October 19, 2007

Vol. LXXXVII No. 6 Omaha, NE

Celebrating 86 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa

7 Cheshvan, 5768 October 19, 2007

Unprecedented second humanitarian award to be given to Rabbi Kripke at Federation community event

by LISA LIEB Federation Communications Director Often thought of as a lifetime achievement award, the Humanitarian Award is bestowed upon a select few individuals who have made a significant impact throughout the years. Having spent an extraordinary 60 years giving back to the Omaha Jewish community, this year’s honoree warrants a unique distinction -he’s the first person to be honored twice as the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Humanitarian of the Year.

On June 24, 1998, Rabbi Myer S. Kripke and his colleague, Rabbi Sidney Brooks, were honored with the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Humanitarian of the Year award for years of rabbinic service and leadership. What would be a culmination of a lifetime of good works for most would prove just the beginning for Rabbi Kripke, who nearly 10 years later -at the age of 93 -- has once again been named Humanitarian of the Year.

Rabbi Kripke will be presented with the Humanitarian Award at the Jewish

Federation’s 2008 community event, Thursday, Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m., at the Downtown Hilton Hotel (1001 Cass St.).

Throughout the years, Rabbi Kripke has shown time and again his deep passion for the Omaha Jewish community, and a unique vision about how to ensure its future. This vision is exemplified by his recent donation to the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Upon presenting his gift to Executive Director Jan Goldstein, Rabbi Kripke said, “I know that you have dreams and concerns for the future of the Jewish community. So tell me how we can best use this gift.”

From this conversation came the Rabbi Myer and Dorothy Kripke Jewish Leadership Campaign Development Program. The program’s mission is to train and educate young people who are willing to commit to future leadership positions, ensuring the survival of Jewish life in Omaha, Israel and throughout the world. Among the programs highlights, a group of 15 young leaders will go to Israel

scholastic resume in February, where includes teaching they will receive Old Testament special ized trainLiterature at the ing for Campaign University of leadership roles.

Nebraska at Omaha, “The Rabbi as well as serving as Myer S. and visiting Professor of Dorothy Kripke Theology at the Jewish Leadership College of Saint Campaign DevelMary, and as adjunct opment Program Associate Professor allows us to invest of Theology at in individuals who Creighton Univerhave demonstratsity. In addition, he ed the ability and has toured various passion to work cities as a guest lecfor the future of our community,” Rabbi Myer S. Kripke poses before a picture in turer and speaker. the Kripke Library of him as a young rabbi.

Today, Rabbi Goldstein said.

Rabbi Kripke first came to Omaha in Kripke continues to educate the Omaha 1946 to serve as religious leader of Beth Jewish community with his Jewish Press El Synagogue, a position he held for 30 column, “Sparks from the Word.” Rabbi years. In addition to the spiritual guid- Kripke has been writing this column ance he has provided throughout the faithfully since 1980, providing a comyears, Rabbi Kripke is known for his great mentary on the weekly Torah portion. scholarship and love of education. His Continued on page 3

Jerusalem taking center stage in run-up to peace parley

Klutznick-Harris Symposium offers 15 sessions on “Jews and the Environment”

by LESLIE SUSSER JERUSALEM (JTA) -With just under a month to go before the IsraeliPalestinian peace conference is scheduled to take place, Jerusalem is shaping up to become the key issue.

Talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams opened last week with major differences on the table, but with both sides committed to making a concerted effort to produce a significant framework agreement for the parley in Annapolis, MD. In the run-up to the talks, both sides had spoken of a “good, constructive atmosphere.” Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat declared A heavy crane moves a concrete section of the security fence Israel is building to separate that the Israeli side “seemed the outskirts of Jerusalem from the West Bank, in the village of Abu Dis, Feb. 9, 2004.

Credit: Brian Hendler serious,” and that both The Palestinians want the Annapolis conference and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had “the wisdom to make the ensuing peace talks to be based on the Arab League peace plan, President Bush’s vision of two states, Israel the right decisions for peace.”

Outside the formal talks, the focus was on Jerusalem. and Palestine, and the internationally approved “road In a Cabinet meeting Oct. 7, Olmert’s close confidant map.”

Israel wants to include a reference to Bush’s April Haim Ramon caused a political storm when he repeated his view that Israel should be ready to hand over Arab 2004 letter to-then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon indicatneighborhoods in Jerusalem to the Palestinian ing that it can retain large Jewish settlement blocs in the Authority. Government hawks and right-wing opposi- West Bank.

What all this boils down to is a border based on the tion legislators branded it a sellout.

Pundits suggested that Olmert is using Ramon as a 1967 Green Line between Israel and the West Bank, front man to prepare Israeli public opinion for conces- with land swaps enabling Israel to keep West Bank setsions on Jerusalem. They say Olmert may adopt the tlements, and with the proviso that nothing will be same tactic as Ehud Barak did at Camp David in July implemented on the ground until the Palestinians put a 2000 and offer concessions on Jerusalem in a trade-off stop to terror against Israel.

Continued on page 2 for Palestinian compromises on the refugee issue.

Inside

This Week: Young leaders honored at Musical Caberet: Page 3

See Front Page Stories & More at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’ Opinion Page see page 12

Cuban writer kicks off Jewish Book Month: Page 7

by LEONARD GREENSPOON Holder of the Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization Creighton University Their passions range from hiking to biking -- and all sorts of other activities. Their homes are found from the Middle East to the Midwest -- and many points in between. The topics of their presentations cover everything from agriculture to zoology -- looked at from a variety of perspectives and methodologies. They are the 15 presenters at this year’s Klutznick-Harris Symposium -- on Jews and the Environment -- being held on Sunday, Oct. 28, and Monday, Oct. 29.

The Symposium will have its formal beginning Sunday, Oct. 28, 10:30 a.m., when Daniel Hillel talks about the role of the environment in shaping the Hebrew Bible. Hillel, currently residing both in Israel and in New York, is one of the world’s leading ecology experts, having authored or edited nearly two dozen highly respected books on soils and hydrology.

Born in California, he went to Palestine (later, Daniel Hillel Israel) at an early age. In the early 1950s, he was a founding member of a Negev settlement named Sde Boker. There he became friends with David Ben Gurion, with whom he exchanged a number of letters that he cherishes to this very day.

He will be followed by Ellen Bernstein, well known as a lecturer, writer, and organizer within the Jewish environmental movement. With mountain climbing, canoeing, and biking among her favorite childhood activities, she did her undergraduate work at UC-Berkeley in one of the first environmental programs in America.

Continued on page 4

Coming Next Month: Hanukkah issue on Nov. 23

Explaining the laws of Shmitta in the Land of Israel: Pages 8-9

Best selling author at Temple Israel: Page 16

Page 2

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 19, 2007

Jerusalem taking center stage

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19 Parent/Toddler Class, 9:30 a.m. at Temple Israel SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20 BBYO AZA #1 Sweetheart Dance, 6:30 p.m.

C L I P & S A V E

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21 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 JWI Mah Jongg Tournament, noon Scrapbooking with Elyce, 12:15 p.m., at Temple Israel Rosh Chodesh: It’s a Girl Thing, 1 p.m.

Beyt Shalom Religious School, 1:30 p.m.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22 JSS Senior Luncheon, noon Story Time, 10:30 a.m. in the Kripke Library Zionism Then & Now, 7 p.m.

Hebrew Crash Course, 7 p.m. at Beth El Jewish Press Meeting, 7:30 p.m.

Derech Torah, 8 p.m.

C L I P & S A V E

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23 WOW Prayer Circle, 9 a.m. at Chabad Sisterhood Lunch, 11 a.m. at Beth Israel Friedel Parent/Teacher Conferences, 5 p.m.

BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

JFS Yachad Social Skills Class, 6 p.m.

Parshah Roundup, 7 p.m. at Chabad ADL Pejudice Elimination Facilitator Training, 7 p.m.

CJE Eye on Israel Evening Edition, 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24 Friedel Jewish Academy Scholastic Book Fair, all day Alexandra Robbins, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel Kabbalah Circle at Chabad, 7 p.m.

“Aida and More” JSS Concert, 7 p.m.

C L I P &

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25 Friedel Jewish Academy Scholastic Book Fair, all day Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Study with the Clergy, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel ADL Prejudice Elimination Facilitator Training, 10:30 a.m.

Torah Therapy, noon at Temple Israel Yiddish Group, 1 p.m.

Women’s Book Group, 1:15 p.m. at Beth El Friedel Parent/Teacher Conferences, 5 p.m.

JFS Love & Logic, 6 p.m.

Karen Javitch Music Appreciation Fund and Young Leadership Awards, 6:30 p.m.

LOVE Auxiliary Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

ADL Youth Leadership Mission Open House, 7 p.m.

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

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)

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Continued from page 1 One major coalition partner seemed to agree.

At the opening of the Knesset’s winter session last The fervently Orthodox Shas Party announced that it week, Olmert underlined his resolve to give the new was against any concessions in Jerusalem. And inside Olmert's own Kadima Party, Transportation Minister peace process every chance of success.

“I am determined to make brave but inevitable deci- Shaul Mofaz argued that proposals to divide Jerusalem sions that will mean foregoing the full achievement of would never receive majority approval by the Cabinet or Knesset and, given the shaky dreams that fueled our nature of the Palestinian national ethos for years,” he regime, should not have declared. been made.

However, under pressure “You go to sleep with from the hawks in the coaliAbbas not knowing who tion and his Kadima Party, you’ll wake up with,” Mofaz Olmert was careful not to said, “so don’t make hard spell out details of the farand fast commitments.” reaching concessions he was Ramon received some prepared to make. Over the unexpected support, howevpast few weeks the prime er, in the Cabinet. minister has been mostly Avigdor Lieberman, leader keeping mum. of the hawkish Yisrael Ramon has been making Beiteinu, declared that he, all the real noises -- presumtoo, was ready to give the ably with the prime minisPalestinians parts of ter’s approval.

In last week’s Cabinet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, right, greets Palestinian Jerusalem -- like the Shoafat meeting, Ramon put the Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at Olmert’s residence refugee camp -- on condiCredit: GPO/BPH IMAGES tion that the handover be Jerusalem issue squarely on in Jerusalem on July 16. the national agenda when he proposed that the part of a wider territorial and population exchange.

“We don’t want a situation in which there will be Palestinians get the Arab neighborhoods and Israel the Jewish ones. This would enable both countries to have 600,000 Arabs in Jerusalem in 30 years time,” Yisrael Jerusalem as their capital city and pave the way for inter- Beiteinu legislator Yisrael Hasson said.

Lieberman’s support is key. Indeed, the Ma’ariv newsnational recognition of Jewish Jerusalem as Israel’s cappaper claims that there is now a majority in the Cabinet ital.

As for the holy basin, which includes the Old City of for dividing Jerusalem.

The Palestinians, according to senior Israeli officials, Jerusalem as well as Muslim, Christian and Jewish holy places outside its walls, Ramon said it should have a see themselves in a win-win position: Either Israel makes “special regime,” to be defined at a later stage in the far-reaching concessions or risks being blamed by the United States for failure at Annapolis. negotiations.

Indeed, the officials claim, if the Palestinians don’t get The political furor sparked by Ramon’s remarks was exacerbated by an article in the London-based what they want in the run-up to Annapolis, they will Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi claiming that engineer a crisis in the talks in an attempt to get the Olmert and Abbas had already reached an agreement to Americans to lean on Israel in order to save the U.S.-iniplace the holy basin under Jordanian administration. tiated parley.

Palestinians in the Old City would get Jordanian idenOlmert is also playing a shrewd game. In making his tification cards, and the two sides reportedly also were super-dovish remarks, he is preparing public opinion for considering a supreme advisory council for Jerusalem the concessions he thinks Israel will have to make. But at comprised of representatives from the United Nations, the same time Olmert is building a strong alibi to escape Jordan, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinians.

American blame if the process breaks down.

Olmert’s office adamantly denied any such agreement.

As the process unfolds, both sides are showing enorRamon said it was far too early to discuss the nature of mous good will, but both also face enormous domestic the regime in the holy basin. opposition -- Olmert from the hawks, Abbas from the Nevertheless, the hawks pulled no punches. radical Hamas.

“For Israel to give up its right to Jerusalem is to comErekat summed up the high stakes and the enormity of mit suicide,” declared Arye Eldad, a right-wing National the task facing the two leaders.

Union legislator.

“If Abbas and Olmert succeed in bringing about a “In Annapolis, they will discuss the division of peace agreement between the two peoples,” he said, Jerusalem,” opposition Likud leader Benjamin “they will become the most important people to walk Netanyahu snapped sarcastically. the streets of Jerusalem since Jesus Christ.”

C L I P & S A V E

Debt retired for Wyuka Holocaust Memorial to acquaint Nebraska’s

by HOWARD SILBER school children with the The Omaha-based horrors of the Holocaust.

National Holocaust “This conforms comEndowment Fund has pletely with the accepted responsibility Holocaust education for the finances of the mission of the monument in Lincoln Endowment Fund,” said honoring the memories Fried who, with his wife, of the millions of victims Frances, founded the of the Nazi genocide fund. committed in the World The Endowment War II era.

Sam Fried said the Fund is sustained by conEndowment Fund, at the tributions from both the request of the Nebraska Jewish and general comHolocaust Memorial munities of Omaha.

Committee, will retire “Even though the the $50,000 remaining The state memorial was dedicated April 15 at Wyuka Cemetery. monument has stood for debt for the construction and placement of the only six months, it has been visited by thousands of Nebraska Holocaust Memorial Monument and also will people, many of them students in Nebraska schools,” provide the approximately $20,000 needed to complete Fried said.

The retired Omaha businessman offered his personal the landscaping of the monument site.

Previously, the Endowment Fund provided $35,000 thanks to Dr. Bob Bleicher and his wife, Stacie, who are in seed money for the monument and paid for the Wall in charge of the landscaping project. The Bleichers own of Remembrance erected alongside the memorial sculp- the Eagle Nursery in Eagle, NE, a Lincoln suburb. ture. Total cost of the monument is estimated to be “With the landscape design executed by the Bleichers, $220,000. the monument will be even more magnificent,” Fried Concurrently, the Board of Trustees of the state- said. Dr. Bleicher, a retired physician, is a former owned Wyuka Cemetry in Lincoln where the memorial Omahan.

Fried also praised Lincoln’s Yale Gotsdiner as “the stands has pledged to perpetually maintain the monuman of vision who headed the committee that created ment site, including the grounds, walks and benches.

The monument, dedicated last April 15, serves in part the monument.”

October 19, 2007

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 3

Come to the Cabaret for music, wine and awards Rabbi Kripke to receive

by LISA LIEB Federation Communication Director A free musical cabaret with the Crossroads Ensemble will highlight an evening of awards to two young leaders on Thursday, Oct. 25, 6:30 p.m., at the Jewish Community Center. The Jewish Federation of Omaha’s 2006 Bruce Fellman Memorial Young Leadership Award will be presented to Bob Goldberg, and the 2006 Lois Jeanne Schrager Memorial Young Leadership Award to Mimi Silverman.

The musical caberet is sponsored by the Karen Sokolof Javitch Music Appreciation Fund. Susan Rothholz is the Fund’s event chairman. “The Karen Sokolof Javitch Music Appreciation Fund was established by Phil Sokolof to bring a variety of music to the JCC,” Rothholz explained.

“People hear of a musical group and immediately think ‘concert’, but this will not be a concert in the traditional sense,” Rothholz explained. “The atmosphere will be similar to a casual nightclub setting, where guests can enjoy a glass of wine and appetizers, while listening to some outstanding jazz with their friends.” Appetizers will be provided by El Basha Mediterranean Grill and Wraps.

The most recent event the Fund sponsored was a farewell concert for “Miss Patty” Nogg upon her retirement from the Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center. The Crossroads Ensemble offers a multi-cultural world music style infused with Latin, Jewish, Brazilian, Ladino, jazz and funk elements. This distinctive blend reflects the diverse backgrounds of the ensemble’s talented musicians.

Award-winning instrumentalists Juancho Herrera of Caracas, Venezuela and Mattan Klein of Jerusalem were born more than 6,000 miles apart. A mutual love and admiration for each other’s musical tradition and rich religious culture brought these composers and performers together to create a true world-music cross-over project.

Bass player Ben Zwerin was born in Paris. His incredible knowledge of music from South America, Africa and the Middle East, along with his experience as a leading

Jazz artist in New York make him a unique addition to the ensemble’s sound.

Mathias Kunzli is a drummer/percussionist from New York, and a recording artist with the John Zorn Tzadik label. Mathias specializes in music from South America and the Middle East, in addition to the broad jazz knowledge he contributes to the Crossroads mix.

Rothholz is pleased that the evening will be held in conjunction with the Young Leadership Awards.

“We’re thrilled that we could coordinate two programs that complement each other so well,” she said. “Bob and Mimi are such wonderful role models, and the young adults in our community now have two more great The Crossroads Ensemble will per- reasons to join us for form at a musical caberet next week this special event.” at the JCC. She added that the evening promises to be terrific entertainment for the many music lovers in the Omaha Jewish community. To RSVP, please e-mail to spredwood2@cox.net or call 334.6485.

NCJW volunteers distribute 1500 dictionaries

Helen and Tuffy Epstein were part of a large contingent of volunteers from the Omaha Section of the National Council of Jewish Women who delivered boxes of new dictionaries to Omaha Public Schools last week. Nearly 1500 fourth graders in 23 OPS elemtary schools received the books. This is the 10th year NCJW has undertaken the project, chaired by Sandy Epstein since its inception.

Humanitarian Award Continued from page 1 Rabbi Kripke’s generosity has extended to many educational endeavors. He endowed the University of Nebraska with a Chair of Judaic Studies and Creighton University with the Kripke Center for the Study of Religion and Society; he has sponsored many programs about the Holocaust, modern Israel and more; and he has funded numerous student scholarships.

Rabbi Kripke’s late wife Dorothy was a well known author who shared his passion for Jewish education. Ten years ago, the Kripkes donated $500,000 to rebuild and move the Jewish Federation Library during the renovation of the Jewish Community center campus. Today, the Dorothy K. and Myer S. Kripke Federation Library -- a part of the Center for Jewish Education -- features a collection of more than 40,000 Judaica and related books and materials, plus tapes, CDs and DVDs. Equally important as its literary treasures, the Kripke library has become a hub of activity, offering Jewish educational opportunities for the entire community.

Library programming includes a monthly book discussion group, storytime for preschool age children, annual Jewish Book Month events, the Eye on Israel discussion group, a summer reading program and many special events. The library also serves as a key resource to Omaha’s religious schools.

“The Kripke Library has become an exceptional resource and great source of pride for the community,” said Dr. Karen Cohen, Library Committee Chair. “This endowment has been a timeless gift that appeals to all ages, helping to inspire and nurture a genuine love of learning. I can’t think of a better person than Rabbi Kripke to receive this award.”

Goldstein describes Rabbi Kripke as an outstanding role model and true humanitarian. “Each time I walk away from a visit with Rabbi Kripke I know that I am as enriched as a professional, as our community is enhanced by this man’s spirit and wisdom,” she said. “I sincerely believe that the Omaha’s Jewish community’s future has never looked brighter, thanks to the generosity and foresight of Rabbi Myer Kripke.”

To RSVP for the Community Event, contact Joyce Uber at 334.6430 or juber@jewishomaha.org.

DEADLINE NOTICE Please send all articles, photos and ads to the Press by Thursdays, 9 a.m., for all regular issues. Early deadlines will be announced in advance.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 19, 2007

Klutznick-Harris Symposium Continued from page 1 Founder of Shomrei Adamah, the first national Jewish environmental organization, Bernstein is at present preparing a unique ecological studies program at Hebrew College. She will be speaking about the “natural intelligence” of the Song of Songs.

Between the first and second sessions is a luncheon, at noon, to which all are invited. The second of Sunday’s sessions features three speakers: Jonah Steinberg, Dean Bell, and Barbara Lerman-Golomb.

Steinberg is Director of Talmudic Studies at the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College. This experience ties in well with the topic of his presentation, “Classical Rabbinic Steps Toward a Theology of Cosmic and Environmental Torah.”

Through his leading role in Hebrew College’s Open Bet Midrash, Steinberg has frequently taught about Judaism and the environment throughout the United States and England.

In his presentation, Dean Bell, of the Spertus Institute of Jewish Dean Bell Studies -- where he serves as Dean and Chief Academic Officer -- will summarize and analyze the results of his research on Jewish descriptions of earthquakes in the early modern world.

As Bell notes, earthquakes “haunted” his graduate study. On his first night in California at Berkeley, he experienced one of the area’s most severe earthquakes!

Barbara LermanGolomb recently stepped down as executive direcBarbara Lerman-Golomb tor of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) and now serves as a consultant for another leading Jewish envi-

lA l et A a s k ! si d G u a r M K Ja g rF ee

ronmental organization, Hazon. In addition to her continuing work as an environmental educator, LermanGolomb was a coordinator for the Million Mom March and serves on the Commission on Social Action of the Union for Reform Judaism. From these perspectives, she will address her audience on “Reconnecting to Nature for Our Very Survival.”

Philip Hollander, who teaches Hebrew literature and culture at Tulane Philip Hollander University, will lead off Sunday’s third session. He will look at -- and invite us to view -- changing attitudes toward the environment in two Israeli films: the now classic Sallah Shabbati and the recent James’ Journey to Jerusalem. Outside of the classroom, Hollander takes an active role through commuting to work by bike and supporting efforts to restore wetlands along the Louisiana coast.

There are few people in Omaha who are unfamiliar with Marty Shukert or untouched by his numerous efforts in both the public and the private sector: city planning, redevelopment, building design, and promotion of trails and open space. Bicycling, Marty Shukert photography, drawing, music, and baseball are among the multi-faceted Shukert’s many habits. As the title of his presentation -“Green Judaism and the Design of Communities: A Practitioner’s View” -- makes clear, he will draw from his decades of experience for the Symposium.

These seven presentations, concluding at 5 p.m., are open and free to the public, as are other events associated with the Symposium -- which resumes, Sunday, 7:30 p.m., in the JCC Theater, with the keynote address of

Alon Tal, from Ben-Gurion University. Tal will talk about “What Makes Jewish Environmentalism Jewish?”

Just before Tal speaks, Lindsey Paige Savoie will introduce the Symposium audience to the concept of a Jewish CSA (community supported agriculture) as a possibility for Omaha. A native of Omaha (many will remember her as Lindsey Taxman), she presently lives in Silver Spring, MD, where she is Lindsey Paige Savoie an avid bike rider and Jewish environmental educator.

Sunday at the JCC concludes with a dessert reception, which follows Tal’s keynote address.

Throughout the day, Symposium guests are invited to enjoy a special art show in the gallery (the show runs from Oct. 27-30). With Jenni Schlossman as curator, the exhibit is titled “Tikkun Olam: Repairing the World, One Artist at a Time.” It includes work from local and national artists, all highlighting the importance of environmental concerns.

Guests are also encouraged to browse the Symposiumthemed books for sale, courtesy of Soul Desires Bookstore; there will be an additional display of books in the Kripke Library. Moreover, local and national environmental groups have been invited to provide materials for the benefit of those in attendance.

Six more presentations are scheduled for Monday, Oct. 29, all taking place in the Skutt Student Center on the campus of Creighton University. The Lawrence Troster first session of the day begins at 8:45 a.m. with a presentation by Lawrence Troster, of GreenFaith (an interfaith environmental Continued on page 5

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Klutznick-Harris Symposium Continued from page 4 coalition) and Bard College. He will lay out his understanding of a Jewish environmental theology of redemption. In addition to his writing and speaking engagements, Troster is a stage magician and enjoys theatre, hiking, and collecting Native American art.

Well-known biblical scholar Gary Rendsburg, of Rutgers University, will follow, with a presentation titled “From Desert to Sown: Israel’s Encounter With the Land of Canaan.” His involvement with ecology is active -- he has participatGary Rendsburg ed in five Hazon-sponsored bike rides (two in Israel, three in New York) -- and personal: at home he keeps a composting bin in his kitchen, with a sign above it that quotes Pirqe Avot, hafokh bah, hafokh bah!

Three speakers are included in Monday’s second session: Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus, Sandra B. Lubarsky, and Natan Margalit.

BrumbergKraus teaches at Wheaton College in Massachusetts, where (among other courses) he teaches a firstyear undergraduate semiSusan Lubarsky nar on “The Rituals of Dinner”; the students, together with their professors, help raise the food and design the rituals for the class’s final sustainable banquet. Brumberg-Kraus will be speaking on connections between Kabbalah, food, and sustainability.

The next presenter, Sandra Lubarsky, is the founding director of the graduate program on sustainable communities at Northern Arizona State, where she is also Professor of Religious Studies. Since 2002, she has logged more than a thousand miles walking across Europe and Turkey.

For the Symposium, she will make a presentation titled “Hiddur Mitzvah as an Eco-Theological Imperative.”

Natan Margalit -Natan Margalit whose presentation has

the title “A Tree of Life: Text and Nature Working Together” -- was raised in Honolulu and spent half his adult life in Israel. On the faculty of Hebrew College, he finds himself drawn to the beauty and power of both Jewish texts and the natural world. In much of his work, as is the case with this Symposium, he focuses on the meeting place between nature and text.

Following the second session, there is a lunch and keynote presentation, beginning at 12:30 p.m. The keynote speaker, Nigel Savage, is founder and executive director of Hazon, an organization that works to create a healthier and more sustainable Jewish community. He has spearheaded two major Hazon activities: bike rides and the launching of CSA’s.

A native of Manchester, England, Savage has traveled throughout the world in pursuit of his goals. He is thought to be the first (and only?) English Jew to have cycled across the state of South Dakota on a recumbent bike. His keynote address is titled “Food for Thought: How Nigel Savage the New Jewish Food Movement Provides a Fresh Route Into ‘Judaism and the Environment.’” The conclusion of his presentation marks the formal end of this, the 20th Annual Klutznick-Harris Symposium.

The Klutznick-Harris Symposium is co-hosted by the Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization at Creighton University and the Harris Center for Judaic Studies at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with the Kripke Center for the Study of Religion and Society at Creighton University and the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Other supporters include the Ike and Roz Friedman Foundation, the Riekes Family, the Creighton College of Arts and Sciences, Creighton University Committee on Lectures, Films, and Concerts, the Center for Jewish Education, the Henry Monsky Lodge of B’nai B’rith, the Dr. Bruce S. Bloom Memorial Endowment, and others.

For more information on the Symposium or any of the presentations, please contact Fran Minear in the Klutznick Office at 280-2303 or fminear@creighton. edu. A full program, plus additional features, can be found at the Klutznick website: www.creighton.edu/ ccas/klutznick.

Creighton’s Kripke Center for the Study of Religion and Society is sponsoring a related event -- a Symposium on Religion and the Environment -- on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 25 and 26. Information on that event is available at the Center’s website: moses.creighton. edu/CSRS/.

Temple Israel begins series to “Know Thy Muslim Neighbor”

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator In his sermon on Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Aryeh Azriel reminded the Temple Israel congregation that the new year is “a time for turning, for reorienting ourselves so that we are facing in the right direction ... forward and not backward.” He added, “We have to move forward, confronting the future as men and women who have learned something about the world’s capacity for good and evil.”

He said, “The threat to our salvation ... is the clash of people. Jews and Muslims, offspring of a single father, (were) separated in youth by jealousy, in adolescence by fear, in adulthood by power, in old age by habit. It is time to break these habits of hate and create new habits.” He called on the American Jewish community to reflect on “the sad state of Muslim-Jewish relations” and to consider “the need for a serious engagement and rapprochement with the Muslim community.”

Rabbi Azriel conceded, “While Jews and Muslims have a long way to go, is the path any longer or more difficult than the one traveled by Jews and Christians after the Shoah?”

Temple’s leadership and many congregants have begun a dialogue with the local Muslim community to establish open, truthful, and authentic relationships, the rabbi observed. This year’s adult education theme, “Know thyself, know thy neighbor,” is an example of the congregation's efforts to reach out to diverse groups in the greater Omaha community.

In mid-November, Dr. Reuven Firestone, professor of Medieval Jewish and Islamic Studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, will dedicate his scholar-in-residency at Temple to “Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in Dialogue and Dissent.”

In preparation for Dr. Firestone and to begin to break down barriers and dispel misconceptions, Temple will host a series of discussions on four consecutive Wednesdays beginning Oct. 24, at Village Inn, 78th and Dodge. Over a 7:30 a.m. breakfast, Syed M. Mohiuddin, M.D., D.Sc., chair of the Department of Medicine at Creighton University School of Medicine, and Bette Evans, professor of political science and international relations at Creighton University, will join Rabbi Azriel for a discussion on “Muslims in America.”

They will be followed by “What Does It Mean to be ‘Chosen?’” with Shakil Ahmed, representing the new American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture, on Oct. 31, noon, at Temple.

On Nov. 7, 7:30 a.m., at Village Inn, Azhir Kalim, general manager and vice president of business development at Qualia Clinical Services, a clinical research facility, will be Temple’s guest. The topic will be “Abraham, Sarah and Hagar in the Torah and the Koran.” The series will conclude with “The Future of Jerusalem” when Naser Z. Alsharif, Pharm.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacy sciences at Creighton University, will join the study group on Nov. 14, noon, at Temple.

In his Rosh Hashanah sermon, Rabbi Azriel said he believed that “if we Jews are ‘chosen’ for anything, we have been chosen to lead humanity’s struggle with the most profound issues -- why else the name, Israel, the one that struggles?” Temple invites the community to join the discussions and “to take this walk into the future.”

There is no fee, but please register with Program Director Rosie Zweiback at 556.6536 or at rzweiback@ templeisraelomaha.com. Box lunches are available for $6 with advance notice for the noon sessions. The series is sponsored by the Hermene Zweiback Center for Lifelong Jewish Learning.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 5

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 19, 2007

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Torch relay urging Chinese awareness of Darfur to begin at Temple Israel grant from the Save Darfur Coalition to participate in

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN the relay. Rabbi Aryeh Azriel will give opening remarks Temple Israel Communications Coordinator In less than a year, China will host the 2008 Summer as he stands in front of Temple’s Holocaust memorial Olympics bringing people of many nationalities togeth- plaque donated in 2002 by Sam Fried, a survivor of the er in peace. But in Sudan, China is fueling the genocide Nazi genocide.

“I think the ceremony here is going to be really powoccurring in Darfur where as many as 400,000 people have been killed in the carnage that has driven two and erful,” Silverman said. She emphasized that the entire a half million from their homes. China buys oil from the Jewish community is invited to attend.

After the opening cereSudanese government which monies, Chris Wilczewski, a funds the Janjaweed, the member of Temple, will run militia that reaps havoc in the first of 15 one-mile legs Darfur. With its considerable of the relay which will finish influence over the Sudanese at Memorial Park at 1 p.m. government, China could Former U.S. Congressman play a critical role in ending and former Omaha Mayor the bloodshed and misery in Hal Daub and a representaDarfur. tive from Senator Ben To emphasize this point Nelson’s office are expected with China, the Save Darfur to be at the brief closing cerCoalition, which raises pubemony, said Silverman. State lic awareness about the Senator Don Preister, and ongoing genocide in Darfur and mobilizes a unified Mimi Silverman welcomes a translator for the Darfurian Omaha City Councilmen response to the atrocities community and a Darfurian mother with her baby at last Franklin Thompson and Jim Suttle are also expected to that threaten the lives of peo- year’s Temple Israel Hanukkah Dinner. ple throughout the Darfur region, is funding an interna- be at Memorial Park.

“I’ve been working very closely with Anna Sully tional torch relay that will make its way to Omaha on Sunday, Oct. 28. The torch relay is also supported by Sparwasser,” president of the local Save Darfur chapter, Dream for Darfur, a global advocacy campaign to secure Silverman added, to organize the torch relay. Local volprotection for civilians in Darfur, and STAND: A Student unteers, including Nikki Kirshenbaum, Sarah Yale, and Anti-Genocide Coalition with chapters throughout the Dominique O’Conner, from Temple, have also been United States and the world that mobilizes students to helping organize the relay. High schools, universities, take action to stop and prevent genocide through educa- churches, firehouses, and Offutt Air Force Base have tion, advocacy, and fundraising. been contacted to participate. So far, the National Starting in Chad, near the Darfur border, in August Council of Jewish Women, First Unitarian Church, 2007, the torch was lit and has been to places associated Creighton University, the local Darfur community with other genocides including Kigali, Rwanda; Yerevan, organization, and Lutheran Family Service as well as Armenia; Berlin, Germany; Sarajevo, Bosnia; and Phnom Temple have all agreed to run a leg of the relay.

Penh, Cambodia. In August 2008, the torch will arrive in “We’re definitely looking for more volunteers,” Beijing. The relay has now reached the United States and Silverman said. They’re needed to help mark the route, to is spreading east to west through approximately 40 cities. man the stops where the torch will be transferred, and to The Reform Movement has been leading the way among communicate with Silverman from the relay transfer stops.

Jewish groups.

To volunteer, contact Silverman at mimitaffet@ cox.net.

In addition, the local Darfur community organization, She pointed out that the runners are from various ethnic affiliated with the Save Darfur Coalition, and Temple backgrounds and faiths. “Of all people, the Jewish comIsrael are involved in the Sunday relay that will begin at munity should be supportive of trying to end genocide Temple Israel at 9:30 a.m. with a symbolic torch light- wherever it happens,” said Silverman who has been involved in the Save Darfur movement for a year and a half. ing ceremony.

Mimi Silverman, co-coordinator of Temple’s Social “If it’s not us, if we’re silent, who will help? Even though Justice Committee, announced that Temple and the Darfur’s half a world away, we need to keep talking about local Darfur community organization were awarded a it. I couldn’t sleep at night if I didn’t do something.”

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JEWISH WOMEN INTERNATIONAL JWI will host its annual mah jongg tournament at the Jewish Community Center on Sunday, Oct. 21, noon, starting with registration. Play commences at 12:30 p.m. and runs through 4:30 p.m. The entrance fee is $18; there will be tournament and door prizes given and refreshments will be served. To register, e-mail Beth Friedman at bmfriedman@cox net or call Rosalie Greenspan at 391.1954 or Esther Wax at 393.4442 by Oct. 19, 5 p.m.

B’NAI BIRTH BREADBREAKERS Sandy Goodman will speak at Breadbreakers on Wednesday, Oct. 24, noon, at Regency Lodge, according to Gary Javitch, chairman. Goodman will discuss stem cell research and his work with Nebraskans for Research. All men and women in the community are invited to attend. Cost is $12 for a complete lunch and $3 for beverage service only.

CHABAD BLOOD DRIVE Are you looking for an original way to give tzedakah?

Maybe the annual Chabad Blood Drive is just what you have been waiting for. On Sunday, Nov. 11, the Red Cross will be at the Chabad House, 1866 So. 120 St., with time slots available from 9:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.

For more information and to sign up, please call Annette van de Kamp-Wright at 402.334.3173, or e-mail avandekamp@tconl.com.

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.

L.O.V.E. Board of Directors meeting will be held on Thursday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m. in the Omaha Room.

Foundation issues annual report

by MARTY RICKS Foundation Executive Director Included in this week’s edition of the Jewish Press is the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2007. The pictures on the front cover and inside represent trips, programs and projects that the Foundation funded wholly or in part.

As of this date, total assets managed by the Foundation increased by about $10,000,000 over the previous year, excluding the additional increase of $5,000,000 set aside for the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home building project that will be spent in the next several months.

Omaha’s Foundation continues to be one of the top

U.S. Jewish federation foundations in terms of assets per capita (Jewish population) as you will see on page 5 of the report. Note in the last two paragraphs of the Director’s Report on page 2 what the very generous members of the Omaha community, have donated to this campus (Federation, Foundation and JCC) over the last 10 years.

Finally, I am fortunate to work with an outstanding Board of Directors headed by Steve Bloch. He and the Board are always there when I need their advice and support. Also our success would not have been accomplished without the assistance of long-time staff members, Laurie Peatrowsky and Janet Henthorn.

If you have any questions, call me at 334.6440.

October 19, 2007

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 7

With a passion for Torah study, Beth Cuban writer and poet highlights Jewish Month Luncheon El Rabbi presents new adult ed class Book Mayol, who traveled

by GARY KATZ

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator For Beth El Rabbi Mordechai Levin, the study of Torah is an endless endeavor, offering new perspectives and wisdom with each reading. Quoting the Mishnah, he says of Torah study, “‘Turn it again and again, for everything is in it; contemplate it, grow gray and old over it, and swerve not Rabbi Levin from it, for there is no greater good.’”

Motivated by such inspiration, Rabbi Levin has chosen the theme “Insights and Values from the Torah” for his new adult-education class, scheduled for Thursdays, noon, beginning Nov. 1.

Each week, major themes of the Torah will be discussed, he said, and “we will bring modern eyes to ancient, sacred texts.” Although the Torah is read every Saturday morning and evening, every Monday and Thursday, and on the festivals,” Rabbi Levin observed that “during those moments we usually don’t have all the time we need for more in-depth examination. This class will be an opportunity for people to bring their questions and share their points of view about important Torah-related topics.”

During each session, participants will delve into the meaning of the text from the perspective of its original context, and will also explore broader questions such

as, “In what ways does the text reflect or conflict with our own beliefs and values?”

“What about the text do we find challenging?” “How do we relate to it?”

“What are the practical things we can learn from the text and use in our lives?”

“Of what relevance is the text to us this week?”

What is the equivalent challenge to us in our own lives, in this time?’ and ‘ How does this text compare with the contemporary practice of Judaism?’ The rabbi’s Torah studies began during his Jewish day school years, and continued from his studies at Hamidrashah Haivrit (a teachers’ institute) and the Latin American Rabbinical Seminary to the present.

“What I have always found fascinating,” he said, “is that Torah is unending. We can read it and reread it, and each time we can discover a new understanding, a new meaning.”

He continued: “The study of Torah allows us to set ourselves into a context of meaning and value that transcend ourselves. It connects us to God, Judaism and the Jewish people. When we study Torah, we are not studying an abstract text of the ancient world. We are studying the way in which God wants us to live.

“Torah is the conversation among generations of Jewish thinkers - sharing their perceptions of God’s presence, of life’s purpose and beauty. When we study Torah, we join the conversation.”

The rabbi invites all adults in the Jewish community to join in the conversation in his year-long class. Cost is $36. To register or for more information, contact Program Director Margie Gutnik at 492.8550, or at programming@bethel-omaha.org.

PAM & BRUCE FRIEDLANDER ANDEE & ANTHONY SCIOLI Invite you to the

Jewish Federation of Omaha 2008 Community Event Featuring Best-selling author MICHAEL B. OREN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday, November 1, 2007 7:30 p.m.

Omaha Hilton - Downtown 1001 Cass Street

Award Recognition

Rabbi Myer S. Kripke 2006 Humanitarian of the Year

Bob Belgrade Margo Riekes 2006 Phillip & Terri Schrager Spirit of Federation Awards

Dessert reception to follow

R.S.V.P by October 25th Joyce Uber, 334-6430 or juber@jewishomaha.org You will have the opportunity to make your gift to the 2008 Annual Campaign

Marcia & Steve Pitlor 2008 Annual Campaign Chairs

Library Adminstrator Dr. Ruth Behar’s life and writing is a tapestry of texture and travel, a kaleidoscope of creativity and color. Her new book, An Island Called Home: the Jews of Cuba, is an account of her journey back to Cuba in search of the new Jewish community that has taken root on the island since the revolution. Dr. Behar will speak at the Dr. Ruth Behar 34th Annual Jewish Book Month Luncheon on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 11:30 a.m., at the Jewish Community Center. Cost is $16; reservations are required.

This year’s luncheon honors Rosalyn Zeffren and the late Jerome Zeffren, a fitting tribute to their love of history, travel, and Jewish experiences As a child of five, Behar left Cuba with her Jewish family. Growing up in the United States, she wondered about the Jews who stayed behind. Who were they and why had they stayed? What traces were left of the Jewish presence, of the cemeteries, synagogues, and Torahs?

Who was taking care of this legacy? What Jewish memories had managed to survive the years of revolutionary atheism?

A stunning memoir, An Island Called Home is the story of Behar’s journey back to find answers to these questions. Behar uncovers a side of Cuban Jews that is poignant and personal. Her moving vignettes of the individuals she meets are coupled with the sensitive photographs of Havana-based photographer Humberto

with her.

Behar is the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” Award, a John Simon G u g g e n h e i m Fellowship, and the Distin-guished Alumna Award from Wesleyan University.

She earned a BA from Wesleyan University in 1977, a master’s degree (1980) and doctorate (1983) in cultural anthropology from Princeton University.

Behar resides in Ann Arbor and is a Professor of the anthropology department at the University of Michigan.

Behar has written four books and worked on the 2002 film documentary Adios Kerida/Goodbye Dear Love: A Cuban Sephardic Journey a feature-length film about the search for identity and memory among Sephardic Cuban Jews living in Cuba, Miami, and New York.

Behar is also known for her essays and poems which have been published in a number of well-known anthologies and periodicals. Joyce Carol Oates chose her short story, “La Cortada,” for inclusion in her anthology, Telling Stories: An Anthology for Writers.

Jewish Book Month will run Nov. 7Dec. 20. For more information, contact me at 334.6462 or gkatz@jewishomaha.org. Jewish Book Month is sponsored by the Special Donor Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, the Rosalyn and Jerome Zeffren Legacy Fund, and the Center for Jewish Education. Copies of Behar’s book can be purchased for $25.

Page 8

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 19, 2007

Shmitta: Appreciating the Fruit of the Land of Israel

by BATSHEVA POMERANTZ “Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; But in the seventh year (there) shall be a Sabbath of rest unto the land, a Sabbath for the Lord: Thou shalt neither sow thy field nor prune thy vineyard.�

Leviticus 25:3- 4.

(IPS) Last month, Rosh Hashanah heralded the start of the Shmitta or sabbatical year -- 5768 -- in the Land of Israel, which occurs every seven years.

In the months leading up to the festival, the religious press is flooded with articles about the importance of Shmitta observance, detailing the various methods for practically observing the year.

While study days and lectures reintroduce the topic from a timely angle, consumers, restaurant owners, caterers and gardeners iron out the final details for purchasing produce and tending gardens during the year that the land is to lie fallow.

In modern-day Israel, only 2-3% of the population works in agriculture, where advanced technology is used to yield an abundance of produce during the Shmitta year.

Contrast this with Biblical times when society was 100% agrarian: fields and orchards received hefker (meaning “any man’s property�) status and crops became available for all, as the Torah mandated.

Shmitta was an opportunity for farmers to increase their faith in God as the provider of sustenance. As God said about the source of food during Shmitta: “I will command my blessing for you in the sixth year, and the Land will produce (sufficiently for) three years!� (Leviticus 25).

In addition, farmers were able to recharge their batteries during the Shmitta year, study Torah and contemplate -- similar to the weekly Sabbath observance which affords the individual a rest and a chance for inner reflection. “As we are not farmers today, we should focus during this Shmitta year on the holiness or kedushat shivi’it of

the fruits of the land,� says Rabbi Yehuda Halevy Amichai, a scholar at The Torah and Land Institute which established Otzar Ha’aretz (Treasure of the Land), a nation-wide initiative for farmers who want to observe Shmitta according to halacha (Jewish Law) in partnership with like-minded consumers. “A farmer naturally feels the Shmitta year but we have to aspire to feel the holiness of the fruit in our homes.�

The source of Shmitta in the Torah is: “When you come to the Land, the land shall keep a Sabbath unto the Lord... Thou shall neither sow thou field nor prune thou vineyard‌ it shall be a solemn rest for the landâ€?

year, rabbis realized that the struggling agriculturebased Jewish population would be paralyzed if it were to observe it fully. After much soul-searching, many leading rabbis in Israel and Europe agreed to permit the symbolic sale of the land to non-Jews, known as the heter mechira. Jewish farmers would then be able to work on the land and harvest the produce.

The rabbis at the time stipulated that the necessity of the heter would be discussed each Shmitta to be sure it was really vital for the economy and for survival. In 1921, Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Kook, Israel’s first Chief Rabbi, further established the heter mechira.

He traveled throughout the land explaining the laws to farmers who were concerned about losing their livelihood. Yet for educational purposes, Rabbi Kook insisted that each settlement retain a plot of land where Shmitta would be observed according to Torah.

Today, with most farmers being secular, the heter enables them to continue their work without losing Left: Fresh Shmitta produce, which is treated with extreme their income. However, the reverence. Above: A farmer rejoices in his abundant crops in heter has always aroused a hothouse geared for Shmitta. Credit: Israel Press Service strong opposition, mainly (Leviticus 25). During the because it violates the prohibition of selling the land of Shmitta year, plowing, Israel to non-Jews. While rabbis have introduced other sowing, planting, reaping widely accepted “permits� like the sale of hametz before and harvesting are forbid- Passover, and the heter iska (to allow the conduct of den. Fruit that grows (by business with interest), the heter mechira involves a legal itself, so to speak) during fiction, according to those who view it as problematic. “Most of the farmers in the country’s kibbutzim and this year is considered holy and is traded in a special moshavim use the heter,� says Rabbi Zeev Weitman, who is responsible for Shmitta on behalf of the Chief way.

The first Shmitta fol- Rabbinate of Israel. “We visit the farmers who are interlowed the conquest and ested in the heter, explain to them the significance of division of the land of Shmitta and help them find ways to observe it.�

An alternative mechanism that has been used for many Israel by Joshua, until the Babylonian exile following the destruction of the First Shmitta years is the Otzar Beit Din (Treasure of the Temple. During the 40-year exile, the few remaining Rabbinical Court). The Beit Din (Rabbinical Court) Jewish inhabitants were not obligated to observe appoints the farmers as its emissaries to grow, collect and distribute produce, which thus retains its Shmitta holiShmitta since the majority of Jews were not in Israel.

When Ezra and Nehemia returned to the Land of ness.

This year for the first time, the Torah and Land Israel, Shmitta observance continued but became rabbinically ordained -- indicating a slightly reduced level of Institute is making a concerted effort to centralize the observance. (Shmitta today is considered rabbinically Otzar Beit Din through the Otzar Ha’aretz (Treasure of the Land) initiative. Joining the program before the year ordained.)

The question of keeping Shmitta arose when Jews 5768 enables farmers to assess the amount of produce came to Israel in the 19th century and established agri- they have to produce. cultural settlements. In 1888, the year before a Shmitta Continued on page 9

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New students receive consecration blessings under the sukkah at Temple

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Temple Israel families gathered for a potluck dinner and holiday crafts on Erev Sukkot. After services, everyone gathered outside in the sukkah to wave the lulav in all directions and get a whiff of the sweet-smelling etrog.

Under the sukkah in the sanctuary, kindergarten children and four older students were consecrated on Erev Simchat Torah. Their parents came up to the bimah and read a prayer in unison giving thanks for their children and asking for wisdom to raise them in the tradition of the Jewish people, Torah, and mitzvot.

Below left: Nina Pfrenger, left, six, and her sister, Jessica, nine, took a look at the outdoor sukkah prior to worship services. Below right: The children are front row: Armon Seina, left, Sophia Kohll, Emma Miller, Baye Fletcher, Alexander Goldstein, Alexander Kraft, Harper Gordman; second row: Abby Kohll, Meredith Matz, Eitan Rosenquist, Joseph Kirshenbaum, Brandon Wigodsky, Director of Religious Education Elyce Azriel; third row: kindergarten teacher Melany Weinstine, Joshua Siegel, Jeremy Silverman, Tommy Sullivan, Julia Brodkey; fourth row: Adam McGauvran, Isabella Wright, Nathaniel Teetzel, Naomi Teetzel, Davi’d Wright, fifth row: Cantor Wendy Shermet, Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, and Rabbi Eric Linder.

Eye on Israel evening edition offers insight into current events

by CHERYL LERNER Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Education If you want to stay current on the Middle East and issues facing Israel and enjoy some verbal jousting, don’t miss a special panel discussion during Eye on Israel: Evening Edition on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 8 p.m., in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library.

Panelists will include: Dr. Guy Matalon, executive director of the Center for Jewish Education and professor of Judaic Studies, Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of Nebraska-Omaha; Dr. Rami Arav, professor, Department of Philosophy and Religion at UNO and director of the Bethsaida Excavation Project; Dr. Moshe Gershovich, associate professor, Department of History at UNO; and Zohar Winer, community shlicha, based at the Jewish Community Center.

Eye on Israel is an interactive forum, discussing current events affecting Israel and the Middle East. The program regularly meets every other month on Tuesdays, noon to 1 p.m., in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library.

“I hope that the evening event will allow people who work during the day and thus cannot attend the regular times to get connected with the news and involved in what’s going on,” said Gershovich. “Since this is the only ‘Eye’ in October, this session will also give us a chance to cover new developments before we resume the regular schedule in November.”

The discussions at the “evening edition” will prove very timely. There are many pressing issues that Israel faces in the upcoming months. “Number one is the Iran/Syria combined challenge to Israel’s security,” says Gershovich. “There’s a chance for a military confrontation between Israel and Syria, plus the Hezbollah from Lebanon. Iran nuclear ambition will also continue to play a dominant role as well in any move that Israel makes.”

On domestic issues, Arav says, “I think that we will see the same problems we have seen in Israel in the past 60 years. Namely religious versus secular conflict, Israeli Arabs and Jews in Israel struggling for the same resources and the growing polarity between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots.’” Gershovich comments “the continued erosion in the stature of Israel’s leadership and the sour notion of corruption and mismanagement is a big issue.

Israel’s leaders will need to work hard to regain public confidence ahead of possible new elections in 2008.”

Winer, just returning from a six-week trip home to Israel, has a fresh perspective on the daily ‘pulse’ in the streets. In a recent e-mail she states, “After a year of being away, the tension here seems all the more real.

Coming from somewhere where the biggest news is the upcoming weather, here we’re dealing with security issues, shooting and a possible war. Dealing the traffic jams wherever you go and the heat. We should really be proud of the people who choose to live here.”

“It’s the Middle East. It’s Israel,” states Matalon.

“Volatility is a way of life. Some things never change.

Some things change very quickly. It’s a lot to keep up with. American news sources miss a lot.”

He adds, “The four of us [panelists] pay keen attention because we are personally invested and we constantly have people in the community ask us about what’s going on, what we think. We’re Israeli; translation: We have opinions. Strong opinions, differing opinions.” Matalon concludes with a smile, “Come and watch the sparks fly!”

The program is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the CJE office at 334.6445, or mgrossman@jewishomaha.org. Eye on Israel is sponsored in part by the Herman and Mary Meyerson Endowment Fund.

Fruit of the Land of Israel Continued from page 8 “The main purpose of the Otzar Ha’aretz is to support Jewish farmers in a significant way,” according to Rabbi Amichai. “Consumers and farmers are linked together since consumers are committing themselves before the Shmitta year to this method.”

The farmers have invested tremendous resources in hothouses, detached planting beds, etc. to enable them to supply the public with strictly Shmitta-observant produce based on advanced halachic solutions.

They cannot make this investment without knowing that they have a guaranteed market for their produce.

The “detached” method was pioneered and finetuned in Gush Katif communities until their destruction during the Disengagement in 2005. It involved growing produce in hothouses with plastic sheeting separating the soil to prevent growth from the ground, in line with Shmitta requirements. It also

ensures that the produce is worm-free. “There used to be 350 such hothouses in Gush Katif. Since the Disengagement very few farmers have set up new hothouses in their temporary dwellings,” notes Rabbi Amichai.

Another option, which is avoided by the Otzar Ha’aretz, is buying from non-Jews abroad, and from the Palestinian Authority, for fear the proceeds will be used for funding terror.

On a practical level in the kitchen, the kedushat shivi’it or holy produce is treated with great respect.

Vegetables that can be eaten raw are only eaten raw.

Vegetable oils can be used in their regular manner for uses other than food-- like olive oil for the Hanukiah -- but not in other ways. Even the peels and leftovers are disposed of reverently in a separate bag. By using such produce, one’s appreciation for the uniqueness and holiness of the land of Israel is greatly enhanced.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 19, 2007

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Omaha Performing Arts welcomes classical violinist, Midori, and pianist, Robert McDonald, to the Kiewit Concert Hall at the Holland Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Nov. 3, 8 p.m., as the premiere engagement of the Omaha Steaks Classical Series Born in Japan in 1971, Midori received her first violin at age four and began studying the instrument with her mother, Setsu Goto. At the age of 10, Midori traveled to Aspen, CO, to the Summer Music School and Festival, where she met prominent American violin teacher Dorothy DeLay for the first time. After studying at the pre-college division of the Julliard School with DeLay, she was invited by Zubin Mehta to make her New York debut as a surprise guest soloist for the New York Philharmonic’s traditional New Year’s Eve concert.

Tickets are $19-$50.

Town and Country Arts (TCA), the Harrison County Arts Council, has announced production dates for James Still’s drama, And Then They Came for Me: Remembering The World of Anne Frank. Production dates are Oct. 20, 26, 27, 7:30 p.m., and Oct. 21 and 28, 2 p.m. matinees. The events are slated for the Grand Lodge Arts Center, 107 S. Main, Modale, IA (use exit 82, I-29).

Fran Sillau of Council Bluffs, is the Artistic Consultant for Still’s multi-media drama. Sillau has been a theater artist for nearly 20 years and has served as a teacher, director, actor and producer. Sillau has conducted dozens of workshops in inner city schools, long-term care facilities, youth clubs, special ed classrooms and inner city streets.

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Sillau has the ability to combine theater with taught historical subjects such as the Holocaust and to use the-

The Burke High School Drama Department presents the fall production of I Never Saw Another Butterfly

by Celeste Raspanti, on Oct. 25-27, 7 p.m. All performances will take place in the Burke auditorium.

Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for students with school ID. Tickets can be purchased by calling 402.557.3232.

The play is the story of Raja Englanderova who was sent to Terezin, a Czechoslovakian ghetto that was in truth a way-station for Jewish prisoners bound for Auschwitz during WWII. Irena Synkova, a teacher who was eventually deported, secretly conducted art and writing classes among the youth in the camp. First resisting the lessons, Raja soon takes Synkova’s place by becoming a mentor and teacher for the children. Raja, having lived through it all, helped to give the young people hope, created a little world of laughter and art, of flowers and butterflies behind the barbed wire. It is a powerful story of strength, courage and hope for audiences of every age and faith.

The Omaha Symphony presents “As Heard on TV” this Sunday, Oct. 21, 2 p.m., at Millard North High School. Designed for the casual music-lover, the seasoned classical enthusiast, and the modern suburban family, these concerts will be shorter than a full-length classical concert and will be performed without an intermission. Tickets can be purchased at the Holland Performing Arts Center, by calling 345.0606 or online at: ticketomaha@omahaperformingarts.org.

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Beth Dotan, Director of the Institute for Holocaust Education, worked with Fran Sillau, artistic consultant, on the production.

ater as a tool to help every person understand historical events. In the 2006-07 school year, Sillau taught acting and creative drama to young people, ages four to 18, at Lexington Children’s Theater, Lexington, KY, the oldest children’s theater in the United States.

For the current production, TCA has received a grant from Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for The Humanities. Collaborating partners include The Institute for Holocaust Education at the Plains Regional Office of The Anti-Defamation League, Omaha, and the Museum of Religious Arts, Harrison County.

Beth Dotan, Director of the Institute for Holocaust Education has served as Holocaust Educator, speaking to the cast, students and teachers. She has compiled study packets. From the Museum of Religious Arts, TCA will borrow for exhibit 23 etchings by Holocaust survivor, George Zielezinski.

Reservations are required as seating is limited. Tickets may be purchased by calling 712.647.2239 or 712.645.2531.

Omaha/Fremont 402/727-8321 800/942-8321

Letters about Literature is a national reading and writing promotion program for young readers in grades 4 through 12, sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with Target. To enter, readers write a personal letter to an author, explaining how his or her work changed their view of the world or themselves. Young readers can select authors from any genre: fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic. The contest is sponsored in Nebraska by the Nebraska Center for the Book, Nebraska Library Commission, Houchen Bindery Ltd., and Lee Booksellers.

Judges representing the Nebraska Center for the Book will select the top essayists in the state on three competition levels: Level I for young readers in grades 4 through 6, Level II for grade 7 and 8 readers, and Level III for readers in grades nine-12. Entries in each state will be assessed on three criteria: content, or the writer’s achievement in addressing the contest theme; exposition, or the writer’s use of language skills; and voice, the writer’s style and originality of expression.

State winners will receive a $50 Target Gift Card. Each state winner will then advance to the national competition. A panel of judges for the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will then select six national winners (two per competition level) and 12 national runners-up (four per competition level).

Each national winner will receive a $500 Target Gift Card. In addition, they will win a Reading Promotion Grant of $10,000 for their school or community library.

National winners will be instrumental in deciding how the library funds will be spent. The 12 national runnersup will win a $100 Target Gift Card, plus they will win a Reading Promotion Grant of $1,000 for their school or community library.

The required entry coupon and a copy of the “how to

enter” guidelines are available at www.nlc.state.ne.us/ publications/lal/aboutcontest.html. Contact lal@ epix.net for free teaching materials (including lesson plans, blackline masters, writing samples, and assessment checklists) for schools, libraries, and home school partnerships. Deadline for entries is Dec.14.

The annual Act II Playbill Boutique will be held Nov. 3, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. when the Omaha Community Playhouse will be transformed into a unique marketplace. Discover interesting gift ideas and enjoy entertainment throughout the day. Proceeds benefit the Omaha Community Playhouse and its many programs.

For more information, contact chairmen Jan Boyer 334.7742 or Sandy Breault 330.0481.

The Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel have announced an application deadline of Jan. 15, 2008.

The Fellowship takes a group of 26 high school students to Israel for five weeks of intensive study and travel.

Omahan Alana Kinarsky, now a college student at Loyola University in Chicago, participated in the summer of 2002.

Founded by Edgar M Bronfman, president of the Samuel Bronfman Foundation, the youth fellowships offer an opportunity for students entering their senior year to participate in this highly selective program designed to develop future communal leaders.

Other alumni include best selling authors Jonathan Safran Foer (Everything is Illuminated) and Dara Horn (The World to Come), Jonathan Tepperman, assistant managing editor of Newsweek, and Noah Oppenheim, a producer of the “Today Show” on NBC. For more information and to download an application, visit the bronfman website at www.bronfman.org or call Ava Charne at 518.475.7212.

October 19, 2007

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 11

Temple introduces Torah as therapy, theology at a Café

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator We live in an age of therapy treatments -- psychoanalytic, physical, even play therapy. Now there’s Torah therapy, available at local office conference rooms in mid-town Tom Vann will host the Rabbi Aryeh Azriel first of four “Torah Therapy: Jewish Ethics at Work”

discussions at Vann Realty Company, 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, on Thursday, Oct. 25, noon.

Subsequent Torah sessions are scheduled for Dec. 6 at Bergman Incentives, hosted by David Gilinsky; Feb. 7, 2008; at Grace-Mayer Insurance and hosted by John Lehr; and April 3 at Gordman’s, hosted by Jeff Gordman. Temple’s clergy will take turns facilitating these explorations of Jewish ethics in the workplace.

For those who can’t squeeze in Jewish learning over the lunch hour, Rabbi Aryeh Azriel invites members of the community to join him for “Theology Café: Big IDEAS in Jewish Thought” on

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Students in Beth El Synagogue Talmud Torah’s primary grades were recently treated to a visit by Gary Katz, administrator of the Kripke Library, who introduced them to a variety of Jewish children’s literature. During his presentations, Katz read to second graders and encouraged the children to read Jewish books and frequent the library’s children’s section.

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Fackenheim; Michael Wyschogrod, who immigrated to the United States from Berlin in 1939 and had a distinguished career as a philosophy professor; and Mordecai Kaplan, founder of Jewish Reconstructionism; Rabbi Azriel will invite participants to come to new understandings of major ideas in Judaism.

There is no fee to attend, but please register with Program Director Rosie Zweiback at 556.6536 or at rzweiback@templeisraelomaha.com. A box lunch for Torah Therapy is $6. Both groups are sponsored by the Hermene Zweiback Center for Lifelong Jewish Learning.

Guest speaker at Hazak Lunch ‘n’ Learn to offer tips on making change

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Suzanne and Hap Pocras announce the Sept. 18 birth of their daughter, Lucy Jaye.

She has a sister, Lily.

Grandparents are Sheryn and Arnold Joffe, and former Lincolnites Joyce and Ken Pocras of Las Vegas.

Thursdays, Nov. 15, 29, and Dec. 6, 78:30 p.m., at Barnes & Noble at 144th and West Center Road. Over a cup of “joe,” Rabbi Azriel will explore challenging issues such as “chosen-ness,” faith after Auschwitz, and messianism.

“Sitting next to books, in an intimate surrounding, sipping good coffee with fellow congregates, studying theology is my vision of the world to come,” according to Rabbi Azriel.

Using the writings of German philosopher Hermann Cohen; Eugene Borowitz, the “dean” of American Jewish philosophers; Austrian-born philosopher Martin Buber; Holocaust survivor Rabbi Emil

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of counseling experience,

by JILL BELMONT including family, marriage and Beth El Publicity Coordinator individual counseling. He has Whether it’s a new job, new been in private practice for 10 family member, retirement or years; prior to that, he served any other life change, one for 11 years as executive directhing is certain -- change will tor of Jewish Family Service. affect us all at one time or He also is a past president of another; it is always beneficial Beth El’s Men’s Club and the to be able to effectively adapt Association of Private Practice to new circumstances. With Therapists, is a board member that in mind, Beth El’s Hazak Glen Fineman of the National Federation of group invites the Jewish community to a special lunch ’n learn following Jewish Men’s Clubs, and president of the services on Saturday, Oct. 27, during Nebraska Human Services Association. which family therapist Glen Fineman will The kiddush luncheon is free of charge; present “Tips on Handling Change (and Fineman’s presentation is in the chapel at We Don’t Mean the Pennies in Your 12:45 p.m. For information, contact Pocket!).”

Gloria Goodman at 333.3351.

Fineman, MSW, LCSW, has a full range

Order a gift subscription to the Press and get an extra two months free!

Send a check for $33, made out to the Jewish Press, to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154.

For more information on how to connect your out-of-town relatives and friends, call 334.6448.

Page 12

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 19, 2007

Woe is us ... not!

Why do Jews continue to apologize for all the wrongs in the world? Is it our fault that Muslims have killed more Muslims than any other religion on the planet? Or that people are dying from hunger and disease? And why are we blamed for the collapse of the Twin Towers on 9/11 or outbreaks of polio in Africa or a myriad of other ills?

Enough already! We’re not responsible for mistakes made by others nor acts of nature.

Instead of cowering in the corner when ridiculous pronouncements are made about our people, our religion and our land, we should stand up -- straight and proud -- and counter with all our accomplishments.

We’ve printed many of them in these pages before: from the Salk polio vaccine to cell phone technology, from instant messaging to the latest aviation security -- “Code Positive, a system that allows ground controllers to determine whether planes have been commandeered by terrorists,” announced last week by Israel’s transportation ministry.

Jews far exceed their numbers when it comes to Nobel prizes. Though Jews represent less than 2% of the worldwide population today, we constitute 22% of the more than 750 Nobels awarded since 1901 -- at least 160 of those are known Jews.

Jews buy more books per capita than any other religious group and hold more advanced degress. Israel’s drip irrigation technology is exported regularly to arid lands; agribusiness

trains farmers in Africa, Asia and South America -- even in places where Israel has no diplomatic relationships.

Israel is the only country in the world to rescue its people, regardless of their race or country of origin. Under cover of darkness, the Israeli military commandeered commercial El-Al planes, stripped them of seats and transported nearly 25,000 Ethiopians back to Israel. Can you name another “white” country in the world that has welcomed “black” coreligionists home?

And, when it came to immigration from the former Soviet Union, Israel took in the elderly, the infirm, those with no visible means of support and the disabled.

With the help of the most philanthropic people on the planet -- the Jews of the Diaspora -- Israel gave each new resident a “basket” of services, from Hebrew language lessons, to housing to help finding jobs. (Did Arab countries lift a hand to help the Palestinians in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973 -- ever?)

In Israel, stem cell research is a “given.” More than 50 years after Israeli halutzim (pioneers) drained the Hula swamps, scientists are bringing them back. And despite

the scandals, posturing, and very loud arguments, Israeli politicians can be (and are) booted out of office because Israelis are engaged in the political process.

We gave Shabbat to the world -- a day of rest for ancient peoples who worked 24/7. And we introduced the concept of morality with the Ten Commandments and the lessons of the Torah (yes, Virginia, there is evil in the world). We Jews need to remember the feeling of pride following the Six-Day War in 1967 -not invincibility (that’s arrogant and chuzpadik), but self-respect, value, and acknowledgement that being Jewish is a positive state of mind -- and purposeful way of life.

Effective birthright israel follow-up is all about mainstreaming alumni

BEHIND THE HEADLINES

by RABBI HERSHEY NOVACK ST. LOUIS (JTA) -- Our engagement with the 100,000 American Taglitbirthright israel trip alumni will determine the shape of the Jewish community for years.

While a growing body of research indicates that the trips provide a foundational Jewish experience, it is not clear that the Jewish community is effectively tapping into this potential for increased involvement.

Michael Steinhardt, one of the leading lights behind the birthright israel venture, announced plans recently to refocus his philanthropic work and has selected birthright israel follow-up programming as one of three primary target areas. The challenge facing him and the broader Jewish community is to identify initiatives to capitalize on this “new wave” of Jewish energy and effectively channel it into programs that strengthen Jewish involvement, especially among Jews in their 20s and early 30s.

Some think that follow-up programs should replicate the Israel experience in America.

Advocates of this approach may propose such ideas as a mega-event concert series for birthright alumni or a birthright-emulating bus tour through the Jewish South. This approach assumes that trip participants are drawn to programs that re-create positive trip experiences close to home.

My wife, Chana, and I direct the Chabad on Campus serving Washington University in St. Louis, and we have successfully organized and staffed nine birthright israel trips. We have developed and cultivated close relationships with hundreds of birthright alumni.

Our experience has made it abundantly clear that instead of trying to re-create an Israel experience in St. Louis, we strive to integrate alumni into campus Jewish life immediately upon their return.

Each semester, for example, our Chabad center hosts a welcome back Shabbat dinner

that is open to trip alumni and the broader campus community. We actively encourage alumni to participate in programs at Chabad on Campus and Hillel, including experiential Jewish learning, cultural programs and Israel programs. Indeed, a large proportion of Chabad’s current student leadership draws upon students whose first significant interaction with us was during a birthright israel trip.

One of the main reasons for our success in maintaining strong, positive relationships with birthright israel alumni is that we are “vertically integrated.” This means that we recruit students prior to the trip, participate during the trip as Jewish educators and follow up with the same students upon their return.

By creating one-on-one relationships with them, they begin to feel connected to our community even before the trip departs. This deep integration is unusual among trip providers and is the product of an informal relationship between the Chabad on Campus network in America and the Mayanot trip provider.

In an increasingly disconnected society, the value of personal contact facilitating integration of alumni into the community cannot be overstated. Returning participants should be welcomed by engaging Jewish professionals who listen with interest to their individual stories.

Facilitating opportunities for post-trip reflection helps solidify for participants a better understanding of the impact of the program on their Jewish identities. Professionals may also suggest further opportunities for Jewish involvement.

It seems apparent that the trip experience cannot be replicated “on foreign soil.” The immersive bus dynamic, the Mifgashim encounters with Israeli soldiers and the site visits are unique to Israel.

Even the “mega-event,” which can be reduced to a Jewish concert that tours major U.S. cities, would not compare to the original experience in Israel, for the substance of a mega-event is far greater than the performers or the philanthropists and politicians who

address the audience.

Long after the participants forget which band played, they will remember that in the hall along with them were 5,000 young Jews from all over the world.

It is impractical and expensive to create a parallel universe of specialized programs just for trip alumni. Eventually the alumni need to be integrated into their local Jewish communities. The only question is timing.

Our experience on campus shows that the best time is immediately upon return. Of course, bus reunions play a role in helping integrate alumni, but their function should be focused on mainstreaming alumni, not creating a separate uber-class of young American Jews.

This is not to suggest that there is an array of successful programs that await returning participants. Indeed, a strong case can be made that the American Jewish enterprise is optimized for suburban, upper middle-class families with children.

Others, especially college students and postcollegiates in their 20s and 30s, are often treated as de facto second-class citizens since they lack significant resources to donate to the community and do not yet have children that need to be educated.

Alumni of birthright israel trips need not be insulated from these realities by the development of “alumni only” programs. Instead, the American Jewish community must be introspective and make necessary changes to encourage participation of both trip alumni and the young adult community at large.

Programming must replicate the best practices of the birthright experience. It must be authentic and meaningful, executed with a high level of professionalism by knowledgeable Jewish professionals using an even-handed approach to working with a variety of community groups..

This is the optimum way to translate the Jewish energy that participants bring back from Israel into deepened Jewish involvement in America.

Hershey Novack is the founding director of Chabad on Campus serving Washington University in St. Louis.

(Founded in 1920) Howard K. Marcus President Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Managing Editor Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Managing Editor Terri Greenwood Advertising Executive Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper Anne Muskin Editorial Intern 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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October 19, 2007

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 13

It’s not a parlor game!

Assigning blame for Annapolis summit’s probable failure presents clear danger

BEHIND THE H EADLINES

by JONATHAN S. TOBIN Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, was famous for saying that it was more important what the Jews did than what the non-Jewish world said about what they were doing.

There was, and still is, a great deal of truth to that proposition. When it comes to matters of self-defense and building your own home, there are times when true leaders must simply say to the devil with hypocritical world opinion and do what must be done.

But there have been times when the opposite is true.

When it comes to diplomacy between the State of Israel, its ally the United States and the Palestinian Arabs, what the Israelis actually try to do to achieve peace often matters far less than how the rest of the world perceives those actions. Like it or not, Israel and its supporters are about to play out this same frustrating scenario again.

The much-ballyhooed Middle East peace conference sponsored by the Bush administration set to take place next month in Annapolis, MD, has sent Israel’s leaders, as well as those of the Palestinian Authority, into over-

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the Editor: What a thrill to pick up the Jewish Press and find the picture of my daughter and son-in-law, Marcia and Steve Pitlor, and the announcement that they will serve as chairmen of the 2008 Federation Campaign.

I think about the continuity of Jewish community leadership by the women in my family. My late mother, Yetta Goldberg, was active in Beth Israel Synagogue where she served as president of the sisterhood. She also took leadership positions in Hadassah and the annual philanthropies campaign.

I was able to make my contribution to the community starting with my serving as chairrnan of the youth division campaign, followed by leadership roles in the women’s campaign for many years. As editor the Jewish Press, I had the opportunity to write many stories about Federation campaigns. I can’t be objective. The story about Steve and Marcia as community leaders is better than any story I wrote. I am so proud of them I’ve been away from Omaha for 33 years and have had the opportunity to see how other Jewish communities work. Nothing compares to Omaha. The continuity of leadership; the commitment and generosity of the people has earned Omaha unique admiration and recognition.

My mother was the role model. I am proud to have followed her example. I am delighted that Marcia and Steve are adding their contributions. I have every reason to believe that their children will carry on the family tradition. After 33 years I still think of Omaha as home and there is no other community like it.

Mickey Greenberg Scottsdale, Arizona To the editor: My son Dr. Richard Weise and I flew into Omaha last month on the University of Southern California football team charter plane, in preparation for the game with the University of Nebraska Huskers.

I was born in Omaha, but left there at the age of 21.

However, I still have a 88-year-old brother, George Weise, who resides in the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

We were able to spend a few hours visiting with him and his friend Marion (also a Blumkin Home resident).

George reads the Jewish Press from cover to cover every Friday and I think he would get a kick out of reading about our visit with him. Richard and I were also able to visit with two friends from my youth, Helen Rifkin Chorney and Dave Chorney, before we boarded the team bus to go to Lincoln.

We were very impressed with the care and attention that the Blumkin Home staff extended to the people who reside there. The Jewish community of Omaha must be very proud to have such a fine facility and staff taking care of its elderly population!

Dr. Phil Weise

drive as they attempt to position themselves in advance of the conclave. Hovering over both Jerusalem and the P.A. headquarters in Ramallah is what happened the last time the United States sponsored such an event.

The 2000 Precedent In July of 2000, the Clinton administration was desperate to revive the failed Oslo process, and invited both Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to the presidential retreat at Camp David to go the last mile to achieve a settlement.

Clinton seemed, even at the time, to be more focused on his desire for a Nobel Peace Prize as his presidential legacy than on the realities on the ground. But his desire for a settlement was real. So was that of Barak, who threw all of Israel’s bargaining chips on the table and offered the Palestinians more than any other Israeli government had ever done: a state on virtually all of the West Bank with a share of redivided Jerusalem to serve as its capital.

But despite Clinton’s pleas, Arafat refused to take yes for an answer.

Two months later, Arafat’s response to Barak’s peace offer morphed from verbal intransigence to open combat as he launched a second “intifada� -- a terrorist war of attrition that sought to bring Israel to its knees.

Though it cost Israel more than a thousand dead and far more for the Palestinians, the intifada eventually failed.

In September 2000, Shlomo Ben Ami, Barak’s foreign minister, told me that as bad as the Camp David fiasco had been, at least it showed the world that it was the Israelis who wanted peace and the Palestinians the ones who had chosen war. Never again, he said, would Israel be labeled as the fomenter of violence.

But he could not have been more wrong.

A post-Camp David Palestinian propaganda offensive sought to edit the Israeli offer out of the history books.

Despite the fact that Clinton backed Israel’s account of Arafat’s responsibility, the Palestinian big lie worked.

Few media accounts of the conflict placed the intifada firmly in a context of Arab rejectionism.

Since then, the much-publicized opinions of people like David Malley, a minor Clinton-administration functionary, as well as former President Jimmy Carter, who backed the false Palestinian account of Camp David, have managed to transform the discussion about the event from a settled fact into a faux historical dispute in which both sides are treated as equally culpable. In the long run, it mattered less what Barak actually did at Camp David than the lies that were told about it afterward.

All of this explains much of the activity of both the Israelis and the Palestinians prior to Annapolis.

Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice seem as desperate to promote the equally illusory chances of Israeli-Palestinian peace as Clinton was more than seven years ago. Their goal is to distract the Arab world and domestic critics from the war in Iraq.

That leaves Israeli Prime Minister Olmert frantic to avoid the impression that he will be the one to cause

Annapolis to fail. So Olmert has tacked left, pumping up the idea that P.A. leader Mahmoud Abbas is a genuine peace partner and allowed a close associate to float the idea that another Jerusalem division scheme will be part of a proposed settlement.

But Abbas still has plenty of reasons to avoid a deal that he knows he can’t get Palestinians (especially those that back his Hamas rivals who control Gaza) to accept.

And he also understands that he can always count on anti-Zionist agitprop to bail him out.

But the probability of diplomatic failure at Annapolis pales before the danger of far worse repercussions if this turns into a repeat of the disaster of 2000. And that’s where Israel’s perennially divided supporters come in. While the very legitimacy of proIsrael advocacy is increasingly under fire as a result of “The Israel Lobby� controversy, silence about the summit is exactly what is not needed.

The broad-based coalition of Jews and non-Jews that supports Israel here needs more than ever to make it clear to the Bush administration that it must not allow a repeat of Camp David 2000. The administration’s hunger for a diplomatic triumph must not serve as an excuse for pressure on Olmert to make concessions, especially when there seems little, if any, chance that they will be reciprocated No Immunity From Attacks As was the case with Barak, Olmert’s willingness to embrace far reaching concessions will not protect Israel from post-summit attacks, both verbal and physical, from those who will never make peace at any price.

Since Palestinian refusal to give up on the right of return makes real progress unlikely, we can expect that Israel’s foes will still be hoping to parlay the inevitable failure of Annapolis into momentum for a renewed assault on Israel’s legitimacy as well as that of the proIsrael movement here.

As such, now is exactly the time that Jewish groups as well as Christian supporters of Israel need to speak up, not to oppose the summit or diplomacy itself, but against American strong-arm tactics employed against Israel to ensure either that the meeting takes place or to guarantee some sort of result.

Enthusiasm for peace is understandable, but rhetoric that paints a misleading portrayal of Israeli unwillingness to compromise its security as an “obstacle� to peace today will undoubtedly play a part in post-Annapolis revisionist propaganda.

What both the administration and Jewish left-wingers who are eager for Rice to wield a big stick at Israel’s expense must remember is that the blame for a summit failure is not an intellectual parlor game but, as Clinton’s Camp David folly proved, a vicious battle whose price may eventually be paid in Jewish blood.

... what the Israelis actually try to do to achieve peace often matters far less than how the rest of the world perceives those actions. Like it or not, Israel and its supporters are about to play out this same frustrating scenario again.

Jonathan S. Tobin is executive editor of the Jewish Exponent in Philadelphia. He can be contacted via email at: jtobin@jewishexponent.com.

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Page 14

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 19, 2007

Candlelighting Friday, Oct. 19, 6:18 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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Allan Handleman, 334.6451, or Terri Greenwood, 334.6559.

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m.

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

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

SATURDAY: Morning services, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation (3-7), 10 a.m.; Minha/ Ma’ariv, 6:25 p.m.

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

Sitter Service is available during Friday night and Saturday morning services, on a drop-in basis, at no charge.

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

MONDAY: Hebrew Crash course, 7 p.m.

THURSDAYS, noon: Beginning Nov. 1 Rabbi Levin leads Insights and Values from the Torah.

Cost is $36.

WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB: Thursdays, 1:15 p.m., led by Susan Paley.

SISTERHOOD: Will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m..

SHABBAT COMES TO THE BLUMKIN HOME: Friday, Oct. 26, 2:30 p.m.

Rabbi Levin and Cantor Bogomolni will lead a Shabbat celebration for residents.

LUNCH ’N LEARN: On Saturday, Oct. 27, following services, therapist Glen Fineman presents “Tips on Handling Change.” (See story on page 11.)

BILU-USY ‘TRICK OR CAN’: Thursday, Nov. 1, 6-8 p.m. Following dinner, costumed USYers will visit the neighborhood, asking for canned or other non-perishable foods to donate to the Omaha Food Bank. For more information or to RSVP, contact Robert Mosenkis at youthdir@ bethel-omaha.org.

NURTURING YOUR SPIRIT: ENRICHING YOUR JEWISH SOUL: New monthly class, led by Susi Frydman-Levin, beginning Sunday, Nov. 4, 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $36.

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 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, 7:17 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: Project Runway, Sisterhood’s annual Donor event, 11:30 a.m. social hour with lunch served at 12:15 p.m.

THURSDAY: Women of the Torah class, 9:30 a.m.; Chavrutah Learning, 7:30 p.m.

Make reservations for the Oct. 27 Game Night and Taco Bar, 7:30 p.m., $5 per person. Bring your own board games.

BEYT SHALOM FRIDAY: Shabbat in the home.

SUNDAY: Religious School, 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the JCC.

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.

WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m.

TUESDAY: W.O.W. Tehillim & More, 9 a.m.

WEDNESDAY: Kabbalah Circle, 7 p.m.

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

All events and programs are open to the entire community.

For more information or to register call 330.1800 or visit our website http://www.Ochabad.com.

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 Nathalie and Paul Blum.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. led by Rabbi Emanuel; Game Night/Potluck, 6 p.m.

SUNDAY: LJCS Grades 3-7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Gam Simcha through Grade

BAT MITZVAH Sydney Elise Robinson, daughter of Kimberly and Andrew Robinson, will become Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 27, at Temple Israel.

Sydney is an eighthgrade student at Westside Middle School.

She received state recognition in the Duke University Talent Identification Program and was the District 66

speech contest first place winner.

Her interests include show choir, dance, tennis, and sailing.

She has a sister, Brenna, and a brother, Brett.

Grandparents are Paula and Daniel Singer, Frances and Sam Fried, and the late Burton Robinson.

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: LJCS No Hebrew classes.

ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAYS, Oct. 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.

Saturday, Oct. 27, 9:30 a.m.: Joshua Calidonna, son of Barbara Barron and Mark Calidonna, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah.

Mondays, Oct. 29, Nov. 5, 12, 19, and 26, 7-8:30 p.m.

Read Hebrew America! Hebrew Reading Crash Course, co-taught

by Jaine Merliss and Jennifer Rosenblatt at Tifereth Israel, 3219 Sheridan Blvd., and is open to the community.

Visit www.NJOP.org for information.

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

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

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Rabbi Maximo Shechet.

FRIDAY, Oct. 26: Shabbat Comes to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. in the tea room, hosted by Beth El.

TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Parent/Toddler Class, 9:30-11 a.m.; Shabbat Service, 7:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Azriel and Cantor Shermet.

SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m.; Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Alexis Slutzky, daughter of Lesley and Jeff Slutzky, will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah.

SUNDAY: Red Cross Babysitting Class, 9 a.m.; Teacher Learning Coffee, 9:30 a.m.; Religious School (K-6), 10 a.m.noon; Grade Six Parents Meeting: “Putting God on the Guest List,” 10:15 a.m.; Cradle Roll, 10:30 a.m.; OTYG Board Meeting, noon.

SITTER SERVICE: Available Wednesday evenings during Family School hours, Friday evenings service except when there is a Tot Shabbat, Saturday mornings when there is a B’nai mitzvah, and Sunday mornings

during Religious School. Advance reservations and a $5 donation appreciated. Young children, including infants, are welcome.

WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 46 p.m.; Family School, 6 p.m.; All School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Grades 712, 6 p.m.; Alexandra Robbins, The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids, 6:30 pm. Open to the community.

THURSDAY: “Adult Study with the Clergy” with Rabbi Linder, 10 a.m.; Religious School Steering Committee meeting, noon; Torah Therapy: Jewish Ethics at Work, noon at Vann Realty Company. Contact the Temple office at 556.6536 for reservations. Cost is $6.

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 Kiddush lunch.

SUNDAY: LJCS Grades 3-7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Gam Simcha through Grade 2, 9:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 10 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Worlds Largest Corn Maze WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Contact Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066; LJCS No Hebrew classes.

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.

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.’

October 19, 2007

A fateful journey

SPARKS FROM THE WORD

by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Lekh Lekha By the word “fateful” in the title, I do not mean approaching disaster. Rather I mean a future with unlimited possibilities for good.

Abraham, always obedient, made a relatively short journey to a land that he did not know. But at the Lord’s bidding, he set out unquestioning and undoubting. It was a journey that was to set in motion forces for good which have been struggling against humankind’s worst instincts from man’s arrival on earth until this day.

He arrived in Canaan, where nations, fighting for turf and fighting for the sheer enjoyment of fighting, lived and squabbled.

Abraham did not know that he was to establish the People of Israel, which hoped to bring peace and harmony to the nations, just as there is harmony in the heavenly spheres. It was no easy struggle; it continues till this day.

There has been a succession of opponents: pharaoahs and Hamans, and in our day, the ineffable (and unspellable) Ahmadinejad.

He has taken the trouble, this madman, to say that the State of Israel should be wiped out and along with them, Jews throughout the world. But many nations in the world are deeply aware of the danger that derives from Iran. It certainly is to be hoped that any kind of war will be avoided. But diplomacy of the most skillful and effective efforts will be needed to silence this crazy man and his followers.

Please God, our generation may know peace; and Abraham’s journey will be crowned with liberty and justice.

Chabad launches Israel awareness course to combat ‘Israel Apathy’

by JONATHAN PULIK (New York) Just weeks after the release of a recent study that found only half of American Jews under the age of 35 are comfortable with the idea of a Jewish state, the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) announced a new six-week course -- to be offered at 750 locations around the world -- including Omaha -- that focuses on the millennia-old spiritual bond between Jews and Israel.

“Chabad is deeply concerned by the study’s findings, as is everyone in the Jewish communal world,” said course editor Dr. Chana Silberstein. “We need to do everything we can, as quickly as we can, to begin to reverse this growing indifference to Israel. But appreciation for Israel will only come through knowledge and understanding.”

JLI -- the world’s largest provider of adult Jewish education programs -- has spent the last two years developing a curriculum for the “Israel: The Land and the Spirit” course, in an international effort to educate young Jewish adults about Israel. Unlike previous Israelfocused courses that have traditionally covered the history and politics of the State of Israel, The Land and the Spirit will explore the nature of the deep spiritual bond that has existed between the Jewish people and the land of Israel throughout the ages.

Each of the six weekly classes will focus also on Israeli cities that have served as national spiritual centers at different points in Jewish history: Beersheba, Hebron, Tiberias, Nablus (Shchem), Sefat and, of course, Jerusalem. Knowledge gained is expected to spur travel to Israel and further study.

In light of the study’s findings, enrollment is free for participants under age 30, who need only to purchase the course textbook. For registration and information about The Land and the Spirit, visit www.myjli.com.

Be a role model;

DEATHS

the person you want your kid to be.

What stronger anti-drug message is there?

JULIUS MISLE Philanthropist and retired car dealer Julius Misle died Oct. 10 in Lincoln at the age of 82. Services were held at Butherus, Maser and Love Funeral Home on Oct. 11 with Rabbi Mark Bisman officiating. Burial was at Mount Carmel Cemetery.

He is survived by his wife, Miriam; daughter and sonin-law, Betty Misle and Jeffrey Mellen; daughters, Sharon Misle of Castel Rock, CO, Naomi Misle; grandchildren, Erinn and David Mellen, Aaron Eisenberg, and Sophia Misle; and a brother, Henry Misle of Florida.

Memorials to Tifereth Israel Synagogue, Crete Public Schools Trust, Misle Scholarship Fund, 920 Linden, Crete, NE 68333, or Cedars Home for Children, 620 No. 48 St., Lincoln, NE 68504.

LUCY MUSKIN Lucy Muskin died at Century City Hospital in Beverly Hills, California on Oct. 9 at the age of 88. Services were held at Mt. Sinai Cemetery on Oct.12.

She is survived by her husband of 61 years, former Omahan, Leonard Muskin; and two brothers.

Memorials to charity of choice.

To submit obituaries: E-mail to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; fax to 402.334.5422, or mail to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154, or online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements.

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Russian hopes to urn his stripes with his own brand of java

by IGOR SEREBRYANY MOSCOW (JTA) -- Jewish businessman Ilya Yakubson figures he can cream Starbucks or any of the coffee ventures springing up in Russia.

Yakubson, who ran 113 discount stores and casinos before quitting unexpectedly and selling out to his partners, opened his first Santa Bean this summer in his native Oryol.

Situated in a d o w n t o w n pedestrian mall on a site formerly occupied by one of Yakubson’s gambling halls, it was the central Russian city’s first coffeehouse.

Yakubson since has opened two Starbucks may file a lawsuit against more Santa Beans Santa Bean because of the company’s in Oryol. “I was similar-looking logo. Credit: Andrei Sasin tired of the boring food retail business,” Yakubson says of his career change. “In the region’s coffee market I am a pioneer. For me this is about self-actualization rather than money.”

Western-style coffee consumption, unheard of in Russia until the mid-1990s, has become increasingly fashionable in the larger cities, where three major chains compete fiercely for business.

In Moscow and St. Petersburg, the dark brown logo of Kofe-House, the creamy logo of Chokoladnitsa and the coal black logo of Coffee Bean are even more prevalent than the golden arches of McDonald’s. In both cities there is hardly a street without a coffee shop.

That was not true in Oryol. Before Yakubson opened Santa Bean, those few who dared to order coffee to go in the local canteens were looked upon as odd. Drinking coffee outdoors was considered bad manners, though drinking beer on the run was not. The only Starbucks outlet in Russia opened this August in a mega-mart in the Moscow suburb Khmiki.

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Page 16

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

October 19, 2007

Times best-selling author to talk at Temple about overachievers in high school

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator “You can’t just be the smartest. You have to be the most athletic, you have to be able to have the most fun, you have to be the prettiest, the best-dressed, the nicest, the most wanted. You have to constantly be out on the town partying, and then you have to get straight As. And most of all, you have to appear to be happy,” said a 17-year-old high school student.

High school isn’t what it used to be, discovered Alexandra Robbins, an investigative journalist, lecturer, and author who will make a community-wide presentation at no charge on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 6:30 p.m., at Temple Israel.

“With record numbers of students competing fiercely to get into college, schools are no longer primarily places of learning,” according to a description of Robbins’ book, The Overachievers, The Secret Lives of Driven Kids. “They’re dog-eat-dog battlegrounds in which kids must set aside interests and passions in order to strategize over how to game the system. In this increasingly stressful environment, kids are defined not by their character or hunger for knowledge, but by often arbitrary scores and statistics.”

Robbins, a 1994 graduate of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, MD, returned to her alma mater for her 10year reunion “just to have fun” and ended up following nine students terrified of making the wrong choices, grappling with horrifying parental pressure to succeed, worrying that years of overachieving will be wasted if they don’t attend a name-brand college, and struggling with perfectionism. The author

tackles issues such as the student and teacher cheating epidemic, over testing, sports rage, the black market for study drugs, and a college admissions process so cutthroat that some students are driven to depression and suicide because of a B grade.

Robbins even learned of the “insane” competition to be admitted to a prestigious Manhattan kindergarten.

“This is not just a book about overachievers,” she wrote in the opening chapter of her book. “This is a book about how a culture of overachieverism has changed the school experience so drastically in even the last ten years that it has startlingly altered what it means to be a student today.

“I should know,” she continues. “I didn’t choose to follow students for three semesters at Walt Whitman High School because it is one of the best public schools in the United States... I selected Whitman because in the mid-1990s, in many ways, I was these students, rushing through the same hallways, cramming anxiously for tests in the same classrooms, battling rivals on the same varsity fields. Walt Whitman...was where I became an overachiever,” wrote the cum laude graduate of Yale University, “and during the year of my...reunion, I went back to discover firsthand what had changed.”

Author of five books, two of them, Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis:

Advice from Twentysomethings Who Have Been There and Survived and Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities, have been on The New York Times best seller list.

Robbins has written for a number of publications including The New Yorker,

Alexandra Robbins The Atlantic Monthly, The Washington Post, USA Today, and Cosmopolitan. She has appeared on shows such as The O’Reilly Factor, 60 Minutes, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, Paula Zahn Now, The View, and Anderson Cooper 360° as well as CNN, NPR, the BBC, MSNBC, CNBC, C-SPAN, and the History Channel.

“I try to provide a voice for groups who don’t normally have their voices heard,” she said. “In this case, it was important to speak up for the kids who

look great on paper. People tend to assume that students who seem to have the perfect resumes are ‘fine,’ but in reality, they can have issues bubbling under the surface that they’re embarrassed or afraid to discuss.”

For 18 months, Robbins interviewed hundreds of students in most regions of the country including Omaha.

She provides a succession of critiques of the educational system, including ranking, parental pressure, the insignificance of standardized testing, and the push for A.P. classes. She suggests how to alleviate teens’ stress and panic at how far behind they feel. In conclusion, she recommends what schools, colleges, counselors, parents, and students can do.

“Let me be clear,” she adds. “This is not a call for mediocrity. It is a call for perspective. What good is a nation with the highest test scores in the world if many of its youngest citizens are so miserable they kill themselves? The point is that what I call ‘overachiever culture’ has changed the U.S. educational atmosphere to the point that students at all levels are negatively affected.”

She pointed out that her talk, underwritten by Stacy Simon with support from Jewish Family Service, will not be limited to overachievers. Robbins hopes parents who have children “at all educational levels” will attend. “A lot of families are stressed about schools, sports, and extracurriculars; my talk aims to help them relax, dispel myths about admissions processes, change the way they think about the teenage years, and open the lines of communication between parents and students.”

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2007 Hanukkah Gift Guide Cover Coloring Contest This drawing by Zev Randone won him 1st Prize last year.

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