February 19, 2021 by Jewish Press

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

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SPONSORED BY THE BENJAMIN AND ANNA E. WIESMAN FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Building for the future Purim is coming! Purim celebrations with Temple Israel, Beth El and Beth Israel Synagogues Pages 2, 3 & 5

JFO Scholarships

Let’s talk about masks Page 6 This rendering of the renovated Beth El sanctuary shows the new intimate circular space. The panels separating it from the rest of the sanctuary are removed to accommodate larger crowds.

OZZIE NOGG

recent Zoom Town Hall for Beth El members introduced congregants to the synagogue’s Building for the Future Campaign. Beth El 2050: Preparing Our Building for the Next Thirty Years. With $3.5 million of the estimated $5.8 million already committed, Beth El plans to have workers in the building this summer. “Our building on 144th and California is beautiful,” said Rabbi Abraham, “but we use it differently today than we did 30 years ago when we moved here. Over the years, we’ve

BBYO International Convention Page 12

tried to make worship, learning and programming relevant to our times. The sacred space in which we pray and study and gather as a congregation must be relevant, too, so it meets current and future needs. Our guiding principle during this entire process is to re-imagine Beth El so it works for our grandkids but also reflects our grandparents’ traditions. So that if they walked through the transformed Beth El space they would be proud.” Beth El President Ari Riekes said, “While it may seem like a strange time to talk about See Beth El Synagogue page 3

Stuart Richard Rochman Memorial NJHS Endowment Fund REGULARS

Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles

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LINDA POLLARD JFO Foundation Dick Rochman was a ‘people person.’ He loved connecting with people, talking with them and hearing their stories. He was genuinely interested in the history of Omaha’s Jewish people. In order to honor Dick’s memory, his son, Michael Rochman, established the Stuart Richard Rochman

Dick Rochman

Memorial NJHS Endowment Fund at the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. Michael said: “My dad loved the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society as a representation

of Omaha, its Jewish community, and the history of both.” The new fund is the perfect way to honor Dick Rochman. He spent countless hours volunteering at the Historical Society. The newly established fund will provide operational funding for the NJHS and will help the NJHS continue to collect and archive Jewish Omaha’s history. Renee Corcoran, Executive Director of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, said: “Dick was a great supporter of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, serving as membership chairman, a responsibility he took very seriously. He enjoyed spending time in the office taking an interest in new collections. Dick was always anxious to See NJHS Endowment Fund page 3

DIANE WALKER JFO Foundation Fund & Scholarship Administrator The March 1 deadline for this year’s Jewish Federation of Omaha scholarship applications is fast approaching! Thanks to the generosity of our community, a variety of funding sources are available to Omaha’s Jewish families to help with the financial burden of residential camp, JCC summer camp, Israel programs, the Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center, Friedel Jewish Academy and youth group activities. Assistance is also available for undergraduate, graduate, vocational, technical, professional or yeshiva studies. Grant programs, funded by the Jewish Federation of Omaha, are available to any Omaha Jewish family meeting 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 18–25 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 Jewish Federation of Omaha, are funded by a number of endowments established through the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, outside entities and through the Federation’s Annual Campaign. Scholarships are available for JCC summer camp, residential Jewish summer camp, Israel peer programs, Friedel Jewish Academy, the Child Development Center and youth group programs. Jewish students, who are residents of the Omaha metropolitan area, can apply for scholarships for undergraduate, graduate, vocational, technical, professional or yeshiva studies. While the majority of scholarships are based on financial need, some college scholarships are merit-based. See JFO Scholarships page 2