NE HIST SOCIETY 1500 R ST LINCOLN NE 6 8 5 0 8 - 1 6 5 1
Serving Nebraska and Eastern Iowa for more than 75 Years VoLLXXV
No. 48
Omaha, NE
Artza '99: the teen Israel
trip of a lifetime by Marcia Pitlor and Lisa Shkolnick
For teens entering 10th through 12th grades in the summer of 1999, the Jewish Community Center is offering the ultimate Israel experience. .. Artza '99. Teens: close your eyes and imagine you're a teen spending four weeks in Israel. You'll be experiencing all the breathtaking sites such as Masada, Shabbat at the Western Wall, kayaking down the Jordan, rappelling the Judean Mountains .. .Eliat, Tiberias, the Golan Heights. You'll be floating in the Dead Sea, tasting Israeli food, working on a kibbutz and, experiencing first hand, the history of the Jewish people. Parents: imagine what it would be like for your child to travel to Israel with up to 40 other teens from Omaha. Your teen will have the opportunity to make friends with other Jewish teens and to share the experience of Israel together. Plus,
prepare for this exciting adventure by attending five months of pre-trip educational workshops and activities. What makes this fifth Artza trip such a unique and exciting experience is that the Omaha JCC is working in cooperation with the JCC Association's Teen Israel program, Etgar, the premier Israeli teen program from the JCC movement. Etgar, meaning "challenge," will push teens to challenge themselves...mentally, physically and emotionally as they identify with their Jewish heritage, homeland, and people. The Artza experience offers the most innovative and exciting programs in Israel, placing emphasis on the entire Israel experience. One unique component offered through Etgar is mifgashim, where Omaha teens will have the opportunity to spend a week with Israeli teens and learn first hand what life is like for the typical Israeli teenager. (Continued on page 2)
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J ' m and Elaine Wolf establish endowment fund for ADL-CRC
Larry Raful, past president, congratulated Wolfson on 'the longest tenure ever of an AOL director' and thanked him for 'reminding us' to be vigilant.
Albion, Nebraska, ranchers, Jim and Elaine Wolf have donated $100,000 to the Great Plains Region of the Anti-Defamation League to establish an endowment fund for the Omaha office of the organization. In addition, they have challenged the community to raise an additional $100,000 by pledging a second gift of $100,000 to match the community's donations of an equal amount. That would bring the endowment from zero to $300,000, noted Ann Goldstein, president of the ADL-CRC. The gifts were announced last week at a tenth anniversary celebration for Bob Wolfson, Executive Director. (More on the ADL on page 10)
Elaine Wolf, left, Bob Wolfson, and Jim Wolf celebrate Wolfson's ten years as director of the ADL-CRC. The Wolfs, long-time supporters of the ADL on a local, state and national level, have challenged the community to raise an additional $100,000 for an ADL endowment by pledging two $100,000 gifts.
40 participants on the 1996 Artza trip were accompanied by four staff on the four-week summer trip to Israel.
Eight Israelis visit Omaha as part of Partnership 2000 by Carol Katzman
first it was the doctors from Nahariya; then came the Israeli young leaders' delegation from the Western Galilee. Two weeks ago, eight Israelis arrived in Omaha, on their way from Dallas, the newest city to join the Midwest Consortium of Partnership 2000. Now composed of 11 cities, including Omaha, and chaired by Bobbie Epstein, the Midwest Consortium is partnered with the Western Galilee. The region received some $600,000 of the total UJA/Federation overseas allocations in projects and programs approved by the joint AmericanIsraeli committee. Staffed by Ahuva Lifman, Director of the Western Galilee Region of P2K, the committee has implemented such projects as the Ghetto Fighter's Museum (where former Omaha Beth Seldin-Dotan serves in the education unit of Yad Layeled, the Children's Wing), the Virtual Knowledge Center of the Western Galilee College and Hospital, the
Saul Rosenthal, director of the ADL's Mountain States office in Denver, entertained the crowd of more than 400 people.
New Americans to share Russian culture with community by Linda Mirvish
On Sunday, Sept. 13, the word Exodus will have a whole new meaning—it is the name the Russian community in Omaha has only remaining Ethiopian absorption given to a program of traditional center, English-language summer food, music, and cultural exhibits to camps (to which Omaha has sent honor those who made the transiStephen Kotok, Lindsey Taxman and tion to their new home possible. Lincolnite Ariella Zinn, as counThe entire Jewish community is selors). '' • invited to enjoy the program which Accompanying Lifman were 'Haim will begin at 2 p.m. at the Jewish Asulin, department of education in Community Center and is sponAcco; Shmuel Kahane, orchestra con- sored by the New Americans ductor and Director of the Acco Cultural Society. Pianist, Svetlana Conservatory of Music; Zeev Avnon, Rodionva, will be the featured Director of the Mateh Asher Com- artist. munity Center; Nurit Cederboum, Currently there are 200 families head of interdisciplinary center at the from the former Soviet Union who Western Galilee College; Shimon identify with the Jewish communiLankri, Director of the Acco ty. The first of these new Americans Community Centers; Avraham began arriving in Omaha in 1976, Rozenkier, head of the department of eager to absorb the new culture as education for the Western Galilee; quickly as possible. They read only and Ron Ziv, managing director of English-language books, watched HaDerech, substance abuse center on only English-language films, and Kibbutz Gesher HaZiv. did not think much about preservIn welcoming the group to Omaha, ing their Russian heritage. And Jan Perelman, Jewish Federation they adjusted well to this new life. Executive Director, said, "PartnerHowever, after a time, some of the ship 2000 is still being defined. We older people in the community want to carve out a new relationship. missed Russian culture, movies, books, songs, and dance. In (Continued on page 6)
response, the Russian community with the help of Jewish Family Services, has sponsored several cultural events. The success of these events gave birth to the New Americans Cultural Society under the umbrella of the Jewish Federation in May. These New Americans consider themselves to be Jews who grew up in Russia. Their native language is Russian and the culture they know best is Russian culture. But now(*hey are coping with becoming Jews and Americans as well, without losing their their Russian traditions and culture. The mission statement of the New Americans Cultural Society captures the hopes and aspirations of these new Jewish Americans. They want their children to: Read Shakespeare in English; Read Pushkin and Tolstoy in Russian; Pray in Hebrew. Because they have the impression that there are many Americans who are fascinated by Russian culture, the Russians hope to share their knowledge by sponsoring other Russian music, literature, and poetry events for those adult and children members of the community who would be inter(Continued on page 12)