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The Jewish Press AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA | WWW. JE WISHOMAHA.ORG
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AUGUST 7, 202 0 | 1 7 AV 578 0 | VO L. 1 00 | NO. 41 | CANDLELIGHTING | FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 8:15 P.M.
Our Library reimagined
Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho—and much more Page 3
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ADL-CRC hosts exclusive virtual tour of the Great Plains Black History Museum PAM MONSKY Community Development Liaison, ADL-CRC On Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 1 p.m., the ADL-CRC Plains States Region will host an exclusive virtual Zoom tour of the Great Plains Black History Museum led by Executive Director Eric Ewing. This tour will be limited to the first 50 people who register at Omaha.adl.org.
Spotlight: Kevee Kirshenbaum celebrates his birthday Page 4
A holiday marking one social rupture, Tish B’Av spurs Jewish creativity amid another Page 8
REGULARS
Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles
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JENNIE GATES BECKMAN Director of Community Engagement & Education, JFO he Jewish Federation of Omaha is excited to share the next step of our campus renovation project as we expand the front entrance lobby and transition the Kripke Jewish Federation Library into our new Community Learning Commons. We will open up the lobby and welcome the community to our campus with a living room of sorts, where you can sit with a cup of coffee and a good book in between meet-
T
ings or chat with a friend while your kids are in dance class. The Wiesman family reception and classroom space is a beautiful glassed-in area that is multi-purpose in function. This space, depending on how it is arranged, can hold 75 to 100 people. Whether set for a cocktail reception before one of our theater performances, or an anti-bias educator training sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League, it will have marker boards as well as a projector to allow for folks from both the Jewish and general Omaha communities to gather, socialize and/or learn together. See Library reimagined page 3
L.O.V.E. Board looking for community engagement GABBY BLAIR Jewish Press Staff Writer The League of Volunteers for the Elderly (L.O.V.E.) would like to announce the installation of Larry DeBruin and Gretchen Radler as co-presidents of the board. They replace Vicki Perlmeter and Ricki Skog, immediate past presidents. Perlmeter and Skog will remain on the board along with Les Kay, Treasurer; Lois Wine, Secretary; and sitting board members: Gabby Blair, Karen Cohen, Shelley Stern, Michael Shrago, Mark Kazor and Crystal Smith. Sabine Strong, Volunteer Coordinator, serves as the RBJH representative liaison to the board. For the past 49 years, L.O.V.E. has been committed to improving the
quality of life and care for all residents of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Through the generosity of donors to its yearly membership drive, L.O.V.E. has been able to make yearly contri-
butions to the RBJH that help maintain the level of excellence we have come to expect from our highly regarded institution.
L.O.V.E has been instrumental in completing major projects that benefit the staff and residents including The Esther Wax Sensory Room, neighborhood television displays, medical and recreational equipment, and so much more. This year, L.O.V.E.’s major donation gift to residents will be extra large linen warmers. These warmers will ensure our Residents have warmed towels and blankets to provide comfort and ward off chills. L.O.V.E. also increased the budget for sewing projects in an effort to ensure that Residents are able to have items made or mended by a dedicated team of volunteer seamstresses. See L.O.V.E. Board page 2
Eric Ewing
In 1975, Mrs. Bertha Calloway envisioned sharing the rich history of African Americans with the Omaha community. She founded the Great Plains Black History Museum (GPBHM) to be a resource for the community. The mission of the Museum has been to preserve, celebrate, and educate all people of the rich history of African Americans throughout the Great Plains of America. On their website, the Museum states, “over the past several weeks, America has experienced unrest due to senseless injustice and racial violence. Once again, America is at a crossroads as it struggles to make sense of the racial abuse of its African American citizens. The Board of Directors & staff of the Great Plains Black History Museum would like to express our deepest sympathy to the families who have lost their loved ones during these times of unrest. “We at the Great Plains Black History Museum know that now is the time to work on the healing process and bring everyone together to make a fair and just environment for all. The great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once stated ‘the time is always right to do what is right. We must learn to live together as brothers, or we will perish together as fools.’ We want everyone to know that we are here for you as a resource to help in educating everyone on the history of African Americans to bring people See ADL-CRC hosts tour page 2
2 | The Jewish Press | August 7, 2020
News LOC AL | N ATI O N A L | WO R L D
JFO Scholarship Survey DIANE WALKER Fund & Scholarship Administrator, Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation A scholarship/grant survey was created to allow the JFO’s Financial Aid Committee to better assess and improve our process. We welcome feedback from scholarship applicants, recipients, and interested community members. This is an anonymous survey – you will not be identified in any way. Thank you for your consideration and participation. To clarify: The scholarship process refers to funding provided by the Financial Aid Committee to support Omaha Jewish families with the Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center,
Friedel Jewish Academy, JCC Summer Camp, residential summer camp, college, and youth group programming. The grant process refers to funding budgeted by the Jewish Federation of Omaha for Jewish Experience Grants (summer residential camp) and Israel Experience Grants (including the Teen Trip). To participate in the survey, please visit https://www.survey monkey.com/r/JFOscholarship. NOTE: Assistance received from Jewish Family Service, including the COVID-19 Relief Fund and reduced JCC memberships will not be included in this survey. The Sokolof Merit Scholarships and the Fellman/Kooper awards are also not included in this survey.
ADL-CRC hosts tour
Continued from page 1 together and encourage the dialogue needed to bridge the divide and bring us together as one.” Please join us on this journey. For more information, contact Pam Monsky at the ADL, 402.334.6572 or pmonsky@ adl.org.
ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Due to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home temporarily being closed to the public, B’nai B’rith Breadbreakers will not meet until further notice. For specific speaker information, please email Gary.Javitch@Gmail.com, Breadbreakers chairman. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.
L.O.V.E. Board Continued from page 1 As always, our community’s help is crucial in fulfilling L.O.V.E’s mission: To support the programs and services of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home through volunteerism and fundraising efforts in order to improve the quality of life for our Residents. None of these amazing additions would be possible without the generous support of Friends and Life Members of L.O.V.E.
ideas to brighten and enhance RBJH resident's experience and is asking for input from our community. Please reach out to Larry DeBruin (exec_bethel@live.com), Gretchen Radler (gretchen@bloomcom panion.com) or any of the listed board members if you would like to join the L.O.V.E. Board or if you have ideas on how to support or bring comfort to our beloved RBJH residents during this trying time. $________ Donation - Resident Projects
2020 MEMBERSHIP New Membership
Renewal
$18.00 $75.00 $300.00
Individual - Chai Individual - Benefactor Individual - Life Member
$36.00 $150.00 $500.00
Couple - Double Chai Couple - Benefactor Couple - Life Member
Name___________________________________ Spouse_________________________________ (If Couple Membership)
Address_________________________________________________________________________ E-mail___________________________________________ Phone ( _____ )_________________ Make checks payable to LOVE and mail with form to: LOVE, Attn: Treasurer, 323 South 132nd Street, Omaha, NE 68154
Your dedication to the Residents of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home is needed now more than ever. During the COVID-19 pandemic, so many of the activities and outings our residents look forward to have been halted in order to minimize risk of exposure and transmission of the disease. Being unable to host performances, religious services, volunteers and visitors has been a serious challenge, but L.O.V.E. has found ways to stay active and bring cheer to our residents, such as making cards and delivering flowers for Mother’s and Father’s Day. L.O.V.E.’s new leadership is looking for fresh
At the very least, please consider becoming a donating member of L.O.V.E. so that we can continue granting requests and providing gifts to meet the physical and emotional needs for our Residents. Simply fill out and clip the printed membership form and mail it to: L.O.V.E. Attn: Les Kay, Treasurer 323 South 132nd Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68154. All you need is LOVE and, more than ever before, all L.O.V.E. needs... is YOU! L.O.V.E is a 501(C) (3); all donations made to L.O.V.E. are 100% tax deductible.
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The Jewish Press | August 7, 2020 | 3
Library reimagined study or learn together. Continued from page 1 Libraries in general have been reimagining themselves in Since the flow of this area is meant to encourage exploration, order to remain relevant in today’s world. While fewer books will we’ve been referring to this entire space as the Learning Combe on display, one constant will remain: this space is designed mons. Shelving throughout the space will feature a highly cufor the acquisition of knowledge and the exchange of ideas. rated selection of our current holdings which will rotate on a The Jewish Omaha Hall of regular basis. We will feature History will feature materials new and interesting books and from the Riekes Museum, the materials, often related to an Nebraska Jewish Historical Soupcoming program or Jewish ciety and the Institute for Holiday. We will create space Holocaust Education. This for a permanent Friedel book piece will take the most time section, while the remainder of to complete, since we are our full collection will be carefully considering several housed both on- and offsite different bids in order to enwhile not on view; details on sure the exhibit provides a that will be shared as we finallasting impression of the conize some exciting potential tributions of the Jewish Comcommunity partnerships. munity to Omaha. The project is moving fullOur co-working space will steam ahead and is scheduled provide all the amenities necto be open in the winter of essary for our JCC members to 2020. Careful thought continhunker down and get an entire ues to go into how and what day’s work wrapped up, knowwe are presenting in this space. ing their children are being We still have plenty of room to cared for down at the premake adjustments based on Community Learning Commons school, or pop in for a drink at feedback from the community; the coffee bar after a pickleball match. This space includes please reach out to Alan Potash, Steve Levinger, or myself if three small “huddle rooms” where folks can close the door to you have questions or thoughts on how we can make this take a private call, or sit down with just one other person to space one that makes us all proud.
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Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho—and much more
How is this publication thinking about the future?
DR. LEONARD GREENSPOON WITH CONTRIBUTIONS Joshua from Antiquity until Today: Within the rabbinic tradition, the scope of Joshua’s activities is substantially enBY ROBBY ERLICH Beth El Synagogue invites you to attend a new, free class hanced. He marries Rahab, the Canaanite harlot who saved via Zoom by Dr. Leonard Greenspoon: From the Hebrew Israelite lives, and fathers children with her. He becomes an Bible, Joshua son of Nun is best known as the Israelite gen- observant rabbinic Jew through study and prayer. He offers eral who defeated the peace to every Canaanite Canaanites during the city, each of which fatally Conquest of the Promised refuses his overtures. Land. This is the main Joshua also plays a role in theme of the biblical Book later Jewish literature and of Joshua. The Torah also life. Most vividly, this was narrates many earlier actrue in Israel during the tivities on his part. And War of Independence and later Jewish tradition in the United States durgreatly expanded the ing the Civil Rights era. scope of his importance. Joshua is also no stranger All together this adds up in the rhetorical battles to a very long and eventful being waged in conneclife indeed for this ancient tion with the Israeli-Paleshero. And such embellishtinian conflict. ment is not entirely a This course is being thing of the past. taught by Dr. Leonard AUG. 17: Joshua in Credit: Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing Greenspoon, who holds the Torah: From his successful leadership of the Israelites the Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization at Creighton Uniagainst invading Amalekites to his formal designation as versity. During his more than two decades in Omaha, GreenMoses’s successor, Joshua is a presence throughout the first spoon has offered a number of adult education courses to five books of the Hebrew Bible. In successive accounts, we the Jewish community. He makes use of the Hebrew Bible as learn more about who he is and what he has been chosen to the starting point for discussion and analysis that is lively accomplish. and wide-ranging. Greenspoon calls this, “textual study at AUG. 24: Joshua in the Book of Joshua: From chapter its best. Everyone reads the same material and then ap1 – chapter 24 of this book, that is, from beginning to end, proaches it from their own experience and background.” Joshua is the towering presence who leads Israelite armies, The course will meet three times from 8–9 p.m. For furoversees the division of conquered land among the tribes, ther information about the format and content of the and challenges his fellow Israelites to acknowledge and wor- course, please feel free to contact Greenspoon at ljgrn@ ship only the Lord as God. Within this narrative, there are creighton.edu or 402.280.2304. also passages from which we learn more about Joshua’s leadTo register for the class, please go to: www.bethelership traits and personal qualities omaha.org or contact Robby Erlich, Engagement CoordiAUG. 31: Shaping and Re-shaping the Figure of nator at rerlich@bethel-omaha.org.
By becoming part of the past. This publication is available from ProQuest Information and Learning in one or more of the following ways:
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4 | The Jewish Press | August 7, 2020
Above: The JCC dancers, accompanied by Cultural Arts Director Esther Katz.
Above: Kevee Kirshenbaum RBJH window visit birthday with his big brother Joe and family.
Above: Scenes from Camp Grammy & Zayde: Margie and Bruce Gutnik’s granddaughters enjoyed an al fresco lunch and made banana treats.
SP O TLIGHT
Below: The BILU Bandits were out in full force this July! The high schoolers from Beth El’s USY chapter, BILU, were so excited to welcome the middle schoolers that they went under the cover of darkness surprised rising 7th and 8th graders with chalk drawings and treats to officially welcome them to BILU!
GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY
PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS SUBMIT A PHOTO: Have a photo of a recent Jewish Community event you would like to submit? Email the image and a suggested caption to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org.
Above left, right and below: Beth Israel hosted a social distanced pizza dinner, where those in attendance learned about Tisha B’av (9th of Av).
Above: RBJH Resident Helen Abrahamson reading her Jewish Press on the patio.
Voices
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Abby Kutler President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Susan Bernard Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Gabby Blair Staff Writer Michael Ivey Accounting Jewish Press Board Abby Kutler, President; Eric Dunning, Ex-Officio; Danni Christensen, David Finkelstein, Candice Friedman, Bracha Goldsweig, Margie Gutnik, Natasha Kraft, Chuck Lucoff, Eric Shapiro, Andy Shefsky, Shoshy Susman and Amy Tipp. 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 Federation are: Community Relations Committee, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Life, Jewish Social Services, and the Jewish Press. Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: wwwjewishomaha. org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in TIF or PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jewishomaha. org. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For information, contact Annette van de KampWright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.
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The Jewish Press | August 7, 2020 | 5
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.
Tiny sparks, big fires supposedly much better educated (you have to be, ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT to be a curator at the Met, right?) make such a Jewish Press Editor As always, there are plenty of disturbing stories short-sighted error? What’s really bothering me? The short answer: I can fuss and complain about to be found on the news wire (even if they don’t althose masks at Walmart, I can scream about the ways show up in the mainstream news). mislabeled tefillin, but what I cannot do anything There’s one about a security guard at a synawith is the 286 remains that were found in those gogue in the Ukraine, who wrestled an ax away from an attacker while the rabbi fled to safety. Also in Ukraine: remains of 286 Jews were found in two basements, where the bodies had been locked away during the Holocaust and left there ever since. In Minnesota, a couple of Walmart shoppers were banned after showing up with swastikamasks. A Florida man was charged with the vandalism of two Reform synagogues and so on and so forth. And here’s the one that, for some The revised description replaces the word “amulet” with “phylactery” reason, I find not tragic but simply but does not note that the object is used in Jewish prayer. Credit: irritating: The New York Metropol- Screenshot itcan Museum tweeted a picture of 6th century basements. Left to my own devices, I will gloss over tefillin and identified them as an ‘Egyptian amulet.’ it and dive straight for the Met’s dumb mistake. Be“Do your research!” I want to yell. “You are the cause it is easier to talk about ignorance. Saying anything intelligent about the ultimate cost of that Met!” “The object, which the Met says it acquired in ignorance is much harder. It’s the unspoken context each time we notice 1962, is listed as part of the museum’s Islamic Art anti-Semitic acts. Each time we hear uncomfortable Department as a sixth-century amulet from Egypt. words, each single spray-painted swastika, every It is dated at A.D. 500–1000.” (JTA.com) single time someone makes assumptions about All these things irritate me, although I guess two how much we like money or how big our noses are. shoppers wearing Nazi masks can be chalked up to Each time silly prejudice rears its ugly head and we severe ignorance. But the Met’s curators should are told we shouldn’t be so sensitive, we know, in know better. Or am I being elitist? Do I, when I see the back of our minds, what it all leads to. a white couple wearing swastika masks, automatThese instances of anti-Semitism do not stand ically make assumptions about their level of eduin isolation. They form an intricate pattern. It starts cation? Am I more vexed when people who are
with a fabric mask, and unless we stop it there, it ends in death. It’s why it is so important we all pay attention to the words that come out of our mouths, the things we write, how we respond when others ask us to be allies. Microaggressions mask themselves as meaningless, small acts, but are anything but. Tiny sparks can cause very destructive fires, so they should be put out quickly and decisively. We’ve been hearing much lately about ‘cancel culture,’ the notion that a celebrity or politician says the slightest thing wrong and immediately gets attacked for it. The implication is that, once again, those who are marginalized, are simply overreacting. That line of thought is dangerous and misleading. Sarah Hagi wrote for Time Magazine: “The idea [of cancel culture] is that if you do something that others deem problematic, you automatically lose all your currency. Your voice is silenced. You’re done. Those who condemn cancel culture usually imply that it’s unfair and indiscriminate. “The problem with this perspective is cancel culture isn’t real, at least not in the way people believe it is. Instead, it’s turned into a catch-all for when people in power face consequences for their actions or receive any type of criticism, something that they’re not used to.” Imagine someone saying anything ignorant and anti-Semitic. I know you can think of examples. Then, imagine speaking out, only to have the other person tell you you are wrong, they didn’t mean it ‘like that.’ You are a victim of ‘cancel culture.’ Those mislabeled tefillin don’t really hurt us. The Nazi masks are just silly. Nobody dies when someone spraypaints a swastika on a wall. Most importantly, we shouldn’t overreact. And if you believe all that, I have a really fantastic bridge for sale.
Zach Banner: Why I spoke out about DeSean Jackson’s anti-Semitic tweets ZACH BANNER PITTSBURGH | JTA Before I was an offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, I was the son of a middle school teacher in Tacoma, Washington. My mom, Vanessa, made clear that football came after school — and no class was more important than history. She taught me the significance of the Civil War as a Black American and of the SpanishAmerican War as a Chamorro from Guam. When it came to World War II, there was no way to sidestep the Holocaust. I read about Anne Frank and learned about the horrors of the Nazi death camps. When I went to college to play football at the University of Southern California, those lessons hit home. I decided to pledge Zeta Beta Tau, a historically Jewish fraternity on campus. Suddenly, the 6 million victims I’d read about in my history books were the grandparents of my brothers. I learned that anti-Semitism isn’t a relic of the past but a modern-day threat: From the pickup basketball court to fights picked at our parties, I heard my Jewish brothers called degrading slurs like “kike.” These experiences at USC gave me empathy for the Jewish community. But over the past few days, I’ve had to speak up because not everyone learned the same lessons in college or in life. Last week, my fellow NFL player DeSean Jackson shared a quote falsely attributed to Adolf Hitler, saying that white Jews “will blackmail America. [They] will extort America, their plan for world domination won’t work if the Negroes know who they were.” When I saw the post, my heart sank. I could only sleep 45 minutes that night. Not just because those hateful words came from someone whose career I respect, someone I’d lined up against on the field, but because DeSean’s post was largely met with silence. Julian Edelman and Mitchell Schwartz, two Jewish players, condemned the post and offered an
olive branch to teach Jackson about the Jewish community. But the vast majority of players failed to call out DeSean. I took to social media to voice my frustration in a series of videos. The silence was so infuriating, I explained, because over the past several weeks, I’ve joined millions of other Black Americans in calling for empathy and action. The Black Lives Matter
Zach Banner: “This isn’t about right and left. It’s about right and wrong.” Credit: Twitter Screenshot
movement has educated America that Black people still face deep, institutionalized racism in this country. And we’ve called on people from all walks of life to hear our cries, join in protest and help bring about change. But as we demand empathy from others, we must uphold it ourselves. The Jewish community is the target of the most religious hate crimes in the U.S. and Jews have historically fought for the Black community — from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1965 March on Selma, to the numerous Jewish people and organizations supporting Black Lives Matter today. I believe the best way to fight hate is through building empathy. And as my mom and my fraternity brothers showed me, the key to empathy is educa-
tion. I recently watched the eyewitness testimony of Holocaust survivor Judah Samet, who lives in Pittsburgh. Judah is one of the tens of thousands of survivors whose testimonies can be found in the USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive. If we all took the time to hear the stories of those who are different than us, to meet and converse with those who are different than us, we’d go a long way toward fostering the empathy that is so desperately needed. Rather than focusing on our differences, the Black and Jewish communities should support each other as brothers and sisters. After the deadly Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, which Judah also survived, I watched firsthand as the world wrapped its arms around the city’s Jewish community. And in the past week, I’ve been overwhelmed by the many Jewish Americans who’ve reached out to support my B3 Foundation, which strives to empower students from underfunded communities in Washington, California and Guam. I’m not pushing for the NFL to take a specific stand. I’m not making a political argument. This isn’t about right and left. It’s about right and wrong. It’s right that DeSean Jackson apologized, spoke with 94-year-old Holocaust survivor Ed Mosberg — whose story is included in the USC Shoah Foundation archive — and accepted his invitation to visit Auschwitz, the notorious concentration camp. It’s wrong that more of my NFL colleagues did not speak out against hate. And it’s right that the Jewish and Black communities — like all communities — commit to educating ourselves, opening our hearts and lifting ourselves up together. Zach Banner is an offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers. 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.
Synagogues
6 | The Jewish Press | August 7, 2020
B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
618 Mynster Street Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 712.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com
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
CONGREGATION 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
TIFERETH ISRAEL
Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 402.423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org
B’NAI ISRAEL Join us for our monthly Shabbat Speakers Series on Friday, Aug. 14, 7:30 p.m. with a guest speaker. Masks are required and social distancing guidelines will be followed. Our service leader is Larry Blass, and as always, an Oneg wil follow service. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel! For information on our historic synagogue, please contact Howard Kutler at hkutler@hotmail.com or any of our other board members: Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Janie Kulakofsky, Carole and Wayne Lainof, Mary-Beth Muskin and Sissy Silber. Handicap Accessible.
BETH EL Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. VIRTUAL MINYAN SCHEDULE: Mornings on Sundays, 9 a.m. and Mondays and Thursdays, 8 a.m.; Evenings on Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Services with Georgia Dow, 10 a.m.; Havdallah, 9:22 p.m. SUNDAY: Torah Study, 10 a.m.; USY Film Club, 7 p.m. TUESDAY: Miriam Coast to Coast Book Club, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY: USY Check-In, 5:15 p.m.; Biblical Beverages, 7 p.m. THURSDAY: Shul Music with Hazzan Krausman, 7 p.m. FRIDAY-Aug. 14: Shabbat To-Go Pick Up, 10 a.m.noon sponsored by Henry and Dorothy Riekes Endowment Fund and in celebration of Margo & Steve Riekes’ 55th Anniversary and Steve’s 80th Birthday ; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. SATURDAY-Aug. 15: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m.; Havdallah, 9:15 p.m. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.
BETH ISRAEL Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer. Classes, Kabbalat Shabbat and Havdalah on Zoom, Whatsapp or Facebook Live. On site services held outside in sukkah, weather permitting. Physical distancing and masks required. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 am.; Deepening Prayer, 7:45 a.m.; Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m. (Zoom); Candlelighting, 8:15 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Havdalah, 9:18 p.m. (Zoom) SUNDAY: Rambam: Rabbi Moshe, 9:45 a.m. (Zoom) MONDAY: Shacharit, 7 am.; Deepening Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp). TUESDAY: Shacharit, 7 am.; Deepening Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp).
WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 7 am.; Deepening Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp). THURSDAY: Shacharit, 7 am.; Deepening Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Middot with Rabbi Ari, 9:30 a.m. (Zoom); Parsha Inspiration with Rabbi Ari, 4:30 p.m. (Facebook Live). FRIDAY-Aug. 14: Shacharit, 7 am.; Deepening Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Kabbalat Shabbat (Zoom), 7 p.m.; Candlelighting, 8:06 p.m. SATURDAY-Aug. 15: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Havdalah, 9:07 p.m. (Zoom). Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.
CHABAD HOUSE Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Due to Coronavirus, all services and classes have moved online. For schedules and more information or to request help, please visit www.ochabad.org or call the office at 402.330.1800 FRIDAY: Candlelighting, 8:15 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Ends, 9:17 p.m. MONDAY: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Shani; Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. WEDNESDAY: Mystical Thinking, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Katzman; Introduction to Reading Hebrew, 10:30 a.m. THURSDAY: Intermediate Hebrew Reading and Prayer, 11 a.m.; Talmud Class, noon with Rabbi Katzman. FRIDAY-Aug. 14: Candlelighting, 8:05 p.m. SATURDAY-Aug. 15: Shabbat Ends, 9:06 p.m.
B’NAI JESHURUN The Temple office is on reduced hours until further notice and all services and activities are being offered via livestream or teleconferencing. Please call 402.435.8004 or email office@southstreettemple. org for further information or to make an appointment for a visit, if necessary. You may also email board president Nicholette Seigfreid at president@south streettemple.org. South Street Temple’s events can be found at https://south streettemple.org/calendar/. FRIDAY: Erev Shabbat Service, 6:30 p.m. service leaders/music: TBD; Candlelighting, 8:16 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, service leaders/music: TBD, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:45 a.m. on Parashat Eikev led by Robert Friedman; Havdalah (72 minutes), 9:44 p.m. SUNDAY: Temple Gardening, 8:30 a.m. We will appreciate many of you joining in to keep up the garden work. We wear masks, socially distance, and work for about an hour. TUESDAY: Tea Time with Temple Friends, 1:30 p.m. via zoom. FRIDAY-Aug. 14: Erev Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: TBD, 6:30 p.m.; Candlelighting, 8:06 p.m.
SATURDAY-Aug. 15: Shabbat Morning Service, service leaders/music: TBD, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:45 a.m. on Parashat Re-eh led by Robert Rickover; Havdalah (72 minutes), 9:35 p.m. SST is partnering with "We Can Do This" to provide weekend meals to the children of the F St. Community Center. Join us as we provide lunch on the third Sunday of every month. Food/monetary donations, meal preparation and assistance with setting up, serving, and cleanup are needed! If you would like to donate funds to this program and help continue this mitzvah, please contact Leslie Delserone at treasurer@southstreet temple.org or call Peter Mullin at 402.435.8004. We will serve our next meal on Aug 16 at 1 p.m. For more information, contact Aimee Hyten at aimee.hyten@gmail.com.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE All services canceled until further notice.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME
The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home is currently closed to visitors.
TEMPLE ISRAEL
Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Brian Stoller, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin and Cantor Joanna Alexander. DAILY VIRTUAL MINYAN: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. TUESDAY: Rosh Chodesh Event, 6:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Jewish Law & the Quest for Meaning, noon. THURSDAY: The Israel Forum, 10 a.m. Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.
TIFERETH ISRAEL
FRIDAY: Zoom Evening Kabbalat Shabbat, 6:30 p.m.; Candlelighting, 8:16 p.m. SATURDAY: Zoom Shabbat Morning Service, 10 a.m.; Havdalah (72 minutes), 9:14 p.m. SUNDAY: A zoom drop-in meeting with Charlie and Nancy Coren to say l'hitraot (see you again soon), 1 p.m. for those who couldn't meet in person last Sunday. FRIDAY-Aug. 14: Zoom Evening Kabbalat Shabbat, 6:30 p.m. Candlelighting, 8:07 p.m. SATURDAY-Aug. 15: Zoom Shabbat Morning Service, 10 a.m.; Havdalah (72 minutes), 9:15 p.m. Please visit tiferethisraellincoln.org for additional information and Zoom service links. The LJCSl is looking for a Lead Teacher for our Preschool/Kindergarten classroom. The LJCS is seeking a candidate who is dependable, energetic, creative and nurturing. Early Childhood education experience is preferred. If you or someone you know is interested in interviewing for this position, please contact Andrea Halpern at ahalpern1386@gmail.com.
Survivors launch campaign to fight Holocaust denial TOBY AXELROD BERLIN | JTA Joining a growing chorus of critical voices, Holocaust survivors have launched an international online campaign criticizing Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg that is aimed at countering Holocaust denial on his social media platform. Starting Wednesday, a campaign sponsored by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany called “There’s No Denying It #NoDenyingIt” will upload video testimony daily from survivors across the globe to social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram (owned by Facebook) and Twitter. The campaign is being billed as the first-ever digital campaign by survivors. Some 50 have signed on to the project so far. “People believe what they see on Facebook,” Stefanie Seltzer, a Polish-born survivor and activist, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in a phone interview from California. “What happened cannot be denied.” Pressure has grown on the social media giant since Zuckerberg told the technology website Recode in July 2018 that while he found Holocaust denial “deeply offensive,” he didn’t want to take it down because “I don’t think that they’re intention-
ally getting it wrong.” The Claims Conference is arguing that Holocaust denial is intentional and therefore a violation of Facebook’s community standards. Several groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, recently turned on the pressure, launching a successful advertising boycott as part of the “Stop Hate for Profit” campaign in June. The ADL has detailed large groups of Holocaust deniers who gather on the platform. Among those taking part in the campaign are Serge Klarsfeld, a prominent survivor and Nazi hunter; Roman Kent, the U.S.-based head of the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors; Charlotte Knobloch, former head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany; and Auschwitz survivor Eva Schloss of Vienna, who lives today in London. “I lost all my family. Many, many family members. There is no denying it!” Schloss says in a video. “Holocaust denial is nothing short of hate dia-
logue,” Kent says in another. In response to the ad boycott, Zuckerberg and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg agreed to hold a Zoom meeting with ADL National Director Jonathan Greenblatt, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson and others on July 8. Participants reportedly came away disappointed. Zuckerberg has not yet met with survivors to discuss the matter, according to Greg Schneider, the head of the Claims Conference. Seltzer said the public is vulnerable to distortion, since many don’t know the history. She was hidden in Poland as a child and was reunited with her mother after the war. Seltzer is the founder and president of the World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust and Descendants. “The rise in anti-Semitism and all kinds of discrimination is very worrying to us,” she said.
Life cycles BIRTH PAYTON JAMES GOLDENBERG Becca and Andy Goldenberg of Los Angeles, CA, announce the June 17 birth of their son, Payton James. Grandparents are Lynne and Steve Gellman of Austin, TX, and Gail Goldenberg and the late Jeffrey Goldenberg of Los Angeles. Great-grandparents are the late Phyllis and Leonard Friedel of Scottsdale, AZ (formerly of Omaha), the late Celia and Saul Gellman of Austin, TX, the late Jean and Lou Weiss of Pembroke Pines, FL and the late Sylvia and Alexander Goldenberg of Pembroke Pines, FL.
IN MEMORIAM HAROLD (BAE) EPSTEIN Harold (Bae) Epstein passed away on July 11. A private service was held on July 13 at Beth El Cemetery. He was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Jenda Etta Epstein. He is survived by his sons and daughters-in-law, Paul and Sandy, Steven and Lori, and Gary and Lisa, seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the Harold and Etta Epstein Memorial Chapel Fund or any other Beth El Synagogue fund.
From the archives: “Jewish life around the world is marked by anxiety, ADL leader says”
If you think anxiety is mostly a 2020 thing, think again. Below are excerpts from a 1982 JTA article. Although the reasons may be political rather than virus-related, the sentiments are similar. JTA The condition of Jewish life around the world is characterized by “malaise, uneasiness and anxiety,” Abraham Foxman, associate national director of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, told several hundred delegates at a plenary session at the 51st General Assembly of the Council of Jewish Federations. There is a growing concern that the condition of Jewish life, “is altering, and not for the better,” he said. “For the first time in a long time the Jews anguish over Israel and the Jewish people.” This concern has intensified in recent years with outbreaks of anti-Semitic violence on the part of extremist groups, in this country and abroad and by terrorist attacks, Foxman observed. The feeling of anxiety and uneasiness has also increased with the shift in the attitude of the general population toward the Jewish people and Israel. Foxman said the shift has taken the form of viewing Israel as a nation which is no longer vulnerable. He said this changed attitude can be traced to Israel’s swift victory in the Six-Day War “which helped to erase the feeling of guilt” over the annihilation of six million Jews in the Holocaust. “Israel appeared so much closer to safety and security” after the 1967 war, he said. In addition, Israel and the Jewish people also felt closer to safety and security after that war and as a number of historical developments unfolded in the 1960’s Vatican II opened a dialogue with Jews, Soviet Jews were making their way to freedom, and the civil rights movement in the United States “produced an upsurge of activism and hope that religious and racial bigotry were beginning to wither away.” He emphasized that Jews who feel that anti-Semitism is on the rise are not being paranoid. “Jews do not live with the belief that the world wants them dead, but they live with the memory that the world did nothing to help them stay alive,” he declared. David Lewis of Great Britain, representative of the European Council for Jewish Community Services, which he said collectively speaks for some 1.5 million Jews in Western Europe, called on worldwide Jewry to “mobilize its forces to help European Jewry” who stand once again “on the new front line of anti-Semitism.” He recounted the upsurge of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel in-
cidents, Including bombings and mass demonstrations, in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Italy, France and West Germany, He noted, for example, that in Denmark, a traditionally tolerant society. 10,000 people gathered recently to protest what they perceived to be Israel’s policy. France’s Chief Rabbi Rene Sirat whose address in French was translated said that there has been diminishing support for the Jews of France in the general population since the bombing of the Rue Copemic synagogue in 1980. In the aftermath, some 300,000 people took to the streets of Paris to protest the attack, he said. This was duplicated on a smaller scale to other French cities. which have Jewish communities. It was, he stressed, a national response. The bombing also acted to solidarize Jews, Sirat pointed out. He said that in response to his personal appeal following the synagogue bombing, more Jews than ever attended Yom Kippur synagogue services that year. Aleck Goldberg, executive director of South Africa’s Board of Jewish Deputies, said that anti-Semitism in his country is not a great problem. The government does not tolerate it and Jews enjoy all rights, he noted. Also, there is no fallout from international terrorism in South Africa. The violence in the country is committed by the underground extremist African National Council against while-owned property like the railroad lines and banks, not against Jews. The anger is directed against white domination, not against the Jewish community, Goldberg explained. Nevertheless, Jews in South Africa do face a moral dilemma, Goldberg observed. The dilemma he noted, is that the ethical imperative instructs that discrimination is antithetical to Judaism; the historical imperative says that Jews who for centuries were victims of discrimination should not countenance discrimination. But to combat discrimination would require that Jews as a group enter the political arena. This, however, would be a dangerous step, Goldberg said. There are differing views in the Jewish community on the issue of apartheid, he said, and a unified stand on this is not possible. Nevertheless, the Board of Deputies has spoken out in resolutions against discrimination. Recently, Goldberg reported, the Board protested against the practice of detaining individuals without trial. The detentions affect primarily Black opponents of the government. The general outlook in South Africa, he said, is that eventually there will be a Black-white confrontation but Jews will not figure as Jews in that clash.
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8 | The Jewish Press | August 7, 2020
News LOC AL | N ATI O N A L | WO R L D
A holiday marking one societal rupture, Tisha B’Av spurs Jewish creativity amid another
PENINA BEEDE JTA For many observant Jews, the mourning over the destruction of the two ancient Temples in Jerusalem on the fast of Tisha B’Av actually begins three weeks earlier with the onset of a period of mourning during which it’s customary to avoid joyful activities like weddings and music. But with much of the world already in a state of mourning as the coronavirus pandemic continues its deadly march across the planet, Rabbi Hershel Schachter made an allowance. In a religious ruling released earlier this month, the widely respected Orthodox rabbinic authority determined that one could listen to music if doing so was needed to stave off feelings of depression in the weeks leading up to Tisha B’Av, which begins this year at sunset on July 29. “At the current time due to the ongoing pandemic, the entire world is in a state of uncertainty and concern,” Schachter wrote. “One who feels compelled to listen to music in order to help alleviate their tension or pressure would be allowed to do so.” As occurred in the run-up to Passover in April, the confluence of the pandemic with a Jewish observance is prompting a wellspring of Jewish creativity. New liturgies are being created, new religious rulings are being published and a large number of online events are taking place for an observance that, unlike the widely observed Passover, often passes unnoticed for many Jews. And also unlike Passover, which celebrates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt, Tisha B’Av lends itself far more naturally to a pandemic that has left a trail of sickness and death in its wake. “As we were thinking about what spiritual tools this moment calls for, we realized we wanted to put out something for Tisha B’Av that honors the fact that it feels like we’ve been living in Tisha B’Av since the pandemic started,” said Rabbi Rachel Barenblat of North Adams, Massachusetts, a cofounder of Bayit, an organization that creates new tools for contemporary Jews. Bayit has released five poems inspired by the pandemic but written in the style of the somber lamentations, known as kinot, that are customarily recited on Tisha B’Av. One representative line: “Our synagogues are shuttered, we are exiled to
Zoom. We cry out from the depths. Do You suffer with us, God? Who will we be when the pandemic is gone?” “It feels to many of us as if we’re living through our own churban, our own destruction in our era,” Barenblat said, using the Hebrew word referring to the destruction of the ancient Temple. “And we wanted to give voice to that.”
the people unable to gather to hear their sacred words, especially those who were experiencing illness or death in their families.” For Orthodox Jews, who traditionally abstain from the use of electronic devices on Jewish holidays, Tisha B’Av also offers the rare opportunity to employ livestreaming in the observance of a holiday — something the liberal denominations have embraced since the pandemic began. Prohibitions on the use of electronic devices do not apply on Tisha B’Av. At the Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach on New York’s Long Island, a reading of the biblical Book of Lamentations and a musical gathering with the Maccabeats a cappella group will air multiple times throughout Tisha B’Av on the Jewish Broadcasting Service. Rabbi Marc Schneier, the Daniel Olson's “Coronavirus Eli Tziyon” includes laments for frontline workers and those who synagogue’s head rabbi, have fallen ill. Credit: Screenshot compared the ravages of Daniel Olson, a doctoral candidate in education and Jewish the coronavirus to the fear that previous generations of Jews studies at New York University, rewrote one of the best-known had of anti-Semitism. kinot for the moment in collaboration with his husband, “I can’t even fathom what it must have been like for 2,000 Rabbi Benjamin Goldberg. Eli Tziyon is typically the final years to be a Jew going through the pandemic of the anti-Sereading of the Tisha B’Av service and acknowledges the suf- mitic virus and not knowing each and every day what kind of fering of the Israelites following the destruction of the Second destruction would come tomorrow,” he said. “That kind of Temple. anxiety and uncertainty is exactly what we’re going through But in the version by Olson and Goldberg, the poem de- now.” scribes the suffering caused by the pandemic. Olson said he Olsen, too, said Tisha B’Av is especially resonant this year. was inspired to write the piece after seeing a Facebook post “Even though my observance will be virtual this year, I think estimating the number of Torah scrolls going unread in the it could be the most visceral Tisha B’Av ever for me because world while synagogues are closed. of the pandemic,” he said. “Close to 150,000 Americans have “This image was so sad to me,” Olson said in an email. “All died of COVID-19. The future of the economy and of education these Torah scrolls sitting in Arks, excitedly waiting to be is uncertain. I can identify with the sense of dislocation our taken out on Mondays, Thursdays, Shabbat, and holidays, ancestors experienced and documented in the liturgy for this seeing each one pass, but remaining trapped inside. And for day more than I have been able to ever before.”
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