November 28, 2008

Vol. LXXXVIII No. 12 Omaha, NE

Longtime leaders to receive Spirit of Federation awards at community event by LISA LIEB Federation Communications Director Because of their outstanding commitment, dedication and leadership to the Jewish Federation of Omaha and its agencies, the Phil and Terri Schrager Spirit of Federation Award will be presented to Howard Epstein and Bobbi Leibowitz at the Federation’s Community Event, to be held Wednesday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m., in the theater of the Jewish Community Center. Upon receiving the news, Epstein said that this award holds special Howard Epstein meaning for him. “Phil and Terri Schrager have been exceptionally generous throughout the years. The Schragers know what it means to give back to the community, so for them to sponsor an award like this is a genuine honor.” Epstein’s service to the Federation goes back many years. His experience on the Federation board includes serving on the budget and allocations committee as well as the long-range planning committee. Always willBobbi Leibowitz ing to take pledge cards for the Federation’s Annual Campaign, he has also served as Men’s Campaign Chair and division leader. He was the recipient of the Justin Greenberg Young Leadership Award in 1982. Epstein views the Federation as an umbrella organization that transcends all viewpoints. “We’re a small Jewish community and it’s important for us to support each other,” he said. “The Federation takes on that role as well as any organization I’ve seen.” He is a past President of the Henry Monsky Lodge, a past President of Jewish Family Service, and the current Treasurer of Jewish Social Services. Praising the recent merger of JFS with Jewish Senior Outreach (formerly Jewish Senior Services) he says, “Many major life changes transcend all generations. The merger allows us to take advantage of each division’s strengths to benefit the entire community.” As a past President of Beth El , he recalls his twelve years on the synagogue board as a time of great progress and pride. Federation Treasurer Mike Abramson, who has worked with Howard at the Federation and Beth El, views Epstein as someone who understands the big picture and knows how to get things done. He says Howard is often sought out to resolve challenging issues behind the scenes, adding. “Howard uses his consensusbuilding ability to bring others together. He always has the best interest of this community at heart.” Epstein grew up surrounded by strong role models. His father was involved in Cosmopolitan International (a non-profit civic organization), and his mother was involved in Beth Israel Sisterhood, Hadassah, and Cosmo Pals. In high school, he enjoyed his time in BBYO, and after college graduation he volunteered as an AZA advisor. This may be due in part to the influence of his former AZA advisor, Gil Arnoff. “Gil was always happy to pitch in and make time for us, even though he had his own family,” Epstein recalls. Continued on page 4

Inside

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November 28, 2008

Fears of another Durban by MICHAEL J. JORDAN BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (JTA) – The run-up to a major U.N. anti-racism conference planned for April appears to be mimicking the 2001 Durban gathering that notoriously singled out Israel with the most incendiary language in the humanrights lexicon. At a preparatory meeting last month in Geneva, the “Asian Group” reintroduced language drawn from 2001 pressing for any final document to pronounce the Jewish state guilty of “a new kind of apartheid, a crime against humanity, a form of genocide” and “acts of racism.” The group’s Middle Eastern memberstates bar Israel from join- Activists from around the world demonstrated against Israel during the 2001 U.N. antiracism conference in Durban. Credit: Julian Voloj ing. Earlier this month also brought renewed concern of a repetition of Durban 2001: no singling out of any state; repeat of the anti-Jewish intimidation that marked the no hierarchy of victims; and no outlawing of defamation of religions, which many see as infringing on free speech. South African event seven years ago. But after the preparatory conference, “the red lines The developments are confirming long-held fears by Jewish activists that despite platitudes to the contrary, aren’t breached, they’re shattered,” said Hillel Neuer, the follow-up to the first anti-racism conference will the executive director of U.N. Watch, a Geneva-based group affiliated with the American Jewish Committee. unfairly target Israel. While some defenders of Israel tend to be dismissive of The 2009 World Conference Against Racism, slated to take place in Geneva, is billed as another landmark the world body as hopelessly biased against the Jewish event, the most important such gathering in years and state, conferences such as the April 2009 meeting proone that advocates say must send a tough message to duce nonbinding documents that when cited and repeated often can become building blocks for internahuman rights abusers. Concerned about the direction the conference was tional law. At the very least they fuel anti-Israel propaheaded, Israel and Canada already have vowed not to ganda that helps shape the opinion of millions worldparticipate. The United States is still seen as on the fence wide. That explains why events at Geneva last month about its participation. Many observers were looking to the European Union, sparked alarm. which in September reiterated the “red lines” to avoid Continued on page 2

Singer Craig Taubman pays it forward through music, mentoring Creator, practiced doing tzimtzum: instead of doing by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator more, he pulled back, and by pulling back, he left room One of Craig Taubman’s greatest joys in life is men- for others to step in. “The fact is, my teacher did not toring young musicians, and he should know something have a sore throat, but he knew that only in his absence, about having faith in young, untested talent -- years ago, or by pulling back, would I have the opportunity to step he was on the receiving end of such support. In a recent in and share my life. That’s what great teachers do: they interview from his home in southern California, point you in a direction and they say ‘go.’ They set you Taubman reminisced about several of those people who on your journey and they empower you by opening up doors to go in new direcgreatly impacted his life. tions.” The first was a teacher Now several decades who faked a sore throat into his journey as a so that Taubman, then much-loved singer/song14, could step in and writer, Taubman has serve as song leader at a thrilled and inspired audiretreat. “He gave me a ences throughout the guitar and said, ‘will you country and around the lead music?’” Taubman world. On Sunday, Dec. said. 7, 3 p.m., he will bring “And he did the greathis infectious brand of est thing that any teacher Jewish folk music and can do, and that is rock ’n roll to Omaha empower another. In the during a special family Bible, there’s a great, Hanukkah concert at great notion that’s called Beth El Synagogue. tzimtzum -- on the last day of creation, God, the Entertainer Craig Taubman gets a little help from a young friend. Continued on page 3

This Week: Tax and Financial Planning Issue starts on Page: 13

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

Kristallnacht commemoration lives on through book, DVD: Page 6

Coming Next Month: Hanukkah Issue on Dec. 12 Monthly calender for December: Pages 10-11

Attacks end brief respite in Sderot: Page 20

Page 2

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

November 28, 2008

Fears of another Durban

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Continued from page 1 Beyond the inflammatory text, dozens of NonGovernmental Organizations hostile to Israel unveiled their campaign for another “NGO Forum” just before or alongside the official diplomatic gathering. It was the 2001 NGO forum in Durban that enshrined the most extreme anti-Israel language in its final document. It also launched the global boycott and divestment campaign that likened Israel to apartheid South Africa and is pursued today by many pro-Palestinian groups worldwide. After the Israeli and U.S. delegations walked out in Durban, the then-U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Mary Robinson, also found the wording so excessive that she declined to forward the text to government representatives to absorb into their own document. By comparison, the official state-sponsored final declaration was far tamer and more balanced in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The new high commissioner, Navanethem Pillay, opened the Geneva meeting last month by condemning “the virulent anti-Semitic behavior” of some anti-Israel groups “on the sidelines” at Durban, but not the NGO document itself. Pillay went on to acknowledge that “this review process is burdened, understandably, with a fear that incidents expressing hatred and intolerance will be repeated. It would be tragic to allow this fear to compromise our efforts to find common ground.” Yet with Libya chairing the entire process, and Iran, Cuba and Pakistan serving as vice chairs, Jewish observers say it has become clear the Islamic bloc and its allies from the developing world have widened the crosshairs to target the West itself. High on the agenda is rising Islamophobia, denunciation of post-9/11 profiling of possible terrorists as inherently racist and steps to ban “defamation of religions” like Islam -- known historically as blasphemy. In a report issued recently, UN Watch went so far as to declare, “The aggressive campaign to impose a new regime of global censorship, dictated by Islamic sensitivities, makes the Durban II language even worse than that of the original conference in 2001.” A key question now, said Neuer and others, is if the Europeans -- led by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who holds the E.U.’s rotating chair until Jan. 1 -- will abandon the conference, harpooning its credibility. “We know that for the Europeans, it’s against their DNA to walk out of a conference or to upset countries with whom they have trade relations,” Neuer said. “But Sarkozy is of a certain mettle and keeps his word. Will he work to excise these provisions, or disengage as he promised to do?” Indeed, a showdown looms. Last spring, at another preparatory conference in Geneva, Israel’s most strident critics were somewhat subdued. Some Jewish observers described them as on their “best behavior,” facing the real possibility that the

Durban II process might disintegrate entirely. Now, however, they are “laying their cards on the table,” said Anne Bayefsky, a Canadian law professor and director of the Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust at Touro College. “They attempted to cover up their real intentions, but we’re only six months away from the conference, so they had to come out of the closet,” said Bayefsky, a regular attendee of preparatory meetings. During the spring sessions, the talk was to skip an NGO forum and instead fold NGO participation into the governmental gathering, with each group entitled to three to five minutes per day to speak. In Geneva last month, however, a coalition of U.N.-accredited NGOs mobilized to push for a parallel meeting of their own -on U.N. grounds. To date, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has received no official request, spokesman Rupert Colville told JTA. “Whether or not there is an NGO forum depends essentially on the NGO community,” he said. “It is up to them to decide.” Whether it would carry the imprimatur of the United Nations is another question. “Between now and April, there will be constant struggle because the extremists who want to maximize the attacks on Israel see the NGOs as their primary vehicle,” said Gerald Steinberg of the Jerusalem-based watchdog NGO Monitor. In the court of public opinion, Steinberg said, “NGOs have the facade as being above politics, representing universal morality and human rights principles.” Meanwhile, the Simon Wiesenthal Center this month fired off a letter to the mayor of Geneva in response to reports that the local Green Party had requested that the city host the NGO Forum. In imploring city officials to deny “a replica of the Durban hate-fest,” the center also called on the city to “provide all Jewish institutions in Geneva with adequate protection during the April event.” As Shimon Samuels, the center’s director of international relations, later recalled to JTA, one night during the Durban conference, police protecting the Durban Jewish Club held off hundreds of local Muslims who were “screaming ‘Hitler was right.’ I was there and will never forget it.” While it’s unclear whether the new U.S. administration will attend or boycott the event, some Jewish groups are grappling with the question, too. “We think it is vital that Jewish organizations be on the front line in defending Jewish interests, including Israel,” said Sybil Sanchez, the director of B’nai B’rith International’s office of U.N. affairs. “However, we are concerned that a point may come where the deck is so stacked against us that we would have to reconsider this approach. That moment has not arrived, and we are doing all we can to prevent it from arriving.”

Nu? Author to display Yiddish witticisms and more at Jewish Book Month event by SHERRIE SAAG Center for Jewish Education Administrator Oy vey! Jewish Book Month is in full swing with the very funny Michael Wex, author of Just Say Nu and Born to Kvetch on Thursday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m., in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library. Wex is a novelist, instructor, translator and performer. He has been hailed as “a Yiddish national treasure,” and considered one of the leading “lights” in the current revival of the Yiddish language, lecturing widely on Yiddish and Jewish culture. Described by Publishers Weekly as a “colorful, uncensored guide,” his latest book promises to teach even the most clueless linguist how to hold an entire conversation in Yiddish with the five most useful words of the language. The New York Times said of Born to Kvetch: “This is wise, witty and altogether wonderful. Mr. Wex has perfect pitch and always finds the precise word and most vivid metaphor for his juicy Yiddishisms. He is thoroughly entertaining as a storyteller and writer.”

Wex says that Yiddish “gives insight into how we got to be the people we are. If you can’t understand your grandparents, you can’t understand yourself.” Copies of both books will be for sale immediately following Wex’s presentation. The author will autograph copies. Jewish Book Month is presented by the Center for Jewish Education through the Kripke Jewish Federation Library and is sponsored by the Special Donor Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation and the Gertrude and Albert Newman Fund. Upcoming events include “Chanu-Kids” party on Sunday Dec. 14, 3:30-5:30 p.m., in the Kripke Library. A special guest will be children’s author Anne Marie Asner, creator of Noshy Boy, Klutzy Boy, and Shmutzy Girl. And the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group will meet on Thursday, Dec. 18, 1 p.m., also in the Library. For more information on any Jewish Book Month events, contact Gary Katz at 334-6462 or gkatz@jewishomaha.org.

November 28, 2008

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 3

Craig Taubman pays it forward Continued from page 1 the Paramount Pictures film The performance, coAndre, and New Line sponsored by Beth El and Cinema’s Pinocchio. Temple Israel, is open to But Jewish music called to the community; proceeds him, and 12 years ago, will benefit Beth El’s Taubman shifted his focus to Youth Scholarship Fund the music that was close to and Temple’s camp his heart. “I had always written Jewish music,” he noted, scholarship program. “I just didn’t make a living Another influence the at it. It is who I am,” he prolific performer cited remarked. “I could probably was Rabbi Sheldon Dorff, do Tejano music or rock ’n principal at Los Angeles roll; I could probably comHebrew High School. pose folk songs, but there are The rabbi was given the few people who have been challenge of dealing with put on this earth with my lina 17-year-old Taubman, eage, my history as a Jew. I’m who described himself a Jew! And it just speaks to during those years as “the me. It’s my legacy; it’s my best worst student -there was nobody better Musician Craig Taubman performs at the Union of Reform Judaism Biennial gift that I’ve been given, so I need to share it. I’ve chosen than me at being the Conference in Houston in 2005. opportunities to perform with him or to share it.” worst student.” Asked by Rabbi David Wolpe at Sinai Rabbi Dorff had two options, Taubman play on CDs that he produces. Saying it’s said, “which were to allow the teachers to “incredibly satisfying to be a role model Temple in Los Angeles to develop a fail me, or to give me a chunk of money and to be able to empower others to also Friday night service geared to young to produce an album. Instead of failing give of themselves,” he added that, “I adults, Taubman created Friday Night me, he gave me money and I did an actually enjoy other people’s success that Live, a “shorter, more accessible service” I’ve had a part of, more than mine. It’s which has struck a nerve with hundreds album.” He added, “That was a brilliant educa- not selfish, it’s not self-serving and it’s far of congregations and is still going strong tor, who saw beyond grades on a paper or bigger than I could ever be. It’s like par- 11 years later. When first introduced at scores on a test, and realized that the goal enting: it’s great when you graduate from Sinai Temple, the program drew 2,000 a of a great educator, mentor, teacher, par- school, but it’s unbelievable when your month; it still attracts 1,500, and is modent, is to celebrate who you are, or who children graduate from school. It’s great eled around the country. Of the many you can be -- not who you aren’t. That’s when you get your first girlfriend or part- accomplishments on his impressive precisely what I’m trying to do in my life ner; it’s unbelievable when your child cel- resume, Friday Night Live remains the project of which Taubman is most proud, with the people who I am fortunate ebrates that.” During the first decade of his distin- which, he says, “changed my life and realenough to mentor or support -- not to make them more like me, but more like guished career, Taubman established ly refocused me on my Jewish music and himself as a popular artist in the world of my Jewish heritage.” themselves.” His music has taken him to South Taubman has not forgotten those who children’s music. His work in television supported him, and he pays it forward by and film included an eight-year stint at America, Israel, Spain and Turkey; he also mentoring young musicians, giving them Disney; he also composed selections for noted that “the most unique thing I ever

did on the road was a bunch of concerts and a Seder in Poland a couple of years ago, and that was pretty intense. My family came with me -- it was an amazing, amazing experience.” Up next for Taubman: an upcoming PBS television special, to be broadcast nationwide next month (visit http://www.craignco.com/lights for local dates and times). The show, “Lights: Celebrate Hanukkah” is “a huge, huge project,’’ he said. “There’s not a big market for Jewish television, and when this came on my plate, I was very excited and jumped at the opportunity.” The show features an impressive group of performers, including Cantor Alberto Mizrahi, Dave Koz, Michelle Citrin, the Keshet Chaim Dance Ensemble, and Josh Nelson, among others. “They’re all great,” Taubman said. “These are dear friends of mine who happen to be really talented.” Whether talking about music, performing, mentoring or his family, Taubman is a man who is clearly passionate about his life; he seems perpetually energized, tireless. So what keeps him going after all these years? “My job is to give a gift, and when people give, it usually comes back double. The incredible gift I’ve been given is to give joy. Other people work with numbers; doctors have the ability to give life. I give joy. I get joy back, and that sustains me.” Send checks, made payable to the Beth El Cantor’s Concert, to Beth El, 14506 California St., Omaha NE 68154 or Temple Israel, 7023 Cass St., Omaha, NE 68132. All patron donations received by Dec. 1 will be included in the concert program. For information, call Beth El at 492.8550 or Temple Israel, 556.6536.

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Benefit Concert FOR OUR YOUTH A musical event for the whole family! Supporting Beth El Youth Scholarship Program and Temple Israel Camp Scholarship Fund

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Individual Ticket Prices Adults $18 | Students $10 | Children $5 (5 years and under) Mail Payment, in care of Craig Taubman Concert, to: Temple Israel, 7023 Cass Street, Omaha NE 68132 Beth El Synagogue, 14506 California St., Omaha NE 68154

Questions? Call Beth El 492.8550 | Temple Israel 556.6536 *Names of all patron supporters will be listed in the program, if payment is received by Monday, December 1. This concert is made possible in part through the generosity of the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Page 4

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

November 28, 2008

Spirit of Federation awards

Continued from page 1 That’s one lesson Epstein learned well. In 1992 when Howard decided to change his career path, he became a student at Creighton Law School. His children were nine, 12 and 14 at the time and in addition to being a student, he worked fulltime. Yet he never wavered in his volunteer commitments to Beth El and the Federation. He recalls that time as a juggling act and credits wife Sharon for her tremendous support. “Without her I never could have done it. Even while teaching and honoring her own volunteer commitments, she’s given me terrific support every step of the way.” Today, in addition to practicing law, he serves as executive director of the Livingston Foundation. Like her fellow nominee, Bobbi Leibowitz has worked tirelessly for the Federation and other organizations year after year. “Bobbi has been involved in the Omaha Jewish community since the moment she arrived here more than 30 years ago,” said Jewish Press Editor Carol Katzman. “With a wide variety of Federation, agency and Jewish organization experience, Bobbi has demonstrated her passion for Jewish causes.” Currently serving as President of the Jewish Press, her past experience includes a number of years spent volunteering for the ADL/CRC, after which she became the agency’s first assistant in 1978. Like Epstein, Leibowitz can always be counted on to take pledge cards for the Federation’s Annual Campaign. She has also served as a Campaign division chairman and Women’s Campaign Chairman. During her eight-year stint on the Federation’s Budget and Allocations committee, she saw first-hand the challenge of allocating limited funds to the many agencies that depend on the Annual Campaign to subsidize their programs and services. “Every agency is valuable but there’s only a certain number of dollars available,” she said. Leibowitz added that the Federation’s role is to raise money not just for our community, but also to support Israel and Jews throughout the world. She has traveled to Israel a number of times, including her participation on a Federation Women’s Mission. She expresses her pride in what Israel has accomplished in its short 60 years, and recalls her first Israel experience. “No words can describe how wonderful I felt,” she said. “For the first time in my life, I was no longer a minority -- I was a

majority!” Describing her trips to Israel as life-altering experiences, Leibowitz believes that every Jew should make the journey to the homeland. During her childhood, her mother, Norma Spector, was her role model, taking on volunteer roles for Hadassah, B’nai B’rith and her synagogue. Spector later followed Bobbi’s lead and became active in the National Council of Jewish Women, where she was honored with her section’s Hannah G. Soloman Award. Leibowitz shares her mother’s passion for NCJW, where she held a number of board positions before becoming President of the Omaha Section. During her tenure at NCJW, Leibowitz was especially proud of her work creating the Child Care Fair and co-founding the Seven Can Help advocacy program at Channel 7 -both of which were award winning projects. She was also a founding member of the Omaha chapter of Women’s American ORT, a division of the world’s largest Jewish educational and vocational training non-governmental organization. Katzman describes Leibowitz as creative, inquisitive and never afraid to raise the hard questions. She adds that “Bobbi works well with people of all ages” and has been a mentor to many of the Omaha Jewish community’s young people. “At this stage in her successful real estate career, it would be easy for her to take a rest from volunteer involvement, yet she continues to take on leadership roles,” Katzman said. Showing no sign of slowing down her volunteer efforts Leibowitz says, “Giving back to the Jewish community is a winwin. The community wins, and so do I.” The Federation’s Community Event will also feature a keynote address by Israeli Media Advisor Dr. Ra’anan Gissin, and special recognition to Jan Goldstein for 10 years of service as executive director of the Federation. To RSVP, contact Sharon Kirshenbaum at 334.6485 or skirshenbaum@jewishomaha.org.

Temple speaker to give essential scoop on raising modern Jewish kids by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator If you’re ever had to choose between mandatory baseball practice and Hebrew school for your child or planned a birthday party (not to mention a Bar or Bat Mitzvah party) without sacrificing your values, sanity, and retirement fund, you’ll want to hear Sharon Duke Estroff when she discusses “The Essential Sharon Duke Estroff Scoop on Raising Modern Jewish Kids” on Sunday, Dec. 7, 10:30 a.m., at Temple Israel. “I used to have a kitchen drawer crammed with instruction manuals for my children’s stuff -- page after page of excruciating detail on how to assembly everything from baby swings to bubble mowers to bicycles,” she explained. “It seemed, in fact, that the only things in my house that didn’t come with an instruction manual were my four children themselves.” Estroff has spent many years, both personally and professionally, in the trenches of Jewish parenthood. “I understood I was not alone in my plight,” she realized. “All those ... unanswered questions circulate through the modern Jewish parent population like dreidels at Hanukkah.” But all the guides, she confessed “fizzled out” by the time her kids turned three. An internationally-syndicated parenting columnist and an award-winning educator, Estroff is the author of Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah?: The Essential Scoop on Raising Modern Jewish

Kids. A one-of-a-kind, comprehensive, Jewish parent’s instruction manual that covers everything from Barbie cell phones to bar/bat mitzvah excess to extracurricular overload, the book was released by Broadway Books, a division of Random House, about a year ago. Estroff presents practical answers, solid philosophical foundation, and timeless Judaic values that modern Jewish parents need to answer a lifetime of parenting questions. A summa cum laude graduate of Emory University, the Phi Beta Kappa earned a master’s degree in education and conducted post-graduate research in child psychology at Emory and Duke Universities. With nearly two decades of teaching experience in Atlanta public and private schools, Estroff is an educational consultant with Perimeter Educational and Psychological Services and is also co-creator/co-director of Epstein Summer Adventure, a popular Atlanta day camp. She is a feature writer for numerous national publications including Parents, Good Housekeeping, and Coastal Living, and the exclusive parenting expert for the World Jewish Digest reaching nearly two million readers. A regular Sunday morning parenting talk show host, she has appeared on FOX’s Good Day Atlanta to discuss educational and parenting issues. She also speaks on a regular basis to audiences nationwide about the task of raising children in America today. Bob and Elly Gordman’s DonorAdvised Fund is sponsoring this event, followed by a book fair provided by the Kripke Library. Gary Katz, library administrator, will have Jewish children’s books from the Jewish Book Fair on hand for sale. All parents are welcome to attend.

HOLIDAY CLOSING & EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE The Jewish Press will be closed Thursday, Dec. 25 and Thursday, Jan. 1. The deadline for all ads, articles and photos is 9 a.m. as follows: Issue Deadline Jan. 2 Wednesday, Dec. 24 Jan. 9 Wednesday, Dec. 30 Questions? Call 402.334.6448.

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November 28, 2008

Annual book sale now underway at the Kripke Library

by SHERRIE SAAG Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Education The Jewish Federation Kripke Library hosts its Annual Jewish Book Sale this month in conjunction with 35th annual Jewish Book Month events. The sale includes books specifically chosen by Gary Katz, the library’s administrator. “We are pleased to be working with Barnes and Noble as the vendor for this year’s event,” states Katz. “They have been great in helping us put together a lineup of terrific books. This year, we are offering something for everyone, particularly for young readers, just in time for Hanukkah shopping.” There is a wide range of children’s books for sale, from board books for the toddler set to young adult fiction for the teen crowd. Included will be the popular Matzah Ball book series by author Anne-Marie Asner. This series includes Schmutzy Girl, Noshy Boy, and Shluffy Girl. Asner is appearing at the library’s Chanu-Kids event on Sunday, Dec. 14 and will be available to sign personal copies. According to Katz, a father of three young children, “Even the youngest of readers appreciate the thrill of receiving

a personally autographed book. The ‘Matzah Ball’ books will make a great gift.” Adult books include Shut up, I’m Talking, an often times humorous insider take on Israeli politics whose author “stumbled” into a job as a speechwriter for the United Nations’ Israeli delegation at age 25. He shortly thereafter found himself in Jerusalem writing speeches for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Or, consider a copy of Jewish Holiday Cooking, one of several cookbooks that will be on display. The Story of Yiddish is an engaging tale of a people, their place in the world, and the fascinating language that held them together. It is written by a university professor whose study of the language took him from Brown University’s linguistics department to the University of Minnesota’s Graduate School of Journalism. Also for sale are gently used adult books, both fiction and non-fiction. Hard cover titles are $5 and paperback copies only $2. The sale runs throughout Jewish Book Month, Dec. 18, during regular library hours. Please call 334.6462 for more information.

Jewish Book Month opens with annual luncheon

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 5

Understanding Contemporary Genocidal Anti-Semitism: A 92nd Street Y Broadcast The goal to wipe Israel off the map is an overt objective of radical Islam. Dr. Charles Small and Bret Stephens will discuss what should be done to confront this threat which is diametrically opposed to values of citizenship, human rights and basic notions of democracy. Dr. Charles Small is the founder and director of the Yale University Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Anti-Semitism and a lecturer of ethics, politics and economics at Yale. Bret Stephens is a writer and editor for the Wall Street Journal.

Monday, December 1 | 7:15 p.m. | JCC Theater Bret Stephens

Sponsored by: The Anti-Defamation League (ADL/CRC) of the Jewish Federation of Omaha The program is funded in part by the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation

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Best selling author Mimi Schwartz, above left, opened up the Kripke Library’s Jewish Book Month series of events at the annual luncheon last week at the JCC. She spoke to a group of about 40 people about her latest book, Good Neighbors, Bad Times, and signed copies for Aaron Weiner, below left, and Sherry Taxman.

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by HOWARD SILBER There was a special treat for the 31 Visions members who visited the Diego Rivera exhibit at the Joslyn Art Museum. In addition to the two docents who guided the Visionnaires through the largest collection of the internationallyrenowned artist's work ever exhibited outside his native Mexico, the Omaha community’s Suzy Rubin was present to provide a first-hand glimpse into Rivera’s life. Rubin, who was born and raised in Mexico, is closely familiar with the famous artist and his family. Her own family members were personally acquainted with the Rivera family. A long-time Omaha resident, Rubin also spoke of Rivera and his family at a recent Visions luncheon.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

November 28, 2008

Night of commemoration lives on

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by THERESE VAUGHN-WEINER Anti-Defamation League Plains States Region A fragment of song, a photograph, a recollected story … There is no way to restore the shards of a cataclysmic history or those lives shattered within that history, yet some efforts of commemoration can transcend time to at once memorialize the victims of the past, honor the survivors of the present and instruct the generations of the future. The Institute for Holocaust Education (IHE) achieved the extraordinary on November 9, when nearly 700 people showed up at the Joslyn Art Museum to solemnize the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht or “Night of the Broken Glass.” Bringing together music, film, photography and personal testimony, the Institute -- a division of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) -- created a living tribute recognizing Holocaust survivors and their families of the greater Omaha community. The evening began with a multimedia presentation, entitled A Flicker of Hope. Narrated by World War II veteran Richard Holland, the film features the first-hand accounts of several Omahans who lived through the Holocaust and later immigrated to the United States to settle in Nebraska, as well as by their children and grandchildren. Their stories were told by three generations and encompassed the full reach of human emotion from inconceivable loss to a spark of hope for a new life in America’s Midwest. “As people filed out of the Joslyn Concert Hall, you could literally feel the somber mood…The horrors of the rampaging crowds on Kristallnacht, the unbelievable stories of the survivors, the beautiful music made this evening one I will never forget,” audience member Suzanne Singer later remarked. “The diversity of the audience was extraordinary -- both in terms of religion and age. I can’t remember a Jewish community event that was attended by so many young people.” IHE Executive Director Beth Seldin Dotan and a dedicated committee of volunteers led by Bob Cohen, spent seven months planning and orchestrating the numerous elements of the commemoration into a work of art. “My goal was to bring an experience to the community that they have never had before and to have participants walk away with a sense of connection to the survivors living in our town,” Dotan said. While its commemoration took months of meticulous work by Dotan and many others, Kristallnacht itself lasted only a night. Between Nov. 9 and 10, 1938, more than 100 Jews were killed and 30,000 were sent to concentration camps; as many as 2,000 synagogues were burned; cemeteries were desecrated; and over 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed throughout Germany and the newly acquired territories of Austria and Sudentenland. Yet, what descended with the force of a natural disaster was wrought entirely by human evil, and it was only the beginning.

vent in Milleau, France. Following the war, the girls were placed with relatives in London until they came to the United States in 1947. She later moved to Nebraska where she raised four daughters. The narratives in A Flicker of Hope were mostly filmed by University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) student and IHE intern Jessica Omer. Using a hand-held video camera, she captured not only the survivors’ accounts of their years during the war, but also their arrival to and assimilation in Omaha. Jack Diamond, one of 35 survivors remaining in the community -- there were once close to 200 -- spoke of applying to work for “Mrs. B” at the Nebraska Furniture Mart. “I walked in the door, and they gave me a job. Fifty-four years later, I still have a job,” he said. The testimonies offered, in person and on film, were each distinct, but as Dotan noted, “One thing is true of all of them: They experienced the depths of humanity at its worst, but forged ahead to produce lives for themselves in Omaha, determined to return humanity to its best.” Attesting to “humanity’s best,” grandchildren of survivors recounted their participation in the March of the Living, an annual educational trip to Poland and Israel, which helps today’s generation connect with the past while committing to the future as living witnesses. Daniel Grossman, grandson of the late Miriam and Ignaz (I.G.) Grossman, said upon visiting Treblinka, “I saw the green grass and all the memorials when it fully hit me: I’m here where 800,000 thousand people were killed … It’s so important that you are there, really there, making sure that you never forget this.” Giving a historical, yet ageless voice to the Kristallnacht commemoration was the night’s live music performances. The chamber pieces were researched and chosen by flutist Maria Harding. These scores were written by composers who lived during the Holocaust and played by members of the Omaha Symphony. They included Ervin Schulhoff’s Sonata for Flute and Piano Aria: Andante; Gideon Klein’s Duo for Violin and Cello Allegro con fuoco and Lento; and Paul Schoenfield’s Achat Sha’alti. Haunting vocal works included Mikhl Gelbart’s Di Nakht and Ilse Weber’s Wiegala, which is remembered as a lullaby sung by the composer as she freely chose to accompany sick children to the gas chamber in Theresienstadt. The vocal songs were tenderly rendered by Luncinda Sloan, Cantor Wendy Shermet of Temple Israel and Cantor Beth Schlossberg of Beth El. Music Director for the Omaha Symphony Thomas Wilkens added, “I was, in fact, particularly struck by how often in much of the music, both despair and hope managed to coexist. It really for me, at least, demonstrated the humanity of the composers in addition to the art.” Following the program, attendees gathered in the Joslyn Fountain Court to view “Omaha: Portraits of

Left: Sarah Kutler admires David Radler’s photo of her grandmother, Bea Karp, at the reception following the commemoration at Joslyn art Museum. The photos are on disEyewitness to Kristallnacht, Omahan Bea Karp recalls standing at the window in her family’s apartment in Germany on that terrible November night as her father rushed out to rescue sacred articles from their synagogue. “I still remember my mother waiting for him to come home,” she said. “We had found out all the men who had gone out on the streets had been rounded up and taken to concentration camps.” While Bea’s father did return weeks after Kristallnacht, he and her mother later were murdered at Auschwitz. Born in Lauterbach, Germany, in 1932, Bea “didn’t know what it was like to live without a Hitler.” She and her family were sent to Gurs and Rivesaltes concentration camps. Her mother arranged for Bea and her sister to be rescued by Jewish French underground, the Osay. Because the Nazis tracked hidden children, Bea was moved 14 times until reuniting with her sister at a con-

play in the JCC Gallery through Dec. 15. Right: Tuffy and Helen Epstein stop at a photo of Lola Reinglas. Credit: Eadie Tsabari

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Survival,” a photographic exhibit of Omaha survivors by nationally renowned photographer David Radler. The deeply lined faces -- in stark black and white -show a formidable generation that lived through unfathomable pain and went on to have children and grandchildren, professions and pursuits in a community that continues to honor them. The exhibit can now be seen at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) Gallery through Dec. 15. Former chairman of the board for the ADL Plains States David Gilinsky said of the commemoration, “This is an example of why I’m proud to be associated with the work of the Institute for Holocaust Education. The event was able to weave together the most important facets of our mission: To not only honor and remember, but to teach others to embrace our differences and reject intolerance and bigotry in all its forms.”

November 28, 2008

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 7

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Blumkin Home residents The Anti-Defamation League invites the community befriend middle school students to a special 92nd Street Y Broadcast entitled, “Understanding Contemporary Genocidal Anti-Semitism” on Monday, Dec. 1, 7:15 p.m., in the JCC Theater. The goal to wipe Israel off the map is an overt objective of radical Islam. Dr. Charles Small and Bret Stephens will discuss what should be done to confront this threat which is diametrically opposed to values of citizenship, human rights and basic notions of democracy. Dr. Small is the founder and director of the Yale University Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Anti-Semitism and a lecturer of ethics, politics and economics at Yale. Stephens is a writer and editor for the Wall Street Journal.

First Night of Play, a family friendly New Year’s Eve party, will be hosted by the Omaha Children’s Museum on Thursday, Dec. 31, 6-8:30 p.m. Ring in the New Year with the dinosaurs at Omaha Children’s Museum. There will be dancing, lights, games, food, special crafts and of course the early countdown to the New Year and bubble-wrap stomp. This special evening is the perfect celebration for the whole family and leaves time for parents to celebrate afterward. Tickets are $8 for members and $12 for non-members and can be purchased at the museum’s front desk or by calling 342.6164 Ext. 424.

Opera Omaha comes to the Blumkin Home

by THERESE VAUGHN-WEINER Anti-Defamation League Plains States Region “What does the word ‘worth’ mean to you?” Amy Tunning, a seventh-grade teacher at Alice Buffett Middle School, posed to her reading class and their “reading buddies,” a group of seniors from the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. The question arose from a discussion of “Worth,” a novel about an orphan boy turned farm-hand growing up in 19th century Nebraska.

Alice Buffett Middle School students Austin Lichter engages in conversation with Steve Abrahamson, above, and and Nick Nepper chats with Sylvia Schwartz, right. “It can mean the cost of something,” one student said. “Or the value of someone,” a senior rejoined. The discussion group -- coordinated by Tunning and Blumkin Home Activities Director Maggie Conti -stemmed from a proposal to bring seniors together with young people in an intergenerational exchange of ideas. Anti-Defamation League Education Associate Jessica Gall, who directs anti-bias educational programs to help bridge divides of race, religion, ethnicity and age, helped select a book that would kindle discussion about growing up, a century ago and today. “Sometimes, senior citizens and teenagers can feel iso-

lated and without purpose within their own age brackets, but both groups need each other,” Gall said. To help the middle-school students understand what it is to grow old, Blumkin Home Director of Volunteer Services Lois Wine led a sensitivity workshop. Wine had the kids put marbles in their shoes and smear Vaseline on eye-glasses to simulate unsteadiness and declining vision. Seventh-grader Ashlynn said, “It was interesting to see what happens when you get old. I didn’t know much about seniors and nursing homes until now.” Ashlynn’s’s classmate, B a i l e y agreed, “It was a good experience for all of us. Plus, we got to meet new people, new friends.” The group compared their school experiences, talking about how far education has come from a small schoolhouse with a blackboard to a state-of-the-art building with computerized labs and multimedia “smart boards.” Jalen Timm, also a seventh-grader, demonstrated the technical prowess of today’s students by conducting a PowerPoint presentation on the novel. One Blumpkin Home resident asked whether the girls still studied domestic sciences while the boys studied manual arts. “No, but we do have a course called, ‘Tech and Living’ and all students have to take that,” replied Tunning.

Beth Israel to host annual Chinese dinner

Earlier this month, Opera Omaha’s presentation of “The Voices in Residence” captivated the residents of RBJH and guests from the community in the JCC auditorium. The evening was an engaging, interactive, multi-media production of performances from some of the world’s greatest operas. Opera Omaha will be performing “La Boheme” at the Orpheum Theatre on April 15, 17 and 19, 2009. Residents Rabbi Meyer Kripke, seated left, Margot Roesberg, Justin Horwich, Marilyn Heller and Patricia Glass chatted after the performance with Opera Omaha members, standing: Darren Perry, baritone; J.Gawf, Resident Music Director; Tricia Van Ee, soprano; Joe Palarca, tenor and Darren Perry, baritone.

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by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue What will you be doing on Dec. 24th? Why not come to Beth Israel Synagogue for an authentic kosher Chinese meal! The fourth annual Chinese dinner will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 6 p.m. Orders for the meal are being taken through Dec. 4. The food will be ordered from Chop Stix, a Glatt Kosher Chinese restaurant in Teaneck, NJ. “Rabbi Gross is from Teaneck,” explained Executive Director, Beth Cohen. “He lined us up with Chop Stix, and they have been great to work with. This is one of our most popular annual events, so be sure to get your order

in so you can enjoy a Chinese dinner with your friends and family.” If you can’t attend the dinner but would like to take advantage of the opportunity to order some kosher Chinese food, you are welcome to place an order “to go.” Orders can be kept frozen for you until you pick up the food on Dec. 24 or the following week. The menu selection includes a variety of entrees, including vegetable, chicken, duck, and beef Chinese dishes. Or order egg rolls, BBQ spare ribs, or dumplings. For the complete menu, and to place your order, call the office at 556.6288.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

November 28, 2008

Having a movie night at home? Visit the Kripke Library!

by SHERRIE SAAG Administrator, Center for Jewish Education In response to our country’s recent financial crisis, a weekly talk show recently aired a program on cost-cutting measures for average American households. The host introduced a family of four from Minnesota whose income was recently cut by 40% when the mother lost her job. Without making significant changes in their daily lives, this family soon found themselves with expenditures greater than their income -- an unhealthy balance sheet for any family. When asked to make a list of their monthly expenses, it was quickly apparent this family spent too much money buying and renting videos for their two sons. When the talk show host questioned the mother about this expenditure and whether she was familiar with her local library, the mom responded, “I had no idea a library had movie DVDs to check out for free.” Needless to say, she agreed to begin visiting her local library for video rentals immediately. The Omaha Public Library’s DVD collection is very popular, but did you know that the Jewish Federation’s own Kripke Library has a large selection of popular and award winning DVDs available for check-out? In our current economic climate, it makes perfect sense to visit Kripke Library and see what it offers. According to Gary Katz, Library Administrator, the Library’s collection contains classic as well as brand new titles, all with some type of Jewish content. “Our collection includes foreign films, Academy Award winning films, Israeli films and movies made famous by Jewish

directors like Woody Allen and Mel Brooks,” said Katz. DVDs covering Jewish history, Israel, the Holocaust or just movies where the main characters are Jewish, are included in the over 200 item collection. One of the latest titles available for checkout includes The Counterfeiters, the 2008 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film. The Counterfeiters is the true story of the largest counterfeiting operation in history, set up by the Nazi’s in 1936. Salomon “Sally” Sorowitsch is the king of forgers in Nazi Germany. Arrested and thrown into a concentration camp, he was soon forced to produce fake foreign currency with the Nazi goal of destabilizing the economies of Britain and the United States. Also new is The Band’s Visit, an Israeli box office hit previously shown in Omaha theatres. Recently screened by the Kripke Book Discussion Group, it received positive reviews. If classic movies are more your preference, consider Funny Girl, Fiddler on the Roof, Annie Hall, or The Ten Commandments. “Watching these movies for a second or even a third time can be enormously entertaining,” said Katz. “I encourage people to share these classics with their older children. If you enjoy these movies, chances are the message or humor in the film will resonate with your kids as well,” he added. Or, maybe you find historically significant films or award winning films more appealing. The collection includes Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, Mel Brook’s The Producers, or the Oscar winners Life is Beautiful, and The Pianist. Films may be checked out for up to five days. Call 334.6462 for more information.

ORGANIZATIONS JEWISH SENIOR SERVICE The Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra presents Sci-Fi Night on Monday, Dec. 8, 7:30 p.m., in the JCC auditorium. Enjoy audience favorites featuring works from Mozart, Kenton Bales, Gustav Holst and John Williams (The Empire Strikes Back medley). Conductor Barry Ford was born in 1964 in Chateauroux, France, and received his Bachelor of Music in Education from Northwestern University and a Masters from the University of Missouri. He currently teaches music appreciation, composition and theory and also directs Jazz II, Hockey Band and the Trumpet Ensemble. Before joining the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2004, Ford served as Professor of Trumpet at the State University of Pará and the Carlos Gomes Conservatory, as well as conductor of the Orquestra Sinfônica do Theatro da Paz and the Amazônia Jazz Band in Belém, Brazil. For more information, call Maggie Conti at 334.6521. LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Yiddish brings us closer to our roots! Come join us every Thursday Afternoon, 1-3 p.m. in the social hall of the JCC. For information, call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638. THE YOUNG ENERGETIC SENIORS Join us on Monday at the JCC with a special program as we travel down memory lane. The Brandeis Story sponsored by the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society will begin at 12:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Lunch is served at noon for $7 per

person. Join us for Bingo with Miles Remer at 10 a.m. Call Teresa at 330.4272 for transportation. For information, call Maggie Conti at 334.6521.

VISIONS Visions Board Meeting is Friday, Dec. 5, 9:30 a.m., in the social hall of the JCC.

AIPAC AIPAC announces the first Young Professional Happy Hour Tuesday, Dec. 2, 5:30 p.m. at Taste, 11036 Elm St. This event is geared towards men and women in their 20s-40s and there is no cost to attend. Additionally, on Wednesday, Dec. 3, noon, the AIPAC Nebraska Council along with Council Co-Chairmen Katherine Finnegan, Stacey Rockman, and Scott Meyerson will host the second meeting of the year at Happy Hollow Club. The cost is $25, includes lunch and all are welcome. AIPAC Lobbyist Steve Aserkoff will be the featured speaker at both events. For additional information or to RSVP, please contact Rachel Levin at 303.864.9464 or ralevin@aipac.org.

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November 28, 2008

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 9

ADL offers sound solutions to December Dilemma by THERESE VAUGHN-WEINER Anti-Defamation League Plains States Region Even before the Thanksgiving turkeys are carved, questions arise at home about the December holidays in school. While the winter holiday season can present our public schools with multi-cultural learning opportunities, it also poses challenges for many non-Christian families. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has some helpful tools for dealing with the “December Dilemma.” “We believe that the best way to deal with these issues is to address them before they become problems,” said ADL Regional Director Alan Potash. “Parents often find themselves feeling frustrated when public school musical programs, classroom parties and art projects result in more than snowflakes.” Potash suggests that parents begin by educating themselves and understanding the guidelines about what is permissible when it comes to religion in the schools. He recommends that parents take advantage of the helpful online resources regarding the “December Dilemma” at www.adl.org. Potash adds, “It is important that parents note that there are positive, proactive approaches that heighten principals’ and teachers’ sensitivity toward children who don’t celebrate Christian holidays. We have to be sensitive to the way we inquire about the display of religious symbols and the selection of religious music. We have

extensive experience in this area so, if any parent has concerns or feels like they need some assistance, they should call us.” Among some of the practical steps the ADL offers parents are the following: • Notify your child’s teacher(s) about when your child will be absent in advance of Jewish holidays. In some classes where credit is given for daily participation, make sure your child will not be penalized for missing school for religious observances. Request that no tests be given at a time that would prejudice your child’s performance or preparation. Request that your child be given appropriate time to make up his/her homework from those days. • Meet with your school principal to ask about school policies regarding religious issues (materials in the schools, presentations by teachers, music programs, religious decorations) and share with him/her any concerns you may have about these matters. • Meet with your school music teacher as soon in the year as practical. Discuss the musical selections that will be performed at the winter music program, as well as at other various programs. For more information on religion-state issues, civil rights concerns or dealing with your school administrators, please contact the ADL office at Omaha@adl.org or 333.1303.

Cuisine a Latina

Trained in ballet, Michelle Bernstein’s career change was honored with the nomination for Best Chef of the Southeast, as the chef/owner of Michy’s in Miami and two new restaurants: Michelle’s, in Key Largo, and MB in Cancun. She even has her own line of pots and pans; now she’s dancing around in the kitchen! Her food in this her first cookbook is a reinterpretation of the Latin, Argentinian and Italian dishes of her childhood. In head and sidebar notes as well as her thoughts, views and history of Latin recipes, you get a sense of her personal flourishes and touches. First Impressions is the first of nine chapters and lists 26 recipes including her mother’s chicken liver for the holidays which becomes their “un-Jewish” version: Chicken Liver Parfait served in Mason jars for an “oldfashioned homey touch”. Easy Being Green, Soup & Sandwich, Toothsome Possibilities, Water World, Land Lovers, Sidekicks, The Shortest Dessert Chapter Ever (only one recipe for Michy’s Bread Pudding), and Stocks & Other Basics are the following chapters. Opening her restaurant was like moving out of her parents’ house. Her recipes reflect her own “riff” with clear and straight forward instructions with cooking tricks that include cooking Mom’s Arroz con Pollo by adding beer to the cooking liquid to turn “the grains nicely plump and shiny”.

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Her mother’s influence is scattered through these recipes...like making gnocchi on the 29th of every month, an Argentinian tradition -- diners who put money under their plates would find a fortune -- and using Streit’s matzo ball mix for her chicken soup which Bernstein still craves. The cookbook is dedicated to Mama. Try this dish that goes with everything (including Thanksgiving leftovers): ISRAELI COUSCOUS 2 3/4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium store-bought chicken broth 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups Israeli couscous 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 teaspoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper Pour the stock into a pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the couscous and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Ladle in 1/2 cup of the hot stock and simmer, stirring constantly, until the liquid is almost absorbed. Keep adding the stock to the pan 1/2 cup at a time, stirring and letting it almost evaporate before adding the next addition, until you have used all the stock and the couscous is tender. This should take about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the butter, parsley and basil, and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot. Serves 4 to 6. Lois Friedman can be reached at ReadItAndEat@ yahoo.com.

Hadassah Hanukkah party to highlight “Adopt A Family” part of “Project Dreidel” this year. Hadassah is one of by GLORIA SHUKERT JONES Hadassah Publicity Coordinator the participating organizations. The party will be held on Monday, Dec. 8, 1:30 p.m., While the week of Hanukkah is traditionally a time of festivity, gatherings and gifts, it may be on the low prior- at the JCC, and will feature Cantor Beth Schlossberg of ity list of families struggling Beth El, who will sing to make ends meet due to Hanukkah and other songs, job loss, the weak economy accompanied on the piano or illness/disability. Some by Esther Wax. Refreshchildren may understand ments will be served and the this, but it doesn’t lessen community is invited. their disappointment in not There is no charge to being able to celebrate attend, but reservations are Hanukkah as they have in required. Monetary donaprevious years. tions in any amount are welWith this in mind, the come; proceeds to go toward Omaha Chapter of Hadassah the purchase of Hanukkah has “adopted” a family, gifts and other needed items referred by Jewish Family Julie Stein, left, Gloria Shukert Jones and Chapter President for our adopted family. Services, and combining its Georgia Ann Steinberg are planning Hadassah’s Hanukkah Please make checks payable annual Hanukkah party with Party next month. to Omaha Chapter of a request for donations to provide gifts for our designat- Hadassah. Cash donations are also accepted. ed family. According to Sandy Nogg, Assistant Please phone reservations to me at 334.5907, no later Coordinator at JFS, the “Adopt A Family” program is than Dec.4.

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All events held at the Jewish Community Center unless otherwise noted. This calendar does not include all community events. For a complete listing, visit the Federation’s website: www.jewishomaha.org (click on calendar). To keep calendar accurate, call Marlene Hert at 334-6437. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of the below events.

www.martinizing.com/omaha FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28 Shabbat Comes to You, 2:30 p.m. at Rose Blumkin Home Kinnus USY Convention through November 30 in Denver, CO MONDAY, DECEMBER 1 JSS Senior Luncheon, noon Kabbalistic Insights for Women, noon Chabad Senior NCSY Latte & Learning, 6:30 p.m. Judaism 102, 6:30 p.m. Soul Maps, 7 p.m. at Chabad Beth El Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group, 7 p.m. “Live from the 92nd Street Y,” 7:15 p.m. Judaism 101, 8 p.m. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2 Parsha, Prayer and Prophets, 9:15 a.m. at Chabad Mishnah Club, 3:45 p.m. BBYO Night, 6 p.m. Rabbi Mizrahi’s Class, and Sisterhood Spirits & Spirituality, 7:45 p.m. at Beth Israel

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9 Parsha, Prayer and Prophets, 9:15 a.m. at Chabad ADL/CRC Board Meeting, noon Mishnah Club, 3:45 p.m. B’nai B’rith Bible Quiz Dinner, 5 p.m. Executive Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m. at Friedel BBYO Night, 6 p.m. Edward Zorinsky B’nai B’rith Bible Quiz, 6 p.m. Board of Directors Meeting, 7 p.m. at Friedel Rabbi Mizrahi’s Class, 7:45 p.m. at Beth Israel WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10 OTYG Planning Meeting, 5 p.m. at Temple Israel Currents Events, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Beth Israel

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12 Temple Israel Shabbat, 4 p.m. at Remington Heights SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13 Out of Sight Saturday Night/Overnight, 6:30 p.m. JCC Dance/Omaha Dance Project Performance, 7 p.m. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14 JFS Hanukkah - Project Driedel, 9 a.m. Adult Ed., and BESTT Latke Party, 10 a.m. at Beth El BESTT Pre-Kindergarten, 10 a.m. at Beth El Teen Class with Rabbi Gross, 10 a.m. at Beth Israel Mishpacha Morning, 10:15 a.m. at Chabad BESTT 3 & 4 year old program, 10:30 a.m. at Beth El Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing, 1 p.m. JCC Dance & Omaha Dance Project, 2 p.m. Sixth Annual Chanu-Kids Event, 3:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5 Visions Board Meeting, 9:30 a.m. BESTT 6th and 7th grade Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El Tot Shabbat and Dinner, 6 p.m. at Beth El

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16 JFS Hanukkah - Project Tzedakah, 9 a.m. Parsha, Prayer and Prophets, 9:15 a.m. at Chabad Sisterhood Lunch, noon at Beth Israel Mishnah Club, 3:45 p.m. BBYO Night, 6 p.m. Bedtime Storytime for Kids, 6 p.m. at Chabad House Board Meeting, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel Rabbi Mizrahi’s Class, 7:45 p.m. at Beth Israel

MONDAY, DECEMBER 22 Hanukkah Party, 5 p.m. at Chabad House Judaism 101, 8 p.m.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20 39 Forever Hanukkah Party, 6 p.m. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21 Adult Education, 10 a.m. at Beth El Teen Class with Rabbi Gross, 10 a.m. at Beth Israel Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing, 1 p.m. Senior NCSY Hanukkah Dinner, 6:30 p.m.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24 Chinese Dinner, 6 p.m. at Beth Israel 20’s & 30’s Event, 7 p.m. at Beth El

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18 Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Study with the Clergy, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Jewish Ideals and Ethics, noon at Beth El Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group, 1 p.m. Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. Beth El Clergy Visit to Remington Heights, 1:30 p.m. Parsha Club for Kids, 3:40 p.m. at Chabad JCC Hanukkah Extravaganza, 5:15 p.m. FJA Hanukkah Play Performance and Reception, 7 p.m. Class with Rabbi Gross, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19 Friedel Jewish Academy Latke Sales & Lunch Jazz Shabbat with Mark Bloom, 6 p.m. at Beth El Congregational Shabbat Dinner, 7 p.m. at Beth El

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23 JSS/RBJH Board Meeting, 11:30 a.m. Mishnah Club, 3:45 p.m. BBYO Night, 6 p.m. Rabbi Mizrahi’s Class, 7:45 p.m. at Beth Israel

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17 Spice and Spirit Cooking Club, 9:30 a.m. at Chabad OTYG Latke Cooking Party, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel On Being 60, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25 NCSY Winter Conclave Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Jewish Ideals and Ethics, noon at Beth El Parsha Club for Kids, 3:40 p.m. at Chabad Class with Rabbi Gross, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26 BBYO Winter Regional Convention in KC thru Dec. 29 SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28 Adult Education, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El Teen Class with Rabbi Gross, 10 a.m. at Beth Israel Temple Israel OTYG Winter Outing, 5 p.m. MONDAY, DECEMBER 29 Beth El Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group, 7 p.m. Judaism 101, 8 p.m. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30 Parsha, Prayer and Prophets, 9:15 a.m. at Chabad Mishnah Club, 3:45 p.m. BBYO Night, 6 p.m. Rabbi Mizrahi’s Class, 7:45 p.m. at Beth Israel WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31 Deli Night, 6 p.m. at Chabad House Youth Dept. New Year’s Eve Overnighter, 6:30 p.m. New Year’s Eve Game Night, 8 p.m. at Beth Israel

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11 Women of the Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Study with the Clergy, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Jewish Ideals and Ethics, noon at Beth El Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. Women’s Book Group, 1:15 p.m. at Beth El Parsha Club for Kids, 3:40 p.m. at Chabad NCJW Board Meeting, 7 p.m. JFS Grief Support Program, 7 p.m. Jewish Book Month Speaker, 7 p.m. at Kripke Library Young Leadership Mission Meeting, 7:30 p.m. Class with Rabbi Gross, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel

MONDAY, DECEMBER 15 JSS Senior Luncheon, noon Jewish Book Club Meeting, 10:30 a.m. Kabbalistic Insights for Women, noon Chabad JFS Hanukkah - Project Tzedakah, 1 p.m. JFO Executive Committee Meeting, 6 p.m. Judaism 102, 6:30 P.M. Soul Maps, 7 p.m. at Chabad JFO Board of Director’s Meeting, 7:30 p.m. Judaism 101, 8 p.m.

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 8 Kabbalistic Insights for Women, noon Chabad Hadassah “Adopt A Family” Party, 1 p.m. Judaism 102, 6:30 P.M. RBJH presents “UNO Heartland Philharmonic,” 7 p.m. Soul Maps, 7 p.m. at Chabad Jewish Press Board Meeting, 7 p.m. Judaism 101, 8 p.m.

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7 Book Fair, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel BESTT Pre-K, and Adult Education, 10 a.m. at Beth El Teen Class with Rabbi Gross, 10 a.m. at Beth Israel Mishpacha Morning, 10:15 a.m. at Chabad Four B’s, 10:30 a.m. at Temple Israel Club 56, noon at Temple Israel Beth El & Temple Israel present Craig Taubman in Concert, 3:30 p.m. at Beth El

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

November 28, 2008

IN THE NEWS Organizations and individuals in the Omaha metropolitan area are being asked to nominate senior women for the 2009 Women of Wisdom awards, sponsored by the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Lifelong Learning Initiative. Awards will be given this spring to three women over the age of 50 who exemplify the spirit of community contribution while providing a meaningful example of successful aging. Nomination forms are available online at http:// www.unomaha.edu/lifelonglearning or by calling 402.554.4897 or 402.554.2292, and are due Jan. 12, 2009. Joan K. Marcus was a winner in 2006. Award recipients will be honored at a luncheon and community-wide program, “Celebrate: Women of Wisdom: Because Aging is a Lifetime Event” set for May 1, 2009, 11:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Central. The keynote speaker will be Frank Delany -- bestselling author of Ireland, A Novel and Tippery, A Novel. Tickets are $40 a person; $35 for seniors over the age of 60. Corporate tables are available and prices begin at $500. For more information, call 402.554.4897 or 554.2292 or email padams@mail.unomaha.edu. Gary Hill and Donald Farber were two of four recipients of the Lincoln High School Distinguished Alumni awards, given periodically to a small number of former students who have brought distinction to the school by virtue of accomplishments in their fields of endeavor. Hill has been a life-long resident of Lincoln and was a member of the class of 1957. He is the president of CEGA Services, a consulting firm specializing in criminal justice and human services. In his career, he has worked with more than 2,000 criminal justice, refugee, and human service programs throughout the world, as a trainer, consultant and speaker. The United Nations commissioned him to write human rights and criminal justice training manuals, and he developed training programs for prison staff in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, the central Asian Republics and Cameroon among many others. His articles and training programs have been translated and

published in more than 80 nations. Currently, he teaches a senior-level course on Criminal Justice and United Nations Peacekeeping efforts at the University of Nebraska. Hill travels extensively for the United Jewish Communities, presenting at fundraising events and conducting workshops. He chaired the 2005 Nebraska Holocaust Commemoration program at the State Capitol and directs activities of the Nebraska Holocaust Memorial in the Wyuka State Cemetery. Gary Hill’s father, Leo, received the award shortly after its inception; they are the only father and son so honored. Donald C. Farber, a member of the class of 1941, is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and earned a B.S. in Law and Juris Doctorate in 1950. A resident of New York City, Farber has had an active theatrical practice, representing theatrical productions, actors, actresses, directors, producers, authors, theater owners, repertory companies, and persons in every aspect of theater, film, and other creative arts. Having written seven books dealing with various business and legal aspects of theater, his latest book, Common Sense Negotiations; The Art of Winning Gracefully, is described by Kurt Vonnegut as “a celebration of practical nice manners and tough-minded decency.” The holidays are all about families, food, tradition and giving thanks. And so, Roberts Dairy invites readers to enter the “Holiday Recipe Contest.” Submit your favorite family holiday recipe using Roberts Dairy products, now through Dec. 31, 2008. All recipes must include at least one Roberts Dairy product. The grand prize winner will be chosen at random, and will receive Roberts Dairy products for one year! Visit www.robertsdairy.com to enter online and for complete contest rules. Recipe entries may also be printed on a 3" x 5" index card and mailed to: Roberts Dairy, Share Your Favorite Recipe, PO Box 3825, Omaha, NE 68103-0825. Please include name, address and phone number on your entry.

Senator Nelson fields questions from Temple audience

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Nebraska U.S. Senator Ben Nelson has met with leaders of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran, to name a few, but he’s also on a firstname basis with many who came to hear him talk earlier this month at Temple Israel. With every chair taken in the Milder Center at Te m p l e , S e n a t o r Nelson discussed the situation in those foreign U.S. Senator Ben Nelson gave his views on nations as well Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Middle East peace, as meetings and the economy when he spoke at Temple he’s had with Israel earlier this month. the Syrian ambassador, Palestinians, outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other Israeli political leaders. Agreeing with President-elect Barack Obama’s willingness to talk to foreign leaders who oppose U.S. policies, Nelson said he hopes the result of the upcoming election in Israel will complement the results of the American election and discussions for peace will continue. Among the questions Sen. Nelson responded to from the audience were inquiries about the future of General Motors and competing with foreign car manufacturers, American energy independence, and global warming.

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November 28, 2008

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 13

Money makes the world go ’round BERT’S EYE VIEW by BERT LEWIS

Money, money, money seems to be the word used most frequently in all the news stories we read today. And if that isn’t enough, just listen to the television or radio news programs. It isn’t just a well-used word, it’s the topic most of us are carefully tuned into on a daily basis, with good reason. It made me think back and wonder exactly when most people were first aware of real money, the kind you hold in your hand. I have no proof in my memories of such a time, but I can certainly recall the excitement of a coin in the palm of my hand when I was a very young child. If it was a nickel, I had immediate plans for it. Dimes were the coins that began to feel more important, and quarters? Well, quarters really weren’t as much fun because they were more likely to go into a bank. Remember banks? I know there was a time a very long time ago, when I was either just going to school or right before, when somebody opened a savings account for me, in a real bank! It was likely my bachelor uncle, who doted on my brother and me, the only little kids around. He brought us each a very small, barrel-shaped, shiney little bank. The significance of this new object was explained and a coin or two was dropped in, followed by a vigorous shake. The idea was to hear the newly acquired money, even if I couldn’t actually see or hold it. Somewhat satisfying, but not really as good as holding it tightly in a clenched fist. After all, if it was a nickel I “had”, but couldn’t spend, I only had so much pleasure, because I was too small to understand the wisdom of “saving”. Think of it -- a nickel could buy a Hershey Bar! Remember that -- when an entire chocolate bar, perfectly marked in squares, could actually be purchased for five cents? But wait a minute. If there was a lesson to be learned in ownership of a savings account, how was that taught? Let’s see, there was a small booklet which fit into its own holder. This had my name written at the top of the first page, followed by a grid of lines and squares obviously meant for small figures. This was the way the bank kept track of how much I gave them to keep safely for me. (Got that? Safely!) Of course this was to encourage saving

and to teach kids the importance of not instantly turning every available nickel into one of those fantastic Hershey bars. (Can you tell I was particularly fond of chocolate bars? Not those skinny ones that had nuts in them. They weren’t as big as the plain ones with the squares and I was a greedy kid with chocolate.) Back to the savings book and the bank and being introduced to “a penny saved is a penny earned” philosophy. It’s no secret that when I was a little kid, the year on the calendar was sometime in the ’30s. Money was, in fact, a pretty big deal at that time. People were extremely careful with every coin, because most folks were struggling with what was the economy. Which makes me think of another very old expression: “T’was ever thus”. I don’t know who said that, but boy, did he nail it! The economy was trying to recover from a frightingly bad time in the history of Wall Street and people were struggling to live and support families. Actually, I could almost pick up the newspaper and quote some of today’s events in the financial world and you’d hardly notice the year. Uh huh. Like the fella said, “twas ever thus”. Nothing new, right? Since I’m such a great one about quoting old adages, let me say just one more that goes something like this: “He who doesn’t learn from past mistakes is doomed to repeat them.” So nu? When does everything everybody should have learned finally kick in? Do I know? Don’t I struggle to understand all this scary stuff, reading and asking and listening? Am I able to believe that given time and blessedly intelligent leadership, this will all settle down and we’ll get back to normal? Yes, I believe we’ll be okay. But I do wonder how many lessons have to be learned before the ones who hold our little cardboard savings books stop making mistakes. Heaven only knows, I no longer buy those Hershey bars at whatever they cost today, but I do worry about what my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be able to buy when somebody gives them a nickel. That’s another story. Maybe we can talk about it at another time, when we can preface a discussion with “remember when Wall Street went nuts back in 2008?” Let’s all hope so. Bert Lewis can be reached at Bert Lewis39@aol.com.

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Creative ways to give to charity by JODI BODNER Director of Communications for JNF Geri Shatz wanted to do something important through Jewish National Fund for the State of Israel, “but,” said the Yardley, Bucks County PA resident, “there’s a real limit to how much more I could give each year.” The answer: Shatz bought a $100,000 life insurance policy and named JNF as the owner. “I wanted to make a statement with this decision,” she said, “and I hope others, particularly other women, follow suit. It’s important for women to be part of the major gift conversation. For Sapphire Society members who have filled out their pins, this is a way to open up a ‘Second Century of giving.’ Our donors will have the opportunity for permanent recognition for this action.” Actively involved in JNF’s volunteer speaker’s bureau and National Chair of The Sapphire Society, its women’s major gift division, Shatz has now endowed JNF with a major gift in her name forever. Here’s how it works: Shatz purchased a life

insurance policy with a face value of $100,000 and named JNF as owner and irrevocable beneficiary. To fund the policy, Shatz will write a check to JNF in the amount of $1,000 each year. JNF will, in turn, pay the premium to the insurance company. This will allow her to preserve her tax deduction. Upon her demise, JNF will receive the $100,000, and establish an endowment in Shatz’s name whose purpose is to permanently fund her Sapphire gift. “I will continue to make a major gift to the annual campaign at JNF, and now will be a Sapphire member eternally,” she said, “which is so meaningful. This is a great way to have your commitment continue even when you can no longer make a gift, and which does not affect the inheritance you leave for your family. You can set this up now, when the cost is manageable, and, just as I have, you’ve locked in a gift in perpetuity to a cause that is close to our hearts.” JNF’s Planned Giving Department can be reached at 800.562.7526.

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Page 14

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

November 28, 2008

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Member SIPC

Don’t overlook tax deductions for long term care by ROB RANDELS, CFP®, MBA, CHFC Wealth Management Advisor, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network Business owners have the ability to create net worth significantly larger than most other individuals.This group has earned what they have built as a result of their commitment to do whatever it takes to make their businesses successful. This means long hours and infusions of capital, taking on risks and sacrifice. The number one event that can destroy years of accumulation and wealth creation is an extended long-term health care need which can be financially devastating. Not so long ago, when people became sick or ill, not much time passed between onset and death. Now, with advances in identification, medical procedures and medication, the same illnesses that would have resulted in death are now acute illnesses that can be treated or life can be extended. While the extended life given may not necessarily be the life wanted, these individuals are consuming health care needs at an increasing rate. One of the items business owners and CPAs enjoy are legitimate tax deductions. And one of the fastest growing product lines in the retirement planning business is the identification and implementation of long-term care programs. An often overlooked available tax deduction is the ownership of a long-term care program. Long-term care is a product many people (especially business owners) should own. The government will subsidize your ability to own a product people should own anyway. But your ability to take a tax deduction is dependent upon your business structure and/or your age. First, if you are a C-Corp, you can fully deduct the premium for long-term care for both you and your spouse, whether or not the spouse is involved with the business. Second, if you are taxed as a sole proprietorship or an S-Corp, your deduction is determined by your age. Here is the pricing: Age &Deduction: Over 70, $3,850; 61 to 70, $3,080; 51 to 60, $1,150; 41 to 50, $580; 40 and under, $310 If you are young, consider buying as much as you can get up to the amount you can deduct. For example, a business owner and a spouse age 45 can deduct $580 each year. This is a

$1,160 deduction. Step two, this owner and their spouse can add additional coverage at age 51 when the amount they can deduct increases. Common objections include, “Why would I own long-term care when I can self insure?” Well, you may be able to, but why would you? If you look at the small outlay for the coverage as a comparison to your net worth, why would you not want to transfer the risk and take the available tax deduction? Next is the statistic that the average stay in a nursing home is 2.9 years. While this is true, most long-term care contracts are not just for nursing homes. Coverage includes in-home health care, assisted or alternate living care and eventually nursing home care. The care needed before the average 2.9 years in a nursing home is often eight to 10 years at home or in an assisted living facility before an individual enters a nursing home. Hundreds of thousands of dollars can be lost paying for care intended as a part of your legacy for your children, charity or other. What should you look for in a long-term care contract? There are four important factors: First, look for a quality company with solid financial strength. This is a financial instrument you may use tomorrow, but most likely and hopefully many years from now, and you want the company to be in place when you need it. Second, look for a contract that provides some hedge for inflation to protect you. While general inflation has been low, health care inflation rates have been significantly higher and will make a profound impact on your eventual needs. Third, look for a company that does not have a history of rate increases that can impact your future outlay. Fourth, identify a company that pays dividends on the long-term care contract that could lower future premium outlays as you enter your retirement years. Lastly, hurry. If you are looking at a 2008 deduction, you need to write your check before the end of the year. Keep in mind the amount you can deduct increases slightly each year. If you do not start this year, start next year. Do not leave an available tax deduction on the table unused. Build your financial security and have a successful, less stressful retirement life. Rob Randels is a Wealth Management Advisor and can be reached at 402.390.8271 or rob.randels@nmfn.com.

Look for post-election investment opportunities

Time to shop? Medicare offers once-a-year chance to change prescription drug plans

by MICHAEL SIGMOND Edward Jones Financial Advisor Over the past few weeks, the country’s attention has been riveted on the presidential election. Of course, we didn’t exactly forget that we’re in difficult economic times, but we did have something else on which to concentrate our thoughts and energies. Now, however, the election is over, and, for many of us, it’s back to focusing on the economy and our investments. By taking a closer look at the current state of affairs, you may find that the situation is more promising than you remembered, back before your thoughts were diverted by polls and prognostications. To begin with, let’s look at what’s been happening to an economic indicator that, while actually quite important, may not be well known to you or many other investors. LIBOR (London InterTAN Offered Rate) is the interest rate that banks charge each other for one-month, three-month, sixmonth and one-year loans. This rate is initially charged by London banks, and is then published and used as the benchmark for banks rates all over the world. The LIBOR rate can matter to you in several ways. First, if you have an adjustable-rate loan, such as a mortgage, and your rate resets, it is usually based on the LIBOR rate. Even if you have a fixed-rate loan on, say, a credit card, and you pay it off each month, an increasing LIBOR will affect you by making all types of consumer and business loans more expensive. This reduces liquidity, which slows economic growth. And that’s why it’s such good news that LIBOR has fallen steadily for the past few weeks. A lower LIBOR can significantly ease the flow of credit -- and, as you’ll recall, the frozen credit market was one of the chief culprits of the financial meltdown. Apart from a falling LIBOR, what other positive developments have we seen in the financial markets? For one thing, talk about a coming “depression” has largely faded from the scene. Still, no one can say that the stock market has already hit bottom. With the economy struggling, it’s unlikely that corporate profits will be robust in the months ahead -- and corporate profits are a key driver of stock prices. But there may be a bright side to this picture: Based on traditional measures of value, stocks are now relatively inexpensive. Much of the poor economic news may already be reflected in current stock prices, so, based on today’s price levels, high-quality stocks could well provide attractive returns in the long run. Over the short term, though, be prepared for continued volatility, possibly including large day-to-day price drops. These are challenging times for investors, but good opportunities are out there. To take advantage of them, you need courage, discipline and patience. Remember, tough times don’t last -- but smart investors do.

by BEV CARLSON Corporate Communications Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska Along with your trips to the mall for those perfect holiday gifts, you might need to consider another shopping excursion this time of the year -- this one for your Medicare prescription drug plan. With Medicare’s annual enrollment period through Dec. 31, now is the time for people with Medicare to review changes being made by their current plan, compare it to other options and find the best plan to meet their needs. During this enrollment season, people with Medicare can join, switch or drop Medicare prescription drug and Medicare Advantage plans. Changes take effect Jan. 1, 2009, and there will not be another opportunity to change your drug plan until Nov. 2009. “It’s very important to review plan offerings each year to ensure that you are enrolled in the best plan for you,” according to Tom Gilsdorf, Director of Individual Health Care Solutions for Blue Cross and Blue Cross Shield of Nebraska. “The details of your prescription drug coverage may change every year, which means your current drug plan may increase your costs, no longer cover your medications or no longer contract with your local pharmacy next year.” • Once you determine which plan is best for you in 2009…you can enroll starting at www.medicare.gov, call 1.800.MEDICARE, or contact the prescription drug plan directly. “Most people with Medicare can save money and find a plan that is more tailored to their needs if they will take a little time to shop around,” Gilsdorf said. “This is the perfect time to do it.” Some Key Reminders: • Take time to make the best choice for you. You have only one opportunity during open enrollment each year to join a plan, switch plans or drop your plan. Once you have enrolled, you can’t make any changes until open enrollment in November 2009. • Switch first. Do not drop your current prescription drug plan until you identify your new plan and have enrolled. That way you will not lose your coverage or have to pay a late enrollment penalty. • Don’t be late. Plan on enrolling by Dec. 15 so that your drug coverage and ID card are in place, and you can get the prescriptions you need starting Jan. 1.

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November 28, 2008

How to make a Bar or Bat Mitzvah for under $3,000 by ANNE PHYLLIS PINZOW Live chamber music, canapés, games, photographs, food, food, and more food, dances, drinks, a sign-in card, table decorations, invitations, servers, flower arrangements, party favors, and of course the appropriate clothing. The checklist for my oldest nephew’s Bar Mitzvah went on and on. So did the unbelievable cost estimates: $35,000 almost started to sound reasonable; for a guest list of 200 it was a steal! As the vendors called in with their fantastic deals, the look on my mother’s face went from elated at the prospect of her first grandchild being a Bar Mitzvah, to sorrowful. We all wanted to give my nephew the Bar Mitzvah party to not just match but surpass all of the one’s he’d been invited to during the year. Yet the family’s fortunes were not equal to the task. All we could scrimp together was $3,000. It could only have been divine inspiration that led us to the conclusion that this actually made the job of putting together a Bar Mitzvah to remember a lot easier than it seemed. We didn’t have all that money to spend, so we didn’t have all those decisions to make, the vendors to argue with, and the worries that so often attend the intricacies of event parties. For instance, since we could not afford to have colored lace tablecloths over contrasting table covers with matching napkins, we didn’t have them. We also didn’t have to spend the time, energy and, especially, the money to achieve these decorating wonders. So knowing what we didn’t have, we set to thinking about what we did have: too many guests. We scrutinized and dis-

cussed and decided unanimously that this was to be a party for my nephew. We were ruthless. We would not invite bosses, second cousins, divorced stepparents, or people we didn’t really want to come and knew they wouldn’t but invited them anyway just to be polite. We were not polite. My nephews’ friends got priority, as did immediate family members. Since this family is quite small, this easily chopped the guest list in half. The most costly item, which we could have done without, was the synagogue hall. Though we were advised to just go to a restaurant, there were none close by that served kosher food, so we were kind of stuck. But as to food, our local friendly deli owner not only gave us a wonderful price on a buffet, but also on wait staff. With the hall, food and wait staff as the most expensive items, we were left with next to nothing with which to provide all those extras parents and kids have come to expect, like music, engraved invitations, menus and place cards. It had worked the first time, so again we looked to ourselves as resources. We volunteered my sister, a member of a string ensemble, to provide music. She knew a couple of musicians who owed her and all had been at enough weddings and B’nai Mitzvahs that they knew what was expected. The whole process took some minor arm twisting and guilt tripping, but what are sisters for? Invitations and pretty much all printed matter -- place cards, menus, even a giant sign-in card, and some table decorations, Continued on page 18

RLN Financial Before we present ideas that would take your financial well-being to another level, we perform a cash flow analysis to see if it is possible to free up more disposable monthly income. Our clients find this to be a refreshing approach and are accomplishing far more than they had imagined. We love to help people think bigger! Let’s talk about your success story... Richard L. “Rick” Ness, President

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Phone: 402/397-8811 Fax: 402/397-3051

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Manage your long-term risk by JIM FARBER Swartzbaugh-Farber & Associates, Inc. Risk is part of life, and we learn to protect ourselves by not taking unnecessary chances. As we grow older we learn to sort our risks, choosing which to take on and which to transfer. Some risks are manageable, but others aren’t worth the consequences. The simple fact of getting older carries with it a host of challenges that fall into each of these categories. In some cases, you will be able to reduce the financial risks of aging. But the wise person knows when to transfer risk to avoid losing his or her life savings, or limiting the ability to receive quality care. Qualified planning advisors can help factor in the modest cost of protection compared to the very high cost of care. At any time of life, catastrophic illness can

consume an entire family’s assets. The average American’s chance of needing long-term care at some point is roughly one in two, whether ones’ care takes place at home, in assisted living, or in a skilled nursing facility. Medicare covers only short-term skilled rehabilitation services after hospitalization. Medicaid provides services after an individual has spent his or her assets. Your retirement fund and savings account, life insurance with a cash surrender value of greater than $1,500, investment property, stocks and bonds -- all are countable assets that must go to pay for longterm care before Medicaid will step in. You can protect the assets you have built up for yourself and your family. Can you risk your family’s security and quality of life without considering the value of long-term care insurance? Contact a trusted advisor today.

Can life insurance help you get that business loan? by RICHARD L. "RICK" NESS LUTCF RLN Financial Most businesses run on credit or at least ready access to it. Without credit at reasonable rates, many businesses would find it nearly impossible to carry out expansion plans or get through times of tight cash flow. That's one reason businesses watch interest rates so closely. A lower rate usually means better access to more credit at lower rates. Life insurance may be a player in the credit game. When banks evaluate a loan application from a business client, they frequently take into consideration whether a key employee in that business has life insurance. In the event that the employee's loss causes a business disruption, the life insurance could serve as a means of secondary collateral. In a sole proprietorship or other closely held business, a life

insurance policy can possibly be a deciding factor to the bank as to whether or not to grant the loan. The chances for obtaining a loan approval may be enhanced if the business itself is named as the policy beneficiary. A life insurance policy can help in the following ways: • May make a lender more willing to grant credit or a loan. • May open access to higher amounts of credit. • In some instances, it may result in a more competitive loan rate. Business relies on credit, and life insurance can sometimes help you get that credit. For more information on how life insurance can help your business and family, please contact me at 402.505.7499.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

November 28, 2008

In this economy, can you make plans? Up one day, down triple digits the next. That seems to be the roller coaster known as the New York Stock exchange these days. Retirees avoid opening their monthly statements from their brokers. Working men and women delay retirement as they watch their 401(k)s lose 40% or more of their value. And no one seems to know how far down the stock market will go or when the economy will turn around. That’s one reason we moved up our annual Tax and Financial Planning issue in our editorial schedule. In the past, it has published in January, but with the uncertainty in the economy, we made a decision to move it to November, giving readers a little more time towards the end of a calendar year to make decisions that could affect them the following year. Individuals and families aren’t the only ones wondering how to plan for the future. The staff and leaders of non-profit corporations (like the Jewish Federation and its agencies, our synagogues and Jewish organizations) are also scratching their heads. They, too, are concerned about providing services and programs if their investment income is down, as well as their donations. Or, in the case of the Jewish Press, our advertising revenue. Readers may have noticed that last year, the Press was averaging 16-20 pages a week, often with four-color. Now we’re running more and more 12-page issues; this is our first 20-pager since Oct. 3. Our advertisers, too, are worried about staying in business, and unfortunately for us, they see eliminating ads as an easy way to save some money in the short term. The problem with that strategy is that when the economy does rebound -- and it will -- readers may have forgotten about those businesses that haven’t advertised in a while, and start patronizing

those who are still featured in these pages. Of course, there is another issue: the newspaper industry is losing readership to the internet. (Hmmmm, maybe we should ask Congress for a bailout?) But the Press board and staff is not unaware of this phenomenon and in fact, has been developing a strategy to meet that demand. Starting with underwriting the 2006 exhibit: “Front Page: 85 Years of Jewish Press History,” we have raised an unprecedented amount of money toward the exhibit, and digitizing the entire body of work of this newspaper since its inception in December of 1920. Thanks to the generosity of a past Press President Stan Lipsey, Part I of this project is nearly complete.The former publisher of the Sun Newspapers in Omaha and currently the publisher of The Buffalo News, Lipsey made a major gift to this effort in memory of Dave Blacker, Press publisher from 1927-50. Others have followed suit: the Special Donor-advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, the Goldsten Trust, and the Goldstein Supporting Foundation, as well as dozens of our readers. A small black box, hardly bigger than a VHS tape, contains all of the Press pages through mid-2001. Our only remaining tasks include uploading the pages through the present, replacing 272 front pages with the digital images used in our 2006 exhibit, and, for safety sake, making a copy to store off site. And what will we do with this magnificent archive? That’s where Part II comes in: the Press board is now developing a plan

and raising additional funds to launch an independent, interactive, fully-functional (and way cool!) website. Some day soon, viewers will be able to access the new digital archives, read more stories and see more photos than we have room for in the printed version, and lots more. The foundations previously mentioned continue to give their support to this vision, as has the Press Board and the Federation’s Executive Committee. Despite tough economic times, the Press is planning for the future and will keep publishing, regardless of the format; we’ll keep you posted as these exciting plans unfold

FOCUS ON ISSUES by ADAM BRONFMAN and KERRY M. OLITZKY NEW YORK (JTA) -- There is an old saying, made popular by Hillary Clinton, that it takes a village to raise a child. As people grow, their future is impacted not only by family, but also society as a whole. This includes teachers, mentors, bosses and the institutions in which they operate. Everyone, the saying implies, has a hand in developing who a person is and what he or she becomes. The same can be said about raising a Jew -it takes the whole community, the diversity of every aspect of Judaism, to shape a Jew. It can also be said about Judaism itself, from Reform to Orthodox, that we all have a hand in shaping the future of the entire Jewish community. That’s why it is up to us, here and now, to make sure the community will grow, will thrive and will become more dynamic as we raise the next generation of Jews. It is our responsibility to lead the way, to come together and work for the sake of the entire Jewish community. Unfortunately, this is much easier said than done. Fundamental questions must be answered before we can move forward. Can we ever move past our denominational differences? What can we do on an individual level, as either professionals or lay leaders, to help bring together the disparate sects of Judaism? Will we be a more complete community if we open our doors and welcome in everyone who has chosen to affiliate with the Jewish people rather than create barriers that keep them away? These are not questions with easy answers. Some believe that Judaism is a privilege, and

We should look at what the Reform and Orthodox movements have in common and apply that to the entire Jewish community. Both are growing because they are reaching people ... Others, however, believe that holding people to a rigid set of rules will only push folks away. The Reform movement also claims to be the fastest growing movement in Judaism, in part because it allows people the freedom to celebrate Judaism in a way that is meaningful to them and with those most important to them. With intermarriage rates rising and more adult children of intermarriage than at any point in Jewish history, many families are looking for a home that respects the choices they have made. We should look at what the Reform and Orthodox movements have in common and apply that to the entire Jewish community. Both are growing because they are reaching people on an individual level, providing meaningful content and bringing in charismatic leadership. While it’s inspiring to see both movements benefit from employing the same basic tactics, it’s discouraging to see continued ideological quarreling. This is not to say aligning oneself with one movement creates division -- quite the oppo-

Jewish Press Board Michael Sigmond, Vice President; Stan Mitchell, Secretary; Michael Siegel, Treasurer; Howard K. Marcus, Immediate Past-chairman; Marc Brodkey; Andie Gordman; Michael Kaufman; Bette Kozlen; Susan Lehr; Jamie Meyerson; Andy Ruback; Jim Simon; Nancy Skid; and Dorothy Spizman. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Education, Jewish Family Service/Jewish Senior Services, and the Jewish Press . Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org.

Denominational bickering hurts outreach efforts one must work hard to earn that privilege. That means keeping kosher, observing Shabbat and either marrying a Jew or making sure that your spouse will convert. These folks believe Judaism is open to everyone, as long as you follow a few basic ground rules. For its efforts, the Orthodox movement lays claim to the fastest growing segment of the Jewish population.

(Founded in 1920) Bobbi Leibowitz President Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Managing Editor Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Robyn Belgrade Sales Associate Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Managing Editor Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper

site. In identifying so vigorously with a set of beliefs, each movement in Judaism has the ability to speak to a part of the community and their concerns. Interfaith families raising Jewish children need to know that there is a segment of the community that welcomes them, that will support them as they pursue a Jewish life. While their lifestyle might not be accepted by some, it's the responsibility of the entire Jewish community to encourage these families to explore their Jewish heritage, no matter what their background. We won’t reach that point, though, if we waste our time bickering on what divides us. It would serve us better as a Jewish community to act like a community and not a group of warring factions. Jews, whether born or converted, from an intermarriage or inmarriage, are inextricably linked through a shared history. With the respect each part of the community deserves, we should be asking questions of each other that will help us find and celebrate our common ground. After all, the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. Judaism is our child. It has survived because we as a community have done our best to ensure continuity and relevance. But there is always the fear that assimilation and integration will lead to our demise. It’s time to quash that fear. The Jewish community is much too strong and much too determined to ever let that happen. Halcyon days lie ahead, and as we embark on a new year, let us all think about what we can do to make sure we prosper as a vibrant and meaningful community. Adam Bronfman is the managing director of The Samuel Bronfman Foundation. Rabbi Kerry Olitzky is the executive director of the Jewish Outreach Institute.

Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1-402-334-5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org.. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be singlespaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions, but should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For more information, contact Carol Katzman, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly on Friday for $33 per calendar year U.S.; $72 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or e-mail to: jpress@jewishomaha. org.

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2007

November 28, 2008

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

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The time to reinvest is now

FOCUS ON ISSUES by LORI PALATNIK

George Soros and Warren Buffet are being asked, “In light of the drastic drop in the Dow, when is the time to reinvest?” Don’t ask Mr. Soros or Mr. Buffett about when it is time to reinvest. Ask yourself. A few years ago, a friend of mine, a rabbi in Los Angeles, was learning Torah with a very wealthy man each week. The man was not particularly religious, but intellectually curious about his Jewish heritage. One week they met as usual, and the rabbi noticed the man seemed down. He asked if he was okay. “Well rabbi,” said the man. “This weekend I attended a party in the Mediterranean. We were flown, along with the other guests, by private jet to Athens, and then by helicopter to the hosts' yacht. All weekend long we dined on the finest meats, fresh seafood and wine. The service was impeccable, the luxury was beyond belief.”

“It sounds incredible,” said the rabbi. children. A few months ago, I was preparing for “So why are you so down?” “I used to think I was wealthy. But now Rosh Hashanah, cooking for the many that I experienced this weekend, well, I guests we were expecting, and trying to now realize I’m really not so wealthy after get in the right spiritual frame of mind. Soon after my cell phone rang, and I all.” We wouldn’t give our lives saw that it was the woman I had given Ancient my kidney to. Ta l m u d i c for our companies or our “Hi!” I said. “Shana tova -- a good w i s d o m stocks, but it seems the bulk and happy new year!” asks: Who of our time, energy and is rich? resources are going to them. “Lori,” she replied. “I am calling to thank you for my life.” T h e I began to cry. answer: He who takes pleasure in his porRabbi Noah Weinberg says: When you tion. All of us have been hit. Who can bear to know what you’d be willing to die for, open up the papers and see the graph then you know what to live for. Ask anyone, “Would you give your life lines heading down, down, down ....? The operative word is “worry”. What will be? for your company, or for your stock portWhy did this happen? Why did it happen folio?” Of course not. “Would you give to me? And of course, when is it time to your life for your children? Your grandchildren?” reinvest? Of course! Last December I had the greatest expeWe wouldn’t give our lives for our comrience of my life. I donated my kidney to a woman I had panies or our stocks, but it seems the bulk never met. The story of how it came of our time, energy and resources are about is too long to tell (read A Kidney to going to them. Yet the people we would Give for more details), but she turned out give our lives for are seeing very little of to be a woman in her late 40s with seven us.

The recipient of my kidney told me that when her mother was on her deathbed, she said, “All the times I worried about money, what was it for ...?” Whoever is running this world, (and I don’t mean whoever is occupying the White House) is trying to send a big fat message to us all. Don’t ask Mr. Soros or Mr. Buffett about when it is time to reinvest. Ask yourself. Ask, “What would I be willing to die for?” Now go live for it. The time to reinvest is now. Lori Palatnik is an author and Jewish educator who has appeared on television and radio and has lectured in North America, the U.K., South Africa and Israel, illuminating traditional practices and life-styles for our contemporary world. She recently relocated with her husband, Rabbi Yaakov Palatnik, to Washington, DC, where she is the Executive Director of The Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project of Aish DC. Printed with permission from AISH.com.

The right message at the right time James Bond, Jabotinsky and the Holocaust

I’m the first to admit that I thought John by BERNARD KERIK McCain would be a better choice as president of the United States, and at dealing with enemies like Al Qaeda and the war against terror, but the American people have spoken. President-Elect Barack Obama will assume office shortly. That said, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden’s chief deputy, recently distributed a message, according to the BBC, announcing the Islamic militant network Al Qaeda has a hit out against at President-Elect Obama. In the message, he calls the president-elect a “house negro,” and warns that if he follows Bush Administration policies in the Middle East and Afghanistan and carries out his plan to bolster the U.S. military presence there, he will fail. He then criticizes Obama -- whose father is Muslim -- for abandoning his Islamic roots and standing with the enemies of Muslims. Evidently, the president-elect must have irritated the Al Qaeda leadership when he recently reiterated his commitment to shift more U.S. troops to Afghanistan and other regions considered safe havens for much of the enemy, announcing that one of his priorities is stamping out Al Qaeda “once and for all” and capturing or killing Osama bin Laden. I’m sure Mr. Obama has been overwhelmed with intelligence from the field and advice from state leaders around the world, all with warnings of possible attacks by Al Qaeda and radical Islamic terrorists -- and rightfully so. History has shown that the terrorists have been reactionary to our elections and to those of other countries like the United Kingdom. A month after President Clinton took office, they bombed the World Trade Center the first time and within months after President Bush was elected, they hit it again. There were attacks planned and carried out in London within days of Prime Minister Gordon Brown taking office. We have to believe that the president-elect will be tested -- and soon. The threats we face today are no different than the threats we faced on Sept. 10, 2001, with the exception that we know much more about the enemy today than we did then. However, knowing and understanding the enemy is just half the battle. We must remain proactive and pre-emptive in our attempts to search out the enemy, neutralize them or bring them to justice. Mr. Obama’s message is the right one if it is carried out. But more than being carried out, it has to be carried on. Complacency will lead to our demise. Zawahiri sent us a message, and our response must be united. Our politics, color, creed or religion has nothing to do with defending this country and fighting this evil, and as the president-elect said, we will go where we have to go and do what we have to do to win this war, once and for all. That is the right message at the right time.

NEWS ANALYSIS

Kerik was the New York City Police Commissioner during and after 9/11 and was later appointed as Iraq’s Interim Minister of Interior after the fall of Saddam Hussein. He has spent several years living and working in the Middle East. His columns are syndicated by GrandCentralPolitical News Syndicate and distributed by North Star Writers Group.

a former Polish army officer and Betar veteran named Layzer Malbin. Malbin and Zus commanded the fighting units while Tuvia ran the camp and made political decisions. In the film Defiance, Malbin is played by Mark by MOSHE PHILLIPS Feuerstein who is perhaps best known for the NBC sitA new motion picture in which James Bond fights com “Good Morning, Miami.” There are other well known Betar trained men who Nazis during the Holocaust is scheduled for release this fought the Nazis and led underground fighters during Hanukkah season. Well, not exactly. Daniel Craig is the British actor who stars in the new the war, and these heroes must be remembered too. The most famous Jewish leader of armed resistance blockbuster James Bond movie Quantum of Solace. Craig will play another character in 2008 and unlike was Mordechai Anielwicz commander of the ZOB (Jewish Fighting Organization) during the 1943 Warsaw Bond, this character is based on a real life hero. Craig plays Tuvia Bielski in the movie Defiance. Bielski Ghetto Uprising. Anielwicz received paramilitary trainand his brothers, Zus and Asael, led the Jewish effort ing in Betar as a young teenager and left Betar before the war. The ZOB had a Socialist orientation that rescued 1,200 fellow Defiance offers an opportunity and Betar as an organization did not particJews from the Nazis and ipate in it. started a partisan brigade to correct the history of the The Jewish Military Organization, (ZZW) that battled the German Holocaust by remembering the was the other armed resistance group in Wehrmacht. Zus Bielski is contributions made by ... Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The ZZW was portrayed by Liev Schreiber. Jabotinsky ... led and manned by Betar members and The movie is based on Nechama Tec’s 1993 book, Defiance: The Bielski their allies. Betar’s fighters in the Warsaw Ghetto Partisans. An additional work, 2003’s The Bielski Uprising were largely written out of history by the Left. Moshe Arens, Israel’s former defense minister and a Brothers: The True Story of Three Men Who Defied the Nazis, Built a Village in the Forest, and Saved 1,200 Jews Betar alum, recently wrote a yet to be published book on was written by Peter Duffy. Duffy’s book did much to Betar’s heroic battle against the S.S. in the ghetto. bring the heroism of the Bielski brothers to the wider Articles by Arens about the ZZW were published in Yad Vashem Studies, Ha’aretz and The Jerusalem Post and audience that they so rightly deserve. Tuvia Bielski (1906-1987) was the leader of the parti- have helped to create a far more accurate account of the san group known as the Bielski Partisans. The group was ZZW’s participation in the Uprising. In the Vilna Ghetto, Betar leader Joseph Glazman was situated in the Naliboki forest in the border area between Belarus and Poland. The Bielski group rescued deputy commander of the United Partisan Organization, Jews from the ghettos and brought them to a forest the only armed Jewish resistance group in that ghetto. Professor Daniel J. Elazar (1934-1999) was a scholar sanctuary where they created a society based on surviving the war, fighting the Nazis and preserving the Jewish of the Jewish political tradition. In the May 15, 1981 way of life. And they succeeded. There was simply no edition of the journal Sh’ma, Elazar remarked about other similar group during the Holocaust that had such Jabotinsky’s legacy, writing: “Would there be serious public commemoration of the success. The Bielski Brothers story is worth telling; they fought 100th birthday of Zev Jabotinsky had it not been for the back, saved other Jews, survived and sought revenge. fact that the Likud won the election in Israel in 1977? Their story should become one of the stories that people Not likely. For 30 years and more, Jabotinsky was one of those non-persons in Israel and the Jewish world … The think of when they recall the Holocaust. Defiance offers an opportunity to correct the history ruling Labor Party made him a non-person for the same of the Holocaust by remembering the contributions reasons that it portrayed Menachem Begin and his supmade by the Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky and his porters as uncivilized fascists -- it is easier to beat the Betar student movement. Jabotinsky molded and com- opposition by painting it as irrelevant, intolerable and manded Betar from its inception in 1923 through his non-existent, until it is too strong to be dismissed.” Defiance offers an opportunity to remind today’s Jews death in 1940. The political enemies of Jabotinsky and his movement about Jabotinsky’s vital contribution to Jewish thought. have worked since the 1930s to delegitimize them. First His words and ideas animated a generation to resist the lies and slander were hurled at them. Later the Leftists Nazis and fight for the freedom of Israel. The Islamofascists and Iranians are focused on destroymade every effort to write them out of history, so their views, and the views of their ideological heirs, would ing Israel and the Jewish People in a future Holocaust more intense than the original. Jabotinsky needs to be seem less valid. The Jabotinsky Zionists introduced an authentically remembered. Moshe Phillips is a member of the Executive Jewish worldview to Zionism. Many of the fighting Committee of the Philadelphia Chapter of Americans heroes of the Holocaust embraced the new ideology. Peter Duffy writes that Zus Bielski attended Betar For a Safe Israel (AFSI). The chapter’s website is at: meetings before the war. The man the Bielskis entrusted www.phillyafsi.com and Phillips’ blog can be found at with the role of chief of staff of their partisan group was http://phillyafsi.blogtownhall.com.

BEHIND THE HEADLINES

Page 18

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

November 28, 2008

Candlelighting Friday, November 28, 4:39 p.m

Synagogue Listings B’nai Israel Synagogue 618 Mynster St. Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com

Beth El Synagogue Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Omaha, NE 68154-1980 492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org

Beth Israel Synagogue Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific St. Omaha, NE. 68154 556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

Chabad House An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 S. 120th St. Omaha, NE 68144-1646 330.1800 www.OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com

Congregation B’nai Jeshurun South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 S. 20th St. Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 435.8004 southstreettemple.org

Offutt Air Force Base SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway Offutt AFB, NE 68113 294.6244

Rose Blumkin Jewish Home 323 S. 132 St. Omaha, NE 68154

Temple Israel Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556.6536 templeisrael-ne.org

The Neighborhood Minyan 1317 No. 57 St. Omaha, NE 68132 551.6609

Tifereth Israel Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org

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

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Services conducted by Rabbi Mordechai Levin and Cantor Beth Schlossberg. FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning services, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation (3-7), 10 a.m.; Kiddush sponsored by Jane and Michael Snyder, in honor of their daughter, Elizabeth, becoming a Bat Mitzvah; Minha/Ma’ariv, 4:40 p.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. SUNDAY: Adult Education classes will not be held over Thanksgiving weekend; all classes resume next week. THURSDAY: Rabbi Levin’s Jewish Ideals and Ethics for Everyday Living, noon. SHABBAT COMES TO THE BLUMKIN HOME: Friday, Nov. 28, 2:30 p.m. BESTT: No classes on Sunday, Nov. 30. WOMEN’S ROSH HODESH GROUP: Will meet on Monday, Dec. 1, 7 p.m., at the home of Carol Parsow. The group will enjoy ‘Coffee, Cocoa & Conver-sation,’ with guest speaker Tamar Halevy, the JCC’s sh’licha, who will speak about her life as a young woman in Israel. RSVP to Parsow at 289.3211. CRAIG TAUBMAN CONCERT: special family Hanukkah concert at Beth El on Sunday, Dec. 7, 3 p.m. For ticket prices and more information, contact the synagogue office.(See pages 1 and 3 for full story.)

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Office Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fri., 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross and Rabbi Yitzchak Mizrahi. FRIDAY: Office closed during

Thanksgiving break; Kabbalat Shabbat, 4:39 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. free babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes, 9:45 a.m. with Torah Parade; Kiddush is sponsored by Sisterhood; “Guard Your Tongue” and “The Great Midrash” are one hour before Mincha; Mincha, 4:30 p.m., followed by Seudah Shlishit; Havdalah, 5:42 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Reading the Rambam, 9:45 a.m.; Kids’ Crafts with Miss Andreea, 10 a.m.; Rabbi Gross’s Teen Class, is off for Thanksgiving break; Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m. MONDAY: Senior NCSY Latte & Learning, 6:30 p.m., at Scooters, 15655 Pacific St. TUESDAY: Mishnah Club for fourth, fifth, and sixth graders, 3:45 p.m. at the Blumkin Home; Sisterhood’s “Spirits & Spirituality,” 7:45 p.m.; Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Halacha Class is off this week. THURSDAY: Women of the Torah class, 9:30 a.m.; Rabbi’s Gross’s weekly class, 7:30 p.m.

CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Services, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Maamar class, 9 a.m.; Service, 9:30 a.m.; Youth Minyan, 10:30 a.m. MiniMensch title will be awarded; Kiddush lunch follows; join Rabbi Katzman from 12-1 p.m. SUNDAY: Service, 8:30 a.m.; Mishpacha Mornings is taking a break this week. WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Kabbalistic Insights for Women, 12:15 p.m.; Soul Maps, Kabbalah to navigate your inner world, 7 p.m. TUESDAY: W.O.W. Prayer, Prophets, and Prayer, 9:15 a.m. THURSDAY: Jewish Thought, 12:45 p.m.; The Parsha Club for Level I beginners, ages 5-6; and

YOUR AD CAN GO HERE...

to reserve space, call

Allan Handleman, 402.334.6451 or Robyn Belgrade 402.334.6559

Tyler David Siegel, son of Andrea and Michael Siegel, will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Dec. 6, at Temple Israel. Tyler is a seventh-grade student at Westside Middle School. He participates in the Westside Middle School Cool Jazz Band. His interests include basketball,

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN Services conducted by Rabbi Ilan Emanuel. FRIDAY: Temple office closed; Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. led by David Willis, with oneg following hosted by Barb Straus. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. led by Marc Shkolnick; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. SUNDAY: No LJCS Classes; Join us for a book discussion of You Shall Be Holy: A Code of Jewish Ethics by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, 3 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. THURSDAY: Board of Trustees meeting, 7 p.m. Reform in Healthcare Nebraska: An educational presentation by Dr. Michelle Petersen and Dr. Les Spry, Nebraska Medical Association Health Care Reform Task Force, will be Tuesday, Dec. 9, 7:30-8:30 p.m. at South Street Temple Questions? Call Barb Straus at 476-1070. Join us on Sunday, Dec. 14, 47 p.m. for Hanukkah Hoopla. Cost is $6 per adult, $3 per child. For more information or to RSVP calll Jean at 435.8004 or stemple@neb.rr.com. 16TH ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING FREEDOM BREAKFAST: Friday, Jan. 16, 7:30-8:30 a.m., at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 1040 P St., with keynote speaker, The Honorable Judge John Gerrard, Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court. Call the Temple office for information.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. led by Beth El Members. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Alan Shulewitz.

TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Cantor Wendy Shermet. SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Service, 10:30 a.m. SUNDAY: No Religious School WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 46 p.m.; All School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Family School, 6 p.m.; Grades 712, 6 p.m. Sharon Duke Estroff featured in Four B’s: Sunday, Dec. 7, 10:30 a.m. (See full story on page 4.) Craig Taubman in Concert! Sunday, Dec. 7, 3 p.m. at Beth El. Contact the office for ticket information. (See pages 1 and 3 for full story.)

NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN FRIDAY: Minyan, 4:39 p.m. SATURDAY: Srvices, 9 a.m.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Services conducted by Nancy Coren, Lay Leader. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. MONDAY and THURSDAY: Minyan, 9 a.m. FRIDAY: Services, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m. and Talmud study. SUNDAY: No LJCS Classes; Join us for a book discussion of You Shall Be Holy: A Code of Jewish Ethics by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, 3 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Contact Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066; No Hebrew classes.

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

Bar or Bat Mitzvah for under $3,000

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

Level II for ages 7-9, 3:40 p.m. Please contact shevi@ochabad. com to receive a guest pass. All events and programs are open to the entire community.

baseball, the computer and talking with friends. For his mitzvah project, Tyler taught fire safety to young children through puppet shows with the Red Cross and United Way this past summer. He has a sister, Monica and a brother, Josh. Grandparents are Sheryn and Arnold Joffe, and Anne and Stephen Siegel of Hewlett Harbor, NY.

Large print living will available Jewish Heritage for the Blind announced the availability of the large print “Jewish Halachic Living Will”, produced by the Agudath Israel and the Orthodox Union. Forward your request on your formal stationery by fax to: 718.338.0653 or send an e-mail to jewishheritage@gmail.com. Requests must include a phone number to confirm delivery. The supply is limited.

Continued from page 15 vaguely reminiscent of the ones at the $35,000 parties -- well, that’s where my talents came in. Give me a desktop publishing program and I can move the world. Isn’t that something along the lines of Archimedes’ saying? Actually, this did require a little help from a friend who had a paper cutter and was willing to do a whole lot of folding, measuring and envelope stuffing -she wasn’t even on the guest list! We figured out everything we needed, from invitations to place cards, then designed them and printed them out. We did have to buy envelopes but again, we had a little left over for that. Flower arrangements were sim-

ple: just a few carnations in a small bowl of water. Tablecloths were plain white and we supplemented the chamber music with a ghetto blaster allowing the kids to pick the music they wanted to play. All in all, it wasn’t slick, it wasn’t smooth, but the Bar Mitzvah boy said his Haftarah flawlessly, and as for the rest of us, instead of being frenzied, we were proud because we had put this whole thing together for him. Oh, and the reason we needed to spend such a small amount of money -- well, that was because it was taken up by Dan’s surprise present from us: a trip to Israel. To this day, the party was a nice memory, but in his own words, “That trip taught me where God was.”

Pulverent e

November 28, 2008

Before Joseph

Thanksgiving

SPARKS FROM THE WORD by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Toldot Our Sidra begins with a listing of the family of Isaac. There are the twin sons, Esau and Jacob, and it is apparent at once that the active and clever personality here is none other than Rebecca, Isaac’s wife. Although Isaac favors Esau, who brings him tasty game from the fields, it is Jacob who is favored by Rebecca. She finds a way -- wily woman that she is -- to deceive Isaac into thinking that Jacob is indeed Esau. Further, Jacob does not hesitate to announce himself to Isaac as though he was in fact Esau. It seems from the text that Isaac was aware of the deception practiced on him. He decides that indeed, the tradition of Abraham which he is about to transmit, should go not to the elder Esau, but the younger Jacob. Rebecca fits Jacob up in Esau’s clothing and covers his hands so they seem hairy like Esau’s. Isaac clearly shows that he is willing to play his part in the deception when he says, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” This has remained a description of history to come: the voice, that is the voice of the intellect, inspiration and truth belong to Jacob. But the value of the “hands” -- brute power -- belongs to Esau and his progeny. We are somewhat taken aback by the deception worked on Isaac with his failing eyesight. Apparently, however, in the old Near East, this was taken to be clever and legitimate. Shakespeare might have called it “A Comedy of Errors.” It seems clear that the Sacred Text is eager to get to Joseph, who has not yet made his appearance. He is destined to be the “hero” of the rest of the Book of Genesis.

Hollywood comes to Israel

Producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and actors Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Chris Rock visited Yad Vashem in Jerusalem last week. They were in Israel for the premier of Madagascar 2. The group had an emotional tour of the Holocaust History Museum, Hall of Names and Children’s Memorial. Credit: Yad Vashem

CORRECTION In last week’s Press, the use of the word “Yemenis” was an error. I apologize for any confusion for the article about Beth El’s Rosh Hodesh group. Feel free to call me at 334.6403 with any questions. Tamar Halevy, Community Shlicha

To Submit Announcements to the Jewish Press: Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewishomaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154 (with photos we will scan and return). Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, or by e-mailing: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org. Readers can also submit other announcements -- births engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements. Deadlines are normally eight days prior to publication, on Thursdays, 9 a.m. Check the Jewish Press, however, for notices of early deadlines prior to secular and Jewish holidays.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 19

MONUMENT CO.

WHY NOT DO IT THE EASY WAY?

TIME OUT

Frank L. Ciciulla Jr.

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT

60 Years Experience With Jewish Lettering and Memorials

DOOR SERVICE

If we have to believe popular culture, Thanksgiving is about one thing only: the food. Colorful flyers advertising everything from ready-made birds to one-step-stuffing (Because we know you are busy!) have been cluttering the mailbox for weeks. That’s a problem, because most of us can live without greasy turkey, clumpy stuffing, and pumpkin pie, and if we have to eat one more piece of fudge we might be a little sick in the cornucopia centerpiece. And besides, who are these people who design those ads, and how do they know we are busy? Maybe we’re not busy at all; maybe we just really hate schlepping all that junk home and cooking it because we know how many hours we need to log on the treadmill to lose all the belly fat. Do you know how many calories there are in that cheesecake? Do you? And can someone explain to me how it is possible to express gratitude by eating yourself into a coma? Having come to this country as an adult, I struggle to fully understand the meaning of Thanksgiving. Passing anything worthwhile on to my children is therefore a monumental challenge. “Is Thanksgiving a Jewish Holiday?” My seven-yearold daughter wants to know. She asks, because she is currently on holiday-overload; having just observed Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah, the prospect of yet another special day with many demands and no school terrifies her. Over the past month, she hasn’t had a full five-day school week once, and she’s sick of it. The fact that she was out of school during Halloween due to a totally unrelated teacher’s conference didn’t help. In other words, she’s feeling decidedly ungrateful this time of year and not at all in the mood for giving thanks. I’m inclined to agree with her, especially since her discontent causes massive fluctuations in her behavior. She does admit that she likes visiting her grandparents, so there’s that, but we have to find some real meaning in the holiday itself. Why else should we pay attention to it? I ask my husband what he thinks, and the answer is as immediate as it is not satisfying. “Pie,” he says, and I roll my eyes. “That’s not what I mean,” I tell him, and he tries again: “Lots of pie?” Sensing I will not find any enlightenment here, I ask some of my friends. Dan, who was born and raised in the Midwest, goes into a long explanation about Pilgrims, Native Americans, and strange agricultural practices that involve burying dead fish to make things grow. It’s fascinating, but whom are we thanking, and what exactly are we thankful for? “That’s a good point,” another friend deadpans, “perhaps we’re celebrating the one time the settlers were nice to the American Indians.” This leaves me wondering, what do Puritans have to do with me? Can’t I just ignore this holiday, like I do with Memorial Day, Labor Day, and all the other holidays I didn’t grow up with? It would certainly help my waistline, not to speak of the time it would save. Oh, but wait; I sound like a stereotypical cranky partypooping foreigner, and we can’t have that. Maybe this food-angle isn’t so bad after all; at the very least it’s a place to start. We make plans, adapt our schedules, and promise my in-laws we’ll be there. Since preserving complicated dishes during a three-hour car ride is not an option, I offer to make dessert. The next few weeks are marked by frantic recipe searches and important decisions about ingredients. My four-year-old son Mendel has the chance to use his Aleph-Bet cookie cutters, and although the end result looks nothing like Hebrew letters, he is pleased. My kitchen turns into a war-zone; my refrigerator looks like a foreign country, but the kids are having a great time. And suddenly it strikes me: we are building memories. This is not about the food itself, but about the memory of food; people who look forward to a holiday only do so because they can look backward at holidays past. I may not have memories myself, but I can create new ones for my children and thereby make this holiday my own. I can do that by baking the perfect pumpkin pie, but more so by spending time with them, visiting family, and making sure they have a context for eating that pie. After all, a pie is just a pie, until you eat it with someone you love. Annette Van de Kamp-Wright is a freelance writer in Omaha and member of the American Jewish Press Association. She can be reached at: avandekamp@tconl.com.

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Page 20

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

November 28, 2008

Attacks end brief respite in Sderot

by MARK J. JOFFE SDEROT, Israel (JTA) -- Elior Levy was trying to get some rest. Living in Sderot, the working-class town on the front line of Israel’s battle with rockets from Gaza, Levy is no stranger to having his sleep interrupted by middle-of-the-night Kassam salvos. Usually a “Code Red” alert gives residents a 15-second warning to find shelter, but at 5 o’clock in the morning Levy heard a big crash -- and this time there was no warning. Fortunately the rocket was not close and caused little damage. So Levy, 17, says he took a sip of water and went back to sleep. Some, particularly the town’s younger children, do not return to slumber so easily. Residents of the hard-hit Mem-Shalosh neighborhood, on the town’s south side, had been sleeping better the last six months thanks to the cease-fire with Hamas. Until about three weeks ago, that is, when the Israeli army blew up a tunnel that Hamas was building. The army believes the tunnel was to carry out another kidnapping operation of the kind that captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who is still missing. Since the army operation, the region has been hit by a daily barrage of rockets -- about a dozen last week, more than 30 the day before. Sixty have fallen on Sderot alone so far this month, according to the town’s security officer, returning the situation essentially to what it had been for much of the past eight years. The residents of Sderot aren’t happy, but they’re also not surprised. “We knew it would happen,” said Hadas Nir, who lives in nearby Kibbutz Yad Mordechai and attends Sapir

Academy. That’s just what life is like in this area, she said. “We wake in the morning with Kassams,” Nir said, “and we go to bed at night with Kassams.”

have changed his mind about joining the program this fall even if he had known the rocket fire would resume. But it is the effect of the rockets on the area’s young children that concerns most people. That is why many of the aid programs for Sderot, funded by the Israel E m e r g e n c y Campaign of the United Jewish Communities, are aimed at the youth. Kids like Tal Schneior, a precocious 10-year-old with two sisters and a cat. She “likes living in Sderot,” she said in Hebrew, “but there are too many A Kassam rocket that landed in Sderot on Nov. 16, 2008 is displayed Kassams and Code at the southern Israeli town’s police station. Credit: Robert A. Cumins Reds.” The situation is frightening, but she will Others are not taking the situation with deal with it. such equanimity. A 16-year-old named “I don’t feel I want to leave the area. Ligmor told a visiting group of UJC leadWe have to stay here,” she said. ers Tuesday about a close friend whose Rotem Yagel agrees. “If we leave, it is a house was once struck by a rocket. Now prize for them,” he said, referring to the every time a Code Red goes off at school, Hamas terrorists. the friend cries inconsolably until her Yagel, 28, originally from Beersheba, is father reassures her by phone that everyliving in the Ayalim student village at one in the family is fine. Yahini, a moshav a few miles south of David Bouskila, who was elected Sderot. It is a volunteer work-study pro- Sderot’s mayor two weeks ago, frets that gram run by the Jewish Agency for Israel every child born in the town during the that also aims to populate the Negev and past eight years “doesn’t know any other Galilee regions. life than this reality.” Itay Avinathan, his roommate in one of During the past six months of relative the caravans erected by the student vol- quiet, “everything starts to be so nice,” he unteers is staying put, too, even though said. But now that calm has been shattered. he says the security risk “is always there.” Bouskila, who takes office Dec. 2, is Avinathan, 24, of Haifa, says he wouldn’t critical of how the government, headed

by his own Kadima Party, is handling the situation. “In the case of security, we have no government in Israel,” he said. The government has initiated a program to fortify houses in Sderot, beginning with one-story structures. There are 1,048 of them, and just 200 have been completed, Bouskila said, adding that he expects the entire project will be completed in two to three years. Meanwhile, a host of social services, funded partly by businesses and partly by U.S. federation dollars, have sprung up to make the best of a difficult situation. For example, some 5,000 children in Sderot take part in the Jewish Agency’s Enrichment Fund programs, which provide extracurricular activities during the school day. Parents in Sderot want to see their children return safely home immediately after school, so activities after school are not an option. There is also the Net@ program, a unique partnership with CISCO and Tapuach, an Israeli computer firm, to train promising high school students to be computer network technicians. Upon completion of the rigorous and competitive program, they receive certification from CISCO that makes them marketable for high-tech jobs. The residents of Sderot deeply appreciate the support -- both moral and financial -- that they receive from outsiders. But they do not want to be pitied or thought of as impoverished. “We are not a city of poor people,” Mayor-elect Bouskila told the visiting UJC delegation, who had come from the the group’s General Assembly which took place earlier this month in Jerusalem. “We are a proud people that live in terrible stress.”

KIDS!

This is your last chance!

We Need Your Artistic Talent! Your color drawing could be on the front of our Hanukkah Gift Guide! Use color markers,crayons,construction paper or whatever you like to create your drawing on an 8.5X11 piece of white paper. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. Fill out the form below, attach it to the back and send or bring it to the Jewish Press, 333 South 132 Street, Omaha, NE 68154. The deadline is Monday, December 1, 2008.

2008 Hanukkah Gift Guide Cover Coloring Contest This drawing by Yossi Katzman won him 1st Prize last year.

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