Vol. LXXXIX No. 34 Omaha, NE
Cohen, Goldberg to be honored with Teen Leadership Award by PJ FEINSTEIN Federation Community Relations Specialist Ask Dayna Cohen or Molly Goldberg what being a leader means to them and you will receive similar answers. The enthusiastic high school seniors both believe that the role of a leader is to help others be successful in their own efforts, and they also credit their peers for inspiring them to become youth group leaders. “The better others do, the better I do,” says Dayna.
Dayna Cohen Molly Goldberg Robert and Ellen Gordman will present the 2009 Robert and Ellen Gordman Teen Leadership Award to Dayna and Molly on Monday, May 17, 7 p.m., during a ceremony preceding the Vadim Gluzman concert in the Jewish Community Center Theatre. The Gordmans established the award 27 years ago to honor Jewish teens who demonstrate leadership ability in a youth group and who have contributed to strengthening the organization and developing future leadership; this is the first time that Robert and Ellen are personally presenting the award to the winners. The prestigious award also comes with a $1,000 stipend to be used towards a Jewish educational experience, such as summer camp or a convention, or a trip to Israel. For Dayna, daughter of David and Karla Cohen, participating in the Anti-Defamation League’s Youth Leadership Mission to Israel in 2008 sparked her passion for Israel and motivated her in her role as the Israel Affairs vice president for United Synagogue Youth’s Emtza Region. Through that position, Dayna inspired others to attend Israel programs by educating local and regional USY members about Israel summer programs and by developing creative programs on the regional level for conferences and conventions. Prior to being elected to the USY regional board, Dayna was Beth El’s BILU USY Chapter president and executive vice president; she has also served on multiple committees at the synagogue. According to Beth Seldin Dotan and Alan Potash of the ADL, one of Dayna’s most admirable qualities is the ease with which she interacts with adults. She has also been active in the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization throughout high school, serving as MZ Yoshanah’s president, secretary and shlicha. Currently she is the Beau Dance chairman. At Millard West High School, Dayna enjoys tennis and student council and challenging herself by taking AP classes. This fall she plans to attend the University of Minnesota, where she plans to major in biomedical engineering and eventually attend dental school. An active Jewish campus life was one reason why she chose Minnesota, and she plans to become involved with its Hillel chapter. She also looks forward to helping the local USY chapters in the area as an advisor or chaperone at conventions. Continued on page 2
Inside Op-Ed Page: see Page 8
Celebrating 89 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
May 14, 2010
Friedland Family Sports Lounge serves as legacy and life lesson rience very clearly, down to what my dad was wearing. by OZZIE NOGG In 2005, even before bulldozers broke ground for the After the meeting, Dad kept telling us, over an over, that Rose Blumkin Jewish Home’s renovation and expan- we have a responsibility to take care of our own, that we sion, David Friedland knew he wanted to be part of the must help take care of the community in general and of project. Mike Silverman, Director of the RBJH, recently explained how The Friedland Family Sports Lounge became a central space in the Home’s New Beginning. “Several years before David became ill, I invited him and his wife, Nancy, to see a presentation of our plans for the Home,” Silverman said. “David wanted his children Ted, Melissa and Paula to be there, too. These are three young families with small children, and a nursing home was the farthest thing from their minds, but David From left: Ted and Jamie Friedland with their children, Rose and Alex; Gary Steiner and wanted his kids to know that Melissa Friedland Steiner with their children, Julia and Luke; David and Nancy Friedland; they can and should do Paula Friedland Boggust and Matt Boggust with their children Annie, Jane, Harry and things for the community Emma. even if the project doesn’t directly affect them. He used the aged who deserve honor and respect. His excitement, the Blumkin Home presentation as a life lesson for his his passion for the project really moved us.” children, and they became very excited.” Ted Friedland said, “When we saw Mike Silverman’s Recalling that meeting, the Friedlands’ daughter, Paula, proposal, we realized right away that this was a worldsaid, “Mike Silverman’s explanation of the plans for the class facility, a special place that we all wanted to be part Blumkin Home was so impressive. I remember the expe- Continued on page 2
“Warm, caring educator” Spizman to receive Sokolof Outstanding Jewish Teacher Award by JANET HENTHORN Foundation Endowment Associate Beth Spizman has been selected to receive the fifth annual Phil and Ruth Sokolof Outstanding Jewish Teacher Award. Sokolof created this $10,000 award to recognize an educator in the Omaha metro area, preferably in grades K-12, who has made an outstanding contribution as both a teacher and mentor to her/his students. While pursuing a degree in criminal justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Spizman worked full-time at Uta Halee Girls Village, a locked, live-in facility for juvenile delinquent girls who were wards Beth Spizman of the state. She began coaching the troubled young girls in basketball and softball. She loved what she was doing, and she suddenly realized that she had found a career, or rather, as she said, “My career found me! It just clicked! Working at Uta Halee got me into teaching.” Spizman continued working toward her degree in criminal justice at UNO, but at the same time enrolled in UNO’s College of Education to receive a teaching degree in physical education. Not only did she find her love of teaching at Uta Halee, but she came to love working with kids who presented greater challenges. Consequently, since she began her teaching career, she has always chosen to work in the inner-city schools.
This Week: Community High School set to open in August, Page 5 See Front Page Stories & More at: www.jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press’
1 Sivan 5770
Lincoln high school students meet Elie Wiesel Page 3
Her first assignment with the Omaha Public Schools was at Lothrop Magnet School. According to Gina Fitzpatrick, Magnet facilitator at Lothrop, “Beth is a warm, caring educator who takes physical education and children’s health very seriously. Beth instigated programs in nutrition and exercise for students and staff. She made community connections and planned activities for family and staff at school to stay fit. She is a great educator.” “She was a positive role model for our students,” wrote Michelle Sorenson, an instructional facilitator at Lothrop. “She has a great outlook on life and is willing to share her thoughts and expertise. My students were always excited to go to her class.” Sharon Prince, a parent of children who attended Lothrop, has known Spizman for nine years. “She donated countless hours of time to our school,” said Prince. “Her commitment to her students and their parents is genuine, with total devotion to giving her students whatever instruction is needed. Beth never prejudges her students.” Currently, Spizman is at Hartman Elementary School, where she is completing her 14th year with OPS. She teaches physical education to children from kindergarten through sixth grade. That means she teaches 350 students a week. When asked if she knew all their names, her shocked reply was “Of course! I see them not only when I teach P.E., but when I have lunch duty or bus duty. I also know who plays in what soccer league.” Spizman went on to say, “My teaching philosophy is about teaching the whole child. I can make connections with all of them. I’m so fortunate to have great family and friends. I feel like I have it all, so I can give it all.” Continued on page 2
Coming Next Month: Salute to Graduates
Violinist, pianist highlight Partnership with Israel concert Page 4
Shiputznick participants paint with a purpose Page 6
Page 2
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
May 14, 2010
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Continued from page 1 machines, shuffleboard and tables for poker, bridge, of. Looking back, it seems so ironic since this gift was Mah Jongg, Scrabble and other popular games. Design made before my dad got sick, before any of us knew he highlights include the Husker Wall -- a 28-foot mural might need the Home himself. During the time he spent depicting the inside of Memorial Stadium -- plus an there, before he passed away in June of 2008, he received enormous hot-air balloon suspended outside the such wonderful, loving care. Now Lounge from the Main Street sky our family has an unanticipated, dome. “We know the Friedland personal connection to the Sports Lounge will become a Blumkin Home which makes our favorite destination at the Home,” gift even more meaningful to us.” Silverman said. “It’s an area that According to Silverman, the the residents, their families and Friedland gift was not earmarked friends, as well as the children in for a particular area. “David told us our community, can enjoy every to use it in whatever way we saw fit. day. The room is full of spirit and He didn’t ask for any named recoglife, just like David was.” nition. But he was such a good and Talking with David and Nancy’s generous friend to this community, three children reveals the deep love we wanted to find an appropriate and respect they have for their late spot to honor the Friedlands for father. Melissa summed it up. “Our their support. And though David dad was a true extrovert, full of was, admittedly, not an athlete, the energy and a love for people. He Sports Lounge -- located right personified generosity and always across from the children’s playgave with an open heart. He was ground on Main Street -- makes thrilled that he could help make perfect sense.” things right -- make things better Nancy Friedland agrees. “David - for people in this community. never played sports. His idea of a Dad often reminded us how lucky golf game was meeting me in the A worker prepares to launch the hot-air balloon we are, because we’re in a position Nineteenth Hole for a drink. He outside the Friedland Family Sports Lounge at that allows us to participate in ways loved to hang out and schmooze the Blumkin Home. that can make positive changes in with people, so the Sports Lounge at the Home reflects people’s lives. Every good thing I’ve done is because of his personality. And the proximity of the lounge to the my dad. It’s a privilege to be able to give this gift.” inside playground -- a place where kids can run around The Sports Lounge represents the support of David and have fun -- would have pleased him. Our grandkids and Nancy Friedland and their children: Ted and Jamie became the center of David’s life. Being with them, Friedland, Paula and Matt Boggust and Melissa and watching them play and interact brought him so much Gary Steiner. The Friedland grandchildren, who range joy.” in age from three to 11 years old, are Rose and Alex The Friedland Sports Lounge is a wheelchair accessi- Friedland; Annie, Harry, Jane and Emma Boggust; and ble, totally intergenerational space, featuring vending Julia and Luke Steiner.
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Beth Spizman to receive Sokolof Teacher Award
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Continued from page 1 According to Hartman Principal Shelly Burghardt, “While I have only had the opportunity to work with Miss Spizman for two years, her love for children and teaching were apparent to me almost instantly. She is an excellent teacher who goes above and beyond to support her students in their success.” She continued, “Miss Spizman works not only as our physical education teacher, but as our basketball and soccer coach as well. I have watched students who might not typically participate in team sports develop the confidence to try because they love being around Coach Spizman. Often those without a ride can be found piling into Miss Spizman’s car because she knows without a ride they couldn’t participate, and she simply won’t allow that to happen.” “Outside of the classroom,” Ms. Burghardt said, “she brings a level of energy and love for life that can be infectious. Her laugh can be heard throughout the hallways, and she helps make a difficult job a little easier for all of us. She makes it a point to develop strong relationships with colleagues, the students she serves, and their families. I believe Miss Spizman embodies what being an educator is all about: caring, dedication and commitment to all children.” She knows that some of her students are already caretakers of their younger brothers and sisters. Many of them have parents without parenting skills, so she makes
sure they get opportunities and understanding that they may not get at home. She feels that often times they act up because of things going on in their lives. “I really respect these kids, and they give respect back to me,” Spizman said. “I think these kids are really great, and they know I feel that way about them. I develop their trust and I become their advocate. Often times they will come to the gym to just hang with me.” Spizman is aware of the importance for some of these children to be around an adult who doesn’t judge them. “They know I am their friend, but that I am their teacher,” she said. “I don’t let them pick on each other, and they know I allow no bullying.” Spizman’s son, Max, will start kindergarten in the fall. Her mother, Dorothy Spizman, is well known in Omaha’s Jewish community, as she was the executive director of Temple Israel for many years. Spizman’s response to being told she won the award: “I was blown away by it. I just do what I do. To know that people respect my work was amazing.” Spizman will be honored along with the winners of the Sokolof Merit Scholarships and the Sokolof Javitch Merit Music Scholarship on Monday, May 17, 7 pm., at the JCC, prior to the Partnership with Israel Performing Arts concert, featuring internationallyacclaimed Israeli violinist, Vadim Gluzman. The community is invited. The concert is free, but reservations are needed and may be made at 334.8200.
Teen Leadership Award winners Continued from page 1 Dayna was nominated for the 2009 Teen Leadership Award by the ADL and Beth El Synagogue. Molly Goldberg’s involvement in North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) began during her freshman year of high school, when she attended her first NFTY convention in Philadelphia. “I remember loving the music, Havdalah and the intellectual climate,” she says. During her sophomore year, she had the opportunity to get aquainted with NFTY Missouri Valley regional board members at the Union of Reform Judaism’s Biennial, and was personally recruited to run for MV Regional Board Social Action vice president. She won, and held the position during her junior and senior years. Interestingly, Molly was initially not interested in running for that position because she didn’t think she would be able to affect change. Thankfully, she didn’t find that to be the case and is now passionate about a variety of social action causes. Molly’s involvement in NFTY on a regional level has
had a positive impact on the local chapter, Omaha Temple Youth Group (OTYG). “As a result of her involvement regionally, we have three teens this year running for regional board positions,” explains Amy FillerKatz, OTYG’s advisor. This summer, Molly plans to return to Kutz, NFTY’s leadership camp in Warwick, NY, for the third time, although this year she will be assisting with the programming rather than being a participant. In addition to her NFTY duties, Molly, daughter of David and Wendy Goldberg, had a busy four years at Westside High School, where she has participated in show choir and student council. She will be attending Williams College in Williamstown, MA in the fall, and is excited to continue working with NFTY as the North American Board Social Action vice president, where her responsibilities will include traveling to different regions to help plan events and oversee the efforts of regional social action vice presidents. Molly was nominated for the 2009 Teen Leadership Award by OTYG.
May 14, 2010
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 3
Lincoln high school students meet with Elie Wiesel, visit U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
by MARY BORT Holocaust happened so we can prevent other genocides supplement to our knowledge -- a tremendous experiHeartland Holocaust Educational Fund ence.� from occurring.� Last month, a group of Lincoln high school students “It was incredibly important to me to spend hours in According to fellow traveler Amanda Jones, “The and their chaperones journeyed to Washington, D.C., to thing that made the biggest impression on me was meet- the Holocaust Museum,� Rangel said. “I learned so visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. ing Elie Wiesel. It was such an unreal experience, having much from the Holocaust Literature class, but watching They also traveled to New York, where they had the read his book, Night, about his physical, emotional and the pictures and videos on the walls throughout the memorable experience of meeting Elie Wiesel. spiritual journey through the Holocaust. I’m glad this museum just brought more knowledge about this horriMost of the students who went on the trip are from trip was offered because it was really a once-in-a-lifetime fying time in our world’s history.� While in Washington, the students and their chaperMark Gudgel’s Literature of the Holocaust class at experience.� While in New York, the group also visited Ground ones also visited a synagogue. “We attended the Friday Lincoln Southwest High School. The trip was an opportunity to gain further insight about what they had been Zero. “After listening to a lecture on moral obligation, it night service at Temple Micah,� Gudgel said. “It was an really hit home,� Gudgel said. amazing experience for everyone.� studying in class. Gudgel is acquainted with a secretary The group first went to New York, to the Polish ambassador, so the group where they heard a presentation by also visited the Polish embassy. “This Wiesel. Through special arrangements was right after the plane crash that with his Foundation for Humanity, they killed the president of Poland, his wife, were able to meet with him prior to his and many others,� said Gudgel. “They lecture. were in a state of mourning, so we “We met with him for about 20 minsigned a condolence book.� utes,� said Gudgel. “He chatted with us In order to pay for their trip, the stuand answered the students’ questions. dents raised funds by working with the He shared personal stories, talked Heartland Holocaust Educational Fund. about his faith and how he lives his life In cooperation with the HHEF, they today. He also told the students what obtained donations for the Nebraska he hoped they would learn and books Holocaust Memorial, which is a compothat he thought they should read. After nent of the HHEF. For each $100 meeting with him, we went to his lecdonation, a brick will be placed at the ture. His topic was ‘moral obligation.’� Last month in New York, Lincoln high school students met with Elie Wiesel, standing, center. In addition to his full-time position at Lincoln memorial, honoring the donor or someone else the donor After the group returned to Lincoln, Wiesel sent Gudgel an email message, saying he was impressed with Southwest, Gudgel is a fellow at the United States chose to honor. Eighty percent of the monies raised by the students and that he appreciated their maturity, Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Imperial War the students for the Nebraska Holocaust Memorial went Museum of Britain. He is also a member of the Nebraska toward the cost of their trip, with the remainder going to curiosity and compassion. defer the cost of the bricks themselves. “I feel honored, as well as sad, to most likely be the last Holocaust Education Consortium. It was through Gudgel’s affiliation with the United After returning to Lincoln, the group held a brick-laygeneration to meet a Holocaust survivor and hear their own personal story,� said Amelia Rangel, a student who States Holocaust Memorial Museum that they were able ing ceremony at the Nebraska Holocaust Memorial. went on the trip. “The Holocaust is something that to gain early entrance to the museum and visit the per- Gudgel noted that the ceremony served as a culmination should never be forgotten and should never be taken manent exhibits. “When I surveyed the students to find of all that the students had learned and experienced durlightly. I really can’t fathom the fact that even with so out their reactions to our trip, many of them said their ing their trip. To learn more about the HHEF and the Nebraska much evidence and first-hand accounts, that there are visit to the museum was what impacted them the most,� people who still do not believe that this terrible event he said. “The visit to the museum took what we had Holocaust Memorial, please call 334.6459, or email occurred. It is very important to remember that the been studying and brought it to light. It was an amazing mbort@holocausteducationfund.org.
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Page 4
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
May 14, 2010
Sokolof Scholarship winners to be honored
Violinist, pianist highlight Partnership with Israel concert
by BOB GOLDBERG Federation Communications and Young Leadership Director For 20 years, The Keshet Eilon Music Center in Israel’s Western Galilee has developed and supported the best young violinists from over 50 countries around the world. Managing Director Gilad Sheba, who was born on Kibbutz Eilon, says that his parents and others like them brought to Israel the culture and music that played a large role in the start of the State of Israel. “Culture brings quality to the north,” said Sheba. “When you bring musicians or dancers to a remote area, they devote themselves Gilad Sheba much more to their craft than if they lived in a lively city.” Kibbutz Eilon has established an international reputation that proudly boasts having world-renowned maestros and senior violin masters on its faculty. On Monday, May 17, the Omaha community will be treated to a special concert at the JCC, as the Partnership with Israel Performing Arts Series presents Keshet Eilon alumnus and renowned violinist Vadim
Gluzman and his wife, pianist Angela Yoffe. The 7 p.m. performance is being presented by the Jewish Federation of Omaha and the Center for Jewish Education. Concert committee members include Susan Rothholz, Marcia Lipsman, Bette Kozlen, and Mark Sherman. Kibbutz Eilon is in a warm and peaceful setting in the north of Israel close to the Lebanese border, but the competition among the musicians is intense. Keshet Eilon targets only the best of the best and the students train for life as performing artists. Their mission is to advance the careers of the next generation of great violinists. The main aspect of learning is performing and the workshops keep the violinists in front of audiences almost daily. Keshet Eilon is under the patronage of Maestro Shlomo Mintz. The Musical Director is Professor Itzhak Rashkovsky of London’s Royal College of Music and master violinmaker Amnon Weinstein leads the master’s course on violin and bow-making. The annual Keshet Eilon Concert Series has become a vibrant part of the cultural life in the Western Galilee. “Our 850 graduates, from over 50 countries, have become the best ambassadors of Israel around the world,” said Sheba. Keshet means, “bow” or “bridge” as in a bridge between people, and Sheba believes that music is a bridge between cultures. “Our dream is to build a year-
round campus for a music college here in the Western Galilee that will reach out to the whole world.” With strong support from Israeli philanthropist Raya Strauss-Bendror, among others, Keshet Eilon is embarking on plans for a state-of-the-art campus to be built outside its existing space. Like many cultural institutions, Keshet Eilon survives by fundraising. On April 24, a gala benefit celebrating the music center’s 20th anniversary was held at New York’s Carnegie Hall, with the generous sponsorship of Raya Strauss-Bendror and the New York Friends of Keshet Eilon. Violinist Gluzman is currently a faculty member at Keshet Eilon. In addition to the upcoming Omaha performance, he and Yoffe will perform in four Partnerships with Israel communities, including Dallas, Indianapolis and Dayton. Through the generosity of the Sokolof Javitch Music Fund, the May 17 concert is free of charge. Because of limited seating, reservations are needed and may be made by calling 334-8200. Prior to the performance, the Sokolof Merit Scholarships and Outstanding Teacher Award, the Sokolof Javitch Music Scholarship, and the Robert and Ellen Gordman Jewish Teen Leadership Awards will be presented.
Beth Israel’s Shavuot celebration offers evening of classes, games and sweets
by BETH COHEN Beth Israel Executive Director Shavuot, the holiday celebrating the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, will be celebrated this year beginning Tuesday, May 18. It is said that on the morning of the giving of the Torah, the children of Israel slept in. Therefore, as a tradition, Jews make a tikkun (a repair) on leil Shavuot (the night before Shavuot) and stay up the entire night learning Torah in preparation for the day. Beth Israel has a variety of classes planned for the Tikkun Leil Shavuot and throughout the holiday. In addition to classes, two heart-pumping games will be played during the holiday. Family Feud pits teams against each other, trying to determine the most popular answer to questions of Torah and traditions. Our Jeopardy! game will draw from the weekly quiz questions in the Shabbos Sheet. Since the holiday of Shavuot officially begins after we count 49 full days from Pesach, we do not say Kiddush before three stars. Be sure to eat an early dinner before coming to shul on Tuesday night. To avoid ruining one’s appetite for the holiday, the halacha is that one should begin the meal on erev yom tov no later than 5:30 p.m.
Following minchah on Tuesday, May 18, 8:15 p.m., Rabbi Yitzchak Mizrahi will teach the first class of the evening, “Thunder, Lightening and a Heavy Cloud: Matan Torah from a Midrashic Point of View.” Ma’ariv will follow at 9:15 p.m. Kiddush and an array of dairy desserts will be served at 9:30 p.m. After a little time to relax and enjoy the cheesecake, the Tikun Leil Shavuot continues at 10 p.m., with the first round of Family Feud. At 10:30 p.m., Rabbi Jonathan Gross will lead a class, “Thou Shalt not Kill Most of the Time: When Killing is a Mitzvah.” At 11:15 p.m., the study of Sefer Hachinuch (the book listing all 613 mitzvot in the order in which they appear in the Torah) will begin. Sefer Hachinuch. On the first day of Shavuot, Wednesday, May 19, morning services are at 9 a.m., followed by a dairy Kiddush. The second round of Family Feud and a competitive game of Jeopardy! will follow. Minchah/ Ma’ariv is at 8:30 p.m., with candle-lighting not before 9:29 p.m. The next day includes the Yizkor service at 10:30 a.m. (as part of the morning service that begins at 9 a.m.). Following services, there will be a festive dairy lunch.
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Menu for lunch includes lasagna, pasta primavera, tossed salad and decadent dairy desserts. Lunch is available by reservation and costs $12 for adults, $6 for kids ages four to twelve, and free for kids ages three and younger. Round 3 of Family Feud will follow the lunch, along with a session of “Ask the Rabbi.” From the practical to the mystical, Rabbis Gross, Mizrahi and Yaakov Weiss will offer participants enlightenment in their quest for knowledge and understanding.
ORGANIZATIONS
LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Yiddish brings us closer to our roots! Come join us every Thursday afternoon from 1-3 p.m. in the social hall of the JCC. For information call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638.
B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS There will be no Breadbreakers on May 19, due to the Shavout holiday.
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Community High School Director The Center for Jewish Education/Jewish Federation of Omaha A director is being sought for the newly formed Community High School for the Omaha, Nebraska, Jewish community. The school will serve approximately 100, 9th-12th grade students, from Conservative, Orthodox, and Reform congregations. This position is an educational leadership role responsible for administration, curriculum, faculty, staff, marketing and program evaluation. Successful candidate must have strong knowledge of Judaic content and current events and an ability to develop curriculum and design programs that incorporate Jewish content and issues of concern to Jewish teens. Must be committed to a pluralistic approach to Jewish learning and Israel. Experience working with teens in informal education is required. Must be able to create a dynamic instructional team and provide leadership to youth, parents and school board. Masters in Jewish Education or related field strongly desired. Ability to be organized, self starter, detail-oriented and passionate about Jewish education is required. Knowledge of Microsoft Office products essential. To apply, please submit your resume to Tina Story, Human Resources Specialist, 333 South 132 Street, Omaha NE 68154. Resumes may also be faxed to (402) 334-6484 or emailed to tstory@jewishomaha.org. Equal Opportunity Employer; background check required.
May 14, 2010
Omaha’s Jewish teens to learn together as Community High School becomes a reality
by BOB GOLDBERG Federation Communications and Young Leadership Director It started a few years ago in casual conversation at social gatherings. Parents throughout the community were asking, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a community high school so all the Jewish kids could learn together?” As time went on, the question continued to come up and people started asking, “How can we get this done?” Then last year, Stacey Rockman, Katherine Finnegan, Eric Phillips and Jeff Kirshenbaum got together to talk about it and decided it was time to go to the Jewish Federation of Omaha. The idea was presented to the Federation executive committee and discussed at the Rabbis and Presidents meetings. Early this year, the Center for Jewish Education joined in the discussion, and after additional conversations with the rabbis and presidents from Beth El, Beth Israel and Temple Israel, plus representatives of the Federation, a committee was established to determine if the school could become a reality. Toba Cohen Dunning, president of the Center for Jewish Education, chaired the committee; committee members included Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, Rabbi Eric Linder, Sharon Comisar-Langdon, Rabbi Mordechai Levin, Bev Fellman, Judy Rubin, Rabbi Jonathan Gross, Rabbi Yitchak Mizrahi and Debbie Kricsfeld. Dr. Guy Matalon and Mary Sue Grossman also participated in the meetings. Four meetings were held to find a way to blend the cultures of three synagogues and three religious schools, and on April 29 the decision was made to start the school this August. Classes for students in grades 9-12 will meet on Wednesday evenings, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, and will include dinner. The faculty will include rabbis and cantors from Beth El, Beth Israel and Temple Israel.
A search committee, chaired by Cohen-Dunning, has been formed to hire a school director; a school board and curriculum committee will also be established. “Throughout our meetings, the passion of the committee members to make the school the best opportunity for the teens of our community, was inspiring,” Cohen-Dunning said. “The mission statement beautifully states the focal point for the school: ‘To provide a substantive, engaging and pluralistic Jewish education for Jewish teens.’ We look forward to the multitude of benefits the school will give to our community.” Comisar-Langdon echoed Cohen-Dunning’s comments. “The commitment by the members of the committee to find a way to make the school a reality was a pleasure to see.” She added, “As the parent of an 11year-old daughter, I am excited for the day she will be able to join the teens of the Omaha Jewish community at the school.” The high school will be a part of the Center for Jewish Education, with the school director’s office located in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library. Registration materials and full details will be sent to families in the summer. School will begin in late August. “The Community High School will be a wonderful opportunity to bring the teens of Omaha together to learn, to form new friendships, and to be engaged with a much larger group than is possible at our individual schools” commented Judy Rubin, education director at Beth El. “We will definitely miss having our ‘big kids’ at the synagogue on Wednesday evenings, but it will be a wonderful opportunity for them to study with students from the other synagogues and to be exposed to ideas from all aspects of Judaism.” For questions about the Community High School, please contact your synagogue’s school director or the Center for Jewish Education at 334.6445.
Temple youth group brings home the “medals” from Denver conclave by CLAUDIA SHERMAN OTYG Advisor Amy Katz, who accompanied the teens. Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Three freshmen agreed with her. Rachel Sullivan, Omaha Temple Youth Group won Youth Group of the attending her second conclave, said, “It was pretty cool Year accolades at the Missouri Valley Region NFTY and awesome” for OTYG to be so well-recognized for (North American Temple its achievements. Youth) spring conclave last It was also Dru Beach’s second conclave. She enjoyed month in Denver. In addi“going to a different place tion, three OTYGers were and meeting new people.” elected to the seven-memAs for all the awards, she ber Missouri Valley Board. said, “It was really cool that Haley Burns will serve as we’re such a good youth Programming vice presigroup!” dent, while Grace Hack will Denver was freshman be the Religious and Hannah Perry’s third youth Cultural vice president, and group conclave. In addition, Emily Katz will be the Special Projects coordinator. OTYGers attending the NFTY spring conclave in Denver she attended a Junior Youth OTYG also brought home included: front row: Haley Burns, and Jordan Jensen; sec- Group conclave when she awards for having the best ond row, Hannah Perry, Cleo Rogers, Morissa Miller, Ariel was in eighth grade. A spaghetti dinner fundraiser Kohll, Yaniv Azriel, Sam Burrell; third row, Alex Pachman, Harry Potter fan, she liked and for “going above and Noah Grossman, Dru Beach, Hannah Radler, OTYG advisor the conclave’s Harry Potter beyond for Camp Amy Katz, chaperone Helen Burns, Zane Fletcher; back row, theme and had fun getting Rainbow,” by donating from left, Sophie Goldberg, Sonia Schrager, Rachel Sullivan. dressed up for it. twice the amount of its Seniors not pictured: Molly Goldberg, Hannah Grossman and As for the awards, she said, “We were all sitting together pledge. Jordan Jensen was Julie Sadofsky. hailed as the region’s best Social Action vice president of in the same section yelling and cheering!” Summer plans for OTYG include a board retreat, a the year, and Julie Sadofsky was named best youth-led Shabbat service, and rush for new and returnMembership vice president. “We were a huge presence at the conclave,” said ing members.
Show tunes to highlight MAINstreeters’ kick-off event
by OZZIE NOGG MAINstreeters coordinator, Susan Rothholz, is ecstatic. “Our upcoming May 21 Cabaret Kickoff Luncheon is totally sold out,” she said. “We’re absolutely thrilled with the response. People who made advance reservations will be seated at tables in the Silverman Family Auditorium at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, and those on the waiting list will be accommodated at additional tables on Main Street. The luncheon menu is terrific, the entertainment fabulous, and -- as a user-friendly bonus -- we’re offering free valet parking between 11:30 and 3 p.m. The afternoon promises to be first-class all the way.” The luncheon begins at noon. Some additional seating will be available for those who can’t make the lunch but want to enjoy the cabaret entertainment provided by Mary Carrick and Todd Brooks. “This delightful pair
will perform Broadway classics and current musical theater hits,” Rothholz said, “and the performance is free to those who aren’t able to share in the meal.” MAINstreeters is the fun-filled new organization for Jewish residents of the Omaha area age 60 and older. It offers social events, speakers plus learning opportunities that have broad appeal. “We want members of our community to meet new people, exercise their brains, take part in new activities and continue enjoying life to the fullest,” Rothholz said. “The enthusiastic response to the May 21 Kickoff Luncheon shows we’re on our way.” The Cabaret Luncheon entertainment is underwritten by the Sokolof Javitch Music Fund, and all MAINstreeters programs are under the auspices of Jewish Social Services. For further information, or to secure transportation, please call Maggie at 334-6521.
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May 14, 2010
During community’s Teen Mitzvah Day, Shiputznick participants paint with a purpose
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by ELYA WILSON Community Shlicha When thinking of a shiputznick in Israel, one usually imagines a middle-aged guy with a beer belly, fixing a crack in the wall. That image took on a whole new meaning on May 2, as 75 volunteers -- 63 participants, including members of Yachad, and 12 adult volunteers -- became shiputznikim (repairmen) for the day, during the sixth annual community-wide teen mitzvah day.
better understand the challenges of living with a disability. The program ended with a short film featuring Mosaic residents sharing their lives and thanking the teens for being there. After that, the work began. Participants painted one of Mosaic’s workshops, and a few brave souls washed cars, even as the rain was falling. With all their hard labor, the work the volunteers accomplished helped save Mosaic Organization an estimated $12,000.
Jack Gilinsky, Dayna Epstein and Max Saferstein-Hansen prove that one good handprint deserves another. Participants met at the JCC pavilion that Sunday afternoon, excited to get started with the volunteer work at the Mosaic Organization, which assists people with intellectual disabilities. After arriving at the Mosaic facility, the teens began their service with a short program connecting volunteer work to Jewish values and to Lag B’Omer, and hearing the story of the holiday. Next, they worked as a group to create an origami box: some had their hands tied and some had blind-folds on, an exercise to help explain both the importance of teamwork and communication, and to
Lila Greenberg, Alyssa Cohen, Yonatan Gill, Sarah Thomson and Kylie Kirshenbaum take a break from painting. With the support of J-Serve, the JCC, Beth El, Beth Israel and Temple Israel, this great volunteering opportunity was made possible for all Omaha teens, as well as a “Thank You!” dinner catered by Star Catering. Thank you to all the teen participants, Yachad, and to all the wonderful adult volunteers, and a special thanks to Anne Muskin, BBYO teen director for all the hard work in preparing for the program. “It is not what a person says, but rather what a person does, that makes a difference in the world” –Pirkei Avot 1:17
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Beth Israel plans Spring Sisterhood luncheon by BETH COHEN Executive Director of Beth Israel The break in winter weather brings Beth Israel’s Spring Sisterhood Lunch on Tuesday, May 25, 11:30 a.m. Although Sisterhood offers many activities throughout the winter, including the monthly “Spirits and Spirituality” program held in members’ homes and led by Liat Shyken, luncheons always seem to be scheduled on snowstorm days! The lunch will include a spring-themed menu of egg-salad sandwiches, fresh fruit, side salads and strawberry shortcake. Cost to attend is $7. The afternoon’s program will feature Jean Duitch and Joanie Jacobson, representing the Greater Omaha Committee for Jewish Genetic Testing. Carrier screening for “Jewish” genetic disorders is recommended for
Jewish Federation thanks additional donors The Jewish Federation would like to thank the following donors whose names did not appear in the 2010 Annual Campaign ad in the Jewish Press: Mark Belmont, Cathy Christensen, William Christensen, Shirley Goodman, Jerome Grossman, Vic Gutman, Andrea Hamburg (Pomegranate Division), Harvey Konigsberg, Marilyn Konigsberg, Harold Kosowsky, Ann Moshman, Ramona Pepper (Double Chai Division) and Lloyd Roitstein.
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every couple of Ashkenazi (European) Jewish ancestry. Most cases of these rare disorders occur when there is no family history. Included in the list of “Jewish” genetic disorders are Tay-Sachs disease, Canavan disease, Bloom syndrome, and Gaucher disease. These are all uncommon conditions that are predominantly found in persons of Ashkenazi ancestry. In 2004, the Omaha Committee partnered with Boys Town National Research Hospital and successfully tested 107 individuals. The tests were completed at no charge to the participants. The tests found that 25 percent of those tested were carriers and followed up with appropriate genetic counseling. The second round of testing is scheduled for this fall at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The community is invited to attend the lunch and learn more about the importance of being tested.
IN THE NEWS
In recognition of his longtime support of AIPAC and U.S.-Israel relations, Omahan Gary Javitch has been selected to serve on AIPAC’s National Council for 2010-’11. The National Council is made up of the organization’s most active and dedicated members from across the country. The group, which convenes three times a year in Washington, discusses pertinent issues facing the U.S.-Israel relationship and takes action through lobbying members of Congress on Capitol Hill.
May 14, 2010
Beth El graduates and faculty to be honored during Shabbat services
the Etz Hayim Humash, and from the by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator family of Frances G. Fellman, they will Beth El Synagogue Talmud Torah stu- receive Jewish Wisdom by Rabbi Joseph dents and faculty will be in the spotlight Telushkin. BESTT middle-school graduduring Shabbat services on Saturday, May ates will receive The Jewish Book of Why, 15, as seventh graders and high school from the family of Frances G. Fellman. seniors celebrate their graduation and BESTT teachers are applauded for their hard work and dedication during Teacher Appreciation Shabbat. All of the graduating students will help to lead the 9:30 a.m. services, and the festivities will continue afterward at a special Kiddush celebration sponsored by the graduates’ BESTT’s 2010 7th grade graduates include: front row: Elissa families. The entire comWiener, Sarah Kutler, Jessica Shandell, Jennifer Libov, Madison munity is invited for this Weaver and Zachary Stein; middle row: Jacob Levy, Ethan special dual celebration. Potash, Samuel Lieb, Alexandra Pichik, Andrew Klein and Alec BESTT Education Epstein; back row: Education Director Judy Bisman Rubin, Director Judy Rubin teachers Susan Paley and Daniel Christensen, Cantor Beth explained the importance Schlossberg, teacher Dora Goldstrom and Rabbi Mordechai of this milestone in the Levin. Not pictured: Veronica Dubov. students’ lives: “GradCredit: Ophir Palmon, Artistic Visions uation in the seventh grade represents the culmination of the students’ elementary years of Jewish education. It is a demarcation between their childhood and adolescent development. Graduation in the twelfth grade represents a dedication on the part of the students – as well as their parents – to continuing Jewish education.” This year’s graduates of the Beth El High School of Jewish All BESTT graduates Studies include: front row: Judy Rubin, Rachel Meyer, Shir will be given gifts from Palmon, Dayna Cohen, Anna Grossman and Cantor the synagogue: from the Schlossberg; back row: Rabbi Levin, Harison Wiesman, Lev A.B. and Freeda Gendler Nachman and Caroline Juster. Fund, seniors will receive Credit: Ophir Palmon, Artistic Visions
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Temple’s tenth graders celebrate Confirmation on Shavuot by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator As the Israelites once stood at Mount Sinai, Temple Israel’s Confirmation class will stand in front of the ark on Erev Shavuot, Tuesday, May 18, during 6 p.m. services, to celebrate the anniversary of receiving the Torah. Lindsey Thomas, who has been attending religious school since she was three years old, acknowledged that to her, “Confirmation means that I’m committing to my Jewish education and faith. Religious school has made me connect to my Jewish heritage.” Tenth grader Ben Noodell added that Confirmation means “being recognized as an adult in Temple’s community.” As his class helps lead the service, the young adults will be encouraged to work together as a community to contribute to the world around them. Ben, who has been attending religious school since kindergarten, appreciates being able “to make friends and get the opportunity to go to camp and to join youth groups.” Oliver Rockman is looking forward to “the pictures ... of my class on the day of Confirmation. As a child, I loved looking at pictures of my parents and older relatives when they were
teenagers, and I want my kids to be able to see me and my friends as teenagers on our Confirmation.” Confirmation studies emphasize to the students that they are entering a sacred community in which they can question, challenge, and debate Jewish questions without being judged. A religious-school student since kindergarten, Oliver pointed out that “attending religious school has helped me learn about my religion instead of blindly following what my family tells me to do.” Other tenth graders in the Confirmation class are Yaniv Azriel, Madison Baron, Megan Bucher, Lauren Cooper, David Glazer, Jordan Jensen, Jacob Lehr, Jessica Levinger, Sophia Miller, Bailey Newman, and Alexis Slutzky. Kol Rina will sing during the service, and Women of Reform Judaism will install new officers for the upcoming year. After services, there will be a dairy Oneg featuring assorted cheesecakes. A dinner will follow for the sophomore confirmands and their families. A yizkor service will begin at 10:30 a.m. the next day, Wednesday, May 19 at Temple. Please call the Temple office at 556.6536 by Tuesday, May 18, to submit names to be read aloud.
Iscar chair featured at Federation event Eitan Wertheimer, right, chairman of the board of Iscar Metalworking Companies, and Shami Jacobs, incoming treasurer of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, met recently at a special Federation event for major donors and campaign leadership. In 2006, Iscar, an Israeli company, was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway; the deal represented Berkshire’s first purchase of a company outside the United States. Jacobs manages the Omaha-based 402 Fund, LP, that focuses on U.S. equity investments.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
May 14, 2010
The quest for heroes
by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press It sounds like the beginning of a bad bar joke: What do Tiger Woods, Elliot Spitzer and Bernie Madoff all have in common? (Insert awkward pause here.) That’s right: they’re all cheaters, and they’ve disappointed their families, as well as the public, by not proving themselves worthy of the pedestal they were placed on. How dare they not live up to everybody’s unreasonable expectations? We all look for heroes, people we admire for one reason or another, role models who can be an inspiration in our daily lives. Unfortunately, the question as to what exactly constitutes a hero is tough to answer. It was easier when we were children; nobody thinks you’re a little odd if you want to be just like Batman. Besides, Batman only comes alive in our collective imagination, which is a great thing for any role model. Comic book characters find themselves in good company: together with literary and Biblical archetypes, not to mention dead celebrities, they make the best heroes. When you’re fictional or dead, you can never (again) do any wrong. In today’s society, we don’t suffer those that are better than us gladly. Oh, sure, we say we like this movie star or that senator, but the glee with which we watch them fall betrays our true intentions. How many mistresses? Which prescription medications? What do they mean by ‘natural causes’? We simply can’t get enough. Were King David alive today, he’d never survive the scrutiny of People magazine. The elevation of public figures is something that is often lamented by the American public; Jewish Americans, I suspect, are no different. We, too, watch American Idol, and enjoy those that sing out of tune. We, too, pay extra attention when a politician forgets why he was elected, or when a famous actor is found dead from an overdose. We simultaneously build people up, and tear them down, not to prove
they are ‘just like us,’ but that they are somehow inferior. And we subsequently complain when CNN reporters spend hours discussing the coroner’s report as if it were the latest humanitarian crisis. “That’s not us,” we say, “that’s the media’s fault, we stopped watching weeks ago.” That would be a great argument, but ‘the media’ is no foreign body, existing somewhere in outer space; instead, I would argue it is a fairly accurate reflection of today’s values. The media, that’s us. I know; that hurts a little bit. Perhaps we should look for heroes a little closer to home, and this year is the perfect time to do it. In 2010, Jewish Omaha is hosting the Maccabi Games, and hundreds of teenagers will make the Jewish Community Center their home. They are young and impressionable, and those same media that corrupt them, remind us on a regular basis they attract disaster. We’re told that teenagers today suffer the consequences of too much reality-TV, YouTube, and My Space; they Facebook their way into trouble every five minutes, and will steal the prescription drugs right out of your purse. Google the term ‘troubled teens,’ and you’ll receive 766,000 hits in 0.10 seconds. And yet, here are teenagers who are involved. They are part of something bigger than them; they are voluntarily signing up for an experience that will bring them into contact with other Jewish teens and adults, from every corner of America. Their parents aren’t billionaires, they aren’t famous; they haven’t won Oscars or Emmys or Grammys, and they’ve (probably) never been on American Idol. Yet, they are heroes in their own way, because they are raising kids who identify themselves as Jews, and who are willing to board planes and buses to enjoy their Jewishness. They may even grow up to be involved adults, and pass their Jewish
experience on to their own children. When those kids arrive, we need to make sure the pool is the right temperature, the booths are set up, and the food is fresh. The bathrooms need to be clean, the host families need to be ready, and all our batteries must be charged. Most of all, we need to be great role models. And the wonderful thing is, we don’t have to be famous or dead. In fact, it helps quite a bit to be neither. Perhaps the greatest hero is the one who walks among us anonymously, a person who lives an overall average life, and then does something extraordinary on a random Tuesday night. When we all jump in and take a small step, we’re not lowering the bar for heroism; instead, we’re raising it for all of us.
FOCUS ON ISSUES by EDMON J. RODMAN
LOS ANGELES (JTA) -- Like to stay up late and party all night? Do I have a Jewish holiday for you. Shavuot, literally “weeks,” is the festival marking the end of the seven-week period of the counting of the omer that began the second night of Passover. The two-day festival, which begins this year at sundown May 18, is celebrated as the giving of the Torah. An increasingly popular custom is the Tikkun Leil Shavuot, “repairing the eve” of Shavuot, an all-night study session on the holiday’s first night. According to a midrash, at Mount Sinai the night before receiving the Torah, the Jews slept and needed to be awakened with a shofar. So now we must make repairs by showing we are awake and ready. Think of it as a lack-of-slumber party. Many sessions begin late in the evening and run all night, straight on till morning. It’s a Torah allnighter that leaves you refreshed and reconnected. Traditionally, a group tries to cover as much Jewish textural ground as possible studying the Torah and the Talmud. Untraditionally, I have organized several group study evenings based on the idea that on Shavuot, in the time of the Temple, Jews would travel to Jerusalem to offer their first fruits. Participants present things created or accomplished that year: work finished, classes completed, Jewish books that were read and enjoyed.
Jewish Press Board Andy Ruback, Vice President; Michael Sigmond, Secretary; Michael Siegel, Treasurer; Howard K. Marcus, Immediate Past-chairman; Daphne Pollak Alperson, Marc Brodkey; Eric Dunning; Jason Epstein; Andie Gordman; Michael Kaufman; Bette Kozlen; Jamie Meyerson; Jim Simon; Dorothy Spizman. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Education, Jewish Family Service/Jewish Senior Services, and the Jewish Press . Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, 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. Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: editor@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org.
This Shavuot, give Hebrew a try Many of us already pull all-nighters for all sorts of things -- mostly work, sometimes play. So what about pulling an all-nighter on Shavuot, with your first fruit being taking an hour or two to study Hebrew? You know, Hebrew, Ivrit, that foreign language elective for which you received an “incomplete.” On Shavuot, does receiving the Ten Commandments need to be like seeing a foreign movie? Wouldn’t you like to lose the subtitles? As teenagers, many of us gave Hebrew a good try; we have the confirmations and bar/bat mitzvahs to prove it. What happened? According to my friend Cheri Ellowitz, education director at The Temple-Tifereth Israel in Beachwood, Ohio, and author of Mitkadem (URJ Press), a self-paced program for learning Hebrew, the issue of students retaining Hebrew is a matter of lack of context. “If they don’t do Jewish things out of their classrooms and they don’t go to services and use the skills we’re teaching them,” she wrote to me recently, “then there’s no relevance to the material.” As an adult, are you still digging for a context? Searching for that relevance? If it’s any consolation, there have been generations of Jews, especially since Roman times, who spoke no Hebrew; they used Aramaic. During that period, Hebrew remained a language of holy texts and correspondence, but it was not the language of the street. Hebrew’s revival as a spoken language didn’t happen until the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to the determined work of teacher
(Founded in 1920) Bobbi Leibowitz President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Managing Editor Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Managing Editor Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper
and journalist Eliezer Ben Yehuda, who is known as the father of modern Hebrew. So are you ready for a Hebrew revival on your street? Do you finally have a context? Like wanting to attend synagogue, but finding those “trenzleeturayshuns” are not really helping. Or on a trip to Israel you’re dying to know what it says on the protest signs. Some days I feel Hebrew is in the air. I get a buzz when I see Hebrew letters on a sign, shirt or even bumper sticker. Kabbalists for centuries have claimed that Hebrew letters have their own energy. Somewhere between the second and third centuries, an unknown author wrote the Sefer Yetzirah, called either the book of formation or creation. A short but powerful text, it’s about the formation of the universe -- how God used the energy of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet to create it. The text reveals how each letter has its own spiritual power that God combines and focuses to create planets and stars, the cosmos, even time. “Twenty-two letters he carved them out, he hewed them and formed them with life of all creation,” the Sefer Yetzirah says. As we accelerate atoms to unimagined speeds, crashing them together, it’s humbling to discover that centuries earlier this text already imagined the power created by simply combining alefs, beits and gimmels. What if there’s some energy to be gained by pushing a few letters together on the first night of Shavuot? The idea that a creative force inhabits each letter is a concept we recall from the story of Continued on page 13
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May 14, 2010
Elena Kagan nod would put third Jew on Supreme Court by RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -Elena Kagan would make it three -- three women and three Jews on the U.S. Supreme Court for the first time in its history. President Obama, announcing Monday the nomination of his solicitor general to fill retiring Justice John Paul Stevens’ seat on the Supreme Court, made one Elena Kagan historical element of the nomination explicit; the other was implied.
“She would relish, as I do, the prospect of three women taking their seats on the Supreme Court for the first time in history,” Obama said of Kagan’s late mother, who fought gender discrimination as a lawyer. The implied reference to Kagan’s Jewishness -- joining Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer -- also arose in reference to her parents at the announcement, delivered at the White House alongside Vice President Joe Biden. Both Obama and Kagan referred to her late parents as “children of immigrants.” The immigrant staus of her grandparents, Kagan said, instilled in her parents a belief in the right of “all Americans, regardless of their background or beliefs, to get a fair hearing and an equal chance at justice.” Continued on page 11
Take the ‘Nazi’ out of Arizona criticism
BEHIND THE HEADLINES by ABRAHAM H. FOXMAN
NEW YORK (JTA) -- Passions are high in the wake of Arizona’s adoption of the strongest anti-immigrant bill in the land. Demonstrations, calls to action, threatened boycotts and legal challenges have been some of the reactions since Gov. Jan Brewer signed the controversial legislation, which among other troubling provisions requires police with “reasonable suspicion” about one’s immigration status to demand documentation. Without doubt, the Arizona legislation is wrongheaded and disturbing on many levels. We have spoken out against the bill and, working with our partners in the Hispanic and civil rights communities, will continue to do so. Let’s be clear: Arizona’s new law is misguided, bigoted, biased and flies in the face of the Constitution and federal immigration law. It is un-American and must be challenged at every opportunity. But there is a point at which criticism of the legislation and the name-calling crosses a line. A number of individuals speaking out against the Arizona bill have taken to using facile and fallacious comparisons to Hitler or Nazis. Some have portrayed Brewer as a modern-day Hitler, while others have described the bill as being reminiscent of Nazi policies that required Jews and others to carry identity cards. We know that people are angry and frustrated, and are looking for ways to vent their anger. However, the discussion has no place for comparisons to the Nazis, for analogies to National Socialism or for suggestions of a new “Holocaust” unfolding in America. It seems to happen with greater regularity in American political debate today than ever before: When anger reaches a fever pitch on a particular issue, out come the inevitable comparisons to the Holocaust. It has become a rule of thumb, an all-too convenient catchphrase of the times. If you want to cast aspersions on a political figure, liken him or her to Hitler. If you want to cast their political agenda in the worst light imaginable, say it is “like something out of the 1930s.” We saw this during the healthcare debate, when signs appeared at rallies showing the president’s visage defaced with a Hitleresque mustache or with his signature “Change” emblem from the campaign turned into a swastika. What is so unsettling about such comparisons this time is that they are coming not just from extremists on the far left
Give Hebrew a try this Shavuot Continued from page 12 Rabbi Loew and the Golem of Prague. In one version of the folk tale, the lifeless human form of clay is brought to life by writing the word “emet,” truth -spelled aleph, mem, tav -- on the Golem’s forehead. As I approach Shavuot, after weeks and weeks of omer counting, there are days when I feel just like an emet-less version of the Golem: listless, unformed, just lying around. How then to stay up all night on Shavuot and study? You could try sticking a few Hebrew letters on your forehead. Or for even better results, hold them about 10 inches in front of your eyes. Edmon J. Rodman is a JTA columnist who writes on Jewish life from Los Angeles.
and far right -- those we have come to expect to trod out odious and inappropriate Nazi gibes whenever it suits their agenda. Some are coming from our friends and allies with whom we have worked closely in the past on immigration issues. They also have come from mainstream elected officials, religious leaders, editorial cartoonists and others whose opinions we value and respect. They are also being heard from the mouths of everyday people on the street. Such comparisons serve not only to delegitimize and trivialize the deaths of six million Jews and millions of others and soldiers who fought to defeat Nazism. They also play into the hands of those who support the Arizona law. For as in the healthcare debate, the comparison is totally inappropriate. It caricatures those opposed to the measure as extremists and undermines the argument for meaningful immigration reform. Those who use it so lightly should know better. More than 65 years have passed since the world learned of the full extent of Nazi atrocities with the liberation of the concentration camps in Europe. As we have moved further away from that time and the memories have faded, Nazi comparisons have become more commonplace in our political discourse. This trend has been fueled in part by groups on the left, like the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who once used imagery comparing the slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust to the slaughter of cattle, and Lyndon LaRouche’s political organization, which produced placards of Obama with a Hitler mustache during last year’s town hall meetings, as well as on the right, including some Tea Party activists who have openly compared Obama to Hitler. The Internet and the rise of social-networking sites also have played a role in processing and popularizing Nazi imagery. A search on the word “Hitler” on YouTube calls up dozens of videos. YouTube acted recently to remove dozens of Hitler parodies based on the movie “Downfall,” a German film about Hitler’s last days. In the videos, Internet users altered a scene of a Hitler rant in his bunker near the end of the war to include subtitles that had nothing to do with the original film. Hitler thus was seen ranting about airlines charging passengers for checked luggage or venting dissatisfaction with a Major League Baseball team’s performance. Even with the removal of the “Downfall” parodies, dozens of highly offensive videos employing Hitler and Nazi imagery remain. The Internet features far too many “Nazi this” or “Hitler that” blogs, videos, social-networking pages, discussion groups and online games to inventory. For example, Facebook has a group titled “who’s the most hitler teacher of school” and a blog called “Obama is Literally Hitler.” These user-created groups misuse historic World War II imagery for shock, entertainment or other purposes. Food, sports, transportation, clothing, education and religion all have Nazi themed, titled or defined sites. Ignorance about the Holocaust is also to blame. We need to do a better job in the schools teaching our children about the history of World War II and the Holocaust. We also need to ensure that our children are raised as responsible citizens, not just consumers of information but skilled navigators of the complex world, both online and off, where these images are increasingly commonplace. It also is incumbent upon our political leaders on both sides of the aisle, and on both sides of the immigration debate or whatever the hot-button issue of the day, to be responsible for their words, to consider their criticism carefully and to refrain from bringing Nazis or the Holocaust into the discussion. Abraham H. Foxman, a Holocaust survivor, is the national director of the Anti-Defamation League and author of “The Deadliest Lies: The Israel Lobby and the Myth of Jewish Control.”
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 9
The white stuff JOURNAL ENTRY FROM ISRAEL by TEDDY WEINBERGER
In honor of the upcoming holiday of Shavuot, with its tradition of eating dairy foods, I decided to write about the dairy section in Israeli supermarkets. Perhaps what is most striking about the Israeli dairy case is the size of the products: There are no gallon milk containers (the largest size is two liters—around half a gallon), there are no mounds of large hunks of cheeses, and the various kinds of cottage cheese (differing mainly in fat content) only come in one size: 250 grams (one cup). My wife says that this is a throwback to a time when Israeli refrigerators were small. Most Israeli milk is sold in one-liter plastic bags (milk is also available in cartons and plastic jugs). The bags are fairly sturdy, though they can feel a little slimy to the uninitiated (this is because, while chances are good that they will make it into your refrigerator without springing a leak, there might have been a leaky bag in the supermarket's bin). You need to buy a plastic milk-bag holder if you are going to buy the milk bags. The fancy ones come with a sharp edge upon which you can snip off a top corner of the bag before pouring; for those with non-fancy holders, a scissors does the job nicely, and the desperation method of biting off the corner works as well -- though less nicely. Like Jews the world over, Israelis are partial to cheesecake at this time of year. However, rather than cream cheese (which has grown in favor only recently), the main ingredient in Israeli cheesecake is “white cheese.” A mark of white cheese’s popularity is that it comes in sizes ranging up to 850 grams. White cheese is similar to cream cheese, but it has the consistency of thick yogurt. My daughter Rebecca, our family’s white-cheese fan, likes to use it as a dip for pita or chips. Hard cheeses occupy relatively little space in the Israeli dairy case. The Tnuva dairy giant (which monopolizes Israel’s dairy industry) mainly pushes its two “yellow cheeses” (akin to “American cheese”): Gilboa and Emek. Surprisingly, almost as large as the hard cheese section is the feta section (also known as “Bulgarian cheese” here). Whether from cow’s, sheep’s, or goat’s milk, Israelis eat large amounts of feta cheese -- in salads, but also with fruit and especially with watermelon. Labaneh and leben, exotic items in the States, are much more popular in Israel. Labaneh, sometimes known as yogurt cheese or strained yogurt, is often eaten for breakfast with olive oil and bread. Leben, which is technically “coagulated low-butterfat milk” (whatever that means), is similar to yogurt. And here is an interesting Israeli dairy-case story. I noticed that the same company (of course, Tnuva) makes two lines of leben. One line comes in slick colorful containers, while the other line comes in simple white plastic boxes. Other than a slight price difference (1.45 shekels versus 1.38 shekels for 200 milliliters), the two lines of leben seem identical—and yet it is precisely the “no-frills” line that is more expensive. I asked Tiran about this (he and his brothers own and run my supermarket -- it’s part of Givat Ze’ev’s small-townness to note here that a few years ago Tiran married my neighbor’s daughter, Oshrit, and I went to their wedding). Tiran said, “Don't you know?” He then pointed to the tiny “badatz” seal on the no-frills package. “Badatz” (the acronym in Hebrew stands for “high court of law”) is an ultra-Orthodox seal of kashrut. Tnuva’s regular leben only has the supervision of Israel’s chief rabbinate, which obviously is not good enough for a lot of people. Endnote: My wife, Sarah, eats three-percent cottage cheese for breakfast every day. She says that “it’s rich and creamy and is the perfect food.” Sarah also says that it epitomizes for her what the Bible means when it refers to the land of Israel as a “land of milk and honey”-- an excellent quotation upon which to end this survey of the Israeli dairy case. Happy Shavuot. Teddy Weinberger made aliyah in 1997 with his wife, former Omahan Sarah Ross, and their five children. Their oldest two, Nathan and Rebecca, recently completed mandatory service in the Israel Defense Forces; their daughter Ruthie is still serving in the IDF. Weinberger can be reached at weinross@netvision.net.il.
HOLIDAY CLOSING & DEADLINE NOTICE The Jewish Press will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, May 19-20 for Shavuot. The deadline for all ads, articles and photos is 9 a.m. as follows. Questions? Call 402.334.6448. Issue: May 28 Deadline: Monday, May 17
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
May 14, 2010
Candlelighting Friday, May 14, 8:18 p.m.
Synagogue Listings B’nai Israel Synagogue 618 Mynster St. Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com
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
Chabad House An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 S. 120th St. Omaha, NE 68144-1646 330.1800 www.OChabad.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 323 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 Prayer Group 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.tiferethisraellincoln.org
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B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m.
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Services conducted by Rabbi Mordechai Levin and Cantor Beth Schlossberg. FRIDAY: Shabbat on the Green, 6 p.m. on the synagogue’s back lawn. Picnic dinner served at 5:45 p.m.; outdoor Kabbalat Shabbat services, 6:45 p.m. Dinner cost for Beth El members: adults, $6.50, kids 6-12, $4, no charge for children five and younger. For non-members: $8.50 adults; $6 kids 6-12. To RSVP or for more information, contact Margie Gutnik in the office, or at programming@bethel-omaha.org. SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m.; BESTT 7th and 12th graders will lead Shabbat morning services and will be honored as graduates of our elementary and high school programs; Minha/Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. Bible Study SUNDAY: Discussion Group, 10 a.m. BESTT: Last day of classes for grades Pre-K-7 will be Sunday. A student talent show will be held at 11 a.m., followed by brunch featuring the Pancake Man. SHAVUOT PROGRAM: On Tuesday, May 18, bibliodramatist Peter Pitzele will lead a unique Shavuot program with role-playing and audience participation. The evening begins with 5:30 p.m. services, followed by 6 p.m. dairy dinner (optional). Program begins at 6:45 p.m. Dinner cost for Beth El members: adults, $8; high school/college students, $5; children ages 6-12, $4; no charge for children five and younger. For non-Beth El members, cost is $10 for adults, $5 for students, and $6 for children ages 6-12. Free babysitting available only with reservations. RSVPs are due by May 14. For more information, contact Margie in the office, or at programming@bethelomaha.org.
SHABBAT MORNING LIVE: Saturday, May 22, 10:30 a.m.-noon. led by Holly Weill, for 4-8 year olds and their favorite adult(s). No charge to attend, but for planning purposes, RSVP to programming@bethelomaha.org. MEN’S CLUB SOFTBALL: Summer softball series with Temple Israel begins on Sunday, May 23, 10 a.m., at the JCC ball fields. Bring a sack lunch for after the game. You don’t have to be a Men’s Club member to play. For more information, contact Scott Simon at 616.4089, or simonsz@cox.net. PARSHA AND PIZZA: led by Cantor Schlossberg, Wednesdays, May 26, 7-8 p.m. All Beth El classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Office Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fri., 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross and Rabbi Yitzchak Mizrahi. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; free babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes, 9:45 a.m. with Torah Parade; Kiddush in honor of 2010 Graduates. As part of “Graduation Shabbat,” Beth Israel welcomes Laya Pelzner from the Orthodox Union’s Department of Synagogue Services; “Guard Your Tongue,” “The Great Midrash” and “Advanced Parshah Study for Kids” (ages 10 and up), one hour prior to Mincha every Shabbat; Mincha, 8:15 p.m. followed by Seuda Shlishit; Havdalah, 9:24 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bagels & Beit Midrash begins with breakfast, 9:40 a.m.; Reading the Rambam, 10 a.m.; Sacred Text Messages (for teens) with Rabbi Gross, 10 a.m.; Living in Season with Miriam Gross, 10 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m. TUESDAY: Scholars Club for 4th-6th graders, 3:45 p.m.;
Chabad conference planned for Omaha by SHANI KATZMAN Chabad Center The Chabad Rabbis of the Western Region of the U. St. have scheduled a conference in Omaha from May 14-16; the program will include study, networking and inspiration. Community members are invited to attend a kiddush luncheon at Chabad House on Saturday, May 15, noon, which will be held in honor of the visiting rabbis. There is no charge to attend. Reservations may be made by contacting 330.1800, or shalom@ochabad. com. This annual convention, now in its 25th year, was established to bring together leaders of similar size and geographic proximity to focus on the unique needs and challenges of the particular region.
“In a more intimate setting -- in contrast with the International Chabad Shluchim Conference, where 4,000 rabbis come together in New York -- we feel we can get a lot done,” Rabbi Mendel Katzman of Omaha’s Chabad explained. “This year we have the opportunity to showcase our generous and welcoming community. We are so proud to live here and to serve,” he added. Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, chairman of the International Confer-ence of Shluchim in New York will bring greetings from Lubavitch World Headquarters. Thirty-five rabbis are expected to attend. Anyone wishing to help welcome, cook or assist with other arrangements, is encouraged to contact Mushka at 215.5240, or shalom@ ochabad.com.
Mincha, 8:15 p.m.; “Thunder, Lightening and a Heavy Cloud: Matan Torah from a Midrashic Point of View,” with Rabbi Mizrahi, 8:30 p.m.; Ma’ariv, 9:15 p.m., followed by Kiddush and Dessert; Tikun Leil Shavuot begins with “Family Feud,” 10 p.m.; “Thou Shalt not Kill – Most of the Time: When Killing is a Mitzvah,” with Rabbi Gross, 10:30 p.m.; Sefer Hachinuch study, 11:15 p.m. W E D N E S D AY - S h a v o u t : Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Special Dairy Kiddush for Shavuot, sponsored by Sisterhood, followed by Family Feud, and Jeopardy; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m. T H U R S D AY - S h a v o u t : Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Yizkor, 10:30 a.m.; Kiddush sponsored by Sisterhood; Dairy lunch (by reservation) will follow; After lunch, Family Feud, and Ask the Rabbi; Mincha, 8:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:30 p.m.
CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Service, 7 a.m.; Parsha Club for the Elderly at the Blumkin Home, 3 p.m. Contact shevi@ochabad.com to make sure your loved one at the Home can join the program; Services and Shabbat dinner, 8 p.m. at Chabad House. RSVP to Chabad Office@cox.net or 330.1800. SATURDAY: Shabbat Minyan, 10 a.m.; Youth Minyan, 10:30 a.m. Mini-Mensch title will be awarded. Kiddush lunch follows. Join Rabbi Katzman from 12-1 p.m.; W.O.W. Parsha, Prophets, and Prayer, 12:45 p.m. SUNDAY: Service, 8:30 a.m.; Shavuot Shiur. Chief Rabbi of Haifa, Rabbi Shor Yashuv will talk (via webcast) about his captivity many years ago on Shavuot and prepare us for the holiday, 1 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m. MONDAY: JLI class, Beyond Never Again, How the Holocaust Speaks to Us Today, 7 p.m. Visit www.OChabad.com for more details or to register. W E D N E S D AY : S h a v u o t Service, 9:30 a.m.; Annual Ice Cream Party, 11 a.m. RSVP to Office@Ochabad.com or call 330.1800. THURSDAY: Shavout Service, 9:30 a.m. All programs are open to the entire community.
a.m.; End of Year picnic and Lincoln Federation Campaign kick-off, 11:30 a.m. TUESDAY: Women’s Lunch noon, Lone Star Group, Steakhouse, 200 N. 70th St.; Joint potluck dinner, 6 p.m. at South Street Temple, followed by a service. Study begins at 7:30 p.m. ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAYS, 7 p.m. Intro to Judaism, led by Rabbi Emanuel.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. led by LOVE members; Parsha Club, 3 p.m. with Chabad members. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Alan Shulewitz. WEDNESDAY: Shavout Service, 9 a.m. led by Rabbi Maximo Shechet. THURSDAY: Shavout Service with Yizkor, 9 a.m. led by Rabbi Maximo Shechet.
TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: 12th Grade Graduation/Confirmation Service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m.; Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.; Sarah Prescott, daughter of Karen Schliefert and Michael Prescott, will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah. SUNDAY: Recruiting Volunteers to Paint the Classrooms, 10 a.m. To attend, contact Mimi Silverman, mimitaffet@cox.net. Bagels and coffee will be served. TUESDAY: 10th Grade Confirmation/WRJ Installations, 6 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Shavuot Yizkor Service, 10:30 a.m. THURSDAY: Adult Study with clergy, 10 a.m.; Kol Rina rehearsal, 6:30 p.m. Kol Rina on Key, Friday, May 21, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel and Sunday, May 23, 11 a.m. at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 5410 Corby St. MRJ: Softball game - Temple Israel vs Beth El, 10 a.m. at the JCC fields.
NEIGHBORHOOD PRAYER GROUP FRIDAY: Minyan, 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.
TIFERETH ISRAEL CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN Services conducted by Rabbi Ilan Emanuel. FRIDAY: Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. led by David Williss; oneg hosted by Ellen and David Feingold. SATURDAY: Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. led by Rick Kohn; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. led by Jeff Kirkland; Game Night/ Potluck, 6 p.m. SUNDAY: LCJS last day of classes, 9:30 a.m.-noon; LJCS Yom Jerushalayim program, 11
Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. FRIDAY: Services, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush lunch and Talmud study. SUNDAY: LCJS last day of classes, 9:30 a.m.-noon; LJCS Yom Jerushalayim program, 11 a.m.; End of Year picnic and Lincoln Federation Campaign kick-off, 11:30 a.m. TUESDAY: Women’s Lunch Group, noon at Lone Star Steakhouse, 200 N. 70th St.
May 14, 2010
Where to find God
SPARKS FROM THE WORD by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Bemidbar The famous 139th Psalm reminds us that we are always in God’s presence: “Where can I escape from Your spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I descend to Sheol, You are there too. If I take wing with the dawn….” Jonah, the reluctant prophet, found that out when he took a ship from Jaffa to Tarshish. He thought to escape the Lord’s commission, but the raging sea-storm brought him back to land and to his duty. Our Sidrah reminds us, too, that the Lord’s presence is always about us. The late Rabbi Morris Adler, reading the opening verse of our Sidrah, about the Lord speaking to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, exclaimed, “What a place to meet God!” God is in the wilderness? In the desert? Yes, there too. It well behooves us to remember the Torah narrative: The Torah was given to Israel (as we will remind ourselves again, immediately, on Shavuot!) in the wilderness. Sinai was not at the confluence of two great rivers, nor at the intersection of two great ancient commercial highways. Sinai was the desert, a no-man’s land. Even now, if one visits the traditional (but unlikely) site of Mt. Sinai, he finds himself near no great cities, near no centers of civilization. He or she is in an area of rocks and crags and sand. Was this the place to meet God?
DEATHS MARIAN MILLER Funeral services were held May 13 at Beth El Cemetery for Marian Miller, who died on May 10. She was 83. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ben, and is survived by sons and daughters-in-law, Mike and Gail Miller of Bellevue, and Keith and Bonnie Miller of Scottsdale, AZ; daughter and son-in-law, Sharon and Howard Epstein; grandchildren, Jason (Laurie) Epstein, Jennifer (Jon) Benowitz, Emily (Nick) Ray, Matthew Miller, and Jacob Miller; great-grandchildren, Tyler Epstein and Noah Benowitz. Memorial donations may be made to Beth El Synagogue or the charity of your choice. CRAIG A. SAYLAN Funeral services for Craig A. Saylan, 58, were held April 25 at Temple Israel Cemetery. Saylan worked at the Nebraska Medical Center for 38 years. He was a member of Temple Israel. He was a volunteer at the Nebraska Humane Society. He is survived by his wife, Ellen Saylan; parents, Rosalie and Milton Saylan; brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Jacki Saylan; sister and brother-in-law, Dorothy and Robert Shapiro of Lincoln; brother-in-law, Steve Gottlieb; and nieces and nephews.
Not, further, that the Biblical narrative assumes that Israel stayed at Sinai during all of the accounts at the end of the Book of Exodus, all of Leviticus, and a good part of the Book of Numbers, where our present Sidrah is. So much of Torah in the wilderness? Rabbi Adler went on to say that we are often in despair about life, frustrated by plans gone awry, bereavement, failures, dashed hopes. All of us suffer this kind of thing, some more, some less. But it is in this desert of despondency that we can meet God if we are willing to see and to feel and to listen. Depression may lead to resolve, to creativity, to accomplishment. Nor should we overlook the penetrating remark the Midrash makes about the wilderness. Of all places to meet God! Of all places for the Torah to be given to mankind! Yes, the Midrash says, no place better: for here no one is master except the Master Teacher Himself. The wilderness belongs to no one. It is literally a no-man’s land; all the world may come and take. Torah is for everyone, and God’s gifts are for all mankind together. Even the Children of Israel, to whom Torah was entrusted and who look upon it as their heritage, may not claim it as their own exclusively. It belongs to mankind, for all share equally in God’s love. In the wilderness there is a sense of isolation and aloneness, a sense of separation and freedom from human cares and everyday concerns. Here the thinker, here the prophet, here the religious soul may contemplate eternal and ultimate concerns. Here the voice of God is not interrupted by the screech of human sounds and civilization’s turmoil. Yes, in the wilderness, the surroundings of Nature itself, God spoke to Moses and all mankind. Editor’s Note: This column was reprinted from Rabbi Kripke’s 1988 book, Insight and Interpretation.
If confirmed, Kagan would be third Jew on Supreme Court Continued from page 9 Kagan got to know Obama through her association with Abner Mikva, the Chicago-area former federal judge who mentored both of them as young lawyers making their way in Chicago. Kagan, 50, likely will not face Republican opposition in U.S. Senate confirmation hearings. A number of leading conservatives have endorsed her as a moderate. As dean at Harvard Law, Kagan sought to redress what she perceived as an ideological imbalance by hiring conservative professors. Conservatives on Monday issued statements critical of Kagan, particularly for resisting military recruitment at Harvard because of the military’s discriminatory policies against gays. However, U.S. Sen. John Kyl (R-Ariz.), a member of the Senate Republican leadership, told CNN that a filibuster was unlikely. Obama wants Kagan confirmed by the August congressional recess. Jewish groups have been enthusiastic about the prospect of a Kagan candidacy. “She’s intellectually brilliant, and politically gifted at finding common ground and finding consensus,” Rabbi David Saperstein, who directs the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center, said when Obama picked Kagan to be his solicitor general.
Temple, St. Paul choirs to perform together
by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator As they have done many times in the past, the voices of Temple Israel’s Kol Rina and St. Paul United Methodist Church choirs will blend in harmony again. In addition to the familiar Shabbat melodies, the choirs will sing the music of Salomone Rossi, 1570-1630, a Jewish-Italian violinist and composer. The choirs will sing at Temple’s 6 p.m. service on Friday, May 21, and then again on Sunday, May 23, 11 a.m., at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 5410 Corby St. The community is welcome to attend both services. Cantor Wendy Shermet will give the d’var Torah on Rossi at Temple on May 21. “We like getting to do more complicated music than one choir can do alone,” she said. “We introduce the St. Paul choir to Jewish music and vice versa.” “It gives the singers a chance to participate in something bigger than themselves,” added St. Paul’s Music Minister Jerry Brabec. He mentioned “the opportunity to offer praise and thanksgiving to the God of our common spiritual ancestry,” and recognizes “how great is our God and how petty our human divisions!” Miles Remer, a member of Kol Rina, said he has
enjoyed rehearsing with the St. Paul choir. “They have some very nice voices. They’re a high-quality choir.” He also described the music, which will be in Hebrew, as “high quality and very spiritual.” Rossi’s music includes a collection of 19 canzonettes, short, dance-like compositions for a trio of voices with lighthearted, amorous lyrics. He also published a collection of Jewish liturgical music written in the Baroque tradition and almost entirely unconnected to traditional Jewish cantorial music, an unprecedented development in synagogue music. His music is “beautifully written, well worth singing, and well serves both choirs’ abilities and the service situation,” said Brabec, who will conduct the 30-plus combined choirs. Temple organist Julie Sandene and a brass quartet will accompany the choirs.
CORRECTION In the April 23 article about Sarah Meyer’s 100th birthday, the names of great-grandchildren Nicholas and Lexie Newman, and Jordan and Gabriel Cohen were listed incorrectly. In addition, Meyer’s stepson, Gerald Meyer, was inadvertently omitted. The Jewish Press regrets the errors.
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Page 12
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
May 14, 2010
March of the Living allows Beth El teen to bear witness to the Holocaust
by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator “No one can tell me these things didn’t happen. I have seen them for myself.” Shir Palmon, 18 On Yom HaShoah, we remember the past; we honor the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust; we vow “never again.” For thousands of Jewish teenagers from around the world, those rituals were performed last month, but not in their local community venues: instead they gathered in Poland, making the two-mile walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau, the largest concentration camp complex built during WWII, as part of the annual “March of the Living” trip. Beth El teen Shir Palmon was among those taking part in this unique two-week experience, which took the teens from various sites of Nazi persecution in Poland, to a week in Israel, where they commemorated Yom HaZikaron and celebrated Yom Ha’Atzmaut. Palmon, a senior at Ralston High School, said she made the journey “because I believe that it is important for people to see these things. Our last survivors are starting to pass away, and with more and more people denying the Holocaust, I knew I needed to stand up and take action. If not me, who else?” Of the many memories she holds of the journey, two have special significance to Palmon. The first took place during the walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau. “There is a point where you are walking up a hill and then you get to the top and you can see all the thousands of people in front of you and behind you,” she recalled. “You can see no end to the people and they are all there for the same reason you are. It’s amazing.”
The second took place in Israel, during the 24 hours in which Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’Atzmaut occur. “It’s an insane period of time,” she shared. “You feel two extremes: extreme sadness for the soldiers lost in the many wars Israel has
On their way to Birkenau, March of the Living participants were 10,000 strong. fought, and extreme excitement for the Independence Day.” Palmon noted the vast differences between the two destinations of her trip. “Poland was rainy, cold, sad, moving, meaningful, and heartbreaking; Israel was warm, sunny, fun, uplifting, and exciting. Overall, it was inspiring, incredible, amazing, and tons of fun.” While in Israel, the teens kept up a busy daily pace: among the many activities, they experienced a special Shabbat celebration on a beach at the Sea of Galilee; they also visited Tiberias and were treated to a disco boat cruise on the Galilee; they explored Jerusalem, participated in com-
munity service projects, climbed Masada, and visited an array of national and historical sites. The trip’s purpose is to send a powerful message to the teens, emphasizing the spectrum from the horrors of Nazi
eyes, they didn’t touch it, they weren’t standing in the spot where so many lost their lives.” During their stay in Poland, the teens were able to celebrate a Friday evening Shabbat with the Krakow Jewish community, as well as with other international March of the Living delegations. The next day, they led services in the Jewish quarters, and then enjoyed a program with their peers from the United Kingdom. After experiencing the March, Palmon said she would encourage other teens to participate in it, explaining that, “It is so important to see this history. The people who perished in the Holocaust -- all six million of them -- deserve to be remembered. The survivors are getting older, and sadly, are Shir Palmon, shown here during last month’s March of the beginning to die. My generaLiving trip, called her journey “inspiring, incredible, amaz- tion will be the last to have ing, and tons of fun.” Credit: Ophir Palmon, Artistic Images the honor and opportunity to Germany to the joys of the state of Israel. hear their stories and we need to take The march itself had a powerful, indeli- advantage of this and having the good forble impact on Palmon. “It’s hard to tune of having people like Trudy Album, describe the emotions you feel as you’re the Holocaust survivor who accompanied walking through the camps,” she said. us and told us her story in a barrack in “Majdanek was especially difficult, as it Birkenau, where she was imprisoned. could be fully functional again within 48 “The march has completely affected my hours. The blue residue from the Zyklon outlook on things,” she continued. “I B is still on the walls and ceiling, and have a great responsibility to share what I there are scratch marks in the walls from have seen and learned. The sights that I the dying people. This was the most dif- have seen will be with me forever, and I ficult part for me, and I’m still trying to plan on sharing as much as I possibly can figure out how exactly I can explain that with anyone who asks. There aren’t many emotion to others. I can tell them about people in the world who can say that they it, but they didn’t see it with their own have seen what I have seen.”
Thanks to You the Dream Came True The June 25, 2010 issue of the Jewish Press will feature a special pull-out keepsake section celebrating the new Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. The completion of construction marks an exciting accomplishment for our entire community, and we invite you to place a personal congratulatory note in the special section. Just select one of the three ad sizes pictured on the right, and fill out the form shown below with the names you want listed in the ad. Feel free to include a message, but please limit it to 10 words. Deadline for inclusion in this special section is June 4, 2010. Thank you.
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$65 Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Congratulation Order Form _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Name __________________________________________ Address ____________________________________ City, State and Zip __________________________________________________ Phone ______________________ Please check appropriate size. ___ A ___ B ___ C Check enclosed for $ _________
Send check to The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154 by June 4.
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