Vol. LXXXIV No. 5 Omaha, NE
Celebrating 83 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
Federation Honors Young Leadership Award Winners at YJO Event by PAM MONSKY Federation Communications Director Katherine Finnegan and David Kohll will be honored as the next generation of leaders in the Omaha Jewish community. The two will receive the Federation’s Young Leadership Awards on Thursday, Thursday, Oct. 28, during a Young Jewish Omaha (YJO) event featuring comedian Joel Chasnoff. The event will be held from 6-8 p.m. at Ironwood Country Club and is free and open to members of the Jewish community between the ages of 25-45. Finnegan will be presented Katherine Finnegan the Lois Jeanne Schrager Memorial Young Leadership Award and Kohll will receive the Bruce Fellman Memorial Young Leadership Award. Finnegan has transformed herself from dedicated volunteer to extraordinary leader. Over the past year, she has worked her way up through the volunteer ranks and now holds several important positions of leadership in the Omaha Jewish community. Finnegan believes that change comes from within, and her leadership positions reflect that philosophy. Her commitment to Jewish youth is demonstrated by her work as a Hebrew school teacher at Temple Israel, where she also participated in the Religious School Partnership Committee. Finnegan’s other work with young people includes volunteering as Youth Leadership chaperone for the Anti-Defamation League’s Washington Mission 2004 and facilitating ADL’s Prejudice Elimination Workshop for area high school students in 2003. Finnegan recently completed the Jewish Omaha Leadership Training II (JOLT) leadership development course, one of just 25 people chosen as up-coming community leadership by local agencies, Jewish organizations and the synagogues. Her passion for the Omaha Jewish community continues to grow. Finnegan’s concern for our communi-
ty’s future motivated her to focus her energy and talents on projects that can impact the community’s direction and vision. Some of the most important and impressive leadership roles Finnegan has accepted include serving on the Federation’s Budget and Allocations Committee since 2001 where she accepted the Sub-Committee Chairmanship for the Jewish Federation since 2003. Most recently, Finnegan has taken on a key leadership position as a member of the lay advisory committee for Jewish Educational and Library Services (JELS). David Kohll Continued on page 2
by PAM MONSKY Federation Communications Director Maxine Kirshenbaum will receive the newly established Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award at United Jewish Community’s 2004 International Lion of Judah Conference Oct. 17-19 in Washington, D.C. The KipnisWilson/Friedland Award was established in honor of Norma KipnisWilson and Toby Friedland, founders of the Lion of Judah Campaign initiative for women who contribute $5,000 or more to the Annual Campaign. Kirshenbaum was nominated for this prestigious honor by the Jewish Federation of Omaha in recognition of over 40 years of extraordinary volunteer service. Currently, she is in her second year of a two-year commitment as Co-Chairman of the Jewish Federation’s Annual Campaign, sharing the helm with her husband, Joe.
by JOAN K. MARCUS education was important Henry Riekes, a man to him, he was always a who said that supporting strong supporter of the the Omaha Jewish comFriedel Jewish Academy, munity was a responsibilthe former United Talmud ity and not an obligation, Torah of Omaha and the died Monday at the age Melton programs. of 90. Services were held Riekes was born and Oct. 6 at Beth El raised in Omaha. His parSynagogue, with burial at ents left Russia at the turn Beth El Cemetery. of the century and came Riekes was always to the United States with reluctant to talk about his their four children. They contributions; he said he had four more after arrivwas just doing what his ing in Omaha and Henry Henry Riekes parents, Samuel and said his parents taught Dora Riekes, would have expected him their children to be charitable. to do. In 1990, the JEwish Federation “It was a way of life for my parents to honored him and his wife Dorothy with be community conscious and that is why the Humanitarian of the Year Award. I have done it,” he insisted in a March In 1975, the couple established an 26, 1999, article in the Press. Riekes was endowment fund to aid Judaic and chari- a contributor to the Jewish Federation table purposes and responsibilities for the for more than seven decades. He and his welfare of Jewish people in Omaha, Israel family are longtime members of Beth El. and throughout the world. Since Jewish Continued on page 15
by BETH COHEN Executive Director of Beth Israel With much anticipation, on the 22nd of Shevat, 5764, (Feb. 14)--exactly 50 years to the day after the dedication of the plaque honoring the committee who built the 52nd Street building--Beth Israel congregants opened the Torah to read Parashat Yitro at the first Shabbat morning services in our new synagogue building. Following this “soft opening” in February, work on completing the art installations, landscaping and other details at the building on 126th and Pacific Streets progressed throughout the summer.
The sanctuary of Beth Israel’s new synagogue. At “An Evening of Celebration” on Sunday, Oct. 31, the members of Beth Israel will join with the entire Jewish community to formally dedicate this beautiful new building. In addition, the investiture of Rabbi Jonathan Gross as the congregation’s spiritual leader will take place. The evening will begin at 5 p.m. with the dedication ceremony in the sanctuary, followed by an hors d’oeuvres reception. After the reception, those who have made reservations will enjoy a gala dinner at 6:30 p.m., where Rabbi Gross will be installed as Beth Israel’s rabbi. The investiture ceremony will be led by Rabbi Steven Weil, senior rabbi at Beth Jacob in Los Angeles, CA, Continued on page 8
Five-Star Shabbaton at TLC by ARIELLA HOFFMAN assimilated backgrounds for the Torah Learning Center gave him the knowledge Rabbi Yaacov Marcus, that would guide him to who packed the Torah becoming one of the most Learning Center last June dynamic and sought after with his explanation of the speakers in the English mystical Hebrew alphabet, speaking community in will be returning again for Israel. He is a member of another inspiring Shabbaton the rabbinical faculty of the on Oct. 15-16. Neve Yerushalayim College “The response to the last for women in addition to Shabbaton was so phenomteaching at two other semiRabbi Yaacov Marcus enal we couldn’t resist naries for women: Darchey bringing him back again,” said Rabbi Bina and Afikey Torah. Tuvia Hoffman, Director of TLC. Rabbi Marcus teaches in Arachim, a proThe last Shabbaton focused on the gram created to provide an intellectual shape of the Hebrew alphabet to learn response to the thirst of a growing secular the purpose of Creation, the meaning of Israeli public who were seeking to underlife, the meaning of Shabbat, and much stand the basic philosophical concepts of more. Many of the people were amazed Judaism. Arachim addresses basic issues by how something as basic as the in Jewish philosophy including: “Science Hebrew alphabet could give insight into and Religion--Is there an internal contrathe purpose of life. diction?”, “The authenticity of the Bible”, Before making aliyah to Israel, Rabbi “Practical Mitzvot--are they relevant in Marcus and his wife organized and ran modern society?” and more. an outreach synagogue in a secular More than ever before, Jews are asking Jewish suburb of Toronto. The experi- themselves: what does it all mean? How ence of working with families from Continued on page 2
This Week: Crossword Puzzle: Israel’s Colors: Page 9 Leon Wieseltier Speaks in Omaha, Lincoln This Week: Page 3
Beth Israel Celebrates
Kirshenbaum Receives National Honor for Philanthropy and Volunteerism
Community Suffers Loss with Death of Henry Riekes
Inside
23 Tishrei, 5765 October 8, 2004
Chabad Introduces Kabbalah to Cummunity: Page 4
Coming: Salute to Education and Camping: Oct. 22 Exhibit on Jews in Recife Opens Celebration of American Jewry: Page 5
Sukkot Around the Heartland: Page 10