October 10, 2008

Vol. LXXXVIII No. 5 Omaha, NE

Virtual Hebrew high school now available in heartland

by CAROL KATZMAN Editor of the Jewish Press How many times as a teenager did you wish you weren’t stuck in an airless classroom at synagogue after school while your friends were outside practicing tennis or hanging out at the local shopping center? Despite the best efforts of rabbis and educators, numerous studies, and attempts to offer hip topics, afternoon Talmud Torah is still not high on the “to do” list of teens. Yet most parents want some kind of Jewish education for their post-B’nai Mitzvah children.

Now a respected rabbi in Israel has introduced a new model to enhance the traditional afternoon school offered by most American synagogues or offer something attractive to the unaffiliated: state-of-the-art technology, engaging instructors of Judaism, and a student body from more than a dozen different cities -all in cyberspace!

According to its founder, the respected educator Rabbi Chaim Brovender, “Not Your Parent’s Hebrew School,” is Rabbi Chaim Brovender “an innovative new concept in Jewish education, will enable high school students in communities that lack yeshiva-level educational opportunities to pursue a serious course of Torah study, opening the door to advanced learning that was previously available only to students with a day school education.”

Interactive video conferencing technology will enable students from locations from both coasts and inbetween to study with renowned scholars and instructors from Israel and America. And they will be able to interact with their “virtual” classmates as if they were sitting next to each other. The program is now being marketed in cities (like Omaha and Lincoln) that have a sizeable Jewish population, but are too small to support a Jewish day school for middle and high school students.

“This program offers the potential for real improvement in learning over the course of year with a level of depth that one cannot imagine happening in a regular Hebrew school setting,” says Rabbi Avi Weinstein, Head of Jewish Studies at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy of the Greater Kansas City, who will be Director of the High School WebYeshiva Program. “This is both because of the quality of instruction and the motivation of the students.”

HBHA, an award-winning community day school, boasts a student population of nearly 300 in grades K12. Rabbi Weinstein is part of the WebYeshiva staff, Rabbi Avi Weinstein along with Rabbi Brovender.

The architect of the project, noted American-Israeli educator Rabbi Brovender, who just eight months ago founded the Jerusalem-based WebYeshiva -- an interactive study program that brings the yeshiva experience to students from throughout the English-speaking world, Israel, Latin America, and Europe -- decided to expand this innovative concept in order to serve motivated high school boys and girls who want a higher level of Jewish learning than what is available locally.

While Temple Israel (Reform) and Beth El (Conservative) run Wednesday night classes for each grade of seventh through 12th graders, Beth Israel, Omaha’s Orthodox synagogue, holds a combined Sunday morning class for a smaller group of middle and high school students. Beyt Shalom, Omaha’s only Continued on page 10

Inside Opinion Page see page 8

Celebrating 88 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa

11 Tishrei, 5769

October 10, 2008

BBI mission to Cuba aids struggling Jewish community

by GARY JAVITCH and MARK JAVITCH We arrived on the Caribbean island just two days after Hurricane Ike slammed the eastern portion of the country. Havana, in the northwest quadrant of the state, where our plane touched down, only received a glancing blow.

The high winds, nevertheless, disrupted power, toppled trees and knocked down branches throughout the capital city.

And unbeknownst to our group at the time, the Hurricane destroyed over half of Cuba’s “money crop,” dealing a major $5 billion blow to the tobacco One of the stops on the B’nai B’rith trip to Cuba was Beth Shalom Conservative Synagogue in industry and the already Havana, where Gary Javitch, left, and his son Mark paused at the table where Torah is read. impoverished communist economy. The weather dam- religious and fact-finding mission with ample opportuage gave added meaning to our B’nai B’rith Cuban nities also to explore both the general and the Jewish communities of Havana and the Central-west cities of Relief Project.

Our group of 21, officially licensed by the U.S. Cienfuegos and Santa Clara.

Undeterred by the hot and very steamy weather and the Treasury Department, came mostly from New York and New Jersey, but also from Canada and California, occasional lack of electricity -- remnants of the whirlwinds Delaware and Maryland. The remainder resided in -- our stalwart group “shvitzed” its way around the counAlabama, Florida, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and try fulfilling an important goal: to deliver clothes and needed medical supplies to the often-desperate Jews Washington D.C. The trip began on Sept. 11 and was a combination Continued on page 2

Friedland family accepts Humanitarian Award at Major Donors’ event

by LISA LIEB Federation Communications Director Known for his wise leadership, unwavering commitment and exceptional charity, David Friedland touched the Omaha Jewish community in many different ways.

Perhaps the greatest gift David and Nancy Friedland have given us is their success instilling a philanthropic spirit in their children.

“Each time I met with David, he talked about his trust in the next generation of young people to take care of our Jewish community,” said Jan Goldstein, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. “And this extended to his own children, who he brought in as partners along with Nancy and himself.”

So it was a special moment when, during a recent event for major donors, the Friedland Family received this community’s highest honor: the Humanitarian of the Year Award.

David and Nancy Friedland and the Friedland family have supported the Jewish Federation and its agencies generously and continuously for the past five decades.

Dedicated to family, David and Nancy wanted to ensure a great place for their grandkids to grow up.

Determined to support this effort both financially and through his volunteer work, he became a founding board member of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation 25 years ago. He remained a hands-on member of the board for almost all of the past 25 years, including a term as President.

In the greater Omaha community, he was a board member of the Nebraska Humane Society, Children’s Hospital, the Omaha Public Library Foundation, and Nebraskans for Public Television.

This Week: CJE awards college scholarships: Page 5 See Front Page Stories & More at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’

Friedel welcomes visitors before Jewish holidays: Page 4

David also previously served as board member of the Federation and the Jewish Community Center, and as a member of the board of trustees of Temple Israel. In addition, his personal passion for reading led him to be a constant advocate for the Kripke Jewish Federation Library.

Throughout the years, David established a reputaDavid Friedland tion as a financially astute member of the Foundation’s investment committee, and he was an outstanding mentor to Executive Director Marty Ricks. “David made it such a pleasure to come to work each day,” Ricks said. “If I needed some advice or was just having a bad day, a call to him would fix everything that needed to be repaired.”

When presenting the Friedland family with the Humanitarian Award, Jim Farber described David as a planner, a doer and a teacher. “The Friedland Family Foundation was set up as a way for the entire family to think about philanthropy, identify causes that are important to them and their families, and act to support their choices,” Farber explained.

In addition to all of their philanthropic gifts to the Jewish Community, the Friedlands established a significant family fund to benefit the Jewish Federation and its agencies. The Friedland Family Foundation has created an endowment fund for the continued maintenance of Continued on page 3

Coming This Month: Camp Issue on Oct. 24; Elections, Oct. 31 B’nai B’rith sponsors 23rd annual Bible Quiz: Page 6

Rabbi offers solace to the grieving: Page 12

Page 2

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 10, 2008

BBI mission to Cuba aids Jewish community Continued from page 1 surviving in the communist state.

We knew we were accomplishing something quite worthwhile as our group took notice of nearly-empty pharmacy shelves around Havana and in Cienfuegos.

As we toured the city, the poverty stood out, too. We also observed hundreds of never-finished building projects and rusting scaffolding that scarred the city’s face.

To help Jews living in dilapidated housing, B’nai B’rith has helped fund various small refurbishing projects. That day as part of a “tzedakah initiative,” B’nai B’rith project members divided up into smaller groups and visited a number of residences to assess living conditions and seek a way to ameliorate them. In one home, our five-person group noted rotted-out window shutters and broken glass panes that permitted driving rains to soak the walls and floors. Similar situations and other problems afflicted the Cuban apartments the other groups visited.

Trip leader and vice chair of the BB Cuban Jewish Relief Project Marc Fleischer was completing his fifteenth trip to the island and arranged a number of speakers for us. They told us a number of interesting facts about Jewish life on the island.

A second standout person was Dr. Rosa Behar, who started the pharmacy at the Beth Shalom Synagogue in Havana. “You have brought us medicine that we cannot get from the government,” she told us. “We give this to the Jews who come to us in need. They would go without if we did not give it to them. We can never repay B’nai B’rith for all that they do,” she said. (Non-Jews who show up are not turned away!)

Similar remarks were uttered by David Tacher, who is revitalizing the Jewish community in Santa Clara, which has 30 members. He and his brother, a gastroenterologist, just obtained a building that they will turn into a Jewish Community Center. David took us to the local cemetery, a treasure trove of historical information.

There in the cemetery, he proudly described their Holocaust memorial displayed just inside the entrance to the burial site. In a touching speech, David pointed to the up-raised hand on the memorial and said, “We are the people of Israel and we will go forth and we will survive.

Never again will we permit what happened in the war.”

The presence of the Holocaust memorial was significant because of how much they sacrificed to build it, despite how little they have. David spent 20 minutes

Above: Louis brings the group to the Holocaust Memorial in Santa Clara; right: Marc Fleischer visits gravesites in Havana’s main Jewish Cemetery.

A Sephardic, a Conservative, and an Orthodox synagogue exist in Havana today. In 1956, the Orthodox synagogue had 2000 members, but now it has only 400, although that number is increasing. Because 70% are over the age of 60, the congregation hopes to establish a nursing home. B’nai B’rith enabled the orthodox synagogue to purchase three washing machines for members’ use. Currently, the Sephardic synagogue has 320 members.

As visitors to Cuba, it was difficult to put all we saw into perspective. Four Cubans in particular, among the many we met during our eight-day tour, helped us bring our experiences into sharp relief, making our trip most memorable and quite fulfilling.

The first was our Havanatur guide, Cuban-born Louis, 39. (That’s not his real name; due to security reasons, we’ve not identified him.) Extremely knowledgeable about the history and culture of the island, Louis provided us with insights about the synagogues, the cemeteries, the people, and politics -- and even though not Jewish -about Judaism and the Jewish community. Before the revolution in 1959, many of the Jewish population were wealthy, running many businesses enterprises.

“Once there were 15,000 Jews in Cuba,” Louis explained. “Their numbers have declined dramatically due to an aging population, the aliyah departure to Israel [and other places in the Diaspora], the nationalization of many [Jewish] businesses under Castro, and the desire to leave a land where religion could not be practiced.”

Most all are now poor, including the best educated.

“So when you go back to where you live, I want you to tell your friends and communities at least these three things,” he urged. “There are now only about 1300 Jews in Cuba, almost all in Havana. But they are continuing to keep Jewish life alive. And B’nai B’rith is helping them do that.

He added, “In Santa Clara, for example the residents are building a synagogue and giving their kids a Jewish education. They are teaching them Jewish folk dancing, and they are caring for the elders.”

There is a future for Jewish people here. “Also a second and very important thing to keep in mind is that these Cuban Jews need your help,” he noted, referring to us (North Americans). “‘Good will’ is not enough.

You need to let them know they are not alone nor forgotten. Besides money, they also need Judaica material like talit and siddurim.

“Please remember also that even if the Jewish population goes down to one person, there will always be a Jewish presence here. Jews helped found the country, contributed to the business life and, yes, even helped launch the communist party on the island,” he revealed.

explaining each detail of symbolism that the memorial represented. In addition to other activities, he presented BBI President Moishe Smith with an artificial plant whose stem was configured with barbed wire as a reminder of the past and the flower as a symbol of the community’s future and rebirth.

One other person had a significant impact on us. That was Rebecca Langus, who ran a community center out of her house in Cienfuegos. With the ever-present Louis translating, she spoke to our group with enthusiasm about the resurgence of their small 27-member Jewish community. She spoke proudly about a recent Bar Mitzvah the community held. “Thank you, B’nai B’rith,” she, the synagogue leaders and others recited over and over again. “How could we survive without your help?”

What affirmations for our humble efforts to help the Cubans survive!

As we reflect on the trip, we realized that when donors make their charitable gifts, they rarely see the beneficiaries, nor do they hear how the money is actually spent.

Our group, however, was quite fortunate to hear firsthand the personal and heart-felt words of appreciation from the leaders of the groups who received the suitcases and bags filled with apparel and life-saving medicines.

Life is not easy for those living in this communist state.

The city is awash in contradictions: Beautiful tourist hotels sprout twenty and more stories high just a short distance from homes which may not have seen a coat of paint since the (ongoing) revolution officially began on Jan. 1, 1959, when Fidel Castro was installed in power.

Two economies exist side-by-side: one for tourists and another for citizens. In this dual environment, a highly educated professor can earn a top salary of US$40 a month, while a taxi driver or hotel bellman, for example, can add to his meager income by accumulating tips!

One highly educated woman, an engineer, confided to me how difficult life in Cuba was. Her son was Bar Mitzvahed the weekend we were there. She described the years of savings required to put the celebration on.

In doing so, she fulfilled a promise to her late husband.

Trip leader Marc Fleischer commented, “Continuing to perform efforts like this really do make a difference in the lives of the community. We do more than provide money to old people,” he noted, referring to the tzedakah project. “We recently brought two Torahs to separate communities, donated by congregations in Cleveland and New Jersey.

“On this trip we brought in over 600 pounds of clothes and thousands of dollars in medicines. Above all,” he concluded, “B’nai B’rith also provides hope.”

Ruth Laks, a trip participant, also contributed to this story.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10 60 Years of Western Galilee Photography, 1948-2008 in the JCC Gallery through Oct 28.

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12 Sukkah Building, 10 a.m. at Beth Israel Bible Study Group, 10 a.m. at Beth El BESTT Bring Your Parents to School, 10 a.m. at Beth El Mishacha Mornings, 10:15 a.m. at Chabad Tzdekah boxes for Sukkot with Julie Phillips, 12:15 p.m.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 13 NCJW Dictionary Day, 8 a.m.

BESTT dismissal, 5:30 p.m. at Beth El

C L I P & S A V E

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 Sukkot, JCC and Federation are closed WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 Sukkot, JCC and Federation are closed C L I P & S A V E

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Yiddish Group, 1 p.m.

Dorothy Kaplan Book Group, 1 p.m. at Kripke Library Women’s Book Group, 1:15 p.m. at Beth El RBJH residents Pippa White Show, 1:30 p.m.

JFO Executive Committee Meeting, 6 p.m.

JFS Grief Program, 7 p.m.

JFO Board of Director’s Meeting, 7:30 p.m.

Class with Rabbi Gross, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel All events held at the JCC unless otherwise indicated.The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of events.To keep calendar accurate or for questions, call Marlene Hert at 334-6437.

FOR A COMPLETE LISTING,VISIT THE FEDERATION’S WEBSITE: www.JewishOmaha.org (click on calendar)

This Space For Rent Call Allan Handleman 334-6451

C L I P & S A V E

October 10, 2008

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 3

Friedland family accepts Humanitarian Award very important to our family, and we are proud to support it.”

In his closing remarks, Farber recalled a famous saying, “Give a man a fish and he’ll have dinner, teach him to fish and he’ll feed himself and others forever.”

By teaching their children the importance of philanthropy, David and Nancy Friedland and the entire Friedland family have helped feed the needs of this community for many years to come.

Following the presentation, the new Deputy Consul of Israel, Gershon Kedar, based in Chicago, introduced himself to

the 120+ gathered at the event. He was followed by a lecture given by author and political analyst Dr. Norman J. Orenstein, who gave his take on the upcoming presidential election.

Photos from below left: Nancy Noddle, left, talks politics with Carol Bloch, while right: Joodi Veitzer, left, and Barb Platt enjoy a lighter moment among friends. Below left: Foundation director Marty Ricks, left, speaks with one of his board members, Andrew Robinson and his wife, Kimberley, president of the JCC, while UJC national board member Joel Alperson greets Stacey Atlas.

Jim Farber presented the Humanitarian Award to the late David Friedland, and his family: his wife Nancy, left, and daughters Melissa Steiner and Paula Boggust.

Ted Friedland, who was out of town Continued from page 1 the Jewish Community Center, and made and unable to attend the event, later said a major gift to the recent Rose Blumkin “we are honored to be recognized by the Jewish Federation. This community is Capital Campaign.

Upon receiving the Humanitarian Award, David and Nancy’s daughters each shared their thoughts. After expressing her appreciation for receiving this honor, Paula Friedland Boggust said, “The truth is, we probably wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my dad. He would have wanted his whole family included in any recognition, and I know he would have been happy to know that we received this award.”

“One thing my father John Lehr, center, co-chairman with Mike Platt of the taught us was to never forget Pacesetter Division of the Federation’s Annual Campaign, who you are,” added Melissa greets guest speaker Norman Orenstein, right, resident Friedland Steiner. “I hope scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and, since 1982, my brother, sister and I can an election analyst for CBS News, and Gershon Kedar, Deputy Consul General of Israel, based in Chicago. carry on his legacy.”

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 10, 2008

Friedel welcomes many visitors

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT other side of the building. Volunteers For a Jewish Day school, there are many Kim Goldberg and Annette van de Kampdifferent ways to reach out to the commu- Wright have teamed up with art teacher nity. This is especially true during the hol- Julie Phillips, and created a curriculum idays, when Shofars need to be blown, with room for guest students. and visitors can provide an extra set of “Additionally, Friedel students will be lungs. “At Friedel, we love having working with residents of the Blumkin guests,” Principal Ron Giller says, “and home later during the school year, and we they don’t necessarily have to be related hope to continue working together with to our students to come and see us. the CDC and the Blumkin home for During the month of Elul, we welcomed many community members to our school to blow the Shofar for our students, such as Jerry Gordman, whose granddaughter Harper attends first grade, Rabbi Jonathan Gross, and Rabbi Mendel Katzman.” Other visitors Friedel has recently welcomed are Beth Seldin Dotan, Ben Shapiro, Rabbi Yitzchak Mizrahi, Cantor Wendy Shermet, Rabbi Eric Linder, Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, Friedel students blow the shofar for CDC preschoolers. and Rabbi Myer Kripke. “We also wel- many years. Art class is an excellent way comed Alan Potash, Cantor Beth to share experiences and build relationSchlossberg, our community Shalicha ships between different generations,” Tamar Halevy, and a few weeks ago, Goldberg says, “For the older kids at the Principal Emeritus Cookie Katskee came CDC, it is a nice chance to see first hand to share a story with our students. The list what the ‘big kids’ are doing. We are very is endless, and we are extremely pleased much looking forward to these special that so many friends from the Jewish com- sessions.” Of course, volunteers and visimunity take an interest in our school.” tors are welcome during art class as well.

Of course, building and maintaining “We love our volunteers!” Julie Phillips community relations is a two-way process, says, “ and we could not do this without and to that end, several of the older stu- them. We are so glad to have parents help dents visited the CDC to make some us out whenever they can, and have been Shofar sounds of their own. Additional very impressed with the donations we ties with the CDC will be formed when have received. The Friedel art program later during this school year, Friedel’s art focuses on recycling materials this year, program will be welcoming all the CDC’s and many parents and other community four year olds to make the trek to the members have enthusiastically saved their

A WORLD OF THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF THE DONORS TO THE FOLLOWING FUNDS FOR PROVIDING OVER $228,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED BY THE FINANCIAL AID COMMITTEE OF THE CENTER FOR JEWISH EDUCATION, AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA. THESE AWARDS BENEFITED NEARLY 200 CHILDREN, TEENS, AND YOUNG ADULTS IN OUR COMMUNITY DURING THE PAST YEAR. Lenore Simon Aronson Educational Fund B’nai B’rith/Dr. Abe Greenberg/Henry Monsky Lodge Endowment Fund The Children’s Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Truman & Rosemary Clare Scholarship Endowment The CornerStones Fund Barry E.Epstein Memorial Health Care Fund Sandra L.Feldman Scholarship Fund Darlynn & Tom Fellman Camp Fund Alan & Annie Fleishman Scholarship Fund David W.& Minnie Frank Memorial Fund Rebecca Friedman Scholarship Fund Carl Frohm Educational Fund Leonard & Shirley Goldstein Family Endowment Fund Herbert Goldsten Scholarship Fund Nancy & Don Greenberg Scholarship Fund Harris Family Endowment Fund Jewish War Veterans Epstein-Morgan Post #260 Nathan Marcus Memorial Scholarship Fund Samuel & Ida Kaiman Endowment Fund Ben E.Kaslow Scholarship Fund David Keiser & Lillian Keiser Stroms Foundation Education Endowment Fund Maxine & Joe Kirshenbaum Scholarship Fund The Livingston Scholarships Betty Margel Scholarship Endowment Fund Albert M.& Jeanette T.Nepomnick Education Fund Carolyn Kully Newman Memorial Fund Esther K.Newman Memorial Fund Gertrude T.& Albert B.Newman Endowment Fund Joe & Ruth Rice Scholarship Fund Burton L.Robinson Student Athlete Scholarship Fund Jerold I.& Sheila E.Rosen Endowment Fund Phillip & Terri Schrager Supporting Foundation Lois Jeanne Schrager Memorial Fund Natan & Hannah Schwalb Scholarship Fund Nate H.& Beatrice Sherman Scholarship Fund Phil & Ruth Sokolof Honor Roll Fund Ruth Sokolof Special Education Scholarship Fund Lillian Kaiser Stroms Educational Fund David S.Rice & Esther Zorinsky Rice Endowment Edward Zorinsky Scholarship Fund

THE MAJORITY OF THE ABOVE FUNDS ARE MANAGED BY THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA FOUNDATION.

bottles for the Kiddush project. Vera Lewis was even so kind to donate all her costume jewelry, something the kids were ecstatic to use in their recycled art.”

ipate in the tradition of Tashlich, and cleaned up the area while they were there.

Students celebrated the birthday of the world, and flew their kites in honor of

Volunteer Leanne Goldberg helps clean up with Lillian Cohen, daughter of Michael and Karen Cohen, who can use the help.

Janusz Korczak, and rolled up their Ethan Potash shows off the kite he made in sleeves to pick up trash. Combining the art class. Students fly their kites each year in Chesed of the month, Tikkun Olam, prohonor of Janusz Korczak. vided the students with an opportunity to start the year on a positive -- and very clean note. “It is important for our students to get out of the building from time to time, put forth effort to help make the world a better place, and think of the world beyond the classroom walls,” principal Ron Giller says. “What better time to do that than on a beautiful fall day, and what better time than at the beginning of a brand new year? We hope the thoughts and actions connected with Tikkun Olam will set the tone for this New Year.”

Community members who are interested in visiting the school can call the secreYaffa Podbilewicz-Schuller assists her daugh- tary Mary Jane, at 334.0517. For more ter, Eliana. information about the Friedel art proEven this year’s Tashlich service, held gram, and opportunities to donate time on Monday, Sept. 29, was defined by and/or materials, as well as see pictures of community service. Friedel students and the kids in action, please visit the website at staff visited Standing Bear Park to partic- http://www.friedelart.wordpress.com.

October 10, 2008

Financial Aid Committee awards more than $228,000 in scholarships

by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Director of Operations & Programming, Center for Jewish Education Over $228,000 has been awarded by the Financial Aid Committee of the Center for Jewish Education, an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, during the past fiscal year. These scholarships were awarded to nearly 200 children, teens and young adults for Jewish residential camp, Jewish Community Center summer camp, youth group activities, programs to Israel, the Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center preschool, the Friedel Jewish Academy, as well as undergraduate, graduate, professional and yeshiva studies.

Cheryl Cooper, chairman of the Financial Aid Committee, states “the Committee would be unable to make these awards without the foresight and generosity of those who have established endowment funds over the years. To be able to help so many families is such an honor for the Committee.”

The mission of the Financial Aid Committee is “to administer the allocation and distribution of scholarship funds entrusted to it for the benefit of Omaha’s Jewish youth. This duty includes the guarantee of confidentiality to the applicants and their families in conjunction with the diligent stewardship of community funds.”

Cooper reports confidentiality is a top priority with every person of the 14-member Committee. She adds that “the financial requests always exceed the funding that is available and the Committee does an outstanding job in determining how best to make the awards.”

There are 40 funds from which awards were made during the past year. Each fund has distinct parameters regarding the scholarships awarded and these are carefully followed by the Committee. A complete listing of the funds providing scholarship money this past year is

shown in the ad on the opposite page.

Marty Ricks, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, adds his thanks for the generosity of the community. “I am in a position of seeing first-hand, every day, the generosity of the Omaha community.” He continues “This charitable focus is seen so clearly in the awards the Financial Aid Committee is able to make each year.” Ricks adds, “I also want to express my thanks to the Committee. I see their work as an extension of the work of the Foundation. The Committee takes its responsibilities very seriously in assuring that the guidelines established by the many generous donors are followed in providing the much-needed assistance to so many in our community.”

A thank you letter recently received from an undergraduate student included the following sentiment that shows why scholarships are so critical to the future of the Omaha community: “I thank you and the greater Omaha Jewish community for your continued belief in my abilities and in helping my family and me. I truly look forward to continuing my accomplishments and know I will remain close and supportive to my caring community of Omaha.”

The Guide to Grants and Scholarships Opportunities is distributed each December as an insert in the Jewish Press. The guide provides descriptions of the various funds, application deadlines, and other information.

The guide also provides information on the non-need based grant programs of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. For questions on the scholarship program please call 334.6445 or email scholarships@jewishomaha. org. To discuss the establishment of an endowment fund, please contact Marty Ricks at 334.6440.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 5

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Former Pakistani Ambassador Body issues and Jewish ethics to be explored during new is uplifted by visit to Omaha

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Beth El Class Temple Israel Communications Coordinator About 60 people, mostly Jews and a few Muslims, filled the Milder Center at Temple Israel on Sept. 23 to hear Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, former High Commissioner of Pakistan to Great Britain.

“We are more alike than different,” he pointed out.

He added that coming to Omaha “has given me so much hope. I’m uplifted” after meeting with groups such as the one to which to spoke that morning. The American University professor is on a one-year sabbatical to research Muslims in America and the attitudes and perceptions of Americans regarding their Muslim neighbors. A team of young Americans is accompanying him to more than 30 American towns and cities through next summer.

Ambassador Ahmed, left, and Rabbi Azriel address the crowd.

Ahmed challenged “Muslims to sit down and talk to a rabbi or a bishop and not be moved.”

“I was really impressed,” admitted Scott Burger who attended the conversation with Ahmed. “He showed his tri-faith determination. It was very uplifting especially considering the dangerous opposition he faces in his homeland. It’s so different here in Omaha.”

Andi Willensky, who also attended, “thought it was very interesting especially since I’ve gotten involved in a tri-faith women’s conversation group. The group is so unbelievable! The women are so alike. We’re so eager to share and observe each other’s traditions. The Muslim women are so committed to raising their children as Muslim-Americans with their first identity as American and for them to be recognized that way. Ahmed was so reinforcing of what we’re trying to do in our tri-faith partnership.”

“I thought he was wonderful,” agreed Jan Lund. “I was very impressed. I have had a negative world view of Pakistan. I’ve now changed my position. I think what Ahmed is doing is Nobel Peace Prize worthy.”

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Tattoos, piercings, diets ... Contemporary society presents us with a myriad of ways to cosmetically alter our bodies, both temporarily and permanently. But have you ever wondered how Jewish law deals with these issues?

What kind of ethical eye does Judaism cast on these alterations?

The answers can be found during a new adult-education mini course, ‘Tattoos and Jews: Ethics and the Jewish Body from the Inside Out,’ presented by Beth El Synagogue on the following Mondays: Oct. 27, Nov. 3, 10 and 24, 7 p.m. Toby Schonfeld, a medical ethicist and professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, will lead the class.

According to Schonfeld, the course is based on the first two books of the Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices series (Jewish Publication Society), edited by Rabbi Eliot Dorff (recently named one of the most influential rabbis in the Conservative movement, she noted), and Louis Newman of Carleton College.

“Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices is a series of short books that are designed to engage the lay public in ethical issues that face people in the choices they make on a daily basis,” she explained. “They’re really well done; they each begin with several case studies, which are followed by halachic commentary, contemporary commentary, and symposia by thinkers in these areas.

“But unlike academic books,” she added, “they are quite accessible for the lay readers.”

Each class session will explore a different topic: week one, male circumcision; week two, body image, diet, and weight and Judaism; week three, tattoos; and week four, high-risk behavior.

“The goal is to have participants think about these contemporary issues involving the body in light of Jewish texts and contemporary Jewish sources,” Schonfeld said. “These are all issues routinely discussed in the media and at home, and I want to show students that we can incorporate Jewish teachings about these contemporary issues in a meaningful and accessible way.”

All adults in the Jewish community are welcome to participate in this mini course. Cost is $18; class members will also be required to purchase Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices.

For more information or to register, contact Beth El Program Director Margie Gutnik at 492.8550 or programming@bethel-omaha.org.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 10, 2008

B’nai B’rith to hold 23rd annual Bible Quiz

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by MARY BORT Henry Monsky Lodge associate “The annual call for contestants has gone out for the 23rd Annual Edward Zorinsky B’nai B’rith Bible Quiz Contest,” according to Quiz chairman and event cofounder Steve Riekes.

“The crowds and the number of contestants have grown over the last few years, and we’re really excited,” Riekes continued. “Winners can earn cash prizes and scholarships, too.”

The contest is open to all Jewish teenagers in the Omaha area in grades nine through twelve. The entry deadline is Nov. 3. The quiz itself will be held Tuesday, Dec. 9, 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Jewish Community Center.

“The purpose of the Bible Quiz is to encourage Jewish youth to become more familiar with their heritage and with the Bible,” B’nai B’rith president Gary Javitch stated. He also emphasized that the quiz honors the memory of the late Senator Edward Zorinsky, who had a special concern for Jewish young people.

“We’re excited to sponsor this event, as it is a way to add some fun to Jewish education,” said Riekes, a Trustee of the Monsky Lodge. “We could not do it, if not for the active involvement of the rabbis, the directors of education of Omaha’s synagogues, the youth directors and many volunteers. We’re grateful, too, for their support of various members of the Lodge and the family of Edward Zorinsky,” he said.

Riekes also acknowledged the other co-founders of the Bible Quiz: Gloria Kaslow and Stan Mitchell, and noted the important contributions by Lois Epstein and this writer, who make all the arrangements for the event.

Prizes Teens who participate in the Bible Quiz have the opportunity to win some terrific prizes. First place prize is $600, second place prize is $350, third place prize is $250 and fourth place prize is $125. In addition to these prizes, all contestants who answer three questions correctly during the preliminary round will be given $10 cash at the end of the evening. The contest winner will also receive $25 cash. The scholarships can be applied toward college tuition, a trip to Israel or an approved Jewish camp or educational program sponsored by a local or national Jewish organization.

“The quiz is not difficult,” Riekes added. “Sample questions will be given to contestants in advance and practice sessions will be held. Every teenager who enters the contest becomes a winner, because every educated person should be familiar with the Bible.”

Questions for this year’s Bible Quiz will be based on the Book of Esther and parts of Leviticus: Chapters 11, 19, 23 and 25; and Numbers: Chapters 11-25, 27, 32, 35-36;. Prior to the contest, participants will read the assigned books. “Any teenager, regardless of previous Jewish education, who thoroughly reads the required material, can compete effectively,” said Riekes.

To enter, teens should submit their name, along with their parents’ names, address and zip code, email address, telephone number, high school and grade, to the Henry Monsky Lodge B’nai B’rith Office, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Or, they may call the office at 334-6443 or send an email to bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org. Additional information may be obtained by contacting Steve Riekes at 333.8498 or 492.9800.

“Just Think” accomplished the unthinkable, reaching teens

by ANNE MUSKIN In a stark white auditorium, flanked with chairs and bags of popcorn, sat close to fifty teens and parents.

Fidgeting and whispering secrets only high schooler’s could understand, they were waiting to be bombarded with a typical drug and alcohol lecture sure to bore them to tears. Waiting with “I told you so faces” that sense all signs of weakness, these teens were instead, deeply impacted.

They felt a mix of terror and pain, compassion, and frustration. Sponsored by the JCC and Jewish Family Service, the night started off with Nate Bock, a licensed mental health practitioner and provisionally licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselor, employed part-time with JFS. Bock explained some of the technical issues of drinking alcohol before the legal age. The teens asked questions and inquired about teen drinking. As Bock wound down, Matt Robinson approached the front of the room.

Standing at a lanky 6’2”, Matt looked like any other high school kid, a little uneasy with a groomed mop of brown hair. He started by asking, “Do any of you know

the names Jake Hurd and Kyle Lavigne.” “I do,” he firmly responded to his own question. “They were my best friends.” Robinson paused, and looked around. He told the teens his story.

He had caused the car accident that killed his friends.

He had seen their bodies, lifeless at the scene, and he was trying to put his life back together because of it.

“What do you do to just hang out?” one of the teens asked. “I am a halo stud,” Robinson replied to a warm laugh. He said he hasn’t had a drink since the accident, and doesn’t intend to. He goes to movies, and plays video games, and hangs out with friends. He enforced the idea that sometimes the friends you have aren’t really friends. For him, it took this incredibly tragic event to understand that.

Teens and parents asked hard, pressing questions, and Robinson boldly answered every one of them. The teens, who took a chance on this event, were glad they did.

“The message was sent,” one BBYO teen Colin Belmont expressed. “I really related to him, and he changed my perspective.”

Temple kindergartners excited about consecration on Simchat Torah

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Let the good times roll! And let the Torah scroll roll back from the end of Deuteronomy to the beginning of Genesis! It’s Simchat Torah, a joyous holiday that arose after the rabbis instituted the practice of reading through the Torah’s Five Books of Moses. Hakafot, a procession around the sanctuary with the Torah is a jubilant Simchat Torah tradition to be observed at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 20, Temple Israel.

Special attention will be paid to children on Simchat Torah as 14 kindergartners and other new students participate in a Consecration, a ceremony formally recognizing their families’ commitment to Jewish education.

Five-year-old Emilie Sacks, daughter of Scott and Jamie Sacks, is one of the consecrants this year. “She’s still warming up to the idea,” said Scott. “But she thinks it’s pretty cool. I grew up at Temple Israel, and it’s sur-

real” to have his child following in his footsteps.

Tuffy Epstein and his Fabrangen Fiddlers will begin setting the mood at 6:45 p.m. with their festive tunes as the pews fill with excited children and their families.

Jordan Raffel, six-year-old son of Wendy and Adam Raffel, is “very excited,” described Adam who sees the meaningfulness of this life cycle event as an opportunity “to pass the traditions of Judaism to our children to help ensure that those traditions perpetuate themselves long into the future.”

Leo Ray, five, also a kindergartner, “is very excited,” too. “He’s seen his brother and sister go through consecration and can’t wait to wear a tie,” explained his mother Shayna Ray. She and her husband Matt find the occasion “an exciting beginning to Leo’s Jewish education.”

Following worship services, the celebration with Tuffy and his fiddlers will continue in the Friedman Social Hall at an ice cream oneg.

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October 10, 2008

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 7

IN THE NEWS

Three nights last month were filled with singing and dancing at the Scottish Rite Theater. Karen Sokolof Javitch and Elaine Jabenis, writers of the show, were thrilled with the response. The two were responsible for raising $20,000 for Little Sioux Scout Ranch and Nebraska Foundation for Visually Impaired Children (NFVIC).

Sen. Ben Nelson laughed as “Western Town in Nebraska” was performed (it’s the song he sings on the Nebraska Celebrities Sing for Sight CD) and showed his appreciation to writers Karen Sokolof Javitch, left, and Elaine Jabenis.

The 24-member cast, which included director Michal Simpson, Howard Swain Jr. and Andrew Brooks, plus 17 Cherrie Anderson Dancers and the Kickers, added to the enthusiasm of the show. Most of the songs were written by Javitch and played by the Chuck Penington band.

Patrick Roddy was the choreographer.

Omaha celebrities got into the act.

“The Oracle of Omaha,” an original Javitch song about Warren Buffett, was a crowd favorite. The closing patriotic section brought all back to a more serious tone as color guard presentations by Scout Troops 319 and 377 reminded all of how blessed we are! Lloyd Roitstein, Boy Scout Executive President, also was involved in the show.

alumni honor given by the University’s schools and colleges, was presented during the “Evening of Honors Alumni Awards Ceremony.”

Katz began Project Interfaith in 2005 as a way to create respect and educate community members about religious diversity by offering programs, activities and training. Thousands of individuals as well as some 400 educators have attended the organization’s workshops and training.

She also has served in leadership positions with Amnesty International and on the committee for “Women of Spirit: A Multi-Faith Gathering of Women.” An adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, she also served as a research assistant for the U. S. Institute of Peace Constitution Writing and Conflict Resolution Project.

Katz received her Bachelor of Science in education summa cum laude from Creighton in 2000. While at Creighton, she was awarded the Mary Lucretia and Sarah Emily Creighton Award by the University Committee on the Status of Women for serving as a role model for other women. She was the College of Arts and Sciences outstanding senior and was honored with the Martin Luther King Award. She received master’s degrees in public policy and social work from the University of Michigan in 2003.

Last month, six members of the Rennard family running for the Zeno’s Paradox Busters (their own team name) participated in the Omaha Marathon.

David (3:30), Naomi (3:59), Stephen (4:51) and Emily Rennard Chrysler (4:06) each completed the full marathon and Hannah (2:29) and Rachael

Beth A. Katz, founder and executive director of Project Interfaith, received the 2008 alumni award last month from the Creighton University College of Arts and Sciences.

The award, the highest

5

Health benefits company Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is honoring a senior citizen volunteer in the Omaha or Lincoln areas through the third annual Humana Starlight Award. As a way of recognizing their community service, Humana will honor the volunteer with a one-time grant by donating $10,000 to the nonprofit organization of the recipient’s choice.

Local nonprofit organizations are invited to nominate their most dedicated senior citizen volunteers for the Starlight Award by the application deadline of Oct. 17. The Starlight Award is funded by Humana to honor a senior volunteer who gives time and talent to make a difference in his or her community. The award will

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be presented at a special recognition ceremony Thursday, Nov. 6 at the Omaha Marriott, 10220 Regency Circle, in Omaha.

Anyone who is 65 years of age or older and has served as a volunteer for a nonprofit organization in Cass, Dodge, Douglas, Sarpy, Saunders or Washington counties in the Omaha area, or Gage and Lancaster counties in the Lincoln area, is eligible for the Humana Starlight Award.

To nominate a senior citizen volunteer, nonprofit organizations must be classified as a 501(c)(3) and serve the community.

For more information about the Humana Starlight Award visit http://www.humana.com/about/co mpany_information/starlight.asp, or contact the Humana office at 11420 Blondo Street, Suite 102; Omaha, NE 68164, or call 402.496.3388, toll-free at 1.800.941.1182.

ORGANIZATIONS WALK-IN, DROP-IN For those members going to Bunch to Lunch at the Summer Kitchen on Thursday, please meet at the JCC at 10:45 a.m. The one act show with Pippa White will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the JCC. For information call Maggie Conti at 334.6521.

JEWISH SENIOR SERVICES Reminder: JSS presents “As Far as the Eyes Can See” performed by Pippa White on Thursday, Oct. 16, 1:30 p.m. at the JCC auditorium. There is no admission fee and all are welcome. For information call Maggie Conti at 334.6521.

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lunch, beverage, tax, and gratuity. David Kotok, Managing Editor of the Omaha World Herald will speak on hot topics of today’s news. For information, call Harry Alloy at 697.8709. If you need transportation to the Venice Inn call Florence Hauss at 571.4583. Make check payable to Visions. Deadline for reservations is Oct. 10.

JEWISH WOMEN INTERNATIONAL The Mah Jongg tournament will be on Sunday, Oct. 19 at the Jewish Community Center. Registration will start at noon, and play will be from 12:30-4:30 p.m. The entrance fee is $18 and there will be tournament prizes and door prizes. Refreshments will be served.

To register, send check (payable to Jewish Women International) by Tuesday, Oct. 14 to Rosalie Greenspan, 8108 Howard St., 68114, 391.1954 or Esther Wax, 118 So. 88 St., 68114, 393.4442.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 10, 2008

It’s just “stuff” The stock market has been on a crazy roller coaster ride for months -- down by recordbreaking amounts one day, up by triple digits the next. Jobless claims are up; credit for leasing a car, borrowing for student loans and for short term cash needed by owners of small businesses is in short supply. The housing market continues to stagnate with some unable to make mortgage payments and others unable to sell their homes at even below purchase prices.

So what are we to do? Is this a prelude to another Great Depression? A worldwide economic meltdown? Let’s take a step back and catch and pause to remember what holiday arrives this Monday night: Sukkot.

Sukkot has another name: z’man simchataynu -- the time of our joy. Some of you are probably thinking how hard that’s going to be right now. But think about the commandments associated with Sukkot: of building a temporary dwelling with the roof open so you can see the stars. For eight days, we are to “dwell in the succah” much like the Israelites lived in desert for 40 years. A succah is fragile; as Midwesterners know, it can be blown down by strong winds or an untimely fall snowstorm.

There’s a lesson in this, one that the residents of the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast certainly know after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike blew through: even the strongest structures don’t last forever. Whether it’s a concrete block home, a power grid, an investment bank, a McMansion or a manufacturer -- it’s no stronger that the shaky succah on your deck.

We’re so attached to all that stuff -- but the uptick in our stock portfolio is just paper. And the price of each stock is just a picture of one day in time; it could be up or down a month or a year or a decade from now. The furniture,

the clothing, the jewelry, the cars -- it’s just stuff, too -- and in our hearts, we all know we’d trade all of it in a heartbeat for a chronically sick child or an terminally ill parent or spouse.

Take it all away and who are we? Are we known by the grand titles some faceless company has called us? Or are we known by the way we’ve treated other people?

Maybe this economic downturn, recession, depression -- call it what you will -is a good thing for our human psyche. Maybe Americans will learn to live within their means instead of betting the bank (literally) on homes and cars they really can’t afford. Maybe we’ll actually put a little money away each week and save, instead of spending everything we’ve got and then some on more stuff we don’t need.

Maybe this period will help us reflect on what’s really important in our lives -- not impressing others, but building character in ourselves and our children. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll all learn a little humility. Instead of being so caught up in the rush to earn more, buy more, get more, we’ll slow down and appreciate what we already have.

Sit in your succah and look around at the smiling faces of your family and friends. Enjoy their company and delicious holiday meals.

Shake the lulav and etrog (palm, myrtle and willow, plus the lemonlike fruit). Use the time to read and study and learn about Judaism --

not just the holidays, but what they mean and how they can have an affect on our lives.

And let go of the “stuff.” Because when you sit in your succah and can view the night sky above, you realize that all this is temporary -and you’re not in charge and you never have been. And let us pray that the Creator and Master of the Universe spreads His shelter of peace -- His sukkat shlomecha -- over all of us, not only this year, but always.

the achievement of worth, racing to achieve meaning in our lives.

In the bustle and haste of everyday existence, it is alarmingly easy to forget that decisions we make, sometimes almost unthinkingly, can be crucial; that seemingly insignificant forks in the roads of our lives can lead either to achievement and holiness, or, G-d forbid, to setbacks, even ruin.

Every single decision we make, of course, is important. Each day of our lives presents occasions for choices, chances to seize meaningful things -- a mitzvah, a heartfelt prayer, an act of charity -- or to forgo them. Every opportunity to be morose or angry is a chance to hurt others, and ourselves -- and likewise a chance to do neither, and achieve something priceless.

We can even, through sheer determination, create our own critical moments. Consider the Talmudic case of the “conditional husband.”

In Jewish law, a marriage is effected by the proposal of a man to a woman -- the declaration of the woman’s kiddushin, or “specialness” to her husband, followed by the acceptance by the woman of a coin or item of worth from her suitor. If the declaration is made on the condition that an assertion is true, the marriage is valid only if the assertion indeed is.

Thus, if a man betroths a woman on the condition that he owns a car, or still has his own teeth, unless he does, they aren’t married.

What if a man offers a woman a coin or item and makes the kiddushin-declaration “on the condition that I am a tzaddik,” a “totally righteous person”? The Talmud informs us that even if the man in question has no such flawless reputation the marriage must be assumed to be valid (and only a divorce can dissolve it).

Why? Because, the Talmud explains, the man “may have contemplated repentance” just before his proposal.

That determined choice of a moment, in other words, if sincere, would have transformed the man completely, placed him on an entirely new life-road. The lesson is obvious: Each of us can transform himself or herself -at any point we choose -- through sheer, sincere will.

This season of the Jewish year, our tradition teaches, is particularly fertile for making choices, for embarking on new roads. All we need are the sensitivity and wisdom to be open to crucial opportunities, and the determination to craft some of our own -- to make choices that will change our lives and futures for the holier.

Rabbi Shafran is director of public affairs for Agudath Israel of America. He can be reached at: Shafran@agudathisrael.org

The weeks before a presidential election provide spiritual fodder for the High Holy Day period. Throughout political campaigns, candidates and their handlers are keenly aware of the great toll a simple gaffe or misjudgment can take. Four years ago, Howard Dean, the then-governor of Vermont (today Democratic National Committee chairman) was a credible candidate for the Democratic nomination for President.

But he crashed and burned, according to many because of what came to be dubbed his “I Have a Scream” speech. After an unexpectedly weak showing in the Iowa caucus, Dr. Dean declared his undeterred determination to forge on, in a rousing address that culminated in a vocalization somewhere between a Zulu war cry and a locomotive horn. That single moment’s decision to let loose in that way at that juncture spelled the end of the doctor’s road to the highest office in the land.

There have been other such moments for presidential candidates: Edmund Muskie’s tears of pain, Gary Hart’s infelicitous mugging for his “Monkey Business” snapshot, Michael Dukakis’s donning of an ill-fitting combat helmet. Each unguarded moment, deservedly or not, brought a national campaign to a screeching halt.

Every one of us, too, in our personal lives, comes face to face at times with opportunities of our own that, wrongly handled, can lead to places we don’t want to go.

And we are vying for something infinitely more important than a mere nomination for President. We’re in the running, after all, for

... seemingly insignificant forks in the roads of our lives can lead either to achievement and holiness, or, G-d forbid, to setbacks, even ruin.

But there are also particularly momentous opportunities, when we are presented with roads that diverge in entirely different directions. The Talmud teaches that “one can acquire his universe” -- the one that counts: the world-to-come -- or “destroy” it “in a single moment.”

Potentially transformative decisions are more common to our lives than we may realize. When we make a decision about, say, where to live or what synagogue to attend -not to mention more obviously critical decisions like whom to marry or how to raise and educate our children -- we are defining our futures, and others’. And it is of great importance that we recognize the import of our decisions, and accord them the gravity they are due.

Jewish Press Board Michael Sigmond, Vice President; Stan Mitchell, Secretary; Michael Siegel, Treasurer; Howard K. Marcus, Immediate Past-chairman; Marc Brodkey; Andie Gordman; Michael Kaufman; Bette Kozlen; Susan Lehr; Jamie Meyerson; Andy Ruback; Jim Simon; Nancy Skid; and Dorothy Spizman.

The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Education, Jewish Family Service/Jewish Senior Services, and the Jewish Press .

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Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole.

The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content.

The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.

Momentous moments

FOCUS ON ISSUES

by RABBI AVI SHAFRAN

(Founded in 1920) Bobbi Leibowitz President Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Managing Editor Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Robyn Belgrade Sales Associate Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Managing Editor Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper

Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

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October 10, 2008

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 9

Did Wall Street send us a New Year’s message?

BEHIND THE HEADLINES

by RABBI BENJAMIN BLECH

Even as we face divine judgment on the high holy days, it’s hard not to think about the worldwide monetary melt-down and the carnage of corporations that we thought were invincible. After all, it’s not just our lives that stand in the balance when God makes his decisions about our future. As the deeply moving prayer of Rabbi Amnon, Unetane Tokef, puts it, these are the days when both our fate and our fortune for the coming year are sealed: “Who will live and who will die, who will become impoverished and who will become wealthy.�

The Hebrew word “Damim,� the rabbis tell us, means not only blood, but also money. A strange combination at first sight, but one filled with profound insight.

Judaism does not denigrate the importance of money. It is not the root of all evil; it is morally neutral. Just as it can be misused for improper purposes it can also serve to ennoble our lives and the lives of others. We are permitted to pray for wealth, just as our forefathers did.

The Kohanim, the priests who are commanded to bless the Jewish people, are told to keep financial security in mind as they lift their hands for their benediction.

Money is the fruit of our efforts, earned with the aid of our blood and our toil. And it is as much the concern of divine Providence as our lifespan.

So if God is involved with our portfolio, we have to wonder why He has allowed us to suffer so much this past year?

If only we could have had a window into the future we would have been spared the incredible turnabouts of the stock market. Even the most wizened professionals say they have never seen anything like it. In January of this year Barron’s magazine advised its readers to concentrate purchases from its list of most secure and risk-free companies. At the very top of their suggestions for best performers for the coming year were Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae and AIG. But of course neither Barron’s nor Fortune nor Forbes had any idea that these pillars of capitalism, these bastions of financial strength, would soon collapse into bankruptcy or federal takeover.

So today many of last year’s billionaires have to sadly confront the fact that they are now only millionaires -and the rest of us have to deal with the reality of rapidly sinking retirement funds, plunging real estate values and panicking margin calls.

Strangely enough we have very conflicting views about God’s role in all of this. The Austrian playwright Arthur Schnitzler pointedly observed, “We know of some very religious people who came to doubt God when a great misfortune befell them, even when they themselves were

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to blame for it; but we have never yet seen anyone who lost his faith because an undeserved fortune fell to his lot.�

We attribute success to our own efforts. We call catastrophes acts of God. When we “make it,� we thank ourselves. When we lose it, we blame an unjust Heavenly Ruler. People of faith, however, have to acknowledge that both good and bad fortune in the final analysis simply represent the will of God. Good times are blessings from a Higher Power. Tough times are divine decrees with a message and meaning all of their own. And that is what we should be thinking about as we contemplate our diminishing bank accounts.

Let’s take a cue from a remarkable observation by James Dale Davidson and Sir William Rees-Mogg, financial advisers and authors of Blood in the Streets, who were intrigued by an aspect of timing apparent in economic cycles: “Even more mysterious is the strange tendency for major crashes to occur in the autumn, especially in October. For example, Sept. 18, 1873; Oct. 29, 1929; Oct. 6, 1932; Oct. 18, 1937; Oct. 19, 1987; and Oct. 13, 1989. Each of these dramatic results, among the largest drops ever recorded, occurred in the fall. The old view would be to argue that this is only coincidence, which of course is possible. Most likely some factor we do not now understand increases the vulnerability to selloffs in the fall.�

To which of course we might add the events of this September which are so reminiscent of another doomsday scenario.

Dare I perhaps suggest that this mysterious phenomenon is due in no small measure to the fact that this time period invariably coincides with the days when mankind is weighed on the scale of Heavenly Judgment? It is not coincidence that rules our fate but divine fiat, the result of a proces finalized not “in the fall� but more accurately in the awesome days leading up to Rosh Hashanah and the Day of Atonement.

It is during this time that God has to impress upon us the need to clearly define our values. In Jewish tradition there is a saying that during our lifetimes we have three main friends -- and when we die they leave us in exactly the reverse order in which we treated them. No sooner does our soul leave our body than all of our wealth flees with it as well. Families are more faithful. They walk with us after our passing to the cemetery, our final resting place. Then, they too leave us to go on with their lives.

It is only our name, the good deeds we performed for others, and the influence we may have had upon them, that outlive us and offer us a share of immortality. Strange then, isn’t it, that we spend most of our lives chasing after money, spending far less of our time than we should with our families, and spending so little of our efforts to accomplish those things by which will be remembered.

Maybe, after all, making a fortune isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Maybe we can even identify with the pro-

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found words of Emile Gauvreay: “I was part of that strange race of people aptly described as spending their lives doing things they detest to make money they don't want to buy things the don’t need to impress people they dislike.�

It is an insight that needs to be constantly repeated.

No wonder then that God incorporated it into the Bible by way of a fascinating law regulating the ancient agrarian economy. Six years farmers were permitted to work their fields, to gather in their crops, and to add to their wealth. Every seventh year however was known as the year of Shmittah. Land could not be tilled.

Everyone could equally and freely share in its produce.

The economic rat race was suspended and all people were urged to spend a year as a sabbatical -- studying and pursuing their spiritual growth even as for six years they emphasized the material. And most important of all they were to acknowledge that no man could really own the land. As mortal residents on earth we are all only temporary managers of God's gifts, recipients of His financial blessings and always aware of the true source of everything that we have been privileged to accumulate.

What a powerful and needed lesson the Torah meant every seventh year to be!

Would it surprise you to learn that economists have noticed a symmetry between this biblical seven-year lesson and the almost perfect seven-year boom to bust cycles? In 1999, Warren Buffett took the liberty of linking Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams with the movements of the Dow Jones at the close of the 20th century. Fat cows are swallowed up by lean cows, years of plenty invariably have famine follow in their wake.

Bubbles of any kind are unsustainable and burst -- be they prime rate mortgages million-dollar condos or “risk free� investment house stocks.

Without these corrections we would never be forced to recognize the realities of our lives. Greed would transform us from servants of God to slaves of our possessions. We would perhaps never re-orient ourselves to the proper balance between the spiritual and the material in the conduct of our lives.

It shouldn’t surprise you then that the technology and Internet bubble burst in 2001 just happened to be a Shmittah year. And as we bid farewell to yet another tumultuous financial year, it’s important to remember that 5768-2007/8 was yet again a Shmittah year. That’s why we almost assuredly have to understand these trying times as God’s voice attempting to again teach us the lessons of the biblical sabbatical in contemporary terms.

And finally let us find comfort in knowing that God will surely heap His abundant blessings upon us if we only learn to use them with dignity, with morality and with spiritual sensitivity.

Rabbi Blech is the author of 12 acclaimed books, including Understanding Judaism: The basics of Deed and Creed. He is a professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University and Rabbi Emeritus of Young Israel of Oceanside, NY. Printed with permission from Aish.com.

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Page 10

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 10, 2008

Candlelighting Friday, October 10, 6:33 p.m Monday, October 13, 6:26 p.m.

Tuesday, October 14, 7:26 p.m.

Synagogue Listings B’nai Israel Synagogue 618 Mynster St. Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com

Beth El Synagogue Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Omaha, NE 68154-1980 492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org

Beth Israel Synagogue Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific St. Omaha, NE. 68154 556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

Chabad House An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 S. 120th St. Omaha, NE 68144-1646 330.1800 www.OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com

Congregation B’nai Jeshurun South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 S. 20th St. Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 435.8004 southstreettemple.org

Offutt Air Force Base SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway Offutt AFB, NE 68113 294.6244

Rose Blumkin Jewish Home 323 S. 132 St. Omaha, NE 68154

Temple Israel Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556.6536 templeisrael-ne.org

The Neighborhood Minyan 1317 No. 57 St. Omaha, NE 68132 551.6609

Tifereth Israel Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org

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B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE There will be no services on Friday, Oct. 10.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Services conducted by Rabbi Mordechai Levin and Cantor Beth Schlossberg.

FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning services, 9:30 a.m.; Ray Goldstein, president of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism will speak during services; Kiddush sponsored by Beth El; Minha/ Ma’ariv, 6:50 p.m.

Bible Study SUNDAY: Discussion Group, 10 a.m.

BRING YOUR PARENTS TO SCHOOL DAY: Sunday, 10 a.m.-noon. for BESTT parents of children in Pre-K to seventh grade. Activities will be offered at 11:30 a.m. There will be a presentation on the Passport to Israel Program.

SUKKAH CONSTRUCTION: Sunday, 8 a.m. Men’s Club will construct our sukkah in the front courtyard.

TZEDAKAH BOXES FOR SUKKOT: Sunday, noon-2:30 p.m. Art project, led by Julie Phillips is open to all ages. Cost is $10 (includes light lunch and tzedakah box). Decorations and supplies provided. For more information or to register, contact Margie in the office, or at programming@beth el-omaha.org.

USY: Teens will enjoy sukkah decorating and a pizza party on Sunday, 7-8:30 p.m. For more information, contact Robert Mosenkis in the office, or at youth dir@bethel-omaha.org.

MONDAY-Sukkot: MinhaMa’ariv, 5:30 p.m.

TUESDAY: Morning, 9:30 a.m.; Minha-Ma’ariv, 5:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Morning, 9:30 a.m.; Minha-Ma’ariv, 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: Morning, 6:40 a.m.; Minha-Ma’ariv, 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Morning, 6:40 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.

SHABBAT MORNING LIVE: Saturday, Oct. 18, 10:30 a.m.noon. Led by Esther Katz, for 4-8 year olds and their favorite adult(s).

Program includes music, puppet theater, dance, Shabbat-appropri-

ate games and crafts. No charge, but RSVP to Margie in the office.

S’MORES ’N MORE at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch on Sunday, Oct. 19, 4 p.m. for the hayrack ride; dinner, 6 p.m. Cost is $6.50 for adults, $4 for children 12 and younger, no charge for children three and younger. Families pay for admission to Vala’s. To RSVP, send a check for dinner to Beth El; write ‘S’mores’ on your envelope.

Questions? Contact co-hosts Amy Raffel, 359.1489, or Sonia Tipp, 408.5657.

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 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, 6:33 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. free babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes, 9:45 a.m. with Torah Parade; Kiddush is sponsored by Sisterhood; “Guard Your Tongue” and “The Great Midrash” are one hour before Mincha; Mincha, 6 p.m., followed by Seudah Shlishit; Havdalah, 7:31 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Rabbi Gross’s Teen Class, 10 a.m.; Sukkah building follows morning minyan; Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m.

MONDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; office closes at noon; Lulav and etrog orders may be picked up from 8:30 a.m.-noon, or at minyan; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY-Sukkot: Shacharit, 9 a.m. followed by lunch in the sukkah; Children’s Holiday Davening will be after lunch; Mincha, 6:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored by Sisterhood; Mincha, 6:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 7:25 p.m.

THURSDAY: Women of the Torah class, 9:30 a.m.; Rabbi’s weekly class will resume on Oct. 30.

CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Services, 7 a.m.

SATURDAY: Maamar class, 9

a.m.; Service, 9:30 a.m.; Youth Minyan, 10:30 a.m. where the Mini-Mensch title will be awarded; Kiddush luncheon follows; join Rabbi Katzman from 12-1 p.m.

SUNDAY: Service, 8:30 a.m.; Mishpacha Mornings, 10:15 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Kabbalistic Insights for Women, 12:15 p.m.

TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY: Services, 9:30 a.m.; Youth Minyan, 10:30 a.m.; Festive Kiddush Luncheon 11:45 a.m. in the Sukkah.

THURSDAY: Jewish Thought, 12:45 p.m.

FRIDAY-Oct. 17: W.O.W. Soup in the Sukkah, 11:45 a.m.

All events and programs are open to the community.

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN Services conducted by Rabbi Ilan Emanuel.

FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. led by Rabbi Emanuel, with oneg following.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. all led by Rabbi Emanuel.

SUNDAY: LJCS Grades 1-7, 9:30 a.m. at Tifereth Israel; LJCS Sukkah decorating, 10 a.m.noon; Hallah High, 10 a.m.noon at South Street Temple.

TUESDAY: Temple office closed for Sukkot.

WEDNESDAY: No LJCS Hebrew classes; Women’s Lunch Group, noon in the sukkah at Tifereth Israel. Bring a sack lunch.

THURSDAY: Jews and the News, 12:30 p.m. Lunch and Discussion.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. led by NCJW Members.

SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by David Herzog and Jim Polack.

TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY: Sukkot Services, 9 a.m. led by Rabbi Maximo Shechet.

TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 7:30 p.m., led by Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, and Cantor Wendy Shermet.

SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Service, 10:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Teacher meeting, 9:30 a.m.; Grades K-6, 10 a.m.; WRJ Board Meeting, 10 a.m.; Grade 5 at the Food Bank, 10:15 a.m. Take a tour of the Food Bank and learn the mitzvah of Peah leket shicha’chah, feeding of the hungry. Please bring a sack filled with non-perishable food items for donation; Book Club, 10:30 a.m.; Children’s Choir Rehearsal, noon. Pizza will be provided for choir members and younger siblings.

MONDAY-Erev Sukkot: Family Potluck Dinner, 6 p.m.; Last name, A-K-Desserts and Last name, L-Z-Side Dish; Family Service, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY-Sukkot: Breakfast in the Sukkah, 9:30 a.m.; Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.

WEDNESDAY: No Religious, Family School or Middle/High School.

Men’s Club Candidate Forum, Sunday, Oct. 19, 10 a.m. Join us for a bagel brunch, as Senate and Congressional candidates are invited to discuss issues pertaining to this election.

NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN No services will be held in October.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Services conducted by Nancy Coren, Lay Leader. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

MONDAY and THURSDAY: Minyan, 9 a.m. Contact the office to arrange for a minyan.

FRIDAY: Services, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush lunch and Talmud study.

SUNDAY: LJCS Grades 1-7, 9:30 a.m. at Tifereth Israel; LJCS Sukkah decorating, 10 a.m.noon; Hallah High, 10 a.m.noon at South Street Temple.

TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.

Virtual Hebrew high school Continued from page 1 Recontructionist Synagogue, ceased operations this year.

“I have been privileged to learn from Rabbi Brovender over the years,” added Beth Israel’s Rabbi Jonathan Gross, “and I am confident that this innovative program will be a great benefit for many students.”

Two tracks will be offered. The preparatory, one-year introductory Makdimim program (which means “getting a head start”) reviews the development of the Talmud and focuses on textual analysis, as seen through the prism of Jewish history. The advanced three-year Matmidim tex-based

program includes Mishna, Chumash with Rashi, the Rambam, and other sources.

After discovering the new program, Nancy Wolf said, “This concept is definitely something I wish existed when our oldest was just entering high school, to allow for serious Torah-based study with other interested Jewish teens.”

She and her husband Phil have three children. Hannah, has graduated college and is working for Teach for America in Kansas City; son, Alex is a junior at Grinnell, but spending this semester in China.

Another son, Nate, is a senior in high school. “There just wasn’t a true Hebrew high school for Torah

studies available here,” Wolf said.

Both tracks will meet on Monday and Wednesday evenings for two 45-minute classes each.

Teens will be able to see and hear each other, as well as the instructor in the virtual classroom, while learning Jewish texts, displayed on the screen. Students will be expected to prepare in preparation for the class, but will have the opportunity to contact teachers with questions.

A weekly one-on-one tutorial will be offered through Skype for those who need it.

Shabbatons (Shabbat gettogethers), held once or twice a year, will provide enrichment and enable students to meet each other

in real life. Some of the teachers from the web-based program will also be part of the programming.

The first semester will run from Oct. 27-Feb. 4 for grades nine 12 with special permission given for younger students. Second semester is Feb. 9-May 27.

Register online at: www.webyeshiva.org/highschool, until Oct. 30.

Annual tuition of $1500 is payable in two installments per semester. Some scholarships and tuition discounts are available.

Students interested in a fourth year will be integrated into the regular WebYeshiva program which will serve as a gateway to continued learning in Israel.

Pulverente MONUMENT CO.

October 10, 2008

Lend me your ears!

SPARKS FROM THE WORD

by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE PARASHAT HA’AZINU In a court of law, if there are no witnesses, it is all but impossible to establish the truth of a statement or event.

But when the court is history itself, the only witnesses are,m as Moses points out, heaven and earth, which are abiding.

He accuses the people, or rather simply, states that they ahve been wayward, uncooperative and purposely stubborn. But the lesson he has for them is an old one, repetitive and all but worn out: there are rewards for goodness and tragic results for evil.

Moses reminds them as he has so many times that they have been consientiously without conscious and purposely without purpose. But now Moses entreats the people to break all of these habits (which are nothing by human, are they not?) and for once listen attentively: Ha’azinu! Lend me your ears!

Moses is talking to the people but hopes that more than they will listen, not tthem alone, but the heavens above and the earth below.

In order to make the people willing to listen, Moses puts the rewards in the most understandable terms, that is to say, in terms of the taste of the tongue and the eagerness of the stomach to be full. If he is tired of dragging this people through feckless lands for a lifetime, we can only hope to understand what he has faced. None of us could have stayed with it as he did.

His reward? Sim ply that we call him Moshe Rabbenu: Moses, our Rabbi and Teacher.

But the reward is actually very much greater: heaven and earth alike give ear to what Moses has to say and history records it as the fundamental of ethical lessons.

We cannot consider it accidental that this lesson comes within the great Holy Days of the Jewish calendar. If there is nothing else to think about during this time of introspection, self-examination and atonement, we need no more than this.

“Ha’azinu! Lend me your ears!” said Moses.

G’mar hatima tova!

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT On Saturday, Oct. 18, 2 p.m., the Academy Awardnominated documentary A Time for Burning (1966) will show at Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater as part of a community-wide collaboration designed to foster an ongoing dialogue about race and other intergroup relations in Omaha .

Filmed in Omaha in 1965, one year after the federal Civil Rights Act became law, A Time for Burning follows the attempts of a young Lutheran minister of a then all-white Augustana Lutheran Church to reach out to a nearby African-American congregation. Despite his best efforts, the minister, Rev. William Youngdahl, faces resistance from his parishioners and meets a young North Omaha barber-Ernie Chambers-who explains to him why his efforts at integration won’t work.

Directed by Bill Jersey and Barbara Connell, A Time for Burning was broadcast nationwide on public television in 1966, the same year that race riots occurred in Omaha. It received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary the following year, and in 2005, 40 years after the events featured in the film took place, it was selected by the National Film Registry for preservation in the Library of Congress. This past year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored the film with a new 35mm print and will host a special screening of A Time for Burning with director Bill Jersey in New York on Oct. 20.

Two days earlier, Jersey will be in Omaha for a special screening of A Time for Burning at Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater, located at the corner of 14th & Webster. A post-show discussion with Jersey will follow the film. Reverend Susan Butler of Augustana Lutheran Church will also participate in the discussion.

Tickets are $8 general admission, $6 for seniors, students and teachers, and $4 for Film Streams Members.

Tickets can be purchased at the box office (open 30 minutes before the first showtime each day), online at www.filmstreams.org, or at any Homer’s location.

DEATH IRVING FORBES Irving J. Forbes died Oct. 2. Services were held Oct. 3 at BHH/Fisher Farm Cemetery.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Ida R. Forbes, and son-in-law Bill Kully.

He is survived by children, Karen Meyer of Simi Valley, CA., Leslie Kully, Bruce Forbes; grandchildren Brent Meyer, Jason Meyer, Linda Chernoff, Tim Kully, Cathy Kully, and Josh Forbes; 14 great-grandchildren; brother and sister-in-law, Marshall and Toby Forbes of Milwaukee; and sister and brother-in-law, Annette and Dr. Sidney Merlis of Long Island.

A resident of the Blumkin Home, he was named Volunteer of the Year. Memorials to the Blumkin Home.

ARIE GERSHOVICH Arie Gershovich, father of UNO professor Moshe Gershovich, died Sept. 25 in Tel Aviv. Services were held Sept. 28 in Petah Tikva One of the founding members of the State of Israel, he served in the Palmach Military Division of the Israeli army in Israel’s War of Independence.

In addition to his son, he is survived by his wife, Nechama Gershovich of Givataim; daughter, Zivit Semo of Rosh Ein; daughter-in-law, Beth Brown-Gershovich; grandchildren, Or and Eden Semo of Rosh Ein, sister, Tovah Kovarsky of Tel Aviv; sister and brother-in-law, Leah and Menahem Sherman of Hertzylia; and sister-inlaw, Ziona Segev of Ramat Aviv.

Memorials Palmach Museum, Departmenr of Museums, Ministry of Defense, P.O.B. 952 Kiryat-Ono 55108, Israel.

DAVID LAZARUS An artist remembered most for his hand carved wood mezuzzot, David Lazarus died Sept. 29 at the age of 97 in Cleveland. Services were held Oct. 2 at BHH/Fisher Farm Cemetery.

An artist and calligrapher, he also created a “dramalog” about the Holocaust which was performed in Omaha during his 10-year stay from 1973-82. His hand carved mezuzzot, like the one pictured at right in the chapel at Stratcom (formerly known as Offutt Air Force Base), grace the walls of many Jewish institutions and homes.

In the 1930s, the Omaha native performed and sang locally. Funds raised from one of those performances allowed him to attend the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. He later won a trip to Europe, performed on Broadway and spent five months in Hollywood. But he lost his voice while rehearsing for Billy Rose’s show Jumbo in 1937 and returned to Omaha. After retiring from a 30-year career in insurance sales in Cleveland, he returned to the arts. He also fulfilled a lifelong dream by living in Israel for seven years.

He was preceded in death by his first wife Ruth Metz Lazarus, who died in 1973, and his second wife, Dorothy Gaylord Lazarus, who died in 1994.

He is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Judith and Fred Yellon of Las Cruces, NM, Abigail and David Sloan of Seattle, WA; son, Jonathan Lazarus of Naples, FL; grandchildren Daniel Lazarus, Joshua Yellon, Samatha Karni, Alexandra Sloan; and a greatgranddaughter.

Memorials to the Roof for Demobilized Soldiers, 83 Shivat Zion St., PO Box 1311, Haifa, 32102, Israel.

HIGH HOLIDAY CLOSING & EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE The Jewish Press will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 14-15 for Sukkot and Oct. 21-22 for Shemini Azeret and Simchat Torah. The deadline for all ads, articles and photos is 9 a.m. as follows. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.

Issue Deadline Oct. 24 Monday, Oct. 13 Oct. 31 Thursday, Oct. 23

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Page 12

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 10, 2008

Rabbi offers solace to the grieving

by OZZIE NOGG Jewish Family Service and Jewish Senior Services will host a presentation by Rabbi Anne Brener, LCSW, author of “Mourning & Mitzvah: Walking the Mourner’s Path.” Rabbi Brener, a Los Angeles-based Spiritual Director, psychotherapist, writer and teacher, will discuss Transforming the Wilderness of Grief.

The program, on Thursday, Oct. 16, 78:30 p.m. in the Jewish Community Center Social Hall, is free and open to the community.

On Friday, Oct. 17, 8:30-11:30 a.m., Rabbi Brener will hold an in-service workshop designed specifically Rabbi Anne Brenner for clinicians, social workers and mental health professionals. The session, in the JCC Social Hall, includes a continental breakfast

Pet/House Sitter Responsible and mature healthcare professional will pet/house sit to take care of your needs. Reasonable rates with 20 years of experience.

References available on request.

Contact Linda at 639-1149.

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A faculty member of the Academy for Jewish Religion, Hebrew Union College/LA, Brener holds graduate degrees in Social Work, Communications, Hebrew Letters and Jewish Communal Service. She is considered an expert on the relationship between psychotherapy, spirituality and mourning, and has examined this topic with audiences throughout North America, Israel and England. Some of her writing has been translated into Afrikaans and Oshiwambo to assist those in Africa who are facing the challenge of caring for people dying of AIDS. Mourning & Mitzvah: Walking the Mourner’s Path (Jewish Lights, 1993 & 2001), now in its seventh printing and second edition, is the only bereavement guide in The Millennium Whole Earth Catalogue. It was honored by the American Psychological Association.

In the preface to Mourning & Mitzvah, Rabbi Brener explains that the book began with her own struggle to deal with losses she suffered while still in her early twenties. “Among these,” she writes, “were the suicide of my mother, followed three months later by a car accident that killed my nineteen-year old sister -- my only sibling.” These tragedies led Brener on a personal search for ways to ease her pain. “That my search for healing has led me to the path of my ancestors speaks of the wis-

dom of the ancient Jewish mourning traditions. They can be as effective today as they were 2,000 years ago.”

Rabbi William Cutter of Hebrew Union College/ Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, calls Brener “an accomplished therapist and a person of rich Jewish spirit. She knows as a professional that once we lose a loved one there is no turning back. And she knows as a religious Jew that this harsh fact may be opportunity for fresh insight.”

According to Karen Gustafson, director of Jewish Family Service, “Rabbi Brener offers therapeutic tools that can empower us as we confront bereavement and the grieving process. Her presentation will benefit everyone who has experienced loss and is searching for a healing path guided by Jewish tradition. We encourage you to attend this very meaningful presentation.”

Two follow-up sessions designed to help participants process personal loss are scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 13 and Thursday, Dec. 11, 7-8:30 p.m. in the JCC Community Room. Facilitators are Gustafson, LMHP, Shelly Fox, MSW and Shane Kotok, CSW/MS. No reservations are needed for the Oct. 16 evening presentation; RSVPs are requested from professionals for the Friday morning in-service workshop. For more details, call JFS at 330.2024.