Sponsored by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Endowment Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA
Into the Storm
January 11, 2013 29 Tevet 5773 Vol. 93 | No. 17
This Week
Making their pledge Page 5
Incredible experiences in Israel Pages 6&7
by JULIANNE DUNN HERZOG the streets of New York, seeing the sights, visiting the theater This is part one in a threeand restaurants and apparently part series about the afterhaving a great time. It was not math of superstorm Sandy. what I expected. Part two and three will follow I spent all Sunday in orientaduring the coming weeks. tion and met what would I received the e-mail in early become my core Gang of 6, November, 2012 – an urgent which became not only a suprequest for volunteers to proport group but also a “getvide disaster relief for New things-done” group beyond York City victims of compare. In the days to come, Frankenstorm (downgraded I relied on this group to get me from hurricane) Sandy. I supplies, which I often could responded immediately that I not get through regular chanwould go. A computer glitch nels. Dianne Downs, one of delayed my departure until the nurses, was so good at Nov. 17, 2012, when I flew out acquisitions that we called her of Omaha to New York’s La “Radar” after the MASH charGuardia Airport. acter of the same name. When I arrived that Saturday Our Gang of 6 briefly became afternoon, I was surprised to 7 when Esther Rachel Jones, a see that La Guardia showed no new LPN from Tennessee signs of the flooding I had seen Volunteers unloading heaters donated by National Grid who have been an amazing partarrived. Rachel was probably on CNN only days before. ner on the ground. the hardest working nurse of us When I reached midtown Manhattan, there were no visible walks, but I learned that there is there is always remodeling and all. She is studying to convert to signs of storm damage there either. always scaffolding over the side- reconstruction on the buildings Orthodox Judaism and needed to There was scaffolding over the side- walks in parts of New York because above the scaffolds. Crowds walked Continued on page 3
Professional seminar underwritten by Yale Richards Endowment by MARY BORT Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation In November, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation
Some gun owners ready to consider control measures Page 12
The classical sounds of Duo Dmitri
at Boys Town Conference Center. Edward J. Beckwith was the featured speaker at the seminar, “Tools, Techniques, Traps and Tripwires: A
Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam
8 10 11
This Month
Duo Dmitri
The Women’s Issue See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press
Marty Ricks speaking at the Yale Richards Professional Education Seminar in November 2012. was pleased to host the Yale Richards Professional Education Seminar held
Private Wealth Planner’s Survival Guide for 2012 and Beyond.” Beckwith is a partner with BakerHostetler, Washington, DC. He serves as counsel for affluent families and charities across the country and is the national leader of BakerHostetler’s tax-exempt practice. Beckwith is nationally recognized in the legal and administrative specialties which concern establishing and guiding the operations of charitable and educational Continued on page 2
by BOB GOLDBERG Director of Strategic Initiatives, Jewish Federation of Omaha In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Dec. 6, 1987, march on Washington to free Soviet Jews, the Jewish Federation is hosting a 2013 Annual Campaign event featuring a free classical music concert with two world-renowned musicians. The performers are natives of Moscow, Luba Agranovsky and Dmitri Kasyuk. Both Luba and Dmitri are graduates of the Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow and winners of numerous Russian piano and flute competitions. They moved to Jerusalem in 1990.
Since winning both the Israel Broadcast Authority Competition (Jerusalem) and the “Carlo Soliva” International Chamber Music Competition in Casale Monferrato (Italy), their International careers have taken off. The Duo has made numerous recordings for Israel Radio and Israel TV and also has made highly successful appearances with Israeli Orchestras as flute and piano soloists. During the last ten years they have been performing regularly as a duo and solo performers in music centers throughout Germany, Italy, England, Scotland, Russia, Israel, USA and Canada. Continued on page 2
2 | The Jewish Press | January 11, 2013
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Continued from page 1 Director of the Milton S. and Corinne N. Livingston organizations, healthcare institutions and trade associations. Foundation for 28 years. Approximately fifty people attended the day-long seminar In recognition of his valuable service to the Jewish comthat offered professional conmunity of Omaha, the Livingston Foundation estabtinuing education credits. lished the Yale Richards Professional Education Attendees included area Endowment Fund in 1998 with the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. attorneys and accountants The purpose of the fund is to help cover the costs of who work with philanthropic periodic seminars for professional advisors and interorganizations, as well as othested donors. “Thanks to this fund, we were able to ers with an interest in charitabring in a national expert in private wealth planning,� ble giving. explained Marty Ricks, former Foundation Executive Federal fiscal and tax poliDirector. cies, estate planning, creative Howard Epstein, new Foundation Executive Director, trust planning and profeswas among those who attended the seminar. “I was sional ethics were covered impressed by the wealth of information provided by during the seminar. The last Edward Beckwith. He touched on a number of very session pertained to maxiimportant issues that can make a significant difference mizing the benefits of charitaFeatured speaker at the seminar, in how you advise potential donors.� ble giving. Edward J. Beckwith. To find out how you can establish an endowment fund Yale Richards was a senior partner at the firm of Marks, Clare and Richards, LLC for to support a specific purpose such as an educational semimany years. He also served as counsel and Executive nar for the community, contact Epstein at 402.590.2156.
Duo Dmitri Continued from page 1 Ms. Agranovsky and Mr. Kasyuk came to the USA in 1997, where they have continued their education and musical careers. This included Ms. Agranovsky’s appearances with the Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music Series with Maestro W. Sawallisch (1998-2006) and Mr. Kasyuk’s performances as a Principal flutist in Spoleto Festival, Italy (1998,1999) and Concert Series with Philly Pops Orchestra (2000-2002). In addition, the duo has performed more than 400 recitals throughout the US. This 2013 Annual Campaign special event is Sunday, Jan. 27 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in the theater with a reception
following the concert. You will have the opportunity to make your pledge to the 2013 Annual Campaign, if you have not already done so. This free concert is made possible by support from the Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Family Endowment Fund and the Sokolof Javitch Music Fund, both of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. Please join us as we look back on this important chapter of our community’s history. We anticipate a full house for this special event, so please take a moment to RSVP to Bob Goldberg at 402.334.6431 or at bgoldberg@jewish omaha.org.
Omahans participate in history making demonstration by OLIVER POLLAK Reprinted from Dec 11, 1987 edition of the Jewish Press The Monday morning New York Times headlines, “March by 200,000 in capital presses Soviet on rights.� USA Today proclaimed “Rally cry: Let our people go.� An historical event had taken place, and due to the support of the Omaha Jewish Federation, over 50 Omaha Jews, teenagers and adults had been privileged to take part. Beyond the astounding number of Jews gathered in common cause, beyond the speeches of Elie Wiesel, Mayor Koch, Senator Robert Dole, refusenik Natan Sharansky and Vice President Bush, I felt a deep sense of historical significance and irony in the events that transpired on Summit Sunday. “Let my people go,� the universal idiom, captures the gulf between freedom and its absence. It had been transformed into “Let our people go.� The first beseeches the Almighty to intervene, to smite the oppressor and to part the waters. However, in the contemporary world, devoid for the most part of miracles, people must take responsibility for freeing themselves. In the wake of the pogroms, the Czar and his advisers did not oppose the mass flight of Jews from Russia’s western borders. Holy Mother Russia was pleased to be rid of an alien minority. Between 1881 and 1910, 1,119,059 left Russia for the Goldene Medina, an average of 38,588 per year. In the next four years, two million came from Eastern Europe, Russia, Austria-Hungary and Rumania. The First World War led to the overthrow of the Czar and the establishment of the Soviet Union. Communist ideology opposed traditional religious ideas and capitalist economics. Fearful of the West and counter revolution, they sought uniformity and loyalty among its citizens. The Iron Curtain, Winston Churchill’s phrase, established a cordone sanitaire. The West wanted to prevent the spread of communist infection into the European body. And the Soviets, defensive by nature, did not want the outside world to learn its national secrets, exploit internal discontent of shortcomings, or benefit from Russia’s educational investment in its citizens. The result was rigid emigration control. There are between 1.8 million and 2.5 million Jews in the Soviet Union, the world’s third largest Jewish population after the United States and Israel. About 385,000 Soviet Jews have applied to emigrate. In 1979, the peak of emigration, 51,320 left. In 1986, 914 left. And so far in 1987, 7,300 have left. Joseph Stalin’s excesses, the Cold War, Nikita
Khrushchev’s shoe pounding at the United Nations, brinksmanship during the Cuban missile crisis, DĂŠtente and the frosting over of American-Soviet relations following the invasion of Afghanistan are fresh in our American memories. The Nazi Holocaust, the creation of the State of Israel and the military threats to her existence are fresh in our Jewish consciousness. Decolonization, the Black civil rights movement and the women’s struggle, Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King, the preachings of equality and the imposition of one’s body in a human movement to right a wrong are not forgotten even in the passive and Yuppie 80’s. Russia, Jewish survival and a principled peaceful method of demonstrating all came together on the Mall on the eve of the visit to the United States of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. As we walked from the Ellipse on Constitution Avenue, I spoke with fellow Omahans. Susan Gurwitch, a junior at Burke, wanted to be in Washington with everyone. Betsy Newman, a dance instructor, was there because it was a Jewish cause she believed in. Joshua Parilman, a seventh grader, had a sense of being in history. Jon Heimberg, a philosophy senior at Creighton University, cares deeply about Soviet Jews. Emmy Krasovitsky and her 17-year-old son came to Omaha in 1975. One of five Russian families in Omaha, they wanted to support and participate in this great experience. Ally Milder, candidate for Congress, was among the Omaha contingent. Chris McLain, a legislative assistant to Senator Exon, marched with a sign. Almost a quarter of a million Jews on the Mall speaks to the solidarity of the American Jewish community and its unflagging concern for its brethren in Russia, Israel, Ethiopia and anywhere they are under duress. It speaks to influencing American foreign policy and Soviet domestic policy. Within the view of the Washington Memorial and walking distance of the Vietnam and Lincoln Memorials, the concerted action of American Jewry, on December 6, 1987, shall go down as a day that will live in posterity. What is one life worth? What is one freedom worth? What would it be worth to make this the last generation of Jews without freedom of religion and movement? As one of our signs said, “We’re not anti-Soviet. We’re proJewish.â€? Editor’s note: this article was edited for length. The full text can be found on www.jewishomaha.com.
January 11, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 3
Into the Storm Continued from page 1 We got out of the bus at Seba Street and walked a block locate a midtown orthodox shul for Shabbat services. and a half to the Volunteer Fire Department. As we walked, Neither of us had a clue how to do that, so I called home to I saw more cars parked oddly on either side of the street. Omaha to my husband, David Herzog. He called Rebetzen Moisture inside the cars was a tell-tale sign. Many had wax Katzman in Omaha. Within 24 hours, I had a name, a loca- pencil markings of insurance companies in the back wintion and an invitation to dows. One insurance attend services and dinner company showed up in so from the rabbi in New many back windows that I York. Regrettably, we did made a mental note not to not get to attend services buy their stock for a while. because Rachel had to As you have guessed by leave to attend to her son now, these were cars and his friend who were in which were parked when an automobile accident in the waves came up Tennessee. Her son is all Gerritsen Avenue from right but his friend is still the ocean and across from in a coma. Her service was the Bay. The waves rode brief but memorable. over the tops of the cars Monday morning could and flooded out each and not come soon enough for every one. There were me. Although many of the probably thousands of RNs and paramedics had ruined cars on Gerritsen rental cars, my assigned Avenue and on each of the partner did not. He had side streets leading to the been in New York City for Avenue. This was a tiny two days and had already fraction of the total numlearned the subway sysber of destroyed cars still tem. A ride on the Q train left on the streets of the and two buses got us to five boroughs. our first assignment in On the side streets, Gerritsen Beach, next to the ruined cars, lay Typical damage to beach houses on the barrier islands. Brooklyn, New York. We piles of smelly, sodden were told to go to a volunteer fire department station to wood, household goods, rotten drywall and other debris assess the needs of the neighborhood. left from gutting the houses so reconstruction could begin. The first thing I noticed as we approached our stop was Although Gerritsen Beach was designated a rapid-response that there were cars parked every which way on the side- neighborhood, which meant, I think, that the city of New walks and on either side of Gerritsen Avenue. The second York would send in carpenters, electricians and plumbers thing I noticed were several groups of twenty foot tall lights to put the houses to rights, the removal of water soaked and huge silent power generators. The third thing I noticed lumber and drywall and home furnishings was still underwas a great big white tent on the parkland on one side of the way three weeks after landfall. To complicate matters, the avenue with two recreational vehicles parked near a huge weather had been mild so people had not yet taken their and noisy working generator. It turns out that this was the winter clothing out of their basements. FEMA tent and RVs housing FEMA staff.
Jewish unity and the Bible by LEONARD J. GREENSPOON and BARRY L. SCHWARTZ Fifty years ago the American Jewish community came together to celebrate a milestone achievement of Jewish scholarship -- a new English translation of the Torah. In 2012 we have celebrated the jubilee of The JPS Torah (1962) and at the same time observe the 20th yarzheit of its esteemed editor-in-chief, Professor Harry M. Orlinsky. It is fitting to pay tribute to a great man and a great accomplishment, but also to the expression of Jewish unity in the service of the Jewish people that this new translation represented. For The JPS Torah was in truth the feat of a dedicated team of scholars and rabbis who represented almost the entirety of the American Jewish community. This team would work for a decade to translate the first five books of the Torah and another two decades to complete the entire JPS TANAKH, which would become the Bible of record in the English speaking world. The JPS TANAKH would transcend denominational boundaries by providing the translation for The Torah: A Modern Commentary of the Reform movement, Etz Hayim of the Conservative movement, The Jewish Study Bible, The JPS Bible Commentary series, and most recently The JPS Rabbinic Bible (Miqra’ot Gedolot). The translation thus became a standard reference in a multitude of synagogues, day schools, universities and seminaries around the world. Hundreds of thousands of copies have been given to b’nei mitzvah and confirmation students, to brides and grooms, to Jewish soldiers... even to tribes in Africa reconnecting to their Jewish roots. Harry Orlinsky, our teacher and mentor, was a brilliant but avuncular scholar who knew how to speak plainly and bring diverse personalities together. On May 10, 1953, he rose to address the Jewish Publication Society’s annual meeting with a speech entitled: “Wanted: A New English Translation of the Bible for the Jewish People” (our emphasis). Orlinsky insisted that we needed and deserved a new translation that would serve the Jewish people at large by speaking in the language of contemporary English Continued on page 4
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4 | The Jewish Press | January 11, 2013
Temple Israel members serve holiday lunch
Matzah Ball Bash
by DAVID GOLBITZ the street, we did provide food for some who exceeded previous years. Temple Israel Staff Writer came in out of the cold.” “This was really one of our most successOn Christmas, about a dozen Temple Gendler, who has been volunteering at ful years in the amount of food prepared and Israel congregants volunteered at the donated by Temple members,” Gendler Stephen Center homeless shelter to help said. “And this time of year having the serve a holiday lunch to the individuals extra food is a huge help, particularly since the numbers grow as the temperaand families who reside there. ture drops. The leftovers are also imporHeaded up by Larry Gendler, the tant since they can be used as lunch and Temple Israel contingent, including Beth dinner the following day, and for sandBrodkey, Debbie and Steve Chasen, wiches for those who take meals with Dennis DePorte, Jill Idelman, Susan Lehr, Dan Marburg and his son Solomon, Jon them if they are working.” Meyers, Jennifer Meyerson, Iris and Temple Israel members served turkey, Martin Ricks, Claudia Sherman, Louri brisket, chicken, potatoes, corn, green and Charlie Sullivan, and their kids, Josh, bean casserole and salad, with cookies Rachel and Tommy, and Allyson and pie for dessert. Wilczewski donated and prepared food Whenever a month has a fifth Sunday, for approximately 80 people at Stephen volunteers from Temple Israel, led by The leftover food from the Stephen Center Christmas Center, near 27th and Q streets. Don’L Dacey, visit Stephen Center to serve meal helped feed the residents all week. “Probably ten or more were very meals. young children,” Larry Gendler said. “And, Stephen Center for about eight years, said “None of us do this for publicity,” Gendler although we don’t typically serve folks off the amount of food donated this year said.
Jewish unity and the Bible Continued from page 3 and incorporating the best of modern scholarship while still showing reverence for the traditional (Masoretic) Hebrew text. Representatives from all three rabbinical organizations, the Central Conference of American Rabbis (Reform), Rabbinical Assembly (Conservative) and Rabbinical Council (Modern Orthodox) answered the call. Orlinsky brought to the Jewish community a new approach to translation that favored the functional meaning over the literal (or formal) rendition. A functional translation tends to be freer because the basic questions asked -- What meaning were the original authors trying to convey to their audience? How do we say that today?-lead
to renderings that are natural sounding to the new audience. Orlinsky, who had already won renown as the first Jew to be part of the translation committee for the Revised Standard Version utilized by the Protestant world, yearned for an authentic exemplar of a functional equivalence translation that was also authentically Jewish. His resulting work rightly takes its place among the crowning achievements of American Jewry and, more broadly, of Judaism throughout the ages. Orlinsky and his team won the respect and embrace of a wide spectrum of the Jewish community. Of course, the JPS TANAKH is by no means the last word in Jewish translation of the Bible into English, and of course
there is no unanimity of opinion on how we interpret and understand what is written in the Torah. But the story and enduring reception of its translation a half century ago is remarkable testimony to unity of purpose in service to k’lal yisrael. The spirit of collaboration for the enhancement of Jewish knowledge, for the perpetuation of Torah, and for accomplishing great things together, should inspire us all. Leonard J. Greenspoon is the Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization and Professor of Classical and Near Eastern Studies and Theology at Creighton University Barry L. Schwartz is director of The Jewish Publication Society and rabbi of Congregation Adas Emuno in Leonia, NJ.
20’s and 30’s celebrate the 2012 Matzah Ball Bash in style on Christmas eve at Phoenix Food and Spirits. Top: Amy Saylan, Jodi Levine, Sarah Spooner; middle: Angie Friedman; botttom: Naomi Fox, Cari Green, Lauren Brown Jorgensen.
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January 11, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 5
Kooper/Fellman scholarships available by JAN ROOS The Robert H. & Dorothy G. Kooper Charitable Foundation Trust has announced the availability of scholarships for the 2013-2014 academic year. They are based on financial need for Jewish students with ties to the Omaha community who are pursuing their post-secondary education. This is limited to undergraduate studies only and does not include any graduate programs. Robert Kooper had a long history of service to the Jewish community. He was elected B’nai B’rith president in 1929; headed Beth El Synagogue in 1941; was president of Highland Country Club in 1951; and was President of the Jewish Federation of Omaha 1958-1960. He died in 1961. Mrs. Kooper was a strong supporter and worked with the Jewish Federation and Beth El Sisterhood. She passed away in May, 1995. “Awarding a scholarship to a young Jewish person is a very appropriate way of honoring my parents” Howard Kooper noted. He and his wife, Sharon, fund the Kooper Charitable Foundation Trust. Tom Fellman also serves as trustee for the Foundation. Applications for the Robert H. & Dorothy G. Kooper scholarship are available by contacting Howard Kooper’s office in writing at 809 North 96 Street, Omaha, Nebraska,
68114; or email to jroos@broadmoor.cc. The application packet will be mailed out and must be received back in Howard Kooper’s office no later than March 28, 2013. The Bruce M. Fellman Charitable Foundation Trust has announced the availability of scholarships for the 2013-2014 academic year. The scholarships will be based on financial needs of students pursuing their post-secondary education. This is limited to undergraduate studies only and does not include any graduate programs. Bruce, son of Tom and Darlynn Fellman, was a 1982 graduate of Westside High School. He was active in BBYO and served as president, vice president, secretary and treasurer of Chaim Weizmann AZA. He attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and was participating in the University of Pittsburgh’s Semester at Sea at the time of his death in 1984. Trustees for the Foundation are Darlynn Fellman, Terri Schrager, and Howard Kooper. Applications may be obtained by contacting Howard Kooper’s office in writing at 809 North 96 Street, Omaha, Nebraska, 68114; or email to jroos@broadmoor.cc. The application packet will be mailed out and must be received back in Howard Kooper’s office no later than March 28, 2013.
Beth El congregant to share “My Path to Judaism” by JILL BELMONT Sophie will share her fascinating story, “My Beth El Publicity Coordinator Path to Judaism,” at Beth El’s next Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group meeting, scheduled for Sophie Ambrose grew up in the Ozark Monday, Jan. 14, at the synagogue. M’Lee Mountains of Arkansas, in a home without Hasslinger and Pam Friedlander are serving running water or electricity. She was born as hosts of the get-together. Jewish, but her mother, disillusioned with Calling her story “amazing,” Friedlander said Judaism, had walked away from her faith, so that, “Sophie is very expressive, and I’m sure Sophie was barely aware of her Jewish roots everyone who comes to the meeting will leave during her formative years. uplifted spiritually.” As a young adult in 2003, a simple Google All women in the Jewish community are search introduced her to Birthright Israel trips and led her on a life-changing journey. invited to attend this special gathering. Social Sophie Ambrose Ten years later, Sophie, now a research scienhour will begin at 7 p.m., and the formal tist at Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha, has meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. Reservations are needed and made a strong connection with Judaism and is an active may be made by contacting Hasslinger, at mlee011@ member of Beth El Synagogue. gmail.com, or Friedlander, at pfriedla@cox.net.
Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Speaker to be announced for Wednesday, Jan. 16, noon, at the Blumkin Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $11; beverage service only is $3. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@ jewishomaha.org. LOMIR REDN YIDDISH The Yiddish language is a wonderful source of rich expressions, especially terms of endearment (and of course, complaints and insults!). Come join us for fun and laughter. We meet in the boardroom of the Blumkin Home, every Thursday from 1-3 p.m. For information, please call Anne Skolkin at 402.343.1638. NEBRASKA JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY The mission of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society is
Making their pledge
to preserve the histories of Jewish families who settled in Nebraska and western Iowa. In this pursuit the NJHS is offering a monthly workshop to create and develop family trees. The workshop is open to the public and free of charge. Meetings will be guided by Sue Millward, Lorrie Katelman and Steve Perelman. In each session the Society will share the steps to start and develop a unique family tree. If you are already working on your family history, the latest resources with be discussed. Technology is changing the face of genealogy and there are always new methods and sites to enhance our search. Please join the NJHS the third Sunday of each month starting Jan. 20 at 1 p.m. at the office of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society located directly across from the Jewish Federation Offices at the Jewish Community Center. Additional sessions will be held on Sunday, Feb. 17, March 17, and April 21. Please contact Sue Millward, at 402.630.4241 or suefm04@aol.com for any questions regarding this exciting new endeavor.
Arts+Entertainment The Rose will host auditions for Teens ‘N’ Theater’s “Young Directors Project.” Actor auditions will be held Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. at The Rose Theater, 2001 Farnam Street. Teens who have not yet graduated from high school are welcome to audition. A cold reading will be required. For more information, please contact Stephanie Jacobson at stephj@rosetheater.org. The Orpheum Theater will show the Tony Award winning musical Memphis from Jan. 15 through 20. Tickets start at $25, and can be obtained through TicketOmaha.com or by calling 402.345.0606
To order a gift subscription to the Press... Eleanor (age 10) and Teddy (age 4) Dunning brought their tzedakah boxes to Jody Malashock to fulfill their 2012 Federation pledge (yes, they even get pledge cards!).
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6 | The Jewish Press | January 11, 2013
Incredible experiences in Israel by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Associate Executive Director, Center for Jewish Life Each year, many teens and young adults have the experience of a lifetime, traveling to Israel on a wide variety of programs. The Jewish Federation of Omaha is delighted to support these experiences through the Israel Experience Grant program. The Israel Experience Grant is a one-time gift from the Federation for students in grades 9-12 or young adults ages 18 to 25 for an approved Israel experience. The grant is available to anyone in the Omaha Jewish community who meets the following requirements: 1. The applicant must be a resident of the Omaha metropolitan area.
2. The applicant, or his/her family, is a donor in good standing to the Annual Campaign of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. 3. The applicant agrees to provide an article and pictures of the experience within one month of return to Omaha for publication in the Jewish Press. 4. The applicant will participate in any required preparatory program. Applying for an Israel Experience Grant is a simple onepage application. The applications are available on the Scholarships and Grants page of the Center for Jewish Life on the Jewish Federation of Omaha website at www.jewishomaha.org. Applications may also be requested via email
at scholarship@jewishomaha.org. Return completed applications to the Center for Jewish Life, 333 South 132nd Street, Omaha, NE 68154. Those in need of additional financial assistance can also apply for financial need-based scholarships. Scholarship applications are available as described in the previous paragraph. For additional information on all grant and scholarship programs, please call 402.334.6445 or email mgrossman@jewishomaha.org. The following articles were written by teens who participated in programs in the summer of 2012 and each was a recipient of an Israel Experience Grant. More articles will be featured in the coming weeks.
505: The best group ever and ultimate Frisbee by JULIE SADOFSKY My mission for the summer of 2012: journey to Israel. I was determined that this summer I would have my spiritual and religious journey to the Holy Land, some way, somehow. I wanted to be a part of the Israel experience after seeing my sister and many Jewish friends go to Israel through NFTY and Birthright. In February I applied for Birthright, but I was doubtful I would get the trip after my first application. Three months of anxiously awaiting a reply paid off, and Birthright not only accepted my application, but also placed me with my sister. Our program was with Israel Outdoors, group 505, later referred as the best group ever by my Israeli tour guide. After only a few days together, Group 505 became a close-knit family. Our group cohesion and dynamic created a family from across the U.S. My Birthright experience has given me lifelong friends from coast to coast. Once I got my foot in Birthright’s door, I arranged to extend my stay in Israel. I planned my stay for two months of travel and volunteering. After my Birthright experience, I could not see how anyone could come to Israel and not extend longer than the ten-day trip. Israel has incredible places to go explore, discover, and learn. During our travels, my sister and I were embraced by many families and were welcomed to come back in the future. After my sister left Israel, I lost my traveling buddy but then became completely focused on ultimate frisbee. In April, I was accepted as a volunteer ultimate frisbee coach at Camp Ultimate Peace. Ultimate Peace is a young organization that originated in the Middle East and serves to bring kids together from different communities and teach them how to play the amazing sport, ultimate frisbee. The summer Ultimate Peace Camp gives campers the opportunity to play together on mixed multi-cultural teams and
build new friendships, skills, and better understandings of the sport and each other. Ultimate peace embodies true game spirit in ultimate frisbee. Youth
ily - 505
ht Fam Birthrig
from different communities in Israel and Palestine came together to learn about spirit in ultimate and in life. Mutual respect, integrity, non-violence, friendship, and fun are shared values of camp UP and the spirit of the game. To see campers develop friendships with youth of different cultures that they have never interacted with before is true Tikkun Olam. Tikkun Olam, repairing the world, is the goal of Ultimate Peace by bringing together groups of people separated by conflict using ultimate frisbee as a common connection. I began my work with Ultimate Peace at weekly sessions in the West Bank communities with kids from Beit Sahour
and Bethlehem. This opened my eyes to a whole new world of the Middle East that I would have never experienced. I was able to build friendships with kids from Arab communities in Israel and Palestine and later continued to develop the relationships at camp. I am blessed to be an Ultimate Peace volunteer coach and mentor this summer. The people affiliated with the organization are incredibly knowledgeable about the sport and the youth they coach and are very accommodating to international coaches. While I was traveling in Israel before summer camp, I stayed with mentor coaches of Ultimate Peace and became a part of their families. My message to the parents of children who want to go to Israel is to please let them participate in the incredible opportunities that are available. There are many programs for Jewish youth/adults offered by the Omaha Jewish Federation, Birthright, NFTY, BBYO, RAC, and URJ. Understanding Israel is something that comes from seeing the big picture. My message to the children who are considering or wanting to go to Israel is DO IT! Please open your eyes and your minds to the unique world of the Middle East. Travel and live, learn, and discover in this special place. Experience beyond the borders of an organized program and remember to do mitzvot in Israel. My experiences and opportunities in Israel have been unbelievable. Many Israeli families have welcomed my sister and me into their homes with open arms. I can honestly say I have many new mothers and fathers in Israel who appreciate American support of the new generation of Israeli and Palestinian youth. I appreciate everyone who has helped me get to where I am today, and I couldn't have gone to Israel without the help of Temple Israel, the Omaha Jewish community, and the Nebraska Ultimate Frisbee community. Thank you to all who donated to Ultimate Peace and to future donors.
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January 11, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 7
A made-to-order learning experience by AARON KURTZMAN one’s self a better person by harshly criticizIf anyone has been to Beit Meir, twenty ing your behavior and past actions. This minutes outside of Yerushalayim, then you part was rather short, but very effective. know that it is the equivalent of a small Night shiur was two split hours of Nebraska town, only with terrible plumbing. chavrusahs and shiurim. A chavrusah is Nevertheless, despite the unpleasant smell when you learn one-on-one with a close of the chickfriend, and you argue as much as possible en farms, it over your happens to learning be one of the material, most spirias this is tual places a very on earth. effective W h y ? way of Because better N C S Y underSummer standing Kollel is what you stationed h a v e t h e r e learned. In e v e r y addition, year. For you develop Aharon Tabakm the past a much an, Aaron Kings bury and Aaron two sumcloser relaKurtzman mers, I have attended this program in the tionship with hopes of finding an intense environment for your friend as a result. There are many learning. To give a brief overview, Kollel options for night shiur, and they vary from consists of seven and a half or more hours of extremely difficult Gemara to in-depth thelearning every day, all of which is Judaic. ory. Personally, I was always more of a fan Most of the learning is controlled; however, of the theory classes as I thought they prothere are numerous opportunities for indi- vided me with conclusions that were more vidualized study. tangible. For example, we would wake up and daven This extreme, concentrated approach to shacharis, which was followed by halacha texts like Gemara, Mishna, and Tanach was shiur. After, we had breakfast and three exactly what I had been searching for, espehours of morning shiur followed by lunch cially because of my limited access to such and then mincha. Afterwards, we would things in Omaha. I began to develop my have one and a half hours of chaburahs, fol- skills, especially this past year at Kollel, and lowed by three hours of sports break. At I noticed how I began to understand the 7:00 p.m. we would eat dinner then go to topics on more than one level. Instead of mussar seder. After that, we would go to our struggling to understand the basic texts, I night shiurim or chavusahs, whichever came was delving into deeper, harder material first for your particular schedule. that required absolute attention and total Everything after dinner was referred to as devotion. I was pulled into learning almost night seder, and it was generally two hours every hour of the day, and I began to ask long followed by maariv. After maariv, questions that had been tugging at the back which was at 10:00 p.m., you were free to do of my mind for years. Does man really have whatever you wanted for the rest of the free will? Is Hashem limited by perfection? night. Many of us would stay and learn My Rabbis at Kollel and I strove to find the more, sometimes until shacharis the next answers to these questions by interpreting day; however, the majority of us would get sources from numerous places. The deep something to eat and play sports. The earli- intellectual level that we reached as a group est any of us went to bed was around 1 a.m. provided us with the answers we had been To give a deeper description of our class- searching for, and I am very thankful for the es, halacha shiur is generally very short and opportunity. it focuses on straight Mishna only, taught by Although this schedule seems like a lot, a rosh-yeshiva (head of a yeshiva). This past most of us became accustomed to it within year it was on tefillin and was taught by the first week at Kollel. In reality, we did not HaRav Hershel Schachter, one of the heads do this every day. On Tuesdays, we had of Yeshiva University. Morning shiur is the tiulim (trips) that would involve three longest, and the entire Kollel learns one options for the day. One of them was always Gemara. This year was Megillah, and each hiking, another was usually a more holy trip, individual shiur goes at their own pace and and the last was for the people who wanted level. Sometimes we would learn the basic to relax over the break and not exhaust Gemara and use Tosofos or Rashi when themselves spiritually or physically. These needed, or we would focus on one section tiulim were going to places like chocolate and figure out the deeper meaning by inter- factories, wineries, and water hikes. On preting sources. some occasions, we would go to cities like Chaburas was by far the most spiritual Zefat, Beer Sheba, and Ashdod. On Fridays, and moving part of Kollel, especially the there were no classes, and we were encourconnection you develop with your madrich. aged to go into Yerushalayim for shopping The focus of chaburas was to connect, and or lunch. Let me tell you something: there is the study was primarily composed by your no better place in all of Israel to eat other particular madrich. For example, Nachi than Marzipan, a bakery that specializes in Cooper, my madrich, created a packet com- pastries about two blocks from the Kotel. posed of specific Judaic law that he felt we This shop is widely known for its baked should know. In addition, the end of his goods, and it is the sole reason so many of packet had the Ramban’s letter which talks the teens at Kollel go to Yerushalayim on about humility and controlling your anger, Fridays. especially by putting whatever is angering All this I did in just six weeks in a small, you into perspective. His approach to our agriculturally-based town, not even the size learning by pointing out details that were of Chadron or Nebraska City. My experimore important than others was effective in ences in Israel have been inspirational so teaching us, and I am forever in his debt as a that I continue to have a desire to learn. The student and a friend. magnitude of what I accomplished over this Night seder, composed of mussar seder past summer at NCSY Kollel is astounding, and night shiur was our final mandatory and the material that I have learned will stay learning for the day. Mussar is used to make with me forever.
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8 | The Jewish Press | January 11, 2013
Point of view
American Jewish Press Association Award Winner
Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008
The trouble with Chuck
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press So, Hagel it is. We no longer have to wonder: is he, or isn’t he; as of last Sunday, Chuck Hagel’s appointment as secretary of defense in Obama’s cabinet is sort of a done deal. At least, it appears that way. As has become the custom with any pending appointment, everyone has an opinion. Many, both within and outside of Washington, are not brimming over with enthusiasm. Why? First of all, there are those Republican Party members who bear a bit of a grudge against Hagel -- in spite of his conservative voting record during his time in the senate; he supported Barack Obama in ’08, and voted against both the surge in Iraq and the one in Afghanistan. He supports (oh my) cuts in defense spending. He publicly questioned President George Bush in 2002 regarding Saddam Hussein’s alleged weapons of mass destruction. A Vietnam veteran, he considers war a measure of last resort. His approach is a decidedly un-hawkish one, and it worries many on the right, especially against the backdrop of Iran’s nuclear aspirations. Then there is the Israel issue. Of course, the question “is it good for Israel” is a relevant one, particularly when you are talking about the U.S. Secretary of Defense. But we are currently hearing so much noise about what exactly that position is, it is becoming almost impossible to maintain objectivity. The Republican Jewish Coalition issued a statement denouncing the pick as a “slap in the face.” Matt Brooks, the coalition’s executive director, said: “Chuck Hagel’s statements and actions regarding Israel have raised serious concerns for many Americans who care about Israel. The Jewish community, and every American who supports a strong U.S. - Israel relationship have cause for alarm.” (Source: Omaha World Herald)
South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham described it as an “in-your-face nomination,” and said Hagel would be the most antagonistic secretary of defense towards the State of Israel in our nation’s history.
Mitch McConnell concurred: “His views with regard to Israel and Iran and all the other positions that he’s taken over the years will be very much a matter of discussion in the confirmation process.” (Telegraph.com) It gets worse: the Weekly Standard’s William Kristol calls Hagel “out on the fringe,” and writes “to have blocked Rice and then roll over for Hagel would be a disgrace.” According to him, “Republicans have an obligation to embrace their role as Obama’s antithesis, and to block him.”
All this adds up to an unhealthy discussion. “The former senator and prospective Secretary of Defense,” Chemi Shalev writes in Haaretz, “is the victim of a vile campaign of vilification, which, one suspects, is really aimed at Barack Obama.” Maybe. The fact remains that in the past, Hagel has been cautious as well as clumsy. His statements about the Jewish Lobby in Washington “intimidating” people will haunt him for many years. Hagel voted against certain Iran sanctions; he is in favor of diplomacy, and does not want to “bomb, bomb, bomb” Iran. In 2008, when questioned, he stated: “I am not an Israeli senator. I am a U.S. senator.” Although that statement itself says nothing about whether Hagel is pro - or anti Israel, it was and continues to be enough for many to call him an anti-Semite. In case you’re wondering what I really think of Chuck Hagel: I don’t know. And to be honest, I’m comfortable with that. It’s fine, sitting back and waiting for what comes next. Sometimes, when we watch politics, we think we know all the answers. We treat the issues at hand as if we live in black and white. Are you for or against? Do you love it or hate it? Is this the end of the world, or the best thing that ever happened? How about neither? Let’s stop this hysterical behavior, and bring back the grey scale. Let’s wait and see, and give the man a chance. For goodness’ sake, it’s not as if Obama is appointing David Duke. Besides, I think we can trust that Hagel won’t go rogue; he will represent the Obama administration and its current policies towards the Middle East. If those policies change, and we suddenly find there’s tangibly less U.S. support for Israel, there will be plenty of opportunity to scream then. Right now, we should all calm down and just breathe.
On Israel, Obama brings Moynihan to mind
Behind the headlines GIL TROY JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Those who view American-Israel relations through a dualistic “are you pro-Israel or antiIsrael” lens must be confused. In one week, the United States stands virtually alone with Israel against the Palestinians’ upgrade of their status at the United Nations, then immediately condemns Israel’s settlement expansion. Similarly, despite Republican warnings that a reelected Barack Obama would “throw Israel under a bus,” the president backed Israel during the recent Gaza War. Obama’s behavior fits the historic pattern. Arab attacks on Israel’s right to exist trigger America’s protective impulse even as Israeli doggedeness vexes American leaders. Arab attacks have often saved Israeli policymakers from American wrath. This pattern emerged clearly as the U.S.-Israel friendship solidified following the October 1973 Yom Kippur War. After his indefatigable shuttle diplomacy pieced together a cease-fire, Henry Kissinger tried parlaying the war’s chaos into a lasting peace. Israel refused to relinquish critical strategic assets without “an overall settlement” or at least a non-belligerency pact, which Egypt rejected. As the negotiations dragged, as Kissinger became secretary of state and Gerald Ford replaced Richard Nixon as president, American frustrations mounted. In March 1975, the Israelis proposed a two-week negotiation break. An “outraged” Kissinger accused Israel and America’s Jewish community of being “irresponsible,” of fomenting anti-Semitism. Oval Office transcripts chronicled Kissinger condemning Israel’s leaders as “a sick bunch” and
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“the world’s worst s---ts.” At Kissinger’s insistence, Ford announced a “reassessment” that March, temporarily freezing relations with Israel. Six months later, on Sept. 1, 1975, Israel approved the Sinai accords. During this nadir, an Arab-Soviet assault against Israel suddenly reminded Americans and Israelis of their deep friendship. Soviet and Third World delegates sought to expel Israel from the United Nations. America’s new U.N. ambassador, Daniel Patrick Moynihan -- with Kissinger’s backing - said the U.S. would consider expulsion a severe breach. Backpedaling, the anti-American, anti-Zionist totalitarians chose a strategy that Moynihan realized could threaten Israel’s legitimacy even more -- calling Zionism racism. Moynihan, the iconoclastic Harvard professor and ubiquitous White House adviser, backed Israel to defend democracy and decency. He said Resolution 3379, with its perverse Soviet-orchestrated distortions of language and history, “reeked of the totalitarian mind, stank of the totalitarian state” -- and sought to humiliate the U.S. and Israel. Moynihan’s confrontational strategy initially left him feeling as lonely as Israel. His fury alienated America’s allies and adversaries, along with America’s foreign policy establishment, including Kissinger. “We are conducting foreign policy,” phone transcripts chronicle Kissinger grumbling behind Moynihan’s back on Nov. 10, 1975, as Moynihan fought Resolution 3379. “This is not a synagogue.” Yet Moynihan’s attack on the resolution made him an American pop star. At a moment of American despair, six months after Vietnam fell, with crime rising, inflation soaring and depression threatening, Americans found a hero. More than 26,000 letters cascaded into the U.S. mission of the U.N. cheering Moynihan, denouncing the U.N.’s anti-
Semitic lynch mob and celebrating his politics of patriotic indignation. A year after his heroic stand, grateful New Yorkers sent Moynihan to the U.S. Senate. This pure, passionate reaction reflected the popular ties and values overlap uniting Israel and America -- –a deepseeded, grassroots expression sprouting naturally, not political Astroturf artificially tended by an “Israel lobby.” Then as now, U.S.-Israel relations occur on two tracks, with the United States frequently acting like the annoyed older brother who ultimately has his kid brother’s back. When American leaders try solving the post-1967 disputes and managing the Middle East, relations with Israel are frequently fragile, occasionally explosive. The greatest tensions -- after Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, during the James Baker-George H.W. Bush loan-guarantee fight and during the first half of Obama’s first term -- reflected AmericanIsraeli disagreements regarding what Israel had to do, or not do, to get along with its neighbors. But when the Arabs try refighting 1948, assailing Israel’s right to live, American loyalty to Israel shines through. The 1975 Zionism is racism assault returned the discussion to the basics, as did the Hamas rockets and the ugly rhetoric by Mahmoud Abbas accusing Israel of “racism” and “apartheid.” Such assaults shift the focus from whatever tensions the peace process stirs to a more fundamental fight for life. These two tracks prove how impoverished the current vocabulary is. Few mainstream American leaders are antiIsrael -- not Kissinger in the 1970s and not Obama today. Their anger, be it justified or not, is transactional not existential, passing not permanent, reflecting day-to-day tensions, not do-or-die fights. So let’s reserve the term “antiIsrael” for the fanatics who deserve it, understand that most Continued on page 9
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January 11, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 9
German law won’t stop debate on ritual circumcision
Behind the headlines DEIDRE BERGER BERLIN (JTA) -- German parliament passage of legislation to protect male circumcision for religious purposes occurred, coincidentally, during Hanukkah. The holiday celebrates the Jewish uprising against the Syrian Greeks more than two millennia ago. It was a revolt triggered by religious persecution, including punishment by death for performing circumcisions. By contrast, at no time in the 1,700-year history of Jews in Germany has the practice been forbidden -- not even by Hitler -- despite repeated attempts, particularly during the post-French revolution era of emancipation. What a shock, therefore, when a court in Cologne last May determined criminal liability for those who perform circumcisions without medical indication on children below the age of consent. Following the ruling, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle affirmed religious circumcision in Germany. The German parliament vowed to pass legislation intended to quell the legal uncertainties stirred up by the Cologne ruling. Despite this swift political response, public controversy ensued. Secular humanists, anti-abortionists, human rights activists, and medical and legal professionals vociferously demanded a ban on circumcision. Their well-financed campaign included newspaper ads, Op-Eds, letters to the editor and cartoons mocking practitioners of circumcision. Using a body of flawed evidence, opponents alleged that circumcision is a high-risk and irreversible procedure, intimating that Jews and Muslims cause irreparable harm to their children. The depiction of Jews and Muslims as societal outcasts with primitive practices, not surprisingly, unleashed crude
anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim sentiments in hate mail, readers’ comments and the Internet. Parliamentarians were bombarded with anti-Semitic hate mail on circumcision. Ostensibly respectable German groups devoted to public health, some of them doctors’ organizations, cited alleged clinical proof that circumcision endangers a boy’s health, interferes with his later sexual functioning and causes longterm psychological damage. Interestingly, the anti-circumcision groups dismiss U.S. data claiming that circumcision is an “industry” with American pediatricians earning enormous profits by performing unnecessary circumcisions. Accusations behind closed doors are that American medicine is in the hands of profit-greedy Jews. These and other spurious assertions were refuted categorically in an AJC Berlin Ramer Institute for German-Jewish Relations report that was praised by Merkel and numerous members of parliament and government. In fact, there is ample evidence that circumcision has no deleterious effects and may even lessen the odds of contracting HIV and other diseases. Both the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend circumcision on health grounds. Israel, a country with well-documented records on circumcision, reported complication rates in 2011 of less than a tenth of 1 percent. Given the overwhelming body of evidence, the question arises as to why Germany came so perilously close to becoming the first country to ban circumcision for religious purposes? What made German leaders and the German public susceptible to arguments of a small, vocal group of opponents? The spread of secularism and anti-clericalism is one element. Another is that postwar Germany, whose historic identity is being challenged by a growing minority population, is searching for its role in an expanding Europe.
Perceived threats within and without its borders prompt some to clamber to traditional German ways; anti-Semitic and racist stereotypes flourish in such discussions. Although Jews have been part of German life for nearly 2,000 years, this debate revealed the degree to which the Jewish minority is understood by many as “the other,” with demands that Jewish rituals be reformed to an allegedly more modern era. Interestingly, even though there are 4 million Muslims in Germany and approximately 250,000 Jews, the controversy focused mostly on Jews, revealing the continued discomfort with the subject of Jews in Germany nearly 70 years after the Holocaust. There were even twisted attempts to posit opposition to circumcision as a human rights issue based on the lessons of the Holocaust. Could it be an attempt to hide behind the discourse of human rights as a way to avoid confronting responsibility for the Holocaust? In the end, the Bundestag remained true to democratic values and affirmed the religious rights of minorities -- exactly the message of the Hanukkah holiday. If there is a silver lining in this unfortunate debate, it was -- as pointed out by several lawmakers during parliamentary deliberations -- an opportunity to learn more about Jewish and Muslim practices. Nonetheless, circumcision opponents are likely to challenge the legislation. A German parliamentarian has vowed to bring her fight against circumcision to the Council of Europe. Countering fears and perceived threats to national and religious identity will remain a challenge on a continent facing historic challenges of expansion and integration. Debate over circumcision, a test of democracy and religious tolerance, is likely to continue in Europe. Deidre Berger is director of the American Jewish Committee’s Berlin Ramer Institute for German-Jewish Relations.
The intersection of mental illness and gun violence must be addressed
Focus on issues LORI WEINSTEIN WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Twenty-six lives were lost in Newtown in a sliver of time, and another community was shattered by violence. These lives of beautiful potential lie like shards of glass on the floor of our national conscience. While we grieve as a nation, it is imperative that we engage in a national discourse about gun control and the need for improved access to mental health services. Gun violence and mental illness intertwine in ways that are dangerous and can be deadly. Few understand that as well as the families, friends and advocates of domestic violence victims, with whom Jewish Women’s International has been working for years. The devastation in Connecticut is not an isolated incident. We see the intersection between domestic violence and gun violence all too often. Every day, three women are murdered
by their intimate partners, and guns are the murder weapon in the majority of cases. In 2010 alone, more than 300 women were shot and killed either by their husband or intimate acquaintance during the course of an argument. An abuser’s access to firearms drastically increases the likelihood of homicide. President Obama’s speech about the massacre in Newtown amounts to nothing less than a clarion call to action. We must seize this opportunity to come together as citizens and as a nation to enact meaningful legislation that will outlaw assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, will keep guns out of the hands of those who will use them to commit crimes, and will strengthen and expand background checks for purchasers. This is not a radical ideology but a commonsense practicality for a country that has sacrificed too many of our loved ones to gun violence. Woven into this call to action is an urgent appeal to address the intersection between mental illness and gun violence. We must support efforts to give families the tools to
treat loved ones with a proclivity toward violence. We must also provide expanded resources for mental health professionals and, most importantly, ensure that appropriate mental health policies are in place and appropriately funded. In the past few years, we have had many opportunities to come together as a nation. But this time is different. This time, we as citizens must lead -- using the power of our voices and the strength of our numbers to ensure that legislation is enacted early in the 113th Congress. Left to its own devices and without our active engagement, there is a strong likelihood that the legislative process will break down once again. Every member of Congress who believes that now is the time to pass life-saving legislation needs our support and our commitment. We must be committed to working alongside Congress and the administration to enact sensible but effective gun control legislation. Lori Weinstein is the executive director of Jewish Women's International.
much more than Hagel has offered -- to bring out the full force of pro-Israel pressure against an individual, rather than a policy. It would take Chas Freeman’s weird flirtations with Saudi philosophies of governance and his even weirder flirtations with Chinese philosophies of governance -and Hagel ain’t even in that ballpark. Foxman won’t back down from his assertion that Hagel’s record is troubling. “It’s a gestalt, it’s the composite which is troubling,” he told me. Much of the controversy is focused on an interview Hagel gave Aaron David Miller four years ago, for Miller’s book, The Much Too Promised Land. In it, Hagel said: “The Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here” and “I’m a United States senator. I’m not an Israeli senator.” The first quote has been dispatched elsewhere: There is a Jewish lobby, so this argument goes, and this is nothing to be ashamed of. And it intimidates, at times, because this is what lobbies do. Foxman said it is the second quote that continues to grate. “He says he’ll act in the best interests of the United States -which means we don’t.” It’s harder to shake that logic, I think. Hagel’s defenders have said that asserting his status as a U.S. senator is harmless, because after all this is what he was at the time. Yes. And any person who would declare: “I am free, white and over 21” in 2012 would also be that, and as well committing a grave offense against the normative sensibilities of our day. Much has been written about whether Hagel’s apology to a diplomat for saying his being “aggressively gay” was disqualifying, or self-serving. What’s notable is that it was made; Hagel has not other-
wise expressed himself, as putative nominees tend to maintain a low profile during the process. So what one hears is that, given such an exceptional reaching out to the LGBT community, why not do same to the Jewish community? Editor’s note: on Monday January 7, President Barack Obama announced that Chuck Hagel had indeed been selected as the next secretary of defense.
The Daily Hagel
Behind the headlines RON KAMPEAS This Chuck Hagel business is weird. I’m not certain he’s President Obama’s first pick for the secretary of defense job. I have heard, at certain junctures, that he is. But all manners of wars are playing out over his purported frontrunnerness: Part of it seems Republican payback over his perceived betrayals, part of it is a burping up of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell wars, part of it is the afterlife of election year animosities and the biggest chunk of it is over whether and how the pro-Israel community should assert itself. I talked to the ADL’s Abe Foxman the other day: He told me, again, that he doesn’t think the community will go to battle stations if Hagel is nominated, but that it would not be happy either. “I think it’s not a good choice from our perspective, but again, he’s not an independent contractor,” Foxman said, meaning that it is Obama who sets Israel policy. “But we’re not going to testify against him.” I asked him about the quote he gave the Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin, in which he had said: “The sentiments he’s expressed about the Jewish lobby border on anti-Semitism in the genre of professors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt and former president Jimmy Carter.” Foxman, who was in Israel, audibly rolled his eyes at the backread. “Everybody plays this differently,” he said. “She asked, I gave her a quote.” The subtext I read into this is that it would take a lot --
On Israel, Obama brings Moynihan to mind Continued from page 8 American leaders are “pro-Israel” and stop echoing the delegitimizers’ all-or-nothing rhetoric about Israel. Moreover, this enduring pattern in U.S.-Israel relations further illustrates how self-defeating the ongoing totalitarian Arab strategy of delegitimization has been. Demonizing Israel, attacking Israel’s right to existence and targeting Israeli civilians perpetuates the conflict, escalating it into a zero-sum, 1948-like existential struggle rather than a solvable post-1967 boundary dispute. It strengthens Israel’s maximalist peace-through-strength camp, demoralizing its more pliable land-for-peace camp. And it keeps reinforcing the genuine, deep but occasionally fraught U.S.-Israel friendship. Gil Troy is a professor of history at McGill University and a Shalom Hartman Engaging Israel Fellow in Jerusalem. His latest book is “Moynihan’s Moment: America’s Fight Against Zionism as Racism.”
10 | The Jewish Press | January 11, 2013
Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 402.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com For information on our historic synagogue – dates and times for Friday night services, please call 712.323.8885.
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6 p.m.; Tot Shabbat/Say Shalom to Shabbat, 6 p.m., followed by 6:30 p.m. dinner. Dinner cost: Beth El members, $5; non-members, $7.50. No charge for children six and younger. RSVP online at www.bethel-omaha.org, or contact the synagogue office at 402.492.8550, or programming@bethel-omaha. org. SATURDAY: Morning Services, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush given by Beth El; Evening Service, 5 p.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. SUNDAY: Torah Study Group, 10 a.m. MONDAY: Wrestling with Rabbis of the Talmud, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham; Tai Chi Class class, 6:30 p.m., led by Beth Staenberg and continuing on Jan. 21 and 28, and Feb. 4 and 11. Register online at www.bethel-omaha.org. For more information, contact Margie in the office; Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group, 7 p.m., at the synagogue. Special guest speaker, congregant Sophie Ambrose. (see full story on page 5.) WEDNESDAY: YAC Playgroup, 10:30 a.m., for toddlers and their parents. For more information, contact Caryn Scheer, at carynscheer@yahoo.com. Dinner & Drash, Friday, Jan. 18, 7 p.m., following Shabbat services. Cost: $12.50 per person. RSVP online at www.bethel-omaha.org, or by contacting the synagogue office, or programming@bethel-omaha.org. The Highly-Controversial Laws of the Torah, Sunday, Jan. 20, 10 a.m. Adult-education class led by Andy Greenberg. All classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org 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, 4:57 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Free babysitting service begins at 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes begin with Torah Parade, 9:45 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored by Sisterhood; The Laws of Shabbat, 2 p.m.; Advanced Parshah Study for Boys (ages 10 and up), 3 p.m.; Veshinantam, 3:15 p.m.; Mincha, 4 p.m., followed by Seuda Shlishit; Havdalah, 6:02 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. followed by breakfast. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Daf Yomi: Week in Review, 7:45 a.m. TUESDAY: Women’s Study Group, 6:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Tu B’Shvat: A Guide to living in gratitude with Miriam Gross, noon at Whole Foods; Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:45 p.m. THURSDAY: Sacred Grounds with Rabbi Gross, 9:30 a.m; Med Center Chabura, 1 p.m; Scholars Club for fourth-sixth graders, 3:30 p.m. with Rabbi Gross; Living Room lecture series, 7:30 p.m. at the home of Rabbi Jonathan and Miriam Gross.
To submit announcements: B’nai Mitzvah 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: jpress@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.
Candlelighting Friday, January 11, 4:58 p.m.
TEMPLE ISRAEL CHABAD CENTER An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street | Omaha, NE 68144-1646 | 402.330.1800 www.OChabad.com | email: chabad@aol.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 9:30 a.m.; Special Kiddush luncheon in honor of Rosh Chodesh Sh’vat follows the service. What is significant about the ten plagues? SUNDAY: Minyan, 8:30 a.m.; Breakfast Bonanza, 9:30 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m. TUESDAY: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. Please reserve by calling 402.330.1800. All programs are open to the entire community.
CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN South Street Temple | Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street | Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 | 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org Services conducted by Rabbi Craig Lewis. FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m., with oneg following hosted by Rabbi Craig Lewis. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Va’era. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; LJCS Board Meeting, 10:30 a.m. at Tifereth Israel; Confirmation class, noon; Board of Trustees, 1 p.m.; Purim Spiel Rehearsal, 1-3 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. TUESDAY: Ladies Lunch Group, noon at the Parthenon; Taste of Judaism cultural education program, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in partnership with the UN-L Residence halls. For more information please contact Celia Rosenblum at celia.rosenblum@gmail.com or Rabbi Lewis at rabbi@ neb.rr.com. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast on Friday, Jan. 18, 7 a.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 1040 P Street with keynote speaker The Honorable John M. Gerrard, US District Judge. Please let the Temple office know immediately if you wish to attend so we can submit the combined Temple/Synagogue reservations. ADULT EDUCATION THURSDAYS, Beginning Hebrew, 6 p.m. SUNDAY, Jan. 20, 9:45 a.m. Israel Update with Bob Evnen.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway | Offutt AFB, NE 68113 | 402.294.6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Steve Riekes. Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.
Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street | Omaha, NE 68132-2651 | 402.556.6536 www.templeisrael-ne.org FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to you at Remington Heights, 4 p.m.; Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Eliana Reiss, daughter of Wendy and Bob Reiss, will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah. SUNDAY: Teachers Meeting, 9:30 a.m.; Grades PreK-6, 10 a.m.; Prayer Assembly, 10 a.m.; Purim Auditions and Rehearsal, noon. WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Family School, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-8, 6 p.m.; Temple Teen Night, 6 p.m.; Iranian History: Persian - Modern, 6:30 p.m. with Moshe Gershovich. THURSDAY: Articulate Architecture, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Brown; Kol Rina Rehearsal, 6:30 p.m.; WRJ New Member Event: Paint and Pour, 7 p.m. at The Art Room, 10818 Elm Street. Please join us to celebrate our Sisterhood. Enjoy a glass of wine with new friends from Temple Israel’s Women of Reform Judaism. We will paint an original work of art with some help from the staff at The Art Room! We hope to see you, get to know you, and make you feel welcome. $18 for the evening, and we will sign up new Sisterhood members! RSVP to WRJ Membership VP Sherrie Saag, sherriesaag@cox.net or 402.505.3767. Shabbat Shira Service, Friday, Jan. 18, 6 p.m.
TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard | Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 | 402.423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. FRIDAY: Services, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush lunch; Kids Rule the Shul Shabbat Service, 10:3011:15 a.m. An adult family member must be present in the building during the time of the service. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; LJCS Board Meeting, 10:30 a.m. at Tifereth Israel; Purim Spiel Rehearsal, 1-3 p.m. at Tifereth Israel; Tifereth Israel Board Meeting, 2 p.m. TUESDAY: Ladies Lunch Group, noon at the Parthenon on South 56th St. Please contact Stephanie Dohner with any questions. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast on Friday, Jan. 18, 7 a.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 1040 P Street with keynote speaker The Honorable John M. Gerrard, US District Judge. Please let Nava in the office know if you will be attending, we would like to get a table together with the Temple. Book Club Meeting, Sunday, Jan. 20 at 3:30 p.m. at Sara Friedman’s home and will discuss The World to Come by Dara Horn. Please reply to Sara if you are coming. Adult Community Education class: Israel Update with Bob Evnen, Sunday, Jan. 20, 9:45 a.m. Information Session for Adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah class, Monday, Jan. 21, 5:15-6 p.m. For anyone over the age of 20 who has not had the opportunity of becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah with a ceremony.
Shabbat Shira by DAVID GOLBITZ Temple Israel Staff Writer The Shabbat that falls on or before Tu B’shvat is known as Shabbat Shira, named for a song in that week’s Torah portion, B’shalach. The song, “Shirat HaYam,” was sung by the Israelites after crossing the Red Sea and escaping the Pharaoh’s men. It is a song of thanksgiving and praise and on Friday, Jan. 18, Temple Israel will celebrate Shabbat Shira with a musical service crafted by Cantor Wendy Shermet, who will share different interpretations of “Mi Chamocha,” a prayer found within the Torah portion. “‘Mi Chamocha’ is sung every day and has the wonderful role of being a ‘marker’ prayer,” Cantor Shermet said. “We sing ‘Mi Chamocha’ with melodies appropriate to both the time of day, morning or evening, and holidays. Therefore, during Hanukkah we sing it to the melody of ‘Maoz Tzur.’ During Pesach it is sung to ‘Adir Hu.’ During the High Holidays it has the theme we hear for those 10 days, and so on.”
“During Temple days, Shirat HaYam was sung every Shabbat afternoon during the Mincha service,” Cantor Shermet said. “After the destruction of the Second Temple, it was incorporated into the daily morning service following the six basic psalms.” Shirat HaYam also stands out by being written in a distinctive pattern. “It has been described as looking like the waves of the sea that the Israelites cross,” Cantor Shermet said. “And, alternatively, like the bricks that they had to place as slaves.” Over the years, Mi Chamocha has become a favorite text for composers of all styles to set to music for non-holiday Shabbat services, which is why on Shabbat Shira, the service will be “full of different melodies that illustrate the joyous intent” of the song, Cantor Shermet said. Kol Rina will join Cantor Shermet in bringing diverse composers to life through their interpretations of this wellknown prayer.
Pulverente MONUMENT CO.
January 11, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 11
A holy obsession
In memoriam DOROTHY H. KOTOK
Sparks from the word RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parsha Va’eira Historians are beginning to piece together the origins of ancient peoples of Biblical times. Our ancestors became a People by reason of a religious-cultural decision. When they appear as Israel, it is approximately the end of the thirteenth century B.C.E. At about the same time, others begin to be identified: Canaanites, Ammonites, Midianites, Moabites, Amalekites, and Philistines. The Philistines came from outside the mainland of southwestern Asia, but most of the others were related to the ancient Hebrews. Something is known about these peoples, our ancient cousins. Some of their practices and social customs are similar to those of our Biblical ancestors. Some of their literature bears similarities to our own. Although the Bible is infinitely superior to their literature, literally, morally, and religiously, it grew up in an ancient cultural milieu. Even in law, we may speak of an ancient “Semitic common law.” Again, the Biblical law differs significantly and crucially— but the common ground is there. On one point, however, there is a uniqueness to the Biblical account. That point is the enslavement of the Hebrews in Egypt, and their liberation, the subject of the Sidrot of Exodus’ narrative. The enslavement-liberation theme does not occur elsewhere. Not, for that matter, is that theme found among nonSemitic peoples, like the Greeks, Persians, or Romans. That theme is a Hebrew-Jewish theme. The implication is that this is actual “history,” that these events happened. Our ancestors actually were slaves in Egypt, liberated in a mighty rebellion. In religious terms, it was the mighty hand of God, God who liberated the slaves through His servant Moses. This led to a whole system of religion and morality. Note that the Ten Commandments do not begin “I am the Lord thy God, Creator of heaven and earth.” They begin, characteristically, “I am the Lord thy God, Who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Religion begins, for Jews, with a passion for freedom. It will not stomach the idea of a super race and slave race. It demands freedom. It is this that led to the passion for social justice, which is the hallmark of the prophetic tradition, a passion, a yearning, a demand, a holy obsession with justice, truth, and freedom.
Giffords meets with Newtown officials to talk gun control by JTA NEWS STAFF WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords traveled to Newtown, Conn., to discuss gun control with local and state officials. Giffords and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, spoke with the officials last Friday about such issues as gun control legislation and identifying and treating the mentally ill, according to several news accounts of the 45minute meeting. They also talked about the many forces in the United States that can desensitize people to violence. The meeting came just days before the second anniversary of the attack on a constituents’ event that critically injured Giffords, who had represented Arizona in the House of Representatives, and killed six people. Attending the meeting were several Newtown selectmen and officials, as well as newly elected U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, according to USA Today. Newtown is home to Sandy Hook Elementary School, where a gunman last month killed 26 people, including 20 children, before turning the gun on himself. The gunman, Adam Lanza, had killed his mother before the school rampage. Since Giffords was shot in the head outside a Tucson, Ariz., grocery on Jan. 8, 2011, in an attack that left her partially blind with a paralyzed arm and a brain injury, Kelly has been speaking out for gun control. Nineteen people were shot at the Tucson event. Giffords, the first Jewish woman elected to a statewide office in Arizona, stepped down from the Congress to continue her rehabilitation.
Dorothy H. Kotok passed away Dec. 19 at age 94. Services were held Dec. 21 at Shaare Sholem Cemetery in St. Joseph, MO. She was preceded in death by her husband, Fred; and son, Steve. She is survived by son and daughter-in-law, David and Shane; daughter-in-law, Cindy; grandchildren: Lisa, Jonathan, Seth, Annie, Mandy and Steve; nine great-grandchildren. She was an amazing, remarkable woman ahead of her time. She was a member of the greatest generation, who ran the family store when her husband fought and won the Bronze Star during WW II, worked in businesses before cracking the glass ceiling as a Realtor in Fort Dodge, IA, a bridge master and the definition of grace. Memorials may be made to Beth El Synagogue and L.O.V.E at Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.
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In Israel, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul calls for end to foreign assistance by MARCY OSTER JERUSALEM (JTA) -- U.S. Sen. Rand Paul called for a reduction of foreign assistance during a visit to Israel. Paul (R-Ky.), who opposes foreign assistance, including defense aid to Israel, on Monday told the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies that the United States will always be Israel's friend but that "it will be harder and harder to be a friend if we are out of money." Paul, one of four new Republicans appointed to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the United States should start cutting its foreign assistance by ending foreign aid to countries not friendly to Israel. Israel receives about $3 billion a year in military aid from the United States. The majority of the aid must be spent in the United States. Paul, who arrived in Israel on Sunday, is scheduled to meet on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres. He is scheduled to travel to Jordan on Tuesday to meet King Abdullah and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The senator is visiting Israel with a group of evangelical Christians. He is scheduled to tour the Galilee. Unlike his father, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), a perennial presidential contender who has laced his arguments against assistance for Israel with harsh criticisms of the Jewish state, the younger Paul casts his opposition to assistance as a matter of independence for Israel from undue American influence. The Foreign Relations Committee sets the Senate's foreign policy agenda, although the primary voice on foreign assistance remains the Senate's Appropriations Committee. Paul is believed to be considering a presidential run in 2016.
Jewish schools, institutions join security conference call by RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -- A conference call on school safety organized by the security arm of two national Jewish umbrellas drew over 800 participants. The Jan. 3 call was organized by Secure Community Network, which is affiliated with the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Paul Goldenberg, SCN’s director, said the call, initiated in the aftermath of a massacre of first-graders at a Connecticut school last month, featured speakers including top officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security and drew participants from Jewish schools, synagogues, summer camps and Jewish community centers, among others. The presenters urged participants to run simulation exercises, noting that a number of these were available from SCN. Following the presentation, a number of participants posed questions about the wisdom and efficacy of posting armed guards at schools. Goldenberg said such specifics were best left up to individual institutions, but noted that it was critical for institutions to strike a balance between security and openness. “Educational institutions must be safe havens for children,” he said, “but if a school is not welcoming, children will respond negatively.”
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After Newtown, some gun owners ready to consider control measures by CHAVIE LIEBER Siger says he would support tighter controls, like requiring ers and administrators who want to work also as security.” NEW YORK (JTA) -- The day Eric Schaefer learned that a two character witnesses to acquire a carry permit and closHeller, whose organization has linked gun control to .233 caliber semiautomatic Bushmaster rifle -- a type of ing the so-called gun show loophole that enables buyers to genocide, recommended offering tax breaks to veteran speweapon he owned -- was used to kill 26 people in Newtown, circumvent a federal background check. cial-forces soldiers and retired policemen in exchange for Conn., he sold his rifle to local law enforcement near his “I don’t understand how some people get their hands on protecting schools. A society with fewer guns, he said, would home in Scottsdale, Ariz. be more violent. Schaefer, a 40-year-old commercial real estate “Don’t punish the innocent for the acts of the agent, says he has been hit by an unshakable guilty,” Heller said. “That’s not very Jewish.” feeling of shame, and he no longer wants his two After the Newtown shooting, a broad range of children exposed to the many weapons he owns Jewish groups -- the Religious Action Center, for sporting purposes -- guns he keeps locked the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, B’nai Brith up and away from the house. International and the National Council of Jewish “There’s a sense of embarrassment now to Women, among others -- threw their support being a gun owner, I don’t feel proud of it,” behind measures to limit the availability of guns. Schaefer told JTA. “I have my guns as a personTo many Jewish gun enthusiasts, however, hisal enthusiast, but I can’t say I support all the lantory provides ample justification for arming guage and laws associated with guns. It’s far too civilians and refusing to rely solely on police proeasy to come across them in this country.” tection. They routinely invoke the powerlessness The mass shooting at a suburban elementary of Jews during the Holocaust and the current school that left 20 children and six adults dead security threats to Jewish institutions, and are two weeks ago has reignited the country’s longdumbfounded by Jews who favor gun control. standing debate over gun control, pitting sup“It is one of the most frustrating feelings to porters of tighter restrictions against those who watch those who have been and continue to be fear any infringement on their Second the most persecuted people on the planet deny Gun control supporters protesting outside the National Rifle Association office on Amendment rights. themselves the inherent right of self-defense,” Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 17, 2012. Credit: Josh Lopez/Creative Commons But while the gun-rights lobby has made clear said Zev Nadler, an NRA-certified instructor in that it opposes any measures to further limit the availability guns,” Siger said. “It seems to me the glaring problem is there Arizona. “A firearm is a great equalizer in that those who of deadly weapons, some Jewish gun owners acknowledge is not enough control over who is selling what to whom.” wish to do a Jew harm know that they may be armed. And that they are uncomfortable with the current regulations on Such measures, widely touted in the wake of Newtown, suddenly we are not the easy prey we used to be.” firearms sales. were opposed by the National Rifle Association, the counBut the Newtown shooting, with its grisly details and 20 Schaefer says authorities should constantly check the try’s premier gun-rights lobby. Wayne LaPierre, the group’s dead, has left some gun owners ready for change. President mental state of gun owners and he would like to see the wait executive vice president, responded to the Newtown shoot- Obama has conveyed his support for a reinstatement of the time for gun purchases extended -- a measure that could buy ing by proposing a number of new measures, such as plac- federal assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 and the time for those acting on instinct to reconsider their actions. ing armed guards in each of the nation’s public schools and restricting of high-capacity gun magazines. The outright “I feel like it ought to be excruciatingly difficult to own a focusing on mental health issues. refusal to even discuss such an approach, these gun owners gun, and those who really want one should be able to tough The NRA’s response was widely criticized -- even by some say, isn’t viable. through a more rigorous, difficult process to get one,” noteworthy conservatives such as the columnist Ann “To me, this is a clear example that something needs to be Schaefer told JTA. “Law-abiding citizens that want guns for Coulter. But some Jewish gun owners said LaPierre didn’t go done,” said a criminal defense attorney from Michigan who safe reasons like myself should want to tether gun restric- far enough. did not want his name printed as a gun owner. “An assault tions, so the country can use weapons properly.” “The NRA is way too soft on the issue,” said Charles Heller, ban on certain weapons wouldn’t help because a gun is a Rabbi Jonathan Siger, a law enforcement chaplain and for- the executive director of the Jews for the Preservation of gun, and they are dangerous. But the NRA needs to be open mer NRA shooting instructor from Spring, Tex., says bear- Firearms Ownership, an advocacy group. “We should be to sitting down and talking because now is when we need an ing weapons is a God-given right -- especially for Jews. But increasing the layers of security in our school by training teach- open debate about realistic measures of change.”
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