July 26, 2013

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

The Jewish Omaha Film Festival

July 26, 2013 19 Av 5773 Vol. 93 | No. 45

This Week

Aaron Kurtzman receives Schreibman Scholarship by STAN MALISZEWSKI Jake J. Schreibman Foundation The Jake J. Schreibman Foundation is pleased to announce that Aaron Kurtzman has been selected as the winner for the 2013-

An American in Montescot Page 6

Maccabiah bar mitzvah ceremony proves games are more than sports Page 7

by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, The Center for Jewish Life The 12th annual Omaha Jewish Film Festival begins Aug. 11 with the traditional deli dinner at 6 p.m. followed by the movie at 7 p.m. The dinner has proven to be a great time for people to socialize and enjoy the meal prepared under the supervision of Chef Mike Aparo in the kosher kitchen of the Star Deli. The menu will feature turkey, corned beef, and pastrami sandwiches plus coleslaw, chips, dessert and drinks. Dinner will be served in the Social Hall. At 7 p.m. the feature film The Ballad of the Weeping Spring, will be shown in the JCC Theater. Cost for the deli meal is $12 and a movie ticket is $8. You may attend either or both of these events.

Advanced reservations are required for the dinner. To make your reservations, call or email Mark Kirchhoff, 402.334.6463 or mkirchhoff@jewish omaha.org by noon on Aug. 9. The festival will continue on Thursday, Aug. 18, Sunday, Aug. 21, and Thursday Aug. 25. All films will be shown at 7 p.m. in the JCC Theater. The Ballad of the Weeping Spring, a 2012 Israeli film in Hebrew with English subtitles will be shown at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 11. This film is not the typical political film out of Israel that frequently makes it to America. It is a film with a goal of bringing issues to light, and informing the world about what is happening in and around Israel. In that sense, it is a breath of fresh air. The Ballad of Weeping Spring is about a

young man trying to grant his father’s dying wish – for his son to play one last song for him. The son sets out to find his father’s old band mates to join him in fulfilling this wish. Throughout his travels, he becomes acquainted with an interesting and distinct cast of characters that agree to help him put on this final performance for his father. As the film continues, questions are answered and backstories are revealed which thicken the plot. The film runs for 106 minutes. Aug. 18 will feature the film The Other Son, which was released in France in 2012. The movie is in French with English subtitles and runs 105 minutes. The story is that of two babies who are born at about the Continued on page 2

Come home to Tifereth Israel @100 Beersheva is hoping to bloom Page 12

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memorium

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

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by BRENDA F. INGRAHAM President, Tifereth Israel Synagogue A large cornerstone near the entrance to Lincoln’s Tifereth Israel Synagogue proclaims the founding date of the synagogue: 5673. One hundred years later, on the weekend of Aug. 2-4 [26-27 Av], almost 150 congregants and former congregants from all over America, along with three former rabbis and their families, and two chazzanim -- will join together to observe this centennial birthday with a gala Homecoming. Those attending will greet Rabbi Mark and Fredda Bisman of Arizona, Rabbi Ian and Suri Jacknis of New York, and Rabbi Stanley Rosenbaum of Iowa. We will be uplifted by the chanting of native sons, Cantor Mark Kushner of Pennsylvania and Daniel Neiden of New York. We will share reminiscences, Shabbat services and meals, Havdalah, and great joy together. Marcia Kushner and Joyce David-

son, co-chairs of this milestone reunion, have spent the past year working and planning, along with a stellar committee of supporters. Together

tell as we reminisce with each other. These shared stories will be preserved in a memory book that will be made available at our Homecoming.”

they have planned a Homecoming weekend for all of us to remember. In addition to Erev Shabbat and Shabbat morning services in our lovely sanctuary, we will enjoy an elegant Shabbat dinner on Friday evening, a full kiddush luncheon after Shabbat services on Saturday, Havdalah, and a gala Wine and Cheese reception Saturday evening... all capped off with a poolside Farewell Brunch on Sunday morning. The highlight of this weekend will certainly be the shared stories and reminiscences. Co-chair Marcia Kushner observes, “At this landmark in our congregation’s history, we really want to capture our impressive past through the stories that we will

Judging from the memories that have been recorded and sent in thus far, the minds and hearts of the almost150 attendees will be well-rewarded. Native son Morris Allen, the founding rabbi at Beth Jacob Synagogue in Minneapolis, remembers that “the shul was not simply a place to daven; it was the center of our lives and the means by which we lived full and meaningful Jewish lives.” Many such reminiscences, both humorous and poignant, have already been recorded on the Homecoming website at www.tiferethisrael100.org. These memories are rich and varied. Co-chair Joyce Davidson recalls that her family laid firm roots in Continued on page 3

Aaron Kurtzman 2014 academic year. Jake J. Schreibman Freshman Year Scholarship has been awarded to Jewish students residing in the Omaha community since 1997. The award is based on student need and was designed to aid those students who were accepted to schools the cost of which would be a burden on the student’s family. The award amount is partly based on student need and may be up to $10,000. All Jewish high school seniors attending any high school in the greater Omaha metropolitan area are eligible to apply. The Schreibman scholarship was established in honor of Jake J. Schreibman who was born in Omaha, March 6, 1911. He graduated from Omaha Central High School in 1927, was a member of the Jewish Community Center where he won several awards as an athlete, and during World War II, he served as a medic in the Pacific Theater. After a lifetime “hobby” of financial investing, he died in 1994, and the Jake J. Schreibman Foundation was established to serve the Omaha Jewish Community. What better way to accomplish this objective than to focus on the education of the young people who were about to enter college. To this end, the Jake J. Schreibman Freshman Year Scholarship has helped provide funding for the past two decades enabling students to attend the school of his or her choice. Selection criteria includes resiliency with overcoming obstacles to academic success, grades and participation in rigorous courses; letters of recommendation; Continued on page 2


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