August 9, 2013

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

Tough decisions

August 9, 2013 3 Elul 5773 Vol. 93 | No. 47

This Week

by JULIANNE DUNN HERZOG The discovery of BRCA 1 and 2 gene mutations by Mary-Clare King, Ph.D, at Berkeley in 1994 and Myriad Genetics at University of Utah in 1996, heralded a new era in cancer screening, prophylactic surgeries and chemoprevention strategies.

Three members of the Zusman family, one of the now 2,215 extended families followed by the Hereditary Cancer Center at Creighton University, came forward in response to the request of the Jewish Press to discuss their experiences with surgical prophylaxis which involved the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus.

The three who came forward are known in this community as sisters Claudia Sherman, Sindie Katskee, and the late Lori Sweet.

Lori, the youngest, married with three children, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1989 when she was 35. She had a lumpectomy with chemo and radiation.

Lori’s experience created a new awareness of cancer-related information, said Claudia, because she remembered that her mother, her maternal aunt and possibly her maternal grandmother all had some form of breast or ovarian cancer. Although

The Hermit Nation Page 6

Multi-national effort heals Ethiopian boy Page 7

Claudia Sherman and Sindie Katskee Claudia was not aware of the Ashkenazi Jewish vulnerability to breast and ovarian cancer because they had not yet been discovered, by chance she came across a newspaper article about Dr. Henry T. Lynch and his groundbreaking research on hereditary cancers at Creighton University.

Claudia says now that she couldn’t believe their good fortune in the midst of the grief of a cancer diagno-

The world, Israel, you and the Technion The Real Housewives of Israel Page 12

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memorium

This Month Rosh Hashanah See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

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by AMY FRANKEL Assistant Director, West Central Region, American Technion Society The Schwalb Center and the Center for Jewish Life are collaborating to bring Professor Ido Perlman of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology to Omaha when he visits the U.S. in August.

World-renowned for his research on retinal disorders, Professor Perlman, the Pearl Seiden Professor of Vision Science and former Dean of the Technion Faculty of Medicine, is scheduled to spend Aug. 14-15 meeting key members of both Omaha’s Jewish community and medical world and speaking about medical innovations at the Technion.

Professor Perlman is scheduled to begin his whirlwind trip Wednesday afternoon at the new state-of-the-art Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Invited by Dr.

Eyal Margalit of the Center’s Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, Professor Perlman will tour the facility and have an opportunity to present an academic paper to faculty

sis in the family. The world leader in hereditary cancer studies was in their backyard. When they began their family and kindred history with Dr. Henry Lynch and Nurse Genetics Specialist Carrie Snyder of Creighton, they realized that cancer or suspicion of cancer showed up in at least two generations before theirs and maybe more. They spent the time necessary to complete the ex-

tended family and kindred histories and discovered that the family tree was dotted with cancer.

All three sisters and several maternal cousins took part in the study protocols which involved personal interviews and blood tests as well as lengthy, time-consuming questionnaires. Based upon their personal and kindred histories, Dr. Lynch recommended prophylactic hysterectomies very early on because he believed that the Zusman women were at high risk. Two of the Zusman women, Lori and a female first cousin, had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had surgery and chemo and radiation. The rest had no signs or symptoms of breast cancer or ovarian cancer in this generation.

Dr. Lynch did not recommend prophylactic mastectomy because there are multiple early warning signs of breast cancer. However, there are no reliable methods of early detection for ovarian cancer, which is why ovarian cancer is often not diagnosed until it reaches late stage and is incurable and untreatable.

Claudia, Sindie and Lori had prophylactic hysterectomies and oophorectomies (ovary removal) Continued on page 2

Omaha welcomes new Shaliach

Eliad, left, Amitay, Shilat, Nehoray and Sara.

Professor Ido Perlman and invited guests on his research, which focuses on the mechanisms in the retina that are responsible for processing visual information. His work on sight-threatening retinal disorders, inherited or acquired, paves the way for the development of viable treatments for vision loss.

On the evening of Aug. 14 at 7 p.m., the community welcomes Professor Perlman to learn about the Technion’s medical breakthroughs and their impact on bettering the lives of people around the world, titled The World, Israel, You... the Continued on page 2

by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Life Aug. 7, 2013, marks the beginning of an exciting, educational, and innovative time for the Omaha Jewish Community. On that day, Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan will arrive in Omaha. Eliad will begin his twoyear commitment to be the Shaliach for Omaha. And the story gets even better. Eliad is the current Education Coordinator of our Partnership2 Gether program and will be maintaining those responsibilities during his stay. That’s quite an undertaking; and if anyone can do it, Eliad can.

To make Eliad’s arrival particularly special, this will be a family adventure as his entire family will be

with him during these two years. His wife Sara is a teacher of Bible and math and will be a Jewish Studies teacher at Friedel Jewish Academy.

Eliad and Sara are the proud parents of son Nehoray (6), daughter Shilat (4), and son Amitay (2). Shilat and Amitay will be attending the Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center (CDC) and Nehoray will be attending Friedel Jewish Academy.

Eliad was born and raised in Akko in the Western Galilee. He has a BA in Political Science and an MA in Public and Political Communication from Bar Ilan University. In the army, he served as singer of the Northern entertainment group. He has written and composed Continued on page 3

2 | The Jewish Press | August 9, 2013

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Hereditary cancer: Tough decisions

Continued from page 1 Sindie Katskee’s journey has been not quite so straightforwithin that first year after Lori’s breast cancer diagnosis; two ward as her sister Claudia’s. She went through the same testfemale first cousins had prophylactic hysterectomies and ing, the same questionnaires, the same family and kindred oophorectomies as well. One of the female first cousins, who history and received the same recommendations from Dr. had a recurrence of breast Lynch and her gynecologist, cancer, had a bilateral mastecthe late Dr. Larry Roffman. tomy as well some years down She sought pre-approval for the road. She is living and the surgery from her insurance cancer-free today. company and was granted There was peace for a while same. Surgery was scheduled. for the sisters. A year later, Lori Ten days before the surgery had a recurrence of cancer in date, the chief medical officer the other breast. This time she of the insurance company had a complete mastectomy sent a letter to Sindie which followed by chemotherapy and said that the surgery was not radiation. She lived for three due to a present illness or disyears after the second episode. ease. Coverage denied.

The extended family took an Well, sometimes it is very Alaskan cruise after the sechandy to be married to a ond diagnosis. Lori did pretty lawyer. Her husband Jerry well and enjoyed this last famKatskee has practiced law with Claudia Sherman, left, Sindie Katskee and Lori Sweet ily vacation. She died five his brothers for decades and months later, one month after her 40th birthday. has represented insurance companies. So when he needed to When the BRCA 1 & 2 tests became available, both get this coverage denial reversed, he knew exactly what to do.

Claudia and Sindie were tested for the presence of the mutaHe found another lawyer to take the lead position, as the tion. Claudia has learned that she is a carrier of the muta- plaintiff was his wife, and filed suit for breach of contract of tion. She does not participate in chemical prevention but insurance. Jerry did the lion’s share of the work on the case rather has continued the recommended protocols for which ultimately went to the Supreme Court of the State of screening: monthly breast self-exams, annual mammo- Nebraska on the issue of “What is an illness?” The Supreme grams, annual MRI’s, and twice-a-year doctor visits. Claudia Court found that a genetic predisposition to cancer was, is cancer-free. indeed, an illness and returned the case to the trial court for One female child is positive for the mutation but has not further proceedings. had prophylactic surgeries and does not participate in any The case settled but, by then, Sindie had already had her chemoprevention strategies. hysterectomy and oophorectomy at her own cost. Terms of Claudia and Sindie’s motivation for giving up their privacy settlement do not allow Sindie or Jerry to discuss the terms. to be interviewed for this article is to inform. Both believe The law stands in Nebraska as the definition of an illness. that their sister Lori’s disease, which led Claudia to the article Other law decided since that time may have changed the about Dr. Lynch, has saved their lives and those of their result, so it is important to deal with the insurance issues extended family. They hope that their article may do the same early in the process. for someone else as the article on Dr. Lynch did for them.

Sindie tested negative for the mutation and is cancer-free.

And here comes Angelina Jolie again. Claudia and Sindie say Additionally, she does not have to particpate in the extensive that Jolie’s public disclosure has affected their own willingness screening which Claudia, as a carrier, does. Claudia’s three to come forward, as in “If Angelina Jolie can do it, so can we.” children have tested negative for the mutation as well.

Technion Continued from page 1 Technion. The event will be held at the Kripke Jewish Federation Library located at the Jewish Community Center, and is sponsored jointly by the Center for Jewish Life, UNO’s Natan & Hannah Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies, and the American Technion Society.

To attend the event contact Amy Frankel at 312.553.2222 or frankel@ats.org.

Wrapping up his trip, Professor Perlman plans to visit UNO’s Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies, meeting with its Director, Dr. Moshe Gershovich, and members of its Advisory Board and Faculty Advisory Committee. He will also receive a guided tour of the Peter Kiewit Institute, hosted by Dr. Hesham Ali, the Dean of UNO’s College of Information, Science and Technology. The Kiewit Institute seeks to foster collaboration between UNO and industry, in much the same way that the Technion fosters.

Professor Perlman earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Technion Faculty of Chemistry and received a doctorate from the Department of Physiology at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Before returning to Israel, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the National

Institutes of Health in Maryland. In addition to his post at the Technion, he has been a visiting scholar at the Harvard University Biological Laboratories and a visiting professor at a number of universities in Europe and the U.S., including the New York University School of Medicine.

The Technion is responsible for some of the world’s most significant scientific breakthroughs in computer science, environmental engineering, nanotechnology and medical research, benefitting people the world over. Technion researchers developed the anti-Parkinson’s drug Azilect and won the Nobel Prize for research that led to the drug Velcade, which fights multiple bone marrow cancers, among other crucial medical developments. The Technion was at the forefront of the international team that first discovered the potential of stem cells to form any kind of tissue and then pioneered its technology. And Technion graduates have brought to market the pill-sized swallowable camera used world-wide to examine the digestive system; ReWalk, a robotic suit that allows paraplegics to walk again; and SpineAssist, a robotic system that enables surgeons to conduct minimally invasive and complex spine surgeries.

Israel’s budget passes after opposition filibuster

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israeli lawmakers passed the nation’s 2013-14 state budget after 15 hours of debate.

The budget -- $110 billion for 2013 and $113 billion for 2014 -- passed in the Knesset by a 58-43 vote following a filibuster by the opposition during which each of the 4,700 objections was to be submitted to a roll call.

Lawmakers could be seen reading books, texting and napping during the roll calls.

Halfway through the roll calls, the opposition agreed to withdraw its objections in exchange for the formation of a committee to review a provision of the Electoral Reform Bill that would raise the electoral threshold from two percent to four percent, thus preventing many smaller parties from reaching the Knesset.

The Knesset also passed the Economics Arrangement Law on its second and third readings by a vote of 56-41. The law includes mechanisms to allow the regulation of new government policies such as raising the income tax rate and reduc-

ing monthly child allowance payments. It also institutes budget cuts to the Defense, Welfare, Education and Transportation ministries.

The biennial budget was the last to be passed by the Knesset. Beginning in 2015, Israeli budgets will be annual.

The opposition slammed Finance Minister Yair Lapid, who came into office on a wave of discontent over the economic situation in Israel.

“Lapid protested and rode the wave of the protest to his elite office, and today he became the presenter of this bad budget,” opposition leader Shelly Yachimovich said of Lapid, who prior to his election to Knesset was what is called in Israel a news presenter.

Yachimovich objected to increases in the income tax and value added tax, as well as cuts in child allowances, health care, social care and education. She said the budget would increase inequality and “rob the middle class.”

“This budget hurts 99 percent of the public with a severity we haven’t seen in years,” she said.

August 9, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 3

Omaha welcomes new Shaliach Continued from page 1 songs for two albums. His first CD, Shirat Hael, reached the top of the charts in Israel.

He weaves his musical talent into his work and appreciates the ways in which participants use music as a part of education. His responsibilities with the Partnership2Gether program over the past three years have included all the formal and informal educational joint projects between the Western Galilee and 12 stateside Jewish communities making up the Central Area Consortium.

Prior to his work with Partnership2Gether, Eliad was a trustee in “Youth Futures,” a program of the Jewish Agency, helping at risk kids in his own city. In talking about his coming to Omaha, Eliad said “I see in my upcoming shlichut an enormous opportunity to bring the spirit of ‘Israel and Israelis to Omaha. There is spirit which I have experienced in my life as someone who comes from Western Galilee – a place which I describe as the microcosm of Israel, with all its beauty and challenges – which I am excited to share.”

Eliad speaks with pride about the flagship of the P2G educational programs, the kindergarten/preschool program. From the early beginnings of an idea to share curriculums, participation has grown to the point in which the Hava Nagila Gan website has become a virtual international community for sharing information that expands beyond the Partnership communities. To date, over 200 preschool teachers, including those in our own CDC, are active in the program, making it a beacon for all North American communities.

Elementary, middle, and high schools are participating in “twinning programs” coupling Israeli classrooms with American classrooms. The Friedel Jewish Academy has been a long-time participant with its twin

school, Maayanot from Kibbutz Kabri.

Children from both locations share books, Jewish holiday activities, and pen pal letters, as well as singing and dancing through the use of Skype. “Modern technology has made the world a smaller place; partnerships help bind us together” said Eliad.

This is not Eliad’s first venture to Omaha.

He paid a visit in the fall of 2012 during which time he established first-hand relationships with the staff and children of Friedel Academy and the CDC. Pam Cohn, Principal of Friedel, is looking forward to Eliad’s arrival. “The Omaha community is extremely fortunate to have Eliad Eliyahu as their shaliach for the next two years,” she remarked. “I met Eliad for the first time when he visited Omaha last fall and fell in love with him. I just returned from a week in Israel through the Parthership. Eliad led the week’s activities. He was caring, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and fun. His charismatic personality will capture the hearts of all age groups. I am also thrilled that his wife Sara will be joining the staff of Friedel this fall as a Jewish Studies teacher.”

Echoing the enthusiasm for Eliad’s arrival is Jeanine Huntoon, Director of the CDC, who was a travel companion of Pam’s to Israel. Jeanine said, “I am so excited to have Eliad here at our JCC! His experiences with the Partnership, including hosting our recent Educational Seminar in the Western Galilee, will be invaluable as he moves into his new role in Omaha and the Midwest. He is well-loved in Israel, and I am certain that Omaha will welcome him and his family to their new home here. His music and his caring and thoughtful ways of reaching out to people will ensure that all who meet him will immediately find a friend!”

In his role as Shaliach, Eliad will soon begin to initiate collaboration with syna-

gogues and Jewish organizations in Omaha to plan a variety of programs aimed at engaging community members in Israel education. In addition, he will lead a monthly “Eye on Israel” discussion group focusing on current events in Israel and will write a monthly column in the Jewish Press focusing on Israeli topics. He will conduct monthly Israel education/music programs at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. He will also be developing a teacher training program for integrating Israel Education into Religious Schools.

And that is just for starters. His work with the Partnership continues as he develops and supervises educational school twinning programs. He will prepare leadership groups (students and young adults) in advance of Israel trips. Quite naturally, Eliad will work closely with the young Shlichim in the

Give the gift of life

by JILL BELMONT and schedule an appointment, contact Beth El Publicity Coordinator chairman Marcy Noodell at fanofthejayOn Sunday, Aug 25, 8 a.m. to 1p.m., hawks@hotmail.com, or 402.630.0381.

Beth El Synagogue will team up with the American Red Cross to hold their third annual blood drive at the synagogue. All community members are encouraged to roll up their sleeves and donate. Donors must be 17 (or 16 with parental permission), must weigh at least 110 pounds; also, those who have given blood within eight weeks of the blood drive are not eligible. Those wishing to check their eligibility may visit http://www.redcrossblood.org/ donating-blood/eligibility-require Beth El congregant Mark Kelln rolls up his sleeve ments. to make a donation during a past blood drive at For more information, or to register the synagogue.

LAST CHANCE

ROSH HaShanah Greetings This year you can send your greetings through these very special ads that will run in our annual Rosh Hashanah issue. Each ad can be personalized with your name, the names of your children or your grandchildren.

Consortium’s communities to develop programs. In order to implement this, three months after his arrival in Omaha, Eliad will begin to travel to visit the other 11 stateside communities.

This is most assuredly an exhaustive undertaking. If you see Eliad moving rapidly from place to place, you will likely see a smile on his face and a man with energy, enthusiasm and a great deal of charisma.

Join us in welcoming Eliad, Sara, Nehoray, Shilat, and Amitay to Omaha. It will be a joy to have them with us.

The Shaliach program and the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s participation in Partnership2Gether is administered through the Center for Jewish Life as part of its mission to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences.

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Jewish Law Professor speaking in Omaha

by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Life Noted Jewish law scholar Michael J. Broyde will address the Omaha Cardozo Society at a luncheon on Friday, Aug. 16 at 11:45 a.m. in the Jewish Community Center Social Hall. The event is open to the public. His lecture topic will be Religious Freedom in Israel – Can Israel Be a Jewish and Democratic State? Steven Riekes, a member of the Cardozo Society, has been instrumental in arranging for Professor Broyde’s visit.

Riekes has noted that “This topic is timely. The news from Israel is replete with disputes between religious and secular Jews, both with each other and Professor Michael Broyde with their government. We hear of issues involving gender rights (such as the right of women to ride buses and pray at the Wall), the rights of nonJewish minorities, and many other matters involving religious freedom.”

The cost for the lunch is $15 and reservations are required by contacting Mark Kirchhoff at mkirchhoff@jewishoma-

ha.org or 402.334.6463 by Aug. 14. The Cardoza Society is an affinity group for Jewish lawyers. The Omaha group periodically arranges for talks by prominent scholars. This weekend has been a collaborative endeavor through the efforts of Steven Riekes, Rabbi Jonathan Gross of Beth Israel Synagogue, and the Center for Jewish Life.

Broyde will then be the scholar-in-residence at Beth Israel Synagogue, 12604 Pacific Street, for the remainder of the weekend, speaking on three occasions. His Friday, Aug. 16 7:30 p.m. focus will be Orthodox Women Rabbis? This presentation is preceded by an international Shabbat cuisine dinner at 6 p.m. On Saturday, Aug. 17, Beth Israel is offering a kiddush lunch immediately after Shabbat morning services, followed by Professor Broyde’s presentation of Women of the Wall and Religious Freedom in the Jewish State. Reservations are not required for either of these events, which are free of charge and are open to the community. Events conclude on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. with An Armchair Conversation with Rabbi Broyde and Steve Riekes. For information on any Beth Israel events, please call 402.556.6288.

The Aug. 16 weekend marks Professor Broyde’s third professional visit to Omaha. His prior visits in May of 2008 and September of 2009 were very well received.

Broyde is Professor of Law and Senior Fellow, Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory Law in Atlanta, Georgia. His primary areas of interest are law and religion, Jewish law and ethics, and comparative religious law. In

addition to Jewish law and family law, Professor Broyde has taught Federal Courts, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Secured Credit and Bankruptcy. He received a juris doctor from New York University and published a note on the law review. Professor Broyde is ordained (yoreh yoreh ve-yadin yadin) as a rabbi by Yeshiva University and was a member (dayan) of the Beth Din of America, the largest Jewish law court in America. He was the director of that court during the 1997-1998 academic year while on leave from Emory.

Outside of Emory, Professor Broyde was the founding rabbi of the Young Israel synagogue in Atlanta, a founder of the Atlanta Torah MiTzion kollel study program and a board member of many organizations in Atlanta. Professor Broyde has published more than 75 articles and book chapters on various aspects of law and religion and Jewish law. He also has published a number of articles in the area of federal courts, including an article in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy on the impeachment process. Professor Broyde has authored and edited several volumes: Human Rights in Judaism (Jason Aronson, 1997) (with John Witte Jr.), Marriage, Divorce and the Abandoned Wife in Jewish Law: A Conceptual Understanding of the Agunah Problems in America (Ktav, 2001) and Marriage, Sex and Family in Judaism (Rowman & Littlefield, 2005) (with Michael Ausubel). A second, revised edition of his first book, The Pursuit of Justice and Jewish Law (Yeshiva University Press, 1996), was published by Yashar Books in 2007.

Moving Temple: The practical side

by DAVID GOLBITZ Temple Israel Staf Writer Almost overlooked amidst everything surrounding Temple Israel’s impending move to its new building is the actual, physical transportation of the items used in the dayto-day life of the temple.

Temple Israel Executive Director Dennis DePorte has been working closely with Vice President of Sales Development Jeff Nogg and Project Manager Patrick Warren of I-Go Van and Storage to ensure the move goes smoothly.

“We try to educate our clients and help them get organized,” said Steve Nogg, CEO and President of I-Go Van and Storage. “We’re always looking at efficiencies, how best to get items from one place to another. Based on what Temple Israel told us, we’ve broken down the move into three phases.”

Phase 1 is tentatively set for Aug. 14, when the Religious School supplies and the merchandise from the gift shop are scheduled to be transported.

“One of the questions we ask, in planning a move like this, is this doable in a day,” Nogg said. “We want to determine how much time each phase of the move will take and plan accordingly.”

Phase 2, which includes the administration wing and office supplies, is scheduled for the following week, Aug. 20 and 21. Items such as file cabinets, paperwork, books, artwork, computers, printers and scanners will be moved and Temple Israel staff will, from that point forward, be work-

ing out of the new building at Sterling Ridge.

“A number of the items at Temple have to be bubblewrapped,” Nogg said. “And we’re going to utilize what we call ‘library carts’ to transport things out of the old building and into the new building. We aren’t lifting things.

Everything is on wheels and we’ll just roll everything from Cass Street onto our trucks and then roll them off at the new Temple.”

Nogg pointed out that they’re taking great care to ensure that nothing is damaged during the move and that the new building isn’t harmed by the movers wheeling carts through the hallways.

“We put Masonite down on the floors to protect them,” he said. “The integrity of the building is very important. We want to keep the building beautiful for a long, long time.”

I-Go Van and Storage has experience in moving religious objects. The company assisted Beth El Synagogue more than 20 years ago when that congregation moved from 49th and Farnam to 144th and California.

“We take a lot of pride in being a part of Jewish Omaha,”

Nogg said. “We’re pleased to be a part of the whole process.

This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event that I take a lot of pride in being a participant.”

While currently a member of Beth El, Steve Nogg has some history with Temple Israel. He and his wife Patty were supposed to be married by Rabbi Sidney Brooks at Temple Israel in May of 1975, but plans changed after that year’s infamous tornado damaged the building.

“In my career I’ve been involved in a lot of interesting projects,” Nogg said. “And with Temple Israel, I started reminiscing, thinking of Rabbi Brooks and his wife Jane.

And my children and my grandchildren belong to Temple, so I’m thinking right now of the present and the future, thinking of all the great times we’re going to have at this new building.”

Phase 3 of the move, which includes items from the sanctuary and the kitchen, such as prayer books and pots and pans, won’t begin until after the Aug. 25 Moving Day celebration.

“This is a real team effort,” Nogg said. “Once the planning is done and everything is organized, that’s the fun part, where you’re actually moving into your new place.”

I-Go Van and Storage Project Manager Patrick Warren will be on hand during each of the three phases to oversee the move and make sure nothing goes awry.

“He’s our point man on this move,” Nogg said. “He’ll be with the trucks and be the contact person between Temple Israel and us.”

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Summer is for touching souls

by ELCHONON REITZIS Another subject of interest is the scribal arts, which include Some 100 pairs of rabbinical students are exploring the the Torah, the “mezuza” and “teffilin,” which have many globe this summer, seeking out Jewish communities and laws in their production, both the production of the parchindividuals. ment they are written on, and the way they are meticulousDuring the year, one would find them hard at study with ly written, both of which add to hundreds of laws, not to large Talmudic tomes or analyzing a deep discussion in mention the legal and esoteric ideas behind them.

The program was conceived and developed by the Jewish law, but during these few weeks they spend their time Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi sharing with others the expeMenachem M. Schneerson, of rience and knowledge they righteous memory, more than mastered in Jewish studies.

50 years ago and has touched For these students, sharing with others goes hand-inmillions of Jews since its hand with personal growth. inception. Hundreds upon For this purpose, they spend hundreds of mezuzahs have their summer vacation visitbeen put up and Teffilin put ing many locations including on, and it goes without saycountries ike Bolivia, Bosnia, ing, thousands of Torah classCambodia, Croatia, Fiji, es have been given in this Guadeloupe, Ireland, program.

Portugal, Sri Lanka and Nebraska has also had Uruguay to strengthen Jewish Rabbinical students in the past Elchonon Reitzis and Avraham Raskin practice and identity. years, and has had a strongly But they don’t necessarily travel abroad. They also visit positive response. Two such Rabbinical students have arrived locations closer to their home base of New York which, to Nebraska this week, for a two-week stay, and will be visiting though having well-built Jewish communities, still have different areas in Omaha, as well as visiting Jews in other cities many educated people who would like to further their and villages around the state. knowledge, as well as many unaffiliated Jews who are not yet Avraham Raskin and Chonon Reitzis have been here for a touched by the community. short time and already are already seeing successful results.

A typical subject like the Jewish calender, is a topic people They are working closely with Rabbi Mendel Katzman and are curious to hear about, to understand how it works and can be reached at 929.444.1042, or by email at avremler@ why its months are always different than the legal dates. gmail.com.

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by MARTY RICKS, Chief Development Officer and HOWARD EPSTEIN, Executive Director, Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation We certainly cannot predict the direction of the stock market. We do know, however, that on Aug. 1, 2013, the S&P 500 attained a new intraday high of 1700, and stock market averages have gone up for eight of the last nine months.

This may be an opportune time to accelerate the payment of your regular year-end charitable contributions by donating appreciated stocks or mutual funds to the Jewish Federation of Omaha for your 2013 Annual Campaign or even prepaying your 2014 pledge. You may even use this approach to open an endowment fund or donor-advised fund at the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.

There are significant advantages to donating appreciated stocks and mutual funds held at least one year. You get the satisfaction of helping the Omaha Jewish community, and you avoid paying the capital gains tax that would be due if you sold the stock. You also receive a charitable tax deduction for the value of the stock or mutual fund on the day it is donated.

The Jewish Federation of Omaha and the Foundation have the forms to assist you in donating your stocks or mutual funds with minimal brokerage fees. To receive a transfer form or to learn more about donating appreciated stocks and mutual funds, contact Marty Ricks at the Federation at 402.334.6440 or mricks@jewishomaha.org, or Howard Epstein at the Foundation at 402.590.2156 or hepstein@jewishomaha.org.

Out

Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Omaha Eppley Airfield director will address the coming changes to the airport on Wednesday, Aug. 14, noon, at the Blumkin Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $11; beverage service only is $3. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.

LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Yiddish was once thought to be a dying language, is now very much alive, with Webster’s Third International

Dictionary listing more than 500 Yiddish words. It has been perpetuated by greeting cards, television, radio, speakers, plays and books. It is now presented in transliterated form using the Roman alphabet, so that everyone can become a maven instantly. If you want to “jazz up” your conversation, throw in a few Yiddish words. One word in Yiddish has more meaning than a dozen words in any other language. So be a mentsh and zog a por verter, (say a few words). We meet every Thursday from 1-3 p.m., in the boardroom of the Rose Blumkin Home. For information, please call Anne Skolkin at 402.343.1638.

Maccabiah Games close in Jerusalem with Israel topping medal count

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israel handily won the most medals at the 19th Maccabiah Games, which came to a close in Jerusalem.

The games’ closing ceremony at Teddy Stadium featured some of Israel's most popular pop music groups, such as Balkan Beat Box and Infected Mushroom. Speakers urged the athletes to consider making Israel their permanent home.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and Omri Casspi, the first Israeli to play in the National Basketball Association, presented the Most Outstanding Athlete award to American swimmers Andrea Murez, who won five gold medals and two silver, and Garrett Weber-Gale, a former Olympian who earned two gold medals.

Israel finished with 411 medals, including 150 gold, 135 silver and 123 bronze. The host country had 3,000 partici-

pating athletes.

The U.S., which had delegation of about 1,200, came in second with 196 medals, including 77 gold, 60 silver and 59 bronze. Canada, Australia and South Africa rounded out the top five countries with the highest medal counts.

Athletes from a record 78 countries participated in 42 sports, as well as Paralympic events over 10 days. Some 150 athletes who participated in the recent Olympic Games competed in the Maccabiah, the quadrennial event known as the Jewish Olympics.

EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE The Jewish Press office is closed Thursday and Friday, Sept. 5 and 6, for Rosh Hashanah; the deadline for the Sept. 13 issue is Tuesday, Sept. 3, 9 a.m. Questions?

Call 402.334.6448.

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The A-Ri-Rang Games

by RICH JURO On the field were thousands more performWe spent the night at a unique hot springs ers: acrobats, musicians, singers, dancers, hotel. We could turn the bathtub tap, and and gymnasts, all marching in ever-changthe natural boiling-hot thermal spring water ing formations. Fran and I have witnessed would fill it. It’s supposed to be very thera- the Super Bowl halftime, Carnaval in Rio de peutic, but it didn’t cure my bad ankle. This Janiero, and other spectacular events, but was the only hotel where we could walk the the A-Ri-Rang performance is simply grounds unaccompanied by hotel staff. unequalled anywhere in the world.

Disappointingly, we found out that the Early one evening we also went to a wonentire area was surrounded by a 12-foot derful circus. The acts ranged from an icewall. But we were glad to see that many of skating bear to blindfolded flying trapeze the hotel guests were North Koreans, albeit artists. Again, it was nice to see that most of high-ranking ones, who were there for con- the audience consisted of soldiers and ferences or just for R&R. In the morning, we schoolchildren. were awakened by the ubiquitous P.A. vans, The last afternoon in Pyongyang was stridently urging everyone to do their patri- devoted to shopping. As noted earlier, every otic duty and get to work. business is owned and operated by the govAfter breakfast, we drove to Nampo to see ernment. Surprisingly, the service in at least a major feat of engineering: NOTES the wide outlet where the Taedong River meets the sea Not mentioned in the memoir, but asked by some, is how had been barraged, so that we got into North Korea. There are several American comsalty ocean water no longer panies that set up tours, with entry and exit through Beijing, flowed up the river, thus help- including Travcoa of California and Asia Pacific Tours of ing fishing and irrigation, Kenilworth, IL (info@asia1on1.com), but all travel within along with a dam generating North Korea is with the Korea International Travel Company, electrical power. On the way a government agency. back to Pyongyang, we For further reading, I suggest: stopped for lunch at the last Separated at Birth, by Gordon Cucullu, a U.S. Army officer place we expected: the who spent years in South Korea and writes the history of both Pyongyang Golf Club. North and South Korea from ancient times thru 2007.

Originally set up by the Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea, by Barbara Japanese, it is used sparingly Demick, a Los Angeles Times reporter who spent two years today by foreign diplomats interviewing and writing the life stories of six varied people and a few members of the NK who escaped from North Korea and now live in South Korea. ultra-privileged class. There Escape from Camp 14, by Blaine Harden, the true story of were actually a couple of peo- a young man, Shin Dong-Hyuk, who was born in and grew up ple playing, but we declined. in a NK concentration camp, and became the only such perDue to the recent serious son who has successfully escaped. flooding in North Korea, we An excellent novel set in North Korea, The Orphan were not able to head north Master’s Son, by Adam Johnson, won a prize as the best ficfor sightseeing in that area. tion book of 2012.

What was surprising was that we never heard anything about the hun- some of the stores was very helpful, maybe dreds of people killed nor the thousands dis- because working in these establishments is a placed from their homes. When asked, our plum job. We went to an art studio where, guides just said the army was helping out. among the numerous patriotic paintings, we We were privileged to attend an event for- spotted and purchased an excellent woodmerly called the “Mass Games,” now the “A- cut. A small food store had some unusual Ri-Rang Games.” The spectacle takes place fresh fruits and vegetables. At a large craft and in a 150,000-seat stadium and is presented souvenir shop, we purchased a small delicateevery night for one month a year. The show- ly decorated porcelain bowl. The bookstore ground is at least double the size of a foot- had thousands of maps, pins, and posters of ball field. As foreigners, we paid $180 each all subjects, from art designs to historical picin crisp, new U.S.A. currency for first class tures to dramatic depictions of North Korean seats. There were also thousands of regular soldiers bayoneting American G.I.s. army and students in the cheap seats. They In all of these retail establishments we had were probably admitted free as a reward for to pay in crisp, new U.S. currency, Euros, or outstanding service or citizenship.

Chinese RMZ, as the government needs Across the stadium were seated at least whatever hard currency it can get.

25,000 people holding large cards. Those Obviously, locals cannot buy here, unless who have ever witnessed a student card sec- they manage to get some foreign money. tion at an American football game know (For example, we tipped our guides and that the card holders will periodically hold driver generously in $$US, chocolates, and up their cards to spell the name of the team Marlboro cigarettes purchased in China.) or to spell out exhortations to the fans. Here, We were not allowed to have the new (devalthe cardholders spent almost two hours ued) notes of North Korean currency, called continuously displaying different color “won.” When the government issued these cards. They formed dramatically moving new and devalued notes, it created another pictures, everything from a North Korean serious hardship for the citizens, but that is flag waving in the wind to cranes flying another problem that is never across the sky to pictures of the Dear Leader. Continued on page 7

August 9, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 7

Multi-national effort heals Ethiopian boy

by SHERRIE SAAG Communications Specialist, Jewish Federation of Omaha An amazing international humanitarian effort that stretched from London to Ethiopia to Israel has provided new hope for Abdulrazak, an eight-year-old Muslim boy from Ethiopia who was almost mauled to death by a wild hyena outside the remote village of Enemur, where his family lives.

His story is the very definition of Tzedakah in its purest form. For Jews, the term refers to justice, kindness, ethical behavior and giving to those in need. It is one of our most enduring legacies as a people. Abdulrazak’s survival began with a June phone call to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), an overseas partner of the Jewish Federation of Omaha (JFO) supported, in part, by allocations from JFO’s Annual Campaign. His story continues today, successfully, at the Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya, Israel, a central and prominent organization in JFO’s Partnership2Gether program.

In January, a wild hyena raided Enemur, killing six people and injuring 18. The boy was among those attacked – and though his father, Alawi, risked his life to pull his son from the wild animal’s jaws, Abdulrazak suffered severe head and eye injuries and lost an ear.

He was transferred to Attat Hospital, a Catholic hospital outside of Addis Ababa, spent five days clinging to life and the next five months being continually re-bandaged, but no surgeries could be performed in the limited facility. Dr. Rick Hodes, JDC’s Ethiopian medical director; received a call from the hospital, changing the course of the boy’s life.

Hodes knew the latest surgical techniques available in Israel could not only save his life, but offer cosmetic enhancements that would one day improve his quality of life. So

North Korea

he set in motion a humanitarian operation that included Bedouin-Israeli diplomat Ishmail Khaldi in London, Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia Belaynesh Zevadia, Friends of the Western Galilee Hospital, the Jewish Agency for Israel, the JDC and many

$40,000 and $50,000 and were raised, in part, by the Friends of the Western Galilee Hospital. Omaha’s Zoe Riekes is chair of its stateside fundraising operations as well as co-chair of the Partnership2Gether Central Area Consortium.

Abdulrazak and his father at the Western Galilee Hospital in Israel. Credit: Rony Albert

Dr. Masad Barhoum of Western Galilee Hospital.

more. This act of Tzedakah stretched far and wide, across thousands of miles. Abdulrazak arrived in Israel in early August.

“We’re trying to perform all the surgeries we can. We’re saving his life and we’re taking him out of danger,” Dr. Masad Barhoum, director-general of the Western Galilee hospital said publicly. “It is Israel’s nature to help whoever can be helped. I’m proud to be a part of a healthcare system that acts without hesitation to provide international humanitarian aid when possible. This is an all-embracing mitzvah.”

Miracles at the Western Galilee Hospital While doctors were ultimately unable to save his right eye, a series of other procedures including plastic surgeries, skin grafting on large parts of his head, and a bone graft to reconstruct his jaw so that he can eat properly, were performed.

Travel and medical costs for the boy and his father were expected to run between

“The spirit of Tzedakah is alive and well in the people of Israel in general and our partnership region in particular. They are blind to religious, cultural, and geographic differences when a child is in need of life-saving treatment,” said Riekes. “In this regard, they are synonymous with the Jewish community of Omaha. We should all be very proud of the kindness and selflessness demonstrated by the people and institutions in Israel’s Western Galilee.”

The Western Galilee Hospital is one of the largest medical centers in northern Israel. It serves over half a million residents in the region whose population is made up of Jews, Christians, Muslims and Druze. For more information on Abdulrazak’s medical progress and the Friends of the Western Galilee Hospital, visit www.americanfriend swgh.org.

Source: Viva Sarah Press, Israel21c.org and the Western Galilee Hospital.

Continued from page 6 discussed publicly.

So what is the real Democratic People’s Republic of Korea? Is it the tall buildings of Pyongyang, the million-man army, the developer of nuclear missiles, and the farmland near the DMZ filled with healthy-looking crops? Or is it the disaster we’ve read about, with famine, concentration camps, no personal liberty, a failed economy, and no communication available between its citizens and the rest of the world? Perhaps the true answer was given to us when we spent some time with two young European men who had just finished two weeks of travel, including visits to the northern part of the country. Here’s what they saw in Chongin, a large formerly industrialized seaport city in the northwest: the factories were closed down (probably due to lack of fuel and electricity); the streets were unpaved, empty of vehicles, and without sidewalks; the people appeared small of stature (from previous famines), clothed in rags, and forsaken; all in all, a gloomy hellhole, which probably explains why thousands of North Koreans brave the elements, border guards, imprisonment, or death to try to cross the Yalu River and escape to China.

Yes, the latter is the real North Korea.

Did we see it? Not really. But we did spend a fascinating week visiting the most remote country in the world.

And, yes, we got our passports and our cell phones back when we departed. We each had several hundred e-mails when we arrived back in Beijing, but none of them seemed to matter that much compared to the unforgettable experiences we had encountered.

Education Coming September

Publishing Date | 09.20.13 Space Reservation | 09.11.13 Camera Ready Deadline | 09.13.13 Contact your advertising representative to advertise in this very special edition.

Jessie Wees | 402.334.6559 | jwees@jewishomaha.org

8 | The Jewish Press | August 9, 2013

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

Begging

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor Being the editor and director of the Jewish Press has always been more than a job for me, like the Press is so much more than just a paper to our community. It has been printed and read for almost 100 years; it has chronicled births and deaths and important events with a regular, reliable frequency. None of us can imagine what the community would look like without the Jewish Press.

It’s why, when we hear of other Jewish communities whose printers go silent, we cringe a little.

Where will they find their local news? Not on television, and not online: no matter how much we think the Internet does, if the local paper ceases to exist, there is a wealth of local stories that will go untold.

We will lose something irreplaceable.

When the Canadian Jewish News a few months ago called it quits, the Toronto community panicked. Nobody realized how dire things had gotten, and only at the eleventh hour did the community step in and rescue their publication. How did that happen? Did the staff not share how tough business had gotten? Were they hoping to quietly save their paper, without asking the community for help?

I can understand the inclination. As a Jewish community, we are solicited for funds all the time. When does it ever stop, we ask ourselves, when yet another pledge card lands in our mailbox. I hear that; I understand it on a professional as well as a personal level, because I am part of this community. I, too, receive numerous requests for financial contributions throughout the calendar year.

And yet, I have to ask you for your help. Quite a few of you

have donated to the Press Club this year, and we thank you.

Many of you advertise with us, and we thank you as well. But to those of you who haven’t yet, I ask you to please consider helping us out. Find the ad on the back page and fill it out, send us a contribution, and help us continue the work we do.

If you own a business, give our sales manager a call (Jessie Wees, 402.334.6559) and place an ad. We really, really need your help.

Writing this editorial is uncomfortable. I’d much rather dig in to the latest tsuris in Syria, or talk about the Israeli budget (Bibi’s pain is similar to mine, albeit on a much grander scale). But here’s the thing: I care too much about the Jewish Press to not ask for your help. And I am not above

begging. Really.

On July 31, I had the pleasure of visiting with Bernie Meyers, who recently traveled from the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home to Israel. He did so against all odds, because he wanted to see his granddaughter dance in Jerusalem. You will read the entire story in our Aug. 23 paper, and it is a prime example of something you will only find here. It’s the type of story that inspires and resonates; something you may hear through the community grapevine, but without the necessary details you need to really get it. A story like Bernie’s reminds us what we, as a community, are made of and what we are capable of. It is essential we continue to share the story of “us,” because it allows us to remember why we are here. When you see Bernie’s article, you will see what I mean. Our shared story is the mortar that holds us together.

There’s something else you can do to help us.

Before you go to Angie’s list, check the paper.

Whether you are looking for a contractor, a real estate agent, a financial planner or just a place to have lunch: check our Jewish Press advertisers, frequent the businesses you find on our pages and tell them you saw them in the Jewish Press. That helps us out tremendously.

I know you care about this paper, and I know you don’t want us to ever stop what we’re doing. I ask you to be a part of our success, and join us in maintaining a strong and vibrant, as well as financially healthy, Jewish Press. For you, for me, and for all the stories we -- and those who come after us -- still have to tell.

Roiling region, pessimism behind Kerry’s urgency on peace talks

Behind the headlines RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -- After 20 years of stops, starts and a bloody intifada in between, John Kerry believes he can pull out a final status Israeli-Palestinian peace deal in nine months.

What clock is the U.S. Secretary of State trying to beat?

According to his aides, the one ticking down as Syria and Egypt roil into unknowable futures and Palestinians fume at the prospect of never achieving sovereignty.

“It’s becoming more complicated on the ground, and a feeling of pessimism is settling in among Israelis and Palestinians,” said a State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It’s getting harder, not easier.”

On Tuesday, Kerry disclosed few details about a process that has been arranged and conducted largely behind a veil of secrecy.

Kerry said the next round of meetings would be conducted in the region and that Israel had agreed to take steps to ease conditions for the Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The Gaza reference was new. Since the Hamas takeover of the strip in 2007, Israeli confidence-building measures have focused only on areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority.

“The parties have agreed to remain engaged in sustained, continuous and substantive negotiations on the core issues, and they will meet within the next two weeks in either Israel or the Palestinian territories in order to begin the process of formal negotiation,” Kerry said in an appearance at the State Department flanked by the top negotiator from each side, Tzipi Livni for Israel and Saeb Erekat for the Palestinians.

The breadth of Kerry’s ambition is breathtaking given the failure of multiple U.S. administrations over two decades to

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bring the conflict to a close and end the deep skepticism that exists on both sides. In recent weeks, top Israeli officials have declared the two-state solution dead and talked of managing rather than resolving the conflict.

Kerry did not specify which issues are considered “core.”

They would have to include not only the borders of a Palestinian state but also the status of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees -- issues that scuttled the 2000 Camp David talks.

Since the 2000 talks, the conventional wisdom has been to first address borders and only then proceed to the more intractable parts of the conflict.

But the clock is ticking loud enough that it appears to have roused Israeli and Palestinian leaders who had not given an inch since October 2010, when the last round of talks stopped.

“Our ability to impact the internal situation in Egypt or in Syria is very limited, but we can potentially impact our relationship with the Palestinians in a way that will increase stability in at least part of our region and perhaps better enable us to cope with the turmoil occurring elsewhere,” said Michael Oren, Israel’s ambassador to Washington.

To get the latest round of talks started, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas gave up his insistent demand that Israel reinstate a settlement freeze prior to negotiations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to release 104 Palestinians imprisoned for violent acts dating to before the launch of the 1993 Oslo process.

Netanyahu could make such a move in part because he is secure in his government and has the backing of Israelis who for years have told pollsters that they would accept the terms of a final-status agreement negotiated by their government, said Peter Medding, an emeritus professor of political science at Hebrew University.

“He does not have anyone ready to jump ship, not at this stage,” Medding said. “There’s a clear warning sign for peo-

ple to the right of him who feel he’s betraying the settlers, but who feel if he they jump out, he has the Labor party supporting him from the opposition.

“Those who are unhappy with what he is doing don’t have much of an option.”

Netanyahu may be following in the footsteps of other Likud party leaders such as Ariel Sharon, Menachem Begin and Ehud Olmert, hardliners who ultimately abandoned the idea of keeping all the lands Israel captured in the 1967 SixDay War. “The question is, what is the alternative,” Medding said.

“There is a part of Bibi that understands however terrible it is that a two-state solution is the only way to go as far as Israel is concerned. This may be the best way for Israel to proceed in an Arab world which is having its own significant problems.”

Kerry has been relentless in pushing the sides to the table, making six trips to the region in recent months and shuttling continuously between Jerusalem, Ramallah and Amman.

“This is the man, Secretary Kerry, who showed everyone that nothing can stop true believers,” Livni said. “And thank you for that.”

Two factors were central to the strategy pursued by Kerry and President Obama, who met with the negotiators: reassure the Israelis that they would not be sold out and keep as much as possible under wraps.

Obama’s March visit to Israel, in which he emphasized the closeness of the defense relationship between the United States and Israel, as well as historic Jewish ties to the land, did much to advance the first element. And Kerry vowed to maintain the radio silence that got him this far, emphasizing that only he was authorized to speak publicly about the talks, per agreement with the parties.

“That means that no one should consider any reports, articles or other -- or even rumors -- reliable unless they come directly from me, and I guarantee you they won’t.”

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August 9, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 9

Jewish college students can find their heroes at home

Focus on issues HERSHEY NOVACK (JNS.org) After endless shopping trips, anxious parents of Jewish college students will soon deliver their children to campus for the first time. Some will be cooped up with their soon-to-be-independent high school graduate for many hours on a road trip. Other families will fly.

While the method of transportation may vary, one constant theme is the apprehension a parent may experience while bringing a college freshman to campus for the first time. It may be the students’ first time away from home; and for parents, the feeling that “my little one is growing up” can be quite disconcerting. For many parents of Jewish college students, this is their first child, and they arrive on campus with open eyes, voraciously absorbing all that the university offers, excited for their child’s new opportunities. For some, this drop-off may have a hint of sadness: they are now empty nesters.

In my role as campus rabbi at Chabad at Washington University in St. Louis (Wash U), I have participated in many move-in days. I have observed numerous tender moments as parents bid farewell to their children after spending most of the day schlepping and unpacking. I have also seen an occasional awkward moment, as parents or stu-

dents grapple with the realization that they are unready or unwilling to recognize the dynamics of their shifting roles.

Fret not, parents. There is good news.

In their recent book, Generation on a Tightrope: A Portrait of Today’s College Student (Jossey-Bass, 2012), Arthur Levine and Diane R. Dean wrote of college students: “When asked to name their heroes, [undergraduates] didn’t cite celebrities or corporate, government, or social leaders. Less than one percent named people like Barack Obama, Martin Luther King Jr., the Dalai Lama, Ronald Reagan, Rosa Parks, Al Gore, Abraham Lincoln, Margaret Thatcher, their teachers, or their professors. They dismissed cultural heroes. [...]”

“Instead, a majority (54 percent) of undergraduates with heroes named their parents. In total, two-thirds (66 percent) cited a family member.”

The high regard that college students have of you, their parents, has increased dramatically over the past 20 years.

When a similar study was administered in 1993, about the same proportion of students admitted to having heroes, yet only 29 percent of them indicated that they saw their parents as their heroes. In their more recent study, the proportion nearly doubles.

There are many reasons for this shift. Simplest is an increase in technologies that allow parents to be a phone call or text message away. Indeed, 41 percent of students admit to communicating with their parents once per day. (There are also deeper sociological shifts occurring, which deserve their own article.)

Through my many interactions with Wash U students, it

has become clear to me that many students truly adore, respect and idolize their parents. You have no idea how frequently you turn up in conversations I have with your children, and in conversations that they have with each other.

Your values, your experiences, and, yes, even your occasional cringe-worthy humor, all provide a safe center around which your young adult orbits. You are their sense of balance and their strength, even if they may seem to chafe at your presence.

College is when your children will attempt to define themselves as emerging adults. Just as your children are maturing, your relationships with your children will inevitably shift as well. The core values and beliefs you instilled in them do not disappear in college. Quite the contrary, we often find students coming to our Chabad house for a Friday night Shabbat dinner or Rosh Hashanah services, as that is what their family did back at home. Many others choose to attend, as well, because they know it will make their parents -- their heroes -- proud.

As you depart campus on that quieter journey home, having delivered your children to student housing, rest assured that you have left them with more than extra-long twin sheets: You have left your children with core values, for them to appreciate, grow into, and guide them for the rest of their lives.

Rabbi Hershy Novack is beginning his 12th year directing Chabad on Campus – Rohr Center for Jewish Life serving Washington University. He may be reached at rabbi@ chabadoncampus.org.

From academia to the real world: Making research have impact

Focus on issues RENEE RUBIN ROSS (JNS.org) Effective Jewish education doesn’t just happen.

Strategic planning, smart use of resources, and proper implementation all play a role in educating today’s Jewish youths and young adults.

But another critical element, generally not seen and sometimes not understood, is the role of research in Jewish education. While the field of Jewish education has much to gain from research, too rarely do practitioners use it to inform their work.

It’s not difficult to surmise why a natural tension exists between practitioners and researchers. Research projects take a long time; once a research project is complete, the researcher may be more focused on his or her next project, rather than the implications of this project for practitioners.

From another perspective, the practitioner may feel that the research is challenging to make sense of or does not apply to his or her setting, so it becomes irrelevant.

As a foundation that partners with both groups, we at the Jim Joseph Foundation have a responsibility to bridge this gap. We live in a world that is affected and improved by research -- from hand washing to healthy eating to medical procedures. Research about Jewish education should be influencing the practice of Jewish education in a similar manner, increasing its impact on the general Jewish public.

We have good reason to pursue these efforts. As just two

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examples of research’s positive effect on Jewish education: 1. Years ago, Jewish camps would open for business lacking critical data and the analysis of it as an institutional tool for planning camp operations and financing. They would experience funding, curriculum, and organizational challenges without necessarily receiving support from others who had trod a similar path. Now, the Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) has an “Incubator” to help educators create new and innovative camps. FJC provides these camps with some of the resources, lessons learned, benchmarks, and tool-kit items that make their success more likely -- and makes them more effective as a vehicle for Jewish education. Research informed the creation of the Incubator. Subsequently, the Incubator is a vehicle by which research informs the engagement and education efforts of camp practitioners.

2. In the North Shore of Boston, 23 towns, each with small Jewish communities, were disconnected from each other, essentially operating within their own silos. But in 2008, the North Shore Teen Initiative (NSTI) changed that dynamic.

NSTI is now a hub that connects Jewish teens across the entire North Shore region. It breaks down traditional institution barriers and builds partnerships. As a result, more teens are engaged Jewishly than ever before. Academic research, which examined in detail Boston’s North Shore, informed the creation of NSTI. Doesn’t it make sense to share that model with similar communities for possible adaptation? Of course, it does. But to meaningfully share it, academic research has to evidence the program’s success and document the model.

So what can we do increase the use of research by practitioners? Through efforts like the Consortium for Applied Studies in Jewish Education (CASJE), which brings together funders, researchers, and practitioners for the purpose of improving Jewish education, we are working to put struc-

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tures in place to support researchers and help bridge the gap between their world and that of the practitioners.

Many graduates of doctoral programs in Jewish education have experience as Jewish education practitioners. Thus, they have worked in congregations, camps, day schools, Hillels or other settings, and can combine this fieldwork with research training to create new knowledge and improve Jewish education. There is no question that these doctoral programs can help bridge the gap between research and practitioners, enabling individuals in Jewish education projects to expand the impact of their own work.

Dr. Renee Rubin Ross is a program officer at the San Francisco-based Jim Joseph Foundation, which seeks to foster compelling, effective Jewish learning experiences for young Jews in the United States.

The Jews and the Blues

by RON KAMPEAS The New York Times recently seized the occasion of a new documentary, Born in Chicago, to examine how black blues musicians mentored white rockers. You can’t help but notice (or I couldn’t, anyway) the prevalence of Jewish rockers among the younger generation.

It’s something the writer, Larry Rohter, gets around to at the very end: “I think there’s something in the pain of the blues, something deep, that touches something ancient in Jewish DNA,” he said. “When I stand next to cantors, and they are really wailing, it opens that same thing, some similarity that connects.”

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Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 712.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com For information on our historic synagogue – dates and times for Friday night services, call 712.323.8885.

B’nai Israel Synagogue and the Jewish Chapel Group will have a special Potluck Picnic Brunch, Sunday, 11 a.m. at Base Lake at the Offutt Air Force Base. The Jewish Chapel Group is providing kosher bagels, lox and cream cheese, beverages and paper goods. Last names A-J bring side dishes or salads. Last names K-Z bring desserts. Adults, children and grandchildren are welcome. Recreational facilities are available. RSVP to Carole Lainof at 402.659.8566.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m.; Shabbat Singa-long, 6 p.m., for children through first grade and their favorite adults. This lively sing-along, led by Patty Nogg, will begin with a kid-friendly dinner. Cost: $5 for Beth El members, $7.50 for non-members. No charge for children ages six and younger SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9:30 a.m.; Welcome Back Havdalah, 8:15 p.m. Kids and parents, join us for Mincha/ Maariv and a special camp-style Havdalah. Wear your camp shirts! Ice cream and snacks will be served between Mincha and Maariv. If you didn't go to camp, come anyway and wear a shirt from anywhere you went on vacation this summer; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m.

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

SUNDAY: Torah Study Group, 10 a.m.

TUESDAY: Wrestling with the Rabbis of the Talmud, 10 a.m. weekly adult-education class led by Rabbi Abraham.

No charge to attend; everyone is welcome.

WEDNESDAY: Choir Rehearsal, 7:30 p.m. in the chapel.

USY, Sunday, Aug. 18, 5 p.m., all high schoolers are welcome to attend Sushi Night at the synagogue. RSVP to Betsy Goodman at youthdir@bethel-omaha.org. Cost is $5.

Red Cross Blood Drive, Sunday, Aug. 25, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., at the synagogue. Contact Marcy Noodell at 402.630.0381, to schedule your appointment.

BESTT Classes begin on Sunday, Aug. 25. Come for a Welcome-Back Waffle Breakfast from 9:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.; afterward, an assembly for students and parents will take place, followed by classes at 10:45 a.m.

The Secrets of the Jews, a new, monthly, adult-education class led by Andy Greenberg, beginning Sunday, Aug. 25, 10 a.m. Cost is $36 for members, $45 for non-members.

Register online at www.bethel-omaha.org.

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

of Kathy Weiner.

WEDNESDAY: Coffee and Your Jewish News with Rabbi Gross, 7:45 a.m.; Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:45 p.m.

THURSDAY: Sacred Grounds with Rabbi Gross, 9:30 a.m.

Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross.

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Children’s Classes begin with Torah Parade, 9:45 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8 p.m. followed by Seuda Shlishit; Havdalah, 9:16 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Daf Yomi: Week in Review with Rabbi Gross, 7:45 a.m.

TUESDAY: Women’s Study Group, 6:30 p.m. at the home

Bat Mitzvah Lauren Dietrich, daughter of Sheri and Gregory Dietrich, will become a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Aug. 17, at Beth El. Lauren is an eighth-grade Honor Roll student at Elkhorn Ridge Middle School.

Her interests include tennis, basketball and student council.

She has two brothers, Connor and Ben. Grandparents are Maxine and Allen Passer, and Lucille Dietrich.

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg.

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

TEMPLE ISRAEL CHABAD CENTER An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street | Omaha, NE 68144-1646 | 402.330.1800 www.OChabad.com | email: chabad@aol.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m.

SATURDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush lunch is sponsored by the Katzmans in honor of the Yartzeit of Bubby Malka Lipsker, 11:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Minyan, 8:30 a.m.; Breakfast Bonanza, 9:30 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m.

TUESDAY: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. RSVP by calling the office.

WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 10 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; The Development of the Oral Tradition, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; Understanding our Prayers, 7 p.m. with Rochi Katzman.

THURSDAY: Women’s Study at UNMC with Shani Katzman, noon. RSVP by emailing Marlene Cohen at mzcohen@ unmc.edu.

Understanding our Prayers, Friday, Aug. 16, 11:30 a.m. with Rochi Katzman at Star Deli.

Agents of Light Reception, Monday, Aug. 19, 6 p.m. For more information, email Anna Yuz Mosenkis at rsvp@ ochabad.com.

Study or visit with the Roving Rabbis from New York, please call the office for an appointment.

All programs are open to the entire community.

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN South Street Temple | Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street | Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 | 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org Services conducted by Rabbi Craig Lewis.

FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following hosted by the Jolton Family in honor of the Bar Mitzvah of Josh Jolton.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 10 a.m. celebrating the Bar Mitzvah of Josh Jolton, with Kiddush Luncheon to follow.

SUNDAY: Be Present with the Prez, Eleanor ShirleyKirkland, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Sessions are 15-20 minutes at a time and first come, first served; Board of Trustees, 1 p.m.

THURSDAY: High Holiday Day Choir Rehearsal, 7:30-9 p.m.

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Candlelighting Friday, August 9, 8:13 p.m.

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

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

Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street | Omaha, NE 68132-2651 | 402.556.6536 http://templeisraelomaha.com FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to You at Remington Heights, 4 p.m. led by Rabbi Azriel; Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. followed by dinner; Summer Speaker: Debbie Massarano “Change Your Place, Change Your Luck.”

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.; Pool Party for Sixth Graders, 6:30-8 p.m. at Mimi and Mike Silverman’s home, 15835 California St. Join your fellow Sixth graders for some pizza and pool fun.

This is an informal opportunity to get to know your classmates and create life-long bonds, as well as meet our new educator Debbie Massarano. Don’t forget to bring your swimsuit and towel! Please RSVP to Temple Israel, RSVP@ templeisraelomaha.com or 402.556.6536. Hosted by the Silvermans and the Temple Israel clergy.

SUNDAY: Grades Eighth-Tenth Summer Fun Day, 7:308:30 p.m. at Rabbi Josh and Carrie Brown’s home, 1464 N. 96th St. This is an informal opportunity to get to know your classmates, meet our new educator Debbie Massarano and hang out with your clergy. Please contact Temple Israel to let us know if you can come, RSVP@templeisraelomaha.com or 402.556.6536.

TUESDAY: Kol Rina and New Singers, 6:30 p.m.

Summer Speaker, Friday, August 16, 6 p.m.: Annette van de Kamp-Wright “Cultural Transition and Language.”

Celebrate Rabbi Azriel’s 25 years at Temple Israel, Friday, Aug. 23, 6 p.m. Join us as we mark two historic moments in the life of Temple Israel: the last Shabbat service at our Cass Street building and a celebration of Rabbi Azriel’s 25 years at Temple Israel. A oneg will follow the service to honor Rabbi Azriel.

Torah Procession from 7023 Cass St. to 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive, Sunday, Aug. 25, 9 a.m. Join us in celebrating our past, present and future by honoring all who have helped make the dream of the New Building Capital and Endowment Campaign a success. All ages are encouraged to come and participate in this once-in-a-generation event.

Interested in joining a walking team to help carry the Torah?

Each team will cover a half-mile stretch of the procession route. Contact Temple Israel or register online http:// cts.vresp.com/c/?TempleIsrael/0db43c914c/70f4bd744/ 987a6928fd.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard | Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 | 402.423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

FRIDAY: Shabbat Services, 7:45 p.m. followed by a discussion of timely news topics pertaining to the Jewish world.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m. followed by a Kiddush luncheon.

Tifereth Israel’s Fourth Annual Shabbat on the Green/New Member dinner, Friday, August 23, 6:30 p.m. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy a hot dog meal. More information is coming soon.

Stoudemire seeking Israeli citizenship

by JTA NEWS STAFF NEW YORK (JTA) — Amar’e Stoudemire, the New York Knicks star who claims Hebrew roots and is currently touring Israel, is seeking Israeli citizenship. Stoudemire’s agent, Happy Walters, told New York magazine that the Knicks’ power forward is in the process of becoming an Israeli.

“He’s getting citizenship,” Walters said. ”He applied, and he’s there now.”

Stoudemire went to Israel for the Maccabiah Games as the assistant coach of the Canadian basketball squad. The games ended earlier this week.

Stoudemire’s Jewish connections have been the source of much media fascination in recent

months. At his wedding last year to Alexis Welch, Stoudemire donned a yarmulke and prayer shawl for the “Hebraic” ceremony. In July, he announced he had become a part owner in the Israeli basketball club Hapoel Jerusalem. And in an exclusive interview in Jerusalem last month with JTA, Stoudemire said he is in regular dialogue with New York rabbis, studies Torah and observes the High Holidays.

“I’m not a religious person, I’m more of a spiritual person, so I follow the rules of the Bible that coordinate with and connect with the Hebrew culture,” Stoudemire told JTA.

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August 9, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 11

Idolatry: Walking away

Sparks from the word RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parsha Shofetim A sharp-eyed commentator on the Torah noticed the special use of the verb â&#x20AC;&#x153;to goâ&#x20AC;? (vayelekh) in a verse in our Sidrah. In a passage about idolatrous worship, the text has it: â&#x20AC;&#x153;a man or woman who has affronted the Lord your God and has gone and served other godsâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;? (Deut. 17:2-3). Our commentator noticed that not only here, but in several other passages about idolatry in the Torah, the text uses the verb â&#x20AC;&#x153;to goâ&#x20AC;? as the beginning of idolatry. One defects from Judaism by walking away, by voting with oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s feet.

It may be that Rabbi Mecklenbergâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comment derived from the fact that he lived in 19th century Germany. In that country, and in that century, there were many defections from Judaism. It was easy for a Jew to enter the intellectual, scientific, cultural, musical, literary and social life of Germany, enter its best circlesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;provided he paid the price.

The price was baptism.

In memoriam EDWIN â&#x20AC;&#x153;EDDIEâ&#x20AC;? GORELICK Edwin â&#x20AC;&#x153;Eddieâ&#x20AC;? Gorelick passed away on July 29 at age 82.

Services were held Aug. 1 at Beth El Cemetery.

He was preceded in death by wife, Barbara; daughter, Beverly Liggett; and brothers, Sidney and Marvin.

He is survived by daughter and son-in-law, Martha and David Slosburg; brother and sister-in-law, Philip and Dian; sisters-in-law, Sandi Kully and Sharon Gorelick; six grandchildren; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made to Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, UNMC or charity of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s choice.

Haredi men attack bus after woman refuses to move

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Haredi Orthodox assailants in Beit Shemesh smashed the windows of a bus after a woman refused to sit apart from men.

The trouble began Wednesday afternoon when a haredi man demanded that a female passenger move to the back of the crowded public bus in Beit Shemesh, a sprawling suburb located near Jerusalem. When she refused, four haredi men blocked the bus, smashed the windshield and broke other windows with a hammer, according to reports.

Haredi assailants later stoned two other public buses driving through Beit Shemesh, smashing their windows as well.

Police detained the man who demanded that the woman move to the back of the bus and a haredi woman who tried to prevent police from detaining him. Two other men were arrested for blocking the bus.

Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Transportation Ministry maintains a voluntary segregation plan for public buses under which riders may sit separately if they desire, but passengers cannot pressure other passengers to sit separately. The plan was approved by Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Supreme Court.

Beit Shemesh gained international notoriety in 2011 when a group of haredi men spit upon and cursed at an 8year-old Modern Orthodox girl, Naama Margolis, as she walked to school through their neighborhood.

The city is currently in the midst of an acrimonious mayoral race, with two Modern Orthodox candidates running to unseat the sitting haredi mayor.

To Submit obituaries to the Jewish Press: Email to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; fax to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154, or online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org/jewish-press.

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Heinrich Heine, for example, was one who paid that price.

He hated himself for doing it. And he detested the Christian establishment and the Christian populace that heaped honors on Heine the Christian but couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t abide Heine the Jew. The ticket of admission was apostasy.

Rabbi Mecklenberg pointed out that apostasy doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen all at once. There are recognizable steps of wavering.

These steps have to do with â&#x20AC;&#x153;going,â&#x20AC;? with â&#x20AC;&#x153;walking away.â&#x20AC;?

At first there is a weakening of loyalty. Then incipient alienation grows to a conscious rejection.

American Jewish parents have to give attention to their teenagers and possible incipient alienation. There is much attraction in getting out from under the burdens of Jewishness. In our society, one can get away from antiSemitism; one can find himself in a larger crowd; one can find easy, simplistic answers to grave problems; one can escape from commitment to a minority and the need to defend it; one can find certain career doors opened; one can find himself surrounded by â&#x20AC;&#x153;loveâ&#x20AC;? in a fake â&#x20AC;&#x153;we love youâ&#x20AC;? situation. The allurement of the cults, of majority religious groups, of indifference to problems and the shedding of responsibilities are many.

The Jewish community deserves the best shot that parents can give. Conscious defection and the defection of indifference endanger our very survival.

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Aaron Panken will head Reform rabbinical school

by URIEL HEILMAN NEW YORK (JTA) -- If you want to lead a major Reform Jewish organization, hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a piece of advice: Go to the Westchester Reform Temple.

With this weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s announcement that Rabbi Aaron Panken will be the new president of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the temple in suburban New York now has produced two major Reform leaders in two years. The other is Rabbi Rick Jacobs, who two years ago ceded the pulpit of the Scarsdale synagogue to become president of the Union for Reform Judaism Panken isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t new to HUC. He has been at the Reform rabbinical seminary since the mid-1990s, holding such senior positions as vice president for strategic initiatives, dean of the New York campus and dean of students.

In fact, almost everything Panken has done has been Jewish. He grew up on Manhattanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Upper West Side (officially a Jewish activity, even if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do anything Jewy), went straight from college to a job as regional director of the North American Federation of Temple Youth, was ordained

by HUC, worked as an associate rabbi at Manhattanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Congregation Rodeph Shalom and earned a doctorate in Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University.

Along the way, Panken also became a licensed commercial pilot. He doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fly jumbo jets, but in a pinch he could get you where you need to go. He also has a degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

His piloting skills might come in handy in his new job: Panken will serve as the chief executive officer of HUCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four campuses -- in Cincinnati, Jerusalem, Los Angeles and New York. He will officially assume his new role on Jan. 1; his predecessor, Rabbi David Ellenson, who has been president since 2001, will become the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chancellor.

Panken says itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good time to be president of HUC. The institution is financially stable following its fiscal troubles of five to seven years ago, and interesting challenges lie ahead.

Job No. 1, he says, is bringing people into Judaism â&#x20AC;&#x153;in a modern American context.â&#x20AC;? That means engaging Jews, particularly young ones, outside the synagogue, Panken said, echoing one of Jacobsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; favorite lines.

One of HUCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s challenges is to recruit the â&#x20AC;&#x153;best and brightestâ&#x20AC;? to careers in the rabbinate rather than in law and medicine or on Wall Street. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to see more people who have had significant and meaningful Jewish experiences actually consider these careers,â&#x20AC;? Panken said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unfortunately, for a lot of young folks itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the first thing people are talking about as a career choice.

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12 | The Jewish Press | August 9, 2013

The Real Housewives of Israel

by BEN SALES est suburb, quipping that even Gazans wouldn’t want to live musicians and has launched a website http://www.jennifers TEL AVIV (JTA) -- The show was supposed to be a cele- in some of the properties she considered. Another came .co.il/ that she hopes will bring online shopping to Israel. bration of glamor and glitz, but in the second episode it close to crashing her new luxury SUV as she maneuvered Snukal moved from Calgary to Los Angeles at 18. By 23 dropped a bombshell: One of the protagonists’ husbands through Tel Aviv’s narrow streets. A third confronted her she was a millionaire thanks to a roofing company she died of cardiac arrest. opened with her Israeli (now ex) husband. The couple have The five stars of Meusharot, remained friendly business partners despite divorcing Israel’s version of the Real soon after moving to Israel six years ago.

Housewives reality series, Snukal comes off as a high-powered, take-no-prisoners handled the news in their Israeli businesswoman. When deciding whether to take on own ways. One grappled with emerging Israeli singer Liron Ramati as a client, she drives her feelings about death. a hard bargain in his contract and won’t yield when critiAnother baked a cake to cizing his appearance. bring to the shiva.

“I was married to an Israeli, so I learned the mentality Jennifer Snukal tried a difquickly before I moved here,” she said. “If you don’t learn ferent approach, arranging a the survival skills, you’ll be eaten up for lunch and sexy photo shoot that aimed stomped on.” to produce an image of herBut Snukal at times still seems like a newbie. She conself that was both sexy and stantly alternates between English and Hebrew, often in modest. She began in a bright the same sentence. In one recent episode, Ramati takes her pink bathrobe, but soon to a Sephardic diner in the poor Tel Aviv neighborhood of moved to a couch where she his youth. posed wearing nothing but Glancing around uneasily at first, she relaxes as she dips half-rim glasses, a sheet and into the “so tasty” hummus. She tenses up again when the her bare arms covering her. waiter brings her soup with cooked cow leg, a traditional “We need to take every day Yemenite dish. Snukal gags, refuses and pretends to vomit. like it’s our last day,” she told The five protagonists of Meusharot, Israel’s version of the Real Housewives franchise, Iris Finally she swallows a bite, drawing applause from the the camera, explaining that Zander, left, Jennifer Snukal, Nicole Raidman, Leah Shnirer and Yael Gal. Credit: Channel 10 men sitting around her. her self-indulgent response to sudden death was an effort to feelings about divorce while lounging at a Jewish ritual bath “I wanted her to meet other people,” Ramati tells the deal with her past, when she was “a fat girl and the ugliest in that looked more like a spa. camera. “Not everything is rosy. She should see the people, the world.”

For Snukal, though, every scene is an adventure. She visits our people.”

Snukal, 38, is the only North American on Meusharot a psychic in Jaffa, sips wine on an awkward date and lounges Snukal lights up when talking about her children. One is (Hebrew for “rich women”), now in its second season on by the pool with her five children from two marriages that her “boss.” Another has “the biggest heart.” A third is “the Israel’s Channel 10. Bold and loud with long blond hair and have both ended in divorce. dream kid.” Two of them, she says, are just like her. radiant eyes, she’s easily the most energetic of the five, ges“I’m a different kind of person than all the other women,” “This is Disneyland for kids,” she says of life in Israel. ticulating, smiling wide and always ready to use Israeli slang. Snukal said. “I really don’t give a s***. I don’t take everything “They have much more freedom and warmth.”

“I believe my kids are proud of me and old enough to seriously. I try to find the good in everyone. I can be best Snukal says she dreams of living in an Israeli agricultural understand what the show is about,” Snukal told JTA in an friends with a tree. I’m a peacemaker.” village where it’s quiet and her kids can run around freely, interview near the boutique she runs in Rishon Lezion, Snukal is an odd fit for the Real Housewives franchise. For but she’s not ready yet to relinquish the spotlight. She may be south of Tel Aviv. “They heard from all the kids in school, one thing, she’s not a wife. For another, she’s hardly home- returning for the third season of Meusharot, and she’d like to ‘Oh, your mom filmed naked.’ I let them watch the scene.” bound. try her hand at acting or hosting a show about cooking and Her co-stars, who live extravagantly in and around Tel She recently opened her first fashion boutique, Sassy, and travel.

Aviv, are beset by first-world problems -- with an Israeli plans to expand with franchises in Tel Aviv and near the “It’s not easy to be a celeb,” she said. “It’s hard for me to go on twist. One was unable to find a suitable house in Israel’s rich- northern city of Haifa. She is also an “image designer” for the street. People jump on me and take pictures. And I love it.”

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