Vol. LXXXVI No. 50 Omaha, NE
Celebrating 86 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
Buddy ... can you spare a dime?
17 Elul, 5767 August 31, 2007
Beth El congregant’s Bar Mitzvah commemoration a real cause for celebration by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Whether you’re 13 or 83, standing on the bimah and chanting Torah or Haftorah can be daunting. But Barton “Bucky” Greenberg proved he was up to the challenge, determined to celebrate the 70th anniversary of his Bar Mitzvah. And celebrate he did, earlier this month at Beth El, the same congregation where he became a Bar Mitzvah in June 1937.
The ‘United Buddy Bear’ exhibition featuring 133 identical fiber glass figures of bears, each decorated by a different artist in the style of their own country, is a big hit here in Jerusalem. The exhibit opened outside the Jerusalem Municipality at the beginning of the month, after being shown in Berlin, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, Vienna and Cairo. To date, nearly $2 million have been raised through donation and auctions for local and international children’s relief organizations. The motto for the exhibition ‘The Art of Tolerance’ was penned by the exhibitions creators, Eva and Klaus Herlitz from Germany. At the end of the world tour, which still has to include Beijing and Buenos Aires, the bears will be sold by charitable auction for UNICEF and other organizations helping needy children throughout the world. Copyright: ISRANET
Bucky, at age 13, appeared in a photo published by LOOK Magazine in its July 6, 1937 issue. And some things never change no matter how old you are -- Greenberg admitted to pre-chanting jitters and chuckled that he was relieved after finishing his Haftorah. He also noted that this special anniversary was the third time he had the opportunity to recite his Haftorah; the second came on the Shabbat before his wedding to Caryl Bercovici in 1951. Continued on page 14
From recovery to renaissance, New Orleans Jews look ahead by GAIL NARON CHALEW NEW ORLEANS (JTA) -- The Jewish community of New Orleans has used the two years since Hurricane Katrina not only to recover from the devastation but also to plot the course for what it hopes will be a future renaissance. Key to this revitalization is a program of grants and incentives to lure 1,000 Jewish individuals and families to the area from around the country. This program is the first fruit of an intensive planning process that has involved several hundred members of the Jewish community. When Katrina struck in late August, 2005, the nearly 10,000 Jews in the community were hit hard, as was the rest of New Orleans. The massive hurricane damaged 80 percent of their homes, 70 percent of their businesses and several key community institutions. Since then, the Jewish communal infrastructure has largely been sustained by more than $20 million in donations from the United Jewish Communities, the umbrella of the North American federation system, and the national religious movements, along with donations from hundreds of individual synagogues, federations and donors. But as of December 2007, the New Orleans Jewish community, which has lost about 30 percent of its members, must stand on its own two feet. Michael Weil, a strategic planner drawn
Inside Opinion Page see page 16
from Israel to head the Jewish and knew that “here Federation of Greater New Orleans, says was a place where I the challenge is immense but the comcould take on a leadermunity is determined to look ahead. ship role and have an “There is no sense in going back to immediate impact.” where we were before the storm. We To guide the federahave the opportunity now to make past tion in its planning dreams and new dreams of a vibrant efforts, Louisiana State Jewish New Orleans come true.” University sociologist Early evidence suggests that the Jewish Rick Weil last fall surcommunity is rising to the challenge. veyed both current resiThe federation’s current annual camdents and those who paign, the first since Katrina, is on track had relocated elseto raise more than $2.6 million, comwhere. After the sumpared to the $2.8 million raised among mer, he will be consignificantly more members in the last ducting a full-scale pre-Katrina campaign. demographic study. Plans are under way to centralize servHis results of last fall’s ices, share space and eliminate overlaps survey were surprisingly among community institutions. favorable, indicating “Everyone is sitting around the table that those who are back now; there is wall-to-wall collaboration,” are likely to stay and Weil says. One example is that a discusthat only 15 percent of sion is under way to merge the commu- Jessie Garz, right, works with community members on developing a those who have left are Credit: Gail Naron Chalew very unlikely to return. nity day school and the Chabad- neighborhood improvement plan. or reduced membership at synagogues Lubavitch day school. “The Jewish community is showing a The federation has hired a grant writer and local Jewish organizations, and a job huge amount of toughness,” the professor and has engaged an Israeli public rela- searching network. Funded mostly by says. “According to every measure of tions firm to do marketing on a pro bono outside philanthropists, the incentive stress -- trouble sleeping or concentrating, basis, branding New Orleans as a “pio- program is headed by Nathan Rothstein, worrying and eating too much -- they are neering, exciting, and fun community,” himself a newcomer to the community. experiencing way more than under norin Weil’s words. The incentive package to During his senior year at the University of mal circumstances. And the more damage attract newcomers will include housing Massachusetts-Amherst, he came to New they sustained to their homes or businessand business loans, moving grants, schol- Orleans on a Hillel-sponsored volunteer es, the more stress.” arships to the community day school, free mission, experienced the needs firsthand, Continued on page 2
This Week: Monthly Calendar for September: Pages 10-11 See Front Page Stories & More at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’
Peruvian Jews collect for earthquake relief: Page 2
Coming Next Week New Year’s Issue Partnership with Israel reaches 10-year milestone: Page 4
Musician Rick Recht performs in omaha and Lincoln: Page 8