November 13, 2015

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

Celebrate Israel!

November 13, 2015 1 Kislev 5776 Vol. 96 | No. 9

This Week

by SHERRIE SAAG Communications, JFO Travel to Israel this Spring on a community mission, March 28April 4, 2016. Jewish Omaha will join together with thirteen other Jewish communities to travel the country and visit our partnership region in the Western Galilee.

Join Mission Chairs Pam and Bruce Friedlander, Federation CEO Alan Potash and National Partnership Chair Zöe Riekes on a trip of a lifetime. “We both loved our last Partnership trip,” said Bruce, “We have family in northern Israel and our Partnership friends are terrific. We are ready to go and look forward to having community members join us.”

Jan Goldstein and Zöe Riekes are also taking the trip, and Bruce views their participation has “priceless.”

“They know where to go, what to see and why. The trip will be one-of-akind.”

The PartnershipTRIP2Gether also offers an optional three day add-on to take part in the P2G@20 Partnership2Gether Mega Event, celebrating 20 years of Partnership2Gether.

The community is invited to an information meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library to find out more.

The trip begins with arrival at Ben

Global Day of Jewish Learning Page 4

Women’s Mission to Europe Page 5

Pam And Bruce Friedlander Gurion Airport and departure for the artists’ village Ein Hod. Founded in 1953 by the Dada artist Marcel Janco, Ein Hod is the only artists’ village in Israel and one of the few of its kind in the world. About 150 artists and their families inhabit Ein Hod. They live, work and create in the village

Stronger together

nestled in the Carmel mountains.

Day Two is spent with our Partnership family in the Western Galilee with visits to the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, Israel’s only underground hospital facility, and the Ghetto Fighters Museum. After lunch, tours continue to interest

points throughout the city of Akko.

Day Three tours Israel’s Northern Borders and the Golan Heights. A morning geo-political tour with Col. (Ret.) Kobi Marom includes the Helicopters Disaster Memorial in Sh’Ar Yishuv and Mt. Bental to view the Syrian border. Discussion will include the challenges Israel faces in light of the Syrian Civil War. This evening is dinner at the Dobrovin Farm, founded in 1900 by Baron Rothschild.

The tour continues on day four to the mystical city of Safed and more art at the Kosmic Kabbalah Art Gallery, hiking Mount Heron, a Kabbalistic study session and then a picturesque drive to the Sea of Galilee. The evening begins with arrival in Jerusalem and preparations to enjoy Shabbat and Sunday in the ancient city.

On the final day, the group heads to Rehovot to visit the Ayalon Institute and then to Tel Aviv and the Palmach Museum. This evening, the optional Partnership Mega Event 20th Anniversary begins.

For more information, please consider attending the Nov. 17 information meeting or contact Julee Katzman at jkatzman@jewish omaha.org or Zöe Riekes at zriekes@me.com.

It’s about community

Israel Experience: Rekindling my Jewish identity Page 7

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

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by RACHEL MARTIN BBYO/Teen Director On Saturday, Oct. 24, 40 Jewish teens came together for a unique Havdalah experience at the Bellevue Berry Farm.

BBYO, Omaha Temple Youth Group, and Lincoln Temple Youth Group teens planned and led a wonderful program that included icebreaker activities to get to know each other, a “speed dating” activity on the bus ride to the Farm, and an unfor-

gettable Havdalah service led by Benjamin Brodkey and Max Kohll.

The ‘Haunted’ theme created a special experience for the Havdalah service by incorporating a spooky story told by multiple teens around the campfire while making s’mores, after everyone had enjoyed a haunted hayrack ride.

It was incredible to witness the collaboration among BBYO, OTYG and LTYG, as two strong Jewish youth organizations (BBYO and NFTY), grew stronger together. Several attendees are members of both organizations, but many teens were surprised at how many people they did not know before last Saturday.

Everyone is eager to do another joint program with their new friends!

“Combining OTYG and BBYO for this Haunted Havdalah event was a very rewarding experience. Helping to lead icebreakers and the Havdalah Continued on page 2

Mendel Wright, left, Eli Lopez, Sidney Zacharia, Alivia Hoffman

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN for Friedel Jewish Academy RAVSAK, the Jewish community day school network, founded in 1987, is a non-profit organization that promotes pluralistic non-denominational Jewish education.

Transliterated from Hebrew, RAVSAK is an acronym that stands for Network of Jewish Community Day Schools. Working with more than 100 member schools across North America, RAVSAK spans elementary to high school level day school education. Omaha’s Friedel Jewish Academy is one of the member schools.

According to RAVSAK, Jewish day schools deliver top-notch general and Judaic education to students. Not only is a student who graduates from a day school bilin-

gual in the true sense of the word -able to speak fluently about issues of importance to the Jewish and nonJewish communities, day school graduates also make Jewish decisions guided by Jewish knowledge.

There is no singular model of a Jewish community day school among RAVSAK members. Each school reflects the diversity of the population it serves and responds to the unique needs of its own community. At the same time, RAVSAK schools are united by a mandate to welcome families as they are -- to teach openness by embracing openness and accepting families at all levels of affiliation or practice.

Consistent with RAVSAK’s vision, Friedel Head of School Beth Cohen concurred that day schools Continued on page 3

2 | The Jewish Press | November 13, 2015

Voices of Beth El

by BETH EL PUBLICITY Storytelling may not be the only way to engage people with your ideas, but it’s certainly a critical component. Historically, influential communications relied on supplying data, numbers and statistics to change one’s thoughts or ideas. But organizations are increasingly recognizing the value of personal stories to convey powerful messages and imagery.

“Adam’s family has a long history at Beth El. It is not only the synagogue where we have attended services over many years, but also where our family has shared both celebrations and periods of mourning. This gives you roots in a place with meaning and purpose.”

Abby said she had attended a variety of programs prior to officially joining and it felt natural for Beth El to continue being their family synagogue. As Abby describes her family’s involvement, it’s clear Beth El touches many parts of her and Adam’s busy lives. She has attended the Beth El Boutique with mother-in-law, Debi Kutler, and looks forward to the upcoming Boutique on Nov. 15.

Sam and Henry enjoy Bagels & Babies, and Sam has attended Torah Tots and Tot Shabbat. The family attends the Purim Carnival together.

“I love how Beth El offers different classes and programs that appeal to a variety of interests; once Debi and I attend-

ed a challah baking class,” Abby recalled. The couple has participated in “Our Shabbat Tables” and sees it as a great way to meet other Beth El members and experience different Shabbat observations.

Abby has also hosted the Dames & Drinks programming, and she and Adam are co-chairs of Beth El’s Young Adult Committee. “There are so many ways to get involved with Beth El. It does a wonderful job of listening to young families’ needs and desires and then following through to provide meaningful and substantive engagement.”

Abby said: “I truly feel fortunate to have made some wonderful friends through Beth El. One of the greatest feelings is seeing our son Sam starting to form those same friendships and bonds. I want our boys to share our love for Beth El just as the past generations in Adam’s family have.”

Look for more Voices of Beth El stories in upcoming editions of the Jewish Press.

Stronger together

Adam with Henry, left, Sam and Abby Kutler TED Talks have proven this model to be exceptionally successful for verbal storytelling, but the same holds true for written storytelling. The “ninety years young” Jewish Press tells our story each week and is a much-loved community institution.

Stories connect us to our listeners; when we share our own real life stories with others our audience feels they get to know us as authentic people. This is the broad concept behind Voices from Beth El, a storytelling series from Beth El Synagogue.

The synagogue wants to tell their story, share their message and support the community conversation for synagogue life and involvement. Starting this fall, Beth El members will be profiled in the Jewish Press and their stories will be told.

Abby Kutler is originally from a small town in north central Iowa called Algona. She attended Dana College in Blair, NE, and later earned a masters in social work in Omaha.

During college she met her future husband, Adam Kutler.

Abby and Adam now have two boys, Sam, three and Henry, born in July. “We love living in Omaha and being part of the Jewish community,” Abby said.

Abby’s interest in Judaism grew as her relationship with Adam became more serious. “As my relationship with Adam and his family progressed, so did my interest in Judaism. I figured the best way to learn more was to get involved in the Jewish community.”

She secured an internship at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home which turned into a full time position. She took on additional responsibilities at Jewish Family Service and moved on to her current position as a social worker at Methodist Women’s Hospital.

Abby explained her strong ties to Beth El Synagogue,

Continued from page 1 service was a lot of fun. I was pretty surprised how many teens from OTYG I didn’t know. It was a good way to meet even more Jewish teens from Omaha. Hopefully I’ll be able to do something like this again in the near future.”

Max Kohll BBYO Member “I think Haunted Havdalah went really well. BBYO and OTYG partnering was an awesome experience! Everyone got along nicely, and Bellevue Berry Farm provided some cool activities. The s’mores were delicious and the teen-led Havdalah service was amazing. It was equally fun and beautiful; BBYO and OTYG work well together. The experience was great for bringing Jewish teens together in Omaha!”

Raelyn Cherry BBYO, BBG Council Secretary “Haunted Havdalah was an amazing program. In a sense,

it was also an historical event. We haven’t had any programming like this in Omaha for many years, and we have never had a program with this group of people. We had members of BBYO, OTYG, BILU USY and LTYG from Lincoln, all getting along in a fun and spiritual event. It was so much fun seeing the two groups come together for a program like this. The mixers were a great way to kick things off, and the Haunted Hayride at Bellevue Berry Farm only made things a lot better. After we all had a chance to ride, we came together in an interactive Havdalah, where we created a scary story, revolving around David the Bagel and the synagogue sleeper. After our very different Havdalah experience, we made some great s’mores. All in all, our program was one for the books, historic and memorable.”

Benjamin Brodkey BBYO, AZA Council Shaliach, OTYG Board Member For more information about BBYO, contact Rachel Martin at rmartin@jccomaha.org or 402.334.6404.

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Jewish Family Service needs list If you would like to donate to JFS, and don’t know where to start, we can help. The Jewish Press will print the current list every month, so our community can help where and how it’s most needed. JFS is currently looking for a women’s bycicle as well as two twin beds in clean condition.

Other items that JFS can always use are non-food pantry

items, such as deodorant, disposable razors, laundry detergent, liquid dishawashing soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, toilet paper, facial tissue, and shampoo and conditioner.

There is limited space, so if you have questions about donations that are not on this list, please contact Sandy Nogg at snogg@jfsomaha.com or call 402.334.6493.

Reform movement passes far-reaching resolution affirming transgender rights

by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) — The Reform movement, the largest in American Judaism, passed what is being called the most extensive resolution on transgender rights of any major religious organization.

The “Resolution on the Rights of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming People” passed by voice vote on Thursday at the Union for Reform Judaism’s biennial conference in Orlando, Florida. There was no opposition to the proposal.

Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, expressed pride in his movement’s vote.

“This resolution is a reflection of our Movement’s longstanding values of inclusion within our communities and that all individuals are created b’tzelem Elohim, in God’s image,” he said in a statement Thursday. “This Movement has been about inclusion and equality from our origins, and we hope it will inspire us to be even more audaciously hospitable. This is about celebrating and welcoming transgender people and is another step toward full inclusion.”

After the resolution passed, most of the thousands of conference-goers who attended the vote rose for a standing ovation, The Associated Press reported.

Prepared by the URJ’s Commission on Social Action, the resolution affirms the movement’s commitment to the “full equality, inclusion and acceptance of people of all gender identities and gender expressions.” It calls on Reform congregations, congregants, clergy, camps, institutions and affil-

iates, including the NFTY youth group, to refer to transgender individuals by their name and gender of choice and to advocate for the rights of people of all gender identities, including gender-neutral bathrooms and using gender-neutral labels.

The resolution also calls on Reform institutions to review their use of language in prayers, forms and policies, as well as to call on institutions to create ritual, programmatic and educational materials “that will empower such institutions to be more inclusive and welcoming of people of all gender identities and expressions.”

It urges the adoption and implementation of legislation and policies that prevent discrimination based on gender identity and expression, and the revision of U.S. and Canadian laws to ensure full equality and protection for transgender individuals.

Other religious bodies, including the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, have approved resolutions affirming equality for transgender and non-gender-conforming people, according to The Associated Press.

In 1977, both the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the main rabbinical association of the Reform movement, passed resolutions affirming “the rights of homosexuals.” In 2003, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the movement’s seminary, admitted its first openly transgender rabbinical student.

It’s about community Continued from page 1 like Friedel “serve the entire Jewish community, and we build an educational program to reflect that fact. There are denominational day schools which are oriented toward movement-specific Jewish studies, but community day schools offer a Jewish studies curriculum to meet the needs of the entire community.”

“It’s tremendously important” that Friedel serve the entire Jewish community, believes Annette van de Kamp-Wright.

She and her husband Jeremy Wright, members of Temple Israel, sent their daughter Isabella, who is now a freshman at Millard North High School, and are sending their son, Mendel, a fifth grader, to Friedel. “We’re all in this together.

We want our children to be comfortable in any Jewish setting, whether they are at Chabad or at Temple Israel, whether it’s religious or secular, youth group or Shabbaton.

At Friedel,” van de Kamp-Wright emphasized, “there’s no ‘us’ or ‘them.’ It’s all ‘we.’”

After 10 years, Mario and Amanda Lopez just returned to Omaha from Waco, Texas, in May. Their son Eli is a sixth grader at Friedel. “To me, it’s important that all the children know each other,” said Mario. “We cannot segregate the denominations. We can learn from one another.” The Lopez family belongs to Temple Israel where Eli attends Religious School.

Avrum and Arika Hoffman recently moved to Omaha from Birmingham, Alabama, where their six-year-old daughter Alivia was enrolled in the day school. “We value the lessons and teaching at day school as well as the small class size and dual curriculum. We were looking for a school that provides a strong sense of religious identity and serves students who are well rounded both artistically and athletically and creates a sense of commitment to community and respect for diversity.”

They also feel that “it’s very important for us that the school serves the entire Jewish community.” The Hoffmans are currently determining which congregation they’ll join.

Serving the entire Jewish community, not just one denomination of Judaism, “is one of the greater things about Friedel,” commented Jeff Zacharia. He and his wife Renee, members of Temple Israel, are sending their son, Sidney, a first grader, to Friedel. A community day school “allows the students and families to respect, learn, and appreciate the other denominations. It brings us together with people from other synagogues and allows us to celebrate the diversity of being Jewish in many ways.”

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402.334.0328 Parents enumerated other benefits of attending Friedel, including the importance of their children’s well-being; not getting lost in the crowd; preparing students well for middle school and beyond; small class sizes; students being fluent in a second language when they graduate; more one-on-one time with teachers; and the creation of lifelong bonds between teachers and students.

“Omaha is unique in that the greater Jewish community is what binds us together,” remarked Rabbi Steven Abraham of Beth El Synagogue. “While the community is made up of Reform, Conservative and Orthodox congregations, none of them could survive without the other.”

Rabbi Ari Dembitzer of Beth Israel Synagogue noted that “being a small Jewish community is such an advantage.

Diversity is one of the best ways to educate a child. It gives the students a broad spectrum of who they are, and it’s a testament to the school really trying its hardest to accommodate the sensitivities of all.”

“A small school in a relatively small Jewish community where everyone knows each other allows the school to focus on the community rather than the values of a national organization,” added Rabbi Josh Brown of Temple Israel.

“The benefit becomes a wonderful reflection of who we are and helps our kids grow into future leaders for our Jewish community.”

“I think everybody loves their community here,” said Rabbi Dembitzer. “Everyone wants it to flourish and succeed. That comes along with pride. People are proud of this community.”

Rabbi Aryeh Azriel of Temple Israel noted that “when Jews arrived in Nebraska after searching for a plot of land to consecrate for a cemetery, they established religious schools for their students.” He also referred to the 2013 Pew Research Center’s Portrait of Jewish Americans from which he said three important experiences emerge in strengthening Jewish identity in the future: Jewish day schools, Jewish summer camps, and educational visits to the State of Israel.

Rabbi Abraham pointed out that “the Omaha Jewish community was built to be a place for Jews to live, not just to pass through. What that means is that you need synagogues, you need a JCC, you need a place to care for our elderly, a mikvah, cemeteries…and a Jewish day school. You need the ‘things’ that make it a viable Jewish community. Jews in Omaha realize that they may not use or take advantage of certain resources in our community, but that doesn’t mean we should not have them readily available for those who do.”

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4 | The Jewish Press | November 13, 2015

Global Day of Jewish Learning

by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Life Omaha’s participation in the Global Day of Jewish Learning, Sunday, Nov. 15, will begin at 1 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center with a welcome and introductions by Dr. Leonard Greenspoon, the Klutznick Chair for Jewish Civilization at C r e i g h t o n University, and chair for this year’s Global Day event. The fund of the Klutznick Chair is generously sponsoring the Global Day of Jewish Learning.

This year’s theme, Love: Devotion, Desire and Deception, will be the focus of over 500 communities in more than 40 countries worldwide. In Omaha, the keynote address will be by author Dr. Ron Wolfson followed by breakout sessions by local presenters. His talk focuss on his latest book, The Best Boy in the United States of America: A Memoir of Blessings and Kisses which he said is a perfect fit for this year’s theme.

Session One will be from 2:25-3:15 p.m. with three separate sessions conducted by Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan, Marty Shukert, and Curtis Hutt. Session Two from 3:254:15 p.m. features Dr. Halla Kim, Joanie Latchow and Dr. Leonard Greenspoon.

Community Shaliach Eliad Eliyahu, in his third year as shaliach for Omaha, presents numerous programs throughout the community, including the popular monthly presentation of “Eye on Israel.” For the Global Day of Jewish Learning, Eliad will present The Land of Israel – A Jewish Love Story.

Eliad explained that this session will explore how the love of a piece of land called Israel has been expressed over time through emotional prophecies, ancient love songs, and now through unique posts on Facebook. “I

think it is also of interest and importance to look at the way that different groups in the world react to this continuing romance with the land of Israel. That will be a part of this session as well,” said Eliad.

Dr. Curtis Hutt is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He has titled his presentation, Levinas: Love for the Other. In his session description, Dr. Hutt writes, “Love for the Other, as Other - not another version of myself - is the basis of Emmanuel Levinas’ ethics. In this session, we will explore Levinas’ Talmudic ideas about life and love that constitute the core of his ‘ethics as first philosophy.’”

As of press time, active community member and frequent presenter at the Jewish Federation of Omaha, Marty Shukert, is finalizing the content and title for his session.

It promises to be interesting and thoughtprovoking in the skillful manner in which Marty approaches all of his presentations.

Dr. Kim, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Faculty Member for the Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies, presents Cohen, Rosenzweig and Buber on Love. Dr. Kim explains that in the Torah, “God’s relationship with Israel is grounded in love. I will present how this central concept is understood and developed by these three modern Jewish thinkers – Herman Cohen, Franz Rosenzweig, and Martin Buber.” Kim commented that it is interesting to note that despite their diverse philosophical backgrounds, all three philosophers retain the universal concept of biblical love.

Dr. Joan Latchaw, Associate Professor in the English Department at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, will present the work

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she’s done on Maurice Sendak during her session titled, Maurice Sendak’s Devotion to Children and Ancestry: Hidden Narratives of Jewish Life. In her presentation she will analyze how Sendak uses visual images as reflections of Jewish experience. “He portrays events and psychological experience very subtly through embedded images in background scenes that reveal Jewish themes without overtaking the story’s plot line,” explained Dr. Latchaw. “His work has been a way to honor children’s lives (fears, desires, expectations) as they relate to Jewish tradition and experience.”

Love Me Tender, Love Me True? The Presence -- and Absence -- of Love in the Hebrew Bible is the title of the session to be conducted by Dr. Leonard Greenspoon.

“The verb ‘to love’ frequently appears in the Hebrew Bible in many different contexts, human-human and human-divine,” says Dr. Greenspoon. “Not surprisingly, the Hebrew verb we generally translate as ‘to love’ carries with it many nuances, sometimes even contradictions. We will explore all of these through reading, analyzing, and discussing the text.”

A special added feature of this year’s Global Day of Jewish Learning is a Rabbinic Panel featuring Rabbi Steven Abraham and Rabbi Ari Dembitzer, moderated by Dr. Leonard Greenspoon. Following the panel, Dr. Greenspoon will provide closing remarks.

Anyone unable to attend the Omaha event can still be a part of the international Global Day happenings through the availability of 24x24 which features live sessions from numerous locales around the world.

Simply visit www.globalday.org for more information.

Omaha’s participation in The Global Day of Jewish Learning is promoted by the Center for Jewish Life whose mission it is to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences. For more information, please call 402.334.6463 mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org.

Beth El Boutique

by BETH EL SYNAGOGUE PUBLICITY This year, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Sunday, Dec. 5 and continues for eight days. To enjoy the upcoming Festival of Lights, Beth El has brought back its holiday boutique. Don’t miss the shopping event of the year on Sunday, Nov. 15 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Beth El. “There is shopping for everyone, all ages and all price points.

Beth El teens in U n i t e d Synagogue Youth are offering a used book sale and we have a bake sale with delicious take home treats,” Brooks explained.

Handcrafted jewelry, housewares, Judaica, baby clothes, accessories, jewelry and candles are just a few of the items on display.

Boutique chair Joni Brooks is excited the planning is soon behind her and everyone can enjoy the day at Beth El. “All the available space inside Beth El is going to be filled with an amazing array of handicrafts and art from local artists,” she said.

“The artists have all expressed their enthusiasm for the Boutique’s return.

They enjoy the people who attend, they love interacting with customers and sharing their work with the community. It is an event filled with energy, food and great shopping,” she added.

Shopping, sweet treats and friends – what a perfect Sunday afternoon.

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Women’s Mission to Europe

During the month of October, a group of engaged community members joined the Women’s Mission to Eastern Europe. Participants in the trip were Vicky Allely, Stacey Atlas, Beth Dotan, Darlynn Fellman, Katherine Finnegan, Jordana Glazer, Cindy Goldberg, Danielle Gordman, Dana Kaufman, Susie Lehr, Amy Nachman, Susie Noddle, Kimberly Robinson, Stacey Rockman, Teresa Ruback, Laura Schrager, Louri Sullivan, Stephani Tikalsky and Anita Lupow.

The group visited a number of sites, including Warsaw Ghetto, Majdanek, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Prague Jewish Quarter and our partnership city, Budapest. While some set out from different cities and traveled through different connections, all gathered together in Warsaw, Poland.

Read more about the Mission, including reactions from the participants, in next week’s edition of The Jewish Press.

6 | The Jewish Press | November 13, 2015

Temple Israel game night

by SCOTT LITTKY Program Director, Temple Israel On Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m., Temple Israel will host a game night for adults at Spielbound Board Game Café.

Located at 3229 Harney St., Spielbound is a café that strives to educate, engage, and create community through board games. Their library has over 1500 donated games that people can play. Further, as a part of their mission, they provide resources to teachers, seniors, and more about the benefits of board game play and design, and sponsor related programs and charity events regularly.

Most importantly, Spielbound is a fun place to play old and new games and to visit with friends.

Since its opening, Spielbound’s goals have been to collect and maintain a comprehensive collection of board games from around the world; to provide a comfortable space for the community to come together and play board games; to encourage creativity through designing board games; to promote and reward positive gamesmanship and to spread joy and critical thinking through increased game playing by all. Anyone who has visited Spielbound will tell you that they have exceeded their goals and that Spielbound is a must-visit place in Omaha.

On their Facebook page, reviews have also been very favorable. The first reviewer wrote, “Very friendly atmosphere! Great unique games and beverages!” Another wrote, “as a ‘first timer’ – (Spielbound was a) very comfortable place. I felt very welcome and was impressed by the size and attitude of the clientele.” Finally, “If you like games, you will LOVE this place; and if you think you don’t like games, they will find you one to prove you wrong. A very helpful friendly staff.”

Cost for the evening is $5 which includes your admission to play board games. Food and drink at the café are extra. Temple Israel will be using a private room at Spielbound, so please RSVP to Program Director Scott Littky at slittky@templeisraelomaha.com.

The new biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

by ERICA BRODY (JTA) -- Ever wonder what the perfect pop-culture storm looks like?

Hurricane Ruth -- as in Bader Ginsburg -- was brewing among millennials, feminists and across social media platforms before it made landfall in Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik’s new biography about the Meme Supreme: Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Dey Street Books/Harper Collins).

The new biography explores what Carmon in a recent New York Times Op-Ed calls the “cautious radicalism” of the Brooklyn-raised justice, the first Jewish woman to wear a Supreme Court robe and the second woman overall.

For readers it’s a rare pleasure when serious fun and serious history come together between two covers. Notorious RBG is chatty and candid, erudite and expansive.

The Notorious RBG phenomenon grew out of a blog started in 2013 by Knizhnik, a lawyer, when she was a law student at New York University. Knizhnik was devastated by Shelby County v. Holder and its evisceration of the Voting Rights Act. The bright spot for Knizhnik, however, “was the unfettered rage of Justice Ginsburg.”

When a friend made a Facebook comment about the Notorious RBG, Knizhnik had her a-ha moment, creating her Tumblr, a blog where the stylistic trappings of a very different Brooklyn-born celebrity -- the late rapper Notorious B.I.G. -- would follow other RBG memes with abandon, from Fear the Frill to There’s No Ruth Without Truth.

In this new biography -- reported and researched with Carmon, a journalist -- those who relish the story behind the story will find in Notorious RBG journalistic heft, historical weight and judicial context, but it’s made super accessible with colorful cartoons, memes and tattoos.

With RBG love at an all-time high, this biography is a fun must-read that provides a cultural history of the pop culture surrounding an unlikely icon -- plus an insidery look at how RBG handled her own work-life balance, all while helping bring greater equality to more Americans (hint: she doesn’t sleep).

Until you get your own copy, read on for the seven top takeaways from the book.

Notorious RBG isn’t her first nickname. First, she was Kiki, a childhood nickname Ginsburg acquired from her big sister. Later, at Camp Che-Na-Wah in the Adirondacks, she “acquired the title of camp rabbi,” according to the book.

Ginsburg married her “bashert.” She has referred to her husband, Marty Ginsburg, as her “life partner” and “best friend.” Their union lasted from their wedding in 1954 to his death in 2010. Their union took place just days after Kiki’s

graduation -- first in her class -- from Cornell: “There were 18 people present, because in Judaism that number symbolizes life,” Carmon writes.

“A lot of people throw around the word unstoppable when they talk about RBG. But they should know that it is literally true,” Carmon writes. “Like the time the justice had a cracked rib, which wasn’t about to stop her from keeping her twice-weekly personal training session.” According to her trainer of nearly two decades, “she works just as hard in the gym as she does on the bench.”

Is there anyone else in the universe who’s as bold and demure?

During the 2012-13 term, RBG read five dissents from the bench, breaking “a half-century-long record among all justices. Her dissent in the voting rights case was the last and most furious.” Reading a dissent from the bench is rare -- it’s a way to shout the fact (with decorum) that you find a ruling utterly reprehensible. “Like pulling a fire alarm,” Carmon writes. Ginsburg’s extremely well-worded outspokenness, paired with her steadfast commitment to civil rights, is one of the reasons she has inspired her own iconography and become a viral sensation.

Clothes may make the man, but RBG’s accessories make precedent.

“Look around her neck. When the jabot with the scalloped glass beads glitters flat against the top of RBG’s black robe, it’s bad news for liberals. That’s her dissent collar,” Carmon writes. (Yes, RBG’s choices in neckwear provide a visual clue to the court’s opinions.)

Justice, justice, thou shalt pursue.

This biblical injunction is inscribed on the wall of her chambers, and since her teens, RBG has noticed when the law -- Jewish or constitutional -- excluded women. When her mother died of cancer (the day before her daughter’s high school graduation), “at the house on East Ninth Street filled with mourning women, Kiki watched dully, because no woman counted for a minyan... Kiki herself did not count.” While it was Jewish law, Carmon writes, the experience “taught Kiki about a commitment to justice... after her mother died, it took a long time to see herself in the faith.”

She may be growing old, but she’s very much in the game.

A survivor of pancreatic and colon cancer, RBG remains relentless – in all things, including her commitment to the job. This particular bench has seniority seating: Justice Ginsburg sits third from right. That’s not a position she’s ready to give up, despite the near-constant conjecture. So far, she’s never missed a day. “RBG has her own metric for when it’s time to go. ‘When I forget the names of cases that I once could recite at the drop of a hat,’ she said, ‘I will know.’”

JCC winter musical auditions The Jewish Community Center’s winter musical will be Love! At the Café! with music and lyrics by Karen Sokolof Javitch, and script and lyrics by James Spicer Conant.

Auditions are Sunday, Nov. 22 at 12:30 p.m. in the JCC auditorium. There are 13 roles to be cast for experienced actors at least 12 years of age, but this show is designed for adults.

Resumés and Audition Forms are due no later than

Monday, Nov. 16 to the JCC Dance and Cultural Arts Department. Please prepare a song of your choosing.

Bring two copies of your sheet music with you to the audition (one for yourself and one for our Music Director). You may choose to sing a capella or with accompaniment. For more information, visit http://www.jewishomaha.org/ jcc/arts-and-culture/view/musical-theater/.

Snowbirds

November 13, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 7

Incredible experiences in Israel

by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Program Coordinator, The Center for Jewish Life Each year many teens and young adults have the experience of a lifetime, traveling to Israel on a wide variety of programs.

The Jewish Federation of Omaha is proud to support these experiences through the Israel Experience Grant program.

The Israel Experience Grant is a onetime gift from the Federation for students in grades 9-12 or young adults ages 18 to 25 for an approved Israel experience. The grant is available to anyone in the Omaha Jewish community who meets the following requirements: 1. The applicant must be a resident of the Omaha metropolitan area.

2. The applicant, or his/her family, is a donor in good standing to the Annual Campaign of the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

3. The applicant agrees to provide an article and pictures of the experience with-

in one month of return to Omaha for publication in the Jewish Press.

4. The applicant will participate in any required preparatory program.

Applying for an Israel Experience Grant is a simple one-page application. The applications are available on the Scholarships and Grants page of the Center for Jewish Life on the Jewish Federation of Omaha website at www.jewishomaha. org. Return completed applications to the Center for Jewish Life, 333 South 132nd Street, Omaha NE 68154.

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

The following article was written by a teen who participated in a program in the summer of 2015 and was a recipient of an Israel Experience Grant.

Please let the Jewish Press know in advance when you are leaving and when you are returning. Sometimes several papers are sent to your “old” address before we are notified by the Post Office. Every time they return a paper to us, you miss the Jewish Press and we are charged! Please call us at 402.334.6448 or email us at jpress@jewishomaha.org.

Rekindling my Jewish identity

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by ZEV KRAUSMAN hen I boarded that afternoon flight from Chicago to Warsaw for Ramah Seminar in Poland and Israel, I had no idea what to expect.

Sure, I had read several books and even attended a few classes in school about the Holocaust, but nothing can prepare you for seeing the remains of the aftermath of the destruction caused by the Nazis. As our group of about 30 teens went from town to town and camp to camp across the countryside of Poland, we bonded, brought together by the horrors we witnessed.

The most shocking and sad thing for me though was not the camps or even the mass graves which mar the fields of Poland, but the sudden and tragic drop in Polish Jewry.

We met a man named Pavel in a town called Lodz. The town was once 40% Jewish, but now he runs the only Jewish building, half synagogue, half museum, trying to preserve the memory of the Jews who lived there.

What I loved about our trip was our focus on “doing Jewish.” We didn’t come to Poland to be spectators, but to actively engage the Jewish communities, praying where prayers are seldom heard and singing where songs were never meant to be sung again.

When the plane touched down in TelAviv, I was elated. When, that night I found myself face-to-face with the Kotel, it was like completing a 2000-year-old journey on behalf of my Jewish brothers and sisters left behind. Despite my rage, I never cried in Poland. When it was time to leave the Kotel, there were tears pouring down my face.

The next day, we drove north to a town called Hodayot. There we were reunited with our friends who did not go on the Poland portion of the trip. As we hugged

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and greeted each other, we knew we were in for the best summer of our lives. In the North, we learned about the land and the people. We hiked down from the giant Arbel Mountain and swam in the Kinneret.

We also met with Arab-Israelis to learn about what it was like to be a minority in Israel.

After the North, we headed to the Chava in Jerusalem where we’d be staying for most of the trip. There we had countless adventures, like visiting Ben Yehudah Street and the City of David. We learned about leadership (and goat herding) as we developed the skills necessary to become future Ramah counselors.

For me, the most important part of this trip (besides seeing my friends again) was rekindling my Jewish identity. Going to Poland really helped me appreciate just how much my ancestors had to give up in order to be Jewish, and Israel showed me the dream we had been fighting for all those years. When I returned to the States, I brought back with me more than just Tshirts and other trinkets; I brought back a strong Jewish identity and the skills necessary to lead the congregation in positive Jewish experiences.

Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS The Omaha World-Herald’s premier feature writer, Mike Kelly, will tell us all about his just-published book (Nov 15) about Omaha on Wednesday, Nov. 18, noon. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@ jewishomaha.org.

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8 | The Jewish Press | November 13, 2015

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

Having our pumpkin pie

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor Thanksgiving is almost here; that means guest lists, deciding who-cooks-what and the annual pre-and post-meal diet.

Because if there’s one thing that ties all of us (whether we were born here or not) together during this holiday, it’s that we eat too much. Not only that: we spent an obscene amount of time talking about food. We overplan, overbuy and overcook, all so we can overeat when the day is finally there.

It’s okay. I don’t mean to sound judgmental; there’s enough of that going around as it is. What I am interested in is how this holiday has changed over the years. Even in the short two decades I have been in this country, the context in which Thanksgiving is celebrated has changed. Gone is the naiveté that used to surround the pumpkin pie, and gone are the little Native American salt-and peppershakers. And that’s a good thing: if you still own those types of decorations, you should get rid of them. Don’t drop them off at Goodwill; make them disappear entirely. They score high on the racist scale.

I asked my 11-year-old son why we celebrate Thanksgiving. Here’s what he said: “Because we want to be thankful for stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?”

He’s not sure. He thinks he learned a little bit, maybe in Kindergarten when he made a placemat or something, but that’s as far as that goes. Now, to be honest, that doesn’t mean this particular holiday wasn’t taught; my son definitely has selective hearing when it comes to these types of things. All he needs to know, after all, is that he gets a four-

day weekend. And in that, he is not alone.

What’s usually referred to as the “first Thanksgiving” actually took place in 1621, when Pilgrims held a harvest feast at Plymouth Plantation. The 50 Pilgrims left from the original landing, according to records, invited 90 Native Americans to share their meal. The Puritans held a similar celebration in 1630, and during the following centuries, governors and presidents alike would from time to time declare a day to say thanks. It was celebrated once again in 1789, after a proclamation by George Washington.

But not until 1863, when President Lincoln proclaimed “a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens", to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November,” did it become an annual thing. And while it has, more often than not, been considered a religious holiday, Thanksgiving nowadays is having a bit of an identity crisis.

We continue to be inundated by advertisements for food and Black Friday sales. Thanksgiving doesn’t come alone, it morphs directly into the Christmas shopping season, reminding us to buy, buy, buy. And just because we personally don’t all celebrate Christmas (with the exception of interfaith families) it’s hard to look away.

At the same time, we receive numerous requests to help those less fortunate. Donations to the food bank, the Salvation Army, random homeless shelters all remind us we need to share our good fortune. Confronted with neverending leftovers and that feeling you ate way too much (again) makes us feel guilty, and hopefully we’ll remember that not everybody faces the abundance that accompanies this season.

That, believe it or not, is actually a good thing. When the

nation seems conflicted about the actual purpose of a holiday, it is more likely to question and rethink that purpose.

Especially during a time when poverty continues to be a problem, it is appropriate to ask ourselves: what are we really celebrating, and what are we really thankful for? Is it okay to celebrate when so many people go without?

I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive. I think, if we remember the good things in our lives, we celebrate and show appreciation, and spend that time with friends and family, it can actually make us more aware of what others are missing. We just need to constantly remind ourselves that having a life to be grateful for comes with a serious responsibility. We have to look around us, and pay attention to others.

“In 2014, 46.7 million people (14.8 percent) were in poverty, 15.5 million (21.1 percent) children under the age of 18 were in poverty, 4.6 million (10 percent) seniors 65 and older were in poverty and the overall poverty rate according to the Supplemental Poverty Measure was 15.3 percent, as compared with the official poverty rate of 14.8 percent.

Under the Supplemental Poverty Measure, there were 48.4 million people living in poverty, nearly 2 million more than are represented by the official poverty measure (46.7 million).” (feedingamerica.org) Think about those numbers for a while. Let them sink in.

In Judaism, it is a mitzvah to be grateful, not just on Thanksgiving. But if we want to take one day a year where we really celebrate, and throw a big party, we can do that -it’s okay. But: let’s not forget about the need that exists for so many. When you shop for this holiday, put a few extra food items in your cart, and drop them off at the Food pantry.

Many stores have donation baskets by their check out lanes, so you don’t have to make an extra trip. On page 3 of this paper, you can see a list of non-food items people right here in the community need, provided by JFS. Take the extra step, go the extra mile, and you’ll find that this Thanksgiving, you will have even more to be grateful for.

Bernie Sanders doesn’t want to talk religion -- and thank God for that

by HAL LEWIS CHICAGO (JTA) -- At a campaign event in Virginia last week, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders invoked his Judaism in response to a question about Islamophobia in the media. The exchange drew widespread attention, in part because Sanders has mostly avoided discussion of how his religion informs his politics.

The contrast between his approach and that of other candidates is striking. But whatever else we might say about the merits of his candidacy, Sanders’ reticence to don the cloak of sanctimony is refreshing.

Americans in general, and American Jews in particular, must come to terms with the blatant hypocrisy that currently informs our political debate, on both sides of the aisle.

Simply stated, we need to decide whether cloaking our political positions in religious principle is fair and legitimate discourse. And if it is, we must ask if we are willing to extend those same rights to our political opponents.

For many years, the putnatively solid Democratic Jewish coalition voiced vociferous objection each time those on the right invoked religion to oppose seminal policy issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. On those occasions, it was argued that religion is a decidedly private matter that has no place in the public square. Evangelicals were told to stay out of our bedrooms and keep their fundamentalist views to themselves.

Curiously, however, American Jewish progressives seem to have no problem incorporating their own religious language when advocating a decidedly liberal agenda, most notably through amorphous references to tikkun olam and social justice.

This same dynamic, albeit with tables turned, was brought

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Jewish Press Board Eric Dunning, President; Andy Ruback, Past-President; Andrew Boehm, Scott Farkas, Sandy Friedman, Paul Gerber, Alex Grossman, David Kotok, Debbie Kricsfeld, Abby Kutler, Pam Monsky, Paul Rabinovitz, Nancy Wolf and Barry Zoob.

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into sharp relief recently when Christian conservatives suddenly decried papal declarations about global warming, Palestinian rights and the needs of the poor. The pope, whose religious leadership had to that point largely been lauded, was suddenly excoriated, told to stick to what he knows and stay out of politics.

No doubt, many American Jews can relate. Among our co-

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaking at the University of Chicago, Sept. 28, 2015.

Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images religionists, both liberals and conservatives appear to agree that when it comes to advancing a “Jewish” political agenda, we would prefer that our rabbis and organizational heads speak out when we agree with them, and stand down and know their place when we don’t.

The duplicity is striking. Such shameless cherry picking -- in which we randomly select only those religious positions that conform to our political perspectives, discarding the rest as irrelevant or inconvenient -- demands our honest evaluation. ries and announcements, can be found online at: www jewishoma ha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’

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If we are willing to hold up a mirror to our communal discourse, we would find that what often passes for religiously inspired politics is nothing more than the sin of Procrustes on a grand scale. American Jews would do well to recall the wisdom of our 16th president, who said: “In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be wrong. God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time... It is quite possible that God’s purpose is something different from the purpose of either party.”

Almost exactly a hundred years later, Bob Dylan would challenge his listeners with a similar message in the song With God on Our Side. Both Lincoln and Dylan remind us that picking and choosing when and under what circumstance to admit religious thinking into our politics is a dangerous, albeit enduring, tendency.

Beyond the inherent hypocrisy, American Jews must contemplate an even more important question. When American Jews couch their politics in religious terms are they doing so based upon a thoughtful analysis of Jewish teachings? Or are they the sort of Jews whom Leonard Fein once noted would be hard-pressed to name the very Jewish values they purport to invoke?

Does a liberal Jew who uses religious principles to buttress his support for a pro-choice agenda do so because he understands Judaism’s complex teachings on abortion? Or is a Jewish conservative, who claims that her religious worldview obligates her to reject regulation and embrace an unbridled free market, truly conversant with Judaism’s intricate teachings about how to treat the poor?

What Jews do, or want to do, is not the same as what Continued on page 9 News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.”

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November 13, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 9

Skip college -- embrace Judaism and learn a trade

by ABBY W. SCHACHTER PITTSBURGH (JTA) -- The conventional profile of American Jews is that they tend to be highly educated and work in professions like medicine, finance, law and academe.

Jews, of course, “value education,” as the trope about the “People of the Book” goes. And American Jews, since they started arriving in the United States, have pushed for their kids to get the best education as a means of guaranteeing a successful life.

It isn’t a Jewish value to be a doctor, lawyer or neuroscientist, however. Professional achievement isn’t the measure of Jewish success. And the higher education prescribed by Jewish tradition is not of the variant offered at American colleges. In fact, what Judaism has to say on matters of education and profession are quite different than the current American Jewish norm.

Given the realities of the job market -- 12.2 percent unemployment for young workers and slowing economic growth -- Judaism’s 2,700-year-old position may be extraordinarily relevant for young Jews today.

The most famous rabbinic declaration on education can be found in the Talmud (Kiddushin 29a). The passage enjoins Jewish parents to teach their children Torah and a trade, along with getting first-born sons circumcised, finding them a spouse and teaching them to swim.

Of course, this is not all our sages had to say on the matter of parenting: There are discussions about corporal punishment (if you have to do it at all use only a shoelace) and the importance of modeling good behavior (because other forms of advice are likely to be rejected). But this accounting of what parents owe their children is the backbone of Jewish wisdom on parental responsibility.

Lifelong Torah study -- and not, say, the pursuit of an M.D. or a J.D. -- represents the higher education to which all Jews are meant to commit. But why is a trade so important?

The rabbinic commentaries emphasize the idea that a trade, like swimming, builds independence and self-sufficiency.

Later in that same Talmudic passage, there is a warning to parents who fail to provide their children with such tools: “Anyone who does not teach his son a skill or profession may be regarded as if he is teaching him to rob.” This is an amazing degree of seriousness -- the rabbis are essentially

saying that without independence there is ruin.

READ: Without jobs in the U.S., college grads are finding opportunities in Israel Centuries later, in 1912, the Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky took up the same cause, beating the drum for commerce and the trades, in large part because he believed the desire among young Russian Jews to move into the professions was contrary to Jewish tradition.

Today’s college graduates face a challenging job market and a massive amount of student debt.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons “For generations doing business was the pillar of Jewish life – why abandon it now?” says the main speaker in an article by Jabotinsky called A Conversation. “Back to the shop counter! Back to the stores, the banks, the stock exchange – not only to buying and selling, but to industry, to manufacture, to everything ‘practical.’”

In 2015, is such a message really relevant? After all, we hear a lot about how college has become indispensable.

President Obama argues that everyone must have access to college, and presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have competing proposals for making public universities tuition-free.

Yet, a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report offers a surprising retort. The government says that currently there are six million more people with bachelor’s degrees than jobs available for them. So college today clearly isn’t the inexorable path to a good job that it once was.

Even those with jobs don’t have the type of employment that a college education once practically guaranteed. The Economic Policy Institute reports that among college graduates, the underemployment rate is 16.8 percent.

(Underemployment means the “highly skilled... working in low paying [and low-skilled] jobs... and part-time workers that would prefer to be full-time.”)

Difficulty finding a job isn’t the only reason to consider skipping college in favor of the trades: The vast majority of graduates are leaving school with huge loans and no clear path to repaying the debt. As reported by USA Today earlier this year, there are “40 million people across the United States who have monumental student debt” for a total outstanding debt burden of $1.2 trillion. CNN reports that between 2008 and 2014 -- the recession years -- student loans increased by 84 percent, “and are the only type of consumer debt not decreasing,” according to a study from Experian over the same time period.

These are staggering numbers and the impact is not merely in the area of employment. College debt and a challenging environment in which to get hired have led to a whole generation of young Americans who are delaying adulthood.

Couples are renting instead of buying their first house, getting married older and many women are delaying having children until they have established themselves in the workforce, which is taking a decade or longer.

Of course, training to be a welder, a carpenter, electrician, plumber, HVAC specialist or franchise owner is not everyone’s professional fantasy. But here’s something to consider: It takes two fewer years to complete a trade school degree than it does an undergraduate college degree. So while the college student is racking up debt, the trade school grad would be earning on average $71,440 in the same amount of time, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics.

We are not quite at the point where Jewish mothers across the land will proudly introduce their kid as “my son, the plumber!” But going to college, incurring massive debt and spending years toiling to pay back your loans isn’t necessarily the perfect trajectory -- or a Jewish value -- either.

Abby W. Schachter is a Pittsburgh-based writer whose first book, “No Child Left Alone: Getting the Government out of Parenting,” will be published next year. Follow her on Twitter @abbyschachter and on Facebook.

For kids with disabilities, time to move from inclusion to normalcy

by RACHEL FISHHEIMER JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Just the other day, I overheard someone saying that they had a wonderful interaction with the “Down syndrome employee” at their local cafe.

Rachel Fishheimer is the director of education at the Jerusalem facility of ALEH, an Israeli network of treatment facilities for children with severe disabilities.

Credit: Rachel Fishheimer Though it happened to have been a sweet story, I cringed.

It also got me thinking about the limitations of our campaigns promoting inclusion in the classroom, at work and in other areas of life. Though we have definitely come a long way, it’s clear there is still much to accomplish if an individual can still be defined as someone with Down syndrome, if it’s still something we see.

Unlike other health-related awareness months, Down Syndrome Awareness Month (October) is less about personal health and more about societal wellness. It’s a call to action to celebrate the accomplishments and abilities of individuals with special needs and promote full inclusion for all. But why do we continually have to try so hard to reach this goal? It may be because the goal itself isn’t ambitious enough.

It has been 40 years since the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Children with disabilities across the United States are today being educated in “least restrictive environments,” as the law calls for -- namely, the general education classrooms in their neighborhood schools. After four decades, the numerous benefits of this

kind of inclusion have been well documented, both for children with disabilities and those without.

Inclusion has exposed children with disabilities to socially acceptable behaviors they would otherwise not experience in a separate class. Through increased social interactions with peers without disabilities, they have developed relationships and peer role models and found encouragement.

One such young woman is Madeline Stuart, an Australian with Down syndrome who graced the runway as a model during this year’s New York Fashion Week. Stuart’s mother credits inclusion for her daughter’s rise. As she put it, “This was all possible because the world was ready.”

During my tenure with ALEH, Israel’s largest network of residential facilities for children with severe intellectual and motor disabilities, I have witnessed the successful implementation of inclusion programming and its astounding effects on our children’s growth and development. But while inclusion has made great strides in recent years, and continues to change lives inside and outside the classroom, I can’t help but wonder if it has reached its limits and if we should be expecting more from ourselves as a society.

We may have set the bar too low. Perhaps it is now time to push harder, to trade inclusion campaigns for the promotion of normalcy.

What does normal look like?

Normal means a sweet anecdote about an angelic cafe employee doesn’t need to mention his genetic disorder.

Normal would entail a fierce runway catwalk by a young blond model followed by interviews focusing on who she’s wearing -- rather than her bravery for participating “against all odds.” Normal is allowing ourselves to see people, rather than causes or movements or wars to be won.

Where inclusion encouraged us to pull individuals with disabilities out of the shadows and see them as individuals deserving of the same services, resources and experiences, a push for normalcy encourages us to live in a world where inclusion is second nature. In essence, normalcy is daring to aim ever higher.

We will never soar if we become too comfortable in any nest, and I humbly submit that it’s time to look beyond our bastion of inclusion, because even that has become too comfortable. It’s time to spread our wings and embrace normalcy so that the next generation won’t even understand why the promotion of inclusion was ever necessary.

Rachel Fishheimer is the director of education at the Jerusalem facility of ALEH, Israel’s largest network of residential facilities for children with severe intellectual and motor disabilities.

Bernie Sanders doesn’t want to talk religion Continued from page 8 Judaism teaches. And categorical claims that Judaism is pro-this or anti-that do not make them so, however consistent those simplistic views might be with our personal political proclivities.

I do not suggest that every attempt to offer a religious context for a political position demands scholarly rigor. But the reality is, Jewish ethics, like Judaism itself, is far from a monolith. Judaism’s positions on most of the vexing social and political issues of our day are nuanced and often have multiple understandings and interpretations. The Torah has 70 faces, the Midrash teaches. To suggest that Judaism has a singular perspective on issues of political contentiousness does a disservice to the breadth and depth of Judaism.

Broad categories of moral instruction – care for the poor,

the value of human life, the sanctity of marriage, concern for the environment – are just that, broad categories. They are not sophisticated policy formulations, and they are fecund with the possibility of divergent, sometimes dueling political agendas.

As Dylan and Lincoln remind us, cloaking ourselves in nebulous religious principles, however lofty, to suit our political ends, is disingenuous. Doing so while criticizing our adversaries for the selfsame behavior is self-righteous piety, whether it happens on the right or the left.

Hal Lewis is the president and chief executive officer of the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago. His books include Models and Meanings in the History of Jewish Leadership and From Sanctuary to Boardroom: A Jewish Approach to Leadership.

10 | The Jewish Press | November 13, 2015

Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 |712.322.4705 email: BnaiIsraelCouncilBluffs@gmail.com Join us for our monthly Shabbat Speakers Series on Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker, Bea Karp. She will be speaking about her experiences as a child survivor of the Holocaust, and sharing stories from her book My Broken Doll. Oneg to follow service. Please join us! Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

Larry Blass will officiate the Speaker Series Service.

For information on our historic synagogue, or to arrange a visit, please contact any of our board members: Mark Eveloff, Rick Katelman, Carole Lainof, Marty Ricks, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf and Phil Wolf. Tribute cards for any occasion are available. Contact Sissy at 311 Oak Ridge Ct., Bellevue, NE 68005 or 402.292.8062.

FRIDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m SATURDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 9:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Minyan, 8:30 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m.

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

WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; The Development of the Oral Tradition, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office. In memory of Forrest Krutter -- Efrayim Menachem Ben Avraham Yitzchak.

THURSDAY: Women’s Study at UNMC with Shani Katzman, noon. RSVP by emailing Marlene Cohen at mzcohen@unmc.edu.

All programs are open to the entire community.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN

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

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.; Our Shabbat Tables, dinner at congregants’ homes.

SATURDAY: Morning Services/Have a Cup of Coffee wtih God, 9:30 a.m.; Shabbat’s Cool (Grades 3-7), 10 a.m. followed by lunch; Junior Congregation, 10 a.m.; MiniMinyannaires, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:45 p.m.

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

SUNDAY: BESTT Classes, 9:45 a.m.; Sisterhood Boutique, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; USY Used Book Sale, at Sisterhood Boutique; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; Torah Tots, 10:30 a.m.; Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m.; BESTT Habonim (Grades K-2), 12:15 p.m. lunch and activity.

WEDNESDAY: BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m.; Kadima Board Meeting, 5:45 p.m.; Hebrew High Dinner, 6 p.m.; Hebrew High, 6:30 p.m. featuring gues speaker, Rabbi Chaya Rowen Baker; USCJ Scholar-in-Residence, Rabbi Chaya Rowen Baker, 7:30 p.m.

Men’s Club goes to Lancer’s Hockey Game, Saturday, Nov. 21, 7:05 p.m.

USY/Kadima Lounge Night Hang Time -- Kinnus Hype Up, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 5:45 p.m.

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

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

FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Toldpt.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Global Day of Jewish Learning, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

TUESDAY: Ladies Lunch Group, noon at Egg & I, 1601 Q. Street. Questions? Contact Stephanie Dohner.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE! Shabbat Evening Service, Nov. 20, 7:45 p.m. featuring the Star City Kochavim.

Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, Sunday, Nov. 22, 3 p.m. followed by a dessert reception at South Street Temple.

Volunteers are needed at 2 p.m. to set up. If you can help, please contact Sara at 402.477.6050 or the Temple office at 402.435.8004 or office@southstreettemple.org. Anyone who wishes is encouraged to bring cookies or bars for the reception, plated and ready to serve (bring to the reception or label them and put them in the freezer ahead of time).

President’s Office Hours, Sunday Mornings, 10 a.m.–noon at SST. If you have any Temple business you would like to bring before the Board of Trustees, potential programs, or new ideas, please let us know! Call for an appointment at the Temple or just to chat any time at 402.513.7697. Or if you prefer, just email David Weisser at president@southstreettemple.org.

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.orthodoxomaha.org Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer.

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat & Ma’ariv, 4:49 p.m.; Shabbat Dinner followed by Scholar-inResidence: Lewis Groner -- Reflections of Life as a Rabbi’s Son, 6 p.m. Many thanks to Marty and Iris Ricks for sponsoring.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Torah Parade and Shabbat Classes, 9:45 a.m.; 15 mins after Kiddush -- Mishna L’Neshamah and Teen Class; Monthly Simcha Kiddush, noon; Insights into the Weekly Torah Portion, 4 p.m.; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 4:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 5:50 p.m.; Shabbat Morning Sermon: The Blessing of Being from Omaha; Reception and Presentation: Big City v. Small City Judaism -- Is one better for the soul?, 7 p.m. at the home of Joel Alperson, 17051 Pasadena Ct.; Beth Israel Youth Group (BIYG) Pizza Making and Movie Night (Fifth grade and older), 7 p.m. at Beth Israel.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bagels and Beit Medrash: Understanding Our Prayers, 9:45 a.m.; Scholar-in-Residence: Dr. Lawrence Schiffman -- Who wrote the Bible: An Orthodox response to bibical criticism, 10 a.m.; BIYG -- Youth of All Ages, 10 a.m. meet in the Youth Lounge for football, foosball and fun; Shavua Tov Israel, 1 p.m. for children K-6 and their families.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

THURSDAY: Women’s Class, 9:30 a.m.; Scholar’s Club for 6th Grade, 3:30 p.m.; Avot U-Banim, 7 p.m.; Talmud Learning, 8 p.m.

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

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

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 SATURDAY: Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Robert Yaffe.

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

Candlelighting Friday, November 13, 4:49 p.m. toddlers with their parents. For more information please contact Interim Religious School Director Sharon ComisarLangdon, scomisar-langdon@templeisraelomaha.com or 402.556.6536. You can drop in or you can let Sharon Comisar-Langdon know you are coming. Stay for Lunch, noon.

TUESDAY: Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m.; Mah Jongg Classes, 7 p.m. Come learn how to play Mah Jongg! Cost is $45 and will include a Mah Jongg card. To RSVP, please contact Program Director Scott Littky, 402.556.6536.

WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; Chapel for School Service wtih Rabbi Brown, 4:30 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Bible Quiz Study with Rabbi Azriel, 6 p.m.; WRJ Biennial Reflections, 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: Conversations with the Cantor, 10 a.m. with Cantor Shermet; Kol Rina Rehearsal, 6:30 p.m.

Adult Game Night, Saturday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m. at Speilbound, 3229 Harney St. Come enjoy a night of board games and good company. Cost is $5. Adults of all ages are invited. RSVP to Program Director Scott Littky, 402.556.6536. (see full story on page 6.)

Thanksgiving Interfaith Service, Sunday, Nov. 22, 5 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 7020 Cass Street. Rabbi Azriel, Rabbi Brown, Cantor Shermet and the Kol Rina Choir will represent Temple Israel and participate in the service along with First Christian Church, First United Methodist Church, St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, Underwood Hills Presbyterian Church, Hanscom Park United Methodist Church and members of the Muslim community. Following the service, there will be a reception with baked goods provided by each congregation.

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

FRIDAY: Services, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a Kiddush luncheon.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Global Day of Jewish Learning, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

TUESDAY: Ladies Lunch Group, noon at Egg & I, 1601 Q. Street. Questions? Contact Stephanie Dohner.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

Join Us for the WORLD With No Hate Shabbat Service, Friday, Nov 20, 7:30 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Bring a guest...a neighbor, friend, or co-worker to share this unique servicefollowed by a special oneg Shabbat. The guest speaker will be Dr. Marilyn Johnson-Farr, Doane College Dwight E. Porter Professor of Education.

Personal We would like to thank the staff of the Rose Blumkin Home and our many friends for their expressions of sympathy and support during the recent loss of Elliott Banner. Special thanks to Rabbi Dembitzer and Rabbi Weiss.

Ida, David and Shirly Banner

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 http://templeisraelomaha.com FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to You at Remington Heights, 4 p.m. led by Cantor Shermet; November First Friday - on the Second Friday, Candlelighting & Kiddush in the Simon Community Court, 5:30 p.m., Service, 6 p.m., dinner following services. Jerry Kaye, Director of Olin Sang Ruby, will give the D’var Torah during services and you will have a chance to visit with him during dinner. Cost is $5/person, max of $20 per family. Reservations required.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Lauren Kugler, daughter of Traci and Lance Kugler, will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah; College Cornhusker Game Night, 2 p.m. at Arena Sports Bar & Grill.

3809 N. 90 St. Come watch the Cornhuskers play the Rutgers at the Arena Sports Bar & Grill. The first round of appetizers will be on us, so come hang out with friends, meet new people, eat great food and watch the Cornhuskers dominate!

SUNDAY: Grades K-6, 10 a.m.; Camp Fair Day, 10 a.m.; Parent/Toddler Program, 10:30 a.m. for children ages 2-3.

Dani Howell will facilitate activities, games and songs for

Bachmann wants to convert Jews

by JTA NEWS STAFF WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann called for an intensified effort to convert Jews to Christianity. The former congresswoman from Minnesota who ran for the Republican nod in 2012, was in Israel last week on a tour organized by the Family Research Council. Toward the end of the week, she spoke on the council president's radio program, "Washington Watch," and discussed the meaning of the recent intensification of violence in Israel and the West Bank. She cast the violence as a signal of the return of Jesus, which would necessitate mass conversions.

“We recognize the shortness of the hour,” Bachmann said on the program hosted by Tony Perkins, “and that’s why we want to be faithful in these days and do what it is that the Holy Spirit is speaking to each one of us, to be faithful in the Kingdom and to help bring in as many as we can — even among the Jews — share Jesus Christ with everyone that we possibly can because he’s coming soon.”

Pulverent e

November 13, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 11

In memoriam DAVID PLOTKIN David Plotkin passed away. Services were held Nov. 5 at Fisher Farms Cemetery, 8900 South 42nd Street.

He was preceded in death by parents, Esther and Alex Plotkin, brother Al Brown, and sister Rita Biniamow.

He is survived by his wife Georgia; son, Alexander J. Plotkin; daughter, Rachel E. Olumese (Santos); step-daughter, Mary A. Schooley; two grandchildren; and nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, LOVE or Beth Israel Synagogue.

Ben Carson’s pyramids

by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) -- A Jewish expert on biblical archaeology said she knows of no scholar or archaeologist who agrees with Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson’s theory that Joseph built the Egyptian pyramids.

In an email interview with The Associated Press, Jodi Magness, who holds the senior endowed chair in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, said scholars and archaeologists are in agreement that the pyramids were built to be royal tombs and not, as Carson says, as grain storage when the biblical Joseph was advising the pharaoh.

Carson, a Seventh-day Adventist, said Nov. 5 that he stands by the statements he made about the pyramids in a 1998 video that was posted on BuzzFeed earlier this week.

Magnes, who holds degrees from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Pennsylvania, told the AP, “This is not an academic topic of debate. The use of the pyramids as tombs is verified by both written [literary] sources and archaeological evidence.”

The pyramids’ narrow, secret corridors were unsuitable for grains storage, she said.

Daniel Weber, a spokesman for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, told the AP that Carson’s belief about the pyramids are "his own interpretation."

“Of course, we believe in the biblical account of Joseph and the famine,” Weber said. “But I’ve never heard the idea that pyramids were storehouses of grain.”

The story of Joseph advising the pharaoh appears in the Miketz Torah portion, in Genesis, and will be read in synagogues next month.

B’nai Mitzvah Ruben Kalervo Furst, son of Wendy Furst and Jukka Savolainen, will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 21, at Beth El. Ruben is a seventh-grade student at Beach Middle School in Chelsea, MI. He received an Honorable Distinction award from Russell Middle School in May 2015.

His interests include both American and European football, basketball, paddle boarding and playing with his brother, Joonas.

For his mitzvah project, Ruben is donating a portion of his allowance to the Nebraska Humane Society. He is also collecting, instead of gifts from his peers, items from the Humane Society of Nebraska wish list which will later be donated. He did something similar in the past, for his 3rd birthday, and loved it (and so did the animals).

Grandparents are Margo and Michael Furst, and Rita and Matti Savolainen.

Laura Kirshenbaum, daughter of Jenn Tompkins Kirshenbaum and Matt Kirshenbaum, will become a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 21, at Temple Israel.

Laura is a seventh-grade student at Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School.

Her interests include JCC ballet, jazz and modern dance, JCC musicals, orchestra, volleyball, academic competitions and school plays.

For her mitzvah project, Laura volunteered for Completely Kids at Jackson Elementary School by reading and engaging with children and gave computer support to children.

She has a sister, Kathleen.

Grandparents are Kate and Tom Kirshenbaum, and Kathy and Bernie Tompkins, all of Omaha.

Great-grandfather is Joe Kirshenbaum of Palm Springs, CA.

Reform Jews cheer Biden’s criticism of settlements -- and support for Israel

by JTA NEWS STAFF ORLANDO, Fla. (JTA) -- Thousands of Reform Jews cheered Vice President Joe Biden’s criticism of Israeli settlements, but were even more boisterous in applauding his pledge to fight the delegitimization of Israel and to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

In a keynote address to 5,000 people at the 2015 Biennial of the Union for Reform Judaism, Biden acknowledged disagreements between the Obama administration and Israeli government over settlements and the Iran deal. But, he U.S. Vice President Joe Biden speakadded, the “core of ing in Orlando to 5,000 people at our alliance is as the Biennial of the Union for Reform Judaism, Nov. 7, 2015. Credit: URJ strong as steel.”

“No one president or prime minister can alter that no matter what they do,” Biden said.

Biden stressed the need to turn the focus on the Iran deal to ensuring that Iran lives up to its commitments. The vice president pledged that if Iran tries to cheat, sanctions will snap back. If Iran does cheat, he added, all options -- including the “use of military force” -- remain on the table for stopping any future Iranian pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

“We simply will not permit Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. Period. Period,” he said.

Biden received strong applause for his comments on stopping Iran, as well as his pledge that the Obama administration would work with Israel to strengthen its military capability in the face of a host of regional threats.

Later in the 45-minute speech, the vice president received a standing ovation when he promised that the Obama administration would fight efforts to delegitimize Israel and likened some harsh criticism of the Jewish state to antiSemitism. He also received a standing ovation when he stressed the need for a two-state solution.

The audience cheered when he declared that “there is no excuse, there should be no tolerance for any member or employee of the Israeli administration referring to the president of the United States in derogatory terms. Period.

Period. Period. Period.”

The comment appeared to be a reference to Ran Baratz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pick to serve as his media chief. After announcing the potential appointment, it surfaced that Baratz, a former university lecturer, posted on Facebook in March that Obama’s reaction to Netanyahu’s speech to Congress was “modern anti-Semitism.” He also has mocked Secretary of State John Kerry and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.

“Not withstanding those terrible comments,” Biden said, “no one, no one, no one can undermine our relationship and the security of the Jewish and democratic State of Israel.”

Baratz has apologized both for the comments and for not informing Netanyahu about them. For his part, the prime minister has criticized the comments -- but has not backed off his plans to appoint Baratz.

Biden praised Rabbi David Saperstein, the longtime director of the Reform movement’s Washington office who now serves as United States ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. Saperstein was honored earlier in the evening. And the vice president thanked the Reform movement for working with him for decades on a host of liberal domestic issues, as well as efforts to bring Soviet Jews and Ethiopian Jews to Israel in the 1980s and to stop genocide in the Balkans in the 1990s. The vice president attributed the Reform movement’s activism to its immigrant history.

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THE KIMBALL County Board of Commissioners is seeking sealed bids to purchase a new, used or demo ambulance unit. The deadline to submit a bid is 5:00 p.m. November 25, 2015. For more information and a copy of the specifications, please contact the Kimball County Clerk at 308-2352241.

emerging voices

12 | The Jewish Press | November 13, 2015

And the nominee is...

By this point we have all been inundated with the loudly-broadcast opinions of media pundits that Hillary Clinton easily has the 2016 Democratic nomination wrapped up. According to virtually every op-ed piece in virtually every newspaper, she ‘dominated the first Democratic debate’, ‘is way ahead in the polls’, etc.

It is certainly true that the Democratic race is clearing; both Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee have closed their campaigns, and Joe Biden has announced he will not be running. However, with over three months before the primary elections, it is still far too early to assume anything, and to write off Bernie Sanders at this stage of the game is a severe mistake.

Following the first Democratic debate, the media (at least that usually lumped under the ‘liberal’ banner) exploded with articles about how Hillary Clinton had made a ‘dominating performance’ in the first debate, and that most viewers thought she had won it conclusively. This latter statement must have come as quite a surprise to the 83% of poll respondents who, after the debate, had said that Bernie Sanders won it.

Granted, these results come from a self-reported poll (and so are unlikely to be especially accurate), and additionally a significant portion of those poll respondents were likely to be younger people, who tend to be supporters of Sen. Sanders, streaming the debate on their computers. Even taking this into account, it still seems likely that by no means did Secretary Clinton ‘win’ the debate conclusively.

Rather, it would appear that the pro-Clinton media is attempting to provide remedial work for a good,

CONNOR MULLIN

but not great, debate performance. As for said performance being ‘dominating’, this is also strongly questionable – she certainly dominated the debate against Jim Webb, Lincoln Chafee, and Martin O’Malley, but then so did Sen. Sanders (and, one could argue not entirely facetiously, Anderson Cooper,

the moderator).

Indeed, while it is true that Clinton scored a number of points against Sen. Sanders (and much applause) by her points on gun control and prosmall-business capitalism, in neither case did these serve to really set herself apart from him. And, of course, her support for the various wars in the Middle East and her status as a ‘corporate Democrat’ arguably hurt her; her opponents earned applause when going after her on these issues. This suggests that, while Sec. Clinton did well in the debate (undeniably, she had a successful performance), she did not dominate it, and so the newspapers are attempting to blow this entirely out of proportion.

On to the second disputable point: the polls. The Washington Post recently ran the results of a joint Washington Post/ABC News poll, claiming that Hillary Clinton was leading Bernie Sanders by 64% to 25% (without Joe Biden in the race) in the country as a whole. This ostensibly shows a massive lead for her, and certainly the method by which the poll was conducted (random telephone survey) is impeachable. Despite this, several questions are raised by this poll. One has to immediately question, for instance, just how valid the results really are when they were gathered from a sample of only one thousand people and then extrapolated to the entire country. Furthermore, reading the description of the poll reveals another telling fact: that only 352 polled voters were “Democratic-leaning”,

and it is from these people that the conclusions were gathered. This fact, conveniently omitted from most reprints of the poll, calls the results utterly into question; 352 is a sample size far too small to draw accurate conclusions for this sort of wide-ranging poll. Now, granted, this again still suggests that Sec. Clinton had maintained some sort of lead, but again with a sample size that small (and a margin of error of six points), we cannot know just how large (or small) this lead is. Thus, this particular poll is an extremely invalid way to draw conclusions for the entirety of the country.

Arguably, it also isn’t even an effective way of determining the likelihood of Bernie Sanders winning the nomination – polls conducted state-bystate will return better predictions, as that is at heart how the Democratic presidential candidate will be chosen.

It is almost certainly true that Sec. Clinton is still leading in the polls, and so is still the better bet for the ultimate winner of the Democratic nomination (in part because of the efforts of the Democratic National Party apparatus to throw the nomination to her).

However, in the absence of well-conducted surveys with a valid sample size, we don’t know how far ahead she really is. Furthermore, despite what the media would have you believe, she has not yet distanced herself conclusively from Sen. Sanders (either in the first debate or on the campaign trail), and so by no means does she yet have the nomination solidly wrapped up.

Connor Mullin is a freshman at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a member of South Street Temple. He is a history major, and interested in political and international relations analysis. He also enjoys reading and writing mystery fiction.

The writers in this column are free to choose their own topics. If you are between 13 and 25 years old and want to write for Emerging Voices, please contact the editor at avandekamp@jewish omaha.org.

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