Vol. LXXXVII No. 9 Omaha, NE
Celebrating 86 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
27 Cheshvan, 5768 November 9, 2007
Darfur torch, lit at Temple, on its way to Olympics in China
Crowd warms to author
by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator In front of the flame of Temple Israel’s Holocaust Memorial plaque, donated by Sam Fried, a Holocaust survivor, Mimi Silverman, representing Temple, and Anna Sully Sparwasser, from the Save Darfur: Omaha Coalition, lit a torch last month “to tap into the ideals of the Olympics and also to call on the host of the 2008 Olympics, the government of China, to do more to help end the genocide” in Darfur, a region of Sudan in Africa,” announced Sparwasser. Continued on page 6
Michael Oren, left, entranced event co-chairmen Andi Scioli, her parents Bruce and Pam Friedlander, and husband, Anthony Scioli, at a major donor dinner which preceded last Thursday night’s Federation Campaign community event. Author of several books including Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present, Oren spoke to a crowd of about 300 at Omaha’s Downtown Hilton. More photos on page 2.
Anna Sully Sparwasser, left, representing the Save Darfur: Omaha Coalition, and Mimi Silverman, co-chairman of Temple Israel’s Social Justice Committee, lead the procession out of Temple.
Four decades later, Diaspora Museum finds lessons in Soviet Jewry fight by DINA KRAFT TEL AVIV (JTA) -- The ink has begun to fade on the long, scroll-like piece of paper on which 300 Jews from the Soviet Union bravely penned their names and addresses to demand permission to move to Israel in the 1970s. At the time this seemingly innocuous action put them at risk of state harassment at best and years condemned to prison camp at worst. The scroll is among hundreds of documents on display in a new exhibit at Beit Hatefusoth, the Nahum Goldmann Museum of the Jewish Diaspora in Tel Aviv. The exhibit opened Oct. 30 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Soviet Jewry struggle. “There is no end to the stories here,” said Rachel Schnold, the exhibit’s curator. “People paid a very heavy price.” The unique display, titled “Jews of Struggle: The Jewish National Movement in the USSR, 19671989” presents historic perspective to a struggle that mobilized Israel, Poster for Solidarity Sunday March, NYC 1970s, Soviet Jews and the Jewish Diaspora from the exhibition Jews of Struggle: The Jewish in an unprecedented show of unity. National Movement in the USSR 1967-1989. Credit: Artist: Julia Noo Nan, It is one element of the Diaspora courtesy of Susan Green Museum’s recently launched $50 million campaign to revitalize the institu- media platforms, explains Hasia Israeli, tion, which fell on hard economic times director general of the museum. “We are in recent years. The goal is to modernize looking for those stories that have a mesthe museum and its message of Jewish sage and that strengthen the sense of unity for a 21st-century audience, belonging and what it means to be part of upgrading exhibits with interactive dis- the Jewish people,” Israeli said. As part of its revitalization plan, the plays, digitized archives and other multi-
Inside
museum also has launched an educational institute. The International School for Jewish Peoplehood Studies develops curricula, trains teachers and offers educational programming for students from around the world. The school is supported by the Nadav Fund, a charitable endeavor founded by Russian-Israeli billionaires Leonid Nevzlin, Vladimir Dubov and Mukhail Brudno, all of whom made their fortunes in the oil business. Nevzlin is the chairman of the museum’s board of directors. Israeli says the exhibit on Jews from the USSR is one of the finest examples of “Jews taking responsibility for one another -- a story of wanting to be Jewish.” The familiar chant “Let my people go” -the rallying cry at protests across the world -- echoes from posters covering the exhibit’s walls. Among the posters are placards once held high in demonstrations from Mexico City to Moscow. The movement to liberate Soviet Jews was a grass-roots effort involving housewives, students and community leaders who stood shoulder to shoulder sending letters and lobbying governments to take a stand. The exhibit reflects this, with photos of demonstrations big and small, from college students dressed in prison uniforms to the mass rally in 1987 at the Washington Mall. Some of the posters might look familiar to Diaspora visitors, such as one from the 1980s calling on New York Jews to join a Solidarity Sunday where marchers would make their way from City Hall to Battery
This Week: Salute to veterans: pages 4-5
See Front Page Stories & More at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’ Opinion Page see page 12
Jewish Film Festival opens this month: Page 3
Park, in lower Manhattan, demanding freedom for their brethren in the Soviet Union. Doreen Gainsford, a founder of the 35’s Women’s Campaign for Soviet Jewry, said the exhibit is meant to show people what really went on inside the struggle. “I don’t think Jews in the Soviet Union realized, and I don’t think Jews around the world realized the real struggle that took place -- that this was about a few people with the courage, force and motivation that gave them incentive to do this despite the threat of the Gulag,” she said. “There were a few people who stood up, and what we did is to respond to them.” Gainsford said the exhibit reflects the sense that “this is a piece of Jewish history, and it was people power and it was Jews standing up and fighting for themselves.” Included in the exhibit are postcards Sharansky received from his wife, Avital, while in prison -- a censor left thick lines in blue marker across half of the sentences. Avital Sharansky’s campaign for her husband’s release made Natan Sharansky a household name around the world. Sharansky will relate those days to an audience in Omaha when he speaks about human rights as part of the annual Shirley and Leonard Goldstein series at the University of Nebraska. The lecture will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m., at the Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom on the campus of UNO. Continued on page 2
Coming This Month: Hanukkah issue on Nov. 23 Visiting scholar to lead teacher training: Page 8
Teaching Jewish literacy beyond Book Month: Page 11
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
November 9, 2007
Crowd warms to author
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Planned Parenthood of Nebraska & Council Bluffs Presents:
“AN EVENING WITH CECILE RICHARDS” President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2007 Cocktails – 6 p.m. • Dinner – 7 p.m. Scott Conference Center Tickets $75 each For reservations contact Candy Haas at 554-1045. CLIP & SAVE
CALENDAR OF EVENTS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9 BBYO New Members Convention in St. Louis, through Nov. 11, noon USY Chapter Presidents Shabbaton, 3 p.m. at Beth El All Girls Shabbat Dinner, 4:45 p.m. at Chabad House Tot Shabbat and Dinner, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel Junior Congregation Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10 USY Chapter Presidents Shabbaton, 3 p.m. at Beth El Keshet Eilon in Performing Arts Series, 7:30 p.m.
C L SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11 I Annual Blood Drive, 9 a.m. at Chabad House Reading the Rambam, 9:45 a.m. at Beth Israel P Bible Study Group, 10 a.m. at Beth El &
Camp Day with Susan Alexander and Men’s Club with Mitch Sherman, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Mishpach Morning, 10:15 a.m. at Chabad Visions Brownville Concert, noon
S MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12 A Rosh Hodesh Group, 7 p.m. at Beth El V Women’s Zionism Then & Now, 7 p.m. E Derech Torah: Judaism 101, 8 p.m.
C L I P & S A V E
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER13 ADL Director to speak, 9 a.m. at Beth Israel WOW Prayer Circle, 9 a.m. at Chabad ADL/CRC Executive Committee Meeting, noon Eye on Israel, noon Executive Board Meeting, 5:30 at Friedel BBYO Night, 6 p.m. JFS Yachad Social Skills Class, 6 p.m. Parshah Roundup, 7 p.m. at Chabad Board of Directors Meeting, 7 p.m. at Friedel ADL Youth Leadership Mission 2008 Meeting, 7 p.m. Beth Israel Women’s Group Spirits & Spirituality, 8 p.m.
C L I P
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14 Mishpacha University’s Playgroup, 10:15 a.m. at Chabad Know Thy Muslim Neighbor, noon at Temple Israel NJHS Board Meeting, 3:30 p.m. Kabbalah Circle, 7 p.m. at Chabad JFS Love & Logic, 6 p.m. at Beth El
C L I P
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15
& Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel
&
S A V E
S A V E
Adult Study with the Clergy, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Kripke Library Book Discussion Group, noon Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. Women’s Book Group, 1:15 p.m. at Beth El Blumkin Home Family Night, 5:30 p.m. NCJW Board Meeting, 7 p.m. Theology Cafe, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel ADL Youth Leadership Mission Meeting, 7 p.m. Class with Rabbi Gross, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel
All events held at the JCC unless otherwise indicated. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of events. To keep calendar accurate or for questions, call Marlene Hert at 334-6437. FOR A COMPLETE LISTING, VISIT THE FEDERATION’S WEBSITE: www.JewishOmaha.org (click on calendar)
This Space For Rent Call Allan Handleman 334-6451
Photos from top left: The Federation Campaign kicked off in September with a Pacesetters event -- among them: Howard Kaslow, left, getting an early start on Michael Oren’s book, Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present, and Jay Noddle and Pacesetter Chairman Sandy Friedman. Rabbi Jonathan Gross, right, congratulates Rabbi Myer Kripke as the Humanitarian Award recipient. Mark Javitch greets Andy and Teresa Ruback, and Steve and Marcia Pitlor welcome Michael Oren to the event. Proud mother Sandra Belgrade displays the plaque acknowledging her son Bob as a recipient of the Spirit of Federation award. Rabbi Kripke’s daughter Netta and husband Yossi Stern came to celebrate, as did Madeline Kripke (not pictured). Federation Executive Director Jan Goldstein presents the Humanitarian Award to Rabbi Kripke. Margo and Steve Riekes are both recipients of the Spirit of Federation award (he was honored in 2005). Phil Schrager (who endowed the award with his wife Terri) presents it to Bob Belgrade. Rabbi Aryeh Azriel schmoozes with Nancy Noddle. Credit: Gary Javitch, Carol Katzman and Lisa Lieb. More photos and coverage of Oren’s speech in next week’s Jewish Press.
Lessons in Soviet Jewry fight Continued from page 1 Notebooks are filled with Hebrew words that dissidents in prison used to study furtively, along with the samizdat -- the underground publications put out by Soviet Jewish activists -- they read. It was dangerous and logistically difficult to make copies of censored works like poems by the Hebrew poet Hayyim Nahman Bialik. Even Leon Uris’ Exodus was revered as something akin to the Bible by young Zionist activists. This year marks 40 years since the struggle for Soviet Jewry began to take form as a real movement, inspired by the Israeli victory in the 1967 Six-Day War. As the exhibit shows, the roots of the struggle began in the immediate aftermath of World War II, when Jews in the Soviet Union were made to feel like outsiders. A 1957 youth festival held in Moscow and attended by an Israeli delegation was a key moment in the formation of the struggle. Soviet Jewish youth who came and mingled with their Israeli counterparts were left deeply inspired by the interaction, the exhibit demonstrates, but because the Soviet government did not allow contact between its citizens and foreigners, several of the young Jews were arrested. Tina Brodetsky was among them. She spent the years between 1958 and 1961 in Siberia for her crime. “I am very proud of my past,” Brodetsky, who now lives in Jerusalem, told JTA. “I always lived without compromise.” Brodetsky said she hopes the exhibit will help educate young Israelis, including immigrants from the former
Soviet Union, about the struggle she and her peers helped drive. Like many other former political prisoners and refusniks, Brodetsky expresses concern over what she calls post-Zionism and a lack of ideology among Israel’s leadership and people. “Our whole lives we struggled and what did we achieve? Where Natan Sharansky have we gotten? That remains a major question mark,” she said. Sharansky, the most famous of all the former Soviet Jewish dissidents and the head of the Committee on the 40th Anniversary of the Soviet Jewish Struggle for Freedom, was the main speaker at the exhibit’s opening. Writing in the exhibit’s catalog, Sharansky recounted the long and painful path to liberty made possible by the combined effort of the Soviet Jews themselves and Jews worldwide. “May the story of Soviet Jewry teach today’s Jewish people,” Sharansky wrote, “that the first step in the vital mission of tikun olam, repair of the world, must begin with a belief in the responsibility and mutual concern all Jews must share for one another and together for their state.”
November 9, 2007
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
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Award winners to premier at Sixth Annual Jewish Film Festival by GARY KATZ Library Administrator This is your chance to see the films everyone in the Jewish world is talking about. The Sixth Annual Jewish Omaha Film Festival will premier four blockbuster, award winning films shown in Omaha on the big screen for the first time. The festival runs from Nov. 25Dec. 2, in the Jewish Community Center Theatre. The award-winning films are: Steel Toes, Sweet Mud, The Rape of Europa, and Beaufort. Tickets are $6 each for single films and a special deli dinner before the movie “Beaufort” is $10. Reservations for dinner are due by Thursday, Nov. 29. Advance tickets and reservations for dinner are available by calling the Kripke Jewish Federation Library at 334.6462. No one under 17 is admitted. The festival is sponsored by the Center for Jewish Education, and funded in part by the Special Donor-Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. Jewish Omaha Film Festival Schedule: Sunday, Nov. 25, 7 p.m., Steel Toes (Canada, 2006, drama, 90 minutes) Starring Academy Award nominee David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck) and Andrew Walker, Steel Toes follows Mike Downey (Walker), a neoNazi skinhead, through the dark alleys of Canada and into the blackest regions of his own heart as he is tried for the murder
of an East Indian dishwasher. Guiding him through this journey is liberal Jewish defense attorney Danny Dunkelman (Strathairn), who must struggle past his own preconceptions of the disturbed young man. Together, Mike and Danny form a turbulent alliance and battle through generations of hate to discover the power of forgiveness. Wednesday, Nov. 28, 7 p.m., Sweet Mud (Israel, 2006, drama, subtitles, 90 minutes) Sweet Mud was the 2006 winner of the Israeli Film and Television Academy Award for best drama. Amidst the idyllic landscape of a kibbutz in 1974, 12-year-old Dvir is entering his bar mitzvah year. His father is dead, his brother is away in the army, and his mother, Miri, suffers from emotional instability. While the collective handles the practical needs of every family, the intangible moral support one expects from a close-knit cooperative is scarce. When Miri’s boyfriend arrives from Switzerland, it seems that Miri, may actually recover. But the “kibbutzniks,” already resentful of a “noncontributing” guest, cast him out after he tussles with another resident. The loss shatters Miri -- and Dvir must pick up the pieces. Vividly capturing the vagaries of ‘70s kibbutz life with gorgeous, glowing camerawork, Sweet Mud is the painful coming of age of a child who marshals all his resources to nurture
his own parent. The story also becomes a wrenching allegory for the casualties of any society that fails to tend to its members’ vulnerabilities. After the film, there will be a discussion of the film with Dr. Moshe Gershowitz, UNO Professor of History, and Zohar Weiner, community shlicha. Thursday, Nov. 29, 7 p.m., The Rape of Europa Co-sponsored by the Avy L. and Roberta L. Miller Foundation by Lindsey Miller-Lerman (USA, 2007, documentary, 117 minutes) The Rape of Europa tells the epic story of the systematic theft, deliberate destruction and miraculous survival of Europe’s art treasures during the Third Reich and World War II. In a journey through seven countries, the film takes the audience into the violent whirlwind of fanaticism, greed, and warfare that threatened to wipe out the artistic heritage of Europe. For twelve long years, the Nazis looted and destroyed art on a scale unprecedented in history. But heroic young art historians and curators from America and across Europe fought back with an extraordinary campaign to rescue and return the millions of lost, hidden and stolen treasures. The Rape of Europa begins and ends with the story of artist Gustav Klimt’s famed Gold Portrait, stolen from Viennese Jews in 1938 and now the most
expensive painting ever sold. Today, more than 60 years later, the legacy of this tragic history continues to play out as families of looted collectors recover major works of art, conservators repair battle damage, and nations fight over the fate of ill-gotten spoils of war. Joan Allen narrates this breathtaking chronicle about the battle over the very survival of centuries of western culture. Afterwards there will be a discussion of the film with Art Historian, Dr. Jenni Schlossman. Sunday, Dec. 2: Dinner and a Movie, Beaufort Deli Dinner at 6 p.m., movie at 7 p.m., co-sponsored by the Henry Monsky Lodge of B’nai Brith. (Israel, 2007, drama, subtitles, 125 minutes) Israel’s top film of 2007 and this years entry to the Academy Awards, Beaufort tells the story of Liraz Liberti, the 22 year-old outpost commander, and his troops in the months before Israel pulled out of Lebanon. This is not a story of war, but of retreat. There is no enemy, only an amorphous entity that drops bombs from the skies while terrified young soldiers must find a way to carry out their mission until their very last minutes on that mountaintop. As Liraz lays the explosives which would destroy that very same structure that his friends had died defending, he witnesses the collapse of all he’s been taught as an officer, and his soldier’s mental and physical disintegration.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
November 9, 2007
Tribute to America’s Veterans:
This vet never gave up his fight for life by GLORIA SHUKERT JONES In his famous soliloquy, Hamlet pondered, “.... Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and thus opposing, end them....” My brother, Michael Shukert, or Mike, as he preferred to be called, did both. He endured the unimaginable, yet fought to the end, with a stoicism gleaned in the military. On Aug. 27, Mike died from the complications of diabetes, a disease that impaired his heart, caused kidney failure, rendered him unable to heal properly, cost him the toes on his right foot, his left leg above the knee, and ultimately his life. Throughout his last six-month ordeal, he never complained and never once thought he would not recover, despite a multitude of setbacks. Most folks with diabetes live long and productive lives. The secret is to catch the disease early, before it lays the groundwork for complications. In Mike’s case, he never knew he had it until it was too late. By the time he was not feeling well, his blood sugar was off the charts. He was put on medication, and managed to do well for quite a while. Eventually, he had to have dialysis, a defibrillator/ pacemaker implanted in his chest, and cataract surgeries on both eyes. He took this all in stride and good humor, and in fact joked that he felt like the “Bionic Man”. Still, he was able to get around, drive to dialysis, and manage his daily routine. A great deal of his time was spent in doctors’ offices or hospitals. Mike was a likeable guy, jovial and friendly with a gift of gab. He was kind, considerate and always willing to lend a hand to someone in need. He made friends easily and loved to kid around and tell jokes. As children, I had to look after him when we went outside to play, and it seems I’ve always had a nagging sense of responsibility for his welfare ever since. As a teenager, Mike was a practical joker and a tease. As the classroom clown, his antics did not award him very good grades. He did have a photographic memory, and only had to look up a phone number or address once, and it was forever available for instant recall. After college, I married and left home. Mike enlisted in the United States Air Force, and served four years in the Medical Corps. After he was honorably discharged, he had changed considerably. Gone was the incorrigible kid brother, and in his place was a man who had served his country with pride and valor. He had matured into a real gentleman, one I hardly recognized. As the years went by, Mike and I lived our separate lives. He got married and worked. I was busy raising two daughters and working full time. We scarcely saw one another, except on occasional Sundays, when we went to mom’s for dinner.
Mike had a number of eccentricities and on a rope suspended had an obsession with clocks. Even as a between two cliffs over child, he would draw pictures of clock faces shark-infested waters, and with numbers, and hands pointing to variparachuted from airplanes, ous hours. Over the years, he acquired an as part of the rigorous extensive collection of clocks and fine maneuvers. watches, which included wall clocks, cuckHis doctors, the staff at oo clocks, chime clocks, table clocks, digiboth the Nebraska Medical tal clocks, and expensive watches he seldom Center and the Blumkin wore, but displayed in a case on his dresser. Home did everything they This preoccupation with time must have possibly could to get him been portentious, as though he sensed that well, but nothing seemed to his own time was running out. work. We weren’t exceptionally close, but I am reminded of Charles everything changed in 1994, when we lost Dickens’ opening line in our mom, Mike’s marriage failed, and his Great Expectation: “It was health problems began. the best of times; it was the He made lasting friendships in the miliworst of times….” It was the tary. Some 40 years after his discharge, a best of times, having Mike in Michael Shukert former buddy was in the Omaha area and my life. I really got to know left a message on Mike’s phone, wanting to get togeth- my brother for the first time -- what kind of mettle he er with him. Unfortunately, Mike was in the hospital at was made of. On the day before he died, Mike told me he was going the time. During the final stages of his illness, while he repeat- to get well, that he was going to walk out of the hospiedly bounced back and forth from the hospital to the tal on an artificial leg. He wanted me to think positive Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, and back again, I literally about his recovery. That was a giant leap of faith considbecame my brother’s keeper, a role for which I was total- ering the odds. I wondered if he really believed what he ly unprepared and ill-suited. I was his advocate, took said, or was just trying to reassure me. The next morncare of his financial and business affairs, made decisions ing, I got the dreaded phone call. For some people faced with all the issues Mike had, for him, did his laundry, and moved him out of his apartment. He was always optimistic about recovery, and and all he went through, death might have been welmade plans about what he would do when he got well. comed. But my brother wasn’t ready to die, because he I played along with his hopes and dreams, knowing in loved life too much. I’ll always remember him fondly as my heart they would never materialize. This was the guy, the laughing toddler, the jokester teen, the confidante, who in boot camp with his buddies, did hand-climbing my hero, the fighter, the mensch. May he rest in peace!
Husker writer Mitch Sherman to be Temple Men’s Club speaker by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator If you want to hear about the ups and downs of the football program at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Omaha World-Herald sports staff writer, Mitch Sherman, will give “An Inside Look at the Current State of Nebraska Football” at the Men’s Club program this Sunday, Nov. 11, 10 a.m., at Temple Israel. Sherman, a member of Temple, has been with the paper full time since 1998 after interning at the Omaha daily in 1996 and working as a correspondent during his last year of college in 1997. He covers football, baseball, and the College World Series. “Covering Tom Osborne’s three national champi-
onship teams while I was in college and the subsequent tumultuous period that followed in football” including the coaching shakeup of 2003-04 were among the highlights of his career,” he said. He also counts Nebraska baseball’s “rise to prominence and the recent successes of Alex Mitch Sherman Gordon and Joba Chamberlain at the major league level” exciting events in his writing career. Sherman’s Men’s Club talk is open to the community
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November 9, 2007
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
McCain to Jewish leaders: Peace in Israel requires U.S. win in Iraq being president. The senator did not raise the issue during his appearance, which focused on foreign-policy issues, nor did anyone in the audience who asked questions afterward. Following his talk McCain, who has since said he by JACOB BERKMAN would vote for a Muslim if that candidate were the most qualified, told a reporter that his Beliefnet comments NEW YORK (JTA) -- Stability in had been taken out of context. the Middle East, including Israel, rests on a decisive Recent national polls show McCain, once seen as the American victory in Iraq, Republican presidential candi- front-runner, trailing former New York City Mayor date John McCain told Jewish leaders. Rudy Giuliani and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Speaking Oct. 30 in New York to a meeting of the Thompson in the Republican primary race. In Iowa and Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish New Hampshire, polls have former Massachusetts Gov. Organizations, McCain said the Bush Mitt Romney ahead. administration had mishandled the war Even as he stood by the war, McCain and Americans were understandably criticized Bush's handling of several issues frustrated. and painted a bleak picture of the region. The U.S. senator from Arizona “Now of course things are bad,” he warned, however, that the United States said. “We now have a Syrian government cannot withdraw from Iraq. He said a that is trying to destabilize the governmeaningful resolution to the Israeliment in southern Lebanon. We have seen Palestinian conflict is virtually impossiHezbollah being rearmed in southern ble unless the United States scores a Lebanon to the point where they are even decisive victory there. more capable than they were before the McCain spoke briefly about last conflict. We have seen that elections Palestinian attacks against Israel and don’t mean democracy; rule of law means Iranian ambitions in the region -- two democracy.” hot-button issues for many Jewish Senator John McCain of Arizona He added, “And now we have a terrororganizations -- but focused nearly all of speaks to the Conference of ist organization in Gaza, and as we speak his talk on the importance of winning in Presidents of Major American someone is probably lobbing some Jewish Organizations, Oct. 30. Iraq. weapon into Israel, a rocket or something Credit: Jennifer Weisbord else.” “I believe that all of the situation is connected to Iraq,” he said. “When things are going Among other things, McCain warned, pulling out of well it is one thing. When things are going badly it is Iraq would create a vacuum that would be filled by Iran another thing.” and inspire radical Islamists all over the region, particuMcCain’s appearance at the conference, an umbrella larly in Egypt. All these scenarios would threaten Israel, group widely seen as the Jewish community’s main col- he said. lective voice on foreign affairs, comes just weeks after he In the push for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement, drew criticism for telling the website Beliefnet.com that McCain said he favored a step-by-step approach, noting he would probably be most comfortable with a Christian Continued on page 6
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THE HISTORIAN’S F OOTPRINT by OLIVER B. POLLAK I was born in London, England in 1943. My mother and father were refugees from Germany and Austria. I do not remember the Blitz, the buzz bombs, Vl and V2 rockets. I remember the aftermath. There were giant two story holes in the ground where there had once been buildings. My 86-year-old mother, now living in Southern California, remembers King George VI and the Queen Mother going to bomb sites to comfort and commiserate with the people. The carnage of war was omnipresent. The most vivid memory was of people scooting along the ground on little flat carts similar to what we use to go under a car. They were mangled, misshapen, or missing limbs. We could not pass them on the street without my father dipping into his pocket for a sixpence, thrupence, tuppence, or a penny and dropping it into a cup. His generosity has been a lifelong model for me. Food was in short supply. England maintained rationing un-til 1952. We received Care Packages from our family in America. I acquired a lifelong affection for Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup (launched in 1941). I still love the noodles, and the saltiness of the clumped up savory seasoning. Its like eating the cookie dough before it is cooked. The fact that it is not kosher means it does not enter our house, and thus the memory is even stronger. My grandfather was a surgeon in the Kaiser’s army in the Great War. He received shrapnel in the right arm and became a disability examiner in the German health service. Hitler awarded him the Honor Cross for Front Warriors in 1934, but because he was Jewish, his lot in the Final Solution was to be sent to Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, which he survived. My father, born in 1903, served in the Czech brigade during the Second World War, was discharged, and worked in war industries as a machinist. I joined the U.S. Naval Reserves in 1961, against my parent’s wishes. My deferments were cancelled in 1965; I was called and crossed the Pacific twice on a LST
(Landing Ship Tank) depositing Marines, equipment, soda pop, and soap on various Vietnamese beaches. Our diesel powered shallow bottom craft went up river to Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City. I am a grateful beneficiary of the G.I. Bill, which along with my working wife made it possible to go to UCLA graduate school and earn a Ph.D. in History. It has been our good fortune, perhaps a mixed blessing, that the draft was abolished. However, the citizen army has been outsourced to the less educated and minorities. Neither of my sons, now in their 30s, wore a uniform, other than a short stint in the Cub and Boy Scouts. The Iraq War is a highly visible little war. Disregarding the “Words of Mass Deception,” we have an obligation to veterans who went into harm’s way and got harmed. World War Two veterans are dying at the rate of about 1,000 per day. Korean and Vietnam vets are treading their way into gerontocracy and the graveyards. Survivors of Iraq’s IEDs (Improvised Explosive Device) may bring the war home to America for decades to come. State of the art medicine is rescuing soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen, who in earlier conflicts would be numbered among the dead. The military boasts a 95% survival rate. Artificial limbs, prosthetic devices, plastic surgery, and physical therapy make milestones in rehabilitating the human frame. Shell shock is now called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Even noncombatants, conscientious objectors, and men jailed for draft evasion, have their personal demons. Psychiatric intervention, anti-anxiety medication, and therapy work to reintegrate the battered human psyche into the workaday world. Living wage disability payments, long term health care, and the effort to return women and men to productive positions should be among our highest and honorable priorities. I close with this dark question. How do the Vietnamese manage the long term deleterious results of Agent Orange defoliant that surrounded them for far longer than it did our brave troops? What strains do the Iraqi civilian survivors of suicide bombings and IEDs place on the Iraqi health care system? War has a long tail. Oliver B. Pollak is an author, historian and attorney. He can be reached at: obpomni@aol.com.
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November 9, 2007
Darfur torch on way to Olympics 319-1600 Seniors Real Estate Specialist
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Continued from page 1 Silverman added, that the “flame honors those who died and those who continue to suffer.” She also said, the “flame celebrates the courage of those who have survived” the genocide in Darfur and “symbolizes the hope we share for an end to the violence in Darfur and an end to genocide everywhere.” Just before Chris Wilczewski began the first leg of the relay through Omaha, leading to Memorial Park where the Omaha stretch of the international relay concluded,
Kids, parents share fun during Beth El’s ‘Bring Your Parents to School Day’ by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator
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Chris Wilczewski takes the torch and gets started on his mile run to bring attention to the genocide in Darfur. Silverman pointed out that “more than 15 groups including Beth El Synagogue, Beth Israel Synagogue, the Anti-Defamation League, and the National Council of Jewish Women will be ... declaring that the killing of more than 400,000 people and the displacement of 2.5 million more people is not acceptable! The message is simple: Bring the Olympic Dream to Darfur.” Begun more than a year ago in Chad which borders Darfur, the torch relay will reach China at the opening of the Olympic Games next August. The relay was sponsored by the Save Darfur Coalition, Dream for Darfur, and STAND: A Student AntiGenocide Coalition.
More than 50 enthusiastic parents converged on Beth El last month, to enjoy the Talmud Torah’s annual ‘Bring Your Parents to School Day,’ which treated families to a morning of fun and creative learning activities. Top photo, Tiffany Hoberman helped her kindergarten-age daughter Gabrielle, make a life-sized drawing of herself; Bottom photo, seventh grader Naomi Zipursky and her dad, Jim, worked on their contribution to the class’s time capsule, writing about what it means to be Jewish in 2007.
Beth Israel Sisterhood offers diverse activities in November by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue Explore Judaism with friends and learn a new recipe or two! Beth Israel’s Sisterhood is offering several different activities during the month of November and the community is invited to attend. On Tuesday, Nov. 13, 8 p.m., there will be a “Spirits and Spirituality” session at the home of Janet Kohll, 107 So. 128 Plaza. Liat Shyken will facilitate the discussion. “Spirits and Spirituality” get-togethers provide women with a pleasant way to spend an evening while exploring Judaism. Wine and light refreshments
are served. Sisterhood will host a Kosher Kitchen class at Beth Israel on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 7:30 p.m., focusing on Hanukkah recipes. Rabbi Jonathan Gross will lead the class. Tastes and demonstrations will be organized by Kelly Kirk. A Mah Jongg group is also being organized. Sisterhood is interested in learning how many people are interested, as well as day and time preference. Please call to indicate if you prefer a morning, afternoon or evening time to play. For more information, call the office at 556.6288.
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Continued from page 5 that President Clinton failed in his effort to reach a comprehensive settlement in one fell swoop. McCain would not outline the first few steps that should be implemented, nor would he give a timeline for how long it should take to forge an agreement. He said possible early steps could include an agreement on water rights or a resolution to the conflict on Israel’s border with Lebanon, which he called a flashpoint. McCain, who has taken heat in some Jewish circles for an interview with Ha’aretz in which he was interpreted as saying that Israel should return to 1967 borders, was scant as well on details of what a final peace could look like. The GOP hopeful offered only that Israel would be recognized as a country and have peaceful relations with its neighbors. Later, in response to a question, McCain told reporters that a deal ultimately would include a Palestinian state, but calm had to be restored first. “I don't know how you deal with Hamas when they are dedicated to your extinction,” he said. “That brings me back to Iraq. If we fail in Iraq, you have chaos and genocide there. Then you are going to have a heck of a time getting any progress in the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict. If you believe that the State of Israel will be more secure if the United States fails in Iraq, you and I have a disagreement.” McCain slammed the Bush administration for failing to cut spending and not acknowledging climate change. The need to fight global warming should have been a centerpiece of a push for energy independence, he said. “The Bush administration has not recognized that climate change is real, and we need to change our policies,” said McCain, who stressed nuclear energy as the main alternative to oil. McCain voiced frustration over Russia and China using their vetoes on the U.N. Security Council to thwart American diplomatic efforts to stop genocide in Darfur, and to deal with the nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea. He suggested that democratic countries form a League of Democratic Nations to enact sanctions against rogue nations, but also made clear that he was not saying America should withdraw from the United Nations. “We can impose the kind of sanctions that could be very, very impactful on Iran,” he said. McCain also said he would disinvite Russia from next year’s G-8 summit.
November 9, 2007
Rainbow of Unity by SHEVI KATZMAN for Chabad House The vibrant rainbow in the story of Noah is full of lessons concerning how to treat our world and environment to ensure it to be a better place to live. The rainbow was first shown to Noah by G-d to symbolize his promise to Noah that He will never flood the world again. At the time, the flood cleaned the world of dirt, both physically and spiritually. By reliving the story of Noah as it is read in the weekly Torah portion, the world can be viewed and freshly cleansed by G-d. After learning about the story of Noah and the purity it brought to the world, the families at Mishpacha Mornings resolved to do Mitzvot to help keep the world clean. The Denenberg Mishpacha will “Speak nicely and share.” The Edwards Mishpacha chose to “light Shabbat candles.” The “clean” acts committing to various Mitzvot by the Mishpachas were recorded on cards which are now displayed at the Chabad House.
Alan Tsvid, son of Sergey and Alexandra Tsvid, works to complete the rainbow. The children created a rainbow of unity with recycled material to help preserve the environment’s goodness and learn the lesson of maintaining a better world together. Alan Tsvid, son of Sergei and Alexandra Tsvid, said “I love doing this!” The students kept busy gluing colored objects into the correct stripe of the rainbow while discussing the significance of their act. After the class, the parents helped their children complete the project. “Creating a rainbow together incorporates the students’ artistic talents as well as enforces the message of creating a unified world where people strive to do good things,” explains Shani Katzman, director of Mishpacha University. Mishpacha Mornings take place every Sunday morning and are open to the community families with young children. For more information, email MishpachaU@ gmail.com or call me at 330.1800.
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Temple scholar to deliver hopeful message for interfaith relations by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator In his most recent book, The Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims, Dr. Reuven Firestone, who will be the scholar-in-residence at Temple Israel from November 16 to 18, wrote that across the United States, there is a movement among Jews, Muslims, and Christians to “keep feuds and ancient rivalries outside the American equation, minimize conflict among each other...learn about each other, and make contributions to a national life that has so often been identified simply with Christianity.” The book by Firestone, who is a professor at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, is included in the American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) project in Muslim-Jewish relations. A companion volume by Khalid Duran, entitled The Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Islam for Jews, was published simultaneously. Recognizing AJC’s sponsorship of these two volumes, Gary Marshall, chair of Temple Israel’s Adult Education Committee, noted that “we are part of a tentative, cautious, and hopeful relationship that is in its early stages. While we share a common patriarch, our faith traditions have unfolded in different directions. Most of us, as Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, pointed out” when he spoke in August before the Islamic Society of North America, “know little about one another’s beliefs and religious practices.” “It is ... our collective task to strengthen and inspire
one another as we fight the fanatics and work to promote the values of justice and love that are common to both our faiths,” Rabbi Yoffie said when he spoke at the annual convention in Chicago. Dr. Firestone, also a rabbi, is an expert on both the Torah and the Qur’an. Throughout his weekend residency, sponsored by Temple’s Hermene Zweiback Center for Lifelong Jewish Learning, he will focus on “Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in Dialogue and Dissent,” beginning with his d’var Torah at Shabbat worship services on Friday, Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m., when he spotlights Jerusalem. He’ll continue on Saturday, Nov. 17, 9 a.m. at Sparks Beneath the Surface, Temple’s Shabbat morning study group which precedes 10:30 a.m. worship services, when he discusses what Islam says about Jews and Judaism. He’ll conclude on Sunday, Nov. 18, 10 a.m. when he talks about the problem of chosenness. “Both our traditions place emphasis on compassion and mercy,” said Dr. Firestone. “There’s a lot of room in both faiths for repentance and reconciliation. I feel very strongly that religion is not the cause of the tension, frictions, and problems between Muslims and Jews, Palestinians and Israeli Jews. Other problems -economic and human ones -- are couched in religious terms, because religions have been proven to be effective in mobilizing large numbers of people to engage in extraordinary acts.” He added, “Sometimes those acts are positive, and sometimes they’re negative.” Dr. Firestone’s presentations are open to the community.
Temple students take Red Cross Course and the Heimlich maneuver.” She took the training, by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator which was offered by Temple Israel’s Middle/High Six Temple Israel madrichim are now trained in how School, because, “I want to be a better babysitter and to handle emergencies. know what to do in an emerTaught by Red Cross educagency.” Hannah Perry, 12, said she tors, the six recently spent really liked the course too. “I eight hours learning how to thought it was informative. I interview for a babysitting learned child CPR, basic first job, choose safe and ageaid, and generally how to appropriate toys and games present yourself in front of for their younger charges, clients.” carry out first aid, perform All of the students in the diapering and feeding techbabysitting training class, niques, handle bedtime which was underwritten by issues, and more. “I thought it was amaz- Hannah Perry, left, Ariel Kohll, Alexis Slutzky, and Sophia the Ruth and Bernard Raskin ing,” 14-year-old Sophia Miller practice the Heimlich maneuver. “It’s hard!” admitted Youth Activities Fund, work Miller said. “I learned CPR, Sophia Miller. Others in the class were Zoe Cohen and Yaniv with younger children in what to do in an emergency, Azriel. Temple’s Religious School.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
November 9, 2007
Beth El’s upcoming scholar JTS professor driven by ‘Sense of Mission’ to Jewish education by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Dr. Barry Holtz always planned to join the world of academics, and during his teenage years, had set his sights on becoming an English professor. However, after receiving his doctorate, he was drawn to a different calling -- a livelihood to which he has been dedicated for almost three decades. “I realized that as much as I liked English literature and enjoyed reading and teaching it, I didn’t want to center my career around it, because it didn’t seem to have a sense of mission, whereas being a Jewish educator did,” said Dr. Holtz, who serves as the Theodore and Florence Baumritter Professor of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. “This was something I wanted to do for myself and also for my people,” said the esteemed professor, who will serve as Beth El Synagogue’s scholar-in-residence on Friday-Saturday, Nov. 16-17. “I felt that the Jewish people had a mission, that education was part of the greater mission, and that teaching in Jewish schools and then becoming a teacher of Jewish teachers was where I wanted to go.” Through “very good fortune,” Dr. Holtz was able to study with leaders in the academic field of Jewish education, and became affiliated with the Jewish Theological Seminary in the mid-1970s. He has since dedicated himself to training Jewish educators at the William Davidson Graduate School of Education and has written and edited numerous publications in the field of Jewish education, including 1984’s Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts, a book widely used in university and adult-education courses, and Finding Our Way: Jewish Texts and the Lives We Lead Today. His most recent book, Textual Knowledge: Teaching the Bible in Theory and in Practice, received the National Jewish Book Award for Education in 2004. In addition, he served for 12 years as co-director of the JTS’s Melton Research Center for Jewish Education,
Dr. Holtz explained his passion for Jewish education and his immersion in Jewish life by recalling numerous influences during his formative years. “I was raised in a Jewishly committed, very involved Conservative family in Brookline, Massachusetts, in a very active synagogue which has produced many rabbis and Jewish educators, so there was a culture in that community that encouraged people to go into Jewish professional life,” he said. “I was very fortunate to have -- particularly during my teenage years -- some wonderful role models, rabbis and teachers, youth leaders and friends, who were also engaged in the same kind of quest, so that was the backdrop to it.” Now, years later, Dr. Holtz is optimistic about both the heightened interest in Jewish education and the increased interest by young people wishing to become Jewish educators. I think that it’s in many ways a very good time for Jewish education, that the field has much more of a cache than it did 30 or 40 years ago,” he said. “There are a lot of young people who see Jewish education as a career path, and there are many exciting things going on in Jewish education in many different ways. He explained, “For example, if you went back 30 years, nobody would’ve predicted the explosion of non-Orthodox day schools, and certainly nobody would’ve predicted the interest in adult Jewish learning around the country. It’s a huge change.” Despite the fact that Jews attend college with the highest percentage of any ethnic minority, Dr. Holtz noted that this highly-educated population has not been very Jewishly educated. “At a certain point, often when people have young children, they start thinking about ‘where will my kids get their Jewish education’ or ‘what kind of Jewish education should they have’; then they come to realize, ‘Well, how can I make these decisions if I myself don’t know very much?’” he asked. “So the burgeoning of the adult education phenomenon has to do with people wanting a kind of sophisticated post-collegiate education and they find that Judaism is a very rich, very deep, very profound and intellectually-challenging tradition, so there’s been a huge amount of enthusiasm about Jewish learning at the adult level which is quite amazing.” To further illustrate the increased interest in adult education, Dr. Holtz cited the
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success of the Melton Mini Schools, known as the largest pluralistic adult Jewish education network in the world. “Melton, in 15 to 20 years of existence, have graduated 20,000 people, who have gone through that once-a-week, two-year program -- this is an astounding thing,” he said, adding that synagogues have picked up on that interest and increased learning opportunities for adults. This heightened interest in Jewish learning has also spilled over to collegeaged students, and Dr. Holtz said he is seeing more young people studying to become Jewish educators. He applauded the growth of Jewish Studies departments in universities around the country, citing that about 1,000 schools offer at least one course in Jewish studies, “whether it’s Hebrew or one course on the Holocaust.” He also noted that one of the statistics that the 2001 National Jewish Population Survey discovered -- “to the amazement of everybody” -- was the high percentage of Jewish students on college campuses who have taken at least one course in Jewish studies. “It’s surprising; we’re not just talking about Brandeis or Yale, but throughout the Midwest you have this phenomenon.” Dr. Holtz gave credit to these Jewish Studies departments for bolstering the interest of Jewish college graduates who are trending into Jewish education. “I give credit to Hillel, too -- it’s done a lot of
work,” he commented, “but I think the surprise was that creating these professorships would also have an impact on Jewish identity -- and it seems to have done that.” During his upcoming visit, Dr. Holtz will offer several thought-provoking presentations: at a special Shabbat dinner following services on Friday, Nov. 16, 6 p.m., he will discuss “Why Read the Great Jewish Books? How Jewish Classics Can Speak to Our Lives”; the following day, he will present the morning service’s D’var Torah, and during kiddush luncheon, he will address “Friendship and Conflict: How the Rabbis of the Talmud Thought About Community and Disagreement.” The Jewish community is invited to enjoy Dr. Holtz’s presentations. Cost for the Friday night dinner is $12.50 for adults; $8.50 for children six to 12; no charge for children five and younger. There is no charge to attend Saturday’s luncheon. Babysitting will be available upon request. To make reservations for dinner, send a check made out to Beth El at 14506 California St. Omaha, NE 68154, and indicate the number of people attending; deadline is Monday, Nov. 12. For information, contact Program Director Margie Gutnik at 492.8550 or at programming@bethel-omaha.org. This scholar-in-residence weekend has been made possible by the Dorothy and Henry Riekes Family Endowment Fund.
Visiting scholar to lead teacher training by CHERYL LERNER Administrative Assistant-Center for Jewish Education The Center for Jewish Education will sponsor a teacher training session with Dr. Barry Holtz, entitled “What’s Worth Learning Here: Deciding What We Teach and Why” on Sunday, Nov. 18, 12:30-2:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center. The training will focus on how pedagogic decisions are made and what criteria to apply when thinking about goals and practices. “I will present a model for what I call, “pedagogic reasoning,” said Dr. Holtz. “Part of the act of teaching is editing and crystallizing what is worth teaching, based on who we are trying to reach and the context in which we are working.” Dr. Holtz is a professor of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological
Seminary. He leads courses in teaching classical texts, professional development for teachers, the philosophy of Jewish education, and current issues confronting Jewish education. He will be in Omaha as a scholar-in-residence at Beth El, Nov. 16-17. He served for 12 years as Co-director of the Melton Research Center for Jewish Education at JTS, where he supervised the writing and publication of several volumes of the Melton Graded Curriculum materials for Jewish schools across North America. Dr. Holtz will lead the session for the educators from Beth El, Beth Israel, Beyt Shalom, Friedel Jewish Academy, the Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center, and Temple Israel. For more information, contact the CJE office at 334.6445, or via e-mail to mgrossman@jewishomaha.org.
KIDS!
We Need Your Artistic Talent! Your color drawing could be on the front of our Hanukkah Gift Guide! Use color markers, crayons, construction paper or whatever you like to create your drawing on an 8.5X11 piece of white paper. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. Fill out the form below, attach it to the back and send or bring it to the Jewish Press, 333 South 132 Street, Omaha, NE 68154. The deadline is Monday, November 12, 2007.
This drawing by Zev Randone won him 1st Prize last year.
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November 9, 2007
Temple’s book club open house generates three new reading groups book club which she hopes by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications will branch out into a variety Coordinator of religions. With her son living in Maisha Liwaru, a speaker Israel, Mimi Rogers-Farkas for the Islamic Speakers thought joining a book club Bureau of Nebraska, is also that will read Israeli fiction registered for the interfaith “was a great opportunity. I book club. “I believe that have never been in a book it’s not only important for club, but I’m excited for it me to know the teaching of to begin,� she said. my own faith but also be In September, Temple familiar with other religious Israel hosted a Book Club beliefs. I think the book club Open House giving book might push me to do more lovers a chance to organize of something I enjoy very into clubs based on topics of Susan Rothholz stands in front of her wall of books, some of much,� she added. their own choice. The Israeli which date back to her college years. “I’m an avid reader,� said fiction group will be led by Zohar Winer, the Jewish Bill Roberts, a member of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Community Center’s shlicha. Winer said she will ask the “although most of my reading is not affiliated with any participants to select the books. She also said more read- club. I learned about the interfaith book club through ers are welcome to join those who have already registered. my involvement with the education committee of the Leslie Norman mentioned that she loves reading and Tri-Faith Initiative,� a partnership of Temple Israel, the is a member of another book club but thought it would Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska, and the American be fun to read books by Israeli authors. She and Rogers- Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture. Roberts said he Farkas also joined about 20 other reading enthusiasts in looks forward to “being exposed to fresh perspectives. I an interfaith book club which Beth Katz, director of hope there is something I can add, but to be honest, I Project Interfaith, an affiliate of the Anti-Defamation expect I will take away from this book club more than I League, will facilitate. Norman is looking forward to will add.� “stimulating dialogue.� Allyson Bradin loves to read but as the mother of two Katz explained that the interfaith book club is in its young children and working fulltime, she doesn’t have a formative stages and that she’s open to suggestions from lot of time for book clubs. The third group that formed the group. “I think that anytime you have people of dif- from Temple’s Open House is a Sunday morning book ferent faiths, it provides enriching conversation.� club whose members will alternate leading discussions. Susan Rothholz has a wall of hundreds of books in her “I thought it would be great timing as I’ll already be at home. “It’s a disease!,� she emphasized. “I’d never get Temple to drop off my daughter,� Bradin pointed out. on an airplane without at least three books or magaTemple’s Book Club Open House was sponsored by zines.� Rothholz participates in an interfaith group the Hermene Zweiback Center for Lifelong Jewish “where we just talk.� She signed up for the interfaith Learning.
ORGANIZATIONS 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. VISIONS Reminders: Brownville Concert Series presents “I’ll be Seeing You...Love Songs of World War II� by Andrea Marcovicci on Sunday, Nov. 11 in Brownville, Nebraska with dinner following at the Brownville Lyceum. For members going on the day trip please be at the JCC by 11:45 a.m. Visions luncheon meeting is Friday, Nov. 16, 12:30 p.m., at Caniglia’s Venice Inn. Cost is $10 per person. Special guest is Rachel Jacobson, Film Streams founder and director. Send reservations to Tootie Simon, 8725 Izard St., Omaha, NE 68114. Call Harry Alloy with questions at 697.8709. Make check payable to Visions.
ENGAGEMENT LINDHOLM/MARX Sara Rebecca Lindholm and Gordon Marx of Somerville, MA announce their engagement. The bride-to-be will graduate from Tufts University with a degree in political science in December 2007. She is the web editor of BabagaNewz, a Jewish magazine and website for kids. She is the daughter of former Lincolnites Cathy Kushner and David Lindholm. She is the granddaughter of Marcia and Sheldon Kushner of Lincoln, NE, the late Lloyd Francis and the late Evelyn Arline Lindholm. Her fiancĂŠ graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.S. in computer engineering. He is a software engineer with Raytheon. He is the son of Carol and Howard Marx of Virginia Beach, VA. He is the grandson of Jeanne Meth of Boynton Beach, FL, and the late Melvin Meth, and Marjorie Marx of Red Bank, NJ, and the late George “Punchyâ€? Marx. A wedding is planned for April 6, 2008, in Boston.
BIRTHDAY Sally Morgan Venger will celebrate her 100th birthday on Nov. 17. A native Omahan, she attended Druid Hill grade school and graduated from Central High School, where she was inducted into the National Honor Society. She worked in the family grocery store, where she met a young salesman, Abe Venger. The couple married in 1937 and raised two daughters, Nancy (Hornstein) and Enid (Wenner). Abe died in 1977, but Sally remained active, later studying real estate and obtaining her broker’s license. She also volunteered at Beth El Synagogue (where she helped to start a preschool), the Jewish Community Center, Omaha Community Playhouse and Joslyn Art Museum, where she was a docent; she was also president of the Young Energetic Seniors. In her later years, she interned for Rep. Hal Daub’s Omaha office, representing seniors. In addition to her daughters, her grandchildren include: Jill and Joe Goldstein, Beth and Michael Karotkin of Austin, TX, Joe Hornstein of Denver, CO, Dan and Chris Wenner of Brooklyn, NY, and Michelle Wenner of San Diego, CA; and great-grandchildren Jack and Alex Goldstein, and Josie Wenner of Brooklyn. Donations in her honor may be sent to the Bennett Hornstein Endowment at the Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Omaha.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 9
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November 9, 2007
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IN THE NEWS University of Nebraska Medical Center Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., has named Michael Leibowitz, Ph.D., interim director of the MunroeMeyer Institute, effective Nov. 15. Dr. Leibowitz, deputy director of UNMC’s Munroe-Meyer Institute, succeeds Bruce Buehler, M.D., who is retiring after 24 years as director of MMI and 16 years as chairman of pediatrics. Dr. Buehler will continue to serve on the full-time faculty. “Mike is as knowledgeable about MMI as anyone on this campus and will do an outstanding job as interim director,” Dr. Maurer said. “His background as deputy director will provide for a smooth transition during this interim period. I am most grateful to Dr. Buehler for his outstanding work in bringing MMI to its current level of achievement.” Dr. Leibowitz has served as deputy director of MMI since 1997. He also serves as director of the Nebraska Center for Disabilities at MMI, associate professor of pediatrics and section head in pediatrics for the rehabilitation medicine section. The immediate goal, Dr. Leibowitz said, is to begin preparations for MMI to become an academic program at UNMC. “Building MMI’s academic mission will be a major opportunity for us to expand interactions with the other colleges and programs on campus,” he said. “It also will increase the visibility of the institute regarding the teaching we do for the 225plus students at the institute, including medical students, residents, post doctoral fellows and interdisciplinary interns who come to us from as many as 40 colleges and universities across the country.”
Dr. Leibowitz came to UNMC in 1974 from Johns Hopkins University, where he was associate director of psychological services. He launched his career at UNMC as director of psychological services and has worn many hats over the years. A native of New York, N.Y., Dr. Leibowitz’s research interest is in developmental disabilities and analysis and remediation of behavior problems in young children. Dr. Leibowitz received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from New York University in New York, his master’s degree in general psychology from the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., and his doctoral degree in clinical and experimental psychology from the University of Maryland. The beautifully illustrated book, Homeland, has been awarded the Gold Medal in the Non-Fiction Young Adult category of the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, which honors the year’s best children’s books, authors and illustrators. Presented by Independent Publisher Online and Jenkins Group, the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading. According to former Omahan Barbara Chandler, who handles marketing for the publisher, Homeland, was chosen as one of the gold medal winners from a total of 862 entries received from authors and publishers in 45 U.S. states, six Canadian provinces, and seven countries overseas.
Parents learn about overachiever culture from author by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Alexandra Robbins, a guest of Temple Israel last month, spoke to a crowd of mostly parents on The Overachievers, The Secret Lives of Driven Kids which is the title of one of her books. Also an inves- Alexandra Robbins spoke to tigative reporter, Temple parents on the lives of Robbins, a 1994 graduate kids driven to overachievement. of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland, returned there for her 10-year reunion. That led her to track the lives of nine students who
were terrified of making the wrong choices, suffering from intense parental pressure to succeed, worrying that years of overachieving would be wasted if they didn’t attend a name-brand college, and struggling with perfectionism. “I enjoyed it. It was very interesting,” said Amber Baker who attended with her husband Tom. She wanted to attend “to get another point of view” and found it “absolutely” relevant. “I didn’t agree with everything she said, but she validated some of my decisions.” The Bakers have children in seventh and eighth grades. John Lehr, who has two school-age children, acknowledged that “it’s great that Temple and its donors make available interesting speakers and presentations designed to expose both its members and the larger community to a variety of topics such as Alexandra’s.”
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT SNAP! Productions presents Tony Kushner’s twopart Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, Angels in America. The play is widely considered the most important, spectacular and entertaining American play of the late 20th century. As relevant today as at the height of the AIDS crisis, Kushner’s epic vision touches on Mormonism, Judaism, racism, homosexuality, marriage, history, politics and art. And yet the story remains profoundly human. SNAP! Productions will be presenting both parts of Angels in America. Part I: Millennium Approaches will
run from Nov. 15–Dec. 9 at 3225 California St. Curtain times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. and Sundays, 6 p.m. The Sunday, Dec. 9 show will start at 2 pm. The theater opens a half hour before curtain time. Reservations may be made by calling 402.341.2757 or on the SNAP! website: www.snapproductions. com. Tickets are $15, general admission; $12, students, senior citizens, and TAG members. The premiere of Part II: Perestroika will run from March 6-30, 2008.
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During the last week of October, Friedel held the annual Red Ribbon Week. This is a program aimed at teaching children about the dangers of Drugs and other risky behaviors. The students get to dress up differently every day, and extra tzedakah is collected. Thursday was “Crazy Hair Day” and students and teachers were asked to wear their hair in an original way or wear a hat. Left: Samuel Bogomolni took it quite far, or so his father, Cantor Gaston Bogomolni thought; teachers Eadie Tsabari, left, and Denise Bennett with students Sarah Kutler and Isabella Wright joined the fun.
November 9, 2007
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
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Teaching Jewish literacy beyond Jewish Book Month by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT be “Literate Jews.” This is a complicated When one looks at the state of literacy subject, as evidenced by the wide range of in America today, a scary picture devel- opinions in the media. ops. While different sources give different According to Paula Hyman, Professor numbers, the overall consensus is that of Modern Jewish History at Yale, approximately 44% of Americans are “There has been no consensus on the functionally illiterate. An additional 25% issue of ‘who is an educated Jew’ for of the population can perform basis tasks, more than 200 years.” Nonetheless, it is but is not proficient in higher-level read- possible to come up with a somewhat sating or problem solving skills. isfying definition of what we want our Needless to say, literacy is high on the children to learn and accomplish. agenda for schools across the nation. Jo Kay is a Director at the School of Friedel Jewish Academy is no exception. Education at Hebrew Union College, Principal Cookie Katskee agrees, and she offers some helpful tips. “To cre“Reading is a food for life. In order to ate a Jewish home, function in synafunction in society and succeed, one needs gogue, and in communal life, what to be able to read and comprehend the should we know, feel, and be able to do?” written word. Children who master the she asks. She subsequently organizes the written word, master life.” Underscoring the emphasis on literacy is the Scholastic Book Fair, held annually at Friedel. Organizer and teacher Barb Sather explains, “We want to get books in the hands of kids; the more kids read, the more they will learn. The Book fair also helps us raise funds and build our own library.” Sather tries to fill the fair with as many Jewish books as possible. “We like a wider topic range than just the holidays. We want to include books by Jewish writers and Bob Goldberg and Susan Fellman Witkowski share insights durillustrators, and stories with ing the ‘One Book’ program with Bev Fellman, Susan’s mother. Jewish themes and characters.” answer in several main categories: Both Katskee and Sather agree that We should study Torah; we should have parental involvement is key to giving chil- faith, identify ourselves as Jews, and feel a dren a good start. “Seeing their parents connection with Israel. We should cerread gives them such good incentive,” tainly be familiar with the holidays, as Sather says. “Kids enjoy hearing adults read well as with life cycle events. Finally, she to them, and they want to be like their par- adds, we need to be involved in Jewish ents and teachers. The more they see us deeds. While we may want our children read, the more they will delve into a book.” to be knowledgeable Jews, it is also an One example is the recently introduced obligation to teach them what we know. ‘One Book, One School’ program at The Talmud states, “He who does not Friedel, where parents and teachers meet share his knowledge will ultimately lose after hours to read and discuss literature. it.” This raises the question: are we, as The first session involved Jonathan adults, doing our part? In order to impart Wilson’s biography of Marc Chagall. the necessary knowledge to our children, While a group of adults came together to we need to first obtain and maintain that learn, the students at Friedel were intro- knowledge; we need to be teachers and duced to Chagall’s artwork. They subse- students simultaneously. This dual role is quently created their own Chagall- a challenge for most parents. inspired paintings under the supervision Temple Israel’s Rabbi Aryeh Azriel of art teacher Julie Phillips. Their artwork agrees that this can be a struggle: “We are has been displayed in the commons often called the ‘People of the Book,’ and room, and can be admired by any visitor it sounds like a name one can take pride who comes to the school. in. In truth, we Jews are people of many It is an inspiring example of parents, important books. Our long history has teachers, and students coming together provided us with volumes of practical wisand creating a community effort. It also dom for daily living, and these sources are reminds us that literacy, in and of itself, is available to all nowadays. Still, we get merely a beginning. We don’t want our sidetracked with fads, such as “effective kids to be ‘just’ literate; we want them to parenting in 10 minutes” -- while it is all
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too easy to ignore 4000 years of character shaping lessons from our tradition.” It is when we study our traditions and our history that we can reasonably expect our children to be inspired. Luckily, involved parents can be found all over the Jewish community. Bob Goldberg, who spearheaded the ‘One Book One School’ program at Friedel, agrees. “Education is a central focus of all Jewish life. The ‘One Book’ program reinforces the need to pursue knowledge, and learning, in the adult community. Its residual effect is that our children see this and gain an appreciation for learning,” he says. “As a youngster, I remember learning a primary lesson of the Holocaust, which was that, at any time, all our pos-
Torah teaches us, we gain strength through learning.” Goldberg is not the only parent who feels this way. His sentiments are echoed by Susan Fellman-Witkowski, whose daughter Gabby is a first-grader at Friedel with Goldberg’s daughter Lily. “Our whole history is about pursuing education and literacy as a way of life,” she says. “and I think that Jewish literacy for our children should be seamless. Learning to love learning, including Jewish learning, should be part of everyday life. It is part of who my daughter is every day. She doesn’t have to compartmentalize her Jewishness; she is not a ‘general student’ by weekdays, and a ‘Jewish student’ only on a Sunday morning or a Tuesday afternoon.” There are many ways we as adults can get involved. If we don’t find the time to read a novelization of Chagall’s life, we can show our children by cooking traditional foods, helping them study the Aleph-Bet or ensuring they are ready for their B’nai Mitzvah. We can celebrate the holidays with them, take them to synagogue often, read them Jewish books, and take them to events at the JCC. We can attend book fairs and school plays. Most Third grader Dahlia Hamicksburg shows teacher Barb of all, we can show them we Sather the kids’ Chagall painings in the Friedel commons. are always learning ourselves. sessions could be taken. We could lose As Cookie Katskee says, “Children our jobs, our homes, our books, and our admire and look up to their parents and families … but at no time and under no model what they see and experience withcircumstances could anyone ever take in their family. They will model the bad, what is in our minds, hearts, and souls. as well as the good.” It is up to us to When we base ourselves on what the make sure there’s plenty of good.
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November 9, 2007
Don’t get your hopes up for results in Annapolis At last week’s Federation Community Event, author Michael Oren answered a question about whether the United States should be pushing Israel harder to make concessions at the upcoming conference in Annapolis between the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas. Oren, an expert in the field of Middle East history, responded tersely that it didn’t matter whether America pushed or not as neither side could deliver. In fact, Oren addressed this very question in July in the Washington Post, even before a date was set for “peace talks.” “By eliminating the terrorist leaderships in Gaza and southern Lebanon and deterring Syria and Iran from prodding their proxies to war, Israel can restore a reasonable level of security to its citizens. Such measures will also be implicitly welcomed by Israel’s Jordanian and Egyptian neighbors, who are similarly threatened by these same terrorist groups. Only by establishing a new and more stable status quo along Israel’s borders can Prime Minister Ehud Olmert proceed with his plan of redrawing those borders permanently, either unilaterally or in cooperation with a nonviolent Palestinian partner,” Oren wrote. Underscore the word non-violent here. Whether he’s called Mahmoud Abbas, or Abu Mazen, he comes across as a likeable guy. So likeable, that many Israelis and American Jews want desperately to believe that he’s the one who can finally make peace with Israel. But it’s a dream, a naive one at that. A year ago, Oren was even more pointed. In an interview with Yigal Gross, web commentator for Yeshiva University, Oren said, “The world has been trying since the 1920s to
impose leadership on the Palestinians that is capable of reaching a diplomatic solution and they have never succeeded. Which begs the question of why.” Oren added, “I just don’t see Abu Mazen taking the steps necessary. He’s a perfectly nice guy, but I don’t see him waging a civil war to make peace with Israel, and that’s really what it’s all about ... Arafat said he loved terror and did nothing to stop it. Abbas said that he doesn’t like terror and does nothing to stop it. From Israel’s standpoint, it’s not a big difference. It’s just much nicer to deal with Abu Mazen than Arafat.” So American Jews and some Jewish organizations pushing the American government to push the Israeli government to settle their differences with a non-representative government (that Hamas swears it will topple this fall) is not productive. Where will that kind of effort get us -- except to create divisiveness within our own community? That’s not to say that American Jews should back Israel at every turn. Of course, Israeli policies are subject to scrutiny and criticism, but not when the results could create harm to the future of its existence and the lives of its people. Frankly, it doesn’t matter what Olmert promises anyway. Any concessions would have to be reaffirmed by a vote of his cabinet and the Knesset. And though Olmert’s popularity rose with the announcement that he has prostate cancer, it’s still so low that he
could easily be ousted if he goes too far in Annapolis. As to Abbas, he’s lucky to be alive. Hamas is gunning for him (and not figuratively). Their goal is a takeover the West Bank, and then, you guessed it, a bloodbath in Israel. American Jews and Israelis want peace, yes. And they’ll give up a lot to get real peace that can be guaranteed. But this one can’t.
Jewish Press Board Bobbi Leibowitz, Vice President; Stan Mitchell, Secretary; Scott Meyerson, Treasurer; Joanie Jacobson, Immediate Past-chairman; Susan Lehr; Jamie Meyerson; George Quittner; Eve Randone, Melissa Schop; Michael Siegel, Michael Sigmond; Jim Simon; Nancy Skid; and Dorothy Spizman. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Centers of Excellence of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Education, Jewish Family Service, and Jewish Senior Services. The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation. Highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.
Jewish groups join fight to override White House on S-CHIP funding
FOCUS ON ISSUES by BETH YOUNG WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Nancy Pelosi (DCalif.), the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, promised she would haunt President Bush “again and again and again” with children’s health insurance legislation. Jewish groups have been doing their best to join the ghostly chorus. Representatives of Jewish organizations have been working the phones the past three weeks in an effort to line up the 290 votes needed in the House to override Bush’s veto of a measure that would extend and boost funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Twice, however, Democratic leaders have fallen short, despite support from dozens of Republicans. Still, the setbacks are not deterring a broad coalition of Jewish groups who want the program renewed and expanded. “No Jewish groups I know are opposed to it,” said Hadar Susskind, the Washington director for the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, an umbrella body of national public policy groups and local Jewish communities across the country. “I think it’s absolutely a moral issue. It’s absolutely unconscionable that we’re the richest society in the history of the world and we’re letting children go without health care.” S-CHIP, established in 1997 and one of the signal successes of the Clinton years, is due for a reauthorization this year. The progam, aimed at families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford health insurance, reaches about five to six million children. Democrats want to more than double the program’s budget, from $30 billion to $65 billion over five years, with the hope of reaching another three to four million children.
Bush wants to add $5 billion over five years, which at half the health insurance inflation rate would force cuts. The president says some states are exploiting the program by not limiting it to families that earn twice the poverty rate -- $41,000 annually for a family of four. A number of states have raised that ceiling by 50 percent or 100 percent, saying twice the poverty rate standard is not a realistic cap in major cities where rents and real estate continue to soar. Some GOP opponents of the proposed expansion have painted it as a veiled effort to march the country toward socialized medicine -- a claim rejected by Democrats and some Republicans. The Senate passed the expansion by a vetoproof 67-39 vote. Among those voting in favor were the Senate’s only two Jewish Republicans, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania
...Congress has spent $17 million investigating whether illegal immigrants are taking advantage of the program, and has found only eight such scofflaws. and Norm Coleman of Minnesota. Such margins underscore the substantial Republican support the expansion has, and Pelosi hopes to chip away at the House’s GOP stalwarts as congressional elections loom -- hence her pledge to “haunt” Bush the first time the bill passed on Sept. 25. Bush vetoed that bill on Oct. 10. Several Jewish Republicans have come forward to back the Bush veto, including U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the deputy minority whip. In an op-ed for JTA, Michael David Epstein, the vice chairman of the legislative affairs committee at the Republican Jewish Coalition, wrote: “Even before the program’s
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original mission of covering needy children has been accomplished, congressional Democrats propose to spend S-CHIP funds on adults -- even childless ones.” The JCPA has led the Jewish community’s charge for S-CHIP on Capitol Hill. The umbrella group sent activists to meet with Congress members before the failed Oct. 18 override bid. Back during the August recess, the JCPA mobilized its members to meet with their representatives in their home districts nationwide. On Oct. 25, the House considered a version of the legislation that was substantively the same as the first one it approved, although in an effort to win over detractors, language was added to clarify that the program would not finance health care for adults, illegal immigrants or high-income families. Susskind said that in the time he has been monitoring the S-CHIP program, Congress has spent $17 million investigating whether illegal immigrants are taking advantage of the program, and has found only eight such scofflaws. “That’s an exceedingly poor return on your money,” he said of the investigations. The Union for Reform Judaism, which represents 900 congregations, and the National Council of Jewish Women also have been pushing hard for the major boost in S-CHIP funding. In contrast to the women’s council, which blasted Bush, the fervently Orthodox organization Agudath Israel of America favors working with the White House to arrive at a compromise that the president would not feel compelled to veto. Agudah generally sides with Bush on social issues, but represents a constituency of large middle-class families trying hard to make ends meet. The United Jewish Communities, the national arm of the network of local Jewish charitable federations, also backs the expansion of S-CHIP.
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November 9, 2007
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
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Candidates’ talk on Iran is more rhetoric than substance
BEHIND THE HEADLINES by RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) – Republicans may be talking tough on Iran and Democrats may be warning against possible recklessness by the Bush administration, but beyond the campaign rhetoric the differences start to disappear, pro-Israel lobbyists and political observers say. That’s cause for concern, they add, for those who want specific answers from the 2008 presidential candidates about what to do about Iran’s nuclear potential. In their more aggressive posture, the Republican hopefuls are emphasizing military action as a possibility. Democrats, conversely, are competing for the most cautious mantle -- particularly in taking aim at U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) over her vote earlier this month for an amendment calling for the designation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group. Go to the policy papers, however, and not much differentiates the candidates: Republicans, running away from a president now perceived to have eschewed diplomacy in the run-up to the Iraq war, clearly favor talk, and Democrats promise never to take the military option off the table. Such fuzziness frustrates officials at pro-Israel organizations who want clearer notions of where the candidates stand. Some of these officials spoke to JTA on condition of anonymity, not wanting to be identified with any campaign or party. “I haven’t heard anyone out there who has a good plan to deal with this issue,” one Jewish official said. Several Republicans, notably former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, have surrounded themselves with advisers who embrace Bush’s practice of overriding the concerns of the international community. “We’ve seen what Iran will do with ordinary weapons,” Giuliani, his party’s front-runner, told the Republican Jewish Coalition earlier this month. “If I’m president, I guarantee you we will never find out what they would do with nuclear weapons because they’re not going to get them.” Not to be outdone, Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, said, “Iran has to understand that not only is the military on the table, it is in our hand.” That wasn’t some “far-flung idea,” Romney said. “We are poised and ready to act.” U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) echoed their thoughts. “At the end of the day, we cannot allow the Iranians to acquire nuclear weapons,” he said. Still, some Jewish officials noted, GOP hopefuls have
also stressed diplomacy. Writing in the September edition of Foreign Affairs, Giuliani implicitly criticized Bush by citing President Reagan during the Cold War. “He was open to the possibility of negotiations but ready to walk away if talking went nowhere,” Giuliani wrote. Although Giuliani stressed that he would “never accept a bad deal for the sake of making a deal,” he noted, “This is not to say that talks with Iran cannot possibly work. They could -- but only if we came to the table in a position of strength, knowing what we wanted.” Romney suggested in a debate he would not be as quick on the trigger as his rhetoric has suggested. Asked what he would do were he told as president that Iran had acquired nuclear capabilities, he said, “You sit down with your attorneys and they tell you what you have to do, but obviously the president of the United States has to do what’s in the best interest of the United States to protect us.”
“The top Democratic contenders opened up a PR rift to distinguish themselves from one another on how to deal with Iran, but behind the rhetoric they don’t really disagree,” the St. Petersburg Times Politifact blog said ... Among the Democrats, Jewish officials said, the four leaders in the race talk tough on Iran but also note that sanctions legislation has been stalled -- especially compared with similar legislation targeting Sudan, which is quickly wending its way toward passage. John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator nipping at Clinton’s heels among voters in Iowa -- the agenda-setting first caucus state -- offered a hawkish speech to Israeli security officials earlier this year, but recently termed as “saber rattling” Clinton’s vote for sanctions on the Revolutionary Guards. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who polls also show to be competitive against Clinton in Iowa and New Hampshire, slammed the party’s front-runner for providing ammunition for what he contends is Bush’s plan to expand the Iraq war into Iran. Obama said the sanctions legislation, sponsored by Sens. John Kyl (R-Ariz) and Joseph Lieberman (IConn), “made the case for President Bush that we need to use our military presence in Iraq to counter Iran -- a case that has nothing to do with sanctioning the Revolutionary Guard.” Obama was absent for the Kyl-Lieberman vote, but Sens. Joe Biden (D-Del.) and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), two second-tier candidates, did vote against and also have made much of Clinton’s vote in favor. In response, Clinton has emphasized her own anti-war
credentials, citing her co-sponsorship of a bill originated by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) that would keep Bush from spending appropriated Iraq war money to attack Iran. The major Iran reference on her campaign website is a February Senate speech that anticipates her support for the Webb bill. “In dealing with the threats posed by the Iranian regime, which has gained its expanding influence in Iraq and the region as a result of the Administration’s policies, President Bush must not be allowed to act without the authority and oversight of Congress,” she said at the time. “It would be a mistake of historical proportion if the Administration thought that the 2002 resolution authorizing force against Iraq was a blank check for the use of force against Iran without further Congressional authorization.” Some observers have noted that despite the recent Democratic squabbling, all the candidates have spoken about the need for diplomacy and the possibility of military action. “The top Democratic contenders opened up a PR rift to distinguish themselves from one another on how to deal with Iran, but behind the rhetoric they don’t really disagree,” the St. Petersburg Times Politifact blog said in its top story Oct. 30. In his contribution to Foreign Policy, Obama sounded a dual note. “Our policy of issuing threats and relying on intermediaries to curb Iran’s nuclear program, sponsorship of terrorism, and regional aggression is failing,” Obama wrote. “Although we must not rule out using military force, we should not hesitate to talk directly to Iran.” Obama recently was caught having to explain his criticism of Clinton’s vote for the Kyl-Lieberman amendment after the Clinton campaign noted that earlier this year he had voted for similar sanctions against the Revolutionary Guards. Israel does not want the military option removed, but has the most to lose if it comes to a firefight and wants all diplomatic options exhausted. Officials in Jerusalem fear a nuclear Iran less because of the potential for a confrontation with the Islamic republic and more because of how a nuclear umbrella would embolden the regime. The fear is that Iran would leverage its influence in the Persian Gulf, and in Syria and Lebanon. Patrick Clawson, an Iran expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, suggested that such anxieties might be premature, as Iran has yet to obtain the fissile material necessary to make a weapon and U.N. inspectors are capable of detecting its manufacture. Clawson said that would change if Iran shifted into high gear and was capable of creating the uranium. “That would become a very dangerous moment,” he said, “if we thought that Iran was producing high enriched uranium.”
Orthodox rabbi breaks taboo with talk of dividing Jerusalem LOS ANGELES (JTA) -- A prominent Orthodox rabbi has broken a taboo by publicly advocating that his comby TOM TUGEND munity consider a possible division of Jerusalem to achieve a lasting peace with the Palestinians. Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky of B’nai David Judea wrote in the Oct. 26 Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles that the “worst-case scenario” of returning the Western Wall and the Temple Mount to Arab control would be horrifying and unfathomable to him. “At the same time, though, to insist that the [Israeli] government not talk about Jerusalem at all (including, the possibility, for example, of Palestinian sovereignty over Arab neighborhoods) is to insist that Israel come to the negotiating table telling a dishonest story -- a story in which our side has made no mistakes and no miscalculations, a story in which there is no moral ambiguity in the way we have chosen to rule people we conquered, a story in which we don’t owe anything to anyone,” Kanefsky wrote. The 44-year old rabbi occasionally has startled Orthodox circles with his innovative ideas, but he enjoys wide respect among his peers in other denominations, who elected him to a term as president of the Southern California Board of Rabbis. Kanefsky predicts that no peace conference will succeed until Israelis and Palestinians accept honest versions of their conflict and admit their mistakes over the past 40 years, including the occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank after the Six-Day War in 1967. He acknowledges that the slogan “Jerusalem: Israel’s Eternally Undivided Capital” is treated with “biblical
FOCUS ON ISSUES
reverence by my community,” adding that it is “a corollary to the belief in the coming of the Messiah.” It is because of the unquestioned acceptance of this slogan by the Orthodox, as well as Christian evangelists, that he decided to initiate “a conversation that desperately needs to begin,” Kanefsky wrote. Within hours of the opinion piece’s publication, reactions began to pour in to the Jewish Journal. Editor-inChief Rob Eshman said he received more than 100 letters, e-mails and phone calls about the article, along with
a number of op-ed rebuttals. On Oct. 27, the Los Angeles Times reported on Kanefsky’s article as the lead story in its California state section, along with local and national reactions. Predictably, comments in mainstream Orthodox circles were highly critical, while liberal rabbis and peace groups praised Kanefsky’s views and his courage in. A prominent Conservative rabbi, Harold Schulweis, applauded Kanefsky’s courage “to touch the third rail, which this is. It is a mark of courage and conscience.”
Tuesday Musical 116 Years of Sensational Concerts
Eliot Fisk William deRosa Guitar and Cello
Wed., November 14, 2007
Gabriela Montero Nicole Cabell Piano
Soprano
Tue., February 26, 2008
Tue., April 1, 2008
All Concerts Begin at 7:30 PM Single Tickets $3200 at the door Witherspoon Hall - Joslyn Art Museum - 2200 Dodge St, Omaha, NE Tuesday Musical • P.O. Box 6132 • Omaha, NE 68106-0132
(402) 551-2234 • tuesdaymusicalomaha.org
Page 14
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
November 9, 2007
Candlelighting Friday, Nov. 9, 4:51 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! YOUR AD CAN GO HERE...
to reserve space, call
Allan Handleman, 334.6451, or Terri Greenwood, 334.6559.
B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m.
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Services conducted by Rabbi Mordechai Levin and Cantor Gastón Bogomolni. FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m.; Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m., led by “Miss Patty” Nogg. Dinner will follow. Cost is $5 for adults, free for children ages six and younger. Open to all Jewish families in the community. For more information or to RSVP for dinner, call the office; Junior Congregation Family Shabbat, 6 p.m. led by Eadie Tsabari, Andy Greenberg, and students in grades 3-7 SATURDAY: Morning services, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation (3-7), 10 a.m.; Kiddush sponsored by Beth El; Minha/ Ma’ariv, 4:55 p.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAY, Bible Study Discussion Group, 10 a.m. THURSDAYS, noon: Rabbi Levin leads Insights and Values from the Torah. Cost is $36. To register, contact Margie Gutnik in the office, or e-mail programming@bethel-omaha.org. WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB: Thursday, 1:15 p.m., led by Susan Paley. GIFT SHOP OPEN HOUSE: Sunday, 10 a.m.12:30 p.m. Many new items, gifts for Hanukkah--all jewelry is 10% off and all 14-carat gold jewelry is 25% off. WOMEN’S ROSH HODESH GROUP: Monday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m., refreshments and socializing; 7:30 p.m. program. “Music that Moves You: Jewish Dances of the Shtetl.” To RSVP, contact cohosts Gilda Pieck at 556.5592 or ggpieck@ cox.net, or Cheryl Lerner at 334.8430 or cldancer@aol.com. LOVE AND LOGIC PARENTING CLASS: Wednesday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m. Monthly class led by Karen Gustafson, executive director of Jewish Family Service. Cost is $36 per person or $50 per couple, plus $8 for the book. To register or for more information, contact Margie Gutnik. SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE Friday-Saturday, Nov. 16-17.
RSVPs are required for dinner. To RSVP or for information, contact Margie Gutnik at 492.8550, or programming@bethelomaha.org. (See full article on page 8.) CANTOR’S RECITAL: Sunday, Nov. 18, 6 p.m., featuring Cantor Bogomolni performing Jewish-themed songs by Jewish and secular composers. No charge.
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, 4:51 p.m.; Beth Israel welcomes 150 members and advisors of the Midwest Region of NCSY for the Junior Fall Regional Shabbaton. 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 NCSY; Mincha, 4:15 p.m. followed by a special NCSY Sueda Shlishit; Havdalah, 5:54 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; “Reading the Rambam” is cancelled; Rabbi Gross’s weekly teen class is canceled due to the Shabbaton. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m. TUESDAY: Sisterhood’s Spirits and Spirituality, 8 p.m. at the home of Janet Kohll and led by Liat Shyken. WEDNESDAY: Board of Commissioner’s meeting, 6:30 p.m. THURSDAY: Women of the Torah class, 9:30 a.m.; Rabbi’s Gross’s weekly class, 7:30 p.m.
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. FRIDAY: Services, 7 a.m.; Girls Night Out Annual Women’s Shabbat Dinner hosted by the Katzman girls: Shani, Estie, Shevi, Miri -- at their home. Group Candlelighting, 4:45 p.m., Kabbalat Shabbat, 5 p.m., dinner at 5:45 p.m. RSVP to office or email Shevi@ ochabad.com. SATURDAY: Maamar class, 9
BAT MITZVAH Libby Simon Slosburg, daughter of Martha and David Slosburg, will become Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 17, at Temple Israel. An eighthgrade Distinguished Honor Roll student at We s t s i d e Middle School, Libby is a member of the Westside Connection Show Choir and was chosen to participate in
the Duke University Talent Identification Program. She enjoys dance and swimming and plays the piano. For her mitzvah project, She volunteered for the Special Olympics, where she helped with the track and field events. Libby has two brothers, Joe and Max, and two sisters, Ali and Kate. Grandparents are Stanley Slosburg and the late Eleanor Slosburg and Ed Gorelick and the late Barbara Gorelick.
a.m.; Service, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush luncheon follows the service. SUNDAY: Service, 8:30 a.m.; Mishpacha Mornings, 10:15 a.m.; Annual Blood Drive, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Maamar Kabbalistic Insights for Women, 12:15 p.m. TUESDAY: W.O.W. Parsha, Prophets, and Prayer, 9 a.m. WEDNESDAY: Mishpacha University TGI Playgroup, 10:15 a.m.; Kabbalah Circle, 7 p.m. THURSDAY: Jewish Thought, 12:45 p.m.
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 Ellen and David Feingold. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. led by Rabbi Emanuel. 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 B’nai Jeshurun; Hallah High, 10 a.m.noon at Tifereth Israel. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at TI. ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAYS, 7 p.m. Intro to Judaism, led by Rabbi Emanuel. MONDAYS, Nov. 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. See www.NJOP .org for information. TUESDAY, Nov. 13, 7 p.m., 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 Elihu Milder.
TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: 6 p.m. Teddy Bear Tot Shabbat and dinner with Miss Bettie. Cost is $5 for adults and no charge for children. RSVP with the office or mkube@templeisraelomaha.com; Shabbat service with Cantor Lisa Levine, 7:30 p.m. Rabbi Eric Linder and Cantor Wendy Shermet will lead the service. Cantor Levine’s compositions will be sung by the Kol Rina Choir. SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface-Yoga with Cantor Levine, 9 a.m.; Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Lauren Cooper will become a Bat Mitzvah. SUNDAY: Teacher Learning Coffee, 9 a.m.; Religious School (K-6), 10 a.m.; Men’s Club speaker is Mitch Sherman, 10 a.m.; Camp Open House and pizza lunch, noon WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; OTYG Dance Dance
Revolution, 5 p.m.; Family School, 6 p.m. at JCC for Blumkin Home Bingo; All School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6 p.m.; Know Thy Muslim Neighbor, noon at Temple Israel with Rabbi Aryeh Azriel and Muslim community members. There is no fee, but register with Rosie Zweiback at Temple; lunches for $6 are available THURSDAY: “Adult Study with the Clergy” with Rabbi Linder, 10 a.m.; Theology Cafe, 7 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. There is no fee, but register with Rosie Zweiback at Temple. Friday, Nov. 16: Parent/Toddler class, 9:30 a.m.; Shabbat Comes to Remington Heights, 4 p.m. SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE Friday-Saturday, Nov. 16-17. (See full article on page 7.) PANCAKE MAN: Sunday, Nov. 18, 9 a.m. Cost is $5 per person and no charge for children three and under. THANKSGIVING INTERFAITH SERVICE: Sunday, Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m., First Christian Church, 6630 Dodge St. (See full article on page 15.)
NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN FRIDAY: Minyan, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.
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 TI; Gam Simcha through Grade 2, 9:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. atB’nai Jeshurun; Hallah High, 10 a.m.noon at TI; 4 p.m.: Read and discuss Who She Was: My Search for My Mother’s Life by Samuel G. Freedman. Brenda Friedman Ingraham will facilitate. WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Call Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066; Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at TI.
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.
Pulverente MONUMENT CO.
November 9, 2007
The Hero of Genesis
SPARKS FROM THE WORD by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Toldot Our Text is eager to get from Abraham and Isaac and Jacob to Joseph, whom I call here “The Hero of Genesis,” because the rest of Genesis is all about Joseph and his relations with his brothers. Joseph develops from a snippy kid who lords it over his brothers, to a generous and gracious and forgiving brother, when his ascendance to power gives him opportunity. He resists any possible impulse for “getting even,” and there is no hint of such a thought in the Text. When Joseph ascends to power, from the slave boy that he was, without hesitation and without fanfare he forgives his brothers completely and restores family relationships and love.
There are many narratives in the Bible, as any reader knows, but this is one of the most dramatic and carefully written and emotionally touching of all. Joseph is even known traditionally as Joseph HaTzaddik -- Joseph the Righteous, because he resists the advances of his master’s wife, when he was a slave boy, when she could not resist the attraction of his very presence in their household. It is interesting to see that the Biblical Text gives no emphasis to Joseph’s own family, as one might have expected. For Joseph, now a favorite of Egyptian royalty, could have morphed into an Egyptian prince had he any wish to do so. This permits the especially dramatic confrontation of Joseph with his brothers when he identifies himself as their brother, after he plays some little cat-and-mouse game with them. He is also remembered as Joseph the Provider, because it is he who saves Egypt and all of the known world at the time from starvation, during seven terrible years of drought. The Bible only implies what I say here directly, that Joseph is “The HERO of Genesis.”
DEATHS BETTY FELLMAN Former Omahan Betty Fellman died on Nov. 2 in San Diego, CA. Services were held in San Diego on Nov. 4. She held leadership positions in Hadassah, Beth El Sisterhood, the Jewish Federation, and the Omaha Civic Opera Society. She was an accompished pianist and accompanist and member of the music faculty at University of Nebraska at Omaha. After retiring to San Diego in 1977, she remained an active musician and performer. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Abe C. Fellman. She is survived by her children: Bob and Debbie Fellman, Beaverton, OR; Arnie and Wilma Fellman, West Bloomfield, MI; Alice and Murray Ehrinpreis, Huntington Woods, MI; grandchildren, Scott and Jenie Fellman, Eugene, OR; Jason and Kelley Fellman, Portland, OR; Lainie and Peter Geary, Westfield, NJ; Andrew Ehrinpreis, Brooklyn, NY; Jeffrey Ehrinpreis, Nashville, TN; Rick Danuloff, Miami, FL; Jeff and Nicole Danuloff, Warren, MI; three great-grandchildren. JERRY SMITH Former Omahan Jerry Smith died in Chicago at the age of 59. A recently retired Administrative Patent Judge at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, he is suvived by his mother, Mary Smith; brothers and sistersin-law, Roger and Jeri Smith and Stuart and Judy Smith; nieces and nephews, Brent and Mara Smith, Adam Smith, Scott and Jill Smith, Brad Smith; great niece and nephews and friends. Memorials to the American Cancer Society. FRANCES OSOFF MILDER Fran Milder died Nov. 3 at the age of 86. Services were held Nov. 6 at Temple Israel; interment followed at Temple Israel Cemetery. She volunteered for many organizations including the American Red Cross, first serving as a Gray Lady at Lutheran Hospital in the 50s and 60s, and for the last five years at the Red Cross blood donation center. She also is remembered by many women as the head bridal consultant and buyer of wedding gowns for the bridal department of Younkers/Kilpatricks, a position she held
for 20 years. Survivors include her husband of 61 years, Jerry Milder; daughters and sons-in-law, Cheryl and Dr. Ron Cooper and Gayle and Jim Spooner; son, Harlan Milder, Lincoln, NE; grandchildren, Drs. Joshua and Emily Cooper, Indianapolis, IN, Dr. Alex and Valerie Cooper, Rochester, MN, and Sarah and Zach Spooner; two greatgrandchildren; sister and brother-in-law, Pearl and Jerry Gross; sister, Roselle Pizer, Los Angeles, CA; brother-in-law, Don Rice, Rancho Mirage, CA. Memorials to the CornerStones Scholarship Fund, c/o The Center for Jewish Education, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE, 68154, or to charity of choice. HAROLD B. BRODKEY Former Omahan Harold B. Brodkey died Nov. 4 in Weston, MA, at the age of 95. A memorial services was held there Nov. 6. He was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Lucille Weiss Brodkey, and a daughter, Jane Richwine. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Karen and Allen Kaplan of Sudbury, MA; grandchildren David and Karyn Kaplan, Jonathan and Maureen Kaplan, all of Natick, MA, Sara Kaplan and her fiance Todd Grossman of Quincy, MA, Alson and Jim Scetlecic, and Lisa Stucky, all of Kansas City, MO; and six great-grandchildren. Memorials to charity of choice.
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PRODUCT DESIGN ENGINEER SourceOne, a world-wide manufacturer of turf equipment, has an opening for a Product Design engineer. This position requires previous knowledge in the development of turf or power equipment. Successful candidate must have experience with AutoCad & SolidWorks. Other design duties may include design of special machines and equipment. Excellent benefit package after 90 days. Send resume to swhite@sourceonex.com
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Statewide Classified ADVERTISE STATEWIDE for $195/25 word classified ad. Over 170 newspapers with circulation of more than 400,000. Contact the Jewish Press at 334-6448 or call 1-800369-2850. ANTIQUE SPECTACULAR Antique Show. November 9-11, Mid-America Center, 1 Arena Way, off I-80 & I-29. Council Bluffs, IA. Fri. 5-9; Sat. 10-6; Sun. 11-4. Admission $6/free parking. antiquespectacular.com, 712-326-9964. 3 BEDROOM, 2 bath home $18,990! More homes from $199/ month! Foreclosures/ Bank repos 5% down, 20 years @ 8.5%. Call for listings 800-618-0668 xs888. BANKRUPTCY: FAST relief from creditors. Statewide filing. Affordable rates. Call Steffens Law Office, 308-872-8327. www.steffenslaw.com. We are a debt relief agency, which helps people file bankruptcy under the bankruptcy code. SELL YOUR classic car, truck or motorcycle online. Call this newspaper or call 800-3692850 to place your ad on the national www.midwestclassiccars.com web site for only $25.00. Your ad runs until your vehicle is sold! DO YOU live in rural Nebraska and need a small business loan under $35,000? REAP can help! Call 402-656-3091 or visit www.cfra.org/reap. 3 BEDROOM, 2 bath home $18,990! More homes from $199/month! Foreclosures/bank repos 5% down, 20 years @ 8.5%. Call for listings 800-618-0668 xs888. 4 BEDROOM, bank foreclosure $198/month or $24,500! 4% down, 20 years @ 8%. More homes! For listings 800-618-0668 ext. T943. FOR SALE: 1978 Trail Mobile Semi-Trailer, 8’ wheel, 45’ long, 8’ wide, 9’ high, an all aluminum enclosed trailer, ready for the road or just for storage unit! Call Smitty @ 308772-4301, Oshkosh, NE. 7,500+/- AC Nebraska ranch 20+/- mi N of Broken Bow - Kirkpatrick ranch, 5 tracts & collectively. Auction: Nov. 13, 1:30. United Country - Theurer Auction/Realty, www.theurer.net, 800-207-6830. HOT TUB buyers, end of season sale. Many one of a kind bargains, $1,995 to $3,995. For price list call 1-800-869-0406 or go to osthottubwarehouse.com.
EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE The Jewish Press will be closed for Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 22. The deadlines for upcoming issues are at 9 a.m. for all ads, articles and photos as follows: Issue Deadline Nov. 23 Hanukkah issue Tuesday, Nov. 13 November 30 Tuesday, Nov. 20 Questions? Call 402.334.6448
Temple to participate in Thanksgiving interfaith service by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Thanksgiving is always on the fourth Thursday of November. But this year’s annual Thanksgiving Interfaith Service, hosted by Temple Israel and five churches, will be on Sunday night, Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m., at First Christian Church, 6630 Dodge St. In years past, the interfaith service, a combined effort on the part of First Christian, Dundee Presbyterian Church, First United Methodist Church, St. Margaret Mary Church, Underwood Hills Presbyterian Church, and Temple Israel was on the night before Thanksgiving. Rev. Rene Jensen of First Christian Church said, the theme for this year’s service is “Thanksgiving for the Small, Everyday Blessings.” Rev. Jane Florence, the new pastor at First United Methodist, will deliver a holiday
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
message entitled “In All Things, Give Thanks.” Cantor Wendy Shermet will read from the Torah. The combined choirs of the participating congregations, including Temple’s Kol Rina, will sing during the service. Reverend Jensen mentioned that “Holy Ground,” a contemporary version of which Barbra Streisand sang, and “All Good Gifts” from the musical Godspell will be among the selections the choirs will present. In addition, youth members of Temple will blow shofarot. Canned goods and cash donations will be collected for Together, Inc., a multi-faith emergency relief services non-profit organization serving the greater Omaha area. There will be room for overflow parking across the street from the church on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus. A cookie and punch reception, hosted by all the congregations, will follow the service. Call Sandy Passer at 330.4289 to help bake.
WANTED DEAD or alive: old cars and pickups. 1920’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s. Will buy in any condition. Whole or parts. Cash paid. 402-432-2719. 4 BEDROOM bank foreclosure $198/month or $24,500! 4% down, 20 years @ 8%. More homes! For listings 800-618-0668 ext. T943. ALL CASH candy route. Do you earn $800 in a day? Your own local candy route. Includes 30 machines and candy all for $9,995. 1-888-755-1356. HELP WANTED: General labor/steel erection in Plainview, NE, area. CDL helpful. Will train, no experience needed. Call Ben, 402-841-2278. LICENSED INSURANCE Agents with Medicare Advantage experience preferred. Appointments provided. Protected territory. Real $3-$7K per week. Call Tim at 402-2172488 or email td122@yahoo.com. SALES REPS: Are you a self-motivated, positive person looking to earn $50-80K per year? We provide qualified appointments daily. $50 per presentation guarantee. $2,000 signing bonus. Call 1-800-471-5136. COMPANY DRIVERS &O/Ops: Pay, choices, benefits. Grand Island offers the best: competitive pay, outstanding benefits! Late model equipment. CDL-A/clean MVR required. 6 months experience. 866-472-6347, www.giexpress.com. DRIVERS: DON’T miss this. Special sign-on bonus, 36-43cpm/$1.20pm, $0 lease/ teams needed, Class A + 3 months recent OTR required, 800-635-8669. DRIVERS: WE’VE got it all! $5,000 sign on with 1 year OTR. Regional/48 State! www.ffeinc.com, students welcome, training available! FFE, Inc. Call now, 800-5699232. OTR DRIVER: Home weekends, central states, must have current CDL, physical card, clean driving record & 2 years experience. 308-636-2292 evenings or 308-539-1518. MT/MLT (ASCP), progressive Southeast Nebraska hospital, phlebotomy skills preferred. Competitive pay scale, excellent benefits. Send resume to: Sandy Bauer, Jefferson Community Health Center, PO Box 277, Fairbury, NE 68352. RESTAURANT EQUIPMENT Outlet: Used commercial ranges check out www.Chillmasters.biz for prices and pictures, or 2121 Floyd Blvd., Sioux City, IA, 1-800526-7105.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
November 9, 2007
Omaha Performing Arts Presents
This Weekend Only! Saturday, November 10, 2007 | 8:00 p.m. Sunday, November 11, 2007 | 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. Scott Recital Hall | Holland Performing Arts Center JOHN VICKERY
Additional support provided by Kutak Rock LLP
As seen in Judging Amy
Hospitality Host: Hilton Omaha Media Partner: The Reader
JOHN HEARD
As seen in The Sopranos
GREGORY HARRISON
As seen in Law & Order SVU
Tickets are $30 SUSAN SULLIVAN
As seen in Dharma and Greg
November Forecast: Hot & Spicy
Ballet Hispanico Saturday, November 17, 2007 | 8:00 p.m. Slosburg Hall | Orpheum Theater Part of the
Dance Series
Additional support provided by Mid-America Arts Alliance and National Endowment for the Arts Hospitality Host: Magnolia Hotel Media Partners: La Preciosa 1180, The Reader, Omaha Magazine and Cox Business Services
Tickets start at $19
| 402.345.0606 | www.ticketomaha.org | 13th and Douglas streets