April 12, 2013

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Susannah Heschel to lecture This Week at Creighton University April 12, 2013 2 Iyar 5773 Vol. 93 | No. 30

by LEONARD GREENSPOON What happened when the German Christian supporters of the Nazis confronted the fact that their savior, Jesus, was Jewish? This is one of the fascinating questions that historian Susannah Heschel will address when she appears in Omaha on Tuesday, April 23, at Creighton University’s Harper Center, room 3023. Heschel’s lecture, titled The Aryan Jesus in Nazi Germany: The Bible and the Holocaust, begins at 7 p.m. Susannah Heschel is one of the world’s leading scholars on JewishChristian relations during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Germany, the history of biblical scholarship, and the history of antisemitism. She effectively combined all of these interests in her recent book, The Aryan Jesus: Christian Theologians and the Bible in Nazi Germany, which was published by Princeton University Press. An earlier work, Abraham Geiger and the Jewish Jesus, published by University of Chicago Press, won a prestigious

New books in Kripke Library Page 6

Text Messages: Not what you think Page 6

Susannah Heschel National Jewish Book Award. Heschel is the author of over a hundred books and has edited or co-edited

several books, including On Being a Jewish Feminist: A Reader. In commenting on the significance of Susannah Heschel’s work, Dr. Gerald Steinacher, Hymen Rosenberg Professor of Judaic Studies in the Department of History at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, observed: “Susannah Heschel’s research on the role of Judaism in Western civilization presents a ‘counter history’ to the gentile mainstream narrative of other historians. In her latest book, The Aryan Jesus, she sheds light on a little known case of Christian anti-Semitism: the lives

and teachings of a group of German Lutheran theologians, who proclaimed Jesus the savior of the ‘Aryans’ and supported Hitler’s war against the Jews wholeheartedly. Hers is a disturbing, but important, book, based on thorough archival research.” Susannah Heschel teaches at Dartmouth College, where she holds the Eli Black Professorship in Jewish Studies. She has also been a visiting professor at Princeton University, the University of Cape Town, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Frankfurt. The high regard in which she is held by academic colleagues is further evident in the honorary doctorates she has received from Colorado College, Trinity College, the University of St. Michael’s College (part of the University of Toronto), and the Augustana Theologische Hochschule in Bavaria. From 1999-2008, Heschel served on the Academic Advisory Committee of the Research Center of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. In Continued on page 2

Schwalb Center A Mission hosts talk by Israeli to the Jews of Cuba scientist Gilad Barnea Will Obama spend his political capital? Page 16

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

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Jerusalem who completed his Ph.D. by DR. CURTIS HUTT Special Program Coordinator, Schwalb at New York University. As a postdoctoral scientist at Columbia UniCenter for Israel and Jewish Studies Israeli scientist Dr. Gilad Barnea is versity, Dr. Barnea worked with the visiting Omaha. On April 16 at 7 Nobel Laureate Richard Axel. In 2009, he received the p.m., at UNO, in the prestigious EUArts and Sciences REKA grant from Hall, Room 306, he the National Instiwill give a talk titled tute of Health. The Academics Without focus of his research Borders: Israeli Sciis how the olfactory entists in the United system detects and States. The talk is oridentifies odor stimganized by the uli and how this inSchwalb Center for formation is Israel and Jewish translated into bestudies. It is free and havioral outputs. open to the public. The topic of Dr. Dr. Barnea is a Barnea’s talk is Ismolecular and celluraeli scientists in the lar neurobiologist Dr. Gilad Barnea United States. Twowith a research laboratory at Brown University. He is a thirds of all Israeli scientists live and graduate of Hebrew University in work abroad. There are many Israeli scientists in academic institutions throughout the United States. This is by no means unusual, as scientists from around the world are trained and find employment in United States’ research institutions. Dr. Barnea will be speaking as an Israeli whose universities have produced groundbreaking scholars across a wide number of fields, but also as a member of an international research Continued on page 2

Synagogue Yad El in Guantanamo 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 Fellman, is the Senior Rabbi. This is part four in a series of articles about their trip. Jews of Guantanamo Today Mention of the word “Guantanamo” today, especially to Americans, instantly produces a picture of a prison on what looks like a desert island with barbed wire fences, guards, prisoners with Muslim names and stories starting with the events of 9/11 and trailing off to terrible events in our own not-sodistant past. In fact, all of those images have

some truth, but visiting Guantanamo, as we did on our recent Mission to the Jews of Cuba, produced a totally different experience. The “prison” of Guantanamo exists inside the U.S. Naval Base located on the far eastern tip of Cuba, on the island’s south side facing the Caribbean Sea. The base itself fronts a natural port on the Bay of Guantanamo, which became U.S. territory as a result of the U.S. victory in the 1898 Spanish-American War. The United States freed Cuba but kept the port and actually pays rent annually to Cuba, even to this day. It is said that Castro refused to cash either the first or all of the rental checks. But the Guantanamo we visited, and the Jewish community of Continued on page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | April 12, 2013

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Continued from page 1 2008 she was also elected an honorary member of Phi Beta Kappa, and this year she has been named one of the initial recipients of the newly inaugurated Peter Gomes memorial award at Harvard Divinity School, from which she graduated. While in Omaha, Heschel will also be participating in several other events on Wednesday, April 24. In the morning, from 9–10 a.m., she will be at Urban Abbey, in the Old Market, for a breakfast and informal conversation. This event, sponsored by Project Interfaith, will specifically target rabbis, priests, and ministers. From noon-1 p.m. Heschel will be the featured speaker at B’nai B’rith’s Breadbreakers. At this event, which takes place at the Rose Blumkin Home, she will continue her discussion and analysis of Jewish-Christian relations in Germany and also reflect upon the life and legacy of her father, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. At 4:30 p.m., the Institute for Holocaust Education will hold a casual event at the Bookworm Bookstore. At this time, Heschel will interact primarily with Holocaust educa-

tors and alumni of the Bearing Witness Project. Others are also welcome to attend. In addition to her many academic achievements, Heschel is an active member of the Jewish community, along with her husband and two daughters. She is a lifetime member of the National Council of Jewish Women and was vice-president of her local Hadassah chapter. Susannah Heschel is also well known throughout the Jewish world for initiating the custom of placing an orange on the Seder plate as a reminder of the role women play or should play in Judaism. All of these activities are in keeping with the example set by her father, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Susannah Heschel’s visit to Omaha is sponsored by Creighton University’s Kripke Center for the Study of Religion and Society, Project Interfaith, the Institute for Holocaust Education, Creighton’s Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization, and the Special Donor Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. For further information, please contact Professor Leonard Greenspoon at ljgrn@creighton.edu or 402.280.2304.

A Mission to the Jews of Cuba

Continued from page 1 stationed at Guantanamo participated in Synagogue life, Guantanamo that exists today, as it has since its founding on including Jewish Holidays, but today there is little if any conApril 25, 1929, has a current membership of 81 people in about tact between military and civilian populations. 25 families, and shares the Today, while there is a general history of Jews in high intermarriage rate, Cuba. there also is a group of ten Guantanamo’s Jews emimembers... a large number grated from Turkey with a out of the total of only 81 few from Germany and members... learning Eastern Europe, especially Hebrew with the goal of during the 30s. Many in reading Torah. today’s congregation share The congregants were the same family name. proud of their home, Yad From the original group of El, and its bimah, its 33 Jews the synagogue Eternal Light, its Torah grew to 1200 members scroll, its books, but, most with a big building in the of all, its children. center of the city. In 1955 The visitor would add to the Temple was remodeled. that list that the congregaNew Jewish members tion seems equally proud of came to Guantanamo in its energy and its commiteastern Cuba because it ment to historic Judaism. Ernest Hemingway and Fidel Castro was a prosperous city with excellent commerce and outstanding relations with the US Impressions of Cuba Naval Base adjoining the city, but now the Base is complete... Ernest Hemingway, the Nobel Laureate American ly blocked to visitors and military personnel rarely leave it. Author, and Fidel Castro, the Cuban Revolutionary and lifeThen, with the emergence of Castro after the Revolution time Dictator of Cuba, illustrate the relationship that might of 1959 and the subsequent nationalization of nearly every have been and yet might someday come again, between the business, the Jewish community shrank with almost every United States and Cuba, so close and yet so far apart. member moving to the United States or Israel. From the 60s ... The balcony in Santiago de Cuba where Fidel gave his to the 90s the community, in the words of its present leader, first speech as he won the first battle of the Revolution of ‘59. “was silent.� ... The large, open plaza with a tremendous tower, where With the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the end of the Fidel gave subsequent speeches in Havana. subsidies Cuba received from the USSR, a sense of freedom of ... The Atlantic coastline extending from the eastern tip of the religion reemerged and the synagogue reconstituted itself. It island to the western tip, and the tropical beauty of the island. had assistance from international Jewish organizations, includ... No American cars were imported to Cuba after the ing B’nai B’rith which gave help to the struggling synagogue Revolution in ‘59, but Fords, Chevys, and every other and is recognized today with a plaque on the wall of the shul. American make, still account for half or more of all cars; The synagogue president, Rodolfo Mizrahi, proudly while imports from Japan and South Korea are the pointed to a scroll on the wall near the bimah listing the Continued on page 3 names of the Parshot for the next three months, their date on the Hebrew calendar as well as the general calendar, and the member of the congregation who will read from the Torah on that particular Shabbat. Continued from page 1 He told us the story of Yad El, the synagogue named “the community where national borders are often blurred or hand of God,� and pointed to some nearby shabby and nonexistent. To quote Dr. Anna Dunaevsky, an Israeli decrepit buildings badly in need of repair, explaining that his neuroscientist who is an Associate Professor with the synagogue looked just like its neighbors until it received Munroe-Meyer Institute at UNMC: “When you visit funds from visiting Jewish groups, added a second story to graduate scientific research centers in the United States its own run-down structure, cleaned it all up, painted it a and Nebraska specifically, it is more like visiting the fresh bright shade of light green, put in air-conditioning, and United Nations. We all work alongside fellow scientists built a deck used as an outdoor social hall, actually a terrace. from Asia and Europe. In my own lab, there are postThe facility now sparkles. docs and graduate students from India and South Korea.� Our group sat in the main sanctuary, a long narrow room Responding to Dr. Barnea’s talk will be another Israeli that holds about a hundred people. The president began scientist who lives and works in Omaha. Dr. Steve Caplan singing Shalom Aleichem and the members of the congregais an Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular tion joined while other members passed out kippot. Biology at UNMC, the author of Matter Over Mind and We then shared a noon meal on the adjoining roof top terWelcome Home, Sir, and a regular contributor to the race with members of the congregation after watching a dance Guardian newspaper on issues of international science performed by young women and men of the synagogue. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/steve-caplan]. The president, selected by a vote of the community, traces Steve and his wife Dr. Naava Naslavsky, an Assistant his roots to his grandfather who settled in Guantanamo Professor in the same department at UNMC, both earned when he left Turkey in 1911. He pointed out that his own their doctoral degrees from Hebrew University in complexion was light brown, but there were members of the Jerusalem. congregation with the dark brown coloring of the Caribbean For further information about Dr. Barnea’s talk, contact and others with the white coloring of Eastern Europeans. Dr. Curtis Hutt, Special Program Coordinator of the Clearly no prejudice exists. Schwalb Center at chutt@unomaha.edu, or 402.554.3175. Years ago, before the Revolution, Jewish Naval personnel

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A Mission to the Jews of Cuba Continued from page 2 only new cars on the streets. But Soviet period cars, poorly made and not kept up, are still commonly driven.

the monument reads...”assassinated by the United States. ... In Havana, fronting on the Atlantic Ocean and facing the roadway behind the

R. Mizrahi, President of Yad El Congregation

few days our group had a brand new bus, its first trip out. The bus, as were all, was made in China. (It would be a pity if China came out ahead of the U.S. in doing business with Cuba.) ... The tourist hotels are outstanding. We were in a five-star hotel in Havana and a four-star hotel in Santiago de Cuba, hotels as fine as any I’ve been in on trips to Europe and major U.S. cities. ... And the list is endless. I would happily return for another visit. And I have no doubt that sooner rather than later travel and trade will open freely between Cuba and the United

States. Except for the politics of South Florida, the current situation makes no sense. P.S. ... When the U.S. returned Cuba to freedom after the Spanish, Cuban, American War of 1898 the U.S. retained the eastern tip of the island for a Naval Base, Guantanamo, because of its natural port and important location, and it was used effectively during WWII and is even now operated by the U.S. Navy. It houses the infamous prison. Each year the U.S. pays Cuba rent, in perpetuity, for the Base. But since the Revolution, Castro has refused to cash some of the rental checks.

Tweeting Brotherhood

... Teddy Roosevelt, in 1898 took the Rough Riders up San Juan Hill in Cuba, bringing an end to the Spanish, Cuban, American War, which resulted in U.S. occupation and ownership of Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Cuba. Puerto Rico remains with the U.S. while the Philippines and Cuba were given independence. The U.S. kept the naval base at Guantanamo. ... Cuban medicine suffers from a lack of equipment and medicines, but Cuba boasts of two outstanding medical schools. Here, fearing the current Cholera epidemic, our bus is stopped at the entry to Guantanamo so each occupant could rinse their hands in a mixture of peroxide and water, half and half, to attempt control and eradication. ... A regional “internacional” airport in Santiago de Cuba named for a national hero. Note: few planes. Note again: no American planes land in Cuba. ... A pleasant and shady park in Havana with a monument to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, executed in the United States for espionage for the Soviet Union. In Havana

storm wall running the length of Havana, stands what was once the United States Embassy but is now called the “United States Interest Section.” ... Directly across the street, in an open plaza at least a square block in size, Castro erected more than 100 flag poles many years ago in response to the U.S. projecting in red letters constant statements against his regime. At the time Castro raised black flags. Together, the red and black represented the colors of the Revolution, and the black flags on the large number of poles blocked out the US efforts. ... Tourists from every nation in the world, or so it seemed, were in Cuba without problems of getting a visa or making arrangements. Canada (in part because it is pretty cold there in January) and really warm and pleasant in Havana; Holland, France, Germany, Spain, and Israel. Once American-Cuban relations are resolved, there will be throngs from the United States during the winter. ... Tour busses, all owned by the State and looking exactly alike, were all over. The last

Mother’s Day Coming May

by JTA NEWS STAFF former CNN host Rick Sanchez alleging that Jews (JTA) -- Egypt’s Muslim control the media and that Brotherhood tweeted a mesStewart, who is Jewish, does sage -- believed to be directnot belong to a real minoried at Daily Show host Jon ty group. Stewart -- linking to a video “I’m telling you that everyalleging that Jews control body who runs CNN is a lot the U.S. media. like Stewart, and a lot of Max Fisher of the people who run all the other Washington Post wrote on networks are a lot like his blog that the link was Stewart, and to imply that aimed at Stewart after he somehow they, the people in devoted a segment of his Jon Stewart this country who are Jewish, popular Comedy Central program to criticizing Egyptian President are an oppressed minority? Yeah,” Sanchez Mohamed Morsi for jailing popular said in the September 2010 broadcast. The U.S. Embassy in Cairo tweeted the Egyptian TV host and political satirist Bassem Youssef, nicknamed “the Jon Daily Show link of the segment ripping Stewart of Egypt.” Youssef was released on Morsi, which the Muslim Brotherhood in a bail and will face trial after being arrested tweet called “Another undiplomatic and over the weekend for criticizing Morsi and unwise move by @USEmbassyCairo, takthe Muslim Brotherhood. ing sides in an ongoing investigation and The link was from a clip in Arabic from disregarding Egyptian law and culture,” the Al Jazeera Arabic network featuring Fisher reported.

Congratulations to the Winners of the Eighth Annual Sokolof Awards Phil and Ruth Sokolof Honor Roll Fund $10,000 Merit Scholarship – College Joe Hack Westside High School

Tal Margalit Central High School

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Recipients will be profiled in the Jewish Press

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4 | The Jewish Press | April 12, 2013

Temple Israel teens raise funds for childhood cancer research by DAVID GOLBITZ Temple Israel Staff Writer On the morning of Sunday, March 24, the stage in Temple Israel’s Friedman Social Hall was decked out like a barber shop, with a couple chairs draped with aprons and various hair cutting implements, like scissors and electric razors. Scattered throughout the room were several sleepy OTYG kids eating breakfast after spending the night locked in the building. They were awaiting the culmination of their annual lock-in: two of their members were going to have their heads shaved for charity. Ariel Kohll, whose father died of cancer when she was 10 years old, and Hannah Radler, who simply wanted to show support for the tens of thousands of children stricken with cancer, nervously took to the stage and sat down. Their respective barbers, Hannah’s mother, Gretchen, and Jennifer Miller, placed the aprons around their necks and asked if they were ready. The girls nodded their assent and soon the social hall was filled with the buzzing of the electric razors. “After my dad died, I became really interested in cancer research,” Ariel said. “I think it’s important to do whatever I can, including donating my hair, to raise money and awareness for cancer research.” This was the third time Ariel has shaved her head for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated

too short to be turned into a wig, nevertheless proudly presented her bald head as a symbol of solidarity with child cancer patients. “It feels weird,” Hannah said, running her hand over the short fuzz on her head. “I want all those kids who have to be bald, because of chemo, I just want them to not feel so alone. I want them to know there are people out there who care about them and who are trying to help. And, I mean, it’s only hair. Shaving my head is literally the least I could do.” Joining Ariel and Hannah in shaving his head was Nadav Artzi, brother of Religious School teacher Na’ama Artzi, who was visiting from Israel. He proposed that if those present would donate an additional $100, he, too, would shave his head. The money was quickly produced and Nadav was soon more bald than he already was. “I was just really touched by what these girls were doing,” Nadav said. “I wanted to show my support. Plus, I’ll have a really weird story when I get home.” St. Baldrick’s works with leading pediatric oncologists to help determine the most important childhood cancer OTYG members Ariel Kohll, left, and Hannah Radler shaved their research to fund. In shaving their heads, Ariel and heads to raise money for pediatric cancer research. Hannah, with an assist from Nadav, raised more than to pediatric cancer research. Her shorn locks will be made $1,000 for St. Baldrick’s. To find out more about St. into a wig for a child with cancer. Hannah, whose hair was Baldrick’s, visit the organization’s website at stbaldricks.org.

IHE brings a week of testimony to 5,700 in Nebraska by HILLARY FLETCHER Communications Coordinator, Institute for Holocaust Education From March 4 through March 8, 5,700, educators and community members throughout Nebraska heard firsthand testimony from survivors of the Holocaust as part of the Institute for Holocaust Education’s A Week of Understanding 2013, a program created in partnership with the Omaha Public Schools. “That is a very important number,” said Donna Walter, Education Director for the Institute for Holocaust Education. “With the number of survivors declining it is incredibly important that students - and the public - hear these stories directly from survivors. This makes the stories personal. It’s really a race against time.” A Week of Understanding 2013 surpassed the hopes of the IHE by reaching 2,200 more listeners than the year before. Through personal appearances and distance learning technology, this year’s program included 22 speaking engagements at 54 schools with a total of 10 survivors. Local survivors who provided testimony included Dr. Fred Kader, Kitty Williams, Bea Karp and Dr. Lou Leviticus. Our guest speakers for the event included Inge Auerbacher and Agnes Schwartz. U.S. Army liberator, Roy Long, also spoke with students about his experiences during World War II.

Schwartz, of Skokie, Illinois, is originally from Budapest, Hungary. She told the students of Bryan High School, Omaha North and Millard North about the Nazi occupations in 1944 when she was forced to move into a ghetto and, how at the age 10, the family maid concealed Schwartz’s identity by taking her in as a niece who was fleeing from the Russian army. She told the students that during Allied bombings, she was sent underground to hide for months. Her father was saved by Raoul Wallenberg and hid in one of his safe houses. Her grandmother, grandfather, and aunt were drowned in the Danube. Her mother was deported and perished at Bergen-Belsen. Auerbacher, of New York City, was a child survivor of the Terezín concentration camp. From Kippenheim, Germany, Auerbacher remembers in detail the earliest moments of occupation. She told the students about Kristallnacht and her father’s and grandfather’s arrest. She explained to students her family’s deteriorating circumstances – losing their home, moving in with her grandparents. Finally, in 1942, they were sent to Czechoslovakia, to Terezín where from 1941 to 1945, a total of 140,000 people were sent; 88,000 were then shipped primarily to the gas chambers in Auschwitz, and 35,000 died of malnutrition and disease. Of the 15,000 children imprisoned in Terezín, Inge is among

the one percent who survived. During her engagement in Omaha, Auerbacher also spoke to over 400 community members at Countryside Community Church in a partnership between the IHE and the Center for Faith Studies. The student response to hearing these stories has been overwhelming. Auerbacher continues to receive emails from students reflecting on her talk. One student from Gretna reflects what many students have been writing, “I learned from you to never be a bystander and to always help out the people being segregated against. Thank you for telling me about your story because we learn a lot about the Holocaust in school, but you never really understand how tragic it actually was, or even come close to imagining what happened, until you meet someone who survived it. Thanks again.” Donna Walter added: “None of the survivors ever speaks to bitterness. They always speak of understanding each other and how this will ensure that the Holocaust never happens again. And this seems to be the message the kids walk away with.” A Week of Understanding has received generous funding from the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation and the Omaha Community Schools Foundation.

April 12, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 5

Blumkin Home Dog Show set for April 25 by OZZIE NOGG Move over, Westminster Kennel Club. The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home hosts an All-Star Dog Show on Thursday, April 25 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the RBJH auditorium. Shelley Cash, Director of Nursing, will emcee the program. “There are no judges or prizes,” said Adrienne Shiverdecker, Blumkin Home Activities Director. “The afternoon is a no-pressure chance to show off your dog and make our residents happy.” Pure-bred or mutt, all Adrienne Shiverdecker’s top dog -- Tamale -- is part of the canines are welcome. “We Blumkin Home Dog Show scheduled for April 25. invite members of the community to call want to see them.” To make sure your pooch is part of the before April 18 to sign up for the show. We also need a bio of your dog for Shelley to program, email Adrienne -- ashiverdecker read. If your dog can do a trick, get dressed @rbjh.com -- or call her at 402.334.6520, up, or just walk through the stage area, we ext. 2 by April 18.

Schwalb Center open house at UNO by STEPHANIE MUELLER Staff Assistant to the Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies The Schwalb Center is planning an Open House at its new location on the UNO campus: Arts and Sciences Hall, Suite 200. The Open House and Reception will be held on Monday, April 22, 5-7 p.m. The event will be a wonderful opportunity for the community to celebrate the establishment of the new home of the Center. Guests will be able to meet the Center’s staff, faculty and Board members and learn about future plans and programs. Established in 2009, The Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish studies’ mission is to create, coordinate, and promote an interdisciplinary program focusing on teaching and scholarship in Jewish and Israeli history, politics, culture and society. Our primary goal is to expand knowledge about Judaism and Israel, both on the university campus and in the broader Nebraska community, and we seek to promote and facilitate collaborative scholarship (teaching and research) with academic institutions in Israel. “The Schwalb Center is the brainchild of Natan and Hannah Schwalb,” says Dr. Moshe Gershovich, Director of the Schwalb Center since August, 2012. “They envisioned a vibrant Center to create and offer classes, lectures and other activities related to Israel and Judaism at UNO. This vision has now become a reality thanks to the support of the Jewish Federation of

Omaha and a number of individuals and families in our community and beyond.” With the continued support of donors, the Center has been offering a variety of lectures such as the annual Phil and Ruth Sokolof Lecture Series, which brings to Omaha internationally renown speakers. The Center has a core of ten UNO faculty members from different departments in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Fine Arts who teach classes related to Israel and the Middle East as well as Judaic Studies. When asked about the new location of the Center, Schwalb expressed his “appreciation to UNO, its Chancellor John Christensen, and David Boocker, Dean of the College of Arts and Science, for accommodating our Center in this spacious and most suitable environment.” The Arts and Science Hall is located on the Northeastern corner of the main UNO campus, on 60th and Dodge Streets. If you arrive the from West, turn right just before the pedestrian overpass connecting Elmwood Park with Memorial Park. If you come from the East, turn right at the service road in front of Memorial Park. You can park at any empty spot on the covered parking structure next to Arts and Science Hall (Lots U and T). Entry to these lots costs $2 at the gate. For further information on parking, see map at http://www.un omaha.edu/maps/docs/UNO-2012-11. pdf. For all other questions and to RSVP, call Stephanie Mueller at 402.554.3175, slmueller@unomaha.edu.

It’s the Beat! Hughes written by Douglas Wellman. by NORMA JOHNSON Karen Javitch and Jody Vinci want to thank “If you missed our March 30 show, go to their listeners for “tuning in” to spend www.Itsthebeat.net and listen!” says co-host Saturdays at noon with them. “We have only Jody Vinci. “Our interview with authors Dr. touched the surface interviewing the many tal- Robert Urban and Rachel Rosenberg was so ented midwesterners in arts and entertain- captivating we devoted a large portion of the ment,” Karen says. show to them. Rachel discusses her experiThis Saturday, April 13, at noon on the ences as a Holocaust survivor, detailed in her Mighty 1290 KOIL AM, we will speak with book, THE HOLOCAUST SCREAM. Other recent guests have included: choreograMichael “Gooch” Gurciullo about his accomplished career in “Big Band” music! After pher Roxanne Nielsen, who enlightened us with playing in the Glenn Miller Orchestra & touring information about ‘The Artery,’ and author/story with the Wayne Newton Orchestra, he left the teller, John J. D’Arcy who told about the series of bright lights of Vegas to return to Omaha. Also, children’s books he is writing. Also, Holly hear the story and music of Tyler and Sandy Hackwith explained the Corporate Art Company Smith, the pop/folk/Christian duo “37 Years.” and Bob Mancuso previewed this weekend’s Learn the mysterious life lived by wealthy Omaha Health Expo at Century Link Center. Spring schedule is filling up fast! Want to be recluse Howard Hughes “after his funeral”! Our guest, Mark Musik, a retired Major a guest or know someone we should interview? General, shares years of research resulting in Call Norma at 402.393.389 or e-mail the book Boxes: The Secret Life of Howard Norma@itsthebeat.net. PAID ADVERTISEMENT

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by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Life Just when you thought you had read all there was to read from the nearly 40,000 volume Kripke Jewish Federation Library collection, new books have arrived. There’s always something in the Library for you with a variety of new selections arriving each month. In selecting new materials, the Library combines suggestions from patrons and its own research to acquire works that will enlighten, educate and entertain. Let’s pull a few books off the shelves and see what they contain. In the middle of the Civil War, just a few weeks before President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, General Grant issued an order to expel all Jews from the territory under his command. This decision profoundly affected his political career. In his book, When General Grant Expelled the Jews, Jonathan D. Sarna presents the

become enamored with her yoga instructor. In a desperate attempt to keep his family together, Sanskrit tells a small lie. All seems to be working, but one other little thing might spoil it all – the truth. Written for children and on the lighter side, pick up a copy of It’s a... It’s a... It’s a Mitzvah by Elizabeth Suneby and Diane Heiman and read it with a child. Mitzvah Meerkat and

S U S H I | J A PA N E S E | C H I N E S E

the

Arab Spring WORKSHOP

Minorities, Media, and Democratization in the Contemporary Middle East April 13 & 14, 2013 UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT OMAHA

Join us for the all-day workshop on Sunday, April 14th 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM CPACS 132 All events are free and open to the public. For more information please contact Dr. Moshe Gershovich, mgershovich@unomaha.edu or 402-554-3175 PLENARY SESSION:

Saturday, April 13, 6:30–8:00pm, Dodge Room, MBSC John Calvert, Creighton University James Le Sueur, University of Nebraska at Lincoln Tom Gouttierre, University of Nebraska at Omaha KEYNOTE ADDRESS:

Sunday, April 14th, 7:00pm—8:30pm CPACS 132 Joshua Landis, University of Oklahoma “Syria: What Next?”

facts surrounding Grant’s actions and offers his insights into their ramifications across all of American society. Harry Brod, a veteran comic book fan and professor of philosophy and humanities at the University of Northern Iowa, uncovers the connection between America’s most popular comic superheroes and their Jewish creators in his work Superman is Jewish? You may recognize the author from one of his previous works, A Mensch Among Men: Explorations in Jewish Masculinity. This is a highly enjoyable journey through popular comics in which Brod’s subjects become a metaphor for the immigrant experience in America. In Jews and Words novelist Amos Oz and historian Fania Oz-Salzberger roam the gamut of Jewish history to explain the integral relationship of Jews and words. Through an examination of Jewish storytelling and scholarship, conversation and argument, this father and daughter team tells the tales behind Judaism’s most enduring names, adages, disputes, texts, and quips. These words, they argue, compose the chain connecting Abraham with the Jews of every subsequent generation. The Paternity Test by Michael Lowenthal presents one of the oldest of clichés - having a baby to save a marriage – with an added twist. What if the marriage at risk is a gay one and having a baby involves a surrogate mother? One book reviewer commented, “This book is full of flavor. You feel their excitement at having a baby, but as you get in deeper and understand the relationship these men have...well, it’s less black and white. I thought it was a brilliant portrayal about how our motivations aren’t always so simple.” Also on the new arrival list is a novel by Anouk Markovits whose story spans four decades, from pre-World War II Transylvania to contemporary New York. I Am Forbidden looks at the cause and effect of both belief and non-belief within the Jewish religion in a tale that focuses on the relationship of two sisters within a Hasidic sect. In Allen Zadoff ’s novel, Since You Left Me, from the time he was a young boy Sanskrit Aaron Zuckerman finds the significant people in his life leaving him. His Dad; a girl friend from the second grade; a best friend who has a spiritual awakening, and now possibly his mother who has

friends show children how everyday kindnesses mark the beginning of a lifetime commitment to tikkun olam (repairing the world). The illustrations are lively and the dialogue is playful. This book encourages children to engage with Jewish wisdom as they go about their daily lives. The inspirational message in this book is for children and adults alike. Here is a book for children of all ages. Ten Old Men and a Mouse tells the delightful tale of ten old men who are the only ones left to tend to a once bustling synagogue. One day they hear a little “scratchscratch” and encounter the first new member of the synagogue in years. The old men soon move from a desire to rid the place of the pesky mouse or to embrace the appealing little guy. The story takes a turn when they learn that the little guy is a little gal – who must have had a boyfriend and whose subsequently larger family dictates a new place for them to live. The resultant story is sure to touch your emotions. Sometimes the dream of a sibling exceeds the joy of welcoming a new sibling. When Mira’s wish for a sister finally comes true in A Song for My Sister, how was she to know that such a little thing could make so much annoying noise? On the day of her simchat bat, her Jewish naming ceremony, the baby cries--as usual! That is, until Mira steps close to offer her own special gift and the inspiration for her parents’ choice of the perfect name. This is a universal story about families and siblings that incorporates Jewish ritual and community into the telling. Remember there are new books arriving all the time, for all ages! This would be a great time to visit the Library to check out a new book, to browse the shelves, or to peruse the DVD’s. Registration to check out materials is quick, free and open to everyone. The Kripke Jewish Federation Library is open Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and on Fridays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. You may contact the library at 402.334.6462 or sbanner@jewishomaha.org. The library is managed by the Center for Jewish Life whose mission is to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish Community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences.

To order a gift subscription to the Press... Send a check for $36, made out to the Jewish Press and prorated for the year, 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.

April 12, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 7

Remembering the Fallen

Journal entry from Israel TEDDY WEINBERGER The day before Israel’s Independence Day is Yom Hazikaron Le-halelay Tsahal (Memorial Day for the Fallen of the Israel Defense Forces), which this year begins on Sunday night April 14. Differences in the way America and Israel observe Memorial Day stem from the fact that an enormous percentage of Israelis have experienced personal bereavement for a fallen soldier. It is no wonder, then, that Memorial Day in Israel is somber and mournful whereas in the States it is often the third day of a long holiday weekend. It is characteristically Jewish to place Memorial Day right before Independence Day (in the States, on the other hand, the two are separated by about five weeks). Whereas in the Catholic tradition (for example) you have the exuberant Mardi Gras before the austere Lent, in Judaism you have the Fast of Esther precede the gaiety of Purim, you have Yom Kippur a few days before Succot (traditionally, the happiest of Jewish holidays), and you have the solemnity of Memorial Day immediately precede the festivities of Independence Day. Israel thus continues the Jewish tradition of prefacing celebration with a period of somber reflection. The onset of Israel’s Memorial Day itself follows Jewish tradition in that it occurs with nightfall rather than midnight. Also in keeping with Jewish tradition, where the eve of a holy day takes on the color of that day, the eve of Memorial Day is similarly weighty--symbolized for me by the fact that the swimming pool and fitness room in Givat Ze’ev will not have afternoon hours on April 14, and lateafternoon activities at the Community Center will also be canceled on this day. Whereas Israelis are divided as to whether or not swimming is compatible with Shabbat, almost all expect a public swimming pool to close not only for Memorial Day proper, but also for the hours leading up to this day. It is interesting here to note too that places of amusement are legally forbidden to open on this evening. Givat Ze’ev has a community-wide Memorial Day cere-

mony, especially honoring the fallen relatives of families who live in Givat Ze’ev. (Technical clarification: a person does not have to die in battle in order to be considered an official IDF casualty; if a person dies at any time during the course of his or her military service, whether this be during the initial few years of regular army service or during the sporadic days of reserve duty in the decades afterwards, that person is considered an IDF casualty. A few years ago, one of the men in Givat Ze’ev was killed in a car accident on his way to reporting for reserve duty. He is included among the IDF dead.) Givat Ze’ev’s ceremony takes place beside its own memorial monument (a high, narrow metal sculpture, with water cascading down, looking like a staircase ascending heavenward). The ceremony begins at 7:50 p.m. with the lowering of the Israeli flag to half mast, the lighting of memorial torches, and the recitation of the Yizkor memorial prayer. At 8:00 p.m. a siren sounds throughout Israel for one minute, officially ushering in the day. At the ceremony, besides “routine” speeches from the Mayor of Givat Ze’ev, from the Rabbi of Givat Ze’ev and from an officer representing the IDF, a member of one of Givat Ze’ev’s bereaved families addresses us. We are also specifically reminded of the lives that were lost, as the faces of Givat Ze’ev’s dead are projected on a screen in front of us and their names read aloud. At a few points in the ceremony, some local youth sing poignant songs about war, loss, and longing (later, after the ceremony, there will be an opportunity for communal singing of such songs). The ceremony ends with Hatikvah, and we sing this song about “being a free people living in our land” with more feeling than we ever do at any other time of the year. Businesses are open on Memorial Day, though friends and relatives of the deceased will usually fill the country’s Army Cemeteries with prayers and reminiscences, placing stones and flowers at the graves of their loved ones (parts of some of these cemeteries are only open during this one day of the year). Schools are open too, with learning focused on the themes of service and patriotism to one’s country, and with a special school assembly. State radio and television programming (advertisement-free on this day) tell specific life-stories of some of the soldiers who died, and victims of terror incidents are also recalled. At precisely 11 a.m., a siren will sound for two minutes across the country. During

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these two minutes it is customary to stop whatever you are doing. Traffic on Israel’s roads and highways comes to a complete halt during this period, as drivers and passengers all get out of their vehicles and stand silently at attention. There is an official national ceremony in Jerusalem to mark the end of Memorial Day before the festivities of Independence Day can commence. When the holiday does begin a short while later, it is with a renewed awareness of the price that Israelis have paid and continue to pay for their independence. Teddy Weinberger made aliyah in 1997 with his wife, former Omahan Sarah Ross, and their five children. Their oldest three, Nathan, Rebecca and Ruthie, are veterans of the Israel Defense Forces; Weinberger can be reached at weinross@net vision.net.il.

Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS A 14-year veteran of Minor League Baseball, Martie Cordaro, the president and general manager of the Omaha Storm Chasers, will discuss his attendance-breaking last season and what he expects this summer on Wednesday, April 17, 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 Yiddish has been called the Robin Hood of languages. The vocabulary of Yiddish is drawn from German (mostly), Hebrew, Slavic Tongues, Romance languages, and English. Yiddish bears the marks of our expulsions from land to land, it has absorbed the laments of generations, the poisons and the bitterness of history, the language whose precious jewels are undried Jewish tears. Yiddish stresses the humor in every situation because the reality for Jews is most often too difficult to bear. That is what we offer--fun and laughter. Come join us at the Blumkin Home’s Boardroom every Thursday from 1-3 p.m. For information, call Anne Skolkin at 402.343.1638.

Mazal Tov, Aaron! We are so proud of your achievements – membership in NHS, varsity letter in tennis and a Merit Award from the Band.

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8 | The Jewish Press | April 12, 2013

Text Messages: Not what you think by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Life Avery Mazor is a local artist and Assistant Professor of Art and Design at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. In the summer of 2012 Mazor was an Artist in Residence (AIR) in Israel through the Partnership2Gether Program. The AIR program aims to support and encourage contemporary artistic creation and creativity, utilizing both as a platform to promote the connection between Partnership communities in the U.S., of which Omaha is a part, and the people of the Western Galilee. The Western Galilee is a region filled with art and creativity. The program hopes to generate new artistic discourse between the participants and residents. It is designed to encourage the exchange of ideas inspiring individuals and of defining groups. Throughout the month of April, the works Mazor created during AIR, which are entitled Text Messages, are on display in the Gallery at the Jewish Community Center. In describing the inspiration for these photographs, Mazor said, “We live in a world where communication is omnipresent, liberating, and sometimes unwelcome. A large portion of the world’s individuals have the ability to send sound, text, image, and even video to the whole world or to a single individual with the click of a button. Does this bring us closer together as a global society? Does this drive us apart by keeping us in our own self-selecting networks of messages? Is it important to stop and reflect on the value, context, or truth of a message?” The Text Messages project explores these questions and themes in the form of large-scale photographs. The images record a method of communication that Mazor considers supernatural, eternal, and even divine. Mazor continues to explain that “Jerusalem is a place where many faiths communicate with the supernatural through a variety of activities. At The Church of the Holy Sepulcher and The Western Wall pilgrims write notes and slip them into the cracks -- they mark the walls -- they’re all sending messages to their understanding of the supernatural. Text Messages focuses on these two religious sites.” Mazor’s exhibit is available for viewing in the Gallery of the Jewish Community Center throughout the month of April (with the exception of April 10 – 14), from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Yom Ha’Atzmaut Festival on April 16 would be an ideal time to see Mazor’s photo-

graphs. The festival events begin at 5 p.m. with a community “Walk the Land for Israel” event at the JCC soccer fields. An outdoor children’s carnival will take place in the JCC Pavilion from 5:15-7 p.m. The 12th Annual B’nai B’rith Trivia Quiz will be held in the JCC Social Hall from 6:15-

Schuller family Kiddush Come join the community to say L’Hitraot to the Schuller Family - Dan, Yaffa, Ygal, Eliana and Yael at Beth El Synagogue on Shabbat morning, April 27 -sponsored by Beth El and Friedel Jewish Academy. Put your own special “thank you note” in our Schuller Memory Box. Forward your note, photo, story or best wishes to Friedel or bring it with you on April 27. For more information, please contact Julie Phillips at Julrae123@cox.net or Judy Rosenfeld at justjudyjt@ aol.com.

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7:15 p.m. The final event of the festival is a performance by vocalists Moshe and Shuli Dayan, performing in the JCC Theater from 7:15 until 8 p.m., followed by a dessert reception. The performance is another Partnership2Gether program for the Omaha community to enjoy. Check out more information on these events at www.jccomaha.org. Yom HaAtzmaut events are made possible through the generosity of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, the Herbert Goldsten Trust, the Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Supporting Foundation, the Murray H. and Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation and the Special Donor-Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. On Thursday, April 25 from 6-8 p.m. an artist’s reception featuring Mazor’s Text Messages will be held in the JCC Gallery. Wine and light refreshments will be served. Partnership2Gether is a program of the Center for Jewish Life promoting people-to-people relationships between Israel and communities throughout the world. Omaha is one of 12 cities in the U.S. partnering with the city of Akko and the Matte Asher region in northern Israel, sharing cultural, social, medical, educational and economic programs. For more information on Partnership, please call the Center for Jewish Life at 402.334.6445.

TRUNK SHOW Thursday, April 18 • Noon-7 p.m.

by ADRIELLE GRIFFIN Communications Manager, Completely KIDS The Weekend Food Program at Completely KIDS was created to combat childhood hunger in our community and is driven by dedicated volunteers. Completely KIDS provides food to elementary children who receive little or no food on the weekends. Volunteers fill bags each week with food that is both nutritious and child-friendly. The backpacks are handed out on Fridays to sustain the children through the weekend. Staff and teachers at four Completely KIDS locations have identified 385 children as being in need of food for the weekend. These children are eligible to receive weekend food because of their involvement with our Out-of-School Time programs; however, there is a waiting list of children who need the program. The majority of the children to which we provide weekend food come from families whose incomes are 200 percent below the poverty level. Many of our parents are overemployed (families who work multiple jobs but still do not break the poverty line), which creates circumstances that produce hunger and child care issues because children may be self-supervised. Childhood hunger affects many children in our community and because they are hungry when they come to school, these children have a difficult time concentrating on their work and, consequently, cannot perform well. In order to continue the Weekend Food Program, Completely KIDS needs your help! A contribution of $7 funds one child’s backpack for one weekend. A donation of $364 sponsors one child for an entire year. Food drives through businesses, churches, and schools provide the program with the opportunity to bring that cost down. Completely KIDS will work with you toward a successful drive, whatever your goal! For more information about the Weekend Food Program at Completely KIDS, please contact Ann Lawless at 402.397.5809, ext. 207, or alawless@completelykids.org.

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April 12, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 9

Hitler’s Daughter at the Lied Center in Lincoln

Snowbirds Please let the Jewish Press know in advance when you are leaving and when you are returning. Sometimes several papers are sent to your “old” address before we are notified by the Post Office. Every time they return a paper to us, you miss the Jewish Press and we are charged! Please call us at 402.334.6448 or email us at jpress@jewishomaha.org.

Front, from left: Lincoln teens Dahlia Hamicksburg, Alex Murray, Tziporah Hamicksburg, Avi Knecht, and Lily Hamicksburg meet Hitler’s Daughter cast members Nathan Carter, back row, Kate Worsley, Gideon Cordover, and Mikaela Martin. by SARAH KELEN As the last day of Passover came to a close, Lincoln’s Jewish community gathered for matzah crackers and pesadich brownies at a reception before a performance of the short play Hitler’s Daughter at the Lied Center for Performing Arts on Tuesday, April 2. The Jewish Federation of Lincoln, along with Federation members Art and Chris Zygielbaum, sponsored the Lied’s presentation of this play, which was adapted by Sydney’s Monkey Baa Theatre Company from a young adult novel by Australian author Jackie French. After the performance, Federation members had an opportunity to talk to cast members about their experiences in the play and their impressions from the play’s ten-week United States tour. Cast member Gideon Cordover was pleased to hear Tziporah Hamicksburg say the evening’s performance was “my favorite play I’ve seen.” Four actors (Cordover, Kate Worsley, Nathan Carver, and Mikaela Martin) played thirteen different roles, as the plot alternates between contemporary rural Australia and Germany in the final days of World War II. Mark, the play’s young protagonist, is fascinated and disturbed by his classmate Anna’s story of Heidi, Hitler’s

secret daughter. If Hitler had a daughter, Mark wonders, would she know her father was evil? Would she bear any guilt for her father’s atrocities? Mark begins to question how children learn values from their parents and their society. Students from central and southeast Nebraska had an opportunity to discuss these issues following a student matinee on Wednesday, April 3. According to Lied Center Artistic Director Bill Stephan, 600 students attended the Wednesday matinee, with another 600 audience members attending the Tuesday evening performance. In his remarks at the Federation reception on Tuesday evening, Art Zygielbaum noted that the tragedy of the lives lost in the Holocaust extends beyond the grief of survivors’ families, like his own, and beyond the Jewish community: the lost human potential of the millions killed impacts the whole world. As the play demonstrated, the ethical questions raised by the Shoah also extend to other historical and political contexts. Especially given its timing in the week before Yom HaShoah, the play offered audience members an opportunity to reflect on the past’s enduring presence and on the lessons we can all learn for the future.

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Buck’s Shoes marks 90th year in business Buck’s Shoes in historic downtown Fremont, purses, socks, belts, jewelry, scarves, hats and NE is beginning its 91st year in business this gloves. Specializing in sizes and widths, particmonth. Currently owned by Kirk and Mollie ularly narrow widths, Buck’s customer list Brown, Buck’s Shoes began operation in includes not only names from Fremont and the Fremont in 1922 when founder Earl K. Buck surrounding area, but also the entire state of purchased the Horstmann’s Shoe Store at 513 Nebraska and 40 other states. Kirk Brown N. Main St. in Fremont and renamed it Buck’s. believes Buck’s Shoes is the oldest existing Buck operated a chain of more than 30 shoe shoe store in the state of Nebraska. stores, primarily in Nebraska. He sold the busiMajor name brands featured at Buck’s ness to F. Douglas Brown, Kirk Brown’s father, include Naturalizer, Ros Hommerson, Walking in 1964. Brown purchased his father’s busi- Cradle, Merrell, Keen, Ecco, SAS, Born, ness in 1986. In 1994, the Browns purchased Birkenstock, Sebago, Olukai, Jambu, Helle and renovated the historic H. J. Lee Building at Comfort, Jambu, Keds, Grasshoppers, Klogs, 550 N. Main St.; they moved the business to Daniel Green, Dansko, Ugg, New Balance, Red that location in November of that year. Built in Wing, Rockport, Florsheim, Cole Haan, L.B. 1878, the Lee Building is the oldest commer- Evans, SmartWool, Ameribag and Hobo. cial building in downtown Fremont. Upcoming events include trunk shows with Buck’s Shoes features name brand shoes Naot on April 18, Dansko on April 25, Born and boots for men and women, as well as an on April 27, Olukai on May 10 and extensive category of accessories, including Birkenstock on May 25. PAID ADVERTISEMENT

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Summer Intern The Jewish Press is looking for a summer intern. If you are currently attending college, are between the ages of 18 and 24, and want to become more involved in our community, this is your chance. If you are interested, please send your resume and cover letter to avandekamp@jewishomaha.org. We can’t wait to meet you!

Dr. Joshua Garroway to speak at Temple Israel by DAVID GOLBITZ Temple Israel Staff Writer For more than 60 years, the Sidney and Jane Brooks Institute on Judaism for Clergy and Educators has brought guest lecturers to Temple Israel to discuss various topics related to Judaism for clergy and educators to then pass on to their congregants and students. This year, Dr. Joshua Garroway will teach two sessions regarding Jewish identity and ancient JewishChristian relations. Dr. Garroway, Assistant Professor of New Testament and Second Commonwealth Judaism at Hebrew Union Joshua Garroway College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, will be at Temple Israel on April 19. His first class, from 10 to 11:45 a.m., is entitled “Ambiguous Jewish Identities in the 1st Century CE” and will explore “the extent to which the boundaries of Jewish identity in the late Second Temple period were ‘fuzzy,’ consisting of figures who were seemingly both Jewish and not Jewish.” Following a break for lunch, Dr. Garroway’s second class,

from 1 to 2 p.m., is a text study called “Christians as Gentile-Jews.” This session will explore the topic of Dr. Garroway’s first book, Neither Jew Nor Gentile, But Both: Paul’s Christians as Gentile-Jews, which looks at the Apostle Paul’s epistle, or letter, to the Romans and how it helped to construct early Jewish identity, and how Paul may have played a role in the emergence of Christianity. “Dr. Garroway is an engaging and enjoyable speaker,” Rabbi Aryeh Azriel said. “I believe this will be a fascinating topic for discussion and an interesting dialogue between Jewish and Christian histories.” Sidney H. and Jane Brooks Institute on Judaism past speakers have included Rabbi Azriel, Father Ernesto Medina and Dr. Syed Mohiuddin, who discussed the TriFaith Initiative; Rabbi Norman Cohen, who talked about differences and similarities between Jews and Christians; author Jennifer Hecht, who discussed themes from her book, Doubt: A History: The Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson; and Rabbi Aaron Panken, Assistant Professor of Rabbinic and Second Temple Literature at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. To register, clergy and educators are asked to contact Temple Israel at 402.556.6536 or email RSVP@templeisraelomaha.com. There is a registration fee of $7 per person, payable to Temple Israel.

Eastern European communities overwhelmed by costs of cemetery upkeep by CNAAN LIPHSHIZ Last year, the Council of Europe adopted a nonbinding (JTA) -- Every month or so, a highly emotional email resolution placing responsibility for the care of Jewish cemelands in the inbox of Martin Kornfeld, CEO of the teries on national governments. The resolution was based in Federation of Jewish Communities in Slovakia. part on a report by the special rapporteur for Jewish cemeThe authors invariably are Western tourists appalled by teries, Piet de Bruyn, who wrote that Jewish cemeteries are the neglect they witnessed “probably” more vulneraduring visits to one of the ble because of the small hundreds of Jewish cemesize of the communities. teries scattered across the The report also noted country. Often their emails instances of cemeteries in concern the final resting Eastern Europe that have place of their relatives been turned into “residenamid overgrown grasses tial areas, public gardens, and overturned tombleisure parks, army stones. grounds and storage sites; “They want us to fix it,” some have been turned Kornfeld told JTA. “But into lakes.” ours is a small and not Moshe Kantor, the presiwealthy community that dent of the European prioritizes the living.” Jewish Congress, says govAcross Eastern Europe, ernments should cover the hundreds of Jewish cemecosts of preserving Jewish teries are disintegrating as cemeteries as they would the small communities other aspects of their culentrusted with their care U.S. college students preparing some cement as part of a restora- tural heritage. He noted focus their limited tion project for a Belarus Jewish cemetery, 2012. that Lithuania’s Jewish Credit: Restoration of Eastern European community was declining resources on reestablishJewish Cemeteries Foundation to reassert control over its ing a living presence after long years of Communist suppression and the near annihi- cemeteries because it fears the financial burden of upkeep. lation of the Holocaust. In the 1950s, West Germany agreed that the preservation Following the fall of communism in the early 1990s, con- of “orphaned Jewish cemeteries” was the responsibility of trol of cemeteries in several countries of the former Eastern local and federal authorities. But most European countries bloc reverted to the Jewish community. In Slovakia, Poland, accept no such responsibility. Jewish leaders generally see the Czech Republic and elsewhere, this resulted in commu- the preservation of cemeteries as a communal obligation. nities of a few thousand people suddenly becoming responIt is “first and foremost a challenge for the Jewish world,” sible for vast burial grounds that before the Holocaust had Schudrich said. “We, the communities, can provide the been administered by congregations dozens of times larger. administration, but the Jewish world needs to provide the Some 90,000 Jews lived in Slovakia before the war; today the funds.” community numbers about 3,000. In Slovakia, the community has launched an online cam“Out of 750 Jewish burial grounds in Slovakia, we can paign, SOS Cemeteries, which allows donors of $650 or more afford to take care of only 150 -- and even that is a major to sponsor preservation work in a cemetery of their choosing. burden,” Kornfeld said. “The cemeteries can drain tens of The program, which was set up to engage Western tourists, has thousands of dollars from a budget stretched to cover the yet to generate much income, but Kornfeld hopes revenues senior home, kindergarten, summer camps -- the trappings pick up once word gets out. of a living, breathing community.” In Poland, prison authorities and the Foundation for the In neighboring Poland, a Jewish community that once Preservation of Jewish Heritage launched a program in 2010 numbered 3.5 million has been reduced to about 40,000. in which prisoners help clean up several Jewish cemeteries. Michael Schudrich, the country’s chief rabbi, says fences are Local villagers also have become involved, often at the inicrucial to preventing the country’s 1,400 Jewish cemeteries tiative of local governments. from turning into trash heaps, but the cost of erecting one has In New York, Michael Lozman, an orthodontist whose parmultiplied. Only about 100 of Poland’s cemeteries are fenced, ents were born in Belarus, founded the Restoration of Eastern Schudrich said, and fencing the rest requires $32 million. European Jewish Cemeteries Foundation, which has brought “It’s a constant drain of money,” said Piotr Kadlcik, presi- hundreds of American college students to restore cemeteries dent of the Union of Jewish Communities in Poland. in Belarus and Lithuania with money raised from private “Without fences, the area quickly becomes a dumpster. Then donors. The students spend two weeks restoring one or more Continued on page 11 the city fines the Jewish community.”

April 12, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 11

April’s Missing Books New Blumkin Home knitting circle is a stitch by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Life The April 18 meeting of the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group from 1- 2 p.m. in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library will focus on one of the works in the Mobile Library Series by Ian Sansom, The Case of the Missing Books. Protagonist Israel Armstrong is a passionate soul, lured to Ireland by the promise of an exciting new career. But the job that awaits him is not quite what he had in mind. Still, Israel is not one to dwell on disappointment. He prepares to drive a mobile library around a small, damp Irish town. After all, the scenery is lovely, the people are charming -- but where are the books? The rolling library’s 15,000 volumes have mysteriously gone missing, and it’s up to Israel to discover who would steal them... and why. And perhaps, after that, he will tackle other bizarre and perplexing local mysteries -- like, where does one go to find a proper cappuccino and a decent newspaper? Ian Sansom was born on December 4, 1966 in England. He is a frequent contributor and critic for The Guardian and the London Review of Books. He studied at both Oxford and Cambridge where he was a fellow of Emmanuel College. Currently he teaches in the Writing Program in the Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies at the University of Warwick. The discussion group meets on the third Thursday of every month in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library from 1- 2 p.m. There is no charge. New participants are welcome. Contact Shirly Banner at 402.334.6462 or sbanner@jewishomaha.org with questions or to make arrangements to obtain a book.

by OZZIE NOGG a woman who met him was very special.” The next time you visit the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, Like Brenna, Kieran feels she’s gained from her volunteer don’t be surprised to hear the click-clack of knitting needles. experience, too. “I’m really happy I decided to do this “We’re very excited about our because it seems to make the new Knitting Circle,” said residents who come to the Deborah Kronick of the Knitting Circle very happy, RBJH Volunteer Office. “We and it gives me a chance to meet in the Blumkin Home’s help out and do something I Northwest Dining Room enjoy at the same time. You every Wednesday from 4 don’t have to knit to be part of p.m. to 5 p.m., and every the group. Even just coming Sunday afternoon from 3:15 to chat is fine. I know that p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Residents, some of the residents have staff, family and friends are family that can’t visit often welcome. We don’t want to and I’m very happy to be able ‘needle’ you, so please join us to spend time with them. I for one or both sessions.” know I can’t replace family, The new program was the but I think the Knitting Circle brain child of Brenna Rossi, a has provided the Blumkin senior at Skutt Catholic, who Home residents with some volunteers at the Home. new friends that they might Kronick recruited Kieran not have gotten to know othSmith, a Gretna Middle Above: Knitting circle volunteer Brenna Rossi, creator of the erwise.” School student, to help with project. Below: RBJH resident Annette Fettman, left, volunBoth Kieran and Brenna the project. “Both Kieran and teer Kairen Smith and Blumkin Home resident Jane M. encourage community memI have been knitting since we Cohen. bers to join the Knitting were about five years old,” Circle -- no matter your age, Brenna said, “but the no matter if you’re an experiBlumkin Home Knitting enced needle worker or don’t Circle is more about socializknow a bobble from a stocking and camaraderie. Not all inette stitch. “We’d especially the residents really knit, but like to give the Circle an they like to participate in the intergenerational feel,” conversations.” Brenna has Brenna said. “The residents gained from the give-andreally enjoy talking with the take, too. “I love hearing the younger generation. We learn stories the residents share a lot from one another. My while I knit. They’ve lived grandma lives in a nursing such amazing lives. One home and always says that woman who was at the Home young people are a sight for for rehab told me about the sore eyes. So just come and sit time she lived in India and actually met Gandhi. It’s one and talk with us. Try us out, at least once. Taking a break thing to watch a documentary about Gandhi, but to talk to from your usual routine can be a good thing.”

Eastern European communities overwhelmed by costs of cemetery upkeep Continued from page 10 Jewish cemeteries along with non-Jewish local students. “Working with locals to preserve cemeteries achieves much more than meets the eye,” Lozman told JTA. “It educates young people about their country’s Jewish heritage and the Holocaust, and creates in them a commitment to the Jewish cemetery and by extension the Jewish past.

Ultimately, the long-term survivability of the cemetery depends largely on them.” Ultimately, however, such efforts are just a drop in the bucket. In Raslavice, in eastern Slovakia, money from SOS Cemeteries helped pay for a new fence at the cemetery there. But the cemetery is still overgrown, and visiting Jewish tourists are still lodging their complaints -- and offers of help.

“May G-d bless you for this amazing job,” Zvi Ziegler, an Israeli with ancestors buried in Raslavice, wrote to the community last year. “On the other hand, unfortunately, the grave sites were inaccessible due to the vegetation which covered and hid all the matzevot [headstones]. I understand that to maintain these holy sites costs money, and I’m willing to contribute toward this expense.”

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12 | The Jewish Press | April 12, 2013

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

The wrong message

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press This editorial contains an apology, and a massive one at that. Here’s what happened: when we lay out the paper, we start by putting in the ads we sold directly. Then, we fill any remaining ad space with submissions from the Nebraska Press Association. You’ve seen them; they are sold in bulk, statewide, to businesses all over Nebraska, and appear in hundreds of newspapers. Quite often, they show up in the inside back page of our paper. We don’t have to put them all in; if there’s one, for instance, that advertises an evangelical event of some sort, we’ll skip it. But, we are supposed to put most of them in most of the time; it’s part of our contract. That means I have to pay attention when the Nebraska Press ads come in. And in this year’s Passover edition, published on March 15, I allowed something outright nasty to slip through that never, ever, should have seen the light of day. It was a very small, text-only, 1½ “ by 4” ad, all the way in the back, and it was easy to miss. The culprit: an organization called ‘MassResistance.’ They want the people of Nebraska to call their senators and put a stop to anti- discrimination legislation. “Call your senators,” the ad states, “The radical LGBT agenda is making inroads in Nebraska.” Luckily, there are readers who noticed, and called it in. I am very grateful for that: not only am I horrified and embarrassed for allowing these people space in our paper, I am happy that there are many readers who feel just as strongly, and aren’t afraid to pick up the phone. MassResistance is not concerned about Nebraskans, it only has one item on the agenda: to spread hate, particularly towards the LGBT community. Starting out in

Massachusetts in 1995, and after several name changes, MassResistance was designated an anti-gay hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2008, in part for its claim that suicide prevention programs aimed at gay youth were “put together by homosexual activists to normalize homosexuality.” They oppose sex education in schools, antibullying programs (because they “lure children into sadomasochism”), gun control, abortion rights, and same-sex marriage, all under the pretense of defending parental rights. Dare I say it? They almost make the Phelps family look mild mannered. Almost. This group uses lies and fairy tales to spread its message. It claims the LGBT community has tried to get legislation passed that allows sex with animals, that no homosexuals died during the Holocaust, that the FBI and CIA “promote the homosexual agenda” and calls the anti-bullying movement “fascist.” In December, they published an op-ed that explained the Jews never really understood Hanukkah, and several of its members have been in legal trouble for secretly taping children at Massachusetts’s schools, for use in online videos that further spread their drivel. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. I allowed them space in our paper, and for that I am truly sorry. I can come up with all kinds of excuses: it was a miniscule ad, we were busy with the special holiday edition, everybody makes mistakes and nobody is perfect. But when people spread hateful messages, they sometimes get help from people like me who aren’t vigilant enough. In fact, they count on it. As the editor the buck stops with me, and I own this error.

Why do I take this so seriously? Because groups like these prey on people, and feed off our collective fears. They spread intolerance that doesn’t stop with a flier on your windshield or a You Tube video. This is the kind of intolerance that comes with consequences, that makes people take action and cause real pain. Ultimately, when organizations like MassResistance are allowed to continue, it makes this world a very unsafe place. I learned a lesson, and it hasn’t been pleasant (the important ones rarely are). It feels bad. I also learned that trust goes both ways: our readers need to know they can trust my judgment as well as my attention to detail, I need to know our readers will return the favor and call me out when I make an error. One of us has made good, and that is wonderful to know. Now it’s up to me to hold up my end of the bargain.

Begin was right to fire Sharon over ‘83 massacre

Focus on issues ARI AFILALO (JTA) -- Israel’s State Archives last week released the previously classified minutes of a 1983 Cabinet meeting during which the government debated the Kahan Commission’s recommendation to fire Defense Minister Ariel Sharon on account of the Sabra and Shatila massacre. The killings had taken place some months before, on Sept. 16, 1982, when 150 fighters of the Lebanese Christian Phalanges entered two Palestinian refugee camps and massacred 700 to 800 residents. The Israel Defense Forces, which controlled the area, allowed the Lebanese forces access to the camp. The Kahan Commission blamed Sharon and senior Israeli officers, finding that they consciously disregarded the risk that the Christian fighters would seek revenge for the murder of their leader. It recommended that Sharon resign or else the Cabinet should fire him. The dramatic proceedings give us a fascinating snapshot of Sharon, Prime Minister Menachem Begin and their handling of core Jewish and Israeli dilemmas. Sharon made an impassioned argument for the Cabinet to reject the commission’s recommendations. “We are talking about a lot more than the question of whether Sharon should go or not go,” he said. “The [commission’s] conclusions are grave for Israel and the entire Jewish people... They implicate all of those seated here, including Mr. Prime Minister.” The commission “did not hesitate to draw a parallel between Israel and the indirect accomplices to pogroms against the people of Israel,” Sharon said. If the government upheld its findings, it would give “those who wish us evil” a homegrown

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basis to say that the Jews too are capable of “genocide” and would stain Israel with the indelible “mark of Cain.” In what quickly became known as the “bourekas speech,” Sharon told his colleagues that their choice was between their individual interests and the country’s. “If you chop off my head... you will be still sitting here next week enjoying the bourekas [filled pastries served at the government meeting],” he told them, “but you would have betrayed the Jews.” The meeting had all the core ingredients of the IsraeliZionist drama: Should we apply universal principles of democratic governance or account for the particulars of the Jewish condition (we have so few allies that we accept them as they are)? Should we be expected to fight fair and maintain the “purity of our weapons” in a cruel neighborhood? How do brothers in arms judge each other when one falls short of the highest ethics and the world stands ready to condemn us? These themes came to a crescendo when Begin told Sharon that he would vote against him. Here was a man whose connection to the Sharon family literally dated back to his birth. Sharon’s grandmother was the midwife who delivered baby Begin at Brest Litovsk in the Old Country. Begin had survived the Soviet gulag, the Nazis, the shelling of the Altalena, nearly three decades in the opposition, seven elections as the head of the losing party and Ben-Gurion’s unbending animosity. And here he sat, confessing to being “broken-hearted,” looking at an Israeli-born hero who had previously been thought of as his natural successor and deciding to follow principles of universalism and democracy. “Believe me when I say that I speak from profound pain,” Begin told Sharon. “I have not slept all night. Woe to this night. But we have no choice but to accept all of the recommendations of the commission. This is the judgment. We accepted the judgment when we appointed the commission.

There is no other alternative.” This was vintage Begin -- emotional, authentic, profoundly Jewish. He did not say, “This is the law,” because it was not the law. He used the word “din,” connoting one of the attributes of God when sitting in strict judgment. There was no place for the balancing attribute of “rahamim,” or mercy. Begin chose to uphold Israel’s good name as a democracy and reject Sharon’s argument that he should stand with the Jews in combat. Right before telling Sharon that he had made up his mind, Begin stared at him silently and confessed in his trademark fatherly demeanor, “When you smile with this tad of sarcasm, I am disarmed and can no longer be your accuser.” “I only smile when I am shaken up and confused,” Sharon replied. This was the sabra moment par excellence, the tough outer shell peeled back to reveal the soft core where the Jewish soul struggles with the mighty questions of the Zionist enterprise. And yet, when push came to shove, Begin did the right thing. He chose the rule of law. The only question was whether the military had acted lawlessly by recklessly disregarding the risk. A commission headed by the chief justice found that it did, and Begin would stand behind it. We Jews often ask ourselves, “What will the gentiles think?” Begin gave us the answer: If we trust in the strength of our democracy, it does not matter. There are voices at the highest level of the Israeli government who complained recently that movies like The Gatekeepers or 5 Broken Cameras -- two failed Oscar contenders that offered scathing critiques of Israeli military policy -- only fuel the narrative of hostile voices. They would be wise to heed the words of former Israeli Supreme Court President Aharon Barak, who famously said Continued on page 13

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and space restrictions, but it should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid per-

Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial

material and photos to: avandekamp @jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jew ishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jew ishomaha.org. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content

sonal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For information, contact Annette van de KampWright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.

April 12, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 13

Just say no: Sequestration hurts families

Behind the headlines NANCY K. KAUFMAN, CEO, National Council of Jewish Women The sequester principle - that a sword of Damocles hanging over Congress and the White House would produce good public policy that reasoned debate could not - never made any sense. It hardly matters who thought of it at this point. The good news is that it is a man-made disaster for which a man-made solution is ready at hand - just say “no” to the across-the-board cuts contained in the 2012 American Taxpayer Relief Act. Repeal them and start over. If the sequester provisions are not repealed, the consequences are indeed dire, even if they take effect slowly. Yes, it is true that the day after the sequester occured (March 1), the sky did not fall. It will just begin falling. Over the next seven months alone, the cuts will reduce defense spending by $55 billion and nondefense discretionary spending by $27 billion. At stake is a slowdown in economic growth that could cost up to 1.4 million jobs, according to the Congressional Budget Office and an increase in the unemployment rate that would bring that figure back up from 7.9 percent to 9.1 percent. But the most vulnerable among us would be the most drastically affected. That’s what happens when cuts are applied across the board. And they aren’t really across the board - some programs are cut entirely while others escape relatively unscathed. The rich and the poor may each expe-

rience a cut of some sort. But for the rich, the impact is inconsequential; for the poor, it is catastrophic. An analysis of the cuts translates the dollars into people, and it is clear the impact spreads far and wide. It starts with children. Education would be cut $2.3 billion. Title I grants to local education agencies would serve 1.2 million fewer students. Cuts to special education would end funding for nearly 296,000 children with special needs and result in job losses for up to 7,200 teachers and staff. Early-childhood education will be reduced by nearly $600 million, including $425 million less for Head Start, cutting enrollment by 70,000 preschoolers. Block grants to the states that help fund childcare would lose $121 million, dropping 30,000 to 50,000 children from child care assistance. More than $350 million will be cut from child-nutrition programs. About 600,000 of the nine million low-income mothers and their children who get supplemental food and health care assistance from the Women, Infants, and Children program would be dropped. Reduced funds to state block grants for maternal and child health would deny help to 4.58 million children, women, and families, while the $243 million cut to children’s health programs would reduce the number of children vaccinated by 144,000. Other cuts are also deeply harmful. Reductions to housing assistance will take more than 110,000 families off Section 8 housing vouchers that help pay most of their rent. More than 100,000 homeless people will lose access to housing

Jews should work to reduce fossil fuels

Behind the headlines SYBIL SANCHEZ AND DAVID SEIDENBERG NEW YORK (JTA) – Two weeks ago, JTA reported on a new alliance between Jewish leaders and domestic gas and oil companies. Called the Council for a Secure America, the alliance is based on a “common interest” between American Jews and domestic energy companies to “increase domestic oil and gas production and to decrease U.S. reliance on imported oil from the Middle East,” the report said. But the alliance represents neither the Jewish community nor its interests. To say that reducing our dependence on foreign oil is our No. 1 priority is not only an ineffective approach to energy policy, it is a distorted picture of the Jewish community’s concerns. Reducing the use of all fossil fuels, not just foreign ones, must be our goal. This not only will help improve energy security in the United States, it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lessen the tremendous threats to Israel’s security posed by climate change. Every nation already has its own supply of renewable energy. If we learn to harvest this natural inheritance, fossil fuel tyranny and energy scarcity would disappear. Israel is at the forefront of solar energy research and commercialization, and a shift to a clean energy economy would benefit Israel in many ways. Oil is also the primary source of income for Iran, and reducing the world’s need for oil will improve Israel’s security. Focusing on domestic fossil fuels will only make us more dependent on a system that is putting the entire natural world at risk. Furthermore, in a dirty energy future in which climate change goes unchecked, the disruption of weather patterns in

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the Middle East could turn most of Israel into a desert. As reported by Ben-Gurion University in the “Israel National Report” on climate change, the Negev Desert could expand as much as 200-300 miles northward, which would include most of Israel. That would be an overwhelming threat to Israel’s survival, as great as any the nation has ever faced. The JTA report suggested that there is no communal consensus on energy policy. But there is a growing Jewish communal consensus that our desire to achieve energy independence must be linked to an urgent response to climate change. The Green Hevra, a network of 16 Jewish environmental organizations co-founded by the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, is leading the call in the Jewish community for sustainability. For many individuals and organizations across the Jewish community, Jewish values, alongside self-interest and policy concerns, are a critical factor that motivates their position. Jewish texts and traditions highlight the importance of caring for the world and repairing the world, or tikkun olam. More directly, we are commanded to “choose life, that you and your seed will live.” The effects of climate change will heavily burden the world’s most vulnerable populations and threaten the existence of many of the Earth’s species. They also are predicted to escalate conflicts around the globe, including the Middle East. Choosing a dirty energy future means violating the most fundamental precepts of Torah and of derech eretz, of common sense. When given alternatives, this is not the future most Jews choose. We can ensure greater security for the United States and Israel, create a cleaner and safer world, and transmit our values to future generations by choosing clean energy. Sybil Sanchez is the director of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life. David Seidenberg is the founder of NeoHasid.org.

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and emergency shelters as a result of a cut of $100 million in housing assistance. Low income heating assistance will be cut by $285 million. Those with AIDS will lose housing assistance and access to benefits from the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. Seniors will receive four million fewer home-delivered meals. A description of the chaos of the sequester could go on and on. Congress must come to its senses before the country suffers a completely self-inflicted grievous wound that weakens our economy and imposes gratuitous hardship on the least fortunate. The federal budget - how we choose to allocate the resources we hold in common - is a moral document. It reflects our priorities, and those priorities must reflect our values. The government must first provide for the women, children, and families among us that desperately need our help. To let the budget process break down so badly, with such immoral implications for so many, is a stain on our country and a bludgeon to our future. The piece originally appeared in Huffington Post and has been reprinted with permission.

Letter TO THE EDITOR Hi Mike, It has now been a number of weeks since my visit to Omaha. I have reflected on the experience many times and feel that it is important to acknowledge the wonderful reception I received and the extensive amount of information that I was able to take away. The experience was helped by having already met you and your team in LA. The learnings for me center on what it really means to provide a warm Jewish environment from an aged care perspective. The connections and multiple touch points with the community and the person centered approach to each and every resident. Whilst the systems in Australia are very different, the concept of good care is universal. I am sure my team is already sick of hearing about “Omaha”, but I will continue to explore our opportunities to improve through what I now see is possible. Please pass on my sincerest thanks to your team, especially Mike for giving up the entire day to walk me through the facilities and meanings. See you all in Jacksonville in 2014. Regards, Dr Michael Preece DBA RN CEO, Maurice Zeffert Home

Begin was right to fire Continued from page 12 that we must fight with “one arm tied behind our back,” a democratic combatant in a sea of sharks. Despite the particularities of our condition, we will only win if we truly learn that skill. As to Sharon, we all know that the people of Israel wound up forgiving him enough to elect him twice to the premiership. Perhaps they forgot Sabra and Shatila. Or perhaps, because Begin preserved the soul of the country when he judged him with din, he created the possibility that we could judge him years later with rahamim. Ari Afilalo is a professor of international law at Rutgers Law School.

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14 | The Jewish Press | April 12, 2013

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: 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: USY Spring Kallah, Friday–Sunday; Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6 p.m.; Our Shabbat Tables, 7 p.m., at participating families’ homes. SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9:30 a.m.; Shabbat’s Cool, 9:45 a.m. for BESTT students; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:45 p.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. SUNDAY: Torah Study Group, 10 a.m.; Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m., with Hazzan Krausman; BESTT 3rd/4th Grade Consecration, 11:45 a.m. All family and friends are invited to attend; Family Fun Day and Kibbutz Chaverim, 1-3 p.m., at Sempeck’s Bowling & Entertainment, 20902 Cumberland Rd., in Elkhorn. All families in the Jewish community are welcome. Cost for Beth El members, $12 for adults and $8 for children ages 12 and younger; for non-members, $15 for adults and $10 for children. For more information, contact event chairmen Caryn Scheer, carynscheer@yahoo.com, or Shira Abraham, shira.abraham@ gmail.com. MONDAY: Wrestling with Rabbis of the Talmud, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham. THURSDAY: USY Elections and Dinner, 6 p.m., at Eadie Tsabari’s house. For more information, contact her at 402.498.0904, or etsabari@bethel-omaha.org; Dames & Drinks, 7 p.m. (Location to be announced.) For more information, contact Melissa Schop, melschop@hotmail.com. Dinner & Drash, Friday, April 19, 7 p.m., following Kabbalat Shabbat services. Dr. Ari Kohen, political philosophy professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will lead the session. Cost: $12.50. RSVP and pay online at www.bethel. omaha.org, or contact the office. The Controversial Laws of the Torah, Sunday, April 21, 10 a.m. with Andy Greenberg. YAC Playgroup, Wednesday, April 24, 10:30 a.m., nature walk and play time. Contact Caryn Scheer, carynscheer@ yahoo.com, for more information. A Comedian, A Choir & A Cantor: Annual Youth Scholarship Fund Concert, Sunday, April 28, 7 p.m. at the synagogue, featuring comedian Joel Chasnoff, Beth El’s Hazzan Michael Krausman and the Beth El Choir. Buy tickets now at www.bethel-omaha.org. All classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Free Babysitting begins, 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes begin with Torah Parade, 9:45 a.m.; The Laws of Shabbat, 5:30 p.m.; Advanced Parshah Study for Boys (ages 10 and up), 6:30 p.m.; Mincha-Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m., followed by Seuda Shlishit; Havdalah, 8:46 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Daf Yomi: Week in Review with Rabbi Gross, 7:45 a.m.; Community Yom Hazikaron commemoration ceremony, 7:30 p.m. TUESDAY: Women’s Study Group, 6:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:45 p.m. THURSDAY: Sacred Grounds with Rabbi Gross, 9:30 a.m; Med Center Chabura, 1 p.m. at UNMC.

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: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. Please reserve by calling 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 Stacy Balter. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parsahat Tazria/Metzora; Jewish Movie Night showing of “Body and Soul” with Havdalah and dessert potluck, 7 p.m. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Board of Trustees, 1 p.m. TUESDAY: Ladies Lunch Group, noon at Single Barrel, 130 N. 10th St.; Dinner and Israeli Dancing while listening to the Star City Kochavim, 6:30 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. 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. Fifth Annual Hallah High Rummage Sale, Saturday, April 28 in the South Street Temple parking lot.

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: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 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.

Candlelighting Friday, April 12, 7:44 p.m.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to RBJH, 2:30 p.m. led by Mainstreeters. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Judy Rosenfeld. Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.

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, 4 p.m. led by Rabbi Azriel; Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Azriel and Cantor Shermet. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Adam Silverman, son of Mimi and Michael Silverman, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah. SUNDAY: Blood Drive, 9 a.m.; Grades K-6, 10 a.m.; Prayer Assembly, 10 a.m. TUESDAY: Executive Meeting, 5:45 p.m.; Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Family School, 6 p.m.; Grades 7 & 8, 6 p.m.; Temple Teen Night, 6 p.m.; Discussion of J Street’s mission as the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans fighting for the future of Israel as the democratic homeland of the Jewish people, 6:30 p.m. with Rabbi Friedman, Co-Chair of the J Street Rabbinic Cabinet. THURSDAY: The Trial of Talmud 1240, 10 a.m. with guest teacher Rabbi John Friedman.

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: Shabbat Services, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a Kiddush luncheon prepared by Miriam Wallick. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Board of Trustees Meeting, 2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. TUESDAY: Ladies Lunch Group, noon at Single Barrel, 130 N. 10th St. Please contact Stephanie Dohner with any question; Israel’s 62nd Birthday Celebration, 6:30 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Fifth Annual Hallah High Rummage Sale, Saturday, April 28 in the South Street Temple parking lot.

100+ Years of Jewish Life in Nebraska by BRENDA F. INGRAHAM President, Tifereth Israel Synagogue, Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln’s Tifereth Israel Synagogue cordially invites its Omaha and Lincoln friends to come help us celebrate our 100th Anniversary year on Sunday, April 21 at 3 p.m., when Dr. Oliver Pollak of Omaha shares photos and stories from his fine volume, Jewish Life In Omaha and Lincoln: A Photographic History.

NCJW calls on Israel to create civil marriage system by JTA NEWS STAFF WASHINGTON (JTA) – The National Council of Jewish Women called on the Jewish state to create a system of civil marriage and divorce in what was seen as a landmark move. “The monopoly of authority given to Orthodox rabbinical courts in Israel regarding issues of personal status, particularly marriage, weakens rather than strengthens the state itself by causing disunity, disrespect for the law, and even hostility among Israelis and between Israel and Jews abroad,” according to a statement released Monday by the NCJW board of directors. Rabbi David Saperstein, the director of the Reform movements Religious Action Center, said it was the first time a mainstream U.S. Jewish group joined non-Orthodox groups in making such a call.

“What’s important to me is that an organization beyond the religious streams is beginning to call for that,” he told JTA. “That’s an important step forward. I deeply commend the NCJW for doing so and ask all Jewish organizations to join the fight for freedom of marriage.” While the NCJW board noted it was “committed to the letter and spirit of respect for democratic values and civil liberties,” the grass-roots organization called on Israel to “take immediate measures to create a mechanism for civil marriage.” According to NCJW, the lack of civil marriages forces “thousands of Israeli couples every year to leave Israel for a civil marriage abroad” and alienates “approximately 350,000 Israeli citizens from the former Soviet Union” who are not considered halachically Jewish.

Dr. Pollak is Emeritus Professor of History at UNO, as well as a practicing attorney in Omaha. He is a founding member of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society and has published widely in the area of Jewish life in the Midwest. Dr. Pollak’s lecture in Lincoln is part of our TI@100 series, commemorating this special year in the life of our shul. A reception will cap off this most interesting afternoon. Childcare will be provided, and of course, there is no charge for this community celebration.

Pulverent e

April 12, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 15

The Moral and the Medical

In memoriam CECELIA F. “CECE” HILL

Sparks from the word RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parsha Tazria-M’tzora There seems to be no reason for joining together our two Parashot. The first, Tazria, is sensible enough. It requires rest and rehabilitation for women after giving birth. I see no reason for giving different rest periods to mothers who give birth to males versus those who give birth to females. But: favoring males over females is a regular feature of the Torah. It must have been the King James translation of the Bible into English in 1611 that linked these two Parashot together. Further, there seems to be no reason for using the words “leprosy” and “lepers.” In the modern medical world, these words are far different from the skin disease described in our Torah. The skin disease described here was contagious, very much so, and could even be passed on from humans to things and objects in their environment. I do not know what term contemporary positions would use for this disease, but certainly not “leprosy.” We must remember that medical terms should not deviate from the brilliant translations from the Greek, dating back to 1611. All of this should remind us that the Torah is supreme in its stand on moral issues. As far as its use of scientific terms, including medical terms, it was rather primitive.

Margaret Thatcher remembered by RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -- History will remember former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for relentlessly facing down communism and helping to turn back more than three decades of socialist advance in her country. But it was Thatcher's embrace of British Jews and insistent promotion of Jews in her Conservative Party that inspired an outpouring of tributes from Jewish and Israeli leaders following her death Monday at 87. Thatcher, who suffered from dementia in her later years, died peacefully after suffering a stroke, her spokesperson said. Thatcher's tenure as prime minister, from 1979 to 1990, helped thrust Britain back onto the international stage following its post-World War II years of end-of-empire angst and political turmoil. For the country’s Jews, however, the naming of at least five of their number to Cabinet positions and her determined pushback against anti-Jewish grumbling among the Conservative Party’s backbenchers made what once was laughable imaginable: the possibility of a Jewish prime minister. “Lady Thatcher was always extremely supportive and admiring of the ethos of the British Jewish community,” Vivian Wineman, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, told JTA. Wineman said the mutual admiration was rooted in personal history. In the 1930s, Thatcher's family took in an Austrian Jewish refugee. In 1959, Thatcher was elected to Parliament representing Finchley, a north London constituency with a large Jewish population. “She counted a number of Jews among her closest advisers and confidants, and at one point nearly a quarter of her Cabinet were of Jewish origins,” Wineman said. Thatcher also earned kudos for her robust foreign policy and maintaining strong ties with Israel at a time of tension between the Jewish state and other European nations. Thatcher did not shy away from taking on Israeli leaders. She tussled with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin over his refusal to deal with Palestinian leaders and the bombing of the Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981, calling him the “most difficult” man she had to deal with.

Cecelia F. “Cece” Hill, 73, of Lincoln passed away on April 4. Services were held on April 7 at Butherus, Maser & Love Chapel with interment following at Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Lincoln. She was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her husband, Gary Hill of Lincoln; brother, Morris Fishman of Merriam, KS and many nieces, nephews and friends. She was born on Jan. 19, 1940 in Kansas City, KS to Abe and Yetta Fishman. She had worked at Cega Services, Inc. and Contact Center, Inc. Member of Congregation Tifereth Israel, Lincoln Center Kiwanis Club, Lincoln Literacy Council and Lancaster Foundation for Mental Retardation. Memorials are suggested to the charity of your choice. Condolences may be left at www.bmlfh.com.

LUCILLE PASKOWITZ Lucille Paskowitz passed away on April 5 at age 94. Services were held April 8, at Temple Israel followed by burial at Fisher Farms. She was preceded in death by husband Harry Paskowitz. She is survived by daughter, Rita Paskowitz; and son, Les Paskowitz. Memorials may be made to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

CORY L. RICHARDS Cory L. Richards of Washington, DC passed away of pancreatic cancer on April 4 at age 64. He was preceded in death by his aunt, author and activist Tillie Olsen; his previous partner, Peter A. Ryan; and his sister, Sandy R. Daniels. He is survived by husband Douglas Mitchell, partner of 23 years whom he married in 2013; his mother and stepfather, Vicki L. and Monty Bergman; and his brother, Scott Richards. Richards was an Omaha native and a distinguished figure in the field of sexual and reproductive health. He played a central role in making the Guttmacher Institute the leading research and policy analysis think tank working in the field. Cory graduated from Central High School in 1966 and Yale in 1970. He had his bar mitzvah at Beth El Synagogue. A key part of Cory’s legacy is the Guttmacher Policy Review, which he founded in 1998. For the past 16 years, journal articles written by Guttmacher policy staff and shaped and edited by Cory have not only informed the work of policymakers, media, advocates and others, but have also been cited in U.S. Supreme Court decisions and have been entered into the Congressional Record. Beyond Guttmacher, Cory held volunteer leadership positions with a number of prominent organizations in the field, including the American Public Health Association, Global Campaign for Microbicides, NARAL Pro-Choice America, National Abortion Federation, National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association and Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS). Cory will be acutely missed by his family, his friends, his colleagues at Guttmacher and the sexual and reproductive health community he served with such dedication. Memorials may be made to Omaha’s Central High School, Yale University, or the Guttmacher Institute.

Teaching the teacher by JTA NEWS STAFF ROME (JTA) – Some high school students in Rome earned praise for defending a Jewish classmate from an allegedly anti-Semitic slur by a teacher. The teacher from Caravillani High School had reprimanded a female student in October for not being attentive in class by telling her, “Had you been in Auschwitz , you would have been more careful,” Italian media reported. Several of her classmates, according to the reports, defended her and accused the teacher of being racist. The teacher told the school’s principal that she had used Auschwitz “to indicate a place where order rules.” She has since taken a leave of absence.

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16 | The Jewish Press | April 12, 2013

Will Obama spend his political capital? by RON KAMPEAS among peoples, not just governments.” fiercest critics of the president. WASHINGTON (JTA) -- For a trip that U.S. officials had The next afternoon, asked during a news conference with “In terms of his attitude toward Israel, in the past three cautioned was not about getting “deliverables,” President Jordanian King Abdullah how he brokered the Turkish- days Obama has altered his status in that regard from being Obama’s apparent success during his Middle East trip at get- Israeli rapprochement, Obama made it clear it was about the second coming of Jimmy Carter to that of another Bill ting Israel and Turkey to reconcile has raised some hopes for advancing shared interests in the region. Clinton,” wrote Jonathan Tobin, the senior online editor at a breakthrough on another front: Israeli-Palestinian negoCommentary magazine. tiations. Emphasizing the Jewish connection to the land with visThe question now is whether Obama has the means or its to the grave of the founder of modern Zionism, Theodor the will to push the Palestinians and Israelis back to the Herzl, and a viewing of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Obama’s good negotiating table. will appears to have superseded any Israeli resentment for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who stayed behind to being pressured into the apology to Turkey. A snap poll by follow up with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Channel 2 in the aftermath of the visit by Obama found Netanyahu’s team on what happens next, made clear in his that 39 percent of Israelis had changed their opinion of the statement on Israel’s apology to Turkey to place it in the U.S. leader for the better, the Times of Israel reported. broader context of the region’s tensions. Whether Obama, like Clinton, will be able to leverage “As I discussed with Prime Minister Netanyahu this such good will into pressure on Netanyahu’s government -evening, this will help Israel meet the many challenges it and whether he wants to -- remains to be seen. Obama has faces in the region,” Kerry said in a statement issued made clear that he wants Netanyahu to give him time on Saturday evening. Iran, telling Channel 2 in a pre-trip interview that he sees Netanyahu’s apology to Turkish Prime Minister Recep the dangers of a nuclear Iran arising in about a year’s time, Tayyip Erdogan, delivered Friday on the Ben Gurion not in several months, as Israeli officials reportedly Airport tarmac while crew members readied Air Force believe. One for departure, took the political world by surprise. Obama also made clear that he wants to see progress in After years of resisting, Netanyahu delivered the apology the Palestinian-Israeli talks, but he did so in a passive way, sought by Turkey since 2010 for the Israel commando raid not by offering solutions but by urging Israelis to pressure on a Gaza-bound flotilla that killed nine people aboard a President Obama and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud their government. Abbas taking pictures with Palestinian children during a visit to the Turkish vessel. “I can promise you this, political leaders will never take There may have been a hint of what was to come in a Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank, March 22, 2013. risks if the people do not push them to take some risks,” Credit: Atef Safadi/Getty/JTA Obama said in his March 21 speech. “You must create the remark delivered to reporters by Ben Rhodes, the U.S. deputy national security adviser, in a March 14 conference “I have long said that it is in both the interest of Israel and change that you want to see.” call before the trip. Turkey to restore normal relations between two countries That’s not a clear plan, Robert Satloff, the director of the “Israel as it makes peace is going to have to recognize the that have historically had good ties,” Obama said. “It broke Washington Institute for Near East Policy, wrote in a postbroader role of public opinion in peacemaking,” Rhodes down several years ago as a consequence of the flotilla inci- trip analysis. said, referring to the need to reach out to populations, not dent. “Whether the shift on how peace talks should begin transjust leaders, in the region. “For the last two years, I’ve spoken to both Prime Minister lates into a shift on how those talks should then proceed It was a theme Obama seized upon in his March 21 speech Netanyahu and Prime Minister Erdogan about why this rup- remains unclear,” he wrote. at the Jerusalem International Convention Center. ture has to be mended, that they don’t have to agree on Nonetheless, should Obama proceed, Satloff suggested, he “Given the frustration in the international community everything in order for them to come together around a now has the political capital to do so. about this conflict, Israel needs to reverse an undertow of whole range of common interests and common concerns.” “If the basic idea behind visiting Israel was to open the isolation,” Obama said. Later in the speech, he added, “As If there was much resistance in Israel to such an apology, administration’s second term on surer footing in terms of more governments respond to popular will, the days when it seemed to have dissipated in the wake of Obama’s charm U.S.-Israeli relations than what characterized the opening Israel could seek peace simply with a handful of autocratic offensive, which won over not only Israelis but even some months of the president’s first term,” Satloff wrote, “he leaders, those days are over. Peace will have to be made American Jewish conservatives who have been among the appears to have succeeded.”

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free admission | open to the Community

5:00 PM - JCC SOCCER FIELDS

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walk the land FOR ISRAEL OUTDOOR

Children’s

Carnival 5:15 - 7:00 PM - JCC PAVILION | FACE PAINTING, GAMES, INFLATABLES, PRIZES, FOOD FOR PURCHASE

13TH ANNUAL

All events held at the Jewish Community Center of Omaha | 333 South 132nd Street

B’nai B’rith

6:15 - 7:15 PM JCC SOCIAL HALL

Trivia quiz

7:15 PM - JCC THEATER PARTNERSHIP2GETHER

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Shuli & Moshe Dayan

FOLLOWED WITH WINE, CHEESE, AND DESSERT

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For information visit w w w. j c c o m a h a . o r g , or call Esther Katz at (402)334-6406. Many thanks to the JFO, Herbert Goldsten Trust, Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Foundation, Murray H. and Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation, and the Special DonorAdvised Fund for helping us bring this event to the community.