August 4, 2006

Vol. LXXXV No. 47 Omaha, NE

Celebrating 85 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa

10 Av, 5766 August 4, 2006

Jewish Communities on Alert after Seattle Federation Rampage

U.S. Groups Raising Millions as Needs of Israelis Intensify

by SUE FISHKOFF Jewish communities are being urged to remain vigilant, be in touch with police and other law enforcement agencies and review their security arrangements after a fatal shooting at Seattle’s Jewish Federation. But leaders of national Jewish organizations report that their institutions are operating as usual, without panic. “We’ve taken our cue from the Seattle police, that this was an isolated incident by one individual,” Aaron Rosenthal, spokesman for the San Francisco JCC, said of last Friday’s attack, which left one person dead and five injured. “But it’s certainly created a heightened sense of awareness.”

by RACHEL SILVERMAN NEW YORK (JTA)--The injured need ambulances and medical care. Those fleeing the North need places to stay. And the men and women who serve in Israel’s armed forces need equipment to make thei mission a bit more bearable-and safe. Beyond the cost in human lives, Israel’s war with Hezbollah is expensive. American Jewish organizations, which have long supported Israel, are working to provide relief to help ease the economic burden. Though they already have vast fund-raising networks in place, the philanthropic giants of the Jewish world are under pressure to quickly assess needs, attract donors and channel funds to Teens from the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization left their meetings early to join more than 300 supporters at Omaha’s “Stand with Israel” last week. About $5000 was raised just at the Jewish state. The largest mobilization the rally, but Jewish Federation officials said that more than $40,000 had been donated appears to be for the Israel prior to the rally. As of press time, about $91,000 had come in via mail and online. The initiative already has brought more than 6,000 Crisis Fund of the United Jewish Communities, the kids between the ages of 10 and 18 to such camps, and umbrella body of North American federations. The UJC, along with local Federations, have raised a the demand continues to grow, Krakow said. The rest of the UJC funds are going to help those total of $23 million as of early this week. (To donate unable to leave the North--the sick, elderly, handicapped locally, visit www.jewishomaha.org.) Doron Krakow, UJC’s senior vice president for Israel --and to community centers in the middle of the counand Overseas, said about 60 percent of the funds will try, many of which have been inundated by demand. “We’re moving the money out as fast as it’s coming enable kids from the northern part of Israel, which is under attack from Hezbollah rockets, to stay in camps in in,” Krakow said. Continued on page 2 the center of Israel.

In the aftermath of the shooting incident at the Seattle Federation office, we have increased our security on the Campus of the Omaha Jewish Community Center. For the next few days and possibly longer, we have added regular security guards and have worked with the Omaha police for increased patrols of the Center. They are aware that the JCC is a sensitive site. As always, be alert to any unusual behavior on or around this campus and notify me, Mike Collier or Lisa Shkolnick right away at: 334.8200. Jeffrey Aizenberg, JCC Executive Director The JCC has been in touch with other local Jewish agencies, including the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish Community Relations Council, “to keep tabs on the community,” and the facility’s security director has “been talking to police about whether there's a need to step up our security,” Rosenthal said. “There’s obviously increased anxiety,” said Deborah Dragon of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, which held a staff meeting Monday morning to assuage workers’ fears. “As Jewish people, we’re aware that we’re potential targets for hate crime regardless of what’s happening in the Middle East.”

ADL Sponsors Conference to Explore What’s Needed in Interfaith Dialogues

Flowers adorn the outside of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, where on Friday a lone gunman shot dead one employee and wounded five others. Credit: Joel Magalnick The Seattle attack occurred last Friday afternoon when a Muslim man angry at Israel allegedly took a teenage girl hostage, forced his way through the Seattle Federation’s first-floor security door and walked upstairs to the Federation reception desk, where he began shooting. Pam Waechter, 58, the director of the Federation’s community campaign, was shot and killed at the scene. Many Jewish groups around the country reached out to local police, but in some places, police acted first. Rabbi Daniel Isaak of Congregation Neveh Shalom in Portland, OR, arrived for services that Friday night to see two police cars in the parking lot. They were “checking someone out,” he reported. The incident turned out to be nothing, but Neveh Shalom hired a private security firm for Shabbat and this week. Continued on page 2

Inside Opinion Page see page 8

by BETH KATZ Director of Interfaith Affairs and Community Education Why should Jews, Christian and Muslims engage in interfaith dialogue? In the wake of the fifth anniversary of 9-11, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) will sponsor a community conference titled “Interfaith Dialogue in the Shadow of 9/11” on Sunday, Sept. 10, 1-6:30 Rabbi Gary Bretton-Granatoor p.m. at the Skutt Student Center Ballroom at Creighton University to address this very question and to explore what members of these three faiths can learn from each other. Participants will have opportunities throughout the conference to dialogue with each other about these issues. The ADL has partnered with the Kripke Center for the Study of Religion and Society at Creighton University and the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Nebraska to host this event. The speakers will explore what is meant by interfaith dialogue, why it is needed and what challenges and opportunities exist five years after Sept. 11. Leading the discussions will be four of the country’s

This Week: Omahan Reports from Solidarity Mission: Page 4 See Front Page Stories at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’

Film Reivew on Last Summer’s Disengagement from Gaza: Page 7

leading scholars and practitioners of interfaith dialogue: Rabbi Gary BrettonGranatoor, former national director of interfaith affairs and current national director of education for the AntiDefamation League; Dr. Philip Cunningham, director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College; Dr. Sulayman Nyang, professor of African Studies at Dr. Philip Cunningham Howard University and a scholar of Islam; and Reverend Dirk Ficca, executive director of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions. This community conference is open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Free parking is available in Creighton’s visitors’ lot located at 24th and Cass. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Cost is $10 per participant if registering before Aug. 20. After Aug. 20, the cost to register is $15 per participant. Registrations are currently being accepted. To download the registration form or for more information, visit the Kripke Center website at http://moses.creighton. edu/CSRS/ or call Fran Minear at 402.280.2303.

Coming Aug. 18: Back-to-School Issue

Israeli Teens Join Omahans for JCC Maccabi Games: Page 10

Honorary Charmen Named for ADL Gala Honoring Wolfson: Page 16

Page 2

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

August 4, 2006

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS FRIDAY, AUGUST 4 Temple Israel Outdoor Shabbat Service, 5:30 p.m. at JCC Frohm Pavillion

C L I P & S A V E

SUNDAY, AUGUST 6 JCC Maccabi Games in Phoenix, AZ at the JCC Adult Education, 10 a.m. at Beth El Beth El Hazak & Men’s Club BBQ and Royals Baseball Game, 11 a.m. Nebraska Jewish Historical Society Annual Meeting, 3 p.m. at the JCC MONDAY, AUGUST 7 NCJW Book Club, 7 p.m.

C L I P & S A V E

TUESDAY, AUGUST 8 ADL/CRC Board of Directors Meeting, noon BBYO Night, 6 p.m. “Eye on Israel,” 7 p.m. with special guests, Alex Fleischer and Alan Potash C L I P & S A V E

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9 YJO Casino Night, 6 p.m. at the JCC Federation October Community Mission Orientation, 7 p.m. Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, AUGUST 10 Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. Federation Family Mission Recruitment, 7 p.m. All events held at the JCC unless otherwise indicated. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of events. To keep calendar accurate or for questions, call Marlene Hert at 334-6437. FOR A COMPLETE LISTING, VISIT THE FEDERATION’S WEBSITE: www.JewishOmaha.org (click on calendar)

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Mel Gibson’s Anti-Semitic Slurs Met with Rare Hollywood Silence by TOM TUGEND ing in Hollywood like you’ve never seen before.” LOS ANGELES (JTA)--Hollywood’s top guns have Jewish defense organizations, usually quick to respond answered actor-director Mel Gibson’s vicious anti- to anti-Semitic slurs, were initially a bit muted. But Semitic slurs--with deafening silence. Abraham Foxman, National Director of the AntiGibson, director of the controversial The Passion of the Defamation League and a fierce critic of Gibson’s Christ, was pulled over in the early hours of July 28 while “Passion,” said, “We would hope that Hollywood now speeding along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, would realize the bigot in their midst and that they will CA. He was booked on suspicion of drunk driving. distance themselves from this anti-Semite.” In the original report filed by the arresting officer, On Tuesday, after Gibson’s specific apology to the Gibson was described as belligerent and cursing the Jewish community, Foxman said it “sounds sincere” and “F*****g Jews. The Jews are responsible for all the wars that after Gibson’s “rehabilitation for alcohol abuse, we in the world.” He then asked Los Angeles County will be ready and willing to help him with his second Sheriff’s Deputy James Mee, “Are you a Jew?” rehabilitation to combat this disease of prejudice.” In an apology Tuesday to “everyone in the Jewish The one exception to the general silence in community,” Gibson admitted to the anti-Semitic slur Hollywood was talent agent Ari Emanuel, the model for and asked to meet with Jewish leaders “with whom I can agent Ari Gold in the HBO series “Entourage” and have a one-on-one discussion The Real 12-Step Program Gibson Should Join brother of Rep. Rahm to discern the appropriate Emanuel (D-IL). path for healing.” In a widely circulated stateGibson added that “there is ment to The Huffington Post no excuse, nor should there blog, www.Huffingtonpost. com, Emanuel said, “At a time be any tolerance, for anyone of escalating tensions in the who thinks or expresses any world, the entertainment kind of anti-Semitic remark. industry cannot idly stand by Please know from my heart and allow Mel Gibson to get that I am not an anti-Semite. I away with such tragically am not a bigot. Hatred of any inflammatory statements. kind goes against my faith.” When ‘The Passion of the Prior to Gibson’s statement, Christ’ came out, he was quotattempts to elicit reactions ed as categorically denying antifrom some 15 leading Jewish Semitism attributed to him. producers, directors, actors Now we know the truth... and writers proved fruitless. A People in the entertainment remarkably large number were community, whether Jew or said to be on vacation or out gentile, need to demonstrate of the country, while others that they understand how did not return messages. much is at stake in this by proEven Alan Nierob, a Jewish fessionally shunning Mel man who is Gibson’s official Gibson and refusing to work spokesman, was said to be on a with him, even if it means a sactwo-week vacation at the rifice to their bottom line. height of his employer’s crisis. Michael Speier, managing editor of the trade publica- There are times in history when standing up against bigtion Variety, explained the reluctance to speak out in this otry and racism is more important than money.” While many in Hollywood have privately praised way: “In Hollywood, you can never help yourself by saying something critical on the record. You don’t want to Emanuel’s gutsiness, hardly any were willing to emulate piss anyone off because you never know when you might him. It has been left largely to some outspoken bloggers need him later on. Who knows, in a few years Gibson to hold Gibson to account. After scoring Hollywood executives and talent for lack might be a changed man and give $10 million to the of courage and putting dollars ahead of principle, comAnti-Defamation League.” Bernie Brillstein, a veteran talent agent and manager, mentator and author Arianna Huffington urged Disney said, “Hollywood is a small company town and you fig- studios to scrap plans to distribute Gibson’s next film, ure everyone is entitled to his position. Anyway, every- Apocalypto, or to show his miniseries on the Holocaust body takes it for granted that Gibson is an anti-Semite, on ABC-TV. In a phone interview, Huffington said, “With rising anti-Semitism and the situation in the so people say, ‘Well, he did it again.’” However, he added, “if Gibson’s statement, if true, Middle East,” the Gibson incident “is not a minor issue, had been anti-gay or anti-black, there would be an upris- and not a freedom of speech issue.”

Groups Raising Millions Continued from page 1 Krakow credited UJC’s fundraising success to the “structural advantage” of having an organization with 155 local federations, each with its own grass-roots mechanism. Jan Goldstein, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, for example, arranged for donations to be accepted at last week’s rally, and has been emailing updates every few days. “I’d like to share the thoughts of Simcha Stein, Director of the Warsaw Ghetto Fighters’ House Museum (Lohamei Hagetaot),” Goldstein wrote in Tueday’s e-mail. “It’s one of the few places that remain open in Israel’s North. Why has this museum stayed open while almost every other door has closed? Quite simply, because the museum is such a powerful symbol of resistance and pride.” She added, “On a four-hour break from combat across the border, an elite group of soldiers chose to spend their only free time at the museum. The soldiers left rejuvenated, drawing strength and inspiration from those who fought for freedom during the Holocaust.” More than $5000 was raised at Omaha’s “Stand with Israel” last week, but prior to the rally, close to $40,000 had already come in to the Federation office, allowing officials to immediately transmit badly needed dollars to UJC in New York. As of press time the total was more than $91,000. An estimated 10,000 northern Israeli families have taken up residence in private homes, a figure that does-

n’t include the thousands more in children’s camps and schools, tent cities and yeshivas. Because they haven’t had the time to build an extensive network of friends throughout the country and because their Hebrew skills may be rudimentary, new immigrants in the North are especially hard-pressed to find safe housing. New arrivals are being sent daily from their northern homes to families in the nation’s center, through the Jewish Agency’s Babait Beyachad program, funded by UJC. Other groups raising money, along with their totals, as of early this week, include: • B’nai B’rith International’s Israel Emergency Fund (www.bnaibrith.org) has raised $160,000. The funds will provide air conditioners, playground equipment and electronics to bomb shelters and makeshift camps for children in Haifa, Carmiel and Safed. • American Friends of Magen David Adom (www.afmda.org) has raised over $1 million dollars so far; they average about $38,000 in gifts a day from internet giving alone. The funds go to support their expanded activities on the ground, including increased blood transportation costs, extended ambulance deployment and additional need for oxygen due to panic attacks. • The Jewish National Fund (www.jnf.org) has raised more than $2 million, with funds allocated to sending children to camps sites away from the North, purchasing fire fighting equipment and building security roads on the border with Gaza. Continued on page 7

August 4, 2006

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 3

Jewish Communities on Alert Continued from page 1 what they see and hear, who act on it,� Goldenberg said. for federal funding to protect “soft targets,� many of “The Federation building in Seattle was pretty “It’s very difficult to track these people.� them Jewish. secure,� Isaak noted. “How do you prevent someone In 1999, one such “lone wolf,� a white supremacist, “We are now contending not just with the escalating who comes with a gun and holds it to the head of a 13- shot and wounded seven people at the North Valley tension amid the Mideast crisis, but also with wellyear-old? I’m not sure in practical terms how much we Jewish Community Center near Los Angeles. In 2002, founded reports that there are Islamic radicals mobilizcan do. Maybe this is in large part for our own mental an Egyptian terrorist shot and killed two workers at the ing in this country who espouse Al-Qaida’s terrorist idehealth.� El Al counter at Los Angeles International Airport. ology, but who are not formally linked to the group,� Soon after the Seattle attack, the Conference of Last month in Nashville, an Iraqi national was con- said William Daroff, UJC’s Vice-president for public Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations put victed of buying weapons “so he could shoot and kill policy and director of its Washington office. its Secure Community Network into action for the first Jews,� Goldenberg pointed out. “What the Seattle murder brings home is exactly what time since it was created 18 months ago, sending out a He emphasized, however, “there is no intelligence of I’ve been talking about,� he said. “It doesn’t take a brain bulletin to member organizations, urging them to any imminent threat,� and the Jewish community surgeon to realize that Jewish institutions are front and implement pre-arranged security measures. should “be vigilant� without panicking. center on terrorist lists.� Those groups forwarded On Saturday, a synathe alert to their congogue in Sydney was stituents, including attacked with concrete Orthodox, Conservative, blocks being used to Reform and Reconstrucsmash car windows, and tionist houses of worship in other projectiles were North America. hurled at the synagogue Since last Friday, SCN’s roof. national director, Paul Some Jewish organiGoldenberg, has been in zations already have spent contact with the heads of all some of their homeland 155 Jewish Federations, security funding. Jewish Jewish camps and synagogue day schools in Chicago, movements, and has been for example, installed getting regular updates from materials on their winthe FBI and law enforcedows to prevent shattered ment around the country. Seattle police chief Gil Kerlikowske, left, and Robert Jacobs, A woman from Seattle's Muslim community stands in the back glass in case of a bomb“I can assure you that this Pacific Northwest director of the Anti-Defamation League, of Temple B'nai Torah as hundreds pay tribute on July 31 to ing. is not an overreaction,� said speak before a meeting of community and spiritual leaders Pam Waechter, killed during the attack on the city's Jewish The Atlanta Jewish Goldenberg, who has 20 on July 30. Credit: Joel Magalnick Federation. Credit: Thomas ames Hurst /THE SEATTLE TIMES Federation has used its years of experience in law funding for what security enforcement, including a stint as chief of the attorney director Richard Raisler calls “target hardening,� meanThe SCN maintains a site: www.scnus.org. general’s hate crime unit for New Jersey. “Almost every “The most important weapon we have is education,� ing physical security measures such as access control, time there’s an escalation in the Middle East, there are Goldenberg said. “The Jewish community needs to be cameras and other upgrades. attacks against Jewish communities in the United States training its professional staff in security awareness.� Other communities haven’t yet put the money to and Europe.� Many such programs are free, and are offered by law work, particularly those in the West, the last to submit Malcolm Hoenlein, the Conference of Presidents’ enforcement agencies. The SCN can “help you navigate their grant applications. Executive Vice-chairman, said teleconferences were the process,� Goldenberg said. San Francisco’s JCC, for example, “has a plan in place planned throughout the day Monday with groups that Seattle was one of 18 cities that has received $14 mil- to enhance security in the front of our building,� wanted to discuss security procedures. lion from the Department of Homeland Security’s 2005 Rosenthal said, but it’s “still in the conceptual stage.� The day before the Seattle attack, SCN organized a budget to provide security for at-risk nonprofit groups. Monday afternoon, the Orthodox Union urged its teleconference with heads of security for every major On Tuesday, two Jewish groups joined U.S. senators synagogues to create a standing “security committee� Jewish Federation and senior representatives from eight in calling on the Homeland Security Department to that would have “ready access to law enforcement and law enforcement agencies to discuss concerns in the release funds to protect high-risk nonprofits. security contacts,� and to let their local police know the wake of the escalation of violence in Israel and Lebanon. Representatives from the Orthodox Union and UJC times of services and other planned gatherings. They specifically discussed the danger of a “lone wolf� joined Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Sen. Barbara Ultimately, there’s only so much that security barriers attack, which is what happened the following day in Mikulski (D-MD) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) at a can accomplish. “If we have to build walls around our Seattle. news conference to demand that a $25 million grant JCCs and camps, then the people who want to harm us “People may say it’s just one person, and I am not say- program, which has been withheld from nonprofits this have succeeded,� Goldenberg said. “Creating a secure ing that Hezbollah or Al-Qaida are coming after Jewish year due to bureaucratic issues, be distributed promptly. culture can be done in other ways--learning how to see institutions, but there are people out there influenced by Speakers said the Seattle attack underscored the need threats and protecting against them.�

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

August 4, 2006

Solidarity Missions to Israel Mix Moral Support and High-level Briefings by DINA KRAFT to the cramped and often HAIFA (JTA)--Surveying unairconditioned bomb the damage of an apartment shelters back home. building hit by rocket fire, John Ruskay, Executive playing with children evacuVice-president and CEO ated from the North and of the UJA-Federation of meeting with Israel’s top New York, said the leaders, a parade of Jewish Federation has received solidarity missions are makmany calls from people ing their way through Israel who want to contribute to show their support in a funds for Israel. The time of war. Federation is trying to Most of the groups toured send the money to aid Haifa and other northern who survived those towns, trying to assess needs attacks and to provide safe and concerns of Israelis sudplaces for families in the denly in the firing zone of North to live while the Hezbollah rockets. fighting is going on. “You begin to realize this They also are planning is truly an act of terror,” said to make funds available Steven Nasatir, the president for emotional support for of the Jewish United Holocaust survivors, for Omahan Joel Alperson, UJC’s national campaign chairman, Israel’s Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is flanked by Conference Fund/Jewish Federation of whom a crisis like this can and other members of a UJC solidarity mission help Israeli of Presidents Chairman Harold Tanner, left, and COP Metropolitan Chicago, who trigger past traumas, and teens at a JDC youth center in Kfar Saba to pack activity Executive Vice Chairman Malcolm Hoenlein after a meeting was in Israel as part of a for soldiers without family boxes for shipment to children in bomb shelters in northern during a COP delegation to Israel, July 25. United Jewish Communities in Israel. Israel, July 24. Credit: Harriet J. Dobin Credit: Courtesy of Conference of Presidents mission that visited Haifa last “The North American week. The Haifa visit came Jewish community is abduction.” an hour after a barrage of rockets hit the city. They The group told the families that they would try to keep exceedingly united in its commitment to... the people of viewed one of the buildings that was damaged. the soldiers’ fate in the public view. The visitors were Israel, and expresses this in multiple ways, including writ“When you think about this kind of a weapon being deeply impressed by the families’ “courage and the con- ing a check,” Ruskay said. used, it’s pretty frightening,” he said. “It was up close trol of their emotions,” Abrams said. Nasatir said it soon would become clear how contribuand personal today.” Groups also were briefed by high-ranking army com- tions would best be allocated. The cost of the war would Many of those participating in the delegations said manders, getting an overview of the situation with maps, likely make it difficult for the government to implement they felt they had an obligation to be in Israel to show photos and explanations of Israeli strategy. plans to up social welfare spending, and Nasatir suggesttheir concern in person. Other solidarity missions have come from the ed that American Jews might have to help make sure that “I want to hear firsthand what the intentions are, and European Jewish Congress, the Reform and the country’s economic gaps don’t widen even more. to give our support that they should not pull out too Conservative movements and ORT. The American I think the issue now transcends one project or two early,” said Jerry Platt of American Friends of Likud, Jewish Committee, which came last week, met with projects. I think that if the American Jewish community who came to Israel as part of a delegation from the Haifa officials, visited victims in the hospital and donat- really wants to step forward at this time, I think three Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish ed blood. main things to do are advocacy--coming here at a time Organizations. Many of the visiting groups have launched special when the airplanes are no longer full--raising significant Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with several of the fund-raising campaigns to help offset the costs associat- amounts of money and to be partner to Israel at time of visiting delegations and reiterated his message of deter- ed with the Hezbollah attacks. great need,” Nasatir said. mination that Israel would defeat Hezbollah. (Editor’s note: Stacey and Jonathan Rockman will tell On July 24, members of the UJC delegation visited a Six representatives from the Conference of Presidents summer camp near Netanya for Ethiopian children evac- their stories about their solidarity mission to Israel in delegation met with the families of two soldiers kid- uated from the northern city of Safed. The UJC has an upcoming issue. Stacey Rockman was originally napped by Hezbollah on July 12. The kidnappings pre- raised more than $11 million for its Israel Crisis Fund scheduled to attend a Partnership with Israel meeting in cipitated Israel’s dramatic counter-response. which will in part enable as many children as possible to the Western Galilee until rocket fire from Hezbollah “It was extremely moving,” said Robert Abrams of the attend camps in the center of the country. positions in Lebanon forced the meeting’s cancellation. America Israel Friendship League. “They have not heard Kids at the camp, which is run by the Jewish Agency Instead, she and her husband joined a United Jewish anything new, but told us how they heard about the for Israel, play sports and run around outside, a contrast Communities solidarity mission.)

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August 4, 2006

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 5

Resilient Israelis Cope with the Fear and Uncertainty of Unexpected War by SHARON KANON “Sometimes we hear the explosions even before the (IPS) Visiting archaeological sites, ancient fortresses sirens go off,” she added. and healing hot springs, enjoying hiking and adventure Despite this particularly stressful day, some 40,000 sports, such as riverboat rafting in beautiful rustic set- Haifa residents returned to their homes at the weekend tings, are popular activities in the cool, hilly mountains to hopefully start the week off “normally.” But on and forests of northern Israel in the summer. Sunday, Haifa was again a target when an apartment This year, Hizbullah’s unprovoked attack on Israel has building was hit and two people killed. wreaked havoc on domestic tourism, reversing the sea“We have basically not been able to go out of the sonal flow to the North. Thousands of Israelis have can- house for a week,” said L., “except to buy food, which celled their holiday reservations in cabins and chalets we do only when instructed.” She and her husband and tens of thousands have gone south, seeking safer decided not to leave Haifa, although both are not able havens in the middle and southern part of the country. to go to work. “My husband works in high tech and his How are we Israelis dealing with this surprise war? We office building is mostly made of glass. I work at the feel grim when we think of the mother killed sitting on Technion and I’d have to pass a lot of windows to reach her balcony in Nahariya while drinking a cup of coffee, the bomb shelter. On Sunday, my husband will pick up the grandmother and her grandson killed in the Meron a portable computer from his office so that he can work mountains on a Friday afternoon, two children killed at home.” playing in the streets of Nazareth, a father killed when In peaceful times, the family enjoys the view towards leaving his bomb shelter to get a blanket for his baby, Haifa Bay. They moved to Haifa a few years after comand soldiers (our sons) killed in battle. Tomorrow, I will ing on aliyah from New York in the 1980s. Their apartpay a shiva call to the family of Rafael Mushkal, 21, from ment, which is in a 40+ year old building, has neither a nearby Maskeret Batya bomb shelter nor a protected room, as building codes at Sunday was a bad day – 93 missiles hit, leaving 91 that time did not require proper shelters with metal wounded and two dead. doors and windows, toiAnd yet the attacks are lets and running water. like a magic pill that “We use a room with brings out the best qualionly one window as our ties in us. Initially incred“protected room,” said L. ulous, we are now band“We took the glass out so ing together to help each that we would not have other. to worry about it shatterMy own relatively safe ing. We all sleep in one town of Rehovot has room to avoid getting up been a place of asylum for at night when the sirens people fleeing the ongogo off.” ing rocket and missile An elderly neighbor, attacks and spine-chilling who is a Holocaust sursirens less than two and vivor and has taken the three hours away. Local war zone situation with internet sites offer home equanimity, comes over hospitality, and as a ges- A gift shop in a Jerusalem shopping mall offers a 10% reduction periodically to check on Credit: IPS the children. The chilture to the visitors, the to residents of northern Israel. community center is offering free activities to people dren –aged 10, 12, 13, 17, plus an 18 year old who is from the North, the Weizmann Institute is giving free doing National Service – keep themselves busy reading, entry to the Science Park, the local pools are giving free playing games and chatting with their friends on the entry, and amusement parks are giving discounts of 50% phone. and more. Packages of toiletries and food are also being “We don’t know what has been hit until we get on the collected at central locations and sent to soldiers. internet or listen to the radio or TV,” said L. In Efrat, where my daughter lives, the dormitory of “Sometimes the windows rattle so we know the explothe Neve Shmuel high school has been given over to sion was nearby. We are trying to keep our spirits up.” 300 people who fled their homes, many of whom left Danny Nir and his wife Moira of Moshav Moreshet in without sheets and blankets because they did not expect the Western Galilee were taking their turn as parent to be away for more than a few days. Gush Etzion is leaders of a rotating summer day camp, until a rocket hosting over 1,000 people from the North, most in pri- landed in nearby Carmiel. “Outdoor excursions became vate homes. prohibited so I decided to hold a robotics club at home “The refugees are both religious and secular, from instead. Soon after, all camps were cancelled.” high and low income families, and from a variety of ethThe ban on all summer camps as a safety measure nic backgrounds,” said Chana Metzger, assistant to the makes sense. “The crux of the problem, however, is that mayor of Efrat, who is working a 24/7 shift. “Bound if you don’t have any activity for the children, the partogether by the war, they are living in the harmony of ents can’t go to work,” said Nir, who works in the innoshared experience.” Volunteer teenagers are helping to vative R&D labs of AMDOCS in Ra’anana. Moira, a serve meals, run activities for the children and take MIT PhD. in Chemical Engineering, does materials clothes in need of laundering to private homes.” research and consulting for a nanotechnology company “I think that people here are more nervous than they in Caesarea. are in Naharyia,” said Shlomit Berenson, who arrived in “I had to be in Jerusalem for my work the next day, so Efrat with her husband Nahum just a few days ago. I decided to take the children [aged 7,10,12 and 15] to Shlomit, who is pregnant, said that the main reason she cousins in Rehovot for the day. A week later, we are all didn’t leave Nahariya right away, even though her home still camped out in Rehovot.” was close enough to literally hear the Katyushas being Grandma Audrey, formerly of Silver Springs, Maryland fired, was because her husband was still teaching in the and now a resident of Rehovot, cancelled a trip to the local Yeshiva (albeit in a bomb shelter). She managed to States to help out. “I try to get the kids out to the park keep her five children busy with indoor activities during in the morning and in the late afternoon,” said the nonthe first 12 days, and then the reality of their situation driver, who seems to have found renewed energy to deal hit her when Vardette, 8, “made a very good drawing of with the expanded household. a missile hitting a building.” The gutsy Nahariya mom “Through our moshav website we found a week-long decided it was time to move in with her in-laws, which sleep-away camp run by the JNF in Jerusalem for our has, she conceded, eased the children’s fears consider- oldest son,” said Moira. This week, AMDOCS is runably. ning a day camp for the two younger boys. The TV, she On Sunday, the mayor of Haifa called for a return to points out, provides listings and telephone numbers of routine – for the opening of banks, libraries and busi- people and organizations offering accommodations and nesses. But with rockets packed with metal ball bearings services in various cities. “We were in Beit Shemesh on continuing to rain down on the North and Haifa, killing Shabbat and a friend said that she had the keys to three civilians unable to reach shelter in time (20 seconds to a houses, if we needed a place to stay!” minute from the time the siren sounds), a return to norMoira is trying to keep the children in touch with malcy is a dream. friends. “The cell phone is a big help,” she comments. “I’ve lost count of the number of sirens today,” said “We all feel displaced but it’s our task as parents to keep L., a Haifa resident and mother of five, on a day when spirits up. We live from day to day and can only hope,” Hizbullah aimed a barrage of at least 132 rockets and she says wistfully, “that tomorrow will bring better missiles at Israel’s northern cities and towns. things.”

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Summer Hebrew Class a Rewarding Challenge and the verbs; the structure of the language. There are by MARY BORT no short-cuts. You have to sit and learn.” for Beth Israel Synagogue Kurtzman appreciated the learning environment. “I For many young people, summer is time to take a vacation from school. The last thing they want to do is sit in thought it was good,” he said. “She went slow and easy. a classroom, take a challenging language course, study Not too fast, not too slow.” Kurtzman also commended and take tests. Yet that is exactly what 10-year-old Aaron Kasher’s patience when students had difficulty learning Kurtzman did this July when he joined with some teens something. “She didn’t get upset with us.” Many may be familiar with ulpan, a program for learnand young adults in Beth Israel’s Intensive Hebrew ing Hebrew that is popular Language Summer Class. in Israel. Ulpan involves The class was taught by intensive study and full Yeshiva University (YU) facimmersion with the lanulty member, Sara Kasher. guage. While Kasher believes Kasher taught the same class the ulpan system for learning last summer. According to Hebrew works well in Israel, Beth Israel’s Executive and teaches ulpan courses, Director, Beth Cohen, “We she had to modify the were so pleased to bring Sara approach with her Omaha back again. With the positive students. feedback we received from “Ulpan is wonderful in last year's class, we felt it was important to offer the Sara Kasher, left, returned to Omaha to teach intensive Israel, because you are immersed in the language. Hebrew class again. This Hebrew at Beth Israel. year, Sara once again provided students with a worth- You leave class each day having to speaking Hebrew and using the language outside of class. When you go to the while and challenging learning experience.” Kasher is from Israel and earned her teaching certificate store, you speak Hebrew. Here, it is not the same. That’s from Beth Jacob of Israel. Kasher has taught Hebrew in why I focus on understanding and comprehension. Israel and many other places in the U.S. and currently Understanding and comprehension comes first, and then lives in New York while teaching Hebrew at YU. She also you speak.” Students worked hard in Kasher’s class, studying and has worked professionally as a grammarian and editor of books and magazines. With this extensive experience working on assignments. And their efforts proved worthworking with the Hebrew language, it might seem sur- while. For example, Kurtzman found the class to comprising that she would come to Omaha to teach. Yet plement the other methods he uses to learn Hebrew. “I Kasher indicated that she enjoys teaching Hebrew in like variety. I had been practicing and reading and studying for my bar mitzvah. This class included reading, writOmaha and finds it a challenging experience. “It’s not easier to teach this class as compared to what ing, grammar and conversation.” While Beth Israel’s Hebrew class was not “graded,” I teach at Yeshiva,” Kasher stated, “This class is a challenge because it is starting with the basics. Frankly, it can Kasher found it worthwhile to hold a formal test. “They be boring for students to study grammar. So I have to are not in there to earn a grade, yet they are very motivated when they have a test to prepare for,” she noted. make the class interesting and motivate the students.” Kasher came up with creative ways to motivate the “And all the students did well on the test, earning scores class, such as holding “races” to complete tasks. “The in the 90s.” students do very well with a little bit of competition,” she Kasher enjoyed her second visit to Omaha and hopes to return to teach Hebrew again next summer. “I enjoy the explained. Kasher’s philosophy to teaching Hebrew is to begin challenge of teaching the class since it is so different from with the basics. She noted, “Our goal is to open the win- what I teach at YU. This summer class was challenging dow to the structure of Hebrew. They learn the nouns and I had fun. I like Omaha and the community.”

Help NCJW Send Students Back to School with New Supplies by LISA LIEB for National Council of Jewish Women It’s hard to believe the start of school is just a few weeks away. Stores are filling up with parents and students stocking up on supplies for the new school year. But for some Omaha children, back-to-school shopping takes place at the Salvation Army, and they must bring their supplies to school in brown paper bags. The Omaha Section of National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) has adopted Jackson Elementary School in the Adopt-A-School program. NCJW will be supplying all Jackson Elementary students with a new backpack filled with school supplies for the upcoming school year. “We chose Jackson Elementary because it is classified as a newcomer’s school,” says Harriet Epstein, project co-chair along with Jill Simon. “85% of the students speak English as their second language.” For many of its students, Jackson Elementary School is their first experience within the American school system. And while there are other Adopt-A-School Partners for Jackson, many of them have very limited funds. NCJW will be one of the major contributors to this school. “Many of the families are not able to purchase backpacks,” Epstein explains, “so the children bring their supplies to school in brown paper bags. Our goal is that this year every student will have a brand new backpack filled with school supplies, for a great start to the new school year.” NCJW is a volunteer organization that has been at the forefront of social change for over a century. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW courageously takes a progressive stance on issues such as child welfare, women's rights and reproductive freedom. To help NCJW purchase school supplies for Jackson Elementary School, please send your donation by Aug. 14 to: NCJW, c/o Harriet Epstein, 1216 No. 129 Cir., Omaha, NE 68154 or Jill Simon, 18418 Jefferson St., Omaha, NE 68135. For more information, contact Harriet Epstein at 493.5152 or Jill Simon at 934.2076.

ENGAGEMENT ROITSTEIN/BERNSTEIN Carrie Beth Roitstein and Steve Bernstein of Chicago, IL, announce their engagement. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Debbie and Lloyd Roitstein. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Champaign with a Bachelor of Science, and she received her Doctor of Optometry degree from Illinois College of Optometry. She works as a optometrist for Lieberman and Associates. She is the granddaughter of Ann Roitstein and the late Dr. Morris Roitstein. Her fiancé is the son of Linda and Arnold Bernstein of Long Island, NY. He graduated from the University of New York at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He is employed by Sony Pictures Entertainment. A May 27, 2007, wedding is planned in Omaha.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT What is it about Las Vegas that captivates us? Is it how the skim worked at the Stardust and how millions of dollars walked out the door uncounted? Or what really happened when Frank Sinatra threw a chair at the casino boss of the Sands? Did you ever hear the story about how some very bad Vegas guys rigged the gin rummy games at the Friars Club and took a bunch of famous people to the cleaners? The lunchtime forum at the Omaha Press Club on Thursday, Aug. 17, noon will feature Omaha’s Steve Fischer, author of When the Mob Ran Vegas: Stories of Money, Mayhem and Murder and an upcoming book Showgirls Tell All. Fischer will share stories from both books. Cost is $15 per person and includes lunch; please call 345.8008 for reservations or e-mail: jeaniec@OPC.omhcoxmail.com.

August 4, 2006

Israeli Documentary Records Gaza Disengagement FILM REVIEW by MICHAEL FOX Verité documentaries, which capture events as they unfold, offer a visceral experience of a volatile situation. They are valued for their timeliness rather than their historical perspective, which means that breaking developments can date them in a hurry. The shelf life for documentaries about the Middle East is the briefest of all, unfortunately. Nonetheless, it is well worth catching the riveting Israeli film 5 Days. Director Yoav Shamir, in an exemplary journalistic endeavor, dispatched eight camera crews to record the removal of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip last August. The strategy and practice of disengagement was the hot topic in Israel until the war against Hamas and Hezbollah erupted last month. At the present moment, 5 Days retains substantial interest for its insights into the Israeli army. And, political context aside, it’s great drama. 5 Days receives its U.S. television premiere on Sunday, Aug. 14, 8 p.m. Central Time on the Sundance Channel. The feature-length doc provides a ground-level view of the potentially explosive showdown between the army and the 8,000 settlers in Gush Katif and nearby outposts. Surprisingly, given that the film was sold for broadcast overseas and has an English narration, there’s almost no explication of the political arguments for and against disengagement. That turns out to be a plus, for debate is irrelevant in the heat of the moment. The

It’s equally uncomfortable watching a boy call a soldier a Nazi, for following orders without question. The absurdity, and offensiveness, of that slur is confirmed by a shot of two female policemen crying on each other’s shoulders after uprooting Jewish families. At the same time, 5 Days conveys the settlers’ disappointment, outrage and feeling of betrayal. Their religious pain at having to cede part of what they consider Eretz Yisroel to Arabs is palpable. But since the evacuation is also a media event, some of the behavior is inevitably for the benefit of the cameras. As the youthful Shamir demonstrated with his remarkable debut, Checkpoint, he is a master at gaining access. His charm, combined with the new generation of small, unobtrusive video cameras, encourages his subjects to retain a Israeli Army soldiers move to evict Jewish settlers from their homes degree of naturalism. in Yoav Shamir’s 5 Days. Depending where From the standpoint of Israel’s image you stand on disengagement, you’ll find around the world, the broadcast of such Gen. Harel’s execution of his mission footage would, at the least, be an embar- reassuring or heartbreaking. But there will rassment. At worst, it would embolden its be little disagreement among those concerned about Americans’ perception of enemies. The settlers try to cajole and enlist the Israel at this precarious moment: As the soldiers over to their side, and when that face of the Israeli army, the humane, readoesn’t work some resort to insults. A sol- sonable yet resolute general is more than dier avoids a settler’s tirade by staring at one could ask for. the ground. She rebukes him angrily, Michael Fox is a freelance writer in “You don’t deserve to look a Jewish Northern CA. He can be reached at: foxwoman in the eye.” onfilm@yahoo.com. players can only act and react. The central figure is Major General Dan Harel, the white-haired, white-bearded officer in charge of the evacuation. “We carry the heavy burden of democracy on our backs,” he says, kindly but firmly. “There are no winners.” Harel is well aware that he has a tightrope to navigate. Any delay or sign of weakness by the army will bolster the settlers, but Jew-on-Jew violence would be a catastrophe inflaming the passions surrounding an already divisive issue.

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Groups Raising Millions Continued from page 2 • Friends of Israel Defense Forces (www.israelsoldiers.org) has raised about $3 million to help soldiers. Funds are designated for personal care packages, air conditioned recreation tents, canteens and cell phone chargers. • The American Jewish Committee’s Israel Emergency Assistanc (www.ajc.org) has raised roughly $950,000. So far, the funds are helping vans deliver children’s toys and baby supplies to bomb shelters in the north. • The Union for Reform Judaism (www.urj.org) has raised $100,000. That money is going to camps and kibbutzim where Israelis are holed up waiting out the rocket attacks. Other funds will help convert an underground garage into a children’s play space in Haifa, transport people from the North and send care packages to soldiers. • World ORT (www.ort.org) has raised $400,000. Some money has already been allocated to a children’s summer camp in Ashkelon. Officials say the rest will be doled out next week to post-trauma counseling, impacted families and teachers who work overtime to help students who are struggling academically as a result of the conflict. If you’re interested in learning more about what’s going on in Israel--or about participating in a Federation mission to Israel, consider attending these events: Tuesday, Aug. 8: “Eye on Israel”; Wednesday, Aug. 9: October Solidarity Mission Orientation; Thursday, Aug. 10: June Family Mission Information Session. All events begin at 7 p.m. in the Kripke Library, located on the campus of the Jewish Community Center. For more information, contact the Jewish Federation offices at 334.6431.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

August 4, 2006

Shabbat in the Park Especially for Tots Tonight at JCC Pavilion by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator If you’ve ever wished you didn’t have to “shush” your young children during worship services or force them to sit still when the rabbi is giving a sermon, you will appreciate Tot Shabbat in the Park sponsored by Temple Israel on Friday, Aug. 4, behind the Jewish Community Center in the shaded pavilion. Bring your own dinner for the 6 p.m. no-host picnic to be followed by worship services which will be led by Temple’s new rabbi, Eric Linder--with his guitar. Bring blankets to sit on and active games to play after the service. To make a reservation, call the Temple office at 556.6536. Temple will supply the beverages and dessert. Worship services will also be conducted at Temple Israel at 6 p.m. on Aug. 4. Sam Fried will share his story, “The Strength to Continue,” one in a series of personal accounts being told at the indoor services this summer.

IN THE NEWS Tippi and Steve Denenberg announce the opening of their new yoga studio in West Omaha named One Tree Yoga, the new home of Bikram Yoga Omaha at 2420 So. 156 Cir. The following types of yoga are offered: Bikram, Power, Ashtanga, Pre-natal, Kids, Vinyasa, Gentle, Basics, and Kundalini. Yoga continues at the original location at 5020 Dodge. Former Omahan Kathy Pollack has been selected as Reform Judaism’s “Youth Worker of the Month” for August. She currently works as the full-time youth director at Peninsula Temple Beth El in San Mateo, CA. “Kathy is fantastic,” wrote her nominator. “She has been in our region for more than 10 years as an advisor. She is creative, genuine and well-loved by her colleagues. She is skilled in both formal and informal education, and really exemplifies a committed youth professional.” Pollack earned a BS in recreation and leisure services, with a minor in business. She credits “all those OTYG spaghetti dinners and weekend conclaves” at Temple Israel as her prime motivation which fuels her commitment to the youth of her congregation. Kathy Pollack is the daughter of Lawrence Pollack and the late Enid Pollack and the niece of Dorothy Riekes and the late Henry Riekes. She has been living in the San Francisco Bay Area since the mid 1980s.

MARRIAGE

ORGANIZATIONS

PORTER/FINKLER Terri Denise Porter of Lakewood, CO, and Joshua Philip Finkler of Buffalo Creek, CO, were married on June 24. Giro Ikeda Feingold, a friend, conducted the service at the Little Chapel in the Hills in Buffalo Creek, where the bride's grandparents, Mark and Blossom Aisner, are buried in the nearby cemetery. Dinner and dancing followed at creekside. The bride, daughter of Vicki Aisner Porter and her partner, Patricia J. Lang, and Gerard Fountain Porter and his wife, Barbara Porter, earned a B.A. in Communications from Colorado State University. She was a Senior Producer for “Inside Edition” in New York and producer of a one hour special for the Discovery Channel. For the past 15 years, she has been working as a coordinating producer, managing editor, writer producer and field director in television in New York, Los Angeles, and Denver. The groom is the son of Deana and Michael Liddy, and Paul Finkler of Denver, CO, formerly of Lincoln, and the grandson of the late Ruth Charyn Rosen, Philip Frederick Charyn, Charlotte Werbner Finkler and Sidney Finkler. He is a graduate of the Erdos Institute for Mathematics, Budpest, Hungary, and earned a B.A. in Mathematics from Reed College, Portland, OR. He was an academic fellow at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, where he earned masters in math and philosophy, and a PhD in math and logic. He also had a Fulbright Graduate Research Fellowship in Hungary. He is currently the Deputy Sheriff in Jefferson County, CO. The week prior to the wedding, the couple participated in an organized bicycle ride, “Ride the Rockies,” but spent their honeymoon following the wedding in Kauai, Hawaii. The bride’s son, Samuel Alexander Coniglio, age nine, attended the couple, who will make their home in Lakewood, CO.

EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE Due to the Post Office now sending the Jewish Press to Des Moines, IA, for sorting before returning the newspapers to Omaha for delivery, we have been forced to move up our our deadline. Please send all articles, photos and ads to the Press by Thursdays, 9 a.m., for all regular issues (early deadlines for special issues and to accommodate office closings for holidays will be announced in advance). Questions? Call 334.6448.

NEBRASKA JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY The Nebraska Jewish Historical Society seeks Jewish people that lived in Nebraska communities other than Omaha and Lincoln for a new exhibit called “Small Jewish Communities in Nebraska.” If you lived in a smaller community in Nebraska, please contact Executive Director Renee Corcoran at NJHS at 334.6442 or Ira Nathan at 496.0564, to find out how you can participate in this exciting project. WALK-IN; DROP-IN For those members going to the Lauritzen Gardens on Thursday, please meet at the JCC by 9:45 a.m. LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Come to the Yiddish meeting at the JCC on Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. Call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638. VISIONS A Visions Summer Picnic is Sunday, Aug. 13, 1 p.m., at Chalco Hill’s Recreation Area. Cost is $6 per person. Please bring a side dish to share. Yesterdays Kids will perform. Send reservations to Ethel Goldston, 1108 No. 92 Plz., #101, Omaha, NE 68114 by Aug. 6. For information, call Rose Pitlor at 558-5144. Visions is on the road again to picturesque Iowa to visit Hotel Pattee in Perry and the Boone Scenic Valley Railroad on Wednesday, Oct. 4. Cost of $68 includes coach bus, lunch at the Hotel Pattee and the railroad ride. Depart from the JCC at 7:30 a.m. and return by approximately 6 p.m. Deposit of $30 is required; full payment is due on Sept. 1. Send reservations with deposit to Anne Skolkin, 1010 Regency Parkway #302, Omaha, NE 68114. Make all checks payable to Visions. JEWISH SENIOR SERVICES JSS presents the Sweet Adelines International concert on Thursday, Aug. 17, 7 p.m. in the JCC auditorium. There is no admission fee. Sweet Adelines is a worldwide non-profit organization of women singers committed to advancing the musical art. BREADBREAKERS Chief of Police Thomas Warren will speak about bank robberies and gangs in Omaha at Breadbreakers on Wednesday, Aug. 9, noon, at Regency Lodge. Barring any emergency, he will take questions and update us on the challenges facing the city. Breadbreakers is open to everyone in the community. A full lunch is $11; beverage service only is $2.

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Interfaith Families Find a Home at Beth El Synagogue by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator For years, many intermarried families have found a comfortable and welcoming home at Beth El Synagogue, attending religious services and participating in cultural and social programs. According to Beth El’s Rabbi Mordechai Levin, the synagogue’s membership is diverse, including couples with one spouse who has undergone conversion to Judaism, plus interfaith families who have chosen to raise their children as Jews and have enrolled them in the synagogue’s religious school. Tamara and Rhon Say are one example of Beth El’s interfaith families who settled into synagogue life, eventually calling Beth El their second home. The couple, who were stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, made a connection with Beth El after visiting all the congregations in town. “I was raised Reform, but knew m o r e people at Rhon and Tamara Say Beth El at that time, so we began attending there,” Tamara explained. Their involvement lasted for two-and-a-half years, until their recent move to Fayetteville, North Carolina. “I first became involved with Beth El when I was invited by Cantor Bogomolni to participate as a performer in the Cantor’s Concert as a flamenco dancer,” said Tamara, “and I got to know some wonderful people while I was collaborating on that performance. All our friends and our new-found friends, as well as the rabbi and executive director of the synagogue, extended a welcome hand to us, so my feeling after the Cantor’s Concert was, ‘How could we not join?’ When we mentioned the fact that we were an interfaith couple, the response was not, ‘Oh, I see,’ but rather, ‘Oh, there is a sizable community of people just like you that we can hook you up with--many of them are here at Beth El. Here--let me give you their names and contact info.’” During their time in Omaha, the Says participated in a variety of programs at Beth El, including PATTER (a program for preschoolers and their parents) and other child-related activities, the Jewish Veterans’ Shabbat celebration, and Sisterhood’s annual Boutique. The couple enjoyed attending Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat services; several years ago they celebrated their daughter Ana’s baby naming during a Saturday morning Shabbat service, and more recently, their son’s brit milah. Noting that fellow congregants were “always friendly

and open to us,” Tamara added that, “our involvement at the synagogue was enormously welcomed and encouraged. Now that we’ve moved to North Carolina, I can’t deny that I still feel like we have family in Omaha. I would definitely encourage other intermarried families to get involved at the synagogue. I remember saying this before and I’ll say it again: joining Beth El was the best thing we could have done for our family.” Until her conversion two years ago, Carol Schneider and her husband, Ed, attended Beth El as an intermarried couple for 29 years. “I have always felt comfortable at Beth El, from the time I first walked in with my husband Ed as a newlywed 31 years ago,” said. Carol “Everyone treated me warmly and made me feel totally comfortable. It wasn’t until my conversion years later that I found that many members didn’t realize that I wasn’t Jewish. They had always accepted me as any other member of the congreEd and Carol Schneider gation.” The Schneiders are familiar faces at Beth El who enrich their Jewish lives by taking part in numerous adult-education classes, enjoying a variety of synagogue programs and attending Shabbat services on a regular basis. Carol counts her conversion, Jewish wedding and recent Bat Mitzvah as momentous milestones in her life; she takes great joy being part of a minyan, and also enjoys sharing her conversion experience with others who are considering following in her footsteps. Enthusiastically encouraging intermarried couples to participate in synagogue activities, Carol expressed certainty that all newcomers at Beth El should expect to be received as warmly as she was almost three decades ago. “Everyone is welcome, intermarried or not,” she said. Rabbi Levin confirmed Schneider’s belief, adding that, “Unfortunately, there are still those in Omaha who believe that there is no place for intermarried couples at our synagogue. The Say and Schneider families’ stories are but two examples which disprove that assumption-and there are dozens more. Rabbi Levin confirmed Schneider’s belief, adding that, “Unfortunately, there are still those in Omaha who believe that there is no place for intermarried couples at our synagogue. The Say and Schneider families’ stories are but two examples which disprove that assumption – and there are dozens more. We want intermarried couples to know there is a place for them within Conservative Judaism. We invite them to join us and experience the warmth of our congregation.”

Eye on Israel Evening Edition Draws Crowd Filled with Questions About Israeli Conflict with Hezbollah by MARY SUE GROSSMAN young people in the North to the safety of newly estabAdministrator, The Center for Jewish Education lished summer camps in central Israel and to provide Dr. Guy Matalon gave an overview of the current con- assistance for the elderly and other at-risk populations flict in Israel at a special who remain homebound. “Eye on Israel” session last (Tax-deductible donations month with Dr. Moshe to the Israel Crisis Fund can Gershovich, and Uri Levin be directed to the Jewish as panelists. About 80 peoFederation of Omaha, 333 So. 132 St, Omaha NE ple were in attendance for 68154, or online at: the presentation. www.jewishomaha.org) Gershovich gave a brief “The interest from the history of Lebanon. Levin, community in having a who served as a naval intellistrong understanding of gence officer during his IDF what is happening in Israel is service and returned from outstanding,” said Matalon. Israel with the Artza group on July 19, shared his Dr. Guy Matalon, left, Uri Levin, and Dr. Moshe Gershovich “Moshe, Uri, and I were thoughts on the situation discussed the current conflagration in Lebanon at last impressed with the quesand the responses by the month’s Eye on Israel. tions asked and by the high military. The three panelists discussed the many chal- level of interest in continuing to provide avenues of dislenges faced and the need for Israel to continue the cussion.” Another evening session of “Eye on Israel” will be quest in destroying Hezbollah. A question and answer held on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 7 p.m., with Matalon joined session followed their presentation. The evening included an appeal by Jan Schneiderman by new ADL director, Alan Potash, and Israeli tour for financial donations to provide immediate aid to the guide, Alex Fleischer. For information, please call northern Israel area. Donations will be used to move 334.6445.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

August 4, 2006

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by RACHEL BLUM JCC Program Director This Sunday, 20 Jewish teens from Omaha and three teens from Israel will travel to Phoenix, AZ, to compete in the 2006 JCC Maccabi Games. The Maccabi Games, a weeklong sporting event for Jewish teens ages 1316, incorporates community service projects, Judaic education activities, and social programming. Our teens will spend a week with their peers from a variety of U.S. cities, as well as those from Australia, Great Britain, Mexico, Venezuela, and Israel. For the fifth consecutive year, the Omaha JCC is participating in the Maccabi Sister City program, which enables us to bring three Israeli teens from our Partnership with Israel region--the Western Galilee--to Omaha. The athletes spent the week before the Games with our Maccabi athletes practicing their sports, getting to know the members of Team Omaha, and learning about Jewish Omaha by visiting the three local synagogues and meeting with the rabbis. They also spent time talking with the teens in BBYO about their lives as Jewish teens in Israel. Following their visit in Omaha, the Israeli teens become a part of Team Omaha and travel with us to the Games. It’s an incredible opportunity for everyone involved, and the experience of our local teens meeting Israeli teens is exciting because of the common heritage which Jewish teens from around the world share. The Maccabi Sister City Program is funded in part by the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation, the Mort Richards Youth Endowment Fund, and the Jewish Federation of Omaha. This year, Team Omaha consists of a boys’ basketball

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JCC shaliach Uri Levin, left, takes Israeli teens Roi Amster, 15, Dan Mayost, 15, Gil Rosi, 15, and chaperone Eliran Asraf, chaperone, 23, to Beth El Synagogue before joining Omaha teens at the JCC Maccabi Games in Phoenix.

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team and a variety of athletes competing in the individual sports of bowling, golf, swimming, table tennis, and tennis. Team Omaha athletes are as follows: Boys Basketball: Colin Belmont, Josh Danon, Andrew Godwin, Justin Idelman, Mitchell Raznick, Jack Schrager, and Alex Terry; Bowling: Arielle Pilley, Josh Pilley, Gil Rosi, and Nathan Wolf; Golf: Dan Canfield, Michael Friedman, and Joey Kahn; Swimming: Cameron Stern, and Effie Tsabari; Table Tennis: Roie Amster, Rachel Martin, Ygal Schuller, and Zach Spooner; Tennis: Michelle Elkin, Dan Mayost, and Daniel Rahmani. For more information about the JCC Maccabi Games, please call me at 334.6404.

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WITH A GRAIN OF SALT by JILL BELMONT In the end, it was all about the friendship. Not wins, losses, strike-outs or batting averages. It was about sleepovers, eating out, hanging out. It was about an unusual group of 14-year-old boys who were not only teammates on the baseball field, but thick as thieves off it as well. And I thank my lucky stars every day that my son became part of this bunch, these Kingswood Knights, three years ago. Good kids, all of them. A handful was like brothers-friends since early childhood who played ball together for years. Then there were the latecomers like Colin Belmont, who were welcomed with open arms by these fun-loving boys. They gravitated toward each other, blending together with chemistry that was palpable and constant. There was always room for another “brother,� and our family found out quickly that with this crew, Knight Time was all the time. Aside from their baseball commitment, a normal summer afternoon for these kids often involved congregating at one home, and invariably ending up somewhere else altogether. It wasn’t unusual for them to shift camp three times in one day. We parents became sleuths, trying to track down at whose house the mob had landed. I never worried about what they were doing, just wondered where the heck they were. If not for cell phones, we may have been tempted to embed computer chips in these vagabonds: a tracking system for wayward kids. Many evenings turned into Endless Knights. I can attest that sleepovers in the Belmont basement, filled with crazed games of basketball (on a plastic Little Tikes basketball hoop, no less), videogames and computer shenanigans, resulted in very little slumber. Our walls and ceilings are a testament to their play: fingerprints, shoe prints (I still can’t figure out how they got up there) and numerous random smudges tell the tale. Come morning, bleary-eyed boys with hilarious-looking “bed-head� hair dragged themselves to the kitchen table, waiting for chocolate-chip pancakes and maybe eggs (if they could finagle Colin into cooking them). It was fun being the Galloping-not-so-Gourmet of adolescents. Averaging 65 games each summer, traveling out of town to tournaments and spending hours practicing in the hot sun, one would think these boys would eventually get on each other’s last nerve. Not so. After many a game, they lobbied their elders to go out to eat together: my guess is that food, not friendship, probably moti-

vated their begging. Immediately following several tournament games, when any sane person would make a beeline for air conditioning, a shower and some wellearned relaxation, these lunatics insisted on meeting (sans shower, still in their uniforms) at a neighborhood park--to play more ball. Lately, self-styled “home-run derbies� have drawn some of the kids to the team’s home field at Lake Zorinsky, where they bake in the sun for hours on end, despite the fact that the concession stand--and the restrooms--are closed and locked. In this day and age when we hear so much about youth sports teams whose players are merely vehicles used to feed their coaches’ and parents’ egos, it’s clear that the Kingswood Knights’ camaraderie didn’t happen by accident. Attitude comes directly from the top, and in our case, the top was occupied by a terrific coach who came complete with not only baseball smarts, but a big heart, endless patience and a deep affection for the kids. He epitomized fairness, applauded success, helped the kids work through slumps and disappointments. I will always carry the image of this dear man kissing my son on the top of his head as he was carried from the ball field after breaking his ankle during a tournament last year. I smile to think how horrified the staff at Children’s Hospital was later that afternoon, as our coaches and several smelly, dirty baseball players tramped through the clean emergency area, looking for their comrade. The end of the Kingswood Knights’ 2006 season has meant the end of our team. The boys will now head to their respective high schools (most will attend Creighton Prep or Millard North), cultivate new interests and possibly continue their baseball careers. I’m hopeful that they’ll make time to stay connected with one another. How lucky we’ve been to have these years. How lucky that our boys have been able to experience the great sport of baseball with such supportive coaches, parents and friends. How lucky they will always be to carry such wonderful memories of this unique time in their lives. As our Knights ended their final baseball game last month in a Chicago-area tournament--after their coaches called the last team huddle behind the dugout and the bats, balls and gloves were put away--the tears came. Our boys stood in the parking lot, sobbing into each others’ shoulders, hugging their teary-eyed coaches and parents. As other tournament-goers walked to their cars, they probably attributed the boys’ sadness to the loss of their last game, but we knew better. It wasn’t about wins, losses, strike-outs or batting averages. In the end, it was all about the friendship--it always had been. Jill Belmont is a freelance writer who also writes publicity for Beth El Syangogue and can be reached at BeanK2@aol.com.

August 4, 2006

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 11

Tehillim/Psalms: In Times of Crisis, Joy and Thanksgiving What’s in a Song? Thanksgiving for a miracle: “He saved me from my In this Case, the Origins strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were too strong for me.” (Psalm 18:18) There are of the Katyusha Rocket PEOPLE many other recommendations including psalms for OF THE

BYTE

by MARK MIETKIEWICZ From the depths I called You, Hashem O Lord, hear my voice. May your ears be attentive to the sound of my pleas--Psalm 130 Whenever Jews have found themselves at a turning point in their lives, there is one Jewish book that they have reached for to express their grief, thanks, joy and delivery from harm: Tehillim, the book of Psalms. In the 150 of chapters of Tehillim you can find references to all the emotions of the human condition. But right now, as Israelis cope with death and injury, Jews around the world are reciting Psalms on their behalf. If you are familiar with Tehillim--and especially if you are not--you will find new insights waiting for you on the Internet. There are many online versions of Tehillim available in both Hebrew and English. The Mechon Mamre site not only provides Hebrew and English but also has a link to an audio so you can listen to each chapter being recited. [http://tinyurl.com/ggbec] If you have trouble displaying Hebrew fonts on your computer, you can read and print out the entire Hebrew text through a series of graphics. [www.midrash.org/tefilloth/ tehillim/] And I also appreciate the version at Tehillim Hotline which lets you search for any word in Tehillim. [http://tinyurl.com/ovumq] Should you do decide to print out an entire Tehillim or selected chapters, please respect the sanctity of the material. Although the beauty of Tehillim can be appreciated at face value, you can understand so much more with a commentary such as Rashi’s which Chabad.org provides in its entirety in English. [http://tinyurl.com/hyj7p] (The link to the commentary may be a bit hard to find. Click on any chapter of Tehillim and toward the top right of the page, you will see a link to Rashi’s commentary.) Many people turn to Tehillim when they are facing a serious challenge, the range of poetry is so wide that different chapters are recommended for various occasions. Tehillim Online provides a comprehensive list: [http://tinyurl.com/hrmt6]--While traveling: “…under his wings shall you find refuge; his truth shall be your shield…” (Psalm 91:4)--Recovery from illness: “Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak; O Lord, heal me; for my bones shudder.” (Psalm 6:3)--

finding a shiduch, on the day of a wedding and for healthy children. What is the source of Tehillim’s power? Rabbi Y.D. Webster explains that what is critical is believing that everything that one has ultimately comes from G-d “and not from one’s own power. Shira [song] is the ultimate expression of a recognition that has so permeated the heart that it is aroused to give outward expression.” [http://tinyurl.com/lm5h4] Rabbi Amy Scheinerman adds that “while the rest of the Tanakh speaks of the experience of a nation in its covenant with God, the Psalms speak from the depths of individual souls searching for the Divine in their individual lives.” [http:// tinyurl.com/ocaov] But how do you thank G-d while you are experiencing serious illness? Rabbi Nancy Flam turns to Psalm 150: “Praise God’s mighty deeds; praise God according to God’s abundant greatness.” Rabbi Flam explains that she affirms and praises “God as the One who makes miracles everyday, according to the laws of the physical universe and the human spirit. …Such greatness pertains whether I am ill or well. Praise of God is not about me or my condition; it of God.” is about the reality [http://tinyurl.com/mzpgk] As the recitation of additional Psalms is currently being recited privately, in women’s groups and as part of synagogue prayer, you may want to download the material provided at the Artscroll website. You’ll find a free excerpt from Artscroll’s interlinear Tehillim in which each line in Hebrew is followed by an English translation. You can download five chapters (20, 83,121,130 and 142) which are traditionally recited at times of crisis. [http://tinyurl.com/pmtbe] As the material points out, the recitation of the Tehillim is usually concluded with this brief plea which has all too much resonance at the moment. “Our brothers, the entire House of Israel, who are found in distress and captivity, who are situated whether at sea or whether on land--may the Omnipresent One --have mercy on them and remove them from distress to relief, from darkness to light, from subjugation to redemption, now, speedily, and in a time that comes soon--and let us say: Amen.” Mark Mietkiewicz is a Toronto-based Internet producer who writes, lectures and teaches about the Jewish Internet. He can be reached at highway@rogers.com.

by LEV KRICHEVSKY MOSCOW (JTA)--The Katyusha rockets that are raining down on Israel are named after a love song written by a Russian Jewish composer. The song is about Katyusha, a diminutive of the Russian name Ekaterina or Katerina, who is longing for her beloved who is away on military service. The music for the song was written in 1938 by Matvey Blanter, a Soviet composer of Jewish origin. The lyrics were penned by Mikhail Isakovsky. The rocket launchers were first used by the Red Army in July 1941, weeks after the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The Germans called the weapon Stalinorgel, or Stalin’s Organ, because of its organ-like appearance and the sound of the rockets, which was like a pipe organ. Known for its simple design, the weapon could be mounted on trucks and tanks--and even on tractors. The wide use of Katyushas by the Red Army was due to the fact that After Marous al-Ras was secured, several the rockets caches of ammunition including katyusha were inexpen- rockets, were destroyed by IDF sappers. Credit: ISRANET sive to produce, though they were fragile. The launchers took a long time to reload but could deliver a devastating amount of explosives to a target area in a short period of time, although with poor accuracy. The Soviet Union never used the original Katyushas after World War II, although upgraded versions of Soviet multiple launchers were introduced in the early 1960s. This type of weapon has been widely used since the 1960s by various insurgent groups around the world, from the National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam to the Iraqi insurgency to the Taliban and Hezbollah. The postwar version of the Katyusha made it to the Middle East through the extensive sale of Soviet-made weaponry to the Arab world after the 1967 Six-Day War.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

August 4, 2006

Newspeak According to Hezbollah Remember reading George Orwell’s book about “newspeak”--1984? Remember when “the people” were told their enemies had changed, that instead of fighting one country, they were now fighting another? Remember all that propaganda? Orwell called it “newspeak”. Newspeak is a common propaganda tool among many Arabs. Say it and it’s as though it’s already happened. Tell the world a massacre has occurred in Jenin and (unfortunately), the world’s media will broadcast it. When the truth surfaces later...that there was no massacre of hundreds, as the U.S.’s chairman Kofi Annan accused Israel during the second intifada, it’s relegated to the back pages. The latest newspeak is Qana. According to Hezbollah “56 civilians” died in “an Israeli attack” even before any rescue or recovery efforts had taken place. They even had the pictures to prove it. Really? Some serious discrepancies have arisen since the Israelis retaliated on the Hezbollah stronghold. last week: • The IDF had already dropped thousands of leaflets on the town, urging civilian residents to leave as the Israeli forces would soon be entering to rid the small community of Hezbollah terrorists. Why didn’t they leave? • After the IDF pinpointed rocket fire (in videos that have been repeatedly played on tv), it returned fire, sometime between midnight and 1 a.m., according to the Israeli ministry of Foreign Affairs. • The Qana apartment building where the supposed 56 dead were found did not collapse until around 8 a.m., more than seven hours after the attack. • In another discrepancy, only 27 bodies

have been recovered--and interestingly, no blood was found in the wreckage. The bodies were all women, children, and elderly men. It’s odd when even liberal Omaha Jews find themselves in agreement with conservative pundits like Rush Limbaugh, Oliver North, and Bill O’Reilly. But all three have raised fascinating questions (and theories) about Qana. North wants to know where all the young men of Qana are? If they were trying to protect their families, why weren’t some of them found in the wreckage of the apartment building? Could it be that the young men of Qana are either members of Hezbollah or sympathizers? Were they out “fighting”, leaving their loved ones to fend for themselves? What kind of “men” are they? The kind who sacrifice wives and children? Limbaugh proposes that Qana, like Jenin, was a set-up. Could it be that Hezbollah either forced women and children to stay, held them hostage and then wired the building with explosives? Or was it an unexploded katyusha rocket that misfired in the early morning? Would the United Nations release that information, if it turns out to be true? O’Reilly reminds listeners of earlier charges against Israel. Readers should recall it was only a few weeks ago that Palestinians claimed Israelis killed an entire family on a Gaza beach. We know now that it turned out to be an unexploded Palestinian mine. Add that story to the one about the little Palestinian boy, Mohammed al-Dura, whose father

“protected” him until he was allegedly killed by IDF fire. But Israeli scientists proved later that it was impossible for the bullet to have come from where the IDF was firing. And now Qana can be added to the list of exaggerated claims by terrorist groups that serve to foment the hatred of Jews. When will the media--and the world--realize this is all newspeak? Good journalists investigate and confirm sources before reporting. And when they err, they should announce the correction immediately, and not bury it (pardon the pun). Terrorists, it seems, are getting away with more than murder these days.

Jewish Press Committee Bobbi Leibowitz, Vice-Chairman; Stan Mitchell, Secretary; Scott Meyerson, Treasurer; Michael Siegel, Finance Chairman; Joanie Jacobson, Immediate Past-chairman; David Herzog; Susan Lehr; Jamie Meyerson; George Quittner; Melissa Schop; Michael Sigmond; Jim Simon; Nancy Skid; and Dorothy Spizman. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Centers of Excellence of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Education, Jewish Family Service, and Jewish Senior Services. The Jewish Press is a constitutional committee of the Jewish Federation. Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Jewish the Committee, Federation of Omaha or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.

UNRWA Reform Discussed, but Calls to Disband Rejected

LETTER

that the agency fulfills a critical need for now. “One of the realities is we don’t have anyone else on the ground,’’ he said. by RON KAMPEAS Coleman and Kirk continued their arguments for greater transparency for the agency, WASHINGTON (JTA)--U.S. lawmakers which they say does not have a transparent leading the effort to reform UNRWA rejected budget. UNRWA’s budget runs about $400 million proposals to disband the U.N. body adminisannually, most of it from Western nations. tering aid to Palestinian refugees. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), who has sponsored Now that Hamas, a terrorist group, has UNRWA reform legislation in the U.S. House assumed governance of the Palestinian of Representatives, and Sen. Norm Coleman Authority, the Bush administration and other (R-Minn.) said the U.N. Relief and Works Western nations are considering funneling Agency performs an indispensable service, assistance money through UNRWA. Last month, David Welch, the top State despite what they called problems with its Department envoy to the region, met in transparency. “I don’t think we should cut UNRWA off,” Ramallah with P.A. President Mahmoud Kirk said last month at a Capitol Hill briefing Abbas and announced plans to funnel $50 million in humanitarian aid organized by the Jewish ...the continued existence of an through UNRWA. Institute for National UNRWA officials say Security Affairs. “UNRWA agency uniquely dedicated to the agency undergoes does a lot of good.” Palestinians dispersed by the periodic audits, adding The institute has long that one such audit advocated for folding 1948 war and their descendants, should be ready in six UNRWA into the U.N. perpetuates a myth that Israel’s weeks. High Commissioner for creation was a mistake. Kirk says UNRWA’s Refugees. Shoshana Bryen, the institute’s director of previous audits have been too broad and special projects, opened the session by saying opaque, and that U.N. auditors lack credibilithe continued existence of an agency uniquely ty. UNRWA officials counter that the U.N. dedicated to Palestinians dispersed by the Board of Auditors is an independent body 1948 war and their descendants, perpetuates a comprised of individual auditors rotated in by member countries. myth that Israel’s creation was a mistake. Auditors from South Africa, the Philippines “As long as the Palestinian community is led to believe its status is unique, they become and France are carrying out the current audit. pawns for the most radical elements of the Moreover, the UNRWA officials note, Palestinian leadership,” Bryen said. “Israel is Congress’ own General Accounting Office works for the U.N. Board of Auditors. not a mistake that needs to be corrected.” Kirk and Coleman also allege that among Palestinians should be treated no differently than any other refugee community, and should UNRWA’s 25,000 employees are individuals loyal to Hamas. UNRWA says its employees be settled where they now live, Bryen said. Coleman, who leads U.N. reform efforts in are banned from any political activity, and the Senate, would not count out folding notes that those who ran for political office UNRWA into UNHCR in the future, but said first had to quit the organization.

TO THE

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(Founded in 1920) Howard K. Marcus Chairman Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Managing Editor Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Managing Editor Terri Greenwood Advertising Executive Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper Anne Muskin Editorial Intern

EDITOR

To the Editor: Recent developments are proving that understanding what is happening in the Middle East is more important than ever. For over eight years, The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) has relied upon the generosity of our donors, including many of our subscribers, in order to produce unique translations and analyses that enable government, law enforcement, legislating bodies, academia, and the media to gain such an understanding. However, the production and distribution of our materials, as well as the maintenance and development of our websites, is a costly undertaking. At this crucial time, with the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, you can help us maintain and expand our vital work--as well as help the world understand the complexities of what is going on in the region. Please help MEMRI continue to provide our material, free of charge. To donate online, visit: www.memri.org/donation. MEMRI continues to lead in “Bridging the Language Gap Between the Middle East and the West” through its translations, analyses, studies, and TV footage. The following projects still need funding for this year: • TV PROJECT (www.memritv.org): There are now almost 1,200 clips, with new ones added daily. MEMRI TV monitors over 50 channels around the clock. There is no other organization doing such research and making it available to the public. • REFORM PROJECT (www.memri.org/ reform.html): This project monitors advocates of reform in the Arab and Muslim world, as well as the obstacles faced in advancing their cause. MEMRI is also helping to facilitate multiple projects for reform in Arabic and Farsi. Continued on page 13

Editorial The Jewish Press is a Constitutional Committee of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1-402-334-5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org.. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be singlespaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions, but should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For more information, contact Carol Katzman, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly on Friday for $31 per calendar year U.S.; $36 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or e-mail to: jpress@jewishomaha. org.

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U.S. Rabbi Visits Israel’s North, Sees Effects of Hezbollah Attacks

BEHIND THE HEADLINES by RABBI AVI WEISS

rooms on the floors above ground have all been cleared out. In fact, the entire hospital has moved underground. Imagine, a hospital functioning through underground tunnels and wards. Many of these wards are filled with people undergoing normal, scheduled hospital treatment, but there are also a number of soldiers and civilians who were injured in the war. Among the soldiers we encountered was Eyal, a tank commander from Kibbutz Tirat Tzvi. As his girlfriend and mother sat close by, Eyal insisted that he would return to the battle after his recovery. “My friends are there fighting, I can’t allow them to be there without me,’’ he said.

TIBERIAS, Israel (JTA) -- Today, for the first time, I experienced a Katyusha attack up close. I was visiting a bomb shelter in Tiberias, a town hard hit by days of rocket attacks. Together with Yonah Berman and Rabbi Yamin Levy, I tried to bring joy to the children cooped up in these stuffy, cramped rooms with little ventilation and horrific sanitation facilities. One set of parents invited us to see their home just 100 feet away. As we left their apartment after spending a few minutes there, the siren went off. I moved slowly, not believing I was in any real danger when suddenly the shouts came: “Run, it’s coming this way!” It was impossible to reach the shelter in the few seconds before we heard the thunderous booms hitting the ground. Between four and six rockets landed about 100 yards away. Rabbi Avi Weiss visits a wounded Israeli soldier at Rambam Credit: courtesy of Avi Weiss The Katyushas set the Hospital in Haifa. fields ablaze and people were afraid that Together we recalled Matan Robinson the synagogue just down the road would from the same kibbutz, who died fighting be set on fire. Thank God that didn’t militants in Jenin. occur. We went to see the family of abducted Other rockets hit upper Tiberias, injur- soldier Ehud Goldwasser, in Nahariya. ing five people at the same time as the We met his wife, Karnit, and his parents, attack we witnessed. Shlomo and Mikki. No one was physically hurt in this The family is full of hope and the joy of attack, but I could see the fear in the eyes life. We expressed our support and told of children in the bunker. Little girls were them of the outpouring of love for Ehud digging their nails into their mothers’ around the world. We discussed ideas hands. Their knees were shaking as they about possible public activity to try to looked to their parents for embrace and secure his freedom. love and protection, which their parents Over the years I have encountered could not offer in any foolproof way. many families of kidnapped sons, but in Such is the goal of terror--to instill fear, Karnit I found an unusual spirit. Karnit to immobilize, to make children’s bodies expressed such deep love, the love of a quiver and the elderly shake in trepida- soulmate for her husband. tion. As we left Nahariya, we stood in prayer What could we say to these children as for a few moments on the beach. The air we left? We just hugged them and told was still warm. them how much we love them. Perhaps, some would suggest, standing This incident brought home how vul- out there was foolhardy. But we needed nerable one can feel not knowing where this moment just to look around and see or how rockets will hit. I wondered, How the beauty of a peaceful Israel. As we is it that any human being can target civil- heard more booms in the distance, all we ians, even children? could do was offer the prayer that peace Even hospitals are potential Hezbollah come soon. targets. This was brought home hours Avi Weiss is senior rabbi of the Hebrew earlier when we went to see the Nahariya Institute of Riverdale, NY, and presiHospital. dent of Amcha--The Coalition for Jewish Nahariya, a northern coastal town, has Concerns. He is also founder and dean of been shelled relentlessly. The hospital Yeshivat Chovevei Torah.

Letter to the Editor Continued from page 12 • LECTURE SERIES: Since Sept. 11, 2001, MEMRI has given lectures on Capitol Hill, Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, FBI, Library of Congress, State Department, NYPD’s counter-terrorism unit, and others. • JIHAD & TERRORISM PROJECT (www.memri.org/jihad.html): This project monitors individuals and groups that educate and preach jihad and martyrdom in mosques, school systems, and the media, and researches Islamist ideology and organizations that threaten the West. • ISLAMIC WEBSITE INITIATIVE: Monitoring Islamist and Jihadist Websites has led to shutting down of several Islamist websites hosted in the U.S. • ASSISTANCE TO THE U.S. MILI-

TARY IN THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM: Our research is used at the highest level of the government and in all branches of the military. • ANTI-SEMITISM DOCUMENTATION PROJECT (www.memri.org/antisemitism.html): The project documents anti-Semitic themes in Arabic, Farsi, and Turkish newspaper and other media, as well as expressions against antiSemitism in the Arab and Muslim world. • ACADEMIA INITIATIVE: MEMRI receives requests from university professors and students on a daily basis. MEMRI is a 501(c)(3) organization; please send a tax-deductible check to: MEMRI, P.O. Box 27837, Washington, D.C. 20038-7837. Yigal Carmon, Co-founder

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 13

Despite Hezbollah’s Evolution, Opposition to Israel Remains Constant bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut that killed 63 people; the October 1983 attack on the U.S. Marine barracks in by GIL SEDAN Beirut that killed 241 troops; and a simultaneous attack on the French multiJERUSALEM (JTA)--Hezbollah’s evo- national force headquarters that killed 58 lution from its creation after Israel’s 1982 French soldiers. In September 1984, seven months after invasion of Lebanon to its current role in provoking a major military confrontation U.S. forces withdrew from Lebanon, underscores how far the group has come Hezbollah supporters staged a second and how it continues to be a force with attack on the U.S. Embassy annex in Beirut. Twenty more people were killed. which Israel must contend. In addition, elements of Hezbollah Under the leadership of Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah is one of the have been linked to involvement in the strongest and best organized bodies in kidnapping, detention and torture of Lebanon. Nasrallah is both a determined some 30 American and other Western man of religion and a master of psycho- hostages between 1982 and 1992. logical warfare. He’s manipulative and Among the hostages were U.S. Army Col. William Higgins and William knows how to drag people behind him. With 20,000 troops and at least 10,000 Buckley, the CIA’s Beirut station chief. During the Israeli occupation of southrockets trained on northern Israel, Hezbollah remains a potent force in ern Lebanon, Hezbollah fought the IDF Lebanon--the only remaining private and the Israel-backed South Lebanese militia in fact, after others were disarmed. Army. It refused to disarm itself, in violaIts popular strength also derives from its tion of the 1990 accords that ended civilian arm: It runs hospitals, schools, Lebanon’s civil war. Hezbollah also has ignored U.N. food-distribution centers, orphanages and a television station, partly thanks to an esti- Security Council resolutions ordering mated $60 million in annual aid from Iran. that it disarm, feeling it has political backWhen Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982 to ing from Iran and Syria and popular suprout out Palestinian terrorist activity across port because of its successful guerrilla its northern border, relations between warfare against Israel. “For us Lebanese, Hezbollah is a Israel and Amal, a Shi’ite political and paranational resistance movement,” Lebanese military organization, were cordial. President Emile Lahoud Amal represented the once said. “If it wasn’t for Hezbollah views the strata of weakest them, we couldn’t have Lebanese society, and its Iranian model of an Islamic liberated our land.” interests were served by state as the most desirable Hezbollah has continIsrael’s weakening of form of governance. ued fighting Israel even Palestinian power in after the Israeli withdrawal, inventing a Lebanon. But soon the young Nasrallah followed claim to the Shebaa Farms area of the his teacher, Abbas Musawi, out of Amal, Golan Heights and demanding that Israel and the radical group Hezbollah--the evacuate that area too. Israel has refused, claiming that the farms were territory party of God--was formed. Iran sent a force of some 1,500 captured from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day Revolutionary Guards to help the new War, not Lebanese territory. The United Nations backed the Israeli organization, whose main focus was to expel Israeli and Western forces from position and rejected Hezbollah’s claim, but the group has used the dispute as a Lebanon. As anti-Israeli operations in Lebanon pretext to launch Katyusha rockets into intensified, an Israeli missile struck Israel and occasionally open fire on solMusawi’s motorcade in 1992 and killed diers along the border. Shortly after the withdrawal, Hezbollah him. It was Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, who asked Nasrallah killed three Israeli soldiers in a cross-borto replace Musawi. Today Iran and Syria der attack and brought their bodies back are Hezbollah’s main patrons, supplying to Lebanon. The group later kidnapped Israeli businessman Elhanan the organization with arms and funds. Hezbollah views the Iranian model of Tannenbaum, a colonel in the Israeli an Islamic state as the most desirable army reserves, which led to an exchange form of governance. Given Lebanon’s of prisoners on Jan. 29, 2004. Israel exchanged some 30 Lebanese religious diversity, however, Hezbollah does not consider an Islamic state there a and Arab prisoners, the remains of 60 Lebanese militants and civilians, 420 viable political option. Running in June 2005 elections, Palestinian prisoners and maps showing Hezbollah won 23 seats in Lebanon’s Israeli mines in southern Lebanon for 128-member Parliament, and holds the Tannenbaum and the remains of the Energy Ministry. Some hoped that politi- three IDF soldiers. Among the released Lebanese prisoners cal power would moderate the group and compel it to act more responsibly, but were Shi’ite activist Mustafa Dirani and there has been little indication of a change Sheik Abdul Karim Obeid, one of the leaders of Hezbollah. in Hezbollah’s outlook or behavior. Hezbollah promises to provide new Hezbollah supports the destruction of Israel and cooperates with other militant information on the fate of IDF navigator Islamic organizations, such as Hamas, to Ron Arad, who was taken hostage after promote this goal. Analysts see increased bailing out of his plane on a 1986 mission coordination lately among Hamas and over Lebanon, have proved empty. Palestinian terrorist groups have been Hezbollah. Hezbollah attacks on the Israel Defense known to draw inspiration from Force were an important factor in Israel’s Hezbollah’s success fighting Israel, and decision to evacuate its southern Israel says Hezbollah increasingly is involved in training and arming Hamas. Lebanon security zone in May 2000. At first, Hezbollah also targeted other Israel also has blamed Hezbollah for Western forces in Lebanon, particularly attempts to draw Israeli Arabs into terthe French and Italian multinational rorist activities. When Jordan arrested Hezbollah mempeacekeeping force, whose purpose was bers trying to smuggle Katyusha rockets to stabilize the country. Hezbollah was believed to be the driv- into the West Bank, Nasrallah said, “It is ing force behind several attacks on a duty to send arms to Palestinians from Western targets: the April 1983 suicide any possible place.”

FOCUS ON ISSUES

Page 14

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

August 4, 2006

Candlelighting Friday, August 4, 8:19 p.m.

Synagogue Listings B’nai Israel Synagogue 618 Mynster St. Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com

Beth El Synagogue Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Omaha, NE 68154-1980 492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org

Beth Israel Synagogue Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific St. Omaha, NE. 68154 556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

Beyt Shalom An Affiliate of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation 3012 S. 119 St. P.O. Box 390352 Omaha, NE 68139 660.2395 www.beytshalomomaha.org

Chabad House An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 S. 120th St. Omaha, NE 68144-1646 330.1800 nebraskajudaism.com email: chabad@aol.com

Congregation B’nai Jeshurun South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 S. 20th St. Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 435.8004 southstreettemple.org

Offutt Air Force Base SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway Offutt AFB, NE 68113 294.6244

Rose Blumkin Jewish Home 333 S. 132 St. Omaha, NE 68154

Temple Israel Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556.6536 templeisrael-ne.org

The Neighborhood Minyan 1317 No. 57 St. Omaha, NE 68132 551.6609

Tifereth Israel Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 423.8569 www.tiferethlincoln.org

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Allan Handleman, 334.6451, or Terri Greenwood, 334.6559.

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m. No services on Aug. 18.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush sponsored by Betty Kolnick, in honor of her granddaughter, Molly Kudym becoming a Bat Mitzvah; Evening Service, 8:30 p.m. Sitter Service is available during Friday night and Saturday morning services, on a drop-in basis, at no charge. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sunday, 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Weekdays, 6:55 a.m./5:30 p.m. ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAY: Bible Discussion Group, 10 a.m. K’TANTAN PLUS: Our summer program, led by Daniel Christensen, meets in the chapel from 10:45-11:45 a.m. Our next sessions will be held, Aug. 12 and 26. The program is open to children in K-6, and offers opportunities to take roles in leading Shabbat services, as well as the parasha discussion. For information, call Judy Rubin at 498.0904. MEN’S CLUB SOFTBALL LEAGUE: Sunday Aug. 13, 10:30 a.m. JCC ball fields. Please be there by 10:15 a.m. SHABBAT TUNES & TALES: New pre-school program for toddlers and their parents, featuring sing-alongs with “Miss Patty” Nogg, will begin Saturday, Aug. 19, 11:1511:45 a.m.; for all Jewish families in the community. SISTERHOOD ANNUAL HONEY SALE: Now through Aug. 21, orders are being taken for Rosh Hashanah honey and holiday greetings. For more information, call 301.7321 or e-mail chai.honey@cox.net.

USY: Candidate Membership Training (CMT) is scheduled for Aug. 18-20, at Camp Eagle (near Fremont). All USYers welcome. For more information, contact Robert Mosenkis at 492.8550 or youthdir@bethel-omaha.org. WOMEN’S ROSH HODESH GROUP: Will meet at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 24, to discuss “Twentieth Century Women of Valor,” at the home of Ruth Goldenberg, 2307 No. 133 Cir. RSVP to Goldenberg at 505.9877.

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 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. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. Free babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes, 10 a.m. (contact the office for class schedule); Kiddush is sponsored by Sisterhood in honor of the outgoing and incoming Sisterhood board members; Mincha, 7:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:23 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Contact the office for Mincha/ Ma’ariv service time. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m; Contact the office for Mincha/Ma’ariv time. WEDNESDAY: Board of Commissioner’s Meeting, 7:30 p.m. THURSDAY: Women of the Torah class, 9:30 a.m. Babysitting is provided at no charge; Advanced Parshah Study, 9 p.m.

SATURDAY: Maamar class, 9 a.m.; Service, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush luncheon follows the service. SUNDAY: Services, 8:30 a.m.; Torah Studies-Journeys exploring the Book of Bamidar (Numbers), 10 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Minyan, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Halacha class, 7 p.m. TUESDAY: Women of Worth Prayer Circle, 9 a.m. WEDNESDAY: Kabbalah Circle, 7 p.m. THURSDAY: Jewish Thought, 12:45 p.m. All events and programs are open to the community. For information or to register, call 330.1800 or visit www. Ochabad.com.

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN Services conducted by Rabbi Ilan Emanuel. FRIDAY: Motzi and Kiddush, 6 p.m.; Early Shabbat Evening Service, 6:15 p.m. led by Rabbi Emanuel. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m., all led by Rabbi Emanuel. THURSDAY: Saratoga School Food Distribution Program, 5 p.m. at Saratoga Elementary School; Choir Rehearsal, 7 p.m. During the month of August, the Social Action Committee is collecting school supplies to donate to Saratoga School. Place them in one of the boxes in the Social Hall. Thank you from the Social Action Committee and especially from the students!

BEYT SHALOM FRIDAY: Shabbat in the Home.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.

CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Service, 7 a.m.

TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m.; “Shema Temple Israel: Many Stories, One Congregation”; d’var Torah by Sam Fried: “Where was God during the Holocaust?”; Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m. at the JCC Pavillion. Please bring a picnic supper; Drinks and Desserts will be provided. SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15-10:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. SITTER SERVICE: Available at each Friday evening service, Saturday mornings when there is a bar or bat mitzvah, and Sunday mornings when there is Religious School. Advance reservations and a $5 donation are appreciated. Sorry, there are no facilities for infants. TUESDAY, Aug. 8: Life Long Learning, Adult B’nai Mitzvah, 6:30–8 p.m. in the Temple Israel Library. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY SUNDAY, AUG. 6, 12:30-4 p.m. at 4221 Himebaugh Ave.

NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Services conducted by Rabbi Royi Shaffin. Minyan, MONDAY, & THURSDAY, 9 a.m. FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. followed by a light oneg. SATURDAY: Parashat Hashavu’a class, 8:30 a.m.; Morning service, 9:30 a.m. followed by Shabbat lunch and Talmud class. WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Contact Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Rabbi Maximo Shechet.

I’m Not Running Away Israel’s Home Front Command does not just p r o v i d e emergency security directions to residents of settlements in the range of fire of Katyusha missiles. If necessary, the Home Front Command will also specifically issue “carry on as normal” orders to towns that are in doubt as to whether or not they are within enemy range. Since there is no doubt on this matter for residents of Givat Ze’ev (at least concerning Hezbollah--Hamas is another story), my course of action is clear: live my normal life. Do you understand what this means? It means that when I am lying on the sand on the beach I am doing what I am supposed to be doing as an Israeli citizen. It means that when I sit in a movie theater, I don’t have to feel guilty that I am not sitting in a bomb shelter. I give our soldiers support

JOURNAL ENTRY FROM ISRAEL by TEDDY WEINBERGER My family and I are going to New York this month to help my nephew Jeremy celebrate his bar mitzvah. My parents have told me that because of the current security situation in Israel, they are especially glad that I will be in the States for a few weeks. However, I don’t feel relieved that our trip is coinciding with a war in Israel; if anything, I feel like I’m shirking my patriotic duty. Given that when I moved here nine years ago at the age of 36, I was too old for the Israel Defense Forces, you may be wondering what my patriotic duty entails. It turns out that for me, a resident of Givat Ze’ev (a suburb of Jerusalem), my patriotic duty at this time is to lead my normal life: go to work, play tennis, go to the movies, take the kids to the beach, etc.

by demonstrating to them that the Israeli people is not running scared and by actualizing for the soldiers what they are defending: the right of Jews to live normal lives in a state of their own. [My five children, of course, have a more straightforward way of fulfilling their patriotic duty-through Israel’s compulsory draft. My oldest child, Nathan, will be inducted into the IDF on Oct. 15, and my 17-year-old, Rebecca, has already passed through several of the stages of tests and interviews that will ultimately lead to her own military service.] In the United States now for August, I am faced with a challenge to my patriotism. Going to the beach or to the movies carries no Jewish patriotic weight. I do not feel that I am doing what I should be doing at this time of war. Yes it’s true that in a modern state people take vacations, including vacations abroad; and so theoretically, spending a few weeks in America can be viewed as part of my normal life as an Israeli.

Practically though, it’s very hard for me, born and bred in the U.S., to feel like an Israeli when I am in America. For those of you who are thinking: what’s so different about war time? Doesn’t what I’ve described above apply in general to life outside of Israel versus life in Israel? That is, only life in Israel (as author A.B. Yehoshua recently pointed out amidst much controversy) affords the Jew the ability to experience their Jewishness across the whole range of their life and not just in synagogue. If you are thinking this, then all I can say is: You’re right. To be sure, wartime does heighten one’s sense of patriotic duty to the Jewish state, but for someone with a strong Jewish identity, just “normal” everyday life in Israel feels wholesome and meaningful. In any case, I hope and pray that on the Shabbat of Jeremy’s bar mitzvah (Aug. 26), the war will be over. Teddy Weinberger can be reached at weinross@netvision.net.il.

August 4, 2006

Parashat Vaethanan/Shabbat Nahamu We Jews have had a varied history, including a presence in many different countries over a long period of time. We have suffered the buffetting of history--i.e., the wickedness of anti-Semisitm--over much of our history. In the ancient world, it was simply the struggle of various peoples for land and sustenence. Later it became simply this long-lasting sin in mankind of Jew-hatred. “Anti-Semitism” does not mean hatred of Semites. There are others who are Semites who are not universally hated. Anti-Semitism refers to Jews. Not Jews, of course, but Israel is involved in a great and dangerous struggle with forces of mighty and sophisticated enemies in our time. One cannot say with certainty, but only with faith, that Israel will rise, beaten

and bloody perhaps, but at least breathing, alive, and hopeful. In such times, shall we not seek the comfort that Isaiah of the exile gave to the people of his time? He suggested to his bloodied people that they had received punishment double to what they had deserved and that it was now time for comfort. Exile was not over. But warfare, massacre, and deprivation could now be labeled things of the past. Before them was still opportunity for revival and achievement. May we hope that Israel will be able to mount a victory in its present struggle and rise to freedom, achievement, and holy peace. “I lift my eyes to the mountains. Whence shall my help come? My help shall come from the Lord, Creator of heaven and earth.” A prayer of that kind reminds us of the doctor who said to anxious parents, “Your child is in God’s hands,” and the parents responded, “Oh, is it that bad!?” Jews throughout the world are one with Israel. Eager for the time (may it be soon!) when Israel will have thrown off the present danger and we may say, “Comfort ye, comfort my people...”

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DEATHS FRANCES PLOTKIN Frances Plotkin died July 26 after a short illness. A graveside service was held July 27 at BHH/Fisher Farms Cemetery. She is survived by her husband, Norman; son, Ian Jay Plotkin; and brother, Rick Eirenberg. Memorials to Temple Israel or charity of choice. STANLEY PASSER Stanley Passer died July 26 at the age of 96. A graveside service was held July 28 at Beth El Cemetery. He graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs, where he was a star athlete in football and basketball. He was named an All State Iowa basketball player and was inducted into the JCC Athletes Wall of Fame. He married Edith Epstein in 1936 and together they ran a grocery store in Council Bluffs. During WW II, he served in the European theater. After the war, he moved to Omaha and ran a grocery and general merchandise store at 24th and Cuming until he retired in 1971, but remained active in real estate in both Omaha and Council Bluffs until 2004.

Preceding him in death were his infant son, Donald, his wife of 52 years, Edith, and his son, Dennis Passer M.D. He is survived by his son and daughter in law, Dr. Jeffrey and Sandra Passer; grandchildren. Sam and Dr. Cori Passer, Lyndi and Eric Munro, of Overland Park, Kansas, Jeremy Passer, of Minneapolis, MN, Joel and Aaron Passer and two great grandchildren. Memorials to Temple Israel, the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, or the VNA Hospice.

• NEW YORK (JTA)--ABC is pulling out of a project on the Holocaust with Mel Gibson’s production company. The Wall Street Journal reported the news Tuesday. The paper cited a representative for the network saying the television series was being ended because the network hasn’t yet seen a script. However, the move comes a few days after the Hollywood actor made anti-Semitic comments after being arrested for drunk driving. Gibson subsequently entered an alcohol rehabilitation center.

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To Submit an Obituary Notice: Send full name, age, date of death, location of service and burial site, as well as other pertinent information to the Jewish Press via e-mail: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; fax, 402.334.5422; or mail, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68114. Obituaries--as well as engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies, and births--also can be submitted at the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s website. Just go to: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press and click on “Submit Announcements.” Guidelines are located on the Jewish Press home page; click on the box at the lower right.

JTA NEWS BRIEFS • SYDNEY, Australia (JTA)--Police in Sydney, Australia, are searching for 10 men who attacked a synagogue in the city’s suburbs. Rabbi Yossi Wernick, 32, who came to Sydney a year ago from New York, was at home with his family when the attack took place. The house, adjacent to the Parramatta synagogue, was also attacked with bricks and lumps of concrete that damaged doors, windows and the rabbi’s car. No one was hurt in the incident, believed to be the work of men of Middle Eastern origin.

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Statewide Classified late 1800s. Born in 1928 in what is now Romania, he was imprisoned for his Zionist activities after World War II, where he wrote a poem, “Massa Gog,” that won the Israel Prize in 1959. He immigrated to Israel in 1960. • NEW YORK (JTA)--The U.N. Security Council said it would sanction Iran if it did not suspend uranium enrichment by Aug. 31. The 14-1 vote Monday was the first time all five veto-wielding permanent members of the council agreed to sanction Iran. The resolution calls on Iran to suspend “all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development” and to allow international nuclear inspectors to verify the suspension. • WASHINGTON (JTA)--Human Rights Watch plans to accuse Israel of war crimes. Representatives of the organization have been in Lebanon since the outbreak of fighting and have documented “dozens of cases in which Israeli forces have carried out indiscriminate attacks against civilians while in their homes or traveling on roads to flee the fighting,” according to a release issued Monday.

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• NEW YORK (JTA)--A Jewish man in New York was arrested on suspicion of calling in a hoax to a terrorism hotline. Rimon Alkatri was arrested after allegedly calling the hotline in May, identifying himself as Jose Rodriguez and describing a terror plot being hatched by Syrian Muslims working in the jewelry business, The New York Times reported. The men were Christians and Jews against whom Alkatri had a business grudge, police said.

• WASHINGTON (JTA) -- A leading Republican senator said President Bush should call for an immediate IsraelHezbollah cease-fire. “The sickening slaughter on both sides must stop,” Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) said Monday on the Senate floor. Hagel said the U.S.-Israel link is special, but said that the link should not come at the expense of relationships with the Arab and Muslim worlds.

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• NEW YORK (JTA)--Ezra Fleischer, a poet and scholar who shed new light on the history of Jewish prayer, died July 25 in Jerusalem. Fleischer, who taught at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, showed that modern Jewish prayer developed after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D. He helped to study the Cairo Genizah, a medieval set of documents found in the

• JERUSALEM (JTA)--Former Gaza settlers marked a year since Israel began its withdrawal from the coastal strip. Representatives of some 8,500 Israelis uprooted from Gush Katif and other settlement blocks planned to drive in a convoy Tuesday from the Gaza border crossing of Kissufim to Jerusalem and hold a memorial service at the Western Wall.

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Page 16

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

August 4, 2006

Karen Gustafson Named JFS Director; Honorary Chairmen Named for ADL Dinner speaker, we’re expecting a full house.” EUNIE DENENBERG and OZZIE NOGG Meyerson Named JFS Assistance Coordinator byJan Schneiderman, General Chairman Foxman, National Director of the Antiby SHARON BARGAS for Jewish Family Service Jewish Family Service has announced the appointment of Karen Gustafson, M.S., N.C.C., L.M.H.P., as Director. She has been serving as Interim Director since Becki Brenner, JFS’s former Director, left in May to take a position with Planned Parenthood in Cincinnati, OH. After being Karen Gustafson recruited to JFS in 2000, Gustafson has proven her ability to be a successful leader as the lead therapist over the past two years. In all, she brings over 20 years experience as a therapist to JFS. Gustafson’s primary responsibilities for the Agency include fiscal management and financial planning, budgeting and reporting and acting as the liaison with other Jewish and community agencies. She is also accountable for obtaining grants and endowment funds, as well as educational programming for the Jewish and larger community. Lastly, she oversees Yachad: Jewish programming for the developmentally disabled. JFS also announced the appointment of Jennifer Meyerson, M.S.W., to the position of Assistance Coordinator. Prior to her new position, Meyerson worked at JFS as a therapist and managed Tzedakah projects. She has been a part of the JFS family for 10 years. As the Assistance Coordinator, Meyerson’s goal is to help individuals and families in the Jewish community get back on their feet and become self-suffi-

cient in times of crisis. She will coordinate financial assistance to individuals and families facing hardships such as a lack of food, shelter, care management, medical bills and gas vouchers. An Omaha native, she earned a BA at Kansas University and then received a Masters in Social Work at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. “Jenny was the Jennifer Meyerson perfect choice to coordinate and deliver assistance to those in the Jewish community who need extra financial help,” said Gusfatson. “She has the most longevity of any current staff member at JFS, previously worked with some of her current clients during her Tzedakah and Project Dreidel campaigns, and knows the Jewish community intimately. I can already see how she serves clients with her heart but uses her head.” Meyerson is available to meet with individuals and families at the JFS office. For more information or to schedule an appointment with Meyerson, call her at: 334.6493. JFS is a human service agency whose purpose is to strengthen and preserve life in the community at every stage of the life cycle. The certified and licensed staff is focused on providing services to families and individuals facing challenges in their lives. The Agency provides counseling services for such issues as depression, child and adolescent difficulties, domestic abuse, grief, life transitions, couples and family difficulties, infertility counseling, as well as parenting concerns.

of the Aug. 17 L’Chaim Tribute Dinner honoring Bob Wolfson, has announced that Carmen and John Gottschalk and Sharee and Murray Newman will serve as Honorary Chairmen of the event.

Murray Newman Sharee Newman Wolfson, who recently assumed the position of Associate National Director of Regional Operations for the AntiDefamation League, based in New York, is being recognized for his eighteen years of service as Regional Director of the ADL’s Plains States Regional Office and the Community Relations Committee of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. “People have such respect for Bob Wolfson,” Schneiderman says, “his dedication and passion for all the ADL’s issues. They recognize what he’s done for this community. He gives 200%. I marvel at his energy, running all over the country as I see him doing. We Omahans can be proud that one of our own, our Bobby, has been appointed to this prestigious national position.” Danielle Gordman is Tribute Dinner chairman, and Steve and Carol Bloch are in charge of reservations. According to Carol, “Reservations are coming in very well. People are putting together tables. And because we’re honoring Bob as well as featuring Abe Foxman as our guest

Defamation League, is a world-renowned leader in the fight against anti-Semitism, bigotry and discrimination. “We are pleased to welcome such a prominent leader as Abe Foxman,” Murray Newman s a i d . “We are a strong, vibrant Jewish community and t h e national Carmen and John Gottschalk J e w i s h organizations recognize that we may be small, but we are significant.” Other dinner committee chairmen include: Bob Freeman and Bruce Friedlander, Tribute Journal corporate chairs; Joe Kirshenbaum and Nancy Noddle, Tribute Journal personal ads chairs; Bobbie Epstein, Katherine Finnegan and Lori Miller, seating; Stacie Brodkey, decorations; Eunie Denenberg, Penny Endelman and Ozzie Nogg, Public Relations. The ADL-CRC Executive Board is David Gilinsky, president; Allan Murow, vice-president; Sara Juster, past president; Irv Yaffe, Katherine Finnegan, Bruce Goldberg, Jan Schneiderman, membersat-large. The Tribute dinner will be held at the Hilton Hotel, 10th and Cass. Cocktails, at 6:30 p.m., precede the 7 p.m. dinner. A patron party for donors of $1000 or more will begin at 6:15 p.m. For reservations and information, please call 333.1303.

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