March 16, 2001

Page 1

EJEWISH VoLLXXX

No. 23 Omaha, NE

PRESS '

21 Adar, 5761

March 16,2001

SERVING NEBRASKA AND WESTERN IOWA FOR 80 YEARS

Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg Receives Award from NCJW by JEWISH PRESS Ne-vs Serv:re

dinary work and Every few years, uncompromising the National principles, and for Council of Jewish gracing us with a Women honors one few moments of remarkable indiher time that we vidual with its might share with prestigious Faith her—in person— and Humanity our tremendous Award for distinrespect for her guished service andfaerw^rk-" and work on behalf of social jusThis year's contice. ference comes at a The award's crucial time for name, Faith and NCJW activists, Humanity, derives who are coming to from NCJW's.cenWashington to tury-old motto. fight for the milFor more than lions of children in 107 years, NCJW Omahan J a n Schneider-man, left, National President of America who go has been dedicated the NCJW, presented the groups's Faith and Humanity without quality to social justice Award to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. child care, to supand to securing individual rights and freedoms for port millions of women around the world who are all. On Monday, NCJW presented the award to battling for reproductive freedom, and to oppose Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Bush administration's faith-based initiative. the organization's triennial Washington Institute Other highlights of the conference include: in the nation's capital. • Capitol Hill Rally for Child Care with leading "We are so grateful to Justice Ginsburg," said members of Congress and veteran child care NCJW's National President Jan Schneiderman, activists; who presented the award, "for a lifetime of extraor(Continued on page 2)

OCTL Family Shabbat Renowned Social . Retreat Set for May ystice Advocate ;abbi David Saperstein at Mahoney by RABBI SHLOMO LEVIN, Director o Speak at Temple Omaha Center for Torah Learning by IRIS RiCKS-—-

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Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) in Washington, DC, will be Temple Israel's scholar-inresidence from March 30-April 1. The RAC serves as an advocate on a broad range of social justice issues and provides extensive legislative and programming materials used by synagogues, federations and A Jewish commu- •••"* nity centers nationwide. Rabbi David Saperstein Described by the Washington Post as the "quintessential religious lobbyist on Capitol Hill," Rabbi Saperstein was ordained at HUC-JIR. He also holds a law degree and teaches courses in First Amendment Law and Jewish Law at Georgetown University. The theme for the weekend is social justice. Rabbi Saperstein will address the community at Shabbat services Friday, March 30, 8 p.m. His topic will be "Reshaping America: The Contribution of Jewish Social Justice to American life." He will speak on "Urgent Moral Crises for the 21st Century" on Sunday, April 1,10 a.m., Rabbi Saperstein is a part of a large rabbinic family. Great-uncles on both sides of his family were Reform rabbis, two great-grandfathers were Orthodox rabbis, and his father, Harold, and uncle, Sanford, are well-known Reform rabbis. (Continued on page 2)

Families can find a retreat, the weekend of May 4-6 in the luxurious, relaxing atmosphere of Mahoney State Park, when the omaha Center for Torah Learning hosts its first-ever Shabbaton. Activities for adults and children will include a bonfire, Israeli dancing, quiz show games, and delicious Shabbat meals, in addition to the many leisure activities Mahoney has to offer. "The goal of this Shabbat is for people from all walks of the Omaha Jewish community to enjoy a weekend together and to observe the Sabbath in a fun setting," explained Harry Weiner, planning committee member. "All of the programming is supposed to be fun, and there will be babysitting and activities for children along with the plans for grown ups." Accommodations will be in two bedroom cabins, each with a private bath, living area and kitchenette. Meals will be served in Riverview lodge, specially reserved for the weekend. Omaha Scout Troop 218 willalso join in the weekend, camping in the nearby Mahoney campground. The Retreat begin Friday afternoon at 6 pan., with Shabbat services for those who wish, followed by Friday night dinner. Afterwards, participants will enjoy dramatic story telling and Israeli dancing led by Rini Gonsher. Shabbat lunch will be served Saturday at noon; afterwards participants will team up for competition in Jewish Jeopardy. The afternoon will feature free time to relax or explore Mahoney, with a class on the weekly Torah portion at 4:45 for those who are interested. At 6 p.m., we will gather together for the third Shabbat meal, followed by a creative "sing down" until the end of Shabbat. Saturday night the Scouts will build a bonfire for roasting marshmallows and s'mores. . (Continued on page 8)

Personal Collection Inspires Special Hag gad ah by OZZIE NOGG •

1 •'-• - . Rabbi Paul Drazen shares a few of the many ffaggadot in bis collection. Soiae people collect baseball cards. Others collectstamps. Rabbi Paul Drazen collects Passover Haggadahs. And, inspired by his collection, he recently designed a special Haggadah to be used at the Community-wide Second Seder scheduled for Sunday, April 8, 7 p.m., at Beth El Synagogue. The first Haggadot in my collection were sent to me by my mother's mother, Bubbie Wainer, who lived in Israel in B'nai Brak—a town that plays a. prominent role in the Haggadah because of the seder debates that took place there between rabbinic sages," he recalled. "I was 12 years old when my grandmother sent me those Haggadahs and they made an impact because their covers were dark blue and fez2y, like fur, hardly something to have on a messy Seder table." Today, those Haggadot sit side by side with dozens of others on the shelves in Rabbi Drazen's office. The collection includes old volumes, contemporary versions, editions put out by the Rabbinical Assembly, Yesbiva University and UAHC as well as a Haggadah supplement created by Rabbi Drazen's father. "When I lived in St. Louis in the late 1950s, my parents always invited soldiers from Ft. Leonard Wood to our seders," said Rabbi Drazen. "My father's supplement to the Haggadah was a big hit because it added some contemporary ways to see an ancient ceremony." According to the Encyclopedia Judaica, the Passover Haggadah is the most popular work in Jewish literature. Manuscripts have originated in every country where Jews have lived and it's estimated that more than 2,700 different editions are currently in existence. . "Over time, every group has put its distinctive stamp—its own spin—on the Haggadah," he eon(Continued on page 8)

SNS80E: AMIT celebrates 75th anniversary.

page 10

Purim stories and photos

..Pages 12-13

NEW! Crossword Puzzle

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Passover cookbook and recipes....

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March 16, 2001 by Jewish Press - Issuu