Vol. LXXXV No. 48 Omaha, NE
Celebrating 85 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
17 Av, 5766 August 11, 2006
CJE Presents “Limmud Omaha: a Day of Learning”
Federation to Honor Singer as Humanitarian of the Year
one place and at one time. Study is cenby MARY SUE GROSSMAN tral in Judaism and this combined activiAdministrator Center for Jewish Education Several months ago, during a meeting ty will be an innovative experience.” Matalon reported that as planning with Dr. Guy Matalon and Rabbi Aryeh started, it was a natural to Azriel and Rabbi invite Dr. Leonard Jonathan Gross, Rabbi Greenspoon to serve as Mordechai Levin prothe event chairperson. posed that the Center for “Leonard’s experience Jewish Education schedwith the annual Klutznick ule a “day of learning” for Symposium coupled with the Omaha Jewish comhis vast knowledge and munity. The suggestion contacts throughout the was next presented to the Jewish world, made him Center for Jewish an excellent choice to Education board where it help plan this event,” was met with great Matalon stated. Dr. enthusiasm and planning Greenspoon holds the began immediately. Klutznick Chair in Jewish Limmud Omaha: A Dr. Leonard Greenspoon Civilization at Creighton Day of Learning will be held on Sunday, Sept. 10, 1:30–5 p.m., University. Matalon and Greenspoon are excited at the Jewish Community Center. In addition to keynote speaker Dr. Ellen about keynote speaker, Dr. Ellen Frankel, Frankel, who serves as CEO and Editor- who heads JPS. The Society was founded in-Chief for the Jewish Publication in 1888 and is the oldest publisher of Society (JPS), the afternoon will feature Jewish titles in the English language. JPS 12 local speakers, giving presentations is also a rarity in the publishing world in based on the event’s theme “The Texts that it is a non-profit organization. Perhaps its most famous publication is and Textures of Judaism.” “Rabbi Levin’s suggestion was excel- the JPS Tanakh, which is considered the lent and definitely in line with the goals standard English translation of the Bible of our agency,” said Matalon. “The idea from the original Hebrew. Dr. Frankel is of providing an intense afternoon of a scholar of Jewish folklore and is an author, storyteller and lecturer. learning opportunities is very exciting.” “We are extremely fortunate to have “In Omaha we have many Jewish classes and lectures offered by each synagogue Ellen Frankel as our keynoter,” said Dr. and other Jewish organizations,” added Greenspoon. “She was my first choice for Rabbi Levin. “Limmud Omaha will pro- this occasion. I have known her and vide an opportunity for the Jewish com- worked with her for many years. She is a munity to study and learn together, in Continued on page 6
by LISA LIEB Federation Communications Director Suzanne Richards Singer could have stopped the volunteer merry-go-round years ago. She could have settled into a life of travel, visits with grandchildren and mah jongg. Actually–she does travel, she does visit grandchildren, and she does play mah jongg. But for Singer, volunteering isn’t a chore to be squeezed in when it’s convenient to do so. Serving her community has always been an integral part of who she is. In recognition of a lifetime of giving back to the community, Singer has been named the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s 2005 Humanitarian of the Year. For Carol Katzman, Editor of the Jewish Press, nominating Singer for Humanitarian of the Year was a natural choice. “She’s served as an officer of many organizations; she’s held numerous leadership roles, and served on many boards, yet for Suzanne Singer no volunteer job is too small,” Katzman wrote in her nomination. “When other high-level volunteers would be basking in the glow of their well-earned accomplishments, Suzanne Singer comes to the Press office to proofread the weekly issues. Not only does she call synagogues, organizations and parents of teens when she has a question about an article, she actually purchased a two-volume updated dictionary for the Press to ensure that our spellings and usage were correct,” Katzman added. “Now that’s a dedicated volunteer!” Singer is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Milton S. and Corinne N.
A Symbol of Success
Southern Lebanon--Ever since photographers have recorded one of man’s most pointless exercise of killing each other, there has always been a victor’s flag raising somewhere on the battle field. Despite everything, this small group of IDF soldiers proclaim success on an almost barren hill, symbolic of the Jewish people’s success in overcoming Pharaoh, another tyrannical ruler who wanted to see the Jewish people eliminated, just as Hezbollah would Credit: ISRANET wish to do in our time.
Inside Opinion Page see page 12
Livingston Foundation, the executive board of Jewish Senior Services/The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home and the board of the Jewish Federation Foundation. As a member of the Foundation Board, she chairs the committee for the Phil and Ruth Sokolof Honor Roll Fund’s $10,000 Merit Scholarships for high school seniors and students in the health care field, as well as the Karen Sokolof Javitch Music Appreciation Merit Scholarships. According to Singer, working on the Sokolof Scholarships has been one of the most interesting, challenging and rewarding projects in which she has ever been involved. Since this was the inaugural year, Singer and her committee needed to create Continued on page 2
“I Have a Love Affair with the People of Omaha” Says Wolfson as He Bids Goodbye smell.” by OZZIE NOGG and EUNIE DENENBERG It’s true. B. W. brooks no (Editor’s note In advance of the Aug. 17 BS. He talks straight. He Gala Tribute Dinner toasting Bob Wolfson, grabs problems with both the honoree sat down for a chat with two of his big hands and wrestles them fans: Ozzie Nogg and Eunie Denenberg. They to the ground. noted that every conversation with him is Herman Cain, CEO and “enlightening, engaging, amusing, energyPresident, The New Voice, charged--just like the man himself. This Inc., Stockbridge, Georgia, exchange was no exception. What follows is a describes Wolfson this way. lovingly rendered look back at Wolfson’s career “Many times I’ve called him in his hometown, and a look forward as he because I needed to get my takes on the Big Apple.” ) facts straight on some topic. ••• And, by the way, if you don’t Bob Wolfson’s 18 years as the Antiwant all the facts, don’t call Defamation League’s Plains States Regional Bob Wolfson, because with Director gives him a leg up on his new posihim you are going to get tion with the national office of ADL in New every detail, so thorough is York City. he in his thinking.” “Because we’re small here in Omaha, I got I. Robert Wolfson Wolfson is articulate, mento know every aspect of the work,” he says. “There’s no part of our ADL business that I haven’t shlik and wise. Jewish Press Editor Carol Katzman says, been in--up to my elbows. That’s one of the reasons “Lots of us on this campus go to Bob for advice on all kinds of issues having nothing to do with discrimination. small town life, and small town work, is beneficial.” For Wolfson, there’s another benefit to being the He always has something worthwhile to offer. He has a country mouse, not the city mouse. “I remind my New good head on his shoulders.” Cain agrees. “He’s the ‘smartest people’ walking on York colleagues that one of the plus features of being raised in Nebraska is that we’re close to where the farm the planet, period!” animals create their product, and I have a great sense of Continued on page 4
This Week: Israeli Charities Swing into Action: Page 2 See Front Page Stories at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’
Suzanne Singer
Ak-Sar-Ben to Honor Shirley and Buddy Goldstein: Page 3
Coming Next Week: Back-to-School Issue Israeli Kids Safe at Summer Camps: Page7
Ceremony Marks Nebraska’s First Synagogue: Page 16
Page 2
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 11, 2006
As Needs Mount, Israeli Charities Swing Into Action Throughout North
Christopher A. Stanosheck, D.D.S.
by DINA KRAFT icapped. Israeli Arabs, who make up much of the popuNAHARIYA, Israel (JTA)--Stale, hot air fills the flight lation of the Galilee, have mostly stayed at home. of concrete stairs that barrels deep into the earth and Most of the local campaigning by Israeli charities has leads to the surprising cool of a bomb shelter in a corner been for food assistance provided by organizations like of Nahariya’s poorest neighborhood. Latet, Meir Panim and Chabad, and calls for donations A gleaming new air conditioner blows cool air for the of refrigerators and air conditioners. shelter’s residents, who on Tuesday were spending their Abroad, a host of emergency fund-raising campaigns 21st day underground. The air-conditioning unit is one have been launched, including here in Omaha. Major of 220 secured in the first days of the war by Natan philanthropic players like the United Jewish Golan and Hanan Chen, founders of Galila, The Communities and the United Israel Appeal of Canada Northern Galilee Development Foundation. Federation systems are central addresses whose fundResidents of the northern town of Kfar Vradim, the raising helps support the work of organizations such as pair founded the grass-roots philanthe American Jewish Joint thropic organization six months ago. Distribution Committee and Since the fighting began, they have the Jewish Agency for Israel. been on the ground every day, assessOmaha’s Federation is still ing people’s most basic needs--from accepting donations at flak jackets and helmets for rescue www.jewishomaha.org. workers and municipal workers to air The JDC focuses in part on assisting the elderly through conditioners for bomb shelters. its Eshel program, which has “We were choking here; the air was been helping partner organihot and sticky,” Maya Edri, 23, said zations in the North provide of life in the shelter before Galila some 5,000 meals a day and installed the air conditioner. working to evacuate northOne of 25 people living in the shelerners to hotels in the center, Edri is eight months pregnant. “We were irritated and it was hard to Riki Malka, a Nahariya resident and asthmatic, terof the country. For those be here. We’re still frightened, but at gets a checkup from an army doctor in the bomb elderlly too frail to leave the least we have a much more comfort- shelter where she has been living for the past three bomb shelters, the JDC also Credit: Dina Kraft/JTA has put together kits with able atmosphere to be in,” she said. weeks. Galila is one of several organizations working overtime basic supplies like toothbrushes and flashlights. The organization also is helping to bring some 16,000 to help residents of the North who have been living under a barrage of rocket fire unprecedented in Israeli children to central Israel to attend day camps. For chilhistory for its duration and intensity. Hezbollah has fired dren in the shelters, it’s providing packages with toys, thousands of rockets into northern Israel since the con- computer games and arts and crafts supplies, as well as providing support for trauma counseling through an frontation began July 12. Most recently, Galila has turned its attention to getting umbrella organization called the Israel Trauma Coalition. Officials at JAFI, meanwhile, are spearheading efforts northern residents to Jerusalem for brief holidays at hotels where they can go on guided tours, enjoy free to help children from the North by bringing 20,000 so meals and take a break from the stress of life under attack. far to overnight camps in the center of the country. The Some 300,000 residents have fled the North, finding price tag is about $4 million; $3 million came from the shelter among friends and family or at hotels in central UJC and another $1 million from an Israeli philanthroor southern Israel. Many of the Jewish Israelis who pist. JAFI also is assisting in the purchase of air condiremain in the North are those from some of the weaker tioners for public bomb shelters and is helping recent segments of society--recent immigrants from Ethiopia Ethiopian immigrants at absorption centers in the North and the former Soviet Union, the elderly and the hand- cope with the crisis.
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Federation to Honor Singer C L I P & S A V E
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Continued from page 1 detailed applications that would reveal how well the students met the criteria Sokolof had specified for these awards. “And then,” Singer said, “we had the very difficult task of selecting the winners from a group of amazingly bright, talented and committed students.” In 2001, when Singer was a member of the Executive Board of the Jewish Federation of Omaha (JFO), it was decided that the community mikvah (ritual bath) needed to be renovated. She was asked to chair the project, and although she had never been in a mikvah, she agreed. Julee Katzman, Assistant Director of the JFO, noted that Singer was involved in every aspect, from decor to plumbing, and worked closely with Rabbi Howard Kutner of Beth Israel to ensure that everything done was correct according to halacha, Jewish law. “People have no idea how many details are involved in a project like that. Suzanne is an absolutely amazing volunteer,” said Katzman. “A very talented artist transformed the mikvah,” Singer explained. “The concrete blocks were made to look like Jerusalem stone covered with vines with a starlit sky and a new moon overhead.” Singer recalled that the most meaningful comment came when her daughter-in-law visited the mikvah. As she looked around she was very quiet, and then said, “It’s so spiritual!” Her efforts toward this project resulted in Singer being named Federation Volunteer of the Year. Another memorable experience for Singer was when she and Silvia Roffman co-authored the book, Consider the Years: 1871-1971, the history of Temple Israel. While they were involved in every aspect of the book, Singer said that the most fun for them was reading the handwritten minutes detailing the fascinating meetings of the early years of the congregation. When Singer co-chaired the Kripke Library with Susan Rothholz, they helped create what has become one of the library’s most successful programs, the “ChanuKids” children’s Hanukkah party, now an anticipated annual event. The pair received the Kripke Library’s 2004 Volunteers of the Year award for their work.
Singer has worked on the Women’s Federation Campaign for most of her adult life, and she chaired the Campaign in 1984. She has also served as chairman of the Esther K Newman and Carolyn Kully Newman Grants committee. Busy outside the Jewish community as well as within, Singer currently serves on the Board of Nebraskans for Research and is a tour guide at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She has a long history of service with Planned Parenthood, where she has worked as a fundraiser, clinic volunteer, and been a member of the board. She was one of the founders of the Friends of Planned Parenthood, and in 1990, received the Dr. Curtis T. Todd Outstanding Volunteer Award. She has also worked with students at Belvedere Academy. According to Singer, one of the best things about volunteering has been the people she’s met and worked with over the years, volunteers and professionals, people of all ages, local and from out-of-town. During her trip to Israel last fall, she spent Rosh Hashanah with one of the Shop Shalom jewelers who had stayed in her home. Singer is modest about her many and varied accomplishments. She feels that volunteering is simply a part of who she is; it’s a part of her life that she has thoroughly enjoyed. “I was totally shocked when I was told I was being presented this special award,” said Singer. “Being involved in the community is something that has always been a part of me. It is what I saw growing up--from my grandparents, Dora and Samuel Riekes, and my parents, Ruthie and Mort Richards. Then my children, Ken, Dan and Debra Somberg saw it from their grandparents and parents, and now they are involved in their communities. It’s just been a family thing. “I feel so lucky because I have had such fun participating in some really terrific projects. I am proud to be a part of our very vibrant Omaha Jewish community.” Singer will be honored on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 7:30 p.m. at the JCC, at a reception hosted by the Jewish Federation Board of Directors which also will recognize the 2005 Volunteers of the Year.
August 11, 2006
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 3
Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben Court of Honor Inductees Announced by JEWISH PRESS STAFF The Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben Foundation in conjunction with the Ak-Sar-Ben Women’s Ball Committee announced that Shirley and Leonard Goldstein, will receive the award forPhilanthropy and Community Service, and Carmen Gottschalk, Service to Youth. They are among those be inducted into the 2006 Ak-Sar-Ben Court of Honor. The ceremonies will take place at the annual Ak-Sar-Ben Coronation Ball scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Qwest Convention Center. Shirley and Leonard Goldstein were children of immigrants who settled in Council Bluffs and Omaha. They met during high school and attended different colleges, University of Iowa for Shirley and University of Nebraska at Lincoln for Leonard. Married in 1942, Leonard was in the United States Army Air Corps as a 2nd Lieutenant and Shirley was working a swing shift in the Martin Bomber Plant. Following the war, Leonard returned to Omaha, where he joined his father and brothers in the family business, Capitol Rent-A-Car. In the early 1950s, he developed and expanded the truck rental side of the business and served as president until his retirement. In the 60s, the Goldsteins became involved in International Student Services and hosted foreign students, dignitaries and foreign correspondents. They traveled extensively; during a trip to the former Soviet Union in 1972, they witnessed anti-Semitism and problems of Russian Jews. Shortly thereafter they became involved in trying to get Russian Jews out from behind the Iron Curtain. With the help of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, they resettled more that 150 families to Omaha. In addition, Shirley co-founded the Omaha Committee for Soviet Jewry. The couple has worked tirelessly on issues of family reunification and resettlement. They expanded their efforts of on behalf of human rights by establishing an annual lecture on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus. They have established an endowment with the Jewish Federation Foundation to enable the Kripke Library to acquire or make available all types of media and educational materials for the benefit of Jewish immi-
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grants from the former Soviet Union. They also established an endowment to fund summer camp scholarships for youth wishing to attend local and national Jewish programs. They established the New Frontiers in Transplant Medicine Fund and have sup-
Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Carmen Gottschalk ported the Research Center of Excellence at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The Goldsteins have served on the boards of the National Conference of Community and Justice, the Jewish Federation of Omaha, the Plains States Regional Office of the Anti-Defamation League, the Nebraska Council of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, and the Union of Councils for Soviet Jewry in Washington D.C. Shirley has received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree form the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She has also received the Humanitarian Award from the Jewish Federation and the Spirit of Service Award from the National Conference of Community Justice. Both have received the Endowment Achievement Award from the Jewish Federationand the My Brother’s Keeper Award from Chabad of Nebraska. The couple was most rcently honored last Sunday by the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society. The couple has three children, Donald, Gail and Kathy, and six grandchildren, Rebecca, Deborah, Emily, Ben, Zak and Molly. Carmen Gottschalk, a native of Rushville, NE, began her lifetime of caring for children at age 14 when she
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assisted in the care of nieces in exchange for room and board to attend high school. Self-sufficient in her teen years, she attended Chadron State College. She married and started her family in Sidney, where she was active in youth activities and founded a chapter of the Young Mothers Club to assist new moms in getting a good start for their babies. Throughout her decade of living in Sidney, she was active in numerous school and community activities to nurture young children. Her 30 years of volunteer foster care for newborn infants began when she moved to Omaha in 1975. Gottschalk received her first foster infant in 1976, a twoday old baby boy from the Child Savings Institute (CSI). From that date forward she has stood ready to receive any newborn whenever CSI called. She maintained a nursery in her home, always stocked with plenty of diapers, formula, and layettes. There was no schedule. The phone rang, an infant needed immediate care and all else was put side to immediately respond to the call for help. Just as any new mom, she devoted day and night to settling the newborns into a routine in preparation for their placement with loving families. Some had special needs from minor health issues to having been born to drug addicted mothers. Some were in her care only a few weeks, others a few months. In addition to her years of foster care, and largely because of her many experiences, she served on local Foster Care Review Boards. Most recently, Gottschalk was appointed to Governor Johanns’ Task Force on Child Abuse, formed as a result of extensive reporting of numerous child deaths in our state. Her greatest honor has been to help so many babies get a stable and productive start in life, and the rewarding joy of each adoptive placement. Satisfaction came from knowing that a loving family would sustain a good beginning. Carmen and her husband John Gottschalk, chairman and CEO of the Omaha World-Herald Company, and King of Ak-Sar-Ben in 1994, have two daughters, Jodi and Christina and one grandson, Austin Taylor.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 11, 2006
Bob Wolfson says Goodbye understand the consequences of indifference to the plight of others.” One successful program is the ADL’s Bearing Witness Conference, which trains Catholic teachers in how to present the Holocaust and antiSemitism in the classroom in many local Catholic Archdiocese schools. “Participants often tell us their lives will never be the same,” Dotan continued, “and they doubt they’ll ever again be bystanders in matters of moral injustice. Recently, four of the teachers who attended our regional conference participated in the Bearing Witness Advanced trip to Israel. We are very lucky to have these special educators as allies within the Catholic community.” Of Dotan, Wolfson says, “Bringing Beth back to Omaha was one of the best things I ever did.”
Continued on page 1 ••• In his new position as Associate National Director of Regional Operations, Wolfson will mentor the directors of ADL’s 29 regions. The directors report to him, make requests of him, seek his counsel and learn from him. “I’ve always wanted to teach,” Wolfson says. “No moment in life is as rewarding as communicating with another person and watching the light in their eyes turn on. Once you’ve experienced that, it becomes an addiction. In this new job I can spend less time doing stuff and more time being a translator. I like the multiplier effect. I’m now in a position to touch the lives of a larger group of people, help them see their work from another perspective. This job lets me lift the boat higher. I would never have left Omaha otherwise.” ••• ADL’s Prejudice Elimination Workshop, created in 1986, provides a safe space for young people to talk about their own experiences dealing with prejudice and racism. Sharee and Murray Newman have sponsored the workshop since its inception. “We believe in this program wholeheartedly,” Sharee says. “It’s vital for youth to encounter diversity, and I have personally witnessed the intensity kids feel--seen how it can change their interactions with other people and empower them to take steps in their high schools and make positive changes. Bob is the head guru of the organization. His leadership makes the ball roll.” So, do the Prejudice Elimination Workshops work? You decide: “Prejudice is an attitude but discrimination is an act,” wrote a Marian High School junior. “I discovered this difference at the Prejudice Elimination Workshop. At the workshop, a sign on the wall, expressing ADL’s goals, read: ‘To stop the defamation of the Jewish people…to secure justice and fair treatment to all citizens alike.’” One speaker, Debbi Zweiback, explained the difference between prejudice and discrimination. “We are so good at hating,” she said. ‘We are not so good at loving.’ The most important thing I learned,” said the student, “was that people could surprise you. You shouldn’t judge on first appearances.” ••• In 1999, recognizing our community’s need for Holocaust education, Bob and former ADL board member Larry Raful laid the groundwork for a Holocaust center. Later, in Israel, Bob ran into Omaha native Beth Seldin Dotan who was working at the Ghetto Fighters’ House and Yad Layeled Children’s Museum. “This serendipitous meeting,” says Dotan, “resulted in Bob’s luring me back to Omaha to direct the Institute for Holocaust Education--a resource for Shoah materials, curriculum and programming that helps people better
Wolfson addresses the media and general community on Aug. 25, 2004 when the ADL held Omaha's first press conference on the crisis in Darfur. Omaha’s Jewish community was joined by Sudanese refugees, other religious leaders and civic leaders in the Legislative Chambers of the City/County Building to discuss advocacy to help bring humanitarian aid to the region and end the genocide. ••• Nuremberg, Germany, July 2005. The 60th Anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials. Bob is a speaker. An excerpt (albeit tweaked...) from his bio: Robert (Bob) Wolfson war geschäftsführender Direktor der Nordwest-Sektion der Anti-Defamation League/ Community Relations Committee der Jüdischen Federation von Omaha seit 1988...das national bekannte programm “A World of Difference” und “Prejudice Elimination Workshop” für über 300 High-SchoolSchüler aus Omaha...Youth Leadership Mission der Anti-Defamation League zur U.S. Holocaust Gedenkstätte in Washington D.C. Bob Wolfson has reached out to community groups and individuals with the message of tolerance and acceptance for all citizens, monitoring and exposing
racial and religious extremists. He is a strong advocate for the passage and enforcement of hate crimes legislation. A 1979 Creighton University Law School graduate, Mr. Wolfson served as an administrative law judge for the Nebraska Equal Opportunities Commission and as a commissioner of the Nebraska Equal Opportunities Commission. From Police Chief Thomas Warren: “On behalf of the Omaha Police Department, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Bob Wolfson for his leadership in the area of Hate Crimes investigations. Due to Bob and the ADL, the State of Nebraska has enacted legislation and the Omaha Police Department has implemented policies to address this illegal activity.” From retired FBI agent Jim Bogner: “I witnessed first hand your dedication to protecting the civil rights and ensuring the fair treatment of all. To me, this was most visible in your chairmanship of the Omaha Hate Crimes Council, a body formed to reduce hate crimes through legislation.” From Bob Wolfson: “The Hate Crimes bill? Yeah, I was a leader in getting that passed. I was steadfast, worked for nine years on it. But sexual orientation in housing and employment are not protected under the bill as it was written, and it’s an irritant that we’ve been unsuccessful in cracking. That’s a success with a frustration.” ••• And now, some Q & A. Our take on the Jewish tradition of responsa-- a rabbis’ written answers to questions asked of him. (Interpreting ‘rabbi’ as ‘teacher’--and knowing how Wolfson loves to teach--we further grilled him. His responsa follow.) Q. The word negative doesn’t seem to be in your vocabulary, Bobby. What’s your secret? A. “I wake up in the morning and I can’t wait to go to work. Every day I find myself scratching my head and thinking, ‘I get to do this another day. I get to live a life of commitment. I get the chance to help people understand tikkun olam--that life has meaning beyond ourselves.’ To help them see that through tikkun olam we can save lives, change lives. ADL does both. The work is so incredibly rewarding.” Q. Care to share some examples of that work? A. “As I said, we Jews look at life filtered through a lens of tikkun olam--repairing the world. The view used to be narrow, close at hand. But today kids are global, so being able to communicate and get along with one another is more central and important than it’s ever been. I’ve never met a teacher who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and said, ‘Today I’m going to hurt a child’. But there are teachers who do just that every day. They lack vision. They lack cultural and social awareness. I’m magnetically drawn to dreaming, to Continued on page 5
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August 11, 2006
Wolfson says Goodbye Continued from page 4 inventing ways to help people -- especially teachers. It’s dangerous to get things wrong. You gotta get it right.” Q. So, do you have a vision for our Omaha Jewish community? A. “Omaha is in the center more than just geographically, and the opportunity for this town to grow is limitless. If you want to engage--to involve new people with new ideas--you can get things done. We’re learning better how to use the talents of people who were not born and raised here. If we pay attention, those folks can really help address today’s issues and enhance the community.” Q . Finally, if you had to choose a m o n g y o u r accomplishments over the last eighteen years, “No moment in life is as rewarding as comwhat are municating with another person and watching you most the light in their eyes turn on,” says Wolfson proud of? about his love for teaching. Wolfson teaches by A. “In facilitating discussions about the geo-political my office, challenges facing Israel with ADL’s Manhigim h a n g i n g participants (Young Leadership Training for over my Jewish high school students). head, is a picture of my zayde. He used to tell us--the only thing of value you have is your name. My name is in good standing in every corner of Omaha. I have a love affair with the people of Omaha and am blessed that they love me back. I love and am deeply committed to this community. Our relationship is what means the most to me.” “I feel incredibly privileged to have done what I've done. Every day I wake up and say WOW -- I get to do this again. Tikkun Olam, save the world, save lives. I am so grateful, there are no words, the earth here, the very ground where I’ve been brought up…” “There’s no way I can thank all the people who have helped...I can’t even name them all. But I recognize those people on whose shoulders I stand, shoulders which have lifted me to the light.” ••• May the light always shine on you and your family, dear Bob. Now lech l’cha, with love and gratitude from all of us. For more information about the Thursday, Aug. 17 gala, please contact ADL at 330.1303 immediately.
NCJW to Participate in West Omaha Consignment Sale by DANA KAUFMAN NCJW is asking members of the community to donate their quality children’s items to the organization to be sold on consignment at KidzShoppe, a West Omaha consignment sale that takes place in mid-September. Items to be donated include: name-brand children’s and maternity clothes, toys, cribs, strollers, high chairs, books, car seats, videos, computer games, Halloween costumes, children’s décor and most anything having to do with children. Any clothing donated should be without stains, and toys must work and have all of the pieces if they are to be sold at the sale. Receipts are available for all donations. “Leslie Eades and I are looking forward to co-chairing the consignment sale again this fall,” said Nikki Kirshenbaum. “This is the fifth time that NCJW has participated in this particular sale and each time it gets better and better! Please consider donating children’s items, maternity clothes or even a few hours of your time to work the sale or help price items. The work is fun and you know that your involvement benefits children in foster care.” Proceeds from the sale will support NCJW’s “Totes for Tots” program, which provides a bag full of necessities to toddlers in foster care. Items may be dropped in the donation bins placed at Kidz Inn and the Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center between Aug. 11 and Sept. 8. To arrange for items to be picked up, please contact Eades at 330.8208 or Kirshenbaum at 965.8935.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 5
Beth El USY Teens to Join Together for Membership Training Retreats by JILL BELMONT boost Zionism among USYers and prepare them for the Beth El Publicity Coordinator discussions and questions about the Middle East conflict Beth El’s USY (United Synagogue Youth) group will that they may face from their peers when they go back be kept busy during August and September, with two to school.” Community shaliach Uri Levin will present a upcoming retreats that program about bias in will focus on educathe media; new ADL tion, information and director Alan Potash is fun! also planning to lead a From Friday, Aug. program with the 18 to Sunday, Aug. teens. Cost to attend is 20, Beth El’s ninth$50; $40 for outgoing through-12th graders seniors and incoming will be treated to USY’s freshmen. first program of the From Friday, Sept. year, “CMT: Israeli 15 to Sunday, Sept. Style!” to be held at 17, USY’s executive Camp Eagle in Cedar board members will Bluff, NE. According travel to Overland to Beth El Youth Park, KS, to participate Director Robert A group of Beth El teens congregated in Minneapolis last winter for the in a regional LeaderMosenkis, the candi- annual USY Kinnus convention; the youth group will kick off this year’s ship Training Institute date-membership train- programming with a membership-training retreat from Aug. 18 - 20. at Beth Shalom ing weekend will offer team-building exercises, a glow- Synagogue. in-the-dark Capture the Flag game, rope courses and a According to Mosenkis, the weekend will focus on rappelling tower for some “Israeli Army training,” plus a learning about board responsibilities, plus making new fun-filled, USY-style Shabbat celebration. The retreat will acquaintances from throughout the region. also serve as a farewell to last year’s seniors and a welTo register or to receive more information about these come to all incoming freshman youth group members. programs, please contact Mosenkis at 492.8550, or A main goal of the weekend, Mosenkis said, “is to youthdir@bethel-omaha.org.
Page 6
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 11, 2006
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years ago to recognize 22 unusual women she encounby JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator tered during her annual trips to Israel. (Goldenberg has generously donated 18 books to Many people can name at least Beth El’s Judaica Shop, where one woman of valor in their lives – they’re available for purchase.) that special person who has signif“All of these women do wondericantly impacted her loved ones ful mitzvot but haven’t been recthrough wisdom, guidance, love ognized,” she said, noting that and support. Attendees at Beth El she chose the number ‘22’ to sigSynagogue’s upcoming Women’s nify the number of stanzas in the Rosh Hodesh Group meeting, “Woman of Valor” Shabbat prayer planned for Thursday, Aug. 24, and the 22 letters in the Hebrew 7 p.m., will have the opportunity alphabet. In addition to disto pay tribute to these women cussing the remarkable women in who significantly influenced their her book, all those in attendance lives. will be invited to share their own The get-together is being cohosted by the mother-daughter Ruth Goldenberg and her daughter, Martha stories, and, Goldenberg added, team of Ruth Goldenberg and Lerner, peruse Goldenberg’s book, 20th Century “if possible, bring them along to Martha Lerner, and will be held at Women of Valor, which will be spotlighted dur- the meeting!” Goldenberg’s home, 2307 No. ing the upcoming Beth El Women's Rosh Hodesh To RSVP, contact Goldenberg at Group meeting on Aug. 24. 505.9877, or Lerner at lerner@ 133 Cir. The evening’s theme was inspired by 20th Century cox.net, and plan to share a very special evening with Women of Valor, a book authored by Goldenberg six the women of Beth El.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Éliska Mörsel Greenspoon will present an exhibit of her photographic-based mixed media artwork at the Creighton Lied Art Gallery, in the Lied Education Center for the Arts on the Creighton University campus. Titled Light Works, the exhibit opens on Saturday, Aug. 26, 6-9 p.m., with a reception for the artist. The exhibit continues through Sunday, Oct. 28. Gallery hours are from 1-4 p.m. daily (including weekends), and there is no admission charge to the Lied Art Gallery. Ellie Greenspoon was born in Chomutov, Czechoslovakia, and holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree from Clemson University in Clemson, SC, and a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Her works have been in exhibitions in the Chrysler Museum of Norfolk, VA, the Fine Arts Center of Greenville, SC, the Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, the Haydon Gallery in Lincoln, and the 13th Street Gallery, the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, and the Joslyn Museum of Art. Greenspoon has also been involved in a number of arts and education projects within the Omaha Jewish com-
munity. Most recently she collaborated with Julie Phillips on a project in which Friedel students, using pinhole cameras, photographed and then interviewed residents of the Blumkin Home. The results of this project were on display for several weeks in the gallery of the Jewish Community Center. About her work, Greenspoon says “My primary art is photography, but you wouldn’t know it just by looking at it. There are a multitude of images, mostly not recognizable; however, my intent is to exploit a variety of photo sensitive materials. As traditional film-based photography struggles in the market place, Light Works is a celebration of its invention (in 1826). The layered, torn, burned and waxed collection of recycled images can be described as having endured a level of ‘creative violence’ that reveals a rich patina.” Information for this event can be found at the Department’s web site at www.finearts.creighton. edu. The Creighton Lied Art Gallery is located on the Main Floor of the Lied Education Center for the Arts, 24th and Cass. Visitor parking is located west of the building and is accessed from Cass Street. Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra will audition potential members for the 2006-07 season. Auditions take place Aug. 14-18 at Strauss Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra, the official orchestra of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, is open to both students and community members. Christopher Stanichar, Music Director of the orchestra, celebrates his fifth year as the respected conductor of the ensemble. Rehearsals take place each Monday night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Strauss Recital Hall on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. For more information, visit: music.unomaha.edu or call 402.554.2251.
Chabad to Offer Hebrew for the Holidays by SHANI KATZMAN Looking to get ready for the High Holidays? Would you like to do more this year in the original Hebrew? Chabad House is offering a three session crash course in Hebrew reading on Sundays, Aug. 13, 20, 27, 10 a.m. to noon at the Chabad House. The Aleph Champion program, now renowned througout the country provides a novel systematic and competetive approach to Hebrew reading. Fashioned after the martial arts’ system of colors to indicate levels
and motivate growth and perfection, the Aleph champion program begins with the white belt lwho must master all the aleph bet letters and leads the student to become a black belt champ who can read fluently without mistakes at 30-40 words a minute. Cost for the classes, open to the community, is $36. Materials and refreshments are included. Reservations are required. Babysitting will be available upon request. For more information or to reserve, please call 330.1800 or visit ochabad.com.
CJE Presents Yom Limmud Continued from page 1 marvelous speaker, who combines nuts-and-bolts knowledge of the publishing world with her own achievements as a scholar and writer of everything from a study of women in the Hebrew Bible to children’s books. She is not to be missed!”
Additional presenters for the afternoon will include Rabbis Azriel, Gross, Katzman, and Levin, Leonard Greenspoon, Susan Aizenberg, Moshe Gershovich, Sidnie White Crawford, Gerald Shapiro and others. For additional information, please contact the CJE office at 334.6445 or mgrossman@ jewishomaha.org.
August 11, 2006
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 7
Israeli Kids Safe at Summer Camp, but Worry About Parents Back Home by BRETT KLINE PETACH TIKVA (JTA)--Wide-eyed Daniel’s eyes grow even wider when he talks about hearing the Katyushas hit near his house in Haifa. “It’s nice to come to this camp and be out of the city,” the 10-year-old says. “One of the bombs hit my uncle’s house in Haifa. I’m sure there will be more bombs,” he adds philosophically. Says Fayed, age 9, from Sha’ab, an Arab village near Carmiel: “I came here because I didn’t want to hear the bombs.” Daniel and Fayed are among nearly 20,000 children from northern Israel evacuated since Hezbollah began bombing Israel on July 12. The camp they attend, which takes up to 600 children for five-day stays, is in the Baptisti Village Hayarkon Park complex near the town of Petach Tikva. The camp is run by the Hanoar Haoved V’halomed, the largest youth movement in Israel. Funded by the Jewish Agency for Israel, the camp is one of the largest of 20 camps and four youth villages in an agency program called “Embracing the Confrontation Line Children.” The coordinators, all in their 20s, realize that the crisis has created an opportunity. “The kids come from different worlds in the north, except for the Haifa kids who live in somewhat mixed neighborhoods,” explained the camp’s educational director, Liza Atias. “While we try to give them the same values about equality and opportunity, it has always been easier for cultural and logistical reasons to run the camps separately. This is the first time in our movement that Jewish, Arab and Druse kids are together, and it is a success.” The Jewish Agency’s chairman, Zeev
Bielski, came up with the idea of opening Everything in the camp is outdoors the camps on the night of July 13 and under drooping eucalyptus trees. Jewish immediately found $1 million in funding kids sleep on one side in sleeping bags from the United Jewish Communities, the without tents, boys and girls more or less umbrella organization of Jewish federa- separated. tions in North America. The Druse and Arab kids sleep in their Since then, Bielski has raised close to $3 own separate areas, in tents. million from the UJC and Keren “The boys and girls cannot just sleep Hayesod, which raises money for Jews separately; they must have some kind of around the physical world. barrier More money between has come from them, such Israeli compaas a tent,” nies and private Shaked sources, as well says. “This as from private is their culinternational ture, and donors. we respect Bielski himself that.” insisted on put- Kids from northern Israeli cities under threat from O n e Credit: Brett Kline/JTA recent day, ting the Jewish, Hezbollah find refuge at camp. Arab and Druse kids together in the two Druse and Arab kids are busy putting up youth movement camps. tents with the help of their counselors as “I wanted to get the kids out of the some of the Jewish kids look on. North,” he said, “and the war has shown The day has been spent at a nearby Luna us that it doesn’t matter if you are Jewish water park, and athletic competitions or Arab. If you are Israeli, you are under await after dinner. attack. This is the first time, as far as I “Contrary to what you might think, not know, that JAFI funding has gone toward one Jewish kid has asked, ‘how come they the Arab sector like this.” get tents and we don’t?’” Efrat says. The youth movement acted quickly “When they arrive here to spend five days after getting the call from JAFI. away from the North, they are mostly “In one night we found this complex, excited and worried.” contacted the parents, put the kids on the Often when kids go to summer camp, buses and got them the hell out of the their parents worry about them. north,” technical coordinator Efrat “Here, it is the opposite,” she says. Shaked says. “Their camp counselors from “The kids are worried about their parents, each community, 16-18 year-olds, came who in many cases are still home in the with them. For many of the 9- and 10- north. Not everyone can afford hotel year-olds, this is the first time they have rooms in Tel Aviv and Eilat, and some left home, so their counselors are a real people cannot leave their jobs for various security net.” reasons.”
Luba and Omer are among a group of kids sitting in a circle, singing with their counselors. “I saw the bombs make the houses shake,” says Luba, 11, from Haifa. “We went to the shelters. My parents are still at work. I’m glad to be here, but I’m worried about them.” Omer, also 11, knows about politics. “We don’t want to kill the Lebanese people, especially the children,” he says. “We just want to destroy the Hezbollah. And I think it is great that the kids from the Arab villages in the north are here with us. I have never talked with them before. So maybe we can get to know them now.” “In the village, people say it is ‘maktub,’ your destiny, if you get hit by a bomb,” says Muzia, an 18-year-old counselor from Sha’ab. She explains that there are no shelters in Arab villages, where men and women who aren’t from the same family can’t sleep together in the same room. “Personally, I would rather be here in this camp,” Muzia continues, “and I am grateful that the movement got us out of the North for a while.” At headquarters, a large tent under the trees, coordinators are sitting in front of computers. Shai Nir is handling phone calls from parents. He says that about 40 parents have called from bomb shelters to make sure their kids are all right. “We reassure them,” he says. “The kids are fine.” He looks toward the armed guards at the entrance to the camp. “The North is not far away, but here, the kids are safe,” he says. “The rest is not in our hands.’’
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 11, 2006
Sisterhood Luncheon Beth El’s ‘Shabbat Tunes & Tales’ to Feature Rabbi’s Account Will Have Toddlers Singing a New Tune “There’s great value in learning and enjoying music by JILL BELMONT of Recent Visit to Israel Beth El Publicity Coordinator just for the fun of it, without being part of a structured by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue Beth Israel’s Sisterhood will hold a meeting and lunch on Wednesday, Aug. 16, noon. The community is invited to attend. Sisterhood plans to hold a brief meeting before lunch begins. The group met earlier this summer to elect their new officers and lay the groundwork for the 2006-07 year. The new Sisterhood Board includes: President, Toba Cohen-Dunning; Vice President of Fundraising, Debbie Kricsfeld; Vice President of Membership, Amanda Gurock; Vice President of Programming, Andreea Shnayder; Vice President in Charge of the Kitchen, Julee Katzman; Recording Secretary, Kelly Kirk; Corresponding Secretary, Kim Novak; Financial Secretary, Shirley Goodman; Treasurer, Susie Shyken; and Gift Shop Chair, Bette Kozlen. Plans for the year include the annual donor event in November. Following lunch, Rabbi Jonathan Gross will speak about his recent trip to Israel. Gross was accepted for this year’s Israelight Institute Rabbinic Fellow Program. This honor led to his participation in a special seminar in Jerusalem with eight other rabbis from around the world. Gross will talk about the training he received as well as share the other things he experienced during his visit to Israel. “He’ll be able to give us an interesting perspective since he was in Israel when the current crisis unfolded,� noted Beth Cohen, Beth Israel’s Executive Director. Babysitting, by reservation, will be provided during the lunch. According to Cohen, “We’re pleased to offer babysitting during this event. Sisterhood wants to make it easier for everyone to attend, and this should help out young mothers in the community. For planning purposes, we ask that you call the office to make a babysitting reservation.� To make lunch and babysitting reservations, please contact the office at 556.6288.
Guided by the premise that “sometimes its fun to just sing,� early-childhood teacher Patty Nogg has created and will lead Beth El Synagogue’s latest Shabbat program for young children, entitled “Shabbat Tunes & Tales.� Beginning Saturday, Aug. 19, 11:15-11:45 a.m., this lively monthly sing-along will be open--at no charge-Patty Nogg to all Jewish children (up to age five), along with their parents or grandparents.
class,� said Nogg, who noted that she was inspired to establish this program after attending the Hava Nashira song-leading and music workshop at Olin-Sang-Ruby Camp in Wisconsin last June. Already the leader of Beth El’s popular monthly Tot Shabbat service, Nogg said “I came home from the workshop enthused, wanting to do more. I’m looking forward to helping little ones discover the all-out joy of singing some great Shabbat songs!� In addition to the first program in August, “Shabbat Tunes & Tales� is scheduled for the following Saturdays: Sept. 16, Oct. 14, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9. Save these dates and be sure to head to Beth El to take part in the synagogue’s newest toddler-friendly, familyfriendly Shabbat celebration.
Riding Higher at Sturgis by MARK LINSKY Amongst thousands of motorcyclists who gather annually in Sturgis, South Dakota to celebrate their common bond, the likelihood of finding a spiritual oasis would be doubtful. Despite those odds, Rabbi Mendel Katzman, travelled north to the festival to create a haven within the rallies and parties for cyclists who will be searching for more. Katzman went with two young students who are each on their own paths of self-discovery and spirituality. The group opened their mobile home to all Sturgis visitors and provided opportunities for introspection and inspiration. For the Jewish population in particular, they offered the chance to perform mitzvot (Commandments), such as the donning of tefilin (phylacteries) for men, prayer, tzedakah (charity) and candle lighting for women. They also provided kosher mealsready-to-eat. “In wake of the war in Israel and the great turbulence in the world at large, we must take the initiative to engage all peoples in life affirming actions and mitzvot,�
explained Rabbi Katzman, Katzman is the emissary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, who charged his followers to seek every opportunity to improve the fate of mankind with loving kindness and inspiration. The Rebbe taught that any gathering of people must lead to greater awareness of G-dliness and purpose and meaning in life. Rabbi Katzman and his team were stationed in Rapid City Sunday throguh Thursday. To schedule an appointment with him in Omaha, please call 330.1800 or e-mail Chabad@aol.com.
EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE Due to the Post Office now sending the Jewish Press to Des Moines, IA, for sorting before returning the newspapers to Omaha for delivery, we have been forced to move up our our deadline. Please send all articles, photos and ads to the Press by Thursdays, 9 a.m., for all regular issues (early deadlines for special issues and to accommodate office closings for holidays will be announced in advance). Questions? Call 334.6448.
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August 11, 2006
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 9
Katrina unexpectedly energizes Jewish life in Louisiana’s capital by LARRY LUXNER experience.” Reform Judaism also has contributed funds for area BATON ROUGE, La. (JTA) -- Eleven months ago, For instance, the community is planning its first Jewish relief, including $60,000 to the Working Interfaith Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and turned film festival for January 2007. Network of Baton Rouge, $10,000 to the Baton Rouge the state capital, Baton Rouge, into Louisiana’s largest “There have been a lot of initiatives that, in the past, Area Foundation, $10,000 to the Katrina Relief Fund of metropolis virtually overnight. people would not have necessarily taken the time to do,” the Jewish Federation of Greater Baton Rouge and Yet in an unexpected way, Katrina also has challenged Sternberg said. “Since Katrina, the Jewish community $10,000 in “mini-grants” to each of the city’s temples. and energized Jewish life in this city of 500,000 people has really stepped up its act.” Meanwhile, at least one Jewish institution has seen its and two synagogues. The community is almost exclusively Reform, with popularity grow dramatically since Katrina: the Hillel at “More Jews evacuated to Houston, but the impact on two temples, B’nai Israel and Beth Shalom. The latter Louisiana State University. Baton Rouge was much greater because we didn’t have suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Rita, three Jeffrey Lahasky, who’s from the Louisiana town of the infrastructure,” said Rabbi Martha Bergadine, exec- weeks after Katrina. New Iberia, says LSU’s Hillel now has 160 students, utive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Baton “Rain collected on the roof, came through and “which is amazing, considering we didn’t have even five Rouge. “The Jewish community here is approximately destroyed the interior, wrecking both our sanctuary and only two and a half years ago.” 30 percent larger than before.” Moshe Cohen, Hillel’s local That’s because 350 to 400 New Orleans Jews interim program director and a who fled to Baton Rouge have decided to 24-year-old graduate student remain for now. That’s in addition to the 1,200 in mathematics, said that when Jews already living in the state capital, which he arrived at LSU, there was no had a pre-Katrina population of around visible Jewish culture. 250,000. “The organization sort of got Bergadine said many of the newcomers have momentum a year ago, and it benefitted from a $1 million grant from the was just perfect timing because United Jewish Communities, the federation when the hurricane happened, umbrella organization. The grant provides luckily enough, we were here,” infrastructure for those displaced people from said Cohen, who’s from New Orleans under the Jewish Community Westchester County, N.Y. “It Partnership. was wonderful to serve as a “People felt they were living through somebeacon for Jewish life.” thing historic and life-changing. They knew English professor Daniel their lives would somehow be different” after Novak, who doubles as the Katrina, she said. “Our concern is that people Members of Louisiana State University's Hillel toss a frisbee on the school's Baton Rouge campus in Hillel faculty advisor, says are still traumatized psychologically. For exam- April, 2006. Credit: Larry Luxner Hillel doesn’t have its own ple, the social networks of many seniors have been total- our social hall,” said Rabbi Stanton Zamek, who is mar- building on the LSU campus, but meets regularly outly uprooted. The people they talked to every day for 20 ried to Bergadine. “At the very minimum, we had over doors or at people’s homes. years are now scattered.” $535,000 in damage.” “Jewish students from Louisiana end up going to Bergadine, who directs three part-time staffers at the Zamek added: “We weren’t hit by Katrina the way schools in places like Texas and Georgia, because we federation, said caseworkers are still helping “people folks in New Orleans were, but we have many family and never had many Jews on campus or an established Hillel who don’t need therapy, but who need guidance dealing social ties to that community, and people are still fairly house,” said Novak, who recently co-founded Sigma with different organizations and referrals.” haunted by it.” Alpha Mu, LSU’s first Jewish fraternity in 20 years. Real estate is still at a premium in Baton Rouge and “We’re very worried about what’s going to happen in He adds that LSU has just begun offering a minor in vacant apartments are hard to find, said Erich Sternberg, the new hurricane season. Lots of people are still in trail- Jewish studies for the first time in the university’s history. president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Baton ers, and they’ll be inclined to evacuate very quickly. Now “We’re not trying to replace New Orleans as a hub for Rouge. we have some inkling what it’ll be like when waves of Jewish life in Louisiana, but rather use this as an oppor“We must continue to support the people who are people start coming from New Orleans into this city.” tunity to welcome any Jews from New Orleans, to make here and continue to make them feel welcome, whether Robert Krupkin, vice president of the board of Beth LSU a place where Jews can come and feel comfortthey decide to stay permanently or whether they go back Shalom, said the synagogue, with 140 member families, able,” he said. “Our ambition is to make this a school home,” he said. “Secondly, we must encourage and nur- has raised $410,000 so far to fund repairs. that Jews from the entire state will flock to.” ture some of the good things that have come out of this In addition to money from UJC, the Union for
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Page 10
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 11, 2006
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ORGANIZATIONS YOUNG ENERGETIC SENIORS Members will meet Monday at the JCC. Join us for musical entertainment with George Walker and Nicole Coulter playing Jazz tunes from the 30s and 40s. Lunch is served at noon for $6 per person. Try your luck with bingo at 10 a.m. with Eileen and Miles Remer. Call Dee Dee for transportation at 330.4272. Call Maggie Conti for reservations to the Ameristar Casino on Aug. 24. VISIONS Reminder: The Vision Summer Picnic is Sunday, Aug. 13, 1 p.m., at Chalco Hill's Recreation Area. Visions is on the road again to picturesque Iowa to visit Hotel Pattee in Perry and the Boone Scenic Valley Railroad on Wednesday, Oct. 4. Cost is $68 and a deposit of $30 is required, with payment due on Sept. 1. Send reservations with deposit to Anne Skolkin, 1010 Regency Parkway. #302, Omaha, NE 68114. Make all checks payable to Visions. JEWISH SENIOR SERVICES JSS presents the Sweet Adelines International concert on Thursday, Aug. 17, 7 p.m. in the JCC auditorium. There is no admission fee. Sweet Adelines is a worldwide non-profit organization of women singers committed to advancing the musical art. BREADBREAKERS Uri Levin will talk about his two years in Omaha as our community shaliach and will discuss his recent trip to Israel at
Breadbreakers on Wednesday, Aug. 16, noon, at Regency Lodge. Breadbreakers is open to everyone in the community. A full lunch is $11; beverage service only is $2. LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Come to the meeting at the JCC on Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. Call Anne Skolkin at 343-1638. OMAHA JEWISH SINGLES 40+ August is a hot month, but the Omaha Metro Jewish Singles will be cool in the air conditioned comfort of Jason’s Deli on 71st and Dodge on Sunday, Aug. 13, 5 p.m. for dinner and then onto Family Fun Center next door at 6 p.m. to play a few cool rounds of miniature golf. Each month our membership grows and we meet new people, so plan to enjoy good times with new friends and old. RSVP to Sandi Cole at 895.1815 or srcomaha@aol.com by Aug. 11. Enjoy dinner, drinks and comedy at the Funny Bone Comedy Club in its new location at Village Point on Sunday, Aug. 27., 6 p.m. for dinner and conversation, to meet and mingle with other singles. Stay for the comedy show at 7:30 p.m. Please call the FunnyBone at 493.8036 and make your reservation as soon as possible. Be sure to tell them you are with the Jewish Singles Group. The cost is just $7 for a ticket to the comedy show. Dinner and beverages are on your own. For more information, call Sandi at 895.1815 or e-mail srcomaha@aol. com.
909 South 107th Avenue • Omaha, NE 68114 402.397.8000 • www.regencylodge.com
IN THE NEWS
GAUCHER DISEASE Approximately 1 out of every 450 within the Ashkenazi Jewish population has Gaucher disease
The Alzheimer’s Association Midlands Chapter will hold its annual “Memory Walk” on Sunday, Sept. 24, 12:03-2:05 p.m. at Chalco Hills Recreation Area, 8901 So. 154 St. Team captains and individuals organize teams to “Join the walk that millions never forget” in the Alzheimer's Association’s largest annual fund-raising event typically attracting 1200 people. Walk two, four or six miles, raffle, entertainment, kids activities, food and prizes. Parents bring your children to this free Child Safety Program at Leach Camper Sales, 1629 West So. Omaha Bridge Road, in Council Bluffs on Friday, Aug. 18, noon-6 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 19, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. More than 3,000 children are reported missing each day in the U.S. Most are found within minutes or hours and have happy endings. Police officials say that
time is critical in the recovery of missing children. While most children are quickly reunited, there is always the fear of the worst and that is what we must prepare for. Safety, education and awareness are what Operation KidSafe is all about. The fingerprinting of the new millennium, Operation KidSafe will take a child’s picture using a Digital Video Capture Device that interacts with our custom software. The software then captures the child’s fingerprints, using a digital inkless fingerprint capture device, and includes them as part of the child’s file. The parent is provided with an 81/2 x 11” printout containing the photograph and fingerprints. The parent can use the copy they receive to turn over to law enforcement anywhere in the world to instantly aid in an investigation. No records are maintained. The only record of the visit will go home with the parent for safekeeping.
The symptoms may become apparent at any age and they include:
EASY BRUISING AND BLEEDING BONE PAIN ●
FATIGUE EASILY FRACTURED BONES ●
DELAYED GROWTH ENLARGED SPLEEN AND LIVER ●
The consequences of this disorder can be debilitating. For more information on Gaucher disease, treatment, and testing, contact your doctor or please call and ask for Information Packet 9. RGD/US/P145/01/04
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ANNIVERSARY BARBARA AND Former Omahans Barbara and Jerry Cohen will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, tomorrow in Overland Park, KS, where they moved in 1977. T h e y were married in Omaha on Aug. 12, 1956. The couple has three daughters and
JERRY COHEN seven grandchildren: Vicki Cohen of Baltimore, MD, and her children Rebecca and N a t h a n Rehr; Andy and Jay Wo o d w a r d of Overland Park, KS and their children, Joel and Emily Woodward; and Alison and Jonathan Levine of Atlanta, GA and their children Olivia, Molly and Alexa Levine.
August 11, 2006
Macabee Games Begin
by BERT LEWIS
Beth El Invites College Students to End of Summer Barbecue at Zorinsky Lake by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator All Jewish college students in the metro area are invited to join together for a fun-filled barbecue at Zorinsky Lake on Sunday, Aug. 20, 6 p.m., sponsored by Beth El Synagogue. Thepre-college send-off is free of charge and has been planned to give young adults a chance to kick back with old friends and get acquainted with new ones, according to Youth Director Robert Mosenkis, who noted that recent college graduates, as well as incoming freshmen are also invited. Attendees will meet at Zorinsky Shelter #4, which can be accessed by the park’s entrance on 156 St, several blocks south of Center. Reservations are needed by Aug. 16, and may be made by contacting Mosenkis at 492.8550, or youthdir@bethel-omaha.org. What a great opportunity to enjoy a relaxing end-ofsummer event before hitting the books--reserve your spot now and plan to enjoy an evening of delicious food and great company!
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Page 11
If You Think Being a Grandparent Is Great...Wait
BERT’S EYE VIEW
Arriving in Phoenix for the Macabee games are top photo, Joey Kahn, left, Zack Spooner, Roi Amster (Israel), Dan Mayost (Israel), Ygal Schuler and Gil Rosi (Israel). Right photo, Rachel Martin left, and Effie Tsabari.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
They were expected to land at Eppley at 6:30 p.m., from their home in the Dallas area. My granddaughter had warned me on the phone not to expect them before 7:30, since getting the rental car plus all the other baggage together would take a little time. At 7:10 when the call came, they were on the Interstate and almost here. Promptly at 7:30 they pulled into the driveway. Our granddaughter and her lovely family. We didn’t know who to grab first, but the three-yearold was a little shy and the fiv e-month-old was sleeping, so the grown-ups got the first hugs. After that, it was a free-for-all because the baby woke up and was perfectly amenable to being lifted into any arms that would take her out of her carrier. The baby. She deserves a paragraph of her own, because she is what my late brother would have called “a genuine eppes”. Really, she’s something not only a great-grandmother would go nuts for, but anyone else who would see that face. It took her no time at all to demonstrate her sweet disposition, despite the teething that was going on. She had the good sense to go into my arms every time I offered, which was very, very often. (It only took four days for my back to stop hurting after they left!) I could continue and describe nearly every moment she was awake, and some while she wasn’t, but I’m sure you get the idea. And I salute the author of a remark I just heard recently: “Great-grand children are the compensation for getting old.” Ain’t that the truth! This little munchkin started her week-end visit by cutting two tiny teeth, which I promptly named her “Omaha teeth”. She loved being in a lap, quickly caught on to the age old “bom-bom bootz” (you have to be a Jewish grandma; I refuse to explain) and leaned her beautiful little head toward mine at the signal. She loved being on a blanket on the floor, stretching her fat little legs so her ample pulkehs got some exercise and watched every move her big brother made. And that was a lot of watching, since he, like most three year kids, moved all the time. He loved jumping into the swimming pool; he enjoyed watching his personal DVD and he also was heard to say when he did something he shouldn’t have, “that’s disgusting!” He decided his great-grandpa was the one to cultivate and chased him around adequately enough to tire one of them. Guess which one? He wasn’t so crazy about my
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cooking, but I was assured it was nothing personal. He is, unquestionably, a whirling dervish, but after his bath and he’s in his p.j.’s and comes to say goodnight and give a hug, well you could melt on the spot. The weekend was very short--from Friday at 7:30 only until Sunday afternoon at 2, but I have to say that every minute was a pure joy and pleasure. It’s true I didn’t read Saturday’s newspaper at all, and didn’t get to the Sunday paper until nearly bedtime, but it didn’t matter. Nor did toys and baby paraphernalia all over the house. The noise level at times was more than usual, but so what? When they left it got very quiet very fast. Of course the parents of these two visitors were here too--did I mention that? And it was wonderful to sit quietly with them and listen to what goes on in their lives from day to day, to answer an occasional question (how flattering!), to hear all they wanted to tell us. It all turned out to be enough time to see the children and get a good look at how they are at this age. Next time maybe the trip will be longer, but I’m here to repeat my well learned lesson--a short visit is way the heck better than no visit. In addition to all that naches, I can never get over the fact that people who travel with a toddler and an infant carry enough baggage for a family of six. It doesn’t matter how long the trip is or isn’t. It still looks like enough to fill at least a pick-up truck. And my granddaughter and husband willingly did all that so we could see and enjoy the babies. How thoughtful and loving is that? Okay, I guess I’ve said it all and any more will just be repetition, but don’t think I couldn’t fill another page. For any of you who knew our son Joel, these gorgeous kids are his grandchildren. His only complaint about them stems from the fact they live in Dallas and he and their grandma live in San Jose. They are members of that vast majority of people whose children often move away to further a career or take a new job. That’s okay of course. The problem comes when they take their kids with them! We seem to be okay with having our adult children move to a distant state. But the grandkids? Wait a minute. No, never mind. That’s how it is in this day and age, and if these little families are doing well and if everyone is healthy and happy, well, so be it. As parents we must be glad for them and be satisfied with visits. Ah be gezunt. Just one thing more: when I was a very young girl, I loved being addressed as Miss. When I married, I was very proud to see Mrs. before my new name. Then as things changed, I grew accustomed to the Ms. before my name and really liked it. But I have to tell you, one and all, when anybody refers to me as a great-grandma, that’s the best of all. I consider it an automatic license to kvell! Bert Lewis can be reached at BertLewis39@aol.com.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 11, 2006
While the World Waits... ...the rest of us are holding our collective breath. Forget about keeping up with breaking news; every moment on cable tv and the internet seems to be an ominous headline, calling our attention to new battles (whether on the battlefields in Lebanon or the halls of the United Nations). We have war, hurricane, tsunami, earthquake, genocide, famine, you-name-it fatigue. We can’t keep up with “breaking news” anymore. And yet, peoples’ lives are depending on us--to care, to call and e-mail our elected officials, to send money, to donate blood. We’re overwhelmed. So it’s natural that we want to take a break from all this madness and get back to normalcy (whatever that is or was). Surely, there must be other issues to be discussed in the Jewish community! So, despite the continuation of deadly Hezbollah missiles raining down on northern Israel, this week, at least, the Jewish Press offers up some other items as food for thought: • Starting with the current war, ever notice that most newscasters state that Hezbollah rockets have fallen on Kiryat Shemona and other locales, while Israel shoots missiles at the Lebanese? Maybe that falls uner the same category as the Reuters photographer who altered his pictures purporting to show more damage in Beirut than actually occurred. However, if readers (or viewers) do spot media inaccuracies, please report them to the organization which tracks these errors: www.honestreporting.com. • While terrorists are killing Jews in Israel, their cousins in Somalia and Darfur are killing fellow Muslims. Why no outrage in the Western press--let alone the Arabic press? Do we hold Muslims to such a low standard
because it’s Muslim-on-Muslim murder--and Jews to a higher standard because it’s not? Why does the world pretend to care about the suffering of all humankind, when in truth, most Westerners would be perfectly happy if the Muslims killed each other. (Did the United Nations even pass any resolutions during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war when tens of thousands of child soldiers were killed?) • Let’s not make Mel Gibson into a martyr. We already knew he was an anti-Semite by comments he’s made about the Holocaust and Jews in Hollywood. The only way he can redeem himself is by his actions--and not by making big donations to Jewish charitable organizations. • Closer to home, results are in in he Connecticut’s Senate primary race between Sen. Joe Lieberman and his challenger, a political neophyte, Ned Lamont. Though the Press does not endorse candidates or political parties, we can and do express concern when a lifelong Democrat like Lieberman--a thoughtful, moral man with integrity, can be ousted based simply on his stand on the war in Iraq. Talk about one-issue voting! • Readers may have noticed that the editorial pages are publishing the work of a homegrown artist, Omahan Scott Weiler. We proudly note that we gave columnist Teddy Weinberger (married to former Omahan Sarah Ross) his start. His columns now appear in more than three dozen Jewish newspapers across the country. We hope we can do the same for Weiler. Look for more of
his polticial cartoons in upcoming issues. • And finally, readers who formerly received the Press a day or two late should now be getting it on Friday again (or even Thursday) thanks to an earlier print time at Suburban Newspapers Inc. Thanks to inquiries to the U.S. Post Office, we discovered out newspaper is being trucked to Des Moines, IA, for resorting before being delivered in Douglas County. Guess the P.O. thinks it’s FedEx.
Jewish Press Committee Bobbi Leibowitz, Vice-Chairman; Stan Mitchell, Secretary; Scott Meyerson, Treasurer; Michael Siegel, Finance Chairman; Joanie Jacobson, Immediate Past-chairman; David Herzog; Susan Lehr; Jamie Meyerson; George Quittner; Melissa Schop; Michael Sigmond; Jim Simon; Nancy Skid; and Dorothy Spizman. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Centers of Excellence of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Education, Jewish Family Service, and Jewish Senior Services. The Jewish Press is a constitutional committee of the Jewish Federation. Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Committee, the Jewish Federation of Omaha or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.
Hold Damascus Responsible
BEHIND THE H EADLINES by DANIEL PIPES “There will be an international force [in Lebanon], because all the key players want it,” a U.S. official asserted recently. He appears to be right, as even the Israeli government embraced the plan, announcing it “would agree to consider stationing a battletested force composed of soldiers from European Union member states.” The key players might “want it,” but such a force will certainly fail, just as it did once before, in 1982-84. That was when U.S., French, and Italian troops were deployed in Lebanon to buffer Israel from Lebanon’s anarchy and terrorism. The “Multinational Force” collapsed back then when Hezbullah attacked MNF soldiers, embassies, and other installations, prompting the MNF’s ignominious flight from Lebanon. The same pattern will no doubt recur. Back then, Americans and others did not regard Hizbullah as their enemy and this remains the case today, notwithstanding the war on terror; a recent Gallup poll finds 65% of Americans saying their government should not take sides in the current Israel-Hezbullah fighting. Other, equally bad, ideas to end the anarchy in south Lebanon include: • Deploying the Lebanese Armed Forces, the Lebanese state’s official military: Hizbullah is within the government of Lebanon and would veto the LAF controlling the south. Also, Shi’ites sympathetic to Hizbullah make up half of the LAF. Finally, the LAF is too amateurish to confront Hizbullah. • Deploying Syrian forces: Lebanese and Israelis both reject a Syrian occupation of
south Lebanon. • Deploying Israeli forces: After their experiences occupying Arab-majority lands in 1967 and 1982, Israelis have widely decided against a repetition. Rather than travel down the road of predictable failure, something quite different needs to be tried. My suggestion? Shift attention from Lebanon to Syria and put Damascus on notice that it is responsible for Hezbullah violence. (Incidentally, this happens to be in keeping with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1680, adopted May 17, 2006, calling on Syria to undertake “measures against movements of arms into Lebanese territory”).
...militias, guerillas, and terrorists wield greater power than does the central government. Here’s why: Israeli leaders have long failed to prevent attacks emanating from Lebanon. They staunched cross-border terrorism with other neighbors by making it too painful for their central governments to permit such attacks to continue. But when they made demands of the Lebanese central government, they failed to get satisfaction. In Lebanon--unlike in Egypt, Jordan, and Syria--no strong central government enjoys a monopoly of force. Lebanon’s state is permanently weak because its population directs its primary loyalties to one or other of the country’s 18 religious-ethnic communities. As a result, militias, guerillas, and terrorists wield greater power than does the central government. Israeli governments responded by trying a wide array of strategies over the past forty years. In 1968, Israeli jets pounded Beirut’s
(Founded in 1920) Howard K. Marcus Chairman Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Managing Editor Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Managing Editor Terri Greenwood Advertising Executive Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper Anne Muskin Editorial Intern
airport, to no effect. In the 1978 Litani operation, Israeli forces first entered Lebanon on a large scale, without success. In 1982, they seized a major part of the country, which proved untenable. Until 2000, they retained a security zone, but that ended in a sudden unilateral retreat. Evacuating every inch [centimeter] of Lebanese territory in 2000 likewise failed to prevent attacks. At this point, the government of Bashar alAssad should be told immediately to cease provisioning Hezbullah, and that future violence from south Lebanon will be met with what the Wall Street Journal calls an “offer that Syria cannot refuse”--meaning military reprisal. As David Bedein explains in the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, “for every target hit by Syria’s proxy, Israel will single out Syrian targets for attack.” Such targets could include the terrorist, military, and governmental infrastructures. This approach will work because Hezbullah’s stature, strength, and skills depend on Syrian support, both direct and indirect. Given that Syrian territory is the only route by which Iranian aid reaches Hezbullah, focusing on Damascus has the major side-benefit of restricting Iranian influence in the Levant. This plan has its drawbacks and complications--the recent Syrian-Iranian mutual defense treaty, or its giving Hezbullah the option to drag Syria into war--but it has a better chance of success, I believe, than any alternative. Recalling how a similar approach worked in 1998, when the Turkish government successfully pressured Damascus to stop hosting a terrorist leader, the Israeli strategist Efraim Inbar rightly suggests “the time has come to speak Turkish to the Syrians.” Pipes is director of the Middle East Forum and author of Miniatures (Transaction Publishers). He can be reached at: www.DanielPipes.org.
Editorial The Jewish Press is a Constitutional Committee of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1-402-334-5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org.. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be singlespaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions, but should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For more information, contact Carol Katzman, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly on Friday for $31 per calendar year U.S.; $36 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or e-mail to: jpress@jewishomaha. org.
Award Winner 2006
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August 11, 2006
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 13
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the Editor: Jewish Nebraskans worried about how they can help Israel in this time of trouble have been given a unique oppourtunity to be positive and influential. Your Senator, Chuck Hagel, has undisguised ambitions for greater power, influence, and perhaps higher office. He is also influential in key Senate Commitees--Intelligence and Foreign Affairs--by virtue of his membership in the Republican Party. In this context, his negative and intemperate remarks about the current Israeli war against terror are harmful to Israel and particularly to our President, who has been a unique friend and supporter of the Israeli position. Opposition within his own party, as evidenced by Sen. Hagel’s remarks, only weaken his ability to continue that support.
Tip ONeill, the late Speaker of the House was fond of saying that “all politics are local.” You as constituents of Senator Hagel are in a unque position to either weaken or strengthen his base of support. An oppourtunistic posture on the backs of suffering and moral Israelis should not go unchallenged! I hope that the Jewish community of Nebraska will let the Senator both collectively and individually know and understand the error and damage of his position. Call him, write him, but don’t ignore him! Consider the situation if Chuck Hagel rather than George Bush was in the White House. Joel Allen, M.D., a former Nebraskan now living in St. Paul, MN.
To the Editor: As war enters its fourth week, the first of four chartered flights arrive at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel on Thursday. More than 800 North American and British Jews will move to Israel this week as part of a six day global ‘Aliyah’ campaign by Nefesh B’Nefesh. Three additional flights, from the U.S., Canada and UK will land simultaneously in Israel (on Wednesday, Aug. 16), resulting in record-setting Western immigration in the country’s history. By the end of this summer, more than 3,000 North American and British Jews will have immigrated to Israel. Watch for more information at our website: www.nbn.org.il. Tony Gelbart and Rabbi Joshua Fass, Co-Founders, Nefesh B’Nefesh
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Page 14
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 11, 2006
Candlelighting Friday, August 11, 8:11 p.m.
Synagogue Listings B’nai Israel Synagogue 618 Mynster St. Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com
Beth El Synagogue Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Omaha, NE 68154-1980 492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org
Beth Israel Synagogue Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific St. Omaha, NE. 68154 556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org
Beyt Shalom An Affiliate of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation 3012 S. 119 St. P.O. Box 390352 Omaha, NE 68139 660.2395 www.beytshalomomaha.org
Chabad House An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 S. 120th St. Omaha, NE 68144-1646 330.1800 nebraskajudaism.com email: chabad@aol.com
Congregation B’nai Jeshurun South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 S. 20th St. Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 435.8004 southstreettemple.org
Offutt Air Force Base SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway Offutt AFB, NE 68113 294.6244
Rose Blumkin Jewish Home 333 S. 132 St. Omaha, NE 68154
Temple Israel Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556.6536 templeisrael-ne.org
The Neighborhood Minyan 1317 No. 57 St. Omaha, NE 68132 551.6609
Tifereth Israel Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 423.8569 www.tiferethlincoln.org
If you’re looking at this space, so are others! YOUR AD CAN GO HERE...
to reserve space, call
Allan Handleman, 334.6451, or Terri Greenwood, 334.6559.
B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m. No services on Aug. 18.
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush sponsored by Beth El; Evening Service, 8:20 p.m. Sitter Service is available during Friday night and Saturday morning services, on a drop-in basis, at no charge. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sunday, 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Weekdays, 6:55 a.m./5:30 p.m. ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAY: Bible Discussion Group, 10 a.m. K’TANTAN PLUS: Our summer program, led by Daniel Christensen, meets in the chapel Aug. 12 and 26, 10:45-11:45 a.m. The program is open to children in K-6. For information, call Judy Rubin at 498.0904. MEN’S CLUB SOFTBALL LEAGUE: Sunday Aug. 13, 10:30 a.m. JCC ball fields. Please be there by 10:15 a.m. SHABBAT TUNES & TALES: New pre-school program for toddlers and their parents, featuring sing-alongs with “Miss Patty” Nogg, will begin Saturday, Aug. 19, 11:1511:45 a.m. SISTERHOOD ANNUAL HONEY SALE: Now through Aug. 21, orders are being taken for Rosh Hashanah honey and holiday greetings. For more information, call 301.7321 or e-mail chai.honey@cox.net. USY: Candidate Membership Training (CMT) is Aug. 18-20, at Camp Eagle (near Fremont). For information, contact Robert Mosenkis at 492.8550 or youthdir@bethel-omaha.org. WOMEN’S ROSH HODESH GROUP: Thursday, Aug. 24, 7 p.m., to discuss “20th Century Women of Valor,” at the home of Ruth Goldenberg, 2307 No. 133 Cir. RSVP to Goldenberg at 505.9877, or Martha Lerner at lerner@cox.net.
SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. Free babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes, 10 a.m. (contact the office for class schedule); Kiddush is sponsored by Jeff and Sherry Taxman in honor of the upcoming marriage of Whitney Taxman and Dan Feferman, and for Dan’s aufruf; Shabbos House for children in K-4 and their families, 3:30-5:30 p.m. at the home of Josh and Amanda Gurock; Mincha, 7:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:13 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Contact the office for Mincha/ Ma’ariv service time. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m; Contact the office for Mincha/Ma’ariv time. WEDNESDAY: Beth Israel Sisterhood Lunch, noon Rabbi Gross will speak about his recent trip to Israel and his participation in the Israelight Rabbinic Fellowship program. THURSDAY: Women of the Torah class, 9:30 a.m. Babysitting is provided at no charge; Advanced Parshah Study, 9 p.m.
Emanuel, with oneg provided by Ellin Siegel & John Mosow, and Maureen & Dale Lobb. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m., all led by Rabbi Emanuel. THURSDAY: Choir Rehearsal, 7 p.m. During the month of August, the Social Action Committee is collecting school supplies to donate to Saratoga School. Place them in one of the boxes in the Social Hall. Thank you from the Social Action Committee and especially from the students! Potluck Dinner and Outdoor Service, on Friday, Aug. 18, 6 p.m. at Pioneers Park in Shelter #1. Bring a dish to share labeled as vegetarian/pareve, dairy, or meat. (Remember: Do not mix meat and dairy in the same dish.) We will be honoring our long-time members. If you can help, contact Barbara Barron at 420.6990 or poppybarron@hotmail.com.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.
BEYT SHALOM FRIDAY: Shabbat in the Home.
CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Service, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Maamar class, 9 a.m.; Service, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush luncheon follows the service. SUNDAY: Services, 8:30 a.m.; Torah Studies-Journeys exploring the Book of Bamidar (Numbers), 10 a.m.; Aleph Champ for Adults, 10 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Minyan, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Halacha class, 7 p.m. TUESDAY: Women of Worth Prayer Circle, 9 a.m. WEDNESDAY: Kabbalah Circle, 7 p.m. THURSDAY: Jewish Thought, 12:45 p.m. All events and programs are open to the community. For information or to register, call 330.1800 or visit www. Ochabad.com.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. led by Nancy Rips and Andy Greenberg. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg.
TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m.; “Shema Temple Israel: Many Stories, One Congregation”; d’var Torah by Steve Fischer: “The Jews of Las Vegas: Making Dreams Come True. SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15-10:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. SITTER SERVICE: Available
at each Friday evening service, Saturday mornings when there is a bar or bat mitzvah, and Sunday mornings when there is Religious School. Advance reservations and a $5 donation are appreciated. Sorry, there are no facilities for infants. TUESDAY, Aug. 15: Life Long Learning, Adult B’nai Mitzvah, 6:30–8 p.m. in the Temple Israel Library. Historical Marker Dedication, Friday, Aug. 18, 11 a.m. at 23rd and Harney Street, Omaha. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY SUNDAY, AUG. 20, 12:30-4 p.m. at 4221 Himebaugh Ave.
NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.
TIFERETH ISRAEL Services conducted by Rabbi Royi Shaffin. Minyan, MONDAY, & THURSDAY, 9 a.m. FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. followed by a light oneg. SATURDAY: Parashat Hashavu’a class, 8:30 a.m.; Morning service, 9:30 a.m. followed by Shabbat lunch and Talmud class. SUNDAY, 3 p.m.: Federation meeting for all members of the Lincoln Jewish community. Alex Fleischer will speak about conditions in Israel. He has devoted his career to educating thousands of American Jews who have participated on fmissions to Israel. Baby sitting services will be available. Refreshments will be served. Call the office if a ride is needed. TUESDAY: The Ladies’ Lunch Bunch will meet at Venue, noon. If you need a ride, call Marcia Kushner at 423.5959. WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Contact Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066.
Organization Marks Happy Birthdays
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
CONGREGATION Office Hours: Mon.-Thurs., B’NAI JESHURUN
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fri., 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m.
Services conducted by Rabbi Ilan Emanuel. FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. led by Rabbi
BAT MITZVAH Rachel Paige Labe Scheet, daughter of Lisa Wallace Scheet and Gordon Scheet, will become Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Aug. 19, at Temple Israel. Rachel is a eighth-grade Honor Roll student at LaVista Junior High School. Her interests include dance, softball, and enjoys animals of all kinds. For her mitzvah project, Rachel volunteered at Town and Country
Humane Society. She also obtained donations of blankets, towels, leashes, etc. She has a sister, Julianna. Grandparents were the late Marjorie Cramer Drucker, the late Gersen Wallace, and the late Phyllis and Tom Deibert. Great-grandparents were the late Pauline and Abe Wallace, the late Marie and Louis Drucker, the late Julia and Walter Vendsel.
Children from the north of Israel being entertained at a multiple birthday party in Ashdod. Copyright: ISRANET
Children from towns and settlements in the north of Israel, who are currently being hosted by families in the city of Ashdod, Israel, were happy to see that their birthdays were not forgotten. Children who celebrated a birthday since hostilities began in the north last month were entertained and given hospitality in the Jewish community of Esh David, is a Progressive Jewish congregation of mainly immigrants from the former Soviet Union and it is supported by the New Israel Fund.
Pulverente MONUMENT CO.
August 11, 2006
In All the Clatter--the Voice! SPARKS FROM THE WORD by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Eikev Over the centuries, Jews have prided themselves on following ancient advice to put their faith not in horses and chariots, but in decency, morality and the goodness of humankind. But the lesson of history is constant and bitter. The moral advice, which we still cherish, is the kind of advice that should be told to Sweeney. Jews would have long ago been obliterated from the scene of history as the gentle dictator of Iran would now wish, had they followed such advice. In the hard world which humanity has created for itself, it is not morality and idealism that triumph alone. They triumph only, when the sword, that is to say, the missile, has triumphed first. That great American Abraham Lincoln said, “We are now engaged in a great civil war...” We ourselves in the
DEATHS HARVEY MARTIN EGHERMAN Harvey Egherman died July 26 in Cincinnati, OH, at the age of 88. Services were held at B’nai Tzedek Synagogue in Cincinnati. The owner of Bond Furniture Co of Elmwood and Loveland, OH, for 40 years, Egherman held a lifelong commitment to Jewish causes, particularly the State of Israel and Jewish education. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Juanita Rosen Egherman; daughters and sons-in-law, Rini and Rabbi Allan Gonsher, Leslee and Dr. Leonard Meltzer, Ann Arbor, MI; son, Dr. William Egherman, Gainesville, FL; grandchildren, Rabbi Josh and Dr. Eva Gonsher of Flushing, NY, Rabbi Ben and Aviva Gonsher of Miami Beach, FL, Zachary and Lara Gonsher of St. Louis, MO, Emily and Ari Kahan, and Marie Meltzer, all of Ann Arbor; and a great-granddaughter. Memorials to Congregation BIAV, 9900 Antioch, Overland Pk, KS, 66212, Hadassah’s Youth Aliyah, the Nebraska Humane Society, or a Jewish charity of choice. BEN H. MAGZAMIN Ben H. Magzamin died at the age of 93. A graveside service were held Aug 6 at Golden Hill Cemetery. He was a longtime employee of Nebraska Furniture Mart. He was preceded in death by his wife, Belle; and sisters, Sylvia Seglin Sidman and Gertrude Hermanson. He is survived by daughters and sons-in-law, Karen and Gary Plotkin, and Paula and Mark Brown of CA; grandchildren, Jeff and Jody Plotkin, Lesley Plotkin and fiancé, Ashley Buchanan, all of Austin, TX, and Mitchell Brown of CA; sisters, Reeda Pellman and Ruth Babendure of Houston, TX, and Jackie Malnove of Palm Beach, FL; and close friend, Jack Arkfeld. Memorials to Beth Israel Synagogue or charity of choice.
contemporary world are engaged in a great world war in which morality and idealism will triumph only if peace has been restored by a terrible expenditure of blood, sweat and tears against forces that we identify as evil. After World War I, and after World War II, I had not expected in my old age to live in a world of such turmoil. I mourn for the young men and women who must put their lives in danger to establish again a world of decency and morality. One hears the echo of God’s ancient lament that He had created humankind, whose thoughts are evil all day long. Is there not enough land on this earth of ours? Is there not enough food? Must there be this demand for power, an inevitable demand for power, that results in so much hatred and so much bloodthirstyness? Can we not do better? Where are the prophets to teach us and inspire us? In all of this clatter and explosions, where is the Voice? We are desperately in need of the Voice that shatters the Cedars of Lebanon and the missiles of Hezbollah, (the Army of God!?). How can we learn, and how can we teach the world to listen for the Voice?
Does Your Old Challah Need a New Twist? by KELLY KIRK for Chabad House Women are continually looking to enhance their home Shabbat experience. What better way than to perfect the art of baking challah? Please join the Women of Worth Chabad Auxiliary for our First Annual ChallahThon Monday, Sept. 18,7 p.m., at Chabad House. The Challah-Thon will include tasting and sharing challah recipes; challah making instructions and demonstrations, both by hand and in a bread machine; braiding Shabbat challah and shaping round High Holiday challah. Shani Katzman will assist us in understanding the spiritual insights of challah making. The program is open to all women and teens in the community. In addition to being great fun, challah baking is a sacred task. For thousands of years, Jewish women have baked challah with great pride, expertise and fervor. It is symbolic of our ability to take what we’ve been given and create something that will nurture and benefit our families and communities. Baking challah is one of the three mitzvot in the Torah (Numbers 15:17-21), distinctly given to women. The word challah does not refer to the bread that is eaten, but to a small piece of dough taken from each batch we make, as it says: “It shall be that when you eat the bread of the land, you shall set aside a portion (of dough) for G-d. The Challah-Thon is a tribute to the memory of Karin Levine. She was a woman who exemplified the virtues of a Jewish woman through her strength, kindness, generosity and spirit. Levineenjoyed making challah and her recipe is legendary. Her recipe will be available for tasting and sharing at the Challah-Thon. In preparation please submit your special recipe(s) to be included in our challah recipe collection. Please mail or e-mail your challah recipe(s) to Kim Novak at auntiekim2@aol.com, or 591 No. 155 Plz, #236, Omaha, NE 68154. Recipe(s) can also be submitted via the Chabad website at www.ochabad.com.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 11, 2006
Mayor Fahey to Attend Ceremony Marking Nebraska’s First Synagogue by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Jews have been part of Nebraska’s social, economic, and political life for approximately 150 years. In 1871, the small Jewish community in Omaha grew large enough to formally establish the Congregation of Israel. Then on Sept. 9, 1884, the Congregation of Israel dedicated the first permanent Jewish house of worship in Nebraska near 2320 Harney St. In 1908, the growing congregation built and moved to a new location at 29th and Jackson St. The Congregation of Israel eventually changed its name to Temple Israel, today’s Reform congregation at 70th and Cass St. As Temple Israel studies the prospects of moving from its present location, the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation will recognize Temple’s first house of worship at a ceremony on Friday. Aug. 18, 11 a.m., near 23rd and Harney St, the site today of the Federal Reserve Bank. Jerry Klinger, President of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, who founded the organization six years ago, will be on hand for the dedication ceremony along with Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey, his Chief of Staff Paul Landow who is a member of Temple Israel, Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, President Wendy Goldberg Rabbi Eric Linder and Cantor Wendy Shermet, all of Temple Israel. “I always had an interest in Jewish history,” said Klinger who lives near Washington, D.C. One night while staying in the city of Columbia, CA, high in the Sierra-Nevada Mountains, where “there wasn’t much to do at night,” he and his wife walked to a storefront where
they saw a light in the window. There Klinger found the book, Pioneer Jews, by Helen Rochlin. The book sparked Klinger’s pursuit of promoting programs of local and national historic interest. Cooperating with local historical soci-
and got city fathers and the New Mexico Jewish Historical Society involved. He received permission to conduct worship services in the church on a Shabbat evening. In a cathedral in Santa Fe, NM, Klinger
Above: Congregation of Israel at 23rd and Harney in 1884; below: the JASHP plaque. eties, communities, churches and synagogues, JASHP encourages dialogue and interactive recognition of the commonality of the American experience, according to the non-profit volunteer organization’s website. Klinger traveled to Las Vegas, NM, to search for a historical synagogue there. He stood on a street corner looking for the site, but all he saw was a Roman Catholic church. Unable to locate the synagogue, he made some phone calls
Send Rosh Hashanah A 36 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. Just fill out the form below and send or bring it to the Jewish Press office. But hurry these ads will only be accepted through August 31, 2006.
Rosh Hashanah Greetings Form Name ___________________________________________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________________________________ City ____________________________________________ State ____________ Zip ____________________ Check the size of ad you would like: ❍ A ❍ B ❍ C Use the lines below to list your family members names you would like on your Rosh Hashanah ad. __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________
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discovered the word, “God,” carved in Hebrew. At one point, when the church was running out of money, the Jewish community lent the church funds. “Jews and Christians (in America) have helped each other build houses of worship,” Klinger pointed out. “That includes the Greek Orthodox Church, at Park Avenue and Jackson Street in Omaha, which bought the building from Temple Israel about 1951. Klinger added that “this is not unusual in America. Newcomers in the west (and Midwest) needed each other to settle the frontier.” JASHP focuses on historical plaques identifying and recognizing specific sites of Jewish historic interest. Markers have been dedicated in Pensacola, FL; Bangor, ME; Charleston, WV; Helena, MT; New Orleans, LA; Richmond, VA; Hagerstown, MD; Wilmington, DE Spokane, WA; Jackson and Natchez, MS; Deadwood, SD, Lancaster, PA; and Keokuk, IA. On a visit to Omaha in September 2005, Klinger talked to city fathers, members of the Jewish community, Temple Israel, and the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society. He commented that the Federal Reserve Bank “was great” about having the 42x36 inch plaque installed on their property. The marker will feature the Omaha city seal at the top and will include a star of David and an image of the building. “I’m just the facilitator,” said Klinger, downplaying his role. “The marker will be part of a cultural experience for the Omaha community. For the Jewish community, it will be a symbol of a long-time Jewish presence in Omaha.” Members of Temple Israel and the entire community are welcome to attend.
ROSH HASHANAH Greetings from
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Rosh Hashanah Greetings from Your names go here
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Please send a check for the amount listed along side the different sized ads or you can drop the form and payment off at the Jewish Press office in the JCC. Jewish Press, 333 South 132 Street, Omaha, NE 68154
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