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DEC EM B ER 8, 2017 | 20 KI SL EV 5777 | VOL . 98 | NO. 9 | 3 SECTI ONS | C A nd LELI G H T I nG | FRI DAY, DEC EM B ER 8, 4: 37 P. M .
Hanukkah THE FESTVAL OF LIGHT
A2 | The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017
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(Founded in 1920) Eric Dunning President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Susan Bernard Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Gabby Blair Staff Writer Thierry Ndjike Accounting Jewish Press Board Eric Dunning, President; Andy Ruback, Past-President; Sandy Friedman, Treasurer; Alex Grossman; Jill Idelman; Andy Isaacson, Mike Kaufman; David Kotok; Debbie Kricsfeld; Abby Kutler; Pam Monsky; Eric Shapiro and Barry Zoob. The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations Committee, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish LIfe, Jewish Social Services, and the Jewish Press. Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: wwwjewishomaha.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: avandekamp@jew ishomaha.org; send ads (in TIF or PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishom aha.org. 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: avandekamp@jew ishomaha.org. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced 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. 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. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. 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 information, contact Annette van de Kamp-Wright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 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 email to: jpress@jewishomaha. org.
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Happy Hanukkah! ere it is: the 2017 Hanukkah edition. Every year it seems time goes faster and the months get shorter: didn’t we just celebrate this? As I’m writing this, it’s the morning after Thanksgiving and I’m not quite ready for more festivities, more decorations (although I AM throwing those front porch pumpkins away today, they’re starting to look very dated) or more food. Too much pie yesterday. What attracts me about Hanukkah, though, is how child-centered it can be. Parties at the synagogue, a different Hanukkiah for every night, the anticipation my kids feel when it approaches. It’s not just about the presents; it’s about lighting those candles and penetrating the darkness. As they get older, I find less need for over-the-top decorations and more focus on the build-up, night after night.There’s something utterly mesmerizing about adding that additional candle day after day and watching the light grow. Of course, no holiday is complete without the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Hanukkah Extravaganza. Over the past few weeks, you’ve been reading about this year’s festivities which will take place Sunday, Dec. 10 from noon-2 p.m. in the JCC Auditorium. The theme, “Hanukkah for Houston,” allows our community to take part in a mega-mitzvah mission. Bring your Tzedakah this Sunday and start your Hanukkah season off with the knowledge that you’re helping to bring more light to the world, in more ways than one. Looking for additional ways to do good this time of year? The Friedel Jewish Academy Annual Latke Sale is Thursday, Dec. 14; call the school’s office at 402.334.0517 for more information. In 2010, Rabbi David Wolpe wrote: “Hanukkah is about something more important than dedication — rededication. In our lives, what we do once is hardly as important as what we do over and over again.” He added:”On this festival of lights, we should remember the miraculous renewal of passion, of love, of devotion to God and the Jewish people. “Hanukkah” is rededication. The drive to rededicate that which has fallen into disuse is profoundly important. Can we see sparks of holiness beneath the dust of a neglected prayer book? Does our Hanukkah Menorah glow, however dim and distant the light? Rededication — that is the miracle. The world is rife with worthy causes we have taken up with enthusiasm and then abandoned. Rededicate yourself to repairing God’s anguished world. If we manage that, the oil will burn for countless nights to come.” It’s funny; I’ve long thought of Hanukkah as “the least serious of all the holidays.” We tend to focus on the latkes and the presents, the gelt and decor, the “fun” aspects of it all. There are no dietary restrictions (quite the opposite) and we don’t take off of work. However, when I read Rabbi Wolpe’s words, Hanukkah feels much more holy than I’ve previously treated it. I have a lot left to learn.
Maybe it’s appropriate we don’t leave work for Hanukkah. Perhaps pairing the nightly spark with everyday life delivers a message all its own. It allows us to integrate our lives more fully, leaving less daylight between what we do in a mundane world and what we do during private worship, whether it is at home or at the synagogue. I hope you experience much light this coming year, not only for the eight days of Hanukkah, but every day. May, like rabbi Wolpe wrote, “your oil burn for countless nights to come.” Chag Sameach! Eric Dunning, President Annette van de Kamp Wright, Editor
The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | A3 1000 N. 90th St., Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114
The value of telling the story anukkah is a holiday that takes on different meaning, depending on your stage in life. As kids, we relish the excitement of gifts; as parents, we enjoy sharing the story of the Maccabees with our kids. As we age, we see the holidays differAlAn PoTAsh ently. The value of telling the story to our children is the root Chief Executive Officer, of what most of the holidays are JFO about – teaching. The Maccabees, the rededication of the Temple, the miracle of the oil lasting eight days – we learned from our parents and grandparents; we teach our children and grandchildren. Hanukkah is not considered a major Jewish holiday as it came after the Torah was given. The significance of the story – defending religious freedom, survival, overcoming persecution – still resonates today. We are living in one of the most powerful times as Jews. As we celebrate Hanukkah this year, we are experiencing yet another miracle – we have survived, we have rededicated our Jewish homeland, we are thriving. Israel will be celebrating its 70th birthday this year – think about that, 70 years! This is a miracle made of human, not divine providence. Israel has prospered in so many ways! The Maccabees could not have begun to predict what was to come.* We all know these highlights – • Israel’s $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined. • Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world. • Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East. • When Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969, she became the world’s second elected female leader in modern times. • Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees, made more remarkable because this was achieved in an area considered mainly desert. • In response to serious water shortages, Israeli engineers and agriculturalists developed a revolutionary
drip irrigation system to minimize the amount of water used to grow crops. here’s my list of another 10 highlights, some not known or celebrated • Israel is the 11th happiest country in the world (the U.S. is 14th) of more than 150 ranked. • Israel has the highest rate of entrepreneurship among women. • The most popular name for Israeli babies – both boys and girls – is ‘Noam’. • Israelis who observe Shabbat can buy car insurance that doesn’t cover Saturdays • Israel’s cows produce more milk than cows from other countries. • The glue on Israeli stamps is kosher. • Israeli rabbis, with the help from scientists, have ruled that giraffe milk is kosher. • Israel has one of the highest concentrations of bird traffic in the world – 500 million migrating birds cross its airspace every year. • The largest known dog cemetery in the ancient world was unearthed in the Israeli city of Ashkelon. • After Tokyo and New York City, Tel Aviv has the most sushi restaurants per capita. These achievements* and the connection to Hanukkah is that Israel and the Jewish people are dedicated to taking care of the world through Jewish commitment to learning and teaching. Most of our successes as a people come from the stories and teaching we pass down from generation to generation. The story of Hanukkah is over 2000 years old and we still value the lessons. In our Community Study, we learned that only 55% of our community always/usually light Hanukkah candles. As a community, we must be dedicated to being the light to the other 45%. We strive to commit that 2000 years from now, 100% of our community will be celebrating and observing the Jewish holidays.
Happy Hanukkah, Alan *This and so much more were achieved while engaged in regular wars with a relentless enemy seeking its destruction, and with an economy continuously under strain by having to spend more per capita on its own protection than any other country on earth. This from a country just 70 years old!
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A4 | The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017
Annual Menorah Parade
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RAChel ShOenhOlTz-ShATil for Chabad Center This year Omaha’s Annual Menorah Parade will take place on Thursday, Dec. 14. Opening Ceremony will begin at 3:30 p.m. outside the Boystown Hall of History. The parade, a motorcade with car-top Menorahs is a much anticipated Hanukkah experience. The program, a family affair, features a fun, interactive program, music, doughnuts and latkes prepared with the help of the Boystown girls, warm drinks, and a group Menorah lighting. Dignitaries participate and salute the Jewish community for spreading the light and its message. “Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, comes during the darkest winter days. Its mandate is to spread the light”, said Rabbi Mendel Katzman of Chabad, who brings this program to Omaha. “The significance of the additional light against the backdrop of darkest dark is by design. The Hanukkah directive is to bring an increase of light to a world darkened, pained, and broken.” This universal message is especially welcome in our times of challenge and confusion. Despite the difficulties of natural disasters and man-made troubles that abound, the Hanukkah lights empower us as they tell their story, to persevere and to believe that we can overcome any kind of adversity by staying on track and doing the right thing. The Talmud recounts the story of Hanukkah and recalls the rededication of the Temple after its desecration and abuse by the hands of the Greek-Syrian oppressors who forbade Jewish practice and challenged Torah study. Undeterred, the Maccabees valiantly upheld their Mitzvah observances, faith and Torah study as they
Rabbis Ari Dembitzer and Mendel Katzman at the 2017 Opening Ceremony at Boys Town. waged an impossible war on their persecutors and were victorious. They reclaimed the Temple and lit the Menorah with a small cruse of untainted oil. Miraculously, the light continued to burn. The light refused to be extinguished. And we staunchly refuse to allow the goodness and the wholesomeness we know to be snatched away or compromised. “Communities throughout the world mark Hanukkah with a Menorah parade. Six years ago, we asked ourselves, ‘Why not Omaha?’”, Shani Katzman said. “The response has been incredible. Not only from the Jewish community. The greater Omaha community finds it educational and inspiring.” The car-top Menorahs, built by a team of volunteers headed by Jim Polack and Max Polack, are limited. Please contact levi@ochabad.com if your family would like to have one in the parade. The parade will culminate with a festive dinner at Chabad at 5:30 p.m. The event is open to the entire community.
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Scholarships: It’s not too early to start planning Gabby blair Staff Writer, Jewish Press s another year comes to an end, the time for new beginnings is upon us. Prepare for the new year with some forward planning for your family’s needs. The Jewish Federation of Omaha strives to help make Jewish education and camp experiences more affordable and would like to encourage those considering applying for financial assistance in 2018-2019 to be mindful of the upcoming deadlines. The newly revised ‘Guide to Scholarships and Grants’ booklet will be distributed in the Dec. 29 issue of The Jewish Press, with online information scheduled to be released in early December. The hard deadline for all financial assistance applications is March 1, 2018. Only completed and legible applications with required supporting documentation will be considered. Please note that late submissions cannot be accepted. When considering financial assistance, the unfortunate reality is that there is always a greater need than can be met. Diane Stamp, JFO Executive Assistant, would like prospective applicants to know that, “the Financial Aid Committee of The Jewish Federation of Omaha is dedicated to complete confidentiality and makes award decisions based on the financial need of applicants, the number of requests submitted, and the amount of funds available. While it is simply not possible to fulfill all applicants’ requested amounts, I am pleased to say that we are usually able to assist, in some way, a near majority of those seeking help.” For 2016-17, scholarship requests for the Pennie Z. Davis CDC Preschool, Friedel Jewish Academy, Jewish residential summer camp programs, JCC day camp and post-high school experiences totaled 125 requests for $465,728. Of these requests, the Jewish Federation of Omaha was able to make 118 awards totaling $276,513. Additionally, 64 scholarships totaling $16,974 were awarded for youth group activities for the 2016-17 academic year. Assistance requests for the above-named programs increased for the 2017-18 school year, while the total funds available for scholarships dipped slightly; still JFO tried
The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | a5
hard to help as many families as possible. Of 133 requests totaling $503,127, The Jewish Federation of Omaha made 123 awards, dispersing a total of $260,550. Other awards, funded through The Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Annual Campaign and totaling $124,105 for the 2016-17 year, include: Jewish Experience Grants, Israel Experience Grants, and religious school subventions. For the current 2017-18 calendar year, $136,000 has been budgeted for the aforementioned programs. All of the scholarship dispersals detailed above are funded through the generosity of donors. The Jewish Federation of Omaha wishes to thank all of those donors, whose kindness, generosity and dedication to our community allow JFO to help continue to strengthen Jewish Omaha. For a complete listing of all funds, please refer to the Guide to Scholarships and Grants booklet. If you would like to help support the funding that makes educational programs available to those seeking assistance, please consider making a donation to The CornerStones Fund c/o The Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. Completed financial assistance packets and supporting documentation should be sealed in a manila envelope, marked “Scholarship information; confidential” and mailed or dropped off at the JCC main desk, Member Services, Jewish Federation offices or at Jewish Family Services. The deadline for submitting requests for Financial Assistance is March 1, 2018. No late submissions can be accepted. The Financial Aid Committee will review all requests during the month of March and award letters will be mailed out no later than April 1, 2018. All decisions made on Financial Assistance awards are final and there is no appeal process. Questions? Please contact Diane Stamp, JFO Executive Assistant at 402.334.6407 or dstamp@jewishomaha.org. Please be aware that there is financial assistance available through Jewish Family Services for reduced rate JCC memberships, living expenses, and unforeseen hardships. For more information on the services provided through Jewish Family Services, please contact Linda Cogen, JFS Assistance Coordinator at 402.334.6493 or lcogen@jfs omaha.com.
community Beth El Family Hanukkah Dinner
Ozzie NOGG Mac(abees) and Cheese will be among the dishes served at the Beth El Synagogue Family Hanukkah Dinner on Wednesday evening, Dec. 13. The food fest is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Social Hall. “The menu features recipes both unexpected and traditional,” said Ariella Rohr, Beth El Engagement Coordinator. “In addition to Mac(abees) and Cheese, the gastronomic lineup includes Seleucid Greek Salad, Winter (Macca) Bean Salad, Miracle Olive Date Quinoa, plus delicious potato latkes cooked up by Eadie Tsabari and Roberta Newfeld, along with deep fried, sugary sufganiyot made by the good people at Krispy Kreme. Bring your family and friends. Bring your Chanukia and candles and we’ll celebrate the second night of the Festival of Lights together.” Cost of the Family Hanukkah Dinner is $15 for adults and $8 for kids ages six to 12. Children under five can fill up for free. The maximum charge per family is $45. Please make your reservations by Dec. 4 on the Beth El website: www.bethel-omaha.org. If you’re looking for something fun to do on Sunday evening, Dec. 24, plan to attend Beth El’s Chinese Dinner & A Movie. You’ll find details in an upcoming edition of the Jewish Press.
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community Teaching the Holocaust
liz FelDSTeRN Executive Director, Institute for Holocaust Education On Oct. 22 and 23, 2017, the Institute for Holocaust Education (IHE) and the Nebraska Holocaust Education Consortium (NHEC) presented our 10th annual conference on Teaching the Holocaust. The 1-1/2 day conference is for pre-service (University students who will soon be teachers) and in-service secondary school teachers (grades 6-12). This year’s conference took place on the campus of Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, and was attended by 36 teachers. Participants explored historical content, current methodologies, rationale, literature and technological resources for teaching about the Holocaust. The conference sessions were taught by master educators and members of the NHEC, including United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Fellows - all experts in this field. In addition to Holocaust history and best pedagogical practices, sessions included “Historical Antisemitism”, “Spotting Fake News”, and “Exploring Personal Identity and Nurturing Empathy.” The materials and resources shared are designed to meet Nebraska state educational stan-
i
Jews today in Central Europe
a6 | The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017
dards. The highlight of the conference was the testimony of Holocaust survivor, Kitty Williams. Over 100 Nebraska Wesleyan stu-
dents joined the conference attendees to hear Kitty’s story, and many stayed afterwards to meet Kitty and ask individual questions. President John F. Kennedy wrote, “There is an old saying that the course of civilization is a race between catastrophe and education. In a democracy such as ours, we must make sure that education wins the race.” The Teaching the Holocaust Conference is made possible by a generous grant from the Herbert Goldsten Trust.
RiCHaRD FellmaN through Central Europe. We saw them and n late October of this year I had the met them and spoke with them, and Jewish joy of traveling in Central Europe leaders in each city proudly boasted about and once again visiting some of its what was taking place. Rabbis are there, great cities; Prague, in the Czech Reworking and even competing with each public, Warsaw and Krakow in other, to assist what seems like nature playPoland and Budapest, in Hungary. This trip ing a role to rebuild what Nazi Germany was particularly special to me since it was and later Soviet Russia destroyed. led by my youngest son, My first lesson in all of Rabbi Daniel Fellman, this came from an old rabbi of Temple Confriend, Rabbi Ron Hoffcord, the Reform congreberg, one quiet afternoon gation in Syracuse, New this last October in York. Prague, a wonderful city in About 25 members of every way. It is unusual in his synagogue joined the one particular way. Hitler trip together with an outleft the city alone and didstanding tour leader, n’t destroy it. He murdered Michael Hollander, now its Jewish population of Israel but formerly of sending them first to Vancouver, British CoTheresienstadt, once an lumbia, and excellent Austrian military post but guides in each city who converted by the Nazis to beautifully taught us the Rabbi Daniel Fellman, Temple Con- their “showplace” as a conhistory of each commu- cord, Syracuse, NY and Richard Fell- centration camp. It had no man in Budapst, Hungary, overlooking crematory, but nearly nity and especially the history of Jewish life, pri- the Danube River. every Jew imprisoned marily up to and including the years of the there was ultimately transported to one of Holocaust. the death camps. On this trip, I was especially interested in Still, today, there is new life. what was happening today with the Jewish I had coffee one afternoon with Rabbi communities we visited, all of which were Hoffberg, a leader of the Masorti moveonce thriving centers of life and culture and ment in Prague, a man who is the only nonreligion, all now nothing more than a mere Orthodox rabbi in the Czech Republic. image, if that, of what once was. Rabbi Hoffberg came to Beth El Synagogue But in each instance there was life, new in Omaha a few years ago as a Scholar-inlife, as one sees when looking at the stubs Residence and spent Shabbat as a guest in of trees in a forest once devastated by fire our home, so we were already friends. after the passage of just a year or two, and We met at a small bakery-coffee shop a green sprouts are blooming forth from half block from the Altneu Synagogue, the what otherwise look like dead trees. Old New Synagogue, considered the oldest See Jews in Central europe page a8 Those Jewish twigs are now growing
From my family to yours, we wish you a happy Hanukkah.
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The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | a7
Important parts of life obituaries tend to omit Sports, recreation, athletics promote healthy living, competition and social networks. They can be lifelong habits, even obsessions. When team member die, they are missed, mourned and remembered by the remaining teammates. You will not get this from reading newspaper obituaries. Joseph Goldstein and Peter Craig are examples. Joseph Goldstein was born in Winnipeg, Canada in 1915. He and his wife Reva moved Oliver B. POllak from Canada to Southern California in 1948. He gave up winter sports for softball’s warmer playing fields. They lived in the San Fernando Valley and retired to Leisure World in Orange County. Reva, his wife of 50 years died in 1990. He loved the L.A. Dodgers and would sit in his La-Z-Boy watching a game, his portable radio on his tv table covering another game. In retirement he was an active bowler and softball player, sports that involved teams and leagues. Joe died at the age of 87, in 2002. He played these sports well into his 80s when cancer reduced his mobility. He played pinochle and talked on the phone with his buddies. After he died we disposed of much of his furnishings. We gathered his sports mementos. I had given him John Feinstein’s A Good Walk Spoiled (1995). More important were the dozen cute four-inch-tall bowling pins containing dated tournament personal high scores. His teammates signed a softball and gave it to his daughter Karen. We created a nook including a matchbook from their 25th wedding anniversary. Joe smoked a pipe until it became unfashionable. In October 2017, Peter Craig, the brother of our friend Joyce Craig, died at the age of 74 from bone cancer. Karen knew him from Fairfax High School. He was an accountant with a gift for editing and sports, especially golf. His Los Angeles Times obituary is loving and respectful. Like Joe’s obituary, the sports dimension was silent. Peter’s library contained Bob Rotella’s Golf is Not a Game of Perfect (1995), a book he also gave to friends. The size of his library had been
reduced by dispersion after the death of his wife Judith in 2011, and further downsizing. Among the remains were a 1966 printing of Strunk and White, The Elements of Style, employed to enhance student writing skills. Peter in his younger years was a competitive swimmer, life guard, slalom skier and avid tennis player. For the past several years he golfed regularly twice a week at 5 a.m. at public courses with his Rosewood Elementary School buddies. He modified the grips to accommodate his psoriatic arthritis. Peter played thousands of games and saved six golf balls in a decorated wooden box brought over from Austria by his parents in the late 1930s. Two were from bucket list grounds: St. Andrews, one from New Zealand, and two dated, for unknown reasons, 9/13/94 and 11/23/95. Perhaps unforgettable experiences, extraordinary scores, or a hole in one. Decline was inexorable. Treatment perhaps delayed the inevitable. Being on the disabled list he dropped out of the normal athletic rotation. Even when Peter could not play, he rode on the cart. As team members, Joe and Peter were missed in the lineup. Teams and foursomes had to be regrouped. Families grieve for fathers, grandfathers, brothers and uncles. Teammates grieve for the camaraderie of the diamond and links, symbolized by a round sphere 1.680 or 3.5 inches in diameter. Uniform numbers were not retired but gloves lay empty. The teams convened a memorial lunch, invited the family, and honored life and athletic prowess. Their legacies are similar. The families suggested donations to the Martin Goldstein Scholarship Fund at Sonoma State University, and the Director’s Discretionary Fund for Writing Programs at UCLA College of Letters & Science. In death as in life, education animated these sportsmen.
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Continued from page A6 was severely criticized. active synagogue in all of Europe, which was In Warsaw, Rabbi Michael Shudrich, now originally called the New or Great Synarecognized as the Chief Rabbi of all of gogue until other synagogues were built in Poland, tells the story that he was asked the 16th Century. Rabbi Hoffberg believes it how many Jews there are today in Poland, has the third greatest numand he answered that ber of tourists visiting it “I don’t know that exact each year, behind only the number, but I do know Louvre in Paris and the that there are two more British Museum in Lontoday than there were don. He further pointed yesterday because I just out to me as we watched converted them.” tourists leave the Old-New In addition to the Synagogue, that few if any rabbis, there are comseemed to be Jewish. munity-type groups, Over Latte for him and some sponsored from Espresso for me, we visited Israel and others from about what is happening North America, with in the Jewish world in programs throughout Central Europe today. Europe today. These inIt appeared to me, and clude community cenhe didn’t disagree, that ters, classes in general Prague there seemed to be the subjects and in the Hesame sort of competiveness among the Jewbrew language, and summer camps for ish groups in Europe that there is in North youths which attract large numbers. America and in Israel. In Europe, Hasidic Taken together, it speaks of a certain virabbis, especially the Lubavitch group, are ac- brancy that often goes unrecognized. tive all over, especially in the states of the forIt has to be added, however, that in some mer Soviet Union. But there is also activity countries, especially Hungary, there is by the major Orthodox movement, and both growing anti-Semitism that seems to not be the North American progressive moveeffectively put down. ments, the Reform and the Conservative, And there remain large numbers of indicalled Masoriti outside of the United States, viduals who claim Jewish relatives in the have a presence and are actively at work. long ago past... my grandmother lit a candle All of their missions are similar. every Friday, or my family still circumcises Though once, that is before 1939, there baby boys, or my family won’t talk about it were masses of Jews, today there are few, but I think we’re Jewish... but aren’t doing and no one knows the exact number since it anything about it. is almost impossible to count them. Our trip included visits to Jewish cemeEach rabbi is busy doing conversions. Typ- teries, old synagogues, Jewish neighborically a person approaches a rabbi with a hoods, Jewish Ghettos, sites of slaughter, story that is often the same. They do not and meetings with young and active Jewish know for sure that they are Jewish. The exleaders, as well as excellent guided tours and planation that they tell the rabbi is that they explanations of the general history of all have a grandparent or even a great-grandthe lands we traversed. parent that was Jewish, and they now wish A conclusion is clear. to find their roots and learn about Judaism. European Jewry will never again be what In many cases their Jewish connections it once was, but in spite of the Destruction were hidden during the Nazi period. Durof Six Million and the eradication of what ing the Soviet period, religion of all types, was the intellectual and religious center of including Judaism, was considered taboo, Judaism, once again the Remnant of Juand any participation in religious activity daism remains and is today growing.
tzedakah and Mitzvot: Themes at 2017 Hanukkah Extravaganza
h
GaBBy Blair Staff Writer, Jewish Press anukkah is just around the corner, and the excitement is contagious! This special holiday reminds us of the miracles in our daily lives and invokes feelings of good will, good cheer and warmth. This year’s celebration is sure to kick off Hanukkah fun in our community with activities, crafts, games and tasty delights, sure to thrill folks of all ages.
generous donor will match every dollar raised, and 100% of the money raised will be donated to the Houston JCC. These funds will be used towards a Hanukkah celebration benefitting the children of Houston’s Jewish Community. A hands-on mitzvah project, Wish for Wheels (www.wishforwheels.org), needs your help building bikes in the Social Hall. This extraordinary project, generously underwritten by The Staenberg Family Foundation, has provided 25 brand new helmets and bikes that need assem-
The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | a9
community Calling all artists to benefit Hanukkah for Houston
rachel shOenhOltz-shatil for Chabad Center If you are an artist or artist wannabe between the ages of 5 and 105 we need you! You are invited to join Chabad’s Jewish Art and Soul contest. The competition, as its name implies, asks participants to create a piece of art that reflects the inner message or the soul of Hanukkah. Hanukkah conjures up memories of latkes, doughnuts, family gatherings, and light. Most importantly, it jogs the soul- the Neshama- begging for meaning and significance. What does Hanukkah mean to you? How does your family take Hanukkah’s message to heart? Translate your answer into a piece of art. You may use any art medium at your disposal. Pick a theme or aspect of the Hanukkah story or observances that resonates with you and create it. We welcome photographs, canvas, paper, any 3D creations of wood, glass, toy pieces etc. All the art will be displayed at the Art and Soul Festival on thursday, dec. 14 at 5:30 p.m. which will feature the lighting of a youth art Menorah, a kid-friendly Hanukkah dinner, and the Jewish Art and Soul winner announcement, and the art auction. Submissions are accepted by email at levi@ochabad.com or delivered to Chabad at 1866 South 120th Street by dec. 7. Winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card. All submissions will be auctioned and monies raised will be used for Hanukah for Houston. For questions, please call Levi at 347.913.5384 or email him. “This is a win-win event”, says Levi Katzman. “You get a delicious dinner, you get the chance to win $100, and the opportunity to help bring joy to our brethren in Houston!” Reservations for the dinner (free of charge) are required. You do not have to submit art in order to attend.
Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Omaha and The Omaha JCC, the 2017 Hanukkah Extravaganza will take place Sunday, Dec. 10 from noon-2 p.m. in the JCC Auditorium. This Hanukkah, our friends in the Houston Jewish community are busy rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on their homes, schools and lives. To share the love and light this Hanukkah, The Jewish Federation of Omaha is raising funds to bring Hanukkah to Houston. Please bring tzedakah and place in the electronic puska in the JCC lobby as you enter the Hanukkah Extravaganza. A
bly; they will be donated to low income, K-2 children of Omaha’s Mercy Housing just in time for the holidays. Come celebrate with us and kick off your Hanukkah with good deeds! Those interested in making a pre-event donation to ‘Hanukkah for Houston’, volunteering for the Hanukkah Extravaganza, or being a ‘Wish for Wheels’ bike build mitzvah project leader, should contact Louri Sullivan as soon as possible at 402.334.6485 lsullivan@jewishomaha.org. Special thanks to The Esther K. Newman Memorial Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation for sponsoring our Hanukkah Extravaganza!
With Your Help We’ll Have A Great Past Ahead Of Us
Organizations
B’nai B’rith BreadBreakers
B’nai B’rith Breadbreakers meets weekly on Wednesdays at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home auditorium from noon to 1 p.m. For specific speaker information, please email Gary.Javitch@Gmail.com, Breadbreakers chairman. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.
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community Two Events: One Night Keep Them Warm drive and Wine & Conversation
PaM MonSky Community Development Liaison, ADL-CRC National Council of Jewish Women, Nebraska (NCJW) and the Anti-Defamation League Plains States Region (ADL-CRC) are teaming up for a Keep Them Warm donation drive for children in need of warm winter clothing and another fascinating Wine & Conversation event, featuring Nebraska State Senator John McCollister. The event and clothing collection will take place Thursday, Dec. 14 from 7-9 p.m. at Spirit World in Aksarben Village, 6680 Center St. Keep Them Warm is a doSenator John McCollister nation drive whose aim is to collect as many new and gently used hats, gloves, scarves and sweatpants for children in need. Monetary donations will also be accepted, with all funds dedicated entirely to the procurement of clothing to be disseminated to as many school children as possible. Collections will be accepted at the door to the event, and both organizations are encouraging the public to bring as many items as they can spare. Wine & Conversation is an ongoing series promoting See Two Events: one night page a11
Newman Supporting Foundation Awards Grants Linda PoLLard Endowment Assistant/Staff Writer, Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation Eleven grants were recently awarded to non-profit organizations in the community at the latest meeting of the Murray H. and Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation Board of Trustees. “The Newman Supporting Foundation is very generous in their support of Omaha’s Jewish community. They accept grant applications from Jewish Federation agencies as well as other charitable organizations whose programs are consistent with the mission of the Federation, and they vote to award grants. This year they awarded 11 grants after reviewing all the applications,” said Howard Epstein, JFO Foundation Executive Director. A grant was awarded to the AntiDefamation League/Community Relations Committee for the annual Promoting Empowerment for our World (PEW), scheduled for October 2018. Nearly 275 high school sophomores from approximately 30 schools will be invited to attend. School counselors, teachers and staff will receive educator training prior to the workshop. Participants will learn to take responsibility for combating discrimination and prejudice and become change agents in their schools and elsewhere. The Newman grant will help fund Inclusive Communities’ four-day leadership and skill building work-
shop, IncluCity. Each year a diverse group of 75 high school students attend IncluCity. Objectives of the workshop include raising personal awareness and recognizing their own biases, imparting personal and in-
trapersonal skills and developing a personal action plan. The Institute for Holocaust Education received a grant to bring in a speaker to mark the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht in November 2018. The IHE will provide an educational program, including a round table discussion. The goal of the program is to learn from the bias and hate that brought on Kristallnacht, and to impact the future. Jewish Family Service (JFS) was awarded a grant to help support the agency’s Tzedakah Project for Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Chanukah in 2018. The project feeds the hungry, offers celebratory food for holidays and reaches out to Jewish community members in need. Volunteers will deliver gifts, visit with recipients and let them know they are remembered during the holidays. With this grant, the Jewish Community Center will host the community celebration for Israel’s 70th birthday. Activities being planned for 2018 include musical programming
for both young and old. The Partnership is planning to send a group of Israeli teens to Omaha to work with students and help at the event. The Jewish Press received a grant to hire a Jewish college or high school student, who is an active member of Omaha’s Jewish community, to serve on staff as a summer intern for six weeks between May and August 2018. The intern will learn about research, composition, editing, interviewing, and other skills associated with producing the newspaper. The Jewish Federation of Omaha received a grant for the Young Jewish Giving Program, a revitalization of the former B’nai Tzedek Program for youth ages 12-22. The program encourages teens to become involved in tzedakah by establishing a fund for charitable giving. The Jewish Federation of Omaha received funds to assist area families through scholarships, with the costs associated with attending Friedel Jewish Academy, the Pennie Z. Davis CDC pre-school, JCC summer camps and Jewish summer residential camps. Funds were awarded to the Jewish Federation of Omaha for the PJ Library. PJ Our Way for 2018 programs will be offered monthly, featuring unique, interactive happenings with a Jewish theme. The PJ Library mails free high-quality Jewish children’s literature and music on a monthly basis See newman Foundation page a12
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The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | A11
MID-CITY
NCJW announces name change The Board of National Council of Jewish Women Omaha Section would like to announce our new name. Reflecting on our diverse and growing outreach to our communities, NCJW has now become NCJW Nebraska. As noted by Becki Brenner, Section President: “This opportunity allows the Section to focus on a state-wide agenda and broaden our membership to include other Nebraska
Two Events: One Night Continued from page A10 awareness of current issues affecting our community and socially-conscious and respectful conversation. Nebraska State Senator John McCollister (District 20) will be in attendance at this town hall-type meeting to speak on topics concerning three bills being introduced in the Nebraska Unicameral once the new session begins. These topics include Voter ID Legislation (continuing), which would ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment requiring photo identification to vote; a new proposal for a resolution to place Medicaid Expansion on the November 2018 general election ballot,
communities.” Brenner noted that this change allows the Section to engage in advocacy work more broadly and be better able to dialogue with elected representatives at a state-wide level. Moving forward, NCJW Nebraska will begin a process of strategic realignment and through thoughtful listening and communication, be better prepared for the future of the organization.
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giving Nebraska voters the chance to expand Medicaid coverage as part of the federal health care law; and another new piece of legislation addressing the “cliff effect” in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), allowing working families to accept raises or other small increases in their income or work hours without losing the vital support of SNAP. Admission to the event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Space is limited and registration is required. For more information, please contact the ADL-CRC at 402.334.6570 or skurz@adl. org.
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A12 | The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017
Newman Foundation
Happy Hanukkah
A faith in the future. A belief in action.
W
NCJ
SM
National Council of Jewish Women Nebraska
Become a member today. Call Jen Koom 402.699.4602 or Becki Brenner 402.451.3916
Hanukkah Greetings Jewish Social Services JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE | JEWISH SENIOR OUTREACH
THE ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME
323 South 132nd Street | Omaha, NE 68154
Rose Blumkin Jewish Home/Jewish Senior Outreach | 402-330-4272 | www.rbjh.com
Continued from page A10 to families with children ages six months to eight years. This year PJ Our Way will be added. This program provides books for children nine-11 years old. The Jewish Federation of Omaha and the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation were awarded a grant for the Omaha Jewish Alumni Association. The goal of the Omaha Jewish Alumni Association is to reconnect with Jewish former Omahans in order to provide current updates on the community, facilitate advocacy, recognize high profile alumni and to develop a network of incremental financial support to the Federation’s Annual Campaign, special projects and Foundation endowments. The award to the Friedel Jewish Academy will fund the Study of Local Art and Artists program at the school. Friedel students will have field trips to visit the Tip Top Building to tour the studio of weaver and fabric artist Mary Zicafoose, see the gallery of Jun Kaneko, and visit the works of Dale Chihuly on display at UNO’s Peter Kiewit Institute. The students will then explore each medium during their weekly art classes. Jeff Kirshenbaum, President of the Newman Supporting Foundation Board of Trustees stated, “The trustees of the New-
man Foundation are pleased to support these programs. These organizations provide effective and worthy programs that embrace the Foundation’s goals.” The Newman Supporting Foundation of the JFO Foundation was established in 1987 with an initial gift of $100,000 from Sharee and Murray Newman. Since then, the Newman Supporting Foundation has awarded over $466,000 in grants. The Board of Trustees includes Board President Jeff Kirshenbaum, Sharee Newman, Lisa Lewis, Jamie Friedland, Jay Lerner, Murray Newman and Danielle Gordman. A supporting foundation is a separate legal entity with its own board that is created by a donor or family and enters into a relationship with the JFO Foundation. “We manage and invest the supporting foundation’s funds, administer operations and make disbursements as directed by the supporting foundation board,” explained Epstein. “The board focuses on reviewing annual grant applications and selecting the programs that will receive grants, and we take care of the rest.” To learn more about establishing a supporting foundation with the JFO Foundation, please contact Howard Epstein at 402.334.6466.
Visit us at jewishomaha.org
RBJH Family Night Supper
The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | a13
community Pennie Z. Davis CDC is well connected thanks to Staenberg Anything Grant and iPads-for-all
Resident Marvin Parilman and his sister Barb Widman
Jill OhlMann Activities Coordinator, RBJH The annual Family Night Supper is a special tradition at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Residents’ family members and friends joined them for a memorable evening of dinner, complimentary photos, and a strolling violinist.
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GaBBy BlaiR Staff Writer, Jewish Press t is no secret that the Omaha JCC’s Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center strives to provide some of the best educational opportunities in the city to its families. Jeanine Huntoon, CDC Director and Lisa Cooper, CDC Assistant Director, are always looking for ways to update and incorporate new, fresh ideas for curriculum, activities, and communications, keeping the CDC up-to-date and connected to its clients. “A few years ago, we were fortunate to purchase iPads for student use. We have seen the benefits that come from structured activities with iPads and the various ways teachers have used apps and various websites to enhance their teaching,” explains Cooper. “After a few months, we began to realize that iPads could really help our teachers compile photos, share music between classrooms, streamline administrative needs, and communicate with parents more effectively,” Cooper goes on to explain. As this goal began taking shape, Huntoon and Cooper began researching options and opportunities to maximize usage and secure funding. While attending the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) Conference last November, they met with several vendors of family engagement apps. These apps create digital daily sheets and newslet-
ters sent directly to a parent’s cell phone or email account. “I was excited about the prospect of bringing something like this to the CDC,” says Cooper. “I knew that other centers in
the area use these types of programs and something like this would be welcomed by our parents and teachers.” Cooper and Huntoon worked together researching the package that best fit the needs of the CDC and ended up choosing ‘Kaymbu’; an app that has been proven to meet the needs of many other preschool programs at JCCs nationwide. Once they hammered out costs for a multi-year subscription, tech support and 11 iPads, they were able to find matching funds through the Staenberg Family Foundation Anything Grant, allowing them to turn their goal into a reality. “It has al-
ready made such a difference in our classrooms!” exclaims Cooper, who reports that teachers have been testing out the new app and were starting to compile holiday playlists that could be shared between devices. The new iPads have replaced large, outdated CD player/ tape deck stereos and older, lower quality cameras, allowing teachers to easily find songs and content, and to compile pictures in one secure location. “We really couldn’t have done this without help from the Staenberg grant”, explains Cooper. “Being from St. Louis, I am very familiar with Mr. Staenberg and his family’s philanthropic efforts. I first heard about the Anything Grants several years ago when my family’s synagogue in St. Louis received one, so I was excited to hear that the Staenberg Family Foundation was going to expand the Anything Grant program to Omaha. Anything Grants will match half of the grant funds for a project, up to a certain amount,” explains Cooper. “We were fortunate in that we already had some funding sources in place, so there was no question as to the matching funds. I knew this was the opportunity we needed to secure the iPads and the Kaymbu subscription for all 11 of our classrooms at one time, rather than a few at a time. We, at the CDC, are always looking for ways to improve our school and are so thankful to have been a recipient of this generous and unique funding opportunity.”
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synagogues B’Nai israel syNagogue
618 Mynster Street Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 712.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com
Beth el syNagogue
Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Street Omaha, NE 68154-1980 402.492.8550 bethel-omaha.org
Beth israel syNagogue
Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street Omaha, NE. 68154 402.556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org
chaBaD house
An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street Omaha, NE 68144-1646 402.330.1800 OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com
coNgregatioN B’Nai jeshuruN
South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org
oFFutt air Force Base
Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road Offutt AFB, NE 68123 402.294.6244 email: oafbjsll@icloud.com
rose BluMkiN jewish hoMe
323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154
teMple israel
Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive Omaha, NE 68144-1206 402.556.6536 templeisraelomaha.com
tiFereth israel
Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 402.423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org
B’Nai israel syNagogue
Please join us for our upcoming events: Join us for our monthly Shabbat Speakers Series on Dec. 22, at 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker Howard Kutler. He will talk about his grandparents, Harry and Sarah, who left Russian in the early 1990s and immigrated to Council Bluffs. He will address their journey and the wonderful new life they built in America. (Please note special date.) Our service leader is Larry Blass, and as always, an oneg to follow service. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel! For information on our historic synagogue, please contact any of our board members: Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Carole Lainof, Marty Ricks, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf and Phil Wolf.
Beth el syNagogue
Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. FriDay: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. saturDay: Shabbat Morning Services, 9:30 a.m. Bar Mitzvah of jack cohen; Junior Congregation, 10 a.m.; Mini-Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:45 p.m. weekDay serVices: Sundays, 9:30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. suNDay: BESTT Classes, 9:30 a.m.-noon; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; Maccabiah, Grades 3-7, 10 a.m.; Celebrate Hanukkah with Torah Tots Part I, 10:30 a.m.-noon; Prophets and the Cities: Biblical City Gates wtih Rami Arav, 11 a.m.-noon; USY Board Meeting, noon. tuesDay: Rabbi’s Book Club, noon at Whole Foods. weDNesDay: Chesed Committee visits Sterling Ridge, 2 p.m.; BESTT Classes, 4:15-6 p.m.; Hanukkah Dinner, 6 p.m.; No Hebrew High Classes; Rabbi’s Book Club, 7 p.m. thursDay: Shanghai, 1 p.m. All classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.
Beth israel syNagogue
Services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer. FriDay: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Candle Lighting and Mincha, 4:37 p.m. saturDay: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Insights into the Weekly Torah, 3:35 p.m.; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 4:20 p.m.; Havdalah, 5:41 p.m. suNDay: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bagels and Beit Medrash, 9:45 a.m.; The Jewish Way to Death and Mourning with Rabbi Ari, 10 a.m.; Teen Trip to Israel Prep Class, 7 p.m. MoNDay: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Talmudic Tales with Rabbi Shlomo, noon. tuesDay-weDNesDay: Shacharit, 7 a.m. thursDay: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Women’s Class with Rabbi Ari, 9:30 a.m.
chaBaD house
Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. FriDay: Shacharit, 7 a.m. followed by coffee, treats, study and shmoozing. saturDay: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; A Winter Shabbaton, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. suNDay: A Winter Shabbaton, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. weekDays: Shacharit, 7 a.m. followed by coffee, treats, study and shmoozing. MoNDay: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Shani. thursDay: Annual Car-Top Menorah Parade, 3:30 p.m. at Boystown, 14057 Flanagan Blvd. Boys Town, NE 68010; Hanukkah Art and Soul Art Contest , 5:30-7 p.m. To learn more, visit www.ochabad.com/artandsoul. All programs are open to the entire community.
coNgregatioN B’Nai jeshuruN
Services conducted by Rabbi Teri Appleby. FriDay: Candlelighting, 4:41 p.m.; Shabbat Evening Service, 6:30 p.m.; Oneg, 7:30 p.m. saturDay: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study on Parashat Veyeshev, 10:30 a.m.; Havdalah (72 Minutes), 6:11 p.m. suNDay: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.; LJCS Gesher, 10 a.m. Parents please join your students at 11 a.m. at Tifereth Israel for Hanukkah skits performed by students and Hanukkah snacks. tuesDay: Candlelighting for Hanukkah—1 candle, 5:49
p.m.; Intro to Judaism, Session #3, 7 p.m. led by Rabbi Appleby. weDNesDay: Candlelighting for Hanukkah—2 candles, 5:49 p.m.; LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m. thursDay: Candlelighting for Hanukkah—3 candles, 5:50 p.m.; Choir Rehearsal, 7 p.m. 2017 Hanukkah Celebration, Friday, Dec. 15, 6 p.m. There is no charge, but registration is required so that enough food and goodies can be prepared. You can sign up here, call the Temple office at 402.435.8004, or e-mail office@south streettemple.org. rsVp by tuesday, Dec. 12. at 5 p.m. Our Chesed branch (Caring Committee) is looking for volunteers to provide transportation for Temple members and friends who aren’t able to drive themselves to doctor’s appointments and other commitments. Volunteers are also being sought to help caregivers in our Temple community when they need a little time to get things done for themselves. Contact Chesed Branch Head Vicki Edwards at vgrandma1947@gmail.com if you would like to help with this important mitzvah.
oFFutt air Force Base
FriDay: Services, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month.
rose BluMkiN jewish hoMe
saturDay: Services, 9:15 a.m. Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.
teMple israel
FriDay: Shabbat Comes to You at Heritage Sterling Ridge, 4 p.m.; Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. saturDay: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Service, 10:30 a.m.; Latles amd Vodkas — A Hannukah Party for Young Couples and Parents, 6:30 p.m. suNDay: Grades K-6, 10 a.m.; Caring Committee Meeting, 10:30 a.m.; Membership Committee Meeting, 10:30 a.m.; Religious School Steering Committee Meeting, noon; OTYG Meeting, noon. weDNesDay: Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; T’filah for School, 4:30 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6 p.m.; Family School, 6 p.m.; Cantor’s Haukkah Gift — Chamber Music, 6:30 p.m. thursDay: Adult Education Symposium: Jewish Heroes, Heroines, and Personalities: Jesus: Theodor Herzl, 10 a.m. taught by Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin. All classes meet at Temple Israel. Celebrate Chanukah with Latkes, Dreidels, & Song: Chanukah Service & Dinner, Friday, Dec. 15: Candle lighting and Kiddush, 5:30 p.m. and Services, 6 p.m., followed by dinner and games for all ages. Bring your dreidels! Bring your favorite family menorah to decorate your holiday table! Menu: Brisket, Vegetables, Latkes with Applesauce & Sour Cream, and Dessert. The cost of the meal is $10 for adults; $5 for children in 2nd 6th grade; and no charge for children under 2nd grade. Please RSVP to Temple Israel, 402.556.6536 or rsvp@templeisraelomaha.com by tuesday, Dec. 12. Winter Wonderland with JYG, sunday, Dec. 17, 10:30 a.m. Join JYG for ice skating and hot cocoa at Moylan Ice Complex! $15 includes admission fee and snacks. RSVP to
alasky@templeisraelomaha.com by Monday, Dec. 11. Temple Israel Book Club: I Am a Man by Joe Starita, sunday, Dec. 17, 10:30 a.m. Temple TED Talk, sunday, Dec. 17, 10:30 a.m. Temple Tots Sunday, sunday, Dec. 17, 10:30 a.m. Jewish Heroes, Heroines, and Personalities: Theodor Herzl with Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin, thursday, Dec. 21, 10 a.m. The Symposium will be taught by Temple Israel clergy, with guest sessions led by our Tri-Faith clergy partners and other outstanding teachers in the Omaha Jewish community.*All classes will meet at Temple Israel. Guiding Principles for the Synagogue Community: R’fu’ah: Be Caring and Empathetic with Rabbi Brian Stoller, wednesday, Dec. 20, 6:30 p.m. We must be caring and empathetic toward our fellow congregants, especially when they seem not to be at their best.
tiFereth israel
Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. FriDay: Second Friday Celebration of Shabbat, 6:30 p.m. at the home of Jaine and Andy Merliss (2845 William Street). Please bring a dairy or pareve salad, vegetable dish, or dessert. The main dish, challah, and grape juice will be provided. saturDay: Shabbat Morning service, 10 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 11 a.m.; Please join us after services for a light Kiddush Lunch. suNDay: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.; LJCS Gesher, 10 a.m. Parents please join your students at 11 a.m. at Tifereth Israel for Hanukkah skits performed by students and Hanukkah snacks; Create For a Cure! Join the Women of Tifereth Israel, 1:30 p.m. at the synagogue. As part of the Gary Rosenthal Glass Ribbon Twinning Project. Participants will create two glass mosaics to adorn two Shabbat candlesticks. Supplies are free (donated by the Lay-Leader Discretionary Fund) but we must know you are coming. You may purchase both twin items for a 50% discount; purchase one twin item for a 25% discount; or purchase no item. Retail cost of one twin item we're creating: $80. Finished products will arrive to the synagogue two weeks after being fused in the Rosenthal workshop. RSVP to office@ tiferethisraellincoln.org or call the office at 402.423.8569. weDNesDay: LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m. at TI. thursDay: Hebrew classes for adults, 6:30-7:30 p.m., with Esti Sheinberg. TI Has Talent 5 & Our Annual Hannukkah Latke Party, sunday, Dec. 17, 12:15 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. We're looking for congregants who will sing, dance, play an instrument, tell jokes, do martial arts, recite poetry, etc. Sign up to be a performer by e-mailing Nancy Coren at ncoren@tiferethis raellincoln.org or calling 402.770.4167 by Dec. 3. It's not too soon to be thinking about summer camp! All Federation families are eligible for Camp Incentive Grants of $300 per camper to pay the initial camp registration deposit. Application packets are availible in the Tifereth Israel foyer.
jewish press Notices
The Jewish Press will be closed on Mondays, Dec. 25, 2017 and jan. 1, 2018. The deadline for the Dec. 29 issue is wednesday, Dec. 20, 9 a.m. There will be no Jewish Press on Jan. 5, 2018. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.
james Franco to direct, star in film about poet shel silverstein JTA news sTAff Actor and director James Franco will direct and star in a film about children’s book author and poet Shel Silverstein. The film, based on the book A Boy Named Shel, by Lisa Rogak, will focus on Silverstein’s personal life and professional struggles, Deadline Hollywood first reported. Silverstein, who was born into a Jewish family and grew up in Chicago, is the author of the well-known children’s poetry collections Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Light in the Attic,
as well as the children’s book The Giving Tree. He illustrated his books and collections. Silverstein also was a singer-songwriter and screenwriter. Franco, who is Jewish, is fresh off his latest success, The Disaster Artist, a biographical comedydrama film that chronicles the making of Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 cult film The Room, a critical flop that went on to become a cult classic. james Franco Franco and the film are reported Credit: Dimitrios to be in contention for several OsKambouris/Getty Images cars this year.
The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | a15
lifecycles bar miTZVaH
PeYTon JosePH Kelln
Peyton Joseph Kelln, son of Heather and Mark Kelln, will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday Dec. 16, at Beth El. Peyton is a seventh-grade student at Beveridge Magnet Middle School where he is an International Studies major. Peyton is a competitive swimmer for the JCC Sharks. He also enjoys video games, camping and math. Peyton has attended Camp Ramah in Wisconsin the past four summers and looks forward to being in Shoafim next summer. For his Bar Mitvah project, Peyton will be donating a portion of his gifts to “Pizza IDF” which sends pizza and other yummy treats to active duty soldiers who, day after day, are fighting terror and protecting the Jewish people. Peyton has a younger brother, Colin. Grandparents are Jody and Ray Goldstein, and Kathy and Don Kelln.
Keeping up the good work
sabine sTrong Volunteer Coordinator, Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Recently, one of our Saturday Service leaders pointed out what a great job our youth are doing at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Saturday Services. We would especially like to recognize Leo Kohll, son of Janet and David Kohll (his brothers Max and Jack sometimes come and help as well). Leo attends the Saturday services at the RBJH with his grandparents, who are Residents at the Home. He helps them get around the building, helps with the Torah blessing as well as the Kiddush on a very regular basis. If Leo is not at the Rose Blumkin Home, you can find him oen at Beth Israel with his father David. Leo is 13 years old and had his Bar Mitzvah in March of 2017. Leo loves basketball, cross country and track. He previously helped with Bingo at the RBJH. Let me just say how thankful we are. Keep up the good work for the future, because your contribution is appreciated and will be sincerely remembered!
To submiT announcemenTs
Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press at jpress@jewish omaha.org; mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Readers can also submit announcements -- births, b’nai mitzvahs, engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewish omaha.org. Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements.
ask rabbi Katzman is there special significance to the blue and white Hanukkah candles or to blue as the official Hanukkah color? not Feeling blue
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Dear Not Feeling Blue, No significance at all. Hanukkah candles may be any color, shape or size (they must burn for the minimum half-hour during weeknights, or rabbi menDel one and a half hours on Friday night). KaTZman Ideally, one should use oil, preferably Chabad of Nebraska olive, to remember the miracle of the oil at the conclusion of the Maccabean unanticipated victory over the Syrian-Greek army. The colored candles are a modern day invention, perhaps to create aesthetic appeal. From a marketing standpoint, it is possible that companies “branded” a Hanukkah color to increase sales during this time of year. Are colors in and of themselves significant according to Jewish tradition? Yes! But that is a separate discussion. May we all enjoy a bright and joyous Hanukkah!
Dream Big - Vayeshev This week’s Torah reading discusses the great dreamer, or dream interpreter, Yosef. In the beginning of his life, Yosef faced a lot of hardship. In the second part of his life, the opposite is true. He has success and seemingly a more enjoyable life. A rabbi of mine attributed Yosef ’s success to whose dreams Yosef was interpreting. rabbi ari Whereas the first part of his life DembiTZer Yosef was interpreting his own Beth Israel Synagogue dreams, the second part he was interpreting others’ dreams. Hence the key to success is to dream big, not for yourselves, but for others. Shabbat Shalom
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A16 | The Jewish Press | December 16, 2016
Join our families and become a beacon of light for every generation. Happy Hanukkah! It’s more than a donation.
t’s your legacy.
Thank you to all of the LIFE&LEGACY donors for inspiring future generations with their generosity. Your LEGACY matters.
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Norman & Eunice* Denenberg Steven Denenberg Tippi Denenberg Pam & Dennis DePorte Beth Seldin Dotan Eric Dunning Toba Cohen-Dunning Penny Krasne Endelman Harold Epstein Howard & Sharon Epstein Irving Epstein Lisa & Gary Epstein Mel Epstein Richard Evnen James & Judy Farber Yonatan & Liz Feldstern Richard M. Fellman Toby Fellman* Cantor Leo & Annette Fettman Glen H. & Hollie Fineman Alan J. Fredricks Jerry Freeman Joanne Freeman Robyn & Bob Freeman Ted & Jamie Friedland Bruce & Pam Friedlander Amy & Sanford Friedman Lloyd D. & Lois N. Friedman Trust Lois N. Friedman* Steven M. Friedman Lynne Friedel Gellman Howard E. Gendelman H. Lee & Carol Gendler Charitable Fund Donald Gerber Dan & Sarah Gilbert David Gilinsky & Katherine Finnegan
Ronald Giller Darlene & Sherman* Golbitz Gary & Barbara Goldstein Jan Goldstein Dora Goldstrom Mark Goldstrom Alan Goodman* David & Shirley Goodman Andie Gordman & Dan Fitzgerald Jay & Allison Gordman Linda & Jerry Gordman Steven Gottlieb Andy & Carole Greenberg Barton H.* & Caryl B.* Greenberg Paul G. Greenberg (in loving memory of Yvonne, Walter & Brant Greenberg) Joshua & Amanda Gurock Mendy & Michael Halsted Andrea & Marc Hamburg M’Lee Hasslinger Kathy Goldstein Helm Bonnie Kuklin Horwich Jon Jabenis Randi Friedel Jablin Joan Sandler Jacobson Richard Jacobson Gary & Karen Javitch Patrick Jensen Sylvia Jess* Edward & Anne Joseph & Family Debbi Josephson Frances Juro Richard Juro Marcel & Ilse Kahn Gary & Sally Kaplan Myron Kaplan
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Bruce Potash Linda Neumann-Potash Paul Rabinovitz David & Gretchen Radler Mary & Joel Rich Philip & Diane Rich Marty & Iris Ricks Ari Riekes Carl Riekes Margo Riekes Steven J. Riekes Zoë Riekes Bob Rifkin Jane & Harlan Rips Jonathan Rockman Stacey Rockman Silvia G. Roffman Debbie & Lloyd Roitstein Susan Rothholz Lynne-Carol Saltzman Rosalie & Milton* Saylan Caryn and Marc Scheer Carol* & Ed Schneider Jeff Schweid Aviva Segall & Patrick McNamara Ted & Sarah Seldin Mr. and Mrs. Ben Shapiro Nate A. Shapiro Sherry & Larry Shapiro Len Burrell & Cantor Wendy Shermet Aveva & Martin Shukert Gary Shyken Liat Shyken Paul Shyken Susann Shyken Michael & Andrea Siegel
Esther Silver Stanley* & Norma* Silverman Tootie Simon Gerald & Judy Simons Nancy B. Skid Janet & Jerry Slusky Michael Staenberg Carolyn “Rocky” Stern David Keiser & Lillian Keiser Stoms Foundation Louri Sullivan Barry H. Summer Fred Tichauer Marilyn & Steven Tipp Basya Tsed R. Thomas Vann Irving & Gail Veitzer Norman & Joodi* Veitzer John & Donna Walter Jim & Esther* Wax Aaron Weiner & Therese Vaughn Harry M. Weiner Kathy Weiner Rabbi Yaakov & Ilana Weiss Benjamin & Anna Wiesman Family Susan Fellman Witkowski Nancy L. Wolf Robert Yaffe Anna Yuz-Mosenkis Renee & Jeff Zacharia Steve & Kathy Zalkin Charlotte & Morley Zipursky Sally & Jim Zipursky Deborah & Speedy (Dr. Eugene) Zweiback Rosie Zweiback & Mace Hack *Of Blessed Memory As of November 27, 2017
591 commitments with an estimated value of $ 17, 181,575. And its Agencies:
Jewish Community Center, Jewish Press, and Jewish Social Services including Jewish Family Service, Jewish Senior Outreach and Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Help secure the financial future of Omaha’s Jewish community through the LIFE & LEGACY™ initiative. LIFE & LEGACY is a collaboration between the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, and our local Jewish partner organizations: The Jewish Federation of Omaha and its Agencies, Beth El Synagogue, Beth Israel Synagogue, Temple Israel, Chabad House, Anti-Defamation League/CRC, Friedel Jewish Academy, Institute for Holocaust Education, and Nebraska Jewish Historical Society.
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Contact the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation today.
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The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | B1
section2
COMMUNITY
Happy Birthday to the remarkable Millie Altman GABBy BlAir Staff Writer, Jewish Press illie Altman has led the long life of a righteous person. At 104, she’s seen the world change so much: “It is hard to keep track of all the things that have happened in my life. Soon I will be 105 years old, and I just cannot believe it!� she says. Maggie Conti, Blumkin Home Activities Director, met Millie in 1994, while working for Young Energetic Seniors (Y.E.S.). “I was taken aback by her enthusiasm, spunk and desire to help. Millie is a ‘doer’ and is the most active and considerate volunteer I’ve ever known.� Conti recalls setting tables with mismatched dishes and silverware for Y.E.S. events. “You could always tell when Millie set up; the tables were beautifully done, one hundred place settings, painstakingly matched and polished. That is the type of person Millie is: caring, tending to the smallest details to make others happy, without them even knowing... wanting nothing in return. She is humble and kind. I wish I could be half the person she is!� Millie was born Dec. 14, 1912, to Samuel and Bess Plotkin. She has fond memories of growing up in the Sioux City Jewish community. “We were just like anyone else,� says Altman, whose parents emigrated from Russia. “I never met my father’s parents, but my mother’s parents were close to us,� she recalls. Altman, the eldest of
Omaha who were having a party. That evening, Millie met Sam Bailen, “and that was that!� she exclaims, eyes twinkling. “Sam was so kind and handsome, making such a fuss over me. I wasn’t used to being fussed over,� she says humbly. Sam and Millie were married 20 years and had four children, Harold, Eddie, Sandra and Lewis. Sam Bailen was a grocer, and the family settled in Denison, Iowa, where he eventually bought and ran his own grocery store. “After I was married, I didn’t work outMillie on overlay of her crochet work side the home. I had my three children, grew up speaking Yiddish at beautiful children to care for, I helped with the home and enjoyed synagogue services with her store a bit, and I volunteered a lot,� explained Milfamily in Sioux City. A young woman of high in- lie, “I have always kept busy and so I was happy!� telligence, Millie longed to attend college and The Bailen children have fond memories of study math, but it was the height of the Depresgrowing up in Denison. “Mom loved to play sion and not an option. Instead, she worked at cards and was a wonder in the kitchen,� says son, the local dime store. Ever the optimist, Millie re- Lewis Bailen. “Dad always brought home wild calls: “While I really wanted to go to college, I game or steak and roasts from the store that understood the situation and made the best of it. Mom would turn into amazing dishes; being I loved working at Woolworths – it was fun, I kids, all we wanted were hamburgers and hot earned a little money, and it kept me busy!� dogs!� He recalls laughingly. Daughter Sandra See Millie Altman page B3 In her early twenties, she visited girlfriends in
Chanukah brings light into our lives at a dark time of the year. When you make a donation to the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Federation Foundation, you share the light with those who need it most right now. Help a child attend our CDC or JCC Summer Camp or provide them a Jewish book, deliver hot meals to the homebound, support our seniors staying active and engaged. Your Campaign gift does that and so much more. Or consider a permanent endowment at the Foundation to serve as a lasting gift for this and future generations.
Be the light. Please contact us! Steve Levinger, JFO Chief Development Officer t TMFWJOHFS!KFXJTIPNBIB PSH Howard Epstein, Foundation Executive Director t IFQTUFJO!KFXJTIPNBIB PSH
BRUCE FRIEDLANDER, PRESIDENT
TED FRIEDLAND, PRESIDENT
ALAN POTASH, CEO
HOWARD EPSTEIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
b2 | The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017
community
i
Chabad’s Food Pantry: 31 years of Mitzvot Gabby blair f you or your family were going hungry, where would you turn? Chabad of Omaha wants you to know that they are here to help anyone in need of food assistance. Shani Katzman explains that Omaha Chabad has been helping people put food in their pantries since 1986. “We began to notice there was a sizable contingency of people working with us that were struggling, but unwilling or too embarrassed to ask for help. We began buying food and giving it out very discreetly, often -times with recipients not even knowing where it came from.” Katzman goes on to say that many people who need help are hardworking, but simply unable to make ends meet. Often, people find themselves dealing with unexpected and unfortunate events that have derailed their lives, such as an illness or accident, leaving them struggling to get by. “We have individuals of all ages and backgrounds, from all over the city, and west Omaha is no exception. For many of those who utilize the Chabad Food Pantry, we serve as their first encounter with the Jewish community; people often have “Jewish questions” that we are able to answer, and we take our role in providing a good and positive first impression of the Jewish community very seriously.” Omaha Chabad has gained many clients through both word of mouth and from the community 211 hotline for assistance. Chabad also collaborates with many other social agencies in the community who refer people to them.
“Many clients choose to come to the Chabad Food Pantry because our volunteers are friendly, warm and welcoming. Clients can choose their own foods and are treated with respect. They know when they come to us, they have a listening ear, and if necessary, we can help with counseling, a job referral or even a car if we have one that has been donated,” explains Katzman. In 2016, Chabad was able to provide over 17,000 meals and over 20,000 pounds of food to those seeking help. Omaha Chabad works with the Omaha Food Bank, where they are able to purchase food at a discounted price. Before the holidays, they make an effort to order kosher foods and holiday necessities in bulk including items like
grape juice and matzo. They also accept donations of any unexpired kosher foods or monetary donations which can be dropped off at the Chabad House during regular business hours. “Many individuals in our community have generously made donations, both annually and in honor of simchas or yahrzeits. Our food pantry has also received support from the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation for many years, for which we are thankful.” Shani goes on to say “Our food pantry, which is located in the lower level of the Chabad House, has become an invaluable asset to so many who need help, and we couldn’t do it without our dedicated volunteers. Starting with Elaine Urban, in the formative years, who helped us develop a distribution system, to the many others who have helped over the years like: Cheryl, Gary and Alec Lerner, Julie Phillips, Joan Marcus, Laura Holling, Jay Benton, Howard Kutler, Rhonda Saferstein, Scott Weiler, Shachar Shatil, Joanie Jacobson and Debbie Denenberg... We just couldn’t do this without them!” Debbie Denenberg finds great fulfillment volunteering with the food pantry and encourages others to consider lending a hand. “So many people think about making a difference. Here’s your chance—whether you have one day per week or one hour per month. People travel to reach the Chabad food pantry, because they know they will be treated with the utmost respect, and they will get the food they need. Chabad has also worked to secure furniture, see Chabad Food Pantry page b5
Preparing for Passover: What the editor wrote 30 years ago
Morris Maline December 4, 1987 As of this writing, there is snow on the ground and Thanksgiving leftovers are just about gone. This means that Passover is just around the corner. Well, at least this is the meaning for the staff of the Jewish Press. The theme has been selected and preparations are under way to develop an exciting and interesting presentation. This issue will be dedicated to the celebration of Israel’s 40th birthday—a salute to the Jewish Homeland, her people, her progress and meaning. To accomplish our objective and to provide intense interest on the part of our readership, we have taken an unusual step to provide the major editorial content for our issue. We have commissioned Alan Potash, former assistant cultural arts director at the Jewish Community Center, to utilize his talents as a writer/photographer for the Passover issue. And importantly, he will utilize Israel itself as the setting for a series of photo articles. This series will focus on Omaha area connections in Israel and hopefully will develop into pictorial spreads on your friends and relatives who are living or studying in Israel. Alan will be residing in Jerusalem so we anticipate that most of his material will stem from contacts he is aware of within easy traveling distance of his residence. We hope that this early announcement in these columns will motivate our readership to relay Nebraska connections directly to Alan so that he might include your friend or relative in his presentation.
Visit us at jewishomaha.org
Happy Hanukkah This is a week that celebrates both the spiritual and military triumphs of the Maccabees. Almost 2,200 years ago, Antiochus IV brutally oppressed the Jewish people. During this time, the Jewish people were stripped of religious and cultural freedoms under the severest of penalties including death. Against overwhelming odds, a small army of heroic fighters took up arms and managed to defeat the Seleucid Greek Empire. After three years of struggle, the Jewish people finally were successful in their fight for freedom. Upon liberating the Temple of Jerusalem, they went to work cleaning the Temple and preparing it for rededication. Unfortunately, they were only able to find enough consecrated oil to kindle the Temple’s eternal flame for a single day. In spite of this, a miracle occurred and the oil kept the Temple lit for eight days. When I think of the miracle of Hanukkah, it is a reminder to me of just how precious our freedom is. As with the sacrifices made by the Maccabees, every generation must fight against the darkness so that freedom may enjoy new light. I want to wish all of our friends in Nebraska’s Second Congressional District and throughout the world a Happy Hanukkah!
PAID FOR BY DON BACON FOR CONGRESS
The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | B3
Happy Hanukkah
Millie Altman
Continued from page B1 Bailen-Scott shares her brother’s sentiments. “I’d have big slumber parties and Mom was like one of the girls, except she would be making popcorn, curly fries, chocolate chip cookies and big breakfasts! She’s always been generous of spirit, showing her love through actions and feeding people.” Millie’s children loved taking yearly fishing trips to Minnesota. They would leave at night, after Sam closed the store. Millie would have baskets of fried chicken in the front seat, joking that they’d find their way back following a Above from left: Millie’s high trail of chicken bones. school portrait; Millie’s first Lewis recalls his mother Husband, Sam Bailen and Milwould, “usually sit on the lie and sister Ida; right: Millie dock with a small pole and and family (The Sioux City bobber catching little pan Plotkins). fish. One year, Dad took her to Canada for some ‘real fishing’ where she caught the first and biggest fish of the trip: “A 30-pound Northern Pike that nearly yanked her out of the boat!” “There weren’t many Jews living around Denison. There was no synagogue nearby, so my sister taught the kids Hebrew at home. We’d spend holidays together or go visit friends and family,” recalls Millie. Daughter Sandra explains: “Being a Jewish kid in a small rural town was especially challenging during Christmas. In third grade, I dragged the Christmas tree from my classroom down the hill to our house, intent on putting it up. While amused, my mother made me drag it all the way back to school and put it back properly. Mom always had a very strong need for order and was true to who she was; she taught us the importance of doing the morally right thing. She made sure we celebrated our Jewish holidays and made them extra special. “I loved preparing for the holi-
Happy Hanukkah!
OMAHA SURGICAL CENTER
days, especially baking”, explains Millie. “Until I was much older, I would make the Passover Seder at home. Finally my children insisted it was too much and started hosting
from the LOVE Board
League Offering Volunteers for the Elderly
Light your Hanukkah with LOVE by sending a LOVE tribute card
The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Auxiliary
Available from Sabine Strong 402-334-6519
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B4 | The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017
Outstanding yomtov of the year
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Bert Lewis For many years, Bert Lewis wrote a column for the Jewish Press. The Hanukkahthemed one reprinted here was first published Dec. 8, 1989, accompanied by a drawing of some dreidels and, of course, Bert’s smiling face. Hanukkah? Or perhaps you prefer Chanuka? No matter how you spell it, the important thing is to know about it. To have an appreciation for a happy holiday. Of course, it is not without some arguments now and then— or maybe I should say: difference of opinion. This is the one holiday which really calls attention to the business of Jewish celebrations coinciding with non-Jewish. It isn’t anything we’re going to discuss here, however. Let’s just be friendly and talk about Chanuka (my preferred spelling). Let’s begin with buying gifts, or with the idea of gift exchange. I’ve probably told you this in past years, but when I was a little kid, I mostly remember Chanuka “gelt” being the present. In time, I recall getting certain clothing items (which I happened to need anyway) as gifts. It was fun because they were wrapped in tissue and tied with those curly paper ribbons. As I grew up and had a family of my own, the holiday seemed to change a bit. No, the holiday didn’t change—our observance changed. In some houses our children noticed gifts were given on each night of the holiday. In our house, they each got a gift on the first night. Period. Of course, there were other presents from grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends, etc. These were often distributed as the candles were added nightly. As a result of our habit there was a certain amount of “How come we don’t get something from you every night?” As I look back, I can only conclude our practice didn’t cause any lasting damage. And being a stubborn woman I probably wouldn’t do it any differently now if I were just raising kids. Anyway, that’s a small part of Chanuka. Only when one of my grown children asked for a menorah (as a gift suggestion) did I realize how the lighting of the nightly candles pleased them. When this same
young woman said she’d like a new one (hers had broken), she said it ought to be brass and have a music mechanism which played Hatikvah. This, of course, describes the one we used to have when the kids were all little. So they do absorb some of what we spill all over them in the way of tradition and custom. No matter what kind of adults they become, no matter how much they seem not to practice what we preached, they do,
in fact, file this stuff away and bring it out eventually. I can only hope my kids were exposed to enough material to have a good store. I hope in our home they saw good examples to always remember. If not, I hope they can recall the many celebrations of Jewish custom and tradition at the home of their grandparents. If we were remiss, certainly the older generation wasn’t. So what’s it all about, this holiday? I’ll leave it to others to tell a biblical story. To me, it’s a happy time, a family time. A reason to gather everybody together, whether a gift exchange is a big deal or not. Of course, it’s always fun to both give and receive a token of friendship or affection (or both) but the being together is, to me, really important. And this year I’m looking forward to this happy holiday. This year (although my roommate and I don’t usually exchange bigdeal presents) I’m anticipating the best gift anyone ever gave me. My youngest, together with her husband and our youngest grandchild, are going to be here for the first few candle lightings. It’s been a very long time since we had the pleasure of watching a pitzel respond to the candles and commotion. So that’s why Chanuka/Hanukkah is going to take the prize for outstanding yomtov of the year—at least at our house!
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The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | B5
community Hanukkah happenings at Beth Israel: Toy drive, carnival and more!
Continued from page B2 housing, and even jobs for the pantry “customers”. Chabad will go the extra mile on behalf of anyone in need.” Joanie Jacobson is proud to be part of Chabad’s Food Pantry volunteer base and commends them for the good they do throughout Omaha. “For many years, Chabad’s Food Pantry has been a tremendous source of pride for the Jewish community and a source of blessing for those who benefit throughout the city. Pantry volunteers can work for an hour or for a day, scheduling is flexible. What a mitzvah, to feed the hungry, and what a debasing and devastating thing... to be hungry. It’s meaningful work in a warm and welcoming environment and the reward is great!” For Cheryl Lerner, helping run the pantry gives her comfort. “I can directly help those in need. I hate simply observing suffering in the community, and I want to take action and instill hope in others.” Julie Phillips agrees and feels fortunate “to be able to give time to the Chabad Food Pantry. In this stressful political climate, volunteering at the pantry enables me to feel like I can do something positive that makes a difference in our community.” Volunteering for the Chabad Food Pantry is easy and flexible. There are jobs of all ability levels including: stocking shelves, intake and inkeep, office work, small and large donation pick up, heavy lifting and meeting clients. Volunteers can work once or as often as they’d like. If you are interested in making a donation of food, money or time OR if you need assistance yourself, please contact the Chabad Food Pantry at 402.957.2705 or foodpantry@ochabad.com. The Chabad Food Pantry is located on the lower level of the Chabad house and is open by appointment. The Katzman family wants everyone to know that “Chabad is here to help anyone — it could be you, your neighbor or a co-worker. We are confidential and work very hard to welcome those who need us with dignity.”
Happy Hanukkah
Mary Sue GroSSMan Executive Director, Beth Israel eth Israel Synagogue will be brimming with special happenings in December to celebrate Hanukkah which begins the evening of Dec. 12. • Help bring special light to a seriously ill child by being a part of Beth Israel’s Hanukkah Toy Drive for Chai Lifeline. Chai Lifeline, an organization in which Rabbi Ari Dembitzer has been involved for years, strives to find ways to bring joy to the lives of seriously ill children. They provide unparalleled support throughout a child’s illness, recovery and beyond through creative, innovative, and effective family-centered programs, activities and services. Of special significance is the dedication of the toy drive to Arianna Dougan. Arianna, who was scheduled to visit Omaha as part of last month’s Project Dreamland weekend at Beth Israel, lost her eight-year battle against cancer on Nov. 11. Chai Lifeline and Camp Simcha were a constant presence in the Arianna’s life. Having donations made in Arianna’s memory is a wonderful tribute to her continual zest for life. Donated toys – new toys only, please! - will be distributed to patients and their siblings throughout the year. Don’t want to fight the crowds in the stores? Just click on the Amazon link at orthodoxomaha.org and have your gift shipped directly to the synagogue. A suggested toy list will be available. Toys accepted through Sunday, Dec. 19. • As you make those last preparations for Hanukkah, make a stop at the Beth Israel Sisterhood Gift Shop to see the wide variety of Hanukkah decorations, books, games, menorahs, candles and more. The gift shop is open during regular office hours, Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. • On Thursday, Dec. 14, the focus of Rabbi Ari Dembitzer’s weekly Women’s Class will be “True Light.” When
asked for a descriptor, Rabbi Ari said he will be asking the question “Why do we use candles when we have florescent and LED lights?” No doubt it will be a great discussion and everyone – women and men – are welcome to join. • Next up, following Shabbat services on Saturday, Dec. 16, enjoy a delicious Hanukkah lunch prepared by Nancy Mattly that will feature brisket, potato kugel, tossed salad, cranberry relish and apple sauce. The cost is $12 for adults, $6 for children three-12 years, and free for those under three. Reservations are needed by Tuesday, Dec. 12. Register at orthodoxomaha.org or call 402.556.6288. • It’s then time for the annual Beth Israel Hanukkah Carnival on Sunday, Dec. 17 from 4-5:30 p.m. A part of the Jewish Youth Experience at Beth Israel – JYE BI - event planners include Tippi Denenberg, Stephanie Beneda, Faige Jeidel, Rabbi Shlomo Abramovich, Sarah Abrahamson, Rabbi Ari Dembitzer, and Yaakov Jeidel. The carnival will have fun for kids of all ages including a bounce house, games, prizes, and crafts. New this year is the “Hummusiya Experience” giving everyone the chance to make their own hummus. Other refreshments will include pita, fresh veggies and fruit. Everyone is also asked to bring menorahs for a group candle lighting at 4:45 p.m. “The Hanukkah Carnival will be a great family outing,” shared Tippi Denenberg. “In addition to the carnival games, bounce house, and yummy refreshments, there will be an interactive ‘Jeopardy’ type competition, dreidel contests, and more. Thanks to our great sponsors, the event is free and open to the community,” she added. “We hope there will be a full house to enjoy the fun.” she added. Reservations are requested to assure sufficient food and prizes will be prepared. Register at orthodoxomaha.org or call 402.556.6288. For additional information on Hanukkah happenings at Beth Israel, please call the synagogue office at 402.556.6288.
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B6 | The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017
hanukkah Canada issues first Hanukkah postage stamp
MONTREAL | JTA Canada issued its first Hanukkah stamp in its official mail carrier’s 150-year-history. Described as part of an initiative to highlight the nation’s cultural diversity, the stamps from Canada Post feature two colorful geometric designs: of dreidels and the menorah. Each pattern also has an online explanation of their relevance to the holiday. They are arriving three weeks before the first candle is lit. “In offering the great products, Canada Post is enabling our community to share the beauty and inspiration of Hanukkah with all Canadians,” said Shimon Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. Canada Post made an initial issue of 3 million Hanukkah stamps and has indicated that if trial-run sales go well, it will make more over the next few years and eventually add new designs. As part of the diversity initiative, Canada Post also issued stamps for the Muslim festival of Eid and Hindu holiday of Dawali. Since 1964 and until this year, it had issued only Christmas stamps.
Blue crinkle cookies: Recipe for Hanukkah rachel kor The Nosher via JTA n many homes, there is a tradition to bake Hanukkah cookies this time of year. Whether it’s the sugar and butter mixing in the mixer, the blue and white sprinkles, or the festive menorah cookie cutters, there is something about cookie baking that propels us Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup oil 2 large eggs 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste, or pure vanilla extract Blue food coloring 1 cup powdered sugar, for coating Directions: Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the sugar and oil together for 2 to 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, and then add the vanilla. Mix until combined. Add the blue food coloring, until the desired color is achieved. Slowly add in the flour mixture, and mix until fully combined. Empty the dough onto a clean and floured surface. Form the dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
into the holiday spirit. This year, I wanted a new Hanukkah cookie to share with family and friends. Although I love the classic sugar cookie with sprinkles, sometimes it’s nice to have a really easy and delicious cookie with limited frills and fuss. These blue crinkle cookies fit the bill perfectly. They are the delicious, soft and chewy cookies we adore, with
blue coloring for Hanukkah. Rachel Kor is the author, recipe developer, designer, and photographer behind her blog at rachelkor.com. The Nosher food blog offers a dazzling array of new and classic Jewish recipes and food news, from Europe to Yemen, from challah to shakshuka and beyond. Check it out at www.TheNosher.com.
Blue crinkle cookies
Place the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Set aside. Unwrap the chilled dough. Using your hands, roll 1-inch balls. If the dough gets sticky, add powdered sugar to the palm of your hands when rolling. Then, roll the dough balls in the bowl of powdered sugar, making
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sure they are completely and generously coated. Place them on the prepared baking sheets, two inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | B7
Here are eight new children’s books for Hanukkah Penny Schwartz BOSTON | JTA Move over, potato latkes. Make room for dosas. The savory fried Indian lentil and rice pancakes take center stage in Queen of the Dosas, a gem of a new Hanukkah book by the award-winning children’s writer Pamela Ehrenberg. It’s among eight new Hanukkah books for kids -one for each night of the holiday -- sure to kindle the flames of imagination in young readers. The bounty of this season’s books travel the globe, from city life to wooded forests, with engaging – and many humorous – stories and dazzling illustrations that reflect the diversity in how Jewish families celebrate the popular holiday. Old World traditions mix it up with new rituals taking root in today’s modern American Jewish families. These new reads showcase the many ways Jewish families from all walks of life celebrate the Festival of Lights, which this year begins on the evening of Dec. 12. way too Many Latkes: a hanukkah in chelm Linda Glaser; illustrated by Aleksandar Zolotic Kar-Ben; ages 3-8 Oy vey! It’s the first night of Hanukkah and Faigel, the best latke maker in the village of Chelm, forgot the recipe for her mouth-watering, sizzling potato pancakes, the traditional fried food eaten during the holiday’s celebrations. Her husband, Shmuel, races over to the village rabbi for advice. But what does the rabbi know about making latkes? This ticklishly fun adventure, set in the fictional Old World town of Chelm -- the source of enduring Jewish storytelling -will have kids laughing as they wonder how Faigel and Shmuel solve their problem. Aleksandar Zolotic’s large format, animation-style illustrations are perfectly paired for the lively story, which echoes the classic
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Strega Nona stories by Tomie dePaola about magical pots of pasta. Little red ruthie: a hanukkah tale Gloria Koster; illustrated by Sue Eastland Albert Whitman; ages 4-8 This uplifting spin on Little Red Riding Hood features a spirited young girl named Ruthie setting off on the eve of Hanukkah to visit her bubbe, Yiddish for grandmother, so they can cook up potato latkes for the holiday. In the snowpacked forest Ruthie, bundled up in a bright red hooded parka, meets a not overly menacing-looking wolf. Ruthie summons her courage and smarts as she recalls the brave Maccabee heroes of Hanukkah who fought for religious freedom for the Jews in ancient Israel. But will Ruthie’s clever schemes outsmart the hungry but foolish wolf, who has fun dressing up in bubbe’s colorful clothing? This is a perfect read-aloud for those wintry Hanukkah nights, and Sue Eastland’s bright and humorous illustrations bring the warmhearted story to life. Queen of the hanukkah Dosas Pamela Ehrenberg; illustrated by Anjar Sarkar Farrar Straus Giroux; ages 4-7 In this humor-filled tale, an endearing school-age boy in a multicultural IndianJewish family can hardly contain his enthusiasm for his family’s special Hanukkah celebration of making dosas, Indian fried pancakes made with lentils, called dal, and rice. But his younger sister, Sadie, who can’t resist her urge to climb on everything, may spoil the fun. Anjar Sarkar’s colorful, cartoon-like illustrations add giggles and put readers in on the action. The end pages are embellished with illustrations of Indian groceries, chutneys See children’s books page B9
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Jewish Bow Tie Cookies: An old world treat of fried dough
Ronnie Fein The Nosher via JTA y mother was a first-class baker, and there were always homemade goodies for dessert at our house. So when I went away to college and needed a nosh to remind me of home, I went to a nearby bakery for a little something. It was mostly good: Chinese cookies, hamantaschen, babka. But the kichels? Not so much. Not only were my mother’s kichels world class and nearly impossible to top, but what the bakery called kichel wasn’t at all what I was used to. Bakery kichels, as I learned, are thick, bow tieshaped pastries that are sometimes sprinkled with sugar. They can be crumbly and dry, or hard and dry, depending on the bakery. They are the kind of cookie a kid, especially one who’s homesick, would never choose. Especially a kid whose mother made
world-class kichels. Here’s why my mom’s kichels were so amazing: They were soft and crispy at the same time, and they would melt in your mouth before you even had a chance to chew or even realize they were on your tongue. They were paper thin but developed air bubbles that were fun to pop with my front teeth, especially because a feathery dusting of confectioners’ sugar would fall from the top of the bubble into the crevice and give a faint but definite sweet to all parts. We didn’t need milk to dunk and soften these kichels. They were as light as a helium balloon; fried (it is Hanukkah, after all) but never greasy, sugar sprinkled but never cloying. The big trick for fabulous kichels is rolling the dough as thin as possible. It takes some time and patience, but the result — crispy, puffy, delightfully light cookies with just a sprinkle of sifted confectioners’ sugar — is so worth it.
Jewish Bow Tie Cookies
Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/8 tsp. salt 2 large eggs, beaten 1/4 tsp. white vinegar Vegetable oil for deep frying Confectioners’ sugar Directions: Place the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the beaten eggs and vinegar and mix thoroughly until a smooth dough has formed (you can use an electric mixer or food processor). Let the dough rest, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 30 minutes. Roll out portions of the dough on a lightly floured surface until the dough is very thin, almost like paper. Cut the dough into squares or rectangles or odd shapes.
Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep saute pan (or use a deep fryer) over medium-high heat until the oil reaches about 375 F. (a bread crumb or tiny piece of dough will sizzle quickly when you drop it into the oil). Drop the cutouts, a few at a time, into the oil (they will puff up) Credit: Ronnie Fein and cook briefly on both sides until they are crispy and faintly browned. Drain on paper towels. Sift confectioners’ sugar on top. Makes 30.
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Judah Maccabee went to the doctor. Then the anti-vaxxers got very mad. ViCTor WiSHnA JTA Like any self-respecting author, Ann D. Koffsky checks her Amazon rankings on a regular basis. “A little bit ridiculously,” she acknowledged. Yet when she noticed the rating for her most recent book had dropped to one-star overnight, it wasn’t so funny — especially once she started reading the user reviews. “This book is filled with lies,” claimed one. “Very upsetting,” said another. “Utter propaganda...” began the next. Soon the “review war,” as Koffsky called it, spilled over onto her personal Facebook page. “I think my favorite comment was the one questioning my mental state,” said Koffsky, who has written more than 30 books for children. Yes, the target of all this rage is a children’s picture book, Koffsky’s latest, published just in time for Hanukkah. Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor: A Story for Hanukkah is about a young boy named Judah who — spoiler alert! — goes to the doctor. With cheerful illustrations by Talitha Shipman, Koffsky’s story follows Judah as he learns to channel the bravery of his Maccabee namesake and get a scary booster shot, thus protecting his little sister, Hannah, who is too young to be vaccinated. “We didn’t do this in order to run into a debate,” said Vicki Weber, a partner at Behrman House, the 96-year-old educational publisher that released the book under its Apples & Honey imprint. “We like to use Jewish life and Jewish views to tell stories that are different, and we thought this was a really interesting way to show courage in a small child.” Yet the book has drawn ire from what is known as the anti-vaxxer movement — an impassioned, small but growing group that believes vaccinations pose dangerous risks, such as a long-discredited link to autism. In addition to the barrage of negative reviews on Amazon, antivaxxers have attacked Koffsky personally on her Instagram account. “Your book is a brainwashing story by a mental author,” one commenter wrote. “You’ll be held responsible for all the damages these vaccines caused to innocent children as a result of your book.” Weber feels for Koffsky, who also works as an editor and art director at Behrman House. But at the same time she’s ready to stand her ground.
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“I’m not glad that somebody is saying these kinds of miserable things about a colleague and friend of mine — there’s no place for that,” Weber said. “But part of me wants to say ‘bring it on... as long as you spell the title of the book correctly.’” Koffsky told JTA that she was not surprised by the negative response, though a bit startled by its ferocity. “I’m sure there are people who have thoughtfully considered that vaccinations are not for their children for some reason, and I disagree with them and I don’t think the science supports them,” she said. “Those are not the people who posted reviews.” What upsets her, she explained, and what prompted her to write the book in the first place, is how some parents use Judaism to justify their stance against immunization. The idea came to her early last year, when she became aware that some Jewish day school parents — Koffsky is one at a day school near her home in West Hempstead, New York — were opting out of vaccinations on religious grounds. “It’s one thing to say you don’t want to vaccinate your kids because you have insane beliefs,” said Koffsky, a mother s of three. “But to say ‘and I bees Pr y ne Ho Credit: Apples & lieve this way because of the Torah’ just drove me crazy. I was really angry because I felt it was such a distortion of Jewish values.” For the record, the safety and effectiveness of childhood vaccines is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the overwhelming majority of medical professionals based on dozens of studies involving millions of children. And while some haredi Orthodox rabbis have made news for railing against vaccines, there is a large pro-vaccine consensus in the Jewish world as well. The Orthodox Union and Rabbinical Council of America have strongly called on all Jewish parents to vaccinate their children according to the timetable recommended by their pediatricians, as has the haredi Agudas Harabonim-Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada. “Halachically, a person is obligated to follow the doctor’s opinion, especially in matters pertaining to vaccines and other forms of medicine which prevent illnesses and death,” wrote Rabbi Sholom Shuchat, a deciser for Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis worldwide, adding that in the Torah, “when someone does an action which can cause death, or even refuses to do an action which can prevent death, he is compared to a murderer.” See Judah Maccabee page B11
The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | B9
hanukkah Children’s books
Continued from page B7 and spices that will tempt the family foodies. Recipes for Dosas and Sambar, a vegetable-based filling or dip for the dosas, are included. The Missing Letters: A Dreidel Story Renee Londner; illustrated by Iryna Bodnaruk Kar-Ben; ages 4-9 Wooden dreidels come to life in this heartwarming page turner. On the eve of Hanukkah, in a dreidel maker’s shop, there are some bad feelings among the Hebrew letters painted on the four-sided spinning toy. The nun, hey and shin are jealous of the gimel, considered the favorite letter in the game of chance, and decide to hide all of them. But later they overhear the dreidel maker explain that all the letters play a special role in celebrating Hanukkah, a holiday of religious freedom. Among Iryna Bodnaruk’s animated illustrations is a double-page spread that is like a puzzle; kids can follow clues to find where the gimels have been hidden. Hanukkah Harvie vs. Santa Claus: The Christmukkah Kerfuffle David Michael Slater; illustrated by Michelle Simpson Library Tales Publishing; ages 5-8 On the first night of Hanukkah, Hanukkah Harvie oils up his steampunk-like machinery to produce all the gifts he needs and climbs aboard his flying Hanukkopter to deliver eight nights of presents to children. Placing one family’s presents next to their Hanukkah menorah, Harvie bumps into a red-suited jolly Santa Claus piling gifts under their Christmas tree. Harvey and Santa go on to discover some other homes with both menorahs and Christmas trees and get into a rollicking present-giving competition, out to prove that their holiday is the best. See Children’s books page B10
Children’s books
B10 | The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017
hanukkah Finding meaning in darkness
t is no coincidence that the Festival of Lights occurs at the darkest time of the year. Everyone understands that our candles help us through a very dark time. What is less known is a certain Jewish mystical teaching that puts darkness itself in a helpful light. The teaching is based on a theo- TEDDY logical principle that says that any- WEINBERGER thing in existence, except for God, is a creation of God. The proof-text is the opening phrase of the Bible: “In the beginning, God created.” According to the teaching, everything following those first few words is a creation of God. And so when we read in the second verse that there was “darkness over the surface of the deep,” it is to be understood that God created darkness. In turn, since God is all-good, it is also to be understood that there must be good in darkness; i.e., darkness must have value in and of itself and should not be thought of primarily as the absence of light. This whole mystical concept is fortuitously called (from the perspective of someone writing a Hanukah column!!) “the candle of darkness.” “The Candle of Darkness” is a founding principle of an organization called Life’s Door, founded by my childhood friend Dr. Ben Corn, head of oncology at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. According to its website, Life’s Door “promotes and incorporates quality of life as a crucial tool in the medical treatment and care of people coping with serious illness and the elderly.” Both Dr. Corn and Life’s Door were very helpful to me and my family when my son Ezra was being treated for cancer seven years ago. Though cancer has been called “the Great Darkness,” Dr. Corn says that “almost every dark entity can become a candle of sorts, if we succeed in unleashing its po-
tential for good.” According to Dr. Corn, “by expending appropriate effort during times of hardship, we can recruit meaningful forces in our lives. If we mine those resources, then purposefulness can ensue. Ironically, darkness has the potential to infuse our existence with new light.” How to apply the Candle of Darkness to one’s own life? I’ll go first. As with a number of my important life-lessons, this one also comes from the world of tennis. Unfortunately, I was raised to expect the worst possible outcomes in life—that way if the worst happens I won’t be surprised and this will somehow soften the blow. I thus have a strong internal voice that prepares me for the worst. Needless to say, when you are about to hit a second serve, you probably don’t want to hear a voice that is expecting the worst. So that’s a darkness for me. Now here is how I try to make a candle of it. In the ritual I go through before I hit the second serve, I address the voice that is preparing me for a double-fault by thinking (extremely quickly): Welcome back; I was expecting you. It’s kind of you to worry about me. I understand that you want to protect me and that this is the way you know how to love. I appreciate your voice and thank you for it, but I’m afraid that it is not so helpful to me now—so I’m going to put it aside and envision a more positive result. Okay, now it’s your turn. As you light the Hanukah candles this year, can you identify your darkness and try to see how it can be helpful?? In the words of Dr. Corn: “Do we dare to view darkness as an abstract symbol for our many human struggles? Could it be that our challenge is not to eradicate darkness but to harness its inspiring aspects in order to reclaim meaning in our lives?” Teddy Weinberger made aliyah in 1997 with his wife, former Omahan Sarah Ross, and their five children. Their oldest four, Nathan, Rebecca, Ruthie and Ezra are veterans of the Israel Defense Forces; Weinberger can be reached at weinross@netvision.net.il.
Continued from page B7 A young girl who spies them in action puts the quarreling pair to shame, and let’s them in on the joy of celebrating the two holidays happening at about the same time each year -- thus the Christmukkah mashup. Michelle Simpson’s colorful and playful animation-like illustrations match the story’s spirited humor. Books for toddlers: The Itsy Bitsy Dreidel Jeffrey Burton and Chani Tornow; illustrated by Sanja Rescek Simon and Schuster; ages 2-4 A delightful read-aloud board book for the youngest kids who will enjoy the playful rhymes as the lively little dreidel celebrates Hanukkah. This is the latest in the upbeat Itsy Bitsy board book series that includes the Itsy Bitsy Pilgrim, the Itsy Bitsy Snowman, and others. Grover’s Eight Nights of Light Jodie Shepherd; illustrated by Joe Mathieu Random House for Young Readers; ages 2-5 Young fans of Sesame Street enjoy a Hanukkah party at Grover’s house along with their favorite Sesame Street characters. The book features lighting the menorah, eating latkes and playing dreidel. Stickers, Hanukkah cards and a poster with a Hanukkah party game are included. And a book for teens: Spies & Scholars Yehudis Litvak Jewish Children’s Book Club; grades 7-8 Spies and Scholars is the latest entry in the Hanukkah-themed series – the first was Swords and Scrolls. The historical fiction adventure is set during the reign of the Greek King Antiochus in ancient Israel where the Maccabees are fighting the Greeks. The 200-page teen read is geared to Orthodox Jewish teen readers and published by Jewish Children’s Book Club in conjunction with Torah Umesorah-National Society for Hebrew Day Schools.
Wishing the Omaha community
Happy Hanukkah from
Karoline S. Anderson | John Andresen | Marie Belin Thomas M. Byrne | Kimberly Christner | Michael D. Cohen Kurt A. Davey | Mary C. Dek | Elizabeth Larson | Patrick J. Steinauer 18018 Burke St. | Omaha, NE 68022 | Corner of 180th and Burke | 402.573.7337 5018 Underwood Ave. | Omaha NE 68132 | Corner of 49th and Underwood Ave | 402.991.5678
The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | B11
Best forapa pHappy Best W isheWishes s for a H y, HeaHanukkah! lthy New Year! from
Judah Maccabee Continued from page B9 Dr. Akiva Turner, director of the doctoral program in health science at Nova Southeastern University and former communicable disease director for the Broward County Health Department — and an ordained Orthodox rabbi — researches religion and health. He points out that while people often separate science from religion, major rabbinical authorities have relied on medical science when making their rulings. Therefore, he explained, those Jewish parents who claim a religious objection are not so different than secular anti-vaxxers. “If they’re asking for an exemption [on religious grounds] — I don’t know any other way to put it — they are erring on the science that’s being used by these rabbinic authorities, who all say that you should get your child vaccinated,” Turner said. Nevertheless, there is a noticeable decline in vaccination rates in some religious Jewish communities and a rise in exemptions at certain Jewish day schools. A measles outbreak in Los Angeles earlier this year centered on the Orthodox Jewish community, and a 2015 wave of pertussis, or whooping cough, appeared in the Brooklyn haredi Orthodox communities of Williamsburg and Borough Park. “About 90 percent of the cases are among people who are unvaccinated,” Turner said of the outbreaks. Neither Koffsky nor Weber said they expect the book to change the minds of hardened anti-vaxxers.
Arnie Anne Anne Andand Arnie Weitz
ARNOLD WEITZ & CO. AN INDEPENDENT REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISOR Rather, Koffsky hopes to reassure parents who are vaccinating. “It’s just a picture book,” she said, “but I want to make them feel good about their choice and communicate that to their kids.” The kerfuffle has brought the book beyond readers in the Jewish community. After the first wave of negative online reviews, Koffsky said she rallied her friends to post reviews in order to get the ratings back up — and the effort spread far beyond her contacts. “We are Catholic and not Jewish, but the book is still great for us,” one five-star reviewer wrote. “It lets [our son] see that others hold the same values as important.” A handful of pro-vaccine and science-focused websites — usually not a popular forum for critiquing children’s Hanukkah books — have weighed in. A reviewer who blogs as The Vaccine Mom praised Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor as a needed addition to family dialogue and wrote that her young daughter “thought the Hanukkah story was very interesting. We learned something new!” Koffsky added she is proud that the message of the book — its Amazon rating is back above four stars — has reached a wider audience than expected. “It feels like kiddush Hashem [sanctifying God],” she said. “These are Jewish values, and these are universal values, and it feels good to be part of that conversation.”
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Shucks Fish House & Oyster Bar
community The Dundee Dell
Did you know the Dell has been around since 1934? It is possibly the oldest restaurant and bar in Omaha, with the recent closings of Omaha landmarks such as the Bohemian Café, Piccolo’s, and others. In 82 years, there have been several owners, most recently Greg Lindberg, who bought the Dell from Pat Gobel, who owned it for 27 years. Coincidentally, Gobel bought the business from Neill Everitt, who also had the Dell for 27 years. Lindberg thinks he has a shot at 27 years himself. Famous for Fish and Chips for decades, that recipe continues to this day, and is considered sacred. Since The Dundee Dell is now in the Absolutely Fresh family, a few additional seafood dishes have been added to the menu: Faroe Islands Salmon, Peel ‘n Eat Shrimp, and the MacHaddie (haddock – quite similar to cod – with a very thin breading). Pat Gobel, before he handed the baton to Lindberg, had this to say: The Dell is unique. It has its own vibe. It is a pub in the style of pubs in the British Isles. In the small villages and hamlets there, everyone gathers at the pub. Their homes were traditionally too small to gather in. So, the pub. The smallest child, the oldest person, and everyone in between. No matter what your background or income level or your education, you are welcome at the pub. It is where you go to be yourself and be with other people; not virtually but really. This is what the Dell is about. Lindberg is proud to be able to say that 29 of the 31 Dell employees are still around, after the change of ownership.
“I swore I would never get into the restaurant business,” Greg Lindberg said many times. “So many restaurants have gone broke owing us money. And it’s an endless amount of work. You’re just never done!” Lindberg, owner and founder of Absolutely Fresh Seafood Company, distributors of seafood to over 300 restaurants and clubs in the area, nonetheless found himself starting Shucks Fish House in 2006. Because of customer demand, Absolutely Fresh Seafood Market began serving soups, salads and sandwiches for lunch; on 4 tables next to the fish counter at 119th and Pacific. “Back in the day, when I was looking for seafood
on the Gulf Coast, I would be killing time waiting for a boat to come in, and I would hang out in these seafood shacks instead of holing up in the Motel 6,” said Lindberg. “I never dreamed that someday I would make my own seafood shack in Omaha.” From the very old barn wood (they call it ‘wharf’ wood) on the walls, to the straightforward recipes, to the oh-so-casual ambiance, Shucks is a tribute to the many establishments Lindberg frequented in Louisiana, as well as in New England, Florida and the West Coast. “We have the very thinnest breading possible,” Lindberg said. “Never have I seen any thinner. When we started the Luncheonette in 2003, with Chef Claude
Hampton, we did not have a fryer. No fried fish, no french fries. I was trying to create a very healthy place to have lunch.” “That was one of the biggest of my many, many mistakes,” Lindberg said. And he explained that people love fried food but not the calories. To that end, they purchased a fryer and started experimenting with the thinnest breading possible. That resulted in what Shucks touts as “the thinnest breading in town.” Today, Shucks’ three locations each boast its own chef and long-term staff, and has been voted Best of Omaha for the last seven years.
The story of Absolutely Fresh Seafood Company: since 1979, Lindberg began bringing fresh seafood to Nebraska and Iowa, selling off the back of a refrigerated truck. He moved ‘inside,’ at the request of the Douglas County Health Department and never looked back. 1727 Leavenworth was the site of the first Absolutely Fresh fish market, as well as the emerging wholesale seafood operation, opening there in 1982. In 2002, Absolutely Fresh retail market merged with Sherm’s Seafood, and then moved completely to that location, at 1218 South 119th Street.
Today, Absolutely Fresh consists of the market at 119th and Pacific plus the wholesale division (the Mother Ship) still at 18th and Leavenworth. Selling to over 300 restaurants, hotels, casinos and clubs in the Omaha, Lincoln and Des Moines areas, fresh fish is flown in several times each day. The fish market has expanded from a few gulf seafood offerings (shrimp, crab, oysters, flounder, red snapper) into a thriving market featuring fresh and frozen seafood from around the world. The selection on any given day can include crab legs from Alaska, lobster from Maine, salmon from the Faroe
Islands off Scotland, shrimp from Louisiana, mussels from Massachusetts, oysters from New England, and fish from Central and South America. Absolutely Fresh has long been famous for homemade cocktail sauce, freshly steamed shrimp and fresh smoked salmon. Prepared dishes, such as Seafood Enchiladas, are quickly becoming a significant part of the business. Also, fresh baguettes are delivered from Le Quartier daily. Grab-and-go items, like sausages and cheese abound, as well as a wide variety of wine and beer.
Café Café occupied the space where Bailey’s is now, for about 25 years, under four different owners. When it suddenly closed, Greg Lindberg decided to take a chance on the breakfast business. “On a Tuesday noon, when the parking lot should have been busy, it was deserted. A sign on the door explained that Café Café was closed, and it was ‘just another Omaha statistic.’ That really got to me,” said Lindberg. The casinos had moved in, along with chain restaurants, and he was concerned about the loss of identity of Omaha as a result.
“We thought we could throw up a little paint, fix up some of the kitchen equipment, and be in the breakfast and lunch business,” said Lindberg. “Then I proceeded to lose a few hundred thousand dollars in the next 18 months, doing a complete remodel and then not having enough customers coming in” he said, smiling. After the third year, the school of hard knocks started paying off, and Bailey’s has been profitable ever since. Karen Bauermeister, who with other staff, started in 2007, even before Bailey’s was open, left in 2013
to open Over Easy. Lindberg and staff are delighted that she returned in January of this year to retake the helm. Bailey’s claims to have the best bacon in town. “It ain’t rocket science,” says Lindberg, “we just buy the best, thickest, meatiest bacon on the market. You should try it.” Best sellers include six variations of Eggs Benedict, Chicken Fried Steak, coffee cake, and salmon salad. The lunch menu also includes sandwiches, soups and several salads. Breakfast is served all day, and house made corned beef hash is available Fridays through Sundays.
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The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | C1
section3
HANUKKAH
It’s always Hanukkah in this picture-perfect Italian town RutH EllEn GRubER CASALE MONFERRATO, Italy | JTA t’s always Hanukkah in this picturesque town in northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Jews have lived in Casale Monferrato for more than 500 years, with the community reaching its peak of 850 members at about the time Jews here were granted civil rights in 1848. The town still boasts one of Italy’s most ornate synagogues, a rococo gem that dates to the 16th century. These days, only two Jewish families live in Casale. The synagogue, which is part of a larger museum complex, is now a major tourist attraction – and not only because of its opulent sanctuary with huge chandeliers, colorfully painted walls and lots of gilding. The former women’s section has been transformed into a Judaica and Jewish history museum. And the synagogue’s basement, formerly a matzah bakery, is now home to the Museum of Lights. Hanukkah here is commemorated nonstop with a year-round exhibit featuring dozens of menorahs, or hanukkiyot, created by international contemporary artists.
An inside view of the synagogue in Casale Monferrato, Italy, which dates to the 16th century. Credit: Wikimedia Commons The collection has some 185 menorahs, according to Adriana Ottolenghi, whose husband, Giorgio, has been president of Casale’s Jewish community since the 1950s. There is no other museum in the world quite like it. “We receive more every year, and each year at Hanukkah there is a public ceremony, where we light menorahs and welcome the new pieces,” she said.
Only 30 to 40 can be displayed at a time in the vaulted underground chambers. The only time the collection was shown in its entirety was at Casale’s centuries-old castle, part of an event connected to the 2015 Milan Expo. The Museum of Lights’ hanukkiyot come in an amazing variety of shapes, sizes, colors and media. Many resemble traditional menorahs: a straight line of candles
or a candelabra with eight branches, with a ninth branch for the “shamash” candle used to kindle them. Some of the menorahs can be lighted and used on the holiday. But other menorahs on display are more fanciful sculptural works created from the likes of metal, ceramic, plexiglass and wood. “Artists were given a completely free rein to create a functional object or a purely evocative one,” curator Maria Luisa Caffarelli wrote in the collection’s catalog. Each menorah is what designer Elio Carmi, who co-founded the collection in the mid-1990s with the non-Jewish artist Antonio Recalcati and other artist friends, describes as an “homage to the story of Hanukkah” and its message of the triumph of light over darkness. They conceived the project as a way to highlight Jewish culture as a source of artistic inspiration, promote creativity based in Jewish tradition and underscore the vitality of Jews in contemporary society. “The idea was born to show that Jews, though small in number, are determined,” said Carmi, who is the vice president of the Casale Jewish community, “and to use interpretations of the Hanukkah menorah to See It’s always Hanukkah page C2
C2 | The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017
hanukkah
A Jewish woman is competing to be Miss Germany
Josefin DolsTen my Jewish background and how it is to live JTA in Germany as a Jew,” she told The Post. A Jewish woman is among the 20 contestMorali was born in the German city of ants hoping to represent Germany in the Karlsruhe but grew up in Vienna, Austria, Miss Universe pageant. where she was active in the Jewish commuTamar Morali, 21, said organizers have nity. At 17, she spent a gap year in Israel, told her she is the and she is currently first Jewish woman to studying towards a get this far in the BA in communicaMiss Germany comtions and business petition. there, at the Interdis“I see my candiciplinary Center dacy not only as a Herzliya. personal achievement The beauty queen but as an achievehopeful, who said she ment for the State of is “proud to be a GerIsrael and for the Jewman Jew,” wants peoish people in the Diple to know that aspora – that in despite her country’s Germany, a country dark past, the Jewish with a very complex community is thrivhistory with regard to ing there today. Tamar Morali hopes to represent Germany in the the Jewish people, “They are not hidMiss Universe competition. there is the first Jewing – they are proud Credit: Tamar Morali via Instagram ish contestant for the to have survived and title,” she told The Jerusalem Post on Nov. 22. to have created such a big community. You Morali, who recently walked the runway [the Nazis] tried to destroy us, and we are at Vienna Fashion Week, said that both pag- still here and still have a voice and are even eant organizers and other contestants were cooperating with the Germans,” Morali said. curious about her Jewish background and On Nov. 26, Germans will cast their votes that reactions had been positive. online to decide which of the 20 contestants “They asked me a lot of questions about will compete in the Miss Germany finale.
Michael Halsted, MD
Peter Whitted, MD, JD Mark Emig, MD David Hanks, DO Teri Geist, OD Martin Mizener, MD Scott Greder, OD Mindy Dickinson, OD David Ingvoldstad, MD Jill Grennan, MD
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it’s always Hanukkah Continued from page C1 demonstrate, symbolically, the continuity of the community.” At Hanukkah, Jews light menorahs for eight days to recall the defeat by the Maccabees of Syrian tyrants in the second century BCE. According to legend, when the Maccabees reclaimed the Temple, the eternal light miraculously burned for eight days rather than the expected one, sym-
and then reached out to others for contributions. Other artists — Jews and non-Jews, mainly from Italy but also from other countries — soon began making their own menorahs and presenting them to the growing collection. All of the works are donated, most of them by the artists themselves. “It was like a chain of artists,” Carmi
Pictured left: This menorah is part of the year-round display at the Museum of lights, right, This is one of the nearly 200 menorahs at the Museum of lights in Casale Monferrato. Credit: Foundation for Jewish Art, History, and Culture at Casale Monferrato and in Eastern Piedmont - Onlus bolizing the survival of the Jewish people. Each menorah in the museum is a personal interpretation of the Festival of Lights and its symbolism. The Italian artist Stefano Della Porta, for example, used ceramics and steel to create a menorah that appears to be made from giant burnt matches. American-born artist Robert Carroll created his menorah from olive wood, red Verona granite and brass. It has a sinuous, trunk-like base that supports eight branches that open out like a flower, each supporting a candle. Carmi and his friends provided the first hanukkiyot for the project — Carmi’s was a silver-plated metal bar with small cups for the eight candles and the shamash —
said. “And well-known artists began to be attracted.” Among those is Arnaldo Pomodoro, one of Italy’s leading sculptors. His menorah, presented in 2013, is a horizontal metal girder that supports the nine candles and is decorated with abstract symbols. “I tried to bring out a series of abstract, imaginary signs to create a story that would connect, on a general level, with the idea of thought, experience and memory; without, however, wanting to enter into the multi-faceted complexities of the symbology of the Jewish world,” Pomodoro describes in the catalog. Ultimately, Carmi said, the Museum of Lights is about “Judaism, art and identity.”
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By becoming part of the past. This publication is available from ProQuest Information and Learning in one or more of the following ways:
My family celebrated Hanukkah with our non-Jewish friends. This is what happened. Melissa Henriquez Kveller via JTA alad fixins? Check. Cookies? Check. Menorah, candles and dreidels? Check, check, check. My husband, kids and I were headed to family dinner at the home of a dear friend. She and her husband are not Jewish, but my friend is a history teacher who loves learning about and sharing multicultural traditions. Since she had never lit a menorah before, she asked me to bring ours — I was more than happy to oblige. For good measure, I also brought some dreidels and, because our kids ate all our gelt the first night of Hanukkah, some red and green Christmas M&Ms. We’d be celebrating the fourth night of Hanukkah together and decorating Christmas cookies — the delightful mingling of the seasons and faiths in our respective families — and I’d been looking forward to it all day. After all, it’s not every day you get to introduce the special traditions of your faith with others. We shared a wonderful meal and conversation while the kids played. We called them back to the table for the menorah lighting. I explained to the little ones that we needed five candles tonight — one for each of the four nights of Hanukkah, plus the shamash candle, the “helper” that lights the others and stands taller than the rest. All four kids put a candle in the menorah, and once the shamash was lit, I began reciting the blessing to a very captive audience — many of whom were hearing Hebrew for the very first time. Looking around the room — seeing all four of our kids staring awestruck into the bright glow of the menorah, shadows dancing on their tiny faces — I couldn’t help but break into a grin. And then, just as quickly as my grin came on, guilt washed over me. “Ugh, I should have sung it, I’m sorry, I
just have a really bad voice,” I said. If this was our friends’ first Hanukkah experience, I wanted to do it right, and by reciting the blessing versus singing it, I was not only cheating myself but, more important, cheating them — bad voice and all. “Sing it, sing it!” my friend’s older son chanted. I took a deep breath and quietly sang the familiar tune that’s been with me since childhood, eyes averted and cheeks flushing with each line.
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“Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam Asher kidishanu b’mitz’votav v’tzivanu l’had’lik neir shel Chanukah.” Looking up, no one was covering their ears —to my surprise. They were all watching intently, smiles playing on their lips. Phew. “Dreidel time!” My friend’s son knew about the game from a book at school and was eager to learn how to play. After dividing up the M&Ms, my 6-year-old daughter taught her friends the significance of the four Hebrew letters on each side of the dreidel, and then the kids went to town — changing the rules up just a bit, but having a blast along the way. (Now if someone could just explain to me how my 3-year-old son miraculously lands on gimel every.single.time?! Hmmm...) The game was such a hit that we left one of our dreidels at their house for our friends’ see This is what happened page C5
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13. clothing to buy oil and lamps to light for Hanukkah. 14. Place the lights at or near the outer part of the door facing the 14. street or in a window facing the street. 15. Antiochus Epiphanes. 16. The rabbis did not want military battles commemorated so they 16. created the story of the oil being found by the Maccabees and 16. lasting eight days. 17. Because the men had been fighting at the time of Sukkot and had 17. not celebrated it so they decided to commemorate that holiday by 17. observing this one for eight days. 18. The Maccabees were part of the House of Hashmon and called 18. Hasmoneans, a title of honor which denoted its high standing. 19. The war continued 127 more years before the last flicker of 19. independence under a Hasmonean sovereign was extinguished. 20. Judah was in battle and his unit became sandwiched between two 20. enemy divisions. 20. Eleazar was under attack by a unit on elephants. He thought the 20. king or general was on a particular elephant so he thrust a sword 20. into the elephant and it fell on him and crushed him. 20. Yochanan was attacked by a tribe near the Dead Sea. 20. Simeon was entertained by his son-in-law, made drowsy from wine 20. and assassinated by the son-in-law’s accomplices. 20. Jonathan was put to death by the Syrian King Tryphon, because 20. he could not succeed in an assault upon Jerusalem.
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1. One tradition says it means hammer and was applied to the 1. Maccabee family because of their strength. Another says it stands 1. for Mi kamocha baelim Adonai – “Who is like you among the great 1. ones, O G-d.” 2. Judah, Jonathan, Jochanan, Eleazar, Simeon. 3. Chanukiya. 4. Nun, gimmel, hay, shin; nun, gimmel, hay, po. 5. The story does not appear in any book of the Bible. It is found in 5. Maccabees I and Maccabees II, part of the Apocrypha, books not 5. included in the Bible. 6. Judith was a Hasmonean woman, whose story is a book of the 6. Apocrypha, who saved her town from destruction by killing the 6. general in charge. 7. No one knows because she is never mentioned in the books of 7. Maccabees. 8. 44. 9. During the Middle Ages, adults began to play games on Hanukkah. 9. In the 1700s, children began to play dreidel and were given coins 9. for playing. 10. One year. 11. Olive oil. 12. Hillel wanted one light on the first night and additional lights added 12. each night. Shammai wanted eight lights lit the first night and one 12. subtracted each night. 13. Even if one does not have food to eat, one should beg or sell his
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See trivia answers below.
Sybil Kaplan 1. What does the word Maccabee mean? 2. Who were the five sons of Mattathias? 3. What is a Hanukkah lamp called? 4. What are the letters on a dreidel outside of Israel? inside 4. Israel? 5. In which book of the Bible do we read the story of 5. Hanukkah? 6. Who was Judith and why is she mentioned on the 6. Shabbat of Hanukkah? 7. What was Mattathias’s wife’s name? 8. How many candles in a box of Hanukkah candles? 9. Why do we give gelt on Hanukkah? 10. How many years occurred between the desecration of 10. the Temple and the killings in Modiin by Mattathias and 10. the Maccabee uprising? 11. According to Jewish custom, what kind of oil should be
Hanukkah trivia
11. used for the Hanukkah lights? 12. Why were the Schools of Hillel and Shammai in 12. disagreement about Hanukkah? 13. What is unique about the mitzvah of lighting Hanukkah 13. lights? 14. How should one popularize the mitzvah of lighting the 14. candles for Hanukkah? 15. What king ordered the people of his kingdom to be15. come Greek in religion and culture? 16. Why don’t Jews celebrate the real things done by the 16. Maccabees? 17. Why did Judah Maccabee want this holiday celebrated 17. for eight days? 18. Who were the Hasmoneans? 19. How long did the war continue after the Temple was 19. rededicated? 20. How did each of the Maccabean brothers die?
C4 | The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017
White House: Reports of Israel embassy move are ‘premature’
WASHINGTON | JTA The White House labeled as “premature” a report in the Israeli media that President Donald Trump was set to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. “We have nothing to announce,” a White House official told JTA last week. Trump had until this past weekend to issue a waiver suspending for six months a 1995 law that mandates moving the embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. Every president, including Trump in June, has signed the waiver every six months since the law’s passage. Israel’s Channel 2 quoted Israeli government officials as saying they anticipated that Trump would not sign the waiver and the embassy would soon move. Trump had campaigned on moving the embassy but backpedaled once he assumed office after representations by Jordan’s King Abdullah, who argued that a move would be disruptive and dangerous. Abdullah is in Washington, D.C., this week meeting with government officials. Vice President Mike Pence told a pro-Israel event on Tuesday that Trump was “actively considering when and how” to move the embassy.
This is what happened
Continued from page C3 kids to play with. Sharing traditions with our non-Jewish friends that night was a gift. If only more of us could experience multicultural and interfaith experiences like ours, I truly think the world would be a better place. We have so much to learn from one another. People say, “Be the light you wish to see” — and in uncertain times like the ones we are in, it feels good to be able to be a source of light. It feels even better to have friends who reflect that light, embrace it, and then emit it themselves in their willingness to learn and share with their own children. Melissa Henriquez, a manager at a global marketing agency, blogs at Let There Be Light. Her writing has been featured on Babble.com and The Huffington Post. She and her husband, who is not Jewish, live in Michigan with their two children.
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The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | C5
hanukkah How to add some competitive excitement to your Hanukkah party
RaCHeL JaRman myeRs line. My husband has a great talent for mounting them and Southern & Jewish via JTA getting official plates printed for each category. Or scour a ith Hanukkah enmeshed in the Christ- few thrift shops for some old trophies that you can spraymas season, it’s tough to compete with paint and customize. The more the better: It’s the holidays, the epic candy cane, hot chocolate, carol- everyone can get a trophy! ing, bright-cheery-Santa holiset up the stations: Because the weather is day festivities that generally quite mild down South for dominate the seasonal Hanukkah, we are able to host this parties and events. event outdoors. We set up a few That’s why Hanukkah needs a different frying stations, and competitive edge... by includas competitors arrive they ing an actual competition in cook up their recipe in our holiday celebrations. skillets and present them No, not just the annual hot and fresh to whodreidel game – it gets ever is standing close pretty boring after enough to the pan. awhile, right? I’ve found We’ve found that a that adding a trophy to giant cast-iron skillet any gathering really ups on a camp stove the level of engagement. matched with a few For my office birthday electric griddles works party one year, I chose to best. engage my colleagues in a Celebrate enthusiastic Pie Competition (the winparticipation: Competition ner was a classic chocolate usually involves friendly pie, but most creative went to banter, hype music and a the French fry pie), and each year blow horn or two. I recommend my husband and I host a backyard playing the Hanukkah Project by Credit: sheknows.com barbecue competition that draws hunSpecial Passenger Records to get spirdreds of hungry attendees and about a dozen its soaring. At the end of the night the votes serious competitors vying for those glorious trophies. are tallied, the trophies presented, and our group reFor Hanukkah, we’ll be game-ifying the best of Southern members another holiday event where little Hanukkah can traditions: frying food. stand out among the punch bowls and twinkle lights. Here’s some tips on how to encourage a little competition Rachel Jarman Myers is the museum and special projects at your own Hanukkah party this year. coordinator for the Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Build excitement: The invitations go out encouraging Jackson, Mississippi. guests to bring a latke batter of their choosing to fry at the Southern & Jewish celebrates the stories, people, and expeparty and share with a group of hungry judges. I usually in- riences – past and present – of Jewish life in the American clude a few informative links for those who have never had South. Hosted by the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Souththe pleasure of crafting the perfect latke. Then I encourage ern Jewish Life, posts come from educators, students, rabbis, the creativity: Sweet Potato Latkes. Carrot and Beet Latkes. parents, artists, and many other “visitors-to and daily-liversHushpuppy Latkes. The options are endless when it comes of ” the Southern Jewish experience. From road trips to recipes to frying fritters. to reflections, we’ll explore a little bit of everything – well, at Work on your prizes: Trophy toppers are easy to order onleast all things Southern and/or Jewish. Shalom, y’all!
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Plantain Kugel recipe
C6 | The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017
hanukkah
Sandy leibowitz The Nosher via JTA
Jewish groups urge Israel not to deport African refugees WASHINGTON | JTA An array of U.S. Jewish groups urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt plans to deport tens of thousands of African refugees, offering to assist in their care. “We are concerned that if you move forward with these plans the lives of thousands of individuals will be put in jeopardy, and the name of the Jewish State and the Jewish People will be irreparably stained,” said the letter sent Nov. 29 by 25 groups including HIAS, the leading Jewish immigration advocacy group; the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; the National Council of Jewish Women; the Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Assembly; and T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. “As a people who were once refugees, and were once strangers in a strange land, we believe we have a special obligation toward refugees, whatever their religion or race,” said the letter, whose signatories spanned every religious stream, including Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist and Humanist. Israel’s government reportedly is considering legislation that would allow for the deportation of some 40,000 refugees, most of them from Sudan and Eritrea, without the consent of the refugee. The legislation would defy an Israeli High Court ruling banning deportation without the consent of the refugee. The signatories said they “commit ourselves and offer our hand in support in any way that we can help in coping with the challenges of the refugee crisis. Please do not deport these individuals who have sought refuge among the Jewish People, but rather let us work together in addressing the burdens and challenges of our moral obligations.”
ne of the things I like most about plantains (also known as platanos, tostones or patacones) is that you can enjoy them through multiple stages of ripeness. When they are fully green, they have a higher starch content, which makes them ideal for frying — and subsequently makes some killer latkes. You can also turn the green plantains into fries or chips. When they start to turn yellow, plantains become easier to peel and sweeter. You can mash them like you would potatoes when you crave something a little different. At this stage, you can also roast them alongside your root vegetables. When plantains are yellow and have black markings, they are fully ripe and taste like a regular banana that has been caramelized with a hint of maple syrup. At this stage
they are delicious when fried because they are softer and melt in your mouth. They can be wrapped in lamb or beef bacon for that sweet and salty effect, or eaten straight up at the kitchen counter while the rest are frying. Not that I would ever do this of course. Here, I decided to combine my Jewish and Latina heritages – as I often do – and make a Latin-infused kugel. This recipe makes a good portion for 6-8 people as a side dish, but if you want to double the recipe you can easily do so, just use a 9-by-13-inch pan instead of an 8- or 9-inch round pan. Feel free to mix up your favorite spices and herbs, as plantains really can take on many flavors. Sandy Leibowitz trained at the Culinary Institute of America and worked at top non-kosher restaurants in New York City such as the Russian Tea Room and Spice Market. Visit her at www.thekoshertomato.com and on instagram@thekoshertomato. The Nosher food blog offers a dazzling array of new and classic Jewish recipes and food news, from Europe to Yemen, from challah to shakshuka and beyond. Check it out at www.TheNosher.com.
Plantain Kugel
Ingredients: 6 plantains, yellowish-green, shredded on the large holes of a box grater (or food processor) 4 eggs 1 red pepper, peeled and minced 1 onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater or food processor 4-5 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt approximately 5 turns of freshly cracked black pepper (or to taste) 1/8 tsp. ground coriander 3/4 cup olive oil Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 F. In a large bowl, mix your eggs, onion, garlic and seasoning, and fold in the shredded plantains. Allow to sit in fridge while you heat your
olive oil. In round cast-iron pan (or round pie plate, but use a sheet pan underneath when putting in the oven), heat your olive oil in the oven until it bubbles around the back of a wooden spoon. Once the oil is heated, gently add your plantain Credit: Sandy Leibowitz mixture to the prepared pan. Spread evenly, and then place into the oven on the upper rack. (Use a sheet pan underneath if using a thinner metal or glass pan) After the edges begin to brown (about 25-30 minutes) lower the temperature to 300 F and cook until golden and crispy on top, around 10-15 minutes. You can rewarm later in a 200 F oven, if necessary.
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The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | C7
Polish Jewish leaders offer support after attack on Warsaw Muslim center WARSAW, Poland | JTA Leaders of the Polish Jewish community expressed sympathy with the Muslim community aer an attack on a mosque in Warsaw. On Monday night, Nov. 27, rocks and bricks were thrown at the Muslim Cultural Center in Warsaw, smashing the windows of the building. e building’s garden also was destroyed by the vandals. e perpetrators did not get inside the building. Security camera footage show at least two people perpetrating the attack. It is not the first time the mosque has been targeted. Warsaw’s Muslim community is made up of about 22,000 people and there are two mosques in the city. About 500 people come to pray in the cultural center’s mosque, community leaders told local media. Leslaw Piszewski, president of the Union of Jewish Communities in Poland, and Polish chief rabbi Michael Schudrich, wrote a letter to mui Tomasz Miśkiewicz in which they condemned the “increasing tendency of aggressive verbal and physical attitudes towards cultural and religious minorities in Poland in recent times.” Warsaw’s Muslim center is the seat of the Muslim League of Poland. Currently the chairman of the Council of the League is
Youssef Chadid. Nedal Abu Tabaq is a mui there. e members of the center are mainly immigrants from Arab countries.
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Warsaw Muslim Center Mui Tomasz Miśkiewicz is the president of the Muslim Religious Union in the Republic of Poland, which has its seat in Bialystok. Members of this organization are mainly Polish Tatars. It is not clear why Piszewski and Schudrich wrote to Miśkiewicz, and not to Abu Tabaq. Abu Tabaq gave an interview to the RMF radio on Wednesday, saying that in a few or more years Muslims will be given numbers. “e Jews had numbers in the camps, I would have a bar code,” he said. About 35,000 Muslims live in Poland, which is 0.05 percent of the population.
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C8 | The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017
Sanders, Feinstein lead senators’ push urging Israel not to demolish Palestinian villages
WASHINGTON | JTA Ten senators, among them four Jews, wrote Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging him not to demolish Palestinian villages that Israel has deemed unauthorized. “We have long championed a two-state solution as a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” said the letter initiated by Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, and Bernie Sanders, I-VT., who are both Jewish. “Yet, your government’s efforts to forcibly evict entire Palestinian communities and expand settlements throughout the West Bank not only directly imperil a two-state solution, but we believe also endanger Israel’s future as a Jewish democracy.” Nine of the signers are Democrats and Sanders caucuses with them.
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Sens. Bernie Sanders and Dianne Feinstein at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, Oct. 4, 2017. The two senators initiated a letter telling Israel’s prime minister that he is imperiling a two-state solution by razing Palestinian villages. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has said Israel plans to demolish Susiya, a small village near Hebron, and Khan al-Ahmar, a Bedouin village near the West Bank settlement of Maaleh Adumim, parallel to plans to demolish unauthorized West Bank Jewish settlements. e letter comes a month or so aer J Street and the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group’s student affiliate, J Street U, launched a campaign to prevent the demolition of Palestinian homes. “We welcome [the letter] as a sign that top lawmakers are increasingly speaking out about alarming actions by the Israeli government that undermine the two-state solution and endanger Israel’s future as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people,” J Street said in a statement. e other Jewish senators to sign the letter are Al Franken of Minnesota and Brian Schatz of Hawaii. Sens. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Tom Carper of Delaware, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Jeff Merkley of Oregon also signed.
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The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | C9
worldnews Hungary says it keeps Jews safe by keeping out Muslim immigrants
CNaaN LiPHsHiz BUDAPEST | JTA t a conference about anti-Semitism in Europe, senior Hungarian officials said the absence of violence against Jews in their country is owed to its refusal to admit Muslim immigrants. e assertion, which at least one Jewish expert on anti-Semitism disputed, came amid criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s right-wing government by other European leaders of his immigration policy, and a dispute between the Hungarian leader and some Jewish community leaders who accuse Orban of encouraging or tolerating anti-Semitic rhetoric. Whereas other European countries have seen jihadist terrorist attacks against Jews and others in recent years, “Hungary has been consistently able to protect its citizens and residents, its borders and its fundamental elements of statehood from mass immigration and international terrorism,” Minister of State for Security Policy István Mikola said Wednesday at an event in Budapest titled “Are Europe’s Jews Safe?” and organized by the Hungarian Jewry’s watchdog on anti-Semitism, the Action and Protection Foundation. Csaba Latorkai, deputy state secretary for priority social affairs, noted the 2015 killing of a Jewish security guard in Denmark by an Islamist along with other attacks, including the murder of 137 people in Paris by other Islamists later that year. “Taking security and administrative measures to prevent such acts, the Hungarian government acted, and so in the autumn of 2015 it decided to set up a border fence, introduced a legal closing of borders,” Latorkai said in his speech, adding it was “in order to protect citizens and make Hungary one of the most secure places in the world. No one should be afraid that there may be attacks on our streets.” e arrival of at least 2 million immigrants in Europe since 2015 from Iraq, Syria and other parts of the Middle
East has pitted Western European governments that resolved to absorb the newcomers against eastern EU member states that shut down their borders, including Hungary. Rabbi Andrew Baker, director of international Jewish affairs at the American Jewish Committee, told JTA at the event that the link made by Mikola owed to how Hungary, which will have a general election next year, “wants to say
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaking in Budapest, Nov. 12, 2017. Credit: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images that this [its immigration policy] is yet another aspect of taking care of its Jewish community, even if it’s probably a bit of a stretch to see it as a threat to the Jewish community.” Jewish community leaders across Europe are divided on the arrival of Middle East immigrants, with some citing Jewish values in urging generosity toward the newcomers and others warning that the influx of Muslims from countries where anti-Semitism is a social norm will exacerbate Europe’s anti-Semitism problem. “e large number of refugees who entered Europe have obviously raised special concerns,” Baker said, but he urged listeners of his address to “resist the temptation of pointing
the finger” at that population in identifying the causes of anti-Semitism. Focusing on Muslim immigration “is an easy thing for people here in Hungary and the Hungarian government,” he told JTA, unlike other issues connected to anti-Semitism -including the government-led campaign this year against George Soros, the liberal Jewish-American billionaire, that some observers consider anti-Semitic. e Mazsihisz umbrella of Jewish communities in Hungary has accused Orban since 2013 of whitewashing Hungary’s role in the murder of Jews in the Holocaust and mounting the campaign against Soros, a Holocaust survivor who was born in Hungary. “e sad thing is, it works,” Baker said. “Under the current government, there are efforts at kind of rewriting” Hungary’s “clear narrative on the Holocaust.” He noted the “famous or infamous” memorial statue in Budapest for the Nazi occupation, which the Jewish community in 2014 said whitewashes Hungary’s complicity in the Holocaust, and “speaking in positive ways about Miklos Horthy, Hungary’s wartime quisling. Orban earlier this year called Horthy, who helped the Nazis kill many thousands of Jews, an “exceptional statesman.” e chairman of the Action and Protection Foundation, Daniel Bodnar, said at the conference that while anti-Semitic violence remains extremely rare in Hungary, the country has seen anti-Semitic rhetoric proliferating over the past decade, notably through the far-right Jobbik party and its affiliated media. In 2016 and 2015, his foundation recorded 23 and 53 incidents in Hungary, which has approximately 100,000 Jews, with no physical assaults of individuals. It has initiated dozens of criminal cases since its establishment in 2012. Hundreds of incidents, with many assaults, were recorded in those years in Britain and France.
C10 | The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017
worldnews
C
Why so many African-American pro basketball players love Israel
GABe FrIedMAN play at a time for an Israeli team, and only in games held on Despite the controversy fueled by the league’s rules, basNEW YORK | JTA European soil. But Perry’s success ushered in the first of ketball teams in other countries have similar quotas for forhris Watson played four standout years of basmany rule changes: e lone foreign player could now play eigners in order to help foster local talent. Watson, for one, ketball at Niagara University, where he became in games held in Israel, too. Over the decades, the league understands the way the Israeli league works. one of the upstate New York school’s all-time continued to adjust the rules, allowing teams to stack for“e Jewish people have fought so much to get their leading scorers. So when the 6-7 forward-center eign players on their rosters. country,” he said. “ey want to see each other succeed, went undraed by an NBA team in 1997, he set As Goldstein completed his decade of research, the sowhich is natural.” out to play on a professional level internationally. called “Russian rule” — named for the country where it As Goldstein writes, notwithstanding any of the public He played two years in Uruguay, then his agent called and originated — was the operating standard: Teams could sign hoopla surrounding the quickie conversions, Africansaid, “You’re going to Israel.” Watson, an African-American from suburban White Plains — who in his own words did not grow up “watching the news” — said at the time he knew “nothing at all” about the Jewish state. at quickly changed, and Watson stayed in Israel for more than 15 years, playing for several teams. He also married an Israeli woman, became an Israeli citizen and converted to Judaism. As David A. Goldstein details in his recent book Alley-Oop to Aliyah: African-American Hoopsters in the Holy Land, Watson is far from the only black basketball player to do these things. Since the 1976 arrival of Aulcie Perry — a 6-10 native of Newark, New Jersey, who led Pictured left: Chris Watson shows off a memento from Hapoel Beersheba’s 2014-15 championship in Israel’s third division at the home of the team Maccabi Tel Aviv to two unexpected EuroLeague championships — more than 800 owner. Credit: Watson; middle: Cory Carr played for several Israeli teams over the course of a decade. Credit: Carr; right: Stanley Brundy, who played African-American players have competed in for Maccabi Haifa and other Israeli teams, with his eldest son, Nadav, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Credit: Brundy family the Israeli Premier League, which formed in 1954 and is as many foreign players as they wanted, but two Israeli citiAmerican players over the years have had little trouble composed of the country’s 12 best teams. zens must be on the court at all times. adapting rapidly to life in Israel. Like many, players with a Aer researching the history of the league and interviewe teams tried to exploit the rule in the ‘70s and ‘80s, passing knowledge about Israel have typically expected it to ing dozens of former and current players over the span of rushing foreign players through hasty conversions to Judaism be a war zone where the people wear religious garb. 10 years, Goldstein found that most of them professed a in order to quickly turn them into citizens. But along the way, But once they arrive, the players are surprised by how deep, genuine love for Israel, despite having grown up with- as Goldstein was surprised to discover, an unexpected nummany Israelis speak English and how welcoming and pasout a connection to the country. ber went through legitimate and meaningful Orthodox consionate they are. (Basketball is still second to soccer in “Forty-something converted in the ‘70s and ‘80s... tens of versions. Perry, for instance — who was criticized by some for terms of general popularity, but its reputation as a competiplayers got citizenship,” Goldstein told JTA. “Hundreds are starting the fad — has remained Jewish. (He has also talked tive league has grown exponentially in recent decades due now kind of advocates or ambassadors [for Israel] in the about how his mother does not fully accept his Jewishness). in large part to the foreign players recruited by a number of U.S. or internationally.” Watson, 42, mainly converted to marry his wife and has teams other than powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv.) In the book, Goldstein explores how the black players not been very observant since they divorced. But, he said, “e No. 1 thing that draws guys there is how easy it is to adapted to Israel, why they formed an attachment to the he enjoyed learning about Jewish texts and history through- transition from America,” Watson said. “Guys that have Jewish state and how they impacted Israeli sport and society. out his conversion process. been there for months, they’re like, ‘Wow, I love this place!’ Prior to 1976, the use of foreign players was discouraged “I didn’t get paid or try to pay anybody for my citizenAnd there’s a lot of guys that think about citizenship aer that.” See Why so many page C11 by a league rule dictating that only one non-Israeli could ship,” he said. “I didn’t take any shortcuts.”
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The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017 | C11
Why so many
Continued from page C10 problem. In the United States, the NBA When it comes to racism, Goldstein said boasts the most diverse set of head coaches he learned from his interviews that many — yet fewer than half the coaches are black players have actually felt less overt racism in in a league whose players are about 75 perIsrael than they did in the U.S. For example, cent African-American. Willie Sims, who played in Israel for nearly Still, even though an unexpected number 20 years, was once nearly arrested when he locked his keys in his car and tried to get back into it. Israeli police officers knocked him to the ground and handcuffed him. “I asked, ‘Did any of that make you want to come back to the U.S.?’ And he said, ‘Are you kidding? All they did was handcuff me. In the U.S., I could’ve gotten shot,’” Goldstein said. Yet while the players seem to be accepted on a societal level, prejudices reAnthony Parker upon returning to the NBA from Israel main. No African-American has ever wore the number 18, which means life in Hebrew, to show been a head coach in Israel’s first division, his love for the country. Credit: Mike Lawrie/Getty Images and very few have had prominent coaching jobs in the second and third divisions. In a of African-Americans have stayed in Israel speech to Israeli military members in 2001, aer retiring from basketball, Watson and then-Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Pini Gershon was Goldstein both say many more would have fired for saying that lighter-skinned black play- created lives there if coaching positions had ers were smarter than darker-skinned ones, been available. who he called “dummies” and “slaves.” Watson counts himself among them. He “at makes you wonder what guys are looks back fondly on living in Israel — it’s really thinking on the inside,” Watson said. where he spent his 20s, it’s where he reached “I’ve heard guys say when you’re putting the his basketball-playing peak. ese days, he ball in the hole, it’s all good, it’s all love. But works as an account manager at a Lifetime the moment you can’t do that no more, it’s Fitness gym in White Plains. like, ‘ank you, go home.’” Would he have stayed in the Jewish state e Israeli league is far from the only had a promising opportunity opened up? sports league with a coaching diversity “100 percent,” he said.
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C12 | The Jewish Press | December 8, 2017
Wishing you a season of light and happiness.
מאחלים לכם עונה של אור ושמחה