July 18, 2014

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

Sign up now for Reunion!

July 18, 2014 20 Tammuz 5774 Vol. 94 | No. 44

This Week

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN for the Omaha Jewish Reunion You won’t want to miss out on all the fun and festivities! Registration is happening now. Go to www. omahajewishreunion.com to complete an online registration, call Mary Bernstein at 402.391.0708 or pick up a registration form on the Federation campus.

It’s that easy!

Once a meatpacking powerhouse and home base to nationally recognized microbreweries, Omaha has grown up and developed into a progressive, culturally rich city that won recognition in 2014 as one of the most affordable cities in America (Council for Community & Economic Research), best cities to start a business (Nerdwallet.com), 10 Best Cities to Raise a family in America (Movoto Blog), and among the best cities for job seekers (NerdWallet.com).

Thirty years ago, Janey Dann vol-

Experiencing the bomb shelter at Ben Gurion Airport Page 3

The three weeks and the three boys Page 6

Aksarben Village: one of the places on the Omaha Reunion’s itinerary. unteered as a tour guide at Henry Doorly Zoo, now an internationally acclaimed, award winning zoo. Fif-

Talmud scholars of the Tiger Nation

Will Israel’s Gaza conflict in six years end any differently?

Page 7

by SARA COHEN Jewish Press Intern Walking the cobblestone, Chinese lantern-lined paths of Jiufen Old Street in Taipei, I brushed past a man

imagine that this man could be part of the 0.002% of Jews living on the island nation, a statistic composed nearly entirely of Western immigrants.

sporting a familiar blue insignia on his white T-shirt. Shocked, I spun instantly around, trying to decipher the combination of ancient letters on the man’s back before he disappeared into the throng of people.

“Is he…Jewish?” I asked Nina, my host student during the three-week Cultural Exchange Program in which I was participating. I couldn’t

Nina followed my gaze and laughed.

“No, no,” she said. “I think he just like the symbol. Many Taiwanese people think it cool.”

Surprisingly, this view of Judaism as “cool” is, in fact, very prevalent throughout Asia. Just as many Westerners take interest in Buddhist or Taoist principles and adapt some of these practices into their own lives, residents of Japan, China, Taiwan and South Korea feel the same spiritual curiosity towards Judaism.

Yet, according to the ADL Global 100, a recent survey measuring the extent of common anti-Semitic stereotypes in over 102 countries, parts of Asia harbor some significant prejudices towards Jews. Though Japan and China yielded respectively 23% and 20% anti-Semitism indices, Continued on page 2

teen years ago, Dann started giving tours at the Durham Museum, formerly Omaha’s Union Station. She

has been describing “how our city emerged, how it became a city,” on Continued on page 2

Belzer Family Reunion: A long lost brother’s family is found

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

Next Week The Legal Issue See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

8 10 11

Abe Handleman, Esther Belzer Zlotkn, Lena Belzer Nachman, Morris Nachman, Ida Belzer Hornstein, Kiva Hornstein, Gittel Belzer Handleman, Ethel Nooset Belzer, Nathan Belzer, Anna Bernstein Belzer, Malach Belzer, Riva Belzer Diamond Savin, Phil Handleman, Albert Nachman, Joe Hornstein and Israel Hornstein in 1926.

Credit: Nebraska Jewish Historical Society

by JACQUELYN SILVERMAN I wish my grandfather, Ben Nachman, were still alive today so he could celebrate a miracle with his family. In August, over 100 Belzer Family members will gather in Omaha to meet the family of one of Ben’s uncles who he thought had died in the Holocaust. The story begins in 1913 in western Ukraine where Ben’s mother, along with her six siblings and her parents, started their immigration to

America, specifically to Omaha, where a distant family relative had already settled.

It took nearly ten years for Malach and Ethel Belzer (Ben’s grandparents) and six of their seven children (in birth order: Ida BelzerHornstein, Lena Belzer-Nachman (Ben’s mother), Jennie Belzer-Handleman, Nate Belzer, Esther BelzerZlotkin, Moishe Belzer, and Riva Belzer-Diamond-Savin-GoldenContinued on page 3

2 | The Jewish Press | July 18, 2014

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Continued from page 1 University of Nebraska-Omaha. He is a board member of the Durham’s 200 Years of American History Tour where she the Nebraska Center for the Book and one of the founders of talks about “the entrepreneurs who settled our city, the the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society. explosion of immigrants in the 1880s,” the mansions they “Omaha has been fertile ground for Jewish authors writbuilt and the buildings that housed their businesses. ing fiction and non-fiction,” explained Pollak. Soon after Dann will take reunion participants on her Mansions and arriving in Omaha in the mid-1970s, he began to investigate Millionaires bus tour that the Jewish presence in includes Pioneer Park, downNebraska. “I am in my fourth town, Joslyn Castle, Joslyn Art decade of plowing this ground.

Museum, Midtown Crossing, The existence of ever-expanding the Brandeis and Mercer manon-line data banks means an sions and the Blackstone Hotel. almost unending number of stoAlong the way she’ll share her ries that can be teased out to knowledge of the Mercer, Byron enrich the understanding of our Reed, Brandeis, Storz, and heritage.”

Turner families. “I’ll focus on Among other authors slated to the amazing and fun back stoparticipate in Read All About It ries of these millionaires, manat 3 p.m. on Friday are Nancy sions, and their lifestyles,” she Rips, Ozzie Nogg, Tony said.

Endelman, Steve Fischer, J. Ruth Jerry Freeman, who grew up Gendler, Eric Konigsberg, Goldie in Dundee and still lives in the Silverman, and Harold Mann. neighborhood, will guide a bus Wrapping up the tours and tour through the Dundee area, panel discussions on the first Memorial Park, Aksarben day, Alan Potash, regional direcVillage (formerly Ak-Sar-Ben Spread the Shmear! Register for the Omaha Jewish tor of the Plains States Region of race track) and the Benson and Reunion and tour “Bagel” this September! the Anti-Defamation League, Bagel neighborhoods. Freeman will be at 1207 Cass Street at hopes to stop at an ice cream shop at 50th and Underwood 3:30 p.m. to explain how the ADL-sponsored for a little reminiscing.

TypecastRecast, an outdoor art installation challenges perNow living in the West Omaha area, which could easily be ceptions, breaks down stereotypes, and examines typecasts called the “New Bagel”, Barb Levitan will lead a tour of and personal biases through art. The six pieces of art address Burke High School, Village Pointe (168th and West Dodge the mission of the ADL to combat hate and bigotry and to Road), Shops of Legacy (175th and Center Streets), and sev- secure justice and fair treatment for all people. eral new neighborhoods west of Boys Town.

The Omaha Jewish Reunion committee members have All three tours begin at 1:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday spent hundreds of hours planning the programs, itineraries at the entrance to the JCC. and conversations for the weekend. Enjoy the entire weekGary Katz, library supervisor for Metropolitan end with family, neighbors, friends and all those out-of Community College and formerly with the Kripke Jewish towners arriving for the weekend.

Federation Library, moderates a panel discussion featuring To stay up-to-date, check the Reunion website frequently Omaha’s Jewish authors. Panelist Oliver Pollak is a non-fic- at www.omahajewishreunion.com. Please call Mary tion writer, attorney, and professor of history at the Bernstein, Events Inc., at 402.391.0708 with any questions.

Talmud Scholars of the Tiger Nation: An analysis of the perception of Jews in Asia Continued on page 1 remained a national bestseller for a number of years.

South Korea produced an alarming 53%.

With all these factors in mind, the 53% index level of antiAre South Koreans really that narrow-minded? Or, per- Semitism in South Korea may still cause distress for some haps, do they view Jews in a way not capable of being people. Many of the survey questions, such as, “Jews have expressed in a mere 11-question survey? too much control over the global media,” or, “Jews have too The answer to this conundrum came to me during a con- much power in the business world,” seem to be clearly versation with Jungbin “Jessy” Kim, a Korean girl I met at derogatory. Nevertheless, they may have been unknowingly the Taiwan Exchange Camp. “In Korea, we think it’s a com- altered in meaning when translated to Korean, so that the mon sense: Jews are subjects would persuccessful, and we ceive the statements think that is because as, “Jews have control of your educaover the global tion…We are really media,” or, “Jews have curious about the way power in the business you educate the stuworld.” In Korea, dents.” Jessy then told along with in Japan me of the books she and China, most peooccasionally spots in ple would view these convenience stores not as negative detailing methods of stereotypes, but as strict Jewish parentpositive descriptions. ing, or the TV proIn addition, many “The Light of Knowledge:” The study of Talmud has been implemented into gram she watched on Asians have had limthe curriculum of all elementary schools in South Korea. a Korean network ited if any exposure explaining the study habits of a Jewish student at Harvard. to Jews and the stereotypes that accompany them. When After conducting some research on the topic, I found that asked to react to these prejudices, their response either Koreans, along with Chinese and Japanese citizens, see ties stems from what is portrayed in global media, or it is the between their individual countries’ histories and that of the result of random guessing. Meanwhile, in Oceania, the conJews. Most importantly, though, they see a correlation tinent with the lowest anti-Semitism index level of 14% between the primeval ethic systems practiced throughout (almost half of the worldwide average), Jews compose a relAsia and the traditional values to which Jews adhere. Aware atively significant part of the religious population. In the of the achievements of Jews in America, Israel and other country of Australia, for example, .5% of the population countries, Asians credit the child-rearing tactics and early identifies as Jewish, while in Japan, China, and South Korea, schooling of Jewish children as the reason for their apparent Jews represent less than .01%. The experience that success later in life. In an attempt to ensure the same feats Australians and New Zealanders have with anti-Semitic for their own children, they have begun emulating practices notions gives them the upper hand in knowing to avoid cercommon in Jewish households. tain answers on the ADL Global 100.

An instance of this came to light more than three years Therefore, despite the disconcerting numbers, Asians are ago, when Ma Young-Sam, an ambassador to Israel, more likely to model themselves on Jews than to target announced that study of the Talmud had been implemented them. Considering the remarkable success of people of into the curriculum of all elementary students in South Asian nationality, Jews should take this as an extraordinary Korea. Schoolchildren now refer to the age-old book of compliment.

Jewish teachings as “The Light of Knowledge,” and it has

July 18, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 3

Experiencing the Bomb Shelter at Ben Gurion Airport

by MARY SUE GROSSMAN The Center for Jewish Life Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan, Omaha’s Community Shaliach, along with his wife Sara and their children, Nehoray, Shilat and Amitay, returned to Omaha on July 9 after a visit in Israel. Shortly after arriving at Ben

Eliad commented “the best part of waiting in the airport that day was seeing old friends who found themselves ‘Praying2GETHER’ for better days in Israel.”

Eliad was in Israel during the kidnapping and murder of the three Israeli teens and the subsequent escalation of tensions and fight-

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Gurion Airport, the sirens sounded and the family found themselves heading to what Eliad described as “the largest bomb shelter he had ever seen.” While not at all an amusing situation, this picture – taken by his son, Nehoray - shows Eliad by the shelter sign, trying to make the children less afraid.

While at the airport, they also saw Efrat Srebro, who many in Omaha know through her work in the Partnership2GETHER Hava Nagila Gan program. Another friend, Michelle Korin, a Partnership lay leader from Indianapolis, joined them as well.

ing. Hear about his experiences and learn more about the media coverage of the events at his Eye on Israel session on Tuesday, July 22 from noon-1 p.m. in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library. “Eye on Israel”, the Community Shaliach program and Partnership2GETHER are programs of the Center for Jewish Life. The mission of CJL is to maximize involvement of Omaha's Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences. For more information, please call 402.334.6463 or email mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org.

Long lost brother’s family is found Continued from page 1 they were related by presenting a story only berg) to be reunited, except for Moishe, who we would know to be true. chose to stay in Russia and fight in the In 1929, Malach, Roman’s great-grandfaRussian army. For years, letters were written ther, was tragically killed in Omaha when he and exchanged between the Belzers in was thrown from his horse and cart. Roman Omaha and Moishe, and he also knew that his grandfashared with the family the ther’s parents and five sibwonderful news that he got lings immigrated to Omaha, married and had five chilNebraska. Ironically, three of dren. Suddenly in 1941, the Moishe’s five children moved letters ceased and no more to America. The family was correspondence was ever amazed to find that Roman again had between the is the grandson of Moishe Belzers and Moishe. With Belzer, who did not die in heavy hearts, the family the Holocaust. Addresses came to terms with the changed, the Belzer sisters probable fact that Moishe, got married and had new last his wife and their five chilnames, and letters were lost dren died in the Holocaust. in the mail; many of the reaMy mother, Nancy sons behind the ceased comBen Nachman Nachman Silverman, recalls munication.

Credit: Nebraska Jewish as a young girl hearing her Coming to Omaha for the Historical Society celebration in August is grandmother and her sisters talking about and even crying over their Roman Belzer, along with his father and brother, Moishe, whom they thought had uncle (two of Moishe’s sons), as well as sevdied. He was, after all, one of the youngest of eral other offspring from Moishe’s lineage. all the siblings, and the sorrow they felt over There will be descendants from the other knowing they would never be reunited with branches of the Belzer family tree as well. It their baby brother was heart wrenching. will be nothing short of a miracle to gather Fast-forward 100 years to February 2014, together once again, in the place where it all when the genetic testing company, began, 100 years ago, in Omaha, Nebraska, 23andme, made a connection no one had when over 100 Belzer Family members will seen coming. A man named Roman Belzer reunite. (whom we would soon find out is our disWhat a joy it would be to have my grandtant relative) had been curious about some father, Ben Nachman as well as many other of his own health related matters and dearly departed loved ones, alive today so through the suggestion of his wife, he sent in they, too, could celebrate with us. Those his DNA for testing and received three who have gone before us will be there in our Belzer names that matched his sample. hearts as we celebrate our family’s miracle.

Roman reached out to the Belzers to see if

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4 | The Jewish Press | July 18, 2014

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A very special graduation

by OZZIE NOGG Proudly wearing personalized mortar boards, Residents of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home who participated in the RBJH Jewish Education Series celebrated their graduation on June 20. The ceremony was held in the Simon Family Chapel at the Home, followed by a reception for family and

The Jewish Education Series curriculum was created as a fulfillment of the adage “You are never too old to learn” and as an opportunity to engage Residents in meaningful and thought-provoking discussions through their participation in educational classes, workshops and seminars. “This series was extra special,” said RBJH Resident Annette Fettman,

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friends. Graduates were Louise Abrahamson, Elliott Banner, Candy Bold, Ron Budwig, Jan Ferris, Annette Fettman, Relda Fortina, Bernice Green, Lucille Nearenberg and Marvin Parilman. Diplomas were awarded by Josh Gurock, Director of Operations at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, and Rabbi Yaakov Weiss. Andy Greenberg spoke on behalf of the faculty members who included Rabbi Josh Brown, Rabbi Mendel Katzman, Hazzan Michael Krausman, Eliad Ben Shushan and Rabbi Weiss. “As a special gift, the graduates received a colorful notebook designed by Yair Emanuel, one of Israel's most respected Judaica artists,” Rabbi Weiss said. “Many of the Residents are now using the notebook as a journal in which to record lessons they learned from class and from life in general.”

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B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Eliad Eliyahu will give an update on the situation in Israel Wednesday, July 23, noon, at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $11; beverage service only is $3. For more information call 402.334.6443 or email bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.

LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Our meetings are on Thursdays from 1-3 p.m., at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home’s boardroom. We welcome all who would like to attend. For information call Anne Skolkin at 402.343.1638.

Annette Fettman

Cantor Leo Fettman

“because it included faculty from different viewpoints of our faith. An added plus, for me, was Hazzan Krausman’s overview of Jewish music and Eliad Ben Shushan’s filmstrips of life in Israel. Todah rabah -- thank you -- to everyone.”

Courses in The Jewish Education Series were developed jointly by The Center for Jewish Life, The Institute for Holocaust Education, The Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, Beth Israel Synagogue, Beth El Synagogue, Temple Israel and Chabad. The program was underwritten by a grant from the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, and the Ruth Riekes Richards Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.

An exotic night at RBJH

by OZZIE NOGG A Night in the Orient theme dinner on June 24 found Rose Blumkin Jewish Home residents and family members enjoying an evening of exotic food and entertainment. Karen Hook, RBJH Activities Director, organized the event and created colorful Asian-inspired decorations with the help of her family members who are also volunteers at the Home.

NEBRASKA JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY The Nebraska Jewish Historical Society Genealogy Club will meet on Sunday, July 20 at 1:30 p.m. in the NJHS office. Anyone interested in researching family history is welcome.

In the news Valpak of Omaha has been named The Small Business of The Month in the region for the month of July by The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. The local Valpak franchise was nominated by several of their clients over the past months and was chosen by a committee of stellar local business leaders.

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Valpak of Omaha is in its tenth year and mails to 190,000 upscale homes in Omaha monthly, with 115 mailings since they started in January 2005. The franchise is ranked among the top Valpak offices in North America. In 2010 its sales team was Valpak Corporate’s Sales Team of The Year.

Valpak will be recognized on Aug. 15 at the next Omaha Chamber Board Meeting.

Karen Hook, RBJH Activities Director, left, and Blumkin Home Resident Vera Bernstein enjoy a Night in the Orient Dinner Hook and Mike Aparo, Director of Food Services at the Blumkin Home, came up with an authentic Chinese menu that included a cocktail hour and dinner featuring egg rolls, egg drop soup, broccoli beef stir fry with Asian vegetables and Frushi -- a refreshing fruit dessert sushi. “I’m very pleased with how the evening turned out,” Hook said.

“Just the look alone on the Residents’ faces reminded me why my job is so fulfilling. I have a passion for crafting -for turning everyday places and objects into artful experiences. As an Activity Director, I’m able to share this passion with the Residents, which means I’m able to take them anywhere they would like to go right here in the comfort of the Blumkin Home. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

After dinner, Leanna Keith, principal flutist with the Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra and an active member of the Omaha Chinese Culture Association, provided musical selections on the Asian flute. Guests were also treated to a special performance by young students of The Omaha Wushu School, a martial arts academy.

“The evening was awe inspiring,” said Maggie Conti, Director of Activities and Outreach Programs at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. “Our community is blessed with hardworking, dedicated and creative activities professionals.”

July 18, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 5

Rockets pop Tel Aviv’s bubble but not its residents’ routines

Operation Protective Edge BEN SALES TEL AVIV (JTA) — Had the shrapnel fallen a foot to the right, gas station attendant Michael Savlov would have been destroyed along with the rest of the Dor Alon gas station in southern Tel Aviv.

Savlov was with a customer in the station’s office last week when a rocket from Gaza was intercepted overhead by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. The rocket exploded in the air, but shrapnel fell onto the gas station, only narrowly missing the gas tanks.

“It was like a truck hitting concrete,” Savlov, 24, recalled.

“There was a boom and the ground shook like an earthquake.

I didn’t expect it to hit here. We’re lucky everything is OK. Had it fallen to the right it would have blown up everything.”

Long insulated from Gaza’s rockets due to distance, Tel Aviv has found itself a target in the conflict between Israel and Hamas that escalated into a full-blown IDF campaign, dubbed Operation Protective Edge.

Hamas missiles first reached Tel Aviv during the group’s 2012 conflict with Israel, but a larger stockpile of long-range missiles this time around has allowed it and Islamic Jihad, another terrorist group, to shoot many more missiles at Tel Aviv during this confrontation — at least 10 so far. The warning sirens that precede missile attacks, a seminal sign of the conflict in the south, have become a daily experience in Israel’s largest metropolitan area.

The barrage has gone some way toward popping the socalled bubble that separates Tel Aviv from the rest of Israel, sending residents into shelters and stairwells for protection when warning sirens ring out. Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system so far has prevented any deaths from the rocket fire, enabling residents largely to go on with their lives despite the threat of attack.

“Here, it’s like there’s a siren and within five minutes people return to their routines,” said Ilan Lugasi, 48, while sitting at a crowded outdoor cafe Friday morning in the city center. “It’s better that way.”

All the same, Lugasi cautioned, “Some people trust Iron

Dome too much.” While residents have traded stories of give his last name. “What do you want us to do? Is there a waking up to a siren and rushing to the stairwell in pajamas, shelter? There’s no shelter here.” some Tel Avivis haven’t let the bomb threats interrupt their At a nearby clothing store belonging to the popular Castro daily routines. chain, employee Ayala Onunu, 20, said people are more cauAt the city’s open-air Carmel Market, a crowded, chaotic tious in her home city of Rishon Le-Zion, which also has avenue, customers bustled Friday amid the produce stands had sirens. and cheese merchants. Fruit sellers yelling prices over each “People here are complacent,” she said of Tel Aviv. “In other in the unending quest to draw customers quieted Rishon, they’re scared, they feel it’s a war. Here, people deny down only when late-morning bomb sirens — distant at first reality.”

— began to grow louder, closer.

In a dry-goods store, a still voice came on the radio, interrupting a pop song: “Sirens in Bat Yam and Holon. Sirens in Shoham, Ben Gurion Airport.”

As the announcer mentioned other neighboring cities, alerts from afar, blaring faintly, could be heard.

“Where are the missiles?” a young man asked.

“Wait for the boom,” a cashier said.

Then the blaring was up close, pulsing. The radio broadcaster made it official: “Sirens in Tel Aviv-Yafo.”

But after a moment’s pause, people kept shopping and pushing their way through the market. Explosions could be heard a few seconds later, multiple booms signaling a successful Israeli interception, but by then it was almost Michael Savlov, left, an attendant at a Tel Aviv gas station, went back to work not an afterthought. long after a shrapnel from a Gaza rocket landed at the site on July 10, 2014.

“They shoot the missiles, and Iron Credit: Ben Sales/JTA Dome intercepts it,” said Moshe DaliLevi, a produce seller, smiling and shrugging.

The southern Tel Aviv gas station hit by shrapnel resumed Another loud noise drowned him out from behind: “Five operations Thursday shortly after police and army personnel shekels for a kilogram!” one seller yelled. “Bourekas! came to clean up the scene. Two hours later, Savlov was helpBourekas!” screamed another. ing a customer fill up his car next to the police tape demar“It’s not good at all,” Chani Levi, who manages a pet store cating where the shrapnel landed. near the market, said. “The missiles could fall on them. They Savlov said he wasn’t scared, and that his life would constand, laugh, look at the sky. It scares me. There’s no fear.” tinue on as normal. But he did learn one lesson from the At a nearby barbershop, Roni, 48, scoffed at the idea of hid- ordeal, he noted. ing during a siren. Many older buildings don’t have bomb “I think if there’s a siren,” he said, “we should go to the shelters, forcing Tel Avivis to improvise on a moment’s notice. shelter.”

“We have nowhere to run,” laughed Roni, who declined to

LAST CHANCE

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6 | The Jewish Press | July 18, 2014

The Three Weeks and the Three Boys

Journal entry from Israel Simplify your life by selling your less needed items.

TEDDY WEINBERGER The summer period of mourning came early to Israel this year. While the annual three-week period of traditional mourning for the destruction of the two Temples this year is between July 15-August fifth (from the fast day of the 17th of Tammuz to the fast day of the ninth of Av), news of the finding of the bodies of the three boys sent the country into mourning on Monday night June 30.

In traditional Jewish theology, the aftermath of catastrophe invites introspection. Our Sages teach us that the Second Temple was destroyed because of “pure hatred” and discord between Jews. During the “three weeks” Jews are supposed to work on the corrective: “pure love” and unity. I thought of this because one kept hearing, from media commentators, from members of the government of Israel, and

the rally and Haaretz’s encapsulates the problem (the former in general being more right-wing and sympathetic to the religious, and the latter being left-wing and secular). Under the headline, “Thousands rally in Tel Aviv for kidnapped Israeli teens,” it was clear that Haaretz had not even bothered to cover the rally itself. It mentioned that speakers “were to include” and noted that “some 2,000 people confirmed their attendance on the event’s Facebook page.” In contrast, The Jerusalem Post’s headline was “Tens of thousands rally in solidarity with the kidnapped teens’ families” and mentioned the noteworthy fact that Israel’s new president-elect, Reuven Rivlin, addressed the crowd.

At the funeral of the boys, attendees from the national religious community constituted the vast majority of the crowd, as could be seen from the television coverage (and this was confirmed by my son Elie who was in attendance). On the one hand, there was this great need to speak about the complete unity of the Israeli people (the Prime Minister mentioned it in his eulogy), but on the other hand the national religious sector experienced this tragedy more deeply than any other. In a way this is understandable. For some Israelis on the left, the very fact that the boys were kidnapped from

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Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at the funeral of the three teenagers – Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Shaer and Naftali Fraenkel.

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from the friends and families of the boys themselves, about how this tragedy touched all the people of Israel equally and united them. I would have liked to think that this was unequivocally true, but I’m afraid that it was not.

On Sunday night June 29 I attended the “Bring Our Boys Home” rally at the State of Israel’s unofficial rally location: Rabin Square in Tel Aviv. I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that in 17 years in Israel this was my first rally there. These boys reminded me of my own boys. Indeed, my son Elie, at the end of many of his high school days, would walk a few minutes from his Jerusalem school, stand at a nearby intersection with a sign saying “Givat Ze’ev,” and hitchhike home.

That’s all Eyal, Gilad, and Naftali were trying to do: hitchhike home--and their disappearance touched me deeply.

It was jarring to note that almost all who attended the rally were religious. The Jerusalem Post made a point of this in its coverage of the rally the next day. It quoted a young secular French Israeli who said: “It makes me sad that almost everyone here is wearing kippot,” with the Post noting that “she had hoped to see a broader cross section of the Israeli public.”

The difference between The Jerusalem Post’s coverage of

Memorial in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv.

Credit: ASHERNET

Gush Etzion would have elicited an automatic reaction of “well, what do you expect from being in the occupied territories.” And could this tragedy have exactly the same powerful emotional resonance for someone who could not easily see in the boys a projection of their own son or brother?

If the unity surrounding this tragedy was not as complete as proclaimed by some, then there is still work for us all during this summer’s “three weeks.” In an unredeemed world, this makes sense. But if the glass is not full it is also not empty. A final example can illustrate this. On Monday night June 30, Israel’s sports’ channel proceeded as usual with its coverage of the Wimbledon tennis tournament, but on Israel’s Channel 1, coverage of the World Cup soccer game between France and Nigeria was suspended, giving way to the breaking news that the boys’ bodies were found. I’m proud to live in a country, soccer crazed as it is, that felt that the boys’ tragedy was incompatible with watching the World Cup. May Eyal, Gilad and Naftali rest in peace.

Teddy Weinberger made aliyah in 1997 with his wife, former Omahan Sarah Ross, and their five children. Their oldest four, Nathan, Rebecca, Ruthie and Ezra are veterans of the Israel Defense Forces; Weinberger can be reached at weinross@net vision.net.il.

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July 18, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 7

Will Israel’s third Gaza conflict in six years end any differently?

Operation Protective Edge BEN SALES TEL AVIV (JTA) -- Get used to conflict.

That’s the message Israeli officials and security experts are relaying as the Israel Defense Forces conducts its third operation in six years against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s missile defense capabilities have grown significantly since previous rounds of fighting in Gaza -- Operation Cast Lead in 2008-09 and Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012 -- while Hamas has expanded its capability to strike deep at population centers in the Israeli heartland.

But experts say the core objectives for each side -- a bolstering of credibility among Palestinians for Hamas, a quiet border for Israel -- were only temporarily achieved in previous rounds of fighting and are unlikely to be secured for the long term by this one.

“There’s no military solution, so there will be another round,” said Yiftah Shapir, head of the Middle East Military Balance Project at Tel Aviv University’s Institute of National Security Studies. “We need to restore Israeli deterrence for a year, two, three. In between the rounds they’ll get new weapons and develop more clever ways to hurt us. They can’t beat us, but they can anger us and hurt us.”

The IDF’s latest operation, Protective Edge, began in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Since then, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have fired 360 rockets at Israel, according to the Israeli military, and Israel has launched more than 700 airstrikes on Gaza.

“Today we expanded our operations against Hamas and the other terrorist groups in Gaza,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Wednesday. “We will continue to protect our civilians against Hamas attacks on them.

“This could take time,” he added.

Hamas has been shooting rockets into

Israel for well over a decade, but its missiles can now strike much farther than border towns in southern Israel, which have previously borne the brunt of the group’s firepower. Long-range rockets have sent residents of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem running for cover this week, and the majority of Israel’s population centers is under threat.

Israel has avoided casualties thanks to early warning sirens, which signal residents

Motorists in Tel Aviv take cover from incoming terrorist rocket.

Credit: ASHERNET to head for protective shelters, and Iron Dome, a missile defense system that intercepts rockets headed for populated areas. But as of this writing, the Palestinian death toll stands at more than 80, including more than

Club [July 2014 MEMBERS]

a dozen children, several of whom were killed in the bombing of a house in southern Gaza. A spokesman for the Israeli military told The New York Times that a warning to evacuate had been issued prior to the attack.

Netanyahu ordered the IDF to expand the operation on Wednesday and the army has called up 40,000 reservists. Israeli leaders have discussed the possibility of an imminent ground invasion of Gaza.

If ground troops do invade, Protective Edge would expand beyond the scope of

quiet to get more missiles,” Rapaport said. “I don’t know if that’s a goal that we’ll achieve.”

In addition to raising its status on the Palestinian street, Hamas hopes the rocket fire will compel Israel to ease economic restrictions on Gaza, said Gershon Baskin, the founder of a joint Israeli-Palestinian policy group and a former liaison in previous indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Baskin said Hamas also hopes the rockets will convince Israel to release the hundreds of Hamas operatives it arrested in June, in its West Bank operation to rescue three kidnapped Israeli teens.

“The point of this operation was to bolster support for them in Gaza, the West Bank and the Arab world,” Baskin said.

“From their perspective it’s too early to stop because they haven’t succeeded in doing any damage Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is briefed on the latest developyet.” ments.

Credit: ASHERNET It’s not only security Pillar of Defense, an eight-day campaign experts that see Protective Edge as history fought entirely from the air. The operation repeating itself. would more closely resemble Cast Lead, a Shachar Liran-Hanan, a third-year student three-week war begun in December 2008 that at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba, lived involved an Israeli ground invasion and left in the embattled southern city during Pillar 13 Israelis and 1,400 Palestinians dead. of Defense and grew up in a small town in According to experts, even a ground inva- Israel’s North, where she remembers running sion would be unlikely to topple Hamas or for cover during Israel’s 2006 war in Lebanon. end rocket fire for more than a couple of Joking that she always chooses the tensest years. places to live, Liran-Hanan is using her expeAmir Rapaport, the editor of Israel rience coping with missiles to set up an Defense magazine, said Israel’s best hope for impromptu center where students can engage the long term would be an international in pro-Israel advocacy on social media. presence capable of stopping Hamas’ import “I feel that I have more experience and I of weapons, but Rapaport said it was unlike- deal with it easier, but new students don’t ly that Hamas would accept the idea. have that feeling,” she said. “We all want to “We want to get not just long-term quiet get to calm, to a situation of peace. But in the but also a mechanism that will deny Hamas meantime, we want to be strong and to help and Islamic Jihad the ability to utilize the make this situation a little more tolerable.”

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8 | The Jewish Press | July 18, 2014

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

Where do you get your information?

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor When we are very young, we believe anything others tell us.

When I was three, I pointed at my uncle’s Adam’s apple, and asked him why he had a bump on his neck. He told me he used to be a chicken, and when he became a man, the beak remained lodged in his throat. I didn’t even question it.

Practically every weekend, my parents would drag us to the forest for long (too long) afternoon walks. My older sister and brother convinced me there were actual gnomes following us.

I never turned around quickly enough to see for myself. They told me I was too slow. That, too, I did not question.

But eventually we all have to grow up and start thinking for ourselves. That’s easy enough when it comes to chicken beaks and gnomes; it gets a little harder when it comes to politics. And when we try to navigate the news from the Middle East, it becomes virtually impossible. Who and what do we believe? Which news sources are trustworthy, which do we take with a grain of salt? Who lies to us, and why?

Who tells us a partial truth, but leaves out so much essential information that even that partial truth becomes useless?

Gone are the days when we could read two different newspapers, watch the evening news, and call it good. We were safe in the knowledge that even if we didn’t understand it all, we at least did our due diligence. Back then, news was news; forgive me for sounding like I’m 120 years old: ever since news has been replaced by entertainment, we have suffered from collective whiplash. Nobody knows what to believe anymore, we end up believing what we want to believe, and find a matching news outlet that “proves” our point with the click of a mouse. And yes, I am fully aware that even small community newspapers have had a role in that. Why do you think I am so cranky?

So then, what are we to do now that Israel is once again forced to defend itself against Hamas? See what I did there— that question in itself is subjective, but then, you are reading the Jewish Press, not the Hamas Gazette.

While it is difficult to know what to read, it is equally dif-

ficult to decide what to print. Right now it is summer, which means we receive fewer submissions at the Jewish Press office. This week’s somewhat minimal community content coincided with the beginning of Operation Protective Edge, and so we decided to use up the remaining space for some background information on the situation in Israel.

We included a first-hand account from our Shaliach, Eliad Eliyahu. He just returned from Israel, and is ready to resume his Eye on Israel series.

We are grateful to Temple Israel’s Rabbi Aryeh Azriel as well, whose notes can be found on pages 9 and 10. Rabbi Azriel also recently returned from Israel, and has plenty to say.

We included several articles from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency; news articles as well as opinion pieces.

Consider it an introduction; there are many more resources than what you’ll find on these pages.

Efrat Srebro, one of our Partnership2GETHER teachers suggests http://israeliside.com/ if you want Israel explained to you. You can visit Haaretz.com for a somewhat left-ofthe-middle Israeli perspective; If you you’d like to combine that with a view that’s more conservative, you can read the Jerusalem Post. If you look for news in Amrican media, the best advice is to read as many different sources as possible at the same time. There is not one source that explains it all in an objective manner.

Another option is the Times of Israel, which can be found at http://www.timesofisrael.com/; or you can try YNet (www.ynetnews.com) and Israel Today at www.israeltoday.co.il. For modern orthodox sources, visit www.israelnationalnews.com.

But reading the Israeli perspective is not necesserily enough, we also have to be aware of what else is being said.

To get a different prespective without going directly to Hamas-endorsed press releases (which are an education in and of itself), try Al-Jazeera. The English language version can be found at america.aljazeera.com. Are you wondering where Egypt stands in all this? Go to www.egyptdaily news.com; another paper worth checking out is www.jor dantimes.com, to see what they are saying in Amman. It’s always useful to see what the neighbors are reading.

Finding the truth, it’s hard work. And there are many gnome-worthy stories floating around. The public is no longer able to simply consume the news. These days, the raw ingredients have to be hunted down, and then you have to cook it yourself.

That’s okay; we can be adults about this. We simply have to ask ourselves on a regular basis whether what we are reading or seeing is the truth, and where the stories come from.

Once we start seeing “the news” as an opportunity to educate ourselves, we’re halfway there.

I, in the meantime, still hold out some hope that gnomes do exist, somewhere deep in the northern European forests.

Until I see undeniable proof they don’t, I’m reserving judgment.

Anti-gay persecution abroad demands U.S. action

Focus on issues ELYSE FRISHMAN

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J. (JTA) -- Every parent imagines and treasures a child’s first words, first steps, first love. Our children will graduate high school and then college, find their passion, marry their sweetheart, have children of their own.

There are also things a parent privately dreads. In 2010, 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, a first-year student at Rutgers University, jumped off the George Washington Bridge after students taunted and bullied him for being gay.

I was shocked by his suicide. Tyler went to high school with my daughter. Yet Tyler’s pain had been invisible to us.

How did we fail him?

Tremendous strides have been made in ensuring the dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in our nation in the last two decades. Yet prejudice and hatred still exist. In the United States, much legislation has been written to try to protect the rights of LGBT people, but our laws aren’t comprehensive, and much more needs to be done.

Same-sex marriage is now legal in 19 states and counting, but in many places children like Tyler still live in fear and shame.

Internationally, the reality is even bleaker. Same-sex sexual activity is illegal in 77 countries and, shockingly, punishable by death in five of those countries.

Six months after Tyler died, I traveled with American

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Jewish World Service to Uganda. We had breakfast in Kampala with a man whose name could not be spoken. We were warned not to mention his name in any public forum because he was an LGBT activist. He had been arrested the previous week, and he believed he was under surveillance.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni had just signed into law a new Anti-Homosexuality Act that made our new friend’s work illegal. The legislation threatened to imprison those who engage in same-sex relations and the government vowed to shut down any nonprofit organizations working with the LGBT community.

This man was educating the public about LGBT issues and planning outreach meetings to provide legal, medical and psychological support for families afflicted with HIV/AIDS. He was an outspoken opponent of the Anti-Homosexuality Act and feared for his life.

Similar laws criminalize homosexuality around the world.

In Russia, about one year ago, President Vladimir Putin signed what has become known as the “LGBT propaganda law” that prevents “distribution of information that is aimed at the formation among minors of nontraditional sexual attitude, attractiveness of non-traditional sexual attitudes.” In nations where Sharia law is honored -- including Nigeria, Yemen and Iran -- homosexual acts can carry the death penalty.

For the sake of children like Tyler, who are bullied for being gay; for the sake of activists in Uganda, and couples in love in Russia, Nigeria and Yemen, we must prevent global violence against LGBT people.

Today we have an opportunity to do our part to ensure that LGBT people globally can live freely and securely by calling upon the Obama administration and Congress to strengthen international policies on LGBT rights, and to assume a leadership role here and abroad to end hate crimes against LGBT people.

Just last month, Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) introduced in Congress the International Human Rights Defense Act. This act would direct the State Department to make international LGBT human rights a foreign policy priority. It would establish a position in the department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor that would be responsible for coordinating that effort.

One year during the High Holidays, I asked congregants to raise their hands if a member of their family or a friend was LGBT. Three-quarters of those present did. LGBT people facing violence, prejudice and fear around the world are not strangers -- they are our family, our friends. A sacred society is one in which no one is marginalized or enslaved; no one objectified, or invisible, or oppressed.

With the International Human Rights Defense Act, Congress has the opportunity to do the right thing for all of God’s children. Lives depend on it.

Rabbi Elyse Frishman is spiritual leader of the Barnert Temple in Franklin Lakes, N.J. She edited Mishkan T’filah, A Reform Siddur and serves on the board of American Jewish World Service.

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July 18, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 9

Egypt and United States, usual brokers in cease-fires, may not help this time

Operation Protective Edge RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Escalations between Hamas and Israel are nothing new. What’s missing this time, analysts say, is the alignment of outside interests that has resolved such fights in the past.

Egypt’s government lacks the influence over Hamas of its predecessors and the United States is in hand-washing mode on the Middle East, said Ami Ayalon, a former chief of the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service.

“In the past, Egyptians could play a major role and America had an interest” in pressing for cease-fires, Ayalon told JTA. Now, he said, Egypt’s new president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, is strongly hostile to Hamas -- a posture Israel appreciates but one that undercuts his ability to force a cease-fire -- and the United States is not actively pressing for a truce.

“Today, the way it seems from here, America couldn’t care less,” Ayalon said.

The Obama administration issued a short statement Tuesday slamming the rocket fire from Gaza but not hinting at any U.S. intervention to bring the fighting to a halt.

“We strongly condemn the continuing rocket fire inside of Israel and the deliberate targeting of civilians by terrorist organizations in Gaza,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at the daily press briefing. “No country can accept rocket fire aimed at civilians, and we support Israel’s right to defend itself against these vicious attacks.”

In the current fighting, scores of missiles have rained down on Israel from Gaza. Hamas unveiled longer-range rockets that for the first time hit targets as far away as Jerusalem.

Palestinian officials told international media Tuesday that at least 15 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes.

Intensive U.S. interventions, in collaboration with Egypt, ended Gaza wars in 2009 and 2012.

Shlomo Brom, a former director of the Israeli army’s strategic planning division, said the United States had little choice but to hold back in the absence of Egyptian influence on Hamas.

“The United States doesn’t have much power in this situation because they don’t have leverage over Hamas,” said Brom, now the head of the program on Israeli-Palestinian relations at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies.

“The United States has leverage in Israel -- but Israel is willing to have a cease-fire.”

Aaron David Miller, a former top U.S. Middle East negotiator, wrote that holding back for now made sense for the United States because to intervene and treat Hamas as an

factions in Gaza; and the murder of a Palestinian teen from eastern Jerusalem, apparently by Jewish extremists seeking revenge for the killings of the Israeli teens.

“This is the worst kind of a war,” said Ziad Asali, president of the American Task Force on Palestine, “where it is not planned, designed or desired by the leadership but gradually the logic is driven by passionate forces.”

Brom said even more extreme rivals cornered Hamas into escalation.

“If you will go back and see how it all began, the current conflict in the Gaza Strip, you can see that quite a number of days when those who were attacking Israel from the Gaza Strip were not Hamas but members of other militant groups in the Gaza Strip that were in opposition to Hamas,” Brom said. “These groups are interested in dragging Israel and Hamas into a wider conflict.”

Jonathan Schanzer, vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, said Israeli officials told him Smoke and debris rise from a site in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike, July 9, 2014. that Prime Minister Credit: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90 Benjamin Netanyahu equal to Israel would undercut America’s preferred exercised restraint in Israel’s response to the rocket fire until Palestinian interlocutor, the Palestinian Authority, led by a blitz of 80 rockets on July 7.

President Mahmoud Abbas.

“That was the tipping point,” Schanzer said, speaking from “The last thing Washington should be doing right now is Jerusalem. “Everybody we talked to made it clear Bibi was bailing out Hamas, let alone engaging it directly or through not interested in escalation.” cut-outs,” Miller, now a vice president at the Wilson Center, In a statement Tuesday evening, Netanyahu underscored wrote in Foreign Policy. his reluctance to have the situation escalate.

The conflagration is fueled by a slew of incidents: the kid“This comes after our repeated efforts to restore calm were napping and murder of three Israeli teens; Israel’s military met with increased Hamas rocket fire,” he said. “Israel is not campaign in the West Bank against Hamas, which it blamed eager for war, but the security of our citizens is our primary for the kidnapping; retaliatory rocket fire from Palestinian consideration.”

A Special Message from Jerusalem we even had a chance to make our way to the shelter in the basement of my hotel. Business as usual resumed almost immediately.

This past week has been one of the most tragic times in recent years in Israel. The discovery of the bodies of Eyal RABBI ARYEH AZRIEL, Temple Israel Yifrah, Gilad Shaer and Naftali Frenkel brought a sense of I am writing you from Jerusalem, one of the most beauti- profound mourning and loss, both here and around the ful cities in the world. This morning I walked through the globe. It was heartening, however, to hear so many voices of neighborhood where I am staying, enjoying the cool, sum- reason from all quarters. While the pain of the families mer Jerusalem air, with the ancient walls of the old city of burying these young victims of senseless hatred was almost Jerusalem in the distance. As always, I am moved to be in unbearable, their dignity and compassion was inspiring. this city where past, present and future touch.

In contrast, the horrifying act perpetrated by the hatefilled Israelis who kidnapped and burned to death an Arab teenager, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, was the lowest possible act, almost unimaginable. The vile acts that followed, including the beating of his fourteen-yearold American cousin by the Israeli police and the riots and rallies filled with hatred, have shown a side of some of the Jewish citizens of Israel that are shameful, at the least.

These last few days have shown the worst of both sides in the ongoing conflict. Hatred knows no boundaries, yet neither do love and compassion. I have been deeply moved to hear of courageous people from all faiths and ethnic backgrounds speak of the need for calm, ethical, kind and respectful behavior. We cannot allow extremists to hijack A fire fighter putting out a brush fire caused by a Hamas rocket.

Credit: Edgar Asher our vision for the world - a vision of peace and tranquility, a vision that has always Yet, as you are probably well aware, these are tense days in been symbolized by the highest aspirations of our people Jerusalem. Let me first assure you that I am safe, and that, and our dream of a Jerusalem, Israel and world at peace. for the most part, life goes on as usual here. While the tenMy time here in Jerusalem is filled with learning - both in sions of the beginnings of “Operation Protective Edge,” the classroom during my studies at the Hartman Institute, aimed at ending the rocket fire coming from Hamas terror- where I continue to be privileged to learn from brilliant and ists in Gaza, 246 as of this morning, have brought the fright- insightful teachers and with inspiring colleagues, and also in ening sound of sirens signaling rocket attacks across the the streets of this city and across this country. Everywhere I center of Israel, thus far there have been no civilian casual- go I learn something new and continue to be inspired by the ties and the “Iron Dome” defensive shield seems to be doing people who live here and work to fulfill centuries-old its job of intercepting missiles (90%) aimed at cities. dreams. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Granted, our hearts raced earlier this evening when the Editor’s note: This article was originally published on the sirens first sounded here in Jerusalem, but they ended before Temple Israel website on July 10.

Operation Protective Edge

The damage: an update

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- A rocket fired from Gaza caused loss of power to 70,000 Palestinians in the coastal strip.

Infrastructure Minister Silvan Shalom instructed the Israel Electric Company not to endanger its employees by repairing the lines from Sunday night's outage while the threat of rocket attacks from Gaza remains.

Also Sunday, a rocket fired from Syria hit Israel on the Golan Heights. The rocket fell in an open area and caused no casualties. The Israel Defense Forces said it believes the rocket fire was intentional and not a byproduct of the more than three-year civil war in Syria. The IDF responded with artillery fire in the direction of the rocket launch and confirmed hits on its targets.

Earlier in the evening, the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted a rocket over the West Bank city of Ariel -- the first time a rocket has reached the northern West Bank, some 52 miles away. A rocket fired at Jerusalem also was intercepted.

Meanwhile, some 17,000 Palestinian residents of Beit Lahiya left their homes -- against the wishes of Hamas -after Israeli leaflets encouraging them to leave ahead of a military operation were dropped on the area, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency told Israel Radio.

On Sunday, the Gaza Ministry of Health said that over 166 Palestinians have been killed and at least 1,000 injured since Israel started its Operation Protective Edge early last Tuesday, the Palestinian Maan news agency reported.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on July 13 reportedly called Netanyahu and offered help from the United States in brokering a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

The IDF said that 130 rockets fired from Gaza hit Israel on Sunday and 22 more were intercepted by Iron Dome.

Since the start of Protective Edge, more than 700 rockets have hit Israel, according to the IDF. The Israeli Cabinet on Sunday approved a $121.8 million aid package for residents and communities of southern Israel, who have been hard hit by Gaza rockets. About half the aid will be given to the town of Sderot. The government said it also will establish five mental wellness centers offering psychological and social work services, mainly for children affected by the conflict.

10 | The Jewish Press | July 18, 2014

Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 402.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com For information on our historic synagogue – dates and times for Friday night services, please call 712.322.4705.

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: Shabbat Services, 9:30 a.m. with guest speaker, Jim Zipursky will present Words or Weapons: Which are more dangerous? Lessons from Parsha Mattot; Miniminyannaires, 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.; Picnic for Beth El kids who attend the CDC, 5 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Choir Rehearsal, 7:30 p.m.

Serving lunch at Nebraska AIDS Project, Friday, July 25, 11:30 a.m.

Shabbat Services, Friday, July 25, 6 p.m. with guest speaker, Carol Gendler will discuss A Bat Mitzvah in Beijing -- her trip to China to celebrate her granddaughter’s Bat Mitzvah.

USY-on-Wheels visits on Monday, July 28.

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.BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

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

SATURDAY: Shacharit (Barchu), 9 a.m.; Mincha, 8:20 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:42 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.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, 8:30 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m.

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

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

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

All programs are open to the entire community.

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

FRIDAY: LJCS Camp Israel, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel; Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following hosted by Laura French.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Matot; Game Night/Potluck, 6 p.m. Questions? Please contact Deborah at 402.476.7528.

SUNDAY: Jewish Book Club, 3:30 p.m. at Marcia Kushner’s home to discuss David Liss’ books. All are welcome. For directions, call Marcia at 402.423.5959. For questions contact Stephanie at 402.435.0140; Cantillation Class, 6 p.m.

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

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; High Holiday Choir Rehearsal, 7:30-9 p.m.

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

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

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 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.

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

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

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

Summer Shabbat Evening Services: A Pause for Reflection, Friday, July 25, 6 p.m.

Candlelighting Friday, July 18, 8:36 p.m.

TED Talk, Sunday, July 27, 11 a.m.

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

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

FRIDAY: LJCS Camp Israel, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel; Services, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a special Kiddush luncheon honoring Andy and sponsored by the Garivay family.

SUNDAY: Jewish Book Club, 3:30 p.m. at Marcia Kushner’s home to discuss David Liss’ books. All are welcome. For directions, call Marcia at 402.423.5959. For questions please contact Stephanie Dohner.

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; Gal Ben Meir, Rabbi and musician extraordinaire, blends original lyrics from leading musicals with Biblical scenes and themes, 7 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Music sponsored by Soul Train and the Jewish Agency. Bring the whole family!

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

What do we do when the photographs begin appearing?

by RABBI ARYEH AZRIEL decent and therefore cannot remain apathetic in the face of It will happen. You will all open the newspaper one day, the awful photographs. or more likely in an age when nobody reads newspapers, I ask you to do the impossible: remain sensitive to sufyou will surf on the web to one of your favorite news web- fering, but also remain sophisticated in terms of causality. sites, and you will see the awful photographs. And there WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE PHOTOwill be nothing else to add to the power of the photographs. and we will once more be aware of the truth which says "a single picture is worth more than a thousand words".

But there is something else to say. There are in fact a few more things to say. None of them for a single moment reduces the individual pain felt by families. None of them reduces in any way the tragedy of innocent civilians caught up in a conflict which they would much rather not be a part of. None of them will make you or me feel better.

And we should not feel better as we are among those who know that every human life is of equal value. We are among those who educate, constantly, about the need to find peaceful solutions to conflict. We are among those who feel it is possible to share this troubled land. And we must continue to educate in these ways, the ways of Peace, Compromise and the respect for human life.

But there are others who feel differently about these issues. Among them the kidnappers and murderers of three young Israeli Jewish boys. Among them the kidnappers and murderers of a young Palestinian boy.

Among them those who are looking for a victory by being able to present bodies to the world, preferably bodies of children, the younger the better.

You are all the target audience for the obscene victory they are looking for.

Consider this: for over 24 hours the IDF As of Monday July 14: the latest images of Israeli residences receiving has been asking Credit: IDF direct hits from Hamas rockets.

Palestinians to leave their homes in Northern Gaza so that the IDF can deal with the massive rocket GRAPHS. HAMAS IS. launchers the Hamas has buried deep inside the civilian We are determined to not become in any way like the centers in this area. Why? Because we do not want to kill Hamas. That is why our pilots sometimes turn back; that is civilians, but we have to get rid of this threat to Israel. why we try to let people know they are living in a house And what has Hamas done, besides creating this trap for which has another function (it is being used by terrorists to all of you by placing their rocket launchers in the middle of prepare and carry out actions to kill our children); that is a densely populated area, thereby inviting the death of why we apologize when in spite of the care we take we their own people? make a mistake; that is why Israel is not using its bunker They are doing all they can to ensure the victory you breaking bombs even when militarily it makes sense to do might give them for one reason only: because you are this.

July 18, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 11

In memoriam

Anti-Israel protests

HAROLD FOX Harold Fox passed away on July 8 at the age of 95. Services were held on July 11 at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, 42nd and Redick Ave. He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth Stein Fox. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Mary Fox, and daughter and son-in-law, Barbara Fox Beuterbaugh and Cliff Beuterbaugh; granddaughter, Robyn Crone; and great-grandchildren: Douglas, Andrew and Zachery Crone.

Memorials may be made to the organization of your choice.

CARITA (CARI) BROWN SOMMER Carita (Cari) Brown Sommer passed away on July 8 at age 89. No services were held. Her ashes will be in Tel Aviv Israel.

She was preceded in death by son Mark.

She is survived by daughter Leni; daughter in-law, Lisa; extraordinary friend, Betty Winther; and other treasured friends.

Cari graduated from Edmundson Hospital School of Nursing in 1947. She was the first Jewish RN in the Omaha /Council Bluffs area and practiced nursing for twenty years in Council Bluffs, Chicago, Detroit and Omaha. She was a nursing instructor for 20 years at Metro Community College. She also graduated from college of Saint Frances in 1980. Cari retired in 1987 and continued to work at several volunteer jobs.

Memorials may be made to the Jewish Federation or the organization of your choice.

Rabbi assaulted in response to Israel’s Gaza operation

by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) -- The rabbi of the Jewish community in Casablanca, Morocco, was beaten allegedly because of Israel's Gaza operation.

Rabbi Moshe Ohayon was attacked last Friday night as he walked to synagogue for Sabbath services, according to local and Israeli reports.

Ohayon suffered a broken nose and broken ribs, and was beaten on the head in the attack, according to the French language alyaexpress-news.com. The rabbi reportedly asked passers-by for help but was ignored.

The alleged attacker, a local Muslim man in his 20s, reportedly told the rabbi during the attack that it was in retribution for Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. The assailant is known to local police, according to the report, and officers were searching for him in order to arrest him.

Friedel Town Hall Meeting Parents, prospective parents, and alumni parents of Friedel Jewish Academy students are invited to attend a Town Hall Meeting sponsored by the Search Committee For a New Principal. Meetings will be held on Wednesday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 27 at 10 a.m. in the Social Hall of the Jewish Community Center, 333 South 132 Street. Attendees will be asked to provide three criteria for choosing a new principal who can help continue to develop the school. For more information, contact Joanie Jacobson at 402.554.0500.

Come to the Cedar County Fair to see

by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) -- Dozens of young men protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza briefly besieged a Paris synagogue and clashed with security.

At least three Jews were taken to the hospital as a result of the clashes that erupted Sunday between the protesters and young Jewish men who guarded the Don Isaac Abravanel Synagogue in Paris, a witness told JTA. “The attackers splintered off an anti-Israel demonstration and advanced toward the synagogue when it was full,” Alain Azria, a French Jewish journalist who covered the event told JTA. Azria said that when the demonstrators arrived at the central Paris synagogue, the five police officers on guard blocked the entrance as the protesters chanted anti-Semitic slogans and hurled objects at the synagogue and the guards.

He said nearly 200 congregants were inside.

“They were determined to enter and the police did not have enough forces,” he said.

Azria said the mob was kept away by men from the SPCJ Jewish security unit, the Jewish Defense League and Beitar, who engaged the attackers in what turned into a street brawl.

“Thank God they were there because the protesters had murder on their minds and it took awhile before police reinforcements arrived,” he added.

The synagogue attack followed several anti-Semitic incidents that coincided with Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which began on July 8.

In one attack in Belleville north of the French capital, a firebomb was hurled at a synagogue, causing minor damage. In another attack, a man pepper-sprayed the face of a 17-year-old girl.

A demonstrator in Frankfort, Germany, used a police megaphone to shout anti-Israel slogans after duping police.

Police said the demonstrator had agreed to calm down a violent protest Saturday but instead shouted “Child murderer Israel” and “Allahu akbar!” -- Arabic for “God is great” -a Frankfurt police spokeswoman told The Associated Press.

“We as police had come up spontaneously with this unusual method and he abused it -- we didn’t expect that,” the spokeswoman, Virginie Wegner, told AP. The crowd of more than 2,000 protesters, who were waving Palestinian flags and calling for a boycott of Israeli products, followed the police car while cheering and repeating the slogans, according to AP. Dieter Graumann, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, condemned the incident.

“I’m shocked that a German police car was used to spread hatred and agitation,” Graumann said, according to AP. “It was a big mistake that the police let themselves be abused for this.”

In Berlin, rocks were thrown at police during a protest by some 1,000 demonstrators -- most of them Palestinians -against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

As many as 10 demonstrators were arrested for breach of the peace and trying to forcibly free others already arrested in Saturday’s protest, a police spokesman said. One police officer was struck by a rock but was not injured.

The march was unregistered; demonstrations in Berlin require a police permit.

To Submit obituaries to the Jewish Press: Email to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; fax to 402.334.5422, or mailed 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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After unity and then calls for revenge, Israelis look inward for answers were evident in the rallying around the parents of the murdered teenagers and then in the calls for revenge.

“There was a kind of unification of the country that came together with the grieving, prayer circles,” she said. “In some ways that grief can be used to bring the country together, it can be used to escalate anger, rage.”

Yoaz Hendel, a former director of public diplomacy in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office who now heads the right-wing Institute for Zionist Strategies think tank, wrote a widely discussed Facebook post in the immediate

the boy are already unimportant. After pictures of the mob shouting ‘Death to Arabs,’ the damage is done.”

Hendel told JTA that Israelis had to assume responsibility for the extremists among them, even if the extremists represent a marginal phenomenon.

RON KAMPEAS “It’s our obligation to do ‘heshbon nefesh,’” Hendel said, WASHINGTON (JTA) -- For many Israelis, eyes are turnusing the Hebrew term for soul searching, “so we don’t let ing south watching yet another conflict unfold with Hamas. pass this phenomenon that we have racist Jews here acting Yet thoughts are also turned inward, contemplating the like the Ku Klux Klan, not the Zionist dream.” sense of national solidarity occasioned by the abduction and Elizabeth Tsurkov, a left-wing Israeli writer and activist, murder of three teenagers and then shatblamed politicians for stoking the flames tered by the murder of a fourth. with the rhetoric of revenge. She pointed The Israeli media -- the social and conto Netanyahu’s June 30 statement ventional varieties -- have exploded in announcing the discovery of the bodies recent days with recrimination and selfof the three kidnapped teens that quoted recrimination over the brutal murder of a poem by Hayyim Nachman Bialik writMuhammad Abu Khdeir, the Palestinian ten after a pogrom. teenager from eastern Jerusalem who “‘Vengeance for the blood of a small was burned alive last week. The killing child, Satan has not yet created,’” was apparent retaliation for the murders Netanyahu said, quoting the poem, of three Israeli teens -- Naftali Fraenkel, before continuing in his own words: Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach -- who were “Neither has vengeance for the blood of kidnapped while hitchhiking. three pure youths, who were on their “A national struggle does not justify way home to meet their parents, who will acts of terror,” the outgoing and incomnot see them anymore.” ing Israeli presidents, Shimon Peres and Such statements empowered anti-Arab Reuven Rivlin, wrote Monday in a joint racists, Tsurkov said.

Op-Ed for the Israeli daily Yediot “It’s clear how this kind of rhetoric jusAcharonot. tifies attacking people who are not “Acts of terror do not justify revenge,” involved in combat,” she said. they wrote. “Revenge does not justify But Hendel rejected assertions that the destruction, plunder and desolation. broader Israeli society was guilty, noting Even in the face of the rage and frustrathe condemnations of Khdeir’s murder Participants in an anti-racism rally in Jerusalem holding signs that say, “Enough violence.Yes to cotion, the violence and the pain, things from across the political spectrum. existence,” July 7, 2014.

Credit: Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash 90 can be done differently. Things must be Hendel has had pushback from some done differently.” aftermath of Khdeir’s murder, before any suspects had been online commenters who objected to his condemnations of Israeli police said three Jewish youths have confessed to apprehended. In the posting, Hendel railed against Jewish anti-Arab violence. In a follow-up posted July 4, he the Khdeir murder and three others are in custody. rioters inflamed by the killings of the Israeli teens who had addressed a commenter who had told Hendel, “You are not Leeat Granek, a grief specialist at Ben-Gurion University’s attacked Arabs in downtown Jerusalem. my brother, and we do not belong to the same people.” public health department, said public displays of grief can be “It is unbelievable how a few hundred racist Jews can “Believe me, I wish it were so,” Hendel replied. “I’m stuck used to bring nations together as well as to stoke rage. In the cause so much damage to an entire country,” Hendel wrote with you.” wake of the murder of the three Israelis, both phenomena in Hebrew. “The results of the investigation into the death of

Operation Protective Edge

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