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MOMentum 2019 Kate’s story Increase your impact on our Jewish community Page 2
Jewish Business Leaders Page 5
KATE MURPHY saw the Downton Abbey movie. I loved the TV show, and I was sad when it was over; so, I watched the movie. It was slow and quiet, a lot like the TV show. I recommend it. The movie concluded with a theme of continuity. Mary Crawley is tasked with car-
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Tracing Jewish heritage on Finding Your Roots Page 12
rying on the archaic traditions of the fiefdom. The matriarch is dying. Mary is the next generation. Her sister has moved away from the manor house. Mary is the only one, and her grandmother impresses upon her how important it is for everyone in the community that the manor house carry on. It See MOMentum 2019 page 2
Spiritual Pathways: A bold experiment in worship at Temple Israel
REGULARS Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles
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RABBI BRIAN STOLLER Senior Rabbi, Temple Israel Everyone has their own particular pathway to connect with Judaism, and Jewish spirituality is no exception. Each of us finds spiritual connection in different settings and experiences. For some, traditional prayer services bring that feeling of warmth and inspiration. And yet, we each prefer different kinds of services: some like contemporary music, others favor classical melodies. Some love high-energy, participatory prayer,
while others find more comfort in serene, contemplative services. Others among us don’t like services at all. We feel more plugged in spiritually when we’re exercising, or out in nature, or reading a great book, or playing music, or singing, or painting, or having deep conversation about ideas and life. These things may not be what we tend to think of when we say “prayer,” but they should be. Because there are many different ways to pray, many different ways to experience God. This is why our Temple Israel clergy team is inviting you to join us in thinking about prayer and Shabbat in a new, more expansive way. I am excited to announce that, beginning in late February and running through mid-June, we will experiment with a variety of new forms of Shabbat wor-
ship. This will include several different styles of prayer services as well as four new Shabbat experiences that explore spirituality through physical activity, nature, music and art. They will be held on a rotating basis throughout this experimental period. Each of these new worship experi-
ences will be substantially different, and we recognize that not all of them will resonate with every congregant. And that’s okay, because spirituality is not one-size-fits-all. Our hope is that you will give them a try and find your pathway to meaningful connection in at least one of them. We think this is a bold experiment See Spiritual Pathways page 3
Foundation update Do you own property that you used to enjoy, but now seldom use? Perhaps a vacation home or a summer home by the lake? What if you could get a steady income stream from that p r o p e r t y HOWARD EPSTEIN during your Executive Director, lifetime and JFO Foundation leave a generous gift to charity? Consider the following scenario: Susan has a vacation home worth $300,000 that she and her deceased husband purchased years ago for $100,000. Her family uses it only rarely now. At age 75, she is ready to shed the responsibilities and costs of owning it. She also is a loyal supporter of the Jewish Federation of Omaha who contributes to the Federation campaign every year. Susan’s annual income is $100,000, and it comes mostly from income earned on her retirement savings, social security and a small pension. She would like to supplement that income with a steady and reliable stream of additional cash, and she would like to continue to support Omaha’s Jewish community even after her lifetime. A charitable trust called a Flip Charitable Remainder Unitrust (“Flip CRUT”) may be ideal for Susan. She can transfer her vacation home to this charitable trust and designate that the trustee of the charitable trust sell her vacation home. Since the vacation home does not generate any current income, Susan will not receive any income from the charitable trust until the vacation home sells. Then starting in the year after the trustee of her charitable trust sells her vacation home, she will start receiving income, and she will continue receiving income for the rest of her life. She will name the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation as the charitable remainder beneficiary of her CRUT, and she will also establish a future Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment (PACE) Fund at the Foundation. After Susan’s lifetime, the Foundation will receive the balance remaining in Susan’s charitable trust, and that remainder will go directly into Susan’s PACE Fund. Each year thereafter, the Foundation will distribute income generated by the PACE fund to the Federation for the Federation’s annual campaign. Now that is a winning scenario for Susan and for her favorite charitable cause, the Jewish Federation Annual Campaign. In addition to enjoying a steady income stream from the trust after See Foundation update page 3