thejewishpress AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA
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The lay leaders of JSS
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Jeff Kirshenbaum and Toba Cohen Dunning AnneTTe vAn De KAmp-wrighT baum have graciously accepted the position. Editor of the Jewish Press They have known each other since Kindert is no secret that being the President of garten at Beth Israel’s Hebrew School (Jeff the Board of Directors, for any Jewish says Toba was the better student) where Federation agency, is hard work. This is both sets of parents were deeply involved. especially true for Jewish Social Serv“Jeff was cool, and I was a nerd,” Toba reices, where during the past years, members. “I couldn’t get enough of Hebrew Richard Jacobson and Steve Nogg shared the School! Which, to be sure, was not the composition. The beginning of July brought a new mon response. But, it’s so much fun being budget year, when traditionally Boards make Jewish!” changes, and at JSS that means it is time for a For the past few years, the two have been new President. Or, as in this case, Presidents. working together on the Beth Israel Board of See JSS lay leaders page A2 Toba Cohen Dunning and Jeff Kirshen-
Omaha Jewish Film Festival begins Sunday page A9
inside Viewpoint Synagogues Life cycles
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A doctor for adults
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Special Feature: Health+Wellness Section 2
Beth El’s block party page A8
SponSoreD By The BenJAmin AnD AnnA e. wieSmAn FAmiLy enDowmenT FunD
JCC Dance Classes build more than muscles
Lynn BATTen JFO Publicity Manager For over 40 years, the Jewish Community Center of Omaha has been offering dance classes to the community. While a lot has changed over these years, the commitment to providing top quality dance instruction has remained the same. When asked about the reasons why someone should join a dance class, JCC Dance and Cultural Arts Director Esther Katz is quick to answer. She has experienced the benefits of dance first hand. “Dancing is not just about taking classes,” Katz said. “At the JCC we strive to teach proper technique while also teaching our dancers how to be good people, build positive re-
lationships that help encourage each other to grow and become a community that dances together.” Katz was trained at The Professional Children’s School in Philadelphia. She then went on to study at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Koresh Dance, University of the Arts, and Temple University where she was on a dance scholarship. She was a member of many independent dance companies in Philadelphia and demonstrated for Philadanco company classes under Pat Thomas. She taught ballet and modern dance at
The Professional Children’s School for seven years before moving to Omaha. In 2006 she became the Dance Director at the JCC. Over her 12 years of teaching dance at the JCC, Katz has repeatedly seen the positive impact dance has on the lives of her students. “It’s always fun to watch our students grow. A lot of times you see them start off at an early age, when they are unsure of how their bodies move, and then they grow into mature dancers who are aware of their surroundings and move through the See JCC Dance Classes page A3
AnneTTe vAn De KAmp-wrighT Editor, Jewish Press In 2012, the New York Jewish Week posed the question: So What is it with Jews and Medicine? The article shared the background of Yeshiva University’s exhibit, Trail of the Magic Bullet: The Jewish Encounter with Modern Medicine, 18601960. The point of this exhibit was “to view the modern Jewish experience through the unique lens of medical history,” according to writer Hannah Drey-
Dr. Alan Kricsfeld
fus. Before writing the story, she attended a tour at the museum. “The exhibit’s curator, Josh Feinberg began the tour by posing a provocativ,e question: ‘When I say Jews and medicine, what comes to mind?’ A brief silence. Then a diminutive, no-nonsense Jewish grandmother piped in: ‘Pride.’ Others followed with ‘identity,’ ‘status,’ ‘independence,’ ‘acceptance,’ ‘knowledge,’ and, finally, ‘responsibility,’ Dreyfus wrote. The historical tie between the Jewish people and medicine is rich and immensely meaningful. From the Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Denver (TB used to be erroneously called the “Jewish Disease”) that paved the way for the National Jewish Health Hospital, which today is a leading hospital in respiratory diseases, to the quotas on Jews entering Medical School that weren’t fully lifted until 1960. From the first Care Emergency Bandage (invented by an Israeli Military Medic) which saved Gabrielle Gifford’s life when she was shot in 2011 to a gadget called SensaHeart, which can detect an impending heart attack. Then, of course, there’s Prozac, Valium, the Polio Vaccine, Radiation, Chemotherapy, the Artificial Kidney Dialysis machine, the Defibrillator, the Cardiac Pacemaker, Vaccination against the deadly “Hepatitis B” virus, the Vaccinating Needle and Laser Technology. All of that is impressive, but at the end of the day it’s practitioners like Dr. Alan Kricsfeld who make all those inventions into something real and practical as they interact, one-on-one, with their patients. Alan is a member of Beth Israel and the husband of Debbie Besser Kricsfeld. Together, Alan and Debbie have two children: Sam, 16, and Rachel, 13. He says he has always wanted to be a physician, See Doctor for adults page A3