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Temple Scholar-in-Residence to Probe the American Jewish Self by CLAUDIA SHERMAN
by CAROL KATZMAN, Editor
Arnold Eisen, Koshland On Saturday evening, Professor of Jewish Culture and Temple's Chavurah group and Religion and chairman of the the Jewish Federation's Young Department of Religious Studies Leadership Division are coat Stanford University, will be sponsoring an event featuring in Omaha from March 22-24, Eisen's views on "The Jew as a scholar-in-residence at Within: Self, Family, and Temple Israel. Through the Community," the title of his weekend, Eisen's discussions, newest book. He will talk about sponsored by the Hermene how Jewish leaders should Zweiback Center for Lifelong address the task of strengthenJewish Learning, will focus on ing Jewish institutions and "Rethinking Jewish Identity community in America today from Within." and how to answer the question: "Why be Jewish?" Author of numerous books and articles about contemporary In an article in Commentary Jewish life and thought in Magazine, Eisen reports that America and Israel, Eisen has while watching an elaborate worked closely with synagogue procession for the festival of and federation leadership Sukkot at a Philadelphia synaProfessor Arnie Eisen around the country. In addition gogue some years ago, he "could to issues of Jewish identity, Eisen has addressed not help but wonder, despite my familiarity with the revitalization of Jewish tradition and the redef- the rituals of the holiday, what on earth these peoinition of the American Jewish community. ple were doing and why they were doing it. A few He will speak at Shabbat services on Friday, moments later, no less incredulous than before, I March 22, 8 p.m., on the topic, "Taking Hold of had joined the march," Eisen said. Torah: Jewish Community and Commitment in According to the magazine article, "there are facAmerica Today," addressing questions such as tors that actively discourage observance. Eisen where we are as a Jewish community, how we got focuses on "politics, a category that for him covers here, and where we should be going. not only discriminatory laws and edicts but also On Saturday, March 23, 9 a.m., Eisen wilt hostile socHTlttitudes. In the 19th century, Eisen speak at Bagels and Sacred Books in the Milder explains, Jews in Western European countries Center. The subject will be "Living with Leviticus: were under pressure to conduct themselves in an The Challenge of Ritual," followed by services in 'enlightened' manner. They quickly became aware the sanctuary. The morning discussion will be that the retention or attainment of political liberabout "how we overcome our very real difficulties ties depended on the demonstration of...dressing with this part of the Torah—the stuff of blood, sacri- and eating a certain way, speaking a 'pure' form of fice and priesthood-and use its insights to enliven the reigning language, worshipping with proper Jewish ritual and tradition, including upcoming decorum." Passover celebrations," he said. (Continued on page 8)
Federation Men's Campaign Exceeds Expectations by PAM MONSKY Federation Communications Director — •
Teen from Former Soviet Union Named Weizmann Sweetheart
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The 2002 Federation Annual Campaign underwent a major facelift this year, starting with appointing Joanie Kaiman and Jerry Kohll as the first male and female team to head the General Campaign. . Kaiman and Kohll examined the structure of the Campaign from every angle and saw tremendous opportunity for growth within the Men's Campaign, which is the largest division in the entire Campaign. Men's Campaign is divided into six divisions, and each division has a volunteer leader who recruits workers to call on donors for their contribution to the Annual Campaign. But without a dedicated leader to coordinate all the volunteers, the Campaign was growing stale. Fortunately, Kaiman and Kohll called Pete Brodkey. When Brodkey agreed to lead the 2002 Men's Campaign for the Jewish Federation of Omaha, he knew he was entering uncharted territory. That was part of the attraction. "I knew we had hard-working and dedicated volunteers raising campaign dollars," said Brodkey. "The problem was that there was no one at the top of the campaign volunteer structure who focused solely on the Men's Campaign. "One of my goals was to get started early and (Continued on page 8)
for
Jewish Omaha! $3,200,000 $3,000,000 $2,800,000 S2,400,000 $2,000,000 $1,600,000
Goal
*4 Raised to date
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In a way, it's a miracle that Lana Kinarksky is here at all. The first Jewish teen from the former Soviet Union to be named as a Sweetheart of the Chaim Weizmann chapter of AZA, was born shortly after the world's worst nuclear disaster in Chernobyl. Leo and Yulia Kinafsky arrived in Omaha in 2002 from Minsk, via Detroit, when Lana was five •.'*• years old. Yulia was s e v e n months p r e gn a n t with Lana w h e n Chernobyl's nuclear reactors suffered a "meltdown," on April 26, 1986. "Lana was born prema- _ ture and was very sick as Lana "Kinarsky an infant," her mother recalled. "I was walking1 outside in Minsk and this cloud appeared...it looked like it was raining, but there were no raindrops." The cloud, Which turned out to be radioactive, covered the city for weeks. It was months, maybe even a year, before the city's residents were informed as to the truth behind the disaster. The Kinarskys have been tested and "so far, so good," said Yulia, thankfully. Today, thousands of Jewish children have been rescued by the Children of Chernobyl, a project of Chabad, and brought to Israel for treatment of leukemia. Unfortunately, thousands more, and their parents, have not been so lucky. "There was no food on the shelves, no toys for the children," Yulia recalled of the last years in Minsk, after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the demise of the USSR. "When we arrived in Detroit, Lana couldn't believe all the toys in the stores!" Leo was a Professor of Science in Minsk and is currently an Assistant Professor at Eppley Cancer Institute, part of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Yulia managed a lab for an environmental company in Minsk and now works for Creighton University's Cancer Institute, under Dr. Henry Lynch, where she manages the lab. She'll be involved with a genetic-testing project of Jews who have had colon cancer or are first-degree relatives of colon cancer patients. Dr. Lynch and Jewish Family Service are collaborating on the project, which is expected to be launched this spring. "We're so lucky to be in Omaha," Yulia said. "The kids have been so nice to Lana, and so has Rachel Blum (the JCC's BBYO Director)." (Continued on page 6)
51,200,000 $800,000
INSIDE:-
5400,000
Teen Age
• Pages 6 & 7
Read It and Eat.;...................,....... fkniitisl Caivapaigm www.jewishomaha.org
Friedei Notebook
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