July 29, 2011

Sponsored by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Endowment Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA July 29, 2011 27 Tammuz 5771 Vol. 90 | No. 46

Memories of the Israel Baseball League

This Week

by IRA GEWANTER ships” if we promise not to BALTIMORE (Baltimore brawl. Or that our tie Jewish Times) -- Aaron games were settled by a Pribble was a 27-year-old home run derby. There high school teacher when was also a near strike, fears the call came in early 2007: of a terrorist attack on He was among the few opening day and my exotic chosen to play for the romance with a Yemenite newly formed Israel Jew. Baseball League.

Since Birthright Israel Three years removed and bar mitzvahs are all from his last pitch in the about exploring our Jewish minor leagues, he identity, throwing in the embarked on a summerbaseball adventure covers long journey to champion all bases, as it were. I really his childhood dreams, one did feel like my summer in that wound up giving him Israel was about exploring new insight into the Jewish both who I was as a basestate and its challenges. ball player and a Jew. As American baseball How so? fans were enjoying the Well my dad is Christian Aaron Pribble, top row, second from left, shown with his All-Star team from the Israel Baseball Major League Baseball All and my mom is Jewish, so League, chronicles his experiences in the IBL’s lone season in a new book, Pitching in the Promised Star game this month, I’ve spent much of my life Land. Credit: Aaron Pribble Pribble was reflecting on considering various his newly published book, which The league was created by Larry could be called “One Big Baseball aspects of religion, culture, heritage chronicles his own All-Star cam- Baras, a Boston businessman and Birthright Bar Mitzvah.” and belonging. And living in Israel [Laughing] Yep, something like definitely made me feel more certain paign in the first and seemingly last creator of the cream cheese-filled Israeli professional baseball season. bagel. Director of baseball opera- that. I usually say it’s like “Bull of my Jewish identity and place in He recently spoke about the experi- tions was Dan Duquette, a former Durham” in Tel Aviv. It has all those the world. general manager of the Boston Red crazy moments emblematic of ence.

In terms of my baseball career, Baltimore Jewish Times: Tell us Sox. League managers included [for- small-town minor league ball, but after having played in college and for mer Jewish Major Leaguers] Ron with an Israeli twist -- like the time a few years professionally and interabout the league.

Pribble: There were three fields Blomberg, Art Shamsky and Ken when the sex doctor, Ruth nationally -- including stints on four Westheimer, throws out a first pitch of seven continents -- this was one and six teams attempting to play six Holtzman.

I recently told a friend your book and promises us healthy “relation- Continued on page 3 days a week -- never on Shabbat.

Amid Murdoch scandal, Israel backers worry about muting Page 2

Napkins optional Page 7

Wanted: Canines of all kinds for Blumkin Home Dog Show

J Street, the book -expect more controversy Page 12

by OZZIE NOGG On Thursday, Aug. 11, at 1:30 p.m., Blumkin Home residents, along with their families and

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

8 10 11

Next Month Back to School See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

friends, will gather in the RBJH Auditorium for the 2nd Annual

Bow-Wow Extravaganza Dog Show.

“The event was a howling hit last year so we’ve brought it back by popular demand,” said Karen Menagh, Blumkin Home Activities Director. “Everyone in the community is invited to enjoy this really special afternoon.”

Menagh is currently on the lookout for four-legged participants and their two-legged masters.

“All faithful canines and their owners are welcome to be part of the Bow-Wow Dog Show,” she said. “The only requirements are that the dogs must be on a leash and well-behaved. We’re sure all the dog owners will be on their best behavior, too.”

To sign up for the Bow-Wow Extravaganza Dog Show call Karen Menagh at 402.334.6420 or email her at kmenagh@rbjh.com. Please include your name, phone number, and the name and age of your dog.

“If you’d like, include a shaggy dog story to share,” Menagh added. “And stupid pet tricks are welcome and encouraged.”

Jewish Historical Society to hold annual meeting

by GARY JAVITCH Almost every organization in Omaha has benefited from the Foundation of the late Carl Frohm.

“That’s because Mr. Frohm wanted to fund as many organiza-

Israel Building Fund, Rose Blumkin Home, Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, Beth El Synagogue, the Jewish Community Center, and the Jewish Federation Foundation.”

Carl Frohm

Mary Fellman

tional needs in the Jewish community as possible,” Renee Ratner Corcoran said. Corcoran is the Executive Director of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society.

Mr. Frohm was an extremely successful businessman. He never married. During his life, he kept his philanthropic donations personal and private. However, after his death, his foundation took a higher profile, disbursing hundreds of thousands of dollars. “Led by trustees Harold Mann, Linda Mann and the late Dean Frankel,” Renee added, “the foundation has given grants to support the Beth

“Other beneficiaries of the philanthropic foundation included Jewish Family Services, CDC, Holocaust Educational Program, Kripke Library, the NCJW Dictionary Day for Public Schools, Genetic Testing Program, and College Educational Scholarship Fund, among countless other groups. Programs that supported youth activities were frequent beneficiaries of the Foundation’s generosity. That was a particular request from Mr. Frohm,” Renee said.a particular request from Mr. Frohm,” Renee said.

Continued on page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | July 29, 2011

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Amid Murdoch scandal, Israel backers worry about muting

by RON KAMPEAS host Bill O’Reilly defended Mel Gibson’s 2004 movie The WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Pro-Israel leaders in the United Passion of the Christ.

States, Britain and Australia are warily watching the unfoldWhen some Jewish organizational leaders complained ing of the phone-hacking scandal that is threatening to engulf that Fox talk show host Glenn Beck was relying on antithe media empire of Rupert Murdoch, founder of News Corp. Semitic tropes in peddling discredited theories about liberal Murdoch’s sudden massive reversal of fortune -- with 10 billionaire financier George Soros, Murdoch nudged Fox top former staffers and executives under arrest in Britain for chief Roger Ailes into meetings with Jewish leaders. hacking into the phones of public figures and a murdered Murdoch’s affection for Israel arose from his native schoolgirl, and paying off the police and journalists -- has Australian sympathy for the underdog fending off elites, acsupporters of Israel worried that a diminished Murdoch cording to Isi Liebler, a longtime Australian Jewish commupresence may mute the pro-Israel voice of many of the pub- nity leader who now lives in Israel. lications he owns.

“From my personal commu“His publications and nications with him, it’s somemedia have proven to be fairthing that built up,” Liebler er on the issue of Israel than told JTA. “He’s met Israelis, the rest of the media,” said he’s been to Israel, he’s seen Malcolm Hoenlein, the execIsrael as the plucky underdog utive vice-chairman of the when the rest of the world Conference of Presidents of saw Israel as an occupier.”

Major American Jewish Australian Jews noted Organizations. “I hope that the pro-Israel cast of won’t be impacted.”

Murdoch’s papers as early as Murdoch’s huge stable the 1970s, before he had encompasses The Wall Street established ties with the Journal, the Times of London Jewish community. The word Rupert Murdoch, left, with Abraham Foxman of the Antiand The Australian, as well as from inside his company was Defamation League at an Oct. 13, 2010 dinner in honor of tabloids, most notably The that Israel was an issue that he the News Corp. chairman. Credit: David Karp Photography Sun in Britain and the New cared about, which helped York Post. It also includes the influential Fox News Channel shape its coverage in his media properties. in the United States and a 39 percent stake in British Sky Robert Fisk, a veteran Middle East correspondent and a Broadcasting. fierce critic of Israel who worked for the Murdoch-owned Jewish leaders said that Murdoch’s view of Israel seemed Times of London from 1981 until 1988, eventually quit and both knowledgeable and sensitive to the Jewish state’s self- moved to The Independent because of what he said was undue perception as beleaguered and isolated. editorial interference in his writing. Recalling those days, Fisk “We live in a world where there is an ongoing war against said Murdoch’s influence trickled down through editors who the Jews,” Murdoch said last October at an Anti-Defamation understood that he wanted his media to reflect his outlook.

League dinner in his honor. “When Americans think of “I don’t believe Murdoch personally interfered in any of the anti-Semitism, we tend to think of the vulgar caricatures above events,” Fisk wrote recently in The Independent, and attacks of the first part of the 20th century. Now it seems describing the decisions that drove him away from the Times. that the most virulent strains come from the left. Often this “He didn’t need to. He had turned The Times into a tame, pronew anti-Semitism dresses itself up as legitimate disagree- Tory, pro-Israeli paper shorn of all editorial independence.” ment with Israel.”

The question now is whether the empire’s pro-Israel stance Murdoch, 80, has visited Israel multiple times and met will survive Murdoch. with many of its leaders. In 2009 he was honored by the An account of a clash over Israel between Murdoch and his American Jewish Committee. son and heir apparent was first published in the diaries of “In the West, we are used to thinking that Israel cannot Labour Party publicist Alastair Campbell. Campbell, in an survive without the help of Europe and the United States,” he account republished last week in The Guardian, which has said at the AJC event. “Tonight I say to you, maybe we should led the coverage of the phone-hacking charges, described a start wondering whether we in Europe and the United States dinner at British prime minister Tony Blair’s residence, in can survive if we allow the terrorists to succeed in Israel.”

2002.

Leaders of a number of pro-Israel groups declined to com“Murdoch said he didn’t see what the Palestinians’ probment for this story because of Murdoch’s current difficulties. lem was and James said it was that they were kicked out of On Tuesday he and his son, James, testified before a parlia- their f---ing homes and had nowhere to f---ing live,” the mentary committee in London. account in The Guardian said. Murdoch chided his son for Murdoch also has been seen as a friend of the Jews in the using foul language in the prime minister’s home.

Diaspora, even though Fox has irritated the Jewish estabLiebler said: “He’s had differences with his son on many lishment for championing what many Jews perceive as the issues, and this happened once and it went off the map,” margins of right-wing thinking -- for instance, when Fox Liebler said. “I don’t think it was anything fundamental.”

Jewish Historical Society to hold annual meeting Continued from page 1 “Mr. Frohm’s reach was quite extensive,” Renee observed.

“Our historical society was also a recipient of his largesse.

With a grant from his foundation, we were able to build an archival center, which was named after him.”

The Carl Frohm Archival Center contains thousands of historical pieces related to the development of the Jewish communities across Nebraska and western Iowa. The NJHS will honor Mr. Frohm and the Foundation because they are so appreciative of what he has done to bolster the Omaha Jewish community and the society.

“The Annual meeting will take place at the JCC on Sunday, Aug. 7 at 3 p.m.,” Debbi Josephson added. “We will also serve refreshments. The public is invited especially because they have been so supportive.”

“At the same time,” Debbi, who is the Society’s president this year, noted, “we will also give out some very special awards.”

The Mary Fellman Award was created in 2005 to honor the Society’s co-founder and a person or group in the community who reflect the qualities that were an integral part of Mary’s life. These include multi-faceted leadership, compassion, and/or service affecting the history of the Jewish people of Nebraska and Western Iowa. “The past Fellman honorees are: Frances Batt (2005), Shirley and Leonard Goldstein (2006), Riekes Family (2007) and the Ike and Roz Friedman Foundation (2010). “The recipients this year,

Harold and Linda Mann, fit right into that distinguished group,” Debbie stated.

Debbi will also present Sue Millward with the Shirley Berman Volunteer Award, which was established to honor a community volunteer who, like Shirley, gives their time quietly, over a period of time, without expectation of recognition.

While housed in the JCC building, the Society is not connected in any way with the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

They are always seeking artifacts and history-related items to preserve the stories of the Jewish families, organizations, synagogues, and businesses in our region.

To support them, the Society seeks new members and donations. But they do give a great deal in return. Each member receives two newsletters per year. But this year, the society will provide an extra-special treat. The newest Memories of the Jewish Midwest, priced at $20, will be sent free to all members.

The nearly 200-page book, the 14th volume in the series, highlights the “Mom and Pop” grocery stores in 20th Century Omaha, Lincoln, Council Bluffs, and surrounding communities. It will feature personal stories of these establishments from Omaha. The mission of the historical society since founded in 1982 is to preserve these histories, and to executive director Renee Ratner Corcoran, this is an ongoing task for the exhibits of past Jewish organizations, educational societies, activities, publications, businesses and the family stories that tie it all together.

July 29, 2011 | The Jewish Press | 3

How to use Facebook to build friendships Memories of the Israel Baseball League between French Muslims and Jews Continued from page 1 last shot to reach for a lifelong goal. It caused me to think long and hard about what I was willing to sacrifice in pursuit of my boyhood dream.

What were your digs like?

I played for the Tel Aviv Lightning and we lived at Kfar HaYarok, just north of Tel Aviv near a town called Ramat HaSharon. Peacocks were the unofficial mascot of our kfar. They were crazy; they were everywhere.

How was the competition?

Most of the players were between low college and single A level. We joked that a player’s talent was in inverse proportion to how Jewish he was. They had a little more leeway with Jews making the cut because this was a product catering to a majority Jewish audience in a Jewish country. But the IBL included many non-Jewish players from around the world, mainly the Dominican Republic.

People in Baltimore might like to know that current Orioles DH Vladimir Guerrero’s younger brother, Juan, played in the league.

How did you fare?

I led the league in ERA and had the chance to become the first IBL player to sign a pro contract back in the States. [He wound up returning to teaching.]

What was it like playing America’s pastime against the backdrop of the Middle East?

In high school I played in Australia, for college I attended the University of Hawaii and after several summers of independent baseball around the country, I even played in France and Germany. I’m immensely grateful for what this beautiful game has taught me about the world, as well as myself. And in the Holy Land, I got to explore both yet again. The biggest difference was the way I was viewed as an American. In Israel everyone opened up and made me feel welcome, so I had a great opportunity to explore my cultural heritage. I’m really thankful that my long baseball journey brought me to Israel, too.

Did your time there impact your understanding of Israel’s political situation?

I’m not sure if my assumptions about Middle Eastern politics were challenged, but my understanding certainly became richer, fuller and more nuanced.

What happened after the season?

My first decision at the end of summer was whether or not to sign a pro contract back in the States. I hadn’t even considered the prospects of coming back to play in Israel, but any chance to return to the Holy Land needed to be carefully considered.

Ira Gewanter is a Baltimore-area freelance writer.

by ALEX WEISLER nalist at the French version of Marie Claire magazine, tells PARIS (JTA) -- At a glance, the Muslim-Jewish picnic at JTA. “There’s no need to fight.� the peace fountain in Yitzhak Rabin Garden, in this city’s Shalom | Paix | Salam now has 1,600 fans on Facebook.

Bercy Park, looks like a reunion of old friends.

Aside from online chatter, the group organizes film screenMiddle-aged men and women sit on blankets and laugh ings, museum tours, lectures, picnics and other meet-ups. together, snacking on carrots and Middle Eastern pastries. A Members even held a peace march at the Eiffel Tower. circle of women dances wildly to the tunes of a guitarist and Patrick Conquy, president of the Paris branch of the Jewishtambourine player.

Muslim Friendship of France, or AJMF, one of the country’s But many of the 100 or so people there have never met -- best-known interfaith institutions, says Shalom | Paix | at least not face to face.

Salam’s use of social netThey are part of a working sets it apart from groundbreaking group that other dialogue programs. is trying to build bridges “A lot of people came to between Muslims and Jews the group by typing somein France by fostering a thing online, very young community on Facebook people tired of being called where members can intera Jew or ‘you dirty Muslim,’� act directly online about Kamli says. “In Shalom | the issues that divide them, Paix | Salam, they found a and then meet at occasionshelter of positive ideas.� al social gatherings like the The organization doesn’t recent picnic in Paris. take overtly political The group is called stances, though it is presShalom | Paix | Salam sured to do so, such as [http://www.facebook. after Israeli forces killed com/groups/ShalomPaix Jews and Muslims affiliated with Shalom | Paix | Salam dancing nine Turks in a confrontaSalam] -- the Hebrew, at the interfaith group's annual picnic in Paris, July 10, 2011. tion aboard a flotilla in Credit: Alex Weisler May 2010 that was trying French and Arabic words for peace. to evade Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. “It’s revolutionary,� says Mohamed Kamli, a Muslim law “Putting aside politics is something that isn’t done here in student at the Sorbonne and one of the group’s assistant France by the other organizations,� Kamli says. directors. “You don’t have to go up to a random person on the That approach is what drew two young Parisian Muslim street and say, ‘You have a kipah, let’s talk about some issues.’� sisters, Sana and Rizlaine Atifi, to the organization.

The group is trying to change the nature of the relation“It’s very important to connect all people,� Rizlaine Atifi ship of Jews and Muslims in France -- one that is marked says. “In the world, there are so many problems about relimore by friction and conflict than by friendship. Shalom | gion. In France, we don’t need that.�

Paix | Salam, which is coordinated by five Muslims and five Her sister agrees. “You can think whatever you want, but Jews, all volunteers, was launched after Muslim-Jewish ten- the most important thing is to respect the differences sions in France boiled over during the Gaza War of 2008-09. between us,� Sana says. “We can live together very well.�

The idea wasn’t to avoid the points of conflict but to facilBeatrice Szwec, a former journalist and longtime Jewish itate debate about complicated issues without allowing par- activist, says it’s important to support fledgling groups like ticipants to “import the conflict between Israel and Shalom | Paix | Salam.

Palestine,� says Shalom | Paix | Salam’s co-president, Corine “Most of us have something else to do on a Sunday, but it’s Goldberger, who is Jewish. important to support this,� Szwec tells JTA. “This associa“Here, we are not in Gaza. We’re not in the West Bank. tion is quite young, but if you don’t start something, nothing Here, we are in Paris,� Goldberger, also a human rights jour- moves.�

To order a gift subscription to the Press...

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4 | The Jewish Press | July 29, 2011

Mainstreeters activities chase away the blahs

by OZZIE NOGG Concerned about how to fill your time during the dog-days of summer? Not to worry. Participation in these upcoming Mainstreeters programs will give boredom the heave-ho and boost your entertainment quotient.

Summer Picnic: Sunday, Aug. 14, 1-3:30 p.m. at Chalco Hills recreational area. Enjoy the song stylings of Michael Lyon in the air-conditioned Nature Resource Center at 154th and Giles Road. Back by popular demand, Englandborn Lyon developed a love for grand opera at an early age and embarked on a professional singing career in the mid1980s, making his main stage debut at Carnegie Hall in 1988. While opera was Michael’s first love, over time he developed a taste for many kinds of music, including a particular fondness for Bluegrass. Michael is the morning voice of Omaha Public Radio/NPR on 91.5 KIOS FM every weekday from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. This big-time entertainment is sure to please. A picnic lunch of Boston Market rotisserie chicken and drinks will be provided at $6 a person.

Attendees are asked to contribute a side dish to share. If your last name begins with A through G, please bring a dessert. H through Z should bring a salad. Make checks payable to Jewish Social Services and send full payment to: Mainstreeters c/o Maggie Conti, 323 So. 132 Street, Omaha NE 68154. Reservations are appreciated by Monday, Aug. 8.

Picnic Chairmen are Ilse and Marcel Kahn. For more information, call Maggie Conti 402.334.6521.

Omaha Country Kickers: Monday, Aug. 15, 12:30 p.m. lunch at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Auditorium. The

Country Kickers promote country music, country dance and the country way of life. In their cowboy boots and denim, the group is wildly entertaining. Choose from a down-home lunch entree of Hotdog or Hamburger, both served with French fries, cole slaw and cookie. Cost is $10 a plate. Make checks payable to Jewish Social Services and send full payment to: Mainstreeters c/o Maggie Conti, 323 So. 132 Street, Omaha NE 68154. Reservations are appreciated by Monday, Aug. 8. For information call Shelley Stern at 402.333.1201.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame: Thursday, Sept. 1, at Werner Park in Papillon. Game begins at 7:05 p.m. This last match-up of the season pits the Omaha Storm Chasers against the Texas Round Rock Express, and features Thirsty Thursday $1 beer and Pepsi, plus fireworks in celebration of fan appreciation night. Free school bus transportation to the game sponsored by Jewish Social Service. Depart from the JCC at 5:30 p.m. and return to the JCC by approximately 10 p.m. Cost is $7 per person for game admission and bus ride.

Choose dinner on your own from Werner Park excellent food vendors: Omaha Steaks, La Mesa, Famous Dave’s and an Omaha original -- the Reuben Sandwich. Make checks payable to Jewish Social Services and send full payment to: Mainstreeters c/o Maggie Conti, 323 So. 132 Street, Omaha NE 68154. Reservations are appreciated by Monday, Aug. 15. For information call Mainstreeters baseball maven Harry Alloy at 402.697.8709.

Mainstreeters welcomes all Jewish residents of the Omaha area age 60 plus. The group celebrates its first birthday this year with plans to continue offering a mixed bag of social events and learning opportunities that give participants the chance to meet new people, exercise their brains, take part in new activities and continue enjoying life to the fullest.

(Don’t) worry

Jewish matters GUY MATALON There is an old joke – a Jew sends a telegram to his shtetle: “Start worrying! I will explain when I get there.” We are as a people prone to look at ourselves critically and worry.

We worry about the present and we worry about the future.

We worry about our children, our parents, our friends, our community, Israel, and Jews around the world. In short, we worry. This is part of being Jewish.

What worries many philanthropists, lay and professional leaders in Jewish communities throughout the world is Jewish survival. We are not so concerned about our physical survival but rather our survival as a people, as a culture.

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FOR A LIMITED TIME! what worries us is sitting in every synagogue locked inside a closet or collecting dust on many shelves in Jewish homes throughout our city – the Torah.

The Torah is our innermost voice. It represents the ancient views of our ancestors in Jewish cultural terms. In order to recover if needed or strengthen our cultural identity, we must reclaim the Torah. We should be in dialogue and argument with it even if we disagree completely with the Torah’s teaching. Jewish culture cannot grow ex nihilo – out of nothing. Culture, rather, grows out of an engagement with texts, teachings and traditions of our past. The dynamic and energetic interaction with the Torah, its ethics and the interpretive tradition is the most effective way to create Jewish culture and stop worrying.

There is a Midrash that asks the following question: Why was the Torah given in the desert? It was given there because it should be seen as hefker. This term refers to a piece of property that is ownerless and hence can be taken by anyone. The Torah does not belong to any particular person or group. It belongs to whoever makes the decision to pick it up and read it. Make the Torah yours. Be part of an amazing 3,000 year old culture.

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In the news Steve Chasen has been named full-time teacher at Safe Haven in north Omaha. He is a UNO grad and a former teacher at Temple Israel.

Inclusive Communities, formerly NCCJ of the Midlands, is presenting IncluCity, a leadership and human relations program for high school students, July 23 through July 27.

A diverse group of high school students from Nebraska and western Iowa will be joined by experienced Inclusive Communities directors, volunteer advisors and counselors to engage in open and honest dialogue around issues regarding race, faith, gender, class and other cultural diversities.

Several grants have been provided by 2011 Humanitarian Dinner Raffle supporters, Lincoln Financial Foundation, Mammel Foundation, Iowa West Foundation, Murray H. and Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation, Youth In Philanthropy, Nebraska Humanities Council, Union Pacific, BlueCross BlueShield of Nebraska, Parker Family Foundation, Wells Fargo, Creighton University and University of Nebraska at Omaha.

For more information about IncluCity visit http://inclusive-communities.org.

Project Interfaith will present an Educator Open House on Aug. 11, 4-6 p.m., at Learning HQ located at 67th and Center in Aksarben Village. This event is in partnership with Learning HQ. This open house will give educators an opportunity to learn how Project Interfaith can assist in teaching religiously and culturally diverse students, and explore different resources on religious and cultural diversity.

Learning HQ is also offering a 20% discount to anybody who purchases from their store on the day of the event. This event is free of charge and refreshments will also be provided. The program is open to the public and all members of the community are encouraged to attend.

For more information, visit www.projectinterfaith.org, email amanda@projectinterfaith.org or call the Project Interfaith office at 402.933.4647.

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July 29, 2011 | The Jewish Press | 5

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Community Calendar FRIDAY, JULY 29 Beth El Young Family Shabbaton, 5 p.m. at Lied Lodge Birthday Blessings, 6 p.m. at Beth El SATURDAY, JULY 30 Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, JULY 31 Weekly Bible Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El JCC Dance Open House, 1 p.m.

MONDAY, AUGUST 1 Teleconferencing Mishnah Class, 10:30 a.m.

Women’s Rosh Hodesh Meeting, 7 p.m. at Beth El Derech Torah: Judaism 101, 7:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2 BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, AUGUST 4 Lomir Redn Yiddish, 1 p.m.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, AUGUST 7 Weekly Bible Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Nebraska Jewish Historical Society Annual Meeting, 1 p.m.

MONDAY, AUGUST 8 Teleconferencing Mishnah Class, 10:30 a.m.

Derech Torah: Judaism 101, 7:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9 ADL/CRC Board Meeting, noon BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10 Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, AUGUST 11 Lomir Redn Yiddish, 1 p.m.

ADL “Understanding and Addressing Cyberbullying” 6 p.m.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 Let’s Do Lunch with Beth El’s Rabbi Levin, noon at Blumkin Home Deli

SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, AUGUST 14 Beth El Men’s Club Annual Softball vs Temple Israel, 10 a.m. at JCC Weekly Bible Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El WRJ Meeting, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Mainstreeters Summer Picnic, noon at Chalco Hills Recreation Area MONDAY, AUGUST 15 Teleconferencing Mishnah Class, 10:30 a.m.

Mainstreeters Luncheon Program, 12:30 p.m.

Friedel Ice Cream Social & Parent Meeting, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16 School Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m. at Friedel BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

BESTT School Board Meeting, 7 p.m. at Beth El Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, AUGUST 18 Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group, 1 p.m.

Lomir Redn Yiddish, 1 p.m.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20 Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, AUGUST 21 Weekly Bible Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Pizza & Parasha with Cantor Beth, noon at Bagel Bin S’mores and Songs, 6:30 p.m. at Beth El MONDAY, AUGUST 22 Teleconferencing Mishnah Class, 10:30 a.m.

Beth El’s “Lets Wine About It!” with Cantor Beth, 6:30 p.m. at Fox & Hound, 120th and Dodge Kripke Library 2011 Film Festival Movie, 7:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 23 JFO Executive Committee Meeting, 6 p.m.

BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

Open Arms Cooking Class, 6:30 p.m. at Beth El Kindergarten Curriculum Night, 6:30 p.m. at Friedel Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel JFO Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m.

Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, AUGUST 25 Lomir Redn Yiddish, 1 p.m.

Kripke Library 2011 Film Festival Movie, 7:30 p.m.

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 Beth El Brings Shabbat to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m.

Birthday Blessings, 6 p.m. at Beth El

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SATURDAY, AUGUST 27 Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, AUGUST 28 Temple Israel OTYG Rush Grades 9-12, 7 a.m.

First Day BESTT Classes PreK-7, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El Adult Education Class with Andy Greenberg, 10 a.m. at Beth El Weekly Bible Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Beth El’s YAC Kickoff Event, 5 p.m. at Schmidley’s Kripke Library 2011 Film Festival Deli Dinner & Movie, 6 p.m.

MONDAY, AUGUST 29 Teleconferencing Mishnah Class, 10:30 a.m.

Monday Moadon - Grades 3-7, 4:30 p.m. at Beth El Jewish Press Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30 BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Kripke Library 2011 Film Festival Movie, 7:30 p.m.

Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31 First Day BESTT Classes, 4:30 p.m. at Beth El First Day Beth El 8th Grade Classes, 6:45 p.m. at Rose Blumkin Home Kripke Library 2011 High School Film Festival Night, 7:30 p.m.

All events held at the Jewish Community Center unless otherwise noted. This calendar does not include all community events. For a complete listing, visit the Federation’s website: www.jewishomaha.org (click on calendar). To keep calendar accurate, call Marlene Hert at 334-6437. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of the above events.

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6 | The Jewish Press | July 29, 2011 PRINTING, COPYING and DIGITAL NETWORK

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Milking it for all it’s worth: Star Deli to offer dairy lunch menu

by OZZIE NOGG After just one year in business, The Star Deli has become a prime Friday lunch destination for chow hounds who relish piled-high sandwiches and succulent sides along with the laid-back atmosphere and schmooze factor found in a typical New York noshery.

“We always hoped and dreamed that this Deli would be a success,” said Josh Gurock, JCC Facilities Coordinator, “and we intend to build on that success by continually shaking up the menu so our customers keep coming back for more.”

With that goal in mind, The Star will offer a one-timeonly Dairy Deli on Friday, Aug. 5. “Many people have requested dairy options,” Gurock said, “and since Tisha B’Av is Aug. 9 -- and because it’s customary for Jews to eat no meat during the nine days before Tisha B’Av -- a Dairy Deli during this time is the perfect shidach between tradition and marketing.” Gurock’s partners in the Star Deli’s genesis and subsequent success are Mike Silverman, Omaha Jewish Federation CEO, and Chef Mike Aparo, Rose Jewish Blumkin Home Director of Food and Environmental Services. “The three of us are crazy enough to try anything,” Gurock said, “so why not a Dairy Deli. People who remember Ratner’s Kosher Dairy Restaurant in New York City will be transported back to the the Lower East Side.”

Menu entrees on Aug. 5 include Succulent Seared Yellow Fin Tuna Steak, Finger-licking Fish & Chips, plus Grilled

Salmon accompanied by 1/2 Avocado with fresh mango, papaya and jalapeno salsa. The soup line-up features Beet Borscht and Parve Matzoh Ball Soup, and sandwich choices are Cheese Frenchie ( a deep-fried grilled cheese sandwich) plus a Tuna Frenchie version. The Deli’s ever-popular egg salad and tuna salad sandwiches are also available during the Dairy Deli Lunch, along with cheese blintzes, tuna-stuffed tomatoes, pizza by the slice, kugel, cheese lasagna and falafel with home-made pita.

According to Chef Aparo, “The expanded appetizer list features batter-dipped, deep-fried cheese kreplach, onion rings, zucchini sticks, mushrooms and green pepper rings.”

Aparo also promises a salad of mixed field greens topped with candied pecans and blue cheese. “Patrons who crave sweets can belly up to the dessert bar and order soft-serve ice cream sundaes, banana splits, root beer floats and brownies a la mode. We’ll also offer genuine New York Style cheesecake. No way can a person walk away hungry on Aug. 5,” Aparo said.

The Star Deli on Main Street is open every Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. In addition, the Deli is happy to host special occasions and will reserve private dining spaces in the RBJH for large groups. For more information on how Star Deli Catering can add spice to your meetings, parties and life cycle events, please contact Chef Mike Aparo, 402.334.6522, or Yadira Atkins at 402.334.6523.

Canadian DJ finds audience for klezmer fusion in France

by ALEX WEISLER world to interact with each other in a broader, deeper way.

PARIS (JTA) -- Josh Dolgin didn’t set out to kick Yiddish “It was about blasting out of the ghetto, out of our ghettos music into the 21st century. of style, ghettos of community,” he said. “It doesn’t matter But there’s no denying that the 34-year-old musician’s who we are. We can learn from each other’s histories and beguiling blend of ‘70s-style funk, hip-hop beats, tradition- share it.” al Chasidic melodies and klezmer has been an electric addiFor his next album, the recently released Sleepover, Dolgin tion to the Jewish music scene. put politics aside and decided to focus on an album of catchy On July 11, Dolgin, who performs under the name DJ pop songs, no more and no less.

SoCalled, drew a sold-out crowd of bubbes and hipsters to “In France, it’s, ‘Oh look you’re Jewish, you’re a Jewish rapCafe de la Danse, a 500per.’ I’m just a rapper. I’m seat venue in Paris. just a producer. I’m just a Dolgin, who lives in piano player,” he said. “I’m Montreal, is popular in Jewish, I’m bald, I’m France. In North America, Canadian... That adds to he says, there’s a greater your appreciation of the pressure for music to be art, but it doesn’t necessareasily categorized, and ily give you a better underidentity politics is a game standing of where the he doesn’t want to play. artist is coming from.”

“America? Forget about His music has resonatit -- if you’re not dressed ed with young French Jews up like a rabbi singing reglike Noam Morgansztern, gae, then Jews don’t want who said the mix of old anything to do with you and new sounds perpetuand non-Jews don’t want ates Yiddish culture in an anything to do with you,” appealing way. he told JTA. “People want “He doesn’t say first to put you in a little rack that it’s Jewish,” on the iTunes store.”

Morgansztern said. “He Growing up near says first that it’s music.”

Ottawa, Dolgin played And Dolgin’s audiences piano and dabbled in variattract many non-Jews, DJ SoCalled -- Josh Dolgin of Montreal -- performing his blend of ous genres -- salsa, funk, like Rebecca Touboul, who klezmer and hip-hop before a sold-out crowd in Paris. reggae, even playing with a made the three-hour trip Credit: Alex Weisler gospel band as a teen. from Marseille to attend From there he experimented with beats, drum machines the Cafe de la Danse show. and sampling.

“I don’t really know klezmer. I just like the beat,” she said.

That’s how he stumbled upon the world of Yiddish theater “When I heard his first album, I loved it.” music.

Cafe de la Danse normally hosts indie acts and DJs spe“It was weird to always sample funk and African- cializing in house music, but booking an artist like Dolgin is American music, which is where hip-hop comes from, but a way to guarantee a full house, said Cyril Bahsief, who it’s not where I come from,” he said. works at the venue and organized the show.

Though Dolgin grew up aware of his Judaism -- celebrat“We expected to touch all audiences – hip-hop and ing holidays, having a bar mitzvah and attending synagogue klezmer and jazz audiences,” he said. “The concert was just -- he was never plugged into Yiddish culture. But as a musi- magic.” cian he was always looking for “cool sounds,” and Dolgin Dolgin’s live show is energetic. Dressed in red pajamas, he said that Yiddish theater music provided that in spades -- darts in and out of French and English, inviting guest per“in between the verses are these sort of funky, rhythmic, formers on stage for dance and instrumental solos, and askorchestral breaks that were ideal for sampling.” ing the audience to help him with a magic trick.

“Yiddish culture has been lost and forgotten, and it’s not If the grandmothers in the audience are offended by lyrics popular for Jews in North America. They forgot how funky such as “Girls in their nightgowns/we’re gonna pull their they were,” he said. “In a way, I’m sort of the godfather of panties down," they don’t show it. mixing it with beats.”

The crowd demands an encore and keeps singing the lines The name of SoCalled’s first album -- Ghetto Blaster, of Dolgin’s biggest hit, (These Are the) Good Old Days. released in 2007 -- has a dual meaning. Yes, it refers to boom For Yiddish music -- being reimagined by Dolgin and boxes, but Dolgin also was urging communities around the other fusion artists like him -- these just might be.

July 29, 2011 | The Jewish Press | 7

Napkins optional

Charlotte Sherwood, age 2, whose parents joined the JCC in March, enjoys a strawberry popsicle poolside as Kieran Ledbetter looks on during his first day on the job. The new food truck is proving a big hit with the tot crowd.

Births Rabbi Leibel and Estie Baumgarten of Brooklyn, NY announce the June 23 birth of their daughter, Chaya Mushka.

She is named for the late Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, wife of the Lubavitcher Rebbe of Blessed Memory Grandparents are Rabbi Mendel and Shani Katzman and Rabbi Yossi and Leiba Baumgarten of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Great-grandparents are Rabbi Mendel and Nechama Baumgarten of Brooklyn, NY; Bentzion and Hinda Rader of London, England; Sarah Katzman of Brooklyn, NY and Rabbi Eli and Leah Lipsker of Brooklyn, NY. A reception will be held for Chaya Mushka at the Chabad Center on July 31 from 1-3 pm.

Jennifer and Michael Lerner of Houston, TX, are happy to announce the July 27 birth of their son, Charles Dean.

He has twin brothers, Jonah and Sebastian.

Grandparents are Gary and Cheryl Lerner, and the late Doreen Lerner, and Michael and Faye Copland of Houston.

Great-grandparents are Jerome and Ethel Lerner of St. Louis, MO.

JOIN our sales team The Jewish Press advertisement department is looking for a part time sales executive • flexible hours • sales experience preferred To apply, send resume and cover letter to: The Jewish Press c/o Annette van de Kamp-Wright 333 South 132 Street, Omaha, NE 68154 Email to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org

Temple Israel annual Golf Outing

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN tion, said, “It was really fun. Shadow Ridge is really good, Temple Israel Communications Coordinator and you don’t have to be unbelievably good to play.” He “Shadow Ridge is one of the best golf courses in the city,” enjoys the camaraderie and would like to see more women according to Joe Meyers. As a participant in Temple Israel’s play. annual Golf Outing, he knows. “I enjoy hosting a foursome Alan Fredricks has played in the outing for several years. each year. The entire event is “I always enjoyed playing. run very well, and the steak There were even times that dinner is always a nice treat my team won the whole after the round. My guests all thing... I think twice. I had seem to walk away with great some pretty good partners prizes. Now if I could just get though. Shadow Ridge is a them to make a putt!” Meyers great local course so it’s a real kidded. treat to play there. I recomDan Marburg and Jeff mend that all ‘golfers’ and Smedlund are teaming up others take advantage of this again -- for at least the fifth outing. I’ve played in several year, recalled Smedlund, as outings over the years, and chairs of the Golf Outing this one is first class.” As Committee. About 100 treasurer of the current golfers are expected to sign Temple Israel Board of up for the event which is on Trustees, he added that the Monday, Aug. 15 at Shadow golf outing proceeds, which Ridge Country Club, 188th are donated to Temple Israel, and Pacific Streets. A buffet “go to a good cause.” lunch featuring hot dogs, From left to right: Ron Fellman, Denise Meyers and Harry A foursome is $540. It costs hamburgers, chicken, and Gates participated in last year’s Temple Israel Golf Outing $350 to sponsor a hole which side dishes starts at noon. The shotgun start tees off at 1 includes signage on the tee/green, your name on all printed p.m. followed by cocktails and dinner at 5:30 p.m. and 6 material the day of the event as well as at the annual family p.m., respectively, at Shadow Ridge.

BBQ at Temple Israel on the first day of Religious School, Prizes are still being collected for this year, but last year’s Sunday, Sept. 11. It costs $850 to sponsor a hole and a fourwinners took home a laptop computer, an iPad, and gift cer- some. Individual participants can golf for $135. “We’ll find a tificates from numerous stores. “There are lots of wonderful team for you to join,” said Golf Committee member Dennis raffle gifts provided by Temple Israel members and the DePorte. If you don’t golf but wish to attend the dinner, the Omaha community, even a car for a hole-in-one,” men- cost is $30. Sign up for any of these options on the registrationed Smedlund. There are abundant opportunities to win tion form mailed to Temple Israel members or call the prizes such as the putting contest and a wagering hole as Temple office at 402.556.6536. well as for being one of the first three winning foursomes.

Other members of the Golf Committee are Rick Fox, Jon David Radler, who has also played in the yearly competi- Meyers, Steve Redler, and Misty Weidner.

Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Rabbi Craig Lewis of Lincoln’s B’nai Jeshurun, also known as the South Street Temple will discuss his vision as the new spiritual leader of Lincoln’s Reform congregation on Wednesday, Aug. 3, noon at the Blumkin Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $10; beverage service is $3. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.

MAINSTREETERS Summer Picnic on Sunday, Aug. 14, 1-3:30 p.m. at Chalco Hills Recreation Area (154th and Giles Road).

Mainstreeters Luncheon is on Monday, Aug. 15 at 12:30

p.m. Auditorium. For more information, call Maggie Conti at 402.334.6521, and see story on page 4.

Baseball Night will be at the new stadium at Werner Park in Papillion on Thursday, Sept. 1.

For more information, call Harry Alloy at 402.697.8709, and see story on page 4.

LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Yiddish teaches an optimistic vision that allows us to view the world with joy and hope. Come join us at the Blumkin Home, every Thursday in the board room, at 1 p.m., to reap “The Joys of Yiddish!” For information call Anne Skolkin at 402.343.1638.

8 | The Jewish Press | July 29, 2011

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

How we should vote (in case you were wondering)

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press On July 5, 2011, the following letter appeared on the JTA website: To the Editor: Please do not waste space on [Michele Bachmann]. God forbid your readers take her seriously as a presidential candidate and she actually gets elected. […]

She's most probably pro-Israel because her fundamentalist faith dictates that in order for the Rapture to happen, all Jews need to return to the Promised Land. It would be better to expend our energies to drum up support for Israel without the help of religious extremists.

Cantor Karen Kumin Durham, N.C.

The next day, there was a reply from another JTA reader: Cantor Kumin I am not a Bachmann fan, because I think she is too far right on social issues, but why would you question her Israel credibility, simply because she is very religious? It reminds me of those who believed Obama would be better than Palin, solely because her support for Israel rested upon her religious beliefs.

Right now, Israel needs all of the friends it can get, regardless of why you think they are Israel’s friends. Bachmann has proven that she will be a much better friend to Israel than Obama has been. Bachmann has been to Israel several times, and has a very real, and long-standing, relationship with that country.

Nicole Gerson, Esquire, Philadelphia

Here we go: we’re barely at the primaries and the mudslinging has already begun. It’s a catch-22: it’s better for the country when as many people as possible are involved and debate the issues at hand, but we can’t seem to do it without getting a bit carried away. Of course, compared to most online comment sections, the above writers are positively charming.

In and of itself, I believe political disagreement is healthy.

How do you know what to think and believe if nobody ever challenges your opinion?

The problem I have with the above letters is an entirely different one: it is the assumption that, as Jews, we only care about one issue. Or, we care about this one issue so much that we are willing to ignore other areas that are being debated.

Don’t get me wrong: America’s relationship with and support of Israel is immensely important. I think we can all agree on that, regardless of what we as individuals think that support should look like. However, treating the “Jewish vote” as a one-issue block is dangerous and misguided.

Yes; we care about Israel. Whoever resides in the White House, we’ll be watching, commenting, debating, criticizing and lobbying to ensure fair treatment of Israel. However, we also care about Roe vs. Wade, taxes, and health care. We care about the budget deficit, job growth, education, and the military. We are invested in social action and the environment. Suggesting that we are willing to ignore all of those and more, in lieu of a singular focus on Israel, is insulting.

And yet, the myth that the entire “Jewish vote” can be secured by any politician who verbalizes support for Israel simply won’t go away.

The data after every election says one thing; the media (not to mention the various candidates’ public relations people) say something else. During an election year you can’t open a paper or turn on the television without hearing someone mention

who the Jews will be voting for.

But we’re not just Jews, we’re also Americans. Okay, maybe not me, personally, but most of you. There are Jewish issues we care about which are not related to Israel policy. There are issues that cannot strictly be defined as Jewish issues, but are nonetheless important. The point is: we all live here, and we are perfectly capable of multitasking, and caring about more than one thing at a time.

Too often, politicians focus too much on what certain groups will vote for. I imagine we are not the only ones who are treated that way. But the longer this goes on, the more we lose sight of the individual, and the more we dehumanize the political process. Sometimes it’s convenient and even preferable to be seen as one large family, positioned on the same side. But all too often, the pages of the history books teach us, being treated as a homogeneous blob leads to no good.

At the Three Weeks, mourning the narrowness of today’s Judaism

Behind the headlines ERICA BROWN SILVER SPRING, Md. (JTA) -- Amid the clutter of towels, beach umbrellas and summer lies something more dark and painful that marks the summer months for Jews. On July 19, we will begin the Three Weeks mourning period on the Jewish calendar with a fast.

Otherwise known by its name from the book of Lamentations, Bein Ha-mitzarim, between the straits or narrow places, the Three Weeks marks the ancient siege of Jerusalem and the subsequent destruction of the city and the two Temples. On the ninth of Av, the period closes with another fast as the apogee of our mourning.

On the second fast day we have two public readings. The book of Lamentations is traditionally read in the evening with a haunting melody while sitting on the floor. In the morning, congregations read an extensive series of medieval poems, or kinot, that describe major persecutions and collective losses that we have experienced as a people -whether the York massacre in England or the burning of the Talmud in France in the 13th century.

Over time, more layers of kinot have been added to the liturgy reflecting more recent historical trauma like the Holocaust. The kinot book is a repository of tears and sadness.

You may be reading this and thinking that the Three Weeks is only observed today by the very religious, and you

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would be right. No one is going to snatch away your summer fun or even diminish its breezy quality with a mourning period that is as much anachronistic as it is difficult to capture emotionally. It is downright difficult to mourn losses that you have never experienced personally.

But when it comes to this time period, perhaps it is not the personal that is mourned at all. When I think of the missing Temples, I don’t focus on sacrifices or bricks and mortar. I think about how amazing it must have been to watch an entire people on pilgrimage to the Temple three times a year.

I imagine the power of numbers when the entire community assembled.

There is something transcendent about being in a space shared by tens of thousands of people with a similar mission and vision. There is something deeply moving about atonement, guilt, thanksgiving and joy when it is celebrated collectively rather than merely personally. Today, Judaism is an expression of self much more than it is an expression of the collective.

Many of my formative Jewish moments were birthed through the Soviet Jewry movement. I was swept up by rallies on the National Mall in Washington and at the United Nations in New York. I felt part of something larger, and it felt great. I remember taking off the Anatoly Sharansky bracelet and taking down his poster when Sharansky took his historic walk to freedom out of the clutches of Soviet repression. I experienced this joy not as a single individual but as part of a wave of consciousness that the community voice is always louder. It has the heft and depth that cannot

be mustered alone.

A few years ago when I was speaking at a conference in Jerusalem, a young woman from Latin America raised her hand and said, “We have no causes today, only organizations.” Years later her words still ring true. My children know nothing of large-scale Jewish movements to transform the world, even at a time when tikkun olam projects are thrown about with abandon. Absorbed in our own limited spaces, we have no spiritual center as an entire people. We have no gathering place for our passions and causes. We are locked into community with a small “c.”

Our collective voice needs a platform. The prophet Zechariah laments that people fast over the Temple’s destruction but have lost the true meaning of community. It is not about the building but about the builders.

“Execute true justice, deal loyally and compassionately with each other,” Zechariah warns.

That only happens when we can see each other.

We have compassion for people when we have face-to-face encounters with them. Bringing people together in a sacred space generated that bonding. But we have no such space now. We call this time period a narrow place because for us, Judaism has been narrowed as a result of this loss. For that I mourn.

Dr. Erica Brown is the scholar in residence for the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Her latest book is “In the Narrow Places: Daily Inspiration for the Three Weeks” (OU/Koren).

ha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’

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July 29, 2011 | The Jewish Press | 9

Jewish community needs a Jewish cultural policy NEW YORK (JTA) -- JDub Records, the innovative nonprofit Jewish music endeavor that discovered Matisyahu and numerous other artists, released 35 albums, and brought 150,000 participants to concerts and other events, announced last week that it would be closing after nine years of successful operation. The principal cause: inability to secure sufficient ongoing philanthropic support.

The impending closure of one of the most promising start-ups in the “Jewish innovative ecosystem” highlights a critical gap in the Jewish communal landscape -- the absence of what may be called a “Jewish cultural policy” in North America.

We have policies -- or at least policy discourse -- in many domains. They range as wide as Jewish education, outreach, combating anti-Semitism, Israel advocacy, poverty, Jewish peoplehood and much more.

Just a century ago, communal leaders addressed such critical issues as the family, employment, health, English language acquisition and citizenship. As needs changed, so did the Jewish communal policy discourse. But however extensive is the current communal agenda, our planfulness has not yet extended to the realm of Jewish culture, signifying a lack of Jewish cultural policy on local, national and continental levels.

In the past decade, a cluster of loosely connected enterprises have been supported by family foundations, UJAFederation of New York, the Foundation for Jewish Culture and others. These efforts have produced an array of impressive Jewish cultural practices, mostly grass roots, modular and low cost. They include anchors of local cultural engagement like Moishe House, as well as projects creating content and disseminating Jewish cultural innovation such as Storahtelling, Hazon and, quite prominently until now, JDub Records.

To these endeavors must be added many thousands of writers, poets, fine artists, dancers, actors, directors, filmmakers, musicians and other culture makers, as well as the venues where they present their work -- from bookstores, museums and galleries, clubs and film festivals to the rich virtual landscape of YouTube and beyond. These, and so much more, constitute the critical elements in North America’s “Jewish cultural ecology.”

But to be a Jewish artist or cultural innovator in the Jewish community today often means serving small pockets of interest on the fringe or to be drafted occasionally into preformed communal templates -- fundraisers, traditional celebrations or outreach programs -- where art is instrumental

Ask Mike MIKE SILVERMAN, CEO, Jewish Federation of Omaha Mike I think you are the best, keep trucking Mike. Your new staff sounds incredible, and what a great choice of Jordana.

One of your most ardent admirers, Nancy N.

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Behind the headlines AMI EDEN I’m playing catch up on the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. So sorry this is late, but... did you see Larry David’s Q & A with The Huffington Post?

Here’s the passage that has me, uh, scratching my head (my italics): “In the episode The S ed e r [season five], Larry was concerned that a follically-challenged sex offender was “very bad for the bald community.” Who, in your opinion, is good for the bald community?”

“I’m not the president of Hair Club for Men. I’m not president of the bald celebrity league. I don’t even know who the bald celebrities are. It used to be Telly Savalas and Gavin MacLeod. Who else is there? Mikhail Gorbachev is bald...

Joey Pants... there’s not that many of them. I mean, we always welcome new members with open arms. Most actors don’t let themselves get bald. They get transplants or weaves or something. When’s the last time you saw a bald president?

There’ll be a woman and a Jewish president and maybe even a Muslim president before a bald president. That’s my prediction: There’ll be a Muslim president before a bald president.”

Hey, were Larry David and Michele Bachmann in the

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same history class together?

John Adams. John Quincy Adams. Martin Van Buren.

Dwight D. Eisenhower. (Were there others?)

That said, it’s fair to say that Americans seem to like a nice head of hair in their presidents. Here’s Steve Rushin of Time on the topic back in 2007: “When President John F. Kennedy went hatless during his Inauguration speech in 1961, he committed in essence a double homicide: of the hat industry and of the prospect that any bald man would ever have to the nation’s highest office.

Since Eisenhower left the White House, voters have carved out a Mount Brushmore of Presidents--Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton--with magnificent hair. What we need is a tonsorial memorial to those giants--Ike, Winston Churchill, Mohandas Gandhi, David Ben-Gurion-of the World War II era, that one brief and very shining moment in history when baldness was tantamount to greatness.

Today the only thing voters like less than a candidate who gets a $400 haircut is a candidate who doesn’t require one at all. Whether or not they realize it, voters think of great leaders as people with haircuts, and really great leaders as people with haircuts named for them. George Clooney once wore a Caesar. It is unlikely that he will ever ask his stylist for a Stevenson.”

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1. What is the nature, extent, quality, value and impact of the Jewish cultural life? In short, why is Jewish culture important?

2. What is the Jewish cultural life we would want to have?

3. How do we move from the current reality to the desired ideal with effective strategies, resources and implementation?

Jewish communities should act decisively to place a creative class of artists and culture makers in core institutions, offering space for artists to gather, study, create, explore and present their work within a Jewish communal context and calendar. At the same time, artists, thinkers and culture makers should dialogue with institutional leaders and funders in mini think tanks and incubators, tackling core issues of how to create a vibrant Jewish community.

A society without a vibrant and respected creative class lacks the imagination and inspiration to innovate and grow.

The last decade has offered indications of a Jewish renaissance, as new forms of Jewish cultural work have emerged in conjunction with simultaneous advances in Jewish learning, new digital media, social justice and Jewish spiritual communities.

A Jewish cultural policy on the local, regional and continental levels that smartly and strategically fosters Jewish cultural endeavors will ensure the recent gains in Jewish cultural life, with benefits on many levels -- cultural, spiritual, educational, political and much more. And a real commitment to Jewish culture can preclude disheartening and wasteful reversal such as the winding down of JDub. Stephen Hazan Arnoff is executive director of the 14th Street Y in New York City, where he founded and directs LABA: The National Laboratory for New Jewish Culture.

Steven M. Cohen is a research professor at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and director of the Berman Jewish Policy Archive at NYU Wagner.)

Did Larry David and Michele Bachmann take U.S. History together?

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STEPHEN HAZAN ARNOFF and STEVEN M. COHEN

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Behind the headlines

rather than generative, dogmatic rather than dynamic.

Sadly, with the economy in a continual state of flux, the arts often are the first programmatic cut made by organizations. The JDub news is no isolated instance.

There is a compelling case for significant, sustained and strategic investment in creative people, infrastructure and values. The benefits of a rich culture have been amply established for society as a whole. Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class demonstrates the value of a thriving cultural life for economic vitality. Florida’s three T’s of “Talent, Tolerance and Technology” suggest lessons that Jewish communal leaders can apply to the Jewishly engaged creative class of thinkers, producers, organizers, artists, performers, promoters and patrons.

The edgy, innovative environments that artists construct can function as powerful forces driving the wider society.

The Jewish world desperately needs a lively margin for new ideas to influence and stimulate what many -- perhaps young adults in particular -- broadly see as a stultified and uninspiring Jewish community.

What do artists need and want? They seek peers in a creative community of work; inspiration in the form of dialogue, study and engagement to enrich both the product and process of their work; deadlines and structure within which this work can be accomplished; space for work to be created and presented; and a public forum for the wider community to experience, consume and relate to the work.

Notwithstanding the reputations for effectiveness of North American Jewish artists and the projects and institutions with which their work is affiliated, the organized Jewish community lacks a systematic and articulated cultural policy to advocate for and sustain the creative potential embodied by this work.

A Jewish cultural policy would ask three basic sets of questions:

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10 | The Jewish Press | July 29, 2011

Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 402.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com FRIDAY: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m.

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 Mordechai Levin and Cantor Beth Schlossberg.

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.; During this service, we will offer a special blessing for everyone who has celebrated a birthday during the past month.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m.; Evening Services, 8:40 p.m.

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

MONDAY: Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group meets on 7 p.m., in the synagogue’s West Court to learn about “Adult CPR” and first aid. Certified CPR instructor Steve Danon will be the guest speaker; Sandy Passer is serving as the evening’s host. To RSVP, contact Passer at 402.330.4289, or sjpasser@gmail.com.

WELCOME DINNER FOR RABBI ABRAHAM: On Friday, Aug. 5, 7 p.m., following services, help us welcome Rabbi Steven and Shira Abraham during a special congregational Shabbat dinner. Cost: adults, $12.50; children 6-12, $8.50; no charge for children five and younger. RSVP by sending a check to the synagogue, attention, “Welcome Dinner.” For more information, contact the office, or programming@bethel-omaha.org.

TISHA B’AV: The destruction of Jerusalem and the loss of Jewish independence in the land of Israel will be commemorated on Monday, Aug. 8, with the chanting of Eicha, following the 5:30 p.m. service. On Tuesday, Aug. 9, services will be at 6:50 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

LET’S DO LUNCH: Join Rabbi Levin for lunch at the Blumkin Home’s Star Deli on Friday, Aug. 12, noon, for a delicious meal and some casual conversation. Walk-ins are welcome, but RSVPs are appreciated so the rabbi can reserve seats. Contact him at rabbilevin@bethel-omaha.org.

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

Parshah Study for Kids (ages 10 and up), 7:15 p.m.; Mincha, 8:15 p.m. followed by Seuda Shlishit; Havdalah, 9:31 p.m.

SUNDAY: Gemara class, 8 a.m., learning tractate Kiddushin; Shacharit, 9 a.m. followed by breakfast.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Weekly Teleconference Mishnah Class, 10:30 a.m. Contact the office for information on how to call-in to the conference call.

TUESDAY: Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7 p.m.; Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Advanced Halachic Kollel, 9 p.m.

THURSDAY: Women of the Torah class, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Gross.

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: Service, 7 a.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Minyan, 10 a.m.; Youth Minyan, 10:30 a.m.; Mini Mensch title will be awarded. Kiddush luncheon follows. Join Rabbi Katzman, noon-1 p.m.; W.O.W. Parsha, Prophets and Prayer, 12:45 p.m.

SUNDAY: Service, 8:30 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m.

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: Peaceful Shabbat Service, 7:45 p.m., with oneg following hosted by Marc Shkolnick.

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

THURSDAY: Choir rehearsal, 7:30-9 p.m.

Annual Back-to-School Supplies Drive: From now through the month of August, the Social Action Committee is collecting school supplies to donate to Saratoga Elementary School. Bring your items to the stage area of the Social Hall.

Thank you for helping the children in our neighborhood!

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

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Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org Office Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fri., 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross and Rabbi Yitzchak Mizrahi.

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Free babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes begin with Torah Parade, 9:45 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored by by Rabbi Jonathan and Miriam Gross in honor of Raya Liba’s first birthday, and by Joshua and Cynthia Follick in honor of Arianna; Veshinantam, 5:30 p.m., a learning program for families followed by a kidfriendly dinner; The Laws of Shabbat, 6:15 p.m.; Advanced

SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway | Offutt AFB, NE 68113 | 402.294.6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.

Israel eyes end of Oslo Accords

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israel reportedly is considering calling off the Oslo Accords in response to the unilateral statehood drive by the Palestinians.

With Palestinians gearing up to seek U.N. support in September for their claim on sovereignty in all of the West Bank, eastern Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, Israel is weighing a diplomatic response.

One, according to Haaretz on Monday, would be to declare void the 1993 Oslo Accords under which the Palestinian Authority was formed and which were meant to have paved the way to a permanent peace accord.

Many Israelis see the Palestinians as already having obviated Oslo by resorting to an armed revolt in 2000 and, in 2006, voting in Hamas, an Islamist movement that opposes coexistence with the Jewish state.

But by formally vacating the accords, the Netanyahu government would underscore the tenuousness of today's Palestinian Authority, which governs solely in the West Bank, bolstered by Israeli security support, having lost Gaza to Hamas in a 2007 civil war.

Candlelighting Friday, July 29, 8:26 p.m.

NEIGHBORHOOD PRAYER GROUP 1317 North 57 Street | Omaha, NE 68132 | 402.551.6609 FRIDAY: Minyan, 8:26 p.m.

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.

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

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Miles Remer and Joan Kripke.

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

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street | Omaha, NE 68132-2651 | 402.556.6536 www.templeisrael-ne.org FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to You at Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Linder; Shabbat Service, 6 p.m.; D’var: Lori Bennett - The Journey That Almost Wasn’t.

SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.

Shabbat Service, Friday, Aug. 5, 6 p.m. D’var: Marty Ricks - A Journey From Unaffiliated to Jewish Professional; Oneg in honor of Lonnie Williams’ 37 years of service at Temple Israel.

Temple Israel Annual Golf Outing, Monday, Aug. 15, noon at Shadow Ridge Country Club (188 and Pacific Street) Please contact the Temple Israel office, mweidner@tem pleisraelomaha.com or 402.556.6536, for registration form. (see full story on page 7.)

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, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

FRIDAY: Services, 6:30 p.m.

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

Annual Back-to-School Supplies Drive: From now through the month of August, the Social Action Committee at South Street Temple invites you to join them in collecting school supplies to donate to Saratoga Elementary School.

You may bring your items to either the Temple or the Synagogue. Thank you for helping the children in our neighborhood!

Tisha B’Av observance at Beth Israel

by BETH COHEN Executive Director of Beth Israel Tisha B’Av commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. “For me, this is one of the saddest days,” said Rabbi Jonathan Gross. “On this day, you fast and observe the customs of one in mourning. In effect, you’re ‘sitting Shiva.’”

On Erev Tisha B’Av, Monday, Aug. 8, Minchah is at 7:45 p.m., followed by a class with Rabbi Jonathan Gross, The Book of Iyov and the Jewish Approach to Suffering. The fast begins at 8:33 p.m., which is also the starting time for Ma’ariv. The Book of Eicha will follow at 8:45 p.m. On Tisha B’Av, the reading of Eichah, the Book of Lamentations, and Kinnot, quiet melodies of lament, follow the Ma’ariv service as we remember the destruction of both ancient Temples in Jerusalem and other tragedies throughout Jewish history.

There will be a class, prayers, discussions and a series of films offered throughout the day on Tisha B’Av, Tuesday, Aug. 9. Shacharit is at 6:45 a.m., followed by Kinnot.

Gross emphasized the importance of Kinnot. “The prayers, called ‘Kinnot,’ are poems that were composed over the ages,” explained Gross. “They were written to commemorate many tragedies that have happened, including the destruction of the Temples. The Holocaust, the Chmielnicki Massacres of Eastern Europe in the 17th century, and the Jewish expulsions from England and Spain, in the 13th and 15th centuries, respectively, all are included in the Kinnot.”

“The idea of reading all these Kinnot is to commemorate and feel as if these tragedies have happened to us,” continued Gross. “We’re trying to identify with our ancestors so that their pain, as well as their memories, is not forgotten.”

Following the recitation of Kinnot, at 8 a.m. Rabbi Mizrahi will teach, “Serving Hashem when Circumstances are Less than Ideal.”

Beginning at 9 a.m., Beth Israel will participate in the Orthodox Union’s annual Tisha B’Av Webcast, featuring such speakers as the head of the OU, Rabbi Steven Weil, the National Director of NCSY, Rabbi Steven Burg, and many other noted speakers. The Webcast is a great opportunity to hear inspiring words by nationally known rabbis.

At 1 p.m., we will participate in a webcast from Yeshiva University with Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter speaking on “The Dialectic of Exile and Redemption.”

At 2 p.m., there will be a showing of the documentary Forgotten Refugees. Produced by The David Project, this documentary chronicles the mass exodus of Jews from Arab countries in the 20th century. At 3 p.m., Cast a Giant Shadow will be shown. Starring Kirk Douglas, this movie is a fictionalized account of the experiences of a real-life Jewish-American military officer, Col. David “Mickey” Marcus, who commanded units of the fledgling Israel Defense Force in 1948.

Beth Israel member, Milt Kleinberg will speak at 6 p.m. on his book, Memories of My Childhood. Mr. Kleinberg, a survivor of the Holocaust, wrote about his childhood during and after the Holocaust in the years 1937 through 1951.

Minchah will follow at 6:30 p.m. The movie Valkyrie will be shown at 7 p.m. Based on actual events, the movie recounts a plot to assassinate Hitler during the height of WWII. Ma’ariv will be held at 9:10 p.m. and the fast will end at 9:17 p.m. Cake and juice will be served to break the fast.

For more information about observing Tisha B’Av at Beth Israel, contact the synagogue office at 402.556.6288.

Pulverent e

July 29, 2011 | The Jewish Press | 11

Wandering?

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by JTA NEWS STAFF NEW YORK (JTA) -- Two elderly Jewish women were the first same-sex couple to marry in New York City.

Phyllis Siegel, 77, and Connie Kopelov, 85, were married in Lower Manhattan at 9:02 a.m. Sunday in a ceremony witnessed by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and officiated by City Clerk Michael McSweeny. Quinn is the first openly gay speaker of the New York City Council.

Siegel and Kopelov, who have been together for 23 years, reportedly were among 659 couples -- gay and straight -- who received marriage licenses on Sunday and 484 who held marriage ceremonies.

“It was just so amazing,” Siegel told the New York Post.

“It’s the only way I can describe it. I lost my breath and a few tears.”

The couples married exactly one month after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a measure enacted by the State Legislature allowing same-sex couples to marry.

Also Sunday in New York City, Gregory Levin, 32, and Shane Serkiz, 33, of the Astoria section of Queens, who have been engaged since 1999, were the first same-sex couple married in that borough.

And at Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s home in New York, Mayor Mike Bloomberg officiated at a wedding for city Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jonathan Mintz and mayoral policy adviser John Feinblatt. After the vows, actor Joel Grey sang Married from the musical Cabaret.

Bloomberg then introduced the traditional breaking of the glass, which the couple crushed underfoot.

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MY DREAMS 2013

In the July 15 issue, Lynne Saltzman’s and Pennie Z. Davis’ name were inadvertently misspelled. The Press regrets these errors.

Barbara Taxman Rips passed away on June 23 at age 91.

Services were held on June 26 at Temple Israel. Interment at Golden Hill Cemetery was officated by Rabbi Aryeh Azriel.

She was preceded in death by her husband, N.J. Rips; and brother, Marvin Taxman.

She is survived by sons and daughters-in-law, Lance Rips and Julie Johnson of Evanston, IL, Harlan and Jane Rips, Michael Rips and Sheila Berger of New York; son, Bruce Rips; grandchildren: Sara, Eve, Anne Aaron and Nicolala Rips.

Memorials may be sent to Tuesday Musical, P.O. Box 6132, Omaha, NE 68106.

Three Openings!

•

CORRECTION

BARBARA TAXMAN RIPS

60 Years Experience With Jewish Lettering and Memorials

MY DREAMS 2013

by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) -- The Israel Chamber Orchestra plans to perform a composition by Richard Wagner in Germany, breaking an Israel taboo against playing the anti-Semitic composer’s music. The ensemble will play Siegfried’s Idyll in the Bavarian town of Bayreuth at an annual festival devoted to Wagner’s work.

Since its founding, Israel has had an unofficial ban against playing music by Wagner, whose anti-Semitism was public.

From an early age Hitler was a devoted follower of Wagner and drew on the composer’s work to build his own ideology. He attended the Bayreuth festival every summer from 1933 to 1939.

In 2000, Israel’s Lezion Orchestra, led by Holocaust survivor Mendi Rodan, played Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll, and in 2001, members of the Knesset called for a ban on performances by David Barenboim after the Argentina-born Israeli pianist and conductor performed a piece from Tristan and Isolde.

Dan Erdmann, a clarinetist in the Israel Orchestra, told Haaretz that “We have tried to treat the delicate points with sensitivity, and I hope in the future we will play [Wagner] also in Israel.”

Out of respect for the public dispute, the ensemble chose not to rehearse the piece within Israel, and the performance was made optional for its members. All but one of the orchestra’s 36 members is participating.

The orchestra’s concert also will include works by Israeli composer Zvi Avni, as well as Germany’s Felix Mendelssohn and Austria’s Gustav Mahler, both of whom were banned by the Nazis.

Roberto Paternostro, the orchestra’s conductor and a descendant of Holocaust survivors, believes that the taboo’s time is coming to an end, although he believes not enough time has passed for an Israel performance.

Elan Steinberg, vice president of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants, condemned the performance “an act of moral failure and a disgraceful abandonment of solidarity with those who suffered unspeakable horrors by the purveyors of Wagner’s banner.”

“Artists, like all persons, must be held accountable for their propagation of hate against humanity.”

Former Omahan Eleana Katz passed away on July 20 in Wilmington, DE. Burial and interment was at Mt. Ararat Cemetery in Long Island, NY on July 22.

She is survived by her husband Martin Katz, of 48 years; sons and daughters-in-law, Gary and Monica Katz, and David and Katia Katz of Plantation, FL; grandchildren: Joseph, Charlotte, and Paige Katz, and Adam and Dylan Katz; numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made locally to Beth Israel Synagogue or Chabad Lubavitch of Delaware, 1811 Silverside Road, Wilmington, DE 19810.

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Israeli orchestra to play Wagner piece in Germany

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12 | The Jewish Press | July 29, 2011

J Street, the book -- expect more controversy

by AMI EDEN “My organization, J Street, is attacked ...

NEW YORK (JTA) -- If there’s one thing J from the right for being left-wing, while the Street is good at, it’s getting attention. attacks in the 1930s against the Bergson Supporters, critics and relatively neutral Group came from the left and called them observers all have conspired ‘fascist,’” the younger Ben- with plenty of prodding Ami writes. “If the experifrom J Street’s own aggressive ence of the Bergson communications operation -Groups teaches us anyto shine an intense media thing, it is that the approspotlight on the selfpriate way to deal with described “pro-Israel, prothose new voices is not to peace” organization. The reflexively shut them down result has been waves of posibut to engage them on the tive attention and tough merits and see what value scrutiny, often out of proporthere may be in what they tion with any actual accomare trying to say.” plishment or misdeed.

It is true, as Ben-Ami The debate over all things J asserts in his book, that Street is likely to continue some right-wing and cenJ Street’s Jeremy Ben-Ami with the July 19 release of A trist critics of his organizamakes the case for his organiNew Voice for Israel: Fighting tion have launched vitrization in the book A New Voice for the Survival of the Jewish olic and distortion-filled for Israel.

Credit: J Street Nation (Palgrave MacMillan), attacks against J Street and the new book by the organization’s founder its leaders, often working to blackball them and president, Jeremy Ben-Ami. from various forums.

Like the previous rounds of the J Street And he’s also right in arguing that many of debate, the book will sway few people. J Street’s main policy positions -- a Jewish Instead, it will serve as a Rorschach test or state in Israel, a demilitarized Palestinian proxy fight on a slew of wider issues relating state, borders based on the 1967 lines with to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, U.S.-Israel land swaps, no Palestinian right of return, a relations and the Jewish body politic. compromise on Jerusalem -- fall well within What you think about J Street probably the Israeli and Jewish mainstream. To boot, says a lot about what you think about Barack J Street has criticized Palestinian incitement Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu, AIPAC, set- and worked with other Jewish organizations tlements, terrorism, the peace process, the to head off anti-Israel boycott campaigns. boycott, divestment and sanctions moveAt the same time, Ben-Ami papers over, ment, and the limits of criticizing Israel. The outright ignores or misrepresents several same probably goes for what you’ll make of controversies in which criticism of J Street the book. was more widespread and rooted in reality.

Ben-Ami starts with a historical analogy Take George Soros-gate, the controversy that is sure to drive many of his critics over the news that the billionaire funder of bonkers: He compares J Street to the anti-communist and anti-Bush causes -- and Bergson Group, the band of right-wing loy- a critic of some Israeli security and settlealists to Ze’ev Jabotinsky. The group was ment policies -- in fact had been a leading ostracized by the U.S. Jewish establishment donor to J Street. in the 1930s and ‘40s for waging an aggres“The revelation of his support generated a sive campaign to finance illegal Jewish storm of controversy,” Ben-Ami recounts. immigration to Palestine and publicly pres- “So did the decision not to make his support suring the Roosevelt administration to do public when it began.” more to help European Jewry.

Well, not exactly. The issue wasn’t funding What gives the comparison extra punch is but credibility: J Street had spent years that Ben-Ami -- a former Bill Clinton and essentially denying Soros was a donor when Howard Dean staffer -- is the son of the late in fact he was one of the organization’s Bergson Group member Yitshaq Ben-Ami. biggest funders.

In another flash of denial, Ben-Ami writes that “if, God forbid, war were to break out tomorrow and Israel’s existence were to be threatened, the American Jewish community and Jews worldwide would -- without a doubt and appropriately -- rally to the flag.”

Maybe most Jewish groups would, but not J Street -- at least not in December 2008, when Israel went to war against Hamas to stop rocket attacks on its cities. Just hours after the Israeli operation started, J Street criticized it on strategic grounds. And then, in a move that would upset even sympathetic liberals, one of J Street’s spokesmen sent out a mass e-mail suggesting that those backing the Israeli operation lacked “sanity and moderation” and proudly declaring that “there are many who recognize elements of truth on both sides of this gaping divide.”

But perhaps the most consistent blind spots are the repeated calls by Ben-Ami and J Street for a wide communal tent and respectful dialogue even while they are swinging sharp elbows.

Ben-Ami’s book is no exception. A New Voice for Israel contains several unfair and inaccurate generalizations about other Jewish organizations.

For example, Ben-Ami criticizes the AntiDefamation League for its opposition to the Islamic community center near Ground Zero, and a few sentences later laments that “overall, the response from the established American Jewish community to growing intolerance all across the United States has been muted at best.”

Criticizing the ADL’s position on the Lower Manhattan Islamic center is fair game, but Ben-Ami’s broader claim is an outright falsehood. The ADL itself has issued frequent condemnations of antiIslamic bigotry and participated in an effort to defend the general right of American Muslims to build mosques.

Judging from the book, J Street continues, in the name of open discourse, to defend engaging with harsh critics of Israel -including having a BDS supporter speak on a panel at its conference -- even while arguing that Jewish groups and U.S. lawmakers should give the cold shoulder to right-wing Christian Zionists.

Ben-Ami also lumps centrists who favor a two-state solution together with those who

oppose Israeli concessions and push for settlement expansion. And he suggests that politicians and Jewish organizational leaders who disagree with J Street or criticize the organization fall short on supporting peace and democracy -- or they have bowed to intimidation from pro-Israel forces.

Of course, name a major Jewish advocacy organization -- ADL, AIPAC, American Jewish Committee, Zionist Organization of America, etc. -- and you might find some combination of political and policy miscues, potentially embarrassing funder information, misleading comments, examples of playing dirty or failing to live up to stated ideals. So J Street is hardly alone.

On the policy front, Ben-Ami’s book serves as a healthy reminder that while J Street has described itself as the Obama administration’s “blocking back,” the organization actually disagreed with the president’s early overarching focus on pressuring Israel to enact a settlement freeze. In the end, Obama has come around to J Street’s approach: having the United States publicly outline the favored parameters of a deal, starting with borders and security.

While this, too, is likely to fan anti-J Street flames in some centrist and right-wing circles, in the end the organization’s biggest challenge could well come from the left.

During the past year, one could make the argument that the upstart Jewish Voice for Peace has emerged as the main challenger for the hearts and minds of Jews on the left who feel alienated from Israel and the Jewish establishment. That’s bad news if you count yourself as a pro-Israel activist.

You don’t like J Street’s policies? Jewish Voice for Peace supports some boycotts and divestment measures targeting Israel and takes no position on whether it backs a twostate solution.

You don’t like J Street’s tactics? JVP activists heckled Israel’s prime minister at another Jewish organization’s conference.

By comparison, Ben-Ami’s talk about Zionism, support for U.S. aid to Israel and opposition to the BDS movement sound downright establishment. And if JVP’s influence and popularity grow, it might not be long before establishment folks start telling themselves that maybe J Street wasn’t so bad after all.

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