Vol. LXXXI
No. 49
Omaha, HE
8 Elul, 5762
August 16,2002
SERVING NEBRASKA AND WESTERN IOWA FOR 81 YEARS
JCC Maccahi Games Bring Medals, Tears by BEN DELMAN, Jewish Press Student Intern •
Rabbi Monachal Levin to be installed ™ Rabbi Kripke Will Officiate by OZZiE NOGG
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More than 900 athletes, coaches and delega- Maccabi torch to St. Louis, one of three cities tion heads celebrated the conclusion of the to host the 2003 Games, the teens partied, and 2002 JCC Maccabi Games in Omaha last danced, enjoyed pizza and played games. Thursday night. Following the passing of the (More photos and story on pages 10-11)
Temple Invites Community on Journey to Jewish Spain by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator
Giralda Tower, It has been a long-held and the dream of Temple Israel's A l c a z a r Rabbi Aryeh Azriel to lead M o o r i s h Jews from Omaha on a fortress will be tour of Jewish Spain. followed by an "And now we're going to afternoon of do it! It will be a dream i leisure. come true," he exclaimed. In Granada, Temple Israel will sponI the group will sor a trip to Spain leaving visit the on F e b . 27, 2003. Alhambra Highlights include an oriPalace and the entation tour in Madrid Generalif e followed by services .at the Gardens. The Beth Yaacov Synagogue next day, the and dinner at a restautour heads to rant. While still in I Barcelona Madrid, the group will f 'where they'll visit the Royal Palace and Photo courtesy Spanish Iburist Office _„. stroll through 17th centu- Toledo, Spain. ry El Retiro Park, visit the Reina Sofia Museum Quarter, La Sagrada Familia Church, and the Miro with its collection of Spanish contemporary art, and Museum. Before departing for home on March 9, the itinerthe world famous Prado Museum housing masterary leads to Girona to visit the former Jewish pieces by Goya, El Greco, and Rubens. Next on the tour is the medieval city of Toledo, one Quarter, the Isaac El Cec Center, and the ancient of the most important towns in the history of the mikva at Besalu. A farewell dinner is planned at a Jewish Diaspora. While there, the tour includes a typical Catalonian restaurant back in Barcelona. Rosie Zweiback, Temple's program director, said visit to the Santa Maria La Blanca, formerly the great synagogue; and the El Transito synagogue, built in that interest in the trip is high and there is a good showing of early enrollment. It is now open to the mid-14th century, now a Sephardic Museum. Other highlights of the trip include a tour of the everyone in the community who is interested in Jewish Quarter of Cordoba; the Mudejar style syn- "immersing yourself in the Sephardic world~pre agogue; La Mezquita, the Moorish Mosque; and and post 1492 -the history, art, science, and politics then a drive to Seville. A morning tour of Seville's of a brilliant people," according to Zweiback. (Continued on page 6) Barrio de Santa Cruz, the Cathedral's famous
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Dick Fellman, President of Beth El Synagogue, has announced that Rabbi Mordechai Levin will be formally installed on Saturday, Aug. 31, 8:30 p.m. Rabbi Myer S. Kripke will officiate. Cantor Emil Berkovits and Gaston Bogomolni, Beth El's Ritual Director, will provide the musical portions of the ceremony which will include a spe-1 cial Havdalah service. R a b b i M y e r s . Kripke "I'm pleased that the congregation has chosen me to welcome Rabbi Levin and wish him well in his new duties," Rabbi Kripke said. "This creates an obvious continuity between the past experience of Beth El and the anticipated continued leadership and enjoyment of that leadership. The Pirke Avot reminds us of the chain of Jewish tradition from Moses all the way to our own leadership. We pray that Rabbi Levin will find inspiration and satisfaction in his leadership and that the congregation, in response, will rise to a new appreciation of Our Jewish heritage." When describing the upcoming event, President Dick Fellman said, "According to the Rabbinical Assembly of the Conservative Movement, installation is a sacred occasion. It's a time when the rabbi, the lay leaders and the entire Beth El family can recommit themselves to the synagogue, the Jewish people, the Jewish religion and the pursuit of the holy (Continued on page 6)
Beth Israel Gets Okay to Break Ground by RITA S H E L L E Y .
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The City of Omaha Planning Board approved Beth Israel Synagogue's plans for a new $2.5 million facility to be built on property the congregation owns at 126th and Pacific Streets. The community soon will be invited to a groundbreaking at the site of the new building. According to Beth Israel's Rabbi Howard Kutner, the congregation and its architect began defining requirements for a new facility after the congregation voted in 1999 to move from its present location at 1502 No. 52 St. The result of these discussions is a design that successfully incorporates key elements of Beth Israel's history while providing space flexible enough to meet the unique requirements of a modern Orthodox congregation. "It is a place that will be a fitting home for Omaha's Orthodox community," Rabbi Kutner said. Marty Shukert, whose Renaissance Design Group designed the new facility with input from the congregation, said his firm met the challenges of designing the facility by taking a number of factors into consideration. For instance, the sanctuary provides worship spaces for men and women that are separate, but egalitarian, Shukert said. "The sightlines and viewpoints are the same for both men and women," he said. "We took a great deal of care in creating a building that is appropriate to an Orthodox congregation, yet accessible to everyone." (Continued on page 6)
INSiOE: Where Are They Now?
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Internet Back-to-School Resources.,,page 14 ,80 years after the Munich massacrc.page 16