September 19, 2014

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

The Friedel story

September 19, 2014 24 Elul 5774 Vol. 95 | No. 1

This Week

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN bile designer,” Sam said, “the small “grand-friends” at the Rose Blumkin for Friedel Jewish Academy classes allow you to be taught at a Jewish Home for activities and menFriedel Jewish Academy graduate more personal level thus catapulting tor little friends at the Pennie Davis Sarah Kutler, daughter of Nancy and me ahead in almost every subject Child Development Center.

Howard Kutler, is now a senior at when I entered Kiewit Middle Friedel Board of Directors member Central High School. She fondly remembers her days at Friedel which she attended from second through sixth grade. “I felt special, because it was a small school,” she explained. “Everyone’s more connected, and it’s more of a family.”

Sarah won the Modern Woodmen of America state speech contest when she was a sixth grader and went on to the national competition. Friedel boasts state speech contest champions from 1994, 2008 and 2009.

Sam Kricsfeld, now 14 and a student at Millard North High School, where he is active in Chess Club Friedel students Jack Cohen, left, Brad Berman, Phoenix Mavropoulos, Jake Lucoff and and Latin Club, also won Julian Witkowski at a recent fundraiser for the school the Woodmen of America speech School.” Sam is also involved in Joanie Jacobson and interim Princicontest at Friedel as a sixth grader BBYO and Beth El Synagogue’s He- pal Ron Giller emphasized Friedel’s and competed at the district level. A brew High program. easy access to teachers and staff, student at Friedel from 2004 until In addition to a full-immersion He- award winning students, the school’s 2011, Sam, son of Debbie and Alan brew program, Friedel students are high-tech status and state-of-the-art Kricsfeld, also recalled how, “amaz- able to enjoy the Jewish Community modern equipment including an ing” it was “to participate in an all- Center swimming pool, gym and iPad for each student, the school’s Hebrew Hanukkah play (at Friedel).” Kripke library. Visiting dignitaries physical growth since 2013, a student Hoping to major in transportation come to Friedel for workshops and to teacher ratio of nine to one, the design “so I can become an automo- programs. Friedel students also join Continued on page 2

Funky facts about Ben & Jerry’s Page 3

Solb Ranch visits the Blumkin Home Page 8

Backyard Concert Series In Israel, teachers improvise fixes for funding shortfalls Page 16

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

Next Month Jewish Camping See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

12 14 15

by JUSTIN ZACHARY SPOONER Development Associate, Jewish Federation of Omaha Sunday Sept. 21 is the final concert of this year’s Backyard Concert Series and Old Money is ready to close it out with a bang!

Old Money is made up of Carlos Figueroa on drums, Andy Kammerer on keys and vocals, Bob Rasgorshek on bass, and Adrian Arriola on saxophone. Many of the band members are also members of popular Omaha band Satchel Grande.

According to music website Hear Nebraska, “One of the hallmarks of the Nebraska music scene is its family tree. Not only do a handful of this state's musicians share the same last name, but a great many more bands share members. Two in particular, Old Money and Satchel Grande, show the inherent similarities and defining differences of two acts taking a slightly different track while sharing a number of the same musicians.”

The band describes itself as “pop fusion at its finest.” The mix of jazz and a slight hint of the blues give Old Money an eclectic sound that concert goers love.

Music reviewer Kelly Enguist says, “This powerhouse collection of eclectic musicians keeps Old Money cover art for How’d You Get So Bad. the grooves be available for purchase from Star rolling, so get ready to dance.”

In 2013 Old Money released their Catering. BBYO will be selling parve second album, How’d You Get So Bad. desserts, with proceeds going to The Omaha World Herald music re- BBYO Jewish Programming. Jewish viewer wrote, “The title track is my Family Service will be taking donafavorite with its mix of funk and jazz, tions for their food pantry: Toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, and I've also been enjoying the solid beat on ‘Without Fame.’ ‘Can We Get deodorant, facial tissues, toilet paper Back’ is another funky track on the are appreciated.

Look for the blue bins! jazzy record.”

Please no expired items.

Old Money takes the stage Sunday For more information contact EsSept. 21. Make sure to be by the pavilion at the JCC with your lawn ther Katz, JCC Dance and Cultural chairs and picnic baskets at 5 p.m. If Arts Director, at 402.334.6404 or you don’t bring your own, food will ekatz@jccomaha.org.

In memory of Martin J. Lehr Martin J. Lehr passed away on Sept. 7 surrounded by his wife and children at Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic after a summer long battle with heart failure culminating in an experimental valve repair attempt.

Born Jan. 21, 1931 to Russian immigrants Joseph and Sarah Lehr, Marty spent his earliest years in Chicago, returning to Omaha at the age of 4. With older

Martin J. Lehr brother Milton, he worked to support their mother and baby brother Gerald upon their father’s untimely death in 1947. Active in AZA 100 while at Central High School, Marty was blessed with friendships spanning eight decades, including those with Mort Glass, Joe Kirshenbaum and Norm Veitzer.

After meritorious U.S. Army service in Tokyo during the Korean War, Marty earned a BS in Accounting at Omaha University and a Masters in Accounting at The University of Illinois. His professional career as a CPA began at Peat Marwick & Mitchell in Chicago, and later, as partner of a smaller accounting firm in Omaha. Soon, he met the love of his life, Joanie Mayer, who was home on break from Boston’s Brandeis University. They married in 1960, welcoming son John and daughters Susan and Cindy by the middle of the decade.

Also in 1960, Marty left accountancy to join his father-inlaw Alfred Mayer’s Grace/Mayer Insurance Agency, Inc. Quickly adapting to consultative insurance production and leadership, he eventually merged the firm with Joffe, Kully, Grossman Insurors, becoming chairman of what became one of the Midwest’s most successful and innovative insurance brokerage and services firms. Marty possessed both keen financial and coverage insight, wrapped in confidence and professionalism. Successful private and publicly held companies, leading not-for-profits, and generations of families sought and paid for his advice and counsel, as Continued on page 15

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Walk to end Alzheimer’s with Beth El Synagogue

by MARGIE GUTNIK Beth El Program Director The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Beth El Synagogue encourages everyone in the community to join us and walk with our team “Beth El Fights for Phyllis and Friends.” We will be walking in honor of our fantastic kitchen and housekeeping manager, Laura Bair and her mother Phyllis, who has Alzheimer’s, as well as our congregants whose families have been touched by Alzheimer’s.

Co-chaired by Caryn Scheer and Joye Wees, with Laura serving as our honorary team captain, this two mile walk will be held on Sunday, Sept. 28 at Turner Park at Midtown Crossing, 220 S. 31st Ave. Registration is at 10 a.m.; the walk begins at noon. We’ll meet at Beth El at

10:15 a.m. to carpool, or team members can join us at the registration booth at Turner Park at 11 a.m.

While there is no fee to register, participants must register online (children too) and sign a waiver. We are also asking members of our team to consider donating to the Beth El team fundraising campaign.

Even if you are not available to walk, consider supporting this event with your dollars. Your participation in the walk and your fundraising dollars fuel the missionrelated initiatives of care, support and research into Alzheimer’s as well as to raise the awareness of Alzheimer’s in our community. To register and to donate, go to www.bethel-omaha.org, and select the Social Action page under “Volunteering.”

If you have any questions, please contact team captains Joye Wees at joye.wees@cbshome.com or Caryn Scheer at carynscheer@yahoo.com.

An Omaha Jewish community success story Continued from page 1 practice of tikun olam, the school’s diversity including children from families whose first language is Hebrew, Dutch, Russian and Spanish, as well as those affiliated with all area synagogues and those not affiliated with a synagogue. Extracurricular activities include string orchestra, instrumental band, and what’s described as “an unparalleled fine arts program under Julie Phillips.” Friedel is accredited by the Nebraska State Department of Education.

Friedel students excel in reading, math and language arts in comparison to students in other schools across the state and throughout the nation, as tested by Terra Nova achievement exams. Friedel students have gone on to colleges such as Creighton University, UNO, UNL, and Brandeis, Harvard, and Stanford Universities.

“I felt that academically, I was completely prepared for honors classes in middle school and honors and advanced placement classes in high school,” said Mika Caplan, now a junior at Burke High School. The 16-year-old is thinking of attending UNL for her Bachelors Degree in biochemistry. “I want to become a cell biologist or a paleontologist.”

But Mika’s proudest moment of every year at Friedel “was always the Hanukkah play.” She’s still involved in theater, both in the community and at school. Mika, daughter of Naava Naslavsky and Steve Caplan, also participates in the Burke Show Choir and is a member of National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, and Future Business Leaders of America.

Sheila McCauley, magnet facilitator at Beveridge Middle School, noted that Friedel students at Beveridge are “always excited to learn, and when we have them doing a project or activity, they go above and beyond. Most of them get very involved in extra-curricular activities such as plays, vocal music, international studies, and in the school community.”

Susan and Isaac Witkowski have had two children at Friedel. Gabby, who is now 13, is in the eighth grade at Beveridge. Julian, nine, is in the fourth grade at Friedel.

“Friedel teachers are amazing,” stressed Susan. “They develop such close relationships with the kids and know them so well... and draw the best out of each of them. Kids are able to excel each to their own abilities, and their love of learning is fostered daily by the teachers’ obvious love of teaching.”

Susan said that she and her husband sent their children to Friedel, because they love the richly Jewish environment and the attention to detail the kids get in every aspect of their education. “Because of Friedel, my kids speak fluent Hebrew and consider Judaism a strong part of their identity. These are kids who... feel Jewish in their souls. They see that other Jews come from all over the world and know that their Jewish friends might speak another language at home besides English.”

As a parent of a kindergartner at Friedel, Liz Feldstern, who’s from New Jersey, says that she and her husband Yonatan, a native of Jerusalem, chose Friedel, “because we want (our son) Yishai to be in an environment that reinforces the Jewish values and practices we have in our home.

We also want Yishai to maintain and improve the Hebrew language background that he has as a native speaker.

Particularly when he is so young, we are happy to know that he is in a place where he can be all of who he is. He can concentrate on the ABCs and the aleph-bet!”

Danni Christensen, co-president of Friedel’s PTO, agreed.

“Friedel has been an incredible fit for my son Doniven” now in third grade. “He has not only been academically challenged but has had a positive Jewish identity fostered here.

He has found so much comfort in his faith and with his social circle at Friedel (which) offers an intimate yet diverse environment, where the children learn to care for one another as a family in both faith and education.”

“Friedel is an amazing value when compared to day schools on the coasts which easily cost double or triple the tuition of Friedel,” added Gabby Blair, the other PTO copresident. Financial aid is available through the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Giller, who served as principal of Friedel from 2008 to 2012, commented that “Friedel is a student-centered school with a warm and caring atmosphere. We are blessed with great teachers, supportive parents, and a caring school board.”

“Friedel is a magical place where everyone (staff and students), every day, every minute, make learning fun and exciting,” said Pam Cohn, who was principal of the school from 2012 until last spring. “There is a true sense of community and family where adults and children take care of one another. I was blessed to serve as principal.”

Barb Sather who has been at Friedel some 20 years, explained that “the small size and degree with which we get to know our students and their families allows us to start the year off knowing our students’ strengths and weaknesses and being able to teach to those,” said the third-fourth grade teacher.

Diana Zeman, kindergarten teacher, has been at Friedel since 1998. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else! I have experienced other school systems, and it is my experience that Friedel offers the opportunity for each child to learn in their own way, at their own pace. Friedel shapes confident, caring Jewish children. They are our world’s hope and future.”

Media specialist Ashley Barrow described Friedel as “special” to her, because it is a place where teachers and students, create an amazing bond.” This is her fifth year at Friedel.

Others in the Jewish community also proclaim Friedel’s value. “I am a huge day school supporter,” stated Rabbi Steven Abraham of Beth El Synagogue. “First and foremost, day school gives students the ability to soak up Judaism in a variety of settings. The skills that are taught and the culture that is embedded stays with them for a lifetime.” He added that “the ability for students to have an excellent dual curriculum prepares them for the rigors of high school and beyond.”

“Friedel Jewish Academy is important to the Omaha Jewish community,” remarked Alan Potash, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League Plains Region and interim CEO, “because it offers a high level of excellent educational opportunities for families who want their children to learn and embrace Jewish and secular learning. Friedel is an important branch of the Jewish community leading the next generation of Jewish leaders in our community.”

Having met with Friedel teachers and staff and observed the students in their classrooms, Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation Executive Director Howard Epstein found “the students always energized and engaged. They receive top quality, personalized instruction. Numerous studies reveal that students who receive a quality Jewish day school education are likely to become active and involved as adults in their Jewish community. This bodes well for the future of Omaha’s Jewish community.”

September 19, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 3

Funky facts about Ben & Jerry’s

by SHERRIE SAAG Communications, Jewish Federation of Omaha The Jewish Federation of Omaha kicks-off its 2015 Annual Campaign with guest speaker Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc., one of the most successful, socially conscious and philanthropic brands worldwide.

Greenfield will share his corporate and charitable success stories, while shedding light on how his Jewish upbringing in Long Island, NY, contributed to his success on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Champions Run. In the meantime, we’ve assembled some interesting facts about the company to “whet your appetite” for his appearance!

Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Inc. welcomes visitors to its factory in Waterbury, Vermont, with quirky and creative touches around every corner.

Between touring its physical spaces (there’s a slide in the office and an ice cream graveyard!) and learning fun corporate facts, one understands how serious the company is about their social mission.

In advance of Jerry Greenfield’s appearance at this year’s Annual Campaign kick-

off, here’s a “tasty” list of funky facts: 1. At company headquarters, all the interior walls are curvy (because right angles are too square, man). Near the front entrance, you can get from the upper to lower levels

Credit: Ben & Jerry’s on a slide.

2. Ben & Jerry’s employees get three free pints per day, every day. To counteract excessive indulgence, employees also get a free gym membership.

3. The flavor graveyard at Ben & Jerry’s factory contains only a fraction of the hundreds of flavors that have been retired in the company’s history. Of course, the “deceased” pints aren’t actually buried in the graveyard, but each is marked with its own headstone!

4. The factory in Waterbury produces 120,000 pints a day, one flavor at a time.

5. The cow seen on Ben & Jerry’s packages (and this van) is named Woody, after Woody

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6. Ben & Jerry’s has a team of “flavor gurus” who go on “trend trek” trips every year and eat their way through cities by ordering EVERY dessert at local restaurants.

Yeah, that’s what you call a dream job.

7. Unilever became the majority shareholder in 2000, but Ben & Jerry’s maintains their own board of directors who are responsible for ensuring that the company sticks to its core values and three-part mission (more on that next week).

8. Last December, Half Baked became the top selling flavor, knocking Cherry Garcia from the throne for the first time in its history.

9. Ben says he typically stands at Jerry’s right side when they get photographed so that if you’re looking at the photo from left to right, you see them in the right order!

10. Certain retailers carry exclusive flavors, including the philanthropic world’s personal favorite, Volun-Tiramisu (available at Target).

The entire community is invited to attend the Annual Campaign Community Event on Tuesday Oct. 7. MOOOOOve quickly and save your scoop, er, spot by calling Campaign Director Sharon Kirshenbaum at 402.334.6485 or email skirshenbaum@ jewishomaha.org.

Seriouseats.com contributed to this article.

Livingston Foundation Fund grant applications

by JANET HENTHORN Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation In 2012, the Milton S. and Corinne N. Livingston Foundation, Inc. converted from a private foundation to a donoradvised fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.

The Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation administers the Milton S. and Corinne N. Livingston Foundation Fund. The former Trustees of the private foundation are now members of an advisory board responsible for recommending grants from the Fund.

The annual meeting of the advisory board will be held Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014.

The primary interest of the Milton S. and Corinne N. Livingston Foundation Fund is to support Jewish institutions and projects. The Fund has a secondary interest in supporting health, education, cul-

tural and social services in the Omaha Metropolitan area.

Grant requests should be submitted in writing, using the appropriate forms, to Janet Henthorn, Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, 333 S. 132 Street, Omaha, NE 68154.

Guidelines are as follows: 1. Grants will be limited to organizations located within the Omaha Metropolitan area and the State of Israel.

2. No grants will be given for capital or endowment campaigns.

3. Organization representatives may contact Howard Epstein at 402.334.6466 or hepstein@jewishomaha.org, or Janet Henthorn at 402.334.6551or jhenthorn@ jewishomaha.org for a grant application form. The deadline for submission of grant applications is Friday, Oct. 24.

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4 | The Jewish Press | September 19, 2014

by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Beth Israel Publicity Chair It’s nearly time to start the celebration of the new Jewish year and Beth Israel will have a variety of happenings for the High Holidays. The programming will get the Jewish year of 5775 off to a great start that will continue in the months ahead.

Pre-Selichot Concert – Music has the ability to move people in ways like nothing else. Music has been described as the language of the soul. On Saturday evening, Sept. 20, Rabbi Ari Dembitzer and Rabbi Yaakov Weiss will use the power of music, teaming up to lead a special pre-Selichot concert to lead into the Selichot services.

Rabbi Dembitzer, Beth Israel’s High Holiday chazzan for the past ten years, and Rabbi Weiss are planning a great musical event that will begin at 11 p.m.

It will be highlighted with a soulful mix of beautiful songs that are connected to the High Holidays. Selichot, which features penitential poems and prayers with a central theme of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, will begin immediately after the concert at 11:59 p.m. Selichot will continue to be said weekday mornings at 6:40 a.m. until Yom Kippur.

Holiday Kids Craft – Kids of all ages are invited to have a great time learning about Rosh Hashanah and doing a fun craft activity on Sunday morning, Sept. 21 at 10 a.m. This will be held concurrent with the weekly Bagels and Beit Medrash learning session for adults that begins after 9 a.m.

Shacharit services.

Kever Avot – Visiting the gravesite of loved ones is a long tradition in Judaism prior to the High Holidays. Beth Israel will continue this tradition, holding its Kever Avot services on Sunday, Sept. 21. Rabbi Dembitzer will lead the services which will be held at Golden Hill Cemetery at noon, Beth Israel and Mt. Sinai Cemeteries at 1 p.m. and Fisher Farms Cemetery at 2 p.m.

High Holiday Crash Course – Just when you thought you had it covered, you will find out there is a bit more. Join Rabbi Dembitzer on Monday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. as he leads a High Holiday “crash course” to help everyone get up to speed on the celebrations in the coming weeks.

In describing the class, Rabbi Dembitzer commented “The high holidays can be such an uplifting spiritual experience.

The way to maximize and really learn the gift of the holidays is to come prepared. Please join us so you will have the much needed tools in place when you arrive at services this year.”

Rosh Hashanah Services – The holiday begins on

Wednesday evening, Sept. 24 with candle lighting and mincha/maariv at 7 p.m. The schedule of services on Thursday, Sept. 25 and Friday, Sept. 26 includes shacharit at 8 a.m., the Torah reading at 9:30 a.m. and the sermon at 10 a.m. followed by the blowing of the shofar. Mincha/maariv will be held at 7 p.m. On the 25th, the earliest candle lighting is

at 7:57 p.m. On Friday evening, the 26th, the earliest candle lighting is at 6:56 p.m.

Tzom Gedaliah – The Fast of Gedaliah will be observed on Sunday, Sept. 28 with the fast beginning at 6:06 a.m.

Shacharit will be held at 9 a.m. followed by the weekly Beit Medrash session – with NO bagels. The discussion topic will be “There is a Hole Where My Bagel Once Was! What Happened on Tzom Gedaliah?” Mincha/maariv will be held at 6:30 p.m. and the fast ends at 7:42 p.m.

Tashlich and Picnic – Join Beth Israel for its annual Tashlich gathering on Monday, Sept. 29 beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Trendwood Park. Tashlich, the annual service that features a symbolic “casting” away of sins is an ancient custom. Special verses are recited next to a body of water, preferably one with fish. Bring a picnic dinner and Beth Israel will provide chips and a pareve dessert.

The mission of Beth Israel Synagogue is to perpetuate the legacy of Torah Judaism in the modern world and provide a home for those who wish to learn about and observe halacha, Jewish law.

Beth Israel Synagogue welcomes all persons of the Jewish faith to join, and accepts the diversity of practice and thought among its members. Beth Israel offers a variety of religious, cultural and social programs throughout the year.

For more information, please contact Beth Israel Synagogue’s office at 402.556.6288, or e-mail BethIsrael@ OrthodoxOmaha.org.

In memoriam: Michael Silver Michael Silver passed away peacefully on Aug. 19, 2014, in the company of his family, due to complications from leukemia.

Michael was born on Jan. 30, 1948, in Landsberg, Germany, to Esther and Norman Silver, both Holocaust survivors. In 1949, his family moved to Omaha. Michael was a 1966 graduate of Omaha Central High. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from Washington University in St. Louis.

Michael committed his professional career, which spanned over 44 years, to public education. Beginning in 1971, he worked as a social studies teacher in St. Louis and then advanced to administrative positions in the Parkway School District. In 1986, Michael was appointed superintendent of the Tukwila School District in Tukwila, Washington, a position he held for 17 years. In 2003, Michael was a Clinical Associate at the University of Washington College of Education. From 2004 until his death, Michael served as Associate Professor and Director of Education and Administration in the College of Education at Seattle University, where he taught graduatelevel students, designed a program to train new principals, and served as Department Chair of Professional Studies.

Michael was a visionary leader and an inspiring teacher and mentor. Through his dedication, wisdom, hard work, and compassion, he impacted thousands of students and educators. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Anti-Defamation League and the Educational Advisory Board of the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center.

Above all, Michael was an incredibly devoted and loving husband, father, and grandfather, and he will be deeply missed by all who loved him. Michael is survived by his wife of 43 years, Beverley; by his children Sabina Shapiro and husband Evan, and Joe Silver and wife Meghan; by his mother Esther Silver; by his brother Ed Silver and family; and by his greatest joys, his grandchildren Gabrielle and Alec Shapiro.

Funeral services were held on Aug. 21, 2014 at the Arthur A. Wright Chapel in Seattle, with Rabbi Daniel Weiner officiating. Memorials may be made to the Institute for Holocaust Education.

Q & A about CYJ Dave Flagler and representatives from Camp Young Judea will be in Lincoln at Tifereth Israel on Sunday Oct. 19, at 11:30 a.m. All prospective campers are welcome to attend.

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September 19, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 5

Academic Excellence Scholarship awarded to Tyler Siegel

by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Dorothy Spizman, chair of the Financial The Center for Jewish Life Aid Committee, presented Tyler with the The Financial Aid Committee of the award. “It is a pleasure each year to read of the Center for Jewish Life is pleased to accomplishments of the scholarship appliannounce that Tyler Siegel was selected as cants. The hard work and involvement of the the 2014 recipient of the David Keiser and teens is always impressive.” Spizman added Lillian Keiser Stoms Foundation Education “Tyler’s academic achievements are remarkEndowment Fund for Academic Excellence able and I have no doubt that he will be a Scholarship. This is the only merit based scholarship granted by the committee.

While based strictly on scholarship, with high school grade point averages and SAT/ACT scores used as the primary measure, a prerequisite for consideration is that the recipient must demonstrate a commitment to the Jewish community.

Tyler, the son of Andrea and Mike Siegel, is a graduate of Westside High School. He took numerous AP and Honors courses, was an Academics Scholar during his freshman and sophomore years and was a member of National Honor Society. Tyler received the UNO/UNL Outstanding Economics Student Award and the Bausch and Lomb Honorary Tyler Siegel and Doroty Spizman Science Award.

Tyler was also involved in DECA, serving great success in whatever he chooses to do.” as a board member. He and his partner Lillian Keiser Stoms and her brother David placed first in the financial division of state Stoms were native Omahans, and this fund competition and were finalists in the was established in their memory by their International DECA competitions. He was niece, Sally Clayman. In addition to the also a member of Westside’s Future Problem Academic Excellence award, there are two Solvers (FPS). Not always in the classroom, other scholarships that were also established Tyler is an avid tennis player and served as in memory of David Keiser and Lillian captain of Westside’s varsity tennis team.

Keiser Stoms. The Lillian Keiser Stoms Tyler has been very active in BBYO and Educational Fund was established to benefit was a member of Mother Chapter AZA #1. and assist in the education of Jewish youth In addition to serving in a number of lead- living in a single parent family or Jewish sinership roles for the chapter, he also served as gle parents who have custody of their chilvice president and president of BBYO’s dren. The David Keiser and Lillian Keiser Omaha Council.

Stoms Foundation Education Endowment Tyler is attending the University of Fund was created to provide funding for uniMichigan and plans to major in electrical versity scholarships to Jewish youth who engineering. When asked into which field have earned a minimum 3.0 GPA. Both he plans to go in the future, Tyler comment- funds are awarded based on financial need. ed he has so many interests and an engiFor information on any scholarship proneering degree will fortunately give him a gram, please call Mary Sue Grossman, variety of options in a wide array of fields. Program Coordinator for the Center for When asked about the potential loyalty con- Jewish Life at 402.334.6445. Those interestflict between Michigan and Nebraska, he ed in contributing to or endowing scholarsaid it will be a great problem to have when ship funds should contact Howard Epstein, they play each other for the Big Ten champi- Executive Director of the Jewish Federation onship in the next four years. of Omaha Foundation, at 402.334.6466.

Jared Polack honored

by JAMES POLACK JROTC. He is currently serving as the On Wednesday, Sept. 3 Cadet Major cadet Battalion Commander at Burke High Jared (Max) Polack School and was serving as received the Legion of the S3 Operations Officer at Valor Bronze Cross for the time of his nomination Achievement at the for the award.

Omaha Public Schools Within JROTC, Jared parBoard Meeting. ticipates in Orienteering, The Legion of Valor Marksmanship, and comBronze Cross is awarded petitive Drill, among many to one out of every 4000 other things. Outside of JROTC, he is active in cadets in the nation and Student Council, National is the highest award that any JROTC cadet can Honor Society, and is the earn. This award gauges President of Omaha the cadet in areas includCornbelt Council BBYO. ing academics, leaderAlready making plans for the future, Jared is currently ship, and community Jared (Max) Polack applying to the United States involvement.

Credit: MarcusOfOmaha.com Military Academy at West Through his outstanding perseverance and dedication, Jared has Point and the United States Naval shown his potential as a future leader. Jared Academy at Annapolis; he is also applying is a senior and he is in his fourth year of to Army and Navy ROTC.

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Exploring Judaism Course

by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Life The Center for Jewish Life is excited to announce an added dimension to its annual course that explores the basics of Judaism. This “Introduction to Judaism” class has been renamed Exploring Judaism to better represent the scope of the sessions.

Originally designed to provide basic information about Judaism to those considering conversion, curriculum enhancements will provide an opportunity for anyone in the Jewish community to revisit the principles of their faith and the richness of the practices of Jewish living.

Classes begin on Monday, Oct. 20 from 7–8:15 p.m.

Scott Littky in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library and will continue on subsequent Monday evenings through March 23, 2015. (Classes will not be held on Nov. 24, Dec. 22, and 29).

Exploring Judaism is being taught by Scott Littky. Scott is a seasoned Jewish professional. He began his career in Jewish education in 1985 as a religious school teacher. From 1988 until 1996 he served the then Bureau of Jewish Education of Omaha as a Community Teacher. He taught at Friedel Jewish Academy in addition to afternoon religious school programs. Scott later served 17 years as a Director of Education beginning at Beth El Synagogue in Omaha. He later was with Beth Israel Synagogue in Ann Arbor, MI, and then at Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria, VA. During the summer of 2014, Scott returned to live in Omaha where he is now working as the Program Director at Temple Israel.

“I’m looking forward to both being able to be in a classroom setting to teach and also to help people to engage in increasing their knowledge of Judaism on both religious and secular levels,” commented Littky.

The course is free of charge to members who are in good standing with their contribution to the Annual Campaign of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. The fee for all others is $180 per person. Required texts for the class are the JPS Tanakh and Jewish Literacy (2008 edition) by Joseph Telushkin and are not included in the tuition fee.

Information on purchasing the books will be provided at the time of class registration. To view the full class schedule,

visit www.jewishomaha.org and click on the drop-down menu for the Center for Jewish Life. You may also call 402.334.6463 or mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org to obtain a brochure with the course registration form included.

Checks are to be made payable to “The Center for Jewish Life” and sent to The Jewish Community Center, ATTN: Mark Kirchhoff, 333 S. 132nd Street, Omaha, NE 68154.

Pre-registration is required. The deadline for registration is Oct. 15. Exploring Judaism is presented through the Center for Jewish Life whose mission it is to maximize involvement of Omaha's Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful experiences.

Volunteers needed for B’nai B’rith Annual Sukkah Building Event al u n n 8t h A TRACTOR, ENGINE, AUTO & EQUIPMENT SHOW Sept 20th - Gates Open at 10am • Sept 21st - Gates Open at 9am “Enjoy an inspirational service, Sunday morning @ 9am led by the Kramer Sisters.

Followed by pancakes and sausage served by the boyscouts.”

BARN DANCE with the Kramer Sisters Saturday, Sept 20th • 4:30 till dark

by DEB MARBURG for the Henry Monsky Lodge-B’nai B’rith In preparation for Sukkot, the members of Henry Monsky Lodge #3306 B’nai B’rith together with the members of the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO), will build and decorate sukkahs at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, the Child Development Center and Friedel Academy. The annual event will take place on Sunday, Oct. 5 at 11:30 a.m.

Volunteers will meet at the Youth Lounge in the Jewish Community Center. Henry Monsky Lodge will supply the building materials and decorations for the sukkahs and

will also provide a pizza lunch for all volunteers following the completion of the booths.

“Everyone is welcome to join us as we prepare for this festival by coming out on Sunday the 5th. It’s a great chance to have fun, do a mitzvah, meet some new people, and you even get lunch,” says Monsky Lodge President, Ari Riekes.

Since volunteers will be handling tree branches as they build sukkahs, they are encouraged to bring a pair of gloves to wear. For more information about the event or to volunteer, please call the B’nai B’rith Office, 402.334.6443 or Rachel Martin at 402.334.6404, or email bnaibrith@jew ishomaha.org.

Food vendor available

S’lichot and Rosh Hashanah at Temple Israel

1 mile South of I-80 (Exit 353) on Hwy 81 For more information, contact Dale Clark, (402) 710-0682 Paid for in part by a grant from the York County Visitors Bureau

Changing your address?

Please give us the following information: Your name, old address and new address and when you want the address change to go into effect.

The Jewish Press Call 402.334.6448 or email us at jpress.jewishomaha.org

by SCOTT LITTKY Program Director, Temple Israel As we close the doors on one Jewish year, we begin to open the doors to the new Jewish year of 5775. With all of the excitement and joy that Rosh Hashanah brings to us, it is also a time of reflection and memory of those who have left our lives in the last year. It is a time to look back at our successes and our failures. At Temple Israel we will begin to usher in the holidays on Saturday evening, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. with Havdalah and S’lichot.

Our evening will begin with Havdalah and will be followed by a video presentation and discussion of the topic – Shema, Bearing Witness; Are we Able to Listen? Then after S’lichot services, we will enjoy our annual chocolate Oneg. As in the past the community is invited to attend.

We will welcome in Rosh Hashanah beginning on Wednesday evening Sept. 24, at 7:30 p.m. with services. On Rosh Hashanah morning, Thursday, Sept. 25, at 9 a.m. in the Chapel there will be a Tot Service that is child-friendly and geared for families with preschool-age children. For children who are in Kindergarten through 4th Grade there will be an age appropriate worship service, followed by holiday-themed activities. The children will then join the main service before the last aliyah, in order to experience the Shofar service. Rosh Hashanah morning service

for the congregation will begin at 10:15 a.m.

Following services at 12:30 p.m. we will gather for Tashlich.

We will cast away our transgressions into the creek behind our building and begin the new year cleansed of our sins and misdeeds. A family-friendly Mitzvah project will follow.

Shabbat Shuva, the “Shabbat of Return,” will be Friday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. The “Sabbath of Return,” emphasizes the return to those values which enhance life and its meaning. On Shabbat Shuva, Temple Israel offers the family an opportunity to introspectively examine and evaluate its priorities and directions.

The renewal of family life emerges from the traditions and creative liturgy of this most sacred Shabbat.

Our annual Memorial Service will be on Sunday, Sept. 28, 1 p.m. in the Schrager Memorial Chapel at Temple Israel Cemetery, 6412 North 42 St. We will visit the graves of our loved ones so that we may remember and honor those in our past who inspire us to live our lives more fully in the future. Names of loved ones who have died since last Yom Kippur will be read aloud during this service.

A memorial book will contain a printed list of the names of all loved ones remembered.

For more information about High Holiday services and Temple Israel, please contact Scott Littky, Program Director at 402.556.6536.

September 19, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 7

Eye on Israel: Looking backward and forward

by ELIAD ELIYAHU Community Shaliach On Sept. 24 we will celebrate the start of the Jewish year 5775, beginning with the month of Tishrei. On September 23, from noon-1 p.m., we’ll have the final Eye on Israel before the Jewish New Year.

Before the end of the year, each one of us is asked to take an introspective look and review the year he or she experienced. While this is a personal directive, during the upcoming “Eye on Israel” session, I’ll take a look back on the past year in Israel.

In the past few months, Israel was in the international news almost nonstop. Operation Protective Edge in Gaza and the worldwide interest that it raised put Israel at the center of attention. All around the world, people started to judge Israel, give grades to the Israeli leaders and freely offer opinions on the better way to handle the situation. The entire world seemed to give an exam to Israel just before the end of the year.

Then immediately after the last cease fire of the Protective Edge operation, the Israeli media started its own analysis of all the events that occurred during the conflict. The media evaluated the leaders, the support from the people, talked about the numbers of rockets that fell in Israel and examined the interceptions of the Iron Dome. The media also gave grades for the strength of the Israeli citizens who suffered from the constant rockets that included over 70% of the population.

But again, as we have observed in past Eye on Israel sessions, each Israeli had a different opinion and examination

Organizations

on what happened and how Israel fared. During just the last Eye session, we heard from four different people telling about their reality in Israel. Four different people, each of whom has a strong connection to Israel and to Omaha, and each one of them had a unique perspective about the opera-

tion and about Hamas. Perhaps the most interesting was their unique perspective about themselves as part of the varied Israeli collective.

This operation also raises many other issues that can give us a good base for a self-collective examination of Israel on the last day of the year. Issues that we talked about during the past several months were raised again during the war.

The issues included military service of the Haredim sector (the ultra-orthodox) and life in mixed cities with Arabs and Jews. And of course the issue covered in the first session, that of kidnapped soldiers that is the biggest fear for Israel and a top achievement of the terrorists.

Please join me on Tuesday, Sept. 23 in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library, and we’ll examine Israel’s past year together plus look at the year ahead. Come ready to learn and to share your thoughts. I’ll also welcome your input on topics for Eye on Israel sessions in the coming year. Shana Tova!

“Eye on Israel” and the Community Shaliach program are offered through the Center for Jewish Life whose mission is to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences. For additional information, please call 402.334.6463.

Russian Cultural Club The Russian Cultural Club experienced a beautiful summer’s day at the Lauritzen Gardens recently. Participants enjoyed a tour on the tram of the various gardens and dined in the cozy café overlooking the glorious floral display. This event was sponsored by the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation Pictured are: Svetlana Goldina, left, Shura Astor, Leah Kosinovsky, Joseph Kosinovsky, Svetlana Tsymkovski, Alexander Tsymkovski, Anna Mosenkis, Igor Mosenkis, Connie Coco-Jewish Social Services driver and Lisa Magalnik.

Camping

B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Carol Bloch, Lisa Lewis, and Rebecca Gonzalez will discuss “Why Courts Matter” and getting judges approved by the US Senate on Wednesday, Sept. 24, noon, at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $11; beverage service only is $3. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@ jewishomaha.org.

Jewish

Coming October

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Contact your advertising representative to advertise in this very special edition.

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8 | The Jewish Press | September 19, 2014

Junior Volunteer summer program

by LINDA COGEN Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Volunteer Coordinator During the summer, our Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Junior Volunteers participated in resident activities, helped with computers, made sales in the Gift Shop, read to residents, accompanied residents to doctor appointments, provided coverage at the RBJH front desk and helped professional staff with special projects.

coming back in the future.” Emma Klein added, “Coming to RBJH made me feel like I was appreciated and respected. I really love talking with the Residents and helping with all the activities. The people at RBJH are truly amazing and make you feel special and loved with a simple smile or hello.”

though I have found what I am meant to do. Words can’t even describe what this experience has done for me. I plan to keep in touch and hope to volunteer when I can once the school year begins. I miss you terribly! All my love!”

Jewish tradition teaches that the elderly should be held in the highest regard and are worthy of special treatment. If you have an interest in giving the precious gift of your time to our residents, please consider becoming a volunteer at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Volunteers of all ages and abilities are most welcome, and our volunteer program provides opportunities for any schedule. For more information, give me a call at 402.334.6519, or email me, Linda Cogen, at lcogen@rbjh.com.

Soby Ranch visits the Blumkin Home Junior Volunteer Ryan Nielsen, left, and Blumkin Home resident J.C. Graver.

This year’s program participants included Chelsea Akyeampong, Jaden Barker, John Conti, Maria Conti, Michael Fenner, Patrick Fenner, Emma Klein, Anika Kotaru, Isaac Kurtzman, Gina Marcuzzo, Ryan Nielsen, Bennett Ray, Chloe Ray, Jordan Saag, Emika Severson, Sophia Shack, Bailey Simon, and Alex Snodgrass.

The Junior Volunteer Program at the RBJH exceeded everyone’s expectations. The volunteers, who ranged in age from twelve to twenty-two, logged over seven hundred hours of service. Our volunteers gained a greater understanding of the aging community’s needs and the importance of enhancing lives through compassion and care.

The exit survey we conducted with our Junior Volunteers showed that the time they spent at the Home was an excellent way for them to make new friends and experience the value of giving back. Gina Marcuzzo said, “My experience at the Blumkin Home was amazing, to say the least. I loved seeing the smiles my presence brought to the Residents, and I learned so many skills that I can use later in my life. I am definitely

Some of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Junior Volunteers: Standing: Anika Kotaru, left, Gina Marcuzzo and Emma Klein; Kneeling: Ryan Nielsen, left, Alex Snodgrass and Emika Severson.

My role as Volunteer Coordinator at the Rose Blumkin Home gives me the opportunity to recruit and work with wonderful people of different ages and personalities. My primary goal is to help the volunteers bring joy to the lives of our residents, but often the volunteers find joy, too. This letter, from one of our summer Junior Volunteers, is an example of how giving of oneself to others can also benefit the person who does the giving: “Dear Linda. I cannot begin to tell you how much the volunteer work at the Home meant to me over this summer.

You have been such a great influence on me and someone I can look up to. You brought me out of my shell. I feel as

Jessica Ahabbar, RBJH Neighborhood Clerk and Millie Needelman visit with a rabbit.

Soby Ranch brought some fun small animals for the residents to enjoy while being educated about Soby Ranch. Residents enjoyed learning about and cuddling with a goat, donkey, dog and bunny.

October Specials Oct. 3 Prime Rib Sandwich Oct. 10 NO DELI (Due to Sukkot) Oct. 14 Tuesday Evening Sukkot Night Deli Brisket Dinner/Dessert bar Oct. 17 NO DELI (Due to Sukkot) Oct. 24 Taste of Israel Oct. 31 Hot Turkey/Roast Beef Sandwich

Contact Mike at 402-334-6522 or maparo@rbjh.com or Jennifer at 402-334-6523

September 19, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 9

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In August of this year, Ozzie and Don Nogg celebrated 60 years of marriage. Congratulations, Ozzie and Don! And, Ozzie, we want you to know Don had absolutely nothing to do with this announcement. Nothing.

Lily Kay celebrates 100 Louise Abrahamson celebrates 95 years

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Lily Kay, pictured here with her sons Howard, left, and Les, celebrated her 100th birthday on Aug. 31 at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Mazal tov, Lily!

Happy Birthday, Josh Please let the Jewish Press know in advance when you are leaving and when you are returning. Sometimes several papers are sent to your “old” address before we are notified by the Post Office. Every time they return a paper to us, you miss the Jewish Press and we are charged! Please call us at 402.334.6448 or email us at jpress@jewishomaha.org.

At the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, Josh Gurock celebrated his birthday with the Luna & Sol Mariachi Band.

On Sept. 7, Louise Abrahamson celebrated her 95th birthday at the Rose Blumkin Home, surrounded by family and friends. Happy Birthday, Louise!

Help us celebrate

Norfolk Oktoberfest 2014 Norfolk’s beginning lies in Germany. Today we welcome all Nebraskans to join us in celebrating our German immigrant heritage and the fruits of the fall harvest.

Obama pledges to ‘destroy’ ISIS, citing threat to U.S.

by JTA NEWS STAFF WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Citing possible threats to the homeland among other considerations, President Obama pledged to “destroy” ISIS using airstrikes and training the Iraqi army to combat the terror organization.

“Our objective is clear,” Obama said, speaking from the White House on the eve of the 13th anniversary of the Sept.

11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “We will degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy.”

ISIL is the acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, another name for the group.

The president noted the possible threat to American targets, including from Westerners who have joined the terrorist group’s fight and who may return home undetected.

“While we have not yet detected specific plotting against our homeland, ISIL leaders have threatened America and our allies,” Obama said.

“Our intelligence community believes that thousands of foreigners -- including Europeans and some Americans -have joined them in Syria and Iraq. Trained and battle hardened, these fighters could try to return to their home countries and carry out deadly attacks.”

Obama said there may also be strikes on ISIS in Syria, but this would not translate into any cooperation with the Bashar Assad regime, which the Obama administration said should remove itself from power after three years of a bloody civil war.

Obama did not say whether the United States would cooperate with Iran, which is also assisting Iraq and Syria in the bid to stop ISIS.

Join us for German Music, Food, and Fun for the Entire Family!

Friday, September 26 5:30 pm – Traditional Tapping of the Keg Ceremony Live music on Friday starting at 5:30 pm!

Also on 9 pm – Back 40 Saturday, Saturday, September 27 enjoy: 12:30 pm – Traditional Tapping of the Keg Ceremony Lion’s Club 1-6 pm – Inflatable Midway for Kids Parade at 9 pm – The Rude Band

All Oktoberfest Events take place at 7th & Norfolk Ave. (Downtown Norfolk) Presented By:

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10 am Riverpoint Arts Festival at 11 am

For more information, visit www.norfolkoktoberfest.com or call 402-371-4862

10 | The Jewish Press | September 19, 2014

Is Yeshivah of Flatbush ‘predatory’ in its scrutiny of girls’ attire?

by URIEL HEILMAN NEW YORK (JTA) – For years, Melissa Duchan had found the dress code for girls at her Orthodox school in Brooklyn, the Yeshivah of Flatbush, onerous.

But it wasn’t until recently that Duchan, 16, felt that scrutiny of female students had crossed the line from irritating to what she called “predatory.”

Though girls by and large were adhering to a new rule requiring longer skirts – introduced at a school assembly dedicated to attire, Duchan said -- they were being called out for skirts deemed too tight, shirts judged as too revealing or sleeves ruled too short.

Fed up, Duchan, a senior, penned a letter to the Flatbush staff.

“Girls are ambushed almost daily, while a boy is rarely seen getting chastised for his clothing. This inequality exposes the misogyny underlying the rules," she wrote.

“This predatory culture is counterproductive. It causes negative associations with the concept of modesty and makes girls feel hunted.”

Though Duchan posted the letter on a private Facebook group, it spread quickly online, striking a chord with those who believe that the Jewish value of tzniut, or modesty, too often is used by men and those in power to bully women — or worse.

“I find the obsessive focus on what girls wear unhealthy and frankly creepy,” Miriam Shaviv, an Orthodox Jewish parent in London wrote on Facebook. “It creates a society every bit as sexually obsessive as the one we are supposedly trying to be different from. I do not want my daughters reduced to the length of their skirts!”

Many day schools have dress codes, and it's common for Orthodox high schools to require girls to wear skirts.

The Yeshivah of Flatbush, known for its large population of Syrian-Jewish students, is one of a number of modern Orthodox day schools in the New York area that draws students from a diverse range of religious backgrounds. Some male students do not wear kippahs outside of school, and most of the girls wear pants or shorts when they’re home.

Elana Maryles Sztokman, co-author of the book Educating in the Divine Image: Gender Issues in Orthodox Jewish Day Schools, said the focus on Orthodox girls’ attire treats women like sex objects rather than people.

“It’s this relentless conversation around it, the way the entire community continues to talk about girls’ knees and elbows and thighs and necks, as if girls have this responsibility towards the community to present themselves a certain way, as if their sexuality is open for discussion, as if their

bodies are owned by the entire community (in and out of school), as if their clothes are reflections of their sexual choices, as if their sexuality is something that can and should be debated at large, as if the constant gaze on their bodies is normal and right,” Sztokman, a Yeshivah of Flatbush alumna, wrote in a Facebook commentary.

Michael Kellman, a Jewish day school parent, said the problem isn’t just with yeshivas and Orthodox rules.

“It’s not just that our rules are different for men and women, it’s that society’s rules are different,” Kellman said in an interview.

“It’s easier to be a guy complying with the dress code. It’s not fair out in the world.”

After her letter was posted, Duchan said she was inundated with expressions of support from fellow students, parents and even some sympathetic school staff.

Though Duchan did not sign her missive, the document’s link to her Google Drive account made Duchan’s authorship clear.

Melissa Duchan On Wednesday, Duchan said she was summoned to the office of Flatbush’s associate principal, Sari Bacon. According to Duchan, Bacon and a guidance counselor talked with her as if she had “personal issues” rather than treating the letter as an act

of protest.

Duchan noted to JTA that every morning when the students walk into school, two non-Jewish women stand at the entryway scrutinizing students for dress code violations.

School administrators reached by JTA declined to be

interviewed for this story, though Bacon called Duchan a “wonderful girl.”

The dress code at Flatbush requires boys to wear tzitzit ritual fringes, kippahs, collared shirts and Dockers-style pants.

Girls must wear skirts that are midcalf or longer, tops must have necklines that cover the collarbone and are “long enough to cover the middle of the body, even when leaning over or raising one’s hand,” and only one earring per earlobe is permitted.

Orthodox tradition forbids men to look at a woman’s legs and, according to some interpretations, their elbows. By contrast, men may be seen by women wearing nothing but swimming trunks.

Duchan said she is sympathetic to the need for a dress code that reflects the school’s values. But the administration’s approach goes too far, she said, perverting what the school ought to be teaching and stoking student resentment.

“Every school should have clear priorities; in ours, trivial concerns like a few inches of fabric have superseded more important aspects of the school environment like integrity and respect for others,” Duchan wrote in her letter. “This has created a toxic and tense relationship between administrators and students and has bred widespread resentment and frustration. From our perspective, it appears that the school heads have failed to grasp the basic tenet of education: to learn.”

In memoriam: Remembering Harry Allen

by JOEL ALLEN My father, Harry S. Allen, died on TuB’Av, the night of Aug. 10th, at the age of 91 in Jerusalem. When I think of Tzadikim, I think of my father and I would like to take the opportunity to share it. The righteous are different -- human beings with their triumphs and faults, but cut from a different mold and moral structure. They stand outside of our acceptance of the everyday way of doing things and the acceptance of mediocrity. Not Harry Allen.

Harry was born Sept. 28, 1922, in Denver to immigrant parents. They were refugees from Mariampole, Lithuania who had escaped Czarist Russia to be married in 1908 in the only synagogue in Helena, Montana. They were going to build houses and do construction in the expanding Denver economy. By the time my father was in elementary school, his parent’s dreams were shattered by the depression.

My father went to Cole Jr. High and graduated from East High School. His brother, the late David Allen, and he needed to go to the University of Denver and Law School simultaneously. Finances were an issue, so together with my grandmother, the late Sarah Allen, they bought a gas station and all took turns, depending on the class schedule, running the gas station and doing the mechanical work involved.

My father attended BMH through the confirmation process. He told me that at the confirmation ceremony the late Rabbi Kauvar would whisper in each confirmands ear the following phrase, “May you never be an orphan from the children of Israel, or the children of Israel an orphan from you.” My father lived that phrase by upholding kashrus, for example. He lived in Reno, Nevada, after getting a master’s degree from the University of Denver in Public Administation in 1947.

On his first date with my mother, Anna, they discussed their mutual desire to make aliyah to what was then Palestine. In Harry Truman’s whistle stop election campaign in 1948, my father connived his way on the train to confront Truman about supporting the incipient State of Israel. He apparently got an earful from Truman in response.

In 1948, my father helped in the smuggling of armaments

through the west coast to Israel. His Jewish commitments continued in Denver where he was the chairman of the Beth Joseph Hebrew School, which during its heyday had over 800 children. As part of his responsibilities, he took specific interest in the curriculum and quality of the education, actively hiring and firing teachers and administrators. He was chairman of the Rocky Mountain Hillel Council, involved in Jewish Family Service, ADL, and Hillel Academy.

His professional life in Colorado was as the Chief Budget Analyst, Staff Director of the Colorado Joint Budget Committee of the State Legislature, the director of the then Coordinating Council on Higher Education for the State of Colorado. He was intimately involved and the architect of Metro State College in Denver, and one of the creators of the Auraria Campus concept. His success in these endeavors was his creative ability to strategize solutions and solve problems that seemed difficult and impossible to many. His secret weapon in all of these efforts was his incredible honesty in these intense political and power struggles.

Not all battles are won, and he was forced to move away from Denver in 1965. He was the Director of Institutional Research at the University of Nebraska from 1965-1983, when he retired and made aliyah to Jerusalem. His crucial contribution was as the consummate insider quietly suggesting and organizing managerial improvements at this major university. He continued his Nebraska connection as an Israel columnist for the Omaha Jewish Press.

Today we talk often about political corruption and accountability. For my father there were no questions. Often after school, I would take the bus downtown. I would go to the new public library, walk to our cousin Ida Goldstein’s jewelry store, and then appear in my father’s office within the state capitol. It was time to go home, and my father had an official car from the state of Colorado. He would send me back to the bus to get home with the simple explanation that “the people of Colorado are not paying taxes for you to get a ride home in their car -- you take the bus!” That was his honesty.

He was president of the shul, Tifereth Israel, in Lincoln, Nebraska, and during his tenure had a sefer torah written to re-excite the community and make it the focus of the shul.

One of his former rabbis relayed a funny anecdote. When the rabbi started his job, he decided to add a d’var torah to the daily minyan; it also added fifteen minutes. After the first attempt, my father came up to him and said that if these continued, he would have to stop coming to the Minyan. It made the davening too long, and he had to go to work! (as did other people). That was my father.

During my father’s life in Jerusalem, he was privileged to welcome, without exception, each american grandchild who pursued at least a year of studying in eretz yisrael. Two have followed his example by making aliyah. I would often call, and immediately be engaged in a political or theological discussion, when my only intention was to inquire about his and my mother’s welfare. He was engaged and active.

Within the past few years, he was an active painter as well as organizing a class on the synthesis of modern philosophy including Kant, Hegel, Marx and Gemorrah. The professor at the shiva, who told us about it, said his greatest fear was that Harry Allen was going to ask a question.

His yartzeit of Tu b’Av seems like a Siman(sign) from Hashem. The full moon of Av is the brightest moon of the year, when the earth is the closest to the moon. Like the moon, my father was not a man of fire or power. He had the ability and righteousness to be able to capture the light around him and transmit it to us -- his children with brilliance, clarity and purity. This was Harry Allen. When we will look at the Av sky, his neshoma(soul) will be close.

He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Anna-our Ayshes Chayil, and children, Rabbi and Dr. Morris Allen of Mendota Heights, MN, and their three children, Rabbi and Mrs. Daniel Allen of South Orange, NJ, and their three children and two grandchildren, Dr. Miram and Avrum Kluska of Kibbutz Naan, and their three children, and seven grandchildren, and my family, Dr. and Mrs. Joel Allen, our three children, and thirteen grandchildren of Monsey NY.

September 19, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 11

Amid neo-Nazi surge, Jewish groups applaud Greece’s Holocaust denial ban

by GAVIN RABINOWITZ afraid to report the crimes because they did not hold propATHENS, Greece (JTA) -- Jewish groups say the passage er travel documents, lived here illegally and feared deportaof a bill banning Holocaust denial and imposing harsher tion,” Justice Minister Haralambos Athanasiou told parliapenalties for hate speech is an important milestone in the ment ahead of the debate on the legislation. fight against Greece’s rising neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party.

There were also no prior provisions against Holocaust “This comes very late, but not too late,” World Jewish Congress CEO Robert Singer told JTA. Greece’s parliament passed the bill Tuesday following more than a year of political wrangling.

Riding a wave of fear and despair brought on by Greece’s devastating economic crisis -- coupled with a large influx of illegal immigrants from Africa and Asia -- Golden Dawn emerged from obscurity in 2012 to become the country’s third largest political party, with 18 members of parliament.

Golden Dawn, which uses Nazi imagery, has been blamed by the government, prosecutors and law enforcements for hundreds of xenophobic attacks. The incidents include the killings of at least four Pakistani immigrants and the murder of Pavlos Fyssas, a noted anti-fascist Greek rapper Anti-fascist protesters holding a banner in front of the Athens municipal amphitheater during a swearing-in ceremony for Golden Dawn party member known as Killah P. Credit: MIlos Bicanski/Getty Images The new law increases jail time to three Ilias Kasidiaris, Aug. 29, 2014. years for instigating racist violence and imposes fines of up denial. So there was little the authorities could do when a to 26,000 euros (about $34,000) for individuals and up to Golden Dawn lawmaker proudly declared himself a 100,000 euros (about $130,000) for groups convicted of Holocaust denier or when party leader Nikolaos “inciting acts of discrimination, hatred or violence.” It also Michaloliakos, in a television interview, denied the existence criminalizes denial of the Holocaust and other recognized of gas chambers at Nazi death camps. genocides, with the same penalties.

Following the 2013 murder of Fyssas, which Greek proseIn a move that will allow the government to target politi- cutors blamed on Golden Dawn activists, many Golden cal groups like Golden Dawn, organizations found to incite Dawn leaders and lawmakers were arrested and accused of racism can be barred from receiving state funds. However, running a criminal organization. Their trials are scheduled the law cannot be applied retroactively. for December.

Anti-racism laws dating back to 1979 did not provide for Even with top party leaders jailed, including prosecuting groups or parties that incited bias crimes. They Michaloliakos, Golden Dawn maintained its popular supalso barred police from investigating suspected hate crimes port in recent municipal elections. if the victim chose not to press charges.

“We really hope the law will limit racist and anti-Semitic “We have anti-racism laws already, but the reason they statements and will deter Holocaust deniers, who have mulwere not applied was that immigrants, for example, were tiplied in the last two years, including inside parliament,”

said Victor Eliezer, the secretary general of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece.

Some 5,000 Jews live in Greece today. The prewar community of some 78,000, most of whom lived in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, was almost entirely wiped out in the Holocaust.

It is also hoped that the law will curb expressions of antiSemitism. A recent Anti-Defamation League survey found Greece to be the most anti-Semitic country in Europe, with 69 percent of the population holding anti-Jewish views.

The new law brings Greece in line with most of the other European Union countries, which have barred Holocaust denial and impose similar jail sentences for inciting racial or ethnic violence.

An initial draft of the measure failed to garner enough support after right-wing elements in Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’ New Democracy party proposed excluding the Orthodox Church and the military or police from prosecution under the law.

Other holdups were over which genocides to recognize, whether or not to include provisions for homophobic violence and a petition by 139 academics against the Holocaust denial clause in the name of free speech.

In addition to the Holocaust, the new law includes the mass killings of Armenians, Black Sea Greeks or other Christians in Asia Minor during the waning days of the Ottoman Empire. Under the law, inciting violence or discrimination for homophobic reasons is illegal, but provisions allowing for civil unions of gay couples were removed.

In a measure of how problematic the law is, only 99 of the 300 members of parliament turned up for the final vote, with 55 voting in favor.

“What is xenophobia? The railings at my home stopping a Pakistani, or any foreigner, from raping my wife or killing me?” Golden Dawn lawmaker Michail Arvanitis told parliament, according to Reuters. “Discrimination is a fact of life.”

But the nation’s Jews, its Jewish leaders and others who support the new legislation see things much differently.

“We hope [the law] will be applied rigorously by the courts,” the WJC’s Singer said.

“However, more efforts will need to be undertaken if the fight against extremist forces such as Golden Dawn is to be successful,” he said, but did not mention specifics.

Sports +Recreation Coming October

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12 | The Jewish Press | September 19, 2014

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

An unprofessional Editorial ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor This week, I’m not giving my point of view as an editor (well, maybe a little -- after all, I’m still on the page). What I would like to do, just once, is write as a mom, rather than as a professional on this campus. There is a reason for that: my daughter Isabella is currently preparing for her Bat Mitzvah.

I, of course, have to write a speech, and in doing so, I’m thinking a lot about parenting. Hillary Clinton once famously said “it takes a village,” and she was right; it’s amazing how many of you have, at one time or another, had a hand in my daughter’s life.

Some of you were there close up; you were her teachers or principal at Friedel Jewish Academy, her counselors at JCC summer camp, or you guided her hand in art class. From swimming lessons at the JCC pool to the countless hours at Musical Theater rehearsals, from reading time in the CJL’s Kripke Library to lunch at Star Deli, from spending time with the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home residents to Scholars’ Club to simply hanging out with her friends in the hallways, she has more footsteps in our building than I care to count.

She has also enjoyed Camp Gan Israel at the Chabad House and years of religious school at Temple Israel, Shabbatons through Beth El and plenty of visits to Beth Israel.

All in all, she’s had a rich Jewish life up to this point, and there is no doubt in my mind that this will continue. Even for those of you who don’t know her personally, when you give to the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Annual Campaign, you’ve had a hand in how she was raised. If you support any of our synagogues or the Chabad House, chances are your gift has, at some time or another, touched her life. And that really is an awesome thought, isn’t it?

I doubt that she is the only one. I know there are many of you who, when you stop to think, come to the same realization. As parents, we don’t raise our children in a vacuum; we do it as a community. We don’t merely raise our own chil-

dren; we take care of all of them. Together, we bring up the next generation, in the hope that they will someday continue that same path with their own children. And in doing so, we take care of all of us, and the community as a whole.

Ultimately, we’re not just raising our children; we’re raising each other. For a community this size to stay vibrant and strong, we all have to be involved.

The world is becoming less friendly all the time. AntiSemitism ebbs and flows, and while we are relatively safe

and secure here in Omaha, many other places have seen a recent rise in xenophobia. Right-wing extremist parties are coming to power all over Europe, anti-Zionism masks oldfashioned hatred for Jews and old prejudices are given new life. If you think I am exaggerating, think again. It never goes away. The recent Gaza war has made one thing clear: hatred hides, it bides its time, and it will rear its ugly head the minute someone finds an excuse.

All the more important that we keep educating our children as well as ourselves about what it means to be Jewish, and what it means to have community. We cannot counter what is happening from a place of fear; we have to do it from a place of strength. Strength we get from being involved, as professionals, as lay leaders, as teachers, clergy, as parents and as active community members who participate in everyday Jewish life.

When I watch my daughter on the Bima, a month and a half from now, I know she is only there because of this community. And I’d like to take a moment to thank you, all of you, for giving us a home and a community and for helping us raise our children. We could not have done it without you -- all of you.

On that note, since the new year is now truly knocking on the door, we wish all of you a wonderful 5775, filled with good health, family, and community.

Shanah Tovah!

Bibi’s approval ratings are plummeting – but why?

Behind the headlines BEN SALES TEL AVIV (JTA) -- Israel’s war is over, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fight may only have just begun.

The past month has seen Netanyahu’s approval rating plummet, according to polling by Israel’s Channel 2. On July 23, about a week after Israel launched its ground invasion of Gaza, the television station reported his approval rating as 82 percent. Given the fractious political climate in Israel, it was an impressive achievement.

It wouldn’t last long. Two weeks later his approval rating was 63 percent. By Monday, on the eve of the cease-fire going into effect, it was at 38 percent, with a full half of the country disapproving of his performance. And a day after the truce it was down to 32 percent with 59 percent disapproving.

The steep drop may reflect a measure of public disappointment in Netanyahu’s handling of the conflict.

Throughout the fighting, his supposed allies on the right lambasted Israel’s indirect negotiations with Hamas and accused the prime minister of being unwilling to depose the organization. Meanwhile, the left called for a broader diplomatic initiative to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace.

“When you want to beat a terror organization, you defeat it,” Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the hawkish Jewish Home party, said on Aug. 19. “When you hold negotiations with a terror organization, you get more terror.

Sooner or later Israel will have to defeat Hamas, there's no way to avoid it.”

But political analysts say that despite the criticism, Netanyahu’s job is probably safe, noting that no other Israeli politician is strong enough to build a rival coalition.

Plus, they say, a leader’s approval ratings often fall in the

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aftermath of conflict. Case in point: At the beginning of the Second Lebanon War in 2006, then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had a 73 percent approval rating. By the war’s end it was at 29 percent.

“It’s always this way in war,” said Gideon Rahat, a political science professor in Israel. “In the beginning everyone is supportive, and then the support falls. This is not exceptional. Strategically he goes to the center. That may help him unless there’s an alternative to the right.”

Throughout the 50 days of conflict, Netanyahu aimed above all to project strength, determination and measured stewardship of the fighting. The goal, as he told his Cabinet on Sunday, was “to restore quiet and security to you and to all Israeli citizens.”

In July, it seemed, most Israelis thought he was succeeding.

After Hamas either rejected a series of cease-fire proposals or broke actual truces, Netanyahu sent ground troops into Gaza to destroy the Hamas tunnel network -- something many Israelis saw as a critical threat to the country.

Two days after the July 23 poll showed 82 percent support, Netanyahu rejected U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's cease-fire attempt, which did not include Israel's core demand to disarm Hamas.

By Aug. 5, when Netanyahu registered the 63 percent rating, Israelis were becoming more skeptical. Israel was withdrawing troops from Gaza and entering a three-day ceasefire with Hamas -- even negotiating with it (albeit indirectly) in Cairo. Yes, Israeli soldiers were back home and tunnels had been destroyed, but nothing was in place to stop Hamas from firing again.

Hard-line members of Netanyahu's coalition continued to call for a much stronger Israeli attack on Hamas. The left, meanwhile, wanted Netanyahu to re-engage with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in broad-

er Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Netanyahu did neither.

“The diplomatic agreement shouldn’t be with Hamas,” Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who heads the center-left Hatnua party, told Channel 2 on Aug. 8. “It should be against Hamas. We do want to get to an agreement, but not with those who shoot at us -- [rather] with those who don’t use violence.”

And by Monday, when the 38 percent approval rating came out, weeks of negotiations with Hamas had yielded nothing.

Meanwhile, rocket fire from Gaza had restarted and a fouryear-old boy from Israel's embattled South had been killed.

Far from acquiescing to demands from right or left, Netanyahu held a news conference to tell them all to be quiet.

“There’s opposition from the left that we need a comprehensive agreement rather than having small wars, and there’s opposition from the right that says he should have made broader military moves to conquer Gaza,” Rahat said. “He’s in the middle.”

For Netanyahu, rivals pushing him in different directions is nothing new.

In the first year of his coalition government, his coalition partners to the right and left -- Bennett and Livni, respectively -- had taken the lead on many of the government's major initiatives. Livni, for example, led the first substantive talks with the Palestinian Authority since 2008, while Bennett pushed a series of parliamentary measures on religion-state reforms.

If the present calm holds, Netanyahu's poll numbers may rise again. But politically, it’s a particularly bad time for him to be unpopular. His Likud party split with the nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu in the period leading up to the war, then lost another Knesset seat when a lawmaker who left to be ambassador to UNESCO, the cultural and scientific arm of the Continued on page 13

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September 19, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 13

The declining Jewish caucus in Congress

Focus on issues RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -- From 31 in 2009 to a likely 19 in January, the unofficial Jewish caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives is shrinking fast.

Jewish lawmakers have traditionally been the first stop for Jewish lobbyists seeking inroads for their issues, including Israel, preserving the social safety net, and keeping church and state separate. Additionally, lawmakers generally seek guidance from colleagues most invested in an issue.

Fewer Jewish lawmakers means the community could lose influence in areas where its voice has been preeminent.

“The Jewish community is going to have to work harder,” said one veteran official who has worked both as a professional in the Jewish community and a staffer for a Jewish lawmaker.

The 31 figure was the highest Jewish representation ever in the House, matched only in the early 1990s. The numbers dropped in part because of victories by the Tea Party wave of conservative Republicans in 2010 and a spate of retirements by veteran lawmakers elected in the 1970s and ‘80s.

“We’ve lost a lot of seniority,” said the congressional staffer who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, noting in particular the retirement this year of Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the Energy Committee, elected in 1974 and the dean of the unofficial Jewish caucus.

The lower profile of Jewish lawmakers is seen as well in the context of shifts in how Democrats -- traditionally the redoubt of Jewish voters -- are treating Israel. These have been exacerbated by tensions between the administrations of President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“You saw that article in the New Yorker that said ‘Bibi has a Republican view of the world,’ “ one Jewish Democratic insider said, referring to a recent story on shifting perceptions of the AIPAC pro-Israel lobby that roiled the professional Jewish community in Washington.

“That resonated,” said the insider, who also spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the issue.

But Jewish lawmakers likely to be re-elected told JTA that a smaller Jewish caucus should not be cause for alarm.

“Jewish representation is still strong in Congress, and we are serving in positions of influence,” Rep. Nita Lowey (DN.Y.), the senior Democrat on the powerful Appropriations Committee, told JTA in an email.

Lowey also insisted that Jewish values would continue to be represented by House Democrats, who are pushing such

issues as “access to quality education, college affordability, sensible gun safety measures to keep our communities safe, access to affordable health care, and addressing climate change.”

In addition to Lowey, Jewish leaders in the House include Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the senior Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Sandy Levin (DMich.), the senior Democrat on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said 19 members -- four percent of the body -- was still about twice the estimated Jewish representation in the population. In addition, Jews have constituted 10 percent of the Senate, a proportion not likely to shift after the midterms in November.

Waxman said Jews in Congress, in both parties, made valuable contributions both on their community’s behalf and to the country.

“For the most part, Jewish members in Congress have lived up to what Hillel had to say when he said that if I am not for myself, who will be for me, and if I am not for others, who am I,” he told JTA. “We care about issues of particular Jewish concern such as Israel, anti-Semitism, our Jewish brethren in other countries, the fight for Soviet Jews to be able to emigrate to Israel or anywhere else. But there are other issues I consider Jewish issues as well, which is to fight for a more just society for everyone to succeed to the extent their abilities will take them, that every child should have health care and education and not have impediments such as as an inability to move from class to the other.”

Other leaders who have left the stage in recent years include Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the House majority leader felled by a Tea Party-associated challenger in a primary earlier this year and the sole Jewish Republican in Congress; Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), the Holocaust survivor who was the body’s preeminent voice on human rights, who died in 2008; Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), the one-time chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee who lost an election in 2012; and Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.), who until he retired in 2012 was the top Democrat on the Middle East subcommittee.

A measure of the shrinking caucus is that it’s not at all clear yet which member will succeed Waxman in convening occasional informal meetings of Jewish members, according to congressional insiders.

A number of younger Jewish members are rising through the ranks -- Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) succeeded Ackerman in helming Democrats on the Middle East subcommittee.

“We need to encourage more Jews to run,” Schakowsky acknowledged.

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), one of the lead Israel

champions in the House, said support for Israel was undiminished. He noted the overwhelming vote last month to add $225 million to existing funding for Iron Dome, the anti-missile system that protected Israelis during the recent Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

“Look at the Iron Dome vote,” he said. “Four Republicans and four Democrats voted against. Support for Israel is at a very high level.”

Nonetheless, pro-Israel groups have noted the tendency among Democrats in particular -- and Jewish Democrats among them -- to criticize Israel in tougher tones than was imaginable a decade ago. Even among Jewish lawmakers not known for directly challenging Israel, there has been a change in tone. Last week, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) met with Yair Lapid, the Israeli finance minister who has been critical of Netanyahu’s recent settlement expansion bid, and on Twitter aligned himself with Lapid -- and by implication Obama.

“Agree w/Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid on need to return to negotiations & being against any swift changes in the West Bank right now,” Nadler tweeted.

Yarmuth, in an interview with JTA , said support for Israel -- including his own -- was unassailable but more “nuanced,” in part because of support for members by J Street, the Jewish lobbying group that forcefully backs U.S. involvement in bringing about a two-state solution.

“American Jewry has become more nuanced in its opinions on the Middle East with regards to opinions on Israel and the Palestinians,” Yarmuth told JTA. “J Street reflects that diversity.”

How best to pitch Israel to liberals and Democrats has been the focus of pro-Israel groups in recent months. Most recently, Frank Luntz, a Republican political consultant and pollster who has worked with centrist pro-Israel groups, last week addressed a monthly meeting of Jewish professionals and noted with alarm what other pollsters have found: Israel is hemorrhaging support among traditional Democratic constituencies, including women and minorities.

In a Powerpoint presentation obtained by JTA, Luntz -famous for shaping the language that brought Republicans to congressional power in 1994 -- suggested progressivefriendly phrases when making Israel’s case. Among “words to use,” he suggested “mutual understanding and mutual respect.” Among “words to lose,” he derided “Israel is not stalling” and “Peace takes two.”

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), another lawmaker endorsed

by J Street, said the long-range view on Israel among Jewish lawmakers was the same, regardless of whether they were more ideologically aligned with AIPAC or J Street.

If Jewish members are divided, he said, it is over “different ideas over how to make Israel viable for eternity.”

Even in Siberia, it’s never too late for a Jewish awakening

Focus on issues ELAINE BERKE (JNS.org) -- Siberia is not known for its welcoming appeal.

But in 2005, I stood for the first time in the warm glow of a small group of eager Jewish students in Khabarovsk, a remote Siberian town on the border with China, and asked how many of them had a bar or bat mitzvah.

Two raised their hands. While many said they would have liked to have celebrated that Jewish rite of passage, they felt too old to do so.

Yet three weeks ago on Shabbat -- nine years later -- I stood in awe as more than 70 Jews from across this vast region of Russia recited prayers, read Torah, and learned about Judaism at a hotel in Novosibirsk, the unofficial capital of Siberia.

They were participants in the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Family Camp, a program I founded together with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) that trains Jewish youths and adults to undergo bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies and to strengthen their Jewish identities.

Witnessing this event was, for me, the culmination of the effort that started back in 2005 with my initial trip to the Russian hinterland, evocative of so much history.

At that time, Jewish communities across the vast expanses of Siberia -- stretching from the Pacific Ocean in the east all the way to the Ural Mountains in the west -- were starting to re-emerge after decades of oppression under Communism.

In cities like Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Krasnoyarsk, and others, tens of thousands of people were reclaiming their Jewish identities and rebuilding synagogues and community centers, with the help of a number of Jewish organizations and local initiatives.

But because of decades of Soviet oppression -- including bans on Jewish religious practice and Jewish quotas in a variety of Soviet institutions -- they did not have the tools to

do so on their own. Important rites like being bar or bat mitzvahed were rare.

That saddened me at the time because of the value I believe that Jewish tradition has, a value I imparted to my children. So I was touched when on our way home from Russia, my daughter suggested something should be done.

Upon my return, I immediately discussed the matter with my rabbi, the American Jewish University, and JDC. To get things going, money needed to be raised. Yet with the combined efforts of my organizational and local community partners, as well as private funders, the Bar/Bat

“For us it’s not just a ceremony, it’s something bigger than one week or one day, it’s something that will be with us forever,” said Iliya Kazakov, 15, from Kemerovo, who I met on my recent trip.

Iliya is not alone.

Darina Valento, who is 15 and also from Kemerovo, said the experience inspired her to continue to learn Hebrew.

Robert Sherbakov of Novosibirsk, 13, said the ceremony changed his “point of view about being Jewish” and made him want to learn more about Judaism.

More than two decades after the fall of Communism, when Jewish life across the former Soviet Union was nearly extinct, the voices of Jewish young adults and their counterparts of all ages singing Torah is a testament to the strength and resilience of the Jews in that corner of the world. It’s also proof that the old adage is true: “It’s never too late.”

Elaine Berke is a longtime leader in the greater Los Angeles Jewish community and a member of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) Board of Directors.

Bibi’s approval ratings Participants in the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Family Camp reading from a Torah scroll in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk in August 2014.

Credit: Roman Ibragimov Mitzvah Family Camp was soon born. Now entering its 10th year, the program has been nothing short of miraculous. To date, more than 500 people from 17 cities have celebrated their bar and bat mitzvahs.

That is due in no small measure to the stalwart efforts of JDC’s Dr. Boris B. Boguslavsky, who has lead the program since its inception and has coordinated it in every city that it has reached. Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive.

Continued from page 12 United Nations, was replaced by a Yisrael Beiteinu member.

Likud now has 19 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, tying it with the centrist Yesh Atid and making it the smallest ruling party in Israeli history.

But as long as Netanyahu stakes out centrist positions, said Bar-Ilan University political science professor Shmuel Sandler, he shouldn’t have to worry.

“In any democracy, you can’t come to lead without the center, so that’s the best place to be,” Sandler said. “The course he has taken was very centrist, not right and not left. And from that perspective he’s the only candidate that can hold a coalition that can govern.”

14 | The Jewish Press | September 19, 2014

Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 712.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com For information on our historic synagogue, please contact any of our board members. Rick Eveloff, Rick Katelman, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf and Phil Wolf.

ROSH HASHANAH WEDNESDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m., Dr. Rami Arav will speak. Apples and honey to follow.

THURSDAY: Services, 10:30 a.m., Dr. Oliver Pollak will speak.

Break-the-Fast Potluck will follow the concluding service on Saturday, Oct. 4. Please call Carole Lainof, 402.293.0321, for more information.

All services led by Jeffrey Taxman.

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

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m.; Shabbat Dinner with Danny Siegel, Scholar-in-Residence, following services.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9:30 a.m.; Shabbat’s Cool, 10 a.m. featured presenter, Danny Siegel, Scholar-inResidence. Parents are invited to attend with their children; Junior Congregation, 10 a.m.; Mini-minyannaires, 10:45 a.m.; Kiddush lunch following services with speaker, Danny Siegel, Scholar-in-Residence; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:15 p.m.; Selichot program featuring Mitzvah Man Danny Siegel, 8:30 p.m.; Selichot services, 9:30 p.m., followed by dessert reception.

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

SUNDAY: Religious School, 9:45 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; Torah Tots, 10:15 a.m.; USY Sushi Program, 6 p.m.

ROSH HASHANAH WEDNESDAY: Erev Rosh Hashanah Service, 6 p.m.

THURSDAY: Rosh Hashanah Service, 9 a.m.; Youth Service, 10:30 a.m.; Mini-Minyannaires, 10:30 a.m.; Tashlich, 4:45 p.m. Meet at Beth and walk to Boys Town Lake; Mincha-Ma’ariv, 6 p.m.

FRIDAY, Sept. 26: Rosh Hashanah Service, 9 a.m.; Youth Service, 10:30 a.m.; Our Shabbat Tables lunch in homes, 1 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.

Walk to End Alzheimers, Sunday, Sept. 28, 10 a.m. registration and noon walk at Turner Park in Midtown Crossing.

Men’s Club Sukkah Building, Sunday, Sept. 28, 10 a.m.

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

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv/Kabbalat

Bat Mitzvah Lillian Rose Cohen, daughter of Karen and Michael Cohen, will become a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Sept. 27, at Beth El. Lillian is an eighth-grade Honor Roll student at Brownell-Talbot and a graduate of Friedel Jewish Academy.

Her interests include playing piano, studying ballet at the JCC, and acting. She participates in theater, speech, and jazz band at Brownell-Talbot.

She has a brother, Jack and a sister, Eva. Grandparents are Jane and the late Jack E. Cohen, and Gail and Roger Williams of West Des Moines, IA.

Card of Thanks We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their sympathy cards, contributions, phone calls and caring after the loss of our loved one, William (Bill) Ashley. We deeply appreciate your thoughtfulness during this difficult time.

Sincerely, Joyce Ashley, Jill Ashley-Grochowski and Julie Ashley and families and David Rosen

Candlelighting Friday, September 19, 7:08 p.m.

Wednesday, September 24, 7 p.m. | Thursday, September 25, no earlier than 7:57 p.m.

Shabbat, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 6:55 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:06 p.m.; Pre-Selichot concert with Rabbi Yaakov Weiss and Rabbi Ari Dembitzer, 11-11:58 p.m.; Selichot will be held at 11:59 p.m.; Selichot will continue daily through Yom Kippur at 6:40 a.m. on weekdays.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. followed by Bagels and Beit Medrash.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

TUESDAY: Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:45 p.m.

ROSH HASHANAH WEDNESDAY: Selichot, 6:40 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Torah Reading, 9:30 a.m.; Sermon, 10 a.m., followed by Shofar blowing; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Torah Reading, 9:30 a.m.; Sermon, 10 a.m., followed by Shofar blowing; Mincha-Ma’ariv, 7 p.m.

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

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Reading, 10:45 a.m. followed by Kiddush luncheon.

SUNDAY: Selichot, 1 a.m.; Shacharit, 8:30 a.m.; Unleash the Blessing (women’s pre-Rosh Hashanah event), 1 p.m.

Buffet lunch will be served.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

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

ROSH HASHANAH WEDNESDAY: Hatarat Nedarim (annulment of vows), 7:45 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:30 p.m.; Family Dinner, 7:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m.; Shofar Service, 11 a.m.

Musaf and Kiddush luncheon to follow; Tashlich, 4 p.m.

(Meet at Rabbi and Shani’s home); Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY, Sept. 26: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m.; Shofar Service, 11 a.m. Musaf and Kiddush luncheon to follow.

All programs are open to the entire community.

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

FRIDAY: 90th Anniversary of the South Street Temple Building; Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following hosted by the Anniversary Planning Committee.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Nitzavim/Vayelech; Potluck Dessert and panel presentation, The Gift of Life, 7:30 p.m.

Please bring a dessert to share; Selichot Service, 9 p.m. with the High Holy Days Choir.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; LJCS Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High Lite, 9:45 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple; Confirmation Class, 10:15 a.m. at South Street Temple; Cantillation Class, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY: Star City Kochavim Rehearsal, 6:30 p.m.

ROSH HASHANAH WEDNESDAY: No LJCS Classes; Evening Service, 8 p.m. with oneg following hosted by the Board of Trustees.

THURSDAY: Family Service, 9 a.m. (Parents, please accompany your children); Morning Service, 10 a.m.; Tashlich service, 3 p.m. at Wilderness Park; High Holiday Choir Rehearsal, 7:30-9 p.m.

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

To Submit B’nai Mitzvah Announcements Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewish omaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154.

Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, by e-mailing the editor at: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org or online at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press.’

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 FRIDAY: Chef ’s Demo, 1:30 p.m. with Chabad.

SATURDAY: Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg; Selichot Services, 3:30 p.m. led by Marti Nerenstone.

ROSH HASHANAH WEDNESDAY: Erev Evening Service, 6:45 p.m., led by Andy Greenberg.

THURSDAY: Morning Service, 9:15 a.m., led by Andy Greenberg.

FRIDAY: Morning service, 9:15 a.m., led by Andy Greenberg.

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

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 www.templeisrael-ne.org FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Azriel, Rabbi Brown and Cantor Shermet.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.; Havdalah & S’lichot, 7 p.m. We invite our congregants to join us. Our journey will ready us for the High Holidays as we investigate the topic of Shema, Bearing Witness; Are we Able to Listen. After a video presentation we will have an open dialogue on the topic. We will also be changing the Torah Covers for the High Holidays. A chocolate oneg will follow the service.

SUNDAY: Volunteer to hang drywall for Habitat for Humanity, 8 a.m.; Teacher Meeting, 9 a.m.; Grades PreK-6, 10 a.m.; Beginning Prayer Study with Elyce Azriel, 11 a.m. noon. If you have no clue what the prayers in our service mean or if you struggle to keep up with the congregation singing and reciting these prayers, then this class is for you; Kol Rina Rehearsal, 1 p.m.

ROSH HASHANAH WEDNESDAY: Evening Service, 7:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: Tot Service (preschool-age children), 9 a.m.; Rosh Hashanah Morning Service (K-Grade 4), 10 a.m. led by Rabbi Brown, Debbie Massarano and Nikki Flatowicz followed by holiday-themed activities, stories and craft projects; Morning service, 10:15 a.m.; Rosh Hashanah Morning Service, 10:15 a.m., Tashlich, 12:30 p.m. following our Rosh Hashanah service, we will gather for Tashlich, which means “cast away.” We will throw our transgressions into the creek behind our new building and begin the new year cleansed of our sins and misdeeds. A family friendly Mitzvah project will follow Tashlich.

Shabbat Shuvah Service, Friday, Sept. 26, 6 p.m.

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

FRIDAY: Tot Shabbat with Ms. Jennifer, 5:45 p.m.; Services, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a Kiddush luncheon.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; LJCS Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High Lite, 9:45 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple.

ROSH HASHANAH WEDNESDAY: Temple office closed; Ma’ariv, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY: Temple office closed; Services, 9 a.m.; Youth Service, 11 a.m.; Mincha/Tashlich, 5 p.m. at Holmes Lake.

FRIDAY: Temple office closed; Service, 9 a.m.; Youth Service, 11 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:15 p.m.

Babysitting will be available Wednesday, Sept. 24, Thursday, Sept. 25 and Friday, Sept. 26.

Annual Congregation Break-the-fast at the end of Yom Kippur. Havdalah service and meal around 7:45 p.m.

MEMORIAL SERVICES Sunday, September 21 Mount Carmel Cemetery in Lincoln, 10:30 a.m.

Golden Hill Cemetery, 5025 N. 42nd St., noon Beth Israel/Mt. Sinai, 78th & Crown Point, 1 p.m BHH/Fisher Farms, 8900 S. 42nd Street, 2 p.m.

Sunday, September 28 Oak Hills/Bikhor Cholim, Council Bluffs, 10 a.m.

Beth El Cemetery, 84th and ‘L’ Sts., 11 a.m.

Temple Israel Cemetery, 6412 No. 42 St., 1 p.m.

Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, 3 p.m.

Pulverent e

September 19, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 15

In memoriam MARTIN J. LEHR Continued from page 1 did many leading insurance carriers. Ultimately, his son led the firm, and eventually merged it to form Gallagher Grace/Mayer with Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., the world’s fourth largest global insurance broker, capping Marty’s 52 year active insurance career. He continued to advise and office at Gallagher Grace/Mayer at the time of his death.

Active in the local community, Lehr served on the Boards of the Jewish Federation of Omaha and its Foundation as well as several other private charitable foundations, chaired the JFO Annual Campaign, and was the President of the Congregation of Temple Israel, where his father-in-law and wife, and later, son, had also presided. He chaired Temple’s committee which hired Aryeh Azriel, its Senior Rabbi for nearly 30 years.

He was a 50-year Highland, Ironwood, Happy Hollow, and Tamarisk (Rancho Mirage, CA) Country Club golfer, Omaha Racquet Club tennis player, JCC racquetball player, and B’nai B’rith bowler. He loved to attend Nebraska football and Creighton basketball games with friends and family, and lovingly endured Joanie’s College World Series and Championship Tennis passions. The arts, world travel, fine and frequent dining, extensive reading, and technology adoption further added depth and richness to Lehr’s full days.

He is survived by his greatest love Joanie, his wife of 54 years; son and daughter-in-law, John and Sandy Lehr, daughter, Susan and daughter and son-in-law, Cindy and Bruce Goldberg; five grandchildren: Avery and Jacob Lehr, Adam, Scott and Max Goldberg. They were constant fixtures in his life, and he in theirs. Whether it was an adventure to Cambodia or a kindergarten science fair, he was always there, sometimes flying across the country for a seemingly minor event, just to again demonstrate how important each member of his family was to him.

His contributions were many, his joy immense. He had frequently repeated he had had more fun, achieved more success, and loved and was loved by more than he could have ever dreamed. Truly a pillar of Omaha business, community and family, Martin Lehr’s legacy will guide generations to follow.

MAURICE MEICHES Maurice Meiches passed away June 27 at age 86. Services were held on June 30 at Mt. Sinai Cemetery, 78th & Crown Point, with Military Honors.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Rosalie Meiches; brother, Herbert Meiches; and sister, Gulah Golding.

He is survived by his children, Marc and Diana Meiches of MA, Beth Meiches and Tom Reed, Daniel and Mary Beth Meiches, and Debbie Meiches-Simpson and Jim Simpson, all of Omaha; grandchildren: Sarah Meiches of NYC, Adam Meiches, Jacob “JT” Meiches, Sierra Simpson, and Leah Simpson.

Maurice was a well known sales leader at Nebraska Furniture Mart for over 40 years; and he was an active member of Temple Israel.

Memorials may be made to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home; Temple Israel; or local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

FLORENCE (FAYGIE) SHRAGO ROSE Former Omahan Florence (Faygie) Shrago Rose passed away on Sept. 6 in Louisville, KY. Services were held on Sept. 8 in Louisville, KY. She was preceded in death by her parents, Sarah and Harry Shrago, and her brother, Morris Shrago.

She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Murray Rose; her daughter and son-in-law, Debby Rose and Lee Hyman of Louisville, KY, and her son and daughter-in-law, Dr. Charles and Becky Rose of Bloomington, IN; four grandchildren: Sadie and Jacob Hyman, and Ava and Maxwell Rose; sister, Barbara Parker of Jacksonville, FL; brothers and sisters-in-law, Helene and Jack Shrago, and Dani and Leon Shrago all of Omaha.

She was an X-RAY technician, a member of Keneseth Israel Congregation, a member of NCJW-Louisville section, and a lifetime member of HADASSAH and Pioneer Women.

Memorials may be made to the organization of your choice.

To Submit obituaries to the Jewish Press: Email to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; fax to 402.334.5422, mail to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154, or submit online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on Jewish Press and go to Submit Announcements.

Open Sesame

by SHANNON SARNA NEW YORK (JTA) -- An expert “raw halva” maker, Shahar Shamir has been creating all-natural sesame spreads -- and serving them to friends and family -- for years.

So when the native Israeli’s plan to open a Brooklyn cafe hit some snags, he took his friends’ suggestions and started selling his halva spread instead, calling the business Brooklyn Sesame. (www.brooklynsesame.com/ main.sc) In Israel it is common to eat halva or tahini with breakfast, as a snack or for dessert. And while the fat content of tahini has scared away some Americans, growing numbers are realizing that good fats from items like nuts and sesame can produce long-term health benefits and even help with weight loss. (www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/ 2014/09/01/344315405/cutting-back-on-carbs-not-fatmay-lead-to-more-weight-loss) In fact not eating tahini spread actually caused Shahar to gain seven pounds last year, he said. When he took a break from making his tahini spread and there weren’t any open jars lying around, he was tempted to nosh on more caloric foods.

“When I eat my tahini, I am not eating other junk, and I believe sesame and honey are great for digestion,” he said.

Brooklyn Sesame’s spreads come in six varieties including pistachio, cocoa, black caraway seeds and toasted coconut.

Have a halva craving? The halva spreads are available in more than 25 stores in the New York area and one store in Massachusetts, or you can order online. (www.brooklynsesame.com/Halva-Spread_c2.htm) You can also try whipping up one of Shahar’s signature recipes this holiday season and use some rich, sweet tahini to usher in the New Year.

The following recipes are courtesy of Jorg Thoene, Leah Koenig and Shahar Shamir.

APPLE AND COCONUT HALVA BAKLAVA TARTS Ingredients: 1 small Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped Zest of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon cardamom 6 sheets thawed filo dough 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or substitute vegetable or coconut oil) 1/4 cup Brooklyn Sesame Halva Spread with Toasted Coconut, divided Honey, for drizzling Preparation: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set aside a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a bowl, stir together the apple, lemon zest, lemon juice, and brown sugar; let stand for 10 minutes until it gets juicy.

Stir in the pistachios, walnuts, cinnamon, and cardamom.

Place 1 sheet of fillo dough on a cutting board (cover the remaining sheets with a damp towel so they do not dry out), and gently brush all over with the melted butter. Place a second sheet on top of the first and continue in this fashion, alternating brushing with butter and stacking fillo sheets until there are 6 layers.

Use a sharp knife to cut the fillo sheet into 12 squares.

Arrange 1 square into each well of the muffin tin, pressing it into the bottom and sides.

Spoon 1 teaspoon of Halva Spread into the bottom of each cup, then fill two-thirds of the way with the apple-nut mixture. Brush edges of each pastry with a little more melted butter; bake until the pastry is golden, 15-20 minutes.

Let cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then carefully remove tarts to a wire rack. Just before serving, drizzle each tart with a little honey.

JEWISH PRESS NOTICES The Jewish Press will be closed on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 25 and 26 for Rosh Hashanah, Thursday and Friday, Oct. 9 and 10 for Sukkot, Thursday and Friday, Oct. 16 and 17 for Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. The deadline for all articles and photos for the Oct. 3 issue is Monday, Sept. 22, 9 a.m.; for the Oct. 17 issue it is Wednesday, Oct. 8, 9 a.m., and for the Oct. 24 issue, it is Wednesday, Oct. 15, 9 a.m. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.

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16 | The Jewish Press | September 19, 2014

In Israel’s poorest schools, teachers improvise fixes for funding shortfalls

by BEN SALES OFAKIM, Israel (JTA) -- In 2008, Asher Nachmani wanted to buy a computerized blackboard for his classroom, but the elementary school where he teaches technology in this low-income town didn’t have the money.

So Nachmani built one himself.

He downloaded a free program from the Internet, bought a controller for a Nintendo Wii video game console and connected it to an infrared bulb taken from his television remote control.

Using a Bluetooth connection, Nachmani was able to project his computer screen onto a wall and draw on it.

The story is a typical one at the Ashalim Experimental Public School, the oldest elementary school in Ofakim. Chronically Students at Saadya Gaon Religious Public school participating in a program to short on funds, Ashalim teachers are often enhance literacy skills in schools with large Ethiopian populations.

Credit: Ben Sales forced to improvise, making do with supplies lems by providing more funding to poor districts starting this donated by neighbors or paid for from their own pockets.

In one classroom, a window divider was cut from the year, increasing the number of summer schools and enhancprincipal’s coffee table. Teachers at times pay for lunches ing school choice. But Nahum Blass, a senior education that poor children cannot afford, said Yael Segev, the researcher at the Taub Center, said increased local education funding in rich towns, coupled with the hiring of private school’s principal.

“The municipality can’t take the expenses,” said Segev, tutors by wealthier parents, cancel out the ministry’s efforts.

“What the system can give the weaker students is not who says she donates about 10 percent of her salary back to the school as charity. “We approach this from a place of enough to cover the gap between weak and strong,” Blass said. “A poor kid will get a little more from the Education pride. We see this as our home and we care for it.”

As two million Israeli students begin the school year this Ministry, but what the [well-off] local authorities and the month, they face some of the most unequal educational con- parents give can counteract that affirmative action and flip it.”

A number of educational nonprofits have launched efforts ditions in the Western world. According to a report this year by the Taub Center, Israel has the largest educational to address these issues.

Balanced Literacy, a program by the Israeli Center for achievement gaps between rich and poor among countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Educational Innovation, runs programs at 18 schools with Development, or OECD, an economic grouping of the high concentrations of Ethiopian immigrants, beginning language classes with a half-hour of class reading time and world’s wealthiest nations.

The report also found that Israel performs second worst in up to three hours of language instruction daily. Another international test scores, beating only Slovakia, and has nongovernmental organization, Educating for Excellence, above-average class sizes -- 29 students per class compared identifies the most talented students in low-income areas and provides them with enrichment, extracurricular activito an OECD average of 20.

Israel’s Education Ministry has aimed to address these prob- ties and a quiet space to do homework for three hours sev-

eral times a week.

But much of the burden still falls on teachers who take it upon themselves to give students in low-performing schools the extra attention they need to succeed.

Sarit Elmaliach, a first-grade teacher at the Saadya Gaon Religious Public School in the central Israeli town of Or Yehuda, has taken steps to make her lessons more relevant to the one-third of her students from Ethiopian families.

Like other Israeli minorities, Ethiopians come from less affluent families and struggle more in school. According to the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, a government-funded think tank that studies Ethiopian Israelis, as of 2010 only onequarter of Ethiopian high-school graduates were prepared for college, versus nearly half of Israeli Jews overall. Ethiopian college graduation rates also lag those of Israeli Jews.

Elmaliach reads to her students books with Ethiopian characters and focused one art class on an Ethiopian sculptor. When she visits the parents of her Ethiopian students at home, she takes care to abide by Ethiopian standards of politeness, even being mindful of things as simple as sitting down before drinking a cup of water. Before the school year starts, she learns the origins of her students’ Amharic names.

“You want to show them a little that you’re connected to them,” Elmaliach said. “Some kids would get embarrassed and want another name. I say, ‘You have nothing to be embarrassed about. That’s a respected name.’”

That sort of cultural sensitivity can only go so far toward compensating for the substantial funding gaps between rich and poor schools. According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, in 2012, Ofakim’s local government provided $1,629 of annual funding per student -- a sum less than half the $3,613 per student provided by the wealthy town of Ramat Hasharon in suburban Tel Aviv.

The Education Ministry did not respond to JTA’s request for information about how much extra funding it gives to low-income schools.

Funding from NGOs also helps a bit. But at Ashalim, which doesn’t receive NGO funding, the school depends on the commitment and ingenuity of its teachers.

“When I came here, I fell in love,” said Segev, the Ashalim principal. “It’s very warm, very embracing, not like in the city. We all have the opportunity to move to other places, but it’s hard to leave this place.”

wish Federation of Omah e J e h T a

KICKOFF 2015 FEATURING

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Tuesday October 7th 7:30 pm CHAMPIONS RUN 13800 EAGLE RUN DRIVE

TOGETHER 2015 ANNUAL CAMPAIGN

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During this event you will have the opportunity to make your annual pledge to the Jewish Federation of Omaha.