January 11, 2008

Vol. LXXXVII No. 18 Omaha, NE

Survey data spark debate over intermarriage picture by SUE FISHKOFF SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) -- Intermarriage: Disaster for the Jews, not great for the Jews, or simply a fact of Jewish life? Ever since the 1990 National Jewish Population Study showed more than half of new Jewish marriages involve a non-Jewish partner, many Jewish communal leaders have latched onto the issue with pitbull tenacity -- and they haven’t let go, even after the 2000-2001 NJPS showed intermarriage had leveled off. Now a new round of studies is prompting more questions: Does intermarriage necessarily mean the end of that family’s connection to Judaism? Or is the Jewish community focusing on intermarriage to the exclusion of other, perhaps more telling, factors?

Adult Identity of Children of Intermarriage from a study sponsored by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies and Steinhardt Social Research Institute. Most studies report the data in simple comparative fashion, which shows that intermarried families are much less Jewishly involved than inmarried families, from their beliefs to their practices. But a provocative new study out of Brandeis University questions that research method and its conclusions. The study -- “It’s Not Just Who Stands Under the Chuppah: Jewish Identity and Intermarriage,” by Leonard Saxe, Fern Chertok and Benjamin Phillips of the Cohen Center for Jewish Studies and Steinhardt Social Research Institute -- found that when one considers the Jewish background of the Jewish partner in an intermarriage, the difference in the Jewish beliefs and practices of inmarried and intermarried families becomes much less glaring. And in some measures, like attachment to Israel, the gap almost disappears. A second study casts further doubt on the deterministic effect of intermarriage. Set for release next month, the study by the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston will show that the children being raised Jewishly in the city’s intermarried families look pretty much like any other non-Orthodox Jewish children. The “Chuppah” study only considered factors from before an intermarriage occurs, primarily the Jewish education and home practice of the Jewish partner. But its conclusions have profound policy implications: Instead of writing off intermarried families or pressing the non-Jewish partner to convert, the Jewish community would do better to invest in quality Jewish education -- formal and informal -- to give the Jewish partner in an intermarriage the background and desire to create a Jewish home and raise Jewish children. “The objective doesn’t have to be conversion but the creation of positive, rich Jewish experiences,” Saxe explains. “Jewish education, Jewish home experiences, Jewish camp, Israeli experiences -- that’s what leads to engagement in Jewish life whether one is intermarried or not.” Continued on page 2

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Cheering 40 new Iranian olim, did Israel offer hype or help? by DINA KRAFT Center. Before the Islamic revolution of 1979, some TEL AVIV (JTA) — Jews have lived in Iran since bib- 100,000 Jews lived in Iran. Many of them fled, fearing lical times, surviving 2,700 years of rotating dynasties for their futures under a fundamentalist Islamic regime. from Persian kings and Mongol rulers to today’s ayatol- Some came to Israel but the majority headed to the lahs, all the while building rich lives and a tightly knit United States, especially to southern California and community many are reluctant to leave. So when a plane parts of Queens and Long Island, in New York. carrying 40 Iranian Jews landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben- Continued on page 4 Gurion Airport last month amid cheers and the glare of TV cameras, many hailed the new immigrants’ arrival as a sign that Iran’s remaining Jews may have had enough of life in the Islamic Republic. But others, Iranian Jews among them, point out that the relatively small number of Jewish emigrants from the country -- only 40 came in December, despite the offer of a $10,000 gift plus immigrant benefits for each arriving Iranian immigrant to Israel -demonstrates just the opposite: that Iran’s Jews are reluctant to leave their home country despite the difficult situ- A group of 40 new immigrants arrived in the largest single number of immigrants to have come ation there. to Israel since the fall of the Shah in 1979. Each immigrant received $10,000 from the “The question is why International Fellowship of Christians & Jews (IFCJ) apart from the usual basket of immigrant should they leave, not benefits and assistance from the Immigrant Absorption Ministry. The identities and faces of the why should they stay,” new arrivals were not permitted to be published so as to protect those Jews still in Iran. There said Eldad Paro, an Iran are an estimated 25,000 Jews presently remaining there. In 2007, 200 Iranian Jews immiexpert at Hebrew grated to Israel, three times the number of the previous year. The immigrants flew to Israel via University’s Truman a third unidentified country. Credit: ISRANET

New fund to offer college courses on Holocaust A kid hearing adults talk by CAROL KATZMAN Editor of the Jewish Press about it was like it was Another player has another planet.” entered the field of Hearing rumors about Holocaust education in the impending invasion, Nebraska. Like the AntiFried added that a friend Defamation League/Comhelped him devise an munity Relations Comescape plan. But he mittee’s Institute for returned home at the last Holocaust Education, the minute and watched in goal is enlightening more horror as his parents were people about this horrific led away by the Nazis and period of history. neighbors who had been family friends began ranSam Fried, a Holocaust sacking his home. survivor who has long Throwing out his false been involved in speaking Frances and Sam Fried stand before the Wall of Remembrance they about his wartime experi- donated at the Holocaust Memorial in Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln. papers, the teenaged ences as a prisoner in Fried was awarded an honorary doctorate last month by the Fried turned himself in Auschwitz, helped form University of Nebraska-Omaha for his role in Holocaust education. and was deported to the National Holocaust Education Fund (NHEF) along Auschwitz. He became prisoner #A5053, and though he with his wife, Frances. Their objective is to raise funds to eventually escaped, he weighed barely 80 pounds. With this new fund, however, Fried has vowed to eduprovide college-level programs at five Nebraska institucate young people about the torture and slaughter of six tions of higher learning. “If Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Holocaust teach us million Jews and five million people whose political peranything,” he noted, “they teach us that people of suasion, disabilities, and faith sent them to the gas chamgoodwill must face unpleasant truths and stand up bers as well. Fried said the courses that will be taught at the University of Nebraska campuses in Omaha, Lincoln against all forms of virulent racism and bigotry.” Fried was a teenager in Auschwitz, arriving with the and Kearney as well as Creighton University and Wayne Hungarians, the last group of Jews to be captured. State College also will emphasize genocide occurring in Interviewed by his granddaughter, Maggie Fried, when parts of the world today. Chairman of the NHEF’s fundraising campaign is Alan she was a staffer for her high school newspaper, he told her, “I remember listening to the BBC radio about Hitler. Continued on page 4

This Week: Tax and Financial Planning starts on page 10 Coming Next Month: Simchas and Celebrations: Feb. 8

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Huckabee’s win mixes evangelical rhetoric with independence: Page 3

Next Generation in Business: The Platts say every day is fun: Page 10

Throughtout political career, Obama has reached for Jewish support: Page 20

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

January 11, 2008

Survey data spark debate over intermarriage picture

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS FRIDAY, JANUARY 11 Rabbi-in-Residence Jonathan Rosenblatt, 6 p.m. at Beth Israel Tot Shabbat and Dinner, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel SATURDAY, JANUARY 12 Hazak Shabbat, 9:30 a.m. at Beth El C SUNDAY, JANUARY 13 L The Living Torah, 9:30 a.m. at Chabad I Reading the Rambam, 9:45 a.m. at Beth Israel P Bible Study Group, 10 a.m. at Beth El

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Sisterhood Mah Jongg, 1 p.m. at Beth Israel The Life of Joshua, Son of Nun, 7 p.m. Derech Torah: Judaism 101, 8 p.m.

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 15 WOW Parsha, Prophets and Prayer, 9 a.m. at Chabad Eye on Israel, noon BBYO Night, 6 p.m. ADL Youth Leadership Mission 2008 Meeting, 7 p.m. Parshah Roundup, 7 p.m. at Chabad Board Meeting, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel The Many Faces of Extremism, 7 p.m. at Beth El C WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16 L The Art of Jewish Stenciling, 8 p.m. Beth El I P

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Continued from page 1 FSaxe presented the study’s findings with Chertok on Dec. 14 at the Union for Reform Judaism biennial in San Diego. “The usual model says you get intermarried and you lose your Jewish identity. That’s not true,” Chertok says. “A far more powerful predicter of what you’re going to do in your home are such things as did you have a Jewish education growing up? Were you raised with Jewish rituals in the home? What was your high school social network like?” Chertok and Saxe drew the strongest audience reaction when they displayed two charts, one showing the Jewish involvement of intermarried vs. inmarried families without any controls, and one showing the results after they were controlled for the Jewish partner’s religious background. Without controls, the inmarried family blew the intermarried family out of the mikveh: 78 percent of inmarried couples said they were raising their children Jewishly vs. 39 percent of intermarried couples. Those are the figures used by most Jewish researchers, Chertok and Saxe noted. But when controlling the other factors, including the Jewish partner’s religious upbringing, the gap closed, with 71 percent of inmarried couples and 51 percent of couples saying they are raising Jewish children. Similarly, the 53 percent of inmarried vs. 12 percent of intermarried families who reported being members of Jewish organizations became 45 percent and 32 percent when the controls were applied. The differences become even more striking when controls are applied to the data on the Jewish identity of the adult children of intermarriage. A simple comparison, one used in most studies, states that 89 percent of adults who grew up with two Jewish parents identify as Jewish vs. 24 percent of adults who grew up in an interfaith home. When the background of those individuals was taken into account, the gap shrunk to 94 percent of the adults with two Jewish parents vs. 76 percent from intermarried homes. “Intermarriage is not deterministic,” Saxe concluded. “If someone grows up with positive Jewish identity and Jewish educational experiences such as religious school, summer camp, Israel trips, one wants to raise Jewish children regardless of who one falls in love with.” Among those who is not convinced by the SaxeChertok line of argument is Steven Cohen, a professor of Jewish social policy at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. Cohen has conducted several studies that all show the determinative effect of intermarriage. Cohen’s first question is how the researchers defined “being raised Jewish.” But he also says they need to look at the second generation: According to the 2000-2001 NJPS study, just 13 percent of the grandchildren of an intermarriage -- that is, people whose grandparents were intermarried -- now identify as Jews. On those grounds alone, Cohen declared, the Jewish community should “not grow complacent” about intermarriage but should continue to combat it as a real threat to Jewish continuity. “In fact, intermarriage over two generations is more powerful than any other factor in predicting ritual observance and certainly in predicting whether the grandchildren will be Jewish,” he said. Cohen’s conclusion is supported in part by a new report on the U.S. Jewish population prepared for the 2007 American Jewish Yearbook by Professors Ira Sheskin of the University of Miami and Arnold Dashefksy of the University of Connecticut. Comparing data from 49 U.S. Jewish communities, Sheskin and Dashefsky note that while some cities “have been more successful than others in convincing inter-

married families to raise their children Jewish,” it is nevertheless “clear that intermarriage has a negative effect on measures of Jewishness, and therefore on Jewish continuity.” Intermarriage has a snowball effect, the SheskinDashefsky study concludes, but the ball can roll either way, with much depending on the larger Jewish community. Sheskin and Dashefsky just concluded a study in Portland, Maine, showing its intermarriage rate as the highest among the cities studied: 61 percent. But a very average 47 percent of its intermarried families are choosing to raise Jewish children. Yet in Detroit, with a low intermarriage rate of 17 percent, is combined with a relatively low number, 31 percent, choosing to raise children as Jews. A community like Detroit’s, Sheskin posits, may not feel outreach is a priority given its low level of intermarriage. The result is that few intermarried families join synagogues, and when other intermarried families walk in, “They don’t see anyone that looks like them and they don’t feel comfortable.” That’s where the Combined Jewish Philanthropies study comes into play. Gil Preuss, vice president for strategy and planning, says the organization is less interested in debating research methods than in examining the real effect of community investment in outreach and Jewish education in Boston. The CJP caused a stir in November 2006 when it released a study by the Steinhardt institute showing that in the Boston area, 60 percent of children from intermarried homes were being raised as Jews. Preuss admits that he and his colleagues were initially suspicious of those figures. What did that really mean? Are these people really engaged in Jewish life, or just saying so, perhaps because this was a Jewish survey? So he and his team investigated the data, looking closely at the responses to specific questions about Jewish beliefs and behaviors. Preuss says they found that intermarried families who have decided to raise their kids Jewishly look pretty much like other, nonOrthodox Jewish families. “They belong to congregations, they celebrate Jewish holidays, they participate in the community,” he said. “That is the key decision -- whether you decide to raise the kids Jewish. All else follows from that.” Intermarriage itself, the study suggests, is not the determining factor. This conclusion has policy implications, Preuss says. “This provides a basis for the notion that we need to create a community that welcomes them in, that says, look, there’s something good here -- Jewish values, Jewish learning,” he said. Indeed, when it comes to policy recommendations, all those interviewed for this article favor the same thing: increasing communal investment in Jewish life, and making it easier and more attractive for the unaffiliated and intermarried to enter and engage with Jewish institutions. That’s the point, says Rabbi Kerry Olitzky, the director of the Jewish Outreach Institute, an organization that encourages Jewish institutions to be more welcoming. It’s not always possible to draw clear conclusions from the data, he says. “In one community you can have intermarrieds with a robust Jewish identity and family upbringing next to intermarrieds who are not involved in the Jewish community,” he said. It comes down to what individuals believe will help them lead better, richer lives. “When you’re a parent,” Olitzky said, “you make decision on the basis of what’s good for you and your family, not what’s good for the Jewish community.”

Yachad members, families to be honored at Temple by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Easy access to Judaism has been a hallmark of the Reform Movement. According to the Union for Reform Judaism’s (URJ) web-page on Jewish Family Concerns, “We have developed the Disability Awareness Initiative to include developmental and emotional disabilities. Today, access involves large-print prayer books, sign interpretation at services, bar and bat mitzvah training for children with special needs, and many more creative modifications that synagogues can undertake to ensure that everyone is included. Our Reform congregations will continue to grow and expand as we continue to focus on providing a welcoming and inclusive environ-

ment for all our members.” Temple Israel, a member congregation of URJ, welcomes all Jews, including those with disabilities, all the time. On Shabbat morning, Jan. 19, 10:30 a.m., special recognition will be given to Yachad participants and their families. Members of Yachad, a support group sponsored by Jewish Family Service for Jews with developmental disabilities and their families, will participate in the Shabbat worship service. “Through prayer and song, we hope that more and more members of our congregation are able to further develop warm relationships with the members of Yachad,” said Rabbi Eric Linder encouraging Temple members to show their support of Yachad.

January 11, 2008

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 3

Huckabee mixes evangelical rhetoric with independent streak AMERICA DECIDES 2008 by BEN HARRIS and AMI EDEN NEW YORK (JTA) -- Mike Huckabee was a barely known former governor of Arkansas when he attended an October house party on his behalf at the home of Jason Bedrick, New Hampshire’s first Orthodox Jewish state representative. Despite the candidate’s long odds, Bedrick was brimming with confidence in an interview he gave to an Orthodox news website. “No one had ever heard of the last governor from Hope, Ark., Bill Clinton, the summer before he was elected,” Bedrick told Yeshiva World News. “Huckabee is polling well in all the early states. He’s a long shot, but he’s the best shot we’ve got.” Barely two months later, those words seem prophetic. Huckabee surged ahead of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in last week’s Iowa caucuses, capturing 34% of the delegates. Though placed third in New Hampshire, it’s a better showing than expected. “This is a guy who is very positive, very uplifting,” said Bedrick, the gabbai at the Chabad synagogue in Wellesley Hills, Mass., where he often spends the Sabbath. “This is a country that needs some healing in addition to leadership. And of all the candidates in all the parties, he is the only top-tier candidate that can provide that.” To boot, the New Hampshire lawmaker added, Huckabee is pro-Israel. He has visited the Jewish state nine times, and told

out people going completely berserk.” Even as critics have sought to paint Huckabee as religiously intolerant, the former Arkansas governor and many pundits have portrayed him as the embodiment of a new breed of evangelical Christian voter, one who sees not only a religious imperative to stake out conservative positions on social issues like abortion and gay marriage, but also in some instances to take more liberal stands on race, taxes, poverty, immigration and the environment. He has employed populist rhetoric in slamming the establishment of his own party, challenged its general embrace of free trade and recently criticized the Bush administration’s “arrogant” approach to international diplomacy. The combination of Huckabee’s rapid rise, his religiosity and his willingness to buck conservative political orthodoxy has some observers describing him as a refreshing development with the ability to transcend the bitterly partisan N.H. State Rep. Jason Bedrick, left, hosted a house party atmosphere in Washington. for presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, right, in Others see him as a threat -October 2007. Rabbi Moshe Bleich of the Wellesley whether it be liberals worried Chabad also attended the event. Credit: Yeshiva World about the separation of church submit to their husbands and stated that and state, or Republicans afraid that a Huckabee victory could break up the he does not believe in evolution. Huckabee has been facing increased decades-long alliance between economic scrutiny over his use of religion on the and religious conservatives that has procampaign trail, including one commercial duced significant GOP victories. Huckabee has faced tough criticism of describing the candidate as a “Christian leader.” At one recent campaign stop he late not only in some liberal corners, but declared, “What’s wrong with our coun- also from several prominent conservative try, what is wrong with our culture, is that commentators, including George Will, you can’t say the name Jesus Christ with- Robert Novak, Charles Krauthammer the crowd at the Bedrick house party that he favored the establishment of a Palestinian state -- in Egypt or Saudi Arabia. Bedrick may see Huckabee as the perfect fit for the White House, but for many American Jews the thought of a staunchly pro-life, ordained Baptist minister as president is a major cause for alarm. Especially one like Huckabee, who has called on Americans to “take this nation back for Christ,” signed a newspaper advertisement stating that wives should

and Ann Coulter. Still, some observers say, American Jews -- most of whom trend toward the liberal -- will find it impossible to get past Huckabee’s conservative Christian faith and rhetoric. “The more liberal Jews find out about his core values of Christianity, the less they’ll like him,” journalist Zev Chafets told JTA, shortly after writing a cover story on Huckabee for The New York Times Magazine. In the article, Chafets quoted Huckabee as asking, “Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?” fueling allegations that the candidate has attempted to hurt Romney by stirring up anti-Mormon sentiments among Evangelical Christian voters. Chafets, the American-born Israeli government spokesman turned journalist, told JTA that “there’s no doubt that Huckabee is a Christian conservative in the mold of Falwell or Pat Robertson, speaking politically.” Several Jewish communal leaders from Arkansas, however, reject such efforts to paint Huckabee as a dangerous extremist, even as they stressed that they would never vote for him. “Jews have nothing to fear from Huckabee,” said Jerry Tanenbaum, a resident of Hot Springs, Ark., and a supporter of the Union for Reform Judaism. “I never found him in Arkansas to be particularly invasive with his religion on other people’s rights.” Rabbi Eugene Levy of Temple B’nai Israel, a Reform synagogue in Little Rock, and a big fan of President Bill Clinton, offered a similar take. “I would never vote for him, but I’d love to have dinner with him,” the rabbi said, describing Huckabee as “very open and accommodating.”

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

January 11, 2008

New fund to offer courses Cheering 40 new Iranian olim Continued from page 1 Simon; other members include Fried, Mort Glass, Bill Ramsey, and Dr. Ron Roskens. Simon said the goal of the education fund is to finance two semester courses on the Holocaust for all colleges in Nebraska. The fund is a non-profit entity in partnership with the Omaha Community Foundation. While Fried’s new fund will concentrate on the college level, the Institute for Holocaust Education (IHE), a division of the Plains States office of the AntiDefamation League, has been instrumental in training high school and middle school teachers for nearly a decade. Using Echoes and Reflections (an award winning curriculum developed by Yad Vashem, the ADL and the Shoah Foundation Institute and tested in four sites, including Omaha’s IHE), more than than 400 teachers across Nebraska have attended workshops facilitated by IHE director Beth Seldin Dotan. The IHE also has partnered with the Archdiocese in offering “Bearing Witness,” a program developed for Catholic educators to understand the history of antiSemitism and the Holocaust; the IHE also co-sponsors the annual essay contest, “Tribute to the Rescuers,” with Dana College. In addition, the IHE has hosted numerous exhibits and lectures about the Holocaust, ranging from a tribute to Japan’s Sugihara, the diplomat who saved the Mir Yeshiva in Lithuania to the recent Jewish Book Month exhibit, The Journey That Saved Curious George: The Wartime Escape of H.A. and Margret Rey, with author Louise Borden and illustrator Allen Drummond. Later this month “The Jews of Sosua,” an exhibit about European Jews who escaped to the Dominican Republic, opens in the Pennie Z. Davis Gallery for Holocaust Education on the JCC campus. The IHE also will commemorate the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht in November and will recognize survivors in Omaha, including Fried. According to Alan Potash, regional director of the Plains States ADL/CRC of the Federation, “Holocaust and genocide education is important for all ages as we work to prevent these atrocities from happening again. IHE has been successful at meeting this need in middle schools and high schools in Nebraska and Iowa. In addition to being an educational resource for schools, IHE’s speakers, exhibits and special programs have been valuable community experiences.” Potash added, “The addition of NHEF as a funding source for university professors will broaden the scope of Holocaust education in Nebraska. I look forward to being a resource to NHEF.” For more information about the IHE, contact Dotan at 402.334.6575 or bdotan@adl.org. For information about the NHEF, call the OCF at 342.3582 or visit the website at www.holocausteducationfund.org.

that hanging in the balance is the fate of entire Jewish Continued from page 1 With most of those so inclined already gone, those community in a Muslim country hostile to Israel.” remaining in Iran have proven more difficult to uproot. Media outlets from all over the world carried news of The situation, would have to become very dire for last week’s arrival of the Iranian immigrants. The Jewish Iran’s Jews to abandon the country en masse, Paro said. Agency declined to respond to a request for comment There are some 20,000 to 25,000 Jews remaining in on this story. Iran, where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s repeatRabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder of the International ed condemnations of Israel and a general air of repres- Fellowship of Christians and Jews, which helped raise sion and economic the $10,000-per-perhardship has made life son grants for the increasingly uncomIranian Jews from fortable for Iranian evangelical Christians Jews. in the United States, Yet few have taken said he feared the comup the financial incenmunity was at risk. tives offered to them “It’s like sitting on to immigrate to the side of a volcano,” Jewish state. Iran’s Eckstein said. “Lava is Jews constitute the gathering but you can Diaspora’s oldest still live there. But the Jewish community, haunting question is if represent the largest the volcano were to Jewish population in a erupt.” Muslim country and, Eckstein compared according to their own the situation of Iran’s accounts, have been Jews to that of the An Israeli Iranian greets her brother, a newly arrived immigrant from treated fairly well by Jews of Europe during Iran, at Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Dec. 25, 2007. The their government. the 1930s. They too, face has been blurred to protect his identity and the identity of his famThey boast kosher he said, thought their ily back home in Iran. Credit: Brian Hendler restaurants and have neighbors would not packed synagogues and Jewish social clubs. turn on them and that the fanatical Hitler soon would Since the 1979 revolution, Islamic authorities gener- be gone. Iran’s Jews reject that comparison and say Iran ally have followed a policy that distinguishes between does not have the history of anti-Semitism that Europe Zionism and Judaism, with a tacit agreement that they did throughout the centuries preceding the Holocaust. will guarantee the Jews’ safety so long as the Jews keep In 2007, one of Iran’s most popular TV programs was their distance from Israel. But that understanding is a mini-series about the Holocaust that portrays Jews being strained, some say, by Ahmadinejad’s repeated sympathetically. calls for Israel’s destruction, denials of the Holocaust For their part, Jewish leaders in Iran, perhaps fearing and recent hostile messages in Iranian media against repercussions, quickly spoke out against the operation. Jews. “This is a misinformation campaign, a campaign of lies One Israeli journalist, Ha’aretz’s Yossi Melman, against Iran and its Jewish community,” Syamak argued in a column Monday that the unusually public Morehtzedek, the head of the Tehran Jewish nature of the arrival of the 40 Iranians last week was Committee, told The Associated Press. “We are one of dangerous in itself. He excoriated the Jewish Agency the oldest communities in Iran. for Israel and the International Fellowship of Christians We are free to practice our religion. Anti-Semitism is and Jews, which facilitated the mission and are a Western phenomenon but Jews have never been in bankrolling the $10,000 gifts, for not keeping the Jews’ danger in Iran.” Some Iranian Jews now living in Israel immigration a secret. In the past, other similar opera- said the radical positions of Iranian officialdom do not tions undertaken to bring Jews out of Muslim countries reflect feelings on the street. “People feel good, they were kept quiet out of concern for the safety of the don’t feel fear. They feel they are living normal lives,” immigrants’ families and those left behind. said Sharona Cohen. Her relatives were among those Melman asked why the Jewish Agency and the who arrived in last month’s operation. “There is antiInternational Fellowship would turn the arrival of the Semitism here and there, but nothing they feel on a 40 immigrants into a media circus “when they know daily basis.”

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January 11, 2008

Aluminum foil and aliyah JOURNAL ENTRY FROM ISRAEL by TEDDY WEINBERGER Before making aliyah, people often go on huge buying sprees, purchasing goods that are much cheaper in America than they are in Israel. These purchases range from large-ticket items like washers and dryers (especially since new immigrants are released from import taxes), to basic household supplies like paper napkins and tissues. Some people seem to view it as a goal to go through a significant portion of their new immigrant life without buying a single household item. An acquaintance of ours was incredibly bummed out when she realized to her horror that, only three months into her aliyah, she had run out of bottle-liners for her baby’s bottles and had to go out and purchase some here. While normally it would not make economic sense for an individual to ship a roll of toilet paper to Israel, when you make aliyah you purchase the space of a large shipping container, and you are charged by volume and not by weight. Thus new olim rise to the challenge of stuffing every nook and cranny of their container with goods. Unfortunately, we only realized the difference between being charged by volume and by weight on the day that the movers came. Since every single item of furniture in an overseas move is wrapped up, you are often left with a lot of dead space -- in bookcases, for example. When the movers said, “Hey aren’t you going to use this space?”, we ran like mad to our neatly packed boxes of clothes and stuffed what we could, although we were too late for a bookcase or two. If we ever make aliyah again we’ll know what to do. It therefore happened that in June 1997 I bought a very large supply of aluminum foil -- enough as it turned out to last for our first three years here. It’s hard to say exactly what I saved on aluminum foil. I know that today a 200 sq. ft. roll of aluminum foil is about $6 in the States and about $12 here. Was it worth it?

On the one hand, the price of aluminum foil hardly affects my life-style or the chances of my aliyah’s success. On the other hand, the aluminum foil and the other American goods that I shipped here represented a flavor of home--which is especially important at the start of one’s new life in a foreign country. Americans are one of the few groups in Israel who have come solely because of the pull rather than the push factor: that is, solely because they felt called to live in Israel and not because they were fleeing persecution and/or impoverishment in their home country. In many ways, the life we led in America was fruitful, stimulating, and satisfying, and those familiar American name-brands remind us of all the good that is America. The shopping list that I send my parents and in-laws in anticipation of their visits has gotten shorter and shorter over the years. Today, in most cases, I obtain American products at local stores: Heinz ketchup, French’s mustard, Pringles potato chips, Special K cereal, and Crest toothpaste are examples of American imports available in Israel. Of course, there are certain very specific items that Israel does not import: Chex cereal, Pepto Bismol, A & W root beer, Trident gum, Clorox bleach and solid white tuna (of any brand). When I receive a care package of these items (though I haven’t been able to persuade anyone to shlep bleach to me here), it’s more about a taste from my previous life and home than it is about saving money. I am happy to say that for seven years now (ever since our “aliyah” stash ran out), we have been able to afford the purchase of Israeli aluminum foil. Still, if you want to bring me some sturdy Reynolds Wrap as a house gift, go right ahead. Teddy Weinberger made aliyah a decade ago with his wife, former Omahan Sarah Ross, and their five children, two of whom now serve in the IDF. He works in the Department of education for the Jewish Agency for Israel and can be reached at weinross@netvision. net.il.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

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COMING 02.2008

Beth El readies for annual Hazak Shabbat celebration by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator The L’Chaim Chapter of Beth El’s Hazak group (for congregants ages 55 and older), has planned a special morning this Saturday, Jan. 12, 9:30 a.m., as it joins other chapters around the country in celebrating the annual Hazak Shabbat. Coordinated by Buddy Goodman, Shabbat services -- led by Hazak members -- will be followed by a luncheon featuring entertaining Jewish musical selections performed by Jonathan Rathsam and accompanied by Esther Wax.

Hazak President Jim Wax encouraged everyone in the Jewish community to attend the service, saying, “The importance of Hazak Shabbat is that once a year, Hazak members take the time to spend Shabbat morning with fellow members across this country to demonstrate the unity of our people and the importance of the synagogue and our relationship to our beliefs in our daily lives.” Cost is $9 for adults, $5.50 for children ages 6 to 12, and free for children five and younger. For more information, call Gloria Goodman at 333.3351.

Simchas+ Celebrations Publishing Date 02.08.08 Space Reservation 01.25.08 Camera Ready Deadline 01.30.08

Shabbat Shira to celebrate Israel’s 60th birthday Contact your advertising representative by CLAUDIA SHERMAN In honor of Israel’s upcoming 60th Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Cantor Wendy Shermet will be joined by soloists Jon Rathsam and Tami Field on the bimah during Shabbat Shira worship services, Friday, Jan. 18, 6 p.m., at Temple Israel. They’ll be accompanied by Julie Sandene on the piano. Shabbat Shira emanates from the Torah portion for this Shabbat which is called Beshalach from Exodus. After escaping Pharaoh’s legions across the Sea of Reeds, the Israelites sing to God in thanksgiving and praise upon reaching the eastern shore.

birthday, Cantor Shermet, Rathsam, and Field will feature music by Israeli composers including Yehezkel Braun, recipient of the Israel Prize for Music in 2001; Naomi Shemer, who was hailed as the “First Lady of Israeli Song;” Paul BenHaim, who championed Jewish national music; and Aminadav Aloni, who combined his talents as a classical pianist, teacher, musicologist, musical comedy composer, jazz artist, and highly skilled arranger. A sermon-in-song will focus on Israeli music.

to advertise in this very special edition.

Call Allan Handleman at 402.334.6451 or email:ahandleman@jewishomaha.org

Call Terri Greenwood at 402.334.6559 or email:terrigreenwood@jewishomaha.org

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

January 11, 2008

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by MARY SUE GROSSMAN The Center for Jewish Education - Administrator The study of Kaballah has long been a spiritual “high� by Jewish scholars. Then in recent years, the attraction of these mystical Jewish teachings has expanded outside of the Jewish world with Hollywood celebrities such as Madonna, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Roseanne Barr, and Guy Ritchie delving into these mysteries to “find spiritual enlightenment�. This “celebrity� interest – and the interest of many Jews - is not really Kabbalah however, rather a type of “pop Kabbalah� So what is Kabbalah really about? A body of mystical Jewish teachings based on an interpretation of the Hebrew texts as containing hidden meanings, Kabbalah literally means “receiving,� as in the study of the inner secrets of Torah. With the aim of introducing participants to the major texts that make up the Kabbalistic tradition, the Center for Jewish Education will offer two four-week sessions in February and March. Sessions will be taught by Dr. Guy Matalon, executive director of the Center for Jewish Education and Professor of Judaic Studies at the University of Nebraska Omaha. The class will read and discuss passages from many different texts that will offer a unique glimpse of Judaism that is spiritually enriching and intellectually stimulating.

Dr. Matalon will show how the inexpressible has been expressed in some of the most profound writing in existence. “This class will develop a firm rewarding foundation from which participants will seek deeper knowledge into these mystical texts,� states Dr. Matalon. The class will focus on a profound reading and understanding of the Dr. Guy Matalon ancient Jewish texts and applying them to today’s world. The first session -- “The Beginning of Kabbalah - Sefer Yetzira and the Zohar� -- is on Thursdays, Feb. 7, 14, 21, and 28, 8-9 p.m. at Beth El. The second session, “Lurianic Kabbalah and Hasidism� will be at Temple Israel on Fridays, March 7, 14, 21, and 28, noon-1 p.m. Each four-week session is unique and stands alone. The cost for each four-week session is $23, discounted to $18 for donors to the Annual Campaign of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Pre-registration is required. To register, call 334.6445 or e-mail mgrossman@jewishomaha.org.

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Among the world’s great ensembles, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra has a reputation known to even the most casual of classical music listeners. The RPO will return to the Lied Center for Performing Arts on Friday, Jan. 18, 7:30 p.m. For this performance, the RPO will be joined by Pinchas Zukerman, renowned violinist and conductor. The evening’s repertoire will include Elgar’s Serenade for Strings, Violin Concerto No. 1 by Bruch, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. Founded in 1946 by Sir Thomas Beecham, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra continues to maintain Beecham’s legacy by offering audiences the highest possible standards of music-making, accompanied by some of the most acclaimed artists of the day. Since its formation, the Orchestra has been directed by some of the world’s finest conductors, most notably Rudolf Kempe, Antal Doråti, AndrÊ Previn, and Vladimir Ashkenazy. The RPO continues to thrive, undertaking a busy concert, touring, and recording schedule, under the inspired leadership of Maestro Daniele Gatti (Music

Director since 1996). Tickets for this performance are priced from $40-$50. UNL students with a valid I.D., as well as youth age 18 and younger, may purchase tickets for half price. Call the Lied Ticket Office at 402.472.4747 or 800.432.3231 for ticket availability or online at www.liedcenter.org. The Millard North High School Drama Department presents Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In as its 2008 Winter Production in the Millard North auditorium on Friday-Saturday, Jan. 18-19, 7 p.m.; and on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2 p.m. The show is a compilation of the skits seen on the television show which aired in the late 1960s. The memorable characters played by Goldie Hawn, Arte Johnson, Sammy Davis Jr., and Lily Tomlin, among many others, are featured. The cast includes Steve Meyer in numerous roles and Anna Munzesheimer as Gladys Ormphby. Laura Adler is on the production crew. Jan Fischer is the director. Tickets, which may be purchased at the door, are $6.

IN THE NEWS To give-back to the community during their 90th anniversary, All Makes Office Equipment Co. presented a $25,000 Nonprofit Office Makeover Contest to all 501 C 3 Nonprofit Organizations in the Omaha Metro Area. The winner of All Makes’ $25,000 Nonprofit Office Makeover Contest is Angels Among Us. Angels Among Us was incorporated in April 2006 and works with the families of children being treated for cancer at hospitals in Nebraska. Angels Among Us will receive a remodeled Allsteel/HON workspace that supports their work style and organizational mission. Outlook Nebraska is the runner–up and will receive an executive office chair. Outlook Nebraska is committed to assisting the blind and visually impaired to overcome the challenges of securing gainful employment. A panel of local judges evaluated each nonprofit organization. The panel’s scores were combined with the results of the public’s votes to determine one winner. The winner was selected based on the nominee’s application of ethical business practices to execute the nonprofit organization’s mission, influence on the community, demonstration of excellence in leadership, and need for a more efficient workspace. “As we celebrate All Makes’ 90th Anniversary, it’s a great time to give back to the community. Since nonprofits must focus their resources on fulfilling their mission, they often miss an opportunity to utilize their work environment as a tool for attracting and soliciting funds for their cause. This is our opportunity to reward a deserving nonprofit organization,� said Jeff Kavich, President/CEO, All Makes Office Equipment Co. Former Omahan Jonathan Linn received a BS in Human Ecology (Family Finance) from the Ohio State University last month and is working and living in Columbus, Ohio. Sarah Linn received a BFA (with a specialty in sculpture, ceramics, glass and photography) last month from

the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is currently working as a leasing agent in Lincoln and continues to take classes at UNL. They are the children of former Omahans Pat and Mike Linn of Louisville, KY. With an audience of approximately 200 nominees, fans and supporters, Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards, Inc. presented 20 of its 58 awards for the 2006/2007 arts and entertainment season at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center. Among the winners are Best Young Actress in a Professional or Community Production (Under 18): Bailey Newman, Mrs. Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge, Omaha Community Playhouse and Best 2D Artist: Terry Rosenberg. Julie A. Rochman, a native of Omaha, has been named to succeed Harvey G. Ryland as president and CEO of the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS). Rochman, who was recently senior vice president of public affairs at the Glover Park Group, a Washington based strategic communication consulting firm, has more than 20 years of public affairs and advocacy experience representing major corporations, research and safety organizations, and issue-based coalitions. She has been both an organization and industry spokesperson and is frequently consulted and quoted by national print, broadcast and electronic media on a wide variety of topics. Based in Tampa, FL., the IBHS is a national nonprofit association funded by the insurance industry. It works to reduce the social and economic effects of natural disasters and other property loss events by conducting research and advocation improved construction, maintenance and preparation practices. Rochman is a graduate of Westside High School, Tulane University and has a Masters’ Degree in Political Science from the University of Virginia.

January 11, 2008

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

PBS film shows U.S. Jews as outsiders trying to get in FILM REVIEW by SUE FISHKOFF SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) -- When I sat down to watch The Jewish Americans, a six-hour PBS documentary set to air this month, I expected it to begin at Ellis Island. That’s the hackneyed image most often used to sum up American Jewish history: Nothing says American Jewry like an overcrowded boat sailing into New York harbor. But this film opens differently, with a lonely Jewish peddler trudging through the woods and a voice-over proclaiming, “Jews were considered outsiders.” Ellis Island does show up later -- along with the Catskills and the Holocaust -but in that first quiet image filmmaker David Grubin demonstrates his film will not be the usual chronological review of key moments in American Jewish history. Instead, this film, which cost more than $3.2 million to produce, is a fresh, intelligent take on the story of Jews in America, structured around the themes of identity and adaptation: how one small immigrant group fought its way into the American mainstream while managing to hold onto its core traditions. It is, as one on-screen interviewee says, the story of “the outsider pressing his nose up against the window and looking in.” It is also a film aimed at a general audience -- a smart audience, but not necessarily a Jewish one. Grubin told JTA he “tried hard not to do inside baseball.” Jews look good in Grubin’s film. He emphasizes Judaism’s prophetic tradition as he focuses on American Jewish contri-

butions to abolitionism, civil rights, great-grandmother, who raised nine social justice and other universal causes, Jewish children on the Arizona frontier, showing individual Jews reaching outside by pointing to the pearl necklace she is their parochial interests to make America wearing. She notes it once belonged to her ancestor, declaring, “The tradition is a better place. Jewish warts show up largely as a func- transforming again, and here I am.” It’s also great fun when Grubin gets tion of wealth: Jews owned slaves in the antebellum South, Jews were the owners famous personalities to move outside of the Lower East Side sweatshops that their comfort zone, a kind of People oppressed Jewish (and other) workers. magazine titillation for the PBS crowd. Thus we have Pulitzer Prize-winning It’s a slant, but so is the more usual “ever yone’sagainst-us-butwe-got-to-thetop-anyway” conceit at the center of some Jews’ account of their own history in this country. Much of what gives The J e w i s h Americans its lyrical beauty is its technique of Commuters on a New York City subway car on April 26, 2000 from the having living PBS documentary The Jewish Americans. Credit: Stefano Amantini/Atlantide Phototravel/Corbis Jews, famous or not, tell their ancestors’ stories. It’s a playwright Tony Kushner, usually interbrilliant device that works just as well viewed defending gay culture, talking whether it’s an unknown woman talking about his grandparents on the Lower about her family’s colonial-era matriarch East Side and his regret that young Jews or Irving Berlin’s daughter offering tid- today will never know that immigrant bits from her famous father’s songwriting generation. Michael Tilson Thomas, music director career. The technique of people telling their ancestors’ stories is also a powerful of the San Francisco Symphony, tells the illustration of how the careful transmis- colorful story of his grandfather Boris sion of tradition has preserved the Jewish Tomashevky, star of the early Yiddish theater. Supreme Court Justice Ruth community. In one particularly poignant vignette, a Bader Ginsburg relates how, in her freshwoman wraps up the story of her great- man dormitory at Cornell University, she

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and the other girls on her corridor realized they were all Jewish, as if the school had put them together “so we wouldn’t contaminate” the other students. Certainly, the thematic structure of this film and the way it dwells at length on key events and individuals that illustrate those themes means that a lot of history gets left out. The most obvious is the story of how Judaism itself grew and changed in America, a story Grubin says wasn’t his focus; he’s interested in how American Jews interacted with the greater society, not how the community developed internally. The least successful of the three twohour episodes is the last, covering the postwar period, and it is still riveting. Sections on the trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, the struggle for Soviet Jewry, the Jewish contribution to the women’s movement and Jews in the civil rights battle are excellent, particularly the filmmaker’s uncompromising look at how the black-Jewish alliance of the early 1960s broke down. But short shrift is given to the past two decades, with an awkward focus on the marginal: A meditation service, Matisyahu and “The Hebrew Hammer” don’t quite convey the full richness of Jewish innovation at the dawn of the 21st century. That final blip, however, is a rare misstep in this magnificent tale, beautifully told. The last two in the series of the The Jewish Americans, a production of JTN Productions, WETA Washington, DC, and David Grubin Productions, Inc., in association with Thirteen/WNET New York, will be aired on NET1 on Wednesday, Jan. 16 and 23, 9 p.m.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

January 11, 2008

Chabad promotes peace through Shabbat by SHEVI KATZMAN for Chabad of Nebraska Just about everyone has dreamed about world peace. Everyone has an idea on how to achieve it. Now, Chabad House, a local branch of international Jewish outreach giant Chabad-Lubavitch, is doing something about it. For an attempt at world peace, it’s not what you might expect. But it works. “Every human being has his or her vision on Utopia,” says Rabbi Mendel Katzman, Chabad’s director. “In Judaism, the Sabbath day of rest on Saturday is more than just a religious holy day on which we don’t work -it’s a practice run for living the spiritual life right here in this material world. And that’s a huge part of what utopian world peace is all about.” The One Shabbat, One World international initiative will ask worldwide Jewish communities and individuals to mark the 25-hour Shabbat beginning Friday, Jan. 18. Participants will light the traditional Shabbat candles on Friday eve and/or attend prayer services. They will also be invited to “test-drive” the time-honored Shabbat meals, complete with the customary chicken soup, kugel and other Jewish delights. In Omaha, the celebrations will begin with Shabbat candlelighting at 4:45 p.m. and Shabbat dinner at 5:15 p.m., which is open to the entire community. There will

be a simultaneous children’s dinner and program. Shabbat, the Biblically-mandated Saturday Sabbath and one of the “Ten Commandments” or essentials of Judaism, consists of not working from sunset Friday afternoon to nightfall Saturday night. Sabbath-observing Jewish communities have always historically enjoyed the respect of their neighbors of other faiths, says Rabbi Katzman. “While the Sabbath may be a Jewish thing strictly for Jewish people, there’s no question it positively impacts other people.” He added, “We believe strongly the ripple effect, a sort of spiritual chaos theory, when it comes to changing the world into the better place it can and should be. When the Jewish person observes the Shabbat, he or she creates a stable home--and anchor of absolute values in today's chaotic world. A stable home creates stable neighbors, then a stable neighborhood, then a stable city, and ultimately, a stable universe. Besides being an island in time, a retreat from the hubbub of society, Shabbat is an absolute in a world filled with uncertainty, change and confusion--a world that so desperately needs absolutes. What better way to ignite world peace than to clear a peaceful time in your life once a week?” Community members are encouraged to attend, and reservations can be made at www.ochabad.com or 3301800. For more information, visit www.oneshabbatoneworld.com.

Beth Israel’s Sisterhood offers variety of activities in January by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue January brings post-holiday sales, cold weather and more cold weather. But it also brings a number of enjoyable activities hosted by Beth Israel’s Sisterhood and the community is invited to attend. The month began with Sisterhood’s “Spirits and Spirituality” on Jan. 8, held at the home of Susie Shyken. “This has become such a popular event,” noted Beth Cohen, executive director. “We anticipate offering ‘Spirits and Spirituality’ in the coming months.” Sisterhood Mah Jongg is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 14, 1-3 p.m. at the synagogue. Everyone, including beginners, is welcome to attend. “If you don’t know how to play, not to worry,” said Cohen. “Others will be glad to show you the ropes, and before you know it, you’ll be playing Mah Jongg with the best of them.” Participants are asked to bring their card and set, if they have them. Light snacks will be served. The cost is free to Sisterhood members and costs $2 for non-members. Please make a reservation with the synagogue office. Kosher Kitchen classes continue in the month of

January, including a cholent cook-off. First, come to Beth Israel for a Kosher Kitchen class on Thursday, Jan. 24, 7:30 p.m. During the class, there will be a soup tasting, recipe sharing and cholent demonstrations. Then on Saturday, Jan. 26, during Kiddush, come to the Kosher Kitchen Cholent Cook-Off. Participants will taste the recipes demonstrated on the 24th and vote for a favorite cholent. If you have a recipe to share, please contact Kelly Kirk at kkirk@cox.net or 891.4234. Sisterhood’s Gift Shop continues to offer a wide selection of Judaica items as well as items made in Israel. “Sisterhood’s Gift Shop Chair, Bette Kozlen, has done an amazing job,” said Cohen. “Thanks to her efforts, the Gift Shop has such a variety of interesting items to choose from.” New for 2008 is the Birthday Discount where you save 15% on all purchases you make during the month of your birthday. Gift shop hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Sunday mornings by appointment. To RSVP for Mah Jongg, call the office at 556.6288.

The Everything Quick and Easy 30-Minutes, 5-Ingredient Cookbook by Linda Larsen (Adams Media, $14.95)

READ IT AND E AT Reviewed by LOIS FRIEDMAN Check out the numbers: 30 minutes and five ingredients that add up to everything quick and easy. In the busy working world, there isn’t a lot of cooking time. This cookbook, part of the “everything” series, helps manage your busy schedule. This cookbook contains 300 international one to-apage recipes with numerical instructions for the top of your to-do list with planning, organization, “judicious use of convenience and value added foods,” shopping and even budgeting. Start with deli ingredients. Plan “overlapping meals” -- use leftovers. Learn some new skills. The “Starting Out” chapter covers the Game Plan, Cooking Methods and Shortcuts (with lists of ingredients) and Techniques, followed by 14 chapters -- from appetizers through desserts with menu suggestions. This treat can be served in a bowl or piled in a baked and cooled pie crust or graham cracker crust and frozen to serve it as a pie ... top with some whipped cream and grated chocolate. Indulge your sweet tooth with this chocolate reward! CHOCOLATE VELVET 1 cup chocolate syrup 1 15-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 1 16-ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted In large bowl, combine syrup and sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping and vanilla. Sprinkle with almonds and serve immediately as a pudding or place in 1-quart casserole dish, top with almonds, and freeze until solid. Serves 8. Lois Friedman can be reached at ReadItAndEat@yahoo.com.

January 11, 2008

Life after Gush Katif by EDGAR ASHER I was not happy with the disengagement to say the least, ISRANET -- A gift of $700,000 (Canadian) from the but I decided to cooperate with the Disengagement Jewish community of British Columbia has dramatically Authority. I took the hard way the first time and I will changed the lives of 11 families who used to live in the take the hard way a second time. When we left Gush Gush Katif settlement of the Gaza Strip before the Katif the government said we have a solution for every August 2005 disengagement. settler; they didn’t and haven’t such a solution and all The money was raised by the Friends of Keren the settlers felt very let down.” Kayemet L’Yisrael: The Jewish National Fund (KKL) in About two months before the actual disengagement honor of the 100th birthday this year of Ben Dayson, a Balaban went to visit a possible site to relocate her busiphilanthropist who has donated a considerable amount ness in Mavki’im south of Ashkelon, suggested to her by of money to charitable causes in Canada and Israel. KKL. Dayson himself contributed most of the funds for this “At that time it was a nine acre sandy waste with a few special KKL project. acacia trees; in fact much of the top soil had been stolen “With this donation KKL were able to prepare the by builders over the years leaving many deep depressions entire infrastructure for greenhouses just south of the on the site,” said Balaban. “I had already missed one full Mediterranean city of Ashkelon. This means that eleven planting season and despite my cooperation with the disfamilies who were evacuated from Gush Kativ can restart engagement authority I had received no money and their businesses again due to the Canadian generosity,” would have to finance most of the move myself.” explained Araleh Lapidot, the KKL representative in Balaban agreed to move to the new location and soon British Columbia, who returned to Israel to participate KKL were sending in bulldozers to remove the acacia in a ceremony to dedicate the new project. bushes and flatten out the land. With the help of volunOne of the former residents of the settlement of Ganei teers she was able to bring about half of her plants to Tal in Gush Katif was Ronit Balaban. Balaban, who Mavki’im and erect some temporary shade to give some describes herself protection for the as a religious plants from the direct Zionist, made sun. aliyah from Money had virtually Sweden in 1971 run out as the criteria when she was that the government 16-years-old. In used for compensa1985, Ronit, tion for the settlers no now married way covered the true and with three cost of transfer. The small children, Balaban family had to went to live with move into a caravan, her husband one hour’s drive from Ya’acov in Ganei Mavki’im as they did Tal and set up a not have enough very successful money to build a business of flowhouse and refinance ering pot plants, the business. growing garde“Even today, the area nias, roses, jasof the greenhouses is mine and hibis- Ronit Balaban in one of her new greenhouses in Moshav Mavki’im. All her pres- not full to capacity cus for export in ent production is due to be sold on the European market later in the year. because there is still Credit: Edgar Asher – Isranet infrastructure work, the winter season to Europe like watering systems and Scandinavia. that have to be In 2002, installed and this takes Ya’acov was time and money. I gravely injured have to pay about by a terrorist $16,000 every month bomb near Tel to the company that Aviv. Ronit had supplied the greento make a decihouses, but I told sion what to do them I do not have about their enough money to pay, flourishing busibecause I have not ness. As she sat received proper comin the hospital pensation,” Balaban emergency added, “so the comparoom she knew ny agreed to delay that for the forepayments. I gave them seeable future a check and they she could either agreed not to draw continue to run the check until the the business, or Araleh Lapidot, the KKL shaliach (representative) in British Columbia, returned end of the payment to Israel to participate in a ceremony to dedicate the new project. The painting schedule. This will go bankrupt. She decided to on the right was done by Vancouver artist Lauri Goldberg in honor of the occa- give me a breathing continue to run sion. Around the white frame of the painting are the signatures of the donors. space.” Credit: Edgar Asher – Isranet She added, “I have the business herself with the help of her oldest child Ayelet who was to tell you I do not want one meter more than I had in then 22-years-old. Ronit’s hard work and dedication Gush Katif, I only want the government to pay me what paid off and soon 750,000 plants were being propagat- I am entitled to. When I bring the matter up they say ed on her nine acre Gush Kativ farm. ‘sue us’. I got the compensation that the government In 2004 Ariel Sharon’s government announced its decided, and it’s only about a third of what it should be plan to remove completely all Jewish settlements from in practical terms.” Gaza. Once again Ronit Balaban had to make crucial The Canadian gift has enabled the essential infrastrucdecisions of what to do. When the disengagement ture to be completed by KKL. Each of the 11 farming became a reality Ronit accepted the fact that resistance families have their own stories to tell, but it is clear that would be of no avail and she decided to cooperate with they all are grateful to KKL for giving them the possithe disengagement authority with the hope that her bility to start over again after their homes and livelibusiness could be transferred into Israel in some sem- hoods were taken from them so abruptly. blance of good order and minimal loss. Nearly everything that the 400 farmers of Gush Katif Six months before the actual disengagement, Balaban lovingly built up over the years was destroyed by the started looking for a suitable place to set up her business. Palestinians, and so they cannot even say that at least As she grew Mediterranean plants in Gush Katif she pre- they were forced to leave, but the love and care given to ferred a location south of Ashdod which had a climate the land they left is being continued by Palestinians. somewhat similar to that of Ganei Tal. Today only about a quarter of the farmers who used to “I was bitter at the government, and continue to be work in Gush Kativ have been able to transfer their busiso,” explained Balaban. “I was one of the first growers nesses to Israel. Most of these farmers will be in debt, to talk to the government about relocating our business. like Ronit Balaban, for many years to come.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 9

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

January 11, 2008

Every day is fun! first Ideal Water bottling company, and both had their last name changed to Platt. Mike’s father, who was born Marvin Cohen, became Max Platt, and Jeff has wonderful memories of him: “My grandfather was here every day,� Jeff remembers. “Someone would pick him up in the morning, and then take him back home in the afternoon. When I got a little older, I started driving him home on a daily basis, so I was in a position to have one-on-one time with him. It was wonderful for three generations, to be that close. It was a great opportunity to hear all his stories, and learn from him.� And plenty of stories there are; Mike

NEXT GENERATION IN BUSINESS by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT

The Jewish Press will publish Israel@60, on April 18, 2008. We’re calling for articles and photos from anyone who has been to Israel on a mission, teen trip or on their own, anyone who has spent a semester abroad there or a post-high school year on a program, anyone who has studied there, lived there, or lives there now. Articles can be 500-2000 words in length (but for those who don’t feel comfortable writing, a few photos and captions are welcome, too). Photos can be real photographs or digital images e-mailed to the Press to ckatzman@jewishomaha.org, with stories as attachments (in Word) or mailed to the Press at 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154.

According to the Talmud, Jews carry a responsibility in business matters that carries from one generation to the next; the Talmud further states that all fathers are obligated to teach their sons a trade. A father who fails to do so is considered as one who teaches his son ‘thievery.’ Opinions may vary about whether it is a good idea to work with family members, but Mike Platt and his son Jeff would not have it any other way; they are laughing all the way to the water cooler on a daily basis. Together they run Ideal Water, an Omaha based company that processes and bottles water. Recently they added coffee, and everything that goes with it, to their repertoire. They come by it honestly; Jeff Platt is the fourth generation in a family that first Son and father: Jeff and Mike Platt, are in business together.

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Mike Platt shows off the collection from the business’ days as a bottler of Vess Soda to today’s Ideal Water bottles. started bottling water in the early 1900s. Platt is a walking history book, and he is His great-grandfather Louis Margolin, not hesitant to share: “My father and his who was a Russian immigrant, started the siblings grew up in the soft drink business. My father went to Lincoln to operfamily in the water business. “This was before refrigeration,� ate his own business. When World War II according to Mike Platt, “so in order to broke out, and my grandfather simultachill the water, he had to ice up the water neously had a stroke, my father was wantcooler. When the price of ice kept going ed back in Omaha. He then sold the up, he started to produce his own ice.� place in Lincoln.� Max Platt had a brother and two sisters; Margolin’s Ice became such a big business, that he eventually left the water his two brothers-in-law were also behind to focus on ice exclusively, and employed by the family business. Mike built plants in Omaha, St. Louis, Kansas recalls: “Some time during the 1960s, my father and one of my uncles bought out City, and even as far as Los Angeles. Mike Platt’s other grandfather, ‘Sam the other siblings’ shares. I was already Platt’ was in the soda business: “He also actively involved with the business at that came from Russia, and he originally was time. Our primary products were Royal a shokhet (a ritual slaughterer),� Mike Crown Cola and Canada Dry.� In 1962 Royal Crown was able to prosays. “His real name was actually Platskovisky, but he changed it to Sam duce the first good tasting sugar free cola, Cohen, because when he came to and the business quadrupled in just a few America, he had a cousin here by the years. But Mike decided to leave the businame of Cohen. He figured that it would ness in 1966. “I wanted to pursue other things,� be more beneficial for him to be associated with a family member who had Mike said. “When that didn’t work out, I established himself already, so people got pretty hungry. I eventually applied at a competitor’s, and actually ended up would be able to find him.� This was especially important since Sam buying this company. I then went into did not speak any English yet. In 1916, direct competition with my family.� Sam Cohen and his brother bought the Continued on page 12

January 11, 2008

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 11

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Page 12

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

January 11, 2008

Every Day is fun Continued from page 10 Mike’s father and uncle ended up selling their business two and a half years later, and went to work for Mike. Max Platt passed away in leap year 2004. Jeff remembers it well: “He was at work on Feb. 27, went into the hospital on the 28th, and died on Feb. 29. He was devoted to the business until the very end.” Both Mike and Jeff share fond memories of the elder Platt: “My father was an instrumental part in the business,” Mike recalls, “and I wish he was around today to see what’s going on with Ideal Coffee. I bet he would be very happy with where Jeff and I have taken the business.” With such examples in front of him, it is no wonder that Jeff joined the business as soon as “he could walk and talk,” as he puts it. “I did odd jobs in grade school, and continued that in junior high and high school. After high school, as well as during the summers, I would work full time.” Jeff left after he graduated high school, but after a year and a half he decided he would rather work with his father on a full time basis. “I knew what I wanted, and my dad was happy to have me.” In 1989, the Platts sold their soft drink business, and went to work for the new owner, Mid Continent Bottlers. In 1990, Mike and Jeff decided to start for themselves again; this time they picked water over soda. The latest reincarnation of Ideal Water was born. When asked what is the most attractive part of working together, Jeff says: “It’s the team effort; two minds are always better than one. We make better decisions together than we are capable of

Campers enjoy winter activities at Chabad making on our own. We may have our differences, but I actually believe that is a positive thing. Mike has always been a great person to bounce things off of, and he is extremely knowledgeable about market conditions. “ Jeff and Mike also maintain that any business disagreements need to be put in a business context, and not made personal. “Working together as a family is 99% wonderful,” Jeff says, “Sure, we have our moments, but we are both adults and we don’t carry a grudge.” What also helps is the fact that both father and son are aware of a long tradition: they are standing on their forefather’s shoulders and Ideal Water does not exist in a vacuum. Jeff has great memories of being at his father’s and grandfather’s side as a kid. “I loved coming down to the office, and spending time with both of them,” he says. In addition to there being more than one generation of Platts, there is great employee retention: Ideal Water’s secretary, for instance, has followed in her mother’s footsteps. Both Mike and Jeff were born and raised in Omaha, and they feel a strong connection to the city. They enjoy being involved in the community and giving back. Jeff serves on the board of the Nebraska Children’s Home, as well as on the board of the Jewish Community Center. He also enjoys helping out with the Jewish Federation’s annual campaign. Mike, too, is involved with the Jewish Federation, and serves on the board of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Together, they are a team to be reckoned with: “Every day is fun,” they say, “and we enjoy coming to work each morning.”

by SHEVI KATZMAN for Chabad House Gan Israel Winter Camp, in session in Omaha over winter break, is a branch of the world’s largest and fastest growing network of Jewish day camps. Natasha Kraft, whose son Alexander, attended Gan Israel Winter Camp this session, said he wants to know “when is summer so he can go to summer camp at Chabad!” Campers enjoyed a wide range of exciting activities and field trips, including a visit to the O m a h a Children’s Museum, the SAC Museum, and Thunder Mendel Meretsky takes the Alley Extreme time to pose for the camera Entertainment while he plays at the Center. In a Omaha Children’s Museum. note to her counselor, Jessica Pfrenger, age 9, said, “Thank you for ... taking us on amazing field trips!” Some campers were more particular in their responses. Zalman Katzman, age 4, explained that “My favorite trip was to the Children’s Museum. I really liked watching the bubble show.” While doing a scavenger hunt with the airplanes at the SAC Museum, Sammy Novak, age 5, declared that “I want to move in here. It’s so much fun! And huge!” The climax of the three-day winter camp was when children and their parents attended services on Shabbat with a special Mini-Minyan just for them. Before the kiddush luncheon, sponsored in honor of the campers, Emily Kutler, age 6, was named Mini-Mensch based on

her outstanding behavior during the kids’ service. Kutler requested to play one of her favorite Gan Israel games -- “electric shock” which was a big hit! The real secret to Gan Israel’s success lies in its outstanding staff. The winter camp was directed and run by Estie and Miri Katzman, Chana Baumgarten from New York, and Pesee Weiss from North Carolina and this writer. Nina Pfrenger,

Feigy Katzman, Lily Goldberg and Pesee Weiss have a blast while sledding. age 7, expressed her appreciation to the counselors by saying, “Thank you for taking care of us!” Destiny Wiseman, age 6, repeatedly told her counselors, “I love you!” The Shabbat theme was taught through activities, stories, songs and games, part of the unique Gan Israel experience. Combined with group discussions and educational programs, these events bring to life the beauty and values of our tradition. Winter campers and their families are looking forward to the Shabbaton in Nebraska City on Friday-Sturday, March 7-8. It will feature programs for parents and kids simultaneously, including stimulating conversations, workshops, games, and five-star kosher meals. For more information or to register for the Shabbaton, please e-mail estie@ ochabad.com.

January 11, 2008

The magic of the spend/save/tzedakah plan JEWISH P ARENTING by SHARON DUKE ESTROFF “I know what I want for my birthday,” my first-grader announced upon returning from school today. “A PSP (Playstation Portable)”. “Jake” I replied, intent on giving my son perspective on how much his request would cost. “Do you realize that you could go to the dollar store and buy 300 toys for the price of one PSP?” “Really?” Jake asked, clearly pondering this revelation. “I guess I’ll just do that instead!” It’s not that my son is inherently greedy. To the contrary, he’s compassionate and generous. It’s just that he is in a developmental place where it’s difficult for him to grasp the concept and value of money. In fact, the vast majority of grade-schoolers (up to age 11) are what cognitive psychologists call concrete thinkers. That means they have a tough time conceptualizing anything they can’t physically see or touch. Money – thanks to credit cards, checks, internet PayPal accounts and the like – is a hugely abstract concept. Through the eyes of my soon to be seven year old, the difference between $300, $30 and $3 is largely inconsequential. I know it seems hard to believe that this could be so, but that’s only because we adults have the ability to think abstractly. Trust me, after a decade and a half as an elementary teacher, I can tell you that, with rare exception, the only way an early elementary-aged child is going to truly understand the quantitative distinction between these amounts is if he actually sees 300 one dollar bills piled next to 30 one dollar bills piled next to 3 one dollar bills. So how do we enlighten our concrete-thinking kiddies to the fact that - despite popular playground belief money doesn’t grow in ATM machines? With the Spend/Save/Tzedakah plan, of course! A super-concrete, positively-priceless program that helps children grasp the value of money, empowers them with financial smarts and encourages them to give back to their community, all in one fell swoop. Here’s what you need to know to get it working for your little spenders. Three Little Piggies The basic premise of the spend/save/tzedakah plan is to have our kids regularly divide their allowance into three distinct sections – one for personal spending, one for saving and one for giving. Deciding how to allocate the money (i.e. 60% spending, 30% savings and 10% tzedakah) is a personal family choice, but it’s important to make sure kids stick to their designated amounts. Spending For the Spend/Save/Tzedakah plan to work its magic, children should be required to use their personal spending money for all non-essential purchases other than birthday and Hanukkah gifts. That means our kids pay for their own popcorn at the movies, Power Ranger popsicles from the ice cream man and fruitless attempts on the “try-to-pick-up-a-stuffed-animal-with-a-metalclaw” machine. Still doubtful? Consider the following

Beth El adult education class filled with plenty of ruach

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Beth El’s new, monthly adult-education class “Nurturing Your Spirit: Enriching Your Jewish Soul,” has drawn crowds of enthusiastic students since its inception two months ago; the next class, led by Susi Frydman-Levin (pictured above, facilitating a recent session), will be held on Sunday, Jan. 13, 10 a.m. to noon. Newcomers are always welcome to join the conversation; for more information, contact the office at 492.8550.

scenarios: Shopping at Target without the Spend/Save/ Tzedakah Plan: Child: Can I get that Hot Wheels Car? Parent: No Child: Please? It’s only $1.29, and I’ve really been wanting that one. Parent: I said NO. Child: But, it’s a Hummer Hot Wheels -- with real monster truck wheels!” Parent: How many times do I have to tell you? No means no! Child: Please? PLEASE? PLEEEEASE?!!!! Parent: Okay, fine. Just put it in the cart and stop whining. (Epilogue: The same scene plays out the next day only the kid wants a pair of $70 Heelies roller sneakers). Shopping at Target with the Spend/Save/Tzedakah plan: Child: Can I get that Hot Wheels Car? Parent: Sure. You can use your spending money any way you’d like. Child: Well, I don’t really need it. I’d rather save my money for those Heelies roller sneakers. On Saving Just to clarify. The kind of savings we’re talking about here is the kind you put away for a long-term goal - like going to college or spending a high-school semester in Israel – not an exorbitantly priced toy or an overpriced outfit. The key here is to help our children move beyond the instant gratification mentality toward understanding that some things cost so much money it takes years to save and pay for them. Finally, it’s important for children to have a concrete representation of their savings progress. Have them place a sticker on a chart each time they surpass a ten dollar increment, or enroll them in a kiddie savings program that requires no minimum balance and provides monthly statements. We parents will be as excited as our kids to see how much money they are putting away for their future! Tzedakah Our kids’ lives largely exist within a vacuum. They have their families, their friends, their schools, their neighborhoods and their material possessions. They often don’t think of the needs of those less fortunate, not because they don’t care but because they are not used to thinking outside their familiar worlds. By putting a small portion of their allowance toward tzedakah each week, our children will begin to appreciate their responsibility as Jews and human beings to share their resources with the community. They’ll come to recognize that many of life’s most precious gifts come without a barcode. And that – in the scheme of things – a Playstation Portable isn’t really that important after all. For a piggy bank perfectly designed to fit the Spend/Save/Tzedakah plan, check out the Learning Cents bank at www.learningcents.com. Sharon Duke Estroff is an internationally-syndicated Jewish parenting columnist, award-winning Jewish educator and mother of four. Her Jewish parenting book, “Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah?” (Broadway Books) is now available everywhere books are sold.

Life planning vs. death planning by RICHARD M. DWORNIK, MBA, JD Most estate planning is essentially death planning. This means none of your documents have any effect until you die. If you have drafted a will, you have done death planning. Even many living trusts are nothing more than death planning documents, since they are either unfunded or don’t have any disability provisions. Did you know that in the next year you are six times more likely to become disabled than die? If you do become disabled and you are unable to manage your own affairs, what steps have you taken to insure someone will be able to step in and manage your affairs without having to contact an attorney and/or go to court? Even if you have taken the proper steps, do you have a system in place to make sure that your planning remains up-to-date? At the bare minimum you should have a Durable Power of Attorney, a Healthcare Power of Attorney, a HIPAA Authorization and a Living Will. Even if you have all these documents, you still may run into a problem if they become outdated or inadvertently revoked. Did you know that most financial institutions we have dealt with will not honor a Durable Power of Attorney if it is more than 12-18 months old? What steps have you taken to insure your Durable Power of Attorney stays current and that your Healthcare Power of Attorney is available when you need it? For more information, contact me at 402.578.6480 or e-mail richard@dwornik.com. PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

January 11, 2008

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At this time of year, I find myself wondering if J. Sterling Morton (and other more recent environmentalists, for that matter) was in any way influenced by Tu B’Shevat. In case you’ve forgotten, Morton was the man behind Arbor Day. In the 1860s he started planting shade trees and orchards on his farm here in Nebraska and soon his neighbors and the nation followed suit. Arbor Day, dedicated to the planting of trees, was eventually put on the calendar and today -- 100+ years after Morton’s death -- millions of trees have been planted and some form of Arbor Day is observed in the United States, Australia, Japan, Korea, Yugoslavia, Iceland and India. And, of course, in Israel. The New Year Of The Trees -- Rosh Hashanah La’ilanot -- is an ancient concept. Though the 15th of Shevat isn’t mentioned in the Bible, the Mishnah tells us that on this day the tithes on fruit were taken to the Temple in Jerusalem. Tu B’Shevat was also the start of the treeplanting season, the time when God determined which trees would live, which would not and how fruitful any would be in the coming year. So, could Arbor Day and other environmental concerns be rooted, so to speak, in Jewish tradition? Let’s see.... Trees loom large in Judaic legend. It is said that 120 years before the Flood, Noah planted the trees from which he later built the Ark. According to another legend, we wandered in the wilderness 40 years to give the trees in Canaan time to grow, because God wanted us to enter a land of plenty. The Bible uses trees as symbols of what is good and noble in life. The righteous man is compared to a tree with abundant fruit, and the reward for the righteous is to flourish like the palm and be strong as the cedars of Lebanon. We are to sit, undisturbed, under our fig trees. Our days should be as long as the days of a tree and our sons like olive sapling around our tables. We are told to plant myrtle and acacia and make gardens so that we, like the trees, will be planted firmly on our land. Furthermore, the rabbis went so far as to tell us that if we’re planting a tree and someone yells, “The Messiah has come!” we should first finish planting the tree and then go greet the Messiah. And to top things off we have the quintessential metaphor. The Torah, itself, is call the Tree of Life. Obviously, with all these arboreal admonitions, our ancestors understood that trees were special gifts from God. They planted them and treasured them and the ancient land of Palestine was full of goodly trees. But things change. In 70 C.E., when the Temple was destroyed, the trees were destroyed, too. The land became a desert and the long years of Exile began. Enter the Kabbalists of 16th Century Safed who developed a mystical Tu B’Shevat Seder that kept Jews in the Diaspora connected, at least symbolically, to their homeland. A seder filled with allusions to trees, the nature of man, the frailty of holiness and the flow of God’s blessings to the universe. Enter the chalutzim and the JNF of the 19th and 20th centuries who returned to the land, reclaimed the desert and made

Israel, once again, a place of vines, fig trees and pomegranates -- of olive trees and honey from the date. According to the Midrash, after God put Adam in the Garden, He took him on a tour of the place. Look at what I’ve created, God said. See how beautiful it is! Then God warned Adam that it was up to him to protect the Garden, for if man should spoil God’s creation, no one would be able to straighten up the mess. You, said God to Adam, are responsible for your environment. It was our fathers who said, “If a man kills a tree before its time, it is as though he has murdered a soul.” It was our rabbis who wrote, “The wanton destruction of trees is a sign of barbarism.” It is our Torah that teaches, “A tree is not an enemy. When in war against a city, you must not destroy its trees.” It is our religion that developed the concept of Bal Tash-chit -- do not destroy. It was Judaism that championed the idea of Tikkun Olam -- repairing the world.

It is in our folklore that we read the well-known tale of Honi, who saw an old man planting a carob tree. “How long before that tree bears fruit?” asked Honi. “Seventy years,” replied the old man. And Honi asked, “Will you be alive in seventy years to enjoy the fruit?” And the man answered, “When I was born, this world was filled with carob trees planted by my ancestors. And likewise will I plant trees for my children.” Yes, Judaism understands that man is the guardian of nature and that future generations will use this land. So, to think J. Sterling Morton’s Arbor Day is rooted in Jewish tradition is not such a stretch. From what better source could he have gotten the idea? After all, Judaism was into ecology long before it became fashionable and politically correct. Long before celebrities decided to save the rain forests. Long before the EPA was established and certainly long before Al Gore wrote Earth In The Balance (and went on to win the Nobel Prize...) This Tu B’Shevat, let’s continue what Jews started so many generations ago. Plant trees. Plant them and protect them. And then, if you listen hard enough, you may hear all the trees of the forest shout with joy. Ozzie Nogg is a freelance whose self-syndicated features take a slightly off-beat look at the history and observance of Jewish holidays, festivals and life-cycle events. For a glimpse inside her book, Joseph's Bones: A Collection of Stories, go to her website -- http://www.rabbisdaughter.com. Ozzie's blog is found at: http://themeditationsofmyheart.blog spot.com/

January 11, 2008

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 15

Families jazzed by Beth El’s new ‘Shabbat Morning LIVE!’ program by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Since Beth El’s ‘Shabbat Morning LIVE!’ program debuted last month, the feedback has been indisputable: this exciting new program is a smashing success for both youngsters and their favorite adults, and families look forward to the next fun-filled program, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 12, 10:30 a.m. to noon. Geared to children from pre-K through second grade, SML offers little ones opportunities to become familiar with Shabbat prayers and blessings, all introduced through music, puppet theater, creative movement, plus Shabbat-appropriate games and crafts. Each monthly program focuses on a particular Jewish theme or holiday; a children’s version of the Torah service is also shared, with an explanation of that week’s parasha, through a creative, child-centered approach. Led by Esther Katz (who formerly led the synagogue’s Saturday Tot Shabbat program), SML also plans to feature a variety of guest speakers throughout the year. Debbie Denenberg attended the first SML service with her children Lev and Rebecca, both 5, and commented that, “Jewish education often takes place around Shabbat -- Sunday mornings, after school, etc. But in living Jewishly, I want my children to be connected to Shabbat itself, and to be drawn to shul for community and celebration. I decided to go [to SML] because I want to support and encourage all programs that reach out to my young children.” Applauding the morning for being “planned beautifully with songs, games and activities that kept us busy the whole morning,” Denenberg added that “I

loved how Esther was able to go through the entire service, from Modeh Ani to Aleinu, and make it meaningful to children 3, 4 and 5 years old. “By the way,” she noted, “the parents also felt a sense of community and had fun together.” Ilana Segall, 6, and her sister Leora, 4, have always loved the toddler and preschool programming at Beth El, said their mother, Aviva, and the girls thoroughly enjoyed the program, which celebrated the holiday of Hanukkah. “We all liked the combination of prayer, games, Shabbat-appropriate art and movement. Both girls also liked the edible menorah!” Expressing pleasure that ‘Shabbat Morning LIVE!’ is being offered to families in the community, Segall remarked that, “It is so important for children to have positive and meaningful Saturday morning experiences. This is a great transition from Patty Nogg’s “Shabbat Tunes & Tales” program, and since Beth El’s children’s programming is so well thought out, I know they will eventually have a smooth transition to the regular Saturday morning service.” For Linda Saltzman, ‘Shabbat Morning LIVE!’ is valuable on a variety of different levels. “Not only does it teach kids about various aspects of a holiday, such as the music, symbols and food, but it teaches it in such a fun way,” she said. “When kids are young and impressionable, it is so important to make the Jewish experience a positive experience. The more familiar kids become with customs, prayers and traditions, the more comfortable they feel in a synagogue environment.” Saying she took Ari, 6, and Dina, 4, to the service because “it was a great way to get them excited about Hanukkah,”

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Saltzman added that her children “loved doing the fun, colorful crafts. The project was simple enough for them to do, and they were quite proud of their final results. We used the completed projects as Hanukkah decorations in our house.” This Saturday’s SML program will highlight the holiday of Tu B’Shevat, Esther Katz said, “so we will have our service, discuss Tu B’Shevat and do some holiday games and activities with a special Tu B’Shevat snack.” There is no charge to attend, and all families in the Jewish community are

invited to join the Saltzman, Segall and Denenberg families during this special Shabbat celebration. “Connection to Judaism can’t only be taught, it must be lived,” Denenberg commented. “The very young are not too young to learn, to grow, and to connect to their Jewish heritage. No better time and place than at shul on Saturday morning. The fliers say ‘It’s great to be a kid at Beth El.’ When I see my children celebrating Shabbat, I think, ‘It’s pretty darn great to be a grown-up here, too.’”

ORGANIZATIONS WALK-IN, DROP-IN For those members going to the IMAX on Thursday, please meet at the JCC by 10 a.m. For information call Maggie Conti at 334-6521. LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Come to the Yiddish meeting at the JCC on Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. If you have any Yiddish books to donate, please call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638. VISIONS Visions Luncheon Meeting is Jan. 18, 12:30 p.m., at the Venice Inn. Cost is $11. Don’t miss Jonathan Rathsam and his accompanist Esther Wax. Jonathan who will serenade us and Mike Silverman will install the new officers for 2008.

Send reservation form to Tootie Simon, 8725 Izard St. Omaha, NE 68114. For information, call Harry Alloy at 697.8709. Membership dues to Visions for 2008 are due. Please mail your check for $7.50 to: Visions, c/o Beverly Gilinksy, 1406 No. 126 St., Omaha, NE 68154. B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Steve Danon will speak at Breadbreakers on Wednesday, Jan. 16, noon, at Regency Lodge, according to Gary Javitch, chairman. Danon, an insurance expert, will speak on “Why People Take the Stupid Risks They Do.” All men and women in the community are invited to attend. Cost is $12 for a complete lunch and $3 for beverage service only.

DEADLINE NOTICE Please send all articles, photos and ads to the Press by Thursdays, 9 a.m., for all regular issues. Early deadlines will be announced in advance. Questions? Call 334.6448.

Page 16

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

January 11, 2008

A victory for all of us Regardless of political affiliation, all Americans should be proud of Barak Obama for becoming the first black man to win the caucus vote in Iowa. It doesn’t matter where your support finally goes; what’s important is that Obama captured the support of men and women, young and old, black, white and brown, Christians, Jews, Muslims and followers of the Maharishi. This is a first. We’ve come a long way from Alabama governor George Wallace standing in the door and barring the way to black students at his state’s university and then running for the nation’s highest office. Voters responded to Obama because of his charisma, his ability to reach out to regular, ordinary people, and frame his campaign with an uplifting and positive message. While the Jewish Press neither endorses candidates nor political parties, we do see Obama’s wins as reflecting a new spirit in America: judging people by the quality of their character rather than the color of their skin. We don’t pretend to know whether the firstterm senator will become the standard bearer of the Democratic Party as Sen. Hillary Clinton came from behind to take the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night. And the Republican side is even murkier. With former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee winning in Iowa and Mitt Romney as the bridesmaid in Iowa and NH, where Sen. John McCain came from behind to win, we’ll have to wait for the Feb. 5 Super-Duper Primary Day to answer a lot of questions. And regardless of the outcome, we hope both parties’ candidates remain above the fray and refrain from dirty politics (as usual). Running negative ads, despite the conclusion of some pundits that insist negativity works in changing minds, debases all of us. We’ve already seen the attacks on Mormonism and Evangelical Christianity when Romney and Huckabee were in the top three. Will we now see racism show its ugly face because of Obama’s lead?

It’s an interesting dichotomy. On the one hand, we have Americans of all backgrounds supporting a man with a white mother and African father. And that’s refreshing. But at the same time, we also see personal attacks -- calling Obama “not black enough” (from so-called black leaders who are realizing their brand of “leadership” has passed) to voters who insist they won’t vote for a black man (or woman of any color, or Jew or Mormon) no matter where the candidate stands on the issues. And that’s the other key here: the issues. Pundits note that this election is not so much a referendum on Bush’s Iraq War, since the surge does seem to be working. Only one candidate --Ron Paul (not likely to win the Republican nomination) -- would pull the troops out immediately. The only difference among the other candidates in both parties is the numbers and timeline. There are, however, marked differences in other areas. Health care and taxation are two that affect Americans the most. On the health care issue, Sen. Hillary Clinton not only insists that every American be covered, the premiums would be the same for each person, regardless of age or health. However, the Wall Street Journal notes that this plan would put the burden of paying for universal health care on the young (and the healthiest) who will wind up subsidizing the elderly. Sen. Obama wants universal health care, too, but his plan doesn’t mandate that everyone have it, only that it be offered.

Republicans, for the most part, are against this approach (with the exception of Romney, who supported a version of universal health care in Massachusetts which would require every one to have health care insurance or pay a fine; how the low-income uninsured will afford even the lowest policy of $250 a month hasn’t been determined). The tax issue is another biggie for the 2008 election. Who will impose new taxes (and that includes rolling back estate taxes and the Bush tax cuts) and who will hold the line is an important distinction. Whether Americans have more in their take-home pay or less, whether the stock market reflects the top candidates’ positions, whether the dollar gains strength on the currency market, and whether the U.S. deficit climbs or falls could mean that the 2008 election, like the 1992 one, will be about “the economy, stupid” and not foreign policy or terrorism. In the end, voters need to keep their eyes and ears open to the myriad of differences among all the candidates. But seeing a fresh young face (of color) was a welcome change in this too-long presidential primary season.

U.S. must work to restore image, credibility around the world

FOCUS ON ISSUES by SENATOR CARL LEVIN WASHINGTON (JTA) -During a recent visit to a hospital in Michigan, I stopped and asked a veteran who was laying on his bed, “What can we do to help you?” “Win back the respect of the people around the world for America,” he answered. Terrorism is the greatest threat to our security since the Cold War. But the struggle against terrorism has been undermined by how America is viewed in the world. To deal with that threat, we need respect and we need allies. Since the world embraced us after 9/11, America’s standing around the globe has been dramatically diminished. The unilateral policies of the Bush administration, the cockiness of some of its rhetoric, and the dramatic and vivid reports of our abusing prisoners have hurt us. A recent BBC poll found that only 29 percent of the people in the world say the United States is generally a positive influence. That number should be setting off alarm bells in Washington. Consider that one person halfway around the planet could prevent the mass murder of our citizens by informing someone in law enforcement if he overhears a terrorist plotting an attack against us. We need that informant to report what he hears, but he is less likely to

report the threat if he views America as an arrogant bully. The tarnishing of America’s image is partly the result of our decision to go to war unilaterally and the way in which the war has been conducted. But the problem goes deeper: America’s image has been most tarnished when we have failed to live up to the standards that we profess.

We must live up to our own standards, the rule of law that defines the “idea” that is America. America must always strive to be the shining city on the hill... Some congressional staff recently went to Saudi Arabia and met with senior Saudi government officials. The staff raised concerns about the highly publicized case of the female rape victim who spoke out publicly and had her sentence doubled to six months in prison and 200 lashes. Saudi officials responded with “Guantanamo” and “Abu Ghraib,” as if to say, “Who are you to lecture us about due process and human rights?” In 2002, the Bush administration decided to permit the use of aggressive, indeed abusive, interrogation techniques. Recently we learned that the CIA destroyed evidence of those interrogations. In the last Congress, the White House successfully persuaded a majority of my colleagues to pass a new law authorizing the

administration to unilaterally redefine obligations under the Geneva Conventions, to narrow the accepted definition of cruel and inhuman treatment, and to give immunity from lawsuit to senior administration officials for detainee abuses. A captain in the 82nd Airborne Division wrote to Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) about his struggle to obtain clear guidance on how his men should treat detainees. The captain posed what he called the most important question that his generation will face -- “Do we sacrifice our ideals in order to preserve security?” -- and concluded that he “would rather die fighting than give up even the smallest part of that idea that is America.” We must live up to our own standards, the rule of law that defines the “idea” that is America. America must always strive to be the shining city on the hill of which President Reagan spoke. But today that sheen is gone in the eyes of much of the world. By understanding the strength that comes when we live up to our ideals, we can regain that luster. And when, as that veteran in that V.A. hospital in Michigan urged, we win back the respect of people around the world for America, we will make the lives of our children and grandchildren and our beloved nation more secure. Carl Levin is a Michigan Democrat and the chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. This article was adapted from a Dec. 8 speech that he delivered at a recent gathering in New York City of supporters of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.

(Founded in 1920) Howard K. Marcus President Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Managing Editor Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Managing Editor Terri Greenwood Advertising Executive Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper Anne Muskin Editorial Intern Jewish Press Board Bobbi Leibowitz, Vice President; Stan Mitchell, Secretary; Scott Meyerson, Treasurer; Joanie Jacobson, Immediate Past-chairman; Susan Lehr; Jamie Meyerson; George Quittner; Eve Randone, Melissa Schop; Michael Siegel, Michael Sigmond; Jim Simon; Nancy Skid; and Dorothy Spizman. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Centers of Excellence of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Education, Jewish Family Service, and Jewish Senior Services. The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation. Highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: ckatzman@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: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org.. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be singlespaced 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, but should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. 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 more information, contact Carol Katzman, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly on Friday for $33 per calendar year U.S.; $40 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or e-mail to: jpress@jewishomaha. org.

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It’s time to stop the hypocrisy of U.S.- Saudi relationship

FOCUS ON ISSUES by NEAL SHER NEW YORK (JTA) -- King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia was stunned at the hostile reception he received during a recent visit to London. It seems our British friends are much more attuned than we to the nefarious role the Saudis continue to play in financing and fomenting terror. As Middle East policymakers and experts focus their efforts on Iraq, Iran and now the Annapolis gathering, the nation that is best described as the epicenter for terror continues to fly under the radar screen, at least in the United States. Saudi Arabia has deftly played its oil trump card while putting on its payroll an army of former U.S. diplomats who shamelessly patrol the corridors of power trying to convince us that the king is our most reliable ally in the war on terror. Rendered virtually irrelevant is a nasty bill of particulars: • 15 of the 19 Sept. 11, 2001 mass murderers were products of the kingdom and funded with Saudi money; • more than half of the foreign terrorists attacking and killing our troops in Iraq are from Saudi Arabia; • Saudi textbooks still preach anti-West and anti-Semitic hatred, trumpeting as gospel the blasphemous “Protocols of the Elders of Zionâ€?; • the Saudis relentlessly finance mosques and schools the world over that bellow deadly extremist ideology; • U.S. law enforcement officials have publicly aired their frustration at the continued financing of terrorist groups,

despite repeated requests to the Saudis to put the enablers out of business; • the Saudis’ failure to prosecute known sponsors and benefactors of terrorism. The U.S. Treasury Department has been extremely frustrated at our supposed ally, noting with contempt the great divide between Saudi promises and Saudi action. The terms most used to describe Saudi efforts in the war on terror: “passive,â€? “disengaged,â€? “little or no progressâ€? and “foot dragging.â€?

one can make a strong case that it deserves to be the legislative centerpiece of the war on terror. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that terrorist attacks need not be of Sept. 11 magnitude to have a devastating and deadly impact. The less-sophisticated operations carried out by “home-grown� fanatics are just as capable of wreaking havoc. Just ask the Brits and Spaniards; both have felt the wrath of bombings perpetrated by young Islamic terrorists who were inspired by the poison spewing from Saudi-supported mosques and schools.

Unless and until sinister activities engaged in, tolerated and effectively endorsed by Saudi Arabia are challenged head on, the war on terror is not much more than an exercise of putting our heads in the sand. While certain baby steps have been taken, they amount to no more than a drop in the bucket compared to what the Saudis have been implored to do. While the Bush administration will in no way hold Saudi feet to the fire, some on Capitol Hill are fed up. Enter U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Rep. Anthony Weiner (DN.Y.), who have introduced the Saudi Arabia Accountability Act of 2007 in their respective chambers. The legislation demands that Saudi Arabia close any entity engaged in funding or facilitating terror, and to cooperate with American efforts. Failure to do so will trigger a series of sanctions, including restrictions on arms sales. The Saudi initiative is one of the most important pieces of legislation pending on the Hill. It should be high not only on the pro-Israel agenda but on America’s national security agenda as well. Indeed,

The White House and State Department, of course, will never endorse this initiative, trotting out the disingenuous mantra that the Saudis are needed in our fight against the bad guys. Never mind that the kingdom and their American hired guns all along have been assuring us that the Saudis will stand shoulder to shoulder with us -- the empirical evidence proves the contrary. While the Saudis talk a good game, it would be the height of naivete to expect that they will undertake any of the serious measures we have been urging for years. Odds are the legislation proffered by Specter, Widen and Weiner will die on the vine, never making it out of committee; I’m afraid the Saudi lobby will win this battle easily. Indeed, similar legislation in recent years has gone nowhere, even when there was the hardest of evidence proving that the Saudi government was paying the families of suicide murder-

ers and directly supporting Hamas. One reason for the past failure was the lack of a concerted, unified push by the legendary pro-Israel lobby. The silence sent a clear message to Congress: This was not a matter of importance to the Jewish community. This time, only the Zionist Organization of America has endorsed and will lobby for the Saudi accountability measure. Unfortunately, it probably will be virtually alone in this fight. Jewish organizations would do well to remember that it was a losing battle -- over the sale of AWACS to the Saudis 25 years ago -- that for all practical purposes put it on the map. Some battles must be fought because it simply is the right thing to do. Taking the Saudis to task for being the hub of terrorism is one of those battles. Unless and until sinister activities engaged in, tolerated and effectively endorsed by Saudi Arabia are challenged head on, the war on terror is not much more than an exercise of putting our heads in the sand. The sources of financing must be dried up and the ideology of hatred must be destroyed. The Saudis have the power and the ability to make this happen. Until now they have demonstrated a decisive lack of will. The question is whether the pro-Israel community has the guts to take on this vital battle in an effort to make the Saudis see the light. Regrettably, if past is prologue, don’t bet on it. Neal Sher, a New York attorney, previously served as the director of the Justice Department’s Office of Special Investigations and as the executive director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. He can be reached at nealsher@gmail.com.

Union for Reform Judaism forges new links with Islamic Society of North America

ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW by by GARY KAPLAN URJ Board Member and Past President of Temple Israel At the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Biennial Convention in December, delegates voted overwhelmingly to launch a new program of interfaith dialogue between Reform Jews and moderate Muslims. The URJ Biennial meeting was addressed by Dr. Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). The ISNA is an umbrella organization of American Muslims, working to separate “true Islam� from local cultural practices that have been grafted onto it in many parts of the world. Over 30,000 Muslims attended an ISNA conference earlier this year when Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Reform

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Movement, spoke to them. The ISNA has demonstrated its moderate stance through its teachings/rulings, fatwas, and press releases which include: Ban on terrorist activities; Ban on suicide bombing; Recognition of the State of Israel; and Acceptance of religious pluralism. Because ISNA is an umbrella organization, the majority, but not all of its members have accepted the above statements. Although the ISNA is 44-years-old, nearly all of the its spiritual leaders in America are foreign born, because Islam does not yet have a full time seminary in the USA. There is a real shortage of leaders to teach and speak publicly on issues of living â&#x20AC;&#x153;an ethical and balanced Muslim life in contemporary America,â&#x20AC;? pointed out Dr. Mattson. ISNA recognizes the deep yearning among American Muslim professionals and middle class people for such teachers and is working to fill that gap. ISNA is committed to â&#x20AC;&#x153;marginalizing those who 6RPHWKLQJ <RXÂśYH $OZD\V :DQWHG WR 'R 5HFHLYH D

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would use Islam for nefarious purposes,â&#x20AC;? Dr. Mattson stated. She recalled the oppression of both Jews and Muslims by the Spanish Inquisition 500 years ago. They join the Jewish community in treasuring Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s freedom of religion and separation of church and state. Dr. Mattson also promised to challenge any Muslims who try to deny the Holocaust. Both Dr. Mattson and Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the URJ, acknowledged that this work will not be easy. There is great diversity of belief in both communities. Personally, I believe that 100 years ago, we Jews faced similar challenges of adapting an ancient religion to contemporary life. We received help and advice from relationships with Christians through groups like the National Conference of Christians and Jews. I hope that we can pay back that favor by helping the Muslims find positive ways to integrate their ancient religion into the modern world. It may be our best hope for peace and safety in the future.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

January 11, 2008

Candlelighting Friday, Jan 11, 4:56 p.m.

Synagogue Listings B’nai Israel Synagogue 618 Mynster St. Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker, Roger Schwartz, KETV 7 Meteorologist on “Inside T.V. Weather”. The community is invited.

Beth El Synagogue Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Omaha, NE 68154-1980 492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org

Beth Israel Synagogue Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific St. Omaha, NE. 68154 556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

Beyt Shalom An Affiliate of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation 3012 S. 119 St. P.O. Box 390352 Omaha, NE 68139 660.2395 www.beytshalomomaha.org

Chabad House An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 S. 120th St. Omaha, NE 68144-1646 330.1800 www.OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com

Congregation B’nai Jeshurun South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 S. 20th St. Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 435.8004 southstreettemple.org

Offutt Air Force Base SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway Offutt AFB, NE 68113 294.6244

Rose Blumkin Jewish Home 333 S. 132 St. Omaha, NE 68154

Temple Israel Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556.6536 templeisrael-ne.org

The Neighborhood Minyan 1317 No. 57 St. Omaha, NE 68132 551.6609

Tifereth Israel Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Services conducted by Rabbi Mordechai Levin and Cantor Gastón Bogomolni. FRIDAY: Musical Shabbat services, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning services, 9:30 a.m. led by members of the synagogue’s Hazak group; Lunch following services will feature a musical performance by Jonathan Rathsam and Esther Katz. For luncheon cost, call Gloria Goodman at 333-3351; Junior Congregation (3-7), 10 a.m.; Shabbat Morning LIVE!, 10:30 a.m.-noon. New program led by Esther Katz, for 4-8 year olds and their favorite adult(s). No charge, but RSVP to Margie in the office. Minha/Ma’ariv, 5 p.m. Sitter Service is available during Friday night and Saturday morning services, on a drop-in basis, at no charge. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAY, Bible Study Discussion Group, 10 a.m. THURSDAY: Women’s Book Club, 1:15 p.m. THE MANY FACES OF EXTREMISM: Mini course led by ADL Director, Alan Potash, Tuesdays, 7-8 p.m. during January. Cost: $18. For information, contact the office. THE ART OF JEWISH STENCILING: Make your own Judaic keepsake during this mini course taught by Daniel Christensen, Wednesdays, 88:45 p.m., during January. Cost of each class is $18. Open to the community. SISTERHOOD SHABBAT: Saturday, Jan. 19, 9:30 a.m. The congregation is invited to stay for a Kiddush lunch following services. KADIMA SHABBATON: Feb. 1–3, for sixth-eighth graders, at the 4-H campsite in Gretna. This year’s theme: ‘Judaism, The Good Life.’ Cost: $75. For more information or to register, contact Robert Mosenkis

at 492.8550, or youthdir@ bethel-omaha.org. Application forms are also available online at www.bethel-omaha.org/kadima.shtml. YOUNG FAMILIES’ SHABBATON: Feb. 22-23 at Lied Lodge in Nebraska City. All registrations required by Jan. 15. For information, call the office.

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Office Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fri., 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 4:56 p.m. followed by a Shabbat Dinner. After dinner, our Rabbiin-Residence, Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt, will speak on “Lev Banim: What the Jewish World Can Learn from Beth Israel.” Babysitting will be available during his talk. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. free babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes, 9:45 a.m. with Torah Parade; Rabbi Rosenblatt will give the sermon, “Creating a Culture of Honor.”; Kiddush is sponsored by Bruce and Linda Potash in commemoration of the yahrzeit of Leonard Potash; Mincha, 4:45 p.m., followed by Suedat Shlishit sponsored by Cynthia Follick in honor of Joshua’s birthday; Havdalah, 6:03 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; “Reading the Rambam” with Rabbi Oxman, 9:45 a.m.; Rabbi Gross’s teen class, 10 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m. MONDAY: Sisterhood’s Mah Jongg, 1-3 p.m. THURSDAY: Women of the Torah class, 9:30 a.m.; Rabbi’s Gross’s weekly class, 7:30 p.m. Make your reservations for the Annual Tu B’Shevat Seder on Sunday, Jan. 20.

BEYT SHALOM FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m. SUNDAY: Religious School, 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the JCC.

YOUR AD CAN GO HERE...

to reserve space, call

Allan Handleman, 334.6451, or Terri Greenwood, 334.6559.

Dru Sara Adde Beach, daughter of Mona Jones and Rod Beach, will become a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Jan. 26, at Temple Israel. A seventhgrade Academic Honor Roll student at Harlan Middle School, Dru participates in the Talented and Gifted program. Her interests include, cross country, track, mock trial,

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN Services conducted by Rabbi Ilan Emanuel. FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m., led by Rabbi Emanuel, with oneg following. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. all led by Rabbi Emanuel. SUNDAY: LJCS Grades 3-7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Gam Simcha through Grade 2, 9:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 10 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel; “The Jewish Americans” on NET 1, 9 p.m. ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAYS, 7 p.m. Intro to Judaism, led by Rabbi Emanuel. TUESDAYS, Jan. 15 and 22, 7-8 p.m. “Lincoln and King: Prophetic Leadership in American History” will be taught by Dr. Scott Stanfield.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. led by LOVE Members. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg.

CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Services, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Maamar class, 9 a.m.; Service, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush

BAT MITZVAH If you’re looking at this space, so are others!

luncheon follows the service. SUNDAY: Service, 8:30 a.m.; Mishpacha Mornings, 10:15 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Maamar Kabbalistic Insights for Women, 12:15 p.m. TUESDAY: W.O.W. Parsha, Prophets, and Prayer, 9 a.m.; Parshah Roundup: Weekly Torah Portion Class, 7 p.m. Kabbalah WEDNESDAY: Circle, 7 p.m. All events and programs are open to the community. For more information or to register, call the office or visit our website.

Destination Imagination, Creighton Univeristy Ad Astra, People to People, and basketball. For her mitzvah project, Dru volunteered at Ronald McDonald House. She made dinner for the house and volunteered at the Skeet Shoot fundraising project. Libby has two brothers, Wil and Jack. Grandparents are Marlene Jones of Underwood, IA, and Marilyn and Bill Beach of Sac City, IA. Great-grandparents are Pearle and Donald Norgaard of Harlan, IA.

TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. Rabbi Aryeh Azriel and Jonathan Rathsam will lead the service; Tot Shabbat and Dinner, 6 p.m. Rabbi Eric Linder will lead the service. Bring your favorite instrument. Cost for dinner is $5 for adults and no charge for children.RSVP to the Temple office, 556.6536, or mkube@templeisraelomaha.com. SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m.; Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Teacher Learning Coffee, 9 a.m.; Religious School (K-6), 10 a.m.; Prayer Assembly, 10 a.m.; Four Bs: 10:30 a.m. Know Thy Service: A Guided Tour. Rabbi Linder and Cantor Shermet will take you on a guided tour of the prayer book. SITTER SERVICE: Available Wednesday evenings during Family School hours, Friday evenings service except when there is a Tot Shabbat, Saturday mornings when there is a B’nai mitzvah, and Sunday mornings during Religious School. Advance reservations and a $5 donation appreciated. Young children, including infants, are welcome. TUESDAY: Hebrew Lunch & Learn, 12:15 p.m.; Executive Board Meeting, 6 p.m.; Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m.; Book Club, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; OTYG Guitar Hero, 5 p.m.; All School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Family School, 6 p.m.; Grades 712, 6 p.m.; OTYG Social, 7:45 p.m. THURSDAY: “Adult Study with the Clergy” with Cantor Shermet, 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 18: Parent/Toddler Class, 9:30 a.m.

NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN FRIDAY: Minyan, 4:56 p.m. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Services conducted by Nancy Coren, Lay Leader. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. MONDAY and THURSDAY: Minyan, 9 a.m. Contact the office to arrange for a minyan. FRIDAY: Services, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m. followed by kiddush lunch and Talmud study; Game Night, 7-10 p.m. SUNDAY: LJCS Grades 3-7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Gam Simcha through Grade 2, 9:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. at South Street Temple; Hallah High, 10 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple. TUESDAY: The Women’s Lunch group will meet at Olive Garden, noon. If you need a ride, call Marcia Kushner. WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Contact Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066; Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. ADULT EDUCATION MONDAYS, 7-8:30 p.m. Hebrew Reading Crash Course One Day Review and Module II If you know your Aleph-Bet, why not try Adon Olam?

To Submit B’nai Mitzvah Announcements Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewishomaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, by e-mailing the editor at: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org or online at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Submit other announcements -- births engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at the Federation website: www.jewishomaha.org.

January 11, 2008

Parashat Bo? (Not Pellini)

SPARKS FROM THE WORD by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Bo Our Sidra obliges Moses, at the word of the Lord, to come to Pharaoh and demand the freedom of the Jewish people. Notice that the word is to “come” to Pharaoh, not to “go” to Pharaoh. There is an interesting implication here: if you are talking to someone and say “please go to the bank or grocery store or the theater this evening,” that is one thing, but if you say “come” it means you are already there and wish him to join you. The implication is simple but profound. It suggests that the Lord is with Moses and with the suffering people of Israel and they are not away and distant from Pharaoh, but already in the neighborhood of distress and must now only turnabout from the suffering people and address the mighty emperor of Egypt. Why is the implication important? It suggests what later Jewish tradition was to say, that God is always with Israel. If Israel is in distress, God is there. If Israel is in exile, God is in exile as well. Thus, already the implication suggests that the Lord has placed his power for Israel’s benefit and will deny it to the oppressive Pharaoh. This feeling stood the House of Israel supplied with important ammunition over the long centuries. One need not repeat any list of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune against Israelites and Jews over the centuries to know that Jews never doubted that the Lord was with them. Their faith was a constant source of strength and sustenance, “spiritual to be sure” -but the spiritual strength translated into physical ability to withstand difficulties of many kinds over the long centuries until our own time. Jews need not pray that God join them: they have always know that God is with them. This does not imply that God is against anyone else: it allows the Lord’s presence to be with all His children everywhere, but Israel assures itself that it is not excluded. God is certainly with the House of Israel.

Dancing through Shabbat After Friday night services last month at B’nai Israel in Council Bluffs, Cheryl Lerner demonstrated the shtetl dances of Eastern Europe. Interwoven in her presentation was a brief history, but during the Oneg Shabbat, congregants wanted to attempt “just one more” dance. This month’s speaker in the series is Roger Schwartz, KETV meteorologist, who will disclose what’s “Inside TV Weather”, Friday night, Jan. 11, 7:30 p.m. The community is invited.

To Submit Announcements to the Jewish Press: Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewishomaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154 (with photos we will scan and return). Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, or by e-mailing: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org. Readers can also submit other announcements -- births engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements. Deadlines are normally eight days prior to publication, on Thursdays, 9 a.m. Check the Jewish Press, however, for notices of early deadlines prior to secular and Jewish holidays.

DEATHS

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Teach your kids it’s easier to never start. It’s up to you to provide the information they need to say no to drugs.

ARNOLD GARTH KAIMAN Former Omahan Rabbi Arnold Garth Kaiman died Dec. 31, 2007, in West Bloomfield, MI, at the age of 73. A graveside service was held on Jan 4 at BHH/Fisher Farms Cemetery. After graduating as class valedictorian of Central High School in 1951, he attended Yale College, the University of Cincinnati, the University of NebraskaOmaha, and Hebrew Union College-Cincinnati, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a Masters of Arts in Education and Hebrew Letters, all with summa cum laude honors. He earnedhis Doctor of Divinity from the Hebrew Union College and an Honorary Doctor of Divinity from the University of London, England. Rabbi Kaiman spent 36 years (1958-94) as an ordained Reform Rabbi, serving in positions in Colorado Springs, CO (at the U.S.. Air Force Academy), Philadelphia, PA, Larchmont, NY, Los Angeles, CA, and Chicago and Skokie, IL. He was the first Jewish U.S. Air Force Chaplain in the history of the Air Force Academy. He is survived by his sister Myrna Rosenberg of Grand Island; son, Joshua Lee Kaiman of Irvine, CA; and daughter, Kimberly Rachel Kaiman of New York, NY. Memorials to the fund of choice within the Union of Reform Judaism, at: www.urj.org/give. BERNARR JONISCH Former Omahan Bernarr (Bernie) Jonisch, died at the age of 82 on Jan. 1, 2008, in Phoenix after a prolonged illness. After losing his parents at a young age, he was raised by his three older sisters: Anne Katzman and Lillian Steiner (both deceased) and Sylvia Rosenstein, who lives in Philadelphia. Although he studied commercial art at the Kansas City Art Institute following World War II, he worked for nearly 30 years as a sales executive with Riekes and Sons and then Alco Standard in Kansas City and then Omaha. He is survived by his wife, Sally; daughters and sonsin-law, Terri Jonisch and Joel Lowell of Los Angeles, Carla Jonisch-Adams and Sam Adams of Dallas, and Randi and Mike Kennedy of Phoenix; and three grandsons, Evan Lowell, Kyle Kennedy and Max Kennedy. Memorials to the Kivel Campus of Care, the Phoenix Jewish Community’s Home for the Aging, 3020 No. 36 St., Phoenix, AZ 85018; or the American Cancer Society.

Page 19

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PEGGY KRASNE Peggy Krasne died Dec, 31, 2007, at the age of 88. Services were held Jan. 3 at Temple Israel Cemetary She is survived by her husband, Leonard “Chris” Krasne; daughter and son-in-law, Penny and Randy Endelman; son and daughter-in-law, Jim and Debbie Krasne of Scottsdale, AZ; grandchildren, Jamie and Troy Meyerson, Tony Endelman; Julie Grimes, Amy and Jay Neilsen; and six great-grandchildren. Memorials to charity of choice. PAULA MANDELL Paula Mandell died at the age of 48. Services are being held this Friday, Jan. 11, 4 p.m., at Fontenelle Forest in Bellevue. She is survived by her husband, Steve Christensen; daughers, Lauren and Abby Mandell, and Tess Mandell of Rochester, NY; sisters, Marci Mandell of San Rafael, CA, and Terri Mandell of Eugene, OR. Memorials to the Jewish Federation of Omaha, Planned Parenthood Federation of America or the American Cancer Society. SYMA (SONIA) FRAIDENRAICH Former Omahan Syma (Sonia) Fraidenraich died Jan.1, 2008, in Toledo, Ohio. Services were held Jan. 4 in Toronto with Rabbi Wayne Allen officiating. A survivor of the Holocaust, she was a longtime member of Beth El Synagogue. She was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Joseph H. Fraidenraich. She is survived by daughters and sons-in-law, Leah and Donald Connor, of Toledo, Karmela and Jerry Klasner and Barbara and Howard Freedman of Toronto; grandchildren, Joshua, Michael, Adam, Daniel, Sara, Lorne, Mark and Sherri. Memorials to the Benjamin Foundation, 3429 Bathurst Street, Toronto, M6A 2C3.

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Page 20

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

January 11, 2008

Throughout his career, Obama has reached for Jewish support AMERICA DECIDES 2008 by RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Ask about Barack Obama’s natural constituencies and you might hear that he’s the first black with a viable shot at the White House, or about his Kenyan father and his childhood in Indonesia, or the youthfulness of his followers, or the millions of Oprah junkies swooning over his candidacy. The charismatic senator made history Jan. 3 by winning the Democratic caucus in Iowa, however his predicted win in New Hampshire did not materialize as Sen. Hillary Clinton won with a slim margin. What you might not hear is that the Illinois senator, has made Jewish leaders an early stop at every stage in his political career. In his first run for the Illinois state Senate in 1996, he sought the backing of Alan Solow, a top Chicago lawyer. Eight years later, running for the U.S. Senate -- long before he became the shoo-in, when he was running in a Democratic field packed with a dozen candidates, including some Jews -- one of his first meetings was with Robert Schrayer, a top Jewish philanthropist in Chicago. When he launched his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in late 2006, he named as his fund-raising chief Alan Solomont, the Boston Jewish philanthropist who helped shepherd Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) to the Democratic candidacy in 2004. And he chose a March gathering of the pro-Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, to deliver his presidential candidacy’s first foreign policy speech. “Some of my earliest and most ardent supporters came from the Jewish community in Chicago,” Obama told JTA in 2004, after his keynote speech galvanized the Democratic convention in Boston. Three years later, addressing the National Jewish Democratic Council’s candidate’s forum, he made the same point when he was asked about his ties with Arab Americans and Muslim Americans in Chicago. “My support within in the Jewish community has been much more significant than my support within the Muslim community,” Obama said at the April forum, adding that “I welcome and seek the support of the Muslim and Arab communities.” His Jewish followers are fervent, distributing “Obama ‘08” yarmulkes early in his campaign. His rock-star status and the relationships Obama has

built in the community have helped avoid murmurings He has led the effort in the Senate to pass legislation about his otherwise notable divergences from pro-Israel that would assist U.S. states that choose to divest from orthodoxies. Iran. His top Middle East In his AIPAC speech, for example, adviser is Dennis Ross, who Obama favored diplomacy as a means had the job during the of confronting Iran’s suspected Clinton administration and nuclear weapons program. who since has principally “While we should take no option, blamed the Palestinian leadincluding military action, off the ership for the failure of the table, sustained and aggressive diploOslo peace process. macy combined with tough sanctions And in recent speeches, should be our primary means to preObama tweaked his provent Iran from building nuclear Israel rhetoric to echo the weapons,” he said. recent drive by the Israeli AIPAC does not oppose diplomacy government and pro-Israel in engaging Iran, but dislikes it as an groups to insist on recogniemphasis, believing that talks could tion of Israel as a Jewish buy the Iranian regime bomb-making state. time. But his words did not stop the “I think everyone knows Chicago hotel ballroom packed with what the basic outlines of an 800 AIPAC members from cheering agreement would look like,” on Obama. he said in a speech redistribA few weeks later, Obama drew uted by his campaign. “It more rubberneckers than any other would mean that the Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) candidate attending AIPAC’s policy Palestinians would have to Credit: David Katz reinterpret the notion of forum in Washington, drawing away onlookers from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), right of return in a way that would preserve Israel as a although she outpolls Obama among Jewish voters. Jewish state. It might involve compensation and other No one winced when he said that Palestinian needs concessions from the Israelis, but ultimately Israel is not must be considered in working out a peace deal -- hard- going to give up its state.” ly standard AIPAC pep talk. He made the same point at On domestic issues, Obama is savvy about Jewish the NJDC event. social justice commitments and is on a first-name basis “It is in the interests of Israel to establish peace in the with two of the top Jewish religious lobbyists in Middle East,” he said. “It cannot be done at the price of Washington -- Rabbi David Saperstein of the Reform compromising Israel’s security, and the United States movement and Nathan Diament, who represents the government and an Obama presidency cannot ask Israel Orthodox Union. to take risks with respect to its security. But it can ask That connection, however, is not enough to supplant Israel to say that it is still possible for us to allow more Clinton among Jewish voters. In a recent American than just this status quo of fear, terror, division. That Jewish Committee poll, Obama’s favorable rating was can’t be our long-term aspiration.” 38 percent, while Clinton’s was 53 percent. Early in his campaign, Obama handily killed an IsraelClinton also is being backed by most of the Jewish related controversy in its early stages. At a chat he had congressional delegation. Her years as first lady and sensaid that “no one has suffered more than the ator have made her a more familiar presence among Palestinians.” Jews. Public policy groups are likelier to favor her Blame the leadership was what he meant, explaining uncompromising approach to pushing universal health later during an MSNBC debate, “What I said was, care, as opposed to Obama’s appeal to build consensus nobody has suffered more than the Palestinian people on the issue. from the failure of the Palestinian leadership to recogObama’s appeal is in his broader vision, according to nize Israel, to renounce violence and to get serious Solomont. about negotiating peace and security for the region.” “This election will be about change: a change in govObama tempers his deviations from pro-Israel ortho- ernment and the way politics is conducted,” he told JTA doxy by going the extra mile in areas where he agrees in May. “There is a connection between gridlock and the with groups such as AIPAC. smallness of our politics.”