university located in the West Bank, Prof. Barishak said: “We need to be smart. We need to have Jews and Arabs working together. Ariel is a wonderful place for this. An Arab from Ramallah can easily come to Ariel and learn a well-paying profession. The Arab needs to know that it is in his interest, from an economic perspective, to live with us, and it is this that will be our best counterterrorism weapon--to make terror not pay.” Prof. Barishak’s prescription for coexistence is sobering yet hopeful: “There will never be peace, but if you bring people together they can learn to live together.”

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With the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement against Israel showing signs of strengthening, I thought that this might be an appropriate time to write about drug repurposing. What’s the connection? Drug repurposing has brought Professor Robert Barishak to Ariel University, and it is precisely at Ariel University, located within what the BDS Movement defines as the “apartheid” of the “occupied territories,” that Prof. Barishak envisions the possibility of cooperation between Jew and Palestinian.

Professor Barishak is the chief consultant of the Eye Research Program of the Center for Drug Repurposing at Ariel University, and I had the honor of meeting him recently. Born in 1924, he has had a long and distinguished medical career working in his native Turkey in the 1940’s, in the United States in the 1950’s, and in Israel beginning with his aliyah in 1963. In 1970, while at the University of Tel Aviv, Professor Barishak established the first ophthalmic hospital in Gaza, where he served as Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology. “I worked with Arabs, I taught them, and they loved me very much. I looked at them eye to eye” [!!!]. Prof. Barishak said that one of the keys to his success working with Arabs in Gaza was that he was extremely careful of their self-respect. For example, he says, “When I did rounds accompanied by attending Arab doctors, if I saw that something was not right I would make as if to scold the nurse who was with me. I would speak in a loud voice and the Arab doctors would understand.”

A key lesson that Professor Barishak learned from his three years working in Gaza was that “If you work together for something cooperative and everyone respects the other, the work will succeed.”

He feels that an excellent opportunity for Jews and Arabs to work together is at Ariel University, already home to hundreds of Arab students both from Israel and from the Palestine Authority. Prof. Barishak envisions Ariel’s Arab student population as growing significantly, and he would like all Jewish students at Ariel to study Arabic: “They know us, they know Hebrew, and we need to know them and to know Arabic.”

Prof. Barishak’s work for Ariel University is in the field of drug repurposing, which takes already approved drugs and comes up

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July 10, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 5

Honoring slain journalist Steven Sotloff in his Florida hometown

by DINA WEINSTEIN (JTA) -- It’s been ten months since Jewish freelance journalist Steven Sotloff was beheaded by ISIS. Still shaken by the loss, his hometown of Pinecrest, Florida -- an upscale community of some 20,000 people, just south of Miami -continues to find new ways to honor his memory.

The tributes to Sotloff range in scale from local tributes to programs global in reach.

“Temple Beth Am Day School wants you to know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten,” fifth-grader Zachary Marcus wrote in a dedication in the school’s yearbook. “It must have been too terrible to put into words what you went through leading to your death. You have more bravery and courage than anyone else we know. You are a true superhero, a real superman.”

Sotloff had also attended the Reform Jewish day school as a boy and his mother, Shirley, was a preschool teacher there who retired this year.

“She told me she’s proud of what I wrote,” Zachary said of Sotloff ’s mother.

“I took into consideration that she would see it,” he added, saying he both wanted to convey his sympathy for Sotloff ’s family as well as his admiration for the young journalist.

(Note: This reporter’s son was a classmate of Zachary’s.)

After ISIS broadcast the beheading in a three-minute video on Sept. 2, 2014 -- Sotloff was killed at age 30 more than a year after being kidnapped in Syria -- the media shined a light on Pinecrest, in general, as well as the 1,300-member Temple Beth Am, where Sotloff ’s family are members.

“It was incredibly challenging to find the words to explain this as a school, as a community and as a family,” said Nicole Marcus, Zachary’s mother and a clinical psychologist.

The memorial service was held at Temple Beth Am two days after the video was released. Community members and elected officials, including Florida Gov. Rick Scott and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, filled the 1,000-seat sanctuary.

The Marcus family was also there -- Zachary was one of the few students who attended.

“He was at a place of maturity where he could handle it,” Marcus said. “He was affected by the powerful memorial service. He learned who Steven was, what this loss meant to

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In this handout image made available by the photographer, American journalist Steven Sotloff, center with black helmet, talks to Libyan rebels on the Al Dafniya front line, about 15 miles from Misrata, Libya, June 2, 2011. Sotloff was beheaded in September 2014 nearly a year after being kidnapped Credit: Etienne de Malglaive via Getty Images in Syria. his family and the community.”

The service made a strong impression on Zachary, who felt it was important that his school remember Sotloff.

“His is a story of resilience and perseverance,” Zachary said.

Pinecrest’s tributes to Sotloff extend beyond the synagogue community. Mayor Cindy Lerner, a friend of the Sotloffs, is leading an effort to create a memorial site in the 20-acre Pinecrest Gardens, a lush municipal park with more than 1,000 exotic plants, a petting zoo, historic buildings and extensive cultural programming.

Lerner said she only had “roughly drawn” details on what the Sotloff memorial will look like. It will include three small waterfalls fabricated of slate with a gradual decline in elevation of perhaps a foot. That will probably be surrounded by bromeliads, ginger and mixed tropical foliage, she said.

The park’s horticulturalist made recommendations for the

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memorial’s location, the mayor said.

“It will be in a public area,” Lerner said. “It will be a contemplative area, in the shade of a banyan tree, by a walkway that leads to the splash and play [area] for children.”

She said it will also have a small plaque with Sotloff ’s date of birth and death, as well as a quote read at his memorial service -- from a letter he wrote to his family that was smuggled out while he was in captivity: “Everyone has two lives.The second one begins when you realize you only have one.”

The memorial is expected to be completed by September, the anniversary of Sotloff ’s death, Lerner said.

In addition, the Sotloff family and friends have established the 2LIVES: Steven Joel Sotloff Memorial Foundation, which was inspired by the same quote. Its aim is to provide support and assistance to journalists and their families affected by the realities of reporting from conflict-torn or disaster settings.

The 2LIVES Foundation will also provide scholarships for students who have the passion and skills to pursue careers in journalism -- particularly those who want to tell the stories of people living in dangerous regions around the world.

Additionally, Sotloff ’s alma mater, the University of Central Florida in Orlando, together with his parents, established a fund for the Nicholson School of Communications there. The Steven Sotloff Memorial Endowed Fund will provide scholarship support to UCF students majoring in journalism, as well as funding for symposia, lectures and other programming to advance journalism education.

Softloff ’s father would not comment on these developments.

As for Zachary Marcus, he sees Sotloff as an inspiration -he wants to be a journalist when he grows up.

Zachary ended the yearbook dedication with these words: “Temple Beth Am Day School is representing America in saying that we thank you for everything you did... Even though your death was a tragedy, it has made us stronger and more resilient than ever.”

Zachary told JTA, “I just want to say that I hope the rest of the world and here in Miami we keep remembering Sotloff ’s stories. It’s terrible what happened to him. The only way to overcome is to remember.”

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6 | The Jewish Press | July 10, 2015

Aliyah Lasky: Director of Youth and Young Adult Engagement

by SCOTT LITTKY Program Director, Temple Israel After an extensive national search for a Director of Youth and Young Adult Engagement, Rabbi Josh Brown has announced the appointment of Aliyah Lasky to the position. Ms. Lasky will begin her position at Temple Israel on July 15. When asked about the hiring of Ms. Lasky, Rabbi Brown said, “We had people from all over the United States and a person from South America apply for the position, and hands down, Aliyah was the Aliyah Lasky most qualified. I feel fortunate that we were able to hire her and look forward to having her on our staff.”

In describing herself, Aliyah said, “I’m a people person and am very outgoing. I’m very motivated in helping people and have always excelled in leadership activities.

I’m hopeful that my background in NFTY in high school and then my involvement in Jewish activities in college will act as a springboard to my success at Temple Israel.”

Further, she stated: “I loved my visit to Temple Israel this spring and cannot wait to hit the ground running in July.”

Aliyah is a Denver native who graduated from the University of Colorado with majors in both Jewish Studies and History. Aliyah has been actively involved in the Jewish community, most recently as a religious school teacher at Boulder’s Congregation Har HaShem. She was a director on the board of the university’s Department of Jewish Studies and the Religious Activities Coordinator at the campus Hillel. Aliyah had previously been a director on the board of the Friedman Club Temple Youth Group, as well as a teacher’s aide at Denver’s Reform synagogue, Temple Emanuel.

After, July 15, Aliyah can be reached at Temple Israel at 402.556.6536 or at alasky@templeisraelomaha.com.

Orthodox Jewish groups brace for consequences of gay-marriage ruling

by RON KAMPEAS Agudath Israel of America, called the court’s ruling an “omiWASHINGTON (JTA) -- The name that keeps coming up nous” sign. when Orthodox Jewish groups consider the consequences of “When an impression is given that religious views are biglast week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision extending same-sex oted and are vilified, and that [their adherents] really should marriage rights to all states has little to do with Jews or gays. be given the status of second-class citizens, once you’re dealBob Jones University, the ing in that kind of atmosprivate Protestant college in phere, you don’t know what South Carolina, lost its taxkind of disadvantages and exempt status in 1983 when disabilities people will suffer,” the Supreme Court ruled that Cohen said. its policies banning interraAfter the court’s decision cial dating on campus were was released on Friday, an “wholly incompatible with array of Jewish groups were the concepts underlying tax rejoicing, including several exemption.” that had joined briefs in favor Orthodox Jewish organizaof same-sex marriage. But the tions, several of which pubOrthodox groups -- including licly dissented from the Agudah, the O.U. and the Jewish community’s broad Rabbinical Council of endorsement of the high America -- expressed worry. court’s decision, now worry A same-sex marriage supporter celebrating in San Francisco “We are deeply concerned that similar consequences following the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage, June that, as a result of today’s rulCredit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images ing, and as the dissenting juscould befall Jewish organiza- 26, 2015. tions that decline to recognize gay marriage. tices have pointed out, members and institutions of tradi“It remains to be seen whether gay rights advocates and/or tional communities like the Orthodox Jewish community the government will seek to apply the Bob Jones rule to all we represent may incur moral opprobrium and risk tangible institutions that dissent from recognizing same-sex mar- negative consequence if they refuse to transgress their riage,” Nathan Diament, the Washington director for the beliefs, and even if they simply teach and express their reliOrthodox Union, said in an email. gious views publicly,” said a statement from Agudah, which The groups point to an exchange in April between Donald had filed an amicus brief opposing same-sex marriage.

Verrilli, the Obama administration solicitor general, and The justices themselves acknowledged the possible fallout Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who asked whether a for religious groups. Anthony Kennedy, writing for the school could lose its tax-exempt status if it opposed gay majority, said the First Amendment protected religious marriage? groups that wished to advocate their view that same-sex “I don’t think I can answer that question without knowing marriage is illegitimate. But in their dissents, Chief Justice more specifics, but it’s certainly going to be an issue,” Verrilli John Roberts and Clarence Thomas said such protections replied. “I don’t deny that. I don’t deny that, Justice Alito. It were insufficient. is going to be an issue.”

“Hard questions arise when people of faith exercise reliHow much of an issue is what is now exercising Jewish gion in ways that may be seen to conflict with the new right groups. Will Jewish schools lose their tax-exempt status if to same-sex marriage...,” Roberts wrote. “There is little they don’t recognize gay couples? Could they become ineli- doubt that these and similar questions will soon be before gible for government grants? Or face discrimination law- this Court. Unfortunately, people of faith can take no comsuits for teaching the traditional Jewish perspective on fort in the treatment they receive from the majority today.” homosexuality?

Marc Stern, the counsel for the American Jewish Abba Cohen, who directs the Washington office for Continued on page 7

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ADL poll: Anti-Semitic attitudes

by JTA NEWS STAFF NEW YORK (JTA) -- Anti-Semitic attitudes fell in two countries where Jews were attacked over the last year while rising in Italy, Romania and the Netherlands, a new Anti-Defamation League poll found.

The survey of 10,000 respondents in 19 countries was a follow-up to the ADL’s global anti-Semitism poll released in May 2014.

Anti-Semitic attitudes as gauged by the ADL fell from 37 percent to 17 percent in France and from 27 percent to 21 percent in Belgium.

The poll also found that concern about violence against Jews increased in France by 20 percent and in Belgium by 30 percent.

Anti-Semitic attitudes also fell significantly in Germany over the last year, from 27 percent to 16 percent.

Among the survey’s other findings: • Among Western European Muslims, an average of 55 percent harbor anti-Semitic attitudes.

• When asked whether violence against Jews in their country affects everyone and constitutes an attack against “our way of life,” respondents agreed at high rates in Germany (78 percent), France (77 percent) and Belgium (68 percent).

• Turkey is the most anti-Semitic country in Europe, with 71 percent of respondents espousing anti-Semitic views, followed

closely by Greece at 67 percent.

• Among the countries newly surveyed, Denmark scored as least anti-Semitic, at 8 percent. Anti-Semitic attitudes in the Netherlands, United States and the United Kingdom polled at 10 to 12 percent.

• Anti-Semitic attitudes rose significantly over the last year in Romania (from 35 percent to 47 percent), Italy (20 percent to 29 percent) and the Netherlands (5 percent to 11 percent).

• Anti-Semitic views were down in Poland (from 45 percent to 37 percent), Russia (30 percent to 23 percent) and Ukraine (38 percent to 32 percent).

The survey gauged anti-Semitism by asking whether respondents agreed with an index of 11 statements that the ADL believes suggest anti-Jewish bias: Jews talk too much about what happened to them during the Holocaust; Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the countries they live in; Jews think they are better than other people; Jews have too much power in international financial markets; Jews have too much power in the business world; Jews have too much control over global affairs; people hate Jews because of the way Jews behave; Jews have too much control over the U.S. government; Jews have too much control over global media; Jews are responsible for most of the world’s wars; Jews don’t care about what happens to anyone but their own kind.

Consequences of gay-marriage ruling Continued from page 6 Committee, which also filed an amicus brief in favor of same-sex marriage, said immediate consequences were unlikely at the federal level. But on the local and state levels, there would be challenges, Stern said, especially in areas where the gay community has a strong political presence.

“Will a state or city official take the decision to remove a tax exemption? In San Francisco, it’s a possibility. In New York City, it might happen,” said Stern, who pointed out that he was speaking as a legal analyst and not expressing the AJC’s views.

Another potential challenge cited by Diament is whether groups that reject gay marriage might become ineligible for government grants. Diament cited a debate that erupted during the administration of George W. Bush a decade ago over whether drug rehabilitation programs run by proselytizing religious groups should be eligible for funding through the White House’s faith-based initiative.

“We also can anticipate a fight akin to what we had in the context of the Bush faith-based initiative -- whether institutions must recognize same-sex marriage to participate in government grant programs,” Diament said.

The Agudah’s Cohen wondered whether Jewish adoption agencies might be prohibit-

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ed from limiting placement to heterosexual couples, or if schools run by religious groups that reject homosexuality could be subject to discrimination lawsuits.

“If you teach what the Torah says about homosexuality, and you admit all kids to your schools, are you creating a hostile environment?” he asked, noting the possibility that some of the children might have samesex parents or, as they grow older, realize their own orientation is gay.

Rabbi Jonah Pesner, the director of the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center and a supporter of the Supreme Court ruling, said such concerns are overblown.

“We will continue to advocate for a healthy balance for religious institutions honoring their traditions and values and needs for a society to protect and defend all people,” Pesner said. “It’s important that faith groups are able to treat people equally and uphold their traditions.”

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Fictions and Fairy tales

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor Whenever I see a headline that talks about my home country, I click on it. And it doesn’t really matter whether it’s a silly facebook post about someone’s kitten doing tricks, or more serious political news. The word “Holland” is, to me, what’s known as “click bait.”

I have to read the story, and I must find out what happened.

The thing is, there are numerous fictions about my country that make the rounds. Many of them are related to smoking too much cannabis, legalized prostitution, or paying extremely high taxes.

We also wear wooden shoes, we all live next door to windmills and grow tulips. It’s okay; we’re used to it. In return we make fun of American tourists (recognizable by large cameras and continuous mapchecking) and their stereotypical and anecdotal knowledge of our country. We don’t expect people in other countries to understand the intricacies of our Parliamentary Democracy or know how to navigate our national railways. We don’t need them to know what “gedoogzone” means, or how to properly pronounce Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal.

However, there are some stories that are bothersome. A few years ago, Presidential candidate Rick Santorum repeated one such tale. It goes like this: Old people, in the Netherlands, wear special bracelets when they go to hospital. On the bracelet, it says: “Please don’t kill me.”

They wear these bracelets because hospitals in Holland are full, and whenever the staff runs out of beds, they randomly put some older residents to sleep. Forever. Wearing the bracelet apparently makes those wannabe-Kevorkians pause. In this narrative, I guess the medical staff would move on to the next bed, in the hope they’ll find someone

without a bracelet they can euthanize.

Never mind that this fairy tale could have been easily factchecked; it wasn’t the truth Mr. Santorum was interested in.

It was about rallying his audience. He was counting on them not being able to find Holland on a map, and he was counting on them feeling a similar disregard for what’s actually

Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, Amsterdam true, and what “could be true.”

But the Dutch were mad. It was the one time even the politicians in Holland spoke out. “Slander,” they said.

“Enough already.” If one wants to spread fables about our country, they felt, one should stick to the usual stuff about pot and windmills. Don’t make up crazy stories about us killing our seniors. Because, in case there’s any question: we don’t actually do that.

I am not overly concerned with the lies Mr. Santorum

reads online; even if he passes them on to his followers. The fictitious tale of bracelet-wearing seniors is so ridiculous and so easy to disprove that it deserves no more than passing annoyance. It only becomes dangerous when the misinformation is of a more subtle nature. The kind of story that seems reasonable and believable, the kind of story we don’t question.

Most times, when I read stories about Holland in American media, I sense a slight misreading of what the country is actually like. Unless a native speaker who was born and raised there writes it, something is always lost in translation. That’s ok; I can read news in the original language, pick up on the subtleties and, in a pinch, ask family and friends. I can’t do that when the story in question is about Denmark, or Japan, or Myanmar.

And that is a problem. Because, as was the case with a recent narrative posted to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency about anti-Semitism in the Dutch city of The Hague, sometimes stories are simply not true. Or they leave out important facts, don’t give proper context, or they quote newspapers from the country in question that are known locally for sensationalism and lies. And when that happens, most readers have limited resources to discover the real story. And it makes me wonder: how often do we read things in translation, and we take something as truth, while the story is anything but? It’s a scary thing to think about, and it makes me think that the very best tool we have at our disposal is doubt. Doubt for readers, and doubt for journalists. Check our sources, double-check, triple-check if we must. And maybe I am shooting myself in the foot here, but the notion that something is true just because it’s printed has never been more false than it is now.

The United Nations report

From our intern EMILY NEWMAN On June 22nd, 2015, the United Nations finally released its report on its investigation into the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, also known as Operation Protective Edge. Since its release, the United Nations has received accusations of being biased and overly-focused on Israel’s actions, accusations that are nothing new to the United Nations. As with any UN statement or report about Israel, as the latest report circulated, opinions and emotions throughout the world and political spectrum flared – and so did mine.

The attitude within the report is nothing new, for it brought about all of the same frustrations that supporters of Israel have had with the United Nations for many years.

What about all of the hundreds of thousands who have been killed in genocides in Africa and Syria? Where is the same passion for action and media attention when it comes to extremism that is killing at least 100 times more people (per genocide alone) than those who perished in the last IsraeliPalestinian conflict? In what capacity does the UN have the right to place the Israel Defense Forces on the same level as the terror group Hamas? How would the American citizenry respond if this had been done to any of their own military branches? If Hamas and Israel were both responsible for war crimes, then why was the summary given of this report by the UN focused only on Israel’s actions?

My thoughts in regard to this report were difficult to

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organize, but organize them I did. I do not have the space to discuss everything that I found biased or bothersome about the report itself, but there was a single statement in the summary provided through the UN News Centre (which is what most people will read, for the report itself is lengthy) I found particularly interesting and chose to discuss in this short piece.

This statement was given by Justice Mary McGowan Davis, chair of the UN commission investigating the war.

She stated that when the safety of an Israeli soldier is perceived to be threatened, “all the rules seem to be disregarded.” Again, I do not have the space to exhibit all of the ways in which the IDF is willing to place their own soldiers in danger in order to prevent civilian death when necessary.

However, there is one inconsistency in the report itself in regards to this statement. In what way does letting the enemy know that you are coming in order to make an attempt at removing citizens from harm’s way, something that the report does admit that the Israeli army did, put the lives of Israeli soldiers above Palestinian lives and welfare?

The IDF put their own at risk in order to do this; it is possible that many of the IDF soldiers lost in the war would not have perished if these advance notices had not been placed.

The above statement is inconsistent with at least this single admittance by the report, if not more.

So, instead of criticizing the IDF for not placing citizen’s lives before their own, how about we focus on the ways in which Hamas refused to do so, since the summary did not?

The UN report does state that there were many attempts at cease-fires (none of which was mentioned in the news summary) on the part of the Israelis, cease-fires that would have saved Palestinian lives, cease-fires which Hamas refused or did not adhere to. However, the above statement, a state-

ment which appears in the summary of the report is only in regard to Israel and its army, NOT the terror group Hamas.

Yes, the death tolls were high in Gaza; but who exactly is to blame? Hamas started the fighting, and I highly doubt that they did not know the military might they were going up against when they started launching rockets without care at the citizens of Israel and digging tunnels under their homes.

Just because one army has more advanced capabilities does not automatically make it immoral when it faces a less advanced foe; the Israelis were using the resources they had in order to keep their citizens safe from threats, and they went to great lengths in order to attempt to keep Gazans safe as well (lengths that at times put their own soldiers in danger.) However, there was little to be done in that arena, largely due to Hamas’s agendas (agendas which are discussed and admitted in the report, although not the summary provided.)

To conclude, I would like to point out that I do not believe Israel to be without error – with Gaza being one of the highest populated places on the planet, there is no way for there to not be civilian casualties or mistakes when violent conflicts occur. However, Israel has yet again become the foe of all foes, the 2014 war seemingly to have gained much more attention than the current genocides happening in Sudan and Syria. This fact alone is enough to make supporters of Israel at least weary of the UN report, even just by reading the summary provided. And isn’t the summary enough for those who stand against Israel to understand the entire 51 day war?

You can read the news summary of the report provided by the United Nations by going to this link: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51215# .VZFjEBtViko

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July 10, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 9

L’Chaim to marriage equality, but our work isn’t finished

by IDIT KLEIN Marriage equality is not enough. It is far from enough.

BOSTON (JTA) -- Four years ago, I stood under a chupBecause in 29 states in this country, people can be fired from pah with the woman I was about to marry overlooking a val- their jobs or refused housing because of their sexual orientaley in Massachusetts. I have an emotional memory of sweet- tion. Because in 32 states people can be fired because of their ness and joy from my wedding day, but I can’t recall many gender identity or expression. Because youth who are (or are specific moments. perceived to be) lesbian, gay, bisexWhat I do remember vividly is ual, transgender or queer are twice the end of our ceremony, when as likely to be bullied at school.

Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld Because in 21 states people can declared, “I’ve said this many times refuse to serve LGBTQ people in before as an act of civil disobediplaces of business if they think ence, but today it gives me great doing so would violate their relijoy to say as an act of civil obedigious beliefs. Because transgenence: According to the laws of the der people are particularly vulCommonwealth of Massachusetts, nerable to violence and discrimiI now pronounce you married.� nation, with 90 percent of transI still feel sudden elation when I gender respondents to a recent remember that moment and sursurvey reporting workplace disprise that it mattered as much as it crimination or harassment. did. It mattered that my marriage Because people can live in a was seen as valid and equal in the country with superb laws yet still eyes of the law in Massachusetts. be treated poorly by their peers.

Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrating the And thanks to the recent U.S. All of these statistics have stoU.S. Supreme Court ruling in San Francisco, June Supreme Court’s ruling, my marries. I think of the 44-year-old lesCredit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images 26, 2015. riage, and the marriages of countbian who was fired from her job less others, are valid and equal in all 50 states. as a synagogue family educator after she came out. I think of For the young children of many of my colleagues and the 70-year-old gay man who has worked in Jewish commufriends who have attended same-sex weddings and know nal life his entire career and never felt comfortable being many gay and lesbian couples, the excitement is unremark- out. I think of the 16-year-old trans teen who wasn’t permitable, even bewildering. But of course, the road to achieving ted to return to his Jewish summer camp as a CIT in his legal marriage equality in this country was long and ardu- affirmed gender identity. I think of the 32-year-old woman ous. The victory is, indeed, remarkable. whose parents wouldn’t join her on her wedding day when As the leader of Keshet, an organization working for the she stood under a chuppah with another woman. equality and inclusion of LGBTQ Jews in Jewish life for the I think of the road ahead in order to pass federal non-dispast 14 years, I remember the many conversations with rab- crimination legislation that protects all people regardless of bis and other Jewish community leaders who initially did sexual orientation and gender identity. I think of the even not support civil marriage rights. longer journey of cultural change following legal progress. I I remember the questions: What message will we send to think about the role that our Jewish communities can play in children if they see a rabbi officiate at gay weddings? Isn’t it accelerating the pace of change. inappropriate for children to see two men standing under a And so, with our Facebook newsfeeds still ablaze with chuppah in a synagogue? How can I support something that rainbows, we get back to work. so many people in my congregation aren’t comfortable with?

Idit Klein is the executive director of Keshet, a national As these questions continued to bubble up, Keshet led a organization working for LGBT inclusion in Jewish life. statewide campaign in Massachusetts in which gay Jewish couples told their stories at synagogues, Jewish community centers and federations to help dispel these concerns, clarify TO THE EDITOR answers and mobilize the Jewish community to support equal marriage rights.

I was proud when the Jewish Community Relations Dear Editor, Sometimes, reading The Press brings back a lot of old Council of Greater Boston became the first JCRC in the memories.

Jackson 1366 is a phone number for the Camp country to declare its support for equal marriage. I saw the Office at the Jewish Community Center. My family’s phone impact of this support in the faces of many LGBTQ Jews number was Atlantic 3467. I’m sure many others of my 70+ who had felt rejected by their Jewish communities. At a time age group can remember the phone number at their house. when the majority of faith leaders spoke out against our civil It is fun to remember what used to be. rights, it was powerful to see Jewish leaders demand equaliBarbara Joffe Nelson ty because of -- not in spite of -- our tradition. Suddenly, a full and equal place in community and society was a possiThis was a phone number before area codes. You would bility, at least in Massachusetts. dial JA and the numbers. My home phone number began After the Supreme Court decision, couples in every state with Glendale which would have been GL. There was also in this country can publicly declare their love and commitHudson, I remember. This was quite easy at the time. ment and participate in the institution of marriage. As many Susie Silverman have noted, we no longer have gay marriage, same-gender or same-sex marriage; we simply have marriage.

Jackson 1366 is an old fashioned way of referring to a This is a tremendous victory for all who care about equal- phone number. “Jackson� refers to the exchange or the first ity. The relationships and families of LGBTQ people have 3 numbers of a 7 digit phone number and it indicates the gained critical legal protections that have long been available part of town the phone is in. Jackson would likely be 522 to heterosexual married couples. Most importantly, though, where J is 5 on the keypad and A & C are 2. I remember this gay couples have gained recognition from the highest court from my grandparents and this system was in use until the in the land that our relationships, our commitments, our late 60’s in some places! Hope this helps solve the mystery! love are equal to all others.

Pam Monsky So we celebrate. We savor the sweetness of this hard-fought win. We rejoice knowing that our children will never know a Jackson 1366 is not a magic incantation. It is just a teleworld where their families are unequal in the eyes of the law. phone number. Phone numbers in Omaha in the 1950’s Some cheer Dayenu! It is enough, this thrilling victory. were a combination of words and four numbers. Mine was And yet I know the crippling effects of bias and discrimina- Walnut 3223. tion persist, so we must say “Lo Dayenu� -- It is not enough.

Howard Kaslow

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Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 |712.322.4705 email: BnaiIsraelCouncilBluffs@gmail.com Tribute cards for any occasion are available. Please contact Sissy Silber at 311 Oak Ridge Ct., Bellevue, NE 68005 or 402.292.8062.

For information on our historic synagogue, or to arrange a visit, please contact any of our board members: Mark Eveloff, Rick Katelman, Carole Lainof, Marty Ricks, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf and Phil Wolf.

WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; The Development of the Oral Tradition, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office. In memory of Forrest Krutter -- Efrayim Menachem Ben Avraham Yitzchak.

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

All programs are open to the entire community.

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

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning Service, 9:30 a.m., featuring Guest Speaker, Congressman Brad Ashford, representing Nebraska’s 2nd District; Mini-Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 8:45 p.m.

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

SUNDAY: Torah Study, 10 a.m.; YAC Schmidley’s Event, 3 p.m.

Morning Service, Saturday, July 18, 9:30 a.m., featuring Andy Greenberg, How Beth El changed my life over the last 25 years.

Habitat for Humanity Build, Sunday, July 19, two shifts, 8:30 a.m. - noon and noon-3:30 p.m. Sign up online.

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

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.orthodoxomaha.org Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer.

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; 15 mins after Kiddush -Mishna L’Neshamah; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 8:25 p.m.; Ma’ariv/Havdalah, 9:49 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bagels and Beit Medrash, 9:45 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Teen Class, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY: Women’s Class, 9:30 a.m.; UNMC -- Med Center Chaburah, 1 p.m.; Avot U-Banim, 7 p.m.; Jews and Brews Class, 8:30 p.m.

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

FRIDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m SATURDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 9:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 8:30 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m.

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

Bar Mitzvah Calvin Gordon, son of Tracy and Randy Gordon, became a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, July 4, at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Lincoln.

Calvin is an eighth-grade student at Lefler Middle School in Lincoln.

His interests include playing football and lacrosse, playing video games and watching movies.

For his mitzvah project, Calvin collected food to be donated to the People’s City Mission in Lincoln.

He has a sister, Maggie, and two brothers, Grant and Josh.

Grandparents are Linda and Alan Muskin, Jean and Jerry Jordan, and Marilyn and Charles Gordon.

Great-grandparents are Bettie and Stuart Muskin, and Margaret Weimann.

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

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

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

MONDAY: LJCS Camp Israel, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

TUESDAY: LJCS Camp Israel, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS Camp Israel, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

THURSDAY: LJCS Camp Israel, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel; Choir Rehearsal, 7:30-9 p.m.

LJCS Camp Israel, Friday, July 17, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

Game Night/Potluck, Saturday, July 18, 9:30 a.m. All ages welcome!

President’s Office Hours, Sunday Mornings, 10 a.m.–noon at SST. If you have any Temple business you would like to bring before the Board of Trustees, potential programs, or new ideas, please let us know! Call for an appointment at the Temple or just to chat any time at 402.513.7697. Or if you prefer, just email David Weisser at president@southstreet temple.org.

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

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 SATURDAY: Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Jim Polack.

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

Candlelighting Friday, July 10, 8:40 p.m.

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 http://templeisraelomaha.com FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to You at Remington Heights, 4 p.m. led by Cantor Shermet; Shabbat Evening Services Outside and Picnic, 6 p.m. Summer Shabbat Evening Speaker Rabbi Ari Dembitzer: Heroes & Mentors in My Jewish Life!

Come and relax and welcome in Shabbat with services being held in our brand new Amphitheater. Following services, we will enjoy a picnic Shabbat dinner together. We will provide challah and grape juice. All you need to bring is your picnic dinner and a blanket. There will be a different food truck each month so that you can purchase food if you would like.

During dinner we will be entertained with the music of George Walker and his band.

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

TUESDAY: Holy Smokes, 7 p.m. Rabbi Steven Abraham of Beth El Synagogue will be joining us for this men’s only evening that will feature cigars, spirits and even a little Torah Study. This event is free, though we ask that you make reservations, 402.556.6536. Sponsored by the MRJ. THURSDAY: Adult Study, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Brown.

Summer Shabbat Evening Speaker, Scott Littky: Heroes & Mentors in My Jewish Life!, Friday, July 17, 6 p.m.

Temple Israel Annual Golf Outing, Monday, Aug. 17, noon.

Contact the Temple Israel office for more information.

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

FRIDAY: Shabbat Services, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a Kiddush Luncheon honoring Nancy Coren’s LPS retirement and birthday hosted by the congregation.

MONDAY: LJCS Camp Israel, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

TUESDAY: LJCS Camp Israel, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS Camp Israel, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

THURSDAY: LJCS Camp Israel, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel; Choir Rehearsal, 7:30-9 p.m.

LJCS Camp Israel, Friday, July 17, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

U.N. Human Rights Council adopts report on Israel-Gaza conflict

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- The United Nations Human Rights Council voted to adopt a report on last summer’s Israel-Gaza conflict.

The resolution to adopt the report passed last Friday by a vote of 41-1, with five abstentions. Only the United States voted against the resolution; Israel is not a member of the council.

India, Kenya, Ethiopia, Paraguay and Macedonia abstained. India has traditionally voted for anti-Israel resolutions.

While the report accused both Israel and the Palestinians of possible war crimes, its findings focused more on what it considered Israeli wrongdoing in its operation known as Protective Edge.

The resolution drafted by the Arab states, which calls for the implementation of the report and its recommendations, ignores the criticism of the Palestinians and does not mention rockets launched by Hamas from Gaza on Israel. It also calls for Israeli officials to be held responsible for alleged war crimes.

Among dozens of recommendations, the report called on Israel to hold its soldiers and officers accountable for

the breaches of international law during the conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the council following the vote.

“The UN Human Rights Council is not interested in the facts and is not really interested in human rights,” Netanyahu said. “On the day on which Israel was fired at from Sinai, and at a time when ISIS is committing vicious terrorist attacks in Egypt, as Assad slaughters his people in Syria and as the number of arbitrary executions per annum climbs in Iran – the UN Human Rights Council decides to condemn the State of Israel for no fault of its own, for acting to defend itself from a murderous terrorist organization.

“The council that has hitherto adopted more decisions against Israel than against all other countries cannot call itself a human rights council.”

Israel and the United States boycotted the Human Rights Council session that discussed the report, which focused more on Israel’s role in the conflict and accepted Palestinian casualty figures. Israel did not cooperate in the investigation, saying the commission was biased against Israel.

Pulverente MONUMENT CO.

July 10, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 11

In memoriam ALAN H. FRIEDMAN Alan H. Friedman passed away on June 21 at age 60 in Los Angeles. Services were held on June 26 in Los Angeles.

He was preceded in death by parents, Ike and Roz Friedman; and sister, Janis Yale.

He is survived by his wife Layna; daughters, Caroline, Whitney, and Nicole-Juliet; son, Nicholas; granddaughters: Cadence and Chloe all of Los Angeles; and sister, Susie Cohn of Omaha.

He was born in Omaha on Feb. 28, 1955.

Memorials may be made to the organization of your choice.

CARYL GREENBERG Caryl Greenberg passed away on June 23 at age 87.

Services were held on June 25.

She is survived by her husband, Bucky; daughter and sonin-law, Beth Greenberg and Jim Wright, and son and daughter-in-law, Joseph and Terri Greenberg; grandchildren: Lauren and Kevin Greenberg; and sister, Judith Tully.

Caryl, the daughter of Moses and Ann Bercovici. She graduated from Central High School and the University of Missouri, with mortar board honors.

She was a businesswomen of great accomplishment.

Likewise committed to the arts, her beautiful needlework graces her home and Beth El synagogue. She organized the project of needlepoint Torah covers in the synagogue sanctuary and a tapestry of The Creation in the social hall.

Together with Bucky (Barton), her husband of 64 wonderful years, she devoted her life to her family, Beth El Synagogue, and numerous other Jewish causes, the Joslyn Museum and gift shop, and her community.

Memorials may be made to Beth El Synagogue, the Jewish Federation or Joslyn Art Museum Development Office.

BERNARD RAYMOND “BOBO” MEYERS Bernard Raymond "Bobo" Meyers passed away on June 24 at age 88. A celebration of his life was held on June 28 at the Schrager Memorial Chapel at Temple Israel Cemetery in Omaha.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Roie “Roro” Meyers He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Vicki Perlmeter and John Robinson; sons and daughters-in-law, Bruce and Marti, and Mike and Anne; grandchildren: Amy and Brian Thomas, Cari and John Rabroker, Douglas Barenbaum-Meyers, Carolyn Barenbaum-Meyers, Katie Meyers, Haley Meyers; and great-grandchildren: Ava, Sam, Jack, Talia and Mabel.

He was born Nov. 11, 1926 and he was a successful business owner, adoring father, grandfather and great-grandfather as well as a dedicated husband who cherished every day of life with his beloved wife, Roie “Roro” (who preceded him in death in 2011). Bernie was a brilliant writer of satire and

humor over seven decades. Hence, we'll let him get in his own LAST WORDS: “According to survivors, Bernie was an unemployed businessman entrepreneur, former runner, former golfer, ex-racquet ball player. He spent his twilight years trying to convince himself that he was still 16 years old, weighed 105 pounds, and could play middle linebacker for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.”

Memorials may be made to the MS Society, Rose Blumkin Jewish Home or The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

RITA NOVAK Rita Novak passed away peacefully on June 30. Services were held on July 3 at Beth El Cemetery, 84th and L. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of over 50 years, Harold Novak.

She is survived by her daughter, Amy Frankel of Cincinnati, OH; son and daughter-in-law, Larry and Kim Novak of Detroit, MI; grandchildren: Aaron and Ilana Frankel and Rebecca and Samuel Novak; sister and brotherin-law, Elaine and Robert Krasne; brother and sister-in-law, Sheldon Krantz and Laurie Robinson; nephews, nieces, cousins, and many dear friends.

Rita was a longtime Omaha resident prior to moving to Cincinnati, OH two years ago to be closer to her children and grandchildren. She will be deeply missed by all those who loved her.

Memorials may be made to the Rita and Harold Endowment Fund at Beth El Synagogue, 14506 California Street, Omaha, NE 68154

IDA RUTH POSTER Ida Ruth Poster passed away in Poway, California where she had been living. Services were held June 30 at Mount Sinai Cemetery, 78th and Crown Point in Omaha.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband William Poster.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Bruce Poster and Kathy Seidl and son, Brian Poster; three grandchild and three great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Seacrest Village, 12730 Monte Vista Road, Poway, CA 92064.

To Submit obituaries to the Jewish Press: Email the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; fax to 402.334.5422, or mail to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154, or online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on Jewish Press and go to Submit Announcements.

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ACCEPTING RESUMES at ethanol facility in Aurora, NE, for Material Handlers, Operations, Night Shift: Maintenance and Electrician. Must be able to work safely in agricultural processing/industrial chemical environment, drug free, high school diploma/GED and reliable. Offer Health, Dental, Vision, 401K benefits, paid company holidays. Pick up applications at/mail resumes to: Nebraska Energy LLC (Aventine), 2103 Harvest Drive, Aurora, NE 68818 or e-mail resumes to: Julie.Jensen@aventinerei.com.

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As Iran deadline approaches, skeptics draw dueling red lines

by RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -- In nuclear talks between Iran and the major powers, it’s deadline time, and skeptics on both sides are laying out red lines in a bid to shape a final deal.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader recently outlined his own expectations for the deal -- and where there would be no compromise. On the American side, a memo circulated by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has been influential in shaping how Congress and others are pressing the Obama administration.

Among the issues are the period that restrictions must stay in place and what Iran must reveal of its nuclear past.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose adamant rejection of the emerging deal informs the AIPAC talking points, said that his skepticism was only increasing.

Khamenei’s June 23 broadside to Iranian government officials and AIPAC’s memo, “Five Requirements for a Good Deal” are being treated by experts on the talks as baselines for skeptics in both countries: the religious establishment in Iran and Congress in the United States. Under legislation passed in May, Congress gets an up or down vote on a deal.

“The AIPAC fact sheet is influential,” said Daryl Kimball, the executive director of the Arms Control Association, a think tank monitoring the talks. “It’s a nice, colorful, simple format -- and AIPAC has tremendous reach.”

Congressional insiders say the AIPAC memo features prominently in conversations lawmakers from both parties are having with administration officials. It has also influenced other American groups seeking a say in the process. A letter organized by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy signed by 18 former government officials has a similar five-point format, as does a fact sheet by J Street that seeks to counter some of AIPAC’s points.

David Harris, the American Jewish Committee’s executive director, said that the inclusion of former Obama Iran policy officials like Gary Samore, Dennis Ross and Robert Einhorn among the Washington Institute letter signers signified increasing disquiet with the deal.

“We’re not talking about those who can be put in a corner and depicted as warmongers or neoconservatives,” he said.

“This is a very balanced, moderate group of people who believe as AJC has long believed that we can do better at the negotiating table.”

David Makovsky, the Washington Institute fellow who convened the group, said that it had met nine times and conveyed its concerns to government officials. He also noted that the letter, which endorses outcomes that the Obama administra-

Ayatollah Ali Khameini, the supreme leader of Iran, and AIPAC are seen as must-convince skeptics for their respective sides in the talks about Iran’s nuclear program.

Credit: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images tion has said in the past are its aims, includes longtime Iran deal skeptics such as George W. Bush administration officials Stephen Hadley, Robert Blackwill and Paula Dobriansky, as well as former Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn.

The memos, as well as Khamenei’s speech, cover the same territory and demonstrate the degree to which the skeptics on each side differ.

• AIPAC is demanding “short notice” nuclear inspections “anytime and anywhere,” “including all military locations.”

Khamenei says he does not agree with “inspecting military centers” and says the International Atomic Energy Agency, the atomic watchdog of the United Nations, must not be the sole arbiter determining compliance with the deal.

• AIPAC says sanctions can be lifted only once the IAEA “provides ongoing verification that Iran is meeting the conditions of the deal.” Khamenei plainly says: “Lifting sanctions should not depend on the fulfillment of Iran’s commitments.”

• AIPAC says the 10 to 15-year sunset clause anticipated for some of the deal’s reported restrictions is too short. “A

good deal must not expire until Iran has proved over time that its nuclear ambitions are for peaceful purposes only,” the group said. Khamenei says even the expected time limits amount to “bullying.” “They say that we should not do anything for 10, 12 years and that we can engage in production and development after that,” he said. “This is bullying and an exceedingly wrong statement.”

• AIPAC says “Iran must dismantle its nuclear infrastructure so that it has no path to a nuclear weapon.” Khamenei says that even during the restriction period that Iran would accept, “research, development and production should continue.”

• AIPAC wants Iran to “fully explain its prior weaponization efforts.” Iran denies that it has ever weaponized, saying its research has been peaceful all along. “I do not agree with extraordinary investigations” Khamenei said, “nor do I agree with questioning political personalities in any way nor with inspecting military centers.”

The Washington Institute letter elaborates on some of the demands sought by AIPAC and Israel in ways that could satisfy lawmakers in Congress who are skeptical but do not want to kill a deal at all costs, Makovsky said.

Instead of requiring Iran to come clean about its weaponization, the letter calls for an investigative approach that stops short of requiring a confession from Iran.

Inspectors must be able “to take samples, to interview scientists and government officials, to inspect sites, and to review and copy documents,” the letter said. It also asks for “timely” access for nuclear inspectors as opposed to AIPAC’s “anytime, anywhere” demand, it does not mention the need for “decades” of restrictions, as AIPAC’s does, and does not call for dismantling nuclear infrastructure.

Mark Dubowitz, the executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a group skeptical of the Iran deal that has consulted with Congress and the administration, said the AIPAC parameters provided the stronger reassurances.

“While there are strong elements to the parameters in the [Washington Institute] letter, the AIPAC parameters provide greater assurances that any Iran deal would provide a much more timely and intrusive regime of ‘anytime, anywhere’ inspections, a deal of longer duration that would not provide Iran with a virtually instant breakout capability after 12-13 years,” he said.

This article was edited for length.

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