April 21, 2006

Vol. LXXXV No. 32 Omaha, NE

Celebrating 85 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa

First Winners of Sokolof Javitch Music Scholarships Named by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Foundation Public Relations Coordinator Cantor Gastón Bogomolni of Beth El Synagogue and Dani Burr, a 20-year-old Omahan who attends The Boston Conservatory, are the first recipients of the Karen Sokolof Javitch Music Appreciation Merit Scholarships. Phil Sokolof, who died two years ago, established Cantor Gastón Bogomolni the music scholarships in recognition of his daughter Karen’s talent and appreciation for musical and theatrical arts and to encourage and develop that appreciation within the Jewish community. “It’s very fitting that my dad would establish these scholarships,” said Karen Javitch. Both her parents “had a real love and feeling for music. We were a musical family.” She recalled that her dad started out to be a singer and dancer and that her mother played the piano. “Dad knew all the time and effort that went into performing.” From the Fund, up to two annual scholarships are available to Jewish students from the Omaha metropolitan area who are majoring in or pursuing an advanced degree in music performance or composition or in music education at a university or music conservatory.

Dani Burr

Cantor Bogomolni and Dani Burr will be honored, along with the scholarship winners and the Outstanding Teacher Award recipient of the Phil and Ruth Sokolof Honor Roll Fund, at the “Live from the 92nd Street Y” broadcast featuring well-known author, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin on Thursday, May 11, 7:15 p.m., at the Jewish Community Center.

A reception will follow. “I grew up in a family that was full of music,” remarked Cantor Bogomolni, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina. His parents participated in choirs, his father played guitar and organ, his mother performed Israeli dancing, and his grandfather played violin. “Music was all over the place whether it was rock ’n roll or classical, Paul Anka, the Beatles, or Jewish music. I started in my Jewish day school when I was threeyears-old, and I guess my love for music, especially Jewish music, was discovered then and has flown forever in my veins,” the cantor explained. A student of music all his life, the Cantor privately

23 Nisan, 5766 April 21, 2006

Operation Promise Humanizes Focus of Fundraising Efforts by EUNIE DENENBERG Last fall Buzz and Jody Malashock participated in the Federation’s Leadership Mission to Ukraine and Israel. The experience was electrifying--emotionally, intellectually and spiritually--and now the Malashocks have volunteered to co-chair the Operation Promise fundraising event on Thursday, June 8, at the Jewish Community Center. “We’re eager to tell our stories and share our excitement,” Jody says, “and, above all, make everyone aware of the needs.” Operation Promise is a national effort to raise funds over the next three years and keep our promise to the Jews of Ethiopia and the Former Soviet Union. Up to 20,000 Ethiopians must be brought to Israel, educated and integrated into Israeli society. In the FSU we need to develop a strong Jewish identity among young people and provide food, medicine and social welfare assistance to the elderly.

Continued on page 19

Jewish Activist Hopes to Stir Pot on Darfur with Washington Protest by RACHEL SILVERMAN NEW YORK (JTA) -- Ruth Messinger has borne witness to some of the world’s most horrific tragedies. A tireless human rights activist, Messinger has walked through earthquake-devastated villages in Turkey, traveled to Thailand in the wake of a tsunami and visited Balkan refugee camps during Milosevic’s ethnic cleansing campaign. Still, the scenes she saw in Darfur during the summer of 2004 were “a great deal more depressing. “The people there have no expectation that the world cares about their situation or that they’re going to be able to come home,” Messinger said, sitting in her New York City office last week. “The word I use for it when I speak most American Jewish World Service executive director, Ruth Messinger, holds a baby in Sudan’s Darfur region often is just, chilling.” The Executive Director of the in August 2004. According to the AJWS, the child’s twin American Jewish World Service, sister was saved at a clinic funded in part by the agency. Credit: AJWS Messinger is leading the charge to Temple Israel Joins Efforts to Save Darfur restore hope to this ravaged communi- by CLAUDIA SHERMAN ty. Her approach is Temple Israel Communications Coordinator A humanitarian crisis is taking place in Darfur, Sudan. At the multi-pronged: hands of government-backed militias, as many as 400,000 people form interfaith have been killed and an additional 500 die each day. Nearly two alliances through a million innocent civilians have been displaced from their homes in Save Darfur Coathe Darfur region. lition, flood the On Sunday, April 30, 11:30 a.m., there will be a prayer assembly, White House with open to the community at Temple Israel. From there, the gathering postcards and add will walk to Memorial Park to join other members of the community to the AJWS’s $2.4 to rally against genocide in Darfur. million humanitariContinued on page 2 an aid campaign.

Inside Opinion Page see page 16

Next on the agenda is an April 30 rally in Washington, D.C., where Messinger expects a large turnout, thanks, in part, to efforts by synagogues, Hillels, JCCs and other Jewish organizations across the country. The message she trumpets is simple: The world needs to determine a “communal response to genocide” and apply it across the board. Messinger says that Jews, of all people, should heed this call. “We’re the people whose constant context and language since the Shoah has been, ‘Never again’,” Messinger said. “Do we mean what we said or not? And if we do, then are we going to respond for everybody, and not just wait til Jews are attacked again?” For Messinger, the answer is an easy one. The Jewish call for tikkun olam, or repairing the world, mandates a response. “It’s the Judaism I was raised on,” she explained. “Every person is made in the image of Continued on page 2

During last fall’s mission to Israel, Jody Malashock meets with a Ethiopian child at an absorption center. Buzz recounts how he wept after visiting an old woman in a shtetl (village) in Ukraine. “Ill and alone,” he goes on quietly, “she depends on our contributions for her very existence.” “We’re not so far removed from that lady,” says Jody. “My grandparents were born in Kiev and, for me, being there brought my family’s story full circle.” She shifts gears.“And then, in Israel, I found myself showing some little girls, straight off a plane from Addis Abbaba, how to use the bathroom! How do I convey such experiences?” “It’s hard,” Buzz agrees, but sitting face to face with the very p e o p l e Operation Promise will help certainly humanizes this project for us.” Jody interjects, “You In Ukraine, Buzz Malashock chats with an know, people elderly woman, who, he says, “depends on u n d e r s t a n d our contributions for her very existence.” the needs locally and our community is good at heart. If we can make Operation Promise real for people, they will respond.” “It’s a humanitarian effort,” concludes Buzz. “We’re going to do our best to fire up this town!” Continued on page 15

This Week: See Front Page Stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’ Educator Relates “Journeys of Conscience” at YomHaShoah: Page 3

Scion of Local Fortune 500 Runs for Senate Seat: Page 8

Friedel’s 40th Includes “The Art of Tzedakah”: Page 10

Next Month: Mother’s Day Issue Conservative Movement Chooses Scholar, Not Rabbi to Lead: Page 14

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

April 21, 2006

Darfur Protest in Washington

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS SUNDAY, APRIL 23 Seventh Grade/H.S. Recruitment Meeting, 7 a.m. at Beth El Nashir Choir, 10 a.m. at Beth El Adult Education, 10 a.m.-noon at Beth El BESTT Chaverim, 12:30 p.m. at Beth El Adult Education, 1 p.m. at Temple Israel Sunday Story Time, 2 p.m. at Kripke Library C Book Discussion Group, 2 p.m. at Temple Israel C L Genealogy and The Jews of Omaha, 3 p.m. L I I MONDAY, APRIL 24 P P Yom Ha Shoah Exhibit, at Beth El, April 24-28 & Women of Worth Art Program, 7 p.m. & led by Julie Phillips at Chabad House S Derech Torah Class, 7:30 p.m. S A A TUESDAY, APRIL 25 V V Women of Worth Prayer Circle, 9 a.m. at Chabad E E The Guy & Bob Show, noon Federation Executive Committee Meeting, 5:30 p.m. BBYO Parent/Teen Info Night, 6 p.m. BBYO Night, 6 p.m. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26 PATTER, 10:30 a.m. at Beth El Center for Jewish Education Class, 11 a.m. Visions Tour of Hot Shops, 11:30 a.m. NCJW Board Meeting, noon JFS Yachad Social Skills Class, 6 p.m. Community Yom HaShoah, 7 p.m. at Beth El Beth El USY Spring Kallah, April 27-30 C THURSDAY, APRIL 27 L I Adult Education, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel P Rabbi Levin Study Class, noon at Beth El Temple Israel Blood Drive, 1 p.m. & JFS Love & Logic, 6 p.m. ADL’s Youth Leadership Mission 2006, 7 p.m. S Beth El 20s & 30-Somethings’ Dinner, 7 p.m. at Hiro Sushi Adult Education, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel A Beth El Rosh Chodesh Group, 7 p.m. V E All events held at the JCC unless otherwise indicated. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of events. To keep calendar accurate or for questions, call Marlene Hert at 334-6437. FOR A COMPLETE LISTING, VISIT THE FEDERATION’S WEBSITE: www.JewishOmaha.org (click on calendar)

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Continued from page 1 and parts that you don’t,” Messinger said. “Everybody God. To save a single life is to save the world.” will tell you about people who are raped by the A former elected official and Democratic mayoral can- Janjaweed. I’ve never met a woman who told me she was didate in New York City, Messinger, 65, has dedicated raped.” much of her career to this kind of public service. Messinger said the Darfur people have dire, pressing Now she’s applying it to Darfur. needs. But while food, water and medical treatment are Messinger said the death toll there has grown to critical, a greater mobilization may still be paramount. roughly 400,000 to 500,000 in the past three years. “This is not like something that has stopped and now There are more than 2 million internally displaced per- we just have to worry about food, water, health care in sons in Darfur, she rattled off, and 300,000 Sudanese the camps. As important as that is we also have to figure refugees in eastern Chad. out how to take much more responsibility and do much Two trips to the region have shown Messinger the more,” Messinger said. “They need some sense that human face of these statistics. somebody’s coming to their aid, that someplace in the It took an exhausting combination of planes, four- world somebody’s going to take on this government wheel vehicles and special visas for Messinger to even get which is continuing to support and arm the Janjaweed to Darfur in 2004, which she toured as a guest of an militia, and is still attacking villages.” international relief organization on the ground. Messinger faulted the media, as well as political inacGuided by a local translator, Messinger spent four days tion, for what she called a slow international response. talking to Darfuri men, women and children holed up in “It’s like, it’s the to-do list and we just haven’t gotten the desert. to genocide yet,” Messinger said. “Of all things in the Messinger said those she interviewed described a world, a genocide is something that requires a level of “tremendously similar” narrative. Most spoke of attacks moral leadership and should come with a sense of obliby air, which, according to Messinger, are clearly coor- gation to act.” dinated by the Sudanese government. While Messinger declined to spell out an exact formu“There are no tribes that have airplanes,” she said. “Planes drop everything,” she continued. “They drop broken air conditioners, car chassis, anything you can put in an airplane that will kill the people it happens to hit. It’s just random strafing of the village.” Then the Janjaweed, or “men on horseback,” descend. “As people say, the militia shows up and just starts riding randomly through the village, yelling ethnic slurs, killing men, killing children, raping and branding children,” Messinger said. “The people become Ruth Messinger, center, Executive Director of the American Jewish World Service, leads a delincreasingly terrified and egation of Jewish leaders and rabbis to Chad in October 2005 to visit makeshift refugee camps so they flee. And that’s Credit: AJWS in the worn-torn region. the goal: for them to la for peace, she listed a number of strategies -- allocatflee.” Most told Messinger this exodus led them to either ing more money to the African Union, establishing a nointernally displaced camps in Sudan, or refugee outposts fly zone and enlisting more help from NATO countries -- as viable options. along the increasingly porous Chad-Sudan border. “There’s a million pieces of this puzzle,” she said. But while all confirmed the same basic facts, each person Messinger spoke with offered his or her own indi- “Basically, right now,” the Bush administration is “not vidual tale. A 10-year-old boy clung tightly to an inter- pursuing any of them.” She did, however, praise some positive steps that have national aid worker, who Messinger assumed to be his mother or aunt. No, the aid worker said, the boy, whose been taken. She commended congressional representaparents and two brothers had been slaughtered, had no tives who have spoken out on the issue, the work of New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, and key pieces family left. Another woman said she fled her village the same day of legislation, such as the Darfur Peace and she gave birth to twins. After watching her aunt, uncle Accountability Act. More than anything, though, Messinger stressed and brother get shot, the woman carried her two newborn babies out of town on a small, straw mat. She empowerment at the individual level. “We all need, every single one of us, to exercise this showed Messinger the mat. muscle that says take this responsibility, speak out,” she These stories may not even represent the worst of it. “There are always parts of the story that you do get, said. “Don’t let evil in the world move you into silence.’’

Temple Joins Efforts Continued from page 1 “For people who have experienced genocide and the Shoah, it is our obligation to stand up and protest any genocide and ethnic cleansing that takes place in our world,” urged Rabbi Aryeh Azriel of Temple Israel. “We cannot embrace only the misery that befell our people without also demanding ourselves to be the conscience of the world,” he added. Omaha’s rally will be one of many around the nation on April 30. The Reform Movement will participate in the “Save Darfur: Rally to Stop Genocide” that day on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to raise awareness about the situation in Darfur and to demand that stronger action be taken to end the genocide. The Reform Movement is a co-sponsor of the rally. The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism will coordinate the Movement’s participation. Wendy Goldberg, president of Temple’s Board of Trustees, and Magda Peck, a member of Temple and the

Union for Reform Judaism’s (URJ) National Commission on Social Justice, will be joining the supporters at the rally in the capital. There will be a havdalah service on Friday, April 29 in Washington the night before the rally. Lobby visits on Capitol Hill will be made on Monday morning, May 1. At Temple’s congregational Seder on April 13, postcards for “A Million Voices for Darfur” were distributed to gather signatures to send to the White House on April 30. At the National Federation of Temple Youth Spring Chavurah at Temple Israel this weekend, youth group members will also be asked to sign the postcards. The Anti-Defamation League’s Plains States Region office is coordinating the “Million Voices” postcard effort with Omaha’s Jewish youth organizations and members of the Sudanese youth community. For more information about the April 30 rally, contact the ADL/CRC office or log on to www.adlplains.org or www.jewishomaha.org.

April 21, 2006

Message Aimed at Young People in Omaha’s Yom HaShoah Program by LISA LIEB Federation Communications Specialist Next Wednesday, when Omaha’s Jewish community gathers to remember the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, a woman widelyconsidered a pioneer of Holocaust studies will aim her message especially at teens and young adults. Dr. Leatrice Rabinsky’s Holocaust curriculum in Cleveland high schools has Dr. Leatrice Rabinsky served as a model for other school systems throughout the United States. She was a teacher for 31 years in the Cleveland Public Schools. Rabinsky, who will headline the Yom HaShoah Commemoration Service, Wednesday, April 26, 7 p.m. at Beth El Synagogue, is perhaps best known for her “Journey of Conscious” program. This program provides high school students with the opportunity to visit Holocaust sites throughout Europe, concluding at the Yad Vashem memorial in Israel. Holocaust survivors accompany the students on this trip, making the voyage even more powerful. Rabinsky has led eight Journeys of Conscious to date, and has co-authored Journey of Conscience: Young People Respond to the Holocaust about this experience. Dr. Rabinsky currently serves as Adjunct Associate Professor of Jewish Literature at the Siegel College of Judaic Studies in Cleveland. Board member of the Ohio Council on Holocaust Education, Rabinsky is co–editor of the Ohio curriculum, The Holocaust: Prejudice Unleashed, and co-author of Teaching for a Tolerant World. Rabinsky received her B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Case Western Reserve University. Active in her community, Rabinsky was honored with “The Women Who Dared” award by the National Council of Jewish Women-Cleveland Section, designated a “Women of Valor” by American Magen David, and is recognized in Who’s Who Among American Teachers. Prior to the Yom HaShoah program, Dr Rabinsky will meet with synagogue teens to discuss their feelings about the “Diaries of Humanity” exhibit sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League. Dr. Rabinsky will speak to the students about issues of intolerance and connect her discussion to the various diary entries from the exhibit. The Yom HaShoah Commemoration is open to the community free of charge by the Center for Jewish Education. For information, please call 334.6445.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 3

In Germany, Short-lived Exhibit Raises Question of Holocaust Art by TOBY AXELROD Central Council of Jews in Germany, said in a statement. BERLIN (JTA)--Can art help us understand the The project “injures not only the dignity of Holocaust Holocaust, or are there certain topics that shouldn’t be victims but of the Jewish community,” he said. “It has touched? absolutely nothing to do with remembrance or the culThose questions may never be definitively answered, ture of memory.” but for now, at least, one artist in Germany has decided Politicians and religious leaders condemned the exhibthat some taboos are not to be broken. it, but public opinion appeared mixed. At issue was an installation by Spanish-born artist A survey of 330 readers by an online magazine found Santiago Sierra that involved pumping poisonous auto that nearly 38 percent considered the installation “tasteexhaust into a former synaless and reprehensible” and gogue near Cologne. The nearly 9 percent felt some installation was canceled artists had lost all inhibiMarch 13 after only one day. tions, but 27 percent found In a joint statement March the project provocative and 21, Sierra, together with the “acceptable.” city of Pulheim-Stommeln Ultimately, a spokesperson and the Cologne Jewish for the Protestant church in community, announced that Cologne, Gunter Menne, it was best to abandon the said Sierra’s “experimental exhibit and start from approach to the unthinkscratch, seeking “an approable” did nothing to “bring priate and fitting rememus closer” to the Holocaust. brance and reminder of the The question remains past.” whether any art form can Sierra explained that he accomplish this. According “did not and does not wish An installation by Spanish-born artist Santiago Sierra that to the famous 1949 motto of to insult or hurt anyone.” involved pumping poisonous auto exhaust into a former syn- German sociologist/philosoThe announcement closed agogue near Cologne, Germany. The installation was can- pher Theodor Adorno, “to one chapter in the seemingly celed March 13, after only one day. Credit: Santiago Sierra write poetry after the endless debate here over confrontation of the Nazi past. Sierra, 39, who said his work aimed to criticize the “banalization of Holocaust remembrance,” is only one of many international artists whose work--sometimes called “transgressive art”--crosses invisible or unspoken boundaries. The exhibit, called “245 Kubikmeter,” involved pumping carbon monoxide fumes from six cars into the former synagogue, which since 1991 has been used for art installations dealing with the history of the Nazi period. Visitors had to sign a disclaimer and don a gas mask before entering the building with a member of a private fire brigade, since the city fire department refused to participate. In an open letter to the city, Christoph Heubner, vice president of the Berlin-based International Auschwitz Committee, applauded the decision to withdraw the installation, which he likened to an attempt to turn the “experience of victimhood” into “a reality show.” At least 750,000 Jews and 5,000 Roma, or Gypsies, were asphyxiated with motor exhaust fumes in death camps at Chelmno and Belzec between 1941 and 1942. “Anyone who thinks that it is art to simulate a ‘gas chamber’ ...in a former synagogue no less, and to somehow thus transmit authenticity, is shamelessly abusing artistic freedom,” Stephan Kramer, general secretary of the

Holocaust is barbaric.” But this does not stop poets and artists of all stripes from trying. In fact, the Jewish Museum of New York displayed several sensational works by international artists in its 2002 exhibit, “Mirroring Evil: Nazi Imagery, Modern Art,” including French artist Alain Sechas’ white plastic kittens with Hitlerian moustaches and Polish artist Zbigniew Libera’s “LEGO concentration camp set.” The exhibit drew both criticism and praise. Visitors were encouraged to share their impressions, and a warning posted outside some displays suggested that sensitive guests should not enter. Last November in Berlin, Austrian artists Julius Deutschbauer and Gerhard Spring caused a stir with an installation of an “Anti-fascist Amusement Park,” which poked fun at conventional forms of Holocaust remembrance. Included was a blown-up photograph of bodies of Holocaust victims, with holes cut out so one could put one’s face in, “identifying” with the victims. The artists also built a makeshift “laughing-gas chamber.’’ The project was supported by a grant from the Federal Agency for Civic Education, leading critics to question the use of taxpayer money.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

April 21, 2006

Meet the Rabbis’ Wives by GLORIA SHUKERT JONES Hadassah Publicity Coordinator It is said that behind every successful man is a woman. This is especially true of a rabbi’s wife, who makes a home, raises a family, acts as a sounding board, helps serve the spiritual needs of the congregation, and provides loving moral support in all that her husband does. Yet, she still has time to pursue her own interests, is active in the community and her synagogue, and commands admiration and respect wherever she goes. Omaha Chapter Hadassah will feature five such women -- Elyce Azriel, Sara Gross, Susi Frydman Levin, Shani Katzman, and Betsy Marantz -- on Tuesday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center. “Let’s Talk About Love” is the topic for an interactive roundtable discussion open to the entire community, and benefiting Hadassah College Jerusalem and the Hadassah Career Counseling Institute. Elyce Azriel was born in Chicago, Illinois. She attended her first year of college at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. She says, “I went initially with a full scholarship in their communications department. Finding out they were limiting communications to a minor, and offering no full scholarships, I changed my major to Religion, focusing on Jewish Education, and transferred to the University of Illinois/Circle and Spertus College for my undergraduate degree.” Elyce also earned a Master Teacher’s License from Baltimore Hebrew College. Elyce met Rabbi Azriel through her older of two brothers, who was a camper of his at Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. “I had taken the summer off from camp to accumulate spending money for the following school year. Our last names were the same, but pronounced differently. Everyone thought, ‘Boy, wouldn’t it be nice if they got married!’” The couple has two children, Leora Ann, 21 and Yaniv Zohar, eleven and a half. Elyce is the Middle/High School director at Temple Israel, and Bar/Bat Mitzvah Mentor. She also sings in the Temple choir on the high holy days, and is active in the Federation’s Center for Jewish Education and Partnership 2000 committee. Her other interests are needlepoint, scrapbooking and cooking. She says,”I am very excited about the topic of “Love”. It means such different things to all of the panelists. I look forward to sharing.” Sara Gross is from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. She went to elementary school at Emek Hebrew Academy, and high school at Yeshiva University High School of Los Angeles. Her 10-year high school reunion is this year.

Sara Gross

Shani Katzman

“I spent a year in Israel in a women’s yeshiva before graduating from Stern College--Yeshiva University in New York City, and then graduated from the University of Southern California--Keck School of Medicine last year,” she said. “I went to New York for my winter break my first year of medical school. A friend’s mom offered to set me up with Jonathan Gross, who was at that time a day trader. I was kind of skeptical and wasn’t particularly in the mood to date at the time, but I didn’t have any good reason to say no. And I’m glad I didn’t! Our first date lasted 12 hours.” She further states, “I try to be as involved as I can with Beth Israel and all of the holiday events. Unfortunately, I don’t have as much time as I would like. My husband and I have had guests over for Shabbat as well, which has been fun. I don’t have so much involvement outside of Beth Israel because my time is so limited, and I feel I have to give whatever time I have to our congregation.” Sara is in her first year of OB/GYN residency at UNMC. She and Rabbi Gross do not have children yet. Sara says, “I love traveling, and I wish I had more time to do this. I would like to get the chance to go to Europe with my husband, or Southeast Asia. We both love music, and one of my goals is to take up the saxophone again, which I quit in seventh grade. We love going to concerts together.” She says, “I think it’s wonderful to have all of us together on a panel and hear our perspectives on life and love, especially since we are all at different stages in our lives. I look forward to learning a lot from the other women on the panel. Love is a great topic because it touches on so many parts of our lives. There are so many different types of love--for our spouses, children, friends and our religion.” Susi Frydman Levin was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and arrived in Omaha in August of 2002. She received her Masters degree in Education and Psychology in Buenos Aires, and is working to get a

Susi Frydman-Levin

Betsy Marantz

Nebraska license. Mutual friends introduced her and Rabbi Levin. “It was a great “shidach”, she said. “He is a lovely husband, a caring father and son, and a ‘mench”’. Their children are Ari, 17, Tali, 15, and Gabe, 11. “They are great kids and students,” Susi said. “They adjusted very well to Omaha. They participate in sports, music, have friends and enjoy spending time together. I’m very proud of them.” She stated further, “My husband always had his job, and I had mine, but we always had only one community. Omaha and Beth El were great places to come to. As Mordechai said after his first visit, ‘There is no beach, no mountains, no lake, but the people are wonderful!’. We fell in love with this congregation. I found new friends and a peaceful place to live. I’m proud of being part of Beth El and enjoy participating in several activities, teaching adult classes, Rosh Hodesh Group and others.” Susi says, “Moving from another country requires a big adjustment. During the first three years, I was busy supporting my family. I volunteer in different organizations, and this year I returned to work. I am very happy. As it is said in the book of Kohelet, there is a time for everything. Now is my time.” Susi likes to travel with her family to visit parents and friends in Argentina. She loves movies, music, weaving and being with friends. “When we came here three and a half years ago, everything was uncertain and unknown. But I had only one thing written in my calendar, a Hadassah event with the other rabbis’ wives in town. At that time, I didn’t know anybody and all the faces were new.” “Now I am thrilled that Hadassah decided to invite us again. This time, many will know who I am, and I am sure that I will know them. It will be a pleasure to be part of this event. Love is everywhere in this community. Let’s share it and nurture our souls.” Continued on page 5

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April 21, 2006

Meet The Rabbis’ Wives Continued from page 4 Shani Katzman, from the Chabad House, was born in Brooklyn, New York. She attended Beth Rivka High School and then received a teacher’s degree from the New York State Board of Jewish Education in conjunction with a Seminary Diploma. A mutual friend introduced her and Rabbi Katzman. She says, “I was great friends with the rabbi’s sister, Channie.” The couple’s children are: Estie, 19, Shevi, 18, Mushka, 16, Chanie, 14, Rochi, 14, Devorah, 13, Levi, 12, Miriam, 11, Yossi, eight, Zelig, seven, Feigie, four, and Zalman, two. Shani says, “We moved here over 18 years ago to share and provide the Jewish community with programming and enrichment, and to be of assistance in both material and spiritual ways.” Even with such a large family, Shani still finds time to indulge in her favorite interests. “I love music, I enjoy art, and I’m very interested in writing.” “I’m looking forward to the May 2 event. I think it’s great for women to speak about something that’s near and dear to their hearts.” Temple Israel’s Betsy Marantz was born in McLean, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. She attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire as an undergraduate, and received her Joint Masters in Jewish Education--Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College--Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, CA, where she met Rabbi Marantz. They have two children, Cara Isabelle, age four, and Jared Micah, age two. Betsy says, “I’m involved with anything that caters to families and young children. I have lots of interests, but am busy with my family, which is my full-time job. My hobbies are reading, cooking, baking, sewing, sailing, skiing and biking.” These are the sentiments of these lovely, learned ladies, and the community can look forward to meeting them, individually and as a group. You’ve read their profiles. Now come hear them in person at the Hadassah-hosted event, Let’s Talk About Love, on May 2. (Not pictured: Elyce Azriel)

B’nai B’rith Announces Top Scholar/Athletes by HOWARD BORDEN The names of the metro area’s top male and female high school scholar/athletes are no surprise to Omahans who follow local athletics. Paul Homer of Millard North and Samantha Schuett of Millard West High School were selected by local media representatives, athletic directors, and coaches from metro area high schools. Henry Monsky Lodge will honor the two high school students at the 52nd Annual B’nai B’rith Sports Banquet, according to Gil Cohen, event Chairman. University of Wisconsin Athletic Director and legendary former Head Football Coach Barry Alvarez will be the featured speaker at the Wednesday, May 10, dinner to be held at the Holiday Inn Convention Center. The ever-popular Otis XII will reprise his humorous role as emcee. Homer will receive the Bert Render Award as the top male athlete. Schuett will accept the Earl Siegel plaque, the counterpart award. The schools of the award recipients will receive a $500 donation to its scholarship fund. Each scholar/athlete will receive a $1,500 scholarship provided by NRG Media. The silver sponsor of the annual event is AAA Building Components. Tickets for the banquet, annually among Omaha’s largest and most popular, can be obtained by calling Lois Epstein at 334.6443. Patron tickets are $110 each with a table of 10 going for $1,000. A special VIP ticket for a private reception with Alvarez is $150 (table of 10, $1,500). Homer, the son of David and Kathy Homer, lettered in three sports, garnering accolades for his superior play in football and baseball. In the fall, he will attend the University of Washington on a football scholarship. Schuett earned great acclaim for her accomplishments in basketball, softball and track. Samantha plans to attend Creighton University on a basketball scholarship. She is the daughter of Dennis and Barb Schuett.

CORRECTION In the list of Presidents and Chairmen of the Jewish Press in the second section of the Passover issue, Oliver Pollak’s name was misspelled. The Press regrets the error.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 5

Beth El Offers Mini-Course Exploring Jewish Religious Architecture by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator A fascinating mini-course exploring the history of Jewish religious architecture will be offered next month at Beth El Synagogue, led by local architect Martin H. Shukert, FAICP, Principal, RDG Planning & Design. Scheduled for Wednesdays, May 3, 10, 24 and 31, 7-8 p.m., the class will explore synagogue architecture from the beginning to the present, Shukert said, starting with the Ohel Mo-ed (Tent of Meeting) and extending through to the contemporary synagogue. “We’ll be discussing design traditions, the significance of different forms, and the artistic and cultural contexts that different types of Jewish religious design contributed to,” he explained, citing as an example the American synagogue of the 19th century, which “had specific objectives and nuances that had to do with making a statement in a new country and in competing with church architecture.” Attendees will also be treated to an insider’s tour of both Beth El’s and Beth Israel’s buildings – how they were programmed, the concepts and constraints of each building and a behind-the-scenes analysis of the buildings, their function and their art. In addition, Shukert will spend class time highlighting Jewish architects, offering an analysis of their non-

Jewish buildings as well as their more typically ‘Jewish’ commissions. One such architect is Louis Kahn, whose architecture is described by Shukert as having “a very Jewish sensibility, even when the program has nothing to do with a Jewish architectural program. “I am excited about this class because I’m excited about both and architecture Judaism,” he continued. Martin H. Shukert “For the first time in history, many of the world’s greatest and most intriguing architects right now actually are Jewish. I think that the class will give people an awareness of the components of both Jewish religious architecture and its history, and the way in which people’s Judaism affects work that they do in secular contexts as well.” This class is open to the entire Jewish community; cost to attend is $18. To register, contact Program Director Margie Gutnik at 492.8550, or at programming@ bethel-omaha.org.

Page 6

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

April 21, 2006

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The Annual Mayor’s Interfaith Prayer Breakfast, organized by Lincoln Interfaith Council, will take place Thursday, May 4, 7:30 a.m. at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel. Contact Stephanie Dohner at dohners@mindspring.com for reservations. Reservations are $15. For two or more reservations, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun’s name will appear as a sponsor and Rabbi Ilan Emanuel will give a reading. The Alzheimer’s Association will host its annual Tea & Memories fundraiser on Thursday, May 4, 11:30 a.m., at the Omaha Marriott in Regency. Tickets are $40 per person and may be obtained by contacting Mary Harding at: mary.harding@midlandsalz.org or calling 502.4301. Bertram R. Cohen and Scott B. Mandell, cofounders of Enjoy Life Natural Brands, have been named to the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, which recognizes innovators and leaders in the region. Mandell and Cohen are two of 28 distinguished entrepreneurs honored in 2006. They were honored at the annual celebration March 1 at the Chicago Hilton and Towers. Consideration for this honor is given to individuals who have demonstrated entrepreneurial talent by founding or growing a business in the Chicago area. CFO and Co-founder Cohen has worked as Enjoy Life Natural Brands’ Chief Financial Officer since the inception of the company. He joined the company on a fulltime basis in April 2003. Prior to that, he worked for three years as an associate director in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group of Banc One Capital Markets. In addition, Cohen has been involved with a number of capital raises for established and start-up companies. Prior to joining BOCM in 2000, he worked for six years in American National Bank’s Commercial Banking Group, providing financial services to a broad range of privately held, middle market companies. He holds a BA in Economics from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) and an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. From 1998 to 2002, he served on the Board of Directors of Natural Ties, Inc., a not-for-profit organization serving people with disabilities, including individuals with autism. He is the son of Joyce and Sheldon Cohen. Metropolitan Community College announced An Evening with Academy Award Winning Actress Patricia Neal, accompanied by actor Joel Vig, as one of the many highlights of their upcoming Edward Albee Great Plains Theater Conference, from May 27-June 3. An Evening with Academy Award Winning Actress Patricia Neal is scheduled for Tuesday, May 30, 7:30 p.m. in the Joslyn Museum/Witherspoon Concert Hall in Omaha, with an After Theatre Reception immediately following. To order tickets to this evening or for the entire Edward Albee Great Plains Theater Conference, call Brooke Lafarr at: 402.457.2877, or visit www.mccneb.edu/theatreconference. Neal won an Oscar as Best Actress for her 1964 performance with Paul Newman in Hud, and received an Academy Award nomination for her role in The Subject Was Roses. The Rev. Debra W. Haffner, director of the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing will be the third speaker in the First Unitarian Church of Omaha’s Holland Lecture Series on Wednesday, May 10, 7:30 p.m. at the Scott Conference Center. Rev. Haffner will address sexuality in America, how conservative voices have dominated personal and public morality, and the growing progressive faith movement to reclaim sexuality as a life-giving and life-fulfilling gift for all people. The Religious institute calls for: • A sexual ethic that accepts no double standards and applies to all persons, without regard to sex, gender, color, age, bodily condition, marital status or sexual orientation. • Full inclusion of women and sexual minorities in congregational life including their ordination and the blessing of same sex unions. • Lifelong, age appropriate sexuality education in schools, seminaries, and community settings. • A faith-based commitment to sexual and reproduc-

tive rights, including access to voluntary contraception, abortion, and HIV/STD prevention and treatment. Rev. Haffner is an ordained minister with the Unitarian Church in Westport, CT, and the author of From Diapers to Dating: A Parent’s Guide to Raising Sexually Healthy Children and Beyond the Big Talk: Every Parent’s Guide to Raising Sexually Healthy Teens as well as several books for congregations on sexual health. She has a Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and a Masters of Public Health from the Yale School of Medicine. The Holland Lecture Series, hosted by the First Unitarian Church of Omaha, presents distinguished speakers in the areas of ethics, philosophy, religion and science. In 2005 the series presented Dr. Peter Singer, who spoke on the changing ethics of life, and Dr. Irving Weissman, who discussed the impact of politics and religion on stem cell research. The United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) has released Supporting National Prison Systems: Lessons Learned and Best Practices for Peacekeeping Operations. Gary Hill, president of the Contact Center located in Lincoln, NE, was chief consultant on the nearly one-year project from April 2005 through March 2006. The primary purpose for the efforts was to contribute to the maintenance of sustainable peace and security by building national prison staff capacity to develop and manage a viable, safe, secure and humane prison system. Hill has provided in-country consultation to the correctional systems of 23 nations and has authored programs on use of force, treatment of foreign prisoners, terrorist detainees and staff training. In cooperation with the Arab Security Studies and Training Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he wrote the handbook on the Religious Rights, Duties and Customs of Muslim Prisoners. He also coordinated the participation and activities for the United Nations Crime Center at congresses in Milan, Italy; Havana, Cuba; Cairo, Egypt, Vienna, Austria and Bangkok, Thailand. Hill will be teaching a senior-level class at the University of Nebraska this fall on international criminal justice in post conflict nations. The Nebraska Chapter MS Walk will take place Sunday, April 23, 8 a.m., starting at Rhower Elementary School and proceeding to Lake Zorinsky. Funds raised from the event will help the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. To register for the MS Walk, call 402.572.3190 or call 1.800.FIGHT MS.

ORGANIZATIONS NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN Omaha Section is participating in the semi-annual Kidz Shoppe Consignment sale. Co-chairman Nikki Kirshenbaum says, “NCJW can use your quality children’s clothing and toys in this city wide sale. The monies raised fund our Totes for Tots project for the children at the Child Savings Institute who are going into foster care.” Drop off sites are the Child Development Center or Kidz Inn at the JCC, and Temple Israel until April 28. Shop at the sale Wednesday-Friday, May 3-5, 9:30 a.m to 7 p.m. and, half-price day on May 6, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Soccer Center, 14706 Giles Rd. For information, please call Leslie Eades at 330.8208 or Kirshenbaum at 965..8935. WALK-IN; DROP-IN For those members going on the day trip to the Bluffs Run Casino on Thursday, April 27, please meet at the JCC at 8:45 a.m. LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Come to the Yiddish meeting at the JCC on Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. Call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638. VISIONS Reminder: Rick’s Boatyard Café and Hot Shop Tour is Wednesday, April 26. Meet at Rick’s at 11:15 a.m. Bellevue Little Theater presents Crossing Delancey on Sunday, May 28 with dinner at the Golden Corral following the show. The cost of $28.50 includes transportation, admission to the show, dinner, tax and gratuities. Depart from the JCC at 12:45 p.m. and arrive back by 7 p.m. Send in reservations with full payment to Ethel Goldston, 1108 No. 92 Plaza #101, Omaha, NE 68114 by May 16. Make check payable to Visions. B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Mayor Mike Fahey will speak at the Wednesday, April 26, noon meeting of Breadbreakers at the Regency Lodge. Cost is $11 for lunch and $2 for beverage service only. The community is invited.

April 21, 2006

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 7

Center for Jewish Education and Beth Israel Offer Hebrew Learning by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue Are you planning to take a trip to Israel to visit family or study for a semester? Or, perhaps you’ve been studying Hebrew in college and want to keep-up on your language skills over the summer? Maybe you’re simply interested in being able to read the Torah in it’s original language? Whatever the reason, you’re in luck! This summer, Beth Israel and the Center for Jewish Education are offering the Omaha Jewish community great opportunities to take Hebrew Language classes. “We wanted to coordinate our efforts to best meet the needs of everyone in the community,” said Beth Israel’s Executive Director, Beth Cohen. “With Beth Israel offering a day-time option to learn Hebrew during the summer, and the Center for Jewish Education offering evening classes, it made sense for our two organizations to work together to promote the opportunities that exist for learning Hebrew during the summer months.” Yeshiva University (YU) faculty member, Sara Kasher will return to teach Beth Israel’s Intensive Hebrew Language Summer Class from weekdays, July 5-21, 9 a.m.-noon. The class is designed for those who have base knowledge of the Alef-Bet, can read and write Hebrew script and have very basic vocabulary. Anyone in the community, age 12 through adult, is welcome to register. For those who studied with her last summer or are more experienced with Hebrew, please contact the office for information on the arrangements being made. The cost for the Intensive Hebrew Language Summer

Class is $50; the fee is waived for Beth Israel members. Kasher, a lecturer at Yeshiva University since 2004, taught Beth Israel’s Hebrew class last summer. She has taught Hebrew in Israel and many other places in the U.S. Her teaching certificate is from Beth Jacob of Israel, and she has worked professionally as a grammarian and editor of books and magazines. “It was a ‘given’ that Beth Israel would offer the intensive Hebrew class again,” said Rabbi Jonathan Gross. “We obtained great feedback from the students who were in Sara’s class last summer. She was so well-received and her students learned a great deal. We have students who are planning to study with her again this summer.” He added, “We’re excited to offer these daytime Hebrew classes to the community, taught by someone with Sara’s expertise. There are many people who have free day time during the summer--such as teachers, retirees, and college and high school students. And, there can be a great benefit with learning Hebrew in our program’s intensive, three-hours-a-day approach. I’m glad we’re able to help fill a niche with our summer language program.” For those who work during the day or simply prefer taking a language class in the evening, take advantage of the summer Hebrew classes offered by the Center for Jewish Education. The agency is again offering two evening Conversational Hebrew classes. Both Level I and Level II classes will be taught by Maya Wertheimer on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, June 6-July 27. “We are so fortunate to have Maya available to teach

Interfaith Couples Plan Game Night

Omaha Vocalists, Musicians Play to Packed House

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator They’ve been bowling, swimming, and out to dinner. Now Temple Israel’s Interfaith Couples group is going to try their hand at poker and board games like Pictionary, Scene It, Apples to Apples, and more on Saturday night, April 22, 8 p.m. Interfaith couples in the In February, Temple Israel’s Interfaith Couples Group went community (and anyone else bowling, including: Nikki Kirshenbaum, front left, and Ann who’s interested) are invited Osborne; standing: Kim and David Stern, Adam to the home of Kevin and Kirshenbaum, Matt Kirshenbaum, Kevin and Kim Clark, Kimara Clark, 16262 Jennifer Kirshenbaum, Don Osborne, and Temple Program California, for the game Director Rosie Zweiback. night. RSVP to Nikki Kirshenbaum at 965.8935 or the Temple office at nrkirshe@cox.net or call her at 556.6536.

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these evening classes,” noted Dr. Guy Matalon, Executive Director for the CJE. “Maya has extensive experience as a language teacher and is also an accomplished linguist. Students who studied with her last summer were pleased with Maya’s ability to make the class rewarding and fun at the same time. The focus of the Conversational Hebrew classes will be on speaking ability, rather than grammar and translations. Specifically, Maya’s focus is on communicating with others when speaking in Hebrew.” He added, “Our summer Hebrew classes are also convenient choices for people who like to learn over a longer period of time. Rather than an intensive, daily approach, our Hebrew classes are spread out over an eight week period.” The Level I class is open to those who are able to comfortably read Hebrew and want to take the next step and begin learning the basics of conversational Hebrew. By the end of the class, students should have the ability to follow a conversation and give basic responses. Level II students should be comfortable in following a conversation in Hebrew and would like to improve their speaking skills. The goal for Level II is for students to become better readers and be more fluent in oral communication. The agency’s eight-week, Level I students meet at 7 p.m. and Level II students at 8 p.m. The cost of either class is $75, plus the cost of materials. To register or for more more information, contact Beth Cohen at Beth Israel at 556.6288 or Mary Sue Grossman at the CJE, 334.6445.

The JCC theater was packed with patrons who enjoyed every minute of Sunday’s musical extravaganza, “Why Are These Knights Different from All Other Knights.” Concert participants included, front row: Milton Marcus, left, Tuffy Epstein and Ruth Sklarsky; back row: Jon Bleicher, Esther Wax, Bob Adler, Alex Salkin, Dik Weiner, Howard Gendelman, Cantor Gaston Bogomolni, Emily Meyer and Jonathan Rathsam.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

April 21, 2006

Scion of Local Fortune 500 Company Makes His Case for Senate Seat AMERICA DECIDES 2006 by JOAN K. MARCUS Pete Ricketts, Republican candidate for the United States Senate, likes to quote President Ronald Reagan who said, “It is time to check and reverse the growth of government which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed.” Ricketts is a fourth generation Nebraskan, was born in Nebraska City and grew up in Omaha. He is a member of the board of directors of Ameritrade Holding Corporation and until August of 2005, was chief operating officer for the company. In an address to the B’nai Brith Breadbreakers earlier this month, Ricketts reiterated that 25 years after Reagan’s address, “we still face the problem of big government and large deficits.” That is why the young businessman will vie for the Republican senatorial nomination. He challenges Dave Kramer and Don Stenberg in the primary on Tuesday, May 9. The winner will run against Democratic incumbent, Ben Nelson. “To me, Nebraska values revolve around faith, family, responsibility, hard work and determination. It means dealing with a problem head-on and making tough decisions. As I’ve traveled around the state, I know that Nebraskans believe in financial prudence, said Ricketts. “We’re concerned about how the federal government is spending our money! People ask me why there are horse trails, hiking trails and parking garages in a

“I’m not a lawyer or a career politician. national transportation bill? Those are things that just I’m a businessman and a problem solver. And, I know that, whether you’re a don’t belong there.” Ricketts’ vision for finan- farmer or a rancher, a businessperson, a cial responsibility has two teacher or a nurse, you face challenges aspects to it. The first is that every day. And I want to make that task we need to reform the easier. There are simple answers and we spending process. The sec- must have the courage to do what we ond is that we need to prioritize our know is right.” Ricketts graduated from Westside High spending.” He added, “Agriculture is the back- School and went on to the University of bone of our state’s economy. One out of Chicago where he earned a bachelors three jobs is directly tied to agriculture. degree in biology. He also holds an MBA. So, we want a farm policy that strength- in marketing and finance from the ens our rural communities. Last month, I University of Chicago. An active member of the Omaha commutalked about my vision for strengthening agriculture in Nebraska. We talked about nity, he is a member of the Omaha board of agricultural savings accounts, expanding Children’s Scholarship Fund, a group that provides educrop insurcational and ance ecoopportunities rural to low-income nomic develchildren. opment.” Ricketts is also Ricketts a board memalso said he ber of Gamwanted to bling With the promote Good Life and ethanol and six served doing away years on the with the tax. Metro Board death of the YMCA. Nebraskans want a safer Aaron Weiner, left, meets Senateorial candidate Pete He and his wife, Susanne, America with Ricketts at a recent Breadbreakers. tighter border security to keep out drugs, have three children. During the question and answer period, terrorists and illegal immigrants, accordRicketts was asked whether he was proing to Ricketts. He hopes that if he is elected, he can life or pro-choice. “I try to be very clear about where I help to create more dignity and respect in stand on certain issues so that people know Washington. “To me, respecting life also means pro- when they’re making a decision,” he tecting life--the most vulnerable--the responded. “I’m a pro-life candidate and I believe that life begins at conception. My aged and the unborn,” he said.

belief is that if you have an egg and it’s fertilized, that egg becomes a person.” Another question was about stem cell research. To this, he answered, “To me, life begins at conception, so there is a relationship between stem cell research and abortion. That’s why I think that this ought to be an issue that is pushed down to the states. That’s the way the framers of the constitution originally intended it.” Omaha attorney Steve Riekes asked Ricketts about his views on prayer in the public schools and intelligent design. To this he answered, “Do I think that people should be required to pray in the public schools? No! But, I think that they should be allowed to do it there.” “On the issue of Intelligent Design--I don’t think that it should be taught in the public schools. The theory of evolution is scientifically based. Intelligent Design is still faith based. You have to believe in God to believe in it and it doesn’t belong in a science class,” he said. “Parents should take responsibility if they want to teach it to their children.” Ricketts also believes Americans should be able to communicate and that starts with speaking English. “We need to have a common culture and that starts with us being able to communicate,” he said. “We need to encourage immigrants to come here and assimilate.” The candidate said he wants the 21st century to be an even greater American century--filled with promises, hope for the future, security for our citizens, economic opportunity for everyone and a culture that respects life and inspires responsibility. “That’s the Nebraska that I grew up in,” he concluded, “and Nebraska values make a difference.”

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April 21, 2006

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 9

Beth Israel Book Club to Discuss Member of the Tribe by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue With the winter months behind us, now is the perfect time to sit out on your patio or in a park and read a good book. If you enjoy talking about a book you’ve read with others, then make plans to read Member of the Tribe: On the Road in Jewish America in the next few weeks. Then you’ll be prepared to participate in the Beth Israel Book Club when members meet at 7:30 p.m. on May 3 to discuss Zev Chafets’ witty account of his six-month trip through “Jewish America� in 1986. Book Club meetings are facilitated by Beth Israel’s Rabbi Jonathan Gross. Beth Israel member Julee Katzman, who has attended recent Book Club meetings, explains why she enjoys the Book Club. “His book discussions are particularly interesting,� Katzman noted. “He helps us examine a book on many levels. Rabbi Gross has the ability to bring different perspectives to a book discussion, such as historical or religious ideas that we might not have considered during an initial reading of a given book. His purpose isn’t as much to reveal the content of the book, which we’ve all done when we read the book on our own. Rather, he provides analysis and guides us through a multi-faceted discussion.� Gross concurs that the goal of the Beth Israel Book

Club is not for others to simply sit and listen while he provides a “sermon� about the book. “I always prepare some open-ended questions that are relevant to what we’ve read,� he said, “We use those questions to help us identify thought-provoking themes and examine specific passages in a book. The result has been some intense and timely discussions, with many people having lots of things to say.� Selecting Member of the Tribe for the Book Club meeting was not happenstance. “Since our last two books were rather ‘heavy,’ with intense ideas and issues, the consensus was that we would read a ‘lighter’ book for our next meeting,� explained Gross. “‘Member of the Tribe’ is a fairly quick read and incorporates lots of humor. It comes highly recommended and I think we all look forward to our upcoming Book Club meeting.� Based on recent calls to major bookstores in the Omaha area, it’s unlikely you’ll find Member of the Tribe sitting on bookstore shelves. If you want to buy the book, it is easy to go on-line and find copies of the book available for purchase. For example, a search on www.Amazon.com revealed many inexpensive used copies that can be shipped in just a couple of days. The community is invited to attend Beth Israel Book Club meetings. If you have questions, please call the synagogue office at 556.6288.

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READ IT AND E AT Reviewed by LOIS FRIEDMAN A few choices for you to consider...pack up your bags and head for one of Canyon Ranch destinations (Tucson, the Berkshires, Las Vegas or Queen Mary II), order these cookbooklets (1.520.749.4100, $9.95 each plus shipping) part of a series, demonstrated last year at the Joslyn Art Museum by Chef Scott Uehlein from Canyon Ranch, Tucson. They’re exciting choices for healthy choices. The first of these cookbooklets released last year was the celebration of a classic: Mexican Food. The staff redeveloped familiar recipes without compromising taste and with delicious results. Almost 40 recipes are divided in the sections Vegetarian, Beef, Chicken, Fish, Soup, Salsa-Sauces & Sides and Desserts. Each of the one-to-a-page recipes includes clearly written numerical instructions, serving size with nutritional information and many have Cook’s Notes and other helpful hints. Fish and Seafood has 40 recipes from the deep...some are specially marked to indicate fish that are superb sources of protein and high in inflamation-fighting omega-3 fatty acids. Unless you have a sensitivity to seafood, it is suggested that three to four servings per week is good for your health. Use the freshest fish and get to know your fishmonger. At the Captain’s Table you might find salmon, trout, halibut, tuna, snapper, Mahi Mahi, recipes for other schools of fish and fish specialities like this salad recipe.

SOLE WITH LEMON GRASS RED BELL PEPPER SALAD Makes 4 servings 3 red bell peppers, roasted and thinly sliced 3 tablespoons minced lemon grass 11/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 4 sole fillets, about 4 ounces each 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients for lemon grass bell pepper salad and mix well. Set aside. Season fish with salt and pepper. Saute in a large saute pan in olive oil about 3-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Serve each fish fillet with 1/4 cup lemon grass red bell pepper salad. at: Lois Friedman can be reached ReadItandEat@yahoo.com.

Cradles to Roll and Pancakes to Flip at Temple Israel by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator On Sunday, April 30, will be the last chance until next autumn to bring the youngest children (infants, toddlers and pre-kindergartners) to Temple Israel’s Cradle Roll. From 10:30-11:30 a.m., parents, grandparents, and tots make a craft project together, and share story time and a snack. Please RSVP to Ann Osborne at 933.4954 or at annoz13@ cox.net to ensure there will be enough supplies and snacks for Attending Cradle Roll in February were Rosie everyone. From 9-10 Friedland and her grandmother, Terri Zacharia. a.m., the Pancake Man will be flipping flapjacks at Temple for everyone who wants a hot breakfast. Religious school students, their families, anyone attending Cradle Roll or a class, and all others are welcome. Cost is $4 per person. Children under age three are free.

Be a Hero! Donate Blood at Temple Israel by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Temple Israel’s annual American Red Cross Blood Drive is scheduled on Thursday, May 4, 3-7 p.m. Sooner or later, according to the American Red Cross, “virtually all of us will face a time of great vulnerability in which we will need blood. And that time is all too often unexpected. From its beginning, the American Red Cross has formed a community of service--people bound by beliefs beyond themselves. The honor, spirit, and resources of the American people come forth with neighbors helping neighbors in need--during earthquakes, floods, fires, storms--and also for the deeply personal and often quiet disasters that require a gift of blood.� To give blood for transfusion to another person, you must be healthy, be at least 17-years-old, weigh at least 110 pounds, and not have donated blood in the last eight weeks (56 days). “Healthy� means that you feel well and can perform normal activities. If you have a chronic condition such as high blood pressure, “healthy� also means being treated and the condition is under control. Temple’s Blood Drive Chair Ron Budwig requests that donors sign up for a time to donate by calling the office at 556.6536. Or sign up on April 30, when the Pancake Man visits Temple. “Our goal is to get 42 donors,� Ron said. “We need your help to help us save lives.�

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Page 10

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

April 21, 2006

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Friedel Jewish Academy Celebrates 40th Anniversary with the Art of Tzedakah Friedel’s 40th Anniversary Gala will be a wonderful by JULIE PHILLIPS Twenty-one local and international artists have donat- opportunity to come together as a community and celeed their time and talents to create one-of-a-kind tzeda- brate the richness of diversity that our Jewish day school brings to the Omaha ka boxes for the upcomcommunity, and at the ing “Fabulous Friedel’s same time support the 40th Anniversary Gala” “Art of Tzedakah” on Wednesday, May 31. The following artists are The artists work in a participating in the projvariety of mediums such ect: Carole Greenberg, as painting, photography, Marty Shukert, Ozzie mosaic, glass, fabric, colNogg, Ann Osborne, lage and sculpture. To see Christensen, Daniel how each artist creates a Annette Fettman, Les unique expression of the Bruning, Ophir Palmon, universal concept of Kim Goldberg, Ellie tzedakah will be Greenspoon, Janie York, undoubtedly beautiful Larry Budwig, Julie and inspiring. The artPhillips, Avi Katzman, work will be sold at the Tiffany Hoberman, gala’s silent auction durArielle Levine, Vanessa ing the cocktail hour. Proceeds will benefit the Original tzedakah boxes created by Les Bruning and Larry Budwig Barrett, Stacey Rockman, school’s future enrich- are part of a silent auction for Freidel’s 40th anniversary on May 31. Melissa Katzman, Cheri ment programming. The tzedakah boxes will be on dis- Ginsburg, and Max Heidenblit. For more information about the gala or about Friedel play in the Gallery of the Jewish Community Center Jewish Academy, call Mary Jane Tweedy at the school, prior to the event. According to chairman Yaffa Podlibewicz-Schuller, 334.0517.

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for its Share of the Call Center Market by DINA KRAFT companies around the world, said Eli Kazhdan, a business JERUSALEM (JTA)--Pacing the floor of his cubicle, a consultant who has been involved in promoting the outyoung man in Jerusalem speaks into his headset to an sourcing industry in Jerusalem. American client named Brandy over 6,000 miles away and IDT Global Services, the Jerusalem subsidiary of IDT, convinces her not to terminate her American Online one of the largest telecom providers in the Unite States, opened in 2002 with 20 membership. employees. It now has close Around him, hundreds of to 1,000 workers, making it other agents are hustling to the largest call center in find and keep clients at IDT Jerusalem, and one of the Global Services, Israel’s city’s largest employers. The largest call center. Some are firm is also planning to open working with disgruntled other locations in Israel. AOL clients seeking to end Opening a call center in their membership, others are Jerusalem was the idea of telemarketers selling subIDT’s founder, Howard scriptions to the Wall Street Journal in Europe, arranging Jonas. Jonas, an observant appointments to show apartJew and Zionist, was disment rentals in New Jersey, mayed by the level of unemfundraising for Jewish Federployment in the city during a ations, or selling baseball tick- An operator looks at his computer screen in the AOL client visit after the outbreak of the ets to Minnesota Twins services department at the IDT center on Mount Scopus in second intifada. Jerusalem. Credit: Brian Hendler/JTA He soon opened the games. “It is one of the only places outside of the U.S. that you Jerusalem office, which has since become the headquarters have this type of concentration of highly skilled native” of his other call centers in New Jersey, Mexico and Ireland. speakers of American English, said Yoel Keren, 34, who “People feel comfortable with the environment, workimmigrated to Israel from Oklahoma and works in the ing within their own language and culture,” said Gary company’s AOL department. “That is the edge you can- Heller, 29, who immigrated to Israel from South Africa not get anywhere else.” and supervises a telemarketing team selling Wall Street Investors in businesses in Jerusalem and city govern- Journal subscriptions. Employees at IDT are drawn from all segments of sociment officials are trying to find their niche in the multibillion-dollar international call center and outsourcing ety--students and those approaching retirement, religious industry. The city’s main selling point is its highly educat- and secular. Weekly recruitment sessions often draw large ed expatriate and immigrant population who share a crowds. Employee retention, however, is a challenge. One factor native tongue and cultural affinity with their clients. This is what sets Jerusalem apart from the call center in this is the hours--many employees must work evening powerhouses of India and Ireland, according to industry or overnight hours. Also, some new immigrants take the executives here. firm’s telemarketing jobs out of necessity when they arrive “We market ourselves as a boutique call center,” said in the country, and quit when they find employment more Janine Kutliroff, CEO of IDT Global Services. suited to their education and training. Another key selling point is that labor costs are roughly A fervently Orthodox man who gave only his first name 40 percent to 60 percent cheaper in Israel than in North said his customer service job with one of IDT’s long disAmerican and European cities, although the costs are tance phone providers has been one of the best jobs he has more expensive than in India. had since immigrating from the United States more than At IDT Global Services, most of the business is done is 25 years ago. in English by workers from North America or England, Natan, a father of six, had been unemployed for four but there are also departments that work entirely in years before taking the IDT job. German, French, Spanish and Dutch. “Management understands the workers’ needs and Meanwhile, the Jerusalem municipality is offering tax make it easier for us,” said Natan, citing the bus fare to breaks for companies, and rent subsidies for new employ- work provided by the company. ees who move to the city. Michael Barnett, director of marketing for IDT Global The Israeli government, keen to bring down high Services, joked that the four floors of a shimmering office unemployment rates in the capital city and in southern tower where the business is located is “Little America.” Israel, is also helping underwrite part of the hiring costs It’s almost entirely an English-speaking work environment and there is even a barbecue on July 4, U.S. Independence for companies establishing call centers and outsourcing. “The real challenge now” is promoting Jerusalem to Day, he said.

April 21, 2006

Temple Israel Sponsors a Shabbaton with Nature Plans for the day include exploring the great outdoors, by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator celebrating Shabbat at an outdoor service, hiking, a bird “Humans are guests on earth; God is our host. We are walk, a pond study, recycling paper, and a Jewish nature part of the web of life, and simultaneously, we have a treasure hunt. Mace Hack, director of conservation programs for the unique task: the responsibility to preserve this beautiful gift of the earth for the next generation. This responsi- Nature Conservancy of Nebraska and a member of Temple bility is a part of what it means to be human. For Jews, Israel, will start the morning off with an optional “early caring for the earth is our birthright and responsibility: bird” walk at 7:30 a.m. At 9:30 a.m., the Shabbaton we need only remember the most intimate relationship “officially” begins with shmoozing and a nosh. Rabbi Fink will lead the morning Shabbat worship between adam (earthling) and adamah (earth).” These words come from a high school curriculum for service at 10 a.m. “I’m going to focus on how we creJewish environmental ethics, Let the Earth Teach You ate--and live--a Jewish environmental ethic. That Torah by Dan Fink and Ellen Bernstein. “Our texts are includes some study of Jewish texts and experiential rooted in the environment,” remarked Rabbi Fink, a activities outdoors. I’ve always felt that people will act rabbi at Temple Israel from July 1992 to June 1994. He on behalf of what they love. So we have to learn to love now serves Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel in Boise, the earth by spending time in nature and giving thanks Idaho, where he has been since leaving Omaha. for the time in the language of our tradition.” Rabbi Fink will introduce Rabbi Fink will return to Nebraska for a Family themes of tikkum olam and its application to the natural world Environmental Shabbaton on Saturday, April 29, at the and Jewish values that relate to Carol Joy Holling Conference protecting the environment. and Retreat Center located just Additional activities include paper making led by Temple west of the Platte River member Rebecca Bloom, an between Omaha and Lincoln. art teacher with a lifelong Author or co-author of numerous works on Judaism interest in conservation and the and ecology including an adult environment; “Water We study guide he wrote while in Doing,” with Holling Center Omaha for Hadassah, Rabbi Rebecca Bloom is one of the presenters. staff and Uri Levin, the Jewish Fink graduated from the University of Virginia with a Community Center’s shaliach; and a hands-on degree in history and philosophy. He was ordained at encounter with barnyard animals for younger nature Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. lovers. Throughout the day, Rabbi Fink and Mace Hack “As a boy, my father, also a rabbi, took me and my sib- will offer an “adult track” featuring more rigorous hiklings on a walk in the woods behind our house on ing and some text study. Shabbat afternoons, Rabbi Fink recalled. “I came to A potluck lunch will be followed by some leisure time. associate the natural world with the rest of Shabbat and At 1:15 p.m., the Omaha Raptor Team will introduce the Divine Presence. Since then, I’ve been an avid hiker, the group to at least eight raptors emphasizing the paddler, and cyclist. And as a rabbi and a Jew, I’ve always Jewish values of Tzaar Ba-alei Hayyim, caring for anisought to make connections between my love for nature mals, and Shomrei Adamah, promoting the protection and my equally strong love for our tradition.” of the raptors’ habitat so they can survive. He’s also involved in organic gardening and enjoys Havdalah will conclude this day of experiencing nature. backpacking and kayaking. On a community level, he Make your reservation with Program Director Rosie belongs to many local organizations such as the Idaho Zweiback at 556.6536 or rzweiback@templeisraelomaConservation League. ha.com or send your check ($10 per car) to Sitting on 317 acres of rolling hills, the Holling Temple.Temple’s Hermene Zweiback Center for Lifelong Conference and Retreat Center lends itself to a day of Jewish Living is sponsoring the Shabbaton, with a grant learning for everyone from age five to 95. from the Esther K. Newman Memorial Youth Fund.

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by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator There’s an old saying that you can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been. With that adage in mind, the Beth El Women’s Rosh Hodesh group will explore the local Jewish community’s history during it next meeting at the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society on Monday, May 1, 7 p.m. Located in the Jewish Community Center, NJHS possesses a gold mine of information, and attendees will have the opportunity to learn about its riches during the upcoming get-together, co-hosted by Helen Epstein and Dottie Rosenblum. According to Epstein, attendees will meet in the Riekes Museum, and will be treated to a tour of the museum, as well as a close look at NJHS office files, displays and archives. In addition, “We will answer questions about the genealogy search offered by the society, so that hopefully, everyone will come away with an awareness and appreciation of the rich history of the Jews in Omaha, Lincoln, Council Bluffs and the surrounding areas,” Epstein said. Reservations may be made by contacting Epstein at 391.9187, or aepstein1@cox.net, or Rosenblum at 397.4805, or drosenblum@jewishomaha.org.

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Page 12

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

April 21, 2006

Chabad of Nebraska Re-launches Mega-Website classes, including the acclaimed “Living Torah” weekly video magazine. People love to learn in the comfort of their own home or office. This is their 24/6 homebased local source of Jewish learning.” Gearing up for a trip? Site visitors can find contact information for Chabad centers around the globe, and Sabbath and Holiday candle-lighting times worldwide. Not sure of your Jewish-calendar birthday or Bar Mitzvah date? How about the Yahrtzeit of a loved one? Log on to OChabad.com for multiple powerful calendar wizards. Or just use the 1000-year-calendar, which allows you to convert secular-calendar dates to Jewishcalendar dates, or vice versa. Perhaps the most revolutionary feature offered, is the “Ask Moses” link. Scholars are available live 24/6, (all days of the week, except for the Jewish Sabbath and holidays), to answer your questions, one on one, on any topic. In addition, OChabad.com offers updates on the Chabad family, including the photo galleries and exciting activities. The mega-site also offers activities and stories for children in the special “Kids Zone” area. “Ingrained in the Chabad philosophy is the concept that every medium was created for a Divine purpose. The information superhighway, too, can and must be utilitzed to its fullest capacity,” Katzman adds. “With the Chabad philosophy of reaching out to all with unconditional love, acceptance, and serious Jewish education. Our cyberspace presence has great potential.” For more information, log on to www. ochabad.com, or call 402.330.1800.

by ESTIE KATZMAN for Chabad of Nebraska Surfing the net? Chabad of Nebraska has the website you’ve been waiting for. The midwest branch of Chabad has launched a mega-interactive website. Utilizing a variety of advanced web technologies and an elegant design, OChabad.com (formerly known as NebraskaJudaism.com) provides a treasure trove of information for everything Jewish. The site is dedicated to keeping people informed of upcoming events, holidays, and Judaic study material. Information is also available on Chabad’s adult education courses, The Chabad “Women of Worth” women’s organization, and the wide range of Chabad’s children’s programs. “With 18 years of tireless programming, many ask about our organization’s activities,” says Rabbi Mendel Katzman, executive director of Chabad in Nebraska. “This upgraded and improved site will be an address for people to turn to for all their needs and interests.” The site was launched in 2003. With the busy Jewish calendar of special holidays and celebrations, site visitors will find links to hundreds of web pages, full of everything from practical how-to guides to deep mystical and Talmudic insights; from interactive games to a worldwide database of community services. Updated daily throughout the year, the site offers thought provoking essays on the weekly Torah portion, as well as an online magazine and a “Thought for the Day” column. It provides audio and video links to Torah

Jewish Journey Group at Temple Israel to Reveal Insights Hidden in Judaism

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator The Nebraska Jewish Historical Society’s oral history project will be in the spotlight during a special lunch ‘n’ learn on Sunday, April 30, at Beth El. The synagogue’s Hazak group is sponsoring the 12:30 p.m. lunch and 1 p.m. presentation. Featured speaker Dr. Ben Nachman will discuss his longtime volunteer work conducting oral histories of local Jewish community members. NJHS Director Renee Corcoran will also be on hand to answer questions about the historical society’s work, and to show a video featuring some of the individuals who have been interviewed. According to Corcoran, Nachman has been conducting “oral histories of the elders” interviews for NJHS for the past nine years; before that he spent years taking oral histories for Shoah Foundation’s (founded by Steven Spielberg) visual history project. The NJHS project is ongoing, and Corcoran encouraged anyone wishing to be interviewed to contact her in the NJHS office. Cost is $6; reservations may be made by mailing a check--made payable to Beth El --to Natalie Rubin, 2004 So. 138 Ave Cir, 68144. Be sure to include your name, phone number and choice of sandwich (corned beef, turkey or egg salad). For information, contact Gloria Goodman at 333.3351.

JFS Hires Counselor

of concrete examples as a point of departure for discussions and exploration. For those who do not have the book, discounted copies may be purchased at the first class (for $15) or ordered ahead of time from Barnes and Noble ($19.95). By day, Evans has been a rocket scientist at NASA, taught at engineering colleges and at graduate business school, and has been a senior research scientist and/or head of several national health care, genetics, and pharmaceutical research companies. He has published more than 100 articles, chapters, books, and/or technical papers on medical education and informatics and a variety of medical subjects including genetics and cancer prevention. At night, he is a student of Judaism, Kabbalah, Torah, and Talmudic teachings. Jewish Journey Groups at Temple are open to the community. Please register for “Torah--Lifting the Veil” by contacting Rosie Zweiback at rzweiback@templeisraelomaha.com or call her at 556.6536.

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Steven Evans, a member of Temple Israel, will facilitate a Jewish Journey Group on “Torah--Lifting the Veil” on Wednesdays, May 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31, 78:30 p.m., at Temple Israel. “Recent revolutions in looking at our world, which quantum physics has advanced, have profound implications for understanding our religious heritage as well as our Jewish practice. Rather than diminish Jewish teachings, these advances offer the prospect to renew and substantially deepen our appreciation of Torah and Judaism,” explained Evans. “This Jewish Journey Group at Temple Israel will look at how some of these new models of thinking can reveal fresh insights that have otherwise been hidden in Torah and Judaism,” with additional help from the paperback, Lifting the Veil--Hidden Judaism Revealed, written by Evans. Recommended readings for each class from among the book’s short chapters will provide a number

Beth El Lunch ‘n’ Learn Highlights Oral Histories of the Elders Project

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by SHARON BARGAS JFS Program Coordinator Jewish Family Service announced that Nathan W. Bock, M.S., L.M.H.P., joined the human service agency as a part-time counselor. He will provide clients with relationship and anger management counseling on Tuesday evenings from 6-8 p.m. Plans for the future include initiating work with local schools for alcohol and Nate Bock drug prevention programs. Bock’s background includes working as a Counselor and Alcohol and Drug Educator at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he specializes in drug and alcohol counseling and education for students and faculty. Bock has conducted career counseling for students, staff, faculty and the community. He earned a BS in psychology and an MS in community counseling at UNO.

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April 21, 2006

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Temple Scholar Discusses Approaches to Modern Challenges from Point of View of Jewish Text and Teachers by CLAUDIA SHERMAN After listening to Dr. Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Washofsky, Beth Brown Dr. Mark Washofsky, professor of rabsaid, “I liked the way he binics at Hebrew Union College-Jewish delivered his material. Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio, He’s very down to earth “provided terrific insights into the in his explanations and responsa and how it serves as a traditionused good references. It al and modern day resource for the Jewish made me feel good to community when seeking guidance on know that in Jewish law, matters of concern to rabbis and congrean individual with a tergations,â€? commented Todd Hutton, who minal illness is allowed to heard Dr. Washofsky speak. He served as die with dignity.â€? the scholar-in-residence at Temple Israel, For his final lecture at Temple Israel, Dr. On Sunday, Dr. March 31-April 2, on the topic: “The Washofsky focused on changes in Reform respon- Washofsky spoke about Talmud, the Halakhah, and Reform sa to a crowd which included members from var- the presence of the Judaism: Old Sources and New ious synagogues in the community. American and Israeli flags Problems.â€? in a synagogue. He began At Shabbat worship services, Dr. Washofsky, who was with the late Orthodox Rabbi Moshe Feinstein who ordained at HUC-JIR in 1980, presented the d’var argued in 1957 that “even if the placement of flags in Torah on free will, “The Mitzvot and the Power of the synagogue involves a ritual prohibition, the synaChoice.â€? He introduced his topic with the teachings of gogue does not lose its sanctity because of it.â€? Rabbi Chanina who taught that the one who acts From American Reform Responsa, in 1954, when because the Torah commands him to do so is greater patriotism was considered a mitzvah, a religious duty, than the one who acts even though the Torah does not “the presence of the American flag in the synagogues of command him to do so. the land, far from being an intrusion, may well serve to On Saturday morning, Dr. Washofsky, chair of the strengthen in us the spirit of worship.â€? Responsa Committee of the Central Conference of However, the responsa at that time decreed that “the American Rabbis (CCAR), spoke to a roomful of listen- Israeli flag is quite out of place in an American synaers from the community on a liberal perspective of gogue,â€? Dr. Washofsky noted. Jewish law regarding assisted suicide. “The practice of By 1977, when Reform Jews had embraced Zionism, medicineâ€? as with lifesaving in general, ‌holds only the responsa advised, “There is no clear distinction when ‘one sees another in danger, and one is able to save between Jews and Judaism, between our religious and that person’ by medical means. The point and essence of our national aspirations.â€? Therefore, they added, medicine is to heal,â€? he emphasized. “Treatments which â€œâ€Śthere is no religious objection to placing an do not effect ‘healing’ are not medicine and thus are not American flag on the pulpit, nor to placing an Israeli flag required. While we may be entitled to administer such alongside it. “Various synagogues have found other solutions to the treatments, we are not commanded to do so, inasmuch desire for honoring both the United States and Israelâ€? as they do not partake in the saving of life.â€? He added that, “Liberal Jews who seek guidance from such as placing both flags in the foyer of the communiour tradition in facing the moral dilemmas of our ty hall but no flags on their pulpits. “In any case, both age‌do not adopt the simplistic approach which holds the loyalty of our communities to the United States and that Jewish sacred texts have nothing to say to the chal- our common concern for Israel are clear with or without lenges posed by contemporary medical reality. There the placement or possession of flags,â€? concluded the comes a point in time when all technologies, the chem- responsa. “As an independent resource for resolving disputes,â€? icals, the surgeries, and the machines which comprise the lifesaving arsenal of modern medicine, become counter- Hutton commented, “it’s difficult not to take note of productive, a point when all that medical science can the many similarities (of Reform viewpoints) to the effectively do for a patient is to indefinitely delay his structure of our legal system.â€? Judy Feigin, a frequent participant at Saturday morninevitable death. This is not medicine. There is neither meaning nor purpose in maintaining these treatments,â€? ing Torah study sessions, said, “Dr. Washofsky was a Dr. Washofsky pointed out from the CCAR Responsum. very energetic speaker. He made a rather complex sub“Yes, life is a precious thing,â€? he acknowledged, “and ject understandable and presented interesting points of every moment of it should be regarded as God’s gift. view. He gave me some food for thought and I’d like to But we are not required under any reading of the tradi- explore the subject more.â€? tion that makes sense to us to buy additional moments Dr. Washofsky’s residency was co-sponsored by the of life by undertaking useless and pointless medical Hermene Zweiback Center for Lifelong Jewish Learning and John A. Gentleman Mortuaries and Tom Belford. treatment.â€?

Monsky Lodge Again Sponsors Jewish Trivia Quiz at Yom Ha’Atzmaut by GARY JAVITCH Earn money for yourself, your favorite local Jewish charity, and have lots of fun by participating in the Sixth Annual Jewish Trivia Quiz during Omaha’s celebration of Israeli Independence. The quiz, which is sponsored by the Henry Monsky Lodge of B’nai B’rith, will be held Sunday, May 7, 1:30 p.m., during the Yom Ha’Aztmaut celebration at the Jewish Community Center. Twenty-five trivia questions will be asked, covering such diverse topics as Jewish personalities, current events, history, tradition, culture, Israel and the Bible. Interested contestants can compete individually or can form teams of up to six friends or family members. Any member of the Jewish community, 13-years-old or older, can participate. The only restriction is that team members may not include members of the clergy or full-time professional religious educators. First-place prize is $250; second-place is $100 and

third-place is $50. In addition, a special prize will be awarded to the best high school teams. Half of each prize will go to the winning teams and the other half to a designated Jewish charity or to a local Omaha Jewish charity or institution of the team’s choosing. Co-ordinating the event are Leonard Greenspoon, Gloria Kaslow, Stanley Mitchell, Steve Riekes and this writer. The program is open to the entire Jewish community and is free of charge. Spectators are welcome. Advance registration is required and entry forms are available at local synagogues, the BBYO office, the Kripke Jewish Federation Library, the JCC, or more information or for application forms, call Lois Epstein at the B’nai B’rith office at 334.6443 or Steve Riekes at 333.8498.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

April 21, 2006

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by CHANAN TIGAY NEW YORK (JTA)--With Conservative Judaism at a crossroads, the movement’s flagship institution has chosen a scholar of American Jewry to guide it. No white smoke emerged from the Jewish Theological Seminary’s red-brick tower April 10 when Arnold Eisen’s selection was approved by JTS’ board. But the move put to bed months of rumors and speculation swirling around the secretive process by which the list of potential candidates for chancellor was winnowed to one. A Jewish studies professor and chairman of Stanford University’s Religious Studies Department, Eisen will succeed Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, who steps down June 30 after some 20 years at the helm of the Conservative movement seminary. Eisen’s ascent was greeted with excitement and relief by many Conservative Jews who had hoped the JTS search committee would select a dynamic leader to steward the ship as it faces a series of challenges and questions. The news also was met with a few raised eyebrows because Eisen, 54, is not a rabbi. He has spent his professional career in academia, not working in the movement. Though he is a practicing Conservative Jew, Eisen, a tall man with an easy smile, will be just the second nonrabbi of the seven people to hold JTS’ top post, after Cyrus Adler led the school from 1915-1940. Coincidentally, both Adler and Eisen grew up in Philadelphia and attended the University of Pennsylvania. “The appointment of Prof. Eisen comes at a moment of transition for the Conservative Movement,” said Gershon Kekst, chairman of JTS’ Board of Trustees and co-chairman of the search committee. “There is no doubt that the days and years ahead will be exciting, demanding and inspiring. I am delighted that we have been able to bring Prof. Eisen to JTS and confident that he is the right person, with the vision and leadership to ensure the vibrancy of JTS, the Conservative Movement and the Jewish people.” Once the dominant religious stream on the U.S. Jewish scene, the Conservative movement faces dwindling numbers as it struggles to articulate a coherent message. It has been losing ground to the Reform movement and sometimes has seemed feckless in the face of an energized Orthodoxy. It also is being roiled by a battle over the place of gays and lesbians in the movement and by an identity crisis that has led some Conservative leaders to ask whether the group is a movement or just a coalition of approaches to Judaism. The search for chancellor reflects a larger struggle that has dogged the movement for years: Since its inception, Conservative Judaism has been pulled between those who would adhere more strictly to halachah, or traditional Jewish law, and those who are more willing to change tenets of religious observance to fit modern living. The choice of chancellor was seen as a barometer of which approach the movement would take as it moves forward. Eisen’s views on these issues are not well known, but many in the movement say that given the seriousness of the challenges, Eisen is the right man at the right time for JTS. “I just think they hit a home run,” said Jonathan Sarna, a Jewish studies professor at Brandeis University. who praised the search committee for thinking outside the box in its choice. “Arnie Eisen is one of the most respected Jewish scholars in America. He is exceptionally broad in his knowledge, able to speak learnedly about the Bible and rabbinics even as his specialty is modern Jewish thought.” Others trumpeted Eisen’s qualities as a leader and scholar but weren’t as sure what the selection would mean for Conservative Jewry’s future, particularly with regard to the complex social issues the movement is confronting. Unlike other candidates who were considered for the job, Eisen--who at one point is said to have taken himself out of the running--has not played a role in the movement’s halachic discussions, and his positions on these matters are not well-known. “I can’t say what halachic effect it will have,” said Rela Mintz Geffen, president of Baltimore Hebrew University. “He’s not a halachist, he’s not a rabbinic scholar. He’s the kind of person who would be careful about making pronouncements in a field that was not his own.” Others speculated that it was precisely because Eisen is, halachically speaking, an open book that he was so attractive to the search committee. Because his focus as an academic is broader than that of some movement

insiders who were considered for the post, he may be able to shift the movement’s focus. “He may move away from some of the debates over social issues that have bedeviled the seminary, and he will address the larger issues of what it means to be a Jew in America,” Sarna said. “I think that the very fact that he’s not a rabbi will turn out to be an asset.” In his first interview with the Jewish media shortly after being officially named as the next chancellor, Eisen told JTA he favors allowing gays and lesbians to become rabbis. “I would like to see these processes end up with the ordination of gays and lesbians,” he said. Still, Eisen said, despite pressures to resolve the issue, a change cannot simply be imposed from above. “There’s got to be halachic process,” he said. “You have to preserve the integrity, the authenticity of halachah.” “The halachic process is he non-negotiable,” added. Further, Eisen advocated a robust discussion on homosexuality’s place in the Conservative movement among the semiArnold Eisen, newly tapped as nary’s faculty. He pointed chancellor of the Jewish out that it was just such a Theological Seminary. discussion that preceded the seminary’s decision to ordain women in 1983. Steven Zipperstein, director of the Taube Center for Jewish Studies at Stanford, who has known Eisen since the 1970s, called it “an incredibly creative choice to bring in someone slightly on the outside, but someone who very publicly shares the views of Conservative theology.” Not everyone is so sure. “I think that a huge taboo was broken with it not being a rabbi,” said one congregational rabbi from New York, who asked not to be named because the interview was conducted before the appointment was made official. “I’m a little concerned that it’ll be hard to put that genie back in the bottle.” “He doesn’t have a long background of movement insidership,” the rabbi added. “That means he won’t have as many contacts, have built-up loyalties, which is a problem.” Another prominent rabbi, also requesting anonymity, said news of Eisen’s hiring was “a bit of a shock for many people.” “There’s no religious voice,” he said. Rabbi Jerome Epstein, Executive Vice-president of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, said that he does not “think it makes a difference that he’s not a rabbi.” “The fact that he’s not a rabbi means that halachic issues and issues of spiritual leadership will not distract him,” Epstein said. “The Rabbinical Assembly has great spiritual leadership and that’s really the role of the Rabbinical Assembly.” Eisen will serve as chancellor-designate for the first year while he fulfills his teaching commitments to Stanford. He will assume the chancellorship on July 1, 2007. Under Schorsch, the seminary was perhaps the leading institution of the Conservative movement. Schorsch himself was outspoken on issues of halachah, often taking a conservative approach to matters such as the place of homosexuality in the movement. He also urged Conservative Jews to adhere more strongly to tradition, even suggesting that the movement’s decision to allow driving to synagogues on Shabbat had been a mistake. With the choice of Eisen, some are wondering whether the traditional role the chancellor has played when it comes to halachah--some have likened the position to the de facto Chief Rabbinate of the movement-may shift to someone else. Such a role could fall instead to the head of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the movement’s synagogue arm; the head of the Rabbinical Assembly, the rabbinical arm; or perhaps to a newly created position like a mara d’atra, a local halachic authority, some suggest. The prominent conservative rabbi who asked not to be named thinks such concerns are misplaced. “The chancellor has not been the halachic authority of the movement, really not,” he said. “In the history of the movement, the chancellor has been more of the titular head of the movement,” and halachic authority generally has rested with the movement’s rabbis, he said. For his part, Eisen said, “This chancellor is not going to play that role on halachic issues.”

April 21, 2006

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 15

Ad Campaign by Israel, Group Aims to Boost Ethiopian-Israeli Image by focusing on its success stories. It also marks the arrival of the first major arrival of Ethiopian Jews to Israel 30 years ago. “We’ve decided we need to make an overture to the public, to include the public in their absorption,” said Jewish Agency spokesman Yarden Vatikay. He said that he hopes the campaign, entitled, “Thirty Years Since the Aliyah from Ethiopia--Success Depends on Us” will boost awareness about the community and draft Israeli volunteers to help integrate Ethiopians more completely into Israeli society. Integration has been the major stumbling block for the community. The majority arrived penniless, unable to speak Hebrew-complete and foreigners not only to Israeli culture but to the modern, Western An ad campaign by Israel and the Jewish Agency for Israel aims to world. Most had improve the image of Ethiopian Israelis, as seen on the Jewish Agency's been raised in an Web site. The ads offer images of successful Ethiopian-Israelis, in an agricultural, subeffort to encourage young Ethiopian immigrants and erase stereotypes. sistence economy Hebrew she says with a hint of defiance: and were not all prepared for life in Israel. “You did not expect to see me, did you? Unlike their highly educated Russian There are many others like me.” immigrant counterparts, the Ethiopians The same format is used to highlight have struggled to integrate into competiother Ethiopian Israelis, including a soc- tive and aggressive spirit of Israeli culture cer star, a deputy battalion commander in and many are now dependent on governthe army and one who recently earned a ment assistance. doctorate. A phone number is provided in the ads The ad is part of a campaign launched for a hotline that gives information on by the Israeli Ministry of Immigration how Israelis can either “adopt” an Absorption and the Jewish Agency for Ethiopian family--sharing meals and holiIsrael to boost the image of the country’s days with them--tutor students or give an 100,000 Ethiopians. In the eyes of many internship to a young Ethiopian. Israelis, Ethiopian immigration to Israel Daniel Yosef, a 35-year-old architect, is has been a failure. Most encounter among those in his generation of young Ethiopians through the media, where Ethiopians who have found professional they are depicted as unemployed, poor success. His siblings have as well: among and plagued by family violence. The them is a musician, a graphic artist and a younger generation is seen as adrift and fashion designer. drawn increasingly to a life of crime. Yosef said he hopes the campaign The campaign aims to show the Israeli accomplishes its goal of showing “the public young Ethiopians who have found other side, the side of success within the success such as Maj. Shlomi Vicha, 27, a community.” But he added that what is company commander in the Israeli army. most important to him is to boost awareIn charge of three combat platoons, ness among today’s Ethiopian youth that Vicha said he feels it is now his time to success is within reach. give back to the country that took him in “The campaign is one that has to be as a young child who immigrated without within our own society so we can raise his parents--and housed and educated our own self-image,” he said. “we need him and his siblings. to provide a good example to the youth.” “I have no doubt that the army is the Employment remains a problem. Only best place for having an equal chance for some 76 percent of the community is success just like everyone else,” Vicha employed, compared with almost 90 peradded. “Everyone is equal here and who- cent of the general workforce. ever wants to succeed will succeed.” Meanwhile, thousands of Ethiopian He has spent time speaking to Israelis who have graduated from college Ethiopian youth. “I do what I can to con- often cannot find work in their fields. tribute and explain to them about the Many Ethiopians with law degrees, for army and how they can contribute,” he example, can be found working in comsaid. “It’s important that there are success munal organizations or even as security stories so the public at large will see the guards instead of in law firms. Only some other side and also so there can be models 15 percent of those with law degrees for the schoolchildren so they know that actually work in law firms, according to they too can succeed and go forward.” Jewish Agency statistics. The statistics, however, are discouragAn estimated 60 percent of Ethiopian ing. Research conducted by the Israel Israelis who have academic degrees end Association for Ethiopian Jews has found up taking working class jobs when they that among those who are employed, the cannot find work in their professions, majority work in blue-collar jobs and live research has found. below the poverty line, Ethiopian stu“The campaign is not the solution to dents drop out of high school at twice the the problem, but part of the process. We rate of the general population and juve- want people to ask themselves whether nile crime is rampant. they display racism, and whether they The aggressive advertising campaign, give equal opportunity to people at job being promoted on television, radio, the interviews, or are they influenced by Internet and in newspapers, is aimed at stereotypes,” Immigration Absorption casting a positive light on the community Minister Tzipi Livni told the Israeli daily

by DINA KRAFT TEL AVIV (JTA) -- The sound of lilting music grows louder as the camera zooms in on a face in shadow. In the corner of the television screen the person’s statistics are flashed: age 25, lawyer, represents Israel abroad. A light is then cast onto the face, revealing a young Ethiopian Israeli woman wearing a business suit. In accentless

Yediot Achronot. Despite the initial jubilation in the country during the airlifts of Operation Moses in 1984-85 and Operation Solomon in 1991, racism and discrimination persist. In September, an Israeli mayor tried to bar Ethiopian students from attending an elementary school in his town. Avraham Neguise, an Ethiopian rights activist running for Knesset in a new party aimed at Ethiopian voters, said the ad campaign should show not only the success stories, but also the challenges

that face the community. “It seems like this is taking a few individuals who really did good work and succeeded which is good. However it looks like it is hiding the real problems,” he said. Vicha, the army major, thinks the situation for Ethiopians will improve when the younger Ethiopians feel less stuck between cultures and embrace what is good in both Israeli society and their heritage. “We need to take from both,’’ Vicha said.

Operation Promise Humanizes Focus Continued from page 1 If Jody and Buzz Malashock are mission “first-timers”, Maxine and Joe Kirshenbaum are “many-timers”. The Kirshenbaums are the Major Gifts cochairs for Operation Promise.

Maxine and Joe Kirshenbaum “Omaha’s commitment is $600,000 over three years,” says Joe, “and I’m confident it’s a totally achievable sum for our city. In fact, if people were able

to see what we saw on the trip, raising the money wouldn’t even be difficult.” Maxine concurs. “In Ukraine we met young people hungry for Jewish experiences like teen camps and trips to Israel. We visited elderly folks who don’t qualify for Holocaust retribution funds but who are nonetheless desperate for food packages and medicines. Jewish life in the FSU will simply disappear if we don’t do something.” “And 20,000 Ethiopian Jews will need housing, food, jobs and education--from pre-school to college scholarships--once we get them to Israel,” adds Joe. “We Jews are a compassionate people and we in Omaha are lucky to be able to help. We must finish the extraordinary work we started with the unfortunate Jews of Ethiopia and the FSU. We must keep our promise!” For more information about Operation Promise, visit the website at w w w. j e w i s h o m a h a . o r g / o p e r a tionpromise.

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Page 16

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

April 21, 2006

LB1024 and the Jewish Community At first glance, the convoluted 172-page bill passed by the Nebraska Unicameral last week would seem to have no affect on the Jewish community. Most Jewish children attend public schools in West Omaha; only a few still live east of 72nd Street, and fewer still opt to attend schools like Central. It’s a far cry from 40 years ago, when the vast majority of high school students graduated from Central with only a handful at Westwide and Burke. The Millard schools weren’t even on the radar of the Jewish community then. But, like most American cities, Omaha expanded into the suburbs and the Jews went, too. When Temple Israel moves to its new location (even further out west than Beth El and Beth Israel), the only Jewish institutions east of 72nd Street will be our cemeteries and the Jewish Funeral Home. This is neither good nor bad; it’s just the natural outcome of demographics. So what should be the response of the Jewish community to the passage of this historic bill? On the plus side, it’s creative. Rather than trying to fix the current broken system of state aid, the drafters of this bill did think out of the box by creating a “learning community” that encompasses two of Nebraska’s most populous counties: Douglas and Sarpy. Again on the plus side, it (in theory) should allow any student anywhere in this two-county “community” to achieve the high level of education that every parent desires. On the down side, creating a “super board” will also probably create additional costs--and breaking Omaha Public Schools into three separate entities also will mean two additional administrative staffs--and more costs there, as

well. Again on the down side, both OPS and suburban school districts will most likely sue (the legislature?), driving up legal costs (and our taxes next year?) beyond what any of the local school districts have budgeted. There’s one more problem--and that’s the one OPS attempted to solve in the first place: diversity. LB 1024 would essentially create a white district (Burke and Northwest High schools), a black district (Central and North) and an Hispanic district (South and Bryan). Local control of educational decision-making is laudable, but these new districts are anything but diverse. Regardless of the bill’s hope that the “learning community” will overcome this blatant flaw, promising transportation to students from South Omaha who might want to attend school in Bennington is just not practical. This isn’t New York, where it’s common for students to ride busses and subways for more than an hour to reach their destination. By the time a student reaches school, he or she will be too exhasuted to learn. The bill also requires that the “learning community” be in place for the opening of the 2008 school year. That’s not a lot of time, when the 2006-07 school year starts in less than four months. We can hope that sane heads will have the intelligence, creativity (and time) to come up with the objectives needed to carry out the main goals of this plan--that is if it’s not stopped by legal recourse. There’s one more failure to LB1024;

even though the legislators are representatives of the citizens of this state, the bill was rushed through in such a short period of time that individuals, educators, parents, students, school board members and the rest of us had little time to read the 172 pages, let alone digest it. As to the Jewish response...this is one case where it should be exactly the same as the rest of the two counties. The first priority should be the best education for all our community’s children, sans politics. Getting to that goal, however, seems further away than ever.

Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Committee, the Jewish Federation of Omaha or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.

A Different Sort of Holocaust Story

FOCUS ON ISSUES by RABBI AVI SHAFRAN It wasn’t the most exciting or terrifying tale of the war years I had ever heard, or the saddest or the most shocking. But somehow it was the most moving. The man who recounted it had spent the war years, his teenage ones, in the chilling vastness of the Siberian taiga. He and his Polish yeshiva colleagues were guests of the Soviet authorities, for their reluctance to assume Russian citizenship after fleeing their country at the start of the Nazi onslaught. He had already spoken of unimaginable, surreal episodes, escaping his Polish shtetl with the German advance in 1939, of watching as his uncle was caught trying to escape a roundup of Jews and shot on the spot, of being packed with his Jewish townsfolk into a shul which was then set afire, of their miraculous deliverance, of the long treks, of the wandering refugees’ dedication to the Torah’s commandments. And then he told the story: We were loaded onto rail cattle-wagons, nine of us, taken to Novosibirsk, and from there brought by barge to Parabek, and then assigned to a kolchoz, or collective farm. I remember that our first winter was our hardest. We did not have the proper clothing for the climate. Most of us had to fell trees in the forest. The youngest, I was assigned to a farm a few miles from our kolchoz. The nights were terribly cold, the temperature often dropping to 40 degrees below zero, through I had a small stove which warmed me a bit. The chief of the kolchoz would make surprise checks on me to see if I had fallen asleep. I would recite Psalms to stay awake. One night I couldn’t shake the chills and I

realized that I had a high fever. I managed to hitch my horse and sled together and set off for the kolchoz. Not far from the farm, though, I fell from the sled into the deep snow and the horse continued on without me. I tried to shout to the animal to stop, to no avail. I remember crying and saying Psalms for I knew that remaining where I was, or trying to walk to the kolchoz, would mean certain death from exposure. I forced myself to get up and, with what little strength I had left, began running after the horse and sled. Suddenly, the horse halted. I ran even faster, reached the sled and collapsed on it. Looking up at the starry sky, I prayed with all my fading might to G-d to enable me to reach the relative safety of the kolchoz. He answered me and I reached my Siberian home, though I was shaking uncontrollably from my fever; no number of blankets could warm me. The next day, in a daze, I was transported to Parabek, where there was a hospital. My first two days in the hospital are a blur, but on the third my fever broke and I started to feel a little better. Then suddenly, as I lay in my bed, I saw a fellow yeshiva boy from the kolchoz, Herschel Tishivitzer, half frozen and staring, incredulous, at me. His feet were wrapped in layers of rags--the best one could manage in the Arctic cold without proper boots. I couldn’t believe my eyes--Herschel had actually walked the frigid miles from the kolchoz! “Herschel,” I cried, “what are you doing here?” I’ll never forget his answer. “Yesterday,” he said, “someone came from Parabek, and told us ‘Simcha umar,’ that Simcha had died. And so I volunteered to bury you.” The narrator paused to collect himself, and reflected on his memory: The dedication to another Jew, the dedication… Had the rumor been true there was no way he could have helped me. He had immedi-

(Founded in 1920) Joanie Jacobson Chairman Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Managing Editor Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Managing Editor Terri Greenwood Advertising Executive Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper Jewish Press Committee Howard K. Marcus, Vice-Chairman; Bobbi Leibowitz, Secretary; Scott Meyerson, Finance Chairman; Fred Tichauer, Immediate Past-chairman; David Herzog; Jamie Meyerson; Stanley Mitchell; George Quittner; Linda Saltzman; Joe Shyken; Michael Siegal; Nancy Skid; Dorothy Spizman; and Melany Weinstine. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Centers of Excellence of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Education, Jewish Family Service, and Jewish Senior Services. The Jewish Press is a constitutional committee of the Jewish Federation.

ately made the perilous journey--just to see to my funeral! The dedication to another Jew …such an example! As a shiver subsided and the story sank in, I wondered: Would I have even considered such a journey, felt such a responsibility to a fellow Jew? In such a place, at such a time? Or would I have justified inaction with ample justifications? In the face of so doubtful a future, would I have been able to maintain my humanity, much less my faith in G-d, my very Jewishness…? A wholly unremarkable story, in a way. None of the violence, horrors or evil of so many war years tales. Just a short conversation, really. Yet I found so valuable a lesson in the story of Herschel Tishivitzer’s selflessness, unhesitating concern for the young Simcha Ruzhaner (as the narrator had been called in those days): What it means to be part of a holy people. The narrator concluded his story, describing how Hershel Tishivitzer, thank G-d, had eventually made his way to America and settled in New York under his family name, Nudel. And how the narrator himself had ended up in Baltimore, where he married the virtuous daughter of a respected Jewish scholar, Rabbi Noach Kahn. And how he himself had became a rabbi (changing many lives for the better, I know, though he didn’t say so) and how he and his rebbetzin had raised their children in their Jewish religious heritage, children who were continuing to frustrate the enemies of the Jewish people by raising strong Jewish families of their own. And I wondered--actually, I still do--if the slice of Simcha Ruzhaner’s life had so affected me only because of its radiant, blindingly beautiful message--or if perhaps some part was played by the fact that he too, had taken on a shortened form of his family name, Shafranowitz, and had named his second child Avrohom Yitzchok, although everyone calls me Avi. Rabbi Shafran is director of public affairs for Agudath Israel of America.

Editorial The Jewish Press is a Constitutional Committee of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, noon, eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.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: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org.. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be singlespaced 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 and space restrictions, but 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. 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 personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For more information, contact Carol Katzman, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly on Friday for $31 per calendar year U.S.; $36 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 or e-mail to: 68154-2198 jpress@jewishomaha. org.

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Page 17

Ten Tips for Speaking out about Israel

BEHIND THE HEADLINES by JENNIFER LASZLO MIZRAHI This week we sat at Passover seders, hearing the story of how we were freed from slavery in Egypt and came to Israel. It’s a story we tell every year so that we never forget it. Sadly, however, while the majority of Jews do celebrate this important marker in Jewish history, they do not speak up publicly in support of Israel. Indeed, polls show that they don’t talk about Israel to their friends, co-workers or family members. One of the key reasons Jews don’t voice their support for Israel is that they don’t know how to make such a conversation comfortable and successful. Thus, with the remembrance of the 10 plagues behind us, here are 10 tips for speaking out successfully about Israel. 1. Let people know that Israel wants peace. Americans need to be reminded that Israel has a long-term commitment to peace. Israel accepted the need for a twostate solution as early as 1947, again at Camp David (2000) and in the Road Map process. When courageous Arab leaders such as Egypt’s President Sadat and Jordan’s King Hussein reached out their hands to Israel, peace was achieved. Recently, Israel made painful sacrifices moving more than 9,000 citizens and giving up 100 percent of Gaza with hopes for peace. Israelis are firmly committed to peace for both sides. 2. Don’t pretend that Israel hasn’t made mistakes or is without fault. It’s not true and no one believes it. Pretending Israel is free from errors does not pass the smell test. Doing so will only make your listeners question the veracity of everything else you say. Frankly, Americans know our government has not been error-free in fighting terrorism. For example, we have not yet found Bin Laden. Thus, Americans do not expect Israel to be 100 percent successful in all their efforts to stop terrorism. Admitting that Israel has and continues to make mistakes does not undermine the overall justice of Israel’s goals: peace and security and a better quality of life for BOTH sides. Be humble, and use examples. “I know that in trying to defend its children and citizens from terrorists that Israel has accidentally hurt innocent people. But what can Israel do to defend itself? If terrorists had crossed America’s

borders more than 250 times and killed innocent citizens in pizza parlors, coffee shops and buses, what would we have done?” 3. Show empathy for the Palestinian people--especially the children. Let the public know that you long for a time when Palestinian children will be raised to be doctors, farmers, teachers and business people - and NOT suicide bombers. Be sure to let people know that Israelis didn’t want the security fence or checkpoints - but that these are necessary evils because terrorism has not ended. We want a better future for both Israel and the Palestinian people. 4. Let the public know the good things about Israel. Once you have established that you care about both Israelis and Palestinians and that Israel wants peace, you can begin the process of establishing a strong connection between Americans and Israel based on shared values and interests. After all: Israel, America’s ally, is a democracy in the Middle East. In Israel, Christians, Muslims, and Jews all have freedom of speech, religion, and the right to vote. Indeed, nearly one-and-a-half million Arabs are citizens of Israel, representing almost 20 percent of the population. Furthermore, 11 Arabs and 21 women serve in Israel’s 120-member Parliament, and an Arab judge sits on the Israeli Supreme Court. On another level entirely, a recent Miss Israel was an Israeli Arab. In contrast to those in the Middle East who indoctrinate their children to become hate-mongers and suicide bombers, Israel educates its children to strive for progress and peace. Israel is the one place in the Middle East where a young girl can grow up to be anything she wants-from a doctor to a mother, to a businesswoman and even prime minister! 5. Draw direct parallels between Israel and America-including the need to defend against terrorism. From history to culture to values, the more you focus on the similarities between Israel and America, the more likely you are to win the support of those who are neutral. Indeed, Israel is an important American ally in the war against terrorism, and faces many of the same challenges as America in protecting their citizens. For example, on Sept. 11, 19 suicide terrorists hijacked American planes and killed our citizens. Today, when we go to the airport, we are screened and checked. Following an attempted “shoe bomber”

we now have to take off our shoes. It slows travel down, is expensive, and invades our privacy. But imagine what we would do if more than 250 times terrorists had crossed into our land and killed our children while they were riding buses or eating pizza? What would America do? “Israelis know what it is like to live their lives with the daily threat of terrorism. They know what it is like to send their children off to school one day and bury them the next. For them, terrorism isn’t something they read about in the newspaper. It’s something they see with their eyes far too often.” 6. Promote good Arab leaders before you de-legitimize those who stand in the way of peace. Few Americans liked Arafat, but supporters of Israel undermined their own message and strategy every time they begin by assertively de-legitimizing him. Arafat has now been replaced by Hamas, a terrorist organization devoted to the destruction of Israel. While you must point out the dangers of Hamas, it is critical that you don’t come off as racist. Thus, you must first praise positive Arab leaders and acts before criticizing negative ones. “President Sadat, King Hussein-people of courage in the Arab world that stood up to terrorists, told their people to put down their guns, and made peace with Israel. We will have to wait and see about Hamas. We know that they are a terrorist organization today but hope they will change their ways and embrace a real and lasting peace. Words will not be enough. When will they not only recognize Israel’s right to exist, but also end the terror and the culture of hate that encourages children to become suicide bombers? When can there be peace so both sides can have a better future?” 7. There is never, ever any justification for the deliberate slaughter of innocent women and children. NEVER. The primary Palestinian public relations goal is to demonstrate that the so-called “hopelessness of the oppressed Palestinians” is what causes them to go out and kill Israeli children. This must be challenged immediately, aggressively, and directly: “We may disagree about politics and we may disagree about economics. But there is one fundamental principle on which all peoples from all parts of the globe will agree: Civilized people do not target innocent women and children for death.” 8. Explain your reasoning.

Americans respond much better to facts, actions, and results when they know why-not just how. For example, why is there a security fence? Explain that on more than 250 occasions, terrorists have come through that area killing innocent people. Israel is forced to defend its citizens from terrorism, and the fence is a critical part of this defense. “It is simply common sense not to raise children to want to kill others or themselves. Yet, day after day, Palestinian authorities push a culture of hate that encourages even small children to become suicide bombers. Thousands of Palestinian children have been sent to more than 300 public schools that are named after terrorists. Palestinian public television uses Sesame Street-type programming to glorify suicide bombers. No child should be abused in such a way. Palestinian children deserve better.” 9. Use rhetorical questions. Avoid head-on attacks of your opponents. Use a soft tone. Show your regret that the Palestinians have had such poor leadership. Ask: “How can you call it a “cycle of violence” when in reality, if Israel stopped fighting terror, the violence would not end? If the Palestinians stopped terror, Israel would have no reason for curfews, fences, check-points and other defensive measures.” “Is it too much to ask that the Palestinian leadership condemn all terrorist activities, including suicide bombings? Is it unreasonable to insist that they stop killing innocent children before Israelis jeopardize their security and make more concessions for peace?” 10. K.I.S.S. and tell! A key rule of successful communications is “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” Successful communication is not the same as doing well on the SATs, MCATs or LSATs. It is not about proving to the world how smart you are, or about being able to recite every fact from the long history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Do that, and you’re almost guaranteed to lose your audience. Instead, point out a few core principles of shared values-such as democracy and freedom-and repeat them over and over again. The bottom line: At Passover and throughout the year, we need to ensure that the public knows and feels the real Israel -a democracy that wants peace. Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi is the founder and President of The Israel Project. Find them online at their website: www.theisraelproject.org.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the Editor: Jerusalem--In advance of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yad Vashem has launched a special mini-site at www.yadvashem.org. The mini-site includes links to video testimonies of Holocaust survivors from Yad Vashem’s Visual Center, photos, artifacts, on-line exhibitions and more. The site also features a Special Exhibition: “To Live with Honor and To Die With Honor” (from the writings of Emanuel Ringelblum). This exhibition focuses on four aspects of the human spirit during the Shoah: religious observance, culture, mutual aid, and Jews who saved Jews. Alongside the exhibit one can access related exhibitions, encyclopedia entries, testimonies, stories and information on related topics. The mini-site contains extensive educational material, prepared by the International School for Holocaust Studies, focusing on two aspects of the Shoah: the story of Jewish families during the Holocaust, and the activity of counselors and young leaders to provide children with alternate frameworks in the ghettos. The site also contains useful resources for formal and informal educators, including lesson plans, ceremonies,

testimonies and more. Survivors, relatives of survivors and others are urged to visit the site, register names of those killed in the Shoah--or look up names of lost relatives and landsman. Estee Yaari Foreign Media Liaison at Yad Vashem To the Editor: I found the April 7 Passover issue of the Jewish Press fascinating. It was not only the scope, but actually some of the old articles which caught my eye. The one which really blew my mind was the one from a Press editor in 1942 about the Warsaw Ghetto. It literally bowled me over to see that even that late the Jewish public still seemed to be unaware of what was going on and this editor actually thought that the ghetto was there to protect the Jews. Anyway, you and your staff deserve kudos for that fantastic job. Lou Leviticus To the Editor: I always thought the greatest musical presentation at

the Omaha Jewish Community Center was the Theodore Bikel Concert on March 27, 1977, but last Sunday, that evaluation was changed. Cantor Gaston Bogomolni and Jonathan Rathsam gave a tremendous presentation to a full house, along with eight musicians as “Why Is This Knight Different From All Other Knights.” Anyone who missed this wonderful music missed out on one of the great entertainment pieces that the Omaha Jewish Community has ever seen. To all who were part of the concert we express our deepest thanks. Alan Goodman To the Editor: We condemn the terrorist attack April 17 in Tel Aviv in the strongest possible terms. It is a despicable act of terrorism for which no excuse or justification is possible. We express our condolences to those who were injured, to the families of those who were killed and to the people and government of Israel. Scott McClellan Office of the White House Press Secretary

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

April 21, 2006

Candlelighting Friday, April 21, 7:53 p.m.

Synagogue Listings B’nai Israel Synagogue 618 Mynster St. Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m. Steve and Toni Goodman from Ft. Meyers, FL, will sponsor the Oneg on April 28. The community is invited.

Beth El Synagogue Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Omaha, NE 68154-1980 492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org

Beth Israel Synagogue Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific St. Omaha, NE. 68154 556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

Beyt Shalom An Affiliate of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation 3012 S. 119 St. P.O. Box 390352 Omaha, NE 68139 660.2395 www.beytshalomomaha.org

Chabad House An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 S. 120th St. Omaha, NE 68144-1646 330.1800 nebraskajudaism.com email: chabad@aol.com

Congregation B’nai Jeshurun South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 S. 20th St. Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 435.8004 southstreettemple.org

Offutt Air Force Base SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway Offutt AFB, NE 68113 294.6244

Rose Blumkin Jewish Home 333 S. 132 St. Omaha, NE 68154

Temple Israel Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556.6536 templeisrael-ne.org

The Neighborhood Minyan 1317 No. 57 St. Omaha, NE 68132 551.6609

Tifereth Israel Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 423.8569 www.tiferethlincoln.org

If you’re looking at this space, so are others! YOUR AD CAN GO HERE...

to reserve space, call

Allan Handleman, 334.6451, or Terri Greenwood, 334.6559.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m., in the chapel. SATURDAY: Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation (3-7), 10 a.m.; K’tantan (K-2), 10:45 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m.; Kiddush sponsored by Phyllis Schwartz and Alice Klein, grandmothers of Laura Klein, in honor of her becoming a Bat Mitzvah; Evening Service, 8:05 p.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sunday, 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Weekdays, 6:55 a.m./5:30 p.m. ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAY: Bible Discussion Group, Living Hebrew, and Nashir Choir, 10 a.m.; Jewish Pot Pourri Class, Adult Torah Trope Class and From Your Heart to God’s Ears, 11 a.m. PATTER: Wednesdays, 10:30 -11:45 a.m., for parents and toddlers, 18 months to age three. THURSDAYS, noon: Rabbi Levin leads Discovering the Talmud. Sunday, April 23,10 a.m., High School information meeting is for all seventh graders and their parents.; at 3-4:30 p.m., there’s swimming party at the JCC for all fourth to sixth graders in the Jewish community. Third graders are also invited as an introduction to the group and its activities. SPECIAL EXHIBIT: “Pages: An Insight into the Diaries of the Holocaust,” on display from Monday, April 24 to Friday, April 28. COMMUNITY-WIDE YOM HASHOAH COMMEMORATION Wednesday, April 26, 7 p.m. SUSHI AND SCHMOOZING Thursday, April 27, 7 p.m. dinner at Hiro Sushi. Open to singles and couples in their 20s and 30s in the Jewish community. Cost is $10 per person. For reservations, call the office or e-mail programming@bethelomaha.org. TOT SHABBAT: Friday, April 28, 6 p.m, followed by dinner. Cost: $5 for adults and children ages 7 and up; no charge for children 6 years and younger. For

dinner reservations, call the synagogue office or e-mail programming@bethel-omaha.org. ORAL HISTORY OF THE ELDERS Sunday, April 30, 12:30 p.m. (See full article on page 12.) WOMEN’S ROSH HODESH MEETING Monday, May 1, 7 p.m. (See full article on page 11.)

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Hours: MondayOffice Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. Free babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 10:30 a.m.; Kiddush sponsored by Ralph and Laura Kostant in honor of Rabbi Gross’s Chag HaSemikah; Mincha, 7:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:56 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Contact the office for Mincha/ Ma’ariv time. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m; Contact the office for Mincha/Ma’ariv time. WEDNESDAY: Sisterhood Board meeting and lunch, 11:30 a.m. Board meetings are open to all Sisterhood members. Make your reservation for the $5 bagels and lox lunch by calling the synagogue office. THURSDAY: Advanced Parshah class, 9 p.m.

For more information or to register call 330.1800 or visit our website www.Ochabad.com.

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN Services conducted by Rabbi Ilan Emanuel. FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m., led by Rabbi Emanuel, with oneg provided by Randy Reinhart and Gina Matkin. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. all led by Rabbi Emanuel. SUNDAY: Gan Simcha, Grades 2-7 and Hallah High, 9:30 a.m.noon, at Tifereth Israel; K-1 is 9:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. at B’nai Jeshurun; Nebraska State Holocaust Commeration, 3 p.m. at the State Capitol Rotunda. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew class (grades 2-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAYS, 7 p.m. Intro to Judaism, led by Rabbi Emanuel. THURSDAY, 7 p.m. Kabblah and Jewish Mysticism, led by Rabbi Emanuel (second and fourth Thursdays of the month).

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg.

TEMPLE ISRAEL BEYT SHALOM FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m.

CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Services, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Maamar class, 9 a.m.; Service, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush luncheon follows the service. SUNDAY: Services, 8:30 a.m.; Chabad Cheder and Aleph Champ, 10 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Minyan, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Halacha, 7 p.m. TUESDAY: Women of Worth Prayer Circle, 9 a.m. WEDNESDAY: Kabbalah Circle, 7 p.m. THURSDAY: Jewish Thought, 12:45 p.m.; Torah Tots (ages 35), 4:15 p.m. All events and programs are open to the entire community.

FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 7:30 p.m.; Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, Rabbi Craig Marantz, and Cantor Wendy Shermet will officiate. SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15-10:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.; Ben Holmberg, son of Helene Cohen and Mark Holmberg, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah. SUNDAY: Teacher Meeting, 9:30 a.m.; Religious School (K-6), 10 a.m.-noon.; Grade Two Parent Meeting, 10:45 a.m. TUESDAY, April 25: Family School and Dinner, 5:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY, April 26: Religious School (3-6), 4 p.m.; Middle/High School (7-12), 6:30 p.m. at Beth El. ADULT EDUCATION JEWISH BOOK TALK is at Temple Israel on Sunday, April 23, 2 p.m. American Pastoral by Philip Roth is the fourth selection

NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN Neighborhood Minyan will be closed on April 21-22.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Services conducted by Rabbi Royi Shaffin. Minyan, MONDAY & THURSDAY, 9 a.m. FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. with a Shabbat dinner following. SATURDAY: Parashat Hashavu’a class, 8:30 a.m.; Morning service, 9:30 a.m. followed by Shabbat lunch and Talmud class. SUNDAY: Gan Simcha, Grades 2-7 and Hallah High, 9:30 a.m.noon, at Tifereth Israel; K-1 is 9:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. at B’nai Jeshurun; Nebraska State Holocaust Commeration, 3 p.m. at the State Capitol Rotunda. TUESDAY: Sisterhood GetTogether, 7:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Contact Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew class (grades 2-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. ADULT EDUCATION Monday and Thursday evenings, 7-9 p.m, and Thursdays, noon-2 p.m. Friday, April 28: The last Friday of the month we will have services at 6:30 p.m., with a Shabbat dinner following. USY is hosting this one as a fundraiser. Make reservations by calling the office at 423.8569 or sending a check for $10 per person.

To Submit B’nai Mitzvah Announcements

BAR MITZVAH Cameron Gilinsky, son of Jeannie and Rick Gilinsky will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, April 29, at Beth El Synagogue. Cameron is a seventh grade Honor Roll student at Beveridge Middle School. He is a

in a Jewish Literature Book Discussion Group in partnership with the Council Bluffs Public Library. Register for “Let’s Talk It,” at About lfriesner@ cbpl.lib.ia.us or 712.323.7553, ext. 132. THURSDAY, April 27: Adult Study with the Clergy with Rabbi Craig Marantz, 10-11:30 a.m.; Jewish Journey Group, End of the Line: Medical, Legal and Jewish Perspectives on Life and Death with Rabbi Azriel, Dr. Eugene Zweiback, and Robert Freeman, 7-8:30 p.m. PANCAKE MAN: Sunday, April 30, 9 a.m.-10 a.m., Social Hall. Cost is $4 per person, Children three-years and younger are free. CRADLE ROLL Sunday, April 30, 10:30 a.m. (See article on page 9.)

member of the Beveridge Jazz Band and Orchestra. His interests include playing classical piano and guitar, basketball, track, and hanging out with friends. Also, he has won serveral piano competitions. Cameron has a sister, Sari, and three brothers, Eryk, Cory, and Devon. Grandparents are Rose and Sam Cohen of Des Moines,.IA, and

Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewishomaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, or by e-mailing the Editor at: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org. You can also submit other announcements--births engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements.

April 21, 2006

Kashrut: Ritually Edible and Ritually Inedible

SPARKS FROM THE WORD by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Shmini (Editor’s note: due to the Passover holiday, this week’s column, as well as last week’s, were excerpted from Rabbi Kripke’s book, Insight and Interpretation. Rabbi Kripke’s original columns will resume in the April 28 issue.) Our Sidra gives us the basic food laws of the Pentateuch: which animals, birds and fish are ritually acceptable and which ritually forbidden for food. It is at once apparent that the criteria are arbitrary. And various interpretations have tried to find the principles--assuming there are principles!--behind the prohibitions for food of this and that type of animal life. One of the favorite interpretations has been that the animal life permitted for food is likely to be more healthful than animal life prohibited. In fact, the extension of kashrut laws to include insistence on eating meat only if it is fresh and on washing hands before eating did indeed result in practices that were hygienic. Non-Jews, who scorned Jews for religious eating habits, at times did indeed endanger their lives by unhygenic practices. Ironically, kashrut helped to bring on massacres of Jews in the 14th century. Christian Europe was in panic when the Black Death struck--and responded with massacres, all but continent-wide, when it was noticed that the dread plague did not affect Jewish communities with as devastating a blow as it did non-Jewish communities. In general, however, excepting for matters of personal hygiene and for certain diseases associated with improp-

er cooking of some forbidden meats, there is no evidence of the promotion of health through observance of kashrut. A famous Biblical commentator of the 15-16th centuries, who was financial advisor to the crown in Portugal, Spain and Italy, vigorously denied any health motivation for the dietary laws. If the Torah was promoting health by these laws, he argued, the Torah would be the least worthy and least reliable of medical books. For look about you, he insisted, and see that non-Jewish individuals are as healthy as Jews and nonJewish nations are much more powerful than the Jewish people. (He knew this at first hand. He was among the Jews banished from Spain in 1492. He offered his entire personal fortune to Ferdinand and Isabella if they would rescind the expulsion decree. They refused. They permitted him, their financial adviser, to stay. Now he refused. He went into exile.) That reason was sufficient for many centuries of Jewish life. The challenges of modernism, however, oblige most Jews to seek different answers. Mordechai M. Kaplan, for example, saw them as “Jewish folkways.” That is sufficient for many in our generation. It is a view that permits some relaxation of some of the restrictions. But for those who think in terms of law rather than folkways, there is much thinking to be done. The Bible itself suggest that the purpose of the dietary laws is to render life holy. It is spiritual health that the dietary laws promote, not physical health. Many modern Jewish teachers continue this approach--that the dietary laws help us to sanctify life. Even the act of eating is consciously surrounded by regulations that help us to sanctify the commonplace and to recognize the dimension of the sacred in life.

Sokolof Javitch Music Winners Continued from page 1 studied guitar, piano, theory, analysis, singing, and music in the theater among other subjects. He also studied to be a musical production technician for “three intensive years” at the ORT technical high school in Buenos Aires. In addition, he attended the Conservatory of Music Manuel de Falla in Buenos Aires and studied in the Dominican Republic and Spain where he co-founded and sang in that country’s only Klezmer band. He also conducted the only Jewish choir in Barcelona. His formal university studies began during the 20022003 year in Omaha. He is currently working toward a Bachelor of Music in voice performance with the goal of eventually earning a master’s degree in ethnomusicology. “I’m really grateful to the Sokolof family and to the whole Jewish community for being helpful and supportive of my studies since we arrived here,” the Cantor said. “I’m very fortunate to find the opportunity of studying at the University…while working at Beth El,” said Cantor Bogomolni. He feels he will be able to use his skills “on various wonderful projects for our Jewish community in Omaha.” Some projects in which he’s already participated include lecturing on and performing Jewish music at Creighton University, Union College in Lincoln, Grace University, Omaha Public Schools; and composing music for television advertisements. Although he sings in the University of Nebraska at Omaha choir, at the JCC, the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, Remington Heights, and with the Omaha Symphony, Cantor Bogomolni considers his position at Beth El “the best prize I have gotten in my life.” One of the youngest members of the Conservative Movement’s Cantor’s Assembly of the United States, Cantor Bogomolni “has used his prodigious musical talents to benefit the Omaha Jewish community at large,” remarked Beth El Rabbi Mordechai Levin. Cantor and his wife Lena have two children: Samuel, three-and-a-half, and Emmanuelle, 21 months. Dani Burr’s childhood years “were filled with a passion and dedication that not many children of my age were lucky enough to have.” She recalled her mother excitedly holding up a jaggedly ripped audition notice for “The Sound of Music.” At six years old, Dani “had no idea that this small, tattered scrap of paper would be the catalyst for the passion that would shape the rest of my life.” “I went to that audition with no sheet music; I didn’t even know what that was,” she said. A childhood tune twirling through her head, she sat among dozens of little girls and nervous parents. When her name was called, she walked onto what felt like “the largest stage ever created. I was barely as tall as the piano, but I stood…and sang.”

In the car after the audition, tears began streaming down Dani’s face. Her mother rushed to comfort Dani. As she looked into her mother’s worried eyes,” Dani blurted out, “I’m not sad. That’s not it, Mom. I want to do it again!” She knew then, although she couldn’t articulate it, that “the feeling of music…started a fire in my heart that no other flame or spark could have ignited.” Two years later, Dani began to take private voice lessons. By fifth grade she was in show choir. In high school, “I took every music-related elective that was offered while somehow still managing to balance all advanced placement and honors classes.” She performed in every musical at Westside High School while she was a student there. Dani also performed at the Jewish Community Center for the Young Energetic Seniors group and in Karen Javitch’s productions, Princess Diana, Surprise, and Generation to Generation. She spent her summers at performance camps, classes, seminars and with the Omaha Community Playhouse presenting a short musical revue with other children. She attended the Donna Reed Performing Arts Festival in Denison, Iowa, seven summers in a row and two summer sessions at the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan before spending her senior high school year there at the performing arts academy boarding school. “From my first step on the campus, my love affair with Interlochen began…paving the way for a more permanent, serious dedication to a life built around music.” She is now a junior at The Boston Conservatory working toward her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. She has taken a minimum of ten classes each semester and studied three years with a voice teacher. When Dani graduates in 2007, she plans “to jump off into the real world of my career” when she moves to New York City to pursue a career as an actress and a singer. Dani points out that she is a musician with “passion and drive. But I am also a… well-rounded human being.” In high school, she often sang and interacted with patients at hospitals and residents of retirement homes. Once, while she was singing at a center for Alzheimers patients, she noticed a woman smiling brightly, clapping, and swaying in her seat. After the performance, Dani greeted the lady who couldn’t remember having just heard Dani. But Dani hugged her knowing that for at least a few minutes, “I had given her joy. It may not become a memory, but it was absolutely a moment. This is why I love music. It transcends the ordinary boundaries of life. It is timeless. This is the musician that I want to be.” Dani’s parents are Maralyn Burr and Jay Burr, both of Omaha.

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April 21, 2006

U.S. Officials Looking to Israel for Partnership and Ideas Against Terror by MATTHEW E. BERGER WASHINGTON (JTA)--For years, American law enforcement and security experts have been looking to Israel for the latest in homeland security practices. Now Congress is hoping to work with Israel and other at-risk countries to develop science and technology applications to fight terrorism. Israel advocates are behind new legislation that would create an office within the Department of Homeland Security for counterterrorism cooperation between the United States and its allies. Israel is one of a handful of countries named in the legislation that U.S. officials believe could provide technological assistance. The effort comes as numerous states and municipalities, as well as law enforcement agencies, are sending representatives to Israel to pick the brains of counterterrorism leaders. While there is much to be learned from watching Israel fight terrorism, even more can be garnered by partnering with them in developing new tools, lawmakers said. “We have gone and looked at what was there, not with a notion of partnering with cooperation, but taking back what we saw and trying to duplicate it,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), a co-sponsor of the legislation and the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives’ Homeland Security Committee. “With this legislation, we are fostering that cooperation so that we can jointly produce the best technology available.” The bill creates a new office and grant program in the Homeland Security Department that would foster cooperation between research and development communities in the United States and countries like Israel. Also mentioned are

the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Singapore. The bill was introduced by Thompson and Rep. Peter King (R-NY), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, as well as the chairman and ranking Democrat on the subcommittee on emergency preparedness, science and technology, Reps. Dave Reichert (R-WA) and Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-

Howard Kohr, and deputy director for policy and government affairs, David Cohen, wrote to King last month. The bill also is being backed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the National Sheriffs’ Association. Visits to Israel have been frequent since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, but there has been little

Left: Then-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, left, talks with an 18-year-old Israeli recovering from injuries sustained in a Palestinian terrorist attack in Jerusalem, during a visit to a Credit: Brian Hendler/JTA Jerusalem hospital in December 2001. Right: American law enforcement officials visit the Jerusalem Police Command and Control Center in 2005. Cedit: Security Solutions International NJ). It was unanimously approved by the subcommittee last month. The legislation has been supported by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which in recent years has worked to promote U.S.-Israeli partnerships in homeland security to highlight the value of the bilateral relationship. “We believe its passage will contribute to a safer United States, a safer Israel and better safety for all other American allies in the war against terrorism who participate in international cooperative programs through the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate,” AIPAC’s Executive Director,

partnership between the two countries, even as many states and municipalities have set up similar programs, analysts said. “With DHS, it’s a little more complicated because it’s a new organization,” said Gen. Simon Perry, the Israeli police attache to North America. “We are trying to establish cooperation, and there is a beginning.” While high-level officials toured Israel, Homeland Security staffers responsible for many programs did not. The department already has an international affairs office, but people with knowledge of the department said it had little input on policy matters or opera-

tional decisions. One analyst described the office as a “mini-State Department within Homeland Security.” By contrast, designers of the new office hope people will bring suggestions about international cooperation for a wide range of policy matters and technology development. Barry Bogage, Director of the Maryland/Israel Development Center, said U.S. officials mainly have been taking from Israel a new way of thinking about handling crises. “The word I keep hearing about is a different doctrine,” he said. “The U.S. has experience with crime and with car accidents, but not with bombs going off in the streets and mass-casualty incidents.” For example, Israelis have taught U.S. officials to treat the injured from terrorist attacks on the scene, rather than bringing them immediately to a hospital. Now, advocates said, the two countries can work together on technology and products that can be used in those scenarios. “The United States is very strong in research and development, as well as Israel,” Perry said. “We need the same tools, so it doesn’t make sense that each country should develop its own tools.” Thompson said the United States would be able to provide seed money for many projects. The bill states that not less than 2.5 percent of the research, development, testing and evaluation budget for the Directorate of Science and Technology at Homeland Security each year should go to international programs. “There is a need for us to look beyond our borders for many of those new technologies,” he said. “My goal with this act is to look at Israel and other countries that have demonstrated proficiency in many of these technologies.’’

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