March 29, 2013

Sponsored by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Endowment Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA

Obama’s first visit to Israel

March 29, 2013 18 Nisan 5773 Vol. 93 | No. 28

This Week

by BEN SALES viewed the Dead Sea Scrolls, JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Pressurveyed the Iron Dome misident Obama had three goals sile defense system and saw a for his first presidential trip to host of Israeli high-tech innoIsrael. vations. For Friday, his itinerHe wanted to persuade Isary included visits to the raelis that the United States is graves of Theodor Herzl, the committed to preventing Iran father of modern Zionism, from acquiring a nuclear and slain Israeli Prime Minisweapon. He wanted to proter Yitzhak Rabin. mote the renewal of IsraeliFor the most part, the visit Palestinian negotiations, albeit was a cornucopia of compliwithout any specific “deliverments and commitments to Isables.” Most of all, however, he rael’s security and the wanted to charm the pants off U.S.-Israel relationship. the Israeli people. “Those who adhere to the He dropped Hebrew phrases ideology of rejecting Israel’s into his speeches. He quoted right to exist, they might as the Talmud. He invoked the well reject the earth beneath story of Passover. them and the sky above beSo, nu, did it work? cause Israel’s not going any“Does anyone doubt, still, where,” Obama said during his President Obama greeted by children waving Israeli and American flags at a welcoming certhat we’re talking about a speech at the Jerusalem Interemony at Shimon Peres’ residence in Jerusalem, March 20, 2013. friend here?” Itzik Shmueli, a national Convention Center. Credit: Uri Lenz/FLASH90/JTA Knesset member from the “And today I want to tell you, “Obama’s words certainly came out new and creative outlooks.” center-left Labor party, wrote on particularly the young people, so that of concern for Israel and true friendA smiling Obama appeared side by there’s no mistake here, so long as Facebook. Obama earned qualified praise even ship,” Bennett wrote, also on Face- side with Israeli Prime Minister Ben- there is a United States of America, from Naftali Bennett, the pro-settler book. Citing rockets fired from Gaza jamin Netanyahu and President Shi- ‘atem lo l’vad.’ You are not alone.” chairman of the nationalist Jewish into southern Israel, however, Ben- mon Peres to talk about their two Before the trip, Israelis were exHome party who now serves as minis- nett added, “A Palestinian state isn’t nations’ shared values and security tremely wary about the U.S. president. the right way. The time has come for needs. He visited the Israel Museum, Continued on page 2 ter of commerce and economics.

Thrilled kids bake their own matzah Page 3

BESTT wedding a joyful celebration Page 6

A Mission to the Jews of Cuba by RICHARD FELLMAN Bev and Dick Fellman were among the 30 participants on the Mission to the Jewish community of Cuba sponsored by Temple Concord of Syracuse where their son, Daniel

The Four Questions through the eyes of JFS Page 16

quires each community to establish a cemetery as one of its first undertakings. Cuban Jews met that test. Though stories persist of Jews among the ships’ crews with Columbus in 1492, and other stories which

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

Next Week

12 14 15

Cementerio El Cristo

Summer Programs See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

Fellman, is the Senior Rabbi. This is part three in a series of articles about their trip. Jewish Cemeteries in Cuba A basic concept of Jewish life re-

claim Jews were among the earliest settlers from Spain, none of these tales have yet to be validated with any semblance of historic proof. On the other hand, it is clear, based on fact, that German Jews began a migration to Cuba in the first decade of the 20th century; Jews from Turkey followed starting in 1914 with the outbreak of WW I and the Ottoman Empire’s entry in the war on the side of Germany; and Eastern European Jews moved in large numbers to Cuba starting in 1921 when United States passed stringent immigration laws limiting newcomers to Continued on page 3

PACE and LOJE Funds: Insuring the future of Omaha’s Jewish Community by MARY BORT Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation Each year, the Jewish Federation of Omaha asks the community to support its Annual Campaign. Dollars raised fund the Federation and those organizations which it supports locally and in Israel. Carl Riekes, Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation PACE/LOJE Committee Chair, stated, “Most of our major donors have been giving for decades. Their cumulative investment, in many cases, has been in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. By establishing a PACE/LOJE fund, our donors will insure the viability of that investment for future generations. Ann Goldstein is a case in point.” The late Ann Goldstein and her family made arrangements for her to support future Annual Campaigns through a LOJE fund. According to Don Goldstein, “Ann was a big advocate of the Jewish community and of Omaha. Her de-

cision to set up a LOJE fund gave her the opportunity to support both in perpetuity.” “By establishing a LOJE fund, Ann’s lifetime of good will and

good deeds will never be forgotten,” noted Riekes. Even with the consistent generosity of Omaha’s Jewish community, the Federation faces a challenge. “Sadly, in the last ten years about twenty-five of our major, long-time Continued on page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | March 29, 2013

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Continued from page 1 appeal asking Israelis to take risks for peace and the twoHe had visited Israel twice before, most recently in 2008, but state solution, calling peace “necessary,” “just” and “possible.” Israelis were irked that he skipped Israel on a Middle East “I speak to you as a friend who is deeply concerned and swing in 2009 that included his famous Cairo speech. They committed to your future,” Obama said. “You have the were put off by his public calls for a freeze on settlement opportunity to be the generation that permanently secures building early in his presidency. They compared him unfa- the Zionist dream, or you can face a growing challenge to its vorably to his two predecesfuture. Given the demographsors, George W. Bush and Bill ics west of the Jordan River, Clinton. the only way for Israel to In a 2009 poll, fewer than endure and thrive as a Jewish 10 percent of Israelis had a and democratic state is favorable view of Obama. through the realization of an And a poll conducted this independent and viable month by the Israel Palestine.” Democracy Institute showed Mostly, though, Obama that 54 percent of the 600 sought to use this trip to reasJewish Israelis surveyed said sure Israelis, including on they did not trust Obama to Iran. consider and safeguard “We agree that a nuclearIsrael’s interests. armed Iran would be a threat After his speech on to the region, a threat to the Thursday, however, some lisworld and potentially an existeners said they had warmed tential threat to Israel,” to him. Obama said at a news conferIsraeli President Shimon Peres presenting the Presidential “He was very clear, and he ence with Netanyahu. “We do Medal to President Obama at Peres' residence in Jerusalem, conveyed a feeling of security, not have a policy of containCredit: Mark Neyman/GPO/Flash90 March 21, 2013. especially about Iran,” said ment when it comes to a Hagar Shilo, 23, a political science student at Tel Aviv nuclear Iran. Our policy is to prevent Iran from acquiring a University. “He made a lot of pro-Israel statements that we nuclear weapon.” hadn’t heard yet -- very much like Clinton.” Even many of those who disagreed with Obama’s policies Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who heads the government’s on Israel said they were encouraged by his decision to visit Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, wrote on Facebook, Israel. “Obama’s speech was important and inspirational. Our job is Tel Aviv University student Yanai Cohen, who attended to apply our Zionist vision, which was reflected eloquently the Thursday night speech, said he doesn’t agree with the in his words for Israel’s youth.” two-state solution and felt that Obama had disparaged To be sure, Obama also challenged Israel on the trip. He Israel’s government. visited the West Bank city of Ramallah and gave a statement But, he said, what mattered most now was Obama’s deciwith Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas con- sion to visit Israel. demning settlement construction. And in his speech to “Coming here is a sign,” Cohen said. “It shows commitIsraeli students on Thursday night, he made an extended ment.”

Insuring the future of Omaha’s Jewish Community

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Obama’s first visit to Israel

3/13/2013

Continued from page 1 donors have passed away. Their Annual Campaign gifts totaled more than $500,000,” explained Howard Epstein, Foundation Executive Director. “When a donor dies without an endowment, that gift is lost to us forever. It is important for donors to endow their Annual Joel Alperson Campaign commitments.” Norman* and Frances * Batt There is a way to plan Steven and Carol Bloch today in order to build for Leo* and Aileen* Eisenstatt tomorrow. Donors who Robert and Barbara Epstein establish Perpetual Annual Gary and Lisa Epstein Campaign Endowment Paul and Sandy Epstein and Lion of Judah Michael Erman 3:31:10 (PACE) PM Endowment (LOJE) funds Roz Friedman* and with the Foundation Susan Friedman Cohn insure their legacy into Thama Lee Friedman* perpetuity. Ned* and Pearl Giventer There are a number of Ann Goldstein* options to leave a lasting Jan Goldstein legacy through a PACE or Leonard* and Shirley LOJE Fund. “One Goldstein approach is to make a Forrest Krutter bequest in your will,” said Epstein. “You simply spec*deceased – this donor’s PACE ify an amount in your will income each year to the Jewish to endow your gift to the Campaign. Annual Campaign.” “Some donors establish a PACE or LOJE fund through a life insurance policy,” stated Riekes. “Life insurance gifts are particularly appealing to younger individuals. When the Foundation is the owner and beneficiary of the policy, your premium payments are tax deductible. You may even be able to contribute an older policy to the Foundation and realize a tax benefit.” According to Riekes, “Another way to create a PACE or LOJE fund is to name the Foundation as the beneficiary of your IRA or retirement plan. Often subject to high estate and income taxes, an IRA or retirement plan may result in fewer dollars for your heirs. The more you can save on your tax bill, the more your heirs will inherit from you. Use these assets first to endow your Annual Campaign gift.” Donors can establish a Charitable Income Plan. A Charitable Remainder Trust or Charitable Gift Annuity will provide you or your loved one needed income during your lifetime. Thereafter, the remainder of the trust or annuity can be designated to establish your PACE or LOJE fund.

Important tax benefits and possible increased income opportunities are available with this approach. “In order to take advantage of immediate tax benefits and to create your PACE or LOJE fund during your lifetime, you can give cash, stock or other property,” said Riekes. “The Foundation will work with you to idenEdward and Sally Malashock tify the most tax efficient Allan and Janie Murow way to establish your legaStuart and Bettie Muskin cy right away. E. Robert and “We are grateful to Phyllis Newman Omaha’s Jewish communiMurray and Sharee Newman ty for their ongoing comJay and Kim Noddle mitment and generosity,” Nancy Noddle noted Epstein. “Let’s make Steven and Patty Nogg sure our Jewish communiMartin Ricks ty continues to enjoy all the Carl and Zoë Riekes wonderful services and Henry* and Dorothy* Riekes activities provided through Andrew Robinson the Jewish Federation of Lorraine Silverman* Omaha in the future.” Special Donor-Advised Fund “On behalf of the Maurice* and Joan Udes Jewish Federation of Norman and Joodi Veitzer Omaha Foundation and or LOJE fund currently provides Omaha’s Jewish communiFederation of Omaha’s Annual ty, we want to extend a special thank you to the individuals who have already endowed their Annual Campaign commitment by establishing a PACE or LOJE fund,” said Epstein. Please consider endowing your Annual Campaign pledge. We can work with you to arrange for a significant future contribution that is easy to financially support. Start planning your legacy now. Please contact Howard Epstein at 402.590.2156 or hepstein@jewishomaha.org to schedule a meeting to discuss all the options available to establish a PACE or LOJE fund.

PACE and LOJE Fund donors

To order a gift subscription to the Press... Send a check for $40, made out to the Jewish Press, to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. For more information on how to connect your out-of-town relatives and friends, call 402.334.6448.

March 29, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 3

Thrilled kids make and bake their own matzah by JOANIE JACOBSON of Passover as well as the personal message for Chabad that came with it. The children really “Fun with meaning” was the theme of enjoyed making their own matzah, and I the day as children from the JCC Center especially liked the fact it was a very handsfor Childhood Development and the on and interactive experience.” Friedel Jewish Academy took part in the Rochi spoke of one of the lessons learned Model Matzah Bakery, presented by from matzah which is a yearly reminder Chabad. “Not only do the children make matzah and collectively retell the story of Passover (which is always fun), but they go home with a personal message, as well,” said Chani Katzman, facilitator, along with her sister, Rochi. CDC children pose with their freshly baked Model Matza. “These programs convey that there’s more to a Jewish holiday not to get too “puffed up” with yourself, like than just a story. There’s a thought for each the bread (which we’re not supposed to eat of us to remember, each year, that makes us on Passover). “When you ‘rise’ too much, a better person and the world a better place.” there is no room for others; no caring, no The kids themselves mix the flour and helping, and there is no room for G-d.” water, roll the dough, poke holes in the “Chabad has many enrichment prodough so it won’t rise and watch their grams geared for children of all ages,” ‘home-baked’ matzah get placed in the oven. Chani added. “In each one, we engage the “We all loved the experience,” said Pam children’s different senses with hands-on Cohn, principal of Friedel, speaking for the programming to relay the various stories students from grades K-2. Jeanine Huntoon, and messages and help instill a sense of director of the CDC, agreed. “We absolutely Jewish pride and joy within the children.” loved the Matzah Bakery program! Chani For more information about Chabad and Rochi did a great job explaining every- Enrichment Programs, call Chabad, thing so the children could relate to the story 402.330.1800 or email chani@ochabad.com.

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A Mission to the Jews of Cuba Continued from page 1 their national origin based on the then existing population. This policy entirely excluded Jews of Eastern Europe.

by the State. When a person dies in Cuba, usually in a hospital, the administrators at the hospital notify the Jewish community, which then

The entrance to Havana Jewish Cemetery. So, Jews came to Cuba, found the tropical island warm and comfortable, began as peddlers and soon built viable commercial entities, bought real estate, and in every respect did well. Even more, most of them liked their daily life in Cuba. They found the island free of anti-Semitism. Of the 15,000 Jews in Cuba by the middle of the 20th century, all but a few thousand lived in Havana. The rest lived in the large cities to the east on the island, especially Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo, on the eastern tip of Cuba. As Jewish communities routinely do, each established a cemetery of its own, one in Havana and the other mid-way between Guantanamo and Santiago de Cuba. In 1925 the “Cementerio---Hebreo” was opened, just east of Havana, named in Hebrew, with Hebrew lettering on its entry way stating “Bet H’Hayim.” The cemetery, still in use today, is well kept, tended to by non-Jewish workers paid

arranges to transport the body to the cemetery where it is prepared in the traditional Jewish manner for burial. Near the entrance to the cemetery is a small building which has in the center a marble table, with a drain in the center. It is here that the Burial Society meets and prepares the body. The funeral is usually held within twenty four hours of death. The major Jewish communities of eastern Cuba, Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo, have their own cemetery, located in the small village of El Cristo, and the Jewish cemetery is named “Cementerio El Cristo,” though it is Jewish in every respect and has a large and prominent six-pointed Star of David at its entry way. Among those buried there are relatives of leaders of the synagogues in Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo. The cemetery is cared for by an 80-year-old Cuban, again paid by the State, who has worked in the Jewish cemetery since he was less than 20 years old.

4 | The Jewish Press | March 29, 2013

LJCS students tell the Passover story in song by SARAH KELEN The Lincoln Jewish Community School got in the Passover spirit early this year. Students and teachers worked together across all of the grades to prepare a musical rendition of the Exodus story that they presented for the families on Sunday, March 17 at Tifereth Israel Synagogue. This allschool activity allowed the kids to have fun and to show off both their musical storytelling skills and their Passover knowledge. In addition, it gave families an opportunity to socialize together before the LJCS Passover break. Gan Simcha teacher Avi Knecht accompanied the children on guitar as preschoolers through high schoolers sang songs for each section of the story. The script was prepared

by Gan Simcha lead teacher Jennifer Rosenblatt and designed to feature songs that all of the grade levels could sing together. The Gan Simcha children even got to lead the singing on Make a Matzoh, pat pat pat! Do not make it fat, fat fat! Sixth-grader Jared Murray narrated the play to set up the action between the songs. The LJCS students sang: The Work Song/Bang, Bang, Bang, Where is Baby Moses? Go Down, Moses, Oh Listen, One Morning When Pharoah Woke Up In His Bed, Ten Plagues in Egypt Land, Make a Matzoh, and Mi Chamocha. The show ended with a fun Dayenu march around the room with noise makers. After the play, parents and kids continued their Passover preview with macaroons and charoset. After the Passover break, LJCS classes resume on Wednesday, April 3.

Temple Israel junior youth attend conclave by DAVID GOLBITZ Temple Israel Staff Writer Some members of Temple Israel’s junior youth group for 7th and 8th graders, JYG, got a taste of what’s in store for them over the next four years if they join OTYG, the Omaha Temple Youth Group for high school students, when they recently traveled to St. Louis for their regional conclave. Accompanied by Youth Group Advisor Sarah Sadofsky, Parental Chaperone Paul Miller and three members of OTYG, Hannah Perry, Morissa Miller and Hannah Radler, the nine JYG kids--Aleia Budwig, Jack Fletcher, Hannah Goodman, Emily Kazor, Olivia Nogg, Lindsay Osborne, Isabella Radler, Maddie Rauhauser and Eliana Reiss--met and mingled with their peers from around the Missouri Valley region of the National Federation of Temple Youth, or NFTY. “It was a little hard for them to mingle right away, because they were nervous,” Sarah Sadofsky said. “But they eventually started to meet new people. The high schoolers did a good job, too, of getting our kids to engage with the other kids.” The students attended a rockin’ Friday night service led by noted Jewish musician Rick Recht, known for bringing rock ‘n roll to Jewish summer camps around the country. “The music was a different melody,” Hannah Goodman said. “There were drums and guitars, it was a lot different from Temple [Israel]. It was really fun.” The kids spent part of Saturday learning about Ellis Island and how difficult it was for foreigners to immigrate

to the United States. “They talked about what it’s like to be an immigrant, to be different,” Sadofsky said. “Coming through Ellis Island, not knowing anyone, not knowing the language, I think it was a real eye-opener for our kids.” “I didn’t realize how hard it was to get into America,” Hannah said. “If you weren’t healthy they’d kick you out and you’d have to go back to your own country. People rubbed blood on their faces to look healthy.” The children also participated in an Ellis Island simulation that illustrated just how absurd some of the entrance requirements were. “We did a spelling contest where if you didn’t spell the word right, you had to go to the back of the line,” Hannah said. “And if you couldn’t spell the word right, you wouldn’t get into ‘America.’” By the end of the weekend, the JYG kids had made a lot of new friends and were looking forward to seeing them at camp and at future NFTY functions. “By that point, all our kids were hanging out with other kids, non-Omaha kids, exchanging phone numbers and emails,” Paul Miller said. “I didn’t think I was going to meet such good friends there,” Hannah said. The first day was kind of awkward, because they want you to meet new people, but it helped me come out of my shell.” Hannah said she is “definitely” joining OTYG next year and looking forward to “meeting new people and seeing the people I met at this conclave again and just hanging out with Jews from across the country.”

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Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Alan Potash, director of the ADL in the Great Plains will update us on the Israel election and growing concerns about anti-Semitism in the US on Wednesday, April 3, 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.

The Rant is Due with Lewis Black by DAVID BUCKSNER Exceptional Artists Audiences love Lewis Black because his insights and love/hate relationship with America are brilliantly expressed in his concerts and TV appearances worldwide. How can you not love a man who says, “Republicans are a party with bad ideas and Democrats are a party with no ideas?” Omaha radio listeners have shown a special affinity for the caustic comic, who appears as a frequent call-in guest on the Todd ‘n Tyler Show on Z-92 and performs live at the Holland Performing Arts Center on Thursday, April 11, at 8 p.m. He executes a brilliant trifecta as stand-up comedian, actor and author, performing over 200 nights a year throughout Europe, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. His live performances provide a cathartic release of anger and disillusionment for his audience. Lewis yells so they don’t have to. A passionate performer who is more pissed off optimist than mean-spirited curmudgeon, he has perfected expressing what the rest of us cannot say in polite company. Lewis is the rare comic who can cause an audience to laugh themselves into incontinence while making compelling points about the absurdity of our world. It’s no wonder he’s been compared to Mort Sahl, Lenny Bruce, and Bill Hicks. Lewis Black came into national prominence with his appearances on The Daily Show in 1996, leading to comedy specials on HBO, Comedy Central, Showtime and Epix. He has released eight comedy albums, including the 2007 Grammy-Award winning The Carnegie Hall Performance. Lewis Black won his second Grammy Award for his album Stark Raving Black. Lewis has published three best selling books, Nothing’s Sacred, Me of Little Faith and I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas. Tickets to his Omaha show may be purchased by calling 402.345.0606 or online at www.ticketomaha.com.

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March 29, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 5

April Mainstreeters events by OZZIE NOGG Spring is in the air and Mainstreeters have a spring in their step, eager to take part in these April activities. The community is invited to join the fun. Live from NY’s 92nd Street Y. Tuesday, April 9, 7 p.m. in the JCC Theater. No admission fee. In honor of the ADL’s Centennial Year, a panel of distinguished guests takes a behind-the scenes look at some of the battles the Anti-Defamation League has fought and won over the years, and asks, even in a more tolerant America, “Why does anti-Semitism still exist?” Please note that this is an ADL event. Our very special thanks to the Ruth Frisch & Oscar S. Belzer Endowment Fund and the Ann Woskoff Schulman Memorial Fund for their continued financial support of the 92 Street Y. live broadcasts. The Jewish Federation of Omaha encourages all seniors to participate in this free program, part of the 92nd Street Y. 2013 new spring schedule. The Future of God: The Merging of Science & Religion, Sunday, April 14, 7:15 p.m. in the JCC Theater. No admission fee. Must science and religion always be opposing and irreconcilable forces? Looking at recent trends in theoretical physics and the response of contemporary theologians to scientific theories, this panel discusses whether science and religion can, in fact, be seen as complementary ways of understanding our world. Moderated by Dr. Reza Aslan, a Wallerstein professor at Drew University’s Center on Religion, Culture and Conflict, panelists are Andrew Zolli, the co-author of Resilience: The Science of Why Things Bounce Back, and David Eagleman, a neuroscientist and writer at Baylor College of Medicine, where he directs the Laboratory for Perception and Action and the Initiative on Neuroscience and Law. Eagleman is a New York Times bestselling author whose work is published in twenty-seven languages. Shake, Rattle & Roll with Rick Tomasso: Monday, April 15, 12:30 p.m. Lunch in the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Auditorium. Enjoy Rick’s repertoire of standards, classics and popular songs from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Remember Jerry Lee Lewis, Frankie Avalon and Gladys Knight? This musical program will take you back to the doo-wop days. For your entree, choose either seared yellow fin tuna over mixed salad greens with raspberry vinaigrette, or marvelous meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy plus roasted mixed vegetables. Both entrees also come with hearty vegetable soup, challah, beverage and cookies. Cost is $11.50 a plate. Make checks payable to Jewish Social Services and send full payment to: Mainstreeters c/o

Maggie Conti, 323 So. 132 Street, Omaha, NE 68154. Reservations are appreciated by Monday, April 8. If you have questions call Linda Abrams Tederman at 402.468.4939. A Search for Heritage: Genealogy Class with Sue Millward. New, rescheduled date is Wednesday, April 17, from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Board Room. No charge. Are you researching your family tree but don’t know where to start? You start with what you know and go from there. And that’s what we’ll be doing in this new Mainstreeters Class. Sue Millward, an amateur genealogist and President of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, will show you how to begin researching your family tree. We’ll explore the U.S. Census and Immigration records of your ancestors and learn how basic information can be gathered from these documents. At a time when technology is changing the face of genealogy, there are many resource sites to go to. We’ll share the most popular ones with you. Please call Maggie Conti at 402.334.6521 and reserve your spot by Wednesday, April 10. For information, call Rocky Stern 402.393.4952 A Free Afternoon at the Movies: Lincoln, winner of two Oscars including Best Actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, Friday, April 26, 1 p.m. in the JCC Theater. Complimentary popcorn -- warm and delicious -- will be served. No charge. No reservations necessary. Invite a friend. Steven Spielberg directs a revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President’s tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by civil war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come. If you have any questions, or would like to enjoy a Star Deli lunch at the Blumkin Home before the show, call Maggie Conti at 402.334.6521 to reserve a table. Lunch is on your own. The Star Deli opens for business at 11:30 a.m. Mainstreeters welcomes all Jewish residents of the Omaha area age 60 plus. The group offers a mixed bag of social events and learning opportunities that give participants the chance to meet new people, exercise their brains, take part in new activities and continue enjoying life to the fullest. Maggie Conti, Director of Activities and Outreach Programs at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, said: “Mainstreeters continues to offer diverse programs every month, and we invite community members to join the April excitement.”

Thank you to our community partners for contributing to the Weekend Food Program! Find out how you can help feed hungry children at completelykids.org or call (402) 397-5809.

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Arts+Entertainment Lilly loves everything about school, especially her cool teacher, Mr. Slinger. But when he confiscates her prized possession – a purple plastic purse that plays music – joy turns to misery in Lilly’s Plastic Purple Purse. Lilly, who is used to being the brightest and loudest mouse around, will also have to get used to sharing the spotlight with her new baby brother in this charming adaptation of Kevin Henkes’ award-winning children’s book.

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse will be presented at the Rose Theater Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and Sundays at 2 and 4:30 p.m., March 29 – April 14. Extra performances are scheduled for Saturday, April 6th and 13th at 7 p.m. No performance on Sunday, March 31. Tickets are $18, with discount ticket vouchers available at all area Hy-Vee stores for $14. Reservations are required. Call 402.345.4849 or purchase online at www.rosetheater.org.

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BESTT wedding a joyful celebration for students and families by JILL BELMONT “Getting married is probably the single most important life Beth El Publicity Coordinator event a person will experience,” she continued. “I can’t think On a recent Sunday at Beth El, the chuppah in the sanctu- of a better way for the kids to learn about the laws and cusary took center stage, surrounded by colorful flower toms of a Jewish wedding than to actually be in one. Any arrangements and festive balloons. A napkin-wrapped glass opportunity to teach our children about Jewish customs is was ready to be stomped on, the wedding cake sat ready to extremely important, especially today when there are so be served at the reception. many outside influences. The Participants were dressed to wedding was perfect... it was the nines: girls carried flower fun, hands-on, and it served bouquets, boys wore boutonas a valuable teaching tool.” nieres, and the officiants, Emily added that, “I had a Rabbi Steven Abraham and lot of fun learning about Hazzan Michael Krausman, Jewish weddings. I didn’t donned suits and ties to lead know about a ketubah, so the ceremony. Family memlearning about that was pretty bers, fellow students and faccool! The reception after the ulty filled the sanctuary, camceremony was also fun!” eras and smart phones in Her classmate, Ethan hand. It was time for the Finkelstein, also said he was annual Beth El Synagogue happy to be part of the event, Talmud Torah Third- and and said his favorite part was Fourth-Grade Wedding. “walking down the aisle, carOne of the most beloved rying the rings.” traditions of the religious Helen and Les Kay watched school, the mock wedding their grandson, David, walk was created about 20 years down the aisle as the brideago by Beth El Hebrew school groom, a special moment for Beth El’s colorfully decorated bimah set a festive tone for teacher Margo Riekes, a any grandparent. the heartwarming BESTT 3rd-4th grade wedding. strong proponent of experien“We were very proud of tial learning. The ceremony marks the culmination of the David and pleased with the efforts of everyone involved in children’s studies about Jewish wedding rituals. Riekes, who putting on this life-cycle event,” Kay said. “One can’t help coordinated the wedding until her retirement last spring, but wonder what is in store for your child/grandchild in the attended this year’s festivities, but for the first time as a guest. real world of life-cycles.” “This year’s wedding was fabulous, thanks to so many difFollowing the ceremony, the Kays, along with Sheryl and ferent people,” said Eadie Tsabari, the synagogue’s Director Art Friedman (grandparents of the bride), took their grandof Congregational Learning. “Our teachers, Naomi Zipursky children – still dressed in their fancy wedding garb – to visit and Sarah Kutler, did a fabulous job of preparing the chil- great-grandparents Lily Kay at Remington Heights, who was dren for the day. The students were the most cooperative “proud as a peacock,” and Adele Friedman at the Rose group we have had yet. We had two wonderful photogra- Blumkin Jewish Home, who was equally proud, Kay said.” phers, Howard Marcus and Jill Belmont, and an honored Those visits truly brought so much joy to them.” guest, Margo Riekes. This was the first time in decades that As for the groom, highlights of the morning included Mrs. Riekes came as a guest to see her very own students “smashing the glass, eating cake, and being congratulated leading the day and continuing on with her original concept for doing such a good job,” said his grandmother. of living Jewishly by doing. For maid of honor Melanie Schwarz, every single aspect of “So many people helped to make this day special – I the wedding was fun; and according to her dad, Wayne appreciate their support and thank them all.” Schwarz, “It was a very positive experience for Melanie and This year’s wedding party included: Julia Weill, bride; will give her lasting memories as it has done for Beth El chilDavid Kay, groom; Lindsey Kader, mother of the bride; Ari dren in the past.” Finkelstein, father of the bride; Dina Saltzman, mother of the groom; Isaac Dennison, father of the groom; Melanie Schwarz, maid of honor; Ben Kutler, best man; Chaeli Spivack, flower girl; Ethan Finkelstein, ring bearer; Emily Kirk, Veronica Dubov, Sophia Mavropulous, bridesmaids; and Michael Denenberg, Phoenix Mavropulous, and Isaac by DIANE AXLER BAUM Clark, groomsmen. The Omaha Chamber Music Society brings you the finest proDuring the ceremony, the bride and groom vowed to be fessional artists – all with local connections -- performing beau“friends for the rest of the day,” and following the breaking tiful, expressive chamber music. The OCMS works with the of the glass, each child shared a brief presentation about same artists to support music education and to use music for what he or she learned about Jewish wedding rituals over the community service. past few months. Coming Concerts: As always, the wedding provided participants and family Don’t miss “3 BY 3” on Sunday, April 7, at 7 p.m., in the members alike with a special, memorable morning. JCC Theater. Free to the community, thanks to the Sokolof “The BESTT wedding is always an event that I look for- Javitch Music Fund. Featuring Susanna Perry Gilmore, violin, ward to attending,” said Kelly Kirk, whose daughter, Emily, Paul Ledwon, cello, and Yulia Kalashnikova, piano, playing participated. “Emily was extremely excited, too -- she could- works by Franz Joseph Haydn, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and n’t wait for the day to come! The synagogue always goes all Maurice Ravel. out for the event and it’s done beautifully. Join us for Sunday afternoon concerts in our 13th annual

Omaha Chamber Music Society: Performance, education, service

In the news The Completely KIDS Guild announces the upcoming Author Luncheon, a fundraiser supporting Omaha nonprofit Completely KIDS, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Michael Osit. Osit is a practicing psychologist who will address how parents and professionals can work with youth to develop key social skills, a healthy identity, and a strong work ethic despite their entire world being right at their fingertips. Osit’s talk will be based on his book, Generation Text: Raising Well-Adjusted Kids in an Age of Instant Everything. The event will be held on April 10 at Hilton Omaha, 1001 Cass Street, with registration beginning at 11:30 a.m., and the luncheon and speaker to begin at noon. Reservations for the event can be made at completelykids.org or by contacting Blair Bonnesen at 402.397.5809. Cost is $75 for patron, which includes a signed book; $50 for individual; and $30 for educators. Complimentary selfparking will be available.

Summer Concert Series. June 16, 23, and 30 and July 7, at 3 p.m., at First Central Congregational Church, 421 South 36th St. Many exciting highlights, including a return visit by Amy Sims, former concertmaster of the Omaha Symphony, and a program with Allan Dean, world-renowned expert on Renaissance instruments. Education Programs: Our musicians provide coaching and mentoring programs to string students at McMillan Magnet School and Bryan Middle School. They also offer coaching and performance opportunities to the Millard Public Schools, the Music in Catholic Schools program, and the Omaha Area Youth Orchestras. Music and Service: OCMS musicians regularly visit The Hospice House, to provide comfort and solace to the dying and their loved ones; and participate in the free Music as Medicine concerts that give pleasure to staff, patients and visitors at the Nebraska Medical Center. To discover how you can enjoy and support Omaha Chamber Music Society efforts, please visit omahachambermusic.org or call us at 402.960.6943.

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March 29, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 7

PBS blows a kiss to Roth at 80

The history of Temple Israel’s architecture by DAVID GOLBITZ Temple Israel Staff Writer Students in Rabbi Josh Brown’s adult study class, The history of synagogue architecture, had two field trips to see firsthand the differences and similarities between old and new synagogues. First they visited the site of the Park Avenue Temple, built it 1908, and now home of a Greek Orthodox church. More recently they visited the construction site of the Sterling Ridge Temple near 132nd and Pacific. “I think participants were able to come away with a sense of what the history is, and why those buildings were built the way that they were,” Rabbi Brown said. “The span of history from the Park Avenue building to the Sterling Ridge building, the two buildings are drastically different.” Rabbi Brown pointed to the fact that the Park Avenue Temple Israel was mostly sanctuary, while the new building is comprised not only of a large sanctuary, but a sizable social hall and religious school, with many multipurpose rooms. “During the class, Rabbi Brown said you can tell a lot about the people if you seehow they distribute space,” Lee Needelman said. “And if you look at the new building from the air, the building looks like three squares. One is worship, one is education and one is social, which goes with the three B’s of Judaism: belief, behaving and belonging.” Rabbi Brown contrasted the design of the new Temple Israel with both the Park Avenue and Cass Street buildings as a way to illustrate the evolution of a synagogue from being solely a place of worship to a place of education and community, as well as prayer. “In a lot of ways, the current building is a transitional building,” he said. “The sanctuary and the social hall and offices were the majority of the building, and as time went on classrooms were built, more social spaces were built, more learning spaces were built. It expanded. “The new building really shows everything we learned from the Cass Street building,” Rabbi Brown continued, “which is that we need multiple multipurpose spaces and that prayer in our new building, we’re not only going to have a sanctuary and a chapel. We’ll have a student chapel downstairs, we’re going to have a meditative space, and we’re also going to have some spaces outdoors. Prayer, learning and socializing are going to happen in a lot of different spaces.” The class toured the still-under-construction building, but stayed on the main floor. They walked through where the social hall will be and saw the sanctuary and chapel. Needelman was particularly impressed with all the windows. “We walked through the hallway to the chapel and were told that was where the stained glass from the [current] sanctuary

was going to be installed, across from the memorial plaques,” she said. “I think it will be really cool to have the light shining through them and onto those plaques with all our loved ones.” Beth Brodkey was impressed with how much progress has been made on the Sterling Ridge building. “It’s exciting progress,” she said. “It’s amazing how far they’ve come, though it’s still pretty rough on the inside. They tried to explain which were the educational places and which were the holy places, and the social hall, and the office wing. “They got a long way to go, but they’re gonna make it,” Brodkey said. “It’s not gonna be a dream anymore, it’s gonna be the real thing.” Rabbi Brown also pointed out the prominent place the Park Avenue Temple Israel had in its neighborhood and how that sort of placement is continuing with the Sterling Ridge building. “The Park Avenue building was intentionally put in a place where those driving by would see it,” he said. “It was a very ornate building, a proud statement of Judaism, and while that’s certainly true of our current building as well, it’s really emphasised in the new Sterling Ridge building, with the way light will be coming from the building, and that you’ll be able to see the building from Pacific and 132nd Streets really clearly. It shows the trend of Jews wanting people to be proud that they have a synagogue in their neighborhood.” Rabbi Brown’s “Articulate Architecture” class, his first at Temple Israel, was part of the ongoing Adult Study with the Clergy series, in which each member of the clergy chooses a topic for discussion over their 10-week session. Cantor Wendy Shermet discussed the history of the Jewish people in Greece and Rabbi Aryeh Azriel’s class, “Dilemmas of Faith: God and Spirituality in the Modern World,” is currently underway and goes through May 23. “The class I thought was great,” Rabbi Brown said. “It was my first opportunity to teach 10 sessions, so we were able to cover a lot of material. It was a great group of students. They did their homework, which is always good.” Both Beth Brodkey and Lee Needelman feel they got a lot out of the rabbi’s class. “Josh is a terrific teacher,” Brodkey said. “I loved [the class]. It was very informative. It was just fascinating.” “He did a fabulous job, akin to a university class,” Needelman said. “It was enjoyable. He brought some men into the group who hadn’t been there before.” Temple Israel’s Adult Study with the Clergy is sponsored by the Hermene Zweiback Center for Lifelong Jewish Learning.

by MICHAEL FOX Barely a minute into Philip Roth: Unmasked, an “American Masters” salute occasioned by the novelist’s 80th birthday, he makes a familiar, albeit annoying, assertion. “I’m not crazy about seeing myself described as an American Jewish writer,” Roth says. “I don’t write in Jewish. I write in American.” Roth proceeds to define himself as an American writer, which is -- take your pick -- a preemptive strike against further questions in this vein, a world-class act of denial (or evasion), or a declaration of post-assimilation liberation. The Jewish viewer without an established opinion of the writer isn’t exactly given a range of perspectives and interpretations, for 90 percent of Philip Roth: Unmasked consists of Roth on Roth. A handful of friends and admirers, including Mia Farrow and Jonathan Franzen, offer flattering assessments of the man and his work that essentially serve as brief breaks in Roth’s monotone monologue. Fortunately, Roth is generally good company. Smart, droll and benignly charming, he downplays the sense of specialness and drive of ambition that propelled him out of Newark, New Jersey, to Bucknell College. Old friends, however, attest to his preternatural self-confidence and sharpened wit. They’re being complimentary, but they tip us off that Roth was one of those people who concludes at a young age that they’re the smartest person in any room they enter. Suddenly, we can discern a slight whiff of condescension in Roth’s demeanor, and we wonder just how willing he’ll be to let the mask slip. In 1958, in his mid-twenties, Roth broke into The New Yorker with Defender of the Faith. The short story generated controversy among Jews, got Roth noticed in publishing circles and paved the way for Goodbye Columbus the following year. But a failed marriage and a loss of confidence kept Roth from publishing for a large chunk of the ‘60s, and led him into psychoanalysis. That experience gave him the structure and framework for the sex-obsessed Portnoy’s Complaint, which sold 350,000 copies its first month. Roth was perfectly comfortable with that level of success and attention, yet wisely bought a house in rural Connecticut where he could be assured of writing in solitude. It’s entertaining to listen to Roth recall the early chapters of his career, but we miss contradictory or alternative viewpoints when he gets to the 1980’s novels featuring his supposed alter ego, Nathan Zuckerman. The writer’s argument, which isn’t completely convincing no matter how he states it, is that it’s a mistake for readers and critics to confuse characters with their creator. So Roth brushes off the accusations of misogyny that have been levied against him over the years, and ignores the debate and self-examination that Goodbye Columbus

and Portnoy’s Complaint provoked in the Jewish community. For that matter, there’s no discussion of how Roth’s novels contributed to the perception and self-perception of American Jews in the second half of the 20th Century. William Karel and Livia Manera, who are credited as directors but do little except throw in a few vintage black-and-white still photos and snippets of contemporary footage of Roth at work in his isolated home or Manhattan apartment, fail to push or challenge their subject. Roth defends sex and adultery as worthwhile themes in fic-

A new documentary about Philip Roth premieres on PBS next week as part of a slew of celebrations in honor of the novelist's 80th birthday. tion, but he’s carefully circumspect in talking about his personal experiences. Philip Roth: Unmasked suffers from the same impulse and dynamic that made the 2011 American Masters tribute to Woody Allen entertainingly trivial. In both cases, a major artist who eschewed in-depth interviews throughout his career agrees to sit for a spell in front of a camera. The filmmakers and PBS, thrilled with their “exclusive,” allow the subject’s voice and perspective to dominate. Like Allen did, Roth astutely plays the part of the complicated and candid artist but his main aim is polishing his legacy. A learned, impassioned examination of the contradictions, ugly truths and significance of his oeuvre -- a critical evaluation of his work, in other words -- is tabled, presumably until he’s shuffled off this mortal coil. Roth is a deeply intelligent man who easily holds our attention, and there’s a fascination in watching him expound on certain topics and deftly ignore others. But the next day, or even an hour later, very little that he says sticks. Philip Roth: Unmasked airs Friday, March 29 on PBS’ American Masters.

Mother’s Coming May

Day

Publishing Date | 05.23.13 Space Reservation | 04.24.13 Camera Ready Deadline | 04.26.13 Contact your advertising representative to advertise in this very special edition. Jessie Wees | 402.334.6559 | jwees@jewishomaha.org

8 | The Jewish Press | March 29, 2013

March 29, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 9

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Women’s Campaign Patti Adler Paula Albert Vicki Allely Carol Alloy Doris Alloy Millie Altman Sophie Ambrose Phyllis Angrisane Mona Aoki Phyllis Aron Alexandra Aronchik Joyce Ashley Diane Axler Baum Elyce Azriel Leora Azriel* Shelly Ban Ida Banner Shirly Banner Jill Baron Celia Barron Sandra Bautista* Kathryn Beauchaine Ann Belmont Jill Belmont Dianne Berman Marilyn Berman Mary Berman Ida Berman-Cohoon Joanie Bernstein Mary Bernstein Rose Bernstein Rita Biniamow Phyllis Bittner Claire Blass Joann Blatt Helen Bleicher* Chris Blumkin* Esther Bogdanoff Jennifer Bogdanoff Janet Boguchwal Marge Bresel Susan Brezack Beth Brodkey Gloria Brodkey Florence Brody Miriam Brooks Carrie Lewin Brown Lauren Brown* Phyllis Brown Beth Brown-Gershovich Amanda Bucher* Michelle Bucher Elaine Bukenholts Helen Burns Molline Cassman Shirley Cemaj Peggy Chasen Susan Chenoweth Cathy Christensen Joyce Clark Kimara Clark Eileen Clignett Anne Cohen Arlene Cohen Beth Cohen Joyce Cohen Karen Cohen Karla Cohen Marla Cohen Rose Cohen Gabriella Cohen-Blair Toba Cohen-Dunning Frances Cohen-Peterson Doris Cohn Pam Cohn Sandra Cole Cheryl Comisar Sharon Comisar-Langdon Maggie Conti Joan Cooper Lisa Cooper Rose Cooper Sarita Cooper Susan Cooper Renee Corcoran Fran Coren Marcy Cotton Suzan Crabb Janey Dann Rose Davis Sylvia Davis Hanna DeBruin Gloria Decker

Women’s Campaign Peggy DeLand Karen Delgadillo Pam DePorte Vera Dobin Debra Dodd Anna Dubov* Esta Dubov Tanya Dubov* Veronica Dubov* Jean Duitch Chris Dunlap Eleanor Dunning Rachel Dysico Maneva Edelman* Janice Egermayer Julia Elkin Michelle Elkin Lois Endelman Penny Endelman Crystal Epstein Etta Epstein Geri Epstein Harriet Epstein Helen Epstein Michelle Epstein Sharon Epstein Esther Erlich Patty Erlich Mary Etus Valentina Etus Deirdre Evans Veronica Fadke Judy Farber Judith Feigin PJ Feinstein Lillian Feldman Marla Feldman Toby Fellman H. Ferer Mary Ferer Annette Fettman Carrie Fingold Lois Finkel Marti Finkel-Poulos Barbara Finkle Deborah Finnicum Janis Fischer Linda Fischer Jane Fishkin Claire Flatowicz Paulette Flatowicz Hillary Fletcher Sherry Fletcher Julia Forbes Amy Forss Naomi Fox* Shelly Fox Beverly Frank Brenda Frank* Julie Frank Marsha Frank Tiffany Franklin* Arlene Fredricks Joanne Freeman Robyn Freeman Norma Fried Doris Friedland Pam Friedlander Amy Friedman Beth Friedman Cindy Friedman Debbie Friedman Joan Friedman Sandee Friedman Sheryl Friedman Sue Friedman Thama Friedman LOJE Fund Beverlee Fromkin Marlen Frost Susana Frydman-Levin Wendy Furst Jessica Gall* Linda Gates Julie Gelbman Lizzy Gilbert Sarah Gilbert Deanna Gilinsky Chris Gill Barb Giller Kaye Giller Julie Ginsberg Beth Ginsburg

Women’s Campaign Larisa Ginzburg Jennifer Gittelman Darlene Golbitz Cindy Goldberg Kim Goldberg Leanne Goldberg Sandra Goldberg Wendy Goldberg Ruth Goldenberg Jan Goldstein Jill Goldstein Judi Goldstein Deborah Goldstein Baum Rebecca GoldsteinGroothuis Dora Goldstrom Barbara Goodman Dee Goodman Jen Goodman Shirley Goodman Allison Gordman Andie Gordman Sandy Gordon Melinda Graham* Cari Green Sherri Green Carole Greenberg Caryl Greenberg Rosalie Greenspan Miriam Gross Mary Sue Grossman Sarah Grossman-Lopez Myrna Grumer Amanda Gurock Karen Gustafson Margie Gutnik Debbie Hale Mendy Halsted Nanciana Hamicksburg Janice Harris Florence Hauss Julie Herskovic Julianne Herzog* Shari Hess Cookie Hoberman Holly Hoberman Jennifer Hoberman Nancy Hoberman Marla Hockfeld* Nancy Hornstein Bonnie Horwich Sarah Howard Jill Idelman Denise Ipock Marilyn Ivers Doris Izenstat Elaine Jabenis Maggie Jacobson Ortmeyer Nancy Jacobson Ronnie Jacobson Lynne Jensen Sylvia Jess Susan Jodis Anne Joseph Debbi Josephson Judy Josephson Sara Juster Karen Kader* Sarah Kader* Ilse Kahn Kim Kahn Roxanne Kahn Ann Kaiman Joan Kaiman Judy Kaiman Sylvia Kaiman Bernice Kaplan Marilyn Kaplan Rose Kaplan Sally Kaplan Polina Karayera* Frankie Kasin Renee Kasner Edythe Kass Jeanne Katelman Lorrie Katelman Esther Katleman Cookie Katskee Kari Katskee Esther Katz Nan Katz Julee Katzman Madeline Katzman

Women’s Campaign Shani Katzman Nanci Kavich Helen Kay Lily Kay Renee Kazor Betty Kelberg Suzan Kenik Gail Kenkel Jenn Kirshenbaum Kate Kirshenbaum Nikki Kirshenbaum Janet Klein Marsha Kleinberg Sara Kohen* Diane Kohler Ivy Kohll Janet Kohll Sandy Kohll Betty Kolnick Robbi Kolnick Marina Konfisakhar* Marilyn Konigsberg Sarah Konigsberg Georgine Koom Lori Kooper-Schwarz Leah Kosinovsky Alice Kosowsky Shane Kotok Bette Kozlen Natasha Kraft Jori Kravitz Debbie Kricsfeld Angie Krieger Deborah Kronick Traci Kugler Janie Kulakofsky Rita Kulik Leslie Kully Sandra Kurland Jordana Kurtzman Barbara Kushner Abigail Kutler Debi Kutler Nancy Kutler Pam Kutler Carole Lainof Lina Lander Pauline Landman Joan Latchaw Allison Latenser Grace Lebowich Cait Leff Cheryl Lerner Martha Lerner Cheryl Levine Bonnie Levinger Lina Levit Barb Levitan Lisa Lewis Rocky Lewis Vera Lewis Marina Libov Sarah Linn Marcia Lipsman Anna Litvin Helene Lohman Bonnie London Monique Lowe Doris Lubman Erika Lucoff Lisa Lucoff Candee Mack Carolyn Magid Diane Malashock Norma Malashock Helen Manheimer Lois Mann* Lueen Mansfield Marilyn Manvitz Wendy Manvitz Deb Marburg Judy Marburg Ruti Margalit Harriet Marko Michelle Marsh Joan Martin Julie Martin Yelena Mashinson Beverly Maurer Elizabeth May Ashley McClure Kathy McGauvran Esther Meiches

Women’s Campaign Marybeth Meiches Robyn Menin Nelli Menkov Denise Meyers Tina Meyers Deenie Meyerson Jamie Meyerson Jenny Meyerson Miriam Meyerson Renee Micklin Gayle Milder Rhoda Milder Nancy Milder Lazer Jennifer Milller Lindsey Miller-Lerman Sue Millward Lynda Mirvish Evie Mitchell Ethel Mogil Patricia Mogil Suzi Mogil Anna Mogilevskaya Anna Mosenkis Ann Moshman Bettie Muskin Linda Muskin Amy Nachman Randi Nanfito Naava Naslavsky Carol Nathan Lee Needelman Maria Neesman Karli Newman Patricia Newman Babe Nogg Jaime Nogg Kelly Nogg Manya Nogg Ozzie Nogg Sandy Nogg Ann Noodell Marcy Noodell Maxine Noodell Leslie Norman Susan Norton Linda Novak Rita Novak Donna Olesh Reva Oruch Ann Osborne Nadine Ostrow Ilene Pachman Doris Parker Margo Parsow Clara Paskar Sandy Passer Ella Patkovsky Helga Patterson Elinore Penner Betty Perelman Vicki Perlmeter Beth Perry Cheryl Phillips Gerri Phillips Julie Phillips Shelly Pichik Ann Pickel Gilda Pieck Helen Pisetsky Deborah Platt Karen Plotkin Suzanne Pocras Yaffa Podbilewicz-Schuller Susan Polack Sheila Polikov Karen Pollak Kini Polsky Lynne Popp* Julie Potash Linda Potash Ruth Potash Debbie Powers Gwen Pred Sheila Priluck Jayme Prisbell* Gretchen Radler* Wendy Raffel Jan Rahmani Irina Raksin Nancy Rampey Larisa Rapina Emily Ray Shayna Ray

Together, we continue to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish community and support Jews in Israel and around the world Please note that this list of Federation donors is complete as of March 18, 2013. Every effort is made to ensure that the list is accurate and we sincerely apologize if any name was incorrectly printed or inadvertently omitted. To update information in this donor listing, please contact Sharon Kirshenbaum at 402-334-6485 or skirshenbaum@jewishomaha.org.

Women’s Campaign Karen Redmond Wendy Reiss Roni Reiter-Palmon Eileen Remer Barbara Rennard Juliana Reno Amy Reynolds Diane Rich Caryn Rifkin Helen Rifkin Jane Rips Nancy Rips Judy Roffman Phyllis Roffman Sivi Roffman Marcelyn Rogers Mimi Rogers-Farkas Betty Roitstein Debbie Roitstein Margo Rosen Rita Rosen Toni Rosen Marti Rosen-Atherton Sue Rosenblatt Dottie Rosenblum Judy Rosenfeld Janet Rosenstein Charney Rosinsky Bunny Rothenberg Susan Rothholz Faye Ruback Marcia Ruback Teresa Ruback Betty Rubin Rebecca RuetschFinkelstein Sherrie Saag Kelli Sadofsky Marina Sadofsky Janette Salkin Debbie Salomon Linda Saltzman Lynne Saltzman Rosalie Saltzman Lynn Samuel Betty Sanford Ellen Saylan Caryn Scheer Lisa Scheet June Schlessinger Carol Schneider Melissa Schop Laura Schrager Lillian Schrager Debra Schwartz Phyllis Schwartz Andee Scioli Lourdes Secola Aviva Segall Betty Segell Dalma Seitelbach Lisa Senal* Diane Shandell Melissa Shapiro Sherry Shapiro Jeanne Shechet Mor Sheinbein Claudia Sherman Debra Sherman Patty Sherman Sally Sherman Usha Sherman Cantor Wendy Shermet Lisa Shkolnick Andreea Shnayder* Cynthia Shoham Follick Dani Shrago Josie Shrago Lesli Shrago* Sharon Shrago Aveva Shukert Elizabeth Shuler Cindy Shulewitz Liat Shyken Rachel Shyken* Susie Shyken Andrea Siegel Simmy Siegel Sissy Silber Michele Silberstein Esther Silver Susan Silver Denise Silverman

Women’s Campaign Lorraine Silverman LOJE Fund Mimi Silverman Susie Silverman Jill Simon Tootie Simon Kathy Siref* Olga Sitnyakovskaya* Nancy Skid Andrea Skolkin Anne Skolkin Beth Slovut Crystal Smith* Susan Somberg Penny Sophir* Stacie Spies-Matz Marcie Spivack Dorothy Spizman Frances Stein Lorraine Stein Elvira Stepanova Judith Stern Melissa Stern Rocky Stern Becca Sudbeck* Louri Sullivan Lynn Sweet Barbara Taxman Mary Ann Taylon Mindy Tene Shiri Tene Amy Tipp Marilyn Tipp Sonia Tipp Ellina Tomchin Sheila Tomps Margarita Treskunova Eadie Tsabari Judy Tully Lucy Turetsky Margaret Turetsky Tevee Turkel Margie Utesch* Annette van de KampWright Iris Varkony Jen Viehrig Jennifer Vik Jody Vinci Halyna Vinnytska Patsy Wallace Phyllis Wasserman Esther Wax Jan Wayne Dana Wear Helen Weber Joye Wees Phyllis Weinberg Kathy Weiner Ruth Weiner Alice Weiss Ilana Weiss Anne Weitz Audrey Wiener Cynthia Wiesman Allyson Wilczewski Andi Willensky Laura Wine Lois Wine Sally Wintroub Blanche Wise Susan Witkowski June Wolf* Isabella Wright Annette Yaffe Judi Yampolsky* Mary Kay Young Barb Zacharia Terri Zacharia Inna Zevakina Linda Zimmerman Sally Zipursky Nora Zoob Bev Zuber Rosie Zweiback

* New in category

10 | The Jewish Press | March 29, 2013

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Community Calendar FRIDAY, MARCH 29 Beth El YAC Playgroup, 10 a.m. at the Children’s Museum Star Deli, 11:30 am at RBJH Temple Israel: Shabbat Comes to you at Remington Heights, 3:30 p.m.

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SUNDAY, MARCH 31 Temple Israel: Stephen Center Breakfast, 9 a.m. Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El WRJ Meeting, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m. at Beth El MONDAY, APRIL 1 Seventh Day of Passover JFS-Love and Logic Creighton University Child Development Center, 8 a.m.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 4 Sacred Grounds with Rabbi Gross, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Study with Rabbi Azriel, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Scholars Club for 4-6 graders, 3:30 p.m. at RBJH Hebrew 102, 6 p.m. NCJW Girl Night Out, 7 p.m. at Project Harmony FRIDAY, APRIL 5 Experiencing Judaism with the Five Senses class, 11 a.m. Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Oh Say Shalom to Shabbat & Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El First Friday Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel Congregational Dinner, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel SATURDAY, APRIL 6 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Junior Congregation, 10 a.m. at Beth El SUNDAY, APRIL 7 Yom Hashoah BESTT Talmud Torah Class, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m. at Beth El Pinwheels for Prevention-Jewish Family Service, 1 p.m. The Chamber Music Society Concert, 7 p.m. MONDAY, APRIL 8 Friedel – Yom Hashoah Remembrance, 9:45 a.m. Adult Education with Rabbi Abraham, 10 a.m. at Beth El NCJW-Omaha Section Board Meeting, 7 p.m. Men’s Club Jews and Brews – Final Four Edition, 7:30 p.m. at Beth El TUESDAY, APRIL 9 Jewish Medical Ethics, noon at the Med Center BBYO Night, 6 p.m. 92Y ADL 100th Anniversary Event, 7 p.m. JCC Board Meeting, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 Beth El YAC Playgroup, 9:30 a.m. at Fontenelle Forest Study session with Rabbi Abraham and Hazzan Krausman, 10:30 a.m. at Beth El BESTT Talmud Torah Class, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Beth Israel OJC [Jewish Omaha Connetions] Event, 5:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Community Yom Hashoah, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel Rabbi Weiss’ Weekly Class, 7:45 p.m. at Beth Israel

THURSDAY, APRIL 11 Sacred Grounds with Rabbi Gross, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Study with Rabbi Azriel, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Scholars Club for 4-6 graders, 3:30 p.m. at RBJH Project Interfaith Parenting in a Pluralistic World, 5 p.m. Hebrew 102, 6 p.m. Beth El Women’s Rosh Hodesh Meeting, 7 p.m. at the Jewish Press FRIDAY, APRIL 12 Experiencing Judaism with the Five Senses class, 11 a.m. Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Temple Israel: Shabbat Comes to you at Remington Heights, 4 p.m. Beth El Our Shabbat Tables, 7 p.m. SATURDAY, APRIL 13 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, APRIL 14 Blood Drive, 9 a.m. at Temple Israel BESTT Talmud Torah Class, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El Sisterhood Membership Brunch, 10 a.m. at Beth El Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m. at Beth El Beth El Family Fun Day, 1 p.m. at Sempeck’s Bowling & Entertainment Nebraska Jewish HIstorical Society Genealogy Club, 1 p.m. Book Signing Program, 4 p.m. MONDAY, APRIL 15 Yom Ha’Atzmaut Daf Yomi: Week in Review, 7:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Education with Rabbi Abraham, 10 a.m. at Beth El Friedel – Yom Hazkaron, 11 a.m. Board Meeting, noon at Friedel Jewish Press Board Meeting, 7 p.m. TUESDAY, APRIL 16 The Ethics of Our Fathers class, 2 p.m. at Remington Heights Yom Ha’Atzmaut Children Event, 5 p.m. BBYO Night, 6 p.m. BESTT Talmud Torah Board Meeting, 7 p.m. at Beth El Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel Partnership2Gether Yom Hautzmaut Concert with Sulie and Moshe Dayan, 7:15 p.m. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17 BESTT Talmud Torah Class, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El Teen Night, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel Temple Israel: Rabbi John Friedman, Co-Chair of J Street Rabbbinic Cabinet, 6:30 p.m. Hebrew High, 6:45 p.m. at Beth El Rabbi Weiss’ Weekly Class, 7:45 p.m. at Beth Israel THURSDAY, APRIL 18 Sacred Grounds with Rabbi Gross, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Study with Rabbi Azriel, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Scholars Club for 4-6 graders, 3:30 p.m. at RBJH Hebrew 102, 6 p.m. B’nai Tzedek Meeting, 7 p.m. Dames and Drinks, 7 p.m. at Beth El FRIDAY, APRIL 19 Experiencing Judaism with the Five Senses class, 11 a.m. Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Beth El Celebrates Shabbat at Remington Heights, 3:30 p.m. Dinner and Drash, 7 p.m. at Beth El

SATURDAY, APRIL 20 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Junior Congregation, 10 a.m. at Beth El Simchat Shabbat & Cafe Schmooze, 10:30 a.m. at Beth El Youth Dance Party, 5:30 p.m. WRJ 100th Birthday Celebration: Wine Tasting Gala, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, APRIL 21 BESTT Talmud Torah Class, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El Adult Ed Class, The Highly Controversial Laws of the Torah, 10 a.m. at Beth El Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Torah Tots, 10:30 a.m. at Beth El Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m. at Beth El Shiputznick “Teen Mitzvah Day,” 1 p.m. MONDAY, APRIL 22 Daf Yomi: Week in Review, 7:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Education with Rabbi Abraham, 10 a.m. at Beth El TUESDAY, APRIL 23 BBYO Night, 6 p.m. “The Aryan Jesus in Nazi Germany: The Bible and the Holocaust,” 7 p.m. at Creighton University Board of Director’s Meeting, 7 p.m. at Beth El WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24 Study session with Rabbi Abraham and Hazzan Krausman, 10:30 a.m. at Beth El Beth El YAC Playgroup, 10:30 a.m. Rabbi’s and President’s Meeting, noon BESTT Talmud Torah Class, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El Federation Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m. OJC [Omaha Jewish Connections] Event, 6 p.m. at Beth Israel Women in Islam with Bridget Bloomfield, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Hebrew High, 6:45 p.m. at Beth El THURSDAY, APRIL 25 Sacred Grounds with Rabbi Gross, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Study with Rabbi Azriel, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Scholars Club for 4-6 graders, 3:30 p.m. at RBJH Hebrew 102, 6 p.m. Reception for Avery Mazor, 6 p.m. FRIDAY, APRIL 26 Experiencing Judaism with the Five Senses class, 11 a.m. Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Beth El Brings Shabbat to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. SATURDAY, APRIL 27 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, APRIL 28 Lag B’Omer Weekly Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El WRJ Meeting, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m. at Beth El Shiputznick Teen Mitzvah Day, 12:30 p.m. Youth Scholarship Fundraising Concert featuring Comedian Joel Chasnoff, 7 p.m. at Beth El MONDAY, APRIL 29 Daf Yomi: Week in Review, 7:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Adult Education with Rabbi Abraham, 10 a.m. at Beth El TUESDAY, APRIL 30 BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

All events held at the Jewish Community Center unless otherwise noted. This calendar does not include all community events. For a complete listing, visit the Federation’s website: www.jewishomaha.org (click on calendar). To keep calendar accurate, call Pat Anson at 402.334.8200. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of the above events.

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March 29, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 11

Omaha Creative Institute Art Camps at Marian High School by BECKY HAWORTH Marketing Coordinator, Omaha Creative Institute This June, rising 6th-8th grade girls can explore, imagine, and innovate with Omaha Creative Institute and Marian High School. Together, they will offer two weeks of workshops all held at the Omaha school. Girls will experience two artistic mediums each week from 1-4:30 p.m., all for just $150. No experience is required; materials and equipment will be provided. From June 10-14, students will take Mixed Media Art with Dori Settles and Encaustic Painting with Margaret Berry. For Mixed Media, they will use a variety of mediums including paper, paint, fabric, rubber-stamping, found objects, and more. Settles will introduce young artists to design composition. That same week, Berry will teach the magic of hot wax with encaustic art making. She’ll guide students in working with melted wax, color theory, and technique. Quick, luminous, versatile

wax paint has unlimited possibilities. Participants will leave with various handmade creations from each class. The following week, young artists will enjoy Watercolor with Madalyn Bruning and Caricature/Cartooning with Tom Kerr. Participants will channel their inner Monet with beautiful watercolor creations. Bruning will guide students in application, color theory, and brushstroke technique. That week, students also will be treated to instruction from Kerr, former cartoonist/illustrator for the Omaha World-Herald. He will teach basic drawing concepts and ideas such as shading and shape. Students will leave both workshops with several of their own designs from both workshops. Marian High School is located at 7400 Military Ave., Omaha, NE 68134. Register and pay for one or both weeks at omahacreativeinstitute.org. Contact Becky with questions: rebecca@omahacreativeinstitute.org or 785.218.3061.

Best of Il Divo tour coming to Omaha by DAVID BUCKSNER Exceptional Artists The world’s most famous classical crossover quartet — Swiss tenor Urs Buhler, baritone Carlos Marin from Spain, French pop artist Sebastien Izambard and tenor David Miller from the USA -- first came together in 2003 as the culmination of an exhaustive search by music producer Simon Cowell to find four singers of distinctive individual gifts who could, as a group, create musical magic. In the years that followed their astonishing breakthrough, Il Divo has continued to grow as recording artists and performers, and their millions of fans the world over have joined them on a journey that brings their new Best of Il Divo tour to the Orpheum Theater for their first-ever Omaha show on Sunday, May 12, at 7 p.m. This new show will see Il Divo on stage with a full orchestra, performing their signature classical interpretations of popular songs. Selections include fan favorites Somewhere, Unbreak

My Heart, Unchained Melody and Adagio, as well as several new songs such as My Heart Will Go On (in Italian), I Will Always Love You (in Spanish) and I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You (English) from their recent global Greatest Hits album release. Proving their romantic and timeless repertoire knows no boundaries, Il Divo has become a global phenomenon, selling over 26 million albums, including over 50 number ones, while chalking up 160 gold and platinum sales in over 33 countries. Their 2012 fourth world tour saw them perform an incredible 134 shows across 46 countries on six continents. Highlights include touring as special guests to Barbra Streisand, a 2009 performance at President Obama’s Purple Inauguration Ball and recently at a concert for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee at Windsor Castle. Tickets may be purchased at www.ticketomaha.com, and exclusive VIP Meet & Greet Ticket packages are available at www.ildivo.com.

All for the match by MOLLY CONNOLLY The Nebraska Cultural Endowment began as a small group of thoughtful, committed private citizens with an ambitious goal; to provide a livelihood for the arts and humanities in Nebraska, today and for the future. The result was the creation of a publicprivate partnership with the State of Nebraska and a public fund established to benefit the programs and projects of the Nebraska Arts Council and Humanities Nebraska. Each contribution to the Cultural Endowment is matched by the income from the public fund. The private contribution is endowed for future program support, and the public match provides real time support for those programs. Over the past ten years, the public-private partnership has provided over $6 million dollars in program support for the Nebraska Arts Council and Humanities Nebraska. After attend-

ing the Humanities Nebraska’s Capitol Forum, a high school student from western Nebraska wanted to be a State Senator. He learned about civic engagement and the legislative process. The Nebraska Arts Council’s School Bus Arts Grant program enabled grade school children with free or reduced lunches to attend a performance at the Holland Center. They experienced an opportunity of a lifetime. Programs such as these are made possible through the generosity of our donors. A contribution to the Cultural Endowment and the match it generates multiplies the impact of a donor’s gift by broadening the reach of programs in the arts and humanities that enhance our children’s education and strengthen our Nebraska communities. For more information on the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, contact Pamela Snow at phsnow@nebraskaculturalendowment.org or 402.595.2722.

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12 | The Jewish Press | March 29, 2013

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

FAQ

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press For the past 90-plus years, this paper has arrived on people’s doorsteps, week after week. Much has changed over time, and we thought we’d address some of the details. There are many different details that the Press staff pays attention to each week, and we realize the community would probably like to know a little bit more about what it is exactly we do here. So we have selected some questions we hear on a regular basis, and will try to answer them here. This week is part I, and we’ll do another installment next week. How and where do I submit my son’s Bar Mitzvah announcement, engagement, wedding, and anything else I would like to see in the Press? Bar or Bat Mitzvah, engagement, and wedding announcements can be submitted via email at jpress@jewishomaha. org or submitted through our website. The right bottom corner of the Jewish Press website has a list; simply click and you will see a form appear. When you submit, the information will be sent directly to us. It is advisable to watch for deadlines; you want to make sure your Bar or Bat Mitzvah announcement makes it into the Press on time, so try to get it to us two-three weeks before the actual date. Maybe the announcement you have has to do with your son getting a really cool award, or you yourself have somehow achieved something newsworthy. Email your news directly to the editor at avandekamp@jewishomaha.org and we will make an announcement in the Press. How are obituaries submitted to the Press? Things are a little different when it comes to obituaries. If we don’t run a certain obit, people often wonder why, and usually the answer is simple: it wasn’t submitted. We don’t call or contact the family after bereavement. The last thing people want while they are grieving a loved one is a call from the Press, and it is very important to us to respect their privacy. So we leave it up to the family to contact us, either by filling

out the form on the website or emailing the obit directly to us. If the obit has already been published somewhere else, you may also call us at 402.334.6450 and ask us to take care of it. However, we will not do this without being asked. What is the policy for Letters to the Editor? The short answer is: it’s up to the editor’s discretion whether your letter is published. Length matters: we ask that you keep it under 250-300 words. We also pay attention to language, and whether the letter could potentially cause conflict. The best thing to do is simply email it to the editor, and if for some reason we don’t think it should be printed, we will do our best to explain why. A letter to the editor goes out to the entire community, and we want to make sure we make the right decision every time. It’s a responsibility we take very seriously. How do deadlines work? During regular weeks, our deadline is Thursday 9 a.m. for the following week. For our special issues (Passover and Rosh Hashanah) we work months ahead, so regular deadlines don’t apply. Sometimes we set earlier deadlines, usually when holiday closings interfere with our production schedule. In that case, we announce any changes in the Press during the weeks leading up to it. When in doubt, email or call us! We’re happy to help! How does the Press editor decide what goes on the front page? Our goal is to have three local stories on our front page. Many weeks, this is no problem, because we receive great content from the community and the agencies of the Federation. Some weeks, however, we don’t receive enough stories that ‘work’ on a front page, or we get stories without photographs. Good color photographs are essential, since we aim to have an attrac-

tive, colorful front page every week. In that case, we look for national or international content (Israel) that will work and that seems of interest to the community. In addition, when big news happens elsewhere, we will reserve front page space for it. The results of the recent Israeli election made the front page, as did the conflict with Gaza. Our mission statement is to inform the Jewish Community of Omaha of relevant Jewish news, locally, nationally, and internationally. Not everyone always likes every front page story, and at the end of the day, it’s a somewhat subjective process. What’s important to one group of people is maybe not so relevant to others. Because of that, we have to aim for balance. But ultimately, it really depends on which stories are available. Is there something you’d really like to know about how our agency works? Email your question to avandekamp@jew ishomaha.org and we’ll try to answer it here.

Don’t censor BDS, expose it for what it is

Behind the headlines ANDY BACHMAN NEW YORK (JTA) -- During the Vietnam War protests at the University of Wisconsin, students were said to have gathered on the front lawn of noted historian George Mosse, imploring him to stop supporting the university’s policy of allowing the ROTC on campus. To some students, this alignment with the machinery of war was a “fascist policy,” and they charged their teacher with the same label. “A fascist,” he was said to have mused. “Which kind?” Classic Mosse: He engaged his students with wit, turning questions back to them, sending them back to books to examine their claims with “critical thinking.” Twenty years later, when I was a student and protests against Israel were taking place on campus, Mosse was equally engaged. He did not talk policy, but he made us think about context, perspective and cogency of argument. He also was fascinated by the personalities leading the debates on both sides. What historical forces made them into the students they had come to be? This arose one winter when the infamous anti-Semitic leader Louis Farrakhan came to campus. Someone wanted an apology from the university for hosting the speech in the field house; as a student leader, I argued one should attend the talk, hear what he has to say. That way, I figured, it would make the argument over his words more interesting and earn some respect from the other side for listening, however misguided or hateful the speech. Watching the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions debate rear its head at Brooklyn College, a year after successfully

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beating it back at the Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn, brings to mind these experiences. As someone who takes it as axiomatic that the BDS movement doesn’t have a formidable leg to stand on (on a recent trip to Israel, I visited Palestinian friends in Jericho and bought the BDS-forbidden Ahava products at the Ahava Jericho Wall concession stand, above which flew the Palestinian flag; we got good date honey, too) one could have predicted the sandstorm that would ensue once the Brooklyn College political science department co-sponsored a forum on BDS. While there remain legitimate educational reasons to debate Israeli policy with regard to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, BDS and Brooklyn College became yet another occasion to trudge out the cottage industry of American Jewish politics and all its requisite, manifest claims and questions: Is criticism of Israel anti-Semitic? Is opposing Zionism antiSemitic? Does the strongest nation in the Middle East even care about what goes on at one end of Flatbush while dealing with a nuclear threat from Iran, unstable borders with Syria, an elected parliamentary government not yet in formation, and an unresolved conflict with Palestinians wherein neither side currently has the will to sit down, negotiate and compromise? Seltzer makers? Hand lotion? Please. Quick: Ask yourself whose voice you heard in the media about Brooklyn College and BDS? Can you name a historian? Political scientist? A teacher of any kind? Or can you only remember the politicians, community leaders, agitators and activists who weighed in, staking out ground for the greater battle over whether or not Israel should exist? Some have said that Brooklyn College never should have allowed the program to take place in the first place; that a city-

funded university ought not spend taxpayer dollars on a program about a movement that does not actually seek a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict other than the demographic dissolution of the Jewish state; and that since BDS advocates a binational state and seeks to delegitimize Jewish national aspirations, it’s an inherently bigoted if not anti-Semitic front. I don’t agree. Rather, I take issue with the political science department’s tactics. The department should have insisted that the program take place with a serious scholarly approach rather than the show trial that went on, complete with competing claims about intimidation and students being removed from the premises. The teachers should have taught, questioned, prodded and used the lecture hall to lift the discussion to the valued place higher education aspires to occupy. Oops. There’s that word, occupy. Which is precisely the point. The objection should not be about a university sponsoring a forum on whether boycott is an effective practice for political change. The objection should be that under the guise of “academic freedom,” the agenda for a reasonable debate about difficult issues was hijacked by intellectually weak and tendentious argument. If I were a Brooklyn College student, I’d demand a more demanding debate, more scholarship from a scholarly department. Academic freedom doesn’t mean saying whatever you want without someone pushing back in the classroom. It can also entail requiring that students learn something, be pushed to new cognitive territory, have their orthodoxies tested and maybe even shattered before being made anew -- all for the sake of a higher historical truth that the university, since its inception, is meant to offer. Continued on page 13

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March 29, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 13

By hosting BDS conference, college gave imprimatur to hate speech

Behind the headlines MARTIN J. RAFFEL NEW YORK (JTA) -- Is it appropriate for a respected institution to sponsor or host a speaker who harshly accuses the Israeli government of standing in the way of Middle East peace or grossly violating human rights because of its policies toward the Palestinians? Absolutely. While American Jews overwhelmingly disagree with these broad judgments, they are legitimate issues for discussion. On the other hand, is it appropriate to sponsor or host a speaker who seeks to demonize or delegitimize Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people? In this case, the answer would be no. The European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia’s working definition of anti-Semitism, which has been adopted by the U.S. State Department, includes denial of the Jewish people’s right to self-determination and Israel’s right to exist. Of course, the exception would be a “one world” individual who rejects nationalism generally. However, for those who support the rights of other peoples to self-determination, but oppose that right for the Jewish people, the definition fits. Let’s stipulate that the line between debate and delegitimization is often difficult to distinguish even among members of our own Jewish community, let alone trying to explain it to journalists and officials in the general community. Does the BDS movement cross the line between debate and delegitimization? Let’s look at the evidence. The movement, co-founded by Omar Barghouti, employs boycotts, divestment and sanctions against the State of Israel and seeks to turn it into a pariah

state by making comparisons to the racist apartheid regime in South Africa. It supports the unfettered right of return of millions of Palestinian refugees and/or their descendants to their homes inside Israel rather than to the future State of Palestine. This position is nothing more than a thinly veiled attack on Israel’s character as a Jewish and democratic state. But interpretation of the right of return aside, Barghouti himself has been explicit in rejecting Jewish national selfdetermination. In his 2011 book “BDS: The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights,” he explains why Israeli peace groups cannot be good partners in the movement. He writes that “the most radical Israeli ‘Zionist-left’ figures and groups are still Zionist, adhering to the racist principles of Zionism that treat the indigenous Palestinians as lesser humans who are an obstacle or a ‘demographic threat’ to be dealt with in order to maintain Israel’s character as a colonial, ethnocentric, apartheid state.” This is why the principal challenge to the recent BDS conference at Brooklyn College featuring Barghouti was not because it was held on campus by an anti-Israel student group. Student programs are protected by the First Amendment right of free speech. Rather, concern by the Jewish community and many public leaders focused on the judgment of the school’s political science department in cosponsoring the program. It is true, as some school officials asserted, that sponsorship does not necessarily connote endorsement. But sponsorship conveys a message that the content of the program and the ideas presented by its speakers at least are deemed worthy of exposure to the campus community. Would the political science department agree to co-sponsor an event with a Holocaust denier or a professor espousing theories of African-American racial inferiority? If delegitimizing Israel is tantamount to anti-Semitism, it would fall within the

Array of Jewish groups urges faster path to citizenship by JTA NEWS STAFF WASHINGTON (JTA) -- An array of Jewish groups urged President Obama and Congress to ease the path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Nineteen national groups and dozens of local groups and clergy signed on to a letter sent last Friday that was timed for Passover. “American Jews know too well the impact of restrictive immigration policies, and we have seen how the immigration issue can become a flashpoint for xenophobia,” said the letter, which was spearheaded by the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. Signatories represented all four major Jewish religious streams as well as the major Jewish civil rights groups, and the federation and public policy umbrellas. “We are concerned the failure of national leaders to fix the broken immigration system has fueled racist, nativist,

and extremist groups who blame immigrants for our country’s problems, and has been a central factor in the spread of state and local policies and laws that legalize discrimination against immigrants,” the letter says. It calls for legislation that “brings undocumented immigrants out of the shadows by providing a pathway to citizenship, creates safe and legal avenues for future flows of immigrants, reunites families, establishes border protection and enforcement policies that enhance our national security, and accords all immigrants the responsibilities and rights required for full integration into American society.” The letter asks that such a system be “realistic” and that citizenship be available “within a reasonable timeframe of years, not decades.” It also urges reform that “fixes the broken system for admitting and integrating refugees and asylum seekers.”

same genre of bigotry and hate speech. Confusion about drawing the line was evident in a column in the Los Angeles Times dealing with the Brooklyn College episode. The author observed that “students will hear from two spokespeople for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement that seeks to punish Israel for its treatment of Palestinians,” and that “it does no service to Jewish students -- in Brooklyn or Berkeley -- to try to insulate them from debate about Israeli policies, including the denunciations offered by the BDS movement.” Again, the issue is not debating Israeli policies. Nor is it about the right of students to speak or hear extremist views. The question is the wisdom of the political science department providing its imprimatur. This is all rather complicated, made even more so by the existence of targeted boycotts against products made in Israeli settlements -- the so-called “Zionist BDS” espoused by certain Jewish groups and the scholar-journalist Peter Beinart. While counterproductive and misguided, these boycotts are not in and of themselves expressions of delegitimization. It isn’t easy. But we must continue to try to meet the challenge of clearly delineating the sometimes ambiguous line that separates robust and sometimes uncomfortable debate about Israel’s policies from delegitimization. Martin J. Raffel is the senior vice president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.

Don’t censor BDS Continued from page 12 BDS is insidious and stupid. It’s also wildly ineffective. The university shouldn’t censor it by not addressing it; it should bring the movement under the light of examination and expose it for what it is: an attempt by the weak to bring down the strongest nation in the Middle East that, besides being surrounded by enemies, has a population under its military control that is yearning for a state of its own. Sometimes the most basic facts are more conveniently ignored. So when one-sided programming becomes a spectacle, all we learn is how to shout louder. At a debate over the meaning of the Vietnam War and increasing violence on campus, George Mosse said to his opponent and friend Harvey Goldberg, “You were so respectable. You thought you could make a revolution without consequences. Well, any revolution has to step over bodies, didn’t you know?” The Israel and BDS debate needs more candor, more argument and more exposure. Brooklyn College only got it half right. Students and a jaded public lost out. Israelis and Palestinians hardly noticed. Andy Bachman is the senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn.

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Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 712.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com For information on our historic synagogue – dates and times for Friday night services, call 712.323.8885. FRIDAY, April 12: Services, 7 p.m. followed by a potluck dinner with guest, Mark Kirchhoff, Center for Jewish Life Administrative Assistant will speak on Refugee Resettlement. The community is invited. Cantor Beth Schlossberg will officiate at all of the Speaker Series Services.

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: Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.; YAC Playgroup, 10 a.m. at the Children’s Museum. For more information, contact Caryn Scheer at carynscheer@yahoo.com; Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9:30 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m. (Shabbat ends at 8:28 p.m.) WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. SUNDAY-Hol Hamoed: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study Group, 10 a.m.; Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m., with Hazzan Krausman; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:30 p.m. MONDAY-Seventh Day: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m.; Wrestling with Rabbis of the Talmud with Rabbi Abraham will not meet April 1; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:30 p.m. TUESDAY-Eighth Day: Shacharit (Yizkor is said), 9:30 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:45 p.m. (Yom Tov ends at 8:31 p.m.) Tot Shabbat & Oh Say Shalom to Shabbat, Friday, April 5, 6 p.m. Dinner follows at 6:30 p.m. 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 programming@bethel-omaha.org. Jews ‘n’ Brews, Monday, April 8, 7 p.m., sponsored by Men’s Club. All men of Beth El are welcome to attend; no charge. A donation of $5 is suggested to help defray costs. 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: Please contact the synagogue for office hours. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:29 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Children’s Classes begin with Torah Parade, 9:45 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored in honor of March Simchas; The Laws of Shabbat, 5:30 p.m.; Advanced Parshah Study for Boys (ages 10 and up), 6:30 p.m.; MinchaMa’ariv, 7:30 p.m., followed by Seuda Shlishit; Havdalah, 8:29 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha-Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha-Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m.; Candle Lighting not before, 8:32 p.m. TUESDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Yizkor, 10 a.m.; MinchaMa’ariv, 7:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:33 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly

Class, 7:45 p.m. THURSDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Sacred Grounds with Rabbi Gross, 9:30 a.m; Med Center Chabura, 1 p.m. at UNMC; Scholars Club for fourth-sixth graders, 3:30 p.m.

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.; Kiddush lunch will follow. SUNDAY: Minyan, 8:30 a.m.; Breakfast Bonanza, 9:30 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m. TUESDAY: Say Farewell to Pesach: Don’t forget about the memorable Moshiach Feast taking place, 7 p.m. at the Katzman home. The dinner will include four cups of wine, matzah, and many cups of inspiration. RSVP to shalom@ ochabad.com or 402.330.1800. WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 10 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. Call 402.330.1800 to reserve. THURSDAY: Women’s Study at UNMC with Shani Katzman, noon. Contact Marlene Cohen at mzcohen@ unmc.edu to receive updates. 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 and Jen Lewis. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. SUNDAY: No LJCS Classes. TUESDAY: Hitler’s Daughter, 7 p.m. at the Lied Center. You won’t want to miss this award-winning play, suitable for audiences ages 10 and up. Tickets are available online at www.liedcenter.org or by calling 402.472.4747. Take advantage of a 10% discount by using the code FEDERATION. The final cost for adult tickets is $14.40 and for children’s tickets $8. There will be a reception at 6 p.m. in the Lied Commons. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. ADULT EDUCATION THURSDAYS, Beginning Hebrew, 6 p.m. and Advanced Hebrew, 7 p.m.

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. MONDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg. TUESDAY: Services with Yizkor, 9 a.m. Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.

Artist Debra Joy Groesser Ralston Nebraska artist Debra Joy Groesser is best known for her impressionistic landscape paintings, particularly her plein air work. Debra is the national president and a signature member of the American Impressionist Society, and signature member of both Plein Air Artists Colorado and American Plains Artists. “Painting is such a spiritual experience for me. Nothing inspires me more than being out on location, capturing the subtle nuances of color, light and atmosphere that can only be achieved by painting from nature.” Debra’s ability to render emotion and mood and to capture the spirit of her subjects draws both private and corporate collectors worldwide to her work. “When I find a subject that triggers a strong emotional response in me, I know that’s what I have to paint. My greatest satisfaction is when the viewer has that same emotional response I did.” Debra is also well known for her portraits and figurative works. Her most visible portrait commission to date hangs at

Omaha’s Holland Performing Arts Center... a 4x6 foot portrait of Richard and Mary Holland, commissioned by Omaha Performing Arts. Debra has participated in countless juried and invitational exhibitions, including Oil Painters of America National and Regional Exhibitions, American Impressionist Society, Salon International (Texas), Plein Air Artists Colorado National Exhibitions, Laguna Plein Air Invitational (California), Carmel Art Festival (California), Door County Plein Air Festival (Wisconsin), and Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts (Alabama). Debra’s work has been featured in several national art publications, including Art of the West, American Art Collector and Southwest Art. She is represented by SouthWind Art Gallery, Topeka, KS; Mountainsong Galleries, Carmel CA; Abend Gallery, Denver, CO; and Art in Miniature, Tubac, AZ. She also accepts commissioned work. For more information on Debra’s current and upcoming exhibitions and to see her work, please visit her website, DebraJoyGroesser.com.

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Candlelighting Friday, March 29, 7:29 p.m.

TEMPLE ISRAEL 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, 3:30 p.m.; Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. SUNDAY: Stephen Center Breakfast, 9 a.m.; Teachers Meeting, 9:30 a.m.; Grades K-6, 10 a.m.; WRJ Meeting, 10 a.m. MONDAY: Conclusion of Passover Service and Yizkor, 10:30 a.m. WEDNESDAY: No Religious School; No Family School; No Grades 7&8. THURSDAY: Dilemmas of Faith: God and Spirituality in the Modern World, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel. First Friday Shabbat Service, Friday, April 5, 6 p.m. Congregational Dinner, 7 p.m. Please contact the Temple Israel office, 402-556-6536, to make a reservation. No cost for the dinner. Please RSVP by April 3. Reservations are required. Simply Shabbat Retreat in Nebraska City, Saturday, April 6, 10 a.m. thru Sunday, April 7, noon. Please contact Program Wendy Goldberg, wgoldberg@templeisraelomaha.com or 402.556.6536, to register.

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-Chol Hamoed Pesach: Shabbat Services, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY-Chol Hamoed Pesach: Morning service, 10 a.m. SUNDAY: No LJCS Classes. MONDAY-Seventh Day: Services, 9 a.m. TUESDAY-Eighth Day: Services with Yizkor, 8:30 a.m.; Pesach Ends, 8:33 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

Bar Mitzvah Noah Hale, son of Debbie and Patrick Hale, will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, April 6, at Temple Israel. Noah is a seventh-grade Honor Roll student at Peter Kiewitt Middle School. His interests include music and spending time with friends. For his mitzvah project, Noah has been spending time with a little girl, Addison, who has Retts Syndrome. He wants to make people aware of this syndrome and how it affects others. He has a brother, Benjamin. Grandparents are Joan Kaiman, and Kaye and Stan Hale.

Personal Aunt Marge... Everyone wanted her for her Aunt! But we were lucky enough to be the real deal. She spent the last ten years at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home with her beloved husband, Norman, who passed away October 2, 2011. THEY THRIVED AT THE HOME! They both always talked about what good care they got and how outstanding the staff was. “There’s no place like it,” they would say. We would like to express our gratitude to the staff, nurses, aides and everyone who enhanced Aunt Marge’s life. Trite but true, she will be missed. Hopefully, she is at peace with Uncle Norman and her daughter, Judy. Rocky Lewis and Sandy Epstein

To Submit B’nai Mitzvah Announcements Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewish omaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, by e-mailing the editor at: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org or online at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press.’

Pulverent e

March 29, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 15

The Tetragrammaton

Sparks from the word RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parsha Tzav Years ago, I was asked by some very knowledgeable Jews to say a word about the ancient Israelite name of God. I refer, of course, to the four-letter (Tetragrammaton, Quadriliteral) Name of God used in ancient Israel. It appears in the Bible thousands of times. In reading Torah and in prayer, Jews have been accustomed not to pronounce the Name, probably since about 300 B.C.E. It may be that our ancient ancestors were reluctant to pronounce it in Babylonia, lest the very surrounding and unclean land insult it. When Israel was restored in the Second Commonwealth, Jews were already reluctant to pronounce the Name, or even to write it. This may explain why late books of the Bible, like Esther, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs, do not use it even once. And in Daniel it is found only a few times. It is thought that quite late into our times, however, perhaps as late as 1000 C.E., the pronunciation was known and was

used by mystics and magicians for holy or magical purposes, such as curing the sick. The legend of the Golem has it that its use brought the clod to life. But we no longer know its pronunciation. By common consent it is written as Yahweh, transliterating the Hebrew consonants and adding the suggested vowels. Its meaning is also unclear. There are many who think that it is meant to be a causative form of the verb “to be,” thus “He who causes all else to be.” At the very least, it implies eternity: “He who always was, is, and will be,” whether or not a universe exists. We are all aware that in the late years of the Second Temple, the use of the Name was so restricted that it was pronounced only by the High Priest, and only on Yom Kippur. The people, in awe, would prostrate themselves on hearing it. In the earliest manuscripts of the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Bible, the Name was written not in Greek, but in Hebrew letters, to stress its sanctity. The same thing happened in at least some of the Dead Sea scrolls. Thus the reader was warned about pronouncing it. In our own use, for many centuries, the word “Adonai” is substituted. In time this too became too holy to be pronounced carelessly; outside Torah reading or prayer, we tend to substitute “Adoshem” or “HaShem.” Due to staff vacation, there will be no new Parsha over the next few weeks. The above Parsha has been adapted from Rabbi Myer Kripke’s book, Insight and interpretation.

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In memoriam LESTER LEWIS

Memorials may be made to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

Lester Lewis of Santa Monica, CA passed away on March 19 at age 46. Services were held on March 24 in Los Angeles. He was preceded in death by his father, Charles Lewis. He is survived by his wife Tracey Bernstein Lewis; sons, Charlie and Casey Lewis; mother, Sherry Lewis; mother-in law and father-in-law, Joanie and Terry Bernstein. Memorials may be made to The First School Financial Aid Trust, 1810 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA, 90404 or Grant Elementary School, 2368 Pearl Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90405.

MARJORIE LINCOLN Marjorie Lincoln passed away March 18 at age 91. Services were held March 21 at Temple Israel Cemetery, 42nd and Redick St. She was preceded in death by her husband, Norman E. Lincoln; daughter, Judy Robinson; brother, Morris Lipp; step-brother and step-sisters, Ralph Lepack, Rosella Lipp and Fanny Bordy. She is survived by daughter, Susan Bickford; grandchildren: Todd and Amy Robinson, Andy and Lisa Robinson, Dan and Paige Gerelick, Amy and Jason Kinsey; greatgrandchildren: Nicholas Davis, Max Gerelick; nieces and nephew, Sandy Epstein, Rochelle Lewis, and Bernie Altsuler; and sister in law, Helga Patterson. She was born in North Platte, NE, on May 20, 1921, and was the daughter of Louis and Celia Lipschitz.

SYLVIA SWARTZ Sylvia Swartz passed away at age 93. Graveside services were held March 25 at Beth El Cemetery, 84th and L Streets. She was preceded in death by husband, Alan Swartz, and son Donald Swartz. She is survived by son Jeff Swartz of California. Memorials may be made to the charity of your choice.

NORMAN HAROLD ZEVITZ Norman Harold Zevitz passed away on March 25 at age 89. Services will be held on Thursday, March 28 at 2 pm at Beth Israel Cemetery, 78th and Crown Point Ave. He was preceded in death by wife Dorothy; sister, Eileen Liss of Ft. Lauderdale, FL; brother, Leonard Zevitz of Los Angeles; brother, Robert Zevitz of Kissimmee, FL. He is survived by daughter Marilyn Zevitz; son, Michael E. Zevitz, M.D. of Norway, MI; daughter-in-law, Joan Zevitz; grandchildren: Erica of Milwaukee, WI and Laurel of Chicago. He was the son of Samuel Zevitz and Mollie Auerbach Zevitz. He was married to Dorothy Jean Schwartz on April 8, 1951 until her death on June 11, 2008. Norman worked as an optician at Commercial Optical Company for 53 years. His favorite interests were sports, Beth Israel Synagogue, the Henry Doorly Zoo, current events, and his family. Memorial may be made to Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, Beth Israel Synagogue, or Jewish Veterans.

Gallery 72: A new generation by SUZANNE SMITH ARNEY Gallery 72 salutes the Jewish Community Center, in its present location at 333 South 132 Street for forty years, as it celebrates its own forty-year history. Forty years, according to the Bible, is the span of a generation, and Gallery 72 celebrates a renaissance as John Rogers, son of the late founders, establishes a new generation of ownership. The gallery was opened in 1972 by Bob and Roberta Rogers, and soon became the venue for contemporary art in the region. The couple were honored with a Governor’s Arts Award in 1990. Bob continued the gallery after Roberta’s death in 2001 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Omaha Entertainment and Arts Board in 2007. Eventually, however, the gallery became more than even Bob’s tremendous spirit could maintain. Bob Rogers died December 21, 2012, age 94. Forty years, a new generation: On Feb. 1, a revived Gallery

72 celebrated with a truly Grand Opening in its new location at 1806 Vinton. Mary Zicafoose’s vibrant tapestries and prints breathe fresh life into the elegant, L-shaped gallery. Long-time patrons mingled with newcomers to combine a respect for the past with excited anticipation of a well-stocked addition to Omaha’s growing art scene. Rogers will exhibit and sell work by recognized regional and national artists in a range of media; offer consultation and installation; and develop a secondary art market. He has retained many of the artists who’ve worked with the gallery previously, but he has also scheduled artists new to Gallery 72. One of the latter is sculptor Deborah Masuoka. Best known for her rabbit head series, her seemingly demure subjects reveal the power and complexity of life when made to colossal scale. She has held a number of visiting artist appointments, including Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem.

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16 | The Jewish Press | March 29, 2013

The Four Questions through the eyes of JFS The Fourth Question: How does JFS help clients break free from bad choices? by OZZIE NOGG In recent weeks, we’ve looked at Passover’s Four Questions from the perspective of Omaha’s Jewish Family Service. Our first installment answered the basic question: “Why do we have a Jewish Family Service?” The answer: “To strengthen and preserve life in the local Jewish community and the community at large through financial assistance, counseling and other vital human services.” In subsequent stories, we answered questions regarding the role JFS plays in helping clients gain freedom from financial worries, and described the ways Jewish Family Service assists those with developmental challenges gain the freedom to live independently. Today, we address the needs of our neighbors enslaved by addiction, and of families that seek strategies to help them interact positively. Contemporary families come in many configurations. Single parent households. Blended families. Interfaith families. Consequently, raising children is often more challenging than it was in the less complicated past. Being a good parent is a full time job. There are no shortcuts. And so, Jewish Family Service offers Parenting: the Love and Logic Way -- a program designed for moms and dads who want to sharpen their parenting skills. Long before psychologists determined the impact of parental influence, the rabbis of the Talmud explained that a child speaks in the marketplace the way he hears his parents speaking at home. Even a very young child learns how to treat others by mirroring the behavior of his parents and siblings. Parenting: the Love and Logic Way

teaches parents the importance of treating their children with dignity and respect. To communicate calmly, with empathy, while providing limits in a caring way. In these JFS sponsored family education classes, parents learn how to establish healthy relationships with their kids and have fun parenting while, at the same time, teaching their children to be responsible for their actions. The sessions offer common-sense techniques that help parents raise children who are respectful, honest, self-disciplined, tolerant, generous and kind. Children who are decent human beings, prepared to make good choices and positive contributions. According to Jewish tradition, each boy and girl is considered a child of God, and it is a parent’s sacred duty to nurture and guide them toward their full potential. Karen Gustafson, Jewish Family Service Executive Director, tells this story. “A case comes to mind where adoption, counseling and parenting consultation were used together. In this instance, a single parent remarried. The new spouse adopted the child. Not only did this family seek counseling to help blend their new family, but they needed help creat-

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ing a parenting plan they could all live with. At JFS we call this ‘wrap around services.’ I love this phrase, because I envision wrapping our arms around a family and providing whatever services and tools are necessary so clients can make good choices.” Rabbinic sages regarded man’s freedom to choose between certain courses of conduct as a fundamental principle of Judaism. We alone determine our actions and are accountable for their outcomes. “People sometimes make choices for themselves, and their children, that may not be in their best interest,” Gustafson continued. “But, as luck would have it, we also come with brains, so more often than not we recognize, usually through unfavorable outcomes, when the choices we’ve made are unhealthy.” Bad choices often involve substance abuse. According to Gustafson, a very high percentage of Jewish Family Service clients require treatment for drug or alcohol dependency. “These cases,” Gustafson explains, “are handled by Nathan ‘Nate’ Bock, a Licensed Mental Health Practitioner and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor, who has been on the JFS staff, part-time, since 2007. His educational back-

ground allows us to provide substance abuse treatment, a needed service we couldn’t offer before Nate joined us. Nate fit in perfectly. He’s the only male therapist on staff, which means JFS can address the ‘gender component’ that is sometimes very important to a client’s individualized treatment plan. Nate is our hidden gem.” Bock works full-time at the UNO Counseling Center. His former boss, Marti Rosen-Atherton, MS, LMHP, describes Nate as down-to-earth, authentic and approachable. “His understanding and skill make him a safe and trusted therapist. His contribution to clients at Jewish Family Service is invaluable.” Much like the Hebrews who escaped from Egypt, each of us has the freedom to turn our life around. If you or someone you know wants to get back on a positive track, choose Jewish Family Service. Their professional team and Licensed Mental Health Therapists will provide counseling to help you grow as a person. Call JFS and choose a parenting class to enhance your skills and confidence. These choices will reap benefits for you and everyone around you. You have other choices, as well. You can choose to show compassion, caring, connection and commitment -- the four pillars on which JFS stands -- by becoming a Friend of Jewish Family Service. As our programs and services continue to grow, your support guarantees that the agency remains available for individuals, couples, families and children, regardless of their religion, gender, ethnicity or ability to pay. Your act of lovingkindness makes a real difference. To learn more, call Jewish Family Service. 402.330.2024.

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Class of 2013 High School Seniors High School Seniors and Parents

We will be publishing our annual High School Graduation Class pages on May 24, 2013. To be included, we need your graduation photo and the information below. You can also email the information and photo to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.

High School Senior Information Name _______________________________________________________________________________ Parent(s)’ Name(s) _______________________________________________________________________________ Current High School _______________________________________________________________________________ College you plan to attend _______________________________________________________________________________ Send by May 1 to: The Jewish Press | 333 So. 132 St. | Omaha, NE 68154

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