November 22, 2013: Hanukkah Edition

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

The Festival of Lights

November 22, 2013 | 19 Kislev 5774 Vol. 94 | No. 10 2 Sections

A2 | The Jewish Press | November 22, 2013

Introduction

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

Happy Hanukkah!

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor This year’s Hanukkah is made up of three major ingredients: 1. Complaining about the early date of the holiday; 2. Feeling guilty for complaining about the early date of the holiday; 3. Trying to figure out the Thanksgiving menu (Fried Turkey? Stuffed latkes? Pumpkin-filled Sufganyot?)

Also, I haven’t finished shopping for all the presents, and forget about having anything wrapped. About 99.8 percent of the decorations is still in boxes somewhere in the basement -- who knows where. Hanukkah may be early, but I am late. Really, really late.

My children remind me that this is inexcusable. Not in a demanding, rubbing-your-face-in-it kind of way, but by their excitement. They don’t care about the calendar, they are not bothered in the slightest that our timeline is completely out of whack -- they are simply excited for what’s to come. Which, of course, makes me feel even guiltier. We only have one Hanukkiah sitting in the living room, and that’s only there because it’s so pretty we never put it away in the first place.

A holiday is never just a holiday. It’s preparation, and looking forward, and savoring what’s to come. Especially when it comes to Hanukkah; it’s a very child-centered holiday, with the chocolate Gelt and pretty gifts and lighting the candles night after night. No wonder they can’t stand to wait.

We often think of patience as a hard-won skill, something we only learn after years of trying, and definitely something

we need. But that unadulterated impatience children tend to show in the face of upcoming holidays, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s the impatience that comes with enthusiasm, with the true spirit of Hanukkah, and with a healthy helping of enjoyment.

Of course, it’s a little odd, the way we approach Hanukkah.

Originally a festival that marks the courage of the few against the many, we nowadays mostly associate it with fried foods, presents, and family get-togethers. And because it falls so close to Christmas, we are just as busy defining what Hanukkah is, as what it is not.

Which brings us to another issue we must discuss: interfaith families, and how they approach the holidays. For years, we have talked about the “December dilemma,” and in that discussion, we have always approached it as an either-or proposition. When a household contains both a Christian and a Jew, do they celebrate Hanukkah with the kids, or Christmas? Nowadays, not in a small part thanks to the recent Pew poll, it is becoming more and more obvious there are many of you who consciously choose a third option: to celebrate both. Of course, holidays are just one part of an interfaith life; I imagine there are many other things affected by such a choice.

All across the country, communities are changing. We can no longer stick our heads in the sand and pretend it isn’t so.

I don’t have an answer as to how to move forward, how to respect people’s individual choices, while maintaining an apologetically Jewish way of life; I wish I did. But we do need to have the discussion. And I think we need to have it in a context of optimism: together, we can figure out how to stay

strong, vibrant and true to ourselves. The days of wringing our hands and lamenting our certain demise are behind us.

We are not going anywhere.

Had there been a Pew poll during the times of the Maccabees, it probably wouldn’t have looked very good. Yet, Judah lifted his sword, and others followed; in the face of certain destruction they were victorious and in the process witnessed a miracle. The struggle we face today is similar to that of the Maccabees, and at the same time entirely different. We, too, have to fight for our survival; not with swords, but with peaceful weapons. We must display tolerance, understanding, words of wisdom and outreach. We can’t get angry, and we can’t let our tempers take over.

I once read an essay by a Dutch rabbi (and I wish for the life of me I could remember his name) who wrote: “We have lost 6 million Jews. Under no circumstances can we afford losing one more. The children who have one Jewish parent, and the children who have one Jewish grandparent, they need to be welcomed.”

I think those circumstances he refers to are here.

Maybe this year, when we light the candles, we can think about the struggle for survival in a new light, and at the same time remember why it is we embrace that struggle. Why we light those candles, why we get out the decorations, why we wrap those presents, and why we create an atmosphere of joy in our homes. And in the process, we can borrow a bit of our children’s impatience: let’s do this, and let’s do this now!

I hope all of you have a peaceful and very meaningful Hanukkah; may we all find a little childlike impatience.

Hanukkah Greetings

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November 22, 2013 | The Jewish Press | A3

President’s message Beth Israel, the communitywide Sukkah Hop, and he regularly appears at the CDC, guitar in hand. He is teaching at Beth-El on Sundays. He’s even begun a brand new program called It’s My Life where JAY NODDLE, President, Jewish Federation of Omaha our pre-school kids share The Federation continues to be a big part family pictures with Israeli pre-schoolers. of my life these days, and I couldn’t be hap- An electronic show and tell bridging kids pier about it. When I first spoke to the com- 7000 miles apart. Amazing. munity at our Federation Annual Meeting Our Young Jewish Omaha (YJO) program last June, tradition and family were foremost is now in the very capable (and young) in my mind as I noted I was following in the hands of Zach Spooner, our new footsteps of my father, who served in the Development Associate. A May graduate of same capacity almost 35 years ago.

UNL, Zach gathered the group together at a Family, tradition and community are the recent Backyard Concert and will no doubt reasons we volunteer, participate and offer infuse YJO with his youthful energy. our mental, physical and financial resources The Federation broadens its reach to the to the community. They are the reasons we local community. We’ve made a conscious face issues head-on and tackle our most effort to create programming and messaging important concerns with care, determina- that reaches all segments of our community, tion and great passion. (Where would this wherever they work and live. The Annual community be without its passion?)

Campaign’s major donors enjoyed a wonWe all want a Federation that is welcoming derful event last month at the incredible and relevant to everyone in Jewish Omaha. Kaneko in the Old Market. Our community Where everyone finds a place and makes a event attracted our youngest age democontribution. Where your opinion matters. graphic yet: at the very entertaining gaming Where compassion and Kavod (respect) are venue, Dave & Busters. And our Center for the order of the day and people are valued.

Jewish Life sponsored an engaging Rabbinic The professional staff and community panel on the new Pew Research study at volunteers are working every day to make Temple Israel. the Jewish Omaha experience better and Hanukkah literally means “dedication” in easier for all of us. The following are some Hebrew (I looked it up). What a great word examples of what has been accomplished for Jewish Omaha. Together, let’s renew our over the past few months. collective dedication to each other, our comEngagement and connection for our munity and to Jews everywhere. This year, young people. Our brand new Community when you light your Hanukkah candles, I Shaliach is bringing Israel to our doorstep in challenge you to consider your personal dedeffective and impactful ways. And he’s a ication to the Jewish people, and let us conrock star to boot! Eliad performed at a teen tinue to perform miracles for one another.

Omaha Jewish Connections program at Happy Hanukkah!

MID-CITY

From the desk of the President

Run off those calories

by RACHEL MARTIN As if latkes and sufganiyot were not enough motivation to exercise postChanukah, in 2013, we can add turkey and mashed potatoes to the list.

The good news is that the JCC is hosting the Chanukah Run/Walk on Sunday, Dec. 8.

Thanksgivikah, as some have deemed it, will not occur again for another 70,000 years. Sounds like a sufficient reason to participate in the 2013 Chanukah Run/Walk, since you probably won’t make the next Thanksgivikah.

Chanukah, the eight-day holiday rejoicing the miracle that enabled the Jewish people to survive, is a celebration of freedom over oppression and light over darkness. To commemorate that victory for religious freedom and the defeat of tyranny, the Monsky Lodge along with the JCC, are sponsoring this year’s annual Chanukah Run/Walk Event. This unique community event gathers people together in support of a new theme every year. This

year’s theme is “Freedom from Terrorism.”

All JCC members and members of the Jewish community are encouraged to participate. The event begins at 9:30 a.m. and caters to all fitness levels, as there will be 2mile, 4-mile and 6-mile distances. Walkers are welcome – why not get the whole family involved? Everyone will start and end at the canteen entrance of the JCC. Registration is $18 and includes a longsleeved T-shirt, bagels, and refreshments post run, Friday, Nov. 22, is the early registration deadline. For you thrill-seekers out there, registration is open until 9 a.m. the day of the event. There will be a signup table in the canteen area.

Early completed registration forms can be dropped off at member services or with Ed Heller, JCC Fitness Center Director. For more information, contact Ed Heller at 402.334.6580 or eheller@jccomaha.org.

This article was made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Special Donor Advised Fund to the Jewish Press.

J E W E L RY & L OA N

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A4 | The Jewish Press | November 22, 2013

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by SHANI KATZMAN comfortable and respected for our beliefs and practice.

Education Director, Chabad Center The community is invited to participate in this year’s It started in New York City, followed by Tel Aviv, Annual Freedom Menorah Parade, in the great American Jerusalem and cities and towns throughout Israel. tradition of parades and motorcades that display and celeThen it was introduced brate important events and in Moscow, Hong Kong, milestones. On Tuesday, Sydney and cities across Dec. 3 at 4 p.m., the plaza the USA. And places like at the Boys Town Hall of Charlotte, Newtown, and History will be the venue Madison caught on. for the opening ceremony Then Omaha joined the of the parade. As in the game. past, Boys Town’s staff and All Americans agree and children will host and parare proud that the United ticipate in the program.

States continues to provide The Arts department is a safe haven of religious preparing a presentation, freedom for all. The Statue and a group of kids will be of Liberty and Ellis Island preparing delectable latkes were, for countless immifor participants’ enjoygrants, the promise of a ment. Dignitaries will be new beginning. For Jews -in attendance. The fun especially at Hanukkah interactive program will time in a year when it include music and danccoincides with our nationing, refreshments and al holiday of Thanksgiving more. It will conclude with in November, our apprecia drive through Omaha ation for these gifts of freewith the blazing lights of dom is magnified. The Hanukkah and a group universal message of freeMenorah kindling. dom rings loud and clear.

For more information Hanukkah and its or your own cartop Menorah, an eightMenorah or Hanukkah branched candelabra are decals for your car winFrom last year’s Freedom Menorah Parade: top: dancing at Boys testament to the timeless dow, please contact Town and below: the parade throughout the streets of Omaha. values of “one nation Chani@ochabad.com or under G-d, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.” And 402.330.1800. You may also visit www.ochabad.com. it is an expression of our ability as Jews in America to be

by DAVID GOLBITZ Temple Israel Staff Writer Jewish summer camps can have a profound effect on the lives of those who attend them, and Temple Israel’s recent Camp Weekend was designed to showcase that effect by inviting Jewish camp alumni to talk to kids and their parents about all the meaningful experiences they had.

“We want people to send their kids [to Jewish summer camp] because we know how great an impact it has not just on their time as kids but also long term,” Rabbi Josh Brown said. “It changes the whole trajectory for so many people in their Jewish life when they go to Jewish summer camp.”

Nearly one-quarter of Temple Israel’s eligible children attended a Jewish summer camp last year, and Rabbi Brown hopes to increase that number to one-third for the upcoming camp season.

There will be at least one new camper from Temple Israel, thanks to the camp weekend: Wyatt Almeida, who was one of three kids to win a $1,000 camp scholarship over the weekend.

“I always assumed that I would send my children to sleepaway camp for the experience,” said Wyatt’s mother, Daryn Almeida. “I didn’t realize at the time how costly it was... this scholarship is a really big deal for us. It solidified that, yes, we are sending Wyatt to camp.”

Daryn, who grew up in a mostly non-Jewish community in Connecticut, attended a summer camp in Maine when she was younger, and although it wasn’t specifically a Jewish camp, “there were lots of Jewish kids there from all up and down the east coast.”

“I still sit there and teach Wyatt camp songs,” Daryn said.

“I have my yearbooks. He sees pictures of me fencing, and doing archery, and water skiing... I’m hoping he loves it as much as I did.”

Wendy Vann’s kids, Jodie and Jake, say that Camp Shwayder, which is outside Denver, is “their favorite place in the world.”

Vann worked on Camp Day as an “ambassador” for Shwayder, answering questions and explaining what both she and her kids love so much about the camp.

“I’m just a huge fan of it,” she said. “I think Shwayder is a groovy place for kids to be a Jew. They let them define the way they’re going to be Jewish. They let the kids write and run the service every week, they get to plan how they want it to look, and it’s such a naturally beautiful environment to be around.”

In addition to Shwayder, Temple Israel hosted “ambassadors” from other Midwestern Jewish summer camps as well, including Sabra, Herzl and OSRUI.

Traci Kugler’s daughter Lauren, 11, who also won one of the $1,000 camp scholarships, attended Missouri’s Camp Sabra for the first time last year “and she loved it,” Traci said. “She went for two weeks last summer and she’s going for a month next year.”

Lauren’s brother Alex, 9, also went to Sabra last year, and while Traci was apprehensive about sending her children to a sleepaway camp at first, after reading about the camp and contacting its representatives, she stopped worrying.

“They did an amazing job of being in contact with the parents and making you feel so comfortable about your kids’ safety,” Traci said. “I really felt comfortable when they got there. You can call the director anytime. Once they got there I didn’t really worry about them.”

Traci cites two main reasons for why she wanted her children to attend Jewish summer camp, reasons that many parents and camp alumni have echoed: “I had friends who went to Jewish summer camp; I did not, which I really regret,” she said. “They made lifelong Jewish friends. Some of them have kids now that they send to the same camp who are becoming lifelong friends, and I thought it would be great if my kids got to experience that.

My daughter went for only two weeks last summer, and I can already see it happening; they talk, they text all the time.”

The second reason Traci wants her children to attend Jewish summer camp is that it gives the kids an opportunity, if only for a few weeks, to spend time with lots and lots of Jews.

“How great for them to be in a place where 99 percent of the people are Jewish,” she said. “That’s gotta be a great feeling for kids who are usually in the minority.”

Daryn Almeida also hopes that sort of environment will have a positive impact on Wyatt’s Jewish identity.

“I told him, I really would like you to go to a Jewish camp, because I want you to find your identity and make friends, so you don’t feel so different from everyone else.”

As Daryn mentioned, summer camp can be expensive, “but the long term investment is well worth it,” Rabbi Brown said. “And we know we get that back, not only financially but in the commitment camp kids make to the synagogue and to the community.”

Financial assistance is available through Temple Israel and the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Center for Jewish Life. Parents are encouraged to contact Temple Israel Executive Director Dennis DePorte or CJL Program Coordinator Mary Sue Grossman for more information.

“I truly believe that the friends the kids make at Jewish camp will be lifelong friends and keep our kids more con-

November 22, 2013 | The Jewish Press | A5

In the news

Yossi Klein Halevi

Book review ALAN POTASH Recently, I participated in an event at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts titled, 1 image 1 minute. When I read the announcement about this project, the image that came to mind was David Rubinger’s Paratroopers at the Western Wall. This iconic image is one of Israel’s most memorable images from the Six Day War. It is probably the most recognized image in Israel.

This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the Yom Kippur war. With the image in my mind and the thought of Israel’s transition from the success of the Six Day war to the almost fatal results of the Yom Kippur war, I wanted to learn more about the men in the photo.

I Googled the image and discovered Yossi Klein Halevi researched and interviewed the men and the impact on their lives this image had. It is a great article and I encourage you to read it.(http://azure.org.il/include/print.php? id=456). When I got to the bottom of the page where it describes the author, it said to look for the upcoming book

by Halevy titled, Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation.

I immediately downloaded the book (I discovered the book had just been released the day before).

I was a little surprised by the length of the book, most books today are not 600 plus pages. At first I thought the book was going to be about the three paratroopers in the iconic image that I was going to speak about, but it wasn’t.

Those paratroopers were from the 66th brigade and entered shortly after the 55th brigade. Halevi’s book is a history lesson through the lives of seven paratroopers who entered and

captured the old city. The seven paratroopers’ lives and beliefs are the focus of the book.

Reading the history of Israel through these men took me back to my own connection to Israel; as a seven year old during the summer of 1967 I was aware of the six day war but I did not really get it until shortly after when I was sitting in the library of Beth El synagogue for a Hebrew school lesson on Israel and we watched a black and white movie on the building of the country. The film, clearly a propaganda message for the diaspora -- well, it worked on me, and I know it contributed to Jonathan Duitch as well because we both reference it as we talk to groups about our connection to Israel.

Back to the book; the title should be a cause for intrigue as he references A Divided Nation. Few people in 1967 understood the impact gaining the West Bank, Gaza, Sinai and the Golan Heights would have on the country. It did create a return to “biblical Israel” movement, commonly referred to as the settler movement.

In Like Dreamers, Halevi chronicles the rise of the movement to settle the West Bank, Sinai and Gaza; at the same time he explores the transformation or decline of the kibbutz movement. As someone who lived on a kibbutz (for a short time), I witnessed the changes that disrupted the ideology of the movement. For example, three things took place on the kibbutz I was on in the 80’s; TVs, telephones and the decline of communal meals. Kids sleeping in the children’s house was pretty much over on most kibbutzim.

Another part of the transforming of the country that he focused on was the shift from state-owned industries to privately held businesses.

Overall, this book opened up an understanding of growth and changes Israel has gone through over the past 40 plus years. As someone connected to Israel, reading this book did several things for me; it brought back memories of why I became passionate about the country, it answered questions around the rise of the settlement community, it addressed the decline of the kibbutz movement on an ideological level and community level and finally how Israel grew from a struggling economic experiment to what it is today as a leader in technology, medicine and agriculture. All of this was accomplished through the lives of seven men once bonded by a shared historical experience and how they grow over the years. I highly recommend this book.

On Wednesday, Dec. 4, Justin Spooner will announce his candidacy for the open seat in Nebraska’s 6th legislative district. The event will be held at the Jewish Community Center from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Spooner’s priorities for the 6th district will be protecting funding and local control for education, providing property tax relief to homeowners and economic development, specifically through improving the regulatory climate for small business.

Spooner currently works as a Development Associate for the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Omaha native Andy Robinson is happy to announce his recent venture into the business world with his flagship concept store, Retro Shirtz.

Opened in November of this year at the Westroads Mall, Retro Shirtz has a wide selection of pre-made graphic humor t-shirts, as well as retro tin signs, and a large selection of humorous decals and stickers. He has put his touches into the store by offering custom Hanukkah shirts, too.

Retro Shirtz happily produces custom printed apparel, canvas, and posters. No order is too small or large, and most orders can be completed same day - even while a customer waits. The store has a full team of graphic designers on staff and specializes in translating customer ideas into finished custom shirts.

Andy welcomes the chance to help you with a custom order, so please stop by and say hello!

The University of Nebraska at Omaha Criss Library is hosting the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Traveling Exhibition Fighting the Fires of Hate: America and the Nazi Book Burnings. The exhibit will be on display through Dec. 4 on the lower level of the library.

Free Admission!

Boystown.org/discover B oysttown org//discover 1-800-625-1400 | info@boystown.org

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Visit Boys Town!

Former Omahans Ali Lerner Doyle and husband Mark Doyle both graduated from their respective residency programs in June 2013. Ali graduated from Upstate Medical University, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY. Mark graduated from St. Joseph’s Community Hospital, Syracuse, NY, in Family Medicine.

Dr. Ali Doyle is now a practicing physician in OB/GYN in Saratoga Springs and Glens Falls, NY. Dr. Mark Doyle, is practicing Family Medicine in Glens Falls, NY; their home is Saratoga Springs, NY.

Happy Hanukah from your friends at Boys Town!

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A6 | The Jewish Press | November 22, 2013

Beth El welcomes Mordechai Rosenstein

by JILL BELMONT 55 and older. There is no charge to attend, but reservations during “Originals from an Original,” an art and wine recepBeth El Publicity are requested at secretary@bethel-omaha.org. tion at the home of Patty and Steve Nogg. Attendees at the 7 Thanks to Mordechai Rosenstein, Hebrew letters have Beth El congregant Jim Wax, who plans to attend the p.m. event will have an opportunity to chat with the artist never looked so good. For over 30 years, the world- Thursday session, said that he hopes to learn something and browse through a selection of his finest pieces. Artwork renowned artist has created unique Judaica art, each piece about the artist and about art appreciation. will also be available for purchase throughout his visit. The spotlighting some aspect of the Hebrew reception is open to everyone in the comalphabet. His brilliantly–colored tapestries, munity, at no charge. Reservations are serigraphs, murals and silk screens grace the requested and may be made by contacting walls of synagogues, galleries and homes the Noggs at noggster2@aol.com. around the world.

Patty Nogg noted that she and Steve first The community will have the opportunity met Rosenstein years ago when they hosted to meet -- and create art with -- Rosenstein, a fundraiser featuring his artwork, so when when he serves as Beth El Synagogue’s artistthey were asked to host the upcoming Beth in-residence from Dec. 4–8.

El reception, “We were thrilled to do it and “Mordechai Rosenstein’s stunning art work encourage everyone to come to this very is beloved by many, and we’re very excited to special evening!” she said. welcome him to Beth El,” said Rabbi Steven “I love the way he uses Hebrew letters so Abraham. “I’m looking forward to learning fancifully in his work and love his use of about his career, sharing a special Shabbat bold colors,” she added. “Steve and I bought celebration, and watching him inspire the our first piece of Rosenstein’s artwork when budding artists in our congregation. This will he was here during that last fundraiser. And, be a terrific artist-in-residence experience for although we rarely give each other a everyone in the community -- children and Hanukkah gift, we are planning to buy ouradults alike.” selves a belated gift this year!”

A native of Philadelphia, Rosenstein gradOn Sunday, Rosenstein will spend the first uated from Akiba Hebrew Academy and the part of his day at Beth El’s Talmud Torah.

Philadephia College of Art. His major influAt 9:45 a.m., he will explore “The Secret ences include his former professor, Franz of the Hebrew Alphabet,” and will work with Kline, who is one of New York’s foremost BESTT students and parents to create a takeabstract expressionists, and the home, collaborative art project; he will presImpressionism of Henri Matisse, Vincent van ent a similar, age-appropriate project with Gogh, and Marc Chagall. the Torah Tots youngsters and parents durBy combining his interest in Judaica and ing their 10:45 a.m. program. painting, Rosenstein has created a contem“We are thrilled to have such a renowned porary definition of the art of Hebrew calligartist come to Beth El to learn from and raphy. Calling the Hebrew alphabet “the study with,” said Eadie Tsabari, the synaessence of my art,” he says that, “The flowing gogue’s director of congregational learning. forms of the letters have been an inspiration “Bringing the Hebrew language alive with to me since my youth.” design and color adds a special dimension During his visit at Beth El, the community for our students who are learning to read will have various opportunities to hear from, Hebrew and write the Hebrew alphabet, and Clockwise from to left: Patty and Steve Nogg, Dor’l Dor Tapestry, David’s Harp and Beloved. and work with, the acclaimed artist. choosing a line from the siddur or Torah and At a congregational Hanukkah dinner on Wednesday, “I am intrigued by a program that is designed especially making a piece of artwork will make it all the more special Dec. 4, 6:15 p.m., Rosenstein will speak about The Art for seniors,” Wax said. “This could be the catalyst for future for our students.”

Within Me, sharing stories about his art and people who programs created specifically with seniors in mind.”

Finally, on Sunday at noon, Rosenstein will be the special own some of his pieces. Cost to attend for Beth El members During the day on Friday, Dec. 6, Rosenstein will visit the guest at “In Celebration of Beth El’s Sisterhood,” a luncheon is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 7-12, and free for chil- Friedel Jewish Academy and the JCC preschool to lead art co-sponsored by the Beth El’s Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group dren ages six and younger. Maximum charge per family is activities; then, at 6 p.m., he will join Beth El’s congregation and Sisterhood. Following the meal, he will lead attendees in $36. For non-members, the cost is $12.50 for adults, $7.50 for Kabbalat Shabbat services, where he will discuss, “My a hands-on art project. Lunch cost is $5 for Sisterhood memfor children ages 7-12, and free for children six and younger. Journey as an Artist.” A light reception will follow. bers and $8 for non-members; reservations are needed by Maximum charge per family is $45. Register and pay online The next morning, during 9:30 a.m. Shabbat services, he Wednesday, Dec. 4, and may be made online at Beth El’s

by Nov. 29, at www.bethel-omaha.org. will present a special D’var Torah, entitled, The Bible Through website, www.bethel-omaha.org.

On Thursday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m., he will lead “Art is for ALL Art Comes Alive; a Kiddush lunch will follow services.

All artist-in-residence events and activities are open to the Ages,” a hands-on art project with ‘seasoned seniors,’ those On Saturday evening, Rosenstein will be the special guest entire Jewish community.

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November 22, 2013 | The Jewish Press | A7

What was said about the Pew poll, Part I

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Happy Hanukkah

by BETH COHEN Executive Director, the Center for Jewish Life On Nov. 5, the Center for Jewish Life organized a panel to discuss the findings and implications of the Pew Research Center’s A Portrait of Jewish Americans. Over 225 people attended the program which was held at Temple Israel.

The panel included Omaha’s rabbinic leadership: Steven Abraham of Beth El Synagogue, Aryeh Azriel and Josh Brown of Temple Israel, Jonathan Gross of Beth Israel Synagogue and Mendel Katzman of Chabad House. The panel was moderated by Joel Alperson. Mike Silverman, our Federation’s CEO, also participated in the panel. As Joel made the introductions, he explained that he asked Mike to be part of the panel “because I believe that the idea of connecting Jews with Judaism and their Jewish community is not only a synagogue enterprise, it is a Jewish community enterprise, and the Federation does a remarkable job of touching a lot of Jewish lives.”

In opening the discussion, Joel stated, “Communities across the country are struggling against demographic trends. As great as this community is – and it is great – especially in comparison to many other communities its size... it is not immune to the factors that we read about in the national study.”

He continued, “We have watched for weeks now as the Pew Research study has been debated and discussed and answered and questioned; and there are implications, I believe, for our community. It is appropriate that some of the top leaders who reach out to Jews in our community discuss not only with us but even among each other what the implications of these numbers are.”

Excerpted quotes from the first question are below. The full video of the two-hour program is posted at www.jewishom aha.org, and click on the tab for the Center for Jewish Life.

Nationally, 32% of Millennial Jews, ages 21-36, say they have no religion, according to the Pew study. Realize that if the Orthodox population is removed from these statistics, the percentage of Jews with no religion would be significantly higher. Even in Omaha, we are seeing slowly declining synagogue membership numbers, a Federation campaign which appears to have peaked in 2007, and a variety of other measures indicating declining trends.

How do you feel your synagogue or movement or organization has best addressed these issues and what mistakes might have been made, if any?

Rabbi Aryeh Azriel I am optimistic by nature, and I refuse to believe this is the demise of American Jews. I don’t think you need to believe in God to be a Jew. There are hundreds of ways to be Jewish.

We have not really tapped into the other ways to express being Jewish. We need to invest more time and thinking into what we can do. For example, all of us are so happy with Birthright, and we are constantly talking about the impact of Birthright on young people. I would like to suggest that every interfaith couple, after the wedding, goes to Israel. We need to raise the funds to bring every interfaith couple to Israel to try to instill Jewishness and identity in those couples. Maybe we don’t just worry about the kids. Maybe we worry about this generation that we are concerned about that will be raising children. I am very proud to be a liberal, progressive, Reform Jew. Do we have difficulties and challenges in the movement? Of course we have. We need to continue doing the work we do, and we need to pray that things will improve.

Rabbi Steven Abraham The truth of the matter is that the Conservative movement is behind in a lot of the trends. We didn’t pay attention to data for any number of years because we were able to rest on our laurels. There was a point in history when Conservative Judaism held somewhere around 45% of the Jewish population. So when it came to interfaith issues, topics of social justice, engaging in serious Jewish study, the movement fell behind because the numbers were there. We are beginning

to address those issues. The issue of the Millennials and Jews of no religion, those numbers scare me. To think there are numbers of something like two million people who walked away from Judaism. That’s a lot of people. Forget about the people who went from Conservative to Orthodox or Conservative to Reform. They stayed within Judaism. That, to me, is not a problem. What is a problem is for you to walk away from Judaism. It means we didn’t do a good enough job with those families to build relationships with those people to keep them involved. And that is our fault. I think we have a lot of work to do, but I don’t think our best days are behind us. I think that what is reality of data only tells us where we are at the moment, and I think the best days, both for the Conservative movement and for all of us as Jews, still has much to be seen in the future.

Rabbi Mendel Katzman Representing the Jewish people, I think we are doing well.

It is, however, very concerning when you see numbers that are pointing in a direction that is not very encouraging. The numbers are not surprising at all, not shocking, and that is probably what is most interesting about it. The fact that we are all here is a very strong statement to the community that we are willing and excited about the opportunity to do something. We had a challenge where Haman wanted to destroy the Jewish people and we ended up with hamentashen. We had the Egyptians who wanted to crush us and we ended up with matzo balls. And all these events really remind us that when there are challenges in front of us, there is greater opportunity and so much we can do.

Rabbi Josh Brown Thinking specifically of Millennials, I am a huge fan of Birthright. It is proof against these numbers. With weddings being later in life and kids being later in life, a lot of us come to the synagogue with needs, and the Millennials don’t.

They look at the world of wants. The piece I want to add to the discussion, my favorite statistic that I saw out of the survey, is the answer to “Do you believe there is significant antiSemitism?” Forty-three % believe we face a lot of discrimination, but only 15% say that in the past year they have personally been called offensive names. Think about the discrepancy. We have a false sense and we have put too much of our identity into trying to fight battles that we are currently not actually fighting. We need to be relevant.

Rabbi Jonathan Gross Orthodoxy is the smallest, the poorest, and the least funded denomination, plus the entry to get in is by far the highest with yeshiva tuition at $20,000 a kid and twice as many kids as Jews of other denominations. And yet we seem to be doing pretty well. 50% of those raised in Orthodox homes have subsequently left, and that is true, but you have to read the statistic further as it is an average of all age groups. Of people 65 and older, only 20% stayed and 80% left. That is a lot of the people I see in Omaha. They were raised at Beth Israel and 80% left. Of Millennials, only 17% who were raised in Orthodox homes left.

If the mainstream Jewish movements – Orthodoxy is not the mainstream American Jewish movement, Conservative and Reform are – if those movements would preach ideals like Shabbos the way that it was – no driving, no texting, no television, no Husker games. If the mainstream Jewish movements in America would do those things, in my opinion, it would be a game changer. Now, it is not going to happen outside of Omaha. Our community is capable of doing something that would be astounding and spectacular. I think we would be a beacon to the rest of American Jewry. I think that most people will take this as a joke, but I really hope that this is something that could actually be considered.

Mike Silverman First, it is pretty incredible that our community is able to bring all the rabbis together for a discussion, because I know there are many communities where you can’t even get all the Reform rabbis together for a discussion.

Continued on page A8

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A8 | The Jewish Press | November 22, 2013

Reflections on the Pew Study

Happy Hanukkah

by RABBI M. MENDEL KATZMAN Our community has come together with concern and camaraderie to address the results of the recent Pew study on the current state of the Jew in America. Many important ever critical issues were raised and ideas exchanged in light of the study results. With good will and in the great tradition of passionate Jews, it was agreed to disagree with some ideas yet a partnership was forged for the betterment of our people. We realize that after all, there is more that unites us than divides us. Awareness heightened. Most important, action will (hopefully) be taken.

Chanukah, the Festival of Light, is around the corner. In those days in the heyday of the Syrian-Greek Empire, Judaism found itself in a quandary. The Syrian Greeks were luring Jews away from Judaism. The Syrian Greeks -- highly educated, progressive, and cultured -- provided unprecedented opportunities for Jews in education, politics, and economic prosperity. Assimilation was at an alarming high. Jews were identifying more with the predominant culture rather than with our own. The twin fabrics of faith and ritual were being torn asunder. And Jewish leaders and activists were left scratching their heads as they conferred. And, yes, you guessed it: The then Pew study reported that Judaism had no future.

A very, very small band of dedicated individuals known as the Maccabees, took matters into their hands. With fervor and deter-

mination, and in the face of an impossible mission, they waged war -- literal, yet largely spiritual -- against the pervading influences which threatened to snuff the life out of the Jewish soul. At great personal cost and risk to their lives they stemmed the tide and breathed new life into the Jewish community. With an emphasis on Torah study and observances of Mitzvot, they helped nurse a failing people to good health. Maccabees -an acronym for “Mi Kamocha Ba-Eilim Hashem” -- ( who is like You amongst the gods, Oh G-d!) rallied women, men and children and helped them get back on track.

Against all odds, they managed to stem the tide and turn it. They transformed darkness to light. And that light still burns in our Menorahs for eight nights each year.

Our long history of ups and dramatic downs has proven that Judaism is resilient.

With G-d’s help, we will not only survive.

Surely we will thrive and continue to be a “Light among the nations.” There will most certainly be a vibrant Jewish tomorrow for the next generation and beyond. We have weathered many calamitous storms and have withstood the test of time amid great upheaval and persecution. The question is not, will there be Judaism tomorrow. We might want to ask ourselves today if we will have a part of the rebuilding and rededication. Will this community, and we as individuals be a part of it?

Will I be a Maccabee?

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Continued from page A7 On the topic of Millennials, the Federation has made a concerted effort over the last five years to get the YJO group – Young Jewish Omaha – really involved, getting them out to socialize, not necessarily to worship but to celebrate their Judaism and to like each other and to want to be around each other regardless of denomination. Each generation is getting

less and less affiliated, and the Federation, to the best of our ability, is creating opportunities for young Jewish Omahans to be involved. I would also say that each time there are opportunities for the Federation and our agencies to bring young individuals onto boards or committees, there is a significant effort to do that, because we know that we need to cultivate our young Jews to be the next generation of leaders.

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November 22, 2013 | The Jewish Press | A9

Point of view

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Thanukah

Journal entry from Israel TEDDY WEINBERGER

What happens when the most congenial of Jewish holidays intersects with the most ecumenical of American holidays?

The truth is that no one knows for sure, since the last time that Hanukkah fell on Thanksgiving was the year 1918. But the occasion does provide us with a unique opportunity to think about the function of the two holidays within American Jewish life. In this case when I say “us,” I am referring especially to the community served by the Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut, members of which provided me with their insights on this topic when I visited New London and spoke at Temple Emanuel in nearby Waterford a few weeks ago.

Several people agreed with Maier Fein, who noted that the Hanukkah holiday is basically about giving thanks (for God’s aid to the Maccabees), and therefore the theme of Thanksgiving resonates nicely with Hanukkah. Rabbi Aaron Rosenberg (of Temple Emanuel) went further and said that both holidays similarly share a link to Succot. He explained that there is a reference in the Second Book of Maccabees to Hanukkah as “the Festival of Succot celebrated in Kislev” (since Succot that year had to be postponed until the

Maccabees were victorious and the Temple rededicated), and he points out that it could be argued that the Pilgrims patterned Thanksgiving after the biblical fall harvest festival of Succot.

The internet has been full of creative combinations for the “Thanukkah” meal. Chabbad.org provides a recipe for sweet potato butternut squash latkes and one for fried turkey egg roll with cranberry dipping sauce. Jerry Schwell suggested sufganiyot (jelly donuts) for dessert.

Interestingly enough, May Abudraham, one of the two young Israelis doing a year of service for the local Jewish community, was the person to point out that unlike all “early” Hanukkah’s in living memory, which pass fairly silently through the American landscape, this early Hanukkah will benefit from the prestige of falling out on a national holiday.

Coming from Israel, May had been used to getting vacation for the whole week of Hanukkah, and so the long Thanukkah weekend provides her with much consolation.

Dan Bendor jokingly said that we might as well enjoy “Thanukkah” because the only two upcoming holiday overlaps will be in 2070 and in 2165, and who knows if any of us will be around by then.

Eleanor Koss Glater’s remarks struck a resonant cord with my perception of American Jewish identity. Eleanor is not at all looking forward to the overlap of the two holidays—in fact she hates the idea. She likes celebrating Thanksgiving as its own holiday and then Hanukkah as its own holiday. I very much relate to this. After all, Thanksgiving is a holiday in which all American Jews can participate fully, and the pres-

ence of Hanukkah just gums up the works. If Hanukkah falls on Christmas, then that’s just fine: Christians have their holiday to celebrate and Jews have theirs. But a Hanukkah on Thanksgiving takes this fine American holiday and gives it a Jewish flavor. Instead of a day when Jews can ecumenically join hands with all Americans and celebrate, “Thanukkah” brings with it a particularistic Jewish element. Thanksgiving with Hanukkah becomes a “special” day for American Jews, but American Jews don’t want to be “special” on this day.

I’ll close here with a more upbeat take on Thanukkah, provided by my mother-in-law Willie Ross (though she does not live in Connecticut, she and I go way back). Willie reminds us that Thanukkah is a time when we can light Hanukkah candles with friends and family who are part of our annual Thanksgiving tradition but are not normally with us on Hanukkah (some of whom, left to themselves, may not even light Hanukkah candles). Willie is particularly looking forward to Thanksgiving this year because not only will she continue her tradition of hosting her sister Joanie for the meal, but she will be able to share the light of the second night of Hanukkah with her sister.

So on this Thanksgiving, let there be light for one and all: Happy Thanukkah!

Teddy Weinberger made aliyah in 1997 with his wife, former Omahan Sarah Ross, and their five children. Their oldest three, Nathan, Rebecca and Ruthie, are veterans of the Israel Defense Forces; Weinberger can be reached at weinross@net vision.net.il.

Things are heating up in Milan’s Jewish community

Focus on issues RUTH ELLEN GRUBER ROME (JTA) — Since the 1980s the Italian Jewish actor Moni Ovadia has garnered a popular following with stage productions and cabaret acts largely based on Yiddish, klezmer music, and Jewish jokes and legends.

Born in Bulgaria, Ovadia, 67, came to Milan as a small child and attended the Jewish school there. Arguably Italy’s best known Jewish stage performer, Ovadia, a leftist, describes himself as agnostic, but he wears a beard and his trademark headgear is a big knitted kippah.

In recent years, however, Ovadia’s vocal opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies toward the Palestinians has garnered sharp criticism. Two years ago, his announced participation at an event in Siena for the European Day of Jewish Culture drew heated protests, including a long stream of comments on the official website of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI).

When he announced in a newspaper interview last week that he planned to quit the Milan Jewish community over its approach to Israel, Ovadia touched off another firestorm both in the Jewish world and the media.

“I don’t want to be part of an entity that calls itself a Jewish community but is the propaganda office of a government,” he said.

“I am against those who want to ‘Israelianize’ Judaism,” he added. Moreover, he said, he believed that he was barred from taking part in a big Jewish culture festival in Milan in September because of his views.

Ovadia’s remarks prompted a stream of angry reactions from Milan Jews and others who aired their outrage in interviews, statements, tweets and op-eds.

Some of the debate centered on the role of Israel in constructing Jewish identity. Other comments focused on whether there could or should be limits to expressing views about Israel within the Jewish world.

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A meeting of the Milan Jewish community board discussing the case was marked by “lively polemics” and “tensions,” according to the UCEI website.

Milan Jewish community spokesman Daniele Nahum issued a statement saying that Ovadia’s assertions were “full of falsehoods.” And the Milan Jewish community’s president, Walker Megnaghi, said he didn’t think Ovadia’s departure would be a great loss. “I don’t think anyone will cry after these irresponsible and dangerous words,” he said.

Other commentators went further. The staunchly proIsrael Italian columnist Giulio Meotti ran a sharply worded op-ed in Il Foglio newspaper whose headline called Ovadia “the Jew who believes himself better than Israel.”

And the pro-Israel website Informazione Corretta — which in the past has branded Ovadia a “Jewish anti-Semite” — said his decision to leave the community was “finally some good news” from the actor.

Others were more conciliatory.

The historian Gadi Luzzatto urged Ovadia to reconsider his decision and published a long list of reasons why he himself would not consider leaving the Jewish community.

The first reason: “I won’t leave because if I do, the community will lose a free voice.” Other items on the list included “I won’t leave because I worked a large part of my life for openness and inclusion” and “because I want a Jewish community in the diaspora to be as free as is Israeli society.”

Letter TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, I’m writing in praise of the panel discussion on the Pew Research Center’s survey, “A Portrait of Jewish Americans,” that took place on Nov. 5 at the beautiful, new Temple Israel.

What a night! All five rabbis from the community, along with the CEO of the Federation, and over 300 people in attendance came together to talk about one of the most important and pressing issues facing the American Jewish community in decades. What’s happening to us? Why aren’t we affiliating with a synagogue or each other? Why is observing Judaism sixth or seventh on our “to do” list? What unites us? What divides us? What does a bright Jewish future look like, and what do we have to do (or not do) to ensure it?

The discussion was spirited, interactive and informative.

The panel agreed, disagreed, joked, challenged and advocated for greater participation from each and every one of us. It was inspiring to see and hear them together -- saying pretty

much the same thing but with their own particular “take” on Judaism and how to live it -- or how we should live it -- or could live it to guarantee our growth and prosperity.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants to say, “Thank you, (in alphabetical order) Rabbis Abraham, Azriel, Brown, Gross and Katzman; Federation CEO Mike Silverman; moderator Joel Alperson; Executive Director Beth Cohen and Associate Director Mary Sue Grossman of the Federation’s Center for Jewish Life (the sponsoring organization) for giving us an exceptional and thought-provoking evening.”

When Mike made a point of thanking the rabbis for their collective participation for the sake of the community, it drew an applause.

Our religious leaders are strong, passionate and resolute in their determination to keep Judaism foremost in our hearts and homes. How about another panel in six months?

Joanie Jacobson

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A10 | The Jewish Press | November 22, 2013

Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 402.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com For information on our historic synagogue – dates and times for Friday night services, please call 712.323.8885.

FRIDAY, Dec 13: Services, 7:30 p.m. followed by an oneg with guest speaker, Joan Cooper, Foster Care Advocate on A Jewish Journey to Foster Care. The community is invited.

Miles Remer will officiate at all of the Speaker Series Services.

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

FRIDAY: Lunch at Nebraska AIDS Project, 11:30 a.m.

Help serve or bake desserts. Email Joan Marcus for details at hmarcom@juno.com; Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6 p.m.; Our Shabbat Tables, at participating congregants’ homes. To join, contact Caryn Scheer at caryn scheer@yahoo.com.

SATURDAY: Shabbat services, 9:30 a.m.; Mincha-Ma’ariv, 4:30 p.m.; YAC evening at Village Pointe: First stop, Brix wine bar at 7:30 p.m.; next to Funny Bone for Kevin Nealon’s 9:30 p.m. show. Everyone will purchase their show tickets in advance through the club and are asked to RSVP to hosts Jeremy and Heidi Friedman at Jeremy.friedman@gmail.com. Ticket cost is $25 if purchased with cash at the club, or $28 online.

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

SUNDAY: Sisterhood Hanukkah Gift Wrapping, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Shop at the Beth El Judaica Shop or bring gifts in and Sisterhood members will do your gift wrapping for you. For more information or to volunteer, contact Cheryl Lerner, cldancer@aol.com; BESTT Classes, 9:45 a.m.; Torah Study Group, 10 a.m.; Torah Tots, 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

TUESDAY: Wrestling with the Rabbis of the Talmud, 10 a.m. weekly adult-education class led by Rabbi Abraham.

No charge to attend; everyone is welcome.

WEDNESDAY: No BESTT Classes this week; No Choir Rehearsal this week; USY Kinnus Lock-In Overnight on 8 p.m., followed by Kinnus Convention, Nov. 28–Dec. 1, in KC. Hanukkah Candle-lighting at Blumkin Home, Friday, Nov. 29, 2:30 p.m.

No BESTT Classes, Sunday, Dec. 1 Artist-in-Residence: Mordechai Rosenstein, Dec. 4-8. The entire Jewish community is invited to attend. For details and registration information, visit www.bethel-omaha.org. (see full story on page A6.)

The Secrets of the Jews, monthly, adult-education class led

by Andy Greenberg, Sunday, Dec. 8, 10 a.m. Cost is $36 for members, $45 for non-members. Register online at www.bethel-omaha.org.

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

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

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha-Ma’ariv, 4:41 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit (Barchu), 9 a.m.; Good Shabbos Nebraska: Comedian, Sheba Mason, 10 a.m.; Mincha, 4:25 p.m.; Havdalah, 5:45 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Daf Yomi: Week in Review with Rabbi Gross, 7:45 a.m.

TUESDAY: Women’s Study Group, 6:30 p.m. at the home of Kathy Weiner.

WEDNESDAY: Coffee and Your Jewish News, 7:45 a.m.; Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:45 p.m.

THURSDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.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.

FRIDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m.

SATURDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 9:30 a.m. followed

by Kiddush lunch.

SUNDAY: Minyan, 8:30 a.m.; Breakfast Bonanza, 9:30 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, 10 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.

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

FRIDAY: Hanukkah Potluck Dinner and Friday Night Live Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. with the Star City Kochavim and the Lincoln Temple Youth Group; Anne and Emmett (one act play), 7:30 p.m. at The Haymarket Theatre. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors and are available at http://www.haymarkettheatre.org.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Vayeshev; Anne and Emmett (one act play), 7:30 p.m. at The Haymarket Theatre. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors and are available at http://www.haymarkettheatre.org.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High Lite, 9:45 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; LJCS Family Education, 11 a.m.-noon for GanKindergarten families. Rabbi Lewis and Nancy Coren teaching on the subject of prayer, followed by an art project led by Betty Mellen. All Gan/Kindergarten are encouraged to attend; LJCS teachers, 12:15-1:30 p.m. at Tifereth Israel; Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, 2 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: No LJCS classes THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Temple officed closed for Thanksgiving.

Tot Shabbat with Ms. Jennifer, Friday, Nov. 29, 6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

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

Kerry to visit Israel amid strife over Iran deal

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Israel at the end of the week to discuss the proposed nuclear agreement between Iran and the world powers, as well as stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement of Kerry’s visit at the beginning of the weekly Cabinet meeting.

Friday’s visit comes as relations between Israel and the United States appear to have soured over the issue of Iran and its suspected nuclear weapons program.

“I would like to make it clear that there can be disagreements even among the best of friends, certainly on issues related to our future and our fate,” Netanyahu told the Cabinet.

Netanyahu called Kerry “an old friend” who “is also a

friend of Israel.”

Also Sunday, French President Francois Hollande and several French government ministers, including Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, arrived in Israel for a visit. France reportedly was a key reason that a deal with Iran on easing international sanctions in return for a scaling back of uranium enrichment was not signed last week in Geneva.

Netanyahu has called the deal a “bad agreement.”

Netanyahu is scheduled to travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Also Sunday, the Prime Minister’s Office denied a report in the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Jarida that said President Obama in recent days has been refusing telephone calls from Netanyahu and directing them to Kerry. The newspaper cited a “knowledgeable source.”

Candlelighting Friday, November 22, 4:41 p.m.

month.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. led by Temple Israel.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg.

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

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 http://templeisraelomaha.com FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Azriel and Cantor Shermet.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Torah and Haftarah Reader: Miles Remer; Bible Quiz Study Session, 3 p.m.; Experience Shabbat for Grades 3-6, 4 p.m. For more information, contact Director of Lifelong Learning Debbie Massarano, dmassarano@temple israelomaha.com; JYG Ugly Sweater Party, 6:30 p.m. Youth will make or wear their ugliest Hanukkah sweater, participate in a white elephant gift exchange (up to $10 value), make gifts for residents of Remington Heights.

Dinner will be provided and the cost is $5 plus their white elephant gift.

SUNDAY: OJC Thanksgiving Celebration, 12:30 p.m. in JCC Auditorium; Kol Rina Rehearsal, 3 p.m.; Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, 5 p.m. at Temple Israel. This year’s service with the theme “Season’s of Change.” Monetary donations and non-perishable food will be collected for Together, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing homelessness and assisting those in need; The Lauter Tun Series, 7 p.m. at Lauter Tun Bar, 3309 Oak View Drive #102 TUESDAY: No Adult B’nai Mitzvah: Hebrew Study with Na’ama.

WEDNESDAY: No Religious School for grades 3-12.

THURSDAY: No Adult Study with the Clergy.

Hanukkah Service, Dinner and Game Night, Friday, Nov. 29, 6 p.m. Please bring non-food items for Jewish Family Services. The cost of the meal is $9 for adults; $5 for children in sixth grade or younger; and no charge for second graders and younger kids. Please RSVP to rsvp@templeisraelomaha.com by Nov. 26.

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: Shabbat Services, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a special Kiddush Luncheon in honor of Jamie and Jerry Watch’s 19th anniversary and sponsored by the Watch family.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High Lite, 9:45 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; LJCS Family Education, 11 a.m.-noon for GanKindergarten families. Rabbi Lewis and Nancy Coren teaching on the subject of prayer, followed by an art project led by Betty Mellen. All Gan/Kindergarten are encouraged to attend; LJCS teachers, 12:15-1:30 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

WEDNESDAY: No LJCS classes THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Temple officed closed for Thanksgiving.

Tot Shabbat with Ms. Jennifer, Friday, Nov. 29, 5 p.m.

Family Friendly Home Hanukkah Service and Dinner, Friday, Nov. 29, 5:45 p.m. at Nancy and Charlie Coren’s home. A main dish and dessert will be provided, please bring a cold salad or drink. Please RSVP to Nava in the office no later than Wednesday, Nov. 27.

Annual Hanukkah Hot Dog and Latke Party, Sunday, Dec. 1, 12:15 p.m. Please RSVP to Nava if you will be joining.

To Submit B’nai Mitzvah Announcements Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewish omaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154.

Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, by e-mailing the editor at: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org or online at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press.’

Pulverente MONUMENT CO.

November 22, 2013 | The Jewish Press | A11

Survey on anti-Semitism in Europe is flawed, Hungary says

Joseph the Viceroy

Sparks from the word RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parsha Vayeshev By the time I was in high school, our class in Talmud Torah was sufficiently advanced so that our regular assignment for each Sunday was the preparation of the full Sidrah for the following week.

We had just finished the four Sidrot at the end of Genesis, where the focus of attention is Joseph, when I had an unusual experience.

Just as we finished those Sidrot in Talmud Torah, in our freshman English course we finished one section of our anthology of world literature and turned to narrative.

I was amazed to learn that the first of the “great narratives of world literature” was the Joseph story, told in substantial excerpts. Amazed, and immensely pleased! Even in the public high school they found my Bible worth reading, studying and approving.

But at 11 I was already old enough to have second thoughts and to recognize how childish my reaction had been. Then I was embarrassed, chagrined, and crestfallen.

And there was unarticulated rage that things should be that way. And I was able to see how uncertain I had been about my at-homeness in the world.

I felt the alienation of a Jew in a non-Jewish environment.

Henry Ford’s flirtation with the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” underlay the eggshell step of American Jews in those days. It was a time of KKK ascendancy. There was spoken and unspoken fear. And without realizing it, as a young boy, I was affected by it.

What alienation did Joseph feel? Here he was, Viceroy of Egypt. As “Secretary of Agriculture” he had become the most important member of the king’s cabinet, virtually the ruler of Egypt.

But when the brothers dined with him, there were three separate tables, for Egyptians would not sit with Hebrews.

The Egyptians present knew Joseph was a Hebrew, the brothers thought he was Egyptian, hence the three tables.

Egyptians wouldn’t sit at a table with their Viceroy!

Just before he died, Joseph made a final request: don’t bury me here; take me back, when the day comes that makes it possible, take me back with you to the land of Israel, our father.

Is this a lesson in alienation?

Israeli field hospital in Philippines delivers babies

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- At least 12 babies have been delivered in Israel’s field hospital in the Philippines -- including one named Israel. The hospital is seeing about 300 patients a day, many injured in last week’s Typhoon Haiyan or unable to care for chronic conditions due to lack of running water or electricity. The premature babies are being cared for in incubators brought by the Israel Defense Forces.

“I am not sure what would have happened if we had not been around,” said Lt.-Col. Dr. Ofer Merin, the medical manager of the field hospital.

The IDF’s 147-member medical and humanitarian delegation and 100 tons of humanitarian and medical supplies landed on Thursday evening in Bogo City on Cebu Island, one of the areas hardest hit by Haiyan.

Merin said the field hospital, which is attached to the local hospital, was operational by Friday morning, and that the team will likely stay for two weeks, depending on the needs of the local population.

Meanwhile, a team of medical and trauma personnel from IsraAID, an Israeli disaster relief organization, landed late last week in Tacloban, considered ground zero of a humanitarian disaster that has claimed thousands of lives and left hundreds of thousands homeless. A second IsraAID team left Israel on Friday for the Philippines.

by JTA NEWS STAFF BUDAPEST (JTA) -- Hungarian officials questioned the methodology of a survey that showed greater fear of antiSemitism among Jews in Hungary than in other European countries.

The head of the Hungarian delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, Gergely Prohle, raised “several questions with relation to methodology, strongly questioning its representative nature,” according to a Nov. 12 statement by the Hungarian Foreign Ministry.

The statement concerned a survey published Nov. 8 by the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency. Conducted online among 5,874 respondents who self-identified as Jews, it showed that Hungarian Jews were particularly worried about discrimination and that nearly half have considered emigrating.

In the statement, Prohle said the agency openly admitted to having methodology issues in its report. He quoted a statement from the report which reads: “This methodology is unable to deliver a random probability sample fulfilling the statistical criteria for representativeness,” and “the chosen survey mode is likely to have excluded some eligible members of the target population.”

In Hungary, where the anti-Semitic Jobbik party is third largest in parliament, 90 percent of 517 respondents said anti-Semitism was either a “fairly big problem” or a “very big problem.” The average rating for the statement in all countries surveyed was only 66 percent.

Hungary, which is believed to have 100,000 Jews, also led in the number of Jews who said they had considered emigrating because of anti-Semitism, with 48 percent of Hungarian respondents replying in the affirmative compared to 18 percent in Britain and a 29-percent average overall.

"The survey was negative about Hungary," Ferenc Kumin, Hungary's deputy state secretary for international communication, said at a Nov. 13 news conference with Prohle in Budapest.

At the conference, Prohle said the survey was conducted in Hungary in 2012 and failed to reflect possible changes following steps by the Hungarian government to combat anti-Semitism.

“Having reconsidered the seriousness of the situation, the Hungarian government has since brought several important decisions designed to monitor and combat anti-Semitic phenomena,” Prohle said.

In addition, legislation has been introduced to regulate and sanction soccer hooliganism and anti-Semitic political statements, he added.

But Jewish community leaders said the elevated fear reflected in the report matched what they knew about the community.

“Members of our community already for a long time are aware of the existence and of the increase of anti-Semitism in Hungary," Gyorgy Gador, the head of the Pava synagogue community, told the Nepszabadsag daily last week. “Many [Jews] left in recent years abroad, not only for existentialeconomic reason, but because of their uncomfortable political feeling here, at home,” he added.

To submit announcements: Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154.

Readers can also submit announcements -- births, b’nai b’rith mitzvahs, engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements. Deadlines are normally eight days prior to publication, on Thursdays, 9 a.m.

Please check the Jewish Press, for notices of early deadlines.

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A12 | The Jewish Press | November 22, 2013

Schwalb Center offers Israel trip

by SARA JUSTER Chair, Schwalb Center for Israel & Jewish Studies Advisory Board The Natan and Hannah Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies at UNO is pleased to announce a studytour to Israel in the second half of May 2014. This “Historical Preservation and Archaeological Treasures” tour will provide participants with the opportunity to engage in a scholarly understanding of the significance and history of a diversity of sites in Israel. As Nate Schwalb said, “We are delighted that the plans for the first official UNO Center for Israel and Jewish Studies tour to Israel are now finalized. What a tremendous opportunity for students and adults from UNO and the

Tel Aviv Omaha area to participate in this learning experience. It will be a memorable experience for those who join.”

Dr. Moshe Gershovich, Director of the

Schwalb Center will lead the trip. A native of Israel, Gershovich is very excited to return to his home country with a group of students and members of the community. “This study tour and the UNO class on Israel associated with it will provide a great educational opportunity,” he said. “It will bring together Jews and nonJews who are noted in their interest in and desire to learn more about Israel.”

Dr. Gershovich and several other Israeli academics will provide the participants with an educationally oriented program to enrich their understanding of Israel and its culture. The group will include 15-25 participants from a number of backgrounds,

including UNO students, alumni, and faculty, as well as members of the Jewish and greater Omaha community.

The tentative itinerary includes in-depth tours of Tel Aviv and Jaffa, the Roman-Port city of Caesarea, the Crusader Stronghold of Acra (Akko), the Ghetto Fighter’s Museum, Nazareth, Tiberius, the Sea of Galilee, the UNO-led archaeological site of Bethsaida, and Beit Shean’s Archaeological Park. The trip will conclude in Jerusalem, where participants will enjoy a variety of tours ranging from the Western Wall and the Old City to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Shrine of the Book and the Israel Museum.

While in Jerusalem, the group will also visit the fortress of Masada near the Dead Sea. If you wish to participate in this studytour or want more information, please contact Dr. Moshe Gershovich by email at mgershovich@unomaha.edu or Kasey Davis at kaseydavis@unomaha.edu or by phone at 402.554.3175.

Bible Quiz offers new interactive audience quiz

by DEB MARBURG B’nai B’rith Administrative Assistant Come on down! Are you the next contestant on the 28th Annual Edward Zorinsky B’nai B’rith Bible Quiz? For Sam Kricsfeld, a freshman at Millard North, there was no other answer but, “Yes!” Sam is the son of Debbie and Dr. Alan Kricsfeld and has the distinct honor of being the first second generation competitor to enter the Bible Quiz.

Sam’s dad competed as a freshman in the first B’nai B’rith Bible Quiz in 1986, winning first place. He went on to win again the following year as a sophomore, took second place as a junior, and won again in 1989 as

a senior. If that wasn’t enough of a precedent, Sam’s uncles, David Kricsfeld and Michael Kricsfeld, each won first place in the quiz in 1993 and 1996, respectively.

When asked if he felt any added pressure because of this impressive legacy, Sam responded, “No, my dad’s been very reassuring.” He added that his dad told him as long as he prepared and did the best he could, “He would be proud, either way.” Alan concurred.

In addition to Sam, the field of contestants for this year’s Quiz is filled with first-time competitors, as well as several returning ones, and includes: Jake Arnold, Aviva Atri, David Atri, Sophie Budwig, Abby Hack, Zev

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Krausman (last year’s first place winner), Sam Lieb (third place last year), Sol Marburg, Justin Norton, Max Polack, Josh Polack, Gavin Rogers, Josephine Slovut, Jacob Spivack, Max Weiner (fourth place last year), Elissa Wiener and Jacob Wigodsky.

This year’s contest will take place on Wednesday evening, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. in the JCC Auditorium, and will feature a fun, new interactive, audience-participation quiz in between rounds of the regular quiz.

Audience members, friends and family will have the opportunity to answer entertaining questions based on both the Bible and Jewish trivia/pop culture via text message,

so have your Smartphones handy!

Judging the contest will be Rabbi Steven Abraham, Cantor Wendy Shermet, Rabbi Yaakov Weiss, and Chief Judge Dr. Leonard Greenspoon. The questioner will once again be Mrs. Gloria Kaslow and Lodge President, Ari Riekes, will be timekeeper and host. Mr. Gary Javitch will be the official scorekeeper, assisted this year by Nikki Flatowicz, who will also be moderating the new interactive quiz.

For more information or to register, please call Mr. Steven Riekes at 402.492.9800, or me at the B’nai B’rith office 402.334.6443.

November 22, 2013 | The Jewish Press | B1

In quest of Morocco’s lost Jewish Heritage

by DR. MOSHE GERSHOVICH This is part I in a three part series about Morocco’s Jewish history. Look for parts II and III in the coming weeks.

In October 2013 I served as Study Leader for a Smithsonian Journeys tour exploring “The Splendors of Morocco.” It was the fourth time I have been on that trip to Morocco, a country whose history I have studied for nearly three decades, and where I had lived for two and a half years (19982000) before moving to Omaha. The following piece contains reflections on the long history of Jews in Morocco and some of the ways in which it is still preserved today, long after most Jews had left that country.

Morocco is a Muslim country; anywhere you turn you’ll see mosques, madrasas, and other signs of Islamic civilization. Virtually 100% of the population consists of Sunni Muslims. Whether or not they observe their faith to the fullest extent notwithstanding, the religious homogeneity of the Moroccan nation is evident. This, however, was not always the case. Up to two generations ago, a small yet significant portion of the population exercised the Jewish faith while sharing a common heritage with their Muslim compatriots. Numbering more than a quarter of a million souls at the time of Morocco’s independence in 1956 (out of a population of about 10 million), the Jewish community today has shrunk to about 5,000 members. For all intents and purposes, Jewish presence in Morocco has vanished. The reasons for the mass and rather sudden exodus of Jews from Morocco lie beyond the scope of this piece, as does the long and rich history of Judaism there. What concerns us here is the manner in which the memory of that history is being preserved in a variety of ways, as our tour has discovered at three distinct locations: Fez, Sefrou and Casablanca.

The origins of Judaism in the extreme northwestern corner of Africa are unclear, but that presence may be traced back to ancient times, predating by at least half a millennium the arrival of Islam to that part of the world. Jews arriving from the Eastern Mediterranean integrated among the Imazighren (Berber) tribes, some of whom may have converted to Judaism, before switching to Islam. Andalusian

Jews fleeing from the Christian Reconquista found refuge in Morocco and helped build its unique identity in later centuries. Benefiting from their protected status as “People of

Inside Fez Synagogue the Book,” Moroccan Jews added skills and resourcefulness to the Sharifian Sultanate but remained a distinct minority group. With the growth of European influence during the 19th century, many among them embraced the economic, cultural, and educational opportunities it provided. By the time the French Protectorate was established in 1912, Moroccan Jews had already begun to assimilate into French culture, although they remained subjects of the Sultan, whose symbolic protection helped them traverse the painful era of the pro-Nazi Vichy regime during World War II. With the advent of Morocco’s struggle for independence, however, Jews felt by and large left out, suspected of affiliation with the colonial order and with the newly formed State of Israel.

Presented with the opportunity to migrate, amid uncertain future in the independent Morocco, many Jews left during the 1950s and early 1960s. Another wave of migration came after the 1967 Six-Day War, which had intensified tension between Jews and Arabs throughout the Middle East.

I AM Iighting candles on our menorah to celebrate Chanukah. My brother and I and Jewish kids everywhere will remember the Maccabee victory and the miracle that made oil burn bright for eight days. The light will always shine with a spark from

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On the afternoon of its first day in Fez, our group visited the old Mellah (Jewish neighborhood). Even though Rabat is Morocco’s political capital, and Casablanca its economic hub, Fez may be said to represent the soul of the nation. The imperial capital of the north, built more than twelve centuries ago, has served as the seat of power and religion for most of Moroccan history.

The Mellah itself, originally created during the 14th Century as part of the Marinid construction of “New Fez,” was intentionally situated next to the royal palace, as if to signify the Sultan’s protection of “his” Jews. The balconies facing the main street of the Mellah, a tribute to the Andalusian architecture most original inhabitants of the Mellah had left behind, stand in stark contrast to the austere and simple outward look of the old Muslim Medina. In that section, which we had visited that same morning, a home’s beauty can only be appreciated once you pass beyond the simple, non-distinct façade.

Jews have resided in Fez since its creation twelve centuries ago and their history there includes periods of great scholarly tradition and economic prosperity, where others suffered poverty and persecutions. The city’s most famous Jewish inhabitant was philosopher Moses ben Maimon, “Maimonides,” who escaped from Cordoba, Spain during the Almohade terror of 1165 and lived in Fez for five years before moving to Egypt. In modern times the local community underwent turmoil and changes. In April 1912, a military uprising against the imposition of the French Protectorate resulted in a three-day attack on the Mellah and the killing of at least 45 of its inhabitants. A few years later, Jews began to leave the Mellah and moved to the newly built European city. Towards the end of the Protectorate, the Jewish population reached 22,000. Today, however, only about 60 Jews continue to live there and none reside in the Mellah.

One of these Jews, a caretaker, Monsieur Gabai, met us at the edge of the old cemetery and led us through it. The cemetery dates back to the early 17th century and is still in use today, as can be seen by recent tombstones of community members who have passed away in recent years. All tombstones are white and most are made of simple stone. Many Continued on page B2

B2 | The Jewish Press | November 22, 2013

This Hanukkah, serve an extra helping of Thanks Morocco

by MARTY RICKS thanks by giving generously to your Jewish Federation of Chief Development Officer, Jewish Federation of Omaha Omaha. Your gift goes directly to those with the most need This year, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah converge on a sin- and to sustaining strong Jewish communities here at home, gle, once-in-a-lifetime day. Each holiday on its own is a in Israel and 70 countries around the world. When you are chance to think about the gifts we give and the gifts we’ve been contacted soon by Annual Campaign Staff or Federation given. But now, Nov. 28 gives volunteers, consider all the us a great opportunity to blend wonderful things your gift the Hanukkah tradition of givsupports (we’ve listed a few) ing with the Thanksgiving and make a gift that truly ideal of gratitude. gives to others.

In a Jewish home, we teach The Jewish Federation of that true giving occurs more Omaha is your community. than just on designated holiIt’s where Jewish people are days. I challenge you to use brought together, where raisthis unique day as a chance to ing funds for our collective make a long term commitgood takes place, where volment by setting out a course • Train more than 150 Teachers in Holocaust Education unteering and allocating • Conduct 1,490 JFS counseling sessions for ongoing giving. community resources togethMake your pledge to the • Serve 197 families by Project Tzedakah er makes a greater impact Annual Campaign, establish a • Award $35,000 in scholarships to CDC students than any one person could donor-advised fund through • Deliver 35 Kosher meals daily by Meals on Wheels have by themselves. the Jewish Federation of • Provide 75 youth with financial assistance for Jewish The values upon which the Omaha Foundation, encour- • summer programs Federation was created age your teen to join the • Welcome 130 visits to the JFS food pantry remain relevant. It’s why we already 50 young people who • Distribute holiday food baskets to 90 individuals placed them upon the walls of have funded a B’nai Tzedek • Offer $250,000 in annual scholarships for Jewish youth our campus: Judaism, account and are actively • initiatives Collective Responsibility, learning about philanthropy.

Community, Education, Or, place a tzedakah box on your family’s dinner table and Health and Well-being, Integrity, Leadership and create a philanthropic presence in your home.

Stewardship. These were not discovered by the Federation, What’s the takeaway from this? It’s important to have a and we have no claim to them. Rather, they were drawn from giving tradition that works for you and for your family. And our people’s history of tzedakah, a history that goes back there’s no better time or place to begin than at a Jewish more than 5700 years. These values serve to remind all of us Thanksgiving table in 2013. about the needs and dreams of our community and why we So this year, please consider serving an extra helping of continue, each day, the work we do with passion and purpose.

Continued from page B1 tombs are unmarked, bearing victims of the Black Plague who had to be buried hurriedly. While dotted with the graves of notable religious scholars and communal leaders, the cemetery’s most famous figure was 17 year-old Sol Hachiel, AKA Lalla Suleika. A native of Tangiers, she had been falsely accused of conversion to Islam and then reneging on her conversion. When she refused to abandon her Jewish faith, she was condemned to death and beheaded in 1834. Her martyrdom propelled her to the level of popular saint, revered by both Jews and Muslims.

What can your gift do in Omaha?

This Hanukkah, order a gift subscription to the Jewish Press Send a check for $45 for the rest of the year and all of 2014, made out to the Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. For more information on how to connect your out-of-town relatives and friends, call 402.334.6448.

From the cemetery we went to the Ibn Denan synagogue. This 17th century house of worship, is a rare relic of a period in which the Jewish community of Fez thrived. It contains the only complete set of Moroccan synagogue fittings in existence. After suffering from many years of neglect, the synagogue eventually became included in the World Monuments Watch list of 100 endangered monuments in need of preservation. Its renovation involved contributions from various private and public bodies, including the Moroccan government and descendants of the Ibn Danan family. Restoration work began in the late 1980s and was completed a decade later with a May 1999 dedication ceremony, patronized by the Moroccan government.

Moroccan Jews with Dr. Moshe Gershovich. Fridays, 11 a.m.-12 p.m., Dec. 6, 13, 20 at the Kripke Jewish Federation Library. Cost $35, discounted to $27 for donors to JFO’s Annual Campaign. To register, call 402.334.6463 or email mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org.

Moroccan Jews is presented by the Center for Jewish Life as part of its on-going Friday Learning Series.

The armest anukkah reetings from s to ou.

W H G U Y

November 22, 2013 | The Jewish Press | B3

The Scholar’s Club is back

by MONA AOKI Scholar’s Club also On Thursday goes on an annual afternoons at the Shabbaton.

Blumkin Home, Last spring they Friedel fifth and spent Shabbat with sixth graders meet host families in Chicago.

Other with Rabbi Gross for highlights included an hour of thoughtvisiting a Jewish ful and sometimes school, Jewish bookprovoking discusstore and eating sion centered around the Torah kosher deep dish and its teachings. pizza. There was also Based on their posilots and lots of drivtive experience, the ing with singing and students would like games. to extend a warm At the end of the invitation to other Clockwise, from left, front: Leora McNamara, Rachel Aoki, Matan Shapiro, school year, the students also look forJewish 5th and 6th Rabbi Gross, Sarah Aoki, Doron Margalit. graders to join them for Scholar’s Club. Classes are held ward to an end of the year Bible contest that enables them to from 3:45–4:30 p.m. in the main conference room located showcase what they’ve learned to their friends and family. It is also an opportunity to win some pretty cool prizes. at the side entrance of the Rose Blumkin Home.

In general, The Scholar’s Club is a great way to spend a Rabbi Gross graciously accepted to the call head Scholar’s Club last year. In addition to weekly learning (with snacks), Thursday afternoon.

A reason to celebrate: Adult B’nai Mitzvah

by DAVID GOLBITZ Temple Israel Staff Writer Every three years Temple Israel offers an Adult B’nai Mitzvah class for those who may have missed out on having a Bar or Bat Mitzvah when they turned 13, or for those who converted to Judaism as adults and therefore didn’t have the opportunity when they were children. This year’s class began at the end of September and runs through May of next year, when each of the students will participate in a Friday evening service.

Before they get to that point, though, the students, nine in all, meet each week with instructor Na’ama Arzi, who teaches them the Hebrew alphabet and how to read words using a textbook written for third graders. “[Na’ama] tries very hard, she knows we’re going to be embarrassed,” said Dr. Shelly Smith, who converted to Judaism about a year and a half ago. “She’s very encouraging.”

Smith, who was aided in her conversion by Rabbi Eric Linder, realized that she didn’t want to stop learning about Judaism once she finished the process, and she was told by Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, among others, “you don’t have to quit learning.”

Pam Epstein is a retired educator who seconds that bit of rabbinical wisdom.

“Learning is such a lifelong process,” she said, “and I teach that to my kids constantly.”

Epstein converted to Judaism 40 years ago, but it wasn’t until her husband died that she “started looking at religion in a deeper way.”

“I feel I want to know more about the services and be an active participant,” she said.

Having an Adult Bat Mitzvah is “something for my own well being and pride,” Epstein added. “It’s a real sense of accomplishment.”

Jesse Bloom was raised in a Jewish household - “Friday nights was the Sabbath in the home” - with a Jewish father and a Catholic mother. The family moved around a lot

when he was younger, so he “didn’t do the Bar Mitzvah part.” He wanted to become an Adult Bar Mitzvah as a way of honoring his parents.

“My dad is in his 80s,” Bloom said, “and was in a kibbutz during the formation of Israel. Judaism has such a rich tradition, and I don’t know any other religion that speaks to me as much.”

Ed Cohn grew up in a little town in Pennsylvania that had 25 Jewish families, half of whom wanted an Orthodox congregation and half who wanted Reform. Ultimately, his father would drive 25 miles outside of town to a Reform temple, where he had his Bar Mitzvah.

“I never learned to read Hebrew as much as I wanted to,” Cohn said. “It was a little like reading Latin later on. I learned a lot more Latin meaning than I did Hebrew meaning.”

For his Bar Mitzvah, Cohn did a lot of memorization, “so I thought this was a great time to renew my Hebrew and learn the words.”

Other students echo Cohn’s desire to actually understand the language they have been reciting for so many years.

“It would be nice to read fluent Hebrew,” Bloom said.

“I’m waiting for the time when I recognize the letters,” Smith added.

“The teachers here are terrific,” Cohn said. “They’re enthusiastic, knowledgeable and good with adults. They recognize that we have some inhibitions that we didn’t have when we were five or six.”

Rabbi Azriel, who, along with Rabbi Josh Brown and Cantor Wendy Shermet, will spend time with the Adult B’nai Mitzvah class as well, as they prepare for their big day next May. “We want adults in our congregation to see this as an opportunity to study with the clergy and to be in relationships with other members of the congregation,” he said.

“We want them to one day step on the bimah and celebrate this achievement with each other and their families.”

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B4 | The Jewish Press | November 22, 2013

Snowbirds

Friedel Jewish Academy has your Latkes

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.

Happy Hanukkah

Leora and Ilana McNamara are enjoying last year’s Friedel latkes.

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Become a member today. Call Lori Kooper-Schwarz 402.659.7185 or Dana Kaufman 402.980.0998

happy

Hanukkah May the warmth and glow of each candle you light, make your heart and home happy and your Hanukkah

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by GABBY BLAIR When the miracle of Hanukkah coincides with Thanksgiving, it highlights the many things we have to be thankful for: our faith, our families, our friends and our community. On behalf of the Friedel Jewish Academy PTO, I would like to express our thanks to YOU. Without the support of our amazing community, Friedel friends and families, we would not have such a vibrant and growing school full of children who are enriched by Torah.

On that note, we would be thankful if you would join us for the Annual FJA Latke Lunch on Tuesday, Nov. 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the JCC Auditorium.

Our team of dedicated students and parent volunteers will once again be frying up some delicious, homemade latkes to kick off the Hanukkah holiday. All eat-in lunches are $5 and will be served with sour cream, apple sauce and a drink. Also available are Latkes-to go: $10 for 10 Latkes, sour cream and applesauce. Come enjoy lunch with your friends or grab tasty latkes for later while supporting the amazing school that YOU have helped build!

On behalf of FJA-PTO and our students, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and a Hanukkah full of light... and of course, Friedel Latkes!

At Thanksgivukkah, celebrate uniqueness of the separate holidays

by DASEE BERKOWITZ NEW YORK (JTA) -- Some folks are taking the rare confluence this year of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah to heart, renaming it Thanksgivukkah, redesigning their menus for the occasion (latkes topped with cranberry relish anyone?) and refashioning ritual objects (a turkey-shaped hanukkiyah called the Menurkey is gaining traction on Kickstarter).

Others are taking it one step deeper, celebrating how the combined holidays enable us to fully appreciate being both Jewish and American. It’s a perfect symbiosis: As we freely celebrate Hanukkah this year, we recognize that we directly benefit from the freedoms that were at the core of what brought the Puritans and Pilgrims to settle a new land.

But Jewish tradition doesn’t love conflating holidays. In fact, there’s a concept -- “ein mearvin simcha b’simcha” -- that we shouldn’t mix one happy occasion with another. No weddings during Sukkot or Passover, or any Jewish holiday, for that matter.

At first glance it seems like a downer.

Shouldn’t doubling up on our celebration just enhance our enjoyment and be a net gain?

For those of us with birthdays on Rosh Hashanah or New Year’s Day, we know that conflating celebrations doesn’t really work ; one celebration usually gets lost into the other. Keeping celebrations separate enables us to be fully present for each.

So instead of conflating Hanukkah and Thanksgiving, let’s look at it another way: How can the unique aspects of each holiday help us more fully celebrate the other?

Thanksgiving teaches us to give thanks for the harvest and for all we have without the need to acquire more. How can that concept inform our celebration of Hanukkah, a hol-

iday that has become overrun with gift giving that verges on the excessive?

Instead of being thankful for the plenty that so many of us experience -- we mostly take the most basic things for granted, like waking up in a dry, warm bed each morning -- we want more, and on Hanukkah we watch children tear through gifts wondering what else awaits them each night of the Festival of Lights.

Parents can help children appreciate that mom and dad’s presence in their lives can be present enough by giving the gift of time to their kids at Hanukkah. So often we are distracted by everything we must do in life -- I have been shamed by my son asking me to stand “still as a statue” as he tries to get my attention or by my daughter saying “Ima, just listen to me.”

Pick a night of Hanukkah and give your child a period of your undivided attention.

Friends and significant others can also give each other the gift of an evening unplugged.

Go out with your friends or spouses unmediated by a screen of any kind.

For your children, help them cultivate a sense of gratitude and the plenty in their own lives. On one night of Hanukkah, ask your kids to recycle some of their own toys and gift them to others. On another night, they can give some money or time to charity.

We don’t need more things, we need to appreciate the people who fill our lives with meaning and the power we have to help others.

What lessons can Hanukkah provide in our celebration of Thanksgiving?

For starters, it can teach us not to shy away from ritual. Significant Jewish occasions are ritualized, from lighting the hanukkiyah to recounting the Exodus story on Passover, to a Shabbat meal replete with blessings over Continued on page B5

November 22, 2013 | The Jewish Press | B5

Jewish guy’s guide

Book review SYBIL KAPLAN The JGuy’s Guide by Rabbi Joseph N. Meszler, Dr. Shulamit Reinharz, Liz Suneby and Diane Heiman, Jewish Lights Publishing, $16.99 paperback, 208 pp, Dec. 2013 This summer, my husband and I brought his 13-year-old grandson to Israel for a Bar Mitzvah ceremony. Having had two daughters, I was not too familiar with 13-year-old boys.

I wish I would have had this to read and I definitely wish I would have had it to give to him.

This book is subtitled The GPS for Jewish Teen Guys and ought to be in the hands of every 13-year-old Jewish guy. It ought to be a must gift book. (GPS stands for global positioning system.)

Rabbi Meszler is a rabbi in Sharon, Massachusetts. Shulamit Reinharz is professor of sociology at Brandeis University and author of The JGirl’s Guide: The Young Jewish Woman’s Handbook for Coming of Age. Liz Suneby and Diane Heiman are coauthors of a number of books for teens.

Besides interviewing teenage Jewish guys, whose ideas are in every chapter, each chapter is introduced by Rabbi Meszler with questions Jewish guy teens face. This is followed by comments by Jewish teen guys; odds and ends information; comments about male role models; Biblical and contemporary sources; a journaling area where readers can respond to relevant questions; and some Hebrew texts.

The 10 chapters really cover the dilemmas which young Jewish boys face, and they explain, in a young man’s own language, what it means to be a Jewish man.

The chapters are: “Courage” -- it takes

courage to face your fears; “Frenemies” -defining friends; “True to Myself ” -- finding the inner voice and speaking up for others and for ourselves; “One day Son, This Will All Be Yours” -- understanding one’s parents; “God…Really?” -- how one defines God, how you feel about God and relate; “The Torah of Everything” -- amazement; “Enough Already” -- the stress teenagers have -- “In our radical multitasking world, contemporary culture pushes you to do all that was previously done and more.”

“Falling in Lust, Falling in Love” is a very frank chapter on the confusion of anxiety and sex.

“Not On My Watch” discusses the concept of social justice and whether one person can make a difference.

Finally, “Looking Inside at the Man I Want to Be” explores mitzvoth and the choices we make; becoming a mensch, decent person; the interconnectedness of all things. This chapter concludes with a large check list of mitzvoth where the reader checks those he does or tries to do, those in which he has no interest, and those he does not understand.

One of the best ideas in this book is the interactive journaling in each chapter to allow the young man reading it to think and participate.

Another really excellent accomplishment in this book is that it shows how Judaism can help the issues of adolescence and strengthen a young man’s Jewish identity.

Buy this for every young man you know who is heading toward Bar Mitzvah soon.

For youth leaders and others working with Jewish teenage guys, there is a separate ‘Teachers’ and Parents’ Guide which shows how to use the various portions and engage discussions.

Celebrate uniqueness of the separate holidays Continued from page B4 candles, grape juice and wine. The rituals help to connect us to Jewish time and to the drama of Jewish history. They transport us from the realm of the ordinary into the realm of the sacred. They enable us to slow down and pay attention to the experiences that are unfolding before us.

While each family may have its own rituals on Thanksgiving -- the football game or carving of the turkey -- many of us feel self-conscious about rituals that enter the sphere of the sacred, like inviting guests to share what they are grateful for or chanting a blessing to thank God for the food we are about to eat. It amazes me how much time, effort and money is put into preparing a lavish Thanksgiving meal, and the invited guests just dig in and then complain about overeating.

Invite everyone to pause before eating and say one thing for which they are grateful -- from the food, the chef or the One who makes it all possible. Connect your feelings of gratitude to the company that surrounds you or for what it means for you to be an American today. Make this sharing circle or some other activity you create as a group a ritualized part of what you do each Thanksgiving.

Hanukkah can also teach Thanksgiving a thing or two about being different.

Whereas Thanksgiving sends us a powerful message about intergroup relations and the coming together of the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians for

EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE & OFFICE CLOSING The Jewish Press office is closed Thursday, Nov. 28, for Thanksgiving; the deadline for the Dec. 6 issue is Tuesday, Nov. 26, noon. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.

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a fall harvest feast, Hanukkah celebrates what sets us apart and makes us different.

Hanukkah honors the Maccabean revolt to safeguard practices unique to Jewish people (like Shabbat, holiday celebration and circumcision). The strong impulse to develop our unique and particular identities is an important first stage to pass through before coming together with others and celebrate multiculturalism. We need to know who we are first before we can share that with others. And while I love Thanksgiving because it is a holiday celebrated by so many Americans, with common foods and customs, let’s celebrate what makes our families different and unique.

What is particular about your family that you would like your kids to learn about this Thanksgiving? Stories of resilience or bravery? Others? This Thanksgiving, encourage those gathered around the table to share the particular legacy they would like to leave to their children and grandchildren.

Ein mearvin simcha b’simcha suggests that we shouldn’t mix our celebrations. But when the calendar leaves us no other choice, let’s do so with integrity. Let each holiday’s central values -- being thankful for what we already have, celebrating ritual that connects us to that which is sacred and rejoicing in our differences -- inform how we experience both festivals this fall.

Dasee Berkowitz is a contributing writer to JTA

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B6 | The Jewish Press | November 22, 2013

New books: Marvelous menorahs, purple gorillas and back to ‘64 Berkeley

by PENNY SCHWARTZ BOSTON (JTA) -- A gift-giving, angst-ridden purple gorilla is among the characters who help enliven the Hanukkah celebrations in eight new holiday books for children, families and young adults. One, With a Mighty Hand, is not about Hanukkah but will be a treasured gift to add to a family’s bookshelves.

Tilda Balsley, the author of many children’s books, including four Jewish-themed Sesame Street titles about Grover, Big Bird and friends, brings two new offerings, Eight is Great and ABC Hanukkah Hunt.

Thank You For Me! is perfectly timed for the confluence this year of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving.

For young adults, award-winning writer Ruth Feldman in a coming-of-age novel spins an intricate tale of historical fiction and fantasy set in 1964 Berkeley, Calif., at the dawn of the city’s free speech movement.

Here are the new titles for Hanukkah: Eight is Great

by Tilda Balsley, illustrated by Hideko Takahashi, Kar-Ben ($5.95 board book, $4.95 eBook), Ages 1-4 Simple rhymes and illustrations enliven the colorful toddler board book that plays on the theme of the eight nights of Hanukkah.

Thank You For Me!

by Rick Recht; illustrated by Ann Koffsky, Jewish World Publishing ($10), Ages 1-3 The illustrated lullaby, which can be read or sung, encourages young ones to appreciate themselves and all that surrounds them. A free download to Rick Recht’s companion song, Kobi’s Lullaby, and a link (www.annkoffsky.com) to a coloring page by illustrator Ann Koffsky are included.

ABC Hanukkah Hunt

by Tilda Balsley; illustrated by Helen Poole, Kar-Ben ($17.95 hardcover; $7.95 paper; $6.95 eBook), Ages 3-8 A lively rhyming alphabet romp through Hanukkah provides plenty of entertainment for young kids. Each large-format page is filled with cartoon-like illustrations and a simple riddle that can be solved by looking at the pictures of flames on a menorah, a maze to Jerusalem’s Holy Temple and plates full of sugar-coated doughnuts, or sufganiyot.

Sadie’s Almost Marvelous Menorah

by Jamie Korngold, illustrated by Julie Fortenberry, Kar-Ben ($17.95 hardcover, $7.95 paper, $6.95 eBook), Ages 2-6 What preschooler won’t relate to young Sadie when her carefully crafted and painted clay menorah shatters into a

million pieces? Sadie’s spirits are lifted when she discovers that the shamash helper candle holder did not break. All’s well when Sadie uses the pink-and-blue shamash to light

all the household menorahs, starting a new family tradition.

Julie Fortenberry’s colorful illustrations allow kids to tell the story through the expressive and energetic art.

The Eighth Menorah

by Lauren L. Wohl, illustrated by Laura Hughes, Albert Whitman ($16.99 hardcover), Ages 4-7 In this delightful story, a young boy named Sam makes a Hanukkah menorah in Hebrew school using a shiny rock he picks at a park outing. But he frets: What will his family do with one more menorah? In phone conversations with his grandmother, Sam confides that he’s keeping a special Hanukkah secret for the family. Their relationship feels authentic and warm. Readers will wonder along with Sam as he tries to figure out the perfect new home for the menorah.

Laura Hughes’ illustrations convey a contemporary, realworld feel. Grandma lives in a condo in an urban high-rise, and there’s a refreshingly diverse group of kids at Hebrew school. Rules for how to play dreidel are included.

Esther’s Hanukkah Disaster

by Jane Sutton, illustrated by Andy Rowland, Kar-Ben ($17.95 hardcover, $7.95 paperback, $6.95 eBook), Ages 4-9 Poor Esther: The endearing purple gorilla is looking forward to celebrating Hanukkah with her jungle friends, but all the gifts she selects turn out wrong. Worse, the friends give her the “perfect” Hanukkah gifts. But Esther makes it all right at a Hanukkah party where good friends celebrate together and swap the gifts.

Esther’s Hanukkah Disaster is a new favorite book for Barbara Krasner, the author of many children’s stories who is active in the Association of Jewish Libraries. “The illustrations are hysterically funny,” she writes in an email.

The Ninth Day

by Ruth Tenzer Feldman, Ooligan Press ($13.95), Older teens and up Hope Friis, the teen protagonist here, has an enviable relationship with her grandfather, who as his health declines gives Hope the gift of a tallit that belonged to her grandmother, Miryam, for whom she is named. The blue threads woven into the tallit call forth a mysterious visitor, Serakh, who beckons Hope on a journey back in time to 11th century Paris, where she is challenged to save the life of a Jewish baby.

The mature material, which includes references to LSD and tragic Jewish history during the Crusades, is not overly dark or depressing. Through curiosity and courage Hope, who has a stutter, finds her own voice as she faces tough, consequential decisions.

The book takes place during the eight days of Hanukkah, which that year fell very close to Thanksgiving, as it does this year.

With a Mighty Hand: The Story in the Torah Adapted by Amy Ehrlich, paintings by Daniel Nevins, Candlewick ($29.99), All ages Readers of any age will savor the beautifully designed With a Mighty Hand, Amy Ehrlich’s adaptation of the five books of the Torah with stunning art by Daniel Nevins.

Based on the original biblical text, Ehrlich approaches the Torah’s stories as a lyrical narrative. She includes the nuanced details and weaves a story line that brings the characters to life as humans, with strengths and flaws.

Nevins’ illustrations draw from a rich palette of purple, red, brown, blue and ocher. In a full-page illustration of one of Joseph’s dreams, a copper-skinned Joseph stands tall and regal in his multicolored coat looming above the stars and moon. A two-page Torah genealogy, Ehrlich’s introduction and end notes offer readers helpful explanations to supplement the narrative.

Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Los Angeles County Prosecutor Elan Carr will talk live about the lethal shooting at LAX, the Los Angeles airport on Wednesday, Nov. 27, noon, at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $11; beverage service only is $3. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.

LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Yiddish is now presented in transliterated form using the Roman alphabet; everyone can become a maven instantly.

One word in Yiddish has more meaning than a dozen words in any other language. So be a mentsh and zog a por verter, (say a few words). We meet every Thursday from 1-3 p.m., in the boardroom of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. For information, please call Anne Skolkin at 402.343.1638.

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November 22, 2013 | The Jewish Press | B7

Pass the cranberry latkes: When holidays collide

by EDMON J. RODMAN merch and wordplay, this year simply is an LOS ANGELES (JTA) -- If the Pilgrims are opportunity to change the script. At his lighting menorahs and the Maccabees are Thanksgiving dinner, he is going to combine chasing turkeys, it must be Thanksgivukkah, Hanukkah ritual with holiday elements as some have come to call the confluence of found on FreedomsFeast.us, a website that Thanksgiving and Hanukkah that will hap- uses American holidays to pass on “stories, pen this year on Nov. 28. values and behaviors.”

It’s a rare event, one that won’t occur again until 2070 and then in 2165. Beyond that, because the Jewish lunisolar (lunar with solar adjustments) calendar is very slowly getting out of sync with the solar calendar, the H a n u k k a h Thanksgiving confluence won’t happen again by one calculation until the year 79811 -- when turkeys presumably will be smart enough to read calendars and vacation With the cornukiyah, Edmon J. Rodman tries his hand at creating in space that month. a centerpiece suitable for a Thanksgivukkah table.

How do we celebrate Credit: Edmon J. Rodman this rare holiday alignment? Do we stick candles in the turkey and Searching the site, I found a Thanksgiving stuff the horns of plenty with gelt? Put payes Service for Interfaith Gatherings by Rabbi on the Pilgrims? What about starting by Jack Moline that includes a reading that also wishing each other “gobble tov” and then could work for Hanukkah -- a holiday of changing the words to a favorite Hanukkah religious freedom -- as it celebrates many of melody: the occupations that “we can do when we “I cooked a little turkey, are free,” including activists, writers, artists, Just like I’m Bobby Flay, entrepreneurs, even journalists.

And when it’s sliced and ready, For our own celebrations, Wolfson, a I’ll fress the day away.”

Fingerhut professor of education at The holiday mash-up has its limits. We American Jewish University, wants us to know the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade will consider the similarities of the stories at the not end with a float carrying a Maccabee. heart of each holiday.

But it has created opportunities as well: “The Pilgrims were escaping religious perRaise your hand if you plan to wait until the secution in Europe. They did not want to be post-Thanksgiving Day sales for your assimilated,” Wolfson said, adding that “the Hanukkah shopping.

Maccabees were fighting against Ritually, just as we’ve figured out that we Hellenization,” another form of assimilation. add candles to our menorahs from right to Counter to the usual “December dilemleft and light them from left to right, a new ma” for the intermarried -- whose numbers question looms this year: Should we slice the have increased to 58 percent since 2005, turkey before or after? according to the recent Pew study -For our household, the dreidel-wishbone Wolfson noted the “opportunities and chaloverlap means that our son at college who lenges” presented this year by Hanukkah always comes home for Thanksgiving will and Christmas not coinciding. be home to light the family hanukkiyah, too.

“We usually feel the tension between the “I think it’s wonderful,” said Dr. Ron two holidays,” he said. “This year we can feel Wolfson, whose book Relational Judaism the compatibility of the two.”

(Jewish Lights Publishing) speaks to how our The early Hanukkah will help people to communal relationships -- how we listen and appreciate its “cultural integrity,” said welcome -- can make our Jewish communi- Wolfson, adding that he “would not be surties more meaningful. “This year is about prised by a spike in candle lighting this year.” bringing friends and family together.”

But for others in the Jewish community, Wolfson, also the author of The Hanukkah the pushing together of the Festival of Lights Family Guide to Spiritual Celebration, said in with Turkey Day has forced other changes, a recent interview that this year’s calendrical some unwanted. collision was a way to enhance “Thanksgiving Rabbi Steven Silver of Temple Menorah beyond football and a big meal.” in Redondo Beach, Calif., is canceling his In our land of commercial plenty, the con- temple’s traditional Friday night Hanukkah fluence certainly has served up a feast of dinner. merchandise. There are T-shirts saying “8 “That holiday weekend will be vacation Days of Light, Liberty & Latkes” and a coffee time, people will be out visiting family and mug picturing a turkey with nine burning friends,” he said. “The rabbis won’t have tail feathers. And then there’s the ceramic anyone in front of them that weekend, and menorah in the shape of a turkey -- a that’s a problem.”

Menurkey, created by 9-year-old Asher Yet Silver also has found the confluence Weintraub of New York. has presented an opportunity.

But being more of a do-it-yourselfer, I The day before Hanukkah, his congregarecycled an old sukkah decoration to create tion is planning to attend an interfaith my own Thankgivukkkah centerpiece -- the Thanksgiving service at a Catholic church. cornukiyah.

“There will between 800 and 900 in attenFor the holiday cook trying to blend the dance, from Buddhists to Sikhs, and three two holidays’ flavors, there’s a recipe that Jewish congregations” Silver said. “We are calls for turkeys brined in Manischewitz, and planning to bring a 6-foot-high wooden I found another for cranberry latkes. But menorah and symbolically light it.” what about a replacement for the now infaThe holidays overlapping, he said, “are givmous Frankenstein of Thanksgiving cuisine, ing us an opportunity to show the miracle.” the turducken? How about a “turchitke,” a Edmon J. Rodman is a JTA columnist latke inside of a chicken inside of a turkey? who writes on Jewish life from Los Angeles.

For Wolfson, who has largely ignored the Contact him at edmojace@ gmail.com.

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B8 | The Jewish Press | November 22, 2013

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Modi’in struggles to preserve its Hasmonean roots

by JUDY LASH BALINT the Buchman neighborhood on the Modi’in-Latrun road, (JNS.org) Modi’in is a town mentioned in the Mishnah that closely resembles other renowned Second Temple-period was home to the Maccabees of Hanukkah fame, and where synagogues, such as those at Masada, Herodium, and the oldest synagogue in Israel was discovered, but it is also the Gamla, that have all become major tourism sites.

Jewish state’s largest planned community and bills itself as “There’s never been a proper archeological survey done of “The City of the Future.” this area,” Elbaum asserts.

Reconciling those two “We have places here that images of Modi’in is at the could raise the profile of heart of a struggle that is Modi’in and enhance the conplaying itself out on the local, nection of the people to the national, and international land, but it’s not a priority for level, as archeologists and local officials,” she says. preservationists try to raise “Part of what attracted me to awareness of Modi’in’s rich live here was the idea of buildHanukkah-related history ing a new Jewish community and preserve ancient sites, where an ancient one had while most city and governexisted so many years ago,” ment officials prefer to focus she adds, noting with disapresources on development of pointment that no neighborservices for today’s residents. hood or school in Modi’in is In 1993, Prime Minister named after an important Yitzhak Rabin laid the corHasmonean-era figure. nerstone for Modi’in on a Stone says one of her most rocky hillside in the center of profound experiences took the country on an ancient place at the Umm el-Umdan crossroads between the synagogue during Hanukkah coastal ports and the hills of in 2002, shortly after it was Top: A view of Modi’in. Credit: Ilana Shkolnik via the PikiWiki discovered. Students from the Judea and Samaria.

Below: In Modi’in, remains of the Umm el-Umdan (Mother of nearby Nitzanim School held The idea was to develop a Pillars in Arabic) synagogue, which was built in the large city in the center of the a torchlight march to the synHasmonean period. The structure closely resembles other country -- equidistant from agogue and lit a Hanukkah renowned Second Temple-period synagogues, such as those at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, to menorah there. “It was Masada, Herodium, and Gamla, that have all become major spread the population and momentous,” Stone rememCredit: Bukvoed via Wikimedia Commons bers. “I was in tears. There tourism sites. take advantage of the limited amount of land available for development. Today, Modi’in is was singing and speeches. It was the day of the terror attack a diverse and successful city of more than 85,000 people, against Israelis in Mombassa.” spread over 10 neighborhoods built on wadis and hilltops.

The hanukkiah lighting ceremony at the ancient synaThe city features an extensive park system and a high level gogue went on for a number of years after that, until the of cultural, commercial, and sports facilities. event grew too large and there was concern over damage to Amongst the first people to arrive in modern-day Modi’in the site. In recent years, nearby residents have been marking in 1996 was Marion Stone, an immigrant from the U.K. who Shabbat Hanukkah by coming to pray at Umm el-Umdan. had been living in the Galilee development town of Carmiel Modi’in resident Howie Mischel wrote of the impact of since 1979. “I moved in two days before Hanukkah,” recalls last year’s Hanukkah’s gathering: “The men stood in the cenStone. She was appalled to learn that bulldozers were then tral part of the site, in a rectangular area that was probably already working on the Titora Hill, where evidence of First the main floor of the beit knesset. In front of me was a small Temple-era settlement was found along with a complex of indentation in the stone framework surrounding the floor, cisterns, mikvaot (ritual baths), tunnels, and dovecotes. perfectly positioned to accommodate an ark to hold Torah Some experts believe the area may have been used as a hide- scrolls. As I looked past it, I realized that it was perfectly oriout during the Bar Kochba revolt. ented on this hill to face Jerusalem.”

Stone immediately joined the Society for Preservation of “It was not lost on any of us that this site has remained Sites and Landscape in Modi’in that undertook legal action unmarked, undeveloped and virtually ignored by both to prevent destruction of the hill. The society’s efforts were municipal officials and our national government. How could only partially successful, as ultimately part of Modi’in was we have been standing on this incredibly meaningful site, in built on portions of the Titora, covering many of the ancient the town where the Maccabees’ efforts assured Jewish contiartifacts. Finally, last spring, a court ruling ordered develop- nuity, and be in the dark? How could this archaeological site ers to find an alternative site for construction of an addi- be so ignored and treated almost as a nuisance by the munictional 750 apartments. ipal government, without -- aside from the weeds being Stone and Leiah Elbaum -- another early resident of plucked -- a shekel having been invested in site preservation?”

Modi’in, who has a background in Land of Israel studies and According to a spokesman for the Prime Minister’s office, the has conducted extensive research into her hometown -- Umm el-Umdan compound was approved for inclusion in the agree that elected officials in Modi’in have neglected to cap- Prime Minister’s Cultural Heritage Program that designates italize on the rich Maccabean heritage of the area. funding for heritage sites across the country. With a projected Elbaum and Stone cite Titora, as well as the extraordinary total budget of 2.1 million shekels, half from the government find of the remains of the Umm el-Umdan (Mother of and half to be raised from outside sources, the spokesman told Pillars in Arabic) synagogue built in the Hasmonean period, JNS.org that renovation of the pathways has been completed; which boasts a roof supported by eight pillars that was con- preservation of the synagogue itself, the residential quarters of structed in the time of Herod. The structure, located near Continued on page B9

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Modi’in struggles to preserve its Hasmonean roots Continued from page B8 the Hasmonean village, and artifacts is almost finished, and restoration of the synagogue interior is underway. A protective pergola will be in place in coming months, and the final phase is to include an on-site visitor center.

Alex Weinreb, 55, was one of those who stood in front of the tractors at Umm el-Umdan during Hanukkah 2001 to prevent the destruction of the synagogue. His concern led him to run for office, and the New York native subsequently served as deputy mayor of Modi’in between 2003-2010.

Weinreb, who has an advanced degree in archeology, has long been in the forefront of efforts to put Modi’in’s history on

the map. One initiative he pushed through is the annual Hanukkah and Modi’in Heritage Conference, which brings together scholars, archeologists, and community members to study aspects of the area’s history. Weinreb also initiated the approach to the Prime Minister’s Cultural Heritage Program.

In 2010, Weinreb and a team of architects, designers and museum specialists put together a sophisticated proposal to create a Hasmonean Educational and Tourist Visitors Center for the promotion of the Maccabean heritage in Modiin on the site of the synagogue dating to the Maccabee period. They’re still seeking donors and government support to jumpstart the project.

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Meanwhile, some local families mark Hanukkah by making an outing to the “Maccabean Graves” just outside Modi’in. They take the kids and a hanukkiah; set up camp on the rocks surrounding the caves in the national park; light the hanukkiah; sing the traditional Hanukkah songs; and even take a primus stove and fry up latkes.

Despite the official sign at the entrance, contemporary archeologists believe the site just outside Modi’in is of Byzantine origin. The true location of the grave of the Maccabees continues to be the subject of speculation, and, like many other parts of history in Modi’in, is awaiting funds for methodical research.

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B10 | The Jewish Press | November 22, 2013

Christmas elf meets its Jewish match

by MATT ROBINSON (JNS.org) When his son asked for The Elf on the Shelf -- the famed Christmas toy that is said to keep an eye on children and report back to Santa Claus regarding their behavior -entrepreneur Neal Hoffman says he felt an admitted pang of “elf envy” and saw the need to offer something more appropriate.

“I said to myself that I wished there was a toy and book that was an alternative, that was rooted in Jewish traditions,” Hoffman tells JNS.org.

Hoffman, at the time an employee of the Hasbro toy and game company, would go on to create a new toy to ensure that those celebrating Hanukkah wouldn’t experience the same “elf envy.”

With roots tracing back to the 1970s, The Elf on the Shelf has sold nearly 2.5 million units. The elf has now met its Jewish match through Hoffman’s The Mensch on a Bench, a toy and book set based on the story of the character Moshe the Mensch. Available for the first time this Hanukkah, the set costs $36 (plus shipping and handling).

Using the popular crowd-funding website Kickstarter to raise money (in Jewish-appropriate denominations of $18) Hoffman brought his dream of a Jewish judge of childhood behavior to life. The book that comes with Moshe explains that this savvy tzaddik was in the Temple with the Maccabees when they defeated the Greeks in the second century BCE. As the age-old story goes, there was only suf-

ficient oil for one night, but it lasted for eight. How? Moshe volunteered to sit on a bench all night and keep an eye on it.

Thousands of years later, Moshe is still on a bench and still watching over Hanukkah, much like The Elf on the Shelf watches over Christmas.

Hoffman, a Massachusetts native who now lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, explains that as a father of two in an interfaith household, he was well familiar with The Elf on the Shelf from his nieces and nephews. When his son asked for one, he says he initially laughed off his idea for a Hanukkahthemed alternative to the toy, but the idea kept coming back until he could resist it no longer.

W h i l e Hoffman sees The Elf on the Shelf as a symbol of the commercialism of a holiday, he suggests that Moshe the Mensch is a keeper of the eternal traditions of Judaism.

“The Elf is more secular and not as religious, just pure fun,” he says.

Moshe may not be an “answer” to the elf, but it is an “alternative” that is appropriate for Jewish children and allows them to create their own Hanukkah tradition, Hoffman says.

Hoffman used his years of experience at Habsro -- where he worked (and played) with the legendary likes of G.I. Joe and the Transformers -- to his advantage for creating The Mensch on a Bench. Yet the experience was different than

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anything he had done before, he says.

“This was the first time I had to take an idea and figure out everything, including the design, engineering, packaging, marketing, fundraising, Web development, and timeline management,” Hoffman recalls. “It really made me appreciate the caliber of people I had worked with in the past.”

While he didn’t have his former Hasbro colleagues working with him, Hoffman was far from alone. He quickly found fans on Facebook and backers on Kickstarter, and says his biggest support came from his family. The passion for Moshe the Mensch was immediately “contagious,” he says.

In an effort to explain Moshe to the masses, Hoffman hurried to come up with a believable backstory, and created the book to accompany the toy.

“The book is inspired by the story of Hanukkah,” Hoffman says. “It tells about how the Maccabees came back to the Temple and were tired from the war and needed to sleep.

With only one night of oil, they were worried it would go out overnight and leave them in the dark. One man volunteered to watch over the lights: Moshe the Mensch.”

To give Moshe and his story more staying power and appeal, the book also includes activities for each of the eight nights of the holiday. Hoffman hopes to bring the book not only to his local library, but also to the Jewish literacy nonprofit PJ Library, which to date has delivered more than 3 million books to youths. He also says sequels are possible.

“There are still a lot of words that rhyme with ‘mensch’ that we can work with,” Hoffman says.

In the meantime, Hoffman is looking forward to opening his own Moshe on the first night of Hanukkah (Nov. 27).

“I think we have a fun idea that Jewish families can rally around and use to make Hanukkah more fun,” Hoffman says. “Over the next couple years, Jewish families will decide if this is a great idea and something they want, or if the Mensch will become a rare collectors item.”

A Temple Hanukkah

by DAVID GOLBITZ Temple Israel Staff Writer Temple Israel’s annual Hanukkah service and dinner will be extra special this year, with music and activities for the entire family. The evening will also celebrate one of Temple Israel’s families becoming “whole” once again, as Adam Oles, husband of Kelly, father of three, and recently returned from military deployment, will share his story during the service.

The Hanukkah service will be held this year on Nov. 29, starting at 6 p.m., followed immediately by a dinner consisting of brisket, veggies and homemade latkes with applesauce and sour cream.

The meat for the brisket is being donated

by Henry Davis of Greater Omaha Packing, and Chef John Hattam will be preparing the meal.

Volunteers will be helping cook the latkes on Nov. 20.

After dinner, families will have the opportunity to work on a craft project with their children, and everyone will be asked to write holiday well-wishes for soldiers serving overseas.

The cost of the meal is $9 for adults; $5 for children; and no charge for kids in second grade or younger.

Families are asked to RSVP by Tuesday, Nov. 26, by contacting the Temple Israel office at 402.556.6536 or emailing RSVP@templeisraelomaha.com.

Each Hanukkah season the Temple Israel community also sends volunteers to Remington Heights to light candles, sing songs and celebrate the holiday with the retirement community’s Jewish residents. There will be a short service at 5:30 p.m. to light candles in the lobby before dinner, and a few songs. If you would like to volunteer this year, for any day between Nov. 27 and Dec. 4, please contact Program Director Wendy Goldberg at wgoldberg @templeisraelomaha.com.

We also need to spread our lights among those in our community by bringing non-food items to donate to the Jewish Family Services Pantry, i.e. laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent, deodorant, shaving cream, razors, shampoo, conditioner, feminine hygiene products, tissues, paper towels and dish towels.

November 22, 2013 | The Jewish Press | B11

Hanukkah jewelry makes for ‘nuclear program’ with unquestioned peaceful intent

by EDMON J. RODMAN (JNS.org) While at the U.N. General Assembly and other public forums, Iran continues to tout what it calls the peaceful intentions of its nuclear program to a skeptical audience.

But the peaceful intentions of another “nuclear program” -one that will come in handy for Jewish shoppers this Hanukkah -- are unquestioned.

Using the words of the prophets as inspiration, a company called From War to Peace is turning swords into ploughshares -- actually, recycled material from nukes into Jewish jewelry -- in California.

The line of peace-oriented products that includes flower power earrings, peace symbol pendants, tree of life bracelets, and household accessories is made from recycled copper cabling that once carried the launch codes to Minuteman III nuclear missiles.

The copper, taken from a disarmed and deactivated Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) site in Grand Forks, ND, is cast by the company into an array of wearable and usable symbols from many religions, including Star of David earrings, hamsa pendants, and mezuzahs. In time for Hanukkah, a new menorah pendant design will soon be available.

From War to Peace’s work is available in stores nationwide, in Canada, online, and at the Clinton Presidential Library, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and The Jewish Museum in New York.

“The Jewish prophets are the absolute inspiration for what we do,” said the organization’s founder, Paul Ogren, a former Minnesota state senator who lived in Israel in the 1970s.

The truncated bible verse, “Turn your swords into plowshares, and you shall know war no more,” from both Isaiah and Micah, is featured prominently on the website of the company, which was launched in 2010.

“The cabling is a good source of copper,” said Ogren, who first found out about the metal from a friend who had the scrap contract from the federal government for the silo’s metal and plastic.

Ogren said he bought 10,000 pounds of copper, but initially was not sure what he would do with it.

“I’m always looking for a transformational element,” said Ogren, who recalled that hearing a niece singing a Hebrew song, Lo Yisa Goy El Goy Cherev, (Nation shall not lift up sword against nation), put him on the path to making jewelry.

“Weapons that kill people can be used for constructive means,” Ogren, a peace activist during the Vietnam War, said.

After discovering that copper needed to be alloyed to be cast successfully as jewelry, Ogren decided on a mixture that included manganese and silicon to create a “Peace Bronze,” which is cast into various shapes in Albuquerque, NM, and Paso Robles, Calif. Various styles are given an iridescent finish in San Luis Obispo, Calif., or dipped in silver or gold in Albuquerque.

One of the mezuzah designs is cast with the words “Peace to all who enter here.” Other styles feature the word “peace” in three languages -- Hebrew, English and Arabic -- or an image of a dove.

“There is a naïve quality to them, like American folk art,” said Nestor Diaz de Villegas, who owns one of the mezuzahs as well as a pendant. “That they are made of metal from nuclear weapons is really amazing,” added Diaz de Villegas, who is a poet and a journalist.

“We do museum grade castings, using the lost wax process” said Ogren, whose company also uses its Peace Bronze in casting the Gandhi Peace Prize as well as the Sean MacBride Peace Prize, awarded by the Geneva-based International Peace Bureau.

Ogren said 24 percent of the company’s profits are dedicated to peace and social justice organizations, with current recipients including Veterans for Peace, Homeboy Industries, and Mothers for Peace.

Seeing a benefit in injecting “humor and lightness” into the messages of his work, Ogren also creates beer bottle openers which say “Beers Not Bombs,” and wine bottle stoppers which say, “Make Wine Not War,” out of the Peace Bronze.

Just how hot is Ogren’s nuke-related jewelry? The cabling was buried six feet underground, has been tested, and is not radioactive.

“I get asked, ‘Will I glow in the dark if I wear your jewelry?’” Ogren said.

“I would have to charge you more,” he said he often responds.

Wishing the community a happy Hanukkah!

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B12 | The Jewish Press | November 22, 2013

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