May 10, 2024

Malashock Award for Professional Excellence

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT

Jewish Press Editor

The Jody and Neal Malashock Award for Professional Excellence is presented annually to a professional in the Omaha Jewish community who has shown exemplary performance in advancing the mission of their organization.

The Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors is pleased to announce Richard Goedeken, JFO Senior Director of Finance, as this year’s award recipient. The community is invited to the JFO Awards Night & Annual Meeting on Monday, June 3 at 6:30 p.m. in the Alan J. Levine Performing Arts Theater at our Staenberg OmahaJCC.

loyalty, qualities that can inspire others in their career journeys.”

With a background in accounting and business administration, Richard has demonstrated strong financial stewardship, overseeing all accounting and finance for the Federation. His leadership in the non-profit sector emphasizes sustainability, navigating the complexities of funding programs through donations.

“Richard serves as a role model for other communal professionals in the Jewish community,” JFO COO Phil Malcom said. “It shows in various aspects of his professional conduct and leadership. His long-standing commitment to the JFO since 1996 showcases a sense of dedication and

Richard said he feels “Fantastic, but also very nervous,” about receiving the award.

“It’s nice to get positive recognition. I feel nervous, because there are a lot of employees working hard and doing great things at the Federation who also deserve recognition. However, I appreciate the award and am not giving it back once it is received!”

He’s a reader: the most recent book he finished is Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy by Tim Harford. He knows where to buy the best chocolate (Sam’s Club

See Malashock Award page 3

2024 Sokolof Merit Scholarships

DIANE WALKER

JFO Foundation Fund and Scholarship Adminstrator

Please join us on Thursday, May 16 at 7 p.m. in the Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue at the Staenberg Omaha JCC to honor some of our community’s best and brightest – the 2024 Sokolof award winners!

In 2004, the late Phil Sokolof left a bequest creating the Phil & Ruth Sokolof Honor Roll Fund and the Karen Sokolof Javitch Music Appreciation Fund. These funds provide for the Phil & Ruth Sokolof Honor Roll Merit Scholarships and the Karen Sokolof Javitch Music Fund Scholarships to honor exceptional students and teachers. Re-

cipients of these awards epitomize the scholarship criteria of achievement, scholastic performance, community service, and overall good character. Each year, the applicants are stellar.

Community Service Award

GABBY BLAIR

Jewish Press Staff Writer

Since 1979, The Jewish Federation of Omaha Community Service Award has annually recognized a creative program that has made a locally significant impact. We are honored to announce that this year’s Community Service Award goes to Concert of Lights and Maestro Francesco Lotoro whose performances touched and educated our community on May 3 and 4, 2023 at Temple Israel.

Concert of Lights was spearheaded by community member, Susie Cohen, and was sponsored by and presented in collaboration with The Jewish Federation of Omaha, The Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, Temple Israel, The Omaha Symphony and The Foundation Institute of Concentrationary Musical Literature (ILMC) in Barletta, Italy.

Join us in recognizing this meaningful and impactful program at The Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Awards Night & Annual Meeting on June 3 at 6:30 p.m. in the Alan J. Levine Theater on the Staenberg Kooper Fellman Campus.

It is with great pleasure that the Sokolof Committee announces the 2024 Sokolof Scholarship Awards. Graduating high school seniors for See Sokolof Scholarships page 2

A native of Barletta, Italy, Francesco Lotoro is a pianist, composer, conductor and piano professor at the Niccolò Piccinni Music Conservatory of Bari. Over the past 30 years, Maestro Lotoro has recovered over 8,000 scores and 12,500 documents of musical production from concentration camps (microfilms, diaries, musical notebooks, phonographic recordings, interviews with survivor musicians) and 3,000 university publications, concentrationary music essays and musical essays produced during the Holocaust. He has created a unique archive unlike any other in the world and has spent many years traveling the world to meet the authors and holders of these precious testimonies of art imbued with humanity.

See Community Service page 3

Susie Cohn with Maestro Francesco Lotoro at Concert of Lights

Richard Goedeken

Joey Kirshenbaum Ainsley Meyerson Diana Williams

Rachel Dowd Ava Stoller Julia Brodkey

2024 Sokolof Merit Scholarships

Continued from page 1 their college freshman year, the recipients are Rachel Dowd and Ava Stoller; for health care recipients, Julia Brodkey and Joey Kirshenbaum. Ainsley Meyerson is the recipient of the music award. Diana Williams is this year’s Outstanding Jewish Teacher. Each recipient will receive a $10,000 award.

RACHEL DOWD

Rachel will graduate from Westside High School. Seeking an academically rigorous institution where she could also compete in sports at a high level, Rachel committed to Columbia University for women’s rowing in late October. She will study biochemistry. She chose Columbia in part because of its incredible academics and Division One sports programs but also because of its large Jewish undergraduate population.

In addition to taking advanced placement and honors courses, Rachel has been involved in Westside Wired, the school’s online publication as well as cross country and swimming teams as well as serving on the board of USY and as vice president of BBYO 2022-2023. Rachel’s curiosity has prompted a wide variety of activities – from ceramics to journalism. Rachel also spent two summers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), designing and running experiments, the first high school student accepted to the program. This work sparked her further interest in biochemistry.

One recommender shared, “Rachel has come out of her shell in her time with BBYO. Having served in leadership roles in the past, she is focusing more on academics this year. Even so, she is still leaving an impact on her chapter. Her mentorship is important to both upper and underclassman.” Another said, “Rachel is an outstanding individual who possesses a rare combination of strength of character, intelligence, and exceptional teamwork skills. I do not doubt that she will continue to excel in all of her future endeavors.”

Rachel’s parents are Aviva Abosch and Joseph Dowd. AVA STOLLER

Ava will also graduate from Westside High School. She is currently considering the Universities of Michigan, Indiana, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Kansas, as well as Vanderbilt University to major in biology on a pre-med track. These options all have both strong academics and a Jewish population of more than 10%. Remaining active in her Judaism, and participating in Hillel and Chabad are priorities for Ava.

Despite a rigorous course load at Westside, Ava was chosen as a Select Member of the Student Advisory Council for all four years of her high school career. She also participated in girls’ basketball, soccer and cheerleading. She is also active in BBYO and volunteers with WE-side Unified, helping plan and run weekly activities for students with varied physical and mental disabilities. Ava credits being the WE-side Unified’s student leader as the most valuable experience of her time at Westside. While building meaningful relationships outside the classroom, she has grown as a leader, learning patience and perseverance in difficult situations.

One teacher shared, “Ava has excelled academically while taking honors and advanced placement classes in science, English, math, and social studies. She continues to demonstrate an enthusiasm and curiosity for the sciences and shows an ability to ask great questions. She demonstrates a high attention for detail and takes great pride in her classwork.” Another said, “Ava describes herself as committed, open-minded and organized. She has mentioned that trying new things can be a bit frightening but, so far, the new things Ava has tried have only enhanced her experience at school.”

Ava’s parents are Sara and Asher Stoller.

JULIA BRODKEY

Julia has been accepted to Creighton University’s Doctor of Occupational Therapy program. She will begin her program in August.

She will soon receive her BA in Psychology with a concentration in Developmental Psychology from the University of Nebraska Omaha. Julia has balanced her coursework with a fulfilling role as a special educational assistant at Sunset Hills Elementary School. She builds strong relationships with the students, providing specific plans to implement each day. Her students look forward to seeing her and put in their best effort when she is with them. She has also served as a member of the undergraduate psychology board where she was chosen as a student representative this year, leading the board and participating in committees with professors and advisors. Julia’s desire to work directly with people and make a meaningful difference in their lives led her to pursue a career in occupational therapy. One recommender said, “Julia’s greatest strengths – empathy, patience, and kindness will assist in her career focus as an occupational therapist with a passion for seeing others thriving and successful.” Another said, “Julia easily builds strong relationships with others and continues to nourish these relationships throughout the year. Having Julia as a camper and staff person at Camp Sabra was truly an honor and each year she returned was a pleasure. Many campers still talk about how Julia was one of their favorite people at camp. She is confident, loving, and cares deeply for any task that she takes on. I know she will reach all her goals.”

Julia’s parents are Stacie & Jason Metz and Marc Brodkey. JOEY KIRSHENBAUM

Joey has been accepted to the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine. He will soon receive his BS in Chemistry from the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Joey was selected to the University Honors Program while at UNL. This four-year program was built to challenge and diversify the learning of high-ability students. He was a Regent’s Scholar and was selected to the Mortar Board Honors Society. He will graduate as a Chancellor’s Scholar – recognizing his perfect 4.0 GPA throughout his academic career. Joey attended Study Abroad program with the University of Oxford concentrating on international economics. In addition, Joey has been active in the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, serving in many varied roles.

Growing up in Omaha, Joey’s parents stressed the importance of giving back, making sure he was involved in various volunteer organizations. This fed his strong desire to help others and led to his career in healthcare. One of Joey’s professors shared, “He is a truly impressive young man. His ultimate career goal is to become an MD and he is on the path to becoming a very competent one. From what I know of Joey, he not only has the drive, interest, and intellect to become an amazing physician, but he also is very analytical and dedicated and has excellent interpersonal skills.” “He is not only very bright, but he is diligent, dependable, and well liked by all. He is an individual who has a positive and caring attitude and makes those around him feel better,” said another recommender.

Joey’s parents are Nikki and Adam Kirshenbaum.

AINSLEY MEYERSON

Ainsley is currently completing her first year at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, working towards a degree in biopsychology, cognition and neuroscience. She is a member of the a cappella group, the Sirens, rehearsing weekly and performing throughout the academic year. Ainsley’s background in music provides her with a creative outlet and a unique perspective on how music can positively impact mental wellbeing. Whether conducting research, implementing programs, or advocating for the integration of music into mental health care, she hopes to make meaningful contributions to this important field.

In addition to the Sirens A Cappella group, Ainsley serves as a Fresh Connect leader for the University of Michigan Hillel, promoting relationship building for the Jewish community on campus. She is also active in the Challah for Hunger program, the Barger Leadership Institute and Chi Omega sorority.

One recommendation read, “Ainsley is a bright, responsible, and engaging young woman. She has an excellent work ethic, and she strives to make the most of the opportunities available to her in a thoughtful and compassionate manner. She is a dedicated and committed student who I am confident will continue to excel.” And another; “Ainsley is an example of how music can inspire connection in every facet of life. She is a pillar of optimism, a consistent helping hand, and a student dedicated to every one of her crafts.”

Ainsley’s parents are Jamie and Troy Meyerson.

DIANA WILLIAMS

Diana is a public-school educator who has been teaching for nearly twenty years. She received her degree in Elementary Education from the University of Kansas. She then moved to Dallas, Texas, to teach second and third grade for two years. Diana then moved to Minneapolis where she taught second grade. She also received her MS in Educational Leadership from the University of Minnesota. After some time in Minneapolis, Diana and her family moved back to Omaha to be with family. She began teaching third grade at Westgate Elementary and has advanced from the classroom to an instructional coach supporting new teachers, using her years of experience to provide support and guidance. She also serves as the Elementary Math Chair for Westside Community Schools.

Diana also shares her love of teaching with our Jewish community as a religious school educator at Temple Israel. She also serves on many education-related committees there. She grew up at Temple Israel and is now raising her own family as part of the Temple community. She brings to Temple’s learning program excitement, intentionality, passion, and shares tremendous expertise and wisdom.

Diana’s impact on the lives of students is immeasurable as she helps support not only students, but the development of wonderful educators as well. One of her Westgate peers shared, “Diana was at the forefront of organizing and implementing the Westgate Math Study Club which has yielded great success for students.”

Diana’s parents are Wendy and Todd Manvitz.

The Phil and Ruth Sokolof Honor Roll Merit Scholarships and the Karen Sokolof Javitch Music Fund are administered by the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. Jody Malashock chairs an otherwise anonymous committee that selects the award recipients.

The Foundation will host a reception for the award recipients and their families on May 16 at 7 p.m. in the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue at the Staenberg Omaha JCC campus. Everyone is welcome to join the celebration of these outstanding young people.

Community Service

Continued from page 1

“Having first seen Maestro Lotoro’s story on 60 Minutes in 2019, Susie Cohn was inspired. She planned, fundraised and recruited tirelessly to bring Lotoro and his collection of concentrationary music and Holocaust stories to the citizens of Omaha. Over 3 1/2 years of successful collaboration between the ILMC, the Omaha Symphony, JFO, and JFO Foundation and we were finally able to realize the vision of this concert and philanthropy,” Temple Israel’s Cantor, Joanna Alexander and JFO Executive Director of Philanthropy & Engagement, Jenn Tompkins said.

“Throughout the planning,” Cantor Alexander added, “everyone Susie spoke to was excited to be a partner in this project of saving the music of the Holocaust. For Omaha to be the premiering city in America for such a concert was a great honor for us and for the Symphony. Through the mode of music and storytelling, new aspects of the Holocaust came into view in a visceral and memorable way. For us to hold in our heads the music written in the direst of circumstances and find joy and sorrow, connection and discomfort, it feels like walking through history. Temple Israel, Susie Cohen and so many others are honored to have helped bring this experience to the Omaha community, and support the work of continuing the research and revival of this music in Italy.”

Nebraska.”

“Temple Israel hosted both a Youth Education Concert, comprised of 13 musical pieces, and The Concert of Lights, comprised of 19 musical pieces,” Tompkins added. “The audience was mesmerized as Cantor Alexander shared the story behind each of the upcoming pieces of music, the stories of the composers, the meaning of the works, the camps they were created in and the stories of how the music survived.

“Audience members said they were honored to listen to this music brought to life, so much so that we successfully fundraised over $100,000 for Maestro’s Italian non-profit. This will help him continue on his life’s journey of seeking out and keeping alive the music and musicians of the Holocaust,” Cantor Alexander said.

Each event combined performances of guest singers and a pianist from Italy, with education about music created in concentration camps and prisoner of war camps, and the stories to uncover and re-discover this music. A collaboration with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra brought a sold-out audience to Temple Israel; 600 community members were inspired by the story of lost music, and the humanity behind its writing and performance.

She also said: “The Omaha Symphony and The Institute for Holocaust Education are currently working in collaboration to create curriculum utilizing whole pieces from the recording of this concert as continuing education on the Holocaust for students around

This melding of high-quality musical performance, holocaust education, and philanthropy had a powerful and moving impact on our community. It was truly a once-in-alifetime concert and is deserving of the JFO Community Service Award for 2023.

Anyone who missed it, or wants to re-visit, can see the movie at Temple Israel, May 30.

Malashock Award

Continued from page 1 for bulk, grocery stores for price and Aldi’s for something different) and his favorite TV show is Are You Being Served? Richard and his wife, Wendy, have three children: sons Del and Richie, and a daughter, Sara. They have two grandchildren, Ben and Lilly. He likes to spend one-onone time with them and attend car races, have gym time, and go swimming or shopping.

Richard Goedeken’s enduring commitment (he started in 1996!) to the Omaha Jewish community is exemplified by his dedicated presence at the JFO, where he is often found in the building seven days a week. Yes; you read that right. This level of commitment extends beyond the standard workweek, underscoring his passion for the job and the community he serves. His consistent and hands-on approach showcases a deep investment in the success and well-being of the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

“Richard’s willingness to go above and beyond in his role as the Senior Director of Finance,” JFO CEO Bob Goldberg said, “reflects a genuine dedication to the organization’s mission and the individuals it serves. This unwavering commitment is a testament to his leadership and the positive impact he has had on the community over his longstanding tenure.”

His favorite part: being part of a team, both within the Finance department and in the larger organization. Of course, the Finance department is close to his heart:

“We have events that are fun,” he said. “For example, last year we had a Central Services outing at the zoo. We also have the annual “Boss of the Toss” that is a lot of fun. There are other events that give employees a chance to

interact outside of work relationships, which is important.” Nothing too wild, though:”Not a lot of crazy things happen in the Finance area,” Richard said, “which is good. In finance and accounting, boring is good.”

He has stayed this long, he said, “through flexibility and building relationships with as many people as possible.”

“Everyone needs to do their best to contribute to the team,” he said in 2023, “so that others don’t feel like they’re being taken advantage of. You say thank you a lot, and you show appreciation. You have to understand what’s affecting other people, more so than just providing instruction on tasks.

While the work has evolved considerably since 1996, he thinks the changes have been good: “We have different computer systems, staffing levels and dollar volumes, and the physical size of the campus has changed. To illustrate, we moved from printing using green bar paper printers to laser printers and saving in electronic format. The corporate reporting structure is more centralized. These are just a few of the changes.”

Beyond his financial responsibilities, Richard actively engages with the community, expressing enthusiasm for the diverse crowds that utilize our facilities, showcasing a commitment to inclusivity. Richard’s adaptability, problem-solving mindset, and resilience in the face of challenges contribute to a positive work environment, where accomplishments are celebrated. Overall, his contributions have played a crucial role in the success and sustainability of the JFO and the JCC, making him a valuable asset to the Omaha Jewish community.

See Malashock Award page 4

Tapestry: The fork in the road

SCOTT LITTKY

IHE Executive Director

In January 2023, I had the great fortune of speaking with Rabbi Joseph Telushkin as we began to plan to possibly have him be a scholar-inresidence here in Omaha. As our discussion progressed, I told him that as a Holocaust educator, I had been using the movie, The Quarrel for many years as a resource. The movie was based on a short story, My Quarrel with Hersh Rasseyner, by Chaim Grade. Set in 1948 Montreal, The Quarrel details the resolution of an old conflict between two old friends. Chaim is a writer who has abandoned his Jewish faith. Hersh is a rabbi who has started a Yeshiva in Montreal. Both are survivors of the Holocaust, and they nurse the wounds of both the Holocaust and of the fight they had the night Chaim left Yeshiva for a life of worldly “freedom.” As the two men walk and talk, the joy of discovery gives way to old bitterness and unresolved conflicts. Chaim and Hersh enter into a passionate debate on the justice of God, which yields many challenging and profound observations. Ultimately neither man budges from his position, but still, they find a moment where they can be united, dancing and singing together an old song from their Yeshiva days, at peace with the past. The

Quarrel consists of Chaim and Hersh’s arguing and reminiscing. The Quarrel is a masterful film, with brilliant perform-

ances. Taking the mystery of the justice of God and the nature of faith and putting them in a powerfully human context, The Quarrel achieves an emotional and philosophical depth that most movies fail to achieve. (Movieguide.org)

After our discussion, Rabbi Telushkin and I agreed that if he did come to

Omaha as a scholar in residence, it would be great to show the film and then have the opportunity to discuss it as a group. So now let’s fast forward to 2024! I am very excited that we will have the opportunity on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, to view the film at 6:30 p.m. in the Ben and Anna Wiesman Family Reception Room at the Staenberg Jewish Community Center as part of the Tapestry: A Celebration of Jewish Learning week of learning.

The program is open to all and no rsvp is necessary. For more information or questions about this program, please contact Scott Littky at slittky@ihene.org

Malashock Award

Continued from page 3

Since the Jewish Press had his attention, we had to ask Richard about his truck (it’s always in the parking lot):

“The truck is a practical piece of equipment. The roof racks haul kayaks. The bed is for items such as pavers and mulch that cannot be hauled inside a vehicle without making a mess. Four-wheel drive for bad weather or bad roads. Four doors for hauling passengers such as grandchildren. It tows a fair amount, which

comes in handy when it’s needed. Finally, it is short enough to fit in the garage. I love my truck!”

As much as he loves his work, his favorite place in the world is someplace warm: “Florida beach. The Arizona desert. Staring at the Platte river in the summer.”

Please join us in celebrating Richard, as well as all the volunteers we are honoring, at the JFO Awards Night & Annual Meeting. The event is free to attend, and there is no need to RSVP.

B’nai B’rith Jewish Trivia Quiz

GARY JAVITCH

Henry Monsky Lodge President

Would you like to have fun, win up to $40 or more in “pocket change,” and support your favorite Jewish charity?

You can do that by joining the Henry Monsky Lodge of B'nai B'rith’s 21st Annual Jewish Trivia Quiz program. It will be held during the community-wide celebration of the founding of Israel 76 years ago.

The Lodge will hold its 21st Annual Jewish Trivia Quiz in conjunction with the Jewish Community’s program on May 15 at 6:15 p.m. in the Wiesman Room at the Staenberg JCC.

The competition consists of a 25-question quiz covering a broad range of Jewish trivia. This includes current events, sports, customs, pop culture, Israel, history, the Bible, and other things related to Jews and Judaism.

“Participation is open to adults with special prizes available for an individual youth (or youth group). A minimum age of 13 is required for participation: “While persons can enter as individuals, the more common practice is to form teams of up to six people each,” said Quiz Master Steve Riekes.

Riekes added “Three prizes will be awarded to the adult ‘teams.’ First place prize is $500, 2nd place prize is $300, 3rd place prize is $200 in the adult competition. And two youths (or youth groups) will be eligible for a prize as well: First Place for Teens: $150; 2nd Place: $75. Half of the prize is distributed in cash that night to the team (individual or group) members. The other half will go to the charitable Jewish organization the team chooses to sponsor.

Questions: For more information, please call Steve Riekes, Quiz founder at 402.333.8498, Gary Javitch, Lodge president at 402.850.5145, or Jay Katelman, at the Jewish Federation: 402.334.3800.

JEWISH PRESS READERS

If you do business with any of our advertisers, please tell them you saw their ad in the Jewish Press. It really helps us!

Profiles in Service

LINDA POLLARD

JFO Foundation Endowment Assistant/ Staff Writer

The Foundation’s mission is to ensure the ongoing and future sustainability of Jewish Omaha by managing donor assets and distributing funds. These funds are instrumental in providing support for scholarships, grants, special projects, programs that benefit both Jewish Omaha and secular and Jewish charitable organizations near and far chosen by our donor-advised participants. Your support enriches Jewish Tomorrows.

We take great pride in our dedicated board members, each of whom plays a vital role in advancing our mission. Throughout the year, we will be spotlighting members to recognize their valuable time, talents, and contributions to making our community stronger.

PAUL EPSTEIN has served on The Foundation board since 2009.

What attracted you to be on The Foundation Board?

I believe in all of what The Foundation board stands for and I want to continue to be among the leaders of the Jewish community. I want to make a difference!

What about being on The Foundation Board inspires you?

Relationships are key

JAY

KATELMAN

JFO Director of Community Development

On Friday, April 19, The Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Jewish Business Leaders (JBL) was fortunate to have David Gilinsky speak at our quarterly Bagels and Business Breakfast. David is a longtime supporter of the Omaha Jewish community, as his family has a huge impact on the city of Omaha.

The Bergman name is no stranger to longtime residents, due in no small part to the incredible success of Bergman Incentives.

My inspiration comes from seeing great things happen in our community and the challenges that we all have to protect our future.

What do you see as the strengths you bring to the board?

I graduated college with a marketing degree and I have been able to use my marketing skills. That along with my vision, compassion and common sense.

What accomplishments of the board are you particularly proud of?

I am proud of the growth of the endowments and the inclusion of members of all ages. Has serving on the board changed your perspective of Jewish Omaha in any way? If so, how?

My perspective of Jewish Omaha is that it is an amazing place offering our youth a place to learn, enjoy and have a full life. It offers our adults a safe place to grow and learn, and it offers our seniors a place to grow old with dignity. We are strong and getting stronger.

What do you think people should know about The Foundation?

We are very much securing and servicing the future of the entire Jewish community.

Berman Incentives was started in started in 1888 and is a full-service promotional and marketing company. As its website states, “We take a consultive approach to providing promotional merchandise, corporate apparel, and print solutions to clients.”

The company serves many clients; adaptability and deep relationships has kept Bergman’s in business for five generations.

“David’s story is remarkable and was one of the most captivating speakers to date,” Alex Epstein said. “To hear how a

family business pivoted their business over 100+ years of economic and societal changes and thrived is remarkable. One of the most insightful things I learned is how David always saw the bigger picture and realized he could do more with the right partners than if he tried to do it all himself. We are grateful for David’s impact in the Omaha business and Jewish community.”

During his speech, David referred to relationships numerous times: it is the key reason that after 136 years, the company continues to thrive. David is the current Principal of the company; CEO Mike Battershell is family by choice. David said he is confident Mike will continue to lead Bergman Incentives for many years to come.

JBL is especially thankful to our Platinum Sponsors, Bridges Trust, Valmont, OMNE Partners, and Jet Linx Omaha.

We would also like to thank the Event Sponsors, Bergman Incentives, Bergman Jewelers, and Alex Epstein.

JBL’s next event will be Aug. 16 at the Staenberg Omaha JCC, featuring Andy Ruback from Flood Communications.

Larry Blass’s second Bar Mitzvah

HOWARD KUTLER

It is not often that our community gets to celebrate with family and friends someone becoming a Bar Mitzvah for the second time. On May 10 at 7:30 p.m. B’nai Israel Synagogue in Council Bluffs will have a happy occasion to recognize Larry Blass for his 13 years of dedicated service in leading our congregation.

Larry grew up in an orthodox home in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, to parents Leonard and Sylvia Blass. Legendary Green Bay Packers football coach Vince Lombardi was also from Sheepshead Bay. It was a melting pot of people from many ethnic and religious backgrounds. The post-depression era was an extremely difficult time. Larry had to take on the persona of a young person from the lyrics of a Johnny Cash song that reads, “My fist got hard and my wits got keen in order to survive”. Needless to say, at a young age he learned how to stand up for himself amongst the neighbor boys.

Larry earned his teacher’s degree from Brooklyn College the City University of New York and later earned a master’s degree in photography from U.S.C. In 1961 he enlisted in the Air Force officer training program. He flew on numerous missions start-

ing in 1965 over Vietnam as a military photographer. In 1973 Larry and his family were stationed at Ellsworth AFB South Dakota. It was at Ellsworth that Larry met a Jewish officer who traveled throughout the country as an advocate for Jewish men and women serving in the military. This officer and Larry had a conversation which led to Larry leading Friday night services for Shabbat. When he was transferred to Offutt AFB he continued his volunteer work leading services for a group at the base chapel in Bellevue. I have enjoyed meeting and becoming friends with some of the Jewish veterans who like Larry have made the Omaha/Bellevue area their home.

The greatest joys in Larry’s life are his wife Claire, their twin daughters and son, and four grandchildren. One of his daughters and his son chose a career to serve in the military like their father. We are so fortunate to have Larry volunteer his time to lead our congregation at B’nai Israel for thirteen years. He always comes well prepared to share his knowledge and experience to teach us about the weekly Torah portion. And without fail he shares good stories and humor that on many occasions has us rolling in the aisles in laughter.

You and Me and Us at the next Kaplan Book Group

SHIRLY BANNER

JFO Library Specialist

On May 16 at 1 p.m. the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group will gather for their monthly meeting. Group members have the choice of meeting either in person in the Benjamin & Anna Wiesman Reception Room in the Staenberg Jewish Community Center or via Zoom. This month they will be discussing You and Me and Us by Alison Hammer. New participants are always welcome.

Any tragedy is difficult for a family to deal with, but how does a family deal with a lifechanging event that hits them three-fold? Alison Hammer’s novel You and Me and Us attempts to show us just how devastating this can be for a family and yet ultimately survive such tragedy.

The Whistler/Gold family consists of Tommy Whistler, Alexis Gold, and Cecelia “CeCe” Whistler. Tommy is a forty-eight-yearold father who works as a psychiatrist from home via video conferencing and is a stay-at-home dad. Alexis Gold is Tommy’s partner and mother of CeCe. Alexis runs her own lucrative advertising agency and as a working mom, her work always seems to take priority over being a nurturing and involved mom. CeCe is a typical high schooler who is still searching for who she is; torn between being a budding actress or a budding amateur chef.

mer town of Destin where he grew up and where he first met and fell in love with Alexis. For Tommy, it is both a place of comfort and familiarity and a place for him to work on a bucket list of items he wants to accomplish and experience before his ultimate demise. Alexis is torn between continuing with her job for the summer or returning to Destin. The seriousness of the situation convinces her to spend whatever time she has left with the love of her life. CeCe’s previous summer plans of going to drama camp are put on hold so that she could be with her beloved father and best friend.

As Tommy, Alexis, and CeCe settle into a routine in Destin with old friends, a major speed bump arises when Tommy’s first wife, actress Monica Whistler, arrives in Destin for a role in a Netflix production. Tommy and Alexus have never married, despite Tommy’s numerous proposals. CeCe is unaware that her father was previously married to Monica, an actress she adores. As the summer progresses, there is much drama as Tommy attempts to complete his list; Alexis’s jealousy of Monica emerges; CeCe’s adoration and involvement with Monica grows, and Alexis fears the impending loss of Tommy and what it will mean to the fragile mother-daughter relationship that has always existed between them, likely to be made worse without Tommy serving as a buffer.

Be prepared to experience an emotional roller-coaster ride in Hammer’s You and Me and Us

Please feel free to join us on May 16 in person or via Zoom. The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group meets on the third Thursday of every month at 1 p.m. New members are always welcome.

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The family’s world takes an unexpected turn when Tommy learns he has terminal lung cancer and resolves not to undergo any treatment for the two or three months he has left. Tommy’s wish is to go home to the family cottage in the sum-

The Group receives administrative support from the Community Engagement & Education arm of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. For information about the group and to join in the discussion, contact Shirly Banner at 402.334.6462 or sbanner@jewishomaha.org

Middlebury Language Schools partners with Hebrew College

When Omahan Naomi Zipursky decided to pursue her dream of becoming a rabbi, she quickly learned she’d need to build her Hebrew language skills to tackle the work ahead. After consulting with trusted advisors, she enrolled in the Middlebury School of Hebrew in summer 2022.

The seven-week immersive program prepared her for rabbinical school at Hebrew College, allowing her to “dive deep into Jewish texts and traditions in the language” that previously felt daunting.

“The reason I felt as prepared and empowered as I did on my first day of school, and still do today, is a direct result of my time spent at Middlebury,” said Zipursky, who returned the following summer to pursue further study of the language. “I noticed every day how my learning at Middlebury set me up for success in rabbinical school.”

listening activities using texts from invited lecturers, novels, shortstories, plays, movies, media items, and journalistic accounts. They also engage in daily co-curricular activities, including music, theater, readings, and lectures to develop cultural fluency.

Zipursky decided to share her experience in the hope that others would benefit from the Middlebury Language Schools training as well.

“I started to wonder, ‘What if every incoming student at Hebrew College could attend Middlebury?’” She ran the idea by Elizabeth Gerner, co-director of Middlebury’s School of Hebrew, and Rabbi Gita Karasov, director of admissions and student life at Hebrew College, both of whom embraced the concept and worked to formalize it.

The new partnership launches this summer with students attending either the seven-week program or the three-week immersion program Middlebury offers for both academic and lifelong learner tracks. As part of the program, all students sign a Language Pledge® to read, write, listen, and speak only in Hebrew.

Karasov said the partnership gives her an official response to the most asked question of prospective students: Where can I go to learn Hebrew in a deep, rigorous way in a short amount of time?

“What they can accomplish in seven weeks over the summer is significant,” Karasov said. “We’re excited to send people to a place they can learn from the best of the best that is now a formal partnership.”

Language Schools students receive about five hours of daily classroom instruction while engaging in extensive reading and

As a benefit of the partnership, participants will receive both financial aid from Middlebury and $1,000 from Hebrew College to attend Middlebury’s summer program. They also receive an expedited admissions process, and informational Zoom sessions.

Karasov envisions the partnership will evolve into a natural part of the preparatory admissions cycle where students will apply in the fall, interview in the winter, gain acceptance in the spring, and attend Middlebury in the summer.

“There’s also something sweet about building a connection that can help up-and-coming Jewish leaders, potential rabbis, and Jewish educators by opening up their professional opportunities in the Jewish world,” she said.

The partnership coincides with a new curriculum track by the School of Hebrew that combines modern and biblical Hebrew study. Students start the summer focusing exclusively on modern Hebrew, followed by both modern and biblical Hebrew. Gerner said the combination helps students learn skills required for admission to rabbinical school.

“Students in both the modern and biblical Hebrew tracks will participate in three semesters of college curriculum while in the program,” Gerner said. “In addition to this coursework, they will engage in many hours of speaking and learning Hebrew outside the classroom, which would take years to acquire without immersion.”

ORGANIZATIONS

B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS

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

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SP O TLIGHT

PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS

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

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Above, below and left: Friedel Jewish Academy held its seder in the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement venue.

Above, below and bottom: RBJH Seder: RBJH had a beautiful seder thanks to our leader, James Polack, who involved the Residents and guests in reciting the Haggadah. Also, thank you to STAR Catering for the delicious meal and for a lovely evening.

Above: The Chabad Seder Circus: Residents didn’t know what to expect from the program's title, but the Chabad Seder Circus delivered with jawdropping surprises! Rabbi Eli Tenenbaum and Muschka Tenenbaum juggled the 15 steps of the Seder, bringing the Seder to life in the most thrilling way. Thank you, Chabad, for this refreshingly unique and extremely fun program.

Above: The 100th Omaha Council AZA and Mother Chapter AZA chapter board: Evan Kugler, left, Asher Tipp, Ryan Kugler, Leo Konigsberg, Joshua Shapiro, and Tyler Epstein; and below: The 70th Omaha Council BBG and MZ Yoshanah BBG chapter board: Elizabeth Brodkey, left, Juliette Boehm Smith, Megan Kugler, Sienna Maskin, Makayla Lucoff, and Courtney Schwarz.

The College of St. Mary received a sapling from the chestnut tree that stood outside Anne Frank’s window in Amsterdam. Soon, when the weather allows, it will get a permanent spot in the CSM garden. Right top: Temple Israel’s Rabbi Benjamin Sharff, Ari Kohen and Scott Littky; right bottom: Toba Cohen Dunning, Gerald Steinacher and Beth Dotan; and below: the sapling in question.

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The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the JFO are: Institute for Holocaust Education, Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Social Services, Nebraska Jewish Historical Society and the Jewish Press Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www.jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.

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

The Jewish Press Club is back!

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT

Jewish Press Editor

It has been a few years since the Jewish Press Club made an appearance. Introduced 12 years ago, it began as a collaboration between Star Deli and the Press, facilitating much needed fundraising.

Although that collaboration ended due to COVID, our need for fundraising remains.

We know this community gives so much, and sometimes it makes it hard to ask for yet more of your dollars. Yet, we trust that you see the value in keeping this paper (one of the last remaining in the country) afloat.

The Jewish Press has been delivered on the Omaha Jewish community’s doorstep every week since 1920. Even during the pandemic, we only missed one week (although some issues that summer went online only; an experiment we don’t care to repeat). During all these years, this paper has been there to record anything and everything relevant to this community.

We’ve covered life cycle events, synagogue programs, concerts and famous speakers, Maccabi Games, graduation ceremonies and award and scholarship winners; stories about summer camps and Jewish veterans, about reunions and former Omahans in far-away places.

This paper has seen the JCC being built, as well as the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home; it was there to cover the move of Beth El and Beth Israel when they came West, and it was there to celebrate alongside Temple Israel when that synagogue’s move became final. It was there when everything

shut down in 2020, and it was there on October 7. It was there for the dark years between 1938 and 1945, but it was also there when many Jews from the Former Soviet Union came to Omaha. I challenge anyone to visit our archives, grab a random year off the shelves, and look through its pages. You’ll be amazed at what you will find.

But we cannot do it without you.

For many, many years, we have not charged a subscription fee for in-town readers. If you are Jewish, and you live in Omaha, you receive the Jewish Press free. We continue to do this, because we feel it is extremely important that every single member in our community receives the Jewish Press every week.

Please help us continue to do what we do best by becoming a member of the Jewish Press Club. The ad on the backpage of this issue has a section you can fill out and mail back, or you can scan the QR code and send your contribution to us online. If you don’t get to it right away, we will run these ads for the duration of this campaign, through late July.

we create things that we hope will last for future generations.

I’ve often wished I could spend a moment with those community members who, back in 1920,

Asking for money is hard, yet many of us in Jewish institutions do it, because we believe in the work. What we do, we don’t just do for us, today;

started this journey. What would they say if they saw our archives, our computers, our social media or website, met our staff? I’d love to tell them: look at what you started—look at what we’re still creating, week after week.

We invite you to scan that code, and be part of that story. Please join us!

A history of a pivotal era in Palestine wins a top Jewish book

ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL JTA

One of the most prestigious prizes in Jewish book publishing has gone to a nonfiction book that, by suggesting how Arabs and Jews might have learned to live together in historic Palestine, offers a glimmer of hope for a better future.

That’s one way to read Palestine 1936: The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict, by the American-Israeli author Oren Kessler. The other way is to see the events described in the book — a period of military and political consolidation by Zionists and near total rejection of a Jewish state by the Palestinians — as the inevitable harbinger of the bloody impasse of the next 88 years.

In its announcement earlier this month, The Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature said its top prize, $100,000, was going to Kessler’s book for “its nuanced and balanced narrative on the origins of the Middle East conflict with far-reaching implications for our time.” The annual prize is administered in association with the National Library of Israel.

The book focuses on the period between 1936 and 1939, when Arabs living under the British Mandate rose up against a swelling Jewish population and the Brits in charge. Kessler, who has worked for various think tanks as well as the Jerusalem Post, cites estimates that 500 Jews, 250 British servicemen and at least 5,000 Arabs died in the rioting and the ensuing British crackdown.

In the wake of the violence, Britain’s “Peel Commission” proposed partitioning the mandate into Jewish and Arab states — while placing limits on Jewish immigration. The Zionist establishment, led by David Ben-Gurion and Chaim Weizmann, accepted the proposal; Mohammed Amin al-Husseini, the grand mufti of Jerusalem and the de facto leader of the Palestinian Arab community, rejected the idea and called for jihad.

Kessler calls the events “a story of two nationalisms, and of the first major explosion between them.” The Jews would turn the rebellion to their advantage, by professionalizing their military (with Britain’s help), expanding agriculture and industry and moving into the next tumultuous, tragic decade with the confidence that they could with-

stand Arab resistance.

The Palestinians, meanwhile, emerged from the revolt weakened politically, economically and militarily. Historians on both sides agree that the failure of the revolt set the stage for what the Palestinians call the Nakba — or “catastrophe” — and Israel’s triumph in its 1948 war for independence.

Although a work of history, the book landed on the eve of Oct. 7, and inevitably offers fuel for the debates central to the protests and counter protests that followed the Hamas attack on Israel and the Israelis’ subsequent war in Gaza: Are the Palestinian Arabs victims of a “settler colonial project,” or their own failed leadership? Can two people so at odds share the land, either by dividing it or creating some sort of confederation? And might knowing this history bring both sides closer to a resolution?

prize

majority of Arabs, with both sides gaining from the economic and public health progress being made by the Jews.

“Despite diametrically opposed political aspirations they met in an atmosphere of real candor and respect, and they really tried to reach a modus vivendi, to reach some kind of agreement that both

“This is the more optimistic version of the answer,” Kessler told me last week, when I put the last question to him. “I think my book and this chapter in history is full of ‘what if’ questions. The idea that things could have indeed gone differently and that we weren’t fated for endless conflict suggests maybe they still can go differently in the present and the future.”

What if, he asks, Herbert Samuel, the British high commissioner for Palestine, had appointed a moderate instead of al-Husseini as grand mufti? What if the two-state solution offered by the Peel Commission report in 1937 had gone through?

“Jews would have gotten less than 20% of the country and there would have been no Palestinian refugee crisis. There would have been no Nakhba in 1948. The Gaza Strip would not be teeming with refugees today,” Kessler said, describing what he knows are unknowable but still strong possibilities.

As a counter to the mufti, who would later line up with Adolf Hitler and further discredit the Palestinian cause, Kessler offers an extensive treatment of Musa Alami, a Palestinian nationalist known for his relationships with the British and the Jews. Alami met several times with Ben-Gurion during the 1930s, suggesting ways in which Jewish national ambitions might coexist within a regional

sides could live with,” Kessler explained. “Alami was not a peacenik. He does his part for the Arab Revolt, and then some. He’s not opposed to violence, nor is Ben-Gurion.

“But I do think his personality was kind of the polar opposite of the mufti’s in his ability to hear the other side, to understand the other side and to try to reach a solution. And it gives a glimpse I think of perhaps what could have been had things gone a bit different.”

A pessimist, Kessler conceded, would reject this hopeful vision out of hand. In the book, as in our interview, Kessler strives to view the emerging Jewish state from the Palestinian perspective. “It’s not that difficult to understand that people who were living in a certain land and whose ancestors have lived there for centuries wouldn’t look all that kindly on another people coming in en masse,” said Kessler. “We don’t need a very active imagination to understand that.”

But the question, he continued, “is how they responded, how they registered their opposition. And with every rejection by the Arabs in Palestine, their position got worse and worse and it continues to this day.”

See A history of a pivotal era page 9

Jews evacuate the Old City of Jerusalem after Arab riots in 1936. Credit: Wikipedia

An open letter to the Columbia University Gaza war protesters from a pro-Palestinian activist in Israel

HAVIVA

NER-DAVID

JTA

As a graduate of Columbia College (Class of 1991) and a peace activist who lives in Israel, I am watching videos and reports from my alma mater’s campus and wondering what I would have done if I were a student there now.

I am an activist and have been all my life. I believe strongly in the ability of grassroots movements and peaceful protest to change the world.

When I first moved to Israel, my activism was focused on feminism and religious pluralism. Today, however, I strongly believe the most pressing issue in Israel-Palestine today is solving the conflict.

Since well before the current extremist right-wing Israeli government was elected, I have been demonstrating against the occupation (later also the Nation-State Law declaring Israel officially a Jewish state) and working for Jewish-Palestinian partnership within Israel’s borders. My debut novel, “Hope Valley,” is about the friendship between a Palestinian Israeli woman and a Jewish Israeli woman in the Galilee.

I am a very active member of Standing Together, a movement of Palestinian-Israelis and Jewish-Israelis working in complete partnership towards an end to the occupation, Palestinian self-determination and a more equal, just and peaceful society within Israel. I am involved in a variety of groups and organizations committed to a vision of peace, justice and equality for all people on the land from the “River to the Sea.” I remain active in these groups even after Hamas’ brutal attack on Oct. 7. I am even out on the streets now calling for a mutual ceasefire and a return of all the hostages (many of whom it seems are tragically no longer alive), as well as for the resignation of government officials and early elections.

And so, if I were studying at Columbia today, I would ask myself: Should I join your protests? After all, I, too, am proPalestinian.

But I am also pro-Jew.

And when you chant, “There is only one solution, intifada revolution!” and “From the Sea to the River, Palestine will live forever!” you are not calling, as I and my Palestinian-Israeli friends are, for peace, justice and equality for all humans within those borders. You are calling for the violent destruction of the country where we live, and the murder of its citizens — including the Palestinian ones. As we saw on Oct. 7, Hamas has no more sympathy for other-than-Jewish Israelis — not even for Muslim ones — than it does for Jewish Israelis.

When you say, “I am Hamas!” you are not identifying with innocent civilians, including children, women and seniors who were massacred and kidnapped or the women raped in captivity (according to eyewitness accounts from hostages who were freed). Even my Palestinian Israeli activist friends strongly condemned Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7 and say Hamas is terrible for the Palestinian people.

And when you call out, “Say it loud and say it clear, we don’t want no Zionists here!” you are fomenting violence against and silencing other Columbia students. You may disagree with them, but does that mean they have no right to inhabit your

shared campus — or even live? Do you think I, an activist in the struggle for peace and equality for all in Israel-Palestine, have a right to live?

Make no mistake; I have no problem with the keffiyehs you wear or the Palestinian flags you wave. But why is nationalist self-determination good for Palestinians and not Jews? Why is living in the Diaspora good for Jews and not Palestinians? And why do Palestinians have a right to live in security, but

Jews do not? Unlike you, I do not even consider myself a nationalist. But I do believe in people’s right to live in safety, and I do not believe in double standards.

While I am an activist advocating for Palestinian rights, I also advocate for Jewish rights. While I march for a ceasefire, I also march with the families of the hostages and am volunteering to translate into English testimony from the Oct. 7 massacre — which is absolutely horrifying, even if there are those who deny it happened.

While I protest many of my government’s policies now and in the past, I do not think Jews have a moral obligation to commit suicide rather than enter sometimes tragic gray areas that are part of defending a country. Turning the other cheek is not expected of anyone anywhere. Why expect it only of Jews?

While you in the United States demand that we be sacrificial lambs, you inhabit and benefit from a country unequivocally acquired through colonialism and grown through slavery. This is not the case with Jews in Israel (although the British may have had colonialist aspirations by being here), even if agenda-driven pseudo-historians try to convince ignorant students that it is.

Israel is far from perfect. I am outraged at the Jewish-supremacist, messianic, theocratic, anti-democratic direction in which the country is currently headed. But the answer is to try and change that direction, not call for the country’s destruction.

I understand and relate to your show of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. The situation there is heartbreaking and devastating. But so is the situation here in Israel. The scale is just different, for a variety of reasons that are just as much the fault of Palestinian leadership as Israeli.

Our political leadership on both sides are using us all as pawns in this bloody conflict. It must end. They must agree

Looted postcards returned

SHIRA LI BARTOV LUBLIN, Poland | JTA

When Karla McCabe was a child in East Germany in the 1970s and ‘80s, she knew her grandfather had been a German soldier in World War II. But exactly what he did during those years was not a topic of discussion in her family.

Nine years after his death, when McCabe was 18, she inherited part of his proud stamp collection. She rifled through relics of a lifelong hobby, including his first stamp album from 1926, an assortment of envelopes and, finally, 36 postcards that made her shudder. Though she could not read them, she recognized Hebrew letters and Jewish names. All the postcards were addressed to one place: The Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva.

McCabe didn’t know it at the time, but the yeshiva was a famed Jewish house of study in Poland before the Holocaust. And there in her hands, she held rare fragments of a world ruptured by her grandfather’s army. She soon learned that as the Jews of Lublin were murdered, her grandfather — stationed in the district until 1941 — fished some of their letters from a trash bin to augment his stamp collection.

On April 11, more than 80 years later, McCabe finally returned the postcards to their home in a ceremony at the former Lublin Yeshiva. Before an audience of about 25 people, she handed the collection to Iwona Herman, coordinator of the city’s Jewish community, along with directors from Lublin’s State Archive.

Some 40 Jews live in Lublin today and a handful attended the event.

Before World War II, Lublin was a vibrant center of Jewish culture in Poland dating back to the 16th century. A large share of the city was always Jewish, roughly one-third — or 40,000 people — when the Nazis invaded. The Lublin Yeshiva opened in 1930, led by Rabbi Meir Shapiro, and lasted only nine years. In its brief life it became one of the world’s largest Jewish religious schools and boasted a library of between 15,000 and 40,000 religious books, among them some of the earliest manuscripts in print.

The Nazis turned Lublin into a center of mass extermination, killing 99% of its Jews and eradicating symbols of Jewish culture.

Although the broad yellow structure of the yeshiva remained, used as an office by the German army, its vast library disappeared. The destruction was so effective, leaving so few traces of the yeshiva’s documentation, that even how its books vanished has remained a subject of speculation. For decades, a popular theory said they went up in flames at a Nazi book burning.

Only in recent years have local researchers including Piotr Nazaruk, who studies the city’s Jewish history at the Grodzka Gate-NN Theater Center, strenuously investigated the fate of the Lublin Yeshiva and its historic library. Nazaruk believes the Nazis looted the books and planned to transport them to Germany, but when the Russians marched in, the collection was abandoned and eventually scattered across the globe. Read more at www.omahajewishpress.com

on a political solution, and we, the grassroots from both nations, must demand this.

If you from abroad want to demand something, demand a resolution of the conflict and peace in the region, not the annihilation of one side. As has been often stated – there was a ceasefire in place on Oct. 6. What there wasn’t was a political direction from either the Israeli or Palestinian leadership to achieve long-lasting peace.

The situation here is so much more complex than you care to understand. There is a bloody conflict going on, with people suffering and dying on both sides in brutal ways, not just in the past months but for the past century. One who studies the history and present will know that both sides are culpable and responsible for the conflict and its resolution.

Student activists, I too question the Zionist project. I grew up on the Zionist narrative. But when I discovered I had been told only part of the story, my answer was not to believe the Palestinian narrative over the Zionist one — because it, too, is only part of the story. The answer is to acknowledge both stories and both people’s suffering and try to find a way to hold it all and everyone’s humanity.

My ideal is for us to all live in peace and dignity on this land from the River to the Sea. That means two states, with perhaps down the line more open borders and cooperation — if we do the work to reconcile and heal. That is what my Zionism is about. Not Jewish supremacy or theocracy or even having a Jewish state; it is about having a safe place for Jews to live. But not at the expense of another nation. And so, my vision for this place would have to be safe for everyone.

And so, if I were at Columbia today, I would not join your protests. Because now I know I do not have to choose sides. I do not even have to buy into the idea of “sides.” This is a battle between those who support violence and an all-or-nothing approach to this conflict, and those who want to find a way for us to all win out by sharing this land. It saddens me deeply that you are choosing — perhaps out of latent Jew-hatred — the way of violence and hate instead of cooperation and mutual understanding.

There are people living here in this very real place. We are not a theoretical idea. And some of us are Palestinians and Jews who are working together tirelessly to make our vision of peace and equality a reality. If you want to promote peace on this land, please support our work. What you are doing now undermines it.

Haviva Ner-David is rabbinic founder of Shmaya: A Mikveh for Mind, Body, and Soul, on Kibbutz Hannaton. She is a certified spiritual companion with a specialty in dreamwork, working with couples and individuals. She is the author of Dreaming Against the Current: A Rabbi's Soul Journey, and the novels Hope Valley and To Die in Secret.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

A history of a pivotal era

Continued from page 8

Kessler mostly leaves it to readers to decide if the lessons of the 1930s are useful in 2024. He’d also like his book to be seen as a lens on a time period that hasn’t gotten its due, at least in English, and one that has “so many fascinating, complex and compelling characters on all three sides of the Palestine triangle: the Jews, the Arabs and the British.”

They include household names such as Winston Churchill and Ben-Gurion, and more obscure figures like Orde Wingate, the Bible-thumping British military strategist who helped build up the Jewish army and liked to greet visitors in the nude.

But at the end of the book he returns to Musa Alami, who lived most of the rest of his long life (he died in 1984) exiled from his native Jerusalem, raising money and international support for Arab refugee youths living in Jordan. In an interview after the Six-Day War, Alami offered both sides a prescient warning that sounds what Kessler calls “a note of hope”: “You are not considering the future — you are only considering the present,” he told the Israelis. “And we are not considering the distant future — only our present suffering. But I do believe, still now, that this country has the makings of peace.”

Andrew Silow-Carroll is editor at large of the New York Jewish Week and managing editor for Ideas for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators surround a Jewish man at a protest outside Columbia University, in Manhattan, April 18, 2024. Credit: Luke Tress

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

Synagogues

618 Mynster Street Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766

712.322.4705 www.cblhs.org

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE

Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Street Omaha, NE 68154-1980

402.492.8550 bethel-omaha.org

BETH ISRAEL

SYNAGOGUE

Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street Omaha, NE. 68154

402.556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

CHABAD HOUSE

An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street Omaha, NE 68144-1646

402.330.1800 OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY:

B’NAI JESHURUN

South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street Lincoln, NE 68502-2797

402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org

OFFUTT AIR

FORCE BASE

Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road Offutt AFB, NE 68123

402.294.6244 email: oafbjsll@icloud.com

ROSE BLUMKIN

JEWISH HOME

323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154

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

Monthly Speaker Series Service, Friday, May 10, 7:30 p.m. with our guest speaker. Our service leader is Larry Blass. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

For information about our historic synagogue, please visit our website at www.cblhs.org or contact any of our other board members: Renee Corcoran, Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Janie Kulakofsky, Howard Kutler, Carole and Wayne Lainof, Ann Moshman, MaryBeth Muskin, Debbie Salomon and Sissy Silber. Handicap Accessible.

Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

IN-PERSON AND ZOOM MINYAN SCHEDULE: Mornings on Sundays, 9:30 a.m.; Mondays and Thursdays, 7 a.m.; Evenings on Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Annual Meeting & Graduation Shabbat 5:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades K-12) 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 9:15 p.m. Zoom only.

SUNDAY: BESTT (Grades K-7), 9:30 a.m.; Fourth Grade Wedding, 10:30 a.m.

TUESDAY: Pirkei Avot, 10:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham.

WEDNESDAY: BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4:15 p.m. meets at JCC for Yom Ha’atzmaut; Hebrew High (Grades 8-12), 6 p.m. meets at JCC for Yom Ha’atzmaut.

FRIDAY-May 17: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY-May 18: Shabbat Morning Service 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades K-12) 10 a.m.; Havdalah 9:20 p.m. Zoom only. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.

FRIDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/ Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m.; Candlelighting, 8:14 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class 10:45 a.m.; Tehillim, 6:45 p.m. at the Uzi’s; Soulful Torah, 7:13 p.m. with Rabbi Geiger; Mincha, 8 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity 8:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:20 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit 9 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv 8:10 p.m.

MONDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:20 p.m.

TUESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:20 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:20 p.m.

THURSDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Character Development Class, 9:30 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:20 p.m.; Parsha Class, 8:40 p.m.

FRIDAY-May 17: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m.; Candlelighting, 8:21 p.m.

SATURDAY-May 18: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:45 a.m.; Tehillim, 6:55 p.m. at the Uzi’s; Soulful Torah, 7:20 p.m. with Rabbi Geiger; Mincha 8:10 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 8:40 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:28 p.m.

Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.

All services are in-person. All classes are being of-

fered in-person and via Zoom (ochabad.com/academy). For more information or to request help, please visit www.ochabad.com or call the office at 402.330.1800.

FRIDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: Ochabad.com/ Lechayim; Candlelighting, 8:13 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 9:19 p.m.

SUNDAY: Sunday Morning Wraps: Shacharit, 99:30 a.m., Video Presentation, 9:30 a.m. and Breakfast, 9:45 a.m.; Torah and Tea, 10:30-11:15 a.m.; Advice for Life, noon-1 p.m. at Chabad. For more info visit ochabad.com/AFL; Candlelighting, 8:01 p.m.

MONDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Personal Parsha, 9:30 a.m.; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Advice for Life, noon-1 p.m. at JCC. For more info visit ochabad.com/AFL;; Parsha Reading, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

TUESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 7 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

WEDNESDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Mystical Thinking (Tanya), 9:30 a.m.; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 11:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

THURSDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Introduction to Alphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 10 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study (Sanhedrin 34), noon; Introduction to Alphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) Class, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY-May 17: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: Ochaba d.com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 8:20 p.m.

SATURDAY-May 18: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 9:27 p.m. Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch.

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL

All services offered in-person with live-stream or teleconferencing options.

FRIDAY: Erev Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 8:10 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30-11 a.m. at TI; Torah Study noon on Parashat Kedoshim via Zoom; Havdalah, 9:15 p.m.

SUNDAY: LJCS Classes, 9:30 a.m.; Men’s Bike/Cof-

fee Group, 10:30 a.m. in the Conference Room at Rock 'n Joe (5025 Lindbergh St.). For more information or questions please email Al Weiss at albertw 801@gmail.com; Pickleball, 3-5 p.m. Anyone interested in playing or learning how to play can text Miriam at 402.470.2393. If there are enough interested people; we will play in the Social Hall at TI.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS Hebrew School, 4:30-6 p.m.

FRIDAY-May 17: Erev Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 8:21 p.m.

SATURDAY-May 18: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30-11 a.m. at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Emor via Zoom; Potluck Dinner and Family Game Night, 6 p.m. at SST. Adults and kids of all ages are welcome. Please bring a dish to share; Havdalah, 9:28 p.m.

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.

The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home’s service is currently closed to visitors.

In-person and virtual services conducted by Rabbi Benjamin Sharff, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin, and Cantor Joanna Alexander

FRIDAY: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. In-Person; Shabbat Service and Confirmation, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom.

SATURDAY: Torah Study 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. In-Person & Zoom.

SUNDAY: 2nd Sunday Breakfast Service, 9 a.m. at the Stephen Center — In-Person.

TUESDAY: Adult Prayer Hebrew: Level Aleph, 6 p.m. In-Person.

WEDNESDAY: Yarn It, 9-11 a.m. In-Person; Yom Ha’atzmaut Celebration 5 p.m. at the JCC; Grades 812 Yom HaAtzmaut, 6 p.m. at the JCC.

THURSDAY: The Zohar: Thursday Morning Class 11 a.m. with Rabbi Sharff and Rabbi Azriel — In-Person & Zoom.

FRIDAY-May 17: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. InPerson; Tot Shabbat-ory (a STEM-themed), 5:45 p.m. In-Person; Classic Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom.

SATURDAY-May 18: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. InPerson & Zoom.

Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.

JEWISH PRESS NOTICE

The Jewish Press will be closed on Monday, May 27 for Memorial Day. The deadline for the May 31 issue is Monday, May 20, noon;Questions? Call 402.334.6448.

Taking aim at universities’ funding, tax exemptions and visas

RON KAMPEAS

WASHINGTON | JTA

House Republicans plan to massively expand oversight of universities that they allege are rife with antisemitism, a tactic that the party sees as opportune in an election year.

Rep. Mike Johnson, the Louisiana Republican who is speaker, announced the plans at an April 30 press conference in the U.S. Capitol, where he was flanked by the Republican leadership and the chairs of six committees.

The presence of the committee chairs signaled the leadership’s intent to target funding for universities, their tax exempt status and even visas for overseas students.

“We have to act and House Republicans will speak to this fateful moment with moral clarity,”

said Johnson, who traveled last week to Columbia University in New York City, an epicenter of the protests, to condemn the protests and call for the resignation of the university president. Notably, Johnson did not invite Democrats to the press conference, even though a number of Democrats have also been sharply critical of how universities have handled recent anti-Israel protests. Johnson’s press conference came just hours before the Biden administration condemned some of the protests and underscored the partisan nature of Johnson’s initiative. Most of the committees represented during the press conference have a say in how universities are funded. They include the education committee; the science committee, which

oversees the National Science Foundation, which delivers grants to universities; the commerce and energy committee, which oversees agencies that dole out grants; and the ways and means committee, which oversees the Internal Revenue Service.

Two Republican lawmakers on an influential congressional panel about antisemitism were on the podium: Reps. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, who chairs the education committee, and Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, whose questions during an explosive hearing in December about whether the presidents would tolerate calls for genocide on their campuses ultimately led to their departures.

The committee chairs made clear that funding was on their minds, each rattling off figures of grants that universities get from the federal government. Asked why he was focusing only on universities and not on manifestations of antisemitism that stem from the far right, which antisemitism watchdogs have said poses the more deadly threat, Johnson emphasized that the universities have not done an adequate job.

Read more at www.omahajewishpress.com

B’NAI ISRAEL

BETH EL

BETH ISRAEL

CHABAD HOUSE

TEMPLE ISRAEL

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Yom HaShoah after 10/7

JACOB GURVUS

JTA

Yom HaShoah, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, began Sunday night May 5, marking the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and serving as a memorial day for the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis. This year, as the IsraelHamas war enters its seventh month, the day took on added symbolism: It was the first Yom HaShoah since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, which was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

Yom HaShoah, which was first observed in Israel in 1951 and became enshrined into law later in the decade, is viewed by many Jewish communities around the world as their primary day for Holocaust remembrance. The United Nations’ International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which falls annually on Jan. 27, often draws attention from non-Jews, offering an opportunity for Holocaust survivors and Jewish groups to reach a wide audience.

With as many as 100 living hostages still in captivity in Gaza, and pro-Palestinian protests roiling college campuses across the United States, this year’s Yom HaShoah arrived during a particularly tense moment for global Jewry. Boston’s Jewish federation called it “the most significant Yom HaShoah in the last 76 years.”

For Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust memorial and museum, the theme of this year’s Yom HaShoah commemoration, which was planned prior to Oct. 7, has taken on a new meaning. Billed as A Lost World: The Destruction of Jewish Communities, Yad Vashem hosted its annual ceremony on May 5, featuring Holocaust survivors lighting six torches to represent the 6 million victims.

Yad Vashem’s artist-in-residence, Shai Azoulay, incorporated themes from the current conflict into his artwork.

“We experienced... a sample of the Holocaust,” Azoulay said. “We got a sense, as a people, of what it means to experience a pogrom, and we were in shock, as though our limbs had been amputated, and it was a wake-up call.”

The International March of the Living, the annual educational pilgrimage to Auschwitz, also adopted a new approach to this year’s Yom HaShoah. The march was led by 55 Holocaust survivors, including seven who were also affected by the Oct. 7 attacks. Some double-survivors have drawn connections between the two experiences, while others have cautioned against such comparisons.

The organization that puts on the event also invited American and Canadian university presidents and chancellors to

participate in the commemoration, according to a press release. The cohort was led by former U.S. Secretary of Education John King, who is now the chancellor of the State University of New York, as well as Yeshiva University President Rabbi Ari Berman. The group included leaders from public, private, Catholic, Evangelical and historically Black colleges and universities.

“In this period of crisis, it is more important than ever that university presidents of moral conscience are joining together to honor the memory of all Holocaust victims, pledging to stand against antisemitism and all forms of discrimination and hate,” Berman said, according to the release. “Serving as witnesses to the horrors of the Nazis will give context to the roots of antisemitism and help inform why we must continue to condemn antisemitism, from Eastern Europe to U.S. college campuses.”

For the Israeli-based AI transcription company Verbit, the Oct. 7 attack and ensuing war have added urgency to Holocaust remembrance and preservation efforts.

In partnership with the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, known as the Claims Conference, Verbit has embarked on a years-long project to transcribe Holocaust survivor testimony — with the ultimate goal of 8 million minutes. According to Verbit, 400,000 minutes are now accessible and searchable. Verbit is also working with Yad Vashem to transcribe portions of the museum’s archives.

“In light of events following Oct. 7 in Israel, it’s become abundantly clear that preserving first-hand survivor testimonies has become more critical than ever before,” the company said in a press release.

The global Jewish organization Olami is partnering with the Harvey & Gloria Kaylie Foundation on an initiative to encourage lighting memorial candles to honor Holocaust victims. The project offers printable labels for more than 300,000 victims, and because of an expected uptick in participation this year, it shipped more than 10,000 labeled candles throughout the U.S. and Canada.

In New York, Temple Emanuel-El and the Museum of Jewish Heritage collaborated on the Annual Gathering of Remembrance, which featured music, a candle-lighting ceremony and remarks from Jewish leaders, clergy and U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler. Organizers were expecting thousands of attendees this year.

And in Australia, the klezmer band Chutney marked the holiday by sharing its rendition of “Avinu Malkeinu,” the High Holiday prayer that often accompanies sad or painful moments in Jewish tradition.

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J-Serve 2024: Jewish teens serving their community

NAOMI FOX

JFO

Assistant Director of Engagement and Education

Sunday, April 14 ended up being a glorious day for a park cleanup! Teens and pre-teens gathered on the Staenberg Omaha JCC to have a quick lunch before loading the bus to go to Fontenelle Park. Seventeen young people participated in multiple projects at the park, located near Fontenelle Blvd. and 42nd street. The Volunteer in Parks organization leader, Steve Levy, greeted and familiarized us with his trailer full of gardening and yard work tools to help us get the job done. After breaking into groups and spreading out, we picked up multiple bags of litter throughout the sprawling park. Once each group had gathered a few garbage bags of litter, we moved on to other projects to spruce up the aesthetics of the park.

This year on April 14th around the globe, Jewish teens participated in different types of volunteer projects for J-Serve. Annually since 2005, J-Serve has encouraged Jewish teens to join together through service as a united global network committed to fulfilling the Jewish values of gemilut chasidim, acts of loving kindness, tzedakah, just and charitable giving, and tikkun olam, the responsibility to repair the world. Every year, Jewish teens worldwide join each other to make their community and world a better place. According to BBYO.org, 90 J-Serve projects are happening throughout the world this month.

This year, Tzedek Teens and BBYO joined

forces to plan and carryout J-Serve. With BBYO’s teen leaders, Asher Tipp and Sasha Denenberg, a meaningful project that aligns with the goals of the teens involved was able to be created. Both Asher and Sasha’s input was very helpful for Naomi Fox and Jacob Geltzer to put all the pieces together and make J-Serve a success.

When asked about how it felt to participate in a volunteer project with many different young people from the Omaha Jewish community, participant Talia Kohen explained, “It was really fun. I didn’t think picking up trash and those kinds of things would actually be fun, but it turned out it was in the end!” When asked if she thought their time was well spent, Talia shared, “It was a good use of my time because the activities we did were important. Like picking up trash. We found a lot of trash and it would probably still be there if it weren’t for us picking it up. Also planting the flowers; there were no other flowers planted

at the park [yet]. It felt good to be one of the first people to plant flowers.”

During the project, Judah Kohen had a great time reconnecting with his friend. “I hadn’t seen my friend Leo for a while, so I had fun seeing him again.” The two young men and other friends stuck together and worked through projects like picking up trash with tools and pruning branches off trees and shrubs.

Older teens also participated, including tenth grader, Zac Kazor. He said: “I found this service project very meaningful, because we are helping clean up the park so that people can enjoy the space more. I love nature, and it’s sad to see how much trash there really is on the ground. So, I am very glad I was able to help clean up and make a difference for the park and for the people who visit the park!”

Students will have the opportunity to continue to participate in Tzedek Teen projects throughout the year; we hope to have another project during the summer months. Zac explains, “I would love to volunteer more for projects, I love helping out in my community and I love doing whatever I can to make a difference in the world, no matter how small it is.”

To enroll in Tzedek Teens and be on the info list for upcoming projects, as well as to learn more about Tzedek Teens Tzedakah accounts, please scan this QR code.

The Jewish Press

Above: Full group feeling accomplished after J-Serve Volunteer Project and left: Students planting marigolds and other annual flowers at Fontenelle Park.