A N AG E N C Y O F T H E J E W I S H F E D E R AT I O N O F O M A H A
The Jewish Press WWW.O M A H A J E W I S H P R E SS .CO M
INSIDE
|
WWW. J E W I S H O M A H A .O R G
SPONSORED BY THE BENJAMIN AND ANNA E. WIESMAN FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND
JA N UA RY 2 0, 2 023 | 27 TE V E T 578 3 | VO L. 1 03 | NO. 1 4 | CANDLELIGHTING | FRIDAY, JAN UARY 20, 5 : 07 P.M.
JCRC sponsors Scholar-in-Residence
Alpha School: Hanukkah Page 6
Essential Interreligious CommunityPAM MONSKY Building Handbook. JCRC Assistant Director She previously served as Acting Exhe Jewish Community ecutive Director for Religions for Relations Council Peace-USA, Program Coordinator for ( JCRC) is proud to the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alpresent Maharat Rori liance, Assistant Director of InterrePicker Neiss as a ligious Affairs for the American scholar-in-residence at Beth El SynaJewish Committee, and Secretariat gogue for Shabbat Vaera, Jan. 20-21. for the International Jewish CommitMaharat Rori Picker Neiss serves tee on Interreligious Consultations, as the Executive Director of the Jewthe formal Jewish representative in ish Community Relations Council international, interreligious dialogue. (JCRC) of St Louis. Prior to that she At Kabbalat Shabbat services on served as the Director of ProgramFriday, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m., Maharat ming, Education and Community Picker Neiss will offer insights drawEngagement at Bais Abraham Coning from the week’s Parshat Va’iera, gregation, a Modern Orthodox Jewand on Saturday morning, she will ish synagogue in University City, MO. She is one of the first graduates of discuss the work of JCRCs across the Yeshivat Maharat, a pioneering insticountry and the responsibilities, critRori Picker Neiss tution training Orthodox Jewish ical, and influential roles the Jewish women to be spiritual leaders and halakhic (Jewish legal) community play in our communities at large. Saturday authorities. morning services on Jan. 21 begin at 10 a.m. In addition to being a Rabbinic Fellow of the David HartMaharat Picker Niess has been on the front lines of racial man Center at the Shalom Hartman Institute, Maharat justice and a leader on interfaith and race relations in her Picker Neiss is the co-chair of the North American Interfaith community. She has written extensively on her experiences Youth Network of Religions for Peace, a CLAL Rabbis With- during the unrest in Ferguson, MO, which is just a few miles out Borders fellow, and co-editor of InterActive Faith: The See Scholar-in-Residence page 3
T
Spotlight: Pictures of what’s happening in our community Page 7
My mom is “up there kvelling” Page 12
Active shooter training Israeli Scholars’ visit at Beth El
REGULARS Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles
7 8 10 11
MICHAEL SIGMOND What would you do? That was the primary question posed to about 200 members of the Omaha community who attended one of two August “active shooter trainings” at Beth El Synagogue. The concept: prepare for the nightmare scenario confronting educators and community leaders. Since 2000, there have been 434 active-shooting incidents in the United States. 1,165 have died. Another 1,929 have been wounded. And the frequency is increasing sharply. In 2021, there were 61 active-shooting events. “I’m glad they are offering it,” said Beth El board member and attendee Margie Gutnik. “I’m thrilled they opened it to other communities. It’s a great idea to partner with the FBI.” The program, led by two Omahabased special agents, is called ALERT which stands for Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Teams. The two-hour session featured live demonstrations, including first aid, and an informative video that described See Shooter training page 2
Rabbi Benji Myers
Jamie Shear
MARK KIRCHHOFF JFO Community Engagement and Education Mark your calendars for Jan. 23 to attend presentations by two scholars from Israel. Rabbi Benjy Myers will present Life, Sandwiches and Crumbling Walls: Torah and Avodah from 1-2 p.m. From 7-8 p.m. on that same day, Artist and Scribe Jamie Shear will present Judaic Scribal and Kaballah Art Presentation. Presentations will be at
the Staenberg Omaha Jewish Community Center. Rabbi Myers and Mr. Shear are coming through the coordinating efforts of Rabbi Yoni Dryer of Beth Israel Synagogue. They are part of the Ohr Torah Stone (OTS Stone) movement in Israel committed to illuminating authentic Torah Judaism that is relevant to contemporary life. OTS has 30 educational institutions, social projects, See Israeli Scholars page 2