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Rediscovering Federation Presidents Henry Monsky 1941 to 1943 Part Two JCRC launches Rekindle chapter Page 4

MARTY RICKS NJHS Advisory Board Member hen Henry Monsky assumed the presidency of the Jewish Welfare Federation of Omaha in 1941, he did so at a moment of extraordinary responsibility. He stepped into the role when longtime president William Holzman relocated to Los Angeles, completing the remainder of Holzman’s term and then serving through 1943. At the same time, Monsky was carrying the full weight of his national leadership as President of B'nai B'rith, as reports from Europe grew darker and the needs of Jewish communities intensified. Those who worked with him often remarked on his clarity of thought and his ability to make decisions quickly but with care. He did not lead alone. Former president Dr. Philip Sher remained actively involved, and the board included experienced leaders such as Sam Beber and Morris Jacobs, both of whom would later serve as Federation presidents themselves. Monsky was also supported by Paul Veret, the Federation’s first executive director, hired in 1938, who provided steady day-to-day leadership

W The Untested Cookbook Pages 7

for both the Federation and the Jewish Community Center. Monsky knew the organization deeply. He had joined the board of the Associated Jewish Charities, an earlier name of the Federation, in 1913 at the age of 23 and remained involved for decades, eventually serving as vice president under Holzman. He supported the establishment of the organization that would become the Omaha Jewish Press, See Federation Presidents page 3

NextGen brings a new generation together Page 12

BBYO blast: December

REGULARS Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life Cycles

6 8&9 10 11

IDAN ZACCAI BBYO Director As the holiday season lights up our community, Omaha BBYO has been busy with meaningful programs that embody our core values of leadership, inclusivity and Jewish identity We kicked off December with a dynamic Board Leadership Training Institute (LTI). Led by our amazing

advisors, our board prepared the next semester, which is full of wonderful programs that will include our alumni and some old traditions. MZ Yoshannah had a fun and inspiring Big-Little Secret program, which included a scavenger hunt throughout the JCC, leading to the exciting reveal. This program has strengthened sisterhood bonds and welcomed newcomers with open arms, highlighting our commitment to inclusivity. Mamas had their own fun playing a game of Quiplash. With a friendly competitive atmosphere and many laughs everyone came closer together. In a powerful display of unity, Omaha teens participated in BBYO’s See BBYO page 2

JCRC presents fourth Annual Jewish day of action

Community members in the Rotunda of the State Capitol

PAM MONSKY JCRC Assistant Director The community is invited to join the JCRC at the State Capital in Lincoln for the Annual Jewish Day of Action on Feb. 19, 2026. Beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Capitol rotunda, meet with legislators and their staff to discuss issues facing the Jewish community. Getting to know our legislators is vital, as many have no Jews in their district. Our Jewish Day of Action gives them the opportunity to ask questions and learn about our faith and concerns. A kosher lunch with legislators and

staff will follow at noon at Peetz & Co., 1233 Lincoln Mall. Jewish Day of Action is a dynamic event designed to foster connections between constituents and their state legislators. This powerful day of advocacy brings together members of the reform, conservative and orthodox communities in Omaha and Lincoln united by a shared commitment to civic engagement within the Jewish community. Last year, over 50 Jewish community members and state legislators See JCRC page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | January 16, 2026

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JEWISH PRESS READERS

Follow us on Instagram: EXPERIENCE ANTISEMITISM? If you experience antisemitism, there are ways to report an incident or hate crime: IF THIS IS AN EMERGENCY, MOVE TO A SAFE AREA AND DIAL 9-1-1 CALL the JFO’s Safety and Security Team 402-334-6446 EMAIL JCRCreporting@jewishomaha.org SCAN the QR code below to fill out the Incident Reporting Form

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If you see something, say something.

Continued from page 1 Global Shabbat, connecting with chapters worldwide for services, songs, and reflections that reinforced our shared Jewish identity and global community. The season culminated in a vibrant Big Hanukkah Party led by our community shaliach, Itay. Fun games, dreidels, latkes, homemade sufganiyot and candle lighting - celebrating tradition while creating joyful new memories with friends old and new. These experiences remind us how BBYO brings Jewish values to life through connection, joy, and shared moments. Our activities build community through laughter, leadership, and

meaningful traditions passed down and reimagined by each generation. Looking ahead, we're excited for a packed January full of fun programs! Our semester kickoff on Jan. 13 will feature watching the Creighton Bluejays take on the Georgetown Hoyas. With more than a century of experience in Jewish teen engagement, BBYO is growing and thriving in Omaha. BBYO’s programs embrace pluralistic Jewish values and provide opportunities for inspiration, connection, and community. For questions and more information about BBYO, please email izaccai@jccomaha.org or call 402.334.6404.

Writing workshop ‘Write With Us,’ our small and intimate writing workshop (no need to be nervous) continues in the winter and early spring. Upcoming workshops are scheduled for the following Thursdays: Jan. 29, Feb. 26, March 26 and April 30 from 5-7 p.m. in the Noshery at the Staenberg Omaha JCC. Register by contacting Jessi at jtaylor@jewishomaha.org or Annette at avandekamp@jewishomaha.org. There is no cost to attend, although donations are always welcome. If you have wanted to write your family’s story, that great American novel, or you have always wanted to try your hand at poetry, join us! Maybe you are already an accomplished writer, but you would benefit from being in a room with other writers. Perhaps you have convinced yourself you can’t write at all, but would love to try. Everyone, from absolute beginner to professional, is welcome to attend. We will provide the kosher snacks and the writing prompts.

PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS JCRC ADVERTISE IN THE JEWISH PRESS Reach the Jewish communities in Omaha, Lincoln, Council Bluffs and surrounding areas.

Contact Claire Endelman 402.334.6559 | cendelman@jewishomaha.org

The Jewish Press

Continued from page 1 gathered in Nebraska's state capital for the third Annual Jewish Day of Action. JCRC is again partnering with eighth grade students from Friedel Jewish Academy giving the students an opportunity to strengthen their involvement in state-level politics. No prior experience is necessary. An in-person and virtual Legislative Boot Camp is being offered to interested community members on Feb. 17 from noon to 1 p.m. To register for Jewish Day of Action and the Boot Camp, please email Pam Monsky, pmonsky@jewishomaha.org. Participants will meet one-on-one with lawmakers, including state senators and their staff members, to discuss important issues such as religious freedoms, voting rights, and community security and support. The event highlights the significance of Jewish values in public service, emphasizing the

In 2025, participants met with Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly

role of grassroots organizing in shaping state policies.

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The Jewish Press | January 16, 2026 | 3

How Jewish politics are shaping the 2026 election map, from coast to coast ANDREW LAPIN JTA After a year in which Israel, antisemitism and political polarization scrambled long-standing alliances, the American Jewish political map is heading into 2026 unusually unsettled. From New York City Hall to swing-state governors’ mansions to some of the most crowded Democratic primaries in memory, the coming election cycle will test how much Jewish voters still cohere as a political bloc — and whether the issues that have dominated Jewish life since Oct. 7 will continue to shape the ballot box. The rise of outspoken pro-Palestinian candidates, fractures inside both parties over Israel, and the growing visibility of antisemitism on the left and the right have turned races that might once have seemed parochial into national bellwethers. As Democrats and Republicans jockey for control of Congress and key statehouses, Jewish candidates and Jewish issues are no longer confined to the margins. Instead, they are central — sometimes uncomfortably so — to debates about ideology, identity and power. These are the big political questions facing the American Jewish community as 2026 approaches. The Mamdani era begins After the most closely watched — and, in some Jewish corners, feared — mayoral race in generations, Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in as New York City’s next chief executive on the first day of the year. For many Jews, both in and beyond New York, 2026 will be measured by how the democratic socialist mayor will wield his power and influence once in office — and by how many candidates in the midterms are able to follow in his footsteps when it comes to explicit pro-Palestinian activism. Ahead of his inauguration, Mamdani seemed to heed some of the Jewish alarms over his harsh criticism of Israel. During his transition he dismissed a staffer over her past antisemitic posts; met with the New York Board of Rabbis, which include some vocal critics of his; and, after the deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Australia, visited the grave of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Tensions remain. The Anti-Defamation League has launched a controversial monitoring project focused on his

administration. He also still pledges to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu should the Israeli prime minister visit New York, a threat that Netanyahu has shrugged off. Once he takes power, Mamdani’s outreach efforts to Jews will continue to be closely scrutinized, as will Jewish leaders’ willingness to be in the same room with him — or to discourage, or encourage, further attacks on him. Seismic shifts on the right Republicans could have seized upon the rise of Mamdani as an effort to appeal to worried Jews Some of the political candidates likely to make waves among Jewish voters in 2026. Credit: ahead of the midterms as the Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket; John Nacion/Deadline; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.; pro-Isael, anti-antisemitism Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.; Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Sophie Park/Getty Images; Noam Galai/Getty Images; John Lazenby/UCG/Universal Images Group; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, party. Instead, the GOP now Inc.; Micah for Assembly; Udo Salters Photography; Design by Jackie Hajdenberg seems unsure what it thinks donations from AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby, and praised Herabout Jews at all. While President Donald Trump says he remains resolutely itage for its defense of the Carlson-Fuentes interview. “Why pro-Israel, and many establishment Jewish groups continue is it that when we’re critical of Israel, it feels like a fourth their eagerness to work with him, his second-in-command JD branch comes out to almost criminalize our speech?” the Gen Vance has opened the door to a rising tide of anti-Israel and Z hedge-fund manager has said. And in the Ohio gubernatorial race, the biotech entrepreanti-Jewish sentiment on the party’s hyper-nationalist wing. neur Vivek Ramaswamy — who as a 2024 presidential candiAt Turning Point USA’s annual convention, Vance declined to date was one of the first major figures of his party to suggest join the critics of conservative antisemitism, and instead encutting aid to Israel — appears to be the likely GOP nominee. couraged the party to widen its tent. He will likely face a Jewish Democratic candidate, former state Meanwhile, conservative thought leaders such as the Herhealth official Dr. Amy Acton. itage Foundation and Turning Point USA, which have wielded A test for Josh Shapiro power to vet and promote GOP candidates, have opened A Jewish governor with a national profile, Josh Shapiro is doors to outright conspiratorial talking points about Jewish seeking reelection in November. Stacy Garrity, his GOP oppoand Israeli power, via figures such as open antisemite Nick nent, is the only person to earn more votes in Pennsylvania Fuentes and podcaster Tucker Carlson, who has offered him history than Shapiro when she was elected state treasurer in a friendly platform. 2024. A popular moderate with a reputation as a humanitarAlready some Republican candidates, driven by “America ian war hero, Garrity hopes to unite the state as Shapiro did, First” ideology and their disdain for U.S. aid to Israel, are takdespite her record of boosting election denials. She’ll remind ing explicitly anti-Israel platforms. Florida gubernatorial hopeSee Jewish Politics page 9 ful James Fishback, for example, has pledged to refuse

Federation Presidents

Continued from page 1 helped form and build the Jewish Community Center, and was a prolific fundraiser for both the Federation and the JCC. By the time he became president, he had long understood both the challenges and the promise of Jewish communal life in Omaha, and the community welcomed his leadership. An article in B'nai B'rith Magazine announcing his national presidency in 1938 captured the breadth of his civic involvement. It described his social vision as that of a veteran, noting that he had founded Omaha’s Community Chest, now United Way, in 1922, serving first as vice president and later as president. The article went on to list his roles as a director of the Omaha Chamber of Commerce, president of the Nebraska Conference of Social Work, a member of the Omaha Welfare Board, past president of the Omaha Council of the Boy Scouts, president of the Omaha Talmud Torah, and a member of the executive committee of the National Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds. Locally, he was also a driving force behind Omaha campaigns for the Joint Distribution Committee. Monsky’s commitment to social justice and interfaith co-

operation was perhaps most publicly embodied in his long friendship with Father Edward Flanagan. Their relationship became widely known following the release of the 1938 film Boys Town, starring Mickey Rooney. Long before the film, however, Monsky had quietly supported Flanagan’s work. In 1917, he loaned Flanagan ninety dollars to help establish Boys Town and later assisted with the purchase of Overlook Farm, which remains its headquarters today. Monsky served as pro bono legal counsel, a board member, a fundraiser, and a trusted confidant. True to his modest nature, Monsky insisted that his role not be portrayed in the film. He asked that his name and likeness not appear and that he not be depicted as a lawyer. The confidant character was therefore portrayed as an immigrant Jewish shopkeeper. The story is often told that Monsky was initially unsettled when the character appeared in the opening scene carrying a briefcase, but relieved when the briefcase never appeared again. Monsky’s legacy did not end with his lifetime. His son Hubert and daughter in law Ramelle named one of their children Henry. That grandson, Henry Monsky, never met his grandfa-

ROOFING

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ther, but has lived in Omaha for many years. After retiring at the end of 2023, he became a guide at the Boys Town Hall of History and Father Flanagan Home. Iris and I took his tour of the Flanagan House about a year ago, and he was terrific. In a quiet and fitting way, the values that defined Henry Monsky’s life continue to be shared with new generations. Seen in the context of this series, Henry Monsky stands firmly among the early builders of Omaha’s Jewish community. Like Samuel Ravitz, who helped unify a young Federation, and Morris Levy, the visionary behind the Jewish Community Center, Monsky understood that institutions endure only when leaders are willing to shoulder responsibility over time. He followed Dr. Philip Sher and William Holzman not by changing direction, but by deepening the work they began, and he helped prepare the way for those who followed him, including Sam Beber and Morris Jacobs. Together, these presidents shaped a Federation that was not only a fundraising body, but a moral center for Jewish life in Omaha. Henry Monsky’s story reminds us that leadership is rarely solitary. It is built l’dor v’dor, through trust, continuity, and the willingness to act when the moment demands it.

4 | The Jewish Press | January 16, 2026

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LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY Dear Reader, It is with profound sadness and deep grief that we inform you that this will be the final installment of this column. Teddy Weinberger — beloved father, husband, brother, grandfather, and friend — passed away suddenly on Dec. 16, the second day of Hanukkah, at the young age of 64. His death comes as a tremendous shock to all who knew him. An extremely active cyclist, tennis player, swimmer, and hiker, Teddy seemed almost invincible to those who knew him. This column is dedicated to Teddy Weinberger, to give you better insight into who he was. It is based on the eulogies delivered by family members and close friends who knew him best. Theodore Weinberger (Yitzchak Chaim, son of Leonard and Sylvia Borowich Weinberger) was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Yeshiva of Flatbush (ES 1975 and HS 1979) where his love of Israel was instilled. He received his BA in English from Columbia University, class of 1983, the last allmale graduating class. He received a Master’s in English and a PhD in Theology from Emory University in Atlanta. He and his wife Sarah Ross moved to North Miami Beach where he taught religion courses at Florida International University. In 1997, he made aliyah with Sarah and their five young children, Nathan, Rebecca, Ruthie, Ezra, and Elie. The family settled in Givat Ze’ev, where they built their life in Israel. Teddy often said that there were only two decisions he made in his life about which he had no regrets: marrying his beloved Sarah and making aliyah. These life-changing decisions reflected his two most deeply held values — family and Israel. These values continued to guide him throughout his life. Family was of the utmost priority to Teddy. Throughout his children’s early years, he was a stay-at-home dad before it was in vogue, while Sarah pursued her career. Teddy cherished togetherness and did everything to avoid conflict, naturally taking the role of peacemaker, whenever tensions arose. Teddy and Sarah’s own children, each of whom has chosen a very different path in life, credit their father with encouraging them to follow their hearts and achieve greatness. Knowing that their parents stood

firmly behind them was a great source of comfort and strength for them. His love for Israel motivated his commitment to hike every inch of the land. From joining his children on class trips (often much to their embarrassment), to insisting his family go on tiyulim (hikes) across the country, no matter how hot or cold. Teddy believed that the best way to learn about our homeland was “through your feet,” a message his children eventually came to appreciate. He believed passionately in aliyah and was overjoyed when he heard that another Jew had chosen to make Israel their home (whether he knew them personally or not). He was fond of an idea he had learned from his Rabbi (and tennis partner), Rav Lior Engleman, who said that a Jew born in Israel is considered a tzaddik gamur (perfectly righteous) while one born outside the land who makes aliyah is likened to a baal teshuva (someone who returns to the faith). Since the Talmud in Brachot teaches that a baal teshuva can reach an even higher level than a tzaddik gamur, Teddy saw this not as a compliment, but as a responsibility—a mission to continually strive higher. As an oleh, he took that mission seriously. Teddy thought deeply about the world, as readers of this column can attest. He never took things at face value – he approached people and the world with curiosity. An avid reader and podcast listener, he was always searching for sources of knowledge and grains of wisdom. Teddy was a people person in the truest sense. His warmth was contagious, and he could strike up a conversation with anyone — a neighbor, garbage collector, falafel vendor, supermarket clerk. He knew that each person had a story worth telling and he wanted to give them the opportunity to share that story. One of the many ways Teddy nurtured those around him was through food. Teddy was a legendary cook, best known for his freshly baked challahs. Every Friday he would bake extra challahs and distribute them to the lonely, elderly, or whoever he thought might appreciate the gesture. His motto “spread the love” perfectly captured his motivation. He asked for nothing in return — only that people show more kindness, compassion, and generosity toward one another. This, Dear Reader, is the lesson we hope you learn from Teddy, above all else. Look around you. Notice the person who seems to be a bit lonely or quietly struggling. A small gesture can make all the difference to them. Offer a smile, a kind word, or maybe a challah. Whatever you do, do it with love. May his soul be bound in the bond of life.

PAM MONSKY JCRC Assistant Director JCRC Omaha is thrilled to announce that applications for Cohort II of Rekindle, the Black Jewish dialogue program, are now open. The mission of Rekindle is to create meaningful social change by bringing leaders from the Black and Toba Cohen-Dunning Jewish communities together to break down barriers and rebuild relationships between our communities through meaningful and challenging dialogue, and face-to-face interactions. Inspired by the strong relationships and collaborative action between the Black and Jewish communities that were built during the Civil Rights Movement, we can accelerate our collective impact Bobby Brumfield and increase equity in Omaha. Born out of friendships made during a leadership program Rekindle started in Cleveland, and has now graduated cohorts across the country with more than 200 Fellows. These Fellows represent a diverse mix of professional roles, including philanthropy, media, business, economic development, and more. Just over two years ago, with more cohorts underway, Omaha

asked to bring the program here, and we were fortunate to be awarded a generous seed grant to start the program. “This is a fantastic opportunity to take the relationships we have been forging through our partnerships with the North Omaha Empowerment Network and member organizations to the next level,” said Sharon Brodkey, executive director of JCRC Omaha. Rekindle strengthens, invigorates, and opens doors to new connections between our Black and Jewish communities, leading to impactful and meaningful social change. “Our intention is both to educate these communities about racism and antisemitism, find issues of common concern to build allyships (like equity in education and employment, affordable housing, voting access, and common sense gun legislation) and work together to strengthen the bonds between people by engaging together in a civic action project,” Brodkey added. Leading Cohort II are JCRC 2024 Volunteer of the Year Bobby Brumfield and JCRC Advisory Board chair Toba CohenDunning. Recruitment begins soon. To learn more or apply to be a participant in the inaugural cohort of Rekindle Omaha, please visit https://www.jewishomaha.org/inspire-change/ jcrc/rekindle-fellowship/. The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is dedicated to working in common cause to enhance cooperation with other religious, racial, ethnic, and civic groups to foster a just, democratic and pluralistic society as well as promote the security of Israel and Jews everywhere. Guided by Jewish values, the JCRC is a nonpartisan agency that advocates, educates, collaborates, and mobilizes action on issues important to the Jewish Community and the greater community

Changing your JCRC launches Rekindle chapter address? Please give us the following information: Your name, old address and new address and when you want the address change to go into effect. Call 402.334.6558 or email us at jpress@jewishomaha.org

The Jewish Press

The Jewish Press | January 16, 2026 | 5

News LOCA L | N ATION AL | WORLD

CANNONBALLING INTO JBL

JAY KATELMAN JFO Director of Community Development Jewish Business Leaders is picking back up. Our next event will be on Feb. 20, 2026, at the Staenberg Omaha JCC, featuring Tamara Draeger of Nebraska Warehouse Company, Cannonball Express Transportation, and The Junction. The event will be from 7:30–9 a.m., in the Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue. Tamara (Meyers) Draeger is the third-generation owner of Nebraska Warehouse Company, Cannonball Express Transportation, and The Junction. She joined the logistics industry in 2007 when she began working with her dad, Jon Meyers and cousin, Bruce Meyers in the family business. She enjoys leading her teams and working on the people connection aspects of leadership and business ownership. Prior to entering the family business, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Doane College and taught elementary special education within the Omaha Public Schools and Boys Town

SNOWBIRDS

school districts. Tamara has been a member of Vistage International since 2011, earned her Certified Transportation Broker distinction from the TIA in 2018, was one of Midland’s Business Journal’s 40 under 40 in 2022, and recently completed her CWLP and EWLP (Certified and Executive Warehouse Logistics Professional) distinctions from the IWLA in 2024. She also sits on the Building and Grounds committee at the JCC, is a member of the Temple Israel Executive Committee and Board of Trustees and is a member of the YLP Steering Committee. In her free time, she enjoys spending as much time as possible with her husband Jared, their 3 children, and 2 dogs - which usually involves some sort of sporting event or extracurricular practice. A special Thank You to our Platinum Tamara Draeger sponsors: Bridges Trust, OMNE Partners, CFO Systems LLC, and Sun Valley Landscaping and event sponsors: Alex Epstein, Nebraska Warehouse Company, Cannonball Express Transportation, and The Junction.

ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS The award-winning B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS speaker program currently meets Wednesdays via Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Please watch our email for specific information concerning its thought-provoking, informative list of speakers. To be placed on the email list, contact Breadbreakers chair at gary.javitch@gmail.com.

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6 | The Jewish Press | January 16, 2026

After three years without a youth delegation, P2G hosted the youth of Omaha for a tour of the Partnership space. It was fun and delicious.

HANUKKAH EXTRAVAGANZA 2025 Hanukkah Extravaganza at Children’s Museum

SP O TLIGHT

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS SUBMIT A PHOTO: Have a photo of a recent Jewish Community event you would like to submit? Email the image and a suggested caption to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org.

JCC JCC Dance Training Company and Junior Company Hanukkah Sock Exchange Party!

We are still catching up from Hanukkah-Thank you Rabbi Eli and Jason Epsenhart for lighting the Hanukkiah in the Schlessinger Family Lobby a few weeks ago!

Lighting around the world: the Bentons in the Virgin Islands, the editor’s family in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, and in Oceanside California..

The Jewish Press | January 16, 2026 | 7

The Untested Cookbook ZUCCHINI BREAD

GREEK VEGGIE GRATIN Judy Farber

Nanci Kavich

Ingredients: 3 eggs 2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 2 cups zucchini, grated and peeled 3 tsp. vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose ﬂour 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp. double-acting baking powder 3 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 cup coarsely chopped ﬁlberts or walnuts

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs until light and foamy. Add the sugar, oil, zucchini and vanilla and mix lightly. Combine ﬂour, salt, soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add to the egg-zucchini mixture. Stir until well blended. Add nuts. Pour into two 9” x 5” x 3” loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack.

LEMON ANGEL FLUFF CAKE Esther Canar

Ingredients: 1 tbsp. olive oil 2 medium onions, thinly sliced 1 large red pepper, thinly sliced 2 raw baking potatoes, sliced 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper 1 tbsp. minced garlic 1 14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, thinly sliced 1/2 lb. sliced carrots 1 large zucchini, thinly sliced 3/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil and sauté onions, red pepper, salt, pepper, and garlic in a pan for 10-15 min. Add tomatoes & cook for 5 min. In the bottom of a greased 9” by 13” pan put potatoes, & carrots & sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese. Add half of the tomato/onion mixture. Add zucchini & sprinkle crumbled Feta cheese. Add the 2nd half of the tomato/onion mixture. Add broth & more parmesan cheese. Cover the dish with foil & bake for 40 min. Uncover & bake 15 min. Let stand for 10 min. before serving.

Ingredients: 1 angel food cake, small loaf, cooked 6 eggs 1 1/2 cup sugar, divided 3/4 cup lemon juice and small amount of rind 1 packaged knox gelatin 1/4 cup water Whipped cream Almonds, slivered and toasted

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use a double boiler. Separate eggs. Heat yolks with 3/4 cup sugar. Add lemon juice and rind. Cook until custard consistency. Dissolve knox gelatin in water and add to custard. Allow to cool. Scrape brown edges off angel food cake and tear into cubes (use 3/4 of the cake). Beat egg whites and 3/4 cup sugar until stiff. Fold into cooled custard and add pieces of angel food cake. Pour into springform pan and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, frost with whipped cream and top with toasted slivered almonds. Can use coconut.

8 | The Jewish Press | January 16, 2026

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David Finkelstein President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Will Fischer Creative Director Claire Endelman Sales Director Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Sam Kricsfeld Digital support Mary Bachteler Accounting Jewish Press Advisory Board David Finkelstein, President; Margie Gutnik, Ex-Officio; Joseph Abrahams, Helen Epstein, Andrea Erlich, Ally Freeman, Dana Gonzales, Mary Sue Grossman, Hailey Krueger, Chuck Lucoff, Sara Rips, Stewart Winograd and Bob Yaffe. The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the JFO are: Institute for Holocaust Education, Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Social Services, Nebraska Jewish Historical Society and the Jewish Press. Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www.jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in TIF or PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For information, contact Annette van de Kamp-Wright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.

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Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Advisory Board, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole.

Snow Days

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor While I'm writing this, I'm technically still on vacation. I went home to visit family, as I have done many times before without problems. Except this time, I couldn't come back when I wanted to. For that, I have to thank both the US government and mother nature. If you don't mind a bit of a personal op-ed, typed on my phone, I'll explain. After President Maduro was removed from Caracas, the airspace above neighboring countries and territories was temporarily closed. This included the Netherlands Antilles, which caused a mess at the Amsterdam airport because there is constant traffic between Amsterdam and especially Curacao. It was a small mess, but in the Netherlands, even a small mess is cause for concern. It also unfortunately intensified the distrust people here have for President Trump. Left, right, no matter how different they think, they all dislike Trump. And they bring it up constantly because I live in America so I must know things. Then, on Jan. 2, the snow arrived. And while a slight dusting in the winter is not uncommon, this was a little more than a dusting. The trains stopped running, traffic came to a standstill, schools closed and countless travelers found themselves stranded at the airport. Suddenly, everyone only talked about the weather. Nobody cleaned their sidewalks, because that's where parents pull their kids on little sleighs. Towns ran out of salt. I forbade my mother to leave the house. But that's the thing: the Dutch hate stay-

ing put. On day five of the ongoing snow storm, when the government urged people to please stay home, there were more cars trying to navigate the interstate than ever. I think they broke a 17-year record for traffic jams. We talked a neighbor into driving to the grocery store, which he did at ten miles an hour. A bad decision, probably, but we got our groceries. My flight was eventually rescheduled and by the time you read this, I'm home. I am sort of glad, with apologies to every Dutch person who fell off their bike or landed their car in the ditch. Here's why: I stopped getting endless

questions about American politics. It's funny, how much attention people here pay to the US, even when politics at home are in shambles. But bring up the weather, and Dutch people will talk about nothing else. That is one tradition that never goes away. Forget about all the riots and fires on New Year's Eve, never mind the hundreds of first responders who have been attacked in recent weeks or that the cabinet fell (again). Forget, even, the threat of war with Russia. We have snow.

What keeping a diary taught me about making each day count ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL JTA In January 2011, I wrote my first entry in a fiveyear diary. It seems I watched “No Country for Old Men” and had “anxiety over … board meeting.” I don’t remember the details of that meeting, but I remember the anxiety. Five years later I started another five-year diary on New Year’s Day, which began with a bang — literally. “Wake late to sound [of] car crash.” Someone had rear-ended a parked car across the street, pushing it into the back of the car belonging to my son’s friend (no one was hurt). Later that day we went on a two-hour hike in the woods near Mahwah, New Jersey. This week, I finished my third five-year diary — the latest installment in what is now a 15-year record of the often mundane, sometimes meaningful and occasionally dramatic moments of my middle age. On New Year’s Day I started my fourth diary, which will take me well into — oh, let’s just say what my father would say when someone complained that they were getting older: “Consider the alternative.” I started keeping the diaries on a whim. It was a milestone birthday year, and I suppose my thoughts had begun to turn to the parts of my life I’d already lost, either through the death of loved ones or as a result of my own crumbling or highly selective memory. Like most parents (especially in the preFacebook era), I wished I had kept a better record of my kids when they were young. Yes, we took photographs and shot videos (now trapped on 8-millimeter cassettes), but gone are the conversations, the routines, the little things that made us laugh. There’s not much room for reflection in the tiny spaces allotted in my five-year diary, which was designed by the graphic artist Tamara Shopsin. It’s set up so that entries on the same date line up one beneath the other. For every entry you write, you can scan up to see what you did on that date one, two, three and four years ago. But even in telegraphic form the diary helps me preserve big moments and the humdrum things that I might otherwise forget. In the very first year there was a Very Big Moment — a health crisis that kept me away from the diary for a week. The handwriting changes abruptly as my wife takes over, chronicling

my hospital stay and my recovery. My chicken- Drive. Koppel found Howitt still living in Florida; her scratching returns in early May of that year. I have story about a slice of recovered personal history and almost no memory of the time I was “away”; in more the passage of time became a book, The Red Diary, ways than one, my wife brought back my life. published in 2008. In the years to come there were other Big (Howitt died, at 96, Moments. Our parents passed away. Our in 2012.) middle son was married. I held three differ“You’ve brought ent jobs ( four, if you count two separate back my life,” Howitt stints at JTA). There were four presidential told Koppel at one elections and a pandemic. But in some point, as she ways what I like most about the diary is the thumbed through way it captures the boring, everyday stuff. the crumbling diary. What we ate for dinner. What we watched My previous dion television. Who we chatted with at kid- Fifteen years of diaries, with a fresh aries are dog-eared dush. It’s something I learned from Irving one to fill up. Credit: JTA and stained, and Howe’s World of Our Fathers, when he describes dotted with stickers that I’ve picked up over the how the old Forward newspaper took an interest years at museums and events (including one I got in the ordinary goings-on among its immigrant at a vigil days after the Oct. 7 attacks). My new readers. “Nothing seemed too mundane for the diary is fresh and the spine is stiff. It’s daunting to Forward staff,” Howe writes, and as a result back is- hold a book of mostly blank pages without knowsues of the paper are a record of the everyday lives ing how they’ll fill up. But that’s just the objective of real people. correlative for how humans experience the future. If you’re typically lucky, a five-year diary can re- And it’s exciting, puh puh puh, to imagine what mind you how little has changed over the years. My these next 1,825 days will bring. Shabbats, for example, are almost eerily identical. Our metaphors about time are mostly about A typical Saturday in 2011 is not that much differ- what’s lost. Time slips away. We lose time, or we ent than a typical Saturday in 2025. (If I wrote a self- waste it. “Every second we live can never be recovhelp book, I could call it Eat, Pray, Nap.) ered,” Ezekiel Emanuel writes, alarmingly, in his new Considering the alternative, there is comfort in this self-help book Eat Your Ice Cream. My diary is a small sort of consistency. (What’s the supposed Chinese hedge against this kind of loss. Each entry is like a recurse: “May you live in interesting times”?) ceipt for a day that’s been stored away: I may never But monotony can also seem like a judgment and get the day back, but at least I can remember what it a goad to shake things up a little. Psalm 90:12 says, looked and felt like, and how I spent it when I had it. “Teach us to count our days [limnot yameinu], that In Saul Bellow’s Mr. Sammler’s Planet, a character we may get a heart of wisdom.” There are various says, “Everybody needs his memories. They keep interpretations of the verse, but the one I like most the wolf of insignificance from the door.” Of course, suggests that we’re being told to make each day the wolf is eventually going to get in, but I keep fillmatter — or, as it says in the old Silverman prayer ing out those blank pages. As the Jewish studies book, “May no day pass without bringing us closer scholar Lori Lefkowitz has written about limnot to some worthy achievement.” yameinu: “Since our days are numbered, the trick Shopsin, I’ve since learned, was inspired to design is to make them count.” her diary after reading a New York Times article about Andrew Silow-Carroll is editor at large of the Florence Wolfson Howitt, who kept such a diary New York Jewish Week and managing editor for from 1929 through 1934, when she was a privileged Ideas for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Jewish teenager growing up on the Upper West Side. The views and opinions expressed in this article are In 2003, a Times reporter, Lily Koppel, discovered the those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the diary among the trash at a building on Riverside views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

The Jewish Press | January 16, 2026 | 9

My liberal activist friends taught me how to be a Zionist in anti-Zionist spaces CALDER WEISS This article was produced as part of the New York Jewish Week’s Teen Journalism Fellowship, a program that works with Jewish teens around New York City to report on issues that affect their lives | JTA Raised in a family of liberal Democrats, I once considered myself an activist. I still remember the pride I felt when my parents took me to my first protest when I was 10: the 2018 March for Our Lives gun control demonstration in New York City. Since then, I’ve supported or marched for a range of progressive causes, including LGBTQ+ rights, abortion access and climate action. But things changed when the war between Israel and Hamas began. I found it disheartening to watch as an increasing number of left-leaning activists — such as Angela Davis and Judith Butler — incorporated anti-Zionist rhetoric into their work. As a result, I started declining my parents’ invitations to protests, worried that I would be confronted with people calling for Israel’s destruction. My parents’ experience at an April Hands Off ! rally in Bryant Park confirmed that fear: They encountered people wearing shirts reading “Disarm Israel” and holding signs that said “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” — which many Jews, including myself, interpret as a call for Israel’s destruction. My parents felt deeply uncomfortable marching near these protesters, as they did not want to appear to endorse their anti-Israel views. In recent years, anti-Zionism has become a trend that’s extended beyond activist groups and into mainstream political circles within the Democratic Party. My own politics haven’t changed — I still support Democratic candidates and their policies. But the growing acceptance of anti-Zionism within the left flank of the Democratic Party — as seen by the recent election of NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani — has made me feel alienated. Among Democratic voters, too, the landscape has shifted. Support for Israel, once the majority opinion among members of both parties, has eroded since Oct. 7. According to a recent poll of NYC voters, support for Israel is now an opinion predominantly held by Republicans. In both parties, anti-Israel sentiment is more common among younger members, as high as 71% among Democrats. Conversations I’ve had with students at my NYC public high school confirm the trend. As a result of this divergence between liberalism and Zionism, I feel torn between two worlds. To find Zionist solidarity, I’m drawn toward my more conservative peers, and to find liberal solidarity, I must at times overlook anti-Zionism. Either way, I feel that I must suppress or even hide some of the beliefs that

are most important to me. I want to embrace activism again, but how do I reconcile that with the anti-Zionism that has become acceptable within the liberal community? I interviewed some of my peers to find out how they were navigating this challenge.

Credit: Vincent Ricci/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

My friend Maxanne Wallace-Segall is a Jewish student at Stuyvesant High School who considers herself a “liberal Zionist.” Opposing the Trump administration, she co-leads a citywide organization, We The Students, that is battling what it calls overreach by the Trump administration. While she doesn’t support all of Israel’s actions in Gaza, she believes that Israel has a “historical and physical right to exist.” Part of her role at We The Students involves collaborating with other student-led organizations. As the Israel-Hamas war went on, she observed colleagues proposing “extremely, extremely anti-Zionist” ideas that went beyond criticizing Israel’s policies, instead attacking Israel’s fundamental right to exist. But instead of retreating from political engagement, Wallace-Segall’s strategy has been to initiate conversations with those who oppose Zionism. To combat the narrative of Israel as a villain, she frequently shares what she’s read in the news and asks others “what they think.” She also established a new organization, The Together Project, to facilitate dialogue between Jewish and Muslim students through citywide conferences and school events. Wallace-Segall told me that the tension between her liberalism and Zionism hasn’t strained her relationship with progressive causes. Rather, it has caused her to view her role differently: Now, in addition to fighting for liberalism, she cares about “fighting within” to check anti-Zionism inside the liberal movement. Wallace-Segall, who identifies as gay, acknowledged that she’s experienced a “huge amount of pushback [to] Zionism within the queer community.” Now she introduces herself to peers as “a gay Zionist”— showing that these two identities can coexist, and that she’s proud of both. I also reached out to my friend Mika, a senior at a public high school in Queens. Like me, Mika has struggled with the

divide between Zionism and liberal activism. “I worshipped Greta Thunberg in middle school,” she said, referring to the Swedish climate activist who has since supported anti-Zionism and participates in the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement. “I literally designed a campaign for her for one of my middle school projects. And now? She’s betrayed me.” (Mika asked that her school and last name not be used in this article because her classmates have recently begun bullying her because of her Zionism.) To her, liberal and anti-Zionist movements have converged because liberals fundamentally misunderstand what being Zionist actually means: “Being pro-Israel doesn’t make you pro-war,” Mika said. To her, Zionism is neither a liberal nor conservative position — it’s simply “the belief that Jews have the right to their own state.” To fight misinformation, Mika has worked to educate her peers about the definition of Zionism. She hopes that in doing so, she will help people understand that it’s not a conservative position, thereby loosening the hold of anti-Zionism on the liberal community. For example, when someone tells her that they don’t like Israel, she responds: “I bet you’re [actually] a Zionist — because truthfully, how many people believe that we should take every single Israeli and disperse them around the globe?” Speaking with these friends made me realize that it’s possible to remain a committed liberal while staying true to my Zionist beliefs. It also occurred to me that part of the reason anti-Zionism has flourished within the liberal community is because many liberal Zionists, myself included, have retreated from activist spaces, allowing anti-Zionism to grow unchallenged. With that in mind, while attending an immigration rights workshop in Brooklyn last month, I didn’t let hints of antiZionism scare me away. When I noticed that the teacher’s shirt featured a watermelon in the shape of all the land “from the river to the sea,” I didn’t get up and leave. Instead, I sat there, pen raised, ready to take notes on everything he said. And while I didn’t proudly proclaim my love for Israel, I did more than I would have before. My act of resistance was remaining in my seat and murmuring to the person next to me that the teacher’s shirt was offensive. As small as it seemed, my continued presence meant that I hadn’t let anti-Zionism intimidate me. I stayed firmly rooted in my seat, head held high, a Zionist presence in a hostile space. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NYJW or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

Jewish politics

Continued from page 4 Jewish voters that she boosted the state’s Israel bond investments. An upset — seen by insiders as unlikely but not impossible — could put a screeching halt to talk of Shapiro becoming the first Jewish president. The Upper West Side story Few Democratic primaries this year promise to be more circus-like than the race for the Manhattan district being vacated by longtime Jewish Rep. Jerry Nadler, a progressive on domestic issues who could read the haftarah at synagogue one day and offer what he considered loving criticism of Israel the next. Nine candidates have so far thrown their hats in, including three big Jewish names with very different takes on Jewish issues. The favorite is New York State Assembly member Micah Lasher — a close confidant of Nadler. But Lasher’s path to the nomination is far from guaranteed, especially if progressives want to send a message to a Democratic establishment that they are unhappy for a range of reasons — including Israel. Enter Cameron Kasky, a survivor of the Parkland High School shooting and Jewish Gen Z political activist. The 25year-old, courting pro-Palestinian voters, has already made fighting “support for genocide” a central plank of his campaign (he recently returned from a pro-Palestinian solidarity mission to the West Bank). And Kasky isn’t alone among Jewish candidates popular with the online left: Jack Schlossberg, 32, a Kennedy scion with millions of social media followers, is running on what he describes as the “cost-of-living crisis” and erosion of democratic norms under Republican leadership. Threading the needle on Israel As support for Israel erodes in the Democratic party and in portions of the right, a number of Jewish candidates insist that there is room for progressive Jewish voices who can be critical of Israeli policy. A number of declared Jewish candidates this year are looking to represent this vanguard. In many cases they’re vying to replace long-serving Jews and/or stalwart Democratic leaders.

Kasky exemplifies the trend. But progressive Brad Lander, the Jewish New York City comptroller and Mamdani ally, may have a clearer path to Congress: He is challenging Jewish Rep. Dan Goldman, a more typically pro-Israel lawmaker, for his House seat, and early polling has given him an advantage. Scott Wiener, a state senator in California, is running for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic figurehead Nancy Pelosi. Wiener holds conventionally left-of-center views on housing reform, civil rights, LGBTQ+ issues, climate and tech regulation and has pushed for antisemitism prevention in schools. He has also publicly condemned actions by the Netanyahu government. And Daniel Biss, the progressive Jewish Israeli mayor of Evanston, Illinois, is running in the Chicago-area congressional district previously held by retiring Jewish Rep. Jan Schakowski. Like many pro-Israel centrists, he’s an advocate of the two-state solution, but has veered to their left by calling for an early ceasefire in Gaza and for pausing offensive U.S. weapons sales to the Israeli government amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He is facing, amid a slew of challengers, the leftist Palestinian-American influencer Kat Abugazelah. Israel and the midterms Months after the tentative ceasefire, will voter sentiment about the Gaza war have an impact on midterm races? AIPAC, whose endorsements were once courted by politicians, is now seen as toxic by candidates who have been reading the tea leaves. Case in point: Rep. Seth Moulton, the Massachusetts Democrat, has publicly said he will return the campaign donations he previously received from AIPAC and will not accept future support from the organization. In New York’s 15th Congressional District race, where Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres is seeking reelection, former state assemblyman and ex-Democratic National Committee vice chair Michael Blake has made Torres’s pro-Israel stance a central issue of his campaign. Blake has accused Torres of prioritizing U.S. support for Israel over his constituents’ needs, including alleging that Torres’s positions effectively support what Blake calls a “genocide” — language that has drawn crit-

icism from local Jewish leaders. In the Michigan Senate race, Rep. Haley Stevens, a non-Jewish pro-Israel stalwart who previously won AIPAC’s support over progressive Jewish incumbent Andy Levin, is the favorite in the race right now. But she faces two progressive challengers, including one, former county health executive Abdul el-Sayed, who has also labeled Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as “genocide” and opposes U.S. military aid to Israel. A Jewish hopeful for New York governor Bruce Blakeman is the first Jewish county executive of Long Island’s Nassau County. He shouldered aside former frontrunner Elise Stefanik, upstate’s fiery Trump ally and scourge of college presidents, for both Trump’s endorsement and the likely Republican nomination to challenge Gov. Kathy Hochul. Blakeman’s hawkish pro-Israel advocacy aligns him with the segment of the Republican base that emphasizes strong U.S.Israel ties and opposition to movements like BDS. In the 2026 governor’s race, he’s likely to draw a contrast with Democrats, even if Hochul herself has strong pro-Israel bona fides. Much ado about a tattoo Graham Platner, the progressive Maine Senate candidate running in what Democrats see as a must-win race, has refused to quit following revelations that the military veteran had a Nazi-era tattoo on his chest for years. Even after shedding staff and facing fiery condemnations over both the tattoo and derogatory comments he made on Reddit, a defiant Platner is still polling within range of establishment candidate Gov. Janet Mills ahead of the June 9 Democratic primary. Could the oyster farmer (who has claimed he didn’t know what the tattoo was, and covered it up following the revelations) actually pull off the upset primary win? Like Mamdani and several other progressive candidates this year, Platner also holds ardently pro-Palestinian views and has accused Israel of genocide. The elder statesman of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, has shrugged off questions about his tattoo, giving it a Jewish stamp of non-concern.

Synagogues

10 | The Jewish Press | January 16, 2026

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

618 Mynster Street Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 712.322.4705 www.cblhs.org

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE

Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Street Omaha, NE 68154-1980 402.492.8550 bethel-omaha.org

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street Omaha, NE. 68154 402.556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

CHABAD HOUSE

An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street Omaha, NE 68144-1646 402.330.1800 OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road Offutt AFB, NE 68123 402.294.6244 email: oafbjsll@icloud.com

TEMPLE ISRAEL

Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive Omaha, NE 68144-1206 402.556.6536 templeisraelomaha.com

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 402.423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org

B’NAI ISRAEL Monthly Speaker Series Service, Friday, Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m. with our guest speaker. Our service leader is Larry Blass. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel! For information about our historic synagogue, please visit our website at www.cblhs.org or contact any of our other board members: David Alloy, Renee Corcoran, Rick Katelman, Gail Kenkel, Janie Kulakofsky, Howard Kutler, Ann Moshman, Mary-Beth Muskin, Debbie Salomon and Sissy Silber. Handicap Accessible.

BETH EL Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. IN-PERSON AND ZOOM MINYAN SCHEDULE: Mornings on Sundays, 9:30 a.m.; Mondays and Thursdays, 7 a.m.; Evenings on Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El and Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades K12), 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 6 p.m. Zoom Only. SUNDAY: BESTT (Grades K-7), 9:30 a.m.; Adult B’nai Mitzvah, 9:30 a.m. with Hazzan Krausman; Gesher Bowling Bash (Grades 5-8), noon. TUESDAY: Mishneh Deot & Sefer HaMiddot, 10:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham; Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY: BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4 p.m.; Hebrew High (Grades 8-12), 6 p.m. THURSDAY: Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:30 p.m. Zoom Only. FRIDAY-Jan. 23: Nebraska AIDS Project Lunch, 11:30 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream. SATURDAY-Jan. 24: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El and Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades K-12), 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 6:10 p.m. Zoom Only. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.

BETH ISRAEL FRIDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 5:03 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbos Café, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha, 4:50 p.m.; Kids Activity/Laws of Shabbos, 5:12 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:08 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:10 p.m. MONDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:10 p.m. TUESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:10 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:10 p.m. THURSDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7

a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:10 p.m.; Smichat Chaver Men’s Class, 7:30 p.m. FRIDAY-Jan. 23: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 5:12 p.m. SATURDAY-Jan. 24: Shabbos Café, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha, 5 p.m.; Kids Activity/ Laws of Shabbos, 5:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:15 p.m. Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.

CHABAD HOUSE Join classes via Zoom. Go to ochabad.com/academy. For more information or to request help, please visit www.ochabad.com or call the office at 402.330.1800. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Encounter Shabbaton, go to cypshabbat.nyc for more info; Lechayim, 4:30 p.m., go to ochabad.com/lechayim to join; Candlelighting, 5:03 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 6:07 p.m. SUNDAY: Sunday Morning Wraps, 9 a.m. MONDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Personal Parsha, 9:30 a.m. with Shani; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 6 p.m. with David Cohen; Translating Words of Prayer, 7 p.m. with David Cohen. TUESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Aramaic Grammar, 10 a.m. with David Cohen; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 6 p.m. with David Cohen; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 7 p.m. with David Cohen. WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 11:30 a.m. with David Cohen. THURSDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 11 a.m. with David Cohen; Talmud Study, noon; Introduction to Alphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 6 p.m. with David Cohen; Code of Jewish Law Class, 7 p.m. FRIDAY-Jan. 23: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Lechayim, 4:30 p.m., go to ochabad.com/lechayim to join; Candlelighting, 5:11 p.m. SATURDAY-Jan. 24: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 6:14 p.m.

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch. All services offered in-person with live-stream or teleconferencing options. FRIDAY: Shabbat Candlelighting, 5:07 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6:30-7:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Alex at SST. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. led by Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Va'era via Zoom; Family Potluck and Game Night, 6 p.m. at SST. Bring a dish to share for the

potluck beginning at 6 p.m. Games are available to play, but feel free to bring one of your favorites! Games begin at 7 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:11 p.m. SUNDAY: LJCS Classes, 9:30 a.m.; Men’s Bike/Coffee Group, 10:30 a.m. at Rock 'N' Joe Coffee, 5025 Lindberg St, Lincoln. For more information or questions please email Al Weiss at albertw801@gmail. com; We can do this - Feed the Children, 11 a.m.-1:15 p.m. at Belmont Community Center. Questions? Susie at 402.570.4922 or Aimee Hyten (SST Lead) 240.475.0747. WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group, 12:15 p.m. at Horisun Hospice, 8055 O St #300, Lincoln. We meet in the conference room. Bring your own lunch and beverage. For more information, contact Albert Weiss at albertw801@gmail.com; LJCS Hebrew School, 4:30-6 p.m. FRIDAY-Jan. 23: Shabbat Candlelighting, 5:15 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6:30-7:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Alex at SST. SATURDAY-Jan. 24: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. led by Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Bo via Zoom; Havdalah, 6:18 p.m.

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In-person and virtual services conducted by Rabbi Benjamin Sharff, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin, and Cantor Joanna Alexander. FRIDAY: Drop-In Mah Jongg, 9 a.m.; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service and Bat Mitzvah of Ilana Linthicum, 10:30 a.m. In-Person & Zoom. SUNDAY: No Youth Learning this week. TUESDAY: The Write Stuff: The Art of Safrut, 10:30 a.m. RSVP Required; Mah Jongg Made Easy, 1:30 p.m. In-Person. WEDNESDAY: Yarn It, 9 a.m. In-Person; Grades 36, 4:30 p.m. In-Person; Hebrew CHAI: Grades 8-12, 6 p.m. In-Person. THURSDAY: The Zohar: Thursday Morning Class, 11 a.m. with Rabbi Sharff — In-Person & Zoom. FRIDAY-Jan. 23: Drop-In Mah Jongg, 9 a.m.; Shabbat Mishpacha Service, 5:45 p.m. In-Person; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom; Grade 7 Lock In, 6 p.m. In-Person. SATURDAY-Dec. 24: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. InPerson & Zoom. Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.

The vast majority of Israelis are worried about declining US support for Israel GRACE GILSON JTA The vast majority of Israelis — nearly eight in ten — say they are concerned about a decline in support for Israel among the American public, according to a new survey. The poll of 1,000 Jewish Israeli adults, conducted Dec. 11 by the Ruderman Family Foundation, comes amid a notable decline in support for Israel across the American political spectrum over the course of the war in Gaza. In September, a poll conducted by The New York Times and Siena University found that, for the first time, American voters sympathized more with Palestinians than Israelis. While support for Israel has long been a hallmark of the Republican party, a June poll also found that sympathy for Israelis had dropped within the GOP over the previous year. Among younger Republicans, criticism of U.S. support for Israel has risen in the wake of the Gaza war alongside a growth of antisemitic influence, raising alarm among Jewish GOP leadership. The June poll also found that sympathy for Israelis among Democrats had dropped to just 12%, while 60% sympathized more with Palestinians. These changes have left Israelis alarmed, according to the survey. Nearly half of respondents said

they were “very concerned” or “concerned” about declining U.S. support, while another 30% said they were “concerned to some extent.” Concern was higher among older and secular Israelis.

People walk past a projection depicting Israeli and US flags on the walls of Jerusalem's Old City on Oct. 22, 2025. Credit: AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP

But even as the poll found that declining support among Americans overall were a matter of stark concern for Israelis, it focused more on ties between Jewish Americans and Israelis, finding that 44% of Israelis expect support for Israel among younger American Jews to be lower in the future than it is today. Indeed, an October poll from the Washington Post found that emotional ties to Israel were far

lower among younger Jews. While 68% of American Jews over 65 said they were emotionally connected to Israel, among those aged between 18 to 34, that share dropped to 36%. When asked how Israel’s policies during the Gaza war affected the level of support among American Jews, 43% believed it weakened support while 28% said they believed it strengthened support. “The data make clear that many Israelis understand something fundamental is changing,” said Jay Ruderman, the president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, which focuses on both mental health and U.S.-Israeli Jewish relations, in a statement. “The growing distance felt among younger generations in the United States did not happen overnight and cannot be dismissed. It reflects a longer-term erosion that requires Israel to pause, listen, and rethink how it engages American Jewry — because this relationship is not symbolic, but a strategic asset for the future of Israel and the Jewish people.” More than half of respondents said they believed American Jews’ affiliation with the Democratic Party made them less likely to support Israel. And 67% of Israelis said they see President Donald Trump’s impact on Israel as positive. The survey, which was conducted using an online panel, had a margin of error of ±3.1%.

Life Cycles

The Jewish Press | January 16, 2026 | 11

Pulverente MONUMENT CO. Over 60 Years Experience With Jewish Lettering and Memorials

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IN MEMORIAM FRANCINE "JULIA" JOY HELFMAN Note: The Helfman famlily lived in Omaha from 1954-1967. Julie and Joel lived in nine cities thorughout their marriage; Julie always said Omaha was her very favorite place of all. Francine “Julia” Joy Helfman always kept her word. She said she’d live until 95 and did, dying peacefully on her birthday, Dec. 24, 2025 with her beloved husband Joel Helfman, 96, and family close by. A funeral service was held on Dec. 26, 2025 in the chapel at Joseph Levine & Sons, Inc. funeral home in Blue Bell, PA, followed by burial at Haym Salomon Memorial Park in Frazer, PA. She is survived by her husband, Joel Helfman, children: Jake (Judie) Fien-Helfman, Ellie (Jonathan) Kremer, David (Kathy Kirshenbaum, and former wife Karen) Helfman, Bob (Nancy) Helfman, and Sarah (Marcia) Martinez-Helfman, along with her cherished 12 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. Julia was born in NYC on Dec. 24, 1930, to Boris and Estelle Flisser. Julia read every children’s book in the Bronx public library by the time she was 12 years old. After quizzing her, the head librarian gave her a card to the adult section, the first ever given to a child. No wonder she was such a gifted storyteller. Julia married her best friend Joel when he was 20 and she, 18. Their 76-year love story of a marriage landed them in nine cities. Julia embraced each move as an adventure and made friends easily wherever she went. Funny, feisty, brilliant and kind, people of all ages were drawn to her. Since childhood, Julia questioned why the world was as it was and what she could do to make it more just. In her 1948 high school yearbook, a favorite social studies teacher and guidance counselor inscribed: “Best wishes to Francine, whose righteous indignation has been a source of great satisfaction.” Throughout her adult life, this sense of righteous indignation fueled her participation in political and social movements including marching and organizing for civil and voting rights in the 1950s and 60s, for the separation of Church and State and to end the Vietnam war in the 60s and 70s, for juvenile justice reform

and reproductive rights in the 70s (and in all the decades since), and for LGBTQ rights beginning in the 80s when one of her daughters came out to her. A natural leader, she could both inspire people and organize them to get things done. Julia participated in, and held leadership positions in numerous not-for-profit organizations including the Urban League, League of Women Voters, Mt. Lebanon Citizens for Community Relations, South Hills Association for Racial Equality, Allegheny County co-chair of the 1972 presidential campaign for George McGovern (one of the few counties he won!), Planned Parenthood Health Services of Northeastern New York, Jewish/Catholic Dialogue Group, Hadassah and Sisterhood in the numerous synagogues to which she belonged, Advisory Board of the Lesbian and Gay Community Funding Partnership of the Capital Region and the Gay/Straight Alliance of Niskayuna High School, and was the Grand Marshall of the Albany Pride Parade. Organizing the launch and growth of the Working Group on Girls in Schenectady made her heart sing. For more than 30 years, Julia facilitated a support group for family and friends of LGBTQ folks. She saved stacks of notes from parents of LGBTQ children who said that she’d saved their families and, in some cases, their children’s lives. At 51, she received a BA and MA in Political Science from SUNY Binghamton. A devoted and nurturing parent, Julia imparted her fierce commitment to social, racial and economic justice to her five children, all of whom are deeply engaged members of their respective communities. This made her kvell. Memorials may be made in Julia’s memory to Working Group on Girls of Schenectady, Inc. https://wggschenectady.org, ACLU http://action.aclu.org, Parkinson’s Research Foundation https://www.parkinson.org, the Student Scholarship Fund at The Hill at Whitemarsh https://www.thehillatwhitemarsh.org (Be sure to designate the Scholarship Fund), or any social justice organization of your choosing.

Mississippi synagogue that was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1967 is heavily damaged in arson scrolls and other ritual objects were destroyed or damaged. ASAF ELIA-SHALEV Temple leadership said the main sanctuary was spared the JTA A suspect has been arrested and charged with arson in con- worst of the blaze, and a Torah that survived the Holocaust, nection with a fire that tore through Beth Israel Congregation, kept in a glass case, was not harmed. Five synagogue Torahs the only synagogue in Jackson, Mississippi, early Saturday housed in the sanctuary are being assessed for smoke damage. morning, Jan. 10, authorities said, as federal agents investigate the attack as a possible hate crime. Firefighters with the Jackson Fire Department responded to reports of the blaze at around 3 a.m., finding flames pouring from the building’s library and administrative offices. The Reform synagogue serves as the religious and communal center for the city’s small Jewish population. No congregants or first responders were injured in the fire, and investigators quickly ruled out accidental causes. The department’s arson investiga- Extensive damage to the Beth Israel Congregation synagogue after an arson attack in Jackson, Mississippi, Jan. 10, 2026. Credit: Beth Israel Congregation tion division, working with the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and “We are devastated but ready to rebuild, and we are so apthe Joint Terrorism Task Force, determined the blaze was delib- preciative of the outreach from the community,” said Michele erately set and led to the arrest of a suspect late Saturday night, Schipper, CEO of the Institute of Southern Jewish Life and past Jan. 10. Authorities have not publicly identified the suspect. president of Beth Israel, in a statement. The Institute, whose “Acts of antisemitism, racism, and religious hatred are at- offices are in the same building, said local Christian and intacks on Jackson as a whole and will be treated as acts of ter- terfaith partners have reached out to offer support. ror against residents’ safety and freedom to worship,” Jackson Services have been suspended indefinitely, and congregants Mayor John Horhn said in a statement Sunday, condemning helped sort through damaged materials on Saturday morning, the fire and pledging support for the synagogue and the Jan. 10. Leaders say the congregation will work with local partbroader community. ners to find temporary space for worship and community Beth Israel history reflects both resilience and vulnerability. events in the coming weeks. Organized in 1860, it is one of the oldest Jewish institutions in Attacks on synagogues and other Jewish institutions have Mississippi. In 1967, members of the Ku Klux Klan bombed been a recurring feature of the U.S. landscape in recent years the synagogue in retaliation for civil-rights advocacy of the — from deadly mass violence like the 2018 Tree of Life shootrabbi at the time, Perry Nussbaum, damaging the office and ing in Pittsburgh and the 2019 Poway synagogue shooting, to library but causing no injuries. That bombing and later intim- high-profile standoffs such as the 2022 hostage-taking at Conidation efforts, including an attack on the Nussbaum’s home, gregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, alongside a steady remain a defining chapter in the congregation’s history. drumbeat of vandalism and attempted arsons that law enPhotos from the scene show extensive fire and smoke dam- forcement and Jewish security groups have treated as part of age to the administrative wing and library, where several Torah a broader threat environment.

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12 | The Jewish Press | January 16, 2026

News LOC AL | N AT I O N A L | WO R L D

NextGen brings a new generation together BROOKLYN ARMSTRONG What does Jewish community look like for young adults today? For many in our community, the answer is NextGen. Sponsored by the Jewish Federation, NextGen is a social and engagement group for Jewish adults ages 21–35 that brings people together in meaningful, low-pressure, and fun ways. Whether someone is new to Omaha, reconnecting with Jewish life, or simply looking to expand their circle of friends, NextGen offers a welcoming place to land. NextGen meets once a month on the First Tuesday evening of every month, and each event is designed to help young adults connect — not just to each other, but also to the broader Jewish community and the Federation that supports it. The goal is simple: create shared experiences that turn acquaintances into friendships and help participants feel more rooted in Jewish Omaha. One of the things that makes NextGen special is the variety of events. Rather than focusing on one type of program, we aim to mix social, cultural, and experiential activities — often encouraging participants to feel like a “tourist in their own town.” Recent events have included an evening of friendly competition at The Fat Putter, a team challenge at Escape Omaha, a lively trolley ride to the Sukkah Hop, and a peaceful evening hike at Fontenelle Forest. Each gathering offered something different, but all

had the same outcome: laughter, conversation, and new connections. Looking ahead to 2026, the excitement continues. We kicked off the year on January 6, 2026, with ice skating at the Heartland Skate Ribbon in downtown Omaha — a perfect winter backdrop for reconnecting after the holidays. Upcoming events include karaoke, a pool party at the J, and a casual jazz night at the Red Lion, with more experiences planned throughout the year. NextGen isn’t just about what we do — it’s about who we are becoming as a community. These monthly gatherings help young adults build friendships at a similar stage of life while also strengthening their relationship with the Jewish Federation and the wider Jewish ecosystem in Omaha. For many, NextGen is the first step toward deeper involvement, leadership, and a lasting sense of belonging. If you are a young Jewish adult between 21 and 35 — or if you know someone who is — NextGen invites you to join us on the First Tuesday of the month and see what it’s all about. Come for the activity, stay for the connections, and leave knowing you are part of something bigger. For more information about upcoming events, follow Omaha Jewish Young Adults on WhatsApp or scan the QR code to view the First Tuesday schedule.