WE HIST SOCIETY 1500 R S T 68508-165!
Serving Nebraska and Eastern Iowa for more than 75 Years VoI.LXXV
No.5gfef<3Dmaha, NE
20Elul,5758
September 11,1998
Omaha's newest organization aims at increasing Jewish education A new trend in Jewish education based on an old idea will be making its debut in Omaha some time next year with the founding of the city's first fulltime kollel, to be called the Omaha Center for Torah Learning (OCTL). The kollel won't be like the one your grandparents knew, founders say. The new breed of kollel is only loosely based on the classic eastern European model in which older, married yeshiva graduates study Talmud among themselves indefinitely, organizers say.
Rabbi Gideon Weitzman Instead, the Omaha kollel, which hopes to emulate a successful year-old program in Kansas City and others elsewhere in the United States, would be an outreach center devoted to improving Jewish literacy for adults through a wide variety of offerings.. "Our goal is to increase the Jewish educational resources . . . by making available a rabbi whose sole purpose is to be a qualified, Judaically educated teacher," Rabbi Morey Schwartz, leader of Overland Park's Beth Israel Abraham and Voliner synagogue and one of the co-founders of the year-old city-wide program, told the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle. "Kansas Citians value Jewish education too much to just rely on our existing educational resources." The Kansas City kollel works handin-glove with a wide range of Jewish institutions throughout that city's metropolitan area. In its first year, the program has exceeded expectations, due largely to the high visibility and charismatic electricity of the married couple brought in from Israel, Rabbi Gideon and Rivka Weitzman. Organizers and supporters in Omaha hope that the privately-funded OCTL will foster scenes like the following ones from Kansas City over the last year:. --Monthly group study sessions with up "to seven different rabbis, plus one-on-one . study sessions between the Orthodox rabbi and any interested rabbinic peers, including a Reform female rabbi: Private, individualized heyruta (partner) study sessions with different Jay people; Weekly Torah lectures in the evening; Monthly Rosh Chodesh classes on a wide variety: of subjects for women; Holiday celebrations at
the homes of the kollel couple and at different institutions around the community. "What binds us all together is the continual learning and understanding of the Torah," Weitzman, a 30-year-old native Englishman, told the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle. "It's wonderful to have seen so many people coming together and studying. Reform, Conservative, Orthodox - they all know the importance it holds...I would love to take their model of openness and positive dialogue back to our community in Israel." The two Weitzmans, both of whom are teachers, have been enormously popular across a diverse spectrum of the Kansas City-area Jewish community. Kansas City kollel organizers already are planning to expand the program to bring in more yeshiva graduates and students to meet the growing demand. Although Omaha's Jewish population is considerably smaller than Kansas City's 6500 here versus 24,000 there -- organizers and supporters of the Omaha Center say there is a demand for adult education that isn't being met currently and that could benefit from this kind of institution.. That the kollel program both historically and currently is rooted in the Orthodox world is not an issue, they say, because its goal is to stress the unifying, rather than dividing, elements of Jewish life and learning. "You're not teaching Orthodoxy, you're teaching Judaisni," said Center. President Allan G-onsher. "You're talking about a couple that can teach at all of the synagogues and can learn with all of the rabbis and their congregations." V Because of the sensitivity of bringing in outsiders â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and outsiders from Judaism's most staunchly traditional wing, at that-â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the Center recognizes the need to find a truly exceptional couple, Gonsher said. The couple will have to be not only energetic and visible but extraordinarily open-minded, tolerant and non-ideological. The success of the Center largely will hinge on what couple is found, he said, and a search committee already has reviewed several appli' cations, but has not yet found a satisfactory candidate. Weitzman will be coming to Omaha next week to speak about the program and to make suggestions for the search committee. He will be meeting with all of Omaha's rabbis, teaching several classes and meeting with the OCTL founders.: On Monday, from 2-3 p.m., Weitzman will teach "Changing our Will" from Gemorah Berachot in a study session, with the community's rabbis at Beth Israel Synagogue. From 6-7:30 p.m. at Beth El Synagogue, Weitzman will teach during dinner to Omaha's Jewish educators on I t All Depends on MeDeterminism vs. Taking Responsibility."
That class is followed by a free community lecture, also at Beth El, from 7:45 - 9 p.m., "Healthy Eating: A Fresh Look at the Process of Repentance." The Center hopes to get a two-year commitment from a couple, who will operate out of a west Omaha facility currently being negotiated. The Center, a non-profit corporation, already has raised most of the $100,000 needed for the first two years of the program - completely from private donors. The money willfinanceall of the couple's living and transportation expenses and will underwrite all the programming costs. In partnership with existing organizations, the kollel will offer programs for knowledge and wisdom seekers of all levels. It's main programs will include individual hevruta study, day and evening classes situated in both the Center facility and different institutions around Omaha, and a variety of other offerings. The concept has support in various corners of the Omaha community. "The congregations are doing a fine but limited job promoting adult education," said Temple Israel's Rabbi
Aryeh Azriel, who noted that he personally was looking forward to a rabbinic peer with whom he could study. "Anything that would be a shot in the arm would be greatly appreciated," he said. "We need more educated professional Jews in this community, and any kind of help we can get from teachers .who are very educated and who understand the pluralistic nature of the Omaha community can make a tremendous contribution. Hopefully, it can touch all of us and create a tapestry that is unifying." The Center's founders and supporters realize that creating a new organization could open them to accusations of duplicating - and diverting resources from existing institutions long established to perform the function. There already are four synagogues and a Chabad House with Jewish education programs for adults, and, similarly, Federation-funded institutions such as the Bureau of Jewish Education and the Jewish,Cultural Arts Council also include adult education in their mandate. The, fears are reasonable, but they miss the point, defenders say. As it (Continued on page 2)
Omaha Women ready to roll for Campaign 99
Susie Norton, Allyson Bradin Wilczewski, Jill Belmont and Vicki Sahford, co-chairs for the Young. Women's Division of the 1999 Women's Campaign, look over the new campaign material at a luncheon held at the home of 1999 Women's Division co-chair Maxine Kirshenbaum. More than 32 women, all members of the 1999 Women's Campaign Cabinet; met to discuss pertinent issues of the campaign and to hear guest speaker Yardena Fanta, an Ethiopian Jew who has overcome a great deal of hardship to.live and succeed in Israel. Jan Schneiderman is Women's Division co-chair.
New Americans Cultural Society honors volunteers
Sunday, 2 p.m., JCC In a special program entitled Exodus, NACS will honor all volunteers Involved with Russian resettlement and pay special tribute to Shirley Goldstein and Miriam Simon.
Community-wide teen program on cults Tuesday, 6 p.m., JCC During a dinner program in the JCC asuditorium, Rabbi Tovia Singer, Director of Outreach Judaism, will present "An explosive look at Christian missionaries, cults and Jews for Jesus," for teens.