Vol. LXXXVI No. 14 Omaha, NE
Celebrating 85 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
War Makes Western Galilee Hospital Expert in Mass Casualty by CAROL KATZMAN Editor of the Jewish Press The week prior to my visit to the Western Galilee Hospital, the annual Emergency Response Group Training hosted 15 medical professionals from Ohio and New Jersey. This time, the training brought a real sense of what happens during a mass casualty event like last summer’s war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. The hospital, located just east of Israel’s northern coastal town of Nahariya, sits just three miles from the Lebanese border. Situated on a main east-west highway, the massive white buildings in the complex made it a target for the Iranian-backed Dr. Arie Eisenman heads the Internal Medicine department of the Western Galilee Hospital’s emergency room, only three miles from Lebanon on Israel’s northern border. terrorist group. its affect on the hospital, we sat down with Dr. Arie And by now, everyone knows the hospital was hit. Luckily for patients, the hospital’s President, Prof. Eisenman, head of the Emergency Room’s internal medShaul Shasha, had insisted on building a major under- icine department. Originally from France, Dr. Eisenman ground installation. Within one hour after the katyusha worked at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, where he still lives rockets began to fall on July 12, the staff evacuated near- with his wife and family. “When I arrived in Nahariya that Wednesday (July 12), ly everyone into the underground hospital. That included all patients in the 700-bed hospital, 50 children from I found myself in the middle of a war,” Dr. Eisenman told the Jewish Press. “There was smoke and fire everythe daycare center, and visiting families and friends. When a katyusha hit the northern facing rooms of the where. I knew it was about the kidnapped soldiers.” He ophthalmology wing on July 28, no one was there. The reached the hospital to find wounded civilians and soldamage remains, however, because, as Judith diers already there. They came in daily waves, sometimes Jochnowitz, International Liaison, says, “We’ve had two or three waves a day. “We all stayed past our shifts more than 800 visitors since the war ended on Aug. 25. that first day,” he said, “but after Haifa was bombed, it They want to see the damage; they want to understand didn’t really make a difference.” So he started commutwhat happened here.” In the six years prior to Aug. 25, ing back and forth. “Sometimes I would hear the sirens in which Jochnowitz has held this position, she only go off; sometimes I didn’t. Even so, by the time you received 600 visitors--donors, volunteers and the media. could hear the sirens, it would be too late anyway.” In order to understand the magnitude of the war and Continued on page 2
24 Kislev, 5767 December 15, 2006
Conflicting Conservative Opinions Expected to Open the Way for Gays by BEN HARRIS NEW YORK (JTA)--Even before the ink was dry on the Conservative movement’s decision to accept gay rabbis and allow same-sex commitment ceremonies, its impact was already being felt. Rabbi Jerome Epstein, Executive Vice President of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the movement’s congregational arm, immediately announced that he was recommending a change in the organization’s hiring practices, which had required employees to be observant of Jewish law--effectively barring gay men and lesbians. That sentiment was echoed by USCJ President, former Omahan Ray Goldstein. “I see no reason why we should not revise our hiring policies so we may consider applicants for United Synagogue jobs no matter what their sexual orientation may be,” Epstein said in a statement. “United Synagogue’s leadership will discuss the issue at our next scheduled meeting.” With advocates on both sides of the issue warning that the Dec. 6 decisions by the Committee on Jewish Law Continued on page 4
Two Jewish women exchange vows under the chuppah in a recent ceremony in New York. Credit: Rebecca Weiss Photography/Reprinted from Lilith Magazine, summer 2006
Part III: The Project Dreidel Chronicles
It Can Happen to Anyone by SHARON BARGAS for Jewish Family Service Welcome to the third installment of the Project Dreidel Chronicles. Starting with the first chronicles almost seven years ago, maintaining the privacy and integrity of the people who receive services from Jewish Family Service continues to be paramount. The story you are about to read is true, and used with permission. We continue to respect their wishes by changing names and altering details that members of our community might recognize. Through Project Dreidel, JFS provides Hanukkah gifts and Jewish holiday meals to families in our area who cannot afford them. But sometimes, families and individuals have unexpected emergencies that require immediate intervention. JFS is there to provide the financial and emotional support needed to get back to normal. Your gift to the JFS “Friends” Campaign is what allows us to take care of each other. Despite our best efforts, our community’s needs continue to outpace the gifts to the Annual Campaign. Your increased campaign gift ensures that every Omaha Jewish
Inside Opinion Page see page 12
community member will have access to professional and compassionate help in a Jewish environment. To find out how you can help make a difference in the lives of others, please contact JFS at 330.2024. In this week’s story, one Jewish family learns that financial trouble can happen to anyone. Life was good. The Freemans had been blessed with good health, a happy mar-
riage and the love of their daughter, Lily. Dan worked at a local banking institution to financially support the family. Sara stayed home with Lily and the couple was expecting their second child. They spent time as a family and celebrated Shabbat at home every Friday with Sara’s mother. The Freemans lived in a modest two-bedroom home where they planned to have their children share a bedroom, allowing Sara to stay home. The Freemans were a typical middle class family until they were taken by surprise by two unexpected lifechanging events. Within a period of several days, Sara’s mother, a once lively and independent woman, had a stroke and needed additional care. This care required daily living assistance and Sara felt it was her responsibility to take care of her mother; therefore, moving her into their small home. The Freemans suddenly had a full house and
This Week: Kripke Library Wraps-up Jewish Book Month: Page 8 See Front Page Stories & More at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’
Some Jewish Groups to Miss Bolton: Page 3
grandma was now staying in Lily’s room. Sara says her home had become a “three-ring circus.” She found herself simultaneously taking care of her aging mother and a toddler, while attempting to make it through the last trimester of her pregnancy. For her, it meant days spent running from wiping a runny nose, to traveling from one doctor to another, helping dispense medication while cleaning toys off the floor and making three meals a day for everyone. Additionally, Dan and Sara were worried about the new financial responsibilities they had taken on, and those they were about to acquire as a result of expecting a new baby. Through it all, with continued laughter and a positive attitude, Sara knew that they would make it through this tough time. One day, instead of greeting her daughContinued on page 15
Coming Next Week: Senior Living Issue
Beyt Shalom Celebrates 11th Anniversary Tonight at Services: Page 9
Lincoln’s Jewish Federation Installs New President, Board: Page 16