Vol. LXXXII
No. 37
Omaha, NE
14 Iyyar, 5763
May 16, 2003
SERVING NEBRASKA AND WESTERN IOWA FOR 82 YEARS
Jewish Federation Celebrates Centennial Annual Meeting Slated for June 9
Graul and Willensky Win Teen Leadership Awards
by PAM MONSKY, Federation Communications Director President of the Jewish Federation of Omaha--Steve Pitlor--will serve as host for the umbrella organization’s Centennial Meeting on Monday evening, June 9, 7 p.m. in the theater of the Jewish Community Center. A dessert reception will follow the evening’s program. Each year, awards are given and this year is no exception. Volunteersof-the-Year from the Federation and its Centers of Excellence will be honored, a Community Service Award will be given, and endowers will be recognized with the Endowment Achievement Award. In addition, two young people will be given the Young Leadership Awards and Teen Leaders will be recognized (see accompanying article). Finally, the Humanitarian Award will be announced at the annual meeting. Several Presidents and Chairman will be stepping down--from the Jewish Press: Fred Tichauer; from Jewish Family Service, Dr. Patricia Newman; and from the AntiDefamation League, Mimi Waldbaum. All three will be honored for their two
Steve Pitlor years of service to their respective organizations and the community. “As our 100th year draws to a close, we have much to celebrate,” Pitlor noted. “But we also have many challenges ahead, among them--addressing the needs of our community whose demographics and ages are changing, maintaining the outstanding results of our General Campaign, providing (Continued on page 2)
Temple Israel Passes Motion to Explore Building New Synagogue by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Following a motion passed by members of the congregation of Temple Israel who attended a congregational meeting last month, the Temple Board of Trustees will move forward in exploring funding and possible sites for a new synagogue at a new location. Congregational members were presented with a motion at the meeting that had been unanimously approved by the board. Board members have spent the past year evaluating information gathered from Temple members who attended several community conversations, architects, staff members, and other lay leaders of the congregation. The present building can no longer support the membership and Temple Israel’s mission, especially looking toward the future, according to the board. The sanctuary is too small to allow all members to worship together in a comfortable, sacred space, pointed out the board in its reasons for the recommendation to move. Other reasons include the need for flexibility in meeting space, modern classrooms, and an updated kitchen. The 50-year-old building needs constant maintenance at costs that continue to escalate, advised the board. In addition, constructing a synagogue on a new site will allow for more flexibility in design and space to create the spiritual and functional environment that would be restricted by remaining at the current site at 70th and Cass Streets. Mike Walts, President of Temple Israel, indicated in a letter to the congregation that “conversations with potential key donors to see whether major gifts are going to be available to make this dream a reality” will be the next step in the process. “It is our intention,” he said, “to bring the issue back to the congregation once we have a firm proposal including location, cost, and funds available.”
This year’s Jewish Teen Leadership Award winners are Keith Graul and Allie Willensky. The awards will be presented at the Federation Annual Meeting, Monday, June 9, 7 p.m. in the JCC Theater. Award recipients are selected by an anonymous committee comprised of Jewish profesKeith Graul Allie Willensky sionals and lay leaders. Professionals and lay leadership of graduating class of Westside High Federation Centers of Excellence, School. He plans to attend Macalster Jewish organizations and synagogues College in St. Paul, MN, where he will nominate high school men and women study German. Keith was nominated who have exhibited outstanding lead- for this award by BBYO. His parents ership in B’nai B’rith Youth are Lonnie and Diane Graul. BBYO Director Rachel Blum credits Organization (BBYO) or synagogue youth groups. Each recipient of the Keith with guiding Chaim Weizmann Jewish Teen Leadership Award will AZA into an impressive turn-around. receive a $1,000 stipend to participate At the time, Keith was Vice-president in his or her choice of a Jewish con- and responsible for programming durvention, conclave, summer camp or ing a period of low chapter membership and morale. After hours of prorecognized Israel experience. Keith Graul is a member of the 2003 (Continued on page 10)
Shoppers Undeterred by Spring Storms as Hundreds Attend Yom Ha’Atzmaut by JEWISH PRESS News Service
Israeli vendor Jan Elazar, owner of Ora Gifts in Jerusalem, alerted hundreds of shoppers to the tornado warnings by blowing the shofar during Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebrations at the Jewish Community Center. More than 600 attended the Sunday afternoon event. More Shop Shalom and Yom Ha’Atzmaut photos on pages 8 and 9.
INSIDE: Floods in Argentina ................................ page 7 OTYG Named ‘Youth Group of the Year’ at Annual Chavurah .............................. page 11 The History Footprint ......................... page 14
Page 2
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
May 16, 2003
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Beth El Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group to Meet Again
FRIDAY, MAY 16 Visions Luncheon, 12:30 p.m. at Venice Inn Rabbi Moshe Ungar, Scholar in Residence, 8 p.m. at the OCTL House, 1313 No. 58 St. SATURDAY, MAY 17 Rabbi Moshe Ungar, Scholar in Residence, 12:30 p.m. at the OCTL House, 1313 No. 58 St. C L Debbie Ungar, Women’s Shalosh Seudah, 6 p.m. I at the OCTL House P &
SUNDAY, MAY 18 BESTT Last Day, 10 a.m.
S American Dinner, 5 p.m. at Beth Israel A V MONDAY, MAY 19 E
YES Program, 10 a.m. Florence Melton Adult Mini School, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Talmud Class with Rabbi Kutner, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Foundations in Drawing, 7 p.m.
C L I P & S A V E
TUESDAY, MAY 20 Lunch & Learn, noon, at Kripke Federation Library Federation Executive Committee Meeting, 5:30 p.m. BBYO Pledge Night, 6 p.m. NCJW Dinner, 6 p.m. at Happy Hollow Federation Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m.
C L I P & S A V E
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21 Hadassah Board Meeting, 10 a.m. Jewish Educational & Library Services Board Meeting, noon B’nai B’rith Breadbreakers, noon, at the Park Inn Regency Lodge Federation Planning & Evaluation Committee Meeting, 7 p.m. THURSDAY, MAY 22 Walk-in Drop-in, 10 a.m. Yiddish Group Meeting, 1 p.m. Live from the 92nd Street Y featuring Bernard Lewis, 6 p.m. All events held at the JCC unless otherwise indicated.The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of events.To keep calendar accurate or for questions, call Marlene Hert at 334-6437. FOR A COMPLETE LISTING,VISIT THE FEDERATION’S WEBSITE: www.JewishOmaha.org (click on calendar)
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by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Behar Our Sidrah opens with the reminder that this took place at Mount Sinai. We sometimes carelessly forget that a large part of Exodus, all of Leviticus, and the opening chapters of Numbers all took place at Sinai, according to our text. The Sidrah deals with land, how it is owned and how ownership is transferred. Land is important, because “they ain’t making anymore.” In the great Florida swindle of the 1920s, many eager purchasers found that the land they had just bought was theirs all right, but it was under water. Jews of recent centuries have been eager to own land because they were forbidden to own land in the savage anti-Jewish centuries in Christian Europe. When restrictions were finally removed, practically in our own time, land-hungry Jews were eager to own real estate. There was some mixed feeling about it, since medieval Jews wanted always to have most of their possessions easily moved when expulsions were proclaimed. The fear of expulsion was not easily excised from the Jewish mind-set. America, the Golden Land, changed all of this. It really did change the mind-set of people who had lived, so to speak, with packed suitcases, for some centuries. In our Sidrah, there is provision carefully made for the seller who changed his mind. Under some circumstances, he could “redeem” (buy back) his land for up to a full year. Even present day law (lawyers please correct me) a buyer or seller may change his mind for a few days at least. In all of this we must remember that the land and everything else belongs to God. The Lord is not reluctant to remind us of this: “For all the land is Mine.” This is a concept that few of us remember and act on. We are only settlers and tenants on land that belongs to God, even as our lives also belong to God. The next time you deal with a real estate agent, remind him that you have a close friend who really owns the land this guy is trying to sell you!
C L I P & S A V E
by OZZIE NOGG Beth El Synagogue’s Rosh Hodesh group will welcome the Hebrew month of Sivan on Sunday, June 1, 7:30 p.m. The session, co-hosted by Dinah Raful and Carole Greenberg, will run until 9 p.m. at the Greenberg home, 1209 No. 131 St. The theme for the evening is “The Ten Commandments of Women’s Friendships.” “All of us want and need to nurture friendships,” Raful said, “We recognize that sometimes it can be a struggle to maintain them. What are the obstacles to developing friendships among women? How do we overcome those obstacles? Those are just some of the questions we’ll ask.” Beth El’s monthly Rosh Hodesh program is designed for women of all ages who are ready to share personal thoughts and experiences. “Over the past few months, we’ve developed a real sense of trust within the group,” Raful continued, “and we feel comfortable expressing our feelings to one another. For the upcoming session, we encourage everyone to bring a favorite poem about friendship--or a song or personal story. Not surprisingly, we’ve come to find that even our most personal stories can be common to other women’s lives, too.” The Rosh Hodesh group is free and open to all Beth El women. Reservations are a must and may be made by calling Dinah Raful, 493-1436; Carole Greenberg, 498-2880; or Beth El’s Program Director, Kathy Schmitt, at 492-8550.
EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE The Jewish Press office will be closed Monday, May 26 for Memorial Day and Friday, June 6 for Shavuot. The deadlines for ads, photos and articles are at noon as follows: Issue Deadline May 30 Wednesday, May 21 June 13 Wednesday, June 4 Questions? Call 334-6448.
DEATHS DR. JEROME “DOC” BLEICHER Dr. Bleicher died May 9. Services were held May 11 at Temple Israel. “Doc” Bleicher, as he was affectionately known, was a mainstay at B’nai Israel Synagogue in Council Bluffs, recruiting guest speakers for Shabbat and holiday services, providing continued suggestions of topics to be discussed each week and ensuring that memorial services were conducted each year at the Council Bluffs Cemetery. His wife, Freda died less than a month ago on April 15. He is survived by children, sons and daughtersin-law, Norman and Julie, Joel and Sandra, Paul and Sermsri, Dan and Line, Bob and Stacie, Jon and Helen; daughter and son-in-law, Rebecca and Brent Bloom; grandchildren, Zachary, Noah, Alison, Kathrine, Sarah, Aaron, Jonas, David, Sonny, Benjamin, Jeremiah, Jacob, and Joshua Bleicher, and Alexander and Elias Bloom. Memorials to charity of choice. EDWARD A. ROSEN Eddie Rosen died at the age of 91. Services were held on May 14 at Beth El Cemetery. Ediar BBG #710, one of the girls’ chapters of B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, was named for Rosen (“Eddie R”) because of his long volunteer involvement and leadership with B’nai B’rith. Rosen served as President of Henry Monsky Lodge and of the South Western Regional Council, as well as Governor of District #6. He was Chairman of the BBYO Advisory Committee and a founder of Breadbreakers, the weekly discussion group sponsored by Henry Monsky Lodge. Rosen was also among the founders of B’nai B’rith largest fundraisers, the annual Sports Charity Banquet, which honors two graduating high school seniors each year and presents a nationally known sports figure as keynote speaker. Proceeds from the event are used to provide funding for BBYO members to attend conventions and summer programs. B’nai B’rith honored Rosen in 1996 for “a lifetime of service.” Rosen began his career in new car sales in 1936 with the founding of Rosen Auto in Plattsmouth. Two years later, he joined with the Novak family to form Rosen-Novak and moved to downtown Omaha. In the general community, Rosen served as President of the Omaha Safety Council and Trustee Emeritus and President of the New Car Dealers Association. He was inducted in that organization’s Hall of Fame in 1994. He was preceded in death by wife, Sally, and daughter, Judith Ann Rosen Weiner. He is survived by a son, Jerry Rosen; son-in-law, Ken Weiner; grandchildren and spouses, Aaron and Therese Weiner, Jill and Gus Sideris, Jay and Michele Rosen, Marty Rosen, Pamela and Tim Skeen, Jeanne Weiner Cummings and Richard Cummings; and five great--grandchildren. Memorials to Henry Monsky Lodge of B’nai B’rith or Chabad of Nebraska.
@@@@@@@@ Annual Meeting (Continued from page 1) quality Jewish educational programs for our community and lending support to our synagogues where needed, moving forward with improvements to the Rose Blumkin Home and addressing the long term needs for our community in the areas of assisted living and dementia care,” Pitlor explained. “Another important issue is continued development and build-up of our Foundation assets, including establishment of significant perpetual giving endowments. “It’s important that every Agency of our Federation provide services at the highest level of quality operating in the most efficient ways as our accountability to the community will become much more visible in the future as we require more resources,” he added. For more information about the Annual Meeting, call me at the Federation office, 334-6431.
May 16, 2003
SYNAGOGUES
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 3
Candlelighting Friday, May 16 .............................................. 8:18 p.m.
TEMPLE ISRAEL
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE
Member of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations
Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism
7023 Cass Street, Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556-6536 templeisrael-ne.org
Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America
1502 No. 52 St., Omaha, NE. 68104 -5013 556-6288 BethIsrael@novia.net
14506 California Omaha, NE 68154-1980 492-8550 WEB--www.bethel-omaha.org
FRIDAY: Men’s Club, 11:45 a.m. All male members of Temple Israel are invited to a weekly informal get together at Spirit World, 7517 Pacific St. Join us for some relaxation and great conversation; Shabbat Comes to You, 3:45 p.m. Rabbi Aryeh Azriel and OTYG will lead a Shabbat Service at Remington Heights; Evening Worship Service, 7:30 p.m. Rabbi Craig Marantz and Cantor Wendy Shermet will officiate. Rabbi Marantz will give the sermon. The Oneg Shabbat will be sponsored by Bernice and Alan Wolfson, Rose Rosen and Ruth Luttbeg in honor of the Bar Mitzvah of their greatnephew, Joe Goldberg. SATURDAY: Bagels and Sacred Books, 9:30 a.m., in the Milder Center; Morning service, 10:30 a.m., Joe Goldberg, son of Wendy and David Goldberg, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah. SITTER SERVICE Sitter Service is available at each Friday evening service, Saturday mornings when there is a bar or bat mitzvah, as well as Sunday mornings when there is religious school. Charge is $2 per family. Please make reservations with the office. ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAY, May 18: The Four B’s: Behaving, Belonging, Believing & Bagels, 10-11:30 a.m. “Jewish Rituals You Can Try at Home” Rabbis Azriel and Marantz will walk you through some beautiful rituals to infuse your household with Jewish Spirit. Family Prayer Assembly immediately following in the sanctuary. TUESDAY, May 20: Conversations with the Rabbi, noon-1 p.m. Join Rabbi Marantz for an informal BYO brown bag lunch and discussion of current events and issues that affect the Jewish community in Omaha and around the world. WEDNESDAY, May 21: “A Guide to the Perplexed: Reading the Writings of Maimonides” with Rabbi Azriel, 8:30-10 a.m. THURSDAY, May 22: Adult Study with Rabbi Marantz, 10-11:30 a.m.
Office hours: Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Howard Kutner. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m.; The West Minyan is at the home of Howard Gendelman and Bonnie Bloch. SATURDAY: Morning Services, 8:45 a.m. Free babysitting begins at 10 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 10:30 a.m., Kiddush is sponsored in memory of Jack Cohen by Jane Cohen, Toba Cohen-Dunning and Eric Dunning and Elinor, and Michael, Karen and Lily Cohen. Mincha, 8:15 p.m., followed by Shalosh Suedot and Ma’ariv; Havdalah, 9:27 p.m. A weekly e-mail update is now being sent out, listing synagogue events. Please e-mail the office to be on the list. SUNDAY: Morning services, 9 a.m; “Let’s Go Out to Eat!” 5:30 p.m.; Evening services, 6:45 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m. and 6:45 p.m MONDAY: Talmud class with Rabbi Kutner, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Kutner, noon, at the office of Joe Kirshenbaum, Noddle Development, 13710 First National Bank Parkway. Bagel Bin lunch available for $5 with reservation.
Office Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.5 p.m.; Friday , 9 a.m.-4 p.m. FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning Services, 9:30 a.m. B’nai Mitzvah of Kevin and Rachel Kirshenbaum, son and daughter of Scott and Barbara Kirshenbaum, who will host kiddish following services. Rabbi Levin’s Torah Class meets at 8 p.m. Evening services at 8:25 p.m. SUNDAY: Morning services, 9 a.m.; Zimriyah Songfest, 10:30 a.m. BESST faculty will be honored at this annual event featuring BESST students and Youth Choir; Evening services and Study Session, 5:30 p.m. This relaxed, informal minyan, is led by Gastón Bogomolni. This week’s topic: The Torah Service and Its Prayers. WEEKDAY SERVICES: 6:55 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 21: Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 7:30 p.m, led by Cantor Emil Berkovits. Thursday, May 22: Introduction to Judaism class with Rabbi Levin, noon, topic is “Uncovering the Deep Messages of the Jewish Holidays”. Sunday, May 25: HAZAK sponsored panel discussion on Trends in Senior Care and Housing Options, 3 p.m., Guest Speaker Carolyn Leeds, a senior advocate from Indianapolis, will be joined by Omaha panelists Michael Silverman and Shane Kotok.
CHABAD HOUSE An Affiliate of the Worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch Movement
1866 So. 120th St., Omaha, NE 68144-1646 Phone: 330-1800 E-MAIL--chabad@aol.com WEBSITE: www.nebraskajudaism.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Monday-Friday: Services at 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Services at 9:30 a.m. SUNDAY: Services at 8:30 a.m. THURSDAY: “Slice of Life” Torah Class, ?? p.m.
BEYT SHALOM
An Affiliate of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
3012 S. 119th St., Omaha, NE 68124-5130
P.O. Box 241130 402-592-4082
FRIDAY: All School Kabbalat Shabbat services, 7:30 p.m., at the synagogue. SATURDAY: Shabbat in the Home. SUNDAY: Board Meeting at the Home of Alice Weiss, 7 p.m. Call Alice for details.
B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster St., Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 Phone: 322-4705 e-mail: doc jeb @aol.com FRIDAY: Evening Service, 7:30 p.m. Oneg will follow.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway, Offutt AFB, NE 68113 294-6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m..
TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
3219 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 tiferethisraellincoln.org
423-8569
Services conducted by Rabbi Stanley M. Rosenbaum. Minyan, Monday & Thursday, 7:15 a.m. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 8 p.m. followed by Oneg. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. Bar Mitzvah of Micheal Evnen, son of Debra and Bob Evnen, who will host the Kiddush Luncheon following. Sunday, May 18: Pirket Avot, 10 a.m. Monday, May 19: Torah Study, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 20: Ladies Lunch Bunch at Bob’s Gridiron at 27th & Highway 2, noon. Wednesday: Men’s Group at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m., are led by Rabbi Maximo Shechet. All services are held in the Herbet Goldsten Chapel and are open to the community.
CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN SOUTH STREET TEMPLE
Member of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations
2061 S. 20th St., Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 435-8004 jewishnebraska.org FRIDAY: Early Shabbat services, 6 p.m., followed by potluck dinner. SATURDAY: Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m.; Game Night, 6 p.m. SUNDAY: Hebrew school, 9 a.m.; Religious School, 10 a.m.; Gan Simcha, 10 a.m. at Tifereth; Annual planting and grounds clean-up day starts at 9:30 a.m. TUESDAY: Board Meeting, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY: AA Meeting, 7 p.m. in the Library or Social Hall. THURSDAY: B’nai Mitzvah Class, 5 p.m.
B’NAI MITZVAH Brian Andrew Fry, son of Marti and Larry Fry, will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, May 17, at Temple B’nai Jehudah in Overland Park, KS. Brian is a seventh-grade honors student at Oxford Middle School and was invited to participate in the Duke Talent Identification Program. He enjoys playing basketball and football, computers, and Jayhawks basketball. For his Mitzvah project, he collected books and stuffed animals for Childrens Mercy Hospital in KC. Brian two brothers, Daniel and Jonathan. Grandparents are Morris and the late Jean Bresel of Omaha, and Milton and Eleanor Fry of Creve Coeur, MO. Aaron Yale Murow, son of Janie and Allan Murow, will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, May 24, at Beth El Synagogue. Aaron is a seventh-grade honors student at Beveridge Middle School and was invited to participate in the Duke Talent Identification Program
and an OPS sponsored leadership program. He enjoys playing basketball, running track, playing the piano and watching movies. For his Mitzvah project, he will be working with the residents at the Blumkin Home, and raising money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Walk for the Cure. Aaron has a sister, Rebecca, and a brother, Daniel. Grandparents are Ruth and Merle Potash of Omaha, and the late Richard and Estelle Murow. Jesse Rosenstock, son of former Omahans Nini and Skip Rosenstock, will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, May 24, at Congregation Beth Torah in Overland Park, KS. Grandparents are Ann and Jack Belmont of Omaha and the late Jae and Buddy Rosenstock.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
May 16, 2003
EDITORIAL Yasher Koach to Our Young People High speed accidents, alcohol and drug abuse, date-rape, cutting class, failing school, gang fights, vandalism and high school shoot-outs--that sounds like the majority of teens in this country, according to the media. Well, not this newspaper! Look at this week’s front page--and the last few weeks, too--five teens on the front page three weeks in a row. This week, it’s the annual Teen Leaders--Keith Graul and Allie Willensky--who will be recognized for their leadership of BBYO and OTYG respectively at the Jewish Federation’s annual meeting next month. Last week, Alana Kinarsky made it on the front page, when it was announced that she is the first Omaha teen to have been accepted into the prestigious Bronfman summer program in Israel. And the week prior, Amy Cotton was featured as an upcoming honoree at the annual meeting of the National Conference of Community and Justice. But that’s not all--Robert Mosenkis, who’s been volunteering at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home for years, won the “Elderly/Teen” award at United Way’s annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon--that, too, was on the front page recently! These teens are just a few of the many wonderful Jewish kids who have made a difference in this community. Others, too numerous to
name, were featured in the Passover issue of the Jewish Press, in stories written by Ozzie Nogg and Claudia Sherman. And how beautiful was that front cover! It featured Robert Mosenkis playing cards with Blumkin Home residents Bill Haber and Eddie Rosen, who died just a few short days ago. We’re so grateful now that we made “Eddie R” smile when he saw his face in living color on that front page! We’ve got a bunch of great Jewish teens here--kids who spend the little extra time they have playing with preschoolers at the JCC’s Child Development Center, assisting in the Kripke Library, interacting with the elderly in the Blumkin Home and so much more. They’re busy raising funds for Magen David Adom and Camp Rainbow, planning conclaves and Shabbatons, learning Jewish texts through Partners in Torah, and recruiting unaffiliated Jewish teens to learn and do and volunteer with them. Despite the demands of applying to college, working part-time and taking a full-load of honors classes, so many of our Jewish teens still manage to put in volunteer hours every week. We--adults--could take a lesson from them. Ask a busy person to do something and chances are, it’ll get done. So yasher koach and mazal tov--go in strength and good luck--to our teens!
Cross Border Relationships
OUR MAN IN ISRAEL by CARL ALPERT Haifa--Israeli Jews in the urban centers have almost no personal contact with Arabs. The gardener, the delivery man, the handyman may be an Arab, but the relationship is fleeting and impersonal. Even here in Haifa, where there is supposed to be an atmosphere of mutual good will, very few indeed are the Jews who have Arab friends outside of business contacts, or friends who visit each other’s homes occasionally. Yet, off the beaten track there are contacts which seldom make the headlines. For example: • A 33-year-old Arab metal worker from Gaza, married, with six children, obtained a permit to work in Israel. One day, he and a fellow worker from Israel purchased a national lottery ticket. They chose their numbers well and won the grand prize of 11 million shekels. As a mark of gratitude to his Israeli boss who had arranged the work permit for him and had treated him well, the Arab presented the boss with a generous cash gift. • A year-and-a-half-old Arab boy, the only son in a family of eight sisters, fell out of a third floor window of his home in the refugee camp in Jenin.
The local hospital saw no possibility of saving his life, but his parents obtained permission to take him to the Meyer Children’s Hospital in Haifa where, after treatment, he was restored to consciousness and eventually discharged. • Two dozen bright high school pupils from Jordan and Israel spent a week together at Haifa's national Museum of Science and Technology studying in a seminar on DNA and the genetic code. They also visited the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. Yossi Ostereicher, who heads the Museum’s education department, commented: “This seminar proves that the idea of making science and technology tools for crossing borders and making friends is both effective and enjoyable.” * Three Egyptian fishermen almost gave up all hope when their tiny boat was caught in a storm and incapacitated at sea. They were found by the Israel Navy which, after checking to make sure that the boat was not booby-trapped or not smuggling weapons, rescued them, fed them and provided necessary medical treatment. They were enabled to return
home safely. • Terrorist acts necessitated defensive measures including control over Arab movements in the West Bank. As a result, emergency medical cases are not always able to reach hospitals in time. In the past year, the Israel Defense Forces have provided its medical teams in the areas with emergency kits containing all the required supplies to enable the physicians to assist pregnant Arab women to give birth safely when time necessitates. • When the eight-year-old Arab girl, Nuran al Karmi of Tulkarem disappeared, the search for her was joined by Israel soldiers and civilian Jewish volunteers from the area. Fatah and Hamas leaders promised to refrain from attacks on the Jews so as not to disrupt the search. Later an Arab relative of the girl confessed to murdering her, and led the family to the body, • As a special convenience for nuns in Arab convents in Bethlehem and Abu Ghosh, a medical team from the Oncology Department of the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem visited these places and conducted special examinations to test for breast cancer. More than 50 nuns have been exam-
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ined. • Commenting on instances of good will in various fields, Israeli and Jordanian veterinarians have called attention to the close cooperation between them in seeking to prevent the spread of contagious diseases among animals, which know no borders. • Professors from Ben-Gurion University and Bethlehem University have for the past two years conducted a joint study of attitudes prevailing among youths on both sides. Neither side showed any empathy for the other. Changes that took place after the beginning of the intifada tended to be even more extremely negative. The only optimistic note was the fact of the academic cooperation in conducting the study. • Armed guards have been placed at the entrances to Israeli schools as a measure of protection. When it was pointed out that Arab schools have not been given similar protection, the authorities declared that limited budgets did not make this possible, and besides, Arab schools do not face the same danger of suicide bombings as do Jewish schools.
JEWISH PRESS COMMITTEE Joanie Jacobson, Vice-Chairman; Penny Endelman, Secretary; Steve Simon, Treasurer; Elyce Azriel; Jill Belmont; Jean Duitch; Kip Gordman; Bobbi Leibowitz; Howard K. Marcus; Scott Meyerson; Linda Saltzman; Joey Shyken; Melanie Weinstein; Amee Zetzman; George Schapiro (Honorary Committee Member). Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Committee, the Jewish Federation of Omaha or the Omaha Jewish Community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.
May 16, 2003
BEHIND THE HEADLINES by NAOMI SEGAL JERUSALEM (JTA)--For those who have been following the Middle East for the past few years, the scene might have seemed all-too-familiar: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell visits the region and attempts to prod Israelis and Palestinians to take up yet another peace plan. But both sides put the onus on the other, and violence rages in the background.
Both Israeli and Palestinian officials seemed disappointed by Powell’s visit. The Palestinians, especially, voiced their displeasure with what they considered insufficient confidence-building gestures from Israel. Israeli officials, for their part, remain concerned that the United States won’t force the Palestinians to dismantle terrorist groups but will
CHALLENGES AT 55 Israelis Must Know Their Past, and Stop Apologizing for the Present by RABBI SHLOMO RISKIN EFRAT, Israel (JTA)--As is the case for a mature adult, the first challenge for Israel as it turns 55 is to “know thyself”-- to have a clear sense of who we are by knowing what we stand for, the values and ideals by which and for which we live and, if necessary, for which we are prepared to die. We must define the unique mission that establishes our place in the community of nations. Since we Jews are the People of the Book, who entered the stage of history neither by massive pyramids nor the threatening sword but rather by the force of moral principles such as “Thou shalt not murder” and “Thou shalt not steal,” we must see to it that the ethical teachings of our national literature remain the basis of education for both our children and our adults. Knowing who you are means being aware of the past, the matrix that formed you, as well as having a vision for your future, the goal to which you are heading. After all, we are a people whose annual cycle of national celebrations begins with Passover, the festival of freedom, which forces us to re-experience our suffering as slaves in Egypt and therefore to love the stranger and aid the downtrodden. Our New Year is a serious time of personal introspection and reevaluation; our solemn Day of Awe teaches us the need for individual responsibility, forgiveness and acceptance of each other. Jewish history and festivals must inform the texture of our society. Hundreds of years before the Romans were exalting “arma virumque cano”-“of armaments and strength do I sing”-our ancient prophets were envisioning an age when “nation will not lift up sword against nation and humanity will not learn war anymore.” And when there is a proud society that has a clear understanding of its fundamental values and overarching goals, each individual need not feel threatened by expressions of different political viewpoints or variations of religious observance. People can talk to each other without shouting at each other, sensitive voices can prevail over ringing cell phones, the culture of debate can supplant the turbulence of argument. If our time-honored and multifaceted Jewish culture can truly become the music of our Israeli civilization,we shall have created a shared medium of communication that can allow for wide differences of expression--religious as well as secular, Sephardi as well as Ashkenazi, land-intoxicated, technology-crazed, socialist as and capitalist. We can begin to learn from each other, instead of always jostling against each other. At age 55, we also can afford to stop apologizing for our right to be, for the
legitimacy of our existence. There are presently 21 Arab states in the Middle East. One Jewish state, with clearly defined and secure borders on land where Jews have lived in an unbroken chain for more than 4,000 years, certainly is what we deserve from the community of nations. The corollary of this recognition is our right to defend ourselves against those who would destroy us. When the Arab nations promote the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state, that is legitimate--as long as it is a non-terrorist democracy committed to living next to us in peace. But when the Arab nations add their request for a “right of return" -which means the right of 3-4 million descendants of Palestinian refugees from Israel's 1948 War of Independence to resettle in their ancestral homes inside Israel--that is tantamount to the destruction of the Jewish state, and dare not be countenanced. We have every right to demand of our neighbors, as well as of the world community, zero tolerance for terrorism, zero tolerance for suicide bombers and zero tolerance for antiSemitic incitement. We must shout from the rooftops our basic abhorrence of “occupation,” our unalterable belief that every people has the right to be free. But, at the same time, if an enemy attacks us-- forcing us to choose between being “occupiers” or “occupied”--we have no choice but to act as occupiers in self-defense. Even then, however, we must be as humane as possible toward the unfortunates on the other side who are captives of their malevolent and corrupt leaders. Finally, at age 55, we have the right to take pride in our accomplishments, to remember that despite the 21,500 members of the Israel Defense Forces killed in six wars, we have risen from the ashes of Auschwitz to forge a strong and proud nation. We have revived and revitalized our ancient Hebrew language and created a united people out of a rainbow of Jews from diverse ethnic communities and virtually every spectrum of the color line. We have established first-rate universities and centers of Torah learning. We have built state-of-the-art hospitals, developed the economy and grown from 600,000 Jews in 1948 to 5.5 million today. The greatest optimist in 1948 never, ever could have imagined what Israel and God have accomplished in these 55 years. Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is chief rabbi of Efrat.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
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Powell’s Directions Are Clear: Both Sides Should Follow ‘Map’ suffice with a cease-fire that Israel fears will give the organizations, battered by Israel’s anti-terror measures, time to gather their strength. If his public comments are any indication, Powell’s message during his talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas was clear: The time has come to act. He called on both sides to take concrete steps to advance the political process. After meeting with Powell, however, Abbas called on Israel to accept the internationally backed “road map” toward peace and allow P.A. President Yasser Arafat to travel freely. Following his talks with Sharon, Powell called Israeli proposals to improve conditions for the Palestinians “very promising.” The measures include a release of Palestinian administrative detainees, more than 100 of whom were freed on Monday. The two sides also have secretly resumed talks on security coordination, the Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported. One Israeli gesture--an easing of restrictions on Palestinian movement --was rescinded Sunday night amid warnings of impending terror attacks. In any case, both Israeli and Palestinian leaders clung to their core demands, which each presented as critical for progress, throughout Powell’s visit.For Israel, these include a Palestinian declaration giving up the “right of return” for refugees and their descendants from Israel’s 1948 War of Independence to homes inside Israel. Israel also insists that the
Palestinian Authority take concrete steps to fight terrorism and dismantle terrorist groups. Palestinian demands include an Israeli declaration that they accept the “road map” toward peace as is, and end settlement activity and targeted killings of terrorists. A day after Powell left, a Palestinian official announced that Sharon and Abbas would meet Friday. A spokesman for Sharon confirmed that the meeting would take place later this week, but did not specify a date. Like other visits of American envoys since the Palestinian intifada began in September 2000, Powell’s comes against a backdrop of violence: Zion David, 53, was killed Sunday when his car came under fire near Ofra. Such violence dims the prospects for progress, but Powell nevertheless urged the two sides to “get started.” Following his meeting in Jerusalem with Sharon, Powell called on the Palestinians to take “decisive action” to “disarm and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.” Without such efforts, Powell said, “our best efforts will fail.” Sharon did not give details of what was discussed. Asked about Israel’s readiness to halt settlement activity, he reiterated previous declarations that he is prepared to make “painful concessions” in real negotiations, but will not take steps that endanger Israeli security. A “genuine war against terror by the Palestinians involving real efforts to prevent terror is the key to progress,” Sharon said.
The Jewish Federation of Omaha is proud to nominate the following community members for positions of leadership
ELECTION 2003 INFORMATION for the Jewish Federation of Omaha and its Centers of Excellence JOINT ANNUAL MEETING June 9, 2003, 7:00 p.m. Ɣ Jewish Community Center, 333 South 132nd Street OFFICERS & CHAIRMEN:
JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA
President………………………………………………………………………......Steve Pitlor Vice President/Israel Overseas……….……………………...………….……...Zoë Riekes Vice President/Secretary………………………………….……………….…...Robert Lepp Treasurer……………………………………………………….………….……...Steve Nogg Past President……………………………………………………..……….....Forrest Krutter Foundation Chairman……………………………………...……………...….…Steve Bloch Budget and Allocations Chairman………………………………………......Norm Sheldon Building and Grounds Chairman………………………………………….…..Todd Manvitz Marketing Committee Chairman………………………………………....…..Margo Riekes Young Leadership Cabinet…………………………………………….……..Michael Miller Planning & Evaluation Chairman………………………..…………….….Sandy Friedman Jewish Press Chairman…………………………..…………….……...….Joanie Jacobson ADL/CRC OFFICERS: President ………………...…....Sara Juster First Vice President ……….David Gilinsky Second Vice President…….Keri Workman Past President……..……..Mimi Waldbaum
JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OFFICERS: President…………………….Jeff Kirshenbaum Past President……………...Richard Jacobson
JEWISH SENIOR SERVICES OFFICERS: President…………….…...Joanie Bernstein First Vice President…………Bob Belgrade Second Vice President………Harold Mann Secretary………………………....John Lehr Treasurer…………………….....Mort Glass Past President…………….....Sivi Roffman
JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE OFFICERS: President ………………….……..Justin Cooper Vice President……………..………...Lisa Lewis Secretary……………………………... Treasurer ……………………..…….Todd Simon Past President……….……….Patricia Newman
The Jewish Federation of Omaha 333 South 132nd Street Omaha, Nebraska 68154 (402) 334-8200
www.jewishomaha.org
Page 6
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
May 16, 2003
1000+ Attend Annual Sports Charity Banquet by JEWISH PRESS News Service
JFS CORNER How to Talk With Your Kids About Tragedy by JENNIFER LAMBOURNE, Intern Jewish Family Service
Don Dandy, left, a member of the Henry Monsky Lodge of B’nai B’rith, greets keynote speaker Dan Patrick and emcee Otis XII. Lodge President Gary Javitch,
right, welcomes high school athlete honorees Westside senior Haley Fries, left, banquet chairman Gil Cohen, and John McCardle, senior at Millard North
Women’s Groups Host Book Subject by SANDRA KOHLL Sara Ballkany, the protagonist of Around Sara’s Table, will be the featured speaker at a joint meeting of several women’s groups on Wednesday, May 28, 7 p.m., at the Chabad House, 1866 So. 120 St. Written by two women who attend Balkany’s weekly discussion--Rivka Zakutinsky and Yaff Leba Gottlieb-the book--and the subject--are the topics for the meeting, co-sponsored by Chabad of Nebraska, Hadassah, Jewish Educational and Library Services and the National Council of Jewish Women-Omaha Section. Balkany was educated at Bais Rivkah Teacher’s Seminary and Brooklyn College. The mother of 13 children, ranging in age from 12 to 33,
Balkany is the former principal of Kesher Bais Yaakov and a current community volunteer. According to my daughter, Sara Ita Meretsky of State College, PA, “Sara is an extraordinary Jewish woman, highly acclaimed for her role as a mother, educator and mentor. (Women) have visited Sara’s table and told me, ‘40 women squeeze around one table. Sara opens her house and heart to anyone seeking spiritual guidance and social interaction.’” Chairmen of the event are Dena Abrahamson, Devra Bram, Harris Finkelstein, Karen Levine and me. Order the book at the Kripke Library or Chabad. For more information, email me at: skholl@xoc.com.
In the past few months, the world has witnessed the beginning of war, the games of war and the near end of war. The media access has been unprecedented and the public has been exposed to footage never once thought possible. Due to the continuous coverage and increased availability of mass mediums, our children have experienced this war more graphically and personally than children in any other generation. War is tragic in innumerable ways; however, tragedy is not limited to war and terrorism. Tragedy can be defined as child abduction, natural disasters and school violence, to name just a few, and has the potential to occur at any time. Because of its unpredictable nature, talking to your children about what they watch and hear will help them process information into a more balanced and rational context. Keep in mind that children are concrete thinkers and often internalize what they see and hear as something that might happen to them. Tragedy can produce fear in children. “Could I be next? Could that happen to me?” Listed below are some helpful tips. • Encourage conversation. Discuss current events with your children and encourage them to ask questions. Answer truthfully yet inexplicitly. Half-truths and white lies could jeopardize the trusting relationship you have with your child. Help your child separate fact from opinion and offer only the information that child is ready to handle - this means providing age appropriate responses. When your child appears satisfied with the answer, stop and wait until their next question. • Monitor and limit your child’s media exposure to the news. Watching, reading or listening together allows the adult to filter the information the child views. Again, depending on your child’s age and maturity level, he may not be able to
distinguish between fact and fantasy. (There are magazines, television programs, Internet sites, etc. specifically designed for children that provide information without the sensationalism). • Help your child cope with their fear. Do not dismiss their fears. Fears are normal. Talk to them about their fears even when there is nothing reassuring to say. • Reassure them that your family is okay and that you will do your best to keep everyone as safe as possible. Younger children may need more comforting during the event and may become clingy or carry around items such as security blankets, stuffed animals or dolls. • Keep routines as consistent as possible. Children thrive on rules, order and structure. • For teachers and caretakers: reassure children by keeping routines consistent and by limiting adult conversations about the tragedy within their earshot. Share any changes that you see in the child’s behavior and affect with their parents (i.e., “Wow, it sounds like you are concerned. Let’s talk to your mom and dad about that when they pick you up today”). Many families prefer to answer their child’s questions from their own views. Parents know their children best and will know how to best explain the situation in a way he/she will understand. Above all, parents and caregivers should communicate empathetically. Empathy is the ability to accurately feel someone else’s expressed emotions, concerns or situation from their frame of reference. The willingness of an adult to listen to a child’s fears sends a powerful message that they are important and positively affects their self-esteem. Though parents and caregivers cannot prevent tragedy from occurring, they certainly can and should empower the children in their lives to cope with their fears.
May 16, 2003
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 7
As Floods Recede in Argentina, Jews Survey Their Wrecked Homes by FLORENCIA ARBISER BUENOS AIRES (JTA)--Only a friendly, Yiddish-speaking voice could coax 90-year-old Ernesto Jajam down from his roof. Jajam climbed up four days earlier, when the brackish waters of the Salado River swept through his neighborhood in Santa Fe, a city 300 miles north of Buenos Aires, following days of intense rain earlier this month. The floods forced the evacuation of 45,000 people, killed 23 and left 1,200 missing, according to army officials who are leading rescue efforts. In all, 135,000 of the city’s 400,000 residents were affected in some way by the disaster. Among those left homeless were 100 Jewish families and individuals from the city’s 900-member Jewish community, including Jajam. He stayed awake for three days watching the river swell until it covered his home’s windows and climbed within inches of his roof. Those stranded were taken to temporary shelters, but Jajam refused to budge despite rescue workers’ entreaties. Fearing looters, he even disobeyed his rabbi’s pleas to leave. Finally, exhausted and hungry after subsisting on a box of matzah he had managed to grab during his escape, Jajam agreed to be led away. The flood waters ebbed a few inches a day and families have returned to their homes to inspect the damage. Already suffering financially amid
Santa Fe, Argentina, shown under floodwaters in early May, 2003. Argentina’s economic collapse, the flood victims face a new, physical devastation. Before the flood, 150 families in Santa Fe were receiving economic aid from local Jewish welfare programs. Of them, 27 were left homeless this week. Sixty other Jewish families also lost personal belongings and may need assistance. “More help will be needed,” said Alberto Senderey, director of international community development for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.
The JDC is coordinating relief efforts with the nation’s Jewish umbrella organization, AMIA; the Tzedaka welfare foundation; and local officials, Senderey said. The JDC already had sent about $3,500 for immediate rescue needs and sent a staffer to supervise assistance efforts on the ground. Through AMIA, donations of mattresses, medicine, food and clothing are flowing to Jews in the disaster area. AMIA has asked every Argentine Jewish institution to help with donations. Meanwhile, Rabbi Daniel
Goldman of the Bet El Jewish community in Buenos Aires, along with local church officials, led a fund-raiser to help flood victims. “We have sent 17 trucks filled with food and medicine, and we expect to send 20 more,” he said. Goldman and 10 volunteers from Bet El headed to Santa Fe last week “just to be with the damaged people on Shabbat, to share their despair,” he said. The Chabad house in Buenos Aires has asked the Chabad house nearest Santa Fe, in the city of Rosario, to help out as well, Lubavitch Rabbi Tzvi Grumblatt said. Conditions in Santa Fe remain treacherous. Floods left half the city without electricity, and three of the five main roads are impassable. Flood waters destroyed 14 schools and two hospitals, hundreds of private homes, gas stations and stores. Now that the waters have subsided, volunteers ride boats through the city in search-and-recovery operations. Two men named Jorge and Sebastian helped Ernesto Efron, a senior member of the local Sephardi synagogue, to rescue a Judaica library he’d spent a lifetime collecting and was forced to abandon when the floods hit. The volunteers fished the books out of the water still filling his living room, said Gonzalo Abramovich, the JDC staffer in Santa Fe. Efron now spends his days drying the books at the local Maccabi gymnasium.
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May 16, 2003
Israel @ 55 by JEWISH PRESS News Service
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Photos from top left: Ticket takers Doris and Harry Alloy and Esther Wax count proceeds at Yom Ha’Atzmaut at the JCC May 4. More than $3000 in admission fees were raised. At military cemeteries, this one at the military cemetery of Kyriat Shaul in Tel Aviv, the length and breadth of Israel, families and friends came together to remember on this memorial day those who had fallen in Israel’s fight for survival. At 11 am the country came to a standstill as sirens wailed for a two minute silence. Photo by Isranet. Alyssa Kirshenbaum and Aaron Nissen build the Old City out of Lego blocks. Winners of the B’nai B’rith Jewish
Trivia Quiz were--once again--the team from Beth El: Ophir Palmon, Ben Shapiro, Aveva Shukert, Howard Epstein, Harry Weiner and Marty Shukert. They’ll donate their winnings to Beth El 21st Century Fund. (In second place was Neshama: Sorin and Sara Juster, Phil and Nancy Wolf, and George and Madeline Aufseeser, who donated their prize money to Magen David Adom; and third place was the Oriyentas: Rich Juro, Rini Gonsher, Marty and Edy Wolf, and Ray Millimet, who gave their cash prize to the Kripke Library.) Bottom photo: Ron and Rhoda Bernstein show off their handpainted wood from Kakadu.
May 16, 2003
Israel @ 55
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 9
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SAVINGS THROUGHOUT THE STORE! • Pool Tables • Bar Stools • Game Tables Photos from top: An Israeli soldier places flags next to the graves of fallen soldiers on the Mount of Olives overlooking the Temple Mount and Al Aksa Mosque, on the eve of Remembrance Day, Monday, May 8, 2003, in Jerusalem. Israel’s memorial day for its fallen soldiers began Monday evening. Commemorations opened with a siren, followed by a memorial service. The total number of fallen, including those who died before the 1948 founding of the State of Israel, is 21,540. The number of soldiers killed since Remembrance Day last year is 254. Remembrance Day ended Tuesday night with a ceremony on Mount Herzl, which also marked the beginning of celebrations of
Israel’s 55th Independence Day. Photo by Brian Hendler/JTA. The Shop Shalom Committee stops for a drink at Shop Shalom After Dark: Terri Zacharia, Jamie Friedlander, Vicki and Mark Sanford, Gary and Cheryl Lerner, in back--Sandy Kutler and Traci Kugler. Sisters Samantha and Elissa Weiner show off their beautifully painted faces! Israeli vendor, Shimon displays his wares. Jeanette Nadoff and Rose Shupack stop for felafel. Renee Kazor and Margo Riekes compare jewelry at one of the 33 booths at Shop Shalom. Jamie Friedlander “crashes” after 1000 shoppers attended Shop Shalom at Park Inn Regency, another 150 at Shop Shalom After Dark and 600 at Yom Ha’Atzmaut.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
May 16, 2003
Teen Leadership Awards Winners Named (Continued from page 1) ramming and planning, Keith’s efforts paid off when Chaim Weizmann had an extremely successful membership drive, doubling their numbers. Currently, Keith is the Cornbelt Council AZA President, a position of great challenges and commitment. On the local level, the Council President is responsible for conducting monthly Council correspondence, overseeing and attending all Council programs, representing the Council at monthly Advisory Board meetings and meeting with the BBYO Director on a regular basis. On a regional level, the Council Presidents are required to attend all Mid-America Regional Conventions, as well as the February Executive meetings. However, Keith’s most impressive leadership role came when he took on the task of raising $4,000 for the Magen David Adom, the Israeli ambulance service, last spring. Keith, along with two of his peers, put their passion for Israel to work and set a goal for the Cornbelt Council to raise $1,000 per chapter in a “Teens for Middle East Peace” walk and auction. Keith and his peers worked every day for two months to get auction items donated from local businesses, recruiting walkers and donations and to bring the United States Director of the Magen David Adom to Omaha to speak to our teens. The effort left a huge impact on the teens and more than $5,000 was raised. The money was counted in the overall total raised through the Federation’s Israel Terror Relief Campaign. Keith has an excellent rapport with other members of BBYO, demanding respect and in turn, serves as an excellent role model. His four years of dedicated service to the Omaha Council B’nai B’rith Youth Organization have made him an excellent teen leader. In addition to his BBYO leadership, Keith is an active member of Westside High School’s Warrior Band and its elite Concert Jazz Band. He is an award-winning trumpet player. Allison Willensky was nominated for the Jewish Teen Leadership Award by Omaha Temple Youth Group (OTYG). She will graduate from Millard North High School this year and will attend The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor next fall as a freshman. As the president of OTYG and one of NFTY Missouri Valley’s sub-regional
chairs Allie meets the challenges of her positions with enthusiasm, patience, and an ever-present positive attitude. Allie’s style of leadership is quite interactive. She does not ask anyone to do anything that she herself is not willing to do and varies the requirements of each person based on their ability and experience. She has invited numerous non-board members to assist with programs and projects, thus increasing the amount of involvement and adding to the pool of resourcefulness and creativity. Allison possesses strong teamwork skills and sense of commitment to her responsibilities, as well as a compassionate and sensitive approach to others. She has learned how to handle adverse situations: diplomacy and tact are a must as she cajoles and directs less involved board members to complete their tasks. In addition to her responsibilities as president, Allie volunteered to lead two events this year: as co-chairman for an Inter-City Weekend and as team leader for OTYG’s group at the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life for Metro Omaha Youth. The Inter-City Weekend was a mini-conclave for 36 youth group members from Kansas City, Des Moines, Sioux City, and Omaha. As team leader for the Relay for Life Overnight, Allie was responsible for recruiting participants, monitoring the gathering of pledges, and collecting all of the required paperwork. This was in addition to her ongoing tasks as president during a very busy time for the youth group. OTYG sponsors an annual spaghetti dinner and auction in order to raise money for several organizations, including Camp Rainbow, a weeklong, St. Louis area camp for children with life threatening illnesses. All youth groups in the NFTY Missouri Valley Region contribute money to the camp and many teens from the region apply for the coveted position as one of the counselors. Allie has been selected twice previously to serve as counselor for one of the campers at Rainbow and has just been chosen once again for the upcoming summer. In addition to her OTYG activities, Allie is an accomplished figure skater and vocalist. Her parents are David and Andi Willensky, and her sister Amy is a past recipient of this award.
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“We’re aware that security is the first issue everyone wants to know about,” Fleischer said in a recent interview. “But to the credit of UJC, security has always been our number one priority. And since the start of this latest intifada (in Sept., 2000) and 911, even our tight security here has been beefed up!” Fleischer was here last week, coincidently the same time as Shop Shalom and Yom Ha’Atzmaut, to make a pitch for the next UJC mission to Israel from Omaha. Planned around the General Assembly (the annual meeting of Jewish Federations of North America), the mission is scheduled for Nov. 9-20. The GA, which was last held in Jerusalem in celebration of Israel’s 50th, will once again be there, attracting the top government and military leaders, along with academicians, authors, artists and business persons. A pre-mission to Omaha’s Partnership 2000 Region includes a night in Nahariya, home hospitality with Israelis and a night tour through the old city of Safed. “This is something totally new for Omaha missions,” Fleischer added. “We’ve never had more than an hour scheduled in Safed, but now we’ll have an opportunity to visit the centuries-old synagogues and even the graves of some of our most revered rabbis, as well as tour the famous art galleries.” Mission participants will also have an opportunity to visit the Western Galilee College, the Ghetto Fighters’ House, the Western Galilee Hospital (where they’ll tour the ‘hardened’ facilities capable of withstanding bomb, chemical and biological attacks) and the old city of Akko. In Jerusalem, a visit to the architecturally renowned Supreme Court building is on the agenda as well as tours of the Old City, including new archeological excavation recently
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by CAROL KATZMAN, Editor Alex Fleischer is a big, no-nonsense Israeli, who’s not shy about stating exactly what he thinks-whether it’s about Israeli politics (and politicians) or Israel’s relationship with Diaspora communities. And, in no uncertain terms, Fleischer, an authorized United Jewish Communities tour guide, is insistent that Americans not delay any longer in making plans to Alex Fleischer, Omaha’s “own” Israeli guide. visit Israel.
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opened to the public at the Kotel’s Southern Wall. “This Mission is for everyone,” Fleischer insisted, “not just repeat visitors. First time visitors will have the thrill of seeing everything they should, including an option to travel to Masada and the Dead Sea. But it’s a great mission even for those who’ve been many times before.” Plus, Fleischer explained, “the G.A. is a unique experience. The opening gala at the Jerusalem Convention Center was spectacular five years ago and the closing ceremony will take place at Sultan’s Pool, just outside the Old City. And, depending on the ‘track’ for which participants are registered--media, politics, the military, health issues, education and the like, delegates will get out of workshop settings and actually travel to various places in and out of Jerusalem. “For example, if a mission participant signs up for the health issues track, UJC will have visits scheduled to a hospital, maybe a neighborhood clinic, or perhaps to one of Israel’s internationally recognized medical and research facilities,” he added. “The opportunities for learning are tremendous!” Fleischer, who is also an accomplished artist, considers Omahans, his “family.” I’ve been traveling for 30 years,” he added, “from Shreveport, LA, to Fargo, ND, but if you ask where I consider my second home--it’s Omaha!” Space is limited for this highly subsidized mission, which is priced at only $1600 from New York (participants must attend the GA to receive the subsidy); for information, call Federation Executive Director Jan Goldstein, 334-6433 or Pam Monsky, Communications Director, 334-6431. Someday, Fleischer adds, he’d like to come here just to exhibit his artwork!
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OTYG Named NFTYMissouri Valley ‘Youth Group of the Year’ by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 11
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Sara Rips, left, Molly Needelman, Allie Willensky and Daniel Gutman were four of the 18 Omaha teens who were at the Spring Chavurah when it was announced that OTYG won Youth Group of the Year. Omaha Temple Youth Group (OTYG) our congregation.” won the Temple Youth Group of the Josh Bleicher, a freshman, was the Year Award at the NFTY (North recipient of a religious award for writAmerican Federation of Temple ing, leading, and participating in Youth)-Missouri Valley Region Spring OTYG worship services. Chavurah at Temple Israel in St. Stephanie Grossman, Temple Israel Louis, Missouri, in April. director of youth and informal educaAnd that was just the beginning! tion, said, “Josh was very active in Allie Willensky, president of OTYG, planning and conducting services in accepted the award along with the 18 addition to being the co-liaison for the other Omaha youth group members at Junior Youth Group (JYG).” the conclave. “It’s so amazing to be “It was fun,” Josh acknowledged. He recognized by our peers for our wrote the Diversity Salad Bowl servachievements this year,” Allie said. ice, several havdallah services, and all “It showed that all our hard work the services for the JYG Conclave. really paid off. It’s the highest honor a Josh’s brother, Jake Bleicher, a youth group can receive in NFTY- sophomore, accepted the award for Missouri Valley,” she added. Membership Vice-president of the Attributing success to “an outstand- Year for surpassing his goal of 50 ing Board,” Allie said “everyone was members by four. so cooperative and worked well “It took a lot of persistence, phone together. The rest of the membership calls, flyers, talking to a lot of people, of OTYG was enthusiastic and always and never giving up,” he explained. willing to help whenever we needed He looks forward to more new memthem.” bers next year. She also thanked Temple Israel and For her outstanding Camp Rainbow advisors Stephanie Grossman and programs and fund raising efforts, Josh Katelman “for supporting us.” Janet Baack was presented with the Approximately 260 high school stu- Special Projects Coordinator of the dents from Colorado, Missouri, Year Award. Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois “It meant that my hard work and (excluding the Chicago area) attended dedication were recognized. the Chavurah. Somebody cared about what I have In addition to claiming the Youth done,” she said. Group of the Year Award, OTYG also Emily Sternberg, Rebecca brought home the distinction for Sternberg, and Molly Needelman undertaking the most social action received numerous accolades for their programs throughout the year. Most job as chairs of the JYG Conclave they of them were planned by Social Action planned. Attended by 185 junior Vice-president Sara Rips, a high youth group members (seventh and school junior, and OTYG Special eighth graders), the highest number Projects Coordinator Janet Baack, ever to attend a JYG Conclave, it was also a junior. held Feb. 28-March 2 at Camp Tall Social action programs included the Oaks in Linwood, KS. Josh Bleicher, High Holy Days food drive, letters to Janet Baack, and Allie Willensky also Israeli soldiers at Chanukah, a tri- helped with the planning. faith program with the Islamic Center In addition to the JYG Conclave, of Omaha and First United Methodist Allie, Janet, and Lauren Freeman Church, a two-part series with Judge organized an inter-city mini-conclave Larry Gendler on how to change the in March attended by 35 participants world which involved lobbying and a from Omaha, Des Moines, Sioux City, trip to the state Capitol in Lincoln, and Kansas City. listening to speakers on the subject of Other Omaha OTYG members who the death penalty, participating in attended the Spring Chavurah were Relay for Life for Teens, and a movie Leora Azriel who attended the senior night combined with social justice dis- function along with Allie, Lauren, cussion. A day will be devoted this Emily, and Rebecca; and underclasssummer to assisting with program- men Alex Bloom, Aron Neesman, ming at Camp CoHoLo in Gretna. Leah Harnick, Dana Harnick, Sara, who is “very happy” about win- Chelsea Taxman, Daniel Gutman, ning the award, said it “shows that Daphne Scherer, Aliya Gordon, and social action isn’t just for the adults of Samantha Long.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
May 16, 2003
National Award Honors Temple’s Middle/High School Social Justice Club by CLAUDIA SHERMAN, Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Temple Israel’s Middle /High School Social Justice Club has been awarded an Irving J. Fain Social Action Award by the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism. This is the first time since the awards were established in 1983, that Temple Israel has won. Presented every other year at the Union of American Hebrew Congregations Biennial Toby Fellman, left, Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, Nissim and at the Religious El Sharrif from the Islamic Center of Omaha, Action Center Consul- David Goldberg, and Joe Goldberg at a Social tation on Conscience in Justice Club discussion. Washington, D.C. in March, the lives of our youth and are a way for awards recognize Reform congrega- our students to stay informed about tions throughout the country whose the issues.” When the Social Justice Club work in the area of social justice is embarked on its initial journey to help exemplary. Magda Peck, chairman of Temple’s repair the world, a father and son adult Social Action Committee, team, Vic and Daniel Gutman, along explained that the Middle/High with Azriel led the way with ongoing School Social Justice Club was support from the Middle and High launched in the fall of 2000 “to grow School educational program at the next generation of Jewish champi- Temple. The Club’s original invitation generated interest from 15 youngsters ons for social justice.” “Tikkun olam, repairing God’s frag- between the ages of 13 and 17. mented world, is possible,” added Meeting once a month, the core group Elyce Azriel, director of the expands depending on issues and Middle/High School at Temple. activities. In 2000, Social Justice Club mem“Passing this ethic on to our children is our obligation and our best assur- bers studied issues concerning an ance that the values we cherish will amendment, the Defense of Marriage endure. These social justice programs Act (DOMA), to the Nebraska provide opportunities to touch the Constitution. Meeting with local lead-
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ers from the Anti-Defamation League and the Vote No on DOMA Coalition, Club members also attended a Temple social justice forum on the issue. Some of the Club’s members protested in the freezing rain on Dodge Street despite a likely defeat of the amendment. The teens also met with local proponents and state legislators to learn about effective advocacy in the legislative process. Some Club members have become active with Omaha Together One Community, a faithbased consortium for social justice in which Temple Israel participates as a member, to raise their voices in local issues. Several community advocates including Judge Wadie Thomas, Bob Wolfson, and former Omahan Rabbi Richard Freund and Temple members Judge Larry Gendler and Patrick McNamara have spoken at Social Justice Club programs. Also in 2000, in partnership with the Islamic Center of Omaha, a youth dialogue was initiated to bridge cultural understanding and develop personal relationships. An average of 20 Jewish and Muslim youth participate in activities including sharing meals, conversations, and ice skating. After the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, the young men and women continued to meet and discuss “with extraordinary frank dialogue,” according to Peck, how such disaster could happen and what it meant. Josh Bleicher, a high school freshman, got involved in the Social Justice Club last year, because “there were some issues I wanted to learn more about like the death penalty and hate crimes.” He also participated in the dialogue with the Muslim youngsters. Christian students are also included in the discussions which “are a lot of fun,” according to Bleicher. “We learn about each others’ religions and try to get everyone to see how closely related they are. Now we’re trying to do more social events and just hang out. It’s really amazing to see how much the three faiths are alike,” he said. “At a tri-faith dialogue a few weeks ago, I brought up the Patriot Act,” remarked Sam Anderson, also a freshman, “where many Arab-Americans are being singled out and questioned...in the name of homeland security. Some kids weren’t aware of this law passed after 9-11. Some Muslim kids told us that it (discrimination) was happening already for some here in Omaha.” Anderson added that “through the Social Justice Club, conversations like this are possible.” These exchanges sparked the beginning of the Omaha Tri-Faith Initiative, an adult-based trialogue for understanding and action between Temple Israel, the Islamic Center, and
First United Methodist Church, which continues to this day. In February of this year, Temple’s Middle/High School students and Omaha Temple Youth Group (OTYG) members joined the Social Justice Club to watch Promises, a documentary exploring the Middle East conflict and prospects for peace through the hearts and minds of Palestinian and Israeli children. Rabbi Azriel from Temple Israel and Nissim El Sharrif from the Islamic Center followed up with a discussion. Jackie Neesman, an eighth-grader, said, “It was cool to see the Palestinian and Israeli children meeting each other.” She was able to observe how segregated the groups are from each other, which she attributes to fear on the part of the children’s parents. Additionally, the Social Justice Club, with Elyce Azriel’s guidance, identifies existing community service initiatives to support. Two examples are collecting used cell phones to donate to the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council to give to women who are in danger to use to call for help and working with The Shelter for battered women. The teens also collect used eyeglasses for people in developing countries. Another priority of the Social Justice Club has been to identify who in the Omaha community provides emergency shelter and assistance for youth. The Temple teens learned about available programs and spent weeks in partnership with Youth Emergency Services. They collected money and emergency supplies to help serve and support youth, who survive on the street, through intervention and assistance. “Our congregation has come to expect that the youth are a vibrant and important part of the difference we make together,” noted Peck. Not only have the youth learned that they can inspire adults to do the right thing, the Social Justice Club also works closely with OTYG. The youthdriven philanthropy has also spread to seventh graders who donate to a central tzedakah fund in lieu of giving one another gifts on their B’nai Mitzvah. Each year, the class decides how funds will be invested for social action. “Through the Social Justice Club,” added Peck, “the next generation of Reform Jewish youth are ‘praying with their feet.’ Through strategic action and effective advocacy, the youth are learning the power of making a difference, together and in alliance with others. They are discovering that social justice is a viable and vibrant form of both our historic legacy and our religious practice. “We are counting on them to carry the torch of justice.”
CORRECTION Due to a production error, the following was inadvertently omitted from the Hadassah article “Rappin’ with the Rabbis,” in last week’s Press: “We’re looking forward to a fun afternoon of getting to know our community’s rabbis better, and learning about their lives, what led them to the rabbinate--basically, what makes them tick!” Kozlen said. The annual luncheon serves as a
fund-raiser for Hadassah Israel Education Services (H.I.E.S.), one of the cornerstones of Hadassah’s many support services offered in need in Israel. Among the services offered by H.I.E.S. is the Hadassah College of Technology in Jerusalem. Established in 1970, HCT offers degrees in a variety of fields. The Jewish Press regrets the error.
May 16, 2003
LINCOLN CENTER by MARCIA KUSHNER
Campaign Events Bring Lincoln Together
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 13
Dining
Out
When you patronize these fine establishments, tell them you saw their ad in the Jewish Press. The Lincoln Jewish Federation opened the 2003 Campaign with two events. On a Sunday last month, a Major Donor Cocktail Supper was hosted by Julie and David Brockman. Joel Alperson, United Jewish Communities’ Network Communities National Chairman presented an update on conditions in Israel and for Jews in several parts of the world. Recently, a kick-off supper was held
at the home of Dr. Marlon and Cindy Weiss. Above left: 2004 Campaign Co-chairmen are Dr. Michael Eppel and Joyce Davidson. Right photo: Gary Hill spoke of his recent trip to Israel and the work of United Jewish Communities Barbara Kenyon coordinated the event. The Lincoln Federation Annual Campaign will continue with a final event on June 8: Super Sunday.
Report in Campus Jewish Paper Links Berkeley Donors to Al-Qaida by RACHEL POMERANCE NEW YORK (JTA)--Funders of the University of California at Berkeley’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies have links to Al-Qaida, according to a campus Jewish newspaper. Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud, who funds the center’s Sultan Endowment for Arab Studies, is a primary defendant in the $100 trillion lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court by families of victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the Berkeley Jewish Journal wrote last week in a special investigative report. The lawsuit charges Sultan bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi defense minister,with financing Al-Qaida terrorists, according to Matt Levitt, a senior fellow on terrorism studies at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The paper also implicates Xenel Industries, a chief donor to the center’s Al-Falah Program, which “supports better understanding of Islam, Muslim culture in the U.S. and economic development in the Islamic world,” according to the Center for Middle Eastern Studies’ Web site. Xenel’s CEO, Abdullah Alireza, has links to the Swiss bank Dar al-Maal al-Islami, which has financed Al-Qaida through the bank’s subsidiaries, the campus paper writes. The ties are corroborated in a report by the Orlando Sentinel in its coverage of a business deal between Osceola County, FL, and Xenel. One of the bank’s subsidiaries is among the cofounders of a third bank called Al Shamal Islamic Bank, the Sentinel reported. That bank includes Osama bin Laden as another co-founder and was used to finance Al-Qaida operations, the Sentinel reported, citing U.S. State Department records. The revelation ultimately prompted Osceola County commissioners to withdraw a $100 million contract awarded to Xenel to build a new convention center, the Sentinel reported last December. For its part, Berkeley’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies rejected the Jewish Journal’s charges. “The article in question is fundamentally erroneous and misleading on a number of levels. It is clearly polemical, giving voice only to the most extreme form of right-wing Zionism,” Emily Gottreich, the center’s Vice-chairman, wrote JTA in response to the article. “More seriously, it is racist in its selective listing of our affiliated faculty, naming only those professors with Arab- or Muslim-sounding names, and omitting those with Anglo-Saxon sounding names,” she wrote. “The primary funding for the Center for Middle Eastern Studies comes from the United States Department of Education.” Endowments from Sultan bin Abdulaziz and the Al-Falah Foundation are “run by faculty commit-
tees with absolutely no obligation to, or oversight from, the donors in question,” Gottreich continued. If the Jewish Journal had asked, she said, “they would have learned that our newest endowment, which is funded at a significantly higher level than the Sultan Program, is the Diller Family Jewish Studies and Israeli Visiting Scholars Program.” For some Jewish experts on campus affairs, however, the article underscores the potential influence of Saudi money on universities’ Middle Eastern studies departments. Berkeley is a prime example of that influence, according to Martin Kramer, author of Ivory Towers on Sand: The Failure of Middle Eastern Studies in America, which posits that a pervasive pro-Arab, anti-American and anti-Israel bias has tainted research in recent decades. “It was no surprise that academics hadn’t a clue that 9/11 was possible, and it’s because Al-Qaida was not on their radar,” Kramer told JTA. “You could not do honest research” on Saudi Arabia “and expect at the same time to be a candidate for millions of dollars in Saudi largess.” Kramer said Berkeley and Harvard are flooded with Saudi money, which inhibits their professors’ research on the country and simultaneously corrupts the integrity of other universities’ Middle East studies departments, which also want such funding. “The Saudi issue is a subset of the bigger issue,” Kramer said, referring to what he calls the proArab leanings of Middle Eastern studies departments at many U.S. universities. In the field, “certain ideas are out of favor, and being pro-Israel is one of them,” Kramer said, insinuating that a pro-Israel bias could hurt one’s chances of advancing in the department. Meanwhile, news of the article was just beginning to spread on the Berkeley campus. “They’ll find out about what we know. It should be interesting,” said managing editor David Abraham, 19, who said the Jewish Journal had not discussed the topic with university officials or with Jewish groups on campus before the issue hit newsstands. An introduction to the article posed some tough questions for the paper’s readers. “Should the No. 1 public university in the U.S. have a higher standard of ethics than the Business Bureau of Orlando? “Does the university owe it to the students whose lives it changes and transforms, to use more discretion when excepting (sic) donations?” wrote Robert Enayati, the paper’s editor. “Should it accept money from those who, as you will learn, are trying to uproot Jews and Zionists from the campuses of America?”
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
May 16, 2003
Passionate Vegetarian
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Reviewed by LOIS FRIEDMAN Enter Crescent Dragonwagon (the author of more than 40 books, her name is a children’s book name...like Dr. Seuss) with the Passionate Vegetarian, a small telephone book-sized cookbook packed with 1120 pages and 1000 recipes with countless variations. Just think if you only make one recipe a day you wouldn’t need any other cookbooks for at least a few years. And you don’t even need to be a vegetarian (without meat, fish or chicken or products made from them) or a vegan (free of meat, eggs and dairy products) to enjoy these recipes. Dragonwagon is passionate about “cooking, eating, loving and living fearlessly” and writes in a chatty style of her life story and her life and love with Ned, her late husband, her restaurant, Dairy Hollow House in Eureka Springs, AR, (and some of the famous people who ate there...like the youknow-whos), and lots of personal notes, insights, comments and more in the introductions, chapter pages, and headnotes for every recipe, details, anecdotes, facts and extras. Crescent “invites you to my life, for it is inseparable from my cooking.” And you never know what you’ll find on the next page...on page 984 about grapefruit having “the
THE HISTORY FOOTPRINT by OLIVER B. POLLAK Karen and I spent four hot and humid days in New Orleans in early May. I could not generate a sentence when we were there five years ago. Now I can muster several paragraphs on Jewish New Orleans. Unlike five years ago, we used the internet to get our plane tickets and find out about New Orleans activities. New Orleans, “The Big Easy”, a city that thrives on pandering to lust, greed, and satisfaction of the sensuous pleasures, is also king of treife. The city proudly proclaims its shrimp, crab, oysters, and crayfish. Right next door to our hotel, the Marriott, at the corner of Canal Street and 115 Chartres St. is Creole Kosher Kitchen, a Glatt Kosher restaurant. Well lit, it seats 36. Started in November, 2000, its menu included Jewish favorites including Corned beef and pastrami. Several items are distinctly Creole, including Fish etoufeé, Gumbo, Red Beans and Rice and Jambalaya. Of particular interest is Andouie Beef sausage, which traditionally is pork based. The rest of the menu is Middle Eastern. The owner Ruth Daneshrad, an Israeli, wants her patrons to feel like they are in their own home. Gideon, the chef, says that if you want kosher food at Emeril’s, K-Paul’s, Brennan’s and several other New Orleans restaurants, let them know and that restaurant will contact Creole Kosher Kitchen for a specially prepared dish. The restaurant is supervised by the Orthodox Vaad HaKashrut. Dashka’s a Judaica store, closed on Saturdays, received my wife’s patronage. As last time, she bought New Orleans mask broaches for friends and family. The French Quarter, 6 x 13 blocks in size has 10 bookshops and we visited three. Crescent City Books, at 204 Chartres, is the leading used bookstore in the French Quarter. Karen heads for cookbooks; I check out books on books and we meet at Judaica. Crescent had an impressive four shelves of
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Judaica. Our purchases included Arnold’s Practical Sabbath School Lesson Commentary (1902) for $12.50 and a mid 1950s Mogen David wine pamphlet containing 38 mixed drink recipes using Mogen David wine, for two dollars. Faulkner House Books, at 624 Pirate’s Alley, had Kosher Cajun Cookbook, Kosher Creole Cookbook, and a book on how to write. The Kitchen Witch is a cookbook store. Call ahead, it has irregular hours. A trip to New Orleans should be preceded or accompanied by a reading of John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces. Toole tragically committed suicide at the age of 32, 11 years before his book was published, but that does not stop a couple of people a month asking, according to a used bookstore clerk, for author signed copies. The 1980 first edition can be obtained for $1500 from Crawford Doyle Booksellers in New York or $4839.99 from Red Snapper Books in London. An unscientific survey of our wait staff at Red Fish Restaurant, revealed that Colleen, the back waiter, a “glorified busperson,” and Paul, the front waiter, for beverages had not read Confederacy, while Edgar, the front waiter for food, who had taught chemistry in a junior college, had read it about five years ago. He directed us to the charming and ridiculous statute of Ignatius J. Reilly, the book’s main character, on Canal Street. The culinary highpoint of the trip was a meal at Emeril’s Louisiana Restaurant on Tchoupitoulas St. The cab driver laughed as we tried to pronounce the name. Karen watches the food channel. A brilliantly creative menu, meticulous attendance by five waitpersons, a kitchen where it looked like an invisible conductor directed the orchestra, wonderful wine, and an unhurried atmosphere, the meal lasted 21/2 hours, ranks with other memorable meals in Paris, London, New York, San Francisco and Omaha. New Orleans relies heavily on the kindness of
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KIBBUTZ SALAD All through the Middle East, folks are happy to eat this simple, incredibly restorative salad, not only with falafel but with virtually anything, anytime, anywhere. I’ve even been served it at breakfast, at a Philadelphia coffee shop called the Maccabeanowned by Moroccan Jews who immigrated to America. 2-3 fresh tomatoes, preferably densely red-ripe ones, diced 2 small cucumbers, preferably unwaxed, diced 3 scallions, thinly sliced 5-7 radishes, thinly sliced 1/2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper to taste Juice of 1 lemon 1-2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil Combine all the ingredients and toss well. Cook’s bonus: Pour the accumulated liquid into a teacup and drink it. Beautifully refreshing on a hot day.
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tourists. Sept. 11 and the recession have taken their toll. Four and five star restaurants, like the Ritz Carlton stand next to or across the street from empty and boarded buildings. Bourbon street was far less crowded but still had that unenviable smell. Harrah’s casino has opened. The Jazz Fest attendance, according to our cab driver was down about 24%. Although Giscard d’Estaing and President Bush have been invited to the Jefferson’s America & Napoleon’s France exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase-- given current politics, it is unsure if they will attend. Their absence will further dampen tourism. We spent a hot pleasant Sunday at Jazz Fest and listened nostalgically to the Dixie Cups, Gladys Knight, Pete Fountain with a cameo appearance of John Goodman leading “When the Saints Go Marching in” and Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers. On one of our several walks through the French Quarter a worker beckoned us to poke our head inside to see the interior reconstruction of musician Lenny Kravitz’ home. While the exterior is 19th century French the interior is high tech modern. The French Quarter has several Irish pubs. O’Flaherty’s Irish Channel Pub on Toulouse St., has live music nightly in the Ballad Room and the Informer Room. The fine performer I heard Sunday night had an audience of eight in a room that held 50. Since 9/11, the no smoking side has been closed three evenings a week. Is there an Omaha connection? Yes. At the conference I attended, David Katz saw my name tag indicating I was from Omaha. He asked me if I knew his mother, Sophie Katz. Did I ever! She was among my greeters when I arrived in Omaha in 1974 when she worked in the UNO benefits office.
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May 16, 2003
ORGANIZATIONS LOMIR REDN YIDDISH The Yiddish Conversation Group will meet on Thursday, 1-3 p.m. at the JCC. Bob Wolfson, Executive Director of the Anti-Defamation League, will speak on “Anti-Semitism.” Call Anne Skolkin for information at 343-1638. Y.E.S. Members will meet Monday at the JCC. Play bingo at 10 a.m. with Eileen Remer or exercise with Stacey Paskert at 10:30 a.m. Bring articles to share for “YES Talk” at 11 a.m. Following lunch at noon in the auditorium, Dick Walters will speak about “Past, Present and Future in Show Biz.” For transportation, call Dee Dee at 330-4272. Call Eileen Remer at 334-6521 for reservations: Bluffs Run Casino on May 29; deadline is May 22. WALK-IN, DROP-IN Members will meet Thursday, May 22, at the JCC. Bingo is at 10 a.m. with Eileen Remer. Bring a dairy sack lunch or order a Bagel Bin sandwich by calling Ilene Pachman at 391-2603 to eat at 11:15 a.m. The film, Maid in Manhattan, will be shown at noon in the Blumkin Home auditorium. OMAHA CHAPTER OF HADASSAH Rappin’ with the Rabbis, a conversation with Omaha’s pulpit rabbis, will be held Wednesday, May 28, 11:45 a.m., at Beth Israel Synagogue. Deborah Jewett, Hadassah Upper Midwest Region President, will install Omaha Chapter’s cabinet of officers for the coming year. Reservations are due by May 21, and may be made by sending a check (payable to Omaha Chapter of Hadassah, H.I.E.S.) for $13.50 per person, to: Charlotte Kaplan, 5431 Lafayette Ave., Omaha, NE 68132. Child care is available, and reservations may also be made by calling Kaplan at 551-5658.
IN THE NEWS
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN The Annual Installation of the NCJW-Omaha Section officers and board members and Awards dinner will be held Tuesday, May 20, 6 p.m. at the Happy Hollow Country Club. Murray and Sharee Newman will receive the prestigious Hannah G. Solomon Award; Deb Marburg, the Emerging Leader Award; and Beth Friedman, the Distinguished Service Award. Cost for dinner is $25 and checks may be sent to: Jamie Friedland, 9959 Rockbrook Rd., Omaha, NE 68124, or call her for menu options at: 932-9959. B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Bea Karp will speak on Wednesday, May 21, noon, at Park Inn Regency, according to Marty Ricks, May Co-chairman. Karp will will discuss her experiences a Holocaust survivor. Cost is $9 for lunch; $2 for beverage service. OMAHA CENTER FOR TORAH LEARNING Rabbi Moshe Ungar will speak during Shabbos dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow. Debbie Ungar will talk about the Book of Ruth during the Women’s Seudah Shlishit tomorrow, 6:30 p.m.,at the OCTL House, 1313 No. 58 St. Torah Tots is Monday, May 19, 10 a.m., with Shari Blum (parents can learn with Rabbi Blum at the same time); Time for Talmud with Rabbi Blum is 7:30 p.m. The Beit Midrash meets on Tuesday, May 20, 7:30 p.m. The Wednesday Women’s Class is May 21, 7:30 p.m., all at the OCTL house. Join OCTL for the weekly discussion of Torah Topics at Lunch ’n Learn, Wednesday, May 21, noon, at the Kripke Jewish Federation Library; the Wednesday Teen Class meets at 7:30 p.m. at the home of Brooke Shrago, 805 So. 120 Ave. For information about OCTL, call Rabbi Blum at 320-8055.
BIRTHS
Jill M. Abrahamson has been admitted to the Nebraska State Bar ASsociation. She is also a member of the California State Bar Association. She is presently employed at Metro Community College as one two In-House Counsels, as well as official Special Assistant to President of the college. She is the daughter of Hugh Abrahamson, also a member of the Nebraska State Bar Association and Tania Moore.
Dr. Jason and Mia Meyer announce the April 12 birth of their daughter, Kaylee Caitlin. They also have two sons, Eden and Gavin. Gavin was born on his grandmother’s birthday, (Karen Forbes Meyer) and Kaylee was born on her great-aunt Leslie Forbes Kully’s birthday. Grandparents are Karen Meyer and the late Bob Meyer, Jackie Meadors and Sonny Meadors. Great-grandparents are Irving J. and Ida Forbes.
Prudential Financial, Inc., announced that Joseph John, a representative with Prudential’s Omaha office, has qualified for membership in the Million Dollar Round Table, one of the life insurance industry’s most prestigious organizations. He has also qualified to attend the company’s Retail Distribution Masters Conference in Hawaii.
Vadim and Inessa Pesetsky announce March 20 birth of their daughter, Julianna Amber. She has an older brother, James Allen, age 8. Grandparents are Edward and Sophia Pesetsky and Mark and Margarita Libov all of Omaha. Great-grandparent is Samuel Libov of Belarus.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Omaha Symphony will perform a free Spirit of America Concert in Memorial Park, May 24, 3 p.m. Conductor Ernest Richardson will lead the orchestra in a performance of America’s most treasured songs, from Gershwin’s “Strike Up the Band” to Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Don’t forget the Symphony’s Neighborhood Concert at Beth El Synagogue on Thursday, March 22, 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for seniors or students and can be purchased by calling the symphony’s box office, 342-3560 or ordered online at: www.omahasymphony.org. Alan Ackbourne’s play, Comic Potential, opens May 23 at the Lincoln Community Playhouse and runs through June 8. Shows Thursday-Saturday are 7:30 p.m. and Sundays, 2 p.m. For reservations, call the LCP box office at 1-402-489-7529. For millions of families, theme parks are a welcome summer ritual. Soon, visitors to the Omaha Children’s Museum will be able to learn what happens behind the scenes. “Theme Park: The Art and Science of Universal Studios Islands of Adventure,” opens May 31, 10 a.m. For museum hours, call 342-6164.
Lisa and Shawn Hugg of Overland Park, KS, announce the April 15 birth of their son, Spencer David. Grandparents are Arlene and Paul Cohen, Barbara and Bob Goodman, and Phyllis and Dave Hugg of Emporia, KS. Great-grandparents are Jeri and Ira Trachtenbarg and Catherine Krehbiel of Abilene, KS.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Dining
Page 15
Out
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Thomas and Kelly Kirk announce the April 21 birth of their daughter, Emily Nicole. She has an older sister Lauren, 22-months. Grandparents are Fred Tichauer and Marty Tichauer and Michael Kirk, all of Omaha, and the late Virginia Kirk. Great-grandparents are Helena Tichauer and the late Walter Tichauer and the late Ben and Minia Maurer. Shifra and Mordechai Gitt of St. Louis, MO, announce the Feb. 20 birth of their daughter, Meira Tova. She has an older brother, Moshe, age 3. Grandparents are Dani and Leon Shrago, Nathanne Gitt and Jeff Gitt, both of St. Louis.
Open at 5:00 P.M. Dinner Served 5:30-10:00 P.M. Monday-Thursday 5:30-11:00 P.M. Friday & Saturday 5:00-9:00 P.M. Sunday Available for Private Luncheons 13665 California St. For Reservations, please call 445-4380
Page 16
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
May 16, 2003
With Search Facing Difficulties, Hillel Opts for an Interim Leader by RACHEL POMERANCE NEW YORK (JTA)--Unable to attract its ideal candidate to succeed Richard Joel, Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life has appointed Hillel consultant Avraham Infeld as interim director. Joel, a visionary leader who is credited with giving the group a prestigious makeover, concluded his tenure April 30. He will assume the presidency of Yeshiva University in June. Hillel’s presidency and international directorship is considered one of the top positions in international Jewish communal service and has gained prominence as campuses have blazed with activity surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Joel is credited with transforming Hillels from local campus chapels to full-service Jewish community centers boasting the theme of “Jewish renaissance,” a buzzword he coined. Infeld learned from JTA that his candidacy was confirmed last week by Hillel’s executive board.
Infeld, who has served as Hillel’s Israel-based counsel for Jewish affairs for the past two years, said he would move to Washington to take the interim post for one year. “My home is in Israel,” Infeld said, explaining that he has no interest in the permanent position. Infeld is founder of the Avraham Infeld pluralist Melitz Center for Jewish Zionist Education and president of Israel Forum, a volunteer program in Israel he helped found. He also directed the planning process for Birthright Israel, the free trip to Israel for 18-26year-olds who have never been on a peer educational trip there. He served as director general of the
Shalom Hartman Institute, the Jerusalem-based center for pluralist Jewish education, and Gesher Educational Affiliates, which promotes religioussecular dialogue. Born in South Africa, Infeld immigrated in 1959 to Israel, where he graduated from Hebrew University with degrees in Bible and Jewish history, and later from Tel Aviv University’s law school. During his tenure, Infeld said he hopes to leave the organization “very healthy and flourishing and as good as Richard Joel left” it. Asked his immediate goals for the organization, he listed three: to ensure its “financial viability”; to continue training student, lay and professional workers to lead the student movement on campus. Infeld aims to “help young Jews on campus feel a sense of pride and belonging to the Jewish people”; and to promote Israel advocacy by “making Israel central to the Jewish life on campus.”
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