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JFO Teen Trip to Israel Life and Legacy update Page 4

Clean Speech Nebraska: How we talk Page 7

Editor’s note: On Dec. 21st, 2022 teens plus six chaperones began a journey from Omaha to Israel. First, they traveled from Omaha to Denver, Denver to San Francisco and finally San Francisco to Tel Aviv (a 15-hour flight and a 10-hour time difference). Below are impressions from several of the participants.

M Historian sheds new light on a famous story about Abraham Lincoln and a New York cantor Page 12

y time in Israel was truly memorable. Our itinerary was packed to the brim with educational and fun activities that furthered my understanding of culture and life in Israel. There wasn’t a moment during my trip when I was bored, as each destination caught my attention in a different way. I loved every single place we visited, from the moment we got on the plane, to the moment we came back 10 days later. However, there were a few expeditions that stood out most. While I enjoyed meeting and talking with the locals, I preferred exploring on our own. The first instance we were able

Available Scholarships

REGULARS Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles

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DIANE WALKER JFO Foundation Fund and Scholarship Administrator Thanks to the generosity of Omaha’s Jewish community, a variety of funding sources are available to help with the financial burden of Jewish sleepaway camp, JCC summer

available on the Jewish Federation of Omaha website, www.jewishomaha.org. The deadline for applications is fast approaching Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Grant programs, funded by the Jewish Federation of Omaha, are available to any Omaha Jewish family meeting

camp, Israel programs, the Pennie Z. Davis Early Learning Center, Friedel Jewish Academy, and youth group activities. Assistance is also available for undergraduate, graduate, vocational, technical, professional or yeshiva studies. Information and applications are

the program requirements, regardless of the family’s financial situation. Jewish Experience Grants provide up to $2,000 for Jewish children in the metro area to attend a residential summer camp. Grants are paid over two years with no more than $1,000 per summer. Israel Experience Grants provide up to $1,500 to students in grades 9 – 12 or young adults aged 18 – 26 for an Israel peer program. An additional stipend of $1,000 is provided for the bi-annual community teen trip to Israel. Scholarships, awarded by the Financial Aid Committee of the JFO, are See Scholarships page 3

to, was our first Shabbat. For the greater part of the morning, we spent it at the Mediterranean Sea. Not only was it the most breathtaking sight of this whole trip, but it was actually the first time I had ever been to a sea/beach/ocean in my life. Surrounded by my best friends, the lapping waves, the random dogs that ran up to us, the sea-shell-littered sand, and the cool breeze, I wouldn’t have wanted my first experience to be anywhere else. For me, this was the most influential part of the trip, as I was able to celebrate my first time at the sea in Israel. I also loved exploring underground caves. This was incredibly fun, because even though it got a little tight at times, it was See JFO Teen Trip page 2

Authors: People in our lives

Jean Meltzer and her book Mr. Perfect on Paper

MARK KIRCHHOFF JFO Community Engagement and Education People in our lives do many things. Some shoot baskets. Others score goals. Some make speeches. Others listen to problems. Some coach teams. Others cross goal lines. Some care for those in need. Others discover cures. Among the many people in our lives are authors who carefully and sometimes

painstakingly craft words to paper to teach, document, reflect, entertain, produce a smile or a tear, and often touch us with narratives that provide “ah-ha” moments from written words that live deeper than the paper and ink where we encounter them. These people are known as authors. Jean Meltzer is an author who has accepted our invitation to join the See Jewish Book Month page 3