thejewishpress AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA
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2016 jCC maccabi games: The teen perspective
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inside Viewpoint Synagogues Life cycles
in St. Louis July 31-Aug. 5. Nearly 1500 athletes from more than six countries came together to compete in their respective sports, make new friends, and create lifelong memories. Read on to learn about each athlete’s JCC Maccabi experience: See 2016 jCC maccabi games page 3
A change at the ADL-CRC
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mary-beth muSKin ADL Omaha Regional Director There is much going on at the Omaha ADL-CRC office! One of those things is that Emily Newman will be stepping down from her position as Administrative Assistant to begin her doctorate degree at UNO in public administration with a focus in emergency management. Emily stepped into the position a year ago to assist with all the changes in the Omaha office and assist she has. Emily has been an integral part of the Omaha ADL-CRC team lending her expertise on all things Israel, writing articles to keep the community informed, while pitching in on all the day-to-day
marK KirChhoFF Program and Communications Assistant, Jewish Federation of Omaha “Before we go too far with this interview, I think it is important to let people know that I am, indeed, ‘Jeff Gates’ sister,’” quipped Jennie Gates Beckman with an engaging smile. “When I worked for the Jewish Press in Omaha as a Production Assistant under the direction of Carol Katzman, I was known simply as ‘Jen Gates.’ I’ve been away from Omaha for 12
jennie gates beckman
raChel martin BBYO/Teen Program Director ine Jewish teens from the Omaha/Lincoln area trained, prepared for, and represented the Team Omaha delegation at the 2016 JCC Maccabi Games
A Munich Olympics and Holocaust survivor page 16
Jennie Gates Beckman joins JFO
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Omaha Jewish Film Festival concludes with docu-drama page 4
School of Rock page 5
SponSored by the benjamin and anna e. WieSman Family endoWment Fund
emily newman and Scott Kurz needs of running an office. Emily is also a trained ADL Facilitator with the Words to Action curriculum. This curriculum empowers Jewish students to address bias on campus, in their schools and communities. Emily has assisted in the development, implementation and delivery of the “Words to Action” program. While we are excited for Emily as she returns to graduate school, we are equally excited that she will re-
main an important part of our ADL-CRC family. Emily’s position has been filled by Scott Kurz, who is well known in the Omaha theater community. He helped found and run the Brigit Saint Brigit Theater Company for the last 23 years. He has performed in over 100 productions. Scott is a multi-faceted producer and artist, an accomplished fight See Change at adl-CrC page 2
years now, and ever since I returned last November it seems the easiest way for people to place me. It used to annoy me since I am the oldest, but being Jeff’s sister helps jump their memory, especially since I proudly added ‘Beckman’ to ‘Gates’ when I married David in 2006.” Jennie joined the Jewish Federation of Omaha on Aug. 22 as the Director of Community Engagement and Education. Her enthusiasm for her new role is infectious. Jennie’s family moved to Omaha when she was seven years old. “This was about the time that Rabbi Aryeh Azriel began at Temple Israel,” Jennie said. “Being a part of Temple Israel and having Rabbi Azriel as our Senior Rabbi has been very special to me and my family for all this time,” she added. Jennie graduated from Millard North High School and went on to earn her BA at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. During her undergraduate studies she taught religious school and helped with the youth group at Temple Israel. She continued with post graduate work at the only nonsectarian Jewish-sponsored college or university in the country, Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. There she earned an MA in Jewish Communal Service and Non-Profit Management. Jennie began her career in the Jewish community as a FEREP Fellow. The Federation Executive Recruitment and Education Program (FEREP) is a graduate scholarship program, funded through The Jewish Federations of North America Mandel Center for Leadership Excellence, for students who are planning careers in Jewish Federations. Her first six years were spent with The Associated Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. There she gained experience in Campaign, Leadership Development, Community Outreach, and at Jewish Volunteer Connection. “Our community outreach goal was to engage new people who were otherwise not active in the Jewish community. I was able to put a See jennie gates beckman page 2