Sponsored by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Endowment Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA
Federation names Chief Development Officer
September 21, 2012 5 Tishrei 5773 Vol. 93 | No. 1
by SHERRIE SAAG Communications Specialist, Jewish Federation of Omaha After a nearly nine month national search, the Jewish Federation of Omaha has named Marty Ricks, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, to serve as its next Chief Development Officer (CDO). He has led the Foundation since 1998. Ricks has begun preparations for his new position by attending meetings and events related to the 2013 Annual Campaign, which began Sept. 1. He will, however, continue in his capacity as Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation until Dec. 31. “We are thrilled to have a person of Marty’s caliber and stature to lead our Federation development staff and accomplish our community’s philanthropic goals. To think we found the right person in our own backyard; we are very fortunate indeed,” said Federation Board President Jody Malashock. In explaining what distinguished Ricks from the other candidates, Malashock added, “His intelligence, breadth of knowledge, professionalism, and his innate ability to inspire and connect with all members of our
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Marty Ricks community.” Ricks said he was honored to have been selected and asked to take on what is, arguably, one of the most critically important positions in American Jewish communal work today. “The Federation stands at a key
juncture in its One Campus, One Community initiative. We are at a point to really unify the community like never before and help cultivate the growth of our next generation of philanthropic donors,” Ricks said. The Federation’s Financial Resource Development (FRD) task force first met in December, 2011 charged with reviewing the financial resource function and establishing a search committee for a CDO. In conjunction with the Mandel Center for Excellence at the Jewish Federations of North America, the FRD task force conducted a nationwide search. In choosing a Chief Development Officer, FRD task force Chair, Jay Noddle, indicated that fundraising ability was the core function and top
priority, along with developing personal relationships with donors. “There was no doubt that Marty fit the bill,” he said. Chief among the personal characteristics being sought was the ability to inspire confidence and trust within the Jewish community, “so that donors know their needs are being addressed and their contributions are stewarded with the highest degree of professionalism and integrity,” Noddle added. In accepting the Federation position, Ricks will, together with the Chief Executive Officer, identify, cultivate and solicit donors and implement a clear vision to advance the fundraising goals. “We also need to build Jewish community at a new level. Provide young Jewish professionals and young Jewish families with the means to identify and feel relevant on our campus, with Israel, and with diaspora Jews around the world,” Ricks said. Ricks was raised in Missouri Valley, IA, one of only two Jewish families in town. His family eventually moved to Omaha where he was an active member of BBYO prior to graduating from Central High School. Continued on page 2
We are still a “Nation IHE presents a Week of of immigrants” Music, Art and Outreach by HILLARY FLETCHER Marketing Assistant, Institute for Holocaust Education The Institute for Holocaust Education (IHE) is excited to announce Remembrance, Creativity and Transformation, a weeklong artist-in-residency and concert series that will take place in Omaha
25,000 Breslaver Chasidim are coming to Uman Page 12
ments will include noted landscape painter, Jim Schantz. The second concert, Silenced Voices of Terezín, is a benefit concert for the IHE as it enters its 13th year of service to the community. As IHE Executive Director Beth Dotan explains, this program really began when “Ellen Scott of The
Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam
Next Week Sports See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press
8 10 11 by THE CIVIL RIGHTS COMMITTEE OF ADL PLAINS STATES REGION “...every American who ever lived, with the exception of one group, was either an immigrant himself or a descendant of immigrants.” -John F. Kennedy Every family has one. A story. The story. The story of how one or more
of its ancestors came to America from the old country. Almost always aboard a ship. Accommodations almost always in steerage. Our faithful forefathers and -mothers invariably arrived not speaking a speck of English, often alone as the first representative of more family members to follow. The goal was universally the same: to establish themselves in America, the land of hope for brighter, more prosperous futures than the ones their families were facing in their home countries. Our ancestors were all immigrants! Recently, President Obama released a directive known as “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.” It essentially states that adults currently under the age of 31 who were brought to the United Continued on page 3
Hawthorne String Quartet performing in Prague. from Oct. 21 through Oct. 28. In partnership with the Terezín Music Foundation, Remembrance, Creativity and Transformation will feature performances by the Hawthorne String Quartet (members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra) with Omaha Area Youth Symphony’s Strings, Omaha Public Schools’ Holocaust Remembrance Choir, and the Omaha Symphony Chamber Orchestra with Thomas Wilkins conducting. Two of the engage-
Bookworm suggested that the IHE host a concert with the Hawthorne String Quartet. Her cousin is the cellist. Quartet director Mark Ludwig suggested more than a single concert. Things just blossomed from there.” The emphasis of the concerts is the preservation of music and remembrance of composers murdered in the Holocaust - many of whom died in Terezín. The Terezín (Theresienstadt) concentration camp operated as a Continued on page 2
2 | The Jewish Press | September 21, 2012
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A Week of Music, Art and Outreach Continued from page 1 transit and ghetto-labor camp, but it eventually developed an additional role as a propaganda camp. Jews -elderly, World War I veterans, intellectuals and artists- were transferred there under the pretense that they would not be sent for resettlement to labor camps. Terezín’s purpose was to be the benevolent face that the Germans would show a doubtful world. Following the 1944 deportation of Danish Jews to Terezín, the Nazis allowed a site visit by the Red Cross. In preparation for this visit, a mass “beautification” project was launched. When completed, thousands Jim Schantz of weak and elderly Jews were transported out of the camp to their death to falsify the reality of starvation, overcrowding and illness. Remarkably, the Jewish artists imprisoned in Terezín continued producing works of art. There were lectures and performances. Although forbidden, children attended a covert school and wrote poetry and musicians played for prisoners. Artists also lent their time to teaching children their craft. At Terezín, Hans Krása’s opera Brundibár was reworked by Krása during his internment and performed by fellow prisoners. Of the approximately 140,000 Jews sent to Terezín, 90,000 were deported to almost certain death, nearly 33,000 died in the camp, and of 15,000 children, 13,500 did not survive. However, 4,500 pieces of their artwork did. To continue to create, to look for beauty or to record griefthese small acts inspired prisoners to carry on. Forty years later, the work and stories of Krása and others became an inspiration for Boston Symphony violist, Mark Ludwig. In 1991, Ludwig created the nonprofit Terezín Music Foundation (TMF) to preserve and revive the music of Terezín composers. Remembrance, Creativity and Transformation explores the music of these composers and others. Ludwig’s enthusiasm for the music and the Omaha program is contagious. When asked how he became interested in the Terezín composers, he explained that in the late 1980s, while reading a biography on Terezín prisoner Rabbi Leo Baeck, he was intrigued by the chapters that detailed accounts of performances at the camp and of music composed by interned musicians. Ludwig went on, “Here I am, a professional musician –I have never heard of these composers– my network of composers and musicians had never heard of them! It became a lifelong mission to preserve and play this music. These are composers of high pedigree. There is no mystery to the significance of this music.” Most of the musicians in Terezín had successful careers prior to the Holocaust, but as Jewish composers, their music was often dismissed. Ludwig finds it indisputable that, had these artists survived, they would have inspired and influenced many more generations of composers and musicians. Ludwig, again, “In the west we have been so unaware of this body of music. This was the focus of my Fulbright Scholarship. The TMF has evolved into not only preserving but finding ways to use it as an homage by commissioning works from current composers – using the older compositions as the inspiration and using the voices of Terezín to guide the voices of today. We select internationally renowned artists, we commission a work, they perform on the greatest stages in the world, they have a chance to be
Volunteers needed for B’nai B’rith sukkah building event by DEB MARBURG for B’nai B’rith Monsky Lodge 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, Sept. 30 at noon. Volunteers will meet at the Youth Lounge in the Jewish Community Center. Monsky Lodge will supply the building materials and decorations for the sukkahs and will also provide a pizza lunch for all volunteers. “Everyone is welcome to join us as we prepare for this festival by coming out on Sunday the 30th. 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 Leora Azriel at 402.334.6404, or email bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.
heard, and Terezín has a chance to be heard.” The program that Ludwig and Dotan created for Omaha is a chance for community members of all ages and interests to be inspired. Workshops that introduce the history of the Holocaust and the artists of Terezín to students include five afterschool programs in Omaha. Participants will listen to poetry, hear music, and see artwork from Terezín. The students will keep a journal and produce their own works of art guided by local artists and guest artist Jim Schantz. Their work will be displayed at the final concert in the series. The series opens with a performance by the Hawthorne String Quartet with the Omaha Youth Symphony’s Strings and the Omaha Public Schools’ Holocaust Remembrance Choir. Their program includes the TMF commissions of: David Post’s, Fantasy on a Virtual Chorale, Stephen Feigenbaum’s, Songs of Sorrow and Hope, and Thomas Oboe Lee’s, Flowers of Terezín. The second concert is a benefit for the IHE. During Silenced Voices of Terezín, the Hawthorne String Quartet will perform works composed in Terezín, as well as Hans Krása’s String Quartet (1923). As the Quartet performs the Krása composition, painter Jim Schantz will create a new post-impressionistic piece. This is a very special event. Schantz has produced artwork with the Quartet less than a dozen times over the past eight years. They work together only occasionally to keep the work original, but Ludwig considers it an integral part of Omaha’s upcoming program. Schantz’s take on the Quartet’s performances allow for another way of expressing and demystifying the music. The third and final concert of Remembrance, Creativity and Transformation, is a performance by the Omaha Symphony Chamber Orchestra and the Hawthorne String Quartet, conducted by symphony Music Director Thomas Wilkins. The Symphony and Quartet will perform two Holocaustrelated works, including Concerto for String Quartet and Wind Orchestra by Erwin Schulhoff, a composer who died in the Wulzberg concentration camp. In keeping with the TMF’s commitment to new artists, the orchestra will also debut award-winning composer Clint Needham’s Voices, commissioned by the TMF, the IHE, and the Holland Foundation. This will be the first concert in the new Symphony Joslyn series. Ludwig offers a bit of advice, “I want to give a warning. We come up with images, ‘Ugh, Holocaust music’. Not true! This series is alive! It involves a wide range of emotional elements –the despair of the time, of course, but it’s also hopeful and defiant, and very lyrical! Those who attend this series will be amazed at the wide range of content and emotion. Beth and I have worked many, many hours over the last year, and I am very excited about seeing this all come to fruition and opening up the palate for people!” Tickets are available for all performances. Performances are as follows: Omaha Area Youth Symphony’s Strings and Omaha Public Schools’ Holocaust Remembrance Choir to perform with the Hawthorne String Quartet, Sunday, Oct. 21, 7 p.m. at Dundee Presbyterian Church Benefit Concert for the Institute for Holocaust Education – Silenced Voices of Terezín, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center Omaha Symphony and Hawthorne String Quartet Debut Commissioned Work, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2 p.m. at Joslyn Art Museum, Witherspoon Concert Hall. For more information or for tickets, please visit www.ihevents.org or email info@ihene.org.
Marty Ricks Continued from page 1 After earning his Juris Doctor degree from Creighton Law School in 1969, Marty moved to California to begin his career as a tax specialist for Price Waterhouse & Co. After working in the corporate world, he returned to Omaha in 1998 to become the Executive Director of the Federation Foundation. Marty has led the Foundation during a time of measurable growth; Foundation assets now total $66 million. Mike Silverman, Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is certain Marty will succeed in this critical role for the community. “I’m thrilled Marty is eager to take on a new challenge that still has him interacting and working on behalf of our community. He represents a great combination of honoring and respecting what has been built and enthusiasm and energy to look forward to the future. It’s going to be exciting to work with him in his new role.” Marty and his wife, Iris, have four children Paul Waitz (Chicago), Jennifer Zeidman (Portland, OR), Andrea Nivitt (Moorpark, CA) and Marc Ricks (New York City) along with five grandchildren.
September 21, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 3
A Nation of immigrants Continued from page 1 States as children, do not present a risk to national security or public safety, and meet several key criteria will be considered for relief from removal from the country. Those who demonstrate they meet the criteria will be eligible to receive deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal, and will be eligible to apply for work authorization. This directive means that, “...as many as 800,000 young immigrants who have grown up in our communities and led exemplary lives will no longer live in fear of arrest or deportation because of their citizenship status,” said Robert G. Sugarman, Anti-Defamation League National Chair. The ADL has long supported comprehensive reform of the US immigration policy that strikes the right balance between border security and respect for individual rights and human dignity. Because of its commitment to justice, the Civil Rights Committee of the Plains States Regional Board of the ADL has made the issue of immigration a priority for study, research and education. “Too many anti-immigrant policies serve only to divide, alienate, and punish while ignoring the real issues our communities face,” said committee co-chair Carol Bloch. In an attempt to help us understand the issues involved, the committee has invited people to tell their personal stories of immigration that include the struggles and disappointments they face in their daily lives, planning their futures as productive members of society, and, in some cases, the happy endings to their frustrating journeys. Committee member Ellie Batt explained, “In the coming weeks, readers will find stories on the pages of the Jewish Press written in first person. You will learn how our laws and regulations serve as barriers or pathways to immigrant success.” Perhaps these immigrants’ experiences will remind you of the old stories lodged tenderly in the recesses of your hearts and memories, of your own family’s immigration all those generations ago... or maybe just last year.
JCC to offer Fine Art classes for community members ages 12 through adult by LYNN BATTEN be very proud of!” Publicity & Gallery Manager Garner’s favorite style of drawing is Realism and she finds Starting at the end of September, the JCC will begin offer- her inspiration in Renaissance paintings made back in the ing Fine Art classes for community members ages 12 1400s. through adult. Painting with Pencils will teach individuals “I enjoy the blending of oil paint and how they can make the elements of drawing, as well as the techniques necessary the scene look so real,” Garner said. “When I discovered to produce realistic looking artwork. that I could do the exact same blendStudents will learn how to use colored ing with colored pencils, I was pencils in a process that imitates hooked!” paint. Local artist Sherie Garner will Painting with Pencils will be held at teach Painting with Pencils. the JCC on Sunday afternoons from Garner is excited to share her pas1:30–4 p.m. Classes will begin Sept. sion with others. The success and 30 and will run through Oct. 28. recognition she received from her Garner is confident that after these own drawings inspired her to share 12.5 hours of instruction, all students her gift with the world. In 2002 she will have learned a new skill set and began teaching art classes, while also tapped into their creative potential. continuing to exhibit her own work at Painting with Pencils is open to the various venues around the metro. community. The cost of the class is When she is drawing, Garner hones $190 for JCC Members and $240 for her focus on blending colors to proNon Members. Students are responsiduce amazing, lifelike results. When ble for providing their own art supGarner teaches, she hones this same plies. The class is open for students precise focus on her students. She ages 12 through adult. To register for strives to give them the best education this class, please contact Laura Wine, possible. Even if people have never “Who would believe that this image was JCC Registrar, at 402.334.6419. JCC attempted to draw, or they think that done in colored pencil?!” Members can also register online at they are “not creative,” she encourages them to try some- www.jccomaha.org. For more information on Painting thing new. She believes that everyone can benefit from tak- with Pencils, please contact Esther Katz, Director of ing this class. Cultural Arts, at 402.334-6406, or Lynn Batten, Gallery “I have worked with students over the years with a vari- Manager, at 402.334.6564. ety of abilities and goals. All the way from a complete For JCC Members who are looking for a less structured beginner. the type of person who has always wanted to try class to get their creative juices flowing, check out the new it, but didn’t think that they could, to the opposite extreme: Craft Classes taught by Carole Greenberg. Classes will be individuals with degrees in art who want to strengthen this held on Wednesdays, from 11 a.m.–noon. Session I, particular technique. Both groups learned a lot from my Mosaic Frame, will begin Sept. 12 and run through Oct. class. The only requirement I have is that my students real- 10. Session II, Shoe Madness, will begin on Oct. 24 and run ly have an interest in learning,” Garner said. through Nov. 14. Craft Classes are 60 minutes long and “My art students absolutely amaze me! At the end of our open to JCC Members only. For more information, please classes, they always have a unique work of art that they can contact Carole Greenberg at 402.334.6414.
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OTYG board returns from leadership training with enthusiasm for coming year by DAVID GOLBITZ board, because we’re all so close and work Temple Israel Staff Writer together really well and get our stuff done on On Friday, Aug. 31, the OTYG leadership time. That was one of our strengths.” board drove to Kansas City for the annual Hack also mentioned the “need to work NFTY Leadership Training Institute, a on getting more members. weekend program during which regional “A lot of the other youth groups, because board members come together to learn the they have more Jews in their cities, are a lot skills necessary to lead the group in the bigger, but also are so connected,” she said. coming year. “They learn how to write programs, how to lead groups, facilitate discussions, write evaluations, encourage participation,” OTYG Youth Advisor Amy Katz said. “It’s important for them to learn how to lead.” The LTI weekend is divided up between leadership training with regional counterparts and brainstorming for the coming year. “Part of the time you’re working with your regional counterpart, who teaches you how to do your job and how to work as a OTYG Leadership Board heads to Kansas City for leadboard, and the other part is workership training. ing together with your board,” OTYG President Hannah Perry said. “We “I’m hoping we can pull more members in had time as a board where we were planning and really make sure people feel involved and things for what we want to do this semester.” a part of something. That’s how I felt at LTI.” Perry, who has attended LTI before, said Justin Norton, who plans services for the training is “invaluable, especially for OTYG as its Religious and Cultural Vice first-time board members, because it teach- President, enjoyed meeting with his regional es you how to do your position and it also counterpart. In addition to learning “how to teaches you what they’re looking for from integrate religious aspects into [OTYG] proyour position.” grams,” Norton also learned about what he Among first-time board members who called a “Play-Doh service,” in which everywent to Kansas City was Abby Hack, Co- one is given Play-Doh and, while a story is Vice President of Membership, who came being told during the service, you’re supaway from LTI excited and encouraged posed to shape and mold the Play-Doh based about the coming year. on the story and how it makes you feel. “Our board was actually one of the few OTYG Vice President of Communication boards that didn’t have any problems,” Hack and Visual, Jacob Arnold, learned a lot about said. “We all felt really good about our the technical aspects of his position. He
learned how to take and upload pictures, and to make presentations and movies. He looks forward to being able to make scrapbooks and slideshows for the Temple Israel website. Overall, the OTYG board came away from LTI with enthusiasm, something Hannah Perry thought was lacking. “What I was really looking for at LTI was
getting the board as a whole excited for the year,” Perry said. “The summer is always a little slow leading up to [LTI], but after LTI things come really fast with High Holidays, and we’re hosting fall conclave. I think the best thing our board got out of LTI was getting ready and pumped up to go and do all these things.”
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Financing a college education by RUSS KAPLAN President, Russ Kaplan Investments Repaying student loans has become a serious financial issue with the bad economy resulting in a lack of jobs for college graduates. I believe if you are going to be going to college or have a loved one who will be attending in the future, it is necessary to consider costs when making a decision. Will the benefit of the degree be worth the cost to acquire the degree? One misconception many seem to have is that an academic university/college degree is necessary for everyone, when it comes to finding a job. This is not necessarily true. There are many skilled jobs not requiring a college degree that pay
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September 21, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 5
Sukkah parties and a Simchat Torah “Scroll Roll” at Beth El by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator If you’re looking for family-friendly and fun-filled Sukkot and Simchat Torah celebrations, look no farther than Beth El. To prepare for Sukkot, Men’s Club members will construct the synagogue’s beautiful sukkah in the front courtyard this Sunday and Sunday, Sept. 30, at 8 a.m., and all volunteers are encouraged to lend a hand and to enjoy coffee and bagels in the process. Sukkot services will commence on Sunday, Sept. 30 with 5:30 p.m. services, and services will be held daily through Sunday, Oct. 7. As a special holiday treat, everyone who attends services on the second day of Sukkot is invited afterward to a special holiday lunch at the home of Beth El’s new cantor, Hazzan Michael Krausman Holly Weill and his wife, Laurel; then on Thursday, Oct. 4, 6 p.m., Rabbi Steven and Shira Abraham welcome the entire congregation to their home for dessert in their sukkah. To RSVP for either get-together, contact the office, 402.492.8550. Rounding out the High Holidays will be a spirited Simchat Torah (“Rejoicing in the Torah”) celebration on Monday, Oct. 8, 5:30 p.m., featuring singing, dancing, plus the synagogue’s first-time-ever “Scroll Roll.” Congregants and guests will stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the community court to assist in unrolling -and then holding up– an entire Torah scroll, so that all in attendance can marvel at the intricate writings and enjoy the unique display. After the scroll is completely unrolled, Rabbi Mordechai Levin will point out a variety of passages and explain how and why they were written. Snacks and beverages will be served during the festivities, and as a treat, each child in attendance will receive a bag of treats at the end of the evening. The Simchat Torah celebration continues on Tuesday, Oct. 9, during a special 9:30 a.m. service, when dedicated congregants Jerry Gordman and Holly Weill will be honored as Hatan Torah and Kallah Bereshit, respectively. Gordman’s past involvement at the synagogue includes serving as school committee chairman, treasurer and vice president of the Board of Trustees. He is probably best
known to many as the congregant who has assumed the shofar-blowing duties for the High Holidays for the past 40some years; he recently entertained Beth El’s Talmud Torah students with a demonstration on the first day of religious school. For years, Weill has been a familiar face at Beth El, teaching BESTT classes, leading children’s Shabbat programming, singing in the choir, chairing the Young Families Shabbaton, and chanting Haftarah during services. She is a past member of the synagogue’s Board of Trustees, and currently serves on the BESTT committee and the Young A d u l t C ommitte e, where she is part of the planning team for the Jerry Gordman dazzled Beth El students congregawith his shofar-blowing talents during the tion’s “Our opening-day assembly of the religious school. Sh abb at Tables” project. “Giving back to Beth El is important to me,” Weill said. “As a teen, I was given amazing opportunities through the support of Beth El’s clergy and staff. Those opportunities taught me to live a meaningful life. “I think the most important thing is to make sure the kids who participate in our programming now find the same sense of meaning that I did so they will continue to give back as an adult.” Rabbi Levin expressed gratitude to both honorees, saying, “Both of these individuals truly have set a wonderful example with the dedication and passion they have shown toward our congregation. We appreciate congregants such as Jerry and Holly, and hope they continue their commitment and involvement with Beth El for many years to come.” The synagogue’s Simchat Torah festivities are a wonderful way to end the High Holidays, Rabbi Levin noted, adding that, “our doors are open to the entire Jewish community to celebrate with us.”
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TSABARI/MOSS
Aly Bowers and Alex Bollinger of Grand Rapids, MI, were married on Aug. 25 in Omaha at Lauritzen Gardens. The ceremony was performed by Rabbi Michael Tillman. The bride is daughter of Lucy and Kirk Bowers of Lincoln. She graduated from Drake University, and she earned her masters in Pyschology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She is manager of Hot Mama Boutique. She is the granddaughter of Sally Arenson and the late Stanley Arenson of Lincoln, and the late Jeanne and John Bowers of Lincoln. The groom is the son of Cathy and Dwight Bollinger. He graduated from Drake University. He earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and is an Orthopaedic Surgery Resident in Grand Rapids, MI. He is the grandson of Eleonore Bollinger and the late Edgar Bollinger of Bismark, ND, and Jo and Dwayne Harder of Souix Falls, SD, and the late Elizabeth Harder of Minneapolis, MN. Following a wedding trip to Bay Harbor, MI, the couple resides in Grand Rapids, MI.
Gal Tsabari and Josh Moss of Jerusalem, Israel, were married on Aug. 9 in Jerusalem, Israel, at Beit Shmuel. The bride is the daughter of Eadie and Eitan Tsabari. She is pursuing a degree in Psycho-Biology at Hebrew University. She was surrounded under the chuppah by her sister, Effie Tsabari, and her brothers, Ron Tsabari and Onie Tsabari. She is the granddaughter of the late Helen and Joe Fishel, and the late Nachman Tsabari and Mazel Tsabari of Jerusalem. The groom is the son of Ellie and Joel Moss of Montreal, Canada, and Jerusalem, Israel. He is attending Hebrew University medical school. Standing under the chuppah with the groom were his sister, Chava Kleinman and his brothers, Yitzhak Moss, Emanuel Moss and Noah Moss. He is the grandson of Ruth and Alan Shiner of Montreal, Canada, and the late Ruby and Marcus Moss. The couple resides in Jerusalem, Israel.
Birth Erin and Aaron Berger of Kansas City, MO, announce the Sept. 10 birth of their son, Eli Finn. He is named for his great-grandmothers, Esther Rice and Frances Berger. Grandparents are Jody and Neal (Buzz) Malashock and Margaret and Arthur Berger of Leawood, KS.
The Jewish Press office is closed Wednesday, Sept. 26 for Yom Kippur, and Monday, Oct. 1 for Sukkot.
Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS There will not be a Breadbreakers session on Wednesday, Sept. 26, due to the Yom Kippur holiday. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org. LOMIR REDN YIDDISH It has been said that Yiddish doesn’t only have words, it also has an attitude. Leo Rosten wrote “Yiddish never takes its tongue out of its cheeks!” Join us at the Rose Bumkin Home’s Boardroom, at 1-3 p.m., every Thursday.
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6 | The Jewish Press | September 21, 2012
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Temple Israel prepares for exodus with Sukkot picnic at new building by DAVID GOLBITZ be given around the outside of the new building. Temple Israel Staff Writer “That’s what Sukkot is about. It’s about going out in the As the Temple Israel congregation continues to plan its field, outside of our homes and remembering that our exodus from its Cass Street home, the holiday of Sukkot, homes extend outside the walls,” Rabbi Brown said. Most of the new building’s parking lots are paved, accordwhich commemorates the 40 years of wandering in the ing to Rob Zimmerman of desert after the Jewish exodus Project Advocates. The founfrom Egypt, seems a perfect dation walls are complete, as opportunity to introduce the are the foundations themcongregation to its new, asselves. The limestone is curyet-unfinished home on rently being fabricated and Sterling Ridge Drive. Temple Israel invites the shipped from Israel. The community to come together facade stone will begin to be on Erev Sukkot, Sunday, installed in October. Sept. 30, for an evening picIf you’ve driven past the nic, complete with sukkah, at construction site on 132nd 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive, Street, you might have the site of the new, still-undernoticed the structural steel construction Temple Israel. being erected. The lower “Sukkot is a holiday followlevel, administration wing ing our most introspective and social hall are nearly Construction progresses at site of Temple Israel's future home. time of the year. It asks us to complete, Zimmerman said. get out and do something very concrete, to build a sukkah, Over the next few months, placement of the main level conand also to be out in the elements and to feel the world,” crete slab will begin, as will the placement of the structural steel Rabbi Josh Brown said. “We’re in the midst of building this of the sanctuary. The exterior walls will also be constructed. building, so it’s the obvious time for us as a community to go If you plan on attending Temple Israel’s Sukkot picnic, and see the hard work that’s being done, the concrete work please RSVP at RSVP@templeisraelomaha.com or call that’s going on, so that we can engage in the land that we’re Program Director Wendy Goldberg at 402.556.6536. Those going to occupy.” with last names that begin A-L are asked to bring a side dish, The service and picnic will begin with the Erev Sukkot while M-Z are asked to bring a dessert. Temple Israel will service at 5 p.m. in the parking lot of the new building. provide the main dish. If it rains, the service and picnic will There will be a sukkah in the parking lot and brief tours will be held indoors at the current Temple Israel.
Blumkin Home County Fair attracts delighted crowds by OZZIE NOGG When the 4th Annual old-fashioned County Fair came to Main Street at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, participants found the auditorium decorated to look like a colorful merry-go-round, complete with displays of real live sheep, chickens and bunny rabbits with ribbons -- courtesy of Jacqueline Ericson and her 4H group -- plus prizewinning vegetables and plants from local community members. RBJH resident Bea Sommer took first place in the horticulture division with pussy willows she cut from her private garden before moving to the Home. Cleverly tying her entry to her name, Ms. Sommer decoRabbi Weiss with his prize pig. rated the pussy willows with tiny plastic bees. In non-horticulture competition, RBJH resident Bernie Meyers won Best of Show with the rough draft of his memoir, a book described by fans as a long-time, work-in-progress. Norm Zevitz, another fun-loving resident of the Home, won the Rooster Crowing Contest, and Joe Boin, who lives at Livingston Plaza, acted as Balloon Man for the day. Mary Heiman, a Blumkin Home Activity Director, chaired the event which included a tractor pull game designed by Nurses Manager, Natalie Osborne, RN. “It was a big hit and brought out the competitive spirit in the residents,” Heiman said. Another highlight of the day was a performance by the Chickendale Dancers, a unique song and dance troupe comprised of Mike Silverman, Federation CEO; Mike Schop, RBJH Assistant Administrator; Josh Gurock, RBJH Director of Facility Services, who doubled as choreographer; Mike Aparo, Director of Food Service; and Chris Ulven, RBJH Comptroller. “Mike Silverman went hog wild getting this group together,” Heiman said, “and Joanie Bernstein eventually convinced them to show some bare leg.” The hoofers also showed bald-faced chutzpah. According to Schop, “The five of us spent countless hours practicing our routine. Countless, because there were no practice hours to count.” Fair goers agreed that the Chickendale Dancers entertained and amazed, and were the biggest attraction this side of the tractor pull. Not to be outdone by the burly terpsichoreans, chorines from the RBJH Therapy Department strutted their stuff in a chicken dance with guest star, three-year old Gavin Menagh, son of Karen Menagh of the Blumkin Home Activities Department and her husband Shawn, a volunteer at the Home. “Gavin also entered the tractor pull,” Bernstein said. “He made the day for all of us. He’s quite a ham.”
The Main Street midway featured County Fair food and carnival games -- funnel cakes, lemonade, popcorn and ice cream sundaes, a pop-the-balloon booth, milk bottle toss, face painting, cupcake walk, plus a Chicken Hat Contest with chapeaux designed by Rose Blumkin Jewish Home staff. Little Gavin Menagh won the contest and received a $10 Hy-Vee gift certificate for his efforts. RBJH resident Myrna Diamond presided over a Kisses and Compliments Booth. “Myrna passed out chocolate kisses, along with glowing compliments to everyone who stopped by her booth,” said Maggie Conti, Blumkin Home Director of Activities and Outreach Programs. “Myrna always has such nice things to say, every day.” The County Fair is a much anticipated end-of-summer event at the Blumkin Home. “The whole day was total fun,” Joanie Bernstein said, “from the Balloon Booth, to the stuffed animals and the real farm animals. No other facility has dancers like our Chickendales or the ‘chick’ dancers from our therapy department.” Heiman agreed. “The entertainment, food and music made for a wonderful fair atmosphere that everyone enjoyed. The resident exhibits were a delight to see, and I want to thank the staff from both the Blumkin Home and the JCC, along with our volunteers, for their involvement and help.”
In the news Williams Venker & Sanders partner, Steve Wasserman will serve as an Adjunct Professor at Saint Louis University School of Law for the Fall Semester of 2012. He will teach Trial Advocacy I. For over 20 years, Steve has represented hospitals, doctors, nurses, therapists and other health care providers in medical negligence lawsuits throughout Missouri and southern and central Illinois. In addition to his practice, he also serves on the Williams Venker & Sanders Management Committee where he participates in key decision-making and the overall development of the firm. He is the son of Phyllis Wasserman.
September 21, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 7
Enjoy healthy lives in the comfort of your home by KATHY LANGDON Caring Senior Service (CSS) is dedicated to making positive changes in the lives of seniors and their families. We enhance the lives of our clients every day. As one of the very few senior home care companies to reach 20 years of age, we have a lot to be proud of. CSS is committed to delivering unparalleled home care solutions and giving back to the communities where our employees live and work. CSS provides affordable, non-medical services and safety care technologies that give you the control you need to live healthy, happy and at home. Personal Care is one of our most important duties. We are able to help with simple tasks like getting dressed, more difficult actions like bathing, or even total assistance with all personal care. Our staff is oriented to your specific needs so you always have someone who is trained in the task you require. Duties include bathing (using bath, shower, or bed bath), oral hygiene, dressing, incontinence, mobility, following exercise regimen, or any other personal care need. Our flat, hourly rate does not go up based on the amount of personal care a person may require. As a senior ages, the amount of medicationshe or she takes often increases. Sometimes
the sheer volume of pills can confuse people. CSS caregivers can assist in medication management through tracking of medication times, dosages and types to be taken. We conduct a complete inventory of medications upon admission, which we constantly update as needed. CSS can provide a companion for a senior who lives alone, or is alone for portions of the day We can spend this time reading, sharing stories and providing needed social interaction. CSS also recognizes that caring for a sick or disabled loved one can require full-time attention. Families and spouses often need time to themselves to regroup or to tend to other needs – such as running errands or attending to personal business. Let us offer you respite care. For over 20 years, since the company’s founding in San Antonio, Texas in 1991, we have assisted seniors at home. CSS takes enormous pride in providing quality senior homecare. Let CSS help you make aging comfortably your first option. Be happy, healthy at home with Caring Senior Service. Call 402.683.7326 now to schedule an assessment or visit our website for more information at CaringSenior Service.com.
It’s the Beat! on the Mighty 1290 KOIL by NORMA JOHNSON Do you want to feel the “pulse” of what is happening in the field of entertainment and the arts in Omaha and the world this week? Then tune into The Mighty 1290 KOIL AM at noon on Saturday for It’s the Beat! with Karen Sokolof Javitch and Jody Vinci. If you missed the Sept. 15 broadcast, you can hear it at www.Itsthe beat.net. The Sept. 15 interviews begin with one of Omaha’s favorite musicians – Tuffy Epstein. “He shared his motivation behind becoming a jazz musician and a teacher in Omaha for 32 years!” Jody reflects. Another guest, Steve Marantz, a Central High School graduate who is an ESPN writer talked about his book: The Rhythm Boys of Omaha Central: High School Basketball at the ’68 Racial Divide. This book was named ‘Best sports book of 2011’ by ForeWord Review. “My brother Steve and I didn’t attend Central High School, but that didn’t matter because we could-
n’t put the book down. The Rhythm Boys was so enlightening about that time period in Omaha’s history,” Karen commented. Guest Christine Fiore, who is working on a movie – The Persian Pickle Club, and her husband Mauro, who won an Oscar in cinematology for Avatar, shared their experience in film. Concerned about your children and grandchildren because of the prominence of bullying in schools? Then you won’t want to miss this Saturday’s interview with Dr. Patricia Newman, Founder & Director of RESPECT, a program using drama to help promote positive relationships. Also, Andee Hoig and Bob Hoig will tell about their journalism careers that earned them the honor of being the first father-daughter pair to become “The Face on the Barroom Floor” at the upcoming Sept. 27 event! Don’t forget to check out the great movies this week at Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater, our sponsor!
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Beth El’s sukkah-building is an effort of dedication and friendship by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Every fall, year after year, you will see them: Beth El’s dedicated Men’s Club members, up bright and early, congregating in the front courtyard at Beth El to construct the synagogue’s elaborate sukkah, in
convincing enough of my friends to give up a Sunday morning or two to help out.”) Building the sukkah “has always seemed like such a natural way for the Men’s Club to contribute to the synagogue,” he noted. “For many, it is the first Men’s Club activity that they participate in. It really becomes a great
After the two-by-fours and leaves are placed, and decorations hung. the completed sukkah is home to congregational and community celebrations. preparation for the holiday of Sukkot. This is no small undertaking, according to this year’s sukkah-building coordinator, Mark Kelln. A steel support structure must be erected first, followed by two-by-fours which lay across the structure. Bamboo rolls are then spread across the top of the lumber, and large leaves are scattered on top of the rolls. Finally, screens are hung along the sides to complete the sukkah, and after the construction is complete, the congregation’s children and teenagers share their artistic talents to decorate the festive space. All in all, the construction process takes place over the course of two mornings, he said – about eight hours total -- “and two weeks later,” Kelln said, “it all has to come down again.” Building the sukkah has long been a Men’s Club tradition, and Kelln has participated for about 10 years, directing the effort for the past six. (“‘Directing’ may be the wrong word,” he joked. “My main job is
social opportunity. Holding a 12-foot, 200pound steel beam nine feet off the ground above your friends’ heads is certainly a good team- and trust-building exercise.” He added that the project is also appealing to many because “it is so different than what we do each day. This gives me an opportunity to work with my hands and build something that the rest of the community can use. Most of all, I enjoy it because it is something that we do together. We have a great group of guys!” This year’s sukkah-building effort is planned for Sunday, Sept. 23, 8 a.m., and Sunday, Sept. 30, 8 a.m., and everyone over the age of 18 is welcome to roll up their sleeves and lend a hand. Bagels and coffee provide fuel for the workers, and, Kelln says, “It’s a very rewarding way to spend a few hours and hang out with some of the best folks in Omaha!” For more information about helping, contact Kelln at markkelln@yahoo.com.
Full-time Sales Executive
The Jewish Press is looking for a full-time Sales Executive to sell advertising in our newspaper. Qualifications and duties: • Excellent interpersonal and telephone skills. • Researching new businesses and making presentations to solicit ads. • Maintaining contact with current advertisers. • Join business networking groups to search for new clients. • Work with bookkeeper to ensure all accounts are correct. • Ability to function independently, have flexibility, maintain confidentiality, • personal integrity and the ability to work effectively and professionally with • the staff of the Jewish Press, the Jewish Federation of Omaha and it’s • agencies’ employees. • Communicate in an understandable manner with staff and visitors to the Press, • as well as with advertisers, subscribers and staff in the building. • Ability to manage multiple tasks. If interested, please send your resume and cover letter to: Annette va de Kamp Wright at avandekamp@jewish omaha.org or fax it to 402.334.6484. We are an equal opportunity employer; background check required.
8 | The Jewish Press | September 21, 2012
Point of view
American Jewish Press Association Award Winner
Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008
What comes next
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press People in Cairo are angry, and protests are once again showcased on the nightly news. Windows are smashed, flags are burned, and voices are raised. Similar scenes are playing out in Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Tunisia, Libya, and Lebanon. The anger has also spread to Morocco, Bangladesh, Sudan, and possibly Pakistan. These are familiar scenes, except this time the mass protests are not directed at corrupt and oppressive local regimes, they are, instead, fueled by anti-American sentiment. These are zealots, and although they have the right to stand up for what they believe in, their definition of “standing up” is quite different from ours. We watch the flags burn, and we find any sympathy we may have had during the Arab Spring slip away. “At a time when our public discourse can too often seem harsh,” President Barack Obama said in his Rosh Hashanah message, “when society too often focuses on what divides us instead of what unites us; I hope that Americans of all faiths can take this opportunity to reach out to those who are less fortunate; to be tolerant of our neighbors, and to recognize ourselves in one another.” That’s a really nice message, no matter what side of the political spectrum you find yourself on. It would be even nicer if we were all able to heed it, and not just in our own neighborhoods, but across the planet. But this week, that seems sort of hard. With the latest events fresh in our minds, does anyone still believe we can all get along, if we just try hard enough? Some days, I must admit, I don’t know. It was 11 years ago that we were all confronted with humanity’s limitations. Then, as we often remind ourselves, we responded with a united voice. But did we really? Unity has its limits. A few days after 9/11, I spotted a Moslem effigy hanging from a tree; someone’s idea of a
Halloween decoration. In the years since, it has become more and more obvious how toxic the relationship between the West and the Middle East really is. Finding those who will accuse all for the crimes of a few is not difficult on either side. We say that the Middle East is a powder keg, and it is, but at the same time, there’s a lot of anger on this side of the world as well. Flying a plane into a building full of civilians will do that.
Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens And so, on the best of days, we tread a careful path of mutual distrust. We suspect there are regular people in Libya, in Egypt, in Iran, but we too often hear from those who hate America to remember the others. I suspect many people in other countries feel the same way about the West. And when an Ambassador is brutally slaughtered, under cover of protests that flare up in response to an insulting film, the
voice for peace becomes nothing more than a whisper. In short: things are complicated. The question is: where do we go from here? What comes next? I think it is important to take a close look at what actually happened in Benghazi. There is a difference between angry crowds who voice their displeasure and burn flags. That’s ugly and uncomfortable, but here’s the thing: we know what they are angry about. And as much as we may disagree with the way they voice their displeasure, we do not doubt that it was inspired by that dumb anti-Mohammed movie. The murders at the Consulate, however, are something else. The men that drove onto the compound that night didn’t do what they did because they were angry about that movie. What they were there for was to brutally attack Americans, and they did so with scary accuracy. It was not a spontaneous outburst, it was planned, and they came prepared. It is no coincidence that mere miles from Benghazi a highly organized Al Qaida training camp has been established. Because Al Qaida doesn’t want peace. They thrive on conflict. The worst thing that can happen to Al Qaida, what would in fact mean their demise, is if the relationship between the Moslem world and the West, and the United States in particular, would improve. And so Al Qaida will not idly stand by while these protests are happening; instead, they will take advantage of the situation and add murder to the mix, thereby ensuring the already feeble relationship further deteriorates. The ball, unfortunately, is in our court. It is up to us to try to make this better. That does not seem fair, because American lives were lost. The price we, as a nation, pay for the few uneducated simpletons who made that movie is totally out of proportion. But if we allow Al Qaida to set the tone and the terms of the discourse between the Middle East and the West, we have already lost.
Ahmadinejad’s enhanced legitimacy must be challenged
Behind the headlines LAWRENCE GROSSMAN NEW YORK (JTA) -- When world leaders converge on New York this month, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will again be present. The occasion is the opening of the United Nations General Assembly session. This time, though, Ahmadinejad comes with enhanced diplomatic credentials. He is no longer just head of Iran; he also chairs the 120-member strong Non-Aligned Movement. Countries in the Non-Aligned Movement constitute nearly two-thirds of the U.N. membership. The last time they gathered was in Tehran in late August for the movement’s summit. It wasn’t just lower-level diplomats who were present but also 24 presidents, three kings, eight vice presidents and 50 foreign ministers. They unanimously endorsed Iranian policies, many of which are acts of defiance against international norms. One would have to go back to the 1936 Nazi Olympics to find a more blatant international whitewash of a rogue regime. Adolf Hitler by then had ruled Germany for three years. Publicly committed to overturning the results of World War I, making Germany the supreme power in Europe and combating what it deemed the menace of world Jewry, his regime had outlawed dissent; imprisoned, tortured and killed thousands of political opponents; begun a rearmament program; occupied the Rhineland in violation of treaty obligations; and enacted the Nuremberg Laws depriving Jews of citizenship. Nevertheless, no nation boycotted the Berlin Olympics, and Hitler used the spectacle to cement his international legitimacy. Fast forward to the present. Iran’s leadership, intent on becoming the leading regional power, has denied the
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Holocaust and publicly committed itself to wipe Israel off the map. It has outlawed dissent; imprisoned, tortured and killed political opponents, religious minorities and gays; and is developing the capacity to produce nuclear weapons in defiance of the United Nations and in the teeth of economic sanctions leveled by the United States, the European Union and others. This record is crystal clear. Yet, no Non-Aligned Movement member boycotted the Tehran summit, which the Iranian leadership used to cement its international legitimacy. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon participated, against the advice of many who felt that his presence would lend undue credibility to a regime that repeatedly had demonstrated contempt for the world body. To his credit, the secretary-general in his address criticized Iran for human-rights abuses and threats against Israel, and urged it to comply with U.N. resolutions. But his was a lone voice and it was ignored. The assembled delegates sat quietly as Iranian speakers reiterated the old charges against the United States and Israel. And the 120-member summit rubber-stamped a 680-point document that seems likely to sow the seeds of further trouble. Three points in the text are particularly menacing. First, Israel was condemned for its nuclear program, whereas Iran’s nuclear program, falsely described as being for peaceful uses only, was pronounced to be Tehran’s “inalienable right.” Thus a healthy majority of U.N. General Assembly nations have undermined the sanctions regime backed by the U.N. Security Council and encouraged the Iranian nuclear gambit, which the International Atomic Energy Agency reports is close to fruition. Second, the summit condemned terrorism but declared that “the legitimate struggle of peoples under colonial or alien domination or foreign occupation” was not terrorism. Thus, two-thirds of the General Assembly approved of the
Iranian-supported Hezbollah, since it is ostensibly aimed at the Israeli “occupiers.” And third, Israeli occupation is identified as the primary cause of the Arab-Israeli conflict and ending it as the proper means to secure peace in the region. For good measure, the document accuses Israel of mass torture and of efforts to eradicate the historic Islamic heritage in Jerusalem. The Palestinian refusal to negotiate a two-state solution or to acknowledge the profound Jewish connection to Jerusalem is absent. Non-Aligned Movement members pledged support for renewed Palestinian efforts to secure U.N. recognition, a decision that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas immediately cited in announcing his plans to demand upgraded U.N. status when he addresses the General Assembly on Sept. 27. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei called the Tehran summit a great success for Iran and a “humiliating defeat” for its enemies. He even described the event as a showcase demonstrating the superiority of the Iranian system over Western democracy. That’s eerily similar to what Hitler, Germany’s supreme leader, thought the Nazi Olympics achieved for his regime in 1936. The parallels are frightening. Canada, a vibrant democracy and not a Non-Aligned Movement member, has severed diplomatic ties with Tehran. Its foreign minister described Iran unambiguously as “the most significant threat to global peace and security in the world today.” As Iran moves closer to a nuclear bomb, suppresses democracy and continues to threaten Israel, much depends on whether the international community, set to gather this month at the United Nations, remains in thrall to the movement’s approach or emulates Canadian courage. Lawrence Grossman is the American Jewish Committee’s director of publications.
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September 21, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 9
Cooling the rhetoric in your sukkah of peace
Focus on issues EDMON J. RODMAN LOS ANGELES (JTA) -- In an election year, a sukkah divided against itself cannot stand. Especially in the swing states, where each party is basically claiming that if the other wins we'll all be living in sukkahs, political dinner conversation this Sukkot could really topple an already shaky house. With potential verbal sparring over which candidate is best for Israel, health care and increasing Uncle Bernie’s chances of finally landing a job, the evening has all the hallmarks of a below the Beltway battle. For the festival, we are supposed to build a "sukkah sh’lomechah" -- a sukkah of peace. But how much peace can there be in the confines of a small hut when your family or friends are divided about who is getting their vote for president? In our season of joy in this election season, will our guests be unhappy and at odds like the lulav and etrog before they are assembled -- willow, myrtle, palm -- disparate elements seeking a whole? As Lyndon Johnson said in quoting Isaiah, “Come now let us reason together.” How best can we come together over our differences and keep a holiday sense of joy and camaraderie? Should we be politically correct with the ushpizim -- the guests from the Bible that are symbolically invited, one each night, into the sukkah -- and for every liberal Hillel ask in a conservative Shammai. Politics and family dinners seldom seem a good match. As a child, I remember a Passover when two of my uncles nearly came to blows over what my mother described later simply as “politics,” and another seder that was almost ruined when my mother and her brother tussled over the morality of Woody Allen. How about just invoking and enforcing the universal table
rule of no conversations about politics, religion or sex? It’s a plan, but just try selling that to your libertarian dentist uncle, former flower child aunt or brother-in-law home for a visit from the West Bank. Where is all this division coming from? Despite our disagreements, aren’t Jews more or less a political bloc? Looking for advice about how to prepare for a politically divided sukkah, I contacted an expert on political issues and American Jewish affairs -- Steven Windmueller, emeritus professor at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles. A sukkah filled with Jews of divergent opinions was no surprise to Windmueller. Going against the commonly held view, he already had written that the “Jewish vote” was actually a “series of voting constituencies.” According to Windmueller, sitting around our sukkah tables we might find a mixture of these five groups: • Southern and Midwestern Jews, “who have longstanding family ties to these regions and their respective home communities,” he said. • Immigrant Jewish communities, who, arriving from Iran, the former Soviet Union or other societies, “frequently identify with the foreign policy principles of the Republican Party." • Traditional religious Jews, who “emulate the political patterns of the Christian evangelical community.” • Red diaper baby voters, who, like their grandparents, identify with “socialist causes and left-wing political ideas.” • Urban Jewish elites, who are supportive of Democratic Party candidates and identify with “an array of liberal organizations and often high-profile social causes.” Imagine a sukkah filled with one from each group trying to sway your lulav. When I explained to Windmueller my fears about a politically divided sukkah, he suggested that we each “Come to the table with an open hand.” And to be on the safe side, he also advised, with a laugh, to keep any knives off the table. Windmueller said the more recent division among Jews is
The holidays offer a universal message
not a result of turning Republican or flocking to the Democrats as much as becoming independents. He sees younger Jews especially as being tied less to the political orientation of their families. As to whether Jewish voters are turning away from President Obama, “The amount of movement we are seeing is actually small,” said Windmueller, which he estimated this election cycle at between 9 and 12 percent. He doesn’t see a dramatic change in the Jewish vote like in 2004 for Reagan or 2008 for George H. Bush. Windmueller adds that the issue of Israel, which has been receiving much partisan coverage in the Jewish media and has the most potential to cause a Sukkah conflagration -- is “not a top priority for many Jewish voters." "Not even in the top five,” he said, listing the economy, health care, Social Security and international terrorism as among the priorities of Jewish voters. As to how to help keep the holiday peace in this chargedup season, Windmueller suggested coming to the table “prepared” with more than just the usual political slogans. “You don’t want to lose friends and family over an election,” he said. “People are scared to have their minds changed,” said Windmueller, who rarely talks about politics at the dinner table and has found that even at temple speaking engagements, organizers often are nervous that he will sneak in an endorsement. For a more congenial evening, he also suggested sticking close to issues on which many Jews can still come together - the Iranian threat, the concern over civil order and the health of our society. Shaking those subjects together in each political direction might not bring an evening of peace, but at least we’d be talking. Edmon J. Rodman is a JTA columnist who writes on Jewish life from Los Angeles. Contact him at edmojace@ gmail.com.
Letter TO THE EDITOR
Focus on issues ADIN STEINSALTZ JERUSALEM (JTA) -- The start of the Jewish New Year, the month of Tishrei, is filled with holy days, among them four foundational celebrations: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah-Shemini Atzeret. They are quite different from one another. Yet we may also think of all four holidays as two pairs of two. The first two -- the day of memory and accounting and the day of atonement -are awe inspiring and grave compared with the last two festivals, which are days of joy. At the same time, the first three holidays do have a common denominator: As much as they are Jewish holidays, they carry a universal message. Embedded within them are three of humanity’s cardinal touchstones: accounting and judgment; mercy and atonement; and the joy of life. These attributes and qualities are essential to the lives of every human being. We mark the New Year by commemorating creation on the one hand and celebrating the Kingship of the Lord on the other. Both creation and God’s sovereignty pertain to all humankind and are not specifically Jewish. The Day of Atonement, too, is relevant to every human being. Life is full of mistakes and transgressions. Without atonement it would be unbearable to go on living with the unresolved and painful pieces of our past. Sukkot at first glance seems to be far more connected with Jewish history. Yet at its essence, the holiday is actually a festival of thanksgiving for what we have. We acknowledge the tranquility in our lives and express our gratitude for Divine gifts. Moreover, our sages teach us that during Sukkot -- in the days of the Holy Temple -- 70 bulls were offered to God in the name of the 70 nations of the world. As the prophet Zachariah foretells, in the days to come it is on Sukkot that all the peoples of the world will come as pilgrims to the
Temple in Jerusalem (14:16-21). This combination of the particular and the universal is not just one more interesting point; it is the key for understanding the meaning of these three holidays. In all our other celebrations, and perhaps in Jewish religious life in general, we stress the specificity of Jewish existence. Most of our holidays and memorial days are deeply connected with our own history. In Tishrei, however, we focus on our fundamental humanity, on the fact that we are human beings with great problems. In this context, humanity is not defined as a group of human beings. Here we speak of our basic humanity -humanity as a quality. The very touchstones that we mark in Tishrei are what make us human. The essence of the universality of these holidays, then, is not in the point of sharing with others, it is in delving into ourselves in order to reveal and find some of the fundamentals of our existence. We explore and acknowledge what is universal to all humankind within our own selves. The fourth and last of the holidays of Tishrei, Shemini Atzeret (and with it Simchat Torah), stands in clear contrast to the first three. As beautifully depicted by our sages, the King made a great banquet to which he invited all the citizens of his realm. At the end of these feasts, he called his most beloved friend and said now that all these big events are over, let us have a small banquet just for the two of us (tractate Sukkah 55b). Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz has written more than 60 books and hundreds of articles on the Talmud, kabbalah and chasidut.
EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE AND OFFICE CLOSING The Jewish Press office is closed Wednesday, Sept. 26 for Yom Kippur, and Monday, Oct. 1 for Sukkot; the deadline for the Oct. 5 issue is Tuesday, Sept. 25, 9 a.m. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.
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Dear Editor: I would like to personally thank all of the campus staff who made the Rose Blumkin Home’s car show a great success. I would like to thank Richard at the Jewish Press who made brilliant ads to welcome car enthusiasts to our show. I would also like to thank Matt Chadek and Josh Gurock for providing necessary materials to make the show run as smoothly as possible, and the RBJH kitchen staff for their help with the ice cream social. A great big thank you to the LOVE program and Lois Wine for hosting such a memorable day! A thank you to the community members who brought in vehicles or spread the word about the show. Finally I want to thank the Activities Department at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home for all the efforts of communication, arrangements, and advertising around the community. Great team work everyone!! Karen Menagh, Activities Director at RBJH
Biden: ‘No daylight’ on Iran by DANIEL TREIMAN Vice President Joe Biden reportedly told Jewish leaders that there was “no daylight” between the U.S. and Israel on Iran. JTA reports: At a Rosh Hashanah reception at his residence, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said “there is no daylight” between the United States and Israel when it comes to Iran. Biden, in a short address before the reception Wednesday on the grounds of the Naval Observatory in northwest Washington, reaffirmed the Obama administration’s commitment to Israel’s security. According to tweets posted by Nathan Diament, the Washington director of the Orthodox Union, Biden said that “Both our nations are intently focused on the threat of Iran” and “there is no daylight” between the United States and Israel.
10 | The Jewish Press | September 21, 2012
Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 402.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com For information on our historic synagogue – dates and times for Friday night services, please call 712.323.8885. TUESDAY: Kol Nidre services, 7:30 p.m. with guest, Dr. Leonard Greenspoon, Ten Passages: They might well surprise you or perplex you -- and they are all in the Bible. WEDNESDAY: Services, 10:30 a.m. with guest speaker Beth Katz, Unraveling assumptions about Religious and Spiritual Identity; Concluding service and Break-the-fast potluck, 5:30 p.m. Please call 712.323.8885 to RSVP and let us know what dish you’d like to bring.
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 Mordechai Levin, Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation (3-7), 10 a.m.; Kiddush given by Beth El; Evening Services, 7:10 p.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. SUNDAY: Sukkah Building, 8 a.m., as members construct the synagogue’s sukkah. Everyone welcome; bagels and beverages will be served. For more information, contact Mark Kelln at markkelln@yahoo.com; BESTT Classes, 9:45 a.m.; Torah Study Group, 10 a.m.; Torah Tots, 10:30 a.m. New, funfilled class for preschoolers and their parents, led by Naomi Gaca. MONDAY: Wrestling with Rabbis of the Talmud, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham. TUESDAY: Kol Nidre, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Morning service (Yizkor), 9 a.m.; Family Service, 10:30 a.m.; Tot Service, 11:30 a.m.; Study session, 5:30 p.m.; Minha-Ne’ilah service, 6 p.m.; Children’s procession, 7:35 p.m. (meet in the chapel at 7:20 p.m.); Sounding of the Shofar, around 7:45 p.m. Join Men’s Club for Sukkah Building on Sunday, Sept. 30, at 8 a.m., as members construct the synagogue’s sukkah. Everyone welcome; bagels and beverages will be served. For more information, contact Mark Kelln at markkelln@ yahoo.com. 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: Mon.-Thurs., 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fri., 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross and Rabbi Yitzchak Mizrahi. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:05 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Free babysitting service begins at 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes begin with Torah Parade, 9:45 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored in honor of September Simchas; The Laws of Shabbat, 4:45 p.m.; Advanced Parshah Study for Kids (ages 10 and up), 5:45 p.m.; Rabbi Gross’s Twitter Topic class, 5:45 p.m.; Mincha, 6:45 p.m., followed by Seuda Shlishit; Havdalah, 8:03 p.m. SUNDAY: Gemara class, 8 a.m., learning tractate Kiddushin; Shacharit, 9 a.m. followed by breakfast; Help put up and decorate the synagogue’s sukkah following breakfast; Sukkot Children’s Activity, 10:15 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Tashlich service, 5 p.m. at Trendwood Park, 132nd & Pacific Streets; Tashlich Spaghetti Dinner, 6 p.m. at the synagogue. TUESDAY: Mincha, 4:30 p.m.; Kol Nidre, 6:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Torah Reading, 9:30 a.m.; Sermon, 10 a.m., followed by Yizkor; The Book of Yonah class, 4:45 p.m. with Rabbi Gross; Mincha, 5:45 p.m.; Neilah, 6:45 p.m.; Fast Ends, 7:56 p.m.; Break-the-fast
MEMORIAL SERVICES Sunday, September 23 Oak Hills/Bikhor Cholim, Council Bluffs, 10 a.m. Beth El Cemetery, 84th and ‘L’ Sts., 11:45 a.m. Temple Israel Cemetery, 6412 No. 42 St., 1 p.m. Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, 3 p.m.
Candlelighting Friday, September 21, 7:05 p.m. | Tuesday, September 25, no earlier than 6:58 p.m.
Dinner, 8 p.m. THURSDAY: Women of the Torah class, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Gross; Weekly Med Center Class, 1 p.m.
CHABAD CENTER 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: Minyan, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Minyan, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush luncheon follows the service sponsored in honor of yartzeit of Rebbitzin Chana Schneerson. SUNDAY: Minyan, 8:30 a.m. followed by Breakfast Bonanza. WEEKDAYS: Minyan, 7 a.m. TUESDAY: Mincha, 3 p.m.; Kol Nidre, 6 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Morning Services, 9 a.m.; Evening Services, 6 p.m.; Fast Ends, 7:55 p.m. 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: Shabbat Shuva Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. celebrating the baby naming of Jaydin Rae Parker, daughter of Mari Malcom and Eric Parker, with oneg following hosted by Lori and Mark Schwartz. SATURDAY: Shabbat Shuva Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Vayelech. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Board of Trustees, 1 p.m. TUESDAY: Yom Kippur Evening Service, 8 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Yom Kippur Children’s Service (Parents are encouraged to attend) 9 a.m.; Yom Kippur Morning Service, 10 a.m.; Yom Kippur Afternoon Service, Yizkor (Memorial Service), and Neilah (Concluding Service), 3 p.m.; Break-theFast Potluck, 6 p.m. Tot Shabbat with Ms. Jennifer, Friday, Sept. 28, 6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway | Offutt AFB, NE 68113 | 402.294.6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME
WEDNESDAY: Yom Kippur Services with Yizkor, 9 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg; Mincha & Neilah, 4 p.m. led by Marti Nerenstone. Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.
TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street | Omaha, NE 68132-2651 | 402.556.6536 www.templeisrael-ne.org FRIDAY: Shabbat Shuva 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.; Tashlich at Elmwood Park following Shabbat. SUNDAY: Teachers Meeting, 9:30 a.m.; Grades PreK-6, 10 a.m.; OTYG Yom Kippur Rehearsal, noon; Kol Rina Rehearsal and quartet, 1 p.m. TUESDAY: Sitter Service, 7 p.m.; Kol Nidre Service, 7:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Tot Service, 9 a.m.; Children’s service (K3), 9 a.m. led by Rabbi Brown and OTYG; Morning Service, 10:15 a.m.; Sermon Discussion, 12:30 p.m. with Rabbi Brown; Yom Kippur Teaching, 1:30 p.m. with Rabbi Ariel; Moments of Remembrance, 1:30 p.m. with Marla Cohen, MS Licensed Mental Health Professional and Licensed Professional Counsler; Reflection and Planning, 2:30 p.m. with Rabbi Samuel Joseph; Musical Interlude, 2:30 p.m.; Afternoon service/Yizkor/Neilah/Havdalah, 3:45 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: Services, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Study Session on Eicha, 9:30 a.m.; Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush lunch. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel. TUESDAY: The office will be closed; Kol Nidre Service, 6:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY: The office will be closed and there is no Hebrew School; Yom Kippur Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Youth Services, 11 a.m.; Mincha/Neilah/Ma’ariv, 6 p.m.; Havdalah, 8 p.m. with Break-the-fast meal to follow meal at about 8:15 p.m. Tot Shabbat with Ms. Jennifer, Friday, Sept. 28, 6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.
323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg; SUNDAY: Beth Israel Teens meet the residents, 3 p.m. TUESDAY: Kol Nidre, 7 p.m. led by Andy Greenberg.
Introduction to Judaism Course begins Oct. 15 by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Life The Center for Jewish Life announces the return offering of its Introduction to Judaism course beginning on Oct. 15 and continuing through March 11, 2013 on Mondays from 7–8:15 p.m. in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library. The class is designed to introduce the adult learner to the wealth and richness of Judaism as a religious culture. Some topics covered in the 20 session course include Jewish history, ethics and theology, life cycle events, the Jewish calendar, mitzvoth, Jewish contributions to the world, Zionism, anti-Semitism and Jewish texts. The purpose of the course is to offer a gateway into Judaism for those who are exploring their spiritual options. It is also a starting point for Jewish adults who are looking for a comprehensive course to give them the background to continue Jewish learning. The course was developed several years ago with input of Rabbis Azriel, Gross and Levin to meet the need of a single basic Judaism class for the Omaha community. Judy Rosenfeld, Judaic Studies Educator, is the instructor for the course. Judy received her Bachelor’s Degree in Judaic Studies from Brooklyn College. She has been a Jewish educator in the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform communities for over twenty years. Most recently
she served as the Educational Director for the Congregation B’nai Israel in Toms River, New Jersey. In discussing the course, Rosenfeld commented, “Judaism has a rich and vibrant history that dates back thousands of years. Throughout this course, I am excited to share this history along with Jewish beliefs and practice. We will also discuss important contributions that Judaism has made to humanity and its influence and relevance in the world today.” The course is free of charge to members in good standing with the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Tuition for nonmembers 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 Center for Jewish Life page. You may also contact Mark Kirchhoff at 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 Center for Jewish Life, ATTN: Mark Kirchhoff, 333 S. 132nd Street, Omaha, NE 68154. Pre-registration is required. The deadline for registration in Sept. 28.
Pulverent e
September 21, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 11
Life is not a carnival
Sparks from the word
Child Saving Institute presents Touch-A-Truck family event
RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Yom Kippur In our neck of the woods, now and then a traveling carnival will come by. You pay a quarter, and you get balls, like baseballs, to throw at a moving target. When you’ve missed with all three, you ask for another, and the owner says: “Not unless you buy another three. You have used up your chances.” Life isn’t like that, you haven’t used up your chances. You may have wanted, during the last year, to change your life from frivolities to a serious effort to find meaning in life. But life is not a carnival. You have not used up your chances. Yom Kippur reminds us of that. There are still chances, as many as you require and sincerely want. You may have wanted during the last year to effect a serious change in your life. You may have wanted - but failed - to become a human being of high standards and purpose. You may have wanted to find in life justice and truth and purpose. If you have failed, you have not given up your chances. There is always another one, as long as you ask for it in honesty and truth. Yom Kippur tells us you can still be the kind of human being that God wants us to be, seeking truth and meaning and depth. You have another chance. But you must earn this chance. Yom Kippur suggests there are three requirements: repentence and prayer and acts of kindness and selflessness. These three, teshuvah, tefillah, and tzedakah, would soften any decree of disaster that has been made about you. Yom Kippur emphasizes all of this by trying to create spirituality in us, by requiring us to get away from our physical selves. How? By fasting, thus showing that we can be in control of our physical selves, and come to the synagogue in a spirit of repentence and truth.
BBYO has “Worlds of Fun” by LEORA AZRIEL BBYO Teen Director On Sept. 9, 35 teens boarded a bus to Kansas City for a day of thrills. There was live entertainment, games, and many rollercoasters to discover! BBYO’ers also explored the delicacies of theme park food such as funnel cake, fried oreos, and frozen lemonade. What beautiful day of sunshine and smiles!
Top picture: Sarah Thompson, left, Kylie Kirshenbaum, Kaitlyn Zetzman, and Megan Kahn; bottom picture: Tomer Palmon, left, Connor Dietrich, and Sam Lieb.
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by SANDY HEATHER The Child Saving Institute (CSI) Guild proudly presents the 6th annual Touch-A-Truck event, Saturday, Oct. 6 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The CSI’s Guild’s exciting “friend-raiser” is a free event for the entire family where children can see and climb on “real life” vehicles. TouchA-Truck is held in the First Data/UNO parking lots just south of 69th and Pacific Street. Kids, accompanied by their parents or guardian, will explore emergency and military vehicles, semi-trucks, bobcats, race cars and other commercial vehicles and talk to the people who operate them. Other activities will include face-painting, prizes, bouncy tents, food, clowns and more. Child Saving Institute is dedicated to the prevention, intervention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. For more information, call 402.553.6000 or visit www. childsaving.org.
UK chief rabbi: Richard Dawkins’ Bible slam is antiSemitic by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) -- Britain’s chief rabbi has accused the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins of relying on an anti-Semitic view of the Bible in his recent book. Speaking at a debate filmed by the BBC earlier this month in Salford, Sacks said that a remark in Dawkins’s best-selling book “The God Delusion” was based on “centuries of prejudice.” I read it as a profoundly anti-Semitic passage,” the chief rabbi said. Sacks was referring to a passage in the book that said the God of the Old Testament was the “most unpleasant character in all fiction”. Dawkins, a professor at Oxford University, dismissed the allegation as “ridiculous” and said he was not “anti-Jewish” just “anti-God”. Dawkins said he was joking when he asserted that the stories of the Old Testament suggested God was “jealous,” “petty,” “pestilential,” a “megalomaniac” and a “bully.” “There are Christian atheists and Jewish atheists, you read the Bible in a Christian way,” Sacks said in response. “Christianity has an adversarial way of reading what it calls the Old Testament -- it has to because it says ‘We’ve gone one better, we have a New Testament.’”
CORRECTIONS In the Sept. 7 article about Krav Maga Mike Kassebaum was identified as affilliated with Omaha ATA Martial Arts; it should have read Nebraska ATA Martial Arts. The Press regrets the error.
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EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE & HOLIDAY CLOSINGS The Jewish Press office is closed Wednesday, Sept. 26 for Yom Kippur, and Monday, Oct. 1 for Sukkot; the deadline for the Oct. 5 issue is Tuesday, Sept. 25, 9 a.m. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.
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12 | The Jewish Press | September 21, 2012
25,000 Breslaver Chasidim are coming to Uman by CNAAN LIPHSHIZ Deputy Mayor Peter Payevsky told JTA. “Many of the peoUMAN, Ukraine (JTA) -- Balancing her voluptuous figure ple employed by the Chasidim come from outside Uman.” on high heels, Alexandra Rostov boards a minibus at Kiev’s Violence between Chasidim and locals is common, he Moskovskyi bus station, setting down her zebra-patterned said, as is drug use among the Chasidim. bag as the driver starts the Soviet-era clunker. Like thousands “Many of these people who come are reformed criminals of Ukrainians, Rostov is heading to Uman, a sleepy city of seeking comfort and mental health,” he said. “But they some 85,000 in central Ukraine, to find work associated with don’t stop being criminals when they come here.” the annual pilgrimage of more than 25,000 Jews to Uman. The Breslaver Chasidic sect has a strong presence in The visitors -- mostly men, almost all from overseas -Israel’s prisons, where it does outreach work aimed at getcome to celebrate Rosh Hashanah at the grave of Rav ting inmates to become more religiously observant. Nachman of Breslav, the founding and only rebbe of Breslavers also work with poor Israelis. In many Israeli Breslaver Chasidim (also known as Bratslavers). Nachman neighborhoods, Breslav Chasidim drive around in vans died here in 1810 at the age of 38. plastered with stickers about their late rebbe and blasting The growing Chasidic presence in Uman, sustained durmusic. They occasionally get out and dance. ing the year by hundreds of Chasidim visiting the sacred When the Chasidim come to Uman, apparently there is gravesite every week, has spawned numerous businesses some backsliding into less-than-religious ways. A local taxi and charitable projects here. Hundreds of Jews own housdriver, Andrei Slovodan, said he sometimes is asked by the ing units in Uman’s Pushkina neighborhood, many of Partners of a small catering business moving vegetables to their Chasidim where they can “meet a girl.” which become hostels for rent during Rosh Hashanah and kitchen in Uman’s Pushkina neighborhood, Sept 10, 2012. Cheshin said he fears tensions will lead to a “mass riot” Credit: Cnaan Liphshiz soon. He said relations with locals have deteriorated since on many Sabbaths during the year. The visible Jewish presence in this town also has sparked last year’s waiving of the requirement of entry visas whole chickens. The birds were slaughtered in Ukraine in a good deal of tension between two incongruous groups: recent weeks by ritual slaughterers imported from Israel, between Ukraine and Israel resulted in more Israelis coming Chasidic foreigners and Ukrainian locals. certified glatt kosher by Israel’s Edah HaHaredis. By holi- here. “Jewish money stays in Jewish hands,” said Yuri Botner, day’s end, some 192,000 challah rolls will have been baked in But with Rosh Hashanah just days away, Cheshin was the district director of the nationalist Svoboda Party. “They the compound’s ovens. In charge of this mega-eatery is more preoccupied with running his businesses. One of don’t eat our food; they are no tourists.” Charles Rubinfeld, an American Jew who oversees the fran- them, a kiosk, sells kosher pancakes for $5 a pop. Like local Haim Cheshin, an Israeli businessman who moved here tic preparations with unshakable calm. taxi drivers, he accepts Ukrainian hryvnias, shekels, dollars 24 years ago and owns several properties, says that “Local While visitors must buy tickets to some meals, much of or euros. anti-Semites are mounting a hate campaign against the holiday food and drinks are provided free. Meal ticket In some Pushkina apartments, young Israelis work to reChasidim.” Among other things, he cited discriminative sales do not begin to cover expenses, Rubinfeld says. create his success. They cook and sell food in their apartattention to illegal construction by Jews. Hospitality Hall is kept running by a number of donors who ments after obtaining kosher certification. They also rent But with so many logistics to take care of before the holi- also bought the land on which it operates. out beds for sums as high as $500 per night. day -- and money to be made on both sides -- the Jews and Few Chasidim stay at the city’s hotels, which are filled by Some 165 Ukrainians working here earn the equivalent of Ukrainians also work side by side. $1 an hour, according to Irena, a cook. She said she and a the 500 or so Ukrainian police who are brought here to keep Less than a week before Rosh Hashanah, 50 Ukrainian few colleagues return every year for the work and that the the peace during the holiday. A small contingent of Israeli women wait for jobs outside the gate of Heichal Hachnasat bosses are fair and friendly. police officers also is present. Orchim (Hebrew for Hospitality Hall), a three-acre catering At the Uman Emergency Clinic, about half a dozen Israeli But outside Hospitality Hall, relations are less cordial. compound that is the city’s largest Chasidic eatery and will Over the holiday, some 3,000 of the pilgrims will sleep in a and American medical staffers handle up to 400 cases a day produce some 15,000 meals over the course of the two-day tent city being erected nearby. Once the masses of Jews with the help of Israeli, American and French volunteers. holiday. Last year, some 60 skinheads demonstrated in Uman begin arriving in town, the Chasidic neighborhood will be To achieve this, Hospitality Hall’s 25-person staff has off limits to all but Jewish pilgrims and neighborhood resi- before the holiday. This year, a demonstration by Svoboda is stocked up on tons of bread, rice, vegetables, fruit and plas- dents. The restrictions are enforced by police checkpoints. planned for Sept. 21, when nearly all of the Chasidim will tic cutlery, as well as nearly 20 tons of meat and 13,800 “The Chasidim bring no income but many problems,” have gone home.
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