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SEPTEMBER 4, 2026/22 ELUL 5786 | CANDLELIGHTING FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 7:33 P.M.

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2 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026

WELCOME Ann Rosenblatt for proofreading our paper every week. We’re very lucky to have volunteers like you. We’re grateful to be a part of this robust Jewish Federation of Omaha family, with many colleagues who all help us in many different ways. Most of all, we thank you, our readers, for giving us our “why.” This past year, we have both struggled with Credit: Ivar Leidus, licensed under the Creative Commons postal as well as financial Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. challenges, and at the T’S ALMOST 5787. IT’S A BIG NUMBER, AND A same time made improvements. Different software, improved reminder we have been here a while, but this is procedures, bigger fonts, new layouts; we are constantly workalso a time for new beginnings. Time to look back ing to make things better. Our end goal is always to tell the and forward simultaneously; it’s not an alien con- story of Jewish Omaha the best way possible. And that story cept in Judaism. continues to add new chapters. At the Jewish Press, we stand on the shoulders of some pretty As I’m writing this, we are just seeing the end of summer, mighty giants. When I look through the past 100-some years which means J Camp is over. For the past months, we’ve seen of papers, I have no choice but to feel humbled—and also hundreds upon hundreds of kids on our campus, enjoying an grateful to write a small part of our history. But: we must also endless variety of programming from cooking classes to look forward, which is why we made the radical decision to dance camp, Gaga, volleyball, leadership training, and create this magazine for our Rosh Hashana edition. It’s new, through it all they ate lunch simultaneously in our beautiful it’s different, and if I’m honest, it’s a little scary. The ad sizes new Kaiman Family Pavilion. There is no better reminder of have been altered, the pages won’t have the same number of the power of new beginnings and future possibilities than words, we’re using a printer we haven’t used before; there are watching hundreds of kids having a blast, day after day—and many unknowns, and much can go wrong. That shouldn’t stop we want to give a shout-out to Mark Martin and all his staff us, though. who make it possible. You have tremendous impact. For this issue, we’ve collected a large section of older recipes Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the new adfrom community members. They were originally printed in dition to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. You’ve all stuck it the Untested Cookbook, which you’ve seen pop up in our reg- out through parking lot challenges and construction traffic, ular paper from time to time. Because it is Rosh Hashana, we and the end result is very much worth it. My favorite part? selected all the sweet ones. Not all of these will be included The old synagogue window on the south side-the perfect rein the future Kugel book, but some will. We’re still working on minder that tradition and innovation can coexist beautifully. that book—it’s just going a little slower than we hoped (it’s a We wish you a happy new year, full of new chances, fresh lot more work that we thought!) because we’re all pulled in ideas, good health, and endless possibilities, and we look formany directions. And that’s okay—at least we’re not bored! ward to seeing you in 5787, We especially want to thank Judy Vann for generously helping us make this possible. I want to thank my staff, Lori, Gemar chatimah tovah, Claire, Will and Sam, for being brave enough to jump into this new endeavor. I am not making any promises, but if it looks ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT nice enough, we might do this again for Pesach next year. We Jewish Press Editor also thank Pam Friedlander, Les Kay, Margaret Kirkeby, and

4 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026

Contents

9 Clergy Messages

The Jewish Press

17 More Than Sustenance 26 The Untested Cookbook 58 Life Cycles 60 Synagogues A I S H F E D E R AT I O N O F O M A H A HW AN AG ENCY OO F FT H O EM AJ E BY AT I O N SPONSORED IN FEDER SPONSORED BY JEWISH THE BENJAME. F THE THE BENJAMIN O Y C AND ANNA ILY EN A H AN AG AND ANNA E. D BY FAM N A RE SMA M WIE SO WIESMAN FAMILY F O MENT SPON NJAMIN OW O END ENDOWMENT THE BE NA E. ION D

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INSIDE

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In 2014, with the support of he husband Mace, who told her t never give up, Elaine Jabenis pub lished her book Georgia’s Secre She’d attempted novels before, bu “I’m not a literary writer,” she sai at the time, “I’m a storyteller.” Whil crafting Georgia’s Secret, she took friend’s advice to “write what you know, draw on your own experi ences.” And those experiences wer many. Elaine died on January 26, 2026 in Omaha, Nebraska, at the age o 105. She was the daughter of Solomon and Ida (Herman) Lagman, an was preceded in death by her hus band, Mace Jabenis. Elaine was born in Omaha, wher her father ran a grocery business She attended Franklin and Clifton Hill School, and graduated from Central High School, where she wa involved with the Central High Players and was the editor of th Central High Register. “Even when I was in school,” sh said in a 1989 interview, “I was ver involved in the Jewish community One of my pets became Hadassah As I grew up, when I was a youn married woman and having chil dren, Hadassah was where I spen all my extra time. I produced wha was called ‘Hadassah Spectaculars and I was able to express all th other things, not knowing what was really preparing myself for. would write, produce, perform, o whatever.” Elaine once described her life a “charmed and blessed,” and that i one way to describe her. Othe words that come to mind are viva cious, full, creative, inspirationa someone we all want to be lik when we grow up. At age 93, sh was honored by the Dougla County Historical Society during it annual Runway Fashion Show. Th award was for “Women Definin History,” and that is yet another wa to describe Elaine’s life. She met the love of her life, Mace when he was a groomsman and sh was paired with him as a brides maid in Kansas City. Mace steppe on the train of Elaine’s dress righ after saying hello, “and I was furi ous. He tore my dress and I didn like it,” she said. “Four years later, married him.” She followed him t New York in 1945. One day, sh ducked into the New York Times of fice building to hide from the rain and noticed a job posting. She fille out the application (she later calle it “the greatest piece of fiction sh ever wrote”) emphasized her expe rience as the women’s editor at th Omaha World Herald and befor See Elaine Jabenis page 2

(Founded in 1920) 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; Toby Dresdner, Andrea Erlich, Dana Gonzales, Mary Sue Grossman, Hailey Krueger, Avery Lubin, Sara Rips, Seth Schuchman, 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 (IHE), Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), Nebraska Jewish Historical Society (NJHS), Jewish Press, Rose Blumkin Jewish Home (RBJH), Jewish Family Service (JFS), Staenberg Omaha Jewish Community Center (JCC). 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.’ The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial E-mail editorial material and photos to: jpress@jewishomaha.org and avandekamp@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in TIF or PDF format) to: wfischer@jewishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes signed 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 e-mail to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.

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The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 5

B’nai Israel Welcomes Bob Yaffe to Lead High Holiday Services MS WULFGAR | B'nai Israel Living History Synagogue Executive Director

S B’NAI ISRAEL LOOKS TO THE HIGH HOLIDAYS, we embrace the new year as a season of change. Though deeply saddened by the loss of Jeff Taxman (may his memory be for a blessing), who lovingly led our services for many years, we welcome Bob Yaffe to lead our congregation’s observation and celebration this year. Bob’s voice has uplifted many congregations throughout the years. Whether during High Holiday services at Temple B’nai Abraham in Elyria, OH for over a decade, or as Executive Director for the Toledo, Ohio JCC, or later at Beth Hillel Congregation in Chicago (where he stepped in and led High Holiday services one year on very short notice). Under the direction of Rabbi Paul Drazen and Cantor Emil Berkowitz, Bob served as Shaliach Tzibbur (cantor) for alternate High Holiday Services right here in Omaha at Beth El—where, incidentally, he also per-

formed as a soloist during the 1970s and -80s. Bob credits his strong background in opera for his ability to connect through music, having performed as a chorus member with the Toledo Opera Company; spent years as a lecturer for many chapters of the Lyric Opera of Chicago; or having taught as an opera instructor for Elderhostel of America, specializing in the life and music of Richard Wagner, where he was recognized as Outstanding Instructor of the Year. Bob is also a published author. His memoir, Relinquished, recounts his 3O year search for his biological parents and its unexpected discoveries. For more information about B’nai Israel’s High Holiday Services, please visit www.cblhs.org/events. B’nai Israel’s High Holiday Schedule: Erev Rosh Hashanah, Friday, Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker: Council Bluffs Mayor Jill Shudak Rosh Hashanah, Saturday, Sept. 12, 10:30 a.m. with guest Speaker: Donna Dostal, Community Foundation for Western Iowa. Erev Yom Kippur, Sunday, Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker: Harmon Maples, ADL Yom Kippur, Monday, Sept. 21, 10:30 a.m. with guest speaker: Council Bluffs Fire Chief Robert Schoening Yom Kippur Neilah, Monday, Sept. 21, 5:30 p.m.

ADVERTISING INDEX American Friends of Magen David Adom.......................................44 Arnold Weitz & Co.............................................9 B’nai Israel Synagogue.................................24 Bagel Bin...............................................................9 Beth El.................................................................49 Beth Israel Synagogue..................................62 Body Basics.........................................................17 Borsheims...........................................................37 Broadmoor........................................................20 CareMatrix..........................................................37 Chabad.................................................................16 Charleston’s.......................................................52 Countryside Village..........................................9 Creighton University.......................................15 Friedel Jewish Academy................................8 Harris Center for Judaic Studies..............48 Honeyman Rent-All........................................53

Image Entertainment....................................53 Industrial Escape Room...............................53 Institute for Holocaust Education............62 Jewish Community Relations Council...44 Jewish Family Service...................................38 Jewish Federation of Omaha.......................3 Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation...........................................................3 JFOF Campaign Kick-Off............................40 Jewish Funeral Home....................................62 Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel........................17 Kinkead Optical Co.........................................62 Life & Legacy...........................................31 & 32 Lions Automotive...........................................53 Marty and Iris Ricks......................................53 McGill Gotsdiner...............................................52 Mid-City Jewelry..............................................62 Midwest Advisors............................................22

Nebraska Furniture Mart..............................22 Nebraska Jewish Historical Society........56 Omaha Compound Company...................62 Omaha Steaks..................................................52 Pharmacy Express..........................................62 Pulverente..........................................................53 Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.......................25 Rotella..................................................................53 Schwalb Center................................................55 Seth Schuchman.............................................47 St. Joseph’s Villa.................................................7 Staenberg Family Foundation..................64 Swartzbaugh Farber.......................................15 Temple Israel.....................................................55 UNICO..................................................................48 Village Pointe Pediatrics................................12 Wiesman Development...............................62 Zios........................................................................38

6 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026

The Rabbi Who Made Coca-Cola Kosher SETH SCHUCHMAN

HEN I WAS GROWING UP, Rabbi Ian Jacknis and his wife, Suri, helped foster in me a wonderful love of Judaism. Suri was a fantastic Hebrew school teacher, and Rabbi Jacknis was a warm leader who built community very naturally. He was also famous for his love of CocaCola. Rabbi Jacknis almost always seemed to have a Coke in his hand, and the synagogue refrigerator was always stocked with it. To this day, it is hard for me to think about Rabbi Jacknis without thinking about Coke. So when I recently came across the story of how Coca-Cola became kosher, I had to learn more. It turns out that behind that familiar bottle is a wonderful piece of American Jewish history involving an Orthodox rabbi, one of the most closely guarded secrets in American business and a question Jews across the country wanted answered: Is Coke kosher? The answer would eventually require Coca-Cola to change what was inside the bottle. An American Drink and a Jewish Question By the 1920s, Coca-Cola was becoming part of everyday American life. Invented in Atlanta in 1886, it had grown from a soda fountain drink into a national brand. American Jews were drinking it, too. That may not sound remarkable today, but think about what was happening in Jewish America at the time. Millions of Jews had come to the United States from Eastern Europe. Their children were growing up American. They spoke English, attended American schools and increasingly enjoyed the same products as their neighbors. And Coca-Cola was becoming about as American as a drink could be. But for Jews who kept kosher, there was a problem. No one really knew what was in it. That presented rabbis with a very modern question. Kashrut had developed over thousands of years, long before national food companies, industrial chemistry and ingredients produced in factories hundreds of miles away. Determining whether meat was kosher was one thing. Determining whether a processed drink was kosher when the company wouldn't tell anyone exactly what was in it was something

else entirely. As Coke's popularity grew, rabbis around the country began asking whether Jews could drink it. Those questions eventually made their way to Rabbi Tobias Geffen in Atlanta. THE RABBI IN ATLANTA Geffen had traveled a long way to get there. Born in Kovno, Lithuania, in 1870, he came to the United States in 1903. In 1910, he became rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel in Atlanta, where he would spend the rest of his long career. He became an important figure in Orthodox Jewish life and was eventually known as the dean of Southern Jewish Orthodoxy. He also happened to live in the hometown of Coca-Cola. So when rabbis elsewhere in the country wanted to know whether Coke was kosher, Geffen was in a pretty good place to find out. There was just one problem: Coca-Cola wasn't telling anyone what was in Coca-Cola. The Secret Formula Few products have a secret quite as famous as the CocaCola formula. The company guarded it closely. Yet in 1935, Coca-Cola agreed to give Rabbi Geffen confidential access to the ingredients he needed to examine. Geffen promised not to reveal what he learned. Historical accounts indicate that he was given the ingredients, but not their exact proportions, allowing him to determine whether Coke was kosher without handing him the recipe for making it. Just picture the scene. An Orthodox rabbi born in Lithuania was sitting in Atlanta examining ingredients from one of the most closely guarded formulas in American business because Jews across the country wanted to know whether they could have a Coke. And Geffen found a problem. The Problem Was Glycerin One of Coca-Cola's ingredients was glycerin, which could come from either vegetable or animal sources. Geffen learned that the glycerin being used in Coke came from non-kosher animal fat. That meant, in his judgment, Coke wasn't kosher. There was a wrinkle. The amount of glycerin was very small, and Jewish law has circumstances in which a tiny amount of

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 7 a prohibited substance can be considered nullified. Geffen wasn't persuaded. The glycerin hadn't gotten into the Coke accidentally. CocaCola was intentionally adding it as an ingredient. In Geffen's reasoning, the company couldn't knowingly put a non-kosher ingredient into its drink and then rely on the fact that there wasn't very much of it. So Geffen gave Coca-Cola his answer. No. Coke, as it was being made, wasn't kosher. And this is where the story gets especially good. Coca-Cola listened. Coca-Cola Changes Coke Instead of simply deciding that observant Jews wouldn'tdrink its product, Coca-Cola looked for another way to make it. Its supplier, Procter & Gamble, could produce glycerin from vegetable sources. Coca-Cola changed the glycerin, and in 1935 Geffen was able to approve the reformulated drink as kosher. Think about that. An Orthodox rabbi told one of America's most famous companies that an ingredient in its enormously popular product didn't meet the requirements of Jewish law. And Coca-Cola changed it. Neither side had to give up what mattered. Geffen didn't change Jewish law because Coke was popular. Coca-Cola didn't reveal its formula to the world. They found a way to solve the problem. But there was something else happening here that went well beyond Coke. Keeping Kosher in a Changing America For generations, keeping kosher was largely local. You knew the butcher. You knew the baker. You generally knew where your food came from. America's growing food industry changed all of that. Food increasingly came in bottles, boxes and cans. A single product could contain ingredients made by several different companies in several different places. Something that appeared perfectly harmless could contain an ingredient derived from a non-kosher animal. Rabbis now had to understand not only food, but factories, chemistry, machinery and supply chains. The Coke story is a great example of that change. And the questions became increasingly detailed. In the 1950s, another concern arose when rabbis learned that vegetable glycerin and nonkosher animal-derived glycerin could move through the same manufacturing equipment. Procter & Gamble ultimately installed separate piping for the kosher glycerin.

Today, we barely notice the kosher symbols printed on thousands of products in an American supermarket. But behind those little symbols is an enormous system of supervision involving ingredients, factories, equipment and production methods. Rabbi Geffen was part of the generation of rabbis figuring out how Jewish law would work in this new world. And I keep coming back to Rabbi Jacknis. Growing up, I never gave much thought to the Coke in his hand or all those bottles sitting in the synagogue refrigerator. Coke was just Coke. Decades later, I learned there was a Jewish story inside that bottle, too. It is the story of a rabbi who wanted to know what was actually in one of America's favorite drinks, and a company willing to change when he didn't like the answer. I have a feeling Rabbi Jacknis would have enjoyed that story. Probably over a Coke. Sources: Michael Feldberg, “How Coca-Cola Became Kosher,” My Jewish Learning, adapted from the American Jewish Historical Society. Roger Horowitz, “The Real Thing: How Coke Became Kosher,” Science History Institute, January 9, 2013. “Jewish Community of Atlanta,” New Georgia Encyclopedia. Roger Horowitz, Kosher USA: How Coke Became Kosher and Other Tales of Modern Food, Columbia University Press.

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 9

CLERGY MESSAGES A Place to Add More to our Jewish Story We like to say that we tell time through the Jewish calendar. But, if you ask anyone in the know, the way we Jews really tell time is through Jewish food. Every holiday has its connection to food beyond the old joke, “they tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat.” With Rosh Hashanah, it is apples and honey. With Yom Kippur, it is the countdown to the break fast. With Sukkot, it is all the foods we can eat under the stars while sitting in the Sukkah. With Chanukah it is food cooked in oil. And so on and so forth. All that being said, most Jews in the United States view Jewish food through the lens of the Ashkenazic experience. Jews of Central and Eastern Europe tended to eat the foods that were available to them, which, as we know, tended to be either involving staples like potatoes and

beets, or the cheapest cuts like brisket and chicken, often with little to or no seasoning due to expense and access to spices. However, we have been blessed with the renaissance of Sephardic and Mizrahi cuisine which have added so much to our palates. Especially since the establishment of the State of Israel and its continued influence over JewishAmerican cuisine as well. On this Rosh Hashanah, as we celebrate the start of the Jewish New Year, I would encourage you to celebrate not only with your community and congregations, but also to experiment with new recipes. In many Sephardic communities they have traditions not of apples and honey, but instead of enjoying dates, pomegranates, pumpkin, and round challahs made both with raisins and honey. There are lots of ways to ex-

pand our menus by adding such recipes as almond cigars, baklava, or Persian Halva to ring in the sweet New Year. As Jews, we tell our stories through food. There is always a place for traditional foods at our tables, but there is also a place to add more as well. By adding these foods, we not only are creating new stories, but we are also connecting ourselves with the larger Jewish world. We are also adding new parts of our collective histories and experiences to our own. In addition, we are reminding ourselves how Israel has become the conduit for connecting us to the breadth and depth of our collective journeys. Through these journeys we find the stories that we can use to mark time, to invigorate our holidays, and create recipes that warm our hearts and bring joy to all of our celebrations, gatherings, and traditions. RABBI BENJAMIN A. SHARFF Temple Israel Senior Rabbi

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Sweet, But Not Simple: Thoughts for 5787 Every year around this time, I have the same conversation with myself while buying apples and honey: "Do I really need the good honey, or will the store-brand stuff also inscribe me for a good year?" (For the record, I've tested both. Inconclusive results. More research needed.) But here's the thing about Rosh Hashana — it's a holiday that looks so simple on the surface. Blow a horn, eat something round, wish everyone a good year, repeat. If Judaism were a book, this would be the cover. A nice cover! Attractive font, maybe a picture of a shofar. But friends, we've been judging this book by its cover for far too long. Here's my confession as a Rabbi: I've been doing this for years, and I still dis-

cover new layers in ideas I thought I understood since childhood. Take the shofar itself. Ask ten Jews why we blow it and you'll get eleven answers — it's a wake-up call, it's a coronation trumpet for G-d as King, it's the sound of Isaac's ram, it's a cry too deep for words. All true. All at once. Judaism doesn't do "pick one." That's really my wish for all of us in 5787: that we stop treating our heritage like a rerun we've already seen, and start treating it like the very deep, very old, very alive conversation it actually is. You don't need a beard or a black hat to ask a real question about what you believe

(I have the beard, and I still ask them daily). Take one idea this year — one — and actually dig. Why matzah? Why Shabbat candles? Why do we say that line in the prayer three times? Ask a rabbi. Ask a book. Ask your bubbe, who probably has a better answer than either of us. Because here's the secret the honey cake won't tell you: sweetness that lasts doesn't come from the surface. It comes from what's baked in. So as the shofar sounds this year, let it be an alarm clock, not a lullaby. May 5787 be sweet, healthy, peaceful — and may it be the year we finally read past the cover. Shanah Tovah U'Metukah — a good and sweet year to us all. RABBI ELI TENENBAUM Chabad of Nebraska

Reflections On Our Kitchen of Kindness What do a single mom running on empty, a senior eating alone at her kitchen table, a husband keeping vigil at his wife's ICU bedside, a family cradling a brand-new baby, and a man rebuilding himself after a mental health crisis all have in common? Over these past months, each of them opened their door to find a warm, delicious, kosher meal waiting — made with love by volunteers from our own community, through the Chabad's Kitchen of Kindness. The new year is when we reflect and check in on how we are in line with living out our purpose and potential. Nothing has shown me that potential more clearly than watching our kitchen come alive these past months. Volunteers from every age and background have stepped through our doors, tied on an apron, pulled on a chef 's hat, snapped on a pair of (surprisingly stylish) orange

gloves, and simply gotten to work. Together, we've processed loads of squash, worked through half a pallet of strawberries, and rolled — by hand — many hundreds of meatballs. Behind every one of those meatballs was someone thinking of a person they may never meet, cooking simply because that person needed to be cared for. And the response has told us everything. "An angel just delivered a kosher meal to me," one recipient wrote. "Thank you so, so much for dropping off such yummy food for us," wrote another. "It means the world."

That's the real ingredient in every dish that leaves our kitchen: the knowledge that somebody thought of you. As we step into 5787, our Kitchen of Kindness is still in its early chapters — a prelaunch, a first rising of the dough, if you will. But we can already taste where this is going. A full launch is on the horizon, and with it, even more hands, more meals, and more people reminded that they are not alone. May this new year be one where we keep showing up for each other — one apron, one pot, one delivered meal at a time. Shanah Tovah U'Metukah. MUSHKA TENENBAUM Chabad of Nebraska

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 11

Justice, Kindness, and Humility If we take seriously the theme of the forty days from the first of Elul until Yom Kippur, most of our attention is focused on how we can become better people than we were last year. That is how we continue to grow throughout our lives. I would like to ask a question: does becoming a better person mean becoming a better Jew? I have to admit that I do not like the terms good Jew or bad Jew. We are each on our own spiritual journeys, and we are not all at the same place at the same time on the path. Nevertheless, I want to suggest that becoming a better Jew will automatically make you a better person as long as you understand what I mean by a better Jew. I frequently hear people say things to me like, “You’re a rabbi? You’re more Jewish than I am.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Or sometimes it’s, “You’re a rabbi? You’re more religious than I am,” which may or may not be true. Both remarks are based on the same misconception, that you are more religious or even more Jewish the more rituals you perform. Please do not misunderstand — I love

Jewish rituals. They bring a Yiddische flavor to our lives, they beautify our lives, and I hope, they are a means to a very important end. But that is an essential point: rituals are a means to an end, not the end in and of themselves. In Genesis 18, we are told what it means to walk in God’s ways. It is to do tzedakah and mishpat; to do what is right and just. That is why the following passage from the Book of Micah is so important: With what shall I approach the LORD, Do homage to God on high? Shall I approach Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old? 7 Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, With myriads of streams of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, The fruit of my body for my sins? The prophet asks the question of every spiritual seeker, how to approach God. He offers a rhetorical question in response. Does God care about our sacrificial offerings? No! That is pagan

thinking. Instead of offering sacrifices to Baal, we offer them to Hashem. But God has no desire for sacrifices. What then does God want? The prophet continues: “He has told you, O man, what is good, And what the LORD requires of you: Only to do justice And to love kindness, And to walk modestly with your God. Note the presence of the word “only.” That’s an accurate translation, not something inserted by a translator. Like any parent, God cares about how we treat one another. So at this time of reflection, don’t ask yourself if it’s really kosher enough to eat Hebrew National hot dogs, or if you have kindled enough candles last year. Look at how you see and treat others. Make sure you behave according to the principles of justice, kindness, and humility. After all, is that not what we want from each other? And I believe it is exactly what is expected of us from God above. May you be blessed in 5787 with a year of goodness and sweetness, health, and happiness. Shanah tovah! RABBI BENJAMIN SENDROW The Jewish Community of Lincoln Rabbi

When Your Soul is Really Hungry Have you ever found yourself craving a particular food for no obvious reason? Maybe it’s a warm slice of fresh challah or cake, a juicy piece of fruit, or an ice-cold glass of water on a summer afternoon. Most of us would chalk it up to hunger, habit, or maybe just a really good-looking piece of cake. But Chassidic teaching suggests there may be something else going on. In the Book of Psalms, written by King David nearly 3,000 years ago, we find the verse: “Hungry and thirsty, their soul lan-

guished within them.” (Psalms 107:5) On the simplest level, King David is describing travelers who have become exhausted from hunger and thirst. Their physical need for food and water has become so great that they feel their very lives slipping away. But with King David, there is often more going on beneath the surface. King David was not only a king and warrior. He was also a poet, prophet, and spiritual teacher, and his words often speak to both our physical lives and our

inner ones. The Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Chassidic movement, offers a remarkable way to understand this verse. Chassidic thought teaches that G-d is not distant from the physical world. His presence fills every part of creation. Every person, every plant, every object, and yes, even every piece of food contains a spark of Divine energy that gives it life. So why do we sometimes crave a certain food? Perhaps it isn’t only our body expressing

12 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 its hunger. On a deeper level, the Divine spark within our soul may sense the Divine spark hidden within that food. It is almost as though one spark recognizes the other, quietly calling out and waiting for us to bring them together. When we eat that food with purpose, say a blessing over it, and then use the energy it gives us to do something good, that hidden spark is elevated and brought closer to its Source. It sounds a little wild. But it is one of the beautiful ways Chassidic thought teaches us to look at the physical world. You may not be consciously thinking about any of this when you sit down to dinner. Most of us aren’t. But on a deeper level, our Neshama, our G-dly soul, knows there is an opportunity here. Of course, this doesn’t mean every craving is automatically spiritual. We

are human beings with very ordinary appetites, and sometimes we simply want a cookie. But Judaism teaches us that eating can become much more than satisfying hunger. Before we eat, we pause and make a blessing, acknowledging that the food in front of us ultimately comes from G-d. Then we take the energy that food gives us and put it to use. Maybe we help someone. Study Torah. Perform a mitzvah. Work honestly. Care for our family. Encourage a friend. Bring a little more kindness into the world. And suddenly, lunch isn’t just lunch. Coffee isn’t just coffee. And an apple isn’t just an apple. A cup of coffee shared with a friend can become an opportunity to lift

someone’s spirits. A family meal can strengthen relationships. A sandwich eaten before heading out to help someone gives us the energy to do a mitzvah. The physical world hasn’t disappeared. We have simply given it a higher purpose. And maybe that gives the Rosh Hashanah apple a whole new flavor. One of the most beloved customs of the Jewish New Year is dipping an apple into honey and asking G-d for a good and sweet year. It is simple, familiar, and beautiful. But through the lens of Chassidic thought, there is something even deeper happening. We make a blessing. We taste the sweetness. We nourish our bodies. And in that very ordinary act of eating an apple, we have the opportunity to uncover some of the sweetness G-d has embedded in the world, reveal the holiness He has woven into creation, and make it more real in our lives. See Hungry Soul page 14

Wishing the Omaha community

Shana Tova from village pointe | dundee

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 13

Today, the World is Born As Rosh Hashanah approaches, Jews throughout Omaha will gather in different sanctuaries, follow different customs, and pray from different machzorim. Yet beneath those differences, we will stand together before the same mystery: the possibility that a human life, and even a human community, can begin again. The liturgy of Rosh Hashanah declares, Hayom harat olam — “Today the world is born.” The phrase is striking. The world is not merely remembered on Rosh Hashanah; it is renewed. Creation is not only an ancient event. It is an ongoing responsibility. That responsibility feels especially urgent this year. We enter the High Holy Days carrying private burdens and communal anxieties. Many of us are worried about Israel, troubled by rising antisemitism, exhausted by political division, and uncertain about the future of Jewish life.

We may disagree about causes and solutions, but we share the weight of the moment. The Jewish response to uncertainty is not despair. It is teshuvah, the sacred work of returning. We return to our highest values, to neglected relationships, to the needs of our neighbors, and to the obligations that bind one generation to the next. Yom Kippur reminds us that teshuvah is not merely personal. We confess in the plural: “We have sinned. We have betrayed. We have spoken wrongly.” Judaism understands that none of us stands alone. We are responsible for the moral character of the communities we build together. For Omaha’s Jewish community, that means resisting the temptation to retreat into smaller circles of people who think, pray, or vote exactly as we do. Our

strength has never depended upon uniformity. It has depended upon covenant: the conviction that we remain responsible for one another even when we disagree. In the coming year, may we listen with greater patience, speak with greater care, and show up for one another with greater consistency. May we support our synagogues, schools, agencies, and communal institutions not because they are perfect, but because Jewish life requires places where memory can be preserved and hope can be practiced. May 5787 be a year in which the Jewish community of Omaha grows not only larger, but deeper; not only safer, but more courageous; not only united in moments of crisis but connected in the ordinary work of building Jewish life. May we all be written and sealed for a year of life, meaning, peace, and blessing. Shanah tovah u’metukah. RABBI STEVEN ABRAHAM Beth El Synagogue

Can an Apple Really Make the New Year Sweet? As a mother, grandmother, and hostess, I’ve spent a good part of my life in the kitchen and around the dining room table. I’d need a calculator to even begin counting the challahs I’ve baked, the pots of soup I’ve made, the desserts I’ve served, the menus I’ve planned, the new recipes I’ve tried, and the traditional Jewish foods I’ve prepared over the years. And every year, as the High Holidays approach, out come the familiar foods and all the traditions that go along with them. We dip apples in honey and ask for a sweet new year. We eat pomegranates, filled with seeds, as a reminder that we, too, should

be filled with mitzvot and good deeds. We eat carrots because the Yiddish word meren means to increase or multiply, and we ask that our merits, blessings and good deeds should multiply. Before Yom Kippur, many have the custom of eating kreplach, little pockets of meat wrapped in dough. The red meat represents judgment, while the dough surrounding it represents mercy, expressing our hope that G-d’s compassion will cover and soften harsh judgment. And the list goes on. Jewish tradition seems to have a food for everything. Latkes. Hamantashen. Matzah. Bitter herbs. Cheese blintzes.

We often smile and simply say, “It’s tradition.” But I can understand why someone might look at all of this and wonder: What are we actually doing here? Is this some kind of Jewish antic? Do we really believe that eating an apple dipped in honey will give us a sweet year? That eating carrots will somehow multiply our blessings? That wrapping meat in dough will change the judgment in Heaven? Of course, the food itself isn’t magic. The meaning is in what the food awakens within us. We already know how profoundly food affects us physically. What we eat

14 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 influences our health, our moods, our energy, our concentration and ultimately what we are able to accomplish. Food literally becomes the fuel that propels us. Judaism takes that idea even a step further. Spirituality isn’t limited to the synagogue, the prayer book or those moments we immediately recognize as holy. It's supposed to live and pulsate through our every experience, including, and perhaps especially, our kitchens and dining room tables. Judaism asks us to take the physical world and give it spiritual purpose. So the apple and honey don’t guarantee sweetness. They give us a moment to stop and ask: What can I do to help make this year sweeter? The pomegranate doesn’t automatically fill our year with mitzvot. It reminds us to think about what good deeds we can add. The carrots don’t magically multiply our blessings. They focus our attention on what we hope will multiply, and perhaps even more importantly, on how we can multiply kindness, generosity, gratitude, mitzvot and goodness. And the kreplach put an image right in front of us: judgment surrounded by compassion. As we ask G-d to look upon us mercifully, perhaps they also challenge us to look at others with a little more mercy, to soften our own judgments and to become more compassionate ourselves. These practices take abstract spiritual ideas and put them right there on the plate in front of us. And they become relevant. Edible. Jewish tradition understands something very human: we need ideas we can touch. We need things we can see, taste, smell and experience. An abstract wish for a sweet year is beautiful. But dip an apple into honey, taste the sweetness, say the words out loud

Hungry Soul Continued from page 12 Maybe that is what King David was hinting at all along. Sometimes hunger is just hunger. But sometimes, hidden inside an ordinary moment, there is an opportunity waiting for us. A blessing. A bite. A little more energy to do something good. And suddenly, something as simple as eating an apple can become a meeting place between the physical and the spiritual, between our soul and its Creator. I wish the entire community a sweet, happy, healthy New Year with good food that nourishes our bodies and souls. Shana Tova umetukah. RABBI MENDEL KATZMAN Chabad of Nebraska

and share the moment with family and friends, and suddenly the wish becomes tangible. It enters the room. And when we stop long enough to remember why we are eating these foods, they impress upon us the magnitude of the moment. They remind us that these are not ordinary days. They help us become more intentional about what we are asking for and, hopefully, inspire and push us to deepen our bond with G-d and do more of what He wants from us. The food doesn’t create the outcome. It creates the framework. I think about that around my own table. Of course I want my children, grandchildren, family, friends and guests to enjoy the food. But I hope they take away something more than what was served. And really, I hope this happens around all our tables. Amid the talking and serving, the extra chairs, the children and grandchildren, the spills, the second helpings and all the wonderful commotion that comes with a Jewish holiday meal, I hope we don’t miss what these foods are trying to tell us. So this Rosh Hashanah, when we dip that apple into honey, let’s enjoy it. And let's also stop for one extra second and ask: What would a truly sweet year look like, and what can I do to help make it one? Shana Tova Umetukah! SHANI KATZMAN Chabad of Nebraska, Education Director

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 15

The Kitchen as Classroom MUSHKA TENENBAUM | Chabad of Nebraska

OMETIMES OUR HOME FEELS a little like a classroom and a little like a miniature Beis HaMikdash kitchen. One time, my daughters and I decided to cook red lentil soup, inspired by parsha Toldos. The Torah tells us about the moment when Eisav sold his birthright to his brother Yaakov for a simple bowl of lentil soup. It seems like an ordinary meal, yet the story carries enormous spiritual weight. The birthright represented responsibility, holiness and service. Selling it revealed how differently the brothers valued spiritual life. So, we rolled up our sleeves and made our own “Toldos soup.” Everyone had a job. One daughter peeled onions while another chopped carrots. Someone diced celery, someone stirred the pot, and together we added garlic, tomato paste, spices and lots of excitement. The entire kitchen came alive. We talked about the parsha and what it means to value what Hashem gives us. We spoke about how

the Alter Rebbe teaches that “living with the times” means living with the weekly Torah portion, finding ways to bring it into our homes and our choices. Later in the week, we had the privilege to take part in a very special mitzvah, the mitzvah of Pidyon Haben. My father, Rabbi Katzman, is a Kohein, so he performed the ceremony at Chabad for the newborn baby and his family. Growing up as a daughter of a Kohein, I had the opportunity to be part of this ceremony several times. Still, it was always rare. Most of my cousins did not end up doing the mitzvah, even the ones who had firstborn boys, because the requirements are so specific. The baby must be a firstborn boy born naturally, with no previous miscarriages, and neither parent can be from a Kohein or Levi family. With so many details involved, it is not a common mitzvah. During the ceremony, the parents give five silver coins to the Kohein to symbol-

ically “redeem” their son. The Torah teaches that the firstborn originally had the birthright to serve in the holy work of the Mishkan, but that role later transferred to the Kohanim. The Pidyon Haben honors that ancient connection and celebrates the child’s unique beginning in life. And if parents did not know about this mitzvah when their child was thirty days old, it can still be done later in life. It is never too late. Standing there during the ceremony, after cooking our lentil soup only days before, felt like a thread connecting ancient stories to the present moment. We saw how the idea of a birthright and spiritual responsibility continues to live within us. We saw how cooking a simple soup can open the door to meaningful conversations. And we felt how a mitzvah like Pidyon Haben reminds us that every Jewish child begins life with tremendous potential, purpose and holiness. Living with the parsha warmed our kitchen. Living with mitzvos warmed our hearts. And I am grateful for the moments when learning and life blend so naturally together.

NEBRASKA Best wishes to our wonderful community for a sweet, healthy, and happy year. With fervent blessings for the ultimate redemption and true peace on earth.

Katzman and Tenenbaum Families Chabad Board Members and Volunteers

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 17

More Than Sustenance

Schnitzel with salad. Credit: HaJunkiyada, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. gasy even had an entire recipe guide printed, including recipes from fallen IDF soldiers. ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT | Jewish Press Editor Currently, we are N JEWISH OMAHA, we have been lucky in having Itay as our Community lucky to host Shlichim for many Shaliach, and we are even luckier that years. We’ve enjoyed programming, he, like many of the shlichim before him, building friendships, learning new cus- loves to cook. toms and games (and how to make pick“To me, food means connecting people,” les from Yoni Doron!), but most of all-we he says. “Seeing the joy that comes from have enjoyed the Israeli food. Ron Lu- anything I cook or teach fills my heart. It’s

incredibly satisfying. Cooking together, like we do during my Israeli food classes at Beth Israel, is all about building relationships. And the location may be one synagogue, but people from all over the Jewish community feel welcome and join us.” Itay says that welcoming element of cooking and eating together is important. “We recently had a couple show up, they were new to Omaha, and the fact that we were making shawarma made them come in the door. Sometimes people haven’t visited an orthodox shul

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18 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 cooking opportunities coming up. Please check our website and community calendar for Itay’s schedule. In the meantime, we don’t have the exact recipe of Itay’s mom’s schnitzel yet, but we’re working on it. We do have Ron Lugasy’s, so we will include that here. Because nobody should miss out on the amazing flavor of Israeli food-especially when it helps us build community. “Food is more than sustenance,” Itay says, “more than a simple biological need. It is about being together.”

before, but the food will draw them in. Food, it opens doors, and connects us across different backgrounds.” Food is like therapy, Itay says: “When I cook, I am focused on making it as good as possible. Here, that manifested in starting the cooking workshops and bringing the taste of Israel to Omaha. Back home in Israel, I go to the shuk with my father every Friday morning. It’s our routine. We shop, and we stop for shawarma or sabich; it’s a core family memory and such an important part of my heritage. On Friday afternoon, my mother puts a pot with eggs and potatoes in the oven, where it cooks for 12 hours. On Saturday, my dad rides his bike in the morning, brings fresh pita from Jaffa on his way back, and that’s what we eat with the eggs and potatoes. As an adult, I realize memories like these are an important part of my identity.” One of the most popular “Israeli” foods these days is the schnitzel — even though its origins are in Vienna, Austria. The so-called Wiener Schnitzel, brought by immigrants, was actually made with beef; during the time of austerity in the early years of the modern State of Israel, chicken became a much more accessible option. As the story goes, David Ben Gurion was a big fan of the chicken version. Eventually, it became a street food. “You can stick it in a pita,” Itay says. “It’s fresh, easy to make, you can put it in challah with a little matbucha, with tahini, with eggplant-and it’s everywhere. I remember my mom always making piles of it, I would always look forward to it and eagerly wait for her to be done. And it’s so versatile, so we continually try to improve it. For me, it’s the quintessential Friday afternoon sandwich: schnitzel on challah with matbucha and eggplant.” At the moment of this writing, Itay is with his family, but by the time you read this, he will be back and there are more

RON'S KITCHEN: SCHNITZEL Ron Lugasy In 2020, Shlicha Ron Lugasy collected some of her favorite recipes for the Omaha Jewish community to enjoy, long after she returned to Israel. Ingredients: Thin chicken breast 2 eggs Oil Bread crumbs Salt, pepper, paprika to taste Instructions Mix the egg and the spices, coat the chicken breast with egg, making sure it is covered well. Cover it with bread crumbs. In a wide pan heat less than half an inch of oil. Fry the schnitzel until golden. Place on grate or paper towel.

Schnitzel with lemon slices Credit:66saeedz, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 19

From Fake Burps to Reverse Tashlich, New Children’s Books Bring the High Holidays to Life PENNY SCHWARTZ | JTA

BUMPER CROP OF new kids’ books about the High Holidays is hitting shelves in 2026, surprising close observers of Jewish children’s literature. “It is unusual for multiple Sukkot books to be published in the same year, especially of consistently high quality. It’s very exciting,” said Heidi Rabinowitz, a Jewish librarian and host of the Book of Life podcast, which describes itself as “a podcast about Jewish kidlit (mostly).” Rabinowitz noted with appreciation that one of the books was coming from a mainstream secular press, rather than from the smaller boutique presses that tend to release books about Jewish holidays. She offered a possible explanation for the surging interest in the harvest holiday in particular: “Sukkot is family- and environmentally friendly, and I think

that is a big part of its appeal.” But the new books showcase a wide range of Jewish traditions and values, from apologizing for Yom Kippur to engaging with tashlich on Rosh Hashanah. They also feature communal celebrations, festive foods and, well, fake burps. Here’s what new on shelves for the season: “Rosh Hashanah: Square-CircleStar!: A First Shapes Book” by Joy Nelkin Wieder; pictures by Aura Lewis | Abrams Appleseed; ages birth to 3 Preschoolers will enjoy finding shapes in their favorite Rosh Hashanah traditions with this large-format board book – square bites of honey cake, a round swirl of challah, the curves of the shofar and even apple slice semicircles. “The Sweetest Rosh Hashanah: Festivals of the World” by Mara Bergman; illustrated by Aura Lewis |

Candlewick Press; ages 4-8 As Rosh Hashanah approaches, Ellie looks forward to a visit from her relatives and her favorite cousin, Lara. But last year, Lara was bossy and borrowed Ellie’s cherished paint set and didn’t return it. This year, Ellie decides to hide all of her favorite toys. When Lara arrives with a hand made Rosh Hashanah card, the cousins apologize for their misdeeds and embrace. Mara Bergman’s sweet story is accompanied by Aura Lewis’s large, bright illustrations that include a multiracial family. “Stella’s Special Recipe: A Rosh Hashanah Story” by. Melissa Stoller; illustrated by Valerya Milovanova | Kar-Ben Publishing; ages 2-8 Stella is eager to help her mother prepare her family’s special stuffed cabbage for Rosh Hashanah — a well-worn recipe that includes extra touches from

20 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 both her grandmothers and her mother. She and her mom gather the fresh veggies from their garden — cabbage and tomatoes and eggs from their chickens. What can Stella add? Her creative idea is perfect for a sweet new year. “Diving Deep on Rosh Hashanah: Reverse Tashlich for a Better World” by Rachelle Burk; illustrated by Craig Orback | Intergalactic Afikomen; ages 4-10 This children’s book illustrates a relatively new Jewish tradition that has gained wide traction in recent years: the reverse tashlich. It recounts the story of Ed Rosenthal, who — years after watching “The Underworld of Jacques Cousteau” and dreaming of one day seeing the wonders beneath the sea — snorkeled in the Red Sea after hiking in Israel. As a rabbi at a college in Florida, he created the “Scubi Jew Club” for his students to share his passion. At a service for tashlich, the Rosh Hashanah tradition in which Jews cast symbols of their sins into bodies of water, a student suggested instead clearing the water of trash to make a cleaner, better world for the start of the Jewish year. Now, synagogues across the country and world include a reverse tashlich in their High Holiday plans. The title comes from the team behind “The Space Torah,” an award-winning depiction of a Jewish astronaut’s journey with a miniature Torah. “Awe! It’s Everywhere” by Chana Stiefel; illustrated by Susan Gal | Scholastic; ages 4-8 In Chana Stiefel’s simply worded, lavishly illustrated book, young readers can experience awe, in perfect time for the Days of Awe — another term for the period from the start of Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur. Awe can be small or miraculous, according to the book, which features mesmerizing illustrations including a double-page spread that unfolds to reveal the waterfalls of Yosemite National Park. “I’m Sorry for the Bagel Burps: A Yom Kippur Apology” by Jacob Sager Weinstein; illustrated by Jason Kirschner | Rocky Pond Books; ages 5-8 In this story optimized for children with a penchant for the gross, a young boy and his older brother have a spat when the older one calls him a baby because he’s not old enough to fast on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. In turn, during synagogue services, the young boy teases back. By story’s end, they apologized for their hurtful words and are back to their playful ribbing — all involving fake burps. Jason Kirschner’s cartoon-style illustrations match the levity of the moment. “The Sukkah Hop” by Barbara Lerman-Golomb; illustrated by Talia Drigues | Green Bean Books; birth to 4 Kids will have a hoot bopping along with a multi-generational procession of families and friends as they visit each others’ sukkahs in this book that illustrates the popular community tradition of the sukkah hop. Barbara Lerman-Golomb’s simple, rhyming verse comes alive in Talia Drigues’ colorful illustrations. “A Purr-Fect Sukkot” by Jenna Waldman; illustrated by Erica J. Chen | Apples & Honey Press; ages 3-7 The youngest kids will have fun along with a family of kittens who gather branches for the hut’s open roof, decorate their suk-

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 21 kah with paper chains, shake the lulav and enjoy a festive holiday meal. “Build a Sukkah With Me” by Katie Moss; illustrated by Orit Magia | Green Bean Books; ages 4-8 Katie Moss creates a delightful sukkah-building story around a catchy, simple rhyming verse, using only three words that are easy for kids to repeat. Orit Magia’s cartoonish illustrations bring the pages to life. “A House With No Door: A Sukkot Story” by Amy Fellner Dominy; illustrated by Rotem Teplow | Kar-Ben Publishing; ages 2-8 Join a young boy and his kitty as he explores the simple outdoor hut his family is building for Sukkot. In a stunning pairing of Amy Fellner Dominy’s sparsely worded verse and Rotem Teplow’s beautiful illustrations, young children join in the boy’s wondrous observations of his sukkah. A lovely connection with the meaning of the holiday. “Our Spectacular Sukkah” by Sidura Ludwig; illustrated

by Sophia Vincent Guy | Candlewick Press; ages 4-8 In Sidura Ludwig’s heartwarming story, illuminated by Sophia Vincent Guy’s sparkling illustrations, a young girl and her family build a seasonally decorated sukkah. Drama builds when a storm knocks down their beloved structure. Neighbors of all backgrounds come to the rescue and return the scattered sukkah parts in parade-like fashion. They all pitch in to rebuild the sukkah, which becomes a truly welcoming space for all. “The Art of Jewish Jewish Joy: Crafts and Activities for Celebration and Connection” by Amanda Kingloff and Suzy Ultman | Chronicle Books; ages 3 and up Children of all ages and their grown-ups can kick off the Jewish New Year with a creative spark with this engaging collection of activities for Jewish celebrations. This 224-page, how-to compendium is chock full of brightly-colored illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions. More than 50 pages are devoted to the Jewish High Holidays, with ideas for New Year’s greetings cards, hand-held silhouettes and dipped apple slices.

From the Archive: Practical recipes ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT | Jewish Press Editor Since the dawn of time (OK, since 1920), the Omaha Jewish Press has made space for food, whether it be recipes, advice, advertisements for butcher shops and grocery stores, or stories about keeping kosher. The below article actually appeared in our very first issue ever, that of December 16, 1920. “Several recipes, prepared and tested by members of the Sisterhood of Temple Israel, will be printed weekly on this page,” the anonymous author stated. “Watch for them for they are practical recipes and are being used daily.” Let’s be honest: in 1920, it was common to expect women to be in the kitchen, and men to bring home a paycheck. This means that whoever wrote up this column assumed women would be reading the Jewish Press. That somehow feels important. Whether the column was written by a man or a woman, I do not know, nor do we have any way to find out. Regardless, they would no doubt be interested to hear they are still being read, more than a century later. Pickled Chicken Wings and Necks. Beat two eggs in a small pan. Add one-

half cup vinegar and put on stove until thick. Season well with salt, pepper and one teaspoon of sugar. Thin with about one-half cup soup. Put cooked chicken feet, necks and joints of wings in deep dish, pour above mixture over same. Wait; where did the chicken feet come from? It said “wings and necks,” now we are cooking feet? I won’t make fun of it — I know many cultures cook and eat the feet, so I am not that surprised. And years ago, whenever my own mother turned on her rotisserie oven to grill a chicken on Friday morning, I was always quick to request the neck in advance. Chicken neck, and crispy skin: they were my favorite when I was little. For some strange reason, my siblings never fought me for that neck. Ted Roberts wrote in an undated piece for the Crescent City Jewish News: “Well, what goes around comes around, they say; and Ecclesiastes, one of the less humorous books in our bible, puts it more sedately, “there’s nothing new under the sun”. And as usual, the Book of Books — the Grandfather of all Books — is correct. I’m sure the Ecclesi-

Credit: Richmond Chi, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

astical comment is referring to barbecued chicken feet, which I encountered last week in a trendy Chinese eatery.” He goes on to talk about his grandmother: “How true it is that today’s craze was yesterday’s bore. My grandmother served chicken feet in her soup (why waste?) and artfully convinced me and my little brother that it — not the breast — was the real delicacy.” My own nostalgia about those chicken necks aside, I don’t think I could do the feet. Still, it was included in the very first issue of this paper — so maybe we owe it to whoever wrote that column to try it at least once?

22 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026

Baking as a Love Language ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT | Jewish Press Editor

AKING IS STACIE METZ’ favorite way to care for people. At six years old, one of her favorite things to do every week was bake ginger snaps with her nextdoor neighbor, Mrs. Persinger, who was in her eighties. “I don't think six-year-old Stacie would have imagined that I'd still be baking all these years later,” she said, “let alone that it would become such a meaningful part of my life.” Today, she is the person behind “Simplie Stacie,” a baking- and catering business she started in the past year. Nothing makes her happier than feeding the people she loves. “It's my way of showing love, celebrating milestones, honoring traditions, and bringing people together.” To Stacie, food has never just been about eating. It's about making people feel welcome, creating memories, and bringing a little warmth and happiness to someone's day. If one of her treats can make someone smile, bring people together, or become part of a family tradition, that's the sweet-

est reward she could ask for. Her website at simpliestacie.com offers a detailed menu, and over the past year, she has been getting the word out. From cookies to s’mores bars, from salted nut rolls and white chocolate puffcorn to honey cakes, her menu offers a wide variety of what she calls “homemade happiness.” Also, there is something that looks like banana bread and ‘smores had a baby. It’s borderline criminal, how good it all looks. She has come a long way: her brother still loves to tell the story about the first batch of biscuits she ever made, back in elementary school. “According to him, I burned them so badly that the United States military could have thrown them at our enemies instead of using bombs,” she said, “and they would have been just as effective! He still stands by that story.” Starting a brand-new business: it can be scary, she knows. “I'm proud that I took a chance,” she says. It's so easy to talk

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 23 yourself out of trying something new, but I didn't want to spend the rest of my life wondering, "What if ?" It turns out, taking that chance was one of the best decisions I've ever made.” Of course, she has always loved baking for birthdays, holidays, and other celebrations, but some of the most meaningful things she has ever made haven't been for happy occasions. “Years ago, after losing someone I loved, I didn't know what to do for her family. So I baked. Sometimes every day. Sometimes every week. Sometimes months later, just to let them know they were still being thought of.” When she wasn't sure what else to do, she baked. “It gave me purpose during a time when I felt helpless, and became my way of letting people know they were being thought of when I couldn't find the right words. Over the years, I've realized that when words don't seem like enough, a homemade treat can often say exactly what I hope someone needs to hear. Ever since then, whether someone is celebrating life's happiest moments or walking through one of life's hardest seasons, baking has been my way of showing up.” Stacie says she has never been “much of a cook (that's a story for another day!), but baking has always been my happy place. When my kids were little, so many of their playdates revolved around the kitchen. We'd make ice cream cone cupcakes, dessert pizzas, and all kinds of fun treats. I loved making themed sweet treats for school parties, birthdays, and celebrations. I also loved knowing that whenever friends walked through our door, there was almost always a homemade treat waiting for them.” As the years went by, not much has changed. She still loves a full house filled with family and friends gathered in the kitchen. “There is something incredibly special about watching people slow down, share stories, laugh together, and enjoy something made with love. My joy comes from feeding others and encouraging everyone to have ‘just one more bite.’ There's always room for a little more dessert!” Read more about Stacie’s baking adventures when Beyond Kugel comes out.

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Reach the Jewish communities in Omaha, Lincoln, Council Bluffs, and surrounding areas. Contact Claire Endelman | 402.334.6559 | cendelman@jewishomaha.org

26 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026

The Untested Cookbook A Note About These Recipes: The Untested Cookbook, from which we have been reprinting recipes for a few years now, was published by the Jewish Federation of Omaha in 2001. It was part of a Women’s Division Campaign Event. It has recently come to our attention that there are some recipes in the book combined with the incorrect owners of said recipes-and we apologize for the confusion! At this point, we are too far in the production process to turn around and reinvent the wheel, so we have to trust all the recipes included here have the right names on them. If you notice an error, please email the editor at avandekamp@jewishomaha.org, and we will make sure to add a note to the original cookbook. If you want to take a look for yourself, the book currently resides at the Jewish Press until Jane makes us give it back to the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES Devorah Waesch

Ingredients: 6 oz. (plain, milk or white) bittersweet chocolate 1 tbsp. margarine 2 egg yolks 2 tsp. brandy or black coffee (or ﬂavored) 3 tbsp. ground almonds 2 tsp. single cream 3 tbsp. cocoa powder Directions: Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir in margarine. Lightly beat the egg yolks and add to the chocolate, beating well until evenly incorporated. Beat in the brandy or coffee and the cream and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or until ﬁrm. Divide the mixture into about 30 even-sized pieces and roll these into small balls using your hands. Put the cocoa powder and almonds onto separate plates and gently roll half of the chocolates in each one to coat. Put the coated truffles into paper candy cases and chill until required. Yields 30.

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 27

BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES Mary Bernstein

Ingredients: 1 lb. butter 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 3 1/2 cup ﬂour 1 tsp. cream of tartar 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. vanilla 2 cups pecans, chopped Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter & sugars. Combine dry ingredients & add. Mix in pecans. Divide dough in 4 balls and form 4 rolls. Refrigerate overnight. Slice ¼” thick and bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 10 minutes.

ALMOND BUTTER CAKE Kathy Simon

Ingredients: 10 oz. almond paste, canned 1 cup sugar 10 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature 4 eggs 3/4 cup ﬂour 1/2 tsp. baking powder Confectioner's sugar Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom of 9" by 1 1/2" round pan with buttered parchment or waxed paper. Set aside. Place almond paste in a bowl and microwave for 20 to 30 seconds to soften. Add sugar & beat until almond paste is broken into small pieces. Add butter and beat until well mixed. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat well & scrape bowl after each addition. Add ﬂour and baking powder and mix well. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 45 min. (Until the tester comes out clean). Do not over bake. If the top is sufficiently browned before the cake is done; cover loosely with aluminum foil. Cool in pan for 5 min., then turn out onto the rack to cool. When cool, sprinkle with sifted confectioner's sugar. Serves 8.

28 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026

GRAMMA PEARL’S BROWNIES Pearl Gross

Ingredients: 2 squares unsweetened chocolate 1/3 cup butter 2 eggs 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup ﬂour 1 tsp. vanilla Powdered sugar

Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugars. Combine dry ingredients and add. Mix in pecans. Divide dough in 4 balls and form 4 rolls. Refrigerate overnight. Slice 1/4” thick and bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 10 minutes.

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 29

TOFFEE SQUARES Iris Ricks Ingredients: 1 cup butter 1 cup brown sugar 1 egg, beaten 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp. salt 8 oz. milk chocolate Chopped nuts 2 cups ﬂour Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter. Add sugar and beaten egg. Add vanilla and dry ingredients. Spread mixture in greased 10" by 15" jelly roll pan. Pat down the dough. Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes until well browned. Place squares of chocolate on hot dough and return to the oven for 1 minute. Spread chocolate and immediately cut into 1 1/2" squares. Sprinkle with nuts.

CHOCOLATE CHIP PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES Lori Miller and Stacey Rockman Ingredients: 1/2 cup peanut butter 3/4 cup vegetable shortening 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg 1 1/4 cup ﬂour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 6 oz. chocolate chips 1 tsp. vanilla Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Beat until creamy the peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir together ﬂour, baking soda and salt. Mix in with creamed ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

30 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026

AUNT RUTH GROSSMAN’S APPLE CAKE Annette Fettman

Ingredients: 4 cups diced apples 1 tbsp. lemon juice 3/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup honey 2 cup ﬂour 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. baking soda 2 eggs 1/2 cup oil 1 cup chopped walnuts 2 tsp. vanilla Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Do not use a mixer. Mix together apples, lemon juice, sugar and honey. Stir in ﬂour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Then add eggs, oil, walnuts and vanilla. Pour into a greased 9" by 13" pan. Bake for 1 hour.

APRICOT BARS Jane Rips

Ingredients: 1 cup butter 1 cup sugar 2 cups ﬂour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 1/2 cup coconut 1 18 oz. jar apricot jam 3/4 cup chopped nuts

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add ﬂour, soda, salt and coconut. Pat ¾ of the mixture into a 9” by 13” inch pan. Spread with jam. Mix nuts into remaining ¼ mixture and sprinkle on top of jam. Bake for 30 minutes.

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 31

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES Marlene Kahn

Ingredients: 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 3 eggs 3 cups ﬂour 1 tsp. salt 2 tsp. vanilla 2/3 cup margarine 2/3 cup crisco 1 12 Oz. pkg. chocolate chips 1 tsp. baking soda Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream together sugars, eggs, vanilla, margarine & Crisco. Stir in ﬂour mixture. Then stir in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls and bake for 8 minutes.

MERINGUE COOKIES Katherine Finnegan

Ingredients: 2 egg whites Chocolate chips 3/4 cup sugar Pinch of salt Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Add sugar. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake for 10 minutes.

(See more from The Untested Cookbook starting on page 41!)

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The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 35

Galilee Family Keeps Their Tradition Alive TANIA SHALOM MICHAELIAN | JTA

HEN TZVIKE AND HADAS OPHIR planted their vineyard in 1986, on the day their eldest daughter Adva was born, they had no plans to make wine. They wanted to grow something alongside their hives. The couple was among the first residents of Alon HaGalil, a town in Israel’s North about an hour and a half ’s drive from Tel Aviv. Tzvike grew up in Emek Hefer and Hadas in Kfar Yehoshua, both in farming families. Tzvike was also a second-generation beekeeper. “The bees fly, but vines are planted in the ground,” said Adva Ophir. “The vineyard was a way of putting down roots in the Galilee.” At first, the family grew table grapes. The work was intensive and required Tzvike and Noami Ophir, father and son beekeepers. Credit-Advatoo much water, and after three difficult Ophir/JNF-USA years they switched to wine grapes. “We make our living from the honey, but our more imporThey sold their harvest to Israeli wineries, including several tant job is protecting the bees and helping them survive,” boutique wineries that opened during the 1990s. The feed- Adva said. “Without beekeepers, many of them would not back was good enough to persuade Tzvike to try making wine survive in the wild. The pollination they provide also allows himself. Meshek Ophir sold its first bottle in 2001. other Israeli farmers to grow their crops.” “It was never my father’s dream to make wine,” Adva said. After Oct. 7, reaching some of the hives became dangerous. “We weren’t even a family that drank wine. The idea literally The family’s bees are spread across the Galilee, including near came out of the earth.” Shlomi and other areas that came under rocket and missile Today, Meshek Ophir produces wine and honey and con- fire. At times, entering those areas was prohibited. tinues to sell grapes to other wineries. It remains a family Tzvike continued to check on the hives. business, run by people whose working lives are tied to the “My father is a farmer. He doesn’t care about war. He cares weather, the seasons and the condition of their bees. about his bees,” Adva said. “He went into areas under fire because if he didn’t look after them, he could lose them. This is What it takes to fill a jar The farm has around 1,000 mobile beehives. Tzvike, who is what he knows how to do, and it is his livelihood.” nearly 70, and Adva’s brother Noam move them from place to The work was made harder by the absence of Noam and place according to the flowering season. Some are positioned other family members, who continue to serve in reserve duty near sunflower fields, avocado orchards and other crops, for months at a time. Noam normally drives the truck that where the bees pollinate the plants. transports the hives because Tzvike no longer has a truck liRainfall, the number of blossoms, and the length of the cense. During his reserve service, much of the responsibility flowering period all affect the amount of honey produced. fell back on his father. The bees must first make enough to feed themselves. Only For Adva, the reason the family kept going is not difficult then is there honey for the family to harvest and sell. to explain. Meshek Ophir’s honey contains no additives and is not “We have been working together on this farm for 40 years,” heated before it is placed in jars. Getting it there requires long she said. “It is our livelihood, but for the next generation, it is days of physical work. Tzvike and Noam transport the hives, also about working as a family, being connected to the land, monitor the queens and worker bees, and protect the col- and passing those values on to our children. It is what keeps onies from disease and other threats. us here.”

36 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026

Ophir family at Meshek Ophir. Credit: Take-Off/JNF-USA

Help When It Was Needed Most Meshek Ophir was one of the founding members of Western Galilee Now, a Jewish National Fund-USA-driven nonprofit that promotes small businesses and tourism in the region. During the recent conflict, that relationship became particularly important to the family. “They called to ask how we were doing and how the business was managing,” Adva said. “They asked what they could do to help sell our products and promote them abroad. Knowing that someone has your back during such a difficult period is very important. Western Galilee Now has opened doors for us.” For years, Jewish National Fund-USA was known for two things – the iconic Blue Box (pushke) and tree planting in Israel. Today, the organization’s focus is on securing Israel’s North and South by attracting 800,000 new residents to these underpopulated areas. It does so through a strategy it calls “circles of impact,” in which its philanthropic investments in initiatives such as Western Galilee Now create economic development, job creation, and ultimately population growth. With funding from Jewish National Fund-USA partners (donors), Adva was also able to combine her work as a filmmaker with the family vineyard. She created “Between the Vineyards,” a film festival at the farm that includes a screening of the documentary she spent 15 years making about her family’s work. The festival gives people another reason to visit the farm and draws tourists to the area. “They were telling us that they believed in our farm and in the people working here,” she said. “Without their help, we would not have had the means to start the festival.” This year, Meshek Ophir’s honey will also be sold through Jewish National Fund-USA’s Online Mitzvah Marketplace

(jnf.org/store), operated in partnership with Western Galilee Now to help small Israeli businesses reach customers overseas. For the Ophirs, the marketplace offers access to customers they would struggle to reach on their own. It also comes ahead of Rosh Hashanah, when honey sales are at their highest. “We need people to enjoy the honey and come back for more, but we also want them to understand how much work goes into every jar,” Adva said. “We are not a factory or a hightech company. When people buy our honey, they help us maintain our 1,000 hives, provide pollination services to farmers and continue doing what we know how to do.” The past few years have been difficult for small businesses, especially in northern Israel, and the family needs a strong holiday season. Adva hopes the farm will continue to grow and that her parents will eventually be able to slow down, although she doubts her father will ever stop working altogether. “I want my parents to enjoy what they have built,” she said. “I want us to be able to breathe a little and enjoy the results of all this work.” She also wants people who have supported businesses in the Galilee to understand how much of a difference that help has made. “Small businesses are the heart of this country,” she said. “To the people supporting us, please continue. You are giving us a voice in the world and helping us remain on this land we love.” To support Jewish National Fund-USA’s support for Israel’s North and South, visit jnf.org/donate or call 800.JNF.0099. This is a paid post. JTA’s editorial team had no role in its production.

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 37

On This Day in History ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT | Jewish Press editor Erev Rosh Hashana falls on September 11 this year. In 1958, September 12 was the publishing date for our holiday issue. The modern State of Israel was a mere ten years old, and so the front page of that edition presented the readers with a massive photo of the menorah that is placed near the Knesset. “This is Israel’s Statue of Liberty,” the caption read. “Visitors to Israel will be able to see the history of this ancient nation at a glance by studying the sculpture of this bronze Menorah or candelabra which stands in Jerusalem. An ancient symbol of freedom and independence, the menorah was given as a gift to the people of Israel by the British House of Commons.”

It’s 4.3 meters high and 3.5 meters wide, located in Wohl Park, directly across the street from the Knesset. Its branches display scenes from Biblical and Jewish history since the time of exile. Fun fact: artists Benno Elkan, who created the menorah, also created bronze candelabras for Westminster Abbey. Elkan was born in Dortmund, Germany and one of the cofounders of the football club Bayern Munich. He fled to England in 1933. Individual donors funded certain portions of the menorah: famous department store Marks & Spencer, for instance, financed the Apocalypse relief. There is a story there, for sure. Of course, there were those who disagreed with the gift: it shouldn’t be created until the Temple was rebuilt, it could be seen as idolatrous, there was nudity on some of the reliefs, and so forth. The British wondered out loud if Israel even wanted the menorah in the first place. Eventually, chief rabbi Halevi Herzog put the matter to rest, and in 1956, the menorah was placed in Shiber Pit, in the center of Jerusalem. Ten years later, it was moved to its permanent location, where it stands today.

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38 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026

Dieting the Biblical Way LEONARD GREENSPOON Ed. note: Shortly before he left us, Leonard wrote this column for our upcoming Kugel book. Although it will be included in the book, we’ve decided to not wait any longer to share it with you. The Bible doesn’t carry a money-back guarantee, but its readers can nevertheless be assured of becoming healthy, wealthy and wise — at least according to accounts in popular culture. In this column, we turn to the Bible’s health tips, which, in the news, usually mean diets. No biblically-based diet has been more successful than Gwen Shamblin’s Weigh Down Diet. Her gospel, as featured in a 2021 HBO Max docuseries: Eat what you want, in moderation, and get plenty of exercise by kneeling frequently in prayer. Shamblin not only attracted myriad devotees but also gained the attention of prestigious publications like The New

Yorker, the Sunday Independent (London) and The Washington Post. Part of the appeal might be her acceptance of rich foods — as long as they have biblical precedent. Thick red meat and corn chips are on Shamblin’s menu: Just remember the prodigal son’s fatted calf (see the parable as narrated in the fifteenth chapter of the New Testament book of Luke) and the priestly grain offerings of Leviticus (see chapter 2 of the book of Leviticus). George Malkmus, who died in November 2023, took a much stricter approach with his Hallelujah Diet. Eat only what Adam and Eve ate in the Garden of Eden: mostly raw fruits and vegetables. Processed foods are shunned as positively sinful. Malkmus did permit eating meat but encouraged dieters to follow the biblical example. “In Bible times, meats were 3 percent fat versus the 30 percent they contain

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today,” one of Malkmus’s satisfied followers told the St. Petersburg Times. Given the difficulty of determining which biblical passages take dietary precedence, some recommend abstaining from food altogether, although not, of course, on a permanent basis. Some Christians are exhorted to emulate Jesus, who preceded his public ministry with 40 days of fasting in the wilderness (see chapter 4 of the New Testament gospel of Matthew). Increasing numbers of Jews observe fasting on Yom Kippur and maintain kosher dietary practices that modify food intake based on biblical teachings. It is then not surprising to find a cookbook like A Biblical Feast: Foods from the Holy Land (still popular, it was first published about 25 years ago), which uses such ancient Near Eastern staples as lentils, mustard seeds, and millet, as well as quail eggs and beef broth — the latter an ingredient in a dish dubbed "Jacob’s Pottage” ( for this, see the book of Genesis 25:29-34). From devil’s food cake to angel food, there is almost no food or eating practice without biblical support.

Shana Tova

JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE WISHES YOU A SWEET NEW YEAR

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 39

Bicentennial Celebrations OLIVER B. POLLAK The 1976 Bicentennial celebration of the Declaration of Independence was a nation-wide project with statewide participation. Nebraska’s place on the map was enhanced with the construction of eight imaginative stone and metal sculptures erected along Interstate 80. To celebrate the Bicentenary, The Ethnic Committee of the Omaha/Douglas County Bicentennial Commission published The Melting Pot-An Ethnic Cookbook (1975). America was extraordinarily proud of its diversity in 1976. It may have been lost on readers in 1975 and 2026 that this was also the title of the quintessential play about Jewish assimilation written by Israel Zangwill, premiered in 1908 and soon performed in Omaha. The 256 page cookbook included about 280 recipes curiously organized alphabetically and regionally in about 30 nationalities as follows: American Indian, Czechoslovakian, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Jewish, Korean, Lithuanian, Mexican, Polish, Scandinavian Danish, Swedish, Scottish, Serbian, Ukrainian, West African, Belgian, Brazilian, Croatian, Dutch, Egyptian and Sudanese, Hungarian, Iranian, Lebanese, Philippine, Polynesian, Portuguese, Swiss and Americana. The 24 member committee, chaired by Toni Blazevich (1941-2014) Antoinette C. “Toni” Capellupo Blazevich, “champion of her Italian heritage,” included UNO professor Peter Suzuki (1928-2016), Bertha Calloway (19252017) of the Great Plains Black History Museum, and Nancy Farber. The Cookbook Committee Chairman, Raydelle Meehan, noted “that almost half of this hard-working group is comprised of teenagers.” A teenage volunteer in 1975 would be about 65 today. Their

goal was to produce a “charming and appetizing” book. Toni Blazevich wanted “to celebrate our common and individual heritages as this is what makes our country unlike any other in the world.” Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Purim, Sukos, meals of consolation following a funeral, Shavuot, Hanukah, and family celebrations such as the Bris and Bar Mitzvah.

illustrations by Karma Lynn Earl

Nineteen women, whose names will be familiar to many readers, contributed 22 Jewish recipes. Mrs. Isaac Nadoff, Cheryl Kraft, and Miriam Simon each provided two recipes. Maralyn Abraham, Ginny Becker, Mrs. Morris Becker, Liberty Faier, Josephine Fraenkel, Mrs. Seymour Goldston, Sandy Kohll, Joan Margolin, Esther Meiches, Tina Palmisano, Mrs. Max Sacks, Lorraine Silverman, Mrs. E. R. Simon, Miriam Soshnik, Judy Tully, and Mrs. Cookier Walker

each provided one recipe. The two appearances of the Becker and Simon family name suggests family cooking traditions. The 1970s were a time when increasingly married women were using their given first names. The recipes were typical Jewish fare with English, Yiddish (with various transliterations) names. The recipes are not anonymous, each ended with the name of the contributor. It was front loaded catering to baked breads and the sweet tooth. Aunt Ida’s Onion Rolls, Bagel, Water Bagel, Honey Cake, Cheese Blintzes, Apple Kuchen, Easy Strudel, Hamantoshen, Hamantaschen, Mandelbrodt, Mondelbrot, Carrot Tzimmes, Chopped Chicken Liver, Knishes, Spinach Borscht, Beet Borscht, Holiday Chicken Soup, Kneidlach (Matzo Balls), Onion Soup, Lokschen Kugel (Noodle Pudding), Latkes (Potato Pancakes), and Potato Kugel (Potato Pudding). No brisket, gefilte fish, lox, matza brie, sufganiyot, Israeli cuisine, or discussion of Kashrut. During 1976 I wrote opinion pieces for the Omaha World-Herald including “King George III: Pathos and Politics,” for their American Revolution Bicentenary series, as well as “The Third World Looks to the Future,” “What did Kissinger Bag?” and “Kissinger Now Takes Africa Seriously.” The cookbook appeared in December 1975 for $5.00 plus 50 cents postage. Four copies are available on eBay for less than $10. Sentimentally, fifty years later, I reflect how much we have lost and forgotten, and the joy of standing refreshed by a cookbook that is a healthy social document of an earlier time.

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 41

The Untested Cookbook (Continued from page 31)

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL OAT SQUARES Nancy Hornstein Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 1 12 oz. pkg. semisweet chocolate chips 1 14 oz. bag of caramels 1 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats 1/2 tsp. baking soda 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut up (1 1/2 sticks) 1/2 cup whipping cream Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the first 5 ingredients in the processor. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until crumbs begin to stick together. Press all but 2 cups of crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9" by 13" baking pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Set the crust aside. Bring cream to simmer in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add caramels and stir until melted & smooth. Pour caramel mixture over crust. Sprinkle reserved 2 cups of crumbs on caramel. Bake until the edges are golden brown (about 15 minutes). Cut around pan sides to loosen. Cool completely. Cut into squares. Refrigerate squares until well chilled for about 3 hours. Serve cold. Yields about 20.

PARVE CHEESE CAKE Sandra Kohll Ingredients: 3 plain toffutti cream cheese 3 eggs 1 cup sugar 2 graham cracker pie crusts Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Blend cream cheese, eggs, and sugar. Pour into 2 graham cracker pie crusts. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Use cherry, blueberry or raspberry topping over it. Put in refrigerator until ready to serve.

42 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026

MY MOTHER’S FAVORITE CHOCOLATE CAKE Enid Blumenthal Ingredients: 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup milk 1 cup sugar 3/4 cup ﬂour, sifted 1 tsp. baking powder 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla

Frosting: 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate 1 tbsp. butter 1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup sugar

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt chocolate & butter. Add sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla, & ﬂour sifted with baking powder. Do not stir until all ingredients are in, then beat for several minutes. Mixture will thicken. Bake in a lightly buttered 9" square pan for 25-30 minutes. For frosting, melt chocolate in a small pan over low-medium heat. Add other ingredients. Boil slowly until a soft ball is formed when dropped in cold water. Pour while hot over cooled cake.

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 43

BUNDT CAKE Janet Wintroub

Ingredients: 1 box yellow cake mix 3/4 cup oil 3/4 cup water 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp. butter extract 4 eggs Filling: 1/2 cup nuts 1/4 cup sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine above ingredients & add eggs one at a time. Beat 6 min. Put 1/4 c. nuts on the bottom of the bundt pan. Layer the ﬁlling with batter 3 times. Bake for 45 min.

Credit: “Persimmon Bundts” by Janet Hudson, used under CC BY 2.0

MY FRIEND JUDY’S CINNAMON COFFEE CAKE Ellen Slosburg

Ingredients: 1 pkg. yellow Duncan Hines cake mix 1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding 3/4 cup wesson oil 1 tsp. vanilla 3/4 cup water 4 eggs 1 tbsp. melted butter 1/2 cup sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon 1 cup nuts Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat together cake mix, pudding, oil, vanilla, water, & butter. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Pour ½ of this batter in a bundt pan. Mix the sugar, cinnamon and nuts and sprinkle ½ of this in the center of the cake batter. Pour remaining batter in the pan. Cover the top of the cake with remaining sugar mixture. Bake for 45 minutes.

Credit: “Walnut cinnamon coffee cake” by Melissa Doroquez, used under CC BY 2.0

44 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026

CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE Lee Needelman Ingredients: 1 devil's food or fudge cake mix 1/2 cup hot water 4 eggs 1 cup sour cream 1 box chocolate instant pudding 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips Confectioner’s sugar

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt chocolate and butter. Add sugar, milk, eggs, Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Add the entire bag of 12oz. semisweet chocolate chips. Mix well. Bake for 1 hour in a bundt pan. Sprinkle it with confectioner's sugar.

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 45

COFFEE CAKE RECIPE Selma Tretiak

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup white sugar 1 cup butter 4 eggs, separated 3 cups pre-sifted ﬂour 3 tsp. baking powder 1 cup milk 1 tsp. vanilla

Topping: 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup chopped nuts 2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks one at a time. Mix baking powder into ﬂour and alternate this with one cup of milk. Add vanilla and then fold in beaten egg white mixture. Lightly grease angel springform pan. Put a small amount of cake mixture on bottom, then sprinkle half the sugar mixture on top. Add another layer of cake mixture and topping. Bake for 1 hour.

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46 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026

NOODLE KUGEL (LUCHEM PUDDING) Ann Roistein Ingredients: 1 pkg. wide noodles 1 large carton cottage cheese 1 large carton sour cream 7 eggs 3 tb. chopped onion (or dry minced onion) Onion salt Garlic powder Directions: Mix together and pour into 9x13 greased pyrex dish. Dot with stick of margarine on top with crushed potato chips. Bake at 350˚ for 1 hour.

SHIRLEY’S KITCHEN: CORN CHOWDER Joe Goldstein Ingredients: 4 tbsp. butter 1 medium onion, chopped 1 red pepper, chopped 3 ribs celery, chopped 1/3 cup ﬂour 3 cans corn, undrained 2.5 cans chicken broth (14.5 oz. can) 1.5 cup heavy cream 1 tsp thyme

Directions: In soup pot, melt butter and sauté the onion, celery and peppers until soft. Stir in ﬂour and cook for 1 minute. Add corn, broth, cream, bay leaf and thyme. Cover and bring to a boil, then uncover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve.

Credit: “Vegan corn chowder with chives (cropped)” by tomatoes and friends, used under CC BY 2.0

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 47

Nutrition at the ELC ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT | Jewish Press Editor Peanut Butter and Jelly 2 pieces bread. Put on peanut butter-any kind. Add jelly. Then we eat it. — Alan Kricsfeld Strawberry Jello Mix in bowl. Get a large pan. Put in pan flat as a square. Put in oven. When almost through put jello in and stir. Add some water. Put in refrigerator. — Andrew Tretiak

Hamburger You cook it. Put it on the oven and then Birthday Cake take it out. It takes a long time. Add eggs, put chocolate sugar on it, put — Jason Perelman some sweet rolls, add sweet honey, add some sandwiches, add some candy, can- Cookies dles, gum, some ice berg. Put chocolate ice The baker makes them and you buy cream cone in it. Make it cold, them. Don’t you know? decorate it. — Marc Vilenski — Pamela Brodkey

HE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER’S Pre-School Cookbook was shared with us by Helen Epstein. There is no introduction, and no information about the year it was made. We’re thinking approximately 50 years ago, judging from the names of the students featured. As opposed Corn to the other recipes Fried Chicken You put it in a pan and let it boil for five we’re reprinting, we Put chicken in pan minutes. After it cooks you put on some can’t necessarily recand shake it, put in butter and salt. ommend these cookoven. Put salad dress— Amy Zuber ing tips as ing on salad. You trustworthy. While could add macaroni Hot Dogs Alan Kricsfeld’s peanut and cheese. Serve everyYou boil them a little bit. And then butter and jelly sandwich body. they’re ready and you cut them up. Then is spot-on, we’re not so sure — Ari Riekes you give them to the children. about Pamela Brodkey’s birth— Karen Schwalb day cake recipe. Dip Eggs Take eggs and dip them with fork into Spaghetti pan. Put in butter and Get spaghetti and put it in the bowl. Get nothing else. Put on sauce. Put sauce on the spaghetti. Then salt. Serve for lunch. you eat it. Shana Tovah to — Chad Polikov — Jennifer Rubin Potatoes Salad and Macaroni Cook potato in 100 A lot cheese, tomatoes, dressing, green degree oven. Add salt, beans, meat, carrots, cherries, lettuce in a pepper and butter. bowl, 5 macaronies. Cook all the stuff to- Cook 4 hours. Serve gether and eat it for dinner. hot. — Aaron Wax & Jonathan Rich — Staci Parmet

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48 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026

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The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 49

Jews, Chinese Food and the Taste of Belonging SETH SCHUCHMAN A Chapter from the Heart of Omaha S ONE GROWS OLDER, some memories tend to fall through the cracks — even the good ones. It’s a phenomenon that everyone faces eventually: the slow diffusion of childhood’s vivid moments into the hazy distance of adulthood. Yet, every so often, a fragment persists, clinging to the folds of one's mind like a stubborn burr on a woolen sweater. For me, one such memory has survived the years, nestled somewhere in my fortyfour-year-old's cheese-doodle of a brain: my mother, bustling through the chill of Omaha’s winter, picking up Chinese Hot & Sour soup from House of Hunan whenever I was sick but well enough to skip school. The ritual was so ordinary, so gently repeated, that it has become extraordinary by virtue of its endurance. In fact, this is where I shed the third person. It’s a literary device that always feels a bit silly; why not just speak plainly? So, let’s cut straight to the Kung Pao, while we’re Egg foo young, shall we? Memories Stirred by Wok and Spoon Some of my best memories growing

up — and now, as I tiptoe into (semi-!) middle age—have involved Chinese food. It’s not just about flavor or comfort; it’s about the warmth of shared space, laughter echoing off walls, and the gentle feeling that, for a moment, everything is exactly as it should be. Consider, for instance, my Bar Mitzvah. The night before? Boom! Chinese food! I remember the scent of soy sauce and ginger mingling in the air as my family gathered around steaming platters. It must have worked some kind of culinary magic, because the next morning I absolutely slaid my Haftorah — maybe the best performance of my young life. Everyone was there; no one felt out of place. Then again, everyone was Jewish, so that helped. Right now, as I type this, I’m eating a giant patty of Egg Foo Young with brown sauce and white steamed rice. This, more than anything, proves the thesis: Jews…love…Chinese food! And not just any Jews, but Omaha Jews! Chinese Food and Jewish Identity: An American Tradition It’s hard to explain to outsiders, but for

Jews in Omaha — and across the globe — the tradition of gathering over Chinese food is more than a quirky custom. Sure, it’s convenient; Chinese restaurants are open on Christmas, after all. But it also serves as a vivid expression of adaptability, a celebration of openness, and, most importantly, a testament to the human desire to build bridges across cultures. Within homes and bustling restaurants alike, the simple act of sharing egg rolls, savoring steaming bowls of wonton soup (AKA Chinese Kreplach soup), or passing plates of handmade dumplings becomes a cherished ritual. These shared meals are not just about sustenance; they’re about meaningful conversation, laughter, and genuine connection. Across clinking chopsticks and the warmth of communal tables, generations come together, drawing strength from old family stories, the comfort of familiar flavors, and memories of city streets bustling with life. The tradition is so widespread that it almost feels elemental — a natural part of the Jewish-American experience. Whether marked by a bowl of matzo

50 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 ball soup (AKA Jewish Wonton soup!) alongside savory Chinese dishes like Egg Foo Young, or by the embrace of loved ones around the table, these culinary traditions knit together families and communities. They create lasting bonds that, much like life’s universal certainties—death and taxes—persist through time, reminding us of that community, curiosity, and the sharing of traditions are at the very heart of belonging and home. Building Bridges: How Chinese Food Became a Jewish Staple The relationship between Jews and Chinese food is not a mere accident of culinary history; it’s a beautiful example of how cultures adapt and mingle in America. For generations, Chinese restaurants have been safe havens for Jews — open when others were closed, offering hospitality without questions or barriers. On Christmas Day, when most other establishments are shuttered, Jewish families find a warm welcome at Chinese restaurants. The tradition of “Jewish Christmas” is so wellestablished that it’s become a running joke, but beneath the humor lies something profound. The act of gathering around a table laden with egg rolls, sweet and sour chicken, and lo mein is a celebration of resilience, openness, and the joy of finding home in unexpected places. This openness is reflected in both communities: the Jewish tradition of welcoming the stranger, and the Chinese custom of hospitality. The result is a synergy that transcends mere convenience. It is, at heart, a celebration of the human capacity for connection. Rituals of the Table: More Than Just a Meal

Within the walls of Omaha’s Chinese restaurants, rituals unfold in quiet, beautiful ways. Families pass plates with practiced ease; elders tell stories of “the old country” or recall the quirks of beloved regulars. Children learn to wield chopsticks, giggling over spilled rice and sticky fingers. There is a rhythm to these gatherings, a gentle choreography of sharing and belonging. The food provides a focal point, but it’s the conversation and laughter that truly nourish. Across the table, generations draw strength from old family stories and the comfort of familiar flavors.

Sometimes, they remember city streets bustling with life; other times, it’s the memory of a favorite server, or a letter received from the owners after a loved one has passed. These moments matter. They are the threads that weave families and communities together, creating a tapestry of belonging that endures through time. In the end, what we remember isn’t just what we ate, but who we shared it with, and how those moments made us feel. Ed. note: this is an excerpt from the NJHS and JP Beyond Kugel book.

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 51

The Bagel: An Unserious History HAL SENAL Bagels and Jews have a hot and yeasty history. But where did it all really start? Before we dive in, let’s acknowledge the bagel’s true genius: it’s the only food equally at home in a brown paper bag at a bustling city deli, or perched gorgeously atop a silver platter at brunch, wearing capers like tiny edible jewels. Indeed, Business has been a-boomin' for bagels — and for quite some time, too. In 2022, the filmmaking duo known as Daniels wrote and directed a movie about an everything bagel causing a rift in the multiverse, and it won Best Picture, for crying out loud. Now, Let’s grab a fresh one and embark on a journey where the history of the bagel is just as chewy as its crust. Let’s be honest: if bagels could talk, they’d probably kvetch about their chewy crusts, brag about their international stardom, and maybe sing a little klezmer tune. The bagel — round, resilient, and always good for a schmear — embodies Jewish history in a way no other bread can. This is the epic (and somewhat ridiculous) saga of how a humble ring of dough became the Bob Dylan of breakfast foods, ever evolving. Forget what you know about supermarket bagels lounging in plastic bags. The bagel’s real adventure started rolling centuries ago in the lively Jewish communities of Poland. The first written evidence? A 1610 Kraków regulation that demanded new moms receive bagels— because after childbirth, you deserve carbs, not just compliments. Some say it was a reward; others call it medieval DoorDash. The recipe? Simple: flour, water, salt, yeast — and an attitude. Boiling before

baking wasn’t just for show; it made the bagel tough enough to survive long winters, bandit attacks, and a week at the bottom of Bubbe’s purse. Its shape? The infinite loop: symbol of life, continuity, and, most importantly, maximum cream cheese surface area. In Jewish tradition, every food has meaning, but only the bagel doubles as a life coach and a breakfast item. In the old shtetls, bagel-baking was basically an Olympic sport. Bakers rose before sunrise, flexed their doughy muscles, and kneaded so vigorously it counted as cardio. Hundreds of bagels later, the aroma alone could wake the neighbors (and sometimes their goats). Kids nibbled bagels on the way to school; merchants snacked through negotiations, and family tables bent under the glorious weight of the daily bagel bounty. Bagels were the original multitaskers: sturdy, cheap, and portable — perfect for a people always on the move. Toppings evolved with Jewish ingenuity: a little butter, a schmear, chopped liver for the brave, and lox for those who appreciate fancy fish before noon. The bagel became a symbol of epic resourcefulness, like duct tape, but tastier. As Jewish families made their way to America, bagels tucked themselves into suitcases, between candlesticks and hopes for a better future. New York City became the Promised Land for bagels, where street vendors hawked them from pushcarts like edible Olympic rings. The Bagel Bakers Local 338 union formed — a secret society of men sworn to defend chewiness and keep the sacred “bagel bounce-back.” Legend has it; union bakers could spot an inferior bagel at fifty paces and summon a council of bubbes for judgment. Bagels seduced New Yorkers of all backgrounds—not just with taste, but with sheer chutzpah. Everyone wanted

in. (Who could resist bread that’s equal parts lunch and life lesson?) Then, the bagel truly went “big time.” Enter the automatic bagel-making machine, the industrial revolution of round breads. Suddenly, bagels were everywhere—supermarkets, diners, the occasional weddings. Flavors multiplied: poppy seed, onion, cinnamon raisin, blueberry, and yes, chocolate chip (because Americans will put chocolate in anything, even salad). Cream cheese and lox (the Kosher answer to sushi, one might call it — and they might not be wrong) became a legendary power couple. Breakfast meetings, brunches, family gatherings — no event was too grand or too awkward for a bagel fix (if not an intervention). Yet, no matter the topping, bagels remained the edible heart of Jewish life, a carbladen hug from the Old Country. Today, bagels circle the globe like delicious satellites: wasabi bagels in Tokyo, falafel bagels in Tel Aviv, and somewhere, probably, gluten-free, keto-certified bagels (let’s not talk about those). But the real deal? Fresh, golden, chewy, and topped with enough schmear to make your cardiologist sweat. Whether you’re in Brooklyn or Warsaw, a good bagel is universal language for “life is tough, but at least you have carbs.” The bagel’s journey mirrors the Jewish experience: wandering, persevering, and finding joy in life’s circular mysteries. Through centuries, the bagel has weathered storms, migrations, and the questionable trend of rainbow sprinkles. It’s more than food—it’s a legacy, a reason to wake up in the morning (besides coffee and existential dread). So, bite into your next bagel with pride. Remember, you’re not just eating carbs — you’re taking part in a centuries-old comedy, one delicious circle at a time. L’chaim and pass the schmear!

52 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026

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How Three Jewish Refugees Built Iceland’s Classical Music Scene From Scratch JENNA GOTTLIEB | JTA REYKJAVIK, Iceland — This city in the classical music today. trained as a pianist, composer, and conautumn of 1935 was a small fishing port Iceland is a nation that has always ductor at the Vienna Conservatory, of corrugated-iron houses battered by known how to keep its stories alive, working his way through theaters in high winds, cod trawlers idling in the from the medieval sagas to the living Mainz and Graz. He was raised Catholic, harbor, and geothermal steam curling oral traditions that shaped its literature but his wife, Melitta, came from a Jewish up from hot springs that would one day and language. But its more recent his- family, and under the Nazis, that was heat the whole city. Fewer than 30,000 tory of Jewish exile has gone largely un- enough to end his career. After doors people lived there. There was no concert told for nearly a century until now — as closed on him in Switzerland and the hall, no real orchestra, and no conserva- scholars have worked both to recover United States, an old classmate helped tory worth the name. the music that Nazi persecution scat- him find a foothold in Iceland in 1938. Onto this isolated island, in late 1935, tered across the globe and reconstruct Abraham’s path was more solitary. stepped a 22-year-old pianist from Ber- an Icelandic musical history that offers Born in Berlin in 1912, the son of musilin named Robert Abraham. He carried a painful reminder of the country’s cologist Otto Abraham, he trained at the almost nothing with him and hoped no Holocaust history. Berlin Hochschule für Musik before fleeone would ask too ing Germany in many questions 1934, at age 22. about why he had Denmark turned left Germany. him down. In late He wasn’t the 1935, he sailed for only one. Three Iceland alone and years later, a Vienwas advised to setnese conductor tle first in the fishnamed Victor Uring town of bancic disemAkureyri, in the barked with his north. Jewish wife, MeEdelstein’s journey litta, after years of looked different trying and failing from the start, a to find a safe harfather bringing his bor elsewhere in family into exile Europe. And somerather than a young where in between Victor Urbancic conducts a makeshift orchestra in Reykjavik, Iceland, sometime man traveling light. came Heinz Edel- after World War II. (Credit: Árni Heimir Ingólfsson) “Today, there stein, a cellist and teacher from the Ger- The musicians’ story is the subject of a are as many as 100 descendants of these man town of Freiburg, who arrived with newly translated book, “Music at World’s three men living in Iceland,” Ingólfsson his wife and two sons. End: Three Refugee Musicians from Nazi said in an interview. None of them had chosen Iceland. For Germany and Their Contribution to IceTheir arrival was never guaranteed. At a classically trained European musician land’s Music Life,” by Icelandic musicolo- least four other Jewish musicians, infleeing the Nazis, an island near the Arc- gist Árni Heimir Ingólfsson. It was cluding composer Viktor Ullmann, who tic Circle with no symphony orchestra published in English this year by SUNY would later die in Auschwitz, applied for and a government hostile to Jewish im- Press following the Icelandic edition in Icelandic work permits around the same migration was about as far from a dream 2024. time and were turned away under a govdestination as it got. Yet Urbancic, Abra- The book reconstructs the three refu- ernment that had largely closed the door ham, and Edelstein went on to build the gees’ individual pathways to Iceland. Ur- to Jewish immigration. At the time, Iceinstitutions that still define Icelandic bancic was born in Vienna in 1903 and landic immigration policies were very .

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 55 restrictive, similar to Denmark’s policies before and during the war. Iceland was a poor country with economic hardship, and antisemitism also played a role. “Iceland is small and isolated, and in a place like that, xenophobia takes root easily,” Ingólfsson said. “The country was struggling economically, which fed suspicion of foreigners, and there was a prime minister who, on his own authority, closed the country to Jews entirely.” Yet that same isolation created a practical need for what these three men could offer. “Iceland was pushing toward full independence from Denmark, and we felt we needed our own institutions to be taken seriously as a nation,” Ingólfsson said. “Musically, we still had a long way to go…These three musicians arrived at exactly the right moment, despite the antisemitism.” One more factor may have eased their acceptance, Ingólfsson said: By the time they reached Iceland, none of the three was a practicing Jew. Abraham had been raised Protestant by his Jewish parents; he was no longer religious, according to Ingólfsson. Urbancic’s wife was Jewish, but he was not. And Edelstein had become an atheist. “That made them easier for Icelanders

to accept,” Ingólfsson said. The three were admitted based on luck, timing, and getting their cases in front of the right people. “In a way, it happened in a very Icelandic way,” said Ingólfsson. “They were lucky; instead of an automatic no, their applications were forwarded on based on people who knew people.” Tina Frühauf of the CUNY Graduate Center, who studies Jewish music in the modern era, noted that Jewish identity across pre-Holocaust Europe Árni Heimir Ingólfsson is an Iceland musiwas far from monolithic, meaning cologist. Credit: Árni Heimir Ingólfsson that many emigres had biographies like the city’s only Catholic church. Abraham became a central figure in the Iceland refugees’. “Before the Holocaust, Germany had Icelandic choral music. He conducted an incredibly diverse Jewish religious the Iceland Symphony Orchestra’s firstlandscape, and that diversity carried ever concert in 1950, founded the Philover into the migration itself,” she said. harmonia Choral Society in 1959, and What happened next still seems im- earned a doctorate in musicology, evenprobable. Urbancic became chief con- tually serving as director of music for the ductor of the Reykjavík Orchestra, the Church of Iceland — a long way from the ensemble that, by 1950, had grown into young man who had arrived in Akureyri the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and with one suitcase and instructions to led the country’s first performances of keep a low profile. Edelstein, meanwhile, Bach’s “St. John Passion” and Mozart’s helped build the music schools and “Requiem,” and, in 1951, its first staged teaching pipelines that a country with opera, Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” He also taught no conservatory tradition simply didn’t piano and theory at the Reykjavík have. School of Music and played the organ in See Jewish Refugees page 57

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Jewish Refugees Continued from page 55 “They essentially created it,” Ingólfsson said of Iceland’s classical music scene. “People often ask why a country this small punches so far above its weight musically. Part of it is training, but just as important is a willingness to do the work. These three men set their egos aside. They were multi-talented and willing to take on any role — training orchestras, building choirs, teaching children — not just performing or conducting.” That willingness, Ingólfsson argued, wasn’t incidental. A country with no infrastructure needed people willing to do five jobs at once, for little money and less glory. Urbancic, Edelstein, and Abraham fit that need because their old lives had already been upended. They weren’t protecting professional reputations, they were starting over. Despite its impact, the story sat largely untold for decades, even in Iceland. “It came to me by accident — about 25 years ago, an editor in Iceland approached me with the idea,” Ingólfsson said. “I was in graduate school at Harvard, so I researched and wrote much of it during my summer break.” He published three newspaper profiles of the men in 2001, then set the project aside for two decades before finally turning it into a full book — work that meant tracking down archives, and just as often, tracking down people. “I got in touch with the musicians’ families and met each of their children,” he said. “It’s a small world, and one connection led to another. Having that access early on made all the difference.” One connection led somewhere unexpected and miraculous. While researching Abraham, Ingólfsson learned that the young musician had once been engaged to a non-Jewish woman who stayed behind in Berlin when he fled, and that he sent her care packages for years. Ingólfsson tracked down her daughter and wrote to her cold. “I’m writing a biography of

your mother’s ex-boyfriend,” he told her. “She was overjoyed,” he recalled. “I met her in Hamburg, and she handed me a box of letters. That daughter became a second grandmother to me.” Weeks ago, the Exile Museum in Berlin launched a series with Melitta Urbancic strolls with her children in downtown foreign embassies, each Reykjavik in the postwar years. (Credit: Árni Heimir Ingólfsson) spotlighting a refugee thrived from those who vanished, Dümstory tied to their country, and Iceland ling said, often had less to do with talent was chosen to go first. than paperwork: Refugees in Iceland Set against the wider history of Jewish typically weren’t permitted to resume musical exile, Iceland is an extreme case of their old careers, a fate Urbancic, Edelan ordinary pattern. Musicians fleeing Nazi stein, and Abraham avoided only beEurope scattered unevenly across the cause Iceland’s need for musicians globe, and what happened to them next overrode the usual restrictions. often depended on little more than where Frühauf sees Iceland’s relative obscuran immigration officer happened to say yes. ity as instructive rather than incidental. “Exile happened in very different ways,” “Smaller countries of exile are exactly Frühauf said. “Some musicians were ac- where you find figures who’ve been overtively forced out, threatened with intern- looked,” she said. “Because exiles were so ment, and some were even interned before widely dispersed, many remain unbeing released. Others left earlier, and known simply due to geography.” where they ended up varied enormously All three scholars described a sense of — America, Singapore, all over the world.” urgency, with the window for hearing The German musicologist Albrecht these stories firsthand closing fast. “As Dümling, meanwhile, saw his research eyewitnesses to the Nazi era pass away, take him to Australia, where nearly 100 hopes are pinned on the second generaGerman-Jewish refugee musicians tion,” Dümling said, “but the publication landed, some of whom, after fleeing the of personal memoirs, letters, and diaries Nazis, were deported there by the Brit- written by these eyewitnesses is also ish, who considered them “enemy aliens.” taking on greater significance.” “They were horrified, as they had That urgency comes with an ethical come as Jewish refugees to Britain and balancing act, Frühauf said. Recover the had hoped to be in a safe country,” he work too cautiously, and the story besaid of men sent aboard the prison ship hind the music stays lost; recover it careDunera in 1940. “They could not believe lessly, and real artists risk being seen that in England they had been interned, merely as symbols of suffering. “We have and this was continued in Australia as to avoid reducing these artists to simply well. Some were very depressed. But victims or survivors, and instead make others saw their internment as a chal- sure their music is valued on its own arlenge to write songs that made clear tistic merit,” she said. “The goal isn’t only their opposition to Hitler’s Germany.” to recover lost works, it’s to bring these What separated musicians who musicians back into the canon.”

58 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026

Life Cycles

BIRTHS Harper Jean, daughter of Amanda and Colin Belmont; Ari Samuel, son of Rachel and Dan Canfield; Isabella, daughter of Callie and Joshua Dian; Yochanan, son of Rachel and Shane Donnelly; Ashton Fredrick Grossman, son of Candace Clow and Aaron Grossman; Noah Elijah, Roni and Dr. Alisha Mor; Emilia Rose, daughter of Lyndsi and Nathan Okh; Ella Kathryn Ruff, Aliyah Lasky and CJ Ruff; Sophie Leigh, daughter of Amy and Luke Schwartz; Zev Reuben Schwartz. son of Allison Willensky and Brian Schwartz; Tzofiya Miriam, daughter of Noy & Eitan Ziv.

IN MEMORIAM Harry Alloy; Joyce Ashley; Siny Bailey; Charles Ball; Rochelle"Shelly" Sommer Ban; Lorrie Bernstein; David Bittner; Naomi Bloom; Candace Bold; Cohen, Allan A Cofman; Marsha Dorothy Cofman; Jane Cohen; Dr. Ira W. Cotton; Isaac Davidson; William Dreyfus; Linda Erlich; Scott Rand Farkas; Annette Fettman; Josh Fleisher; Karen Dee (Kelley) Freeman; Solomon (Coke) Joseph Friedman; David Goodman; Mark Allen Goodman; Steve Goodman; Nancy Jo Greenberg; Nita Gayle Green; Sandy Grossbart; Kenneth Haber; Francine “Julia” Joy Helfman; Retha Gail Herman; Arlene Hockenberg; Elaine Jabenis; Jay Alan Jacoby; Frances Adele Cooperman Juro; Marcel Kahn; Joan Kaiman; Allan U Kaplan; Dana Kaplan; John S. Katelman; Naomi “Noni” Kitner; Andrew Klein; Diana L. Klein; Joseph Kosinovsky; Jim Krasne; Robert Edward Krasne; Marshall B. Kushner; Stuart Wayne Kutler; Barbara Frank Lashinsky; Robert Lawrence Lepp; Bertha Lewis; Mark S. Libov; Allan A Libov; Elizaveta Magalnik; Judy Marburg; Harriet E. Marcus; Mark Matson; Marjorie McIntyre; Sheldon Mendelssohn; Judith Kevey Meyer; Renee Micklin; Alvin Sherman Milder; Jay Milder; Lee Alan Morrison; Milton Moskovitz; Mimi Nachman; Manya Nogg; Jack Noodell; Gerald Novak; Robert "Bob" Oberman; Les Paskowitz; Ramon F. Pred; Donald Frederick Price; Richard Herbert Rosenblatt; Sidney Rosenblatt; David Jon

Rosen; Rabbi Robert Sharff; Robert (“Bob”) Soshnik; Mark Silberstein; Anne Greenhouse Simon; Esther Silver; Crystal Michelle Smith; Marjorie (Margie) Somberg; Susan Somberg; Jeffery James Taxman; Sheila Tomps; Sylvia Wagner; Abram (Abe) Wisnia; Harriett Ohsman Wolf; Warren Wayne (Tony) Wolpa and Beverly Zuber.

MARRIAGES Anne Dsouza and Josh Cohen; Maddie Eckelman and Zev Krausman; Frank and Amy Muriello; Rivka Leah Novak and Yisroel Nemoy; Sarah and Adam Nutt; Hailey Krueger and Alexander Ronen; Arnold Radloff and Albert Sparks; Jennifer Tompkins and Jeff Zacharia.

B’NAI MITZVAHS Dayton, son of Marissa and Brad Abramson; Benyamin, son of Adrianna and Jay Benton; Micah, son of Danni and Michael Christensen; Ben, son of Shane and Jess Cohn; Chase Jablon; Jessica Elsener; Greta, daughter of Jessie and Jamie Feinstein; Sarah, daughter of Elvira Stepanova and Mikhail Ginsburg; Emmy, daughter of Danielle and Bryan Howell; Tate, son of Andrea and Chad Johnson; Sophie Brynn, daughter of Michelle and Stu Kazor; Talia, daughter of Sarah and Ari Kohen; Sam, son of Abigail and Adam Kutler; Rachel Michaela Mettenbrink; Martin Miller; Avigail Elizabeth, daughter of Amy and Frank Muriello; Micah, son of Amy and Frank Muriello; Ruth Bella, daughter of Amy and Frank Muriello; Eli, son of Ashley and Alexander Oropeza; Liam Uri, son of Alyssa Owens; Evan, son of Marti and George Poulos; Abigael, daughter of Courtneay and David Saylan; Lea, daughter of Melissa and Matt Shapiro; Nava, daughter of Rachel (Rivka) and Joey Shyken; Aaron, son of Susan Long and David Sherman z'l of blessed memory; Isaac, son of Alison Sherman; Rebecca, daughter of Dasha and Jeff Stein; John Schultz; Aurelia, daughter of Nicole and Jonathan Tindall; Michael Tomaszkiewicz; Addy, daughter of Diana (Manvitz) Williams and Jason Williams.

SYNAGOGUES B’NAI ISRAEL Board Members: David Alloy, Renee Corcoran, Rick Katelman, Gail Kenkel, Janie Kulakofsky, Howard Kutler, Ann Moshman, MaryBeth Muskin, Debbie Salomon, Sissy Silber and Jenn Tompkins. BETH EL SYNAGOGUE President, Howard K. Marcus; Vice President, Margie Gutnik; Treasurer, Miriam Gottlieb; Secretary, Shane Cohn; Past President, Marty Shukert; Religious Life Chair, Ari Kohen; BESTT Chair, Andrea Erlich; Board Members: Lillia Cherkasskiy, Jay Durmaskin, Jason Epstein, Abigail Kutler, Bob Olesh, Sandy Passer, Brandon Rich, Caryn Rifkin, Caryn Scheer, Michael Small, Gideon Taylor-Abt; BILU Youth Group Board: President, Asher Finkelstein; Vice President, Colin Kelln; Communications, Molly Epstein; Membership and Kadima, Alex Scheer; Social Action/ Tikun Olam, Sammie

Ray; Israel Affairs/Religious Education, Max Ruback. BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE President, Yosef Seigel; Administrative Vice-President, Helene Shrago; Financial Vice-President and Treasurer, Howard Kutler; Membership Vice-President, Bruce Potash; Secretary, Nancy Rampey-Biniamow; Board Members: Shirly Banner, Karen Cohen, Shane Donnelly, Ron Giller, Jeff Kirshenbaum, Debra Roitstein, Michael Shrago, Susie Shyken, Dasha Stein, Harry Weiner and Phil Wolf. CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN/SOUTH STREET TEMPLE President, Sarah Kelen; Vice President, Rick Kohn; Treasurer, Dan Senft; Secretary, Julie Moore; At Large: Alyssa Owens, Amy Muriello, Barb Straus, Art Zygielbaum and Amy Dishman.

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 59 CHABAD OF NEBRASKA Volunteer, Asher Stoller; Board Members: Brooklyn Armstrong Gathy, David Cohen, Karen Cohen, Stan Edelstein, Gary Epstein, Ed Horwitz, Gary Javitch, Lloyd Roitstein, Nancy Schlessinger, Annette van de Kamp-Wright and Bob Yaffe; Advisory Board Staff: Rabbi Mendel Katzman and Shani Katzman TEMPLE ISRAEL President, Geoff Silverstein; Presidential Appointee: Tamara Draeger; President Elect, Meagan Spomer; Vice Presidents: Margaret Gurewitz-Smithr and Jon Meyers; Secretary, Cindy Gold-

berg; Treasurer, Jeff Laudin; Past President, Troy Meyerson; Trustees: Berta Ackerson, Jake Bleicher, Sharon Comisar-Langdon, Josh Erker, Katherine Finnegan, Shelly Fox, Robert Friedman, Tom Friedman, Larry Gendler, Hillary Rubesin and Sonia Tipp. TIFERETH ISRAEL President, Guy Trainin; Vice President, Haleigh Carlson; Treasurer, Howard Feldman; Secretary, Ken Bloom; Immediate Past President, Dan Friedman; Foundation, David Brockman; Trustees: Charlie Friedman and Marlon Weiss; Members at Large: Allie Bromberg, Bob Evnen, Brenda Friedman, Adam Graham, Eve Hoffman, Frank Muriello, Cindi Weiss and Noah Weiss.

JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA Chair, Ron Feldman; Past Board Chair, Nancy Schlessinger; Incoming Chair, Mike Abramson; Secretary, Margie Gutnik; Treasurer, Michael Miller; Board Members: Toba Cohen-Dunning, Alex Epstein, Laurie Epstein, David Finkelstein, Ally Freeman, Danielle Gordman, Jill Idelman, Kelly Kirk, Sharon Kirshenbaum, Lisa Lucoff, Bruce Meyers, Stacey Erman Rockman, Seth Schuchman, Yosef Seigel, Norm Sheldon, Justin Spooner, Steve Zalkin and Bob Goldberg, CEO. JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL Chair, Toba Cohen-Dunning, Board Chair Emeritus, Zoë Riekes; Sharon Brodkey, Ally Freeman, Dusty Friedman, Robert Friedman, Ron Giller, Dana Gonzales, Danielle Gordman, Tori Haussler, Dana Kaufman, Janie Kulakofsky, David Pitlor, Erin Porterfield, Sara Rips, Ben Shapiro, Guy Kris Weinstein and Ryan Welner. INSTITUTE FOR HOLOCAUST EDUCATION Advisory Board Chair, Kelly Kirk; Board Members: Lindsay Behne, Toba Cohen-Dunning, JohnCarl Denkovich, Howard Epstein, Laurie Epstein, James Gilag, Jill Idelman, Gloria Kaslow, Howard Kaslow, Ari Kohen, Alena Simon Baker, John Schultz, Sonia Tipp, Donna Walter and Steve Wees JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA FOUNDATION President, Stacey Erman Rockman; Vice-President, Susan Norton; Immediate Past-President, Bob Belgrade; Secretary, Louri Sullivan; Treasurer, Jay Gordman; Board Members: Cory Epstein, Jason Epstein, Ted Friedland, David Gilinsky, Jordana Glazer, Kip Gordman, Myron Kaplan, Jeff Kirshenbaum, Steve Levinger, Troy Meyerson, Dr. Eric Phillips, Carl Riekes,, Nancy Schlessinger and Ryan Welner. JEWISH PRESS Chair, David Finkelstein; Toby Dresdner, Andrea Erlich, Dana Gonzales, Mary Sue Grossman, Margie Gutnik, Hailey Krueger, Avery Lubin, Sara Rips, Seth Schuchman, Stewart Winograd and Bob Yaffe. JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE Advisory Board Chair, Bruce Meyers; Alan Kricsfeld, MD, Kate Kirshenbaum, Gloria Kaslow, Suzy Sheldon, Isa Wright, Amy Dworin, Jonathan Rockman, Marti Rosen- Atherton, Marti Finkel Poulos, Rabbi Mordechai Geiger, Sara Slatkin and Bruce Gutnik.

NEBRASKA JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY Chair, Seth Schuchman; Board of Directors: Sarah Abrahamson, Nora James, Ben Justman, Kate Kirshenbaum, Kelly Kirke, Mary Beth Muskin, Joseph Pinson, Marty Ricks, Sarah Schneider, Marty Shukert and Michael Small. ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME Chair, Norm Sheldon; Julia Brodkey, Jim Farber, Jacob Godwin, Darlene Golbitz, Jan Goldstein, Carlos Gomez, Harley Gordman, Myron Kaplan, Gary Lerner, Gretchen Radler, Yosef Seigel, Eric Shapiro, Nancy Skid, Mark Sweet and Benjamin Taxman. STAENBERG OMAHA JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER Chair, Steve Zalkin; Board Members: Marissa Wiseman Abramson, Leah Brookstein, Marty Cohen, Shane Cohn, Alex Epstein, Carrie Epstein, Candice Friedman, Jason Goossen, Claire Gordman, Jim Ludeman, Trenton Magid, Mike Norton, Linda Saltzman, Daniel Schlessinger and Josh Sullivan.

JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH HENRY MONSKY LODGE President, Gary Javitch; President Emeritus, Ari Riekes; Board Members: Mike Abramson, Howard Kutler, Marty Ricks, Howard Shandel, Adam Trubnikov; Trustee, Steve Riekes. FRIEDEL JEWISH ACADEMY President, Lisa Marcus; Vice-President, Brandon Rich; Treasurer, Ron Giller; Secretary, Anna Priluck; Officers, Shiri Phillips; Immediate Past President, Ari Kohen; Board Members: Rabbi Steven Abraham, Cantor Joanna Alexander, Joel Alperson, Rabbi Deana Berezin, Alex Epstein, Helen Epstein, Jon Gates, Rabbi Mordechai Geiger, Susan Long, Linda Neumann-Potash, Lloyd Roitstein, Ben Shapiro, Rabbi Benjamin Sharff, Helene Shrago, Justin Spooner and Nancy Wolf. LEAGUE OF VOLUNTEERS FOR THE ELDERLY (L.O.V.E.) Co-presidents, Jay Durmaskin and M’Lee Hasslinger; Immediate Past Co-Presidents, Larry DeBruin and Gretchen Radler; Treasurer, Matthew Frey; Board Members: Renee Corcoran, Stephanie Shapiro-Cohen, Tiffany Franklin, Gary Lerner, Lisa Marcus, Ricki Skog, Marilyn Tipp, Steve Tipp; RBJH Liaison, Sabine Strong.

60 | The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026

Synagogues

B’NAI ISRAEL Erev Rosh Hashanah, Friday, Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m. with our guest speaker, Council Bluffs Mayor Jill Shudak. Rosh Hashanah, Saturday, Sept. 12, 10:30 a.m. with our guest spea-ker, President and CEO of Community Foundation for Western Iowa. Our high holiday service leader is Bob Yaffe. 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 board members: David Alloy, Renee Corcoran, Rick Katelman, Gail Kenkel, Janie Kulakofsky, Howard Kutler, Ann Moshman, Mary-Beth Muskin, Debbie Salomon, Sissy Silber and Jenn Tompkins. Handicap Accessible.

BETH EL Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Cantor Gil Ezring. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El and Live Stream. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El and Live Stream; Havdalah & Selichot with Chocolate Reception, 8:30 p.m. SUNDAY: Morning Minyan, 9 a.m. Zoom Only; Mincha/Ma'ariv, 5:30 p.m. at Beth El and Zoom. MONDAY: Beth El Office Closed; Shacharit, 9 a.m. Zoom Only; Mincha/ Ma'ariv, 5:30 p.m. at Beth El and Zoom. TUESDAY: Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:30 p.m. at Beth El and Live Stream; Miriam Initiative Kickoff — Mezuzah Craft Night, 6:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY: BESTT (Grades 37), 4 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:30 p.m. at Beth El and Live Stream; Hebrew High (Grades 8-12), 6 p.m. THURSDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m. at Beth El and Zoom; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:30 p.m. at Beth El and Zoom. FRIDAY-Sept. 11: Erev Rosh Hashanah Services, 6 p.m. at Beth El and Live Stream. SATURDAY-Sept. 12: Rosh Hashanah Family Service, 9 a.m.; Rosh Hashanah Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.;

Rosh Hashanah Youth Services & Programming (Grades K-12), 10 a.m.; Rosh Hashanah Mincha/ Ma'ariv, 5:30 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.

BETH ISRAEL FRIDAY: Torah from Omaha, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Calm in an Uncertain World, 7:35 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m.; Candlelighting, 7:35 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.; Soulful Torah, 6:35 p.m.; Mincha, 7:20 p.m.; Kids Activity/Laws of Shabbos, 7:50 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:33 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Calm in an Uncertain World, 9:35 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m. MONDAY: Office Closed; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Calm in an Uncertain World, 9:45 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m. TUESDAY: Torah from Omaha, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Calm in an Uncertain World, 7:35 a.m.; Smichat Chaver Men's Class, 6:40 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Torah from Omaha, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Calm in an Uncertain World, 7:35 a.m.; Character Development, 1:30 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m. THURSDAY: Torah from Omaha, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Calm in an Uncertain World, 7:45 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m. FRIDAY-Sept. 11: Torah from Omaha, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Calm in an Uncertain World, 7:35 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m.; Candlelighting, 7:23 p.m. SATURDAY-Sept. 12: Shabbos Café, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:45 a.m.; Soulful Torah, 6:25 p.m.; Mincha, 7:10 p.m.; Kids Activity/Laws of Shabbos, 7:40 p.m.; Candlelighting, 8:21 p.m. Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom

service links.

CHABAD HOUSE Join classes via Zoom. Go to ocha bad.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.; Lechayim, 5:30 p.m. go to ochabad. com/lechayim to join; Candlelighting, 7:33 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 8:32 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, 6-8 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.; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10 a.m. with David Cohen; 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-Sept. 11: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Lechayim, 5:30 p.m. go to ochabad.com/lechayim to join; Candlelighting, 7:22 p.m. SATURDAY-Sept. 12: Rosh Hashanah Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush, ochabad.com/ hh26; Light Holiday candles after, 8:19 p.m.

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL

The Jewish Press | September 4, 2026 | 61 All services offered in-person with livestream or teleconferencing options. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6:30-7:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Sendrow at SST followed by an Oneg; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:35 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. at TI followed by a Kiddush Lunch; Torah Study, 12:15 p.m. on Parashat Nitzavim-Vayeilech led by Rabbi Sendrow at TI; S’lichot Service, 7 p.m.; Havdalah following S’lichot at SST. SUNDAY: No LJCS Classes this week; Men's Bike and Coffee Club, 10:45 a.m. The Mill Coffee & Bistro at Nebraska Innovation Campus, 2021 Transformation Dr #1350, Lincoln. For more information or questions please email Al Weiss at alber tw801@gmail.com. MONDAY: Offices Closed. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew Classes, 4:30– 6 p.m. FRIDAY-Sept. 11: Erev Rosh Hashanah Service, 7 p.m. led by Rabbi Sendrow at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:24 p.m. SATURDAY-Sept. 12: Children’s Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. at SST; Day One Rosh Hashanah Morning Service (Conservative), 9:30 a.m. lay led at TI. Babysitting Available; Day One Rosh Hashanah Morning Service (Reform), 10 a.m. led by Rabbi Sendrow at SST; Taslich, 3 p.m. at Union Plaza (meet off 21st Streets between O and P Streets); Havdalah, 8:22 p.m.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAYS: Virtual Shabbat Service, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month at Capehart Chapel. Contact TSgt Jason Rife at OAFBJSLL@icloud.com for more information.

TEMPLE ISRAEL 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. InPerson; Village Walking Group, 9 a.m.; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. InPerson & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; S’lichot Service, 8 p.m. In-Person & Zoom. SUNDAY: No Youth Learning this week.

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 MONDAY: Temple Israel Office Closed. TUESDAY: Mah Jongg Made Easy, 1:30 p.m. In-Person; Kol Rina Rehearsal, 6:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Yarn It, 9 a.m. In-Person; Grades 3-6, 4:30 p.m.; Mah Jongg Made Easy, 5:45 p.m. In-Person; Hebrew CHAI: Grades 8-12, 6 p.m. FRIDAY-Sept. 11: Drop-In Mah Jongg, 9 a.m. In-Person; Village Walking Group, 9 a.m.; Erev Rosh Hashanah Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom. SATURDAY-Sept. 12: Tot Rosh Hashanah Service, 9:30 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Sitter Service for children, 10 a.m.; Rosh Hashanah Morning Service with Torah Reading, 10:30 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Youth Programming, 10:30 a.m. In-Person. Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.

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

MEMORIAL SERVICES Sunday, Sept. 6 Beth El Cemetery, 84th and L Sts., 11 a.m. Oak Hills/Bikhor Cholim, Council Bluffs, 11 a.m. Golden Hill Cemetery, 5025 N. 42nd St., 11 a.m. Beth Israel/Mt. Sinai, 78th and Crown Point, noon Fisher Farm, 8900 S. 42nd St., 1 p.m. Mount Carmel Cemetery in Lincoln, 1:30 p.m. Mount Lebanon Section, Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, 2:45 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13 Temple Israel Cemetery, 6412 N. 42nd St., 1 p.m.

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