October 10, 2014

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

Establish your legacy

October 10, 2014 16 Tishrei 5775 Vol. 95 | No. 4

This Week

Star Deli dinner

by OZZIE NOGG The Star Deli Dinner scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 14, will give Omaha foodies an opportunity to enjoy plates of award-winning BBQ. “We’re offering a Taste of Our Kansas City Kosher BBQ Competition entries,” said Josh Gurock, Director of Operations at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

“The sampler platters include servings of Smoked Turkey, Smoked Chicken Thigh, Smoked

The Whipping Man at Omaha Community Playhouse Page 2

Incredible experiences in Israel Page 6

Just one of the countless programs that Endowment Funds of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation support in Omaha’s Jewish community: Jewish Family Service’s “Pinwheels for Prevention,” for Child Abuse Awareness Month last April, was funded by the Pennie Z. Davis Family Life Education Fund. Back Row: Lynne Saltzman, left, Sandy Nogg, Justin Cooper, Teresa Drelicharz. Front Row: Vanessa Cooper, Marissa Cooper.

by MARY BORT Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation Now is the time to create a permanent legacy to support the programs and services in Omaha’s Jewish community that mean the most to you.

Thanks to the generosity of an anony-

mous donor, you have the opportunity to make your dollars go further when you establish an endowment fund, or add to an existing endowment fund, between now and December 31, 2014, at the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. The first 20

endowments that are funded with a minimum of $10,000 or more will each receive an Incentive Match of $1,000.

“This is a terrific time to take that step and establish an endowment Continued on page 3

Friedel students clean up In Tel Aviv Noir, city’s underbelly gets its due Page 12

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

This Month Sports and Recreation See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

8 10 11

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Friedel Jewish Academy Standing Bear, a Ponca Native American chief, who lived from 1829 to 1908 along the Niobrara River in Nebraska, was a knowledgeable man having successfully argued in U.S. District Court that Native Americans are “persons within the meaning of the law.” He also welcomed the stranger, a Jewish value, by opening his reservation to a tribe that had lost its land. However, he may not have heard of Tashlich.

But on the day of Erev Rosh Hashanah, some 50 students from Friedel Jewish Academy took their annual bus ride to Standing Bear Lake, near 132nd and Fort Streets, to observe Tashlich and have some fun.

Their first activity was to celebrate the birthday of the world, Rosh Hashanah, “by doing something nice for the world,” explained Naama Arzi, Jewish studies teacher at Friedel. She led the children in a song about Tikkun Olam

Students throw bread into the lake, symbolically casting away their sins. and then the youngsters were off with their teachers collecting litter around the lake and depositing it in plastic trash bags. Arzi said the students were learning about connecting with the Omaha community and being responsible citizens of the world. As “ambassadors” of the Jewish community to the larger community of Omaha, the teachers also stressed the importance of working together and the collaboration of Jewish and general studies.

As Naama pointed out, “Caring for the environment is a Jewish value.”

Leah Gurock, a fifth grader, agrees.

“I think people should take better care of the earth.”

After cleaning up a section of the park, the students prepared to clean their souls by participating in Tashlich, the symbolic casting away of one’s sins performed on Rosh Hashanah. Some students described the poor choices they planned to cast away. “Arguing with my siblings” was a common one that one sixth grader Gavin Smith acknowledged.

Continued on page 2

Brisket and Smoked BBQ Ribs, all of which got rave reviews from the judges in KC. If you prefer our regular brisket dinner, that will be available, too, along with our standard deli sandwiches, salads and sides. Whatever you order, it will be delicious.” The Deli Dinner runs from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Auditorium at the RBJH, followed by a dessert buffet outside in the sukkah.

Mike Aparo, Director of Food Services at the Blumkin Home, led the Star Deli BBQ team in Kansas City. Gurock, along with Marco Martinez and Andy Kudlacz of the Star Deli culinary staff, rounded out the foursome that prepped, marinated, brined, rubbed, basted and grilled their way to BBQ headlines. “This was no regular competition,” Aparo said. “This competition is the nation’s only kosher BBQ festival sanctioned by the KCBS (Kansas City BBQ Society), and Star Deli more than held its own with the big boys, the pros. The celebrity judges were blown away by our entries, and crowds of visitors to the Competition swarmed our tent and ate every shred of our samples. My head is still spinning.

Come to dinner on Oct. 14 and taste for yourself. The Star Deli BBQ is stellar.”

The Star Deli Taste of K.C. BBQ Dinner will also feature a special exhibit on Main Street. “Our winning ribbons and award certificates will be on display, along with an apron signed by the celebrity judges and every person who visited our booth. You’ll be able to ‘meat’ the Star Team in person, too,” Gurock said. “Hope to see you at dinner on Oct. 14.”

2 | The Jewish Press | October 10, 2014

The Whipping Man at Omaha Community Playhouse

by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Life On Sunday, Nov. 9, Activities and Outreach Program of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home and the Center for Jewish Life are partnering to provide a special opportunity to members of “Mainstreeters” and others in the community to attend the 2 p.m. performance of The Whipping Man at the Omaha Community Playhouse. This compelling drama has been critically acclaimed by The New York Times as “haunting, striking and powerful.”

Thanks to the generous support of Marty and Iris Ricks, tickets are just $20 per person. The number of tickets is limited, however, and reservations are required by Wednesday, Oct. 23 by contacting Maggie Conti, 402.334.6521, or Mark Kirchhoff 402.334.6463.

The Whipping Man by Mathew Lopez that was first performed in April 2006 and was the 2011 winner of the John Gassneer New Play Award from the NY Outer Critics Circle.

The time is April of 1865 when slaves are being freed and soldiers are returning to their homes at the end of the Civil War. In Jewish homes, Passover is being celebrated. In wartorn Richmond, Caleb DeLeon, a young Confederate officer who has been severely wounded, is returning to his family’s home, now in ruins and abandoned except for two former slaves, Simon and John, who wait in the empty house for the family’s return. As the three men – the sole characters in the play – wait for signs of life to return to the city, they wrestle with their shared past, the bitter irony of Jewish slave-owning and the reality of the new world in which they find themselves. The sun sets on the last night of Passover and Simon, having adopted the religion of his masters, prepares a humble Seder to observe the ancient celebration of the freeing of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt, noting with particular satisfaction the parallels to their current situation. But the pain of their enslavement will not be soothed by this tradition, and deep-buried secrets from the past refuse to be hidden forever as the play comes to its shocking climax. The Whipping Man is a play about redemption and forgiveness,

about the lasting scars of slavery, and the responsibility that comes with freedom. The play is intense with adult language and is intended for an adult audience only.

Maggie Conti, Director of Activities and Outreach for the Blumkin Home, said that “we try to attend all of the Howard Drew Theater performances because they are typically innovative and interesting in design and performance. This play is particularly appealing because of its Jewish theme.” Mary Sue Grossman, Program Coordinator for the Center for Jewish Life, shared that “We loved the idea of partnering with Mainstreeters on this program because of the unique nature this play has for the community.” She added “This is a great fit with the agency’s mission ‘to provide imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences.’ We are also very thankful to Marty and Iris for their financial support.”

Explaining the interest that he and his wife Iris have for the play, Marty Ricks responded, “We have been Playhouse season ticket holders for several years and have been amazed at the terrific performances we have attended. In learning from long time Playhouse board member, Rich Juro, one of this years plays had a Jewish theme and then learning a bit about the story line, we were happy to provide some modest financial support. We are looking forward to the performance.”

Make your reservations right away as limited seating is available. Your $20 ticket is to be paid in advance with a check, payable to The Center for Jewish Life, mailed to the Center for Jewish Life, 333 S 132nd Street, Omaha, NE 68154. You are also welcome to deliver your check to the Kripke Jewish Federation Library. Tickets in purchaser’s name will be made available at the “Will Call Window” at the Omaha Community Playhouse. Deadline to make reservations is Oct. 23.

This event assists in the mission of the Center for Jewish Life to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences. For additional information, please call Mark at 402.334.6463 or Maggie at 402.334.6521.

Friedel tashlich

Students spent the day doing a variety of fun outdoors activities in addition to observing tashlich.

Continued from page 1 Fifth grader Evelyn Smith, one of Gavin’s five siblings, said, “fighting over clothes” was something she would cast away.

Sixth grader Leora McNamara, admitted that “Sometimes, I annoy my sister.”

Branching off in another direction, Noah Blair, a fourth grader, warily owned up “to not wanting to clean up my room.”

As Friedel parent Gabby Blair blew the shofar to call for quiet, the students tore their bread into small pieces which they heaved into the 135-acre lake. The fish surely appreciated the snack.

Following the Tashlich service, the youngsters flew kites they had brought with them to the park in memory of Janusz Korczak and the children who lived in the Warsaw ghetto with him prior to their all being sent to a Nazi concentration camp. Naama recalled that Beth Seldin Dotan, former director of the Institute for Holocaust Education in Omaha, started the kite flying tradition, a practice she imported from the Ghetto Fighters Museum in the Western Galilee, Omaha’s Partnership area.

After lunch, the kids played Native American games at the park.

October 10, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 3

Wanted: Someone to bring back Lomir Redn Yiddish

by OZZIE NOGG Bernie Altsuler recalled a pamphlet of Yiddish sayings, In November of 2000, a group of local Yiddish speakers idioms, expressions and stories that he put together for the began meeting every Thursday afternoon in the Rose group. “The Yiddish was transliterated into English -- twenBlumkin Jewish Home Board Room. “We called ourselves ty-five pages in all -- and I took them to Maggie Conti and ‘Lomir Redn Yiddish’ -- let’s speak Yiddish,” said Anne told her I’d like twenty-five copies of each page put together Skolkin, one of the founders.

“Sad to say, the group recently disbanded. But it was a perfect ride. We had 14 years of ‘naches’ -- pleasure, and enjoyment.”

Along with Anne Skolkin, the original members of Lomir Redn Yiddish were Jack and Maxine Noodell, Miriam Meyerson, Ethel Grossman, Esther Simon, Abe Schloff, Frieda Krizelman, Harry and Sophie Shulman, Lorraine Reiss and Bernie Lomir Redn Yiddish (2011 photo) Rita Biniamow, left, Meriam Meyerson, Jack Noodell, Alan Altsuler. “My parents come Wolfson, Vera Dobin, Margarita Tres, Anne Skolkin, Basya Tsed, Maxine Noodell, Betty Kolnick, from Latvia and spoke Helen Manheimer, Celia Barron, and George Shafer.

Yiddish in our house,” Altsuler said from his current home in a binder. What a gal. She did it right away. We used that in Hot Springs, AK. “I could speak as a child, but I left home pamphlet quite a bit to practice Yiddish words and senat age 20 and didn’t have any one speak to me in Yiddish, so tences.” Anne Skolkin remembers the pamphlet fondly.

I forgot how. We started the club because a lot of us loved the “People were trying hard to put together full sentences in language but had nobody to converse with. We had such a Yiddish, when someone shouted, ‘Oy, mi ken tsebreken di good time struggling to keep up with the few who were still tsainer’ -- ‘we might end up with broken teeth.’ Somehow, able to hold a Yiddish conversation. It wasn’t easy, trying to what we say can sound better and funnier in Yiddish.” keep order with everyone talking at the same time. You had And possibly more romantic, too. Anne’s father died when to be there to appreciate this, but believe me it was hilarious, she was 20, and she lived in Denver with her widowed mothand at times we hurt from laughing.” er. In 1948, after graduating college, Anne spent the summer Another source of laughter was Bingo, which Altsuler at Brandeis Camp in California. A Denver girl friend went called. “Everyone had a card with Yiddish words in each with her. “My friend asked me to write a letter, in Yiddish, to square,” he explained. “When I called a word in English -- her grandfather who happened to live in our neighborhood,” like, ‘girl’ -- you had to find the matching square with the Anne explained. “Somehow he found out that my mom was an Yiddish word ‘maidel.’ And when you completed a line, ‘ahlmoneh’ -- a widow. The next summer, we were planning instead of shouting ‘Bingo’ you had to shout ‘Oy vey.’ If you my wedding. The girlfriend who had gone with me to said ‘Bingo,’ you were disqualified and everyone found that Brandeis Camp was one of my bridesmaids. When I returned hysterical.” According to another member, Betty Kolnick, from my honeymoon, my mother announced that while I was “Some of the Yiddish words on the Bingo cards were a bit gone, she and my friend’s grandfather had gotten married. My naughty which made for interesting comments.” The stakes mother never told me she was meeting with him, and his in the Bingo games weren’t high. “We played for a penny a granddaughter -- my girlfriend -- never let on either. He was game,” Altsuler said, “and once in a while we raised the ante quite a bit older than my mother, a very learned man and to a nickel. ‘Vey iz mir.’ You’d think we were playing for big highly respected by the community. He treated my mother like money. It’s hard to describe what fun this was. Some of my a queen, and we all loved him. They were married for four fondest Omaha memories are of the good times I had with years, until he passed away. In Yiddish we’d call that ‘b’shert’.” this group.” Betty Kolnick agrees. “I made wonderful new Both Anne Skolkin and Bernie Altsuler think the end of friends at the Lomir Redn Yiddish meetings and programs. Omaha’s Lomir Redn Yiddish group was caused by the death We were like extended ‘mishpocheh’.” of so many of the members and -- so far -- the lack of interDuring its 14 year run, Lomir Redn Yiddish donated to est on the part of younger people. “It would be great if a colOmaha’s Jewish Family Service, The Center for Jewish Life lege student took up the challenge of starting another Lomir and Chabad. Members sent some of their books to the Redn Yiddish group to help keep the language alive,” Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA, and translated letters Skolkin said. “One word in Yiddish has more meaning than written in Yiddish for many non-members. “We showed a dozen in any other language. For me, Yiddish is the best Yiddish movies, invited speakers and had book reviews,” way to know the soul of the Jewish people.”

Skolkin said. “We threw potluck lunches and celebrated Want examples? Go to: http://www.jewsnews.co.il/ 2014/ everyones’ birthday. When we came together it created a 09/11/old-jews-explaining-yiddish-words-will-absolute very ‘haimish’ atmosphere.” ly-make-your-day/

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Establish your legacy Continued from page 1 fund at the Foundation,” said Howard Epstein, Foundation Executive Director. “Imagine the benefits of leaving a permanent legacy to ensure that the programs you enjoy are supported in the future, so that your children and grandchildren and their friends will be able to enjoy the benefits. This ties in to our LIFE & LEGACY initiative. We’re extremely grateful to the anonymous donor who wants to encourage others to invest in the future of Omaha’s Jewish community.”

Through the Incentive Match Program, when you donate $10,000 or more to establish an endowment fund, or if you contribute a minimum of $10,000 to an existing endowment fund, the anonymous donor will deposit the $1,000 incentive match into your endowment fund.

This promotion is limited to the first 20 donors who contribute a minimum of $10,000 to establish or add to an endowment fund at the Foundation. The Foundation must receive your charitable contribution by December 31, 2014.

“We believe this is an exciting idea that helps fulfill the Foundation’s mission and generates awareness about the importance of endowment funds which support Omaha’s Jewish community in so many ways,” stated Carl Riekes, Foundation President. “The Foundation Board of Directors is pleased to support the Incentive Match Program.”

When you establish an endowment fund, you complete a simple agreement that indicates the purpose(s) of the fund, and then fund your endowment with cash, appreciated securities, life insurance, or through other means. The

Foundation abides by the purpose you set forth in the endowment agreement, so that the fund supports only the Jewish purpose(s) you select. Additionally, the Foundation administers and manages the endowment fund.

“We invest your endowment fund assets,” explained Epstein. “The assets are reinvested and grow tax free. Your endowment fund will begin annually providing income for your selected Jewish purpose one year after the fund is established and every year thereafter in perpetuity.”

Epstein continued, “As the year comes to a close, we encourage people who are interested in supporting Omaha’s Jewish community to take advantage of the Foundation’s Incentive Match opportunity, and establish a new endowment fund or contribute to an existing endowment fund.

Your gift could qualify you for a charitable deduction and valuable tax savings on your 2014 income tax return.”

According to Riekes, “By participating in the Incentive Match Program, your generosity will be doubly rewarded.

First, your endowment fund will receive the matching $1,000, thus increasing the base from which the annual income will be derived from the fund. Secondly, you are securing the future of the Jewish causes and programs that matter the most to you.”

The Foundation’s Incentive Match Program is a one-time limited promotion that ends December 31, 2014, and it does not apply to donor-advised funds. For more information, contact Howard Epstein at 402.334.6466 or hepstein @jewishomaha.org.

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4 | The Jewish Press | October 10, 2014

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Coming November

YU Torah Tours students join Beth Israel for Simchat Torah

by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Beth Israel Publicity Chair As we are enjoying the celebration of Sukkot, our thoughts also turn toward the festivities of Simchat Torah. Beginning Thursday evening, Oct. 16 through Friday, Oct. 17, Beth Israel will be “the place to be” as the synagogue is filled with ruach celebrating the Torah. Simchat Torah will be enhanced with the visit of four students through Yeshiva University’s Torah Tours program.

Jonathan Tavin, Ezra-Shimon Rosenfeld are students at YU and Evie Denemark and Bracha Robinson attend Stern College. They will spend the final days of Sukkot in Omaha in addition to Simchat Torah.

Now in its third decade, the Aaron and Blanche Schreiber Torah Tours shares the Torah knowledge and enthusiasm of Yeshiva University and Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) students and alumni with Jewish communities throughout the world. During the holiday celebrations of Simchat Torah and Shavuot, small teams of young men and women visit communities across the United States, Canada and Europe to teach Torah classes, lead singing and dancing, meet with synagogue youth and create a fun and spirited Yom Tov experience.

Rabbi Yaakov Weiss, a graduate of Yeshiva University, is excited for the return of Torah Tours to Omaha, “As a student, Torah Tours was an opportunity to see new communities and give of yourself to enhance their holiday celebrations. I gained so much from traveling to assist communities through the holiday. The group that is coming to Omaha for Simchat Torah is a dynamic bunch that has a lot to offer to Beth Israel and the greater Omaha Jewish community. It will be an incredible Simchat Torah at Beth Israel.”

Jonathan Tavin hails from Memphis and is excited to spend Simchat Torah at Beth Israel.

Jonathan, who is majoring in accounting, spent the two years before college studying in Israel at Yeshivat Har Etzion. He is the head copy editor for the student newspaper and the treasurer of the Genealogy Club. Jonathan has experience being a stage manager for high school plays, as well as organizing religious services for youth conventions and basketball tournaments. He has also tutored his peers in their coursework and taught mishnayot to Bar Mitzvah students. He serves as an advisor for the Upstate New York region of NCSY, mentoring high school students and coordinating educational programming.

Ezra-Shimon Rosenfeld is majoring in computer science at YU. He attended Yeshiva Yesodei HaTorah in Israel for two years before starting college. Upon graduation, he plans to go to graduate school in Israel before becoming a software engineer. Ezra-Shimon is the president of Yeshiva University’s Numismatics Society, and he enjoys attending events led by the Improv Club, the Debate Team, the Mock Trial Team, College

Democrats, and College Republicans.

Evie Denemark, a junior at Stern, carries a double major in Elementary Education and Judaic Studies, with a concentration in Tanach. She plans to be a teacher of low-function special education students and write a commentary on spaces in Tanach. After a year of study at Shaalvim for Women and a summer learning and teaching in the BMP at Moshava IO, she is active in many on-campus clubs, including the Beit Midrash Committee, the Stern College Dramatic Society, and Bavli BaErev, a nightly, informal Gemara class.

Bracha Robinson hails from Newton, MA where she attended Maimonides School in Brookline. Now a senior at Stern College, Bracha is pursuing a degree in biology and mathematics. As an aspiring ophthalmologist, she volunteers at a hospital where she takes great pleasure in meeting new people of all walks of life.

Before the arrival of Simchat Torah, Shemini Atzeret will be observed on Thursday, Oct. 16, beginning with Shacharit at 9 a.m. The Yizkor service will be held at 10 a.m. during which Torah Tours will lead a special children’s program. Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m., a traditional “Farewell to the Sukkah” will feature one last opportunity to sit in the sukkah and enjoy a snack.

Beth Israel’s Simchat Torah celebration kicks off later Thursday evening with the hakofot, a great session of dancing and singing with the Torah. A Simchat Torah dinner will be held following services, featuring Betty Bader’s famous macaroni and cheese, tossed salad, tuna salad, fruit salad and fabulous dairy desserts. The dinner cost is $12 for adults, $6 for children ages 4-12 and free for those under four years of age.

Call the synagogue office at 402.556.6288 for dinner reservations.

Simchat Torah celebrations will continue on Friday morning, Oct. 17 beginning with Shacharit at 9 a.m. followed by the hakafot, Torah reading, children’s programs, a special women’s class and Simchat Torah Kiddush.

During the Torah reading, the annual cycle of reading the entire Torah will be completed and will then immediately begin anew.

The following day, Shabbat, Oct. 18, the first parsha of the Torah – Bereishit – will be read.

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

Beth Israel Synagogue welcomes all persons of the Jewish faith to join and accepts the diversity of practice and thought among its members. Beth Israel offers a variety of religious, cultural and social programs throughout the year. For more information, please contact Beth Israel Synagogue’s office at 402.556.6288, or e-mail BethIsrael@ OrthodoxOmaha.org.

In the news

Publishing Date | 11.07.14 Space Reservation | 10.29.14 Camera Ready Deadline | 10.31.14

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

Hymie Gendler | 402.334.6451 | hgendler@jewishomaha.org Jessie Wees | 402.334.6559 | jwees@jewishomaha.org

On Aug. 28, the Leadership Omaha Alumni Association (LOAA) honored Noor Hamadi and Alek Rehan with the Ann Goldstein Young Leader Award. The awards were presented at the Omaha Housing Authority Board Meeting.

Noor graduated from Omaha South and is attending UNO. He is a business major and is redshirting on the UNO soccer team.

Alek graduated from Mercy High School and is attending Creighton. She is a pre-med major and has always dreamed of a career in medicine.

Each year LOAA awards book scholarships to one or two high school seniors who have lived in the Omaha Housing Authority throughout their high school careers. As a

tribute to Ann Goldstein, the former director of Leadership Omaha, and her belief in

the importance of the scholarship, LOAA named the award the Ann Goldstein Young Leader Award in 1999.

October 10, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 5

The war is off, what is on? Eye on Israel

by ELIAD ELIYAHU BEN SHUSHAN Community Shaliach During Operation Protective Edge I watched an interview with a young lady who lives in Tel Aviv, who spoke anonymously - her voice disguised and face covered. “I don’t care about Protective Edge or about any other conflict in Israel.

I do care about my own war.” She went on to say that her only thought was “how to finish the month,” and how frustrated she was about her economic situation. “I am working a part time job, studying at the university, and sometimes I cannot afford to eat more than one meal a day.”

Protective Edge has been the center of interest for the last few months. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s recent speech at the UN and the constant news about ISIS and Hamas emphasize that we are still in the period of the post Protective Edge operation. When such a huge operation takes place, other current events are frequently pushed to the background. The personal battles of daily living faced by many people and the societal issues for Israel seem to diminish in importance. Many things happened in the last months beside Operation Protective Edge. A new Israeli president was elected; the school year started with threats of strikes; the national budget was approved after a long debate between different government departments, and much more.

On Tuesday, Oct. 14 from noon-1 p.m. in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library, I will place the focus of Eye on Israel on the silent wars of the people who have suffered financially in Israel throughout 2014. We will hear many stories about the poverty in the streets; about homeless families; the Holocaust survivors in Israel who struggle for their rights; soldiers who suffer from poverty and about the sorrows various populations’ experiences in Israel.

A week after the Protective Edge operation ended, one of the issues that was part of the national agenda was the approval of the national budget. It was in the first days of the school year, and the main debate in the media was between funds needed for security and funds needed for education.

During that time, the great needs of each government department became apparent. Different groups had the opportunity to present their financial needs and try to convince decision makers to make the “right” decisions supporting their needs. At the October Eye on Israel session, we will explore the current economic situation and compare

how different media resources present the needs.

Symbolically, the session will take place in the middle of the Sukkot holiday. One of the most important values of the holiday is togetherness and unity. No matter how different people are, we all sit together in a temporary, simple building - the sukkah. I believe it is a good time to learn about the economic situation in Israel – one story told by different media resources.

Beginning with this Eye on Israel session, the first 10 minutes will focus on the main current events in Israel. We will learn about the events by comparing their presentation through different media resources. The balance of the hour will then focus on that month’s topic. Come to learn and share your opinion in the upcoming session on Tuesday, Oct. 14 from noon-1 p.m. in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library.

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

Invitation to Lincoln’s South Street Temple

Camp Ramah in Wisconsin Camp Ramah in Wisconsin is a magical place where fun and friendship build Jewish lives. A full range of fun-filled activities integrates Jewish values and observances into the daily camp experience for campers entering grades 4 to 11.

Ramah offers two 2-week sessions for entering 4th graders (June 16-29 and July 1-13), a 4-week session for entering 5th graders (June 16-July 13), a 4-week session for entering 6th graders (July 16-August 10), and an 8-week session for entering 7th-11th graders (June 16-August 10). Activities include sports, swimming, high and low ropes courses, climbing wall, sailing, kayaking, music, dance, nature, archery, photography, radio, arts and drama. Meals are kosher and Shabbat is observed. The camp is located 15 miles north of Eagle River, Wisconsin on beautiful Lake Buckatabon.

Tikvah is a division of Camp Ramah in Wisconsin developed in 1973 to provide inclusion opportunities for children with learning, social and communication difficulties, including those who are higher functioning on the Autistic Spectrum.

Tikvah provides all the opportunities of the Ramah experience with additional staffing and support. Through specialized programming, supported by highly-skilled staff, teens in the Tikvah program develop friendships, have fun and learn in formal and informal Jewish settings. Tikvah offers a full eightweek session for teenage campers, a four-week “Taste of Tikvah” option for first-time younger campers, as well as the Tikvah Vocational Program for qualified high school graduates.

Our Camp Director is Jacob Cytryn. You can contact us at registrar@ramahwisconsin.com or visit our website at www.ramahwisconsin.com. Our winter address is 65 E. Wacker Place, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60601, 312.606.9316, ext. 221 or fax 312.606.7136. Our summer address is 6150 E. Buckatabon Rd., Conover, WI 54519, 715.479.4400 or fax: 715.479.9258.

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Sports +Recreation To kick off special events during Congregation B’nai Jeshurun’s 130th Anniversary year, we are inviting the community to hear a talk by Dr. Oliver Pollak, noted expert on Nebraska Jewish History. Dr. Pollak will discuss the early arrivals to the Lincoln area, including those who founded what is now known as the South Street Temple. His presentation will be held on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 19 at 3 p.m. at the Temple. The presentation is open to anyone interested in the history of settlement of Jews in Nebraska.

JEWISH PRESS NOTICES

The Jewish Press will be closed on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 16 and 17 for Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. The deadline for all articles and photos for the Oct. 24 issue, is Wednesday, Oct. 15, 9 a.m. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.

Coming October

Publishing Date | 10.24.14 Space Reservation | 10.15.14 Camera Ready Deadline | 10.17.14

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

Hymie Gendler | 402.334.6451 | hgendler@jewishomaha.org

Jessie Wees | 402.334.6559 | jwees@jewishomaha.org

6 | The Jewish Press | October 10, 2014

Incredible experiences in Israel

by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Program Coordinator, The Center for Jewish Life Each year, many teens and young adults have the experience of a lifetime, traveling to Israel on a wide variety of programs. The Jewish Federation of Omaha is proud to support these experiences through the Israel Experience Grant program.

The Israel Experience Grant is a one-time gift from the Federation for students in grades 9-12 or young adults ages 18 to 25 for an approved Israel experience. The grant is available to anyone in the Omaha Jewish community who meets the following requirements:

1. The applicant must be a resident of the Omaha metropolitan area 2. The applicant, or his/her family, is a donor in good standing to the Annual Campaign of the Jewish Federation of Omaha 3. The applicant agrees to provide an article and pictures of the experience within one month of return to Omaha for publication in the Jewish Press.

4. The applicant will participate in any required preparatory program Applying for an Israel Experience Grant is a simple onepage application. The applications are available on the

Jerusalem, I won’t forget you

by LAUREN KIRSHENBAUM erusalem, if I forget you”, a famous line from one of Matisyahu’s catchy hits was blasting through my headphones as I sat at my gate in the Rome airport, anxiously waiting to board the flight that would soon depart for the most influential summer of my life. I had just spent a week touring the Italian ghettos and the mystical Jewry in Venice, Florence and Rome with seventeen other American teenagers on Italy/Israel Pilgrimage with USY (United Synagogue Youth). I loved the authentic history and realism that we were able to explore throughout Italy, and the memories and bonds that my group was quickly making made for a lot of laughs and high expectations for our upcoming month in Israel. What I didn’t understand yet was what my journey was about to entail.

Chewing on gummy bears and channeling my excitement for the Holy Land, the Matisyahu song stopped because of the calls and texts coming to my phone. I was expecting well wishes from friends and family but instead I received hectic alerts that rockets had just barraged Israel, a start to what will be the tragic war against terrorism. My friends in my group suddenly shared the same look of fear and concern as I did, but we gathered together and our Israeli staff assured us that we were safe. As we looked around at the people filling the gate, we understood that Israel is our home, and now more than ever, it needs our strength, support and greatest bravery.

“J

We had finally landed at Ben Gurion Airport and my nerves had transformed to a sense of serenity and comfort. I have always loved Israel, but leaving the baggage claim with my large duffel, several shekels and untold courage, I was ready to embrace the land that was in need and eager for my involvement and encouragement. We headed up north for a week at Kibbutz Hannaton; a communal home for not only my USY group, but also several Israeli families seeking shelter from the bombs.

Our itinerary continued as scheduled, allowing us to enjoy hikes, visit monuments and fall in love with the Israeli culture. We spent time praying at the Kotel and shopping on Ben Yehudah Street in Jerusalem, relishing the cool waters of Eilat, and observing different cultivations and air conditioning systems in the Desert. Throughout our unbelievable experiences touring and traveling, we were incredibly fortunate to avoid the bomb shelters and any indefinite alarming situations. Our preparation and security did not prevent us

Scholarships and Grants page of the Center for Jewish Life on the Jewish Federation of Omaha website at www.jew ishomaha.org. Return completed applications to the Center for Jewish Life, 333 South 132nd Street, Omaha NE 68154.

Those in need of additional financial assistance can also apply for financial need-based scholarships. Scholarship information, deadlines and applications are also found as explained above.

The following article was written by a teen who participated in a program in the summer of 2014 and was a recipient of an Israel Experience Grant. from being exposed to the threat, harm and devastation the Israelis were suffering.

At our visit to Har Herzl National Cemetery in Jerusalem, we were able to attend a funeral for a young soldier who had lost his life fighting for his country. I didn’t know him personally, and I am not a legal citizen of Israel, yet I felt the tears and heartbreak filling the thousands of people surrounding the memorial. Israel is my home, and although tragedy and grief were permeating the streets, I have never felt so unified and proud of my people. The feeling of being thanked by strangers for my bravery and support is a sensation that I could never forget, and, with genuine promise, I know I will be back to Israel, with all of its magic and beauty thriving as the homeland.

This summer on USY Pilgrimage was an experience that I will hold with me for the rest of my life. I connected to my Judaism through the touch of the Kotel, the tune of elated prayer and song filling each shul and the unity of the Israeli community fighting for peace. I will always remember walking with my Camelback filled, sunscreen applied and heart dedicated to the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) for their utter fearlessness in protecting my home.

The 27th Annual Klutznick-Harris-Schwalb Symposium “Mishpachah: The Jewish Family in Tradition and in Transition” October 26-27, 2014 Keynote Presentation Sunday, October 26 | 7:30 p.m.

Jewish Community Center

Bernard Dov Cooperman University of Maryland “Family Fictions: How Jews Invent Themselves

by Talking about Their Parents” Sunday, October 26 University of Nebraska at Omaha Community Engagement Center, Room 201 9 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Jewish Community Center Noon - 5 p.m.

Monday, October 27 Creighton University Skutt Student Center 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Among the topics we will explore: Family Values and Biblical Marriage | Sexual Guidance in Contemporary Orthodox Communities | Creating Human Embryos through Cloning Ancient Israelite Families in Context | Identity Politics in American Baby Books | Challah with Abba

For further information, please contact Colleen Hastings 402-280-2303 | Colleenhastings@creighton.edu | www.creighton.edu/klutznick

October 10, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 7

Yes, there is money available for camp!

by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Program Coordinator, The Center for Jewish Life Ask anyone who has attended Jewish summer camp and they will tell you what a truly life changing experience it provides for children. Studies show a high correlation between kids who attend Jewish camp and those who maintain a strong Jewish identity into adulthood. And the vast array of camp experiences that are available today provide a fit for the wide variety of interests of today’s kids. Technology camps, cooking camps, sports camps and science camps are now part of the summer camp experience line-up.

Virtually no one will argue with the importance of the camp experience; however, the financial side can often make the commitment difficult for families. Those financial challenges are the reason the Jewish Federation of Omaha made a decision many years ago to help area families and developed the Jewish Experience Grant program.

Jewish Experience Grants provide a $1,000 non need-based award, available to all Jewish families in the Omaha community. The grant is for a camp session of two weeks or longer and can be used in a single year or used over two summers. Grants are available to students in grades 3 through 11 who attend an Omaha synagogue religious school or Friedel Jewish Academy the school year prior to the camp experience. The family must also be a contributor to the Annual Campaign of the

Jewish Federation of Omaha and a resident of the Omaha metropolitan area.

Additional funding is also available in the form of scholarships which are based on financial need. The scholarships are funded through endowments of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation and outside entities in addition to funding provided through the Federation’s Annual Campaign.

Applications for both the Jewish Experience Grant and scholarships will be available in January 2015 on the Center for Jewish Life’s Scholarship and Grants page at www.jewishomaha.org. More detailed information is also found in the Annual Guide to Scholarship and Grant Opportunities that will be distributed as an insert in the Jewish Press in late December.

Jewish Experience Grants and scholarships are handled by the Center for Jewish Life as part of its mission to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences. For additional information on all grant and scholarship programs, please call 402.334.6445 or email mgross man@jewishomaha.org.

Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Urban League Executive Director Tom Warren will have a conversation with us about the incidents in Ferguson, MO on Wednesday, Oct. 15, noon, at the Rose

Blumkin Jewish Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $11; beverage service only is $3.

For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@ jewishomaha.org.

Arts+Entertainment ‘Karen & Friends’ will be singing at Omaha Magazine’s Inaugural ‘Best of Omaha Festival’ on Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Ralston Arena. Singers include songwriter

Karen Sokolof Javitch, Pegi Georgeson, Krissy Kirby and Gene Klosner. Mannheim Steamroller’s Chuck Penington is the keyboardist. The event runs from 3-8 p.m.

Herzl Camp: A warm, welcoming Jewish community Our camp is nestled in 120 wooded acres on the shores of a crystal clear lake in Webster, Wisconsin. We offer a traditional camp experience where campers escape from technology to spend time exploring nature, trying new sports and activities, while building skills and self-confidence. A summer at Herzl builds independence and self-reliance as well as Jewish identity and friendships that last a lifetime.

Our camp is a welcoming, pluralistic Jewish community where young people become selfreliant, create lasting Jewish friendships, and develop commitment and love for Judaism and Israel. Our goal is to create a vibrant Jewish community of future leaders.

Our newly expanded facilities provide beautiful places to learn, laugh and play. Activities include sports (basketball, tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, and more), swimming, boating, rock climbing, drama, dance, Israeli culture, arts & crafts, gardening, yoga, guitar and wilderness skills.

Our Shabbat celebrations are steeped in

tradition. We dress in white, caravan to services overlooking the lake, and are led by our fellow campers in services and song. We alter our activities to make Shabbat peaceful and different from the rest of the week.

Campers live in modern, spacious and comfortable cabins. They enjoy healthy, nutritious kosher meals and nosh (snack) together each day. Meals are served family-style with vegetarian options for all meals. Our on-site health center is staffed with doctors and nurses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at camp; emergency care is just 30 minutes away.

Our counselors are selected for their skill, maturity, knowledge and natural connection with children. Most are Herzl alumni. Staff to camper ratio is 1:3. Program length varies by age from 1 to 6 weeks, for campers entering grades 3-11.

Explore our website to learn more and then call us to discuss your child’s interests. Visit www.herzlcamp.org or call 952.927.4002.

We look forward to getting to know you!

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8 | The Jewish Press | October 10, 2014

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

Scary People ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor Although the news is almost exclusively focused on ISIS lately, there are other movements that deserve our attention.

In recent weeks, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary ordered the banning of a right-wing conference in Budapest. Considering the success of the xenophobic Jobbik party in that country, that is good news; we don’t often hear about Hungarian politicians pushing back against the white supremacists.

But there is something odd about this conference, titled The Future of Europe -Perspectives on Geopolitics, Identity and Nationalism. A group called “The National Policy Institute”, which is based in the United States, organized it. The name sounds benign enough; the people behind it are anything but.

The NPI was established in 2005 by far-right publisher William Regnery, and is based in Whitefish, Montana. Its mission statement states it “aims to elevate the consciousness of whites, ensure our biological and cultural continuity, and protect our civil rights.” In a 2005 speech, Regnery warned “within the first or secondhand memories of people in this room, the white race may go from master of the universe to an anthropological curiosity.” (Source:

Southern Poverty Law Center) That there are multiple scary extremist groups operating in the United States is not news. The problem is, we tend to still think about them as pathetic small-time losers, under funded, dressed in camouflage, camping in the woods on the weekend and dreaming that it was still 1940. Think Illinois Nazis in the Blues Brothers.

The truth is, many of them are much more organized than that. They are wellfunded, and (with help from the Internet) they are diversifying. There are newspapers, whites-only dating sites geared towards keeping the race “pure,” websites and pseudo-scientific studies published outside the mainstream, but easily accessible by that same mainstream.

And with the barrage of news stories about the Islamist threat, the pseudo-science offered by the far right is not falling on deaf ears.

Both in the United States and in Europe, Jews are caught in the middle.

In an opinion piece Peter Bergen wrote for CNN in April of this year, he posed an interesting question about the Kansas City JCC shooter, Frazier Miller: “Now let’s do a thought experiment in which instead of shouting ‘Heil Hitler’ after he was arrested, the suspect had

shouted ‘Allahu Akbar.’ Only two days before the anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings, this simple switch of words would surely have greatly increased the extent and type of coverage the incident received.”

Bergen also says: “Since 9/11, extremists affiliated with a variety of right-wing ideologies, including white supremacists, anti-abortion extremists and anti-government militants, have killed more people in the United States than have extremists motivated by al Qaeda’s ideology.”

Bergen’s intention is not to downplay 9/11, and neither is it mine; what happened that day hurt us all, and will continue to do so for the rest of our days. The real issue is our inability to monitor more than one threat at a time. We stare ourselves blind on the atrocities committed by Jihadists, we are rightfully afraid of what ISIS plans and are disgusted by the beheadings which are given so much attention in our media, and we worry about the threats to Israel. But we cannot and must not forget the hatred spread by right wing extremists here at home. They are dangerous, and like cockroaches, they are impossible to get rid of.

The National Policy Institute, the Hammerskins, Minutemen American Defense, Sovereign Citizens, the Pat Robertson Empire, Jerry Fallwell Ministries, the Charles Martel Society, the Pioneer Fund and the Aryan Brotherhood are but a small sample of what’s out there. The list goes on and on. And if we don’t put a spotlight on these homegrown groups and who funds them, they will continue to grow and fester, and our either/or response to hate groups in general will end up hurting us. Picking and choosing, when it comes to groups that threaten our existence, provides a temporary band-aid at best.

Why we encourage body talk at Camp Be’chol Lashon

Focus on issues DIANE TOBIN SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) -- Earlier this year, the Jewish overnight camp Eden Village garnered a great deal of attention for its “no body talk” policy, which camp leaders described as providing a “break from mentioning physical appearance, including clothing.”

The policy, which aims to lessen the stress children feel about appearance, certainly has merit. But now that students have returned to school, where social anxieties can fester, our experience at Camp Be’chol Lashon points to a much different way of approaching bodies and appearance.

At Be’chol Lashon, which provides a space for racially and ethnically diverse Jews, discussion about appearance is the norm. Instilling confidence and pride among our campers means doing exactly the opposite of the “no body talk” rule.

We talk openly about shared external characteristics in the context of race and identity.

Refraining from any comments on appearance means, by default, that race will be ignored. There will be those who see this as a positive. It is common in seeking racial equality to claim not to see race, to be “colorblind.” To some it speaks to a vision of a world where the color of one’s skin does not matter.

To our campers, it means that a critical component of who they are becomes irrelevant, even taboo.

Be’chol Lashon staffer Lindsey Newman asserts, “In a Jewish context, often nobody talks about race. I need to talk about race. I don’t feel supported by a community if I can’t trust that my experience is valued. And you can’t value someone’s experience if you don’t talk about it and understand what it is.”

We work with our campers to hone their skills and help them be leaders, spokespeople and ambassadors. Fair or not,

(Founded in 1920) Andrew Ruback President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Jessie Wees Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Thierry Ndjike Bookkeeper

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The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world.

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multicultural Jews are often in the position of educating their communities about religious and racial diversity.

At camp this year, one of the catalysts for conversation was the new documentary by Be’chol Lashon’s New York director, Lacey Schwartz. Titled “Little White Lie,” the film provided an opportunity to talk about what factors -- race, religion, family, upbringing -- make us who we are.

At Camp Be’chol Lashon, which provides a space for racially and ethnically diverse Jews, discussion about appearance is the norm.

Credit: Be’chol Lashon Be’chol Lashon campers often are the only people like themselves -- a minority in their Jewish communities -- and largely are alone in dealing with it.

“I would love to show this film at my school,” says Satya Sheftl-Gomes, 13. “There’s a lot of talk about bar and bat mitzvahs and being Jewish right now. There are some kids who just can’t understand how I can be both black and Jewish.”

Increasingly, identity is an open-ended question rather than a multiple choice. In an age where intersectional idenha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’

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tities are becoming the norm and racial definitions are not stagnant, communication matters.

In the black community, hair, for example is a pervasive topic. It’s ubiquitous. Think Chris Rock’s Good Hair or Carolivia Herron’s Nappy Hair.

As Lindsey put it, “Because we live in a world not geared towards black hair, it’s something I always need to consider.”

At Camp Be’chol Lashon, not talking about hair is just not an option.

In an effort to confront difference with sensitivity, it is important to recognize that we may do more harm by doing or saying nothing.

“This refusal to accept the stark reality that race matters is regrettable,” U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor says, adding, “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to speak openly and candidly on the subject of race.”

Not talking about race is essentially not welcoming the full person into the community. It sends the message that this particular important element of identity is not really welcome in this setting. Which is why race is not a topic the Jewish community can afford to ignore.

When we acknowledge our differences, we open our community to the complex identities that we all bring into our camps, schools and synagogues. For some of us that difference is visible -- it literally is our bodies.

Judaism has never shied away from the complex. On the contrary, our tradition teaches us to take on the complicated. As our children embark on a new school year, let us empower and enable them to engage thoughtfully. Let’s work together to open spaces and encourage skills that allow for healthy and productive conversations about difficult topics.

Diane Tobin is the founder and CEO of Be’chol Lashon.org, a nonprofit that celebrates the racial, ethnic and cultural diversity of the Jewish people at Camp Be’chol Lashon and beyond. Follow Be’chol Lashon on Twitter. and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf.

Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the

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October 10, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 9

To keep Jewish professionals, let them go

Focus on issues ADAM SIMON (JTA) -- I recently attended a farewell party for someone switching jobs from one Jewish organization to another.

Among many accolades, one person giving a toast said, “While we are sorry to lose him, at least he is still committed to working in the Jewish world.”

While I appreciate this sentiment -- and believe the Jewish community stands to benefit from this person’s many talents -- it points to a common assumption that Jewish professionals should hold lifelong employment in the Jewish sector. Yet for the next generation of professionals, signs suggest it won’t be the case.

Data consistently show that employees spend less time in any given position, changing jobs every three to five years, with over 40 percent of those changes to completely different sectors. The rates are even higher for younger talent.

After years of work and research in talent development in and out of the Jewish community, I have come to realize that we can leverage how people actually build their careers in order to strengthen the Jewish professional sector and continue to grow the quantity and quality of our talent.

It starts with embracing the concept of permeability. We talk today about working in the “Jewish world” as if it is an independent celestial body full of J-infused acronyms, hardto-penetrate borders and scorn if you consider leaving. As a

result, great people who don’t see a permanent place for themselves in the sector are inclined to leave and never return, while others don’t even consider becoming Jewish professionals in the first place.

In reality, the Jewish sector could be just as fluid and dynamic as some of the most competitive sectors in the world.

Take the high-tech sector, for example. Companies like LinkedIn offer great models for how to navigate and ultimately benefit from the transient nature of employment.

LinkedIn’s approach is explained in The Alliance: Managing Talent in the Networked Age, a book written by its chairman, Reid Hoffman, along with Ben Casnocha and Chris Yeh. The professional networking platform hires people for “tours of duty” -- two- to 10-year engagements with specific missions that meet company objectives and the employee’s personal development goals. Employees talk openly with their managers about leaving to do tours at other companies, but many also talk about coming back to LinkedIn when their needs align in the future.

This example shows that in order to fully leverage our porous structure, we need to communicate our understanding of our own permeability.

Indeed, instead of battening down the hatches, clinging to our employees and turning our backs to “outsiders,” we should send the message that while you are working in a Jewish organization, however long that may be, you will have an unparalleled opportunity to learn, grow and lay the groundwork for the career you envision.

Moving forward requires structural changes that embrace flexibility and promote the opportunities inherent in our sector. It requires ongoing and open conversations with rising talent about where they will go, and it requires us talking about the valuable skills and networks one can build working in Jewish organizational life.

Moreover, instead of denigrating people who choose to switch from the Jewish sector to a secular job, it means that we celebrate the fact that a non-Jewish organization recognizes the value of the skills gained in this sector.

It means that even as we bid farewell to staff members, we continue meaningful relationships with them, helping them find new opportunities, engaging their help in recruiting for our organizations, inspiring them and helping them to become key lay leaders for Jewish organizations. And finally, it means that we welcome those whose previous work experience is from outside the Jewish community.

By empowering individuals to spend a few years in the Jewish community building skills and networks, enhancing their professional and personal trajectories, and investing in a long-term relationship with them, we will attract and retain better talent to do this holy work.

Indeed, the more open and supportive the Jewish community becomes of individuals who embody the practice of moving between jobs and sectors, we will actually -- perhaps counterintuitively -- create a more durable and attractive sector.

Adam Simon is the director of Leadership Initiatives for the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.

Another obscene Israel analogy

Focus on issues BEN COHEN (JNS.org) For several decades now, Israel’s enemies have actively and willfully defamed the Jewish state by comparing its actions to the atrocities committed by the worst villains in recent history.

We all know about the ludicrous and insulting parallel drawn between Israel and the former apartheid regime in South Africa. It was precisely that parallel that underpinned the notorious U.N. General Assembly resolution of 1975, which has since been rescinded, equating Zionism with racism.

And we know, too, of the obscene comparison between Israel and Nazi Germany. Among those who have endorsed this ghastly canard, which takes the Nazi Holocaust as its starting point in order to trivialize the mass murder of 6 million Jews, is the newly elected Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who opined at the height of the Gaza war over the summer that Israel was “worse” than Hitler.

But now there’s a new analogy -- and it’s one that attacks Israel by using a contemporary reference. Appropriately for our digital age, it takes the form of a Twitter hashtag: #JSIL. If it’s not immediately clear what that means, JSIL is a spinoff of ISIL, referring to the “Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant,” the barbaric jihadist terrorist organization (now simply known as Islamic State) with whom we are now at war. JSIL, meanwhile, stands for “Jewish State in the Levant.”

Yes, you read that correctly. There are people out there who are seriously equating a gang of rapists, decapitators, slave traders, and genocidal killers with a democratic state that takes the trouble, whenever it is dragged into an armed conflict, of informing civilians on the other side when and where it will be launching an attack so that they can get themselves to safety.

Who, exactly, are these people making the analogy? Well,

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it’s the usual crowd, and we can take some -- but not much -- comfort in that. Credit for the #JSIL hashtag resides with the U.S.-based pro-Hamas activist Max Blumenthal. The son of Bill and Hillary Clinton’s veteran confidante Sidney Blumenthal, young Max rivals the worst anti-Semitic propagandists of the Soviet Union. Over the last few years, Blumenthal’s anti-Israel screeds have become progressively more outlandish. But not content with grossly misrepresenting the Nazi Holocaust, he now insults the thousands of Yazidi, Christian, and Kurdish victims of Islamic State violence by asserting that Israel inhabits the same moral universe as these murderers.

Blumenthal made the Israel-Islamic State comparison during a session of the “Russell Tribunal on Palestine,” an unaccountable kangaroo court dedicated to smearing Israel with the crime of genocide. Fittingly, Blumenthal was flanked by the rock musician Roger Waters and the film director Ken Loach as he did so. Quite like the musical output of his band, Pink Floyd, Waters’s political interventions on Israel have gotten more boring and predictable as he gets older. Much the same can be said of Loach, who has continually insisted that Israel is the cause of the anti-Semitic violence plaguing Jews in Europe, Latin America, and elsewhere.

Why, though, should we worry about the usual suspects finding a new theme to play with? After all, they’ve made the apartheid and Nazi comparisons, and yet Israel continues to thrive. Leading politicians around the world have joined the chorus of condemnation of anti-Semitism, and Hamas has only a bruised Palestinian population to show for its efforts to eliminate Israel. Similarly, one might say that however offensive and downright stupid the Islamic State comparison is, it won’t change a damn thing when it comes to policy.

Regrettably, I don’t think we have the luxury of complacency on this one. Just this week, Deutsche Welle, the taxpayer-funded German broadcaster, published an article on

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its website that cast American Jews volunteering for the IDF in the same light as Muslims from Europe and elsewhere joining the Islamic State terrorists.

Leave aside the fact that such an equation is being made by Germans -- who really should, by now, know better. What is more significant for our purposes is the potential impact that this equation can have on the formulation of policy. If we, rightly, seek to criminalize those among our Muslim citizens who join the Islamic State onslaughts, we open ourselves up to the contention that foreign Jews fighting with the IDF should be treated in the same manner. Certainly, Blumenthal and his anti-Semitic cohorts will argue that such individuals are war criminals -- and what the Deutsche Welle piece demonstrates is how easily this clumsy, morally illiterate argument can penetrate the mainstream.

Inadvertently, the same article offers a solution to this dilemma in its conclusion, which states, “But when former Israeli Americans return to the U.S. after their military service, they will be treated much differently than those who wish to return, tired of fighting with extremist groups. The former will be welcomed and commended and accepted by family and friends, while the latter will likely be arrested, imprisoned, and interrogated with little chance of returning to an American way of life.”

That is how it should be. American Jews fighting with the IDF are fighting with an ally of the U.S. and Western democracy. Those who join Islamic State, on the other hand, are fighting for the destruction of everything we stand for. We need to ensure that the law in Europe and the U.S. continues to recognize this vital distinction.

Ben Cohen is the Shillman Analyst for JNS.org and a contributor to the Wall Street Journal, Commentary, Haaretz, and other publications. His book, Some Of My Best Friends: A Journey Through Twenty-First Century Antisemitism (Edition Critic, 2014), is now available through Amazon.

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10 | The Jewish Press | October 10, 2014

Synagogues

Candlelighting Friday, October 10, 6:33 p.m.

Wednesday, October 15, 6:25 p.m. Yom Tov | Thursday, October 16, no earlier than 7:23 p.m.

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

CHABAD HOUSE

618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 |712.322.4705 email: BnaiIsraelCouncilBluffs@gmail.com For information on our historic synagogue, please contact any of our board members. Rick Eveloff, Rick Katelman, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf and Phil Wolf.

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

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m. followed by Kiddush at noon.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 8:30 a.m.; Family Sukkot Celebration, 5 p.m.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Soup in the Sukkah for Women, 6 p.m. Please email your reservation to Shani@ochabad.com.

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

WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; Services, 6:30 p.m.; Hakafot and Dinner, 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m. followed by Kiddush at noon.

All programs are open to the entire community.

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

FRIDAY: Sukkot Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. babysitting provided; Soup in the Sukkah following morning services; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Service, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 10 a.m.; Mini Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:30 p.m.; Jews’n Brews and Dames and Drinks, 8:30 p.m. in the Krausman Sukkah.

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

SUNDAY: Religious School, 9:45 a.m.; Torah Study Group, 10 a.m.; Torah Tots, 10:15 a.m.; BESTT Kibbutz Chaverim NCJW Chocolate Festival, 12:15 p.m.

MONDAY: Morning Service, 6:45 a.m.

TUESDAY: Morning Service, 6:45 a.m.

WEDNESDAY: Morning Service, 6:45 a.m.; BESTT No Classes; Dessert in Rabbi Abraham and Shira’s Sukkah, 6-8 p.m.

THURSDAY: Morning Service (Yizkor and Dedication of Plaques), 9:30 a.m. babysitting provided; Simchat Torah Congregational Celebration and Hakafot, 5:30 p.m.

Simchat Torah Service and Hakafot, Friday, Oct. 17, 9:30 a.m. babysitting provided.

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

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

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv/Kabbalat Shabbat, 6:33 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Kids Sukkah Hop, 3:30 p.m. meet at the Weiss sukkah; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 6:15 p.m.; Musical Havdalah in the Sukkah, 7:31 p.m.

SUNDAY: Talmud Brachot, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bagels and Beit Medrash, 9:45 a.m.; A Deeper Look at Talmud, 10:30 a.m.; Pizza in the Hut, 5:30 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:30 p.m.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.; Current Events with Jack Kozlen and Rabbi Ari, 7:45 a.m.

TUESDAY: Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.; Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY-Hoshana Rabba: Shacharit, 6:30 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:25 p.m.

THURSDAY-Shemini Atzeret: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Yizkor and Kids Class, 10 a.m.; Farewell to the Sukkah, 6:30 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv followed by Hakafot and dinner with YU Torah Tours, 7 p.m.

Shacharit followed by Hakafot, Torah Reading, Kid’s Programs and Women’s Class with YU Torah Tours, Friday, Oct. 17, 9 a.m.

Bar Mitzvah Joseph Aaron Kirshenbaum, son of Nikki and Adam Kirshenbaum, will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 18, at Temple Israel.

Joey is a seventh-grade Honor Roll and HALE student at Elkhorn Ridge Middle School.

His interests include playing baseball, basketball, tennis, video games, and spending time with friends and family.

For his mitzvah project, Joey was a buddy in the All Play Miracle League. He was able to assist children with disabilities in the game of baseball. He also volunteered with Team Jack during the Omaha Marathon.

He has a sister, Jordyn.

Grandparents are Kate and Tom Kirshenbaum, and Victoria and Roger Sorenson.

Great-grandfather is Joe Kirshenbaum.

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

FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following hosted by the Shkolnick family in honor of Brady’s Bar Mitzvah.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 10 a.m., celebrating the Bar Mitzvah of Brady Shkolnick.

SUNDAY: No LJCS Classes; Sukkot Celebration, 3 p.m. at the home of Rabbi Craig and Jennifer Lewis.

TUESDAY: Star City Kochavim Rehearsal, 6:30 p.m.; Alexander Technique Class with Robert Rickover, 7 p.m. To reserve your place, please contact Jean at the Temple Office (402-435-8004 or office@southstreettemple.org) to make sure there is space, and then send a check (payable to South Street Temple) for $20 for one class or $40 for both to 2061 South 20th Street, Lincoln, NE 68502. Learn more about the Alexander Technique at AlexanderTechnique.com.

WEDNESDAY: No LJCS Classes; Anniversary Planning Committee Meeting, 5:30 p.m.

ADULT EDUCATION THURSDAY: Beginning Hebrew, 6 p.m. The cost is $50 for course materials. Please contact Rabbi Lewis is you need scholarship assistance; Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 7 p.m.

Please contact the Temple office to register.

Informal Pizza Dinner, Friday, Oct. 17, 5:15 p.m. RSVP needed so we know how much pizza to order.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road | Offutt AFB, NE 68123 | 402.294.6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 FRIDAY: Sukkot Services, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Comes to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Services, 9:15 a.m.

THURSDAY: Shemini Atzeret Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg.

Simchat Torah Services, Friday, Oct. 17, 9:15 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg.

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

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 http://templeisraelomaha.com FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to You at Remington Heights, 4 p.m. led by Cantor Shermet; Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Cantor Shermet; Shabbat Unplugged for Jews in Omaha ages 21-40ish, 7:30 p.m. Join us for a night of storytelling and friendship as we experience Shabbat with singing by the fire, break out your lawn chairs and join us under the stars for Shabbat Unplugged. Light food, desserts and drinks provided. Please RSVP by Friday, Oct. 3, 402.556.6536.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity-Painting, 8 a.m.; Grades PreK-6, 10 a.m.; Beginning Prayer Study with Elyce Azriel, 11 a.m. This class requires a basic/beginning level of fluency in Hebrew letters and vowels; Religious School Steering Committe Meeting, noon.

TUESDAY: Mah Jongg Mavens are Back!, 7 p.m. They invite anyone who is interested in coming for lessons and tips. Bring friends or make new friends (men welcome too!). $45 per person, includes a 2014 Mah Jongg card. Contact the Temple Israel office to RSVP, 402.556.6536; Holy Smokes III in the Sukkah, 7 p.m. in our Sukkah and features a discussion led by Rabbi Azriel on What Do Parents Owe to their Children and What Do Children Owe to their Parents? This is a men’s only evening. There is no charge for this event, though reservations are required, RSVP@templeisraelomaha.com or 402.556.6536.

WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6 p.m.; Family Night, 6 p.m.; Erev Simchat Torah Service and Consecration, 6:30 p.m. Join us to celebrate our kindergartners as they begin their Religious School education.

THURSDAY: Simchat Torah Morning Service and Yizkor, 10:30 a.m. If you would like to have the names of your loved ones read at the Yizkor service, please contact the Temple Israel office, 402.556.6536, by Tuesday, Oct. 14.

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

FRIDAY: The office will be closed; Sukkot Mincha/Ma’ariv Services, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m. as we celebrate Adam Graham and Katie Ganson’s Aufruf followed by a special Kiddush luncheon honoring Adam and Katie’s upcoming wedding sponsored by their grandparents Everett and Elaine Evnen.

SUNDAY: No LJCS Classes WEDNESDAY: The office will be closed; No LJCS Classes.

THURSDAY: The office will be closed; Services, 8:30 a.m.

Mincha Services, Friday, Oct. 17, 6 p.m. followed by Erev Shabbat Ma’ariv service.

Our link to the past, present and future

by SCOTT LITTKY Program Director, Temple Israel L’Dor VA Dor – From Generation to Generation the next link in our history is now coming together. The Art Committee of Temple Israel under the chairmanship of Todd Simon, commissioned, Mel Zeigler to create a piece of art for the front entryway into our new building.

Through learning, studying and engaging with us, Mel set out to create a project that engaged the life, should and strength of our congregation while embracing our responsibility to each other and allowing us to celebrate and commemorate the past, present and future.

This is a living sculpture that will grow and change as each member of the congregation creates and places bronze links on the poles to commemorate life-cycle events. The links will be created using wax and simple tools and then cast in bronze at a local foundry. Through this sculpture we will be creating a new tradition that will be woven into our congregational lives. “We are creating a new life cycle ritual for our Temple Israel family,” said Rabbi Azriel, “our

members will have the opportunity to honor together their life cycle events such as birth of a child, bar and bat mitzvah, conversion, confirmation, the opportunities will be endless.”

In a presentation to the Board of Directors, Todd Simon was very excited about the opportunity to create a new Temple ritual. He said that “members will be invited to create links as physical reminders for key lifecycle events and then place the links on the sculpture in a short ceremony.

The link creation process will generally be integrated into the preparation for the lifecycle event. Every member of Temple will be invited to create and place a link to launch the tradition. The only skill one needs to make a link is the ability to mold clay and follow a simple set of directions.”

Rabbi Brown, in a recent conversation about the project said, “The sculpture connects to our mission and will engage our community with a modern spiritual, educational and social Jewish experience that uplifts our lives. It provides a vision allowing us to be an inclusive, connected Continued on page 11

Pulverente MONUMENT CO.

October 10, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 11

In memoriam ARONA “RONNIE� JACOBSON Arona “Ronnie� Jacobson passed away on Oct. 1 at age 90.

Services were held Oct. 3 at Temple Israel Cemetery, 42nd and Redick Street.

She is survived by her husband, Arthur Jacobson; daughters and sons-in-law, Carol and Lloyd Gladden, Diane and Gene Chaves, and Debbie and Mark Glotter; grandchildren: Steve Gladden, Michelle and Eric Lambi, Andy and Katie Chaves, Leigh Chaves, David and Shiran Glotter, Rachel and Jonathan Snitzer, Michael Glotter; and four great grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home or the organization of your choice.

Israeli tourist jailed, fined for flying drone in Paris

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- An Israeli tourist was arrested and jailed for flying a drone over Paris landmarks.

The man, 24, was arrested Oct. 1 in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral, where the drone, equipped with a professional mounted camera, was flying, the French news agency AFP reported. The drone also had flown over the historic Hotel Dieu hospital and a police station.

After spending the night in jail, he was levied a nearly $650 fine for “operating an aircraft non-compliant with safety laws.�

The tourist told police he did not know it was illegal to fly drones in France and that he was filming Paris landmarks for personal use only.

Our link to the past, present and future continued from page 10 and expanding Reform Jewish community, and together it helps to reinforce the values of Torah, Tzedakah and Tikkun Olam.

The first act of commemoration will be to honor all the member families of Temple Israel and our connection to each other. Link workshops will be scheduled for Oct. 23 and Oct. 26, families will be invited to create their personal link. At a ceremony in late November we will gather to officially place the bronze links on the sculpture.

Don’t worry if you can’t participate during the first workshops, we will be scheduling make-up dates and ceremonies in an effort to involve every family at Temple. So please watch your email for details and link workshop sign-ups!

Swedish politician calls ISIS a Mossad pawn (and other troublesome news)

by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) -- A local politician with Sweden’s ruling party said that Israel trained the jihadist ISIS group to wage war on Muslims.

Adrian Kaba, who represents Sweden’s Social Democrats in Malmo’s city council, made the statement this summer during a discussion on Facebook, the Sydsvenskan newspaper reported Oct. 2.

Reacting to the report, the chairman of the party’s regional branch, Joakim Sandell, said, “An elected official should not be spreading conspiracy theories.�

In his Facebook post, Kaba wrote on July 21: “ISIS is being trained by the Israeli Mossad. Muslims are not waging war, they are being used as pawns by other peoples’ game.�

Sandell said the party intends to deal with the issue internally, but did not elaborate.

Initially, Kaba argued he did not endorse the statement but merely forwarded it “because the main thing is to keep a debate going,� Sydsvenskan reported. But he later apologized for the remark, adding: “I now realize that I made a mistake. If there is evidence that this is an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory, then I reject it unreservedly.�

In 2012, Kaba used the term “Jew-European extreme right-wing conspiracy� in an editorial in the Socialist newspaper Tro & Politik, according to Sydsvenskan.

Approached by the paper for a comment on Kaba’s July remark the party’s regional vice chairman, Andreas Schonstrom, said he would “rather not criticize a fellow party member,� but he added that “you need to think before spreading such conspiracy theories.�

The southern city of Malmo has attracted international attention for the prevalence of anti-Semitic attacks within its borders. Most attacks -- which number several dozen every year --are by people of Middle Eastern descent or Muslim origins, Jewish community representatives told JTA. Separately, a Jewish man in the eastern city of Arnhem, the Netherlands, and identified in Dutch media only as Nathan was beaten on the street by seven men who heard him speaking on his cell phone in Hebrew, De Telegraaf reported. He told the newspaper he would not speak the language in public again.

Meanwhile in France, David Rachline, the 26-year-old son of a Jewish man is one of the first members of the farright National Front party to be elected to the senate.

National Front was founded by Jean-Marie Le Pen, who, like other senior members of the party, has multiple convictions for Holocaust denial and incitement to hatred against Jews.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the outpouring of love, caring and compassion, as well as for the cards, contributions, phone calls and visits after the loss of my beloved son Michael.

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12 | The Jewish Press | October 10, 2014

In Tel Aviv Noir, city’s underbelly gets its due

by BETH KISSILEFF had never been accessible to English-speaking audiences.

(JTA) -- Asked by a literary magazine to name an Israeli “Tel Aviv is a city built around the tension between neverauthor deserving of English translation, Etgar Keret -- the ending life: pubs open all night, a weekend at the end of every Tel Aviv-based writer whose short stories have been pub- day -- and death itself: terrible slums, crime, war, terrorism, lished to worldwide acclaim -- named novelist Gadi Taub. poverty and addiction,” said Gon Ben Ari, who contributed A year later, Keret has been instrumental in bringing Taub’s prose to an American audience with the forthcoming anthology Tel Aviv Noir, which Keret edited alongside Israeli novelist, translator and musician Assaf Gavron.

The anthology, which probes the Israeli city’s underbelly, opens with Taub’s short story Sleeping-Mask, a modern fable about a young woman who enters into prostitution in an effort to pay off her father’s gambling debts.

Of the women who put out prostitution Assaf Gavron ads, the story’s narrator explains, “We all walk inside the grid of normal life. But they walk under it, crossing all the lines diagonally. The world doesn’t just look different from that angle, it looks upside down. I’m not trying to say that’s where you see the truth. It’s a half-truth, the half most people don’t want to see.”

Tel Aviv Noir exposes the seamier sides of the Israeli city known as “the Bubble.”

The 14 stories in Tel Aviv Noir, all original and commissioned for this volume, are divided into three categories: Etgar Keret Encounter, Estrangements and Corpses.

Keret and Gavron agreed that a major goal of the anthology to the anthology, and whose Hebrew-language novel Sequoia was to bring a younger generation of writers to English- Children is being translated into English. speaking audiences. At 49, Taub, whose best-selling novel Kaydar told JTA that her attitude to the anthology Allenby Street was made into a popular Israeli television changed with the Gaza war this summer. show, is the oldest.

“I remember thinking to myself that Tel Aviv is so lightA few of the writers, such as Lavie Tidhar and Silje ened, happy and hot -- not very ‘noirish,’ “ she said. “And Bekeng, write in English, (Tidhar’s contribution takes a look then came July and the war hit us. I found myself with my at what could have been if Tel Aviv had grown according to two little girls sitting in a shelter, hiding from bombs Herzl’s dream.) But the work of most of the writers, includ- whistling over our heads nonstop, every day and night for 48 ing Gai Ad, Matan Hermoni, Deakla Kaydar and Yoav Katz, days straight. These were the darkest days, not only in Tel

Aviv but all over Israel -- and for both sides -- Israelis and Palestinians.”

Keret’s contribution to Tel Aviv Noir is about a couple who adopts a dog and does increasingly strange things -- like killing pigeons and eventually other living beings -- to feed it. In an interview with JTA, he said the story was an allegory for life in Israel.

“This universe in which many things that are totally not normal and extreme become part of your daily routine,” he explained.

And we come to take these extremes for granted.

“In Alaska, you don’t know how cold it is,” Keret said. “Tel Aviv is one of the safest cities I’ve ever known. A girl can walk at 4 a.m. and not feel scared. At the same time, a bomber can get inside and explode. Which side are you more focused on?”

For his part, Gavron said it is interesting to note that the anthology is coming out at the same time as Tehran Noir, which is focused on the capital city of Iran. In an interview from Omaha, where he is American Israeli Cooperative Enterprise Scholar at the University of Nebraska, Gavron said, “Tel Aviv deserves its status as an interesting city, with culture and literature and with noir as well as everywhere in the world. I like to be grouped with other cities in the world, and not in [the] usual context that Israel is given.”

Gavron’s story in Tel Aviv Noir centers on a murder at a start-up that has developed “an application that helps you find misplaced things.” It takes place at Dizengoff Center, a Tel Aviv shopping mall and office building.

Keret happens to live near Dizengoff Center and visits it frequently. Still, he was surprised to learn of the “boxing club, huge parking spaces and secret places I don’t know” described in Gavron’s work.

“It is a bit like meeting your neighbor every day, and one day he invites you home and there is a shrine for Elvis,” Keret said. “You think, ‘I thought I knew this guy.’”

Assaf Gavron, co-editor of Tel Aviv Noir, is the current Visiting Israeli Professor at the Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He, his wife Hilla, and daughters Gali and Maya arrived in Omaha in August of this year. Gavron will teach classes at UNO and the JCC. For more information, please call the Schwalb Center at 402.554.3175 or email mgershovich@unomaha.edu.

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