October 12, 2007

Vol. LXXXVII No. 5 Omaha, NE

Kripke Library scores world renowned authors for Jewish Book Month

by CHERYL LERNER Center for Jewish Education Administrative Assistant Move over Harry Potter! While it may not match the frenzy of the latest Harry Potter novel release, Jewish book lovers will have the chance to celebrate the magic and enjoyment of reading during the Kripke Jewish Federation Library’s 34th Annual Jewish Book Month events, Nov. 7-Dec. 20.

Among the authors coming to Omaha are Nathan Englander, who wrote the best seller For the Relief of Unbearable Urges, and Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum, a first time novelist.

Presented each year, Jewish Book Month provides the opportunity for the Kripke Library to introduce the community to new authors in addi- The Ministry of Special Cases tion to celebrating the by Nathan Englander, who rich world of Jewish liter- headlines Jewish Book Month ature. In addition to the on Tuesday, Dec. 4.

Credit: Knopf Publicity author events, the library will also offer an on-site book sale, featuring Jewish books for children and adults, plus a wide selection of Jewish games and crafts. Books of the featured authors are also available for purchase in the library and each event will feature a book signing.

“The Jewish Book Fair welcomes everyone to meet both up-and-coming authors and old favorites from across the world. Participants can look forward to hearing the authors, having thought-provoking discussions, and attending fun children’s events,” said Gary Katz, Kripke Library Administrator. “There is truly something for everyone and we encourage you and your family to take part in the activities.”

The library has scheduled six events, starting with the annual Jewish Book Month luncheon on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 11:30 a.m., at the Jewish Community Center, featuring Dr. Ruth Behar, author of An Island Called Ruth Behar, author of An Island Home: The Jews of Called Home, is the featured Cuba. The daughter speaker at the annual Book Month of Polish and Turkish parents, a native of Luncheon on Nov. 7.

Cuba and raised in Queens, Behar is an author, poet, anthropologist, and filmmaker.

Her new book is an account of her journey back to Cuba in search of the new Jewish community that has taken root since the revolution.

Behar’s life and writing is a tapestry of texture and travel, a kaleidoscope of creativity and color.

Continued on page 3

Inside

Celebrating 86 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa

30 Tishrei, 5768 October 12, 2007

Goldberg and Silverman named young leaders

by LISA LIEB Federation Communications Director Every year, the Jewish Federation of Omaha honors a young man and a young woman who have demonstrated personal commitment, dedicated involvement and exemplary leadership qualities. On Thursday, Oct. 25, 6:30 p.m., the Bob Goldberg Fellman Bruce Memorial Young Leadership Award will be presented to Bob Goldberg and the Lois Jeanne Schrager Memorial Young Leadership Award will be presented to Mimi Silverman. A committee composed of past honorees selects the winners.

The Young Leadership Awards will be presented in conjunction with “A Musical Cabaret” featuring the Crossroads Ensemble at the Jewsh Community Center.

The evening’s events are sponsored by the Karen Sokolof Javitch Music Appreciation Fund.

Recipient Bob Goldberg views being nominated by both Chabad and the Center for Jewish Education as very humbling, even more so in light of past award winners. “When I look at the people who have won this award, it’s an amazing honor to be included among them,” he said.

Goldberg became involved with Chabad several years ago, when he began his quest for Jewish knowledge.

Having recently completed his master’s degree in English, he soon realized that while he had learned about many of the great works of literature, he still lacked an understanding of the fundamental Jewish texts.

Chabad’s Rabbi Mendel Katzman helped Goldberg down a path of Jewish knowledge, and a new friend-

Mimi Silverman ship was formed.

Goldberg has assisted Chabad in a variety of projects throughout the years, helping with outreach efforts, offering financial advice, serving on committees, organizing events and cooking meals. “Like all good leaders, Bob can envision what needs to be undertaken to improve the organization with which he becomes involved,” Rabbi Katzman said. “He is a leader with a vision.”

Goldberg replied, “The work the Katzmans do for our community is incredible and I can’t tell you how much respect I have for Rabbi, Shani and their family. I’m very proud to call them my friends.”

With his love for Jewish learning, it was only natural for Goldberg to become involved with the Center for Jewish Education, where he currently serves as President of its Board of Directors.

Continued on page 2

Noted author highlights community event Humanitarian and Spirit of Federation awards to be presented “The Jewish Federation of Omaha plays a very imporby LISA LIEB tant part in our lives, and we are grateful to have such a Federation Communications Director A dynamic keynote speaker … three distinguished fantastic Federation in our community,” the Sciolis award winners … and an entire community coming added. “So when they ask for our assistance, we are always honored and together. The Jewish happy to assist in any Federation’s Comway possible.” munity Event, billed A special bonus for

by Annual Campaign the Co-Chairmen is Co-Chairmen the chance for the Marcia and Steve family to work Pitlor as a can’t-miss together. evening, will be held “We are so lucky to on Thursday, Nov. have our children 1, 7:30 p.m., at the and grandsons in Downtown Hilton Omaha,” said the Hotel.

Friedlanders.

“So The event will feaworking on this ture best selling event together is author Michael B. Oren, in addition to Co-chairmen of the community event are: Anthony and Andee Scioli and Pam perfect.”

“It is a real pleasthe presentation of and Bruce Friedlander. the Humanitarian Award to Rabbi Myer S. Kripke and ure to work with our family,” added the Sciolis. “They the Phillip and Terri Schrager Spirit of Federation have served as wonderful examples to us and we hope Awards to Margo Riekes and Bob Belgrade. A dessert we can give back to the community as much as they have.” reception will follow.

The Co-Chairmen have high praise for keynote speakPam and Bruce Friedlander and Andee and Anthony Scioli were eager to step in as Co-Chairmen of this year’s er Michael Oren. They hae heard that Michael Oren is a community event. “We are thrilled to be on Steve and dynamic speaker, and know what a brilliant writer he is.

Marcia Pitlor’s team,” the Friedlanders said. “The Copies of Michael Oren’s book, Power, Faith and Federation has always been the strength of our Jewish Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present, Continued on page 2 community.”

This Week: Arts & Entertainment starts on page 11

See Front Page Stories & More at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’ Opinion Page see page 16

U.K. academic union drops Israel boycott proposal: Page 4

Coming Next Month: Hanukkah issue on Nov. 23 Where Are They Now? features tv news producer Rosenberg: Page 10

Basement, sunroom, sewer -a Blumkin Home update: Page 20

Page 2

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 12, 2007

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CLIP & SAVE

CALENDAR OF EVENTS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12 Friedel Jewish Academy School Pictures, 9 a.m.

Visions Board Meeting, 9:30 a.m.

Tot Shabbat and Dinner, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14 The Living Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Chabad Reading the Rambam, 9:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Bible Study Group, 10 a.m. at Beth El Mishpach Morning, 10:15 a.m. at Chabad Minyan 101, 11:15 a.m. at Beth El Kohll’s Flu Shots, noon & Red Cross Babysitters Class, 12:30 p.m.

39 Forever Program, 1 p.m.

S BESTT Chaverim, 2 p.m. at Beth El A MONDAY, OCTOBER 15 V E Kohll’s Flu Shot, 10 a.m.

Jewish Book Club, 11 a.m.

Hebrew Crash Course, 7 p.m. at Beth El CJE Committee Meeting, 7 p.m.

Zionism Then & Now, 7 p.m.

C L I P

C L I P & S A V E

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

Hurricane Katrina survivors and chairing last year’s Hanukkah dinner. One project that has been especially meaningful for Silverman has been her work leading the taskforce to assist refugees from Darfur.

Several members of her grandfather’s family were killed during the Holocaust, making a big impact on Silverman’s belief system. “I feel that as a Jewish person, I can’t sit idly by and not speak up while genocide is happening,” she explained.

On behalf of Temple, Silverman coordinated two postcard campaigns to Senators Chuck Hagel and Ben Nelson and Congressman Lee Terry. She facilitated a collection of school supplies that were donated to local Darfur refugees. And in coordination with the national Save Darfur rally, she organized a rally in Omaha which was attended by more than 100 people.

Wendy Goldberg, immediate past-president of Temple Israel, points to Silverman’s Darfur efforts as exemplifying her ability to work collaboratively. “Mimi brought together a diverse group to build a meaningful relationship with refugees and other institutions involved in their cause,” Goldberg said. “She led a social action drive in the areas of education, advocacy, and mitzvot that involved people of all ages. She is a skilled leader, dedicated worker, excellent communicator, and team player.”

In addition to her work at Temple Israel, Silverman has been an active board member for the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), Omaha Section, for a number of years. Highlights of her work with NCJW include organizing a Spring Gala and serving as co-Vice President of Membership. She is currently working on the new NCJW yearbook.

“Mimi is eager to solicit new advertisers for the yearbook and very punctual when it comes to deadlines,” said Kim Noddle, a past president of NCJW. “She is a joy to work with and an asset to any team.”

Asked about her passion for NCJW, Silverman replies, “The women of NCJW are so inspiring. NCJW projects like donating school supplies to a low-income school make a huge impact on other people’s lives.”

Silverman and her husband Mike (executive director of Jewish Senior Services/Rose Blumkin Jewish Home) have two sons, Adam and Jeremy, both of whom she says are already learning a great deal about the importance of volunteering. “I hope volunteering is something they will always do and that it will become a part of who they are,” she said.

What’s next for Silverman? The scope of her focus on Darfur continues to expand. She is currently organizing a family partnership program which brings Darfur families together with American families to ease assimilation for the refugees. She is leading an effort to start a Save Darfur Omaha chapter, and has helped to make Omaha a stop on an international Darfur torch relay. Silverman’s Darfur efforts were recently highlighted in the New Year’s edition of the Jewish Press. The issue’s theme was “Making a Difference in an Indifferent World.”

“People in America just forget how lucky we are,” Silverman said. “We are blessed because we were born here, and it’s something I don’t want to take for granted.” Mimi Silverman is clearly making every effort to share those blessings with others.

Community event

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16 WOW Prayer Circle, 9 a.m. at Chabad BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

JFS Yachad Social Skills Class, 6 p.m.

Parshah Roundup at Chabad, 7 p.m.

Board Meeting, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel Hebrew Roots of Prayer, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel Sisterhood’s Spirits & Spirituality, 8 p.m., at Beth Israel C L WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17 I Kabbalah Circle, 7 p.m. at Chabad P THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18 & Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Study with the Clergy, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel S Yiddish Group, 1 p.m.

A Kripke Library Book Discussion Group, 1 p.m.

V Women’s Book Group, 1:15 p.m. at Beth El JFS Love & Logic, 6 p.m.

E NCJW Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

Class with Rabbi Gross, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel

Continued from page 1 Describing the role of the agency as a bridge between many different entities that share common goals, Goldberg credits the professional staff and immediate past president Ann Goldstein with putting the agency on a clear path. “We want to make learning available and fun for all kinds of users,” Goldberg explained. “The groundwork that Ann has laid gives us an incredible foundation from which to build, the professional staff does an amazing job, and we have a great board with members who offer new perspectives.”

He went on to add that, “As a community, we’re much better off being an educated, learned community.”

CJE Executive Director Dr. Guy Matalon describes Goldberg as a person of action. “Bob takes a participatory role in whatever organization in which he is involved,” Matalon said. “He is a creative problem solver who draws the best out of those with whom he works.”

In addition to Chabad and the CJE, Goldberg’s volunteer efforts include work with the JCC, Friedel Jewish Academy, the Jewish Federation and the Foundation.

He points to his family as inspiration for his volunteer efforts. His wife, Kim, was recently named Jewish Federation of Omaha Volunteer of the Year. And he recently learned that his father, Frank, received the Federation’s very first Young Leadership Award. “I’m so lucky to have parents who love our community and have done so much for it,” he said. “Now it’s my turn to build on the incredible things that they have done. If I don’t do it, who will?”

Daughter Lily is a big part of why Goldberg gets involved. “I want my daughter to have a Jewish life and to understand who she is as a Jewish girl from a very early age,” he said. “I have to make an effort to make sure Lily’s future is everything I want it to be.

Winning the Bruce Fellman Memorial Young Leadership Award is very meaningful to Goldberg. “The Fellman family has done and continues to do so much for Omaha. It’s an incredible honor to win an award in Bruce’s name.”

Whatever else the future has in store, Goldberg will continue to make volunteering a priority in his life.

“There’s a long road ahead with lots of work to be done,” he said. “So many of us have a love for our community and want it to be all it can be. The only way that can happen is if everybody does their part.”

As Matalon, Katzman and countless others would attest, Bob Goldberg is most certainly doing his part.

Mimi Silverman, winner of the Lois Jeanne Schrager Award, was nominated by Temple Israel. On her nomination form, Executive Director Dennis DePorte describes Silverman as someone who “takes charge with great follow-through, and always with a smile.” She is currently Vice President of Religious Living for the Women of Reform Judaism.

Silverman was honored to learn that Temple Israel had nominated her for the Young Leadership Award. “I’ve established really good relationships with the staff and rabbis at Temple, and so many congregants are there to lend a hand,” she said. “It’s been a fabulous experience for me.”

Silverman has worked in many different areas at Temple, such as collecting household goods for

C L I P & S A V E

Event. “Being in a room together for a cause like this Continued from page 1 are for sale in the Kripke Library for $25. The book is shows the strength of our commitment to our considered the first comprehensive history of America’s Federation,” they added.

To RSVP for the Community Event, contact Joyce military, political and intellectual involvement in the Middle East that reveals America’s relationship with the Uber at 334.6430 or juber@jewishomaha.org. For more information, visit Middle East to be as long and varied as the www.jewishomaha.org. history of America itself. Oren will sign copies of the book at the community About Michael B. Oren event.

Oren is a Senior Fellow The Sciolis note that a very special part at the Shalem Center in of the evening will be the award presentaJerusalem. An expert on tions. “Margo, Bob and Rabbi Kripke perthe diplomatic and milisonify generosity, commitment, intellitary history of the Middle gence and passion. These community leadEast, he has written ers give tirelessly in a wide variety of ways extensively for The New while never asking for thanks or praise, and York Times, The Wall they are a significant part of the reason why Street Journal, and The we have such a wonderful Jewish commuNew Republic, of which nity in Omaha,” the Sciolis said. The he is a contributing ediFriedlanders whole-heartedly agreed, nottor. Dr. Oren is the ing that the award winners are all wellauthor of Six Days of War: respected leaders and expressing their hope June 1967 and the that everyone will come out to the event to Making of the Modern offer their congratulations.

Middle East.

The Friedlanders add yet another reason Continued on page 3 people should come to the Community Michael B. Oren

October 12, 2007

Community event

Page 3

Library scores world renowned authors

Continued from page 2 The book was a New York Times bestseller, and won the Los Angeles Times History Book of the Year prize and the National Jewish Book Award. His most recent book, Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present, was an instant New York Times best seller, on the list for eight weeks.

A graduate of Princeton and Columbia universities, Dr. Oren has received fellowships from the U.S. departments of State and Defense, and from the British and Canadian governments. He was a Lady Davis Fellow of Hebrew University and a Moshe Dayan Fellow at TelAviv University. In 2006, he was a visiting professor at Harvard and Yale. He has briefed the White House and has testified before Congress on Middle Eastern affairs.

Raised in New Jersey, where he was an activist in Zionist youth movements and a gold medal winning athlete in the Maccabia Games, Michael Oren moved to Israel in the 1970s. He served as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces -- in the paratroopers in the first Lebanon War, a liaison with the U.S. Sixth Fleet during the Gulf War, and an army spokesman in the second Lebanon War. He acted as a representative of the Prime Minister’s Office to Jewish refuseniks in the Soviet Union, and as an advisor to Israel’s delegation to the United Nations. He was the director of Inter-Religious Affairs in the government of Yitzhak Rabin.

Oren lives in Jerusalem with his wife and three children.

During an interview with Glenn Frankel from the Washington Post, Oren was asked what prompted him to write Power, Faith and Fantasy. He pointed to the lack of written material about America’s relationship with the Middle East.

“The United States was deeply engaged with the Middle East, and yet there was no book that enabled Americans to view that interaction in an historical context,” he said. “There were many comprehensive histories of British involvement in the Middle East, and of French involvement, but no study of America in the Middle East from colonial times to the present.”

Drawing on government documents, thousands of classified papers, and the memoirs of merchants, missionaries and travelers, as well as personal correspondence, Oren seeks to fill this gap in our collective knowledge by reconstructing the diverse and remarkable ways in which Americans have interacted with this alluring and often hostile region.

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Special Cases, a stunning historical novel, set in 1976 Continued from page 1 The Book Month Luncheon will also honor Rosalyn Buenos Aires during Argentina’s “dirty war” on and the late Jerome Zeffren in tribute to their love of Tuesday, Dec. 4, 7 p.m., in history, travel, and Jewish experiences. Cost is $16 and the JCC Theater. His short reservations are required. fiction has appeared in The After Thanksgiving, the library and the Institute for Atlantic Monthly, The New Holocaust Education will host Louise Borden, author Yorker, and numerous and Allan Drummond, illustrator of The Journey That anthologies. He lives in New Saved Curious George on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 7 p.m., York City.

JCC Theater.

The presentation will chronicle the dramatic true-life stories of Margaret and H. A. Rey, the creators of that loveA Day of Small Beginnings able monkey of children’s

by Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum literature, Curious George. From their childTwo days later, Lisa Pearl hoods in Hamburg, their Rosenbaum, author of A lives together in Rio de Day of Small Beginnings Janeiro and Paris, and investigates the question, their dramatic escape “How do you know who from war-torn Europe, you are if you don’t know where your family came the story of their personal from?” on Thursday, Dec. adventure is fascinating.

6, 7 p.m., in the Kripke On Sunday, Dec. 2, Library 3:30-5:30 p.m., “ChanuIn this debut novel, Kids” makes its appearRosenbaum tells the story of ance again. Pre-schoolers through third graders will a Polish American Jewish enjoy a great afternoon of family’s search for roots. It is music, storytelling, a stirring drama of secrets games, food, prizes, and and discovery, with a somemore. While the kids are times mystical connection, having fun, adults will especially for those who wish The Journey That Saved Curious George: True Wartime Escape they had asked about family have the opportunity to of Margret and H.A. Rey by Louise Borden, illustrated by Allan history before it was too browse the incredible Drummond.

Courtesy of Houghton Mifflin late. selection of children’s books and crafts featured in the Jewish Book Month Wrapping up Jewish Book Month is the regular Book sale. This annual event is sponsored in part by the Ruth Discussion Group on Thursday, Dec. 20, 1 p.m. One Frisch and Oscar S. Belzer of the longest running book discussion groups in the Endowment Fund. country, it meets each month at the Kripke Library. In Newsweek magazine called December, the group will discuss The Turquoise Ring by Nathan Englander “fiction’s Grace Tiffany, a story of the lives and fortunes of five hot talent” in 2000 for his women in a tale of the Spanish Inquisition and the merdebut book of short stories, chants of Venice. which won rave reviews, a Jewish Book Month is presented by the Center for PEN/Malamud Award, and Jewish Education through the Kripke Jewish Federation the Sue Kaufman Prize for Library and is sponsored by the Special Donor-Advised First Fiction from the Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation American Academy of Arts and the Rosalyn and Jerome Zeffren Legacy Fund. and Letters.

For more information or to make reservations, contact Nathan Englander He’ll talk about his long- Gary Katz at 334.6462 or via e-mail at: gkatz@jewCredit: Elena Seibert awaited novel, Ministry of ishomaha.org.

Page 4

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 12, 2007

U.K. academic union drops proposal to boycott Israel

by VANESSA BULKACZ LONDON (JTA) -- The decision by Britain’s largest academic union to drop its proposed boycott of Israel may not spell the end of the union’s campaign to ostracize the Jewish state.

Britain’s University and College Union announced Sept. 28 that union leaders, after consulting with lawyers, had determined that an academic boycott of Israel probably would breach British anti-discrimination laws and the union's own guidelines.

Jewish groups, which had roundly condemned the boycott after it was first proposed at the union’s annual congress in May, cheered the decision.

“The community should be emboldened by this victory and should see that we can successfully fight back and can have a real impact defending Israel’s reputation,” said Lorna Fitzsimons, chairwoman of the Stop the Boycott Campaign. “We will continue to win the intellectual argument, showing why any boycott of Israel is unbalanced, unfair and ignores the difficult complexities of the Middle East.”

The boycott had been proposed to consider the “moral implications” of ties with Israeli institutions in light of the “denial of educational rights” to Palestinians.

After last month’s determination, however, the union said it would continue to “explore the best ways to implement the non-boycott elements of the motion passed at Congress.”

It was not immediately apparent what that meant.

“We remain concerned that the UCU still intends to explore ways to implement the motion, such as calling for a moratorium on E.U. research and cultural col-

laborations with Israel,” said Ronnie out the country on the efficacy of the Fraser, director of Academic Friends of boycott.

Israel.

Jon Benjamin, the chief executive of the But union staff said the “non-boycott Board of Deputies of British Jews, said, elements” of the resolution refer to “Sadly immeasurable damage has been “actively encourage and support branches done to the reputation of British academto create direct links with Palestinian edu- ics who have unfairly been associated with cational institutions and to help set up a policy which most of them abhor and nationally sponsored programs for teacher against which increasing numbers were exchanges, sabbatical placements and speaking out.” research.”

“This is a victory against the boyThe legal cotters on two fronts,” said Jeremy opinion that Newmark, chief executive of the dealt the boyJewish Leadership Council and cocott its cripchairman of the Stop the Boycott pling blow Campaign. “Firstly, the legal opinion said: “It endorses our contention that the would be beproposed UCU boycott was a form yond the of discrimination that had no place in union’s powa U.K. trade union. Secondly, last ers and unmonth’s explicit admission by the lawful for the main pro-boycott faction that they union, directwould have lost a ballot proved our ly or indirectassertion that a boycott is not suply, to call for ported by the vast majority of UCU or to imple- ADL ad about a boycott-Israel cam- members.” ment a boy- paign. Britain’s University and The turnaround by UCU is the latcott by the College Union announced last est victory for pro-Israel activists in union and its Friday that union leaders, after con- their efforts to stem the tide of antimembers of sulting with lawyers, had deter- Israeli movements among the far left any kind of mined that an academic boycott of in Britain.

Israeli univer- Israel probably would breach Other union efforts to introduce sities and British anti-discrimination laws and Israeli boycotts over the last four other aca- the union’s own guidelines. years also have run aground. Boycott Credit: ADL motions were defeated in the demic institutions, and that the use of union funds Association of Union Teachers in 2003, directly or indirectly to further such a and though a motion was able to pass in boycott would also be unlawful.”

2005, it was overwhelmingly overturned It went on to say, “To ensure that the at a special council of the union following union acts lawfully, meetings should not an international outcry. be used to ascertain the level of support A boycott motion narrowly passed at for such a boycott.” As a result, the union the National Association of Teachers in canceled plans to hold debates through- Higher and Further Education confer-

ence in 2006, but the resolution expired with the merger of the union with the teachers’ association.

This summer, the National Union of Journalists scrapped a motion to boycott Israeli goods in the wake of protests from within the union, the media industry and Jewish community leaders.

Even within the UCU, support for a boycott was hardly universal.

The original boycott motion passed by a vote of 158 to 99. Anti-boycott campaigners pointed out that a winning margin of only 59 votes for a constituency of 120,000 members was by no means representational.

At the time of the motion’s passing, UCU General Secretary Sally Hunt agreed. “I do not believe a boycott is supported by the majority of UCU members,” Hunt said.

After the May vote, Britain’s minister of state for education, Bill Rammell, denounced the proposal.

“The U.K. government fully supports academic freedom and is firmly against any academic boycotts of Israel or Israeli academics,” Rammell said.

Jewish groups in Britain and around the world condemned the proposal. U.S. union leaders and many influential academics in Britain and abroad petitioned against the boycott.

After last month’s decision, Hunt said she hoped the matter would be put to rest. “I hope this decision will allow all to move forwards and focus on what is our primary objective: the representation of our members,” Hunt said. “I believe if we do this we may also, where possible, play a positive role in supporting Palestinian and Israeli educators, and in promoting a just peace in the Middle East.i

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October 12, 2007

Recall memories with the art of scrapbooking at Temple Israel

Page 5

Christopher A. Stanosheck, D.D.S.

books, talk about them,

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel and demonstrate,” she said. She suggested that Communications Coordinator “Scrapbooking can be participants have an idea an entertaining and for the subject of their scrapbooks, and “bring enlightening way to get five or six photos of a to know yourself, which vacation, pictures of resonates with this year’s yourself, your children, adult education theme, and a scrapbook of any Know Thyself, Know Thy size.”

Neighbor,” said Rosie It’s the journaling and Zweiback, Temple Israel the embellishments that program director. distinguish a scrapbook “Knowing that Elyce from a photo album.

Azriel is an avid scrap“Your personal touch can booker, I asked her to be used for healing and to teach a class on it.” The document family tradiclass, Scrapbooking with tions,” she noted.

Elyce, is open to anyone Embellishments can be in the community on Sundays, Oct. 21 and Elyce Azriel, shown in her scrapbook room, will share the art of anything from stickers, greeting cards, tickets, 28, 12:15-1:45 p.m., at preserving family memories in a new class at Temple Israel. pre-made crafts, and cutouts. “I’ve had fun going to Temple.

Azriel, who is Temple’s director of religious educa- scrapbook stores all over the world,” (including Israel, tion, started scrapbooking about four years ago during Spain, and Costa Rica). She has decorated her scrapbook an illness. “It was personal therapy, and it was something room with little tchochkes she’s found in scrapbook new to learn,” she explained. Sitting in her cozy, com- stores.

“Scrapbooking doesn’t have to be expensive,” Elyce fortable “scrapbook room” which used to be daughter Leora’s room before she moved out on her own, Azriel said. Bargains abound at stores such as Tuesday talked about the seven scrapbooks she has made for her Morning, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and Big Lots.

As much fun as making the scrapbooks can be, Elyce son Yaniv, who just became a Bar Mitzvah. She’s put together an equal number for Leora along with albums emphasized, “they’re for my family,” a gift from generon family vacations, her 50th birthday, and her husband, ation to generation, l’dor v’dor.

To register for Scrapbooking with Elyce, sponsored by Rabbi Aryeh Azriel’s sabbatical.

Elyce subscribes to three scrapbooking magazines and the Hermene Zweiback Center for Lifelong Jewish has a shelf full of books in her scrapbook room from Learning, contact Zweiback via e-mail at: which she has learned the art. In the class, she will rzweiback@templeisraelomaha.com or at 556.6536. explain how to start and organize a scrapbook chrono- The fee, which includes lunch and materials, is $18 for logically. “I’m going to bring two of my own scrap- members of Temple Israel and $25 for all others.

NCJW collecting old cell phones

by NANCY JACOBSON and BARBARA RENNARD NCJW Public Affairs and Education Vice Presidents Do you have an old cell phone at home that is collecting dust and using up closet space?

The National Council of Jewish Women, Omaha Section, invites readers to do a mitzvah during October -- Domestic Abuse Awareness Month. Donate old cell phones to women in need by bringing them to the Jewish Community Center this month.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

In cooperation with the JCC, NCJW has placed dropoff baskets at the front entrance and in the Fitness Center. If you’re downtown, drop off your old cell phones at Film Streams, 14th and Webster Streets.

Phones will be reprogrammed and donated to the Omaha police department’s domestic abuse division.

The phones will be transferred to women in abusive relationships who can use the reprogrammed phones to call 911. For information, call the NCJW office, 334.6565

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 12, 2007

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Temple members’ bands making their sounds heard on music scene

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator “The focus is on fun,” said Steve Eisenberg, lead guitarist of the Fishheads, a local band. “People naturally want to cut loose and have a good time, and that's something we do better than anyone else out there,” Eisenberg insists. “We put our own style” to the music or “Fishhead-ize” it, he explained.

“We can take a group like AC/DC, sing and slow it down and turn it into a nice reggae groove. That’s Fishheadizing.”

At first, the Fishheads were called The Island Party Alternative Band. Seventeen years later, “the Midwest’s number one party band,” according to the band’s website, does an average of 160 shows a year. “We’ve been together 17 years,” said Eisenberg, whose family has belonged to Temple Israel for 30 years.

“A regionally-touring entertainment extravaganza,” describes the website, five Omaha musicians launched the band as an experiment blending music, comedy and mayhem.

Whether it’s a corporate affair, outdoor festival, riverboat cruise, college campus, night club, or street dance, nothing can compare to the venue the Fishheads played in 1993. The U.S. Department of Defense sent the band to perform for American troops in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates right after the first Gulf War. “We talked to a couple of bands who had done it,” Eisenberg said. “Then we contacted the USO and the Department of Defense and auditioned. We were very well received,” Eisenberg recalled. “The

spring of 2008.

Eisenberg also runs Entertainment Brokerage, Inc. (393.7772), an entertainment agency he started in 1991.

“That's my day job,” he said. “I book nine clubs in the area, concerts, openings, and festivals.” The band’s website is www.fishheads.com.

A different local band, the Blue Martian Tribe, was started two years ago

by Adam Gerber and his four best friends. Gerber, now 23, was transitioning out of another band, and his friends needed a drummer. Having played ever since he was a little kid, Gerber, who attended Religious School and was confirmed at Temple Israel, was happy to join his pals with whom he had played for years when they were growing up.

Gerber explained that he was “obsessed with radio,” as a child. His dad, Paul Gerber, was a drummer and “so there was always a drum set to play around on. When I was 16, my Dad took me to the drum store.” Adam picked out his own set of drums and “for the most part, I was self-taught.” Someday, he hopes to make a living with the band.

For the more immediate future, he would like to be on the road next summer.

“We play a high energy form of rock music that involves improvisation,” Gerber said. “It can involve any style of music,” he mentioned, by “blending a heavy jam rock influence with progressive rock, funk, blues, jazz, Latin, world beat, ska, and just about everything in between to form a style all their own,” according to the band’s website.

Guitarist Steve Eisenberg, left, leads his band, the Fishheads, who entertained in Humboldt, IA, during last summer’s RAGBRAI bicycle ride. soldiers loved the shows.” In 30 days, the band did 21 performances. “We also got to go snorkeling in the Red Sea and diving in the Arabian Gulf. It was awesome,” he said.

Eisenberg said his interest in music comes from his mother Florence, “an accomplished musician.” She played the piano, and she played the organ at Beth El Synagogue for 20 years.

A new generation of Eisenbergs is also showing musical talent. Steve and November Eisenberg’s daughter Madison, age 10, plays the harp and attends Catlin School, an arts magnet, and Mason, their four-year-old son, already has a full drum set. “For a fouryear-old, he’s quite good,” noted Steve.

No strangers to recording, the Fishheads launched their first album, “Live and Uncensored,” in 1993. Three years later, they released their second recording, “Island Holiday.” In May of 1999, their latest CD, “Escape to Reality,” generated airtime with the oftrequested single, “Bicycle Seat.”

Eisenberg said the band is hoping to release “Live and Uncensored II” in the

“By drawing influence from classic rock greats, the lead guitar players bring Southern rock sound reminiscent of the Allman Brothers to the forefront of (the Blue Martian Tribe’s) sound. No two performances of any song sound exactly the same. On-stage theatrics and (the band's) presence make their audience get into the show and feel the music,” suggests the website.

Blue Martian Tribe has played in Omaha and Lincoln as well as Lawrence and Melvern, Kansas, where they played at Dog Stock to raise money for the Akita Foundation. “Last month, we had six gigs.” For the most part, the band plays in bars and some festivals. “The majority of our crowd is high school age to about 50. There’s a little bit of something for everyone,” pointed out Gerber.

Most importantly to the young band, “We’re just starting to blow up and definitely getting noticed in Omaha and out of state,” he said.

For more information about the Blue Martian Tribe, call Gerber at 659.6721, at www.myspace.com/bluemartian tribe, or at ADSGERB@aol.com.

October 12, 2007

Opera Lover’s Cookbook

by Francine Segan (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $35)

READ IT AND EAT Reviewed by LOIS FRIEDMAN Opera lovers, divas, impresarios, you can invite friends, plan menus, setting, decor, themes and savor these twelve plans for every appetite: Bel Canto Elegant Five-Course Dinner, Tapas Party with Carmen, Tres Chic Cocktail Party are among the offerings. Or salivate over Ein Grand Souper, AllAmerican Brunch with Gershwin, Rustin Dinner with Verdi, English Pub Supper with Gilbert & Sullivan, Sicilian Picnic, Eclectic Buffet: A Taste of Puccini, Vodka Tasting with Russian Composers, Mozart Dessert Party and Hansel and Gretel Children’s Party.

Lavish color photographs of productions and dishes, opera details and descriptions accompany each chapter.

Create culinary performances with 125 recipes from Radish Bites appetizers to Almond Cake Accented with Citrus dessert, with doable instructions, menus, hints, suggestions (have a costar in the kitchen), composer notes, opera dialogue and background information. A magnificent book and delightful read.

Introduce your child to the magic of opera by planning a Hansel and Gretel party: “It’s a perfect first opera ...” Create craft projects and whimsical activities. For a child’s party, Segan recommends her mother’s “‘S’ rules”... keep it small, short and simple. Opera Notes, Beverages and Treats ... Dew Fairy Pretzel Wands, Yummy Gingerbread Houses and Men, and this beverage recipe (Hansel and Gretel’s mother sent them into the forest to gather wild strawberries) are among those that kids (of all ages) will enjoy.

FOREST STRAWBERRIES MILK SHAKE 1 pint strawberries 2 cups whole milk 2 bananas, peeled and sliced 1 cup vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt Set 4 strawberries aside to use as garnish. Combine the milk, the remaining strawberries, the bananas, and the ice cream in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into 4 tall glasses and garnish each with a strawberry. Serves 4.

Lois Friedman can be reached at ReadItAndEat@ yahoo.com.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 7

Beth Israel’s Sisterhood finalizes plans for silent auction and more at donor event

by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue Can you imagine attending a luncheon and going home with a set of beautiful diamond and garnet earrings? Well, you will have the opportunity to bid on those earrings, as well as many other terrific items and gift certificates, when you attend Beth Israel Sisterhood’s Annual Donor event on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 11:30 a.m. The event will feature a luncheon, style show from Steinmart and silent auction, chaired by Kelly Kirk and Sherry Taxman.

“The silent auction committee has been hard at work for months, soliciting donations from businesses all over Omaha,” said Kirk. “Our hard work has paid off. We already have received donations from close to 40 businesses, with more donations still coming!”

Items range from the diamond and garnet earrings from Brodkey’s to $25 gift certificates from local businesses. Attendees to this year’s Donor can bid on items such as a floating pearl necklace from Bergman’s, a $350 dollar jacket from Blue Willi’s, Funny Bone Comedy Club tickets, books from Barnes and Noble and much more. Gift certificates have been donated by businesses such as Relax the Back, Periwinkles, Parsow’s, Gadgeteer, Seven Salon and many others. All donors to the silent auction will be noted in the event program.

According to Kirk, “With so many items up for auction, there will be something for everybody, both young

and old, to bid on and hopefully take home. I think this year’s silent auction is going to be amazing and I’m so excited, because I know how great the items are that will be available for bidding.”

In addition, preparations are underway for the Steinmart style show, featuring fashions for both men and women. “Not only will those attending be able to bid on such great items, but they will be treated to a style show as well, which I think is such a great idea,” stated Kirk. “Who doesn’t want to know what’s up and coming in the world of fashion for the upcoming season?”

During Donor, the Sisterhood Gift Shop will be open.

Bette Kozlen, gift shop chairman, has been busy ordering new items to be available for purchase. “In addition to what we usually feature in the gift shop, there will be a special jewelry display,” said Kozlen. “There will also be a variety of items available for early Hanukkah shopping.”

“Everybody is welcome at the luncheon,” said Kirk.

“So I hope many members of the community are able to come to enjoy time with friends over good food, fashion and the possibility of winning some fabulous items.”

Men are welcome to attend, too. The luncheon is being catered by Nancy Mattly’s Culinary Services, and will be a sit down, served lunch. To reserve tables, contact the office. Attendees may select to be a Donor, choosing a category that includes lunch, or just enjoy lunch for $15. To make reservations, please call the office at 556.6288.

Organ donor Shabbat is next month

by LYNDA MIRVISH Omaha synagogues are once again being invited to participate in the upcoming National Donor Sabbath Weekend, Nov. 9-11, joining with other congregations and religious organizations throughout the country in an ecumenical celebration of life that reminds people of their faiths’ support of organ, eye and tissue donation.

Contrary to common myth, all Jewish denominations encourage organ and tissue donation. The mitzvah of saving a life, pikuah nefesh, is considered one of Judaism’s highest values A Gallup poll showed that fewer than 10 percent of people in the United States know that their religion has doctrines regarding organ and tissue donation. Though these beliefs differ between denominations, every major religion in the United States supports organ and tissue donation as an unselfish act of charity.

Observation of National Donor Sabbath is an opportunity for religious communities to touch the lives of millions of people. Right now there are nearly 100,000 people on the national transplant waiting list -- more

than 450 here in Nebraska. Every year, 46,000 people need a cornea transplant to restore their sight.

Hundreds of thousands of people rely on tissue transplants such as bone, skin and heart valves to save or improve their lives. Yet 18 people die each day waiting for a transplant.

Two recent legislative changes in Nebraska have made it easier to become an organ donor in our state.

Although people can continue to register their wishes when they receive or renew their drivers’ licenses at the Department of Motor Vehicles, Nebraskans can now sign up any time via the internet at www.nedonation.org.

And recent First Person Consent legislation assures that a documented decision to donate will be honored without requiring additional family consent, although family discussions are strongly encouraged about this decision to promote understanding and support.

The faith community can make a significant and lasting difference in the lives of great many people through sharing this critical message. For information, contact Becky Jackson at 402.559.9566 or call 1.800.718.LIFE.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 12, 2007

Temple families share love of bead jewelry and glass art and Canada. It was a nice

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel compliment that they wanted to trade with Communications Coordinator “I’ve always liked me.” glass,” explained Larry From a Temple Israel four-generation family, Budwig. "I used to be in Tom has sung in the choir the auto glass business.” for about 10 years, and Drawn to the cool texture Sue is the Landscape and feel of glass, Budwig, Committee chair of who enjoys browsing Temple’s new building glass booths at art fairs, project. now makes his living Beth Brown-Gershovich, designing fused glass jewalso a bead jewelry and elry, glass platters, and Photos from left: Larry Budwig won an Art Splash in Sioux City, Iowa. Alyson pictured at right in his studio, interested fused glass artist, makes kiln formed sculptures. medical identification A single father, Budwig Excellence Award for his glass designs at Friedman got her dad, Tom Friedman, in bead making. has found it easier to support his family website: www.kinddesigns.com. His ted. Not to mention, “It really has bracelets. The interchangeable bracelets by working at home while his daughters work is also sold at Underwood Gallery, become a great tool for Alyson and me to are an alternative to what she calls “plain are at school. Budwig and the girls, 49th and Underwood; Holland Center do something together,” he added. Jane” chain medical identification Hannah, 11, Sophie, eight, and Aleia, Gift Shop; Beads Etc., 170th and West “Alyson likes to make the fancier jewelry. bracelets. She also makes clip-on ID seven, are members of Temple Israel’s Center Road; Joslyn Art Museum, and She made the necklace on the website,” charms that attach to necklaces, bracelets, Family School. “All the girls are pretty from his studio by appointment which can be seen at www.aly- zippers, cell phones, and backpacks. Styles rosedesigns.com. are available for a variety of health condigood artistically. Sophie is really, really (391.1786).

Beadmaking is “still a hobby,” accord- tions for women, men and children.

Jewelry making is a family affair for creative,” said Budwig.

Brown-Gershovich has been crafting Most recently, Budwig, who works in Tom Friedman, his wife Sue, and their ing to Tom. “I like to spend several his studio, Kind Designs, in his home, daughter Alyson. They make sterling sil- evenings a week on beads and sometimes the ID bracelets for about seven years showed his work at art fairs in Iowa; at ver jewelry with custom lampwork beads. on weekends” in his basement workshop since she was approached by the executive director of the Diabetes Education Rockbrook Village, Countryside Village, Tom makes all the beads by hand. Sue at home.

He showed at the Jewish Arts Festival Center of the Midlands. and Village Pointe Shopping Center in makes the jewelry, mostly necklaces as well as some bracelets and earrings, from at the Jewish Community Center which In addition, Brown-Gershovich makes Omaha; and at three shows in Chicago.

Fusing glass is accomplished by melting the beads of natural stone such as jasper, generated invitations to three more art beaded necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and it. Budwig also designs dichroic glass, jade, and lapis. Others are made with a shows this summer. Tom is also a member coordinated sets from sterling silver, Thai which was developed by NASA, and is torch. Alyson started the whole thing of the Midwest Lampworkers Guild silver, semi-precious stones, freshwater made from layering techniques and when she was seven. Now 19, she’s in which has a show during most of October pearls, and specific types of shells.

Her fused glass pendants and broaches shaped, for the most part, into pendants college in Denver majoring in studio art. at The Hot Shops near the Qwest Center.

Tom and Alyson started making beads But most of his designs are sold by word start out as various glass shapes, then are and earrings. cut with a glass cutter or ring saw and layBudwig also developed an interest in together about four years ago. “We used of mouth.

Tom also belongs to the International ered into various designs. After being beads when his brother Michael lived in to locate bead stores,” Tom said. “Then India. Larry and his wife Kirsten, who we decided we need to learn how to make Society of Glass Bead Makers which met melted in a kiln, which can take up to 30 in Minneapolis in July. About 600 bead hours, the glass cools off slowly to ensure died in 2003 at the age of 36, made bead- these.”

They located a lampworker in Omaha makers attended, he said. “I was able to durability. Brown-Gershovich also designs ed jewelry together. He took a bead class and taught himself the art of making jew- who taught them how to make the beads. trade beads with people from Venezuela, dishes and coaster sets from fused glass. elry. Samples can be seen on Budwig’s “That's when I got excited,” Tom admit- Israel, New Zealand, the United States, Continued on page 9

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MARRIAGE

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 9

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GRAHAM/LEHRMAN Adrianne Graham and Matt Lehrman were married Sept. 2 at the historic Eldridge Hotel in Lawrence, KS. The bride’s great-uncle from Connecticut, Rabbi Stanley Kessler, officiated at the wedding. A reception followed at the Lawrence Arts Center.

The bride is the daughter of Mark Graham and Jaine Evnen Merliss of Lincoln. Her grandparents are Elaine and Everett Evnen, Lincoln, and the late Charles and Nita Graham.

The bride graduated from the University of Kansas and teaches advanced placement history and social studies at DeSoto High School.

Her attendants included Faith Bratt, Hilary Wanke, Hadley Richters, and Andrea Winner.

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His attendants included his brothers, Cory and Joey Lehrman, Jamie Beinin, Noah Karesh, and Daniel Wolchansky; ushers were the bride’s brothers, Adam and Mitch Graham.

Following a honeymoon in Curacao, the couple resides in Lawrence.

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ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Dana Altman, head basketball coach at Creighton, will speak about the upcoming season at Breadbreakers on Wednesday, Oct. 17, noon, at Regency Lodge. All men and women in the community are invited. Cost is $12 for lunch and $3 for beverage service only.

LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Come to the Yiddish meeting at the JCC on Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. If you have any Yiddish books to donate, please call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638.

JEWISH SENIOR SERVICES Opera Omaha presents War Horse 101, a multi-media introduction to opera featuring Aida, on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m., at the JCC auditorium. For more information, call Linda Fitzgerald at 334.6520.

EYE ON ISRAEL: EVENING EDITION The Center for Jewish Education will present an evening of “Eye on Israel” on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 8 p.m., in the Kripke Federation Library. “Eye on Israel” is an interactive forum for the discussion of current events in Israel and issues affecting the Middle East. The panel includes Dr. Guy Matalon, Dr. Rami Arav, Dr. Moshe Gershovich and Zohar Winer. It is free and open to the public.

JEWISH WOMEN INTERNATIONAL JWI hosts its annual mah jongg tournament on Sunday, Oct. 21, noon, at the JCC. Register by Oct. 16 by sending check for $18 to Rosalie Greenspan, 8108 Howard, Omaha, NE 68114, or Esther Wax, 118 St. 88 St., Omaha, NE 68114. Refreshements will be served.

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Love of bead jewelry and art two years ago. She has had an opportuniContinued from page 8 “Art enhances daily living, and I ty to share her art in the Western Galilee believe in creating artwork that is both through Partnership with Israel, sponfun and beautiful to look at as well as to sored by the Jewish Federation’s annual use,” Brown-Gershovich states on her campaign and the Jewish Agency for websites, www.jewelrybybeth.biz and Israel.

An artist on the side for about eight www. bbgartistry.etsy.com. “I have a years, Brownreal passion for color and Gershovich explained, texture,” she adds.

“I hit a point in my “People, nature, and life life where I wanted a experiences are my conbetter balance tinual sources of inspiration ...” between work, art, Brown-Gershovich and family. Currently taught herself to make I am temping, which jewelry. She learned how has helped me achieve to design fused glass from this balance.” other glass makers. “I got She spends about some of the best ideas in 20 hours a week, Israel,” she said. “Moshe depending on the (Gershovich, Beth’s hus- Beth Brown Gershovich's butterfly dish time of year, in her band) loves art and so do is a one-of-a-kind piece made from home studio. Her his parents,” who live in iridized fused glass and dichroic fused medical ID bracelets Tel Aviv. “We go every glass. are sold on the webyear to visit them.” sites and at the Diabetes Education Beth and Moshe Gershovich are mem- Center at 84th and Frederick. Her other bers of Temple Israel which “kind of jewelry and artwork are also sold on the reawakened my faith” when she joined web and at Joslyn Art Museum.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 12, 2007

Former Omahan celebrates much-traveled news career WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

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“Navy recruiters were so anxious to get someone who could write a declarative sentence, which I could, they guaranteed me I could be a Navy journalist,� Rosenberg said from the Regency Marriott where he stayed in during his recent visit. “They also gave me the rank of E3 out of boot camp, which meant I made more than my fellow recruits, which was fine with me.�

His reason for joining the Navy, rather than another branch of service, was quirky. “Truth? I don’t like to wear ties and with a Navy uniform you don’t have to wear a tie. It’s as simple as that,� he said, smiling broadly.

The pursuit of a hot story brought ABC news producer Howard Rosenberg from the network’s Washington, D.C. bureau to his hometown of Omaha in mid-September. He was on the trail of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, an avid Husker football fan who attended last month’s Nebraska-Southern Cal football game.

Thomas’ wife, Ginni, is a native Nebraskan and a University of Nebraska-Lincoln grad.

While in-state, Thomas was interviewed by ABC News legal correspondent Jan Crawford Greenburg.

Rosenberg produced that segment as well as other recent interviews Greenburg conducted with Thomas, who’s plugging his autobiography, My Grandfather’s Son. The Thomas segments produced by Rosenberg ran Oct. 1 on “Good Morning America� and “World News Tonight� with Charles Gibson, as well as on “Nightline.�

Growing up in Omaha, Rosenberg and his family attended Beth Israel Synagogue. His late parents were Monroe and Pearl Rosenberg. His two siblings, Marilyn Tipp and Maynard Rosenberg, reside in Omaha.

A veteran print and television journalist, Rosenberg’s been on the hunt for news since entering the U.S. Navy Above: Howard Rosenberg at ABC News satellite position in Kabul, Afghanistan in in 1972. He went in on the promise September of last year. Below: Rosenberg, on assignment for ABC on his nascent journalism skills, first Lebanon/Israel border during last summer’s war against Hezbollah, July, 2006. developed at Central High School, would find good use in the service. They did. He edited a service magazine and freelanced.

For much of his news career he’s done investigative reporting, perhaps the highest calling for a journalist.

It’s a mission he takes quite seriously. He said while “there’s a solitary aspect� to the research “there’s also an excitement to it; that you’re on the chase and you’re really searching for something and you’re looking for that moment, for that document, for that bit of information that’s going to make a difference. It’s very satisfying in that regard.�

He’s uncovered some major wrongdoings in his time, from top secret documents revealing illegal U.S. government-sponsored human experiments to tapes implicating key players in the Iran-Contra arms-for-hostages operation.

After more than 30 years in the business, including a long stint at CBS, he remains remarkably unjaded, especially given he’s spent much of that time in Washington, D.C. He possesses the healthy skepticism necessary to do his job, but not the cynicism you might expect. At 55, he retains the same faith in his profession -- and the difference it can make in people’s lives -- that he did when he first got into it. “The end result and the objective is to help people understand something or learn something they didn’t know before,� he said. “There’s a concept in Judaism, that sort of underpins the ethos of the faith, of tikkun olam, which means repair the world. And anytime you meet a young journalist they generally all have the same sort of idealism -- that they’re going to go out and change the world. “I think of it very much as a calling and something that is a useful career for people like us to do because I think in some small measure you accomplish a minor repair by stitching up a hole of knowledge on something that’s important.�

His repairs have come for many prestigious news groups. He’s written pieces for Mother Jones, The New Republic, The Progressive, Parade, The Washington Post and The New York Times. He’s produced in-depth segments for the “CBS Evening News�, “60 Minutes�, “ABC World News Tonight�, “Primetime Live� and “Nightline.�

None of it might have happened, though, without his hitch in the Navy. He was 21 and unsure what to do with his life. All he had going for him was an ability to write. The Navy gave him a focus to perfect his craft.

He had enlisted in the service after “a very undistinguished academic career� at UNL, where he piled up lots of credits in creative writing and journalism, but came away with little else to show for his time there.

The Navy “was a fantastic turn of events for me,� he said, “because it gave me time to mature and I worked in a very interesting job.� The experience gave him a training ground to “hone� his skills for his subsequent news career.

After his honorable discharge, he studied journalism at George Washington University, an elite private college in the nation’s capitol. “I could never have afforded to go,� he said, “without my Uncle Sugar paying the tab.�

The 1976 honors grad soon landed his first big break -- as an associate editor of the late muckraker, Jack Anderson, in Washington, D.C., where Rosenberg’s been based his entire career. He, his wife and their two sons live in Chevy Chase, MD. Before Rosenberg ever went to work for Anderson, he’d been told he was cut from the same prickly mold as the crusading news hound. “There was a lieutenant -- one of the last commanders I worked for in the particular (Navy) division I was in -- who saw me as somewhat of an iconoclast. I was a bit of a troublemaker, And one day this lieutenant said to me, ‘You know, Rosenberg, you’re kind of a (epithet) and you ought to go work for that other (epithet) -- Jack Anderson.’ And I said, ‘Oh, that’s not a bad idea,’ and so I did.�

Rosenberg joined a group of idealistic journalists flush with power-of-the-press ambitions in the wake of Woodward-Bernstein’s expose of the Watergate cover up.

Continued on page 12

October 12, 2007

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 11

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 12, 2007

Much-traveled news career Continued from page 10 “Jack had at that point won a Pulitzer Prize and he had a staff of young turks who were all in their 20s, many of whom went onto careers in journalism,” he said. Besides Rosenberg and the lofty credits he’s since accrued, there were: Howard Kurtz, now a Washington Post reporter; Brit Hume, an ABC correspondent; Gary Cohen, a Pulitzer-winner with the Baltimore Sun and now an L.A. Times reporter; and Hal Burton, part of the Pulitzerteam at the Seattle Times.

“A lot of good journalists came out of there,” Rosenberg said. “It was a great place to work. I was 25years-old and I had a press credential that got me into press conferences at the White House, where I would go and ask questions of the President of the United States.

It was very exciting.”

In Anderson, Rosenberg found “very much a mentor.”

“He was a Mormon, so he was very paternal. You know, ‘We’re all a big family.’ We played together, we worked together. I learned a lot,” Rosenberg said.

Looking back, the Omahan was fated to be a writer and a storyteller, which is how he ultimately thinks of himself.

“I had an interest not just in journalism but in writing, much of which was encouraged both by my late mother and by a teacher I had at Central named John Joseph Francis Keenan. He was just an inspirational teacher.”

The late Keenan preceded Rosenberg in the school’s Hall of Fame, whose distinguished ranks include many notables in the fields of arts and sciences. Rosenberg was inducted in 2005.

Rosenberg’s mother, the former Pearl Schneider, was a Central grad herself. Her inclinations sparked his own passions. “She was a great fan of moviedom and I loved to go to movies. She took me to movies when I was a child,” he recalled. What fascinated him most weren’t the actors but the stories. Somebody had to write the scenarios, after all, and thus began a lifelong interest in screen writing. “I always liked that aspect of the medium and thought a lot about it,” he said.

Rosenberg wrote a book, Atomic Soldiers (1980), “hoping it would become a movie.” It did. The book details how American servicemen were recklessly exposed to harmful levels of radiation during Cold War atomic weapons tests. It relied in part on classified documents he obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. It took a lot of digging, a lot of persistence. With docs in hand he felt emboldened, as his old boss Jack Anderson used to say, that “now the story can be told ...”

“I was very interested in what happened to these soldiers,” he said. “The story of the atomic tests on soldiers had never really been told in the mass media since the time it happened ... and then it was cast in a very controlled way by the federal government because it was all

“used nuclear sources on part of a Cold War propachildren.” ganda strategy.”

The article suggested Atomic Soldiers began as some of the children were a magazine article but the denied conventional thermore research he did the apy in favor of the radical more he realized it was a radiation treatment. subject that demanded a “Every one of them more thorough telling. died,” Rosenberg said of The process of going the young patients. from page to screen took He can still hardly longer than he imagined. believe what horrors the Nine years to be exact. He children suffered in the said it took so long name of science. The because the ultra-consermore he dug, the more it vative political climate resembled Frankenstein then was not receptive to or, more chilling yet, the learning that American Nazi medical experiments servicemen were used as of World War II. human guinea pigs by “It was almost like scitheir own country in tests that compromised their Howard Rosenberg and his family live in Chevy Chase, MD: sons, ence fiction,” he said.

“The more I learned health. The soldiers were Aaron and Daniel, and wife, Kathleen, December, 2006. not told of the risks they faced. His book’s subtitle says about it, it seemed like something out of someone’s imagination. Not to disparage him, but one of the physiit all: “American Victims of Nuclear Experiments.”

“A lot of political ground had to be covered. There was cians who ran this clinic had a deformity ... a hunch not a lot of interest in taking on that subject anywhere,” back.”

Rosenberg was so struck by the story he revisited it 12 he said. “It was a very difficult movie to get made.”

Screenwriter Tom Cook (China Syndrome) eventually years later -- this time as producer of a “60 Minutes” segadapted the book for a 1989 TNT cable movie, called ment. “I was able, through a source I had, to get into the Nightbreakers, starring Martin Sheen and Emilio chamber” where the experiments were done. The space was now a storage room. “I took back a woman who had Estevez. The film version pleased Rosenberg.

“I thought it was wonderful,” he said. “You know how lived in that chamber with her child while he was being authors always say, ‘Ah, they butchered my book.’ I did- irradiated, so she was irradiated, too.” The woman he n’t feel that way at all. I mean, Tom (Cook) wrote a fic- brought to the site of so much grief was the mother of tionalized teleplay and it was its own work of art ... his Dwayne Sexton, who died at age six.

The Mother Jones story “got a lot of attention. All three own artistic vision of the story and the best way to tell the story. It was like a dream come true in the sense that networks did stories on their nightly news broadcasts here was a story I had written that was made into a about this story I had written,” he said.

New opportunities soon presented themselves. One movie. My only regret was that my mother didn’t live to came from the Center for Investigative Reporting, which see it.”

As often happened in his career, one project led to approached Rosenberg and colleague Howard Kohn to another. His book research got him onto another story open a Washington bureau. The two journalists, collabhe then developed into a cover expose for Mother Jones, orators on Rolling Stone and Outside Magazine pieces, which in turn first brought him to the attention of net- directed a year-long project on nuclear arms policy. By this time Rosenberg had become identified as an expert work TV news.

“The article in Mother Jones grew out of a minor, sort on the topic. of sidebar I learned about in writing my book,” he said.

“I learned a lot about nuclear weapons -- how they’re “It was about these children who were taken to a cham- made, what effects they have, who the people are designber” at a federal cancer care center in Oak Ridge, TN, ing them, what the national security plans and implica“and (unwittingly) exposed to total body irradiation in tions of having a nuclear arsenal are. It was all part of my an effort to cure them of various forms of blood malig- research.” nancies -- leukemia and so forth. These human experiThus, he said, he got “pigeonholed ... every time ments were conducted on behalf of NASA and the old somebody wanted to know something about nuclear Atomic Energy Commission” from 1957 to 1974 and Continued on page 13

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October 12, 2007

Much-traveled news career works in terms of storytelling. It has its limitations, as all of us as storytellers do. It is in some ways very black and white.

You’ve got your good guy and your bad guy and there’s not a lot of gray,” he said.

“There’s a certain pattern of the process that’s in some ways quite predictable. But at the same time it’s very comfortable.”

He worked on too many stories he liked, including several included among classic “60 Minutes,” to easily name his favorites. “The truth is usually the story I’m working on is the one that I like the best,” he said.

Pressed, he cited the story about the human experimentation at Oak Ridge.

“That’s one of the most fascinating stories I’ve ever worked on,” he said. “I was very proud of that. The first story I ever did for ‘60 Minutes,’ called ‘The World’s Biggest Shopping Spree,’ was sort of a tour of these giant warehouses that covered hundreds of acres of Defense Department supplies in storage since the Korean War. That’s one of my favorites.”

Then there was Olliegate.

“It was only a minute and 30 seconds, but it had quite an impact,” he said, referring “to the story of the security system outside of then-Colonel Oliver North’s house that ended up getting him indicted and sort of unraveled the entire criminal enterprise. All of the people involved in that (Iran-Contra operation run

by North) were indicted under federal conspiracy charges.”

All the convictions were overturned on appeal, he added.

Other Rosenberg segments for “60 Minutes” range from the controversial “Confessions of a Tobacco Lobbyist” to “The Letter,” a Howard Rosenberg and ABC Nightline team in Haifa, Israel, two-part probe of jury-tamJuly, 2006, during the War with Lebanon. pering during the O.J. The way it worked was a publication like Simpson murder trial.

In ’97 he left CBS for “a better offer” Mother Jones and a network like CBS would work cooperatively on select proj- from ABC. The new post allowed him ects, combining resources to break stories more time at home with his family. Not at the same time. The idea appealed to long into his ABC tenure he found himRosenberg as it introduced him to the self in the awkward position of investigatway television news is done, got his foot in ing former friends and colleagues at CBS. the door at the networks, netted his sto- Rather had come under fire over a “60 ries bigger audiences and compensated Minutes” report that offered documents him better than before. purportedly showing President George W. “It was fine with me because investiga- Bush shucked a portion of his National tive reporting is not just tedious and labor Guard service. intensive, it’s time intensive,” he said, Rosenberg said, “It was actually quite “and so you spend an awful lot of time for ironic in the sense that I ended up not just a relatively modest return in terms of reporting on it but discovering the inforfinancial renumeration.” mation that ended up unraveling the He began at CBS, then the most entire cover up by CBS” -- hence known respected name in TV news. Icons as Memogate. “I found two document abounded. Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, examiners who had been consulted by ‘60 Don Hewitt, Morley Safer, Mike Wallace. Minutes’ and by Dan Rather’s producer.

“It was really a very heady place with They warned CBS the documents could just a storied history,” he said. “There not be authenticated. I also visited with were just a lot of wonderful reporters the nation’s finest expert on typewriters. there. George Herman, Robert Shackney. He said very explicitly it was impossible All these legendary names. People with for any typewriter of that particular vingreat pipes, great voices.” tage to have created a superscript ‘th’ in He began by working directly for the way it appeared in the documents.

Rather, who’d just taken over the anchor That was only possible in the computer slot, from Cronkite, on the “CBS Evening age,” he explained.

News.” Rosenberg was one of the pro“It was a joyless scoop,” said ducers of the taped segment that preced- Rosenberg, as the fallout from the ABC ed Rather’s famously contentious 1988 report “ultimately led I think to Rather’s interview with then-candidate George fall. I have a lot of personal affection and Bush. He eventually moved over to “60 admiration for him. He is a person of Minutes.” He found working for the orig- great personal courage and great integriinal news magazine, “a very, very reward- ty.” ing experience.” His mentor was its creThe two men have since met and spoator and executive producer, Don Hewitt. ken about the affair “and to his credit,” “I learned a lot from Don Hewitt, Rosenberg said, Rather “did not hold it whose mandate was, ‘Tell me a story.’ against me because he understood himself Some people describe ‘60 Minutes’ as for- as a journalist that the ultimate arbiter of mulaic and mean it as a disparagement, what we do is the truth.” but at the same time it is a formula that Continued on page 14 Continued from page 12 weapons or nuclear weapons’ policy or testing, they’d say, ‘Well, let’s go to the guy that wrote that book.’”

His specialization paid dividends when the networks came calling.

“A certain light went on and I started asking myself, Well, why not cut out the middle man? And that was really kind of one of those seminal moments where you sort of figure things out and say, This could be a really stimulating way to go -to combine my limited skills as a writer with my interest in visual media,” he said.

For his first forays into TV he still kept one foot in the print world, filing stories for both magazines and the networks.

“In those days, the networks were interested in expanding their reach into investigative reporting,” he said. “But there weren’t a lot of people in television who were familiar with the kind of rigorous and mind-numbing work you have to do in investigative reporting. There was a fellow who worked at the time for the CBS Evening News who had an idea to go to people who were doing investigative reporting and form partnerships with them.”

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 12, 2007

Much-traveled news career

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automatic rifle to make sure nobody comes in,” he said.

“The collaborative nature of television is what I find most exciting and satisfying because unlike the solitary tedium of investigative reporting, you’re part of a team and there’s a real team spirit, especially in a show like ‘Nightline.’ And especially when news is breaking or when you’re in a war zone, it’s just such an enveloping feeling.

People bring different strengths and skills to the process.”

Ultimately Rosenberg is a journalist because of his undying “curiosity,” the same quality, he said, “that makes for any good journalist and makes this a great career for people who are interested in learning. When I talk to young people and they ask me about journalism I say ... it’s a great career for people with short attention spans and ... for people who like to go to school. What you do is you learn everything you can possibly learn about something and then you have a final exam, which in this case is you write your story or produce your segment. And then you forget about it and go on to the next thing. It’s like you’re a student all the time.”

It all sometimes seems too good to be true.

“I just feel so fortunate I want to pinch myself and say how lucky I am. Wow. And I’m getting paid to do this!”

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Continued from page 13 “Nightline” assignments keep Rosenberg on the move. In the past year alone he’s been to: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Afghanistan, Lebanon and China. He’s produced segments featuring the first network TV interviews with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and coverage of the recent Minneapolis bridge collapse.

His ABC credits also include: writing/producing the hour-long specials, “Rumsfeld’s Rules of War” and “9/11: Moment of Crisis”; co-writing/co-producing the hour-long reports, “The Hunt for Osama bin Laden”, “Attack on the USS Cole”, “American Terrorist: In His Own Words” and a special “Nightline” edition, “The Lost Convoy” -- the story of the Army’s 507th Maintenance Company ambushed in Iraq.

He’s often asked, what does a producer do?

His answer: “Whatever you have to do to put the light in the box.” Any news segment, he said, is a team effort and “I can’t say enough about how important each part of the team is to the process, from the editors and audio engineers to the graphic artists to the producer to the correspondent. To the guy you hire to stand there at the entrance to the hotel with a flak jacket on and a semi-

o u

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Senior Living Celebrating Senior care and independence.

Publishing Date » 12.21.07 Space Reservation » 12.06.07 Camera Ready Deadline » 12.10.07

Contact your advertising representative to advertise in any of these special editions.

Call Allan Handleman at 402.334.6451 or email: ahandleman@jewishomaha.org

Call Terri Greenwood at 402.334.6559 or email: terrigreenwood@jewishomaha.org

by CASEY LOGAN It’s a great time to be a film fan in Omaha, thanks in large part to the summer opening of Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater at 14th and Webster, within the Saddle Creek Records development downtown. With showtimes seven-days-a-week, the nonprofit cinema will be presenting a diverse run of films this fall, among them: Great World of Sound (Oct. 12-25). Hired as record producers searching for the next big thing, Martin and Clarence begin to suspect something’s amiss when their new bosses will sign anyone prepared to put up some cash. A hilarious debut from director Craig Zobel, who blends fact and fiction in this soul-searching comedy about the desire for celebrity and age-old art of the con.

Lust, Caution (Oct. 26-Nov. 15). Director Ang Lee makes his post-Oscar return with this espionage thriller set in WWII-era, Japanese-occupied Shanghai, about a female student caught in the middle of an assassination plot. Winner of the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion Award (Best Picture).

Kurt Cobain: About a Son (Nov. 9-15). An intimate portrait of the late Kurt Cobain, pulled from more than 25 hours of previously unheard audio-taped interviews in which he recounts his own life -- from his childhood to his days of musical discovery to his later dealings with fame.

Film Streams’ fall schedule also includes some exciting repertory selections. Throughout October, the cinema is presenting a retrospective of classics by directors Preston Sturges and Billy Wilder. Starting in mid-November, the theater will present “Out There: Nebraska and the Great Plains in the Movies,” a film series guest-curated by author and public radio host Kurt Andersen.

Other repertory selections this fall include two films by acclaimed African-American filmmaker Charles Burnett, Killer of Sheep (1977) and My Brother’s Wedding (1983), and a doublefeature of French director Albert Lamorisse’s The Red Balloon (1956) and White Mane (1953).

For more information, including daily showtimes, visit www.filmstreams.org or call 933.0259.

The guys behind the name

by PATTI DAVIS Corporate Assistant, Zongkers Custom Furniture Many in the furniture business told Dennis and Dan Zongker that they wouldn't make it in the business because they weren’t massproducing and didn't have a lot of machinery. They both believe that the faster it was built, the faster it would fall apart. Their goal is to provide their customers with quality-handcrafted furniture that would someday become an antique passed down for generations.

In 1989, the brothers started the company, Zongkers Custom Woods, Inc., working out of their home. The following year, they moved their business to a new location, the former Metz Brewery building. It is one of the oldest buildings in the state, having been established in Omaha in 1856. Behind the walls is one of Omaha’s best-kept secrets, a custom furniture shop where old techniques are still in use. The brewery presents the shop and craftsmen in the old world traditions, which stands strong to both brothers.

Dan studied art history, architecture and furniture design which has enabled him to work with customers, designing each piece in detail, creating a true piece of art for each customer. He also is dedicated to designing company graphics, marketing campaigns, and website development, which has given Zongkers a leading edge.

Community involvement is also very important, as Dan is involved in many different associations and local community projects.

Dennis’ craftsmanship ability has blossomed over the 18 years in business. His eye for detail and his patience has been intertwined into the business and the shop. Developing his skills with years of research and development has taken the company above the initial dreams both brothers shared. Dennis’ carvings and marquetry talents have placed the finished products above cabinet-shop status.

His development of fine finishes and engineering details has proven to be the quality standards of the flourishing company.

In his spare time, Dennis likes to read history of furniture makers from the past. This gives him inspiration to keep trying harder.

“When I read about other cabinet makers and how hard they have worked, it makes me want to work harder,” explains Dennis.

“When I design and build a piece of furniture, my intentions are for the piece of furniture to last 100 years or more.”

Dennis and Dan have such incredible talent and they pass it on to the craftsmen here at Zongkers. They take pride in each piece built, pieces that can be passed down through generations. Visit us at www.zongkers.com. If we can be of assistance, please call 402.344.7784 or e-mail patti@zongkers.com.

A place for “huge” family fun!

by KATIE BURKS Feel like a kid all over again, or share the fun with a child or grandchild, by experiencing The Amazing Pizza Machine!

With more than 60,000 square-feet, The Amazing Pizza Machine is by far the largest family entertainment center in the greater Omaha area. Size isn’t everything, though – every part of The Amazing Pizza Machine serves a core purpose of providing families with a positive, lasting and memorable experience at a place that welcomes kids and “kids at heart” to play together.

One key feature that sets The Amazing Pizza Machine apart from other family entertainment centers is its commitment to being child- and family-centric … Bright décor, kid-pleasing items on the 100+ item buffet (think pizza, slushies, ice cream and healthful options on the salad bar), hand sanitizing stations, a family restroom, a variety of games and rides for all ages and skills levels.

The Amazing Pizza Machine offers more than 140 video and redemption games, rides and attractions, including Go-Carts, Frog Hopper, Glow-in-the-Dark Golf, Mini Bowling, Bumper Cars, Wild Ride Coaster and an inflatable bouncer.

Located at 139th and Millard Avenue in southwest Omaha, The Amazing Pizza Machine offers ample and free parking, family fun

regardless of the weather and weekday specials that are a real bargain, including new, back-to-school specials (good with the purchase of a buffet and a drink, which is required for admission): Monday – $15 BIG FUN Play Card (good for all games and rides) for just $10; Tuesday – One hour of free rides; Wednesday – Free video games all day (excludes redemption and prize games); Thursday – Bonus prize tickets in redemption games, good for a spin of the bonus prize wheel.

When the kids are bored while at home on school breaks, take advantage of these specials. The Amazing Pizza Machine is the perfect place to bring family members of all ages, and allows parents to take a break, too! The Amazing Pizza Machine is also the ideal place to host a team party, an after-school club, even a great lunch break with friends or colleagues.

Pre-booked party packages are available, including birthday party packages – The Amazinator, with unlimited free rides, and the BusyWorks birthday party for toddlers, with a commemorative photo CD. The Amazing Pizza Machine can host groups of all sizes, making it great for corporate outings, fundraising events, holiday parties and teambuilding sessions. For more information, call 402.829.1777 or visit www.AmazingPizzaMachine.com.

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October 12, 2007

Lied Center connects with audience (or putting the chutzpah in Center)

by ASHLEY PRITCHARD Marketing Intern, Lied Center for Performing Arts Art has the ability to inspire, engage and amuse. What sets performing art apart is the ability to interact and connect with the audience.

Involving the entire community, not only the artist, performing art asks the spectator to become involved in the process and help determine the outcome.

The 2007-08 performing season at the Lied Center for Performing Arts asks just that of its patrons. “You Are Here” describes not only the entire season, but also what the Lied Center wants every patron to know: You are here and a vital part of the process.

What better way to participate in the arts than with the Shirim Klezmer Orchestra. Performing with all the chutzpah, joy and soulful emotions of the itinerant Yiddish troubadours who performed

Page 15

Symphony season is “More than the Music”

throughout Europe for 400 years, the Shirim Klezmer Orchestra honors klezmer’s historic origins. Performing The Nutcracker on Dec. 5, the Shirim Klezmer Orchestra puts its own clever twist on the Tchaikovsky’s classic.

The Lied Center also brings L.A. Theatre Works presenting Top Secret: The Battle for the Pentagon Papers on Friday, Nov. 2 and Solid Blues performs an evening of memorable music on Monday, Oct. 29. St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra performs Friday, Nov. 9 and the dynamic chair ensemble Bang on a Can plays Saturday, Dec. 1. Whatever your interests may be, the Lied Center offers a variety of performances for everyone.

For more information on these events and the entire season, visit www.liedcenter.org or call 402.472.4747.

Have it your way at home

by STEVE SMITHBERG Home by DesignOne owner In 2003, two Omaha builders took their combined 50 years of experience and created a new business to fill a growing need. More and more entry-level and mid-level home buyers were asking that their homes be built their way.

Steve Smithberg and Jason Blankenship created Homes by Design One because they saw an unfilled need in Omaha’s new-home market flexibility.

Buyers of entry and mid-level homes often found themselves unable to change much about the homes they were buying. “And customization was out of the question, especially for buyers working with large-volume builders,” Smithberg said. “We believe that you spend a lot of money for a new home and it is your home, so you

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

should have it your way.”

He added that custom builders who will offer to alter a plan usually build homes valued at $300,000 and up. Design One builds in the affordable $160,000 to $300,000 range, for first-time buyers as well as empty nesters.

“At Design One, we’ll work with their custom ideas, their lender, even their lot”, said Blankenship. “Our buyers actually are involved in designing their home”.

Buyers especially enjoy the state-of-the-art, 360º virtual tours on the company website, www.homesbydesignone.com. The site now has a link to hundreds of new home plans.

Homes By Design One builds in 70 neighborhoods throughout the Omaha metro or on your lot and is soon expanding to Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Please contact us at 933.8535.

by CARMEN STEELE Manager, Public Relations, Omaha Symphony For the 2007-08 season, Music Director Thomas Wilkins and the Omaha Symphony are presenting the music of the masters, dazzling pianists, a rock music superstar, Broadway divas, and much more!

With more than 50 concerts in seven distinct series -- MasterWorks, Symphony Pops, Casual Classics, West “O” Casual Classics, Chamber, Discovery, and Family -- the Omaha Symphony season features programs for all tastes in music. From Mozart, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and Gershwin, to timeless tunes from the pop, swing, and Broadway musical genres -- this season has something for everyone.

For the true classical music enthusiast, the MasterWorks Series presents some of the best in classical music. Violinist Dylana Jenson will appear with the orchestra for Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, Nov. 9-10, and three true virtuosos – Emmanuelle Boisvert, Robert DeMaine, and Kirill Gerstein will come together

to present Beethoven’s impressive Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano, Jan. 18-19, 2008.

The season continues with Gershwin’s powerful masterwork, Porgy and Bess, Feb. 29 and March 1, and violinist Amy Schwartz Moretti presents Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5, March 28-29.

“In planning this season we explored the theme ‘More than the Music’ and looked beyond the repertoire, guest artists, and orchestra to the overall experience of an Omaha Symphony concert,” said Maestro Wilkins. “I know this season will make people feel like they are part of something extraordinary and special.”

Some additional highlights of the season include vocalist and founding member of Styx – Dennis DeYoung, Irish music ambassadors The Irish Rovers, doo-wop favorites Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, a tribute to composer John Williams, the swinging sounds of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and the legendary Natalie Cole.

A complete listing of this season is available on the Web at www.omahasymphony.org.

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Page 16

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 12, 2007

Why does Christian support of Israel scare so many Jews?

Last month in Jerusalem, more than 80,000 people marched through the streets proclaiming their support for Israel. Nearly 10% of that number were Christians who had come from all over the world thanks to arrangements made by the International Christian Embassy.

For Christians, Sukkot or the “Feast of Tabernacles,” is an opportunity to demonstrate their love for the Jewish people. So why are so many Jews afraid when they hear that Christians are visiting Israel (and more often than not, in higher numbers than Jews)?

We should be happy, no? They come in droves, not just for Sukkot, but all year ’round, spending money with the airlines, hotels and restaurants, paying for tour guides, buying souvenirs, jewelry and more. They vote for candidates who support Israel; they write letters to newspapers and op-eds and call radio and television shows to express that support.

The event is perhaps Israel’s biggest, bringing as much as $18 million to the local economy, according to the JTA. Israeli politicians also note its importance in fostering goodwill among non-Jewish backers abroad.

Yet, so many Jews still shake their heads and express their opposition to Christian love of Jews. To be sure, there’s the old canard that the Christians are just espousing this line in order to convert Jews. Yes, it is part of the Christian belief system that in order for their Messiah Jesus to return, all the Jews of the world have to return to Israel. But how likely is that when you can’t get three Jews to agree

upon anything -- let alone mass aliyah!

According to Edgar Asher, one of the Jewish Press photographers in Israel, “a Christian delegation from Brazil numbered 1,500. Many Israeli organizations, such as EL Al, leading hospitals and Israel Electric Corporation sent organized groups to participate in the festivities.” He noted that “here was a call by some leading rabbis to ask Jews not to participate in this year’s march as they were concerned that Christian missionaries might be trying to convert Jews. This concern was addressed by the leading Christian leaders who confirmed that it was not their policy to try and convert Jews. By far, the majority of evangelical Christian groups have been consistently and outspokenly supportive of Israel in all major forums. It was clear from the thousands of Israelis who came to Jerusalem to participate, or watch the colorful spectacle, that they did not share the Rabbinate’s concern.”

While Jews continue to be suspicious of Christians, they appear to be kowtowing to those who wish us ill: whether it’s Columbia University or releasing prisoners in Israel (even though three IDF prisoners of war have not been freed by Hamas or Hezbollah). Egypt continues to allow Hamas to smuggle weapons into Gaza and has even permitted members of Islamic Jihad to return.

Gazans fired a beefed-up Russian-made katyusha into Israel last week. And now, less than a month from “peace talks” between Olmert and Abbas, there’s a renewed call for giving away parts of our holiest city: Jerusalem.

So who are our friends? Simple -- the ones who aren’t calling for our deaths and the elimination of our Jewish homeland.

Israel’s supporters have built a formidable advocacy mechanism, and to deny that is to deny one of the signal accomplishments of the American Jewish community in the postHolocaust era.

AIPAC has certainly used America’s peculiar campaign finance culture to its advantage and plays political hardball with the best of them.

(I’ve been on the receiving end of AIPAC’s heavy-handedness, so I know whereof I speak.) In a 2006 article about Walt and Mearsheimer in The New York Review of Books, Michael Massing reports on the various ways, all legal, in which AIPAC twists arms and punishes enemies.

Congress,” the Times reports.

The article goes on to describe the Hindu American Foundation, modeled on the AntiDefamation League and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and the U.S. India Political Action Committee, which takes its lessons from a score of pro-Israel PACs. “What the Jewish community has achieved politically is tremendous, and members of Congress definitely pay a lot of attention to issues that are important to them,” said Sanjay Puri, chairman of the U.S. India PAC. “We will use our own model to get to where we want, but we have used them as a benchmark.”

Emulation is also leading to strengthened ties between American Jews and IndianAmericans. In 2002, INAPAC, an Indian PAC in New Jersey’s Middlesex County, reached out to the American Jewish Congress and other Jewish organizations for mentoring about how to get political clout.

The less savory side of this is that many Hindus and many Jews come together over their shared antipathy toward their Muslim political rivals. For the most part, however, Jews and Indian-Americans are sharing not only tips on political organizing, but a notion of what it means to be loyal Americans and strong advocates for their motherlands.

Dawkins isn’t much interested in bridge building, apparently. In an ironic twist, however, much of his agenda mirrors that of the Jewish organizations he thinks are hopelessly religious in nature: Support for stem cell research. Opposition to “creationist interference with education.” Religious tolerance, extended to those who have no religion at all and don’t want one.

Writes Dawkins: “I think, more positively, I would like to see people encouraged to rejoice in the world in which they find themselves, the universe in which they have been born, to take full advantage of the tiny slice of eternity they have been granted.”

Hell, if that’s the atheist agenda, then sign me up.

Andrew Silow-Carroll is editor in chief of the New Jersey Jewish News.

Jewish Press Board Bobbi Leibowitz, Vice President Stan Mitchell, Secretary; Scott Meyerson, Treasurer; Joanie Jacobson, Immediate Past-chairman; David Herzog; Susan Lehr; Jamie Meyerson; George Quittner; Eve Randone, Melissa Schop; Michael Siegel, Michael Sigmond; Jim Simon; Nancy Skid; and Dorothy Spizman.

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Love me, love my lobby

BEHIND THE H EADLINES

by ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, what do you make of famed atheist Richard Dawkins’ desire to build a pro-atheist lobby on the model of the pro-Israel lobby?

Dawkins, a biologist and author of the atheist manifesto The God Delusion, tells the Guardian that atheists need “some sort of political organization.”

And he has just the sort in mind: “When you think about how fantastically successful the Jewish lobby has been, though, in fact, they are less numerous, I am told -- religious Jews anyway -- than atheists. And [yet they] more or less monopolize American foreign policy as far as many people can see,” said Dawkins. “So if atheists could achieve a small fraction of that influence, the world would be a better place.”

Um, thank you? Dawkins’ quote is a little like the Jayhawks’ lyric: “All I know’s I’m loving you for all the wrong reasons.” It’s debatable how much Jewish support for Israel is a religious impulse, and it’s simply a delusion to say the pro-Israel lobby “monopolizes” American foreign policy.

Like President Carter and Messrs. Walt and Mearsheimer, Dawkins does the truth no favors when he ascribes to the “lobby” powers it doesn’t have. AIPAC often wins the day in Washington not because it “monopolizes” the debate, but because it takes positions that Americans and their representatives are often inclined to agree with in the first place.

Walt and Mearsheimer make the illogical leap that because, in their opinion, America’s support for Israel cannot be defended on strategic and moral grounds, Washington’s pro-Israel policies must be the result of the machinations of The Lobby. A less paranoid interpretation of the facts would suggest that Americans consider Israel a strategic and moral ally because they consider it … a strategic and moral ally.

But let’s take credit where credit is due:

Like President Carter and Messrs.

Walt and Mearsheimer, Dawkins does the truth no favors when he ascribes to the “lobby” powers it doesn’t have.

Pro-Israel lobbyists sometimes go overboard, and it would be a lot healthier for the Jewish community and Israel if we were able to foster wider debates within the most powerful organizations and stronger alternative pro-Israel voices outside of them. But if it is the very idea of Jewish power that makes you uncomfortable, I urge you to consider the alternative.

As Dawkins suggests, in a manner so backhanded it feels like a slap, American Jews have managed to combat prejudice and build political clout despite their small numbers. And in that sense, imitation is a sincere form of flattery -- AIPAC has provided a road map that other advocacy groups are welcome to follow.

Dawkins isn’t the only one looking to the Jewish community as a paradigm. The New York Times reported last month that IndianAmericans are eying with envy and admiration upon the alphabet soup of American-Jewish organizations in hopes of starting their own.

“Indian-Americans, who now number 2.4 million in this country, are turning to American Jews as role models and partners in areas like establishing community centers, advocating on civil rights issues and lobbying

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 17

Like Abraham and Sarah, Jewish world should welcome all into a ‘Big Tent’

FOCUS ON ISSUES

by RABBI ELLIOT DORFF and RABBI KERRY M. OLITZKY WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Imagine you are trekking through town on a scorching summer day when you pass a man sitting at the entrance to his home, which happens to have all its doors open. The man and his wife, whom you have never met, invite you into their home, provide you with water to drink, food to eat, a refreshing shower and even rest in their den or guest room.

While this may not seem plausible to most of us -- city dweller or suburbanite -- it is familiar to Bible readers. It is an updated version of the well-known story of Abraham and Sarah, Jewish ancestors who modeled a variety of important values and behaviors for us.

Long before the rabbis began to codify actions in Jewish law, Abraham and Sarah innocently modeled simple welcoming Jewish behavior. They did not just invite guests into their home; they served them. They offered them water with which to wash. And they provided them with physical and spiritual sustenance. Their actions actively communicated one message to their guests: All are welcome in our tent.

Certainly this story of Abraham and Sarah’s tent -- as described in Genesis 18 and explicated in the midrash -is particularly timely as we just began the yearly cycle of Torah readings. Even more so, the story of Abraham and Sarah is directly relevant to what the Jewish community has become and where it wants to be.

The community today has the opportunity to realize its potential as one “Big Tent.” Like Abraham and Sarah, we can open our doors on all sides to welcome, include and serve all who would enter, regardless of where they may be on their religious journeys, their choices of life partners, their race and anything else that has the potential to contribute to the beautiful diversity that has become the Jewish community.

“But rabbis,” some may respond, “my Jewish institution already is welcoming.”

We have no doubt your institution is welcoming -- to you. For those of us on the “inside” -- and we happily count ourselves among them -- it is difficult to imagine our beloved Jewish homes, synagogues and organizations as potentially cold and unwelcoming places.

But we are insiders.

Those who have not yet ventured into our homes, synagogues and community centers may not have experienced that sense of community. Perhaps they’ve never been invited. Or maybe they ventured in but we insiders did not rush to greet an unfamiliar face, instead expecting that job to fall to someone else.

The tension between how we feel about our institutions and how newcomers perceive them is one with which we must grapple.

It is why we have chosen to issue a challenge to everyone involved in the Jewish community: We must look at our institutions from the outside. We need to evaluate how our institutions can best welcome all newcomers, those who have not yet stepped over the threshold.

It’s time to put out our welcome mats. Let’s post signs that say “All are Welcome,” and state it in the marketing materials and on the Web sites of our institutions.

To truly welcome all, we must look at why newcomers are choosing not to engage with the Jewish community and address those reasons head on. For example, the cost of membership and programming can often stand in the way of those who would like to engage in our institutions.

By giving newcomers “free samples” of our offerings, we can lower their barriers to participation and provide access to Jewish community programming.

We can make our institutions more welcoming by posting signs outside and within our buildings clearly indicating entrances and program locations. Let’s station greeters at our entrances before all events, like services at synagogue or book fairs at JCCs. We can even enlist active members in the mitzvah of outreach by encouraging them to invite newcomers to meals after such events or establishing a "buddy system" simply by introducing those with common interests to create more of a social connection.

We can offer a personal welcome by providing names of contact people in our organizations --and being responsive -- rather than a general information number or “info@” e-mail address. And let’s make sure we have some basic yet enticing information available about what our organizations offer to newcomers, so the onus is not on them to navigate their way in by themselves.

Rabbis and lay leaders can lower literacy barriers by being more aware of their diverse populations; we should create a supportive environment for Hebrew and Yiddish translation and avoid other forms of “in-speak.” We must have programs specifically directed to different populations, including young adults, single parents, empty nesters and young couples with and without children.

Lay leaders and Jewish professionals can work together to plan programming outside of their institutional buildings to expand their reach to those who are not yet comfortable entering a Jewish building.

The fear of a shrinking and increasingly unengaged Jewish population seems to pervade the thoughts of Jewish community leaders and philanthropists, and provides the motivation for many of our current communal programs and structures. But the Big Tent Judaism we are advocating emerges from the foundational value system of Judaism, which is not based in fear but rather in

ANTIDEPRESSANT BIRTH DEFECTS

LETTER TO THE

EDITOR

To the Editor: Your large page 1 photo on Aug. 31 of the United Buddy Bear exhibit at the Jerusalem municipality’s Safra Square brought smiles to my wife Lenore, formerly of Omaha. Two months ago, Lenore and I, accompanied

by Lenore’s brother Bill Wolfson, also formerly of Omaha, his wife and two teenage sons, were in Jerusalem on an excellent Eretz Yisrael Movement tour.

One evening, as we returned from an exhausting private walk in the Old City, our spirits were revived by the Buddy Bear exhibit. Each bear of the 133 represented nations -- even from some governments who consider themselves at war with Israel -- was painted by an artist from that country with great creativity and whimsy. It was another “only in Israel” magical moment.

Glenn Richter, New York City

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the joy of sharing what we find so wonderful about being Jewish.

It is time for the Jewish community to rally together around the issue of welcoming newcomers. No mitzvah is repeated more often in the Torah than to “welcome the stranger.” (“Stranger” is not our preferred translation because of its sometimes negative connotations in English, so we say “newcomer.”)

Welcoming newcomers is not the domain of just one movement or institution. We must coordinate across denominational and organizational lines to determine what works best in finding and reaching people, how we on the inside can engage those still on the outside, and what are the messages of meaning and value that will draw them in.

If we are to carry Abraham and Sarah’s message forward, we are obligated to join our voices together to advocate for a more welcoming and inclusive Jewish community. Together we can form a tent like Abraham and Sarah, and grow an inclusive and welcoming Jewish community. Together we can transform the Jewish community into a “Big Tent.”

Rabbi Elliot Dorff is the rector, Sol & Anne Dorff Distinguished Service Professor in Philosophy and the co-chair of the Bioethics Department at the American Jewish University and is on the Big Tent Judaism advisory board.

Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky is the executive director of the Jewish Outreach Institute, which will launch the Big Tent Judaism coalition (www.BigTentJudaism.org) at its annual conference in Washington on Oct. 14.

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Page 14

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 12, 2007

Candlelighting Friday, Oct. 12, 6:29 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

Beyt Shalom An Affiliate of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation 3012 S. 119 St. P.O. Box 390352 Omaha, NE 68139 660.2395 www.beytshalomomaha.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 333 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

Tree of Life Center 2925 Prairie Road Offsite classes: First Plymouth Church, 20th and ‘D’ Streets Lincoln, NE 68506 613.7443 email: treeoflife.rabbimichael @yahoo.com

If you’re looking at this space, so are others!

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to reserve space, call

Allan Handleman, 334.6451, or Terri Greenwood, 334.6559.

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m., with speaker Daniel Morse, owner of Breezy Hills Vineyard & Winery. The community is invited for the lecture and a wine tasting.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Services conducted by Rabbi Mordechai Levin and Cantor Gastón Bogomolni.

FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m.; Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m., followed by dinner for all Tot Shabbat families.

Dinner cost is $5 for adults; free for children ages six and younger.

To RSVP, contact Margie Gutnik in the office or programming @bethel-omaha.org.

SATURDAY: Morning services, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation (3-7), 10 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored by Rabbi Mordechai and Susi Levin, in honor of their, son Gabe, becoming a Bar Mitzvah; Minha/ Ma’ariv, 6:35 p.m.

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

ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAY, Bible Study Discussion Group, 10 a.m.; Minyan 101, 11:15 a.m.

MONDAY: Hebrew Crash course, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY: “The WOW of Judaism,” 7 p.m.

LOVE AND LOGIC PARENTING: A monthly class led by Karen Gustafson, director of Jewish Family Service. The class, scheduled for Wednesday, 7-8 p.m., will be held through May. To register or for information, contact Margie Gutnik in the office or programming@bethelomaha.org.

BESTT CHAVERIM: Youth group for fourth-sixth graders will hold a bowling party on Sunday, Oct. 14, 1:30-3:30 p.m. at Cougar Lanes, 144th & Industrial Road. All children in the Jewish community are welcome. Cost is $6. To RSVP, contact Robert Mosenkis in th office, or at youthdir @bethel-omaha.org.

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.

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6:30 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; Mincha, 5:30 p.m. followed by Suedat Shlishit; Havdalah, 7:28 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; “Reading the Rambam”, 9:45 a.m.; Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m.

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

TUESDAY: Sisterhood’s “Spirits & Spirituality”, 8 p.m. at the home of Debbie Kricsfeld.

THURSDAY: Rabbi Gross’s weekly classes (Women of the Torah class and the Thursday evening class) are cancelled as Rabbi Gross is out of town.

BEYT SHALOM FRIDAY: B’nai Mitzvah of Ben and Lee Lohman, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: B’nai Mitzvah of Ben and Lee Lohman, 10 a.m. at InPlay.

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

SATURDAY: Maamar class, 9 a.m.; Service, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush luncheon follows the service.

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

WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Maamar Kabbalistic Insights for Women, 12:15 p.m.; Halacha, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY: W.O.W. Tehillim & More, 9 a.m.; Parshah Roundup: Weekly Torah Portion, 7 p.m.

Mishpacha WEDNESDAY: University TGI Playgroup, 10:15 a.m.; Kabbalah Circle, 7 p.m.

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

All events and programs are open to the entire community.

For information or to register, call the office or visit the website.

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

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

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

SUNDAY: LJCS Grades 3-7,

BAT MITZVAH Alexis Hailey Slutzky, daughter of Lesley and Jeff Slutzky, will become Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 20, at Temple Israel.

Megan is an eighthgrade student at Papillion Junior High.

She is involved in JYG and is a Madrachim on Sundays at Temple Israel. Her interests include par-

ticipating in playing soccer, softball and track.

For her mitzvah project, Alexis has been volunteering her time with the animals at the Towne and Country Humane Society in Sarpy County.

She has two brothers, Justin and Jordan.

Grandparents are Charles and the late Adele Slutzky, the late Dewey Pistulka, and the late Sharyl Pistulka.

Great-grandmother is June McNama.

9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Grades 1-2, 9:45 a.m.12:15 p.m. at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 10 a.m.noon at Tifereth Israel.

TUESDAY: Ladies’ Lunch will meet at Olive Garden, noon.

WEDNESDAY: Hebrew class (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel; Greater Green Light Society of Lincoln (enviromental sustainability), 7 p.m. at Southminster United Methodist Church, 16th and Otoe.

ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAYS, Oct. 14, 21, and 28, 7 p.m. A Taste of Judaism, led

by Rabbi Emanuel.

TUESDAY, Oct. 23, 7 p.m.

Jews in Space! (or, Up, Up and Oy Vey!), led by Rabbi Emanuel.

Learn about the Jewish origins of Sci-fi TV shows, movies, and comic book superheros.

Tuesdays, Nov. 6 & 13, 7 p.m., UNL Professor, author, screenwriter, and Temple member Gerry Shapiro will lead adult education at the Temple. The contemporary Jewish novel that will be the subject of the discussions is The Outside World by Tova Mirvis.

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

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by David Herzog and Jim Polack.

TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Eric Linder. Cost for dinner is $5 for adults and no charge for children; Shabbat Service, 7:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Aryeh Azriel and Cantor Wendy Shermet; D’var Torah: Rabbi Josh Zweiback, “That We May Make a Name for Ourselves: The Tower of Babel and the Evil Inclination.”

SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m.; Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Megan Bucher, daughter of Michelle and Ron Bucher, will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah.

SUNDAY: Teacher Learning Coffee, 9:30 a.m.; Religious School (K-6), 10 a.m.-noon; Grade 1 Parents Meeting - “What to expect after consecration,” 10:15 a.m.; Grade five B’nai Mitzvah panel, 10:15 a.m.

TUESDAY: Hebrew “Roots” of Prayer, 7 p.m. with native Hebrew speaker Naama Artzi.

Contact Program Director Rosie Zweiback to register: $18 for Temple members; $25 for nonmembers; Executive Board meeting, 6 p.m.; Board of Trustees meeting, 7 p.m.

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

THURSDAY: “Adult Study with the Clergy” with Rabbi Linder, 10 a.m.

FRIDAY, Oct. 19: Parent/ Toddler Class, 9:30–11 a.m.

There is still room for additional Tots and Parents. Guest for this session is Jon Meyers, President of Temple Israel.

NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN FRIDAY: Services resume; call for times.

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: Snacks, 6:15 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m. followed by Shabbat lunch.

SUNDAY: LJCS Grades 3-7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Grades 1-2, 9:45 a.m.12:15 p.m. at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 10 a.m.noon at Tifereth Israel; LUSY meeting, after Hallah High.

WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Contact Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066; LJCS Hebrew class (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. upcoming events Tuesday, Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m.: TI Women’s meeting.

Sunday, Nov. 11, 4 p.m.: Read and discuss Who She Was: My Search for My Mother’s Life by Samuel G. Freedman, a columnist for the NY Times and a professor at Columbia University. Brenda Friedman Ingraham will facilitate the discussion.

TREE OF LIFE CENTER Services and activities led by Rabbi Michael Weisser; call for location of classes.

SATURDAY: Morning Minyan and Torah study, 10 a.m.; drumming meditation and Jewish mystical chanting, followed by a meal and Havdalah, 6:30 p.m.

SUNDAY: Jewish roots of Christianity, 8 and 9 a.m.

MONDAY, 6:30 P.M.: Insight Meditation.

TUESDAY: Torah, prophets and writings: 9:30-11 a.m. and 7-8:30 p.m.; Comparative Religion, noon, offsite location.

WEDNESDAY, 6:30 p.m.: Adv. Mindfulness Meditation.

THURSDAY, 7 p.m.: Int. Mindfulness Meditation.

To Submit B’nai Mitzvah Announcements Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewishomaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, by e-mailing the editor at: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org or online at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Submit other announcements -- births engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at the Federation website: www.jewishomaha.org.

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October 12, 2007

Noah and the Flood

SPARKS FROM THE WORD

by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Noah Whenever I think of Noah, I think of the charge made by someone that he was such a bad speller, he spelled Noah (which in Hebrew is spelled with only two letters) with seven mistakes. Try it sometime!

There are flood stories all over the world. If we look out our window and see the wet field that a heavy rain has left, we know it will be drained away in a day or two, either by nature or by people who do such things. But in early generations, where people did not have access to information about fields a mile away let alone neighboring cities, countries and the world, where they saw a field with standing water they easily could have assumed a worldwide flood.

The Bible, however, sticks by its trade: it is a Book about morality. The flood, therefore, was explained as a punishment for the evil in mankind. God was to wipe out all humanity, and with it living things, animal and plant, and start all over again. For there was one righteous man, Noah.

The great medieval commentator Rashi said it was not clear whether Noah as a righteous man was righteous despite the evil generation in which he lived, or perhaps, he was righteous only in comparison with the evil men of his time.

The Bible gives us the charming story of the ark which Noah built so that life could be preserved, human and animal and plant. Thus, Noah is pictured as a humanitarian, a biologist, and a student of nature, all wrapped up into one. It must have been somewhat difficult for him to assemble all the insect creatures he had to bring into the ark, as well as all the animals and birds.

He took the trouble, of course, to save his own family, the sons from whom humanity was to stem. Oddly enough, there is no mention of his wife, nor the women who would become the wives of his sons. But we must not press the story too hard. It is beautiful and charm-

ing in itself and it solves the problem of why God wanted to destroy mankind: He wanted a moral mankind, not the likes of the bad guys of Noah’s time.

We are left, then, with a story that piques the mind and helps us, by extension, to recognize that our own situation is not different from Noah’s. We are all righteous and splendid: but we have to put up with a world full of other guys -- and they are bad guys.

Will we overcome them? Can we expect the Lord to wipe out all the sinners with another great flood? We know that the answer is that we’ll have to endure all the sacrifices necessary to result in a world of peace and justice. No, the good Lord could have done this all by Himself, if He had wanted to. Obviously, He left the problem to us.

Humankind has been struggling all through the billions of years of its existence to see if the good will prevail or the evil. We cannot expect, nor do we want a great flood to solve the problem for us. The Bible has left us sages and prophets. The prophets are to describe the great world that should be; and the sages, the wisest of men, should help us to bring it into being.

The whole world in our hands Tel Aviv Stock Exchange’s (TASE) recently launched a “Global View” exhibition, which features 100 globes spread out along Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv.

Each globe was prepared by an artist for one of the 100 leading companies in Israel that trade on the TASE; the London and New York Stock Exchanges, and Nasdaq are represented as well. The exhibition will run for six weeks and aims to encourage international financial institutions to invest in Credit: Israel Press Service.

Israel.

SELMA HILL COHEN Selma Hill Cohen died at Porter Hospice in Denver on Oct. 5. She was 89. Services were held Oct. 7 at Congregation Rodef Shalom, with interment at Temple Emanual Cemetery in Denver.

Born in Lincoln, she earned a degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska in 1940 and a master’s in counseling from Northwestern University in 1941.

She married Omahan Robert Cohen on Sept. 14, 1941.

They celebrated their 66th anniversary last month.

An active volunteer and philanthropist, she lived in Lincoln until 1959, serving as president of Hadassah, the Sigma Delta Tau alumni association, Mortar Board alumni, Camp Fire Girls Council, Tiferet Israel Sisterhood and the local chapter of the American Association of the United Nations, for which she hosted a visit by Eleanor Roosevelt.

In Southern California with her family from 1959 to 1962, she was vice president of the Temple Sinai Sisterhood, chairman of the speakers’ bureau of the AAUN and active in Hadassah.

In Denver, where the family moved in 1962, she was president of Denver Hadassah, the Southwest Region of Hadassah, the Jewish Federation Women’s Board, the Mortar Board Alumni Association, and the Colorado Agency for Jewish Education, which she helped create

60 Years Experience With Jewish Lettering and Memorials

Page 19

1439 So. 13th 341-2452

Frank L. Ciciulla, Jr.

“A DAY IN THE COUNTRY”

October 13, 2007 • 9 am-5 pm • Follow the Yellow Balloons

•OSMOND- Gary’s Antiques & More, 748-3586 •FORDYCEDiane’s Greenhouse, 357-3754 •HARTINGTON- Sheila’s Country Garden, 254-6379 •BLOOMFIELD- Sally’s, 373-2423 •BELDENCookie’s Castaways, 985-2383 •COLERIDGE- Daffadowndilly’s, 256-9312 •WAYNE- Nana’s This & That, 833-5152 •ALLEN- Eagle Attic Antiques, 635-1400; Nance’s Treasure Chest, 635-0028; The Shed, 584-2288 •RANDOLPH- Broadway Design & Floral, 337-0311 •DIXON- Rags 2 Riches, 584-2121 (Maps at shops.)

Following the Sun Snowbirds Please let the Jewish Press know in advance when you are leaving and when you are returning. Sometimes several papers are sent to your “old”address before we are notified by the Post Office.Every time they return a paper to us,you miss the Jewish Press and we are charged 70¢!

Please call us at 402.334.6448 or email us at jpress@jewishomaha.org.

Statewide Classified ADOPTION: A devoted, happily married couple promise to provide your newborn with a lifetime of happiness, security and unconditional love. Expenses paid. Doreen and Alan, 1-800-399-1035.

ADVERTISE STATEWIDE for $195/25 word classified ad. Over 170 newspapers with circulation of more than 400,000. Contact the Jewish Press at 334-6448 or call 1-800369-2850.

DEATHS MIRIAM SHELDON Miriam Sheldon died Sept. 29 in Los Angeles. Services were held there on Oct. 3 and officiated by Rabbi Von Lewin.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Ben Sheldon.

She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-laws, Dr. Norman and Suzy Sheldon, Marvin and Rhonda Sheldon of Minden, NV, and Steve and Nina Sheldon of Northridge, CA; daughter, Rene Sheldon of San Diego, CA; sister, Shirley Bunis of New Jersey; grandchildren Wendy and Adam Raffel, Lisa Sheldon, Max, Scott, Jessie and Geo Sheldon, Sarah and Adam Sheldon; and two great-grandchildren.

Memorials to Rose Blumkin Jewish Home or the Los Angeles Jewish Home for the Aging.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

and was the first female president.

She also served on the national board of Hadassah.

She served as vice president of several other organizations, including the Denver Jewish Community Center, the Midwest Branch of the Conservative Women’s League and Congregation Rodef Shalom. She was cochairman of the Allied Jewish Federation women’s campaign and a member of the Allied Endowment and the board of the Herzl Academy.

In 1976 she received the Israel Bond Award. In 1982, she and her husband were honored with the Bonai Bayit Award from Congregation Rodef Shalom, which honored her again in 2006. In 1984, she received the Golda Meir Award from the Allied Jewish Federation of Denver. She was a delegate to the World Zionist Congress in Israel in 1978.

She is survived by her husband, Robert Cohen of Denver; four children and their spouses, Alan and Sue Cohen of Denver, Richard and Sue Cohen of Saratoga, CA, Barbralu Cohen and Don Koplen of Boulder, and Murray Cohen and Sharon Faison-Cohen of Denver; grandchildren, Steven, Michael, Laura and Jimmy Cohen, Rebecca Tulsi, Nathan Manning and Jacob Koplen; seven great-grandchildren; sister, Ghita Bessman, of Madison, WI; brother, Leo Hill of Lincoln; and sister-in-law Joie Simon.

Memorials to Congregation Rodef Shalom, 450 So. Kearney St., Denver, CO 80224, or the Denver Chapter of Hadassah, 1780 South Bellaire St., Suite #845, Denver, CO 80222.

To Submit Announcements: Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewishomaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, or by e-mailing the Editor at: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org. You can also submit other announcements--births engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org.

Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements.

FORECLOSURES/BANK Repos: 4 bedroom home only $198/month or $24,900! 4% down, 20 years @ 8%. More homes! For listings 800-618-0668 ext. t943.

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SELL YOUR classic car, truck or motorcycle online. Call this newspaper or call 800-3692850 to place your ad on the national www.midwestclassiccars.com web site for only $25.00. Your ad runs until your vehicle is sold!

HOT TUB buyers, by popular demand, free Hitachi 42 inch, flatscreen, high definition TV with purchase of any 2007 model hot tub. Spas - 1-800-869-0406, goodlifespa.com.

RESTAURANT EQUIPMENT Outlet; New and used; used pizza oven; check out www.Chillmasters.biz our new website or 2121 Floyd Blvd., Sioux City, IA, 1-800-5267105.

FORECLOSURES/BANK Repos: 4 bedroom home only $198/month or $24,900! 4% down, 20 years @ 8%. More homes! For listings 800-618-0668 ext. t943.

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OFFICE SUPPLY Store Manager. Kyocera dealership in Eastern Montana. Base plus commission. Reply to: Star Office, Box 1216, Miles City, MT 59301. Email: dkilloy@midrivers.com.

HELP WANTED: The Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office, an EOE, is accepting certified law enforcement applications for the position of Deputy Sheriff. For requirements and application contact the Fillmore County Sheriff, PO Box 266, Geneva, NE, 68361, or call 402-759-4441. Applications must be received by October 17, 2007.

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HEAVY EQUIPMENT Operator training. Nationally certified, 4 week, 200 hour program, job placement assistance, 1-970-474-3686, Heavy Equipment Training Academy.

DRIVER: KNIGHT Transportation - 3 raises in 1st year! Well-maintained, new equipment. Local orientation. Benefits/401k. Competitive pay. Class-A CDL/4 months OTR required. Call today/drive next week. 888-562-7783. www.knighttrans.com. Owner Ops: 800-437-5907.

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EXPERIENCED OTR drivers. Good pay! Good home time! Good company! If you are looking for any of the above, please call 1-800-775-2755.

Page 20

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 12, 2007

Basement, sunroom and sewer: a Blumkin Home construction update

by OZZIE NOGG While some crew members construct the enlarged Blumkin Home basement and new Special Care Unit sunroom, others are preparing the new sanitary sewer system.

Helped by an electronic beacon that sends signals down and up through the earth, a drill bit is boring a trench -- 25 feet underground -- straight south from the Home to the JCC swimming pool.

“I’ve been in this business for 30 years,” said Tom Lindstrom, construction foreman, “and this is the first time I’ve ever witnessed an underground boring project this big and sophisticated. It’s amazing to me that we sometimes have to implement such complex technology in order to achieve a simple end result: to make sure everything flows downhill.”

Left: Construction crews work on the basement of the new Blumkin Home. Before long, this space will become a welcoming sunroom for residents and visitors of the Blumkin Home.

Seeking helping hands at the holidays

by ANDREA BARTMAN for Jewish Family Service Is your family looking for a way to reach out to others during the holiday season? Would you like to nurture a greater sense of community giving in your children? Maybe you and your family would like to experience hands-on volunteer work for the first time. Jewish Family Service presents these opportunities throughout the year through Project Tzedakah.

Tzedakah efforts at JFS are probably among the most visible of the services this agency provides, but even with this community awareness, they continually

search for people who are willing to provide donations, and especially time, for the sake of others in the community who require some help. The volunteer need is greatest at Hanukkah when the project practically doubles.

Project Tzedakah happens three times a year; at Rosh Hashanah, Passover and Hanukkah, however, the Hanukkah effort requires the most hands-on effort.

In addition to the food boxes provided to lower income singles, couples and families. Project Dreidel is also a focus for providing Hanukkah gifts to children who might not otherwise have anything.

Volunteers are needed to sponsor a child or

family by taking a ‘wish list’ from JFS and going shopping for the items on the list.

According to Jenny Meyerson, Tzedakah Project Coordinator for JFS, “It’s not easy for people to ask for help.

It’s really appreciated when people are willing to give of their own time or finances to help others. These recipients are truly appreciative.”

She gives an example of how some families have chosen to sponsor a family through JFS instead of giving gifts one night of Hanukkah -- an example this sets for children that lasts a lifetime.

“There are people here in our community, in our own backyard, we can help,”

Meyerson said. So “how can we enjoy if we’re not helping someone who really needs it more than we do?”

This year’s Project Dreidel and Project Tzedakah efforts will begin quite early, with Hanukkah following closely after the Thanksgiving holiday. JFS needs volunteers willing to do all of the shopping and wrapping from Sunday-Tuesday, Dec. 2-4.

Gifts this year will be wrapped on Sunday, Dec. 2. Food boxes will be packed on Dec. 3, and everything will be delivered on Dec. 4. If you would like to help out, please contact Jenny or Ann at 334.6493.

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