Vol. LXXXIX No. 46 Omaha, NE
Celebrating 89 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
26 Av 5770
August 6, 2010
A Night to Remember!!! by EMILY GILLER The lights were dimmed and the music was turned up. Team Omaha marched out into the arena of the Ryan Center at Creighton University throwing fake money into the air and waving to all 29 other delegations that were here in Omaha for the 2010 JCC Maccabi Games. Opening Ceremonies were held on Sunday Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. The night was filled with music, drummers, pin trading and of course, “boomwackers.” The night started off by having all 30 delegations, including Omaha, walk into the arena to be introduced to all the spectators. The Maccabi torch was then carried in by Jack Schrager in honor of his father, the late Phil Schrager and Lindsey The 2010 JCC Maccabi Games are here! Thomas in honor of her the Munich Olympic Games. Then the brother, the late Brandon Thomas. Israeli partnership athletes lit candles in The procession was then followed by a honor of the 11 athletes that were killed video, which introduced the Omaha JCC at Munich. staff and welcomed all the delegations to The athletes and spectators were introOmaha. Another video was shown in duced to the Drum Café, which is an honor of the athletes that were killed at
The frosting on the cake by OZZIE NOGG covered by $6 million taken from the The new Rose Blumkin Jewish Home is RBJH reserves, the use of which was a reality. The residents love the amenities agreed to by the Blumkin Home Board as in their spacious new rooms. Their fami- part of the master plan. We incurred no lies appreciate the unexpected consunlit seating areas struction expenses on Main Street. or overruns. We The RBJH staff were very careful praises the layout to stay within our of nurses stations cost estimates. that allows them to Even so, we must monitor residents, continue fundraisinteract with them, ing in order to and provide excepreplace the tional care. And Home’s reserves -everyone who the monies that let walks through the us maintain the front door of the new facility and, new Home is since the Blumkin impressed by the Home will continupbeat environue to have needs, ment, filled with cover future activity and life. improvements “Now,” said without raising Howard Kooper, additional capital “we need to put dollars.” some frosting on The Gift Shop at the RBJH is one of the desigAmong the desnated named gifts still available. the cake.” ignated areas still Frosting? On what is already a world- available to be named are the Exhibition class facility? Kooper, who served as Hall, Special Care Unit, Clinic Area, Gift Building Chairman during the four years Shop and Antique Store, which serves as of construction, explained his comment. the office of Bert Benson, Social Services “The frosting on the cake will be our Director. ability to bridge the gap between the $17 “From start to finish, we kept asking million dollars pledged to the project and ourselves tough questions,” Kooper conthe $23 million it cost to completely ren- tinued. “Should we spend the extra ovate the Home. That differential was Continued on page 2
Inside Op-Ed Page: see page 8
inter-active group of drummers who have preformed for people all over the world including Prince Charles and Nicole Kidman. “It was very native and the dancers were really good and the whole perform-
The mission of building a strong Jewish community by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT body rose to the challenge. I congratuEditor of the Jewish Press late the JCC staff and lay leadership in The Jewish Federations of North particular.” In 2002, Jody co-chaired America represent 157 Jewish the Maccabi Games with Marcia Pitlor, Federations, and 400 network commu- and she has no trouble remembering nities. Together, they the enormous amount raise over $3 billion of work that it brought. annually. That money This time around, she goes to social welfare, watched the proceedsocial services, and eduings from a different cational needs. Collecvantage point: that of tively, the Federations Federation President. are among the top 10 Malashock never set charities on the North out to gain her current American continent; title: “I have always felt they protect and inspired to volunteer,” enhance the well-being she says, “but I wanted of Jews worldwide to be there, behind the through Tikkun Olam, scenes, doing someTze-dakah, and Torah. thing meaningful, getJody Malashock Each of those ting my hands dirty, Federations functions through the hard while someone else took on the leaderwork of both lay leaders and profession- ship role.” als; Omaha serves as a well-oiled examAnd yet, here she finds herself as ple. “The Omaha Jewish Community is President of the Jewish Federation of one of the strongest and most vital of its Omaha, a title she will carry for the next size,” says current Federation President, two years. Somewhere along the way, Jody Malashock. “Our most recent suc- something changed: “Something that cess: the JCC Maccabi Games, where made an enormous impression on me we welcomed over 1000 Jewish athletes was the trip I took to Kiev in 2005, and visitors. This was truly an opportu- when I was able to see first hand the sufnity for our community to come togeth- fering that exists around the world. We er, and it is wonderful to see how every- Continued on page 2
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ance great. That’s all I can say, they were great,” Alex Pichik from Team Omaha said. During their performance, the Drum Café handed out instruments called “boomwackers” to all the athletes and spectators. The “boomwackers” are hollow tubes of different lengths that make different noises when they are hit. The entire auditorium was echoing with the rhythm of the “drums and boomwackers.” Athletes couldn’t help but get out of their seats and dance to music. During the inter-active performance, Maccabi cochairs, Cindy Goldberg, Kimberly Robinson and Stacey Rockman, lit the ceremonial torch. This helped the athletes visualize the “fire” they were creating from all their energy during the interactive performance. The night concluded with all the athletes meeting up with their host families excited and ready for the 2010 JCC Maccabi Games to begin! See more photos on page 7
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