ewish Pres
NF HIST SOCIETY 1500 R ST LINCOLN ME 68503-1651
SERVING NEBRASKA AND WESTERN IOWA FOR NEARLY 80 YEARS Vol. LXXK ... No. 28
Omaha, NE
10 Adar 11,5760
March 17,2000
Scholars;, performers, public to focus Inspiration on Book of Esther at two-day event through song by Diane Axler Baum
Less than two weeks Monday. after our community joins Following the talks in Jews world-wide in celeeach session, a discussion brating Purim, a major and question-and-answer symposium here will properiod will provide "lively vide new insights into the and substantive intercharacters, interpretachange among the presention, and literary and ters and between presenters artistic development of and their audiences," the Book of Esther. Greenspoon promised. Participants will explore a Esther 2000, a two-day wide range of issues, includcultural event, will bring ing the Book of Esther as together more than a "an historical account," dozen scholars and perLeonard J. Greenspoon enduring theological formers from across the U.S. and from Canada and England, on Sunday, teachings gained from the Book, Jewish celebrations April 2, in Omaha and Monday, April 3, in Lincoln. of Purim today, and the different "canonical" texts of Sunday's activities will unfold at the Skutt Esther among Jews/Protestants on the one hand, and Student Center at Creighton University, followed Roman Catholics/Orthodox Christians on the other. by a dinner and evening keynote event at Beth El From Greenspoon's perspective, a few areas of Synagogue. Monday's daytime sessions and particular interest are comparisons between the evening keynote will be held on the campus of the Biblical Esther and the Biblical Judith, reinterpreUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln. tations of the Esther story in light of contemporary events, and translation issues. All sessions are free and open to the public. "We're delighted to present our generation's most Greenspoon's own talk, distinguished Esther scholars. Their work repre- Sunday at 12:30 p.m., sents close to a dozen significant commentaries on examines "From Maidens Esther in addition to three times that number of and Chamberlains to other Biblical commentaries," said symposium coor- Harems and Hot Tubs: dinator Leonard J. Greenspoon. ~ ^ ::.•_:•"•..• Five Hundred Years of "The Book of Esther stands out as one of the most Esther in English." fascinating books of the Hebrew Bible." It's a char*Esther and Judith: acter-driven work that provokes thought, discus- Contrasts in Character," sion and controversy~not just theologicalfbut also is the topic of Sidnie artistic, literary, feminist and psychological-espe- White Crawford, cially true in our post-Holocaust age," added Associate Prof, of Hebrew Greenspoon, who holds the Philip M. and Esther Bible and Chair of the Sidnie White Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization at Department of Classics Crawford Creighton University. at UNL. She will speak Sunday at 3:15 p.m. After Crawford's remarks, Michael V. Fox, Prof, Esther 2000 is grouped into four sessions: "The Different Books of Esther" and "Esther: Character in Jewish Studies at the University of Wisconsinand Characters" will be the focus on Sunday; Madison, will present "The Character of Esther: "Esther in Tradition and Folklore" and "Esther: Three Views." Reading the Book, Writing a Commentary" on (Continued on page 8)
Rabbis to lead lecture series on the Ten Commandments by Claudia Sherman
Revealed more than 3,000 years ago to different people in different circumstances, the Ten Commandments always have and still have relevance in the practical arena of contemporary life, explained Rabbi Ira Flax, Offutt Air Force Base Chaplain. Ten area rabbis have each picked one of the Ten Commandments to discuss in a lecture series that will begin on Monday, March 27. Sponsored by the College of Jewish Learning, a committee of Jewish Educational and Library Services, the first program will be presented by Rabbi Shlomo Levin, Director of the Omaha Center for Torah Learning. Rabbi Levin will start the series off with the second commandment, "Do not have any other gods besides Me." He will focus on a verse which appears later in the commandment that says children are punished for the sins of their parents. ~ "Does God really punish children for the sins of their parents? How could this possibly be fair? By exploring different explanations for this puzzling biblical statement, we will learn about the responsibility of parents to act as role models for their children and parents' obligation to be conscious of the effect their behavior has on shaping the lifestyle and personality of their kids," said Rabbi Levin. He will be joined by Dr. Ellie Furst, a Professor of
Psychology at Dana College. She will discuss the emotional and psychological difficulties children (and adults) encounter when breaking with the behavior patterns learned from parents in childhood. Every other Monday night, a rabbi will team with another professional from the community. Together, they will bring to light important rabbinic aspects as well as practical contemporary applications of each commandment. On April 10, Rabbi Allan Gonsher, President of KIDS Inc., will discuss the third commandment, "Do not take the Name of God in vain." Following Rabbi Gonsher, Rabbi Flax will present the fourth amendment, "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it Holy," April 24. On May 8, Rabbi Aryeh Azriel of Temple Israel will discuss the fourth commandment, "Honor our father and mother." The last of the series this spring will be led by Rabbi Mendel Katzman, Director of Omaha's Chabad House. He will conduct a discussion of the first commandment, "I am the Lord your God," on May 22. All the Monday night lectures will begin at 7:80 p.m. in the JCC Auditorium; they are free of charge and open to the public. In the fall, the other five commandments will be addressed by five other rabbis from the community.
by Carol Katzman
When Cantor Aryeh Rendel davens (prays) before a full crowd at the Queens Jewish Center in New York, he's very much concerned with the quality of his musical interpretation of the Shabbat service. The community will have the opportunity to hear Cantor Rendel daven Kaballat Shabbat services at Beth Israel synagogue on Friday evening, March 24, and Shabbat morning services on March 26, as part of the synagogue's Cantor-in-Residence Weekend.
Cantor Aryeh Rendel "What I would really like the congregation to have is inspiration," Cantor Rendel said in a recent interview with the Jewish Press. "My job is not to entertain, but to inspire and that's done through the davening itself. Even if a person isn't musical, music moves people. "Because of its power to inspire, I hope the congregation can be moved to pray more fervently, to actually come closer to God," he added. Though not a full-time hazzan (cantor), Rendel is aware of the power he has to inspire people in their own prayers to God, a position he does not take lightly. During the week, Rendel works in his family's lighting business in New York. And every other Shabbat and on Yom Tovim (holidays), he officiates atQJC. "Music is the universal language and the language of the soul; there's always that song that makes you smile or brings back a sad memory. Sometimes it pertains to an important event in one's life," Rendel explained. Cantor Rendel was born into a musical family in Kfar Saba, Israel, and in 1960, the family immigrated to the United States. Under the guidance of his father, Cantor Naftali Rendel, the young Aryeh began his training in hazzanut. At the age of six, he joined the Ben Friedman Choir and sang with the legendary Cantor Mpshe Koussevitzky in Temple Beth El of Boro Park, NY. When asked the name of his favorite hazzan, Rendel enthusiastically replied, "Cantor Koussevitzky," a name familiar with many longtime Omaha Jews who recall his visit to sing at Beth Israel in March, 1956, during their annual Humanitarian of the Year dinner. Rendel later sang with the Sam Sterner choir and began the lead soloist with Henry Spector's choir in the renowned "Roumanische shul" on the Lower East Side when he was only nine years old. (Continued on page 9)