Vol. LXXXIX No. 48 Omaha, NE
Celebrating 89 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
10 Elul 5770
August 20, 2010
Will the Giving Pledge affect Jewish causes? by JACOB BERKMAN es a centerpiece of their giving are the exception. NEW YORK (JTA) -- The philanthropic world got a The Jews who have taken the Giving Pledge happy jolt when 40 members of the world’s wealthy elite [http://blogs.jta.org/philanthropy/] fit the stan-- including 13 Jews -- announced that they would give dard profile: All give to Jewish causes, according to a away more than half their money before they died. The participating philanthropists were responding last week to a challenge issued earlier this year by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates to their billionaire peers to donate more than half of their wealth in their lifetimes. Buffett and Gates called it the Giving Pledge. But without any obvious signs of where their money will go, it’s unclear what impact this will have on Jewish nonprofits. “This pledge is a very good thing -- I want to be very clear about that -- but I remain unsure if it is a game changer for the Jewish community in particular,” said Mark Charendoff, the president of the Jewish Funders Network, an organization for givers of at least $25,000 annually to Jewish causes. Charendoff said the average Jewish billionaire gives pretty much the way Americans give. “If that is the case, then we will see money go to higher education, to health Warren Buffett, left, and Bill and Melinda Gates have challenged the world’s care and possibly to the arts,” he said, not- give away half their wealth before they die. Credit: The Giving Pledge ing a phenomenon that long has vexed the Jewish phil- reading of the 990 tax forms of their foundations and anthropic world. published reports on their giving, but those gifts constiWealthy Jews are among the most charitable mega- tute only a fraction of the tens or hundreds of millions donors per capita. More than one-third of living donors each gives away per year. who have given away more than $1 billion, according to The Jewish names on the list are Michael Bloomberg, Forbes, are Jewish. Eli and Edith Broad, Barry Diller and Diane Von But the overtly Jewish charities among their portfolios Furstenberg, Larry Ellison, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, pale in comparison to the general causes to which they George Kaiser, Lorry Lokey, Bernie and Billie Marcus, give. Mega-philanthropists who have made Jewish caus- Bernard and Barbro Osher, David M. Rubenstein, Herb
Digging in at the deli
$100 million facelift transforms Israel Museum by DINA KRAFT Museum of Modern Art in New York, whirling his JERUSALEM (JTA) – A tawny sandstone sculpture hand in the air to mimic a double helix’s shape. “The of Nimrod, an culture of the region ancient Hebrew warand the culture of the rior and hunter figworld -- they wrap ure with a razoraround each other.” straight back and The museum now proud stare, sits at stretches out on its the intersection sprawling 20-acre hillbetween modern top campus in Israeli art and native Jerusalem across from art from Africa and the Knesset as a sleek the South Pacific at and, indeed, renewed the recently renovatversion of its former ed Israel Museum. self. The 1939 sculpStreamlined and ture by Israeli artist expanded with 204,500 Yitzhak Danzinger is square feet for its an example of the refreshed collection galkind of cultural and leries, archeology, the aesthetic contextual fine arts, and Jewish art links that James and life are now easily Synder, the Israel accessible in one large Renewed galleries in the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Wing for Museum director, exhibit hall designed Jewish Art and Life at The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. hopes to evoke in with the guiding theme Credit: Tim Hursley, courtesy of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem the reopening of the in mind of how objects museum following a $100 million facelift he calls a and art can resonate across time and cultures. “renewal.” The archeology wing, which traces the development of “It’s like a double helix,” said Snyder, who came to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, boasts a “House of the Israel Museum in 1997 after 22 years at the Continued on page 7
Inside Op-Ed Page: see page 8
ADL to host community forum on immigration, Page 2 See Front Page Stories & More at: www.jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press’
Beth El welcomes author Rachel Shukert Page 5
and Marion Sandler, Jeff Skoll, Sanford and Joan Weill, and Shelby White. Lokey is an exception to the rule on Jewish giving. While most of his largesse has been for educational causes, a large chunk also has gone to Israeli recipients. Lokey gave $33 million to the Technion -- the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, and has donated substantial sums to the Leo Baeck High School in Haifa, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the Weizmann Institute and Hadassah. He also has given $80 million to Catholic schools, by his own estimate. A journalist by training who moved to public relations and then started his own business, Lokey, 83, says that he wants to make another $300 million or so from his investments before he dies. He already has pledged everything he has -- somewhere in the range of $700 million -- to a handful of charitable causes, and he told JTA the next big gifts will be to Israeli education. “I hope to make it a billion before I kick the bucket,” Lokey said. “The next $60 million or so will go to Israel.” Aside from Bernie Marcus, who has an arm of his foundation to deal with Jewish causes, and Bernard Osher, who gives billionaires to away most of his money through the San Francisco Jewish Community Endowment Fund, the Jews on the Giving Pledge list have directed the vast majority of their philanthropic dollars to general causes that are not explicitly Jewish. That would suggest that the Giving Pledge may not have a significant impact on Jewish causes. Stacy Palmer, the editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, suggested the pledge might not have such a great impact on other causes, either, since the first 40 Continued on page 2
by OZZIE NOGG The Stage Delicatessen in New York? Canter’s in L.A? The Famous in Philly? Fahgeddaboutit. The Star Deli in Omaha launched its lunch service on Friday, July 30, and reports indicate that this local nosherie can go toe to toe with the competition.
Sandwiches stand ready in the kitchen. “Opening day was a smash,” said Josh Gurock, Facilities Coordinator at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. “We served 113 meals to a flock of very appreciative customers and we anticipate even larger crowds in the future. You eat -- family style -- at large tables, the sandwiches are huge, the sides are delicious and plentiful, so what’s not to like.” Gurock’s sentiments were echoed by Shayna Ray, who enjoyed lunch along with her grandmother, Reva Oruch. “The kreplach soup is a close second to Bubbie’s,” Shayna said, “and that’s high praise.” Raw data from opening day showed the favorite entree was The Double Dip -- a bowl of matzo ball or kreplach soup with half a hot corned beef or hot Continued on page 2
Coming Next Month: Rosh Hashanah Issue Another success for CJE’s Limmud Omaha Page 6
Bedouin demolitions are raising tension in Israeli land dispute Page 12